Everyone knows the feeling of getting back to your own bed after a vacation. I also like to get back to my own shower. It was a wonderful adventure Marilyn and I had and while it is nice to be home, I have to admit that I miss being with her even if we are just minutes apart.  When God made men and women, I think he meant for us to go through this life as a pair. I know some choose to go it alone but I for one prefer to be a part of a pair. I get my joy through the person with whom I am sharing an adventure. In other words, when Marilyn saw cave point for the first time, I was there and I felt her joy and excitement. When she said, “ I would do that” referring to the kids jumping off the rocks into the water below, I felt the exhilaration as her heart beat faster thinking about it.  I could never feel the same by myself.  Sharing this adventure,  the maiden voyage of the restored Roadtrek motorhome, was more than I could have imagined. Thank you, Marilyn for allowing me to share your joy.

We started our trip on Sunday morning, heading north to Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin.  I was a bit apprehensive taking this old motorhome so far from home. I remembered the last time I set out on an adventure in a restored van. That trip across country to California and up the coast into Canada, was a trip of a lifetime. It was also a mechanical nightmare the entire trip from the Rockies on the way out,  to the 150 mile tow home from the north west border of Illinois; but that is a whole different story. As it turned out this trip was free of all those mechanical concerns. The van was perfect in its performance. The ride was more comfortable than in my car. I calculated the mileage on the first tank of gas and it was more than 13 mpg. That is great when you are carrying or towing your mini home with you. And the van is fun to drive. Marilyn even took a turn on the way home.

We arrived at the Felds a little after lunchtime and they were the perfect hosts.  It was a little like being in a tree house with the views of surrounding treetops through the windows. Even the climb up Mt Feld  from the first floor after going down to the bathroom was like climbing up to a treehouse.  It took Marilyn about 2 minutes to become close friends with Nancy and Hans.  It is so rewarding sharing Marilyn’s friendship with others.  Everyone loves her and they are happy seeing the joy she brings to me.

After a nice visit, we headed over to  Potawatomi  state park where we would be watching for the tall ships to arrive on Monday afternoon. I paid my $38 for a yearly pass for all the Wisconsin parks, and we started our search for a good viewing location. As we left the ranger station, I noticed there were some non-electric camping sites available. It started me thinking that for this to be truly a maiden voyage, we should actually camp in the van at least a night.  There were some open sites near the water where the ships would be arriving. I put those thoughts into my mix of things to think about. After finding the best viewing sites, and getting acquainted with the park, we headed back to the Felds for the night.

Following our first night at the Felds, we headed to the park again. I wanted to see if there just might be an open camping site with electricity. I asked at the gate as we entered the park. ”There is one electric site open”, the ranger said. We took it. We went through the campground to see where we would be located. I figured that we needed to be back to a viewing spot by about two for the four PM arrival of the ships; so, We headed north to find Cave point, a county park on the water where the waves of Lake Michigan crash into the rocky bluffs shore line. There were young people standing in line to make the jump off the rocks into the clear water below.  Marilyn looked at me and said, “ I would do that.” I could feel the excitement she was feeling as the thoughts of jumping into the water bounced around in her brain. I think she was vicariously enjoying the experience watching the kids, one by one, get the chance to make the plunge. I thought about it and yes, I too would have joined the line of jumpers in my youth.  How fun it was to be here with Marilyn; and how different it was from previous times I have been there.  At that point, we both agreed that it was the best part of the trip so far. I checked my watch and decided we had better head for our viewing spot so we headed south back to Sturgeon Bay, to the park.

We found a shady spot to park the van and headed down to the shoreline with chairs and cameras. The snacks we had picked up at a convenience store filled our stomachs and the joy of the sharing this adventure filled our hearts.  One ship came in early. And finally, on schedule the other ships started making their way down into Sturgeon Bay  past our observation spots. I maned my camera and Marilyn, who is also a proficient photographer, took her spot and we captured the event . I was disappointed that all the ships were coming in under power without sails open.

I have seen this event played out in Chicago and  the sight of those ships with sails up is heart pounding . These naked masts were not what I was hoping for but the ships are still amazing.

