BAYFIELD ONTARIO TO BENTON HARBOR MICHIGAN…RAIN, RAIN, RAIN:((

THAT’S KELLY OVER THERE ON THE LEFT MAKING HER WAY THROUGH CRACKER BARREL’S LOBBY

It was a dark morning with a warm drizzling rain as we loaded a few remaining things into the RV.  A quick last minute check around the house & we were into the warmed up Motorhome.   It was 7:30 a.m. & we were finally on our way.  How nice to leave the waiting, the stress, & the jitters behind & how nice to finally get those big wheels rolling & focus on the journey ahead.

IT WAS A RAIN SOAKED MORNING AS WE HEADED UP & OVER THE SARNIA/PORT HURON BLUE WATER BRIDGE…SO MUCH FOR LIBBY’S $3 CAR WASH A FEW DAYS AGO

We drove in a light rain most of the way to Sarnia & just east of the city it really began to pour & it poured all the way right up to the border crossing itself.  Four cars ahead of us so we only had a 5 minute wait before pulling up to the booth.  Middle aged fellow with a beard had a lot of questions for us with one of them being, “do you have your dog papers with you & I’d like to see them.”  That was the first time in 9 years we had ever been asked about our dog papers.  While Kelly was digging out the papers the fellow spotted Pheebe & of course it was love at first sight for the guy.  A couple more of the usual questions & he wished us nice day & safe trip.  It was 9:05 in the morning as we rolled away from the booth to begin our first of many winter days in the United States of America.

NOT A LONG WAIT BUT ABOUT A DOZEN QUESTIONS

Rain didn’t let up until we reached Flint Michigan at which time skies brightened & we saw a few fleeting glimpses of diffused sunlight trying to break through the heavy overcast.  Clouds remained too thick but at least the rain had temporarily stopped & we were finally driving on dry roads.

THREATENING SKIES AS WE PLOD STEADILY WESTWARD INTO ANOTHER RAIN FRONT

STOPPED FOR GAS THEN PARKED BEHIND A SUBWAY WHILE KELLY SLIPPED OVER TO McDONALDS NEXT DOOR FOR SOME COFFEE & SNACKS

Again very impressed with how this 03 37’ Triple EEE Commander handles.  Just a pleasure to drive but I really have to keep an eye on the speedometer & use the cruise control to keep the speed down.  This rig just wants to get out their & run.

GOOD THING OUR CHIEF NAVIGATOR HAS A DESKTOP

Kelly ran into a slight ker-fuffle trying to get our Verizon activated.  She had done it on line several days ago but she was not picking up a Verizon signal for our computers.  She phoned Verizon & had a fellow on their for awhile trying to diagnose the problem when he asked her a simple question.  He said, “tell me what your Verizon Jet Pack says on the screen”??  Oh-oh…….what screen!!  Turns out Kelly had pulled out our old Verizon 3G device from a few years back which of course was old technology.  She put the fella on hold & hurriedly dug through a small bin of technical devices & found the newer Verizon.  Walla, we were on-line:))  Kelly said the Verizon fella had himself quite a chuckle over her little fopaux.  Nice when techie types react that way eh.

ON THE PHONE WITH VERIZON THIS MORNING

 

A few days ago using Google & Google Earth I picked out a CRACKER  BARREL in Stevensville Michigan just a tad south of Benton Harbor.  Decided to make that our target for the day & at 1:55 p.m. after briefly pounding our way through a short but fast moving intense Lake Michigan rain storm we rolled off Interstate 94 & right into a nice large parking lot at Cracker Barrel.  Lots of grass around for Pheebe with a great walking area right at our door.  We sometimes like to finish up our first day of travel with kind of a low key celebratory supper at a Cracker Barrel.  Rare for us to ever eat out while at home but while traveling we thoroughly enjoy popping into a few McDonalds & Cracker Barrels along the way.

SLOSHING THROUGH MORE RAIN JUST EAST OF BENTON HARBOR

KELLY CHECKS OUT HER TRUSTY CRACKER BARREL LOCATIONS MAP EARLIER TODAY

Skies slowly began clearing about 3 with a few small patches of blue sky overhead but it didn’t last & we were soon under a heavy cloud cover again.  We’re hoping for some sunshine Sunday.  About 4:30 we walked on over to Cracker Barrel for supper & luckily it wasn’t crowded yet. 

NICE BIG DOGGY WALKING AREA BEHIND THIS CRACKER BARREL

I WAS DISAPPOINTED NOT TO SEE A WARMING FIRE IN THAT FIREPLACE AT THIS CRACKER BARREL

CRACKER BARREL REALLY KNOWS HOW TO ‘STAGE’ THEIR RESTAURANTS

 

ONE OF MY FAVORITE DISHES…ROAST BEEF, MASHED POTATOES & GRAVY WITH NO YUKKY GREEN STUFF

AND WE COULD EVEN SEE THE BIG EEE FROM WHERE WE WERE SEATED

CRACKER BARREL ALREADY HAS THEIR CHRISTMAS DECORATION STUFF OUT

Can’t even begin to tell you how happy we are with the new seating arrangements in the rig & to think it only took us 9 years to finally get ourselves a couple comfortable recliners.  True test will come tonight when I try sleeping in my recliner like I now do at home ever since having that ‘Vertigo’ incident a month or two ago.

SPOTTED THESE ‘UBER’ CARS AT A HOTEL BESIDE CRACKER BARREL & IF YOUR WONDERING WHO UBER IS OR WHAT THOSE THINGS ATOP THEIR CARS ARE JUST CLICK THIS INTERESTING UBER LINK

We are habitually early risers so no doubt we will be on the road early headed for Chicago.  We always do Chicago each year first thing Sunday morning & that sure saves a lot of wear & tear on the mind doing it that way.  Our destination Sunday will be somewhere west of Davenