Sep 29 - Back in Beaver Dam

When I last updated this journal, we were in our last few days in the U.P. of Michigan... and that was more than a week ago (longer??). About time I get caught up.

Thursday the 20th of September, we took advantage of a hole in the clouds and escaped the U.P. while the gettin' was good. For much of the previous week this little corner of the country has been cold and wet... the result of a "ridge" over the eastern Pacific that was keeping the Northwest and Alaska warm, but was then diving southeast bringing all this unpleasantness to the northern Midwest. Weather satellite video was clearly showing this river of clouds and moisture. And we were there.

We woke to rain (of course) which reinforced my nagging fear that we may not be able to leave... even if we wanted to. You see, we're parked on grass here at the camp. The grass grows in dirt and most people know what happens when a lot of water is mixed with dirt. But the rain eased, and the dirt and grass supported the bus-house just enough as we backed, floated really, onto the more supportive driveway and road a good hundred feet away. At that point our escape was assured. Sorry for the ruts Dennis.

Our route was M-28 to M-95 to US-141 to US-41 to US-151. For the most part, and once we drove out of the rain, the drive was agreeable and the fall colors bordering on spectacular. The only time it really rained hard was when we stopped in Sagola Michigan for fuel. Figures. And while the station had separate truck pumps and a reasonable price for diesel (4.119), they did lack a canopy over the pumps... so I "got" a shower in the process.

Once we arrived in Beaver Dam we drove first to our favorite sani-dump station... at the famous Beaver Dam Sewage Treatment Plant. I wanted the tanks good and empty... and well-flushed... so I could replace the Valterra blade valves. After 5 years of full-time use, they were beginning to seep a bit... and when it comes to these valves, any seepage at all is unacceptable. Unfortunately, the sewage plant closes the gate at 3pm and we were aced out of a "dump for free" opportunity by a few minutes. The alternate was to drive to a local county campground where we had to pay $10 for the privilege, which we did.

The plan is to be here in Beaver Dam until the end of October. It's been 5 years since we've experienced a Midwest Fall. Both Dar and my favorite time of the year up here, we're hoping it's a good one.