Elkhart, Indiana is known as the RV Capital of the US, since it is where a large majority of the recreational vehicles are built. Our motor home was built in Elkhart in 2006-2007 but since the manufacturer went bankrupt the new company has moved production to another state. We stayed at the Elkhart Campground which had wireless internet on the site and decent online reviews.

We had the pleasure of touring the Heartland manufacturing plant and even though this company builds travel trailers the inside production concept is very similar. The tour was very informative but we are still glad that we purchased a motor home instead of a fifth wheel that we originally thought about purchasing. If we ever decide to stop traveling full time and want to down size we will definitely consider purchasing a Heartland fifth wheel, most likely a toy hauler model.

Another outing in Elkhart was the RV Hall of Fame Museum; it is 50,000 square feet building built in 2007, housing vintage units from 1913 up to the 1970s as well as current models. Our favorite part of the museum was going into the older units and looking at the advancements that have been made over the years. The museum is operated by retired volunteers (most were rv owners) who give their time to show people around the exhibits and answer any questions.

After leaving the museum we rode to the American Countryside Farmers Market built by the Amish community. The log building was three stories, showcasing many of the local arts, crafts and foods including whoopie pies, organic vegetables, handmade rugs and candles. The only purchase that day was by Carson and Zachary who bought new Webkinz pets in one of the stores. They were not interested in most of the inside area but they really liked the petting zoo outside where they wanted to buy a baby goat to keep Bella company in the motor home. We had to break the news to them that we could not travel with a goat, even a miniature one.

We have been traveling since June but in Elkhart, we discovered what happens when your campground has really bad water. The shower, the toilets, and sinks all turned pink from the water. We did not wash any white clothes fearing they would all turn pink and we had to throw out our water filter once we left Elkhart.

While in Elkhart, we were able to pickup some parts that Brian needed to fix our inside control panel and a new water filter so we could replace the one that was now contaminated from the water in the campground. Next stop will be Indianapolis, Indiana to visit the Children’s Museum.

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Wisconsin started with a dead car battery, a bad haircut and another night in a Walmart parking lot in Sheboygan. We arrived at Walmart around 8:00 pm EST time but now we were in Central time zone we gained an extra hour. Due to the fact it had been close to eight weeks since haircuts, Brian decided that everyone needed to go inside Walmart for haircuts. I decided that since I had not had my haircut since May, I would watch the boys get their hair cut and see if I trusted the stylist to cut my hair too. I did not trust my inside voice that told me to wait another two months for a haircut when we got back to Asheville. I am not really sure what happened but my cut that was supposed to be up to my chin went much shorter- way too short. I have not had my hair this short since college and then I had a few less pounds. Needless to say, I cried off and on for over two weeks, every time I looked in the mirror or saw my reflection. I decided that we would not return to NC until my hair grew out or I could find a really pretty hat to hide my bad hair cut.

We realized just before Wisconsin that the car battery was dead, which meant no auxiliary brake in the TOAD. Since the plug in for the auxiliary brake in the car was still not working we had to plug directly into the car which drains the car battery. After an unsuccessful attempt to use a plug in battery charger we called Coach Net for road side assistance. The guy that came had a portable battery charger much larger than the one that we had attempted to use and he had the car battery “jumped” in less than five minutes. We spent another 30 plus minutes sitting in the Walmart parking lot waiting for the battery to charge, so we could connect the brake in the TOAD.

The high light of Wisconsin was a trip to the Jelly Belly plant in Pleasant Prairie. We toured the plant, tasted some really interested candies and purchased Belly Flops (Belly Jelly rejects) and Cupid Corn (candy corn colored red and pink for Valentine’s Day). We bought and bagged 25 lbs of candy corn and I am sure that most of it will be gone before we return to NC in November. The kids enjoyed the tour of the candy shop more than the plant tour since they were able to sample different types of candy. They decided that we needed a Jelly Belly car which was a Volkswagen bug decorated with the Jelly Belly logo and colors since it was much more colorful than the TOAD.

