Gitche Gumme Michigan
July 8, 1999
Wanna know how fast a large motorhome can move across the country? At the rate we move, we could go from Palo Alto to Austin in one day. Well, ... no, not from Palo Alto, CA to Austin, TX, but maybe from Palo Alto County, Iowa to Austin, Minnesota. Maybe if we pushed really hard, we could make it that far in one day. But it wouldn’t be much fun. Driving hard is definitely not one of my favorite activities. If it is not possible to drive slow enough to identify the meadowlarks on the fence posts, I’m going too fast. If I lose interest in attempting to identify the hawk that swooped down into the grass along the highway or to see if it will fly out with a mouse in its talons, I have been driving too long and need to stop. Usually, about three to four hours in one day is enough -- if I can then explore locally for two or three days before resuming the trip.
But now we are facing a dilemma. We have been able to find only about 122 RV Parks in the USA and Canada with overnight telephone hookups. I covet these parks because it is there that I can catch up on email and phone the kids in the comfort of my own motorhome. However, many of these parks have only a limited number of sites with phone hookups. To ensure that a phone site will be available when we arrive, reservations must be made. Over the years that we have been RVing, we took considerable pride in not making reservations. By stopping fairly early in the afternoon, most RV parks still have vacancies, so reservations were not needed. If reservations are really needed, we regard this as an indication that we are in the wrong place. We try to avoid crowded, touristy areas where drinking a six pack of beer before hitting the road is the norm. Making reservations also tends to regiment our schedule and reduce decision flexibility. We prefer the freedom to -- at the last moment -- decide to turn right instead of left at an intersection. Just for the heck of it. Of course, sometimes an RV Park is filled when we arrive, so we must find another nest for the night -- but it usually causes only a minor inconvenience.
On our latest trip from Palo Alto, CA to Ontonagon, MI, we have been seriously trying to find as many RV Parks with overnight phone hookups as possible. We found one in Morgan Hill, CA where we stayed while preparing for Brian and Frances’ wedding. Found the next one in Reno, NV, then one in Sandy, UT, then Valentine, NE and finally Ontonagon. Consequently, about one night per week we stay at a park with these convenient phone hookups. One of the costs of this convenience it that we must give up some of our valued freedom and flexibility.
One of the interesting features of driving across the country in a diesel motorhome is trying to determine where to find the least expensive diesel. Since our average fill-up may require about 70 gallons of diesel, it is usually worthwhile to take time to find a station selling for less. We have learned that it is not always wise to buy the cheapest diesel, because it may not be adequately filtered or be contaminated with water or something. So, we try to buy from reputable truck stops where they sell large quantities of quality diesel. One of the best places to look for cheaper diesel is at a state border. Every state imposes a state fuel tax. This tax is directly reflected in the price of diesel. Consequently, if you know the state tax, you can almost guess the price of diesel. If we are near a state border and running low on fuel, Pat digs out her handy chart on prices of diesel in each state. By knowing where to buy, we sometimes save from five to fifteen dollars on a tank of diesel.
As we move from state to state, one of the interesting problems we face is related to the “M” states and their abbreviations. Our diesel price guide reports states only as abbreviations, so we must figure out which states go with MI, MN, MS, ME, MA, MD, MO, and MT (Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri and Montana). Once we figure them out, it seems simple enough. But it has caused us some trouble on the road more than once. Let’s see, is Minnesota MS, MN or MI?
Well, we are currently in MI. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once described our RV campground here as follows in “Song of Hiawatha:”
“By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nakomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nakomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees....
Our motorhome is currently parked near the shores of Lake Superior (Gitche Gumee) under those “black and gloomy pine-trees.” At least they seemed a little dark and gloomy when it rained for a couple of days. But now that it is sunny and warm, those same pine trees provide such delightful shade. We have enjoyed the “darkness” of the forest where we have added a couple of birds to our list. The handsome Black-throated Green Warbler and the Philadelphia Vireo still feed on the insect herbivores of these White Pine, Eastern Hemlock, Quaking Aspen, White Cedar, Paper Birch, Yellow Birch, Black Spruce, Balsam Fir and Alder thicket woodlands -- just as they did when Iroquois wigwams stood here by the Big-Sea-Water.
No comments:
Post a Comment