Rented a boat on Cranberry Lake
We woke up later than an energetic fisherman should have. I was intent on getting a whole day of fishing in. So, Connie wished me luck and kissed me good-bye.
I rented a boat for the day at Cranberry Lake Campground. I did not bring a trolling motor, so paddles it is. Good exercise. However, it was a lot of effort for a just a few fish. One was a 12-inch black crappie, which was better than what I was getting from shore.
I came back to shore for lunch and a nap before going back out late afternoon. Connie had met Cheryl, who was in the RV behind us. She did crafts which led to a good visit for Connie. Cheryl’s husband, Bill, had gone fishing on the Lake, this morning, as well.
That evening, I was thankful for the day of fishing but looked forward to a restful evening. I had struggled with getting the TV hooked up properly until that evening when I managed to get some channels. So, we were able to watch MeTV!
Not Enough Internet to Go Around
Just to give perspective, my fishing day was on Sunday, July 2, 2017. On Monday, July 3, we decided that we needed to make reservations for RV parks over the next couple of weeks as we headed toward Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. However, the only internet available was at the office and it was not very strong. Connie needed to download a couple books to read, as well.
So, we decided to go into the town of Three Rivers to find a library or a McDonald’s. We found a decent place to eat breakfast, called Main Street Cafe. After we ate, I dropped Connie off at the laundromat while I went to the library to use their wi-fi.
I browsed for possible sites until Connie called me to pick her up. We went back to the library to make some reservations. Our breakfast wore off so we packed up the computer and went to McDonald’s for lunch. There, we were able to finish making reservations, since we are leaving on Friday.
This was an admin day. After lunch, we mailed post cards and made shopping stops at Dollar Tree, Home Depot, and Meijer Super Market. Back at the RV, we were able to stay outside and visit with our neighbors, Cheryl and Bill until about 9 p.m. A late supper of egg salad sandwiches and we did not sleep well. That is too late to eat dinner!
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
After our coffee and a light breakfast, we sat outside for a while, in out patriotic t-shirts, to watch the local group of campers who had a parade using golf carts!
For our late lunch, which I have come to call “lupper”, I grilled baby back ribs and sweet potatoes. We ate around 2:30 p.m. After lunch, I went to the office to try the internet and Connie took a nap, which is just the opposite of what usually happens!
Connie woke up about 4:30 p.m. Actually, we both woke up about then…I had decided she was not going to be the only one to get a nap!
To make use of the time until evening fireworks, we decided to drive north 25 miles to Kalamazoo, MI. The old town part had been refurbished which made the tour around town very interesting, including a lot of older homes in that area.
Back to the RV, we snacked and walked down to the office to sit on the porch and watch any firework displays in the area. However, no fireworks were allowed on the Campground and the trees blocked us from seeing any city displays. Only an occasional boom echoed across the Lake. Many of the campers had gone to local displays at nearby towns. We had chosen not to go.
Therefore, we were able to get to bed fairly early. We wanted to get an early start tomorrow for our drive to Grand Haven, MI.
Our Drive to Grand Haven, MI
I will include roads for those who want to follow our journey on the map. After our coffee to unglue our eyelids, we got on the road about 8 a.m. We took SR(state road)40 north to Marcellus, where we found a breakfast stop at Amy’s Fabulous Diner. The sign outside said “Good Food” and we were not disappointed!
We continued north on SR40 past Paw Paw to SR43, which we took west to South Haven and I-196, which follows the Lake Michigan coastline. We turned north to Holland, where the Interstate turns inland toward Grand Rapids. We had to exit north to US31 to reach our destination for the day, Grand Haven.
As we followed the coast of Lake Michigan, we had a lot of photo ops. As we entered Grand Haven, we stopped by where the old Haldex plant used to be. The operation was moved to Mexico, in 2011. It was nice to be back in this area. This is a resort town with a nice beach and charter boat fishing available.
We stopped for lunch near the boardwalk, at Butch’s Burritos and Tacos. If you get a chance to go there you should try this place for lunch! We did some shopping downtown and drove up to Muskegon, where my co-worker, Bob Koelzer, and I would stay when we visited the plant. To reminisce, we stopped to have some pie ala mode and coffee at the Grand Traverse Pie Co.!
After some more shopping for clothes, etc., Connie could give you more details, we drove back to the beach at Grand Haven to watch the sunset over Lake Michigan on the light house pier. Few parking spots were available, so we had a long walk to the pier. However, the pier was in the process of being remodeled. We were blocked from walking out to the light house. But, we still got a nice shot of the sunset!
A Grand Day Comes to an End
With the sun down, we made our long walk back to the truck through a state park camping area and the hundreds of vehicles of visitors to the beach, who also waiting for the sunset. We left the parking lot about 10 p.m. and arrived back at the RV around midnight. It was a long day but we had a grand time!
Our Last Day at Cranberry Lake Campground
For an RV park on a dirt road between farming communities, this had been a very pleasant stay. We both have family that live in the country or in small towns. Perhaps that is why could appreciate the environment. Our last day here, Thursday. July 6, will be a day to rest and pack and make preparations to move tomorrow.
Join me, next week, when I blog about going from the forest in Michigan to Deforest, WI…