We only planned on staying in Wisconsin a couple of days so we stayed in a city park in Racine, WI. On the way to the Mexican restaurant we found by a Google search, it started raining and the lack of street lights made the drive to the restaurant difficult. The Mexican restaurant called Jose’s Blue Sombrero, Brian tried a chicken chimichanga and I had cheese and chicken enchiladas, Zachary ate a chicken taco, and Carson ate chips. The food was good but did not compare to Don Papas in Asheville.

Wisconsin will be remembered by a bad haircut which will still be evident when 2010 begins. Next stop is Elkhart, Indiana, the RV Capital of the US, for more adventures for the Godwin family.

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Our second boon docking experience was at Walmart in Gaylord, MI, where we rented movies from the Red Box and enjoyed a movie and then restful night in the Walmart parking lot next to the garden center. The nightly weather was cooler and it was only me and Zachary in the bed, so we were able to sleep much better. Zachary and Carson received an early Christmas present while were parked at Walmart- electric blankets, they were almost as excited about received the blankets as they were when they received new WII games. It was not cold enough for the electric blankets so we did not unpack them.

On Tuesday, September 22, 2009 we arrived at the Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island KOA. This was a small campground that was nearly deserted since they close mid October. We had a good internet connection, a level site and a relatively cheap rate. The first day at the campground was spent organizing and washing dishes and researching our site seeing agenda for the week. Wednesday was spent with extra home school activities and washing 8 loads of laundry including sheets and blankets. We try to sample things that are really popular or famous to a certain area and Mackinaw is famous for two things fudge and pasties. We tried a chicken and beef pasties it brown gravy on the side from Mackinaw Pasty & Cookie Company in Mackinaw City. Pasties originated in Cornwall, England and are a pastry crust filled with meat (either beef or chicken), rutabagas, potatoes, onions and can be topped with gravy, they are called a balanced meal in a crust. The newer versions come with pizza toppings, all vegetables, and sometimes cheese and meat. Since the pasty was a compact meal it could be wrapped in cloth and carried in the miner’s shirt pocket and were said to last even if dropped down a mine shaft. The pasty was eaten by the workers (especially miners) since it could be held in one hand and last piece of the pasty (that was dirty from being held) would be discarded into the mine to ward off evil spirits. The Pasty is still popular in the United Kingdom and some US states.

On Friday which was supposed the warmest day of the following four days, we took Shepler’s Ferry over the Mackinac Island. The ride was only 18 minutes across the Mackinaw Straits and it was extremely bumpy with waves washing over the windows in the lower cabin. The unfortunate people that decided to sit on the top deck had a very windy, wet ride to the island. The weekend that we visited the island was the Republican Convention of Michigan’s, so there was campaigning on every corner. A large majority of the people on the ferry with us were part of the convention. This extra number of people posed a problem for those of us not involved since they had rented out most of the recommended restaurants for political parties on Friday night. We ventured to the visitors center on the island where we purchased a guide book, map and a recommended walking route around the island. We visited Fort Holmes, Arch Rock, Sugar Loaf Rock, Skull Cave, and Post Cemetery where some of the graves date back to the 1820s. The Grand Hotel was built in response to the popularity of Mackinac Island by vacationers arriving on the island by lake steamer from Chicago, Detroit, Montreal and by rail from across the continent. We visited the outside of the Grand Hotel which has been a summer retreat for vacationers since it opened in 1887 when rates varied from $3-$5 a night. The hotel has been the backdrop for many movies over the years, as well as being visited by celebrities, presidents, and vacationers looking for a relaxing summer retreat. The Grand Hotel’s Porch at 600 feet, is world’s largest and is visible from Lake Huron as you approach the island by ferry. On June 26, 2006, the hotel’s 5,000,000 guest checked into the hotel.

After our walk we ventured back into town to purchase some of the famous Murdick fudge which as been made on Mackinac Island since the 1920s. We had a hard time selecting our flavors but our final decision was Michigan Maple Walnut, Double Dark Chocolate, Vanilla Chocolate Chip, Butter Pecan, and Chocolate Mint, all these were made with real cream and all the freshest ingredients (this is what their slogan states). We ate fudge for a couple of days and then froze what was left, allowing us to remember our walk around Mackinac Island for months to come.