The parade of ships ended and some of the people started packing up their gear but I was in no hurry. We just had a short ride to the campground. Marilyn said, “ perhaps the other ships are raising their sails and will be still coming.”  I said that I didn’t think so. I felt this was it. Disappointingly, I said, “ I think that was the end.”  Then someone said, “ Here comes another ship with the sails up.”  I got my camera ready again and sure enough there were more ships and they had sails up.  They were smaller ships but

none the less exciting to watch. It was a wonderful afternoon.

I stopped for firewood on the way to the camp site so we were set for a wonderful romantic night by the campfire.  We backed in and connected the electric line to the van. Now, we had air conditioning. Neither one of us sleeps well in the heat. Now, I could be certain we would not be hot. Then I thought about the fire. The wood was good and dry hardwood. It looked like oak to me. Oak makes a great fire but it is hard to get it started.  Now, keep in mind that while I have been prepping the van mechanically, I have given no thought about  providing the van with the tools needed to have things like a fire. I had no hatchet for splitting the split logs into kindling. I also had no fire starting material. We headed back to the camp store and what luck, They had one hatchet and the waxy sawdust fire starters. It wasn’t long before we had a roaring campfire. There we sat, side by side warmed by the popping fire in the cool 85 degree Wisconsin afternoon.  We held hands and shared an occasional kiss when we were not in hand to hand combat with the mosquito army mustering around our campsite. With my back pain, another walk to the camp store was out of the question so Marilyn fought her way through  the mosquito curtain off to the camp store again.  Upon her return, We doused  ourselves with the oily skin protection. It didn’t stop the diving bombers but after buzzing around and finding no good landing spot, they would just hover waiting for the force field to open, for their final attack. One group had a cargo net that they planned to use to wrap me up and carry me away to be eaten slowly by the entire community. Fortunately, when  they flew it through the fire, the spider webbing material flamed up like a July 4^th display. They headed back for reinforcements and we headed into the camper. Perhaps we have to rethink our Wisconsin camping, where the mosquito is the state bird and the warm moist summer they have had is ideal for breeding the nasty vampires.

Inside provided its own challenges. A small unit like this is a little like playing musical chairs. On person needs to  move before the other can change places. The front seats swivel around and when the curtains are all drawn, it really is a comfortable little house.  The bed is a standard double bed. It is smaller than a queen.  If I were much taller, I could easily hit my head and feet at opposite ends but I am not and neither is Marilyn.  She started against the wall but her touch of claustrophobia made her uncomfortable so I got the wall side. Fortunately this was a one bathroom run, night. While climbing over someone might seem a bit stimulating, keep in mind why I have to get up. No time for a stop on this journey.  When I returned, empty, she had moved to the wall side so there was no more option for climbing over.  Anyone who thinks those campers are all a rockin’, have obviously not done much camping. They are seldom conducive to much more than a kiss. Besides the cramped conditions there is also the lingering bug spray.

Morning brought cooler temperatures and a beautiful sky filled with those wandering puffy white clouds.  We spent the day sightseeing with Nancy, before going out to dinner. We went to a local garden exhibit kept by area Master Gardeners.  We also went to see the restored one room southern door county schoolhouse. You can take the school teacher out of the classroom but you can’t take the classroom out of the school teacher. Marilyn was ready to start class as soon as we saw the fantastic restoration.  So these Illinoisans could show their gratitude for a wonderful visit, we took Hans and Nancy out to dinner.  Now it was time to return to the treehouse for the final night.

Wednesday morning  we headed to the cheese store for some fresh cheese curds. We arrived with the rest of the crowd at 8 AM   and found they were still out of curds. The truck was due in about 10 so we waited.  A truck arrived so we scampered into the store like two little kids heading in to the old Peases candy shop for penny candy. No, this was not the delivery of curds. After standing around for some time, we were told it would be another hour. We decided it was time to leave this beautiful place and return to the  comfortable routine of being at home.

This brings us to the end this adventure but now that we know the van is a comfortable fit for both of us, you can expect many more adventures in the future. You will be able to follow along as we navigate through love and life in the 70’s .