While we were walking around the town we discovered a small pizza restaurant, Dean’s Filling Station & Pizza Palace. We also found a small sign making shop and decided to order a sign for the motor home so everyone would know that we were the Godwin Family. Most people hang these small wooden signs outside of their RV but we decided to place our sign inside in the front windshield while we are parked. We visited a small museum and learned about the history of the Mackinaw Bridge which is the third longest suspension bridge in the world (behind Japan and Denmark) and the longest in the US. The five mile long bridge opened on November 1, 1957, crossing the straits of Mackinac and connecting the two peninsulas of Michigan.

Since we had to wait for the sign to be made we decided to order pizza from the Pizza Palace and pick up both the sign and the pizza during one trip. One unique characteristic of this restaurant was that you could select a flavored crust such as Parmesan, garlic butter or Italian herb, the pizza was so tasty that we had two before we left Mackinaw City and almost stayed another day to try the Italian herb flavored crust. We would highly recommend Dean’s Filling Station and Pizza Palace if you travel to Mackinaw City, MI.

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This is a catch up post.

Our first boon-docking experience was in Michigan at Walmart in Saginaw on September 21st.  We went inside, purchased some necessities along with sandwiches from Subway. Since Brian was not feeling well with a sinus infection he could not manage the longer drives that we had done in the previous weeks. Brian slept in Zachary’s bed and I slept with Carson and Zachary in our bed. On the counter there was the largest steak knife that we had in the motor home, just in case Brian needed to “scare an intruder”. We discussed our escape plan on what to do if someone tried to break into the motor home. This was not a restful night due to three of us in the bed and it being stuffy with no AC. We were able to get a quick shower which made Brian and I feel more refreshed to start the day.

We left Walmart and drove into Frankenmuth, MI which is known as Michigan’s Little Bavaria. Our first stop was Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, known as the “World’s Largest Christmas Store”, started in 1945 by Wally Bronner and is visited by millions of people each year.  If you could not find a Christmas ornament, multi holiday decoration, or Christmas cards that you liked they probably have not been made. There were ornaments for almost any category that could possibly be imagined. This store is listed as an attraction on things to do in Frankenmuth, MI,   The store included a snack bar, video room with daily presentations, and visitor’s center where they presented you with a map to navigate the store.  We only purchased one motor home ornament, although we do not have a Christmas tree for the motor home or extra room for decorations. I did for a few minutes miss the thoughts of pulling out all of my ornaments and decorating a live Christmas tree and decorating the fireplace for Christmas, but then I thought about having to take everything down and pack it away for another year and my sadness about decorating a large tree and house ended.

After visiting Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland we drove into the town of Frankenmuth and walked around. The area was settled by conservative Lutheran immigrants from Germany in 1845,the name Frankenmuth means “courage of the Franconians”. The town had many small unique shops and restaurants including a toy store which Zachary and Carson enjoyed. Many of stores instill the history of the area including Kerns Commercial House which still serves meals as they did when they opened in 1899, when Mrs. Kern served “all you can eat  fried chicken” to a wedding party.  Many of the restaurants serve “family style” dining which is similar to buffet style but the food is brought to your table  in large bowls and passed around to each family member.   Another popular attraction in Frankenmuth is the Bavarian Belle Riverboat, an authentic paddle wheel boat,  which floats along the Cass River as we walked along the walkway of the Frankenmuth Holz Brucke (covered bridge). The Bavarian Belle Riverboat is an one hour, narrated site-seeing tour along the Cass River giving passengers the history of Frankenmuth.   Frankenmuth was a nice little village town with lots of shopping opportunities.

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This is a catch up post.  There will be several.

On Tuesday, September 15th, we arrived back into the US from Canada to visit the Niagara Falls area. We stayed in Lockport, NY which is approximately 15 minutes from the falls. Entering back into the US was not as complicated as we had anticipated and we did not have to surrender anything at the border, we only had to declare the items that we were bringing across the border- one pack of breakfast steak, a pack of carrots and an apple. We did have a border officer walk into the motor home; he looked around, asked a few questions and walked out. Once across the border we enjoyed the drive into Lockport through the country and seeing all farms stands with pumpkins and vegetables. We arrived at Niagara County Camping Resort and ate lunch and then called our friends, the Kalers, who were also in Niagara Falls.

While we were waiting for the Kaler family to have dinner, we decided to wonder around the falls area; Niagara Falls is divided into several different areas where you can get different views of the falls. We crossed a bridge onto Goat Island and Luna Island to view the American Falls and Bridal Falls, Horseshoe Falls and later after dark we viewed of the falls with colored lights shining onto the water. Since we have been traveling we have been awed by God’s creations and Niagara Falls was one the most magnificent of creations. Words cannot express the beauty of seeing the falls in person and hearing the water as it rushed over the rocks into the gorge below. Wednesday, we crossed the Rainbow Bridge into Canada to view Rainbow Falls, where we saw the largest rainbow that any of us had ever seen; it stretched across from US to Canada side. The overall view of the falls from the Canadian side gave a more superior view of the front of the falls instead of side view from the US. The spray from the falls was so heavy when the wind was blowing it appeared to be raining. The kids enjoyed jumping back and forth from the Canadian to the US side of the bridge at one section that was marked by a plaque at the division of the two countries.

On Thursday we visited the Lockport Locks in Lockport, NY but had to leave early when Carson was running down a path to the locks and fell and scraped his arms, knee and added a nice knot with a cut above his right eye. Zachary was able to see the locks with the Kaler family while we cleaned Carson’s cuts and scrapes. The injuries were not serious enough for stitches just a half of box of Band Aides and a tube of Neosporin along with two Junior Tylenol. The final cure for the afternoon accident was a pack of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and ice cream to help Carson forget about his “boo-boos”.

On Saturday, we planned a visit to Buffalo to the Buffalo Science Museum to visit the Body World’s & the Study of the Heart, traveling exhibit. On the way to Buffalo, we stopped at the Lockport Locks on the Erie Canal, since the day before we had to leave early on Thursday, due to Carson’s accident. The history of the locks date back to 1822 and they were the idea of Nathan Roberts, who wanted to devise a way to allow boats to pass through the canal even though there was a sixty foot drop existed in Lockport on the way to Buffalo. Nathan Robert had the idea for twin locks with five locks each and in 1823 the construction of the locks began and was completed in 1825. The original cost of the Erie Canal was $7 million dollars which would be equivalent to $4 billion today. The locks and canal were improved many times over the years and were used commercially until the 1950s. The locks are now used for tour boats and individual boats but they are no longer used for commercial vessels. We enjoyed watching a tour boat pass through the locks and watching how the locks actually work, allowing the boat to pass down the canal.

After a brief stop in Lockport to view the locks on the Erie Canal we arrived in Buffalo at the Buffalo Science Museum. This exhibit uses bodies that have been donated and preserved through a process called plastination. The exhibit was very informative and the definitely convinced our children that smoking is very unhealthy after they were able to view a “black lung” from cigarette tar and nicotine. One most amazing displays were the embryos ranging from 5 days to 32 weeks. You could see the tiny fingers and toes of the 10 week old embryo, this display should be seen by mothers thinking of ending a pregnancy. There were displays with full bodies showing with ligaments, tendons, and muscles and others showing internal organs and bones. Zachary and Carson were amazed at the exhibits and did not seem to be bothered by the bodies; Carson was most interested in the two camels (a baby and its mother) that were plasticized. After we toured the Body World exhibit, we visited two other floors in the museum. A large portion of the museum was being used for the Body Worlds exhibit but there still were several areas to explore, a dinosaur area, stones and minerals area, and a kid’s play area. Carson’s favorite thing in the museum was the big floppy eared bunny that he got to touch and fed a carrot. The play area was a “big hit” too with puppets, a water table and building blocks.

On Sunday, morning we met the Kaler family at McDonalds for breakfast before leaving Niagara Falls for our trip to Michigan. We enjoyed the breakfast and fellowship with our friends and we hope to plan another visit with the Kalers while our families are traveling. The kids enjoyed sitting at the kids table with their friends and having McDonald’s hotcakes for breakfast. We left the campground in Lockport, NY heading back into Canada (just passing through) since this route will decrease our destination drive by over two hours. Again we are preparing to pass through the border and accounting for all the produce, meat, and being questioned by border patrol on our reason for going into Canada. Next, stop will be somewhere in Michigan, our destination in Michigan will be Mackinaw City, MI.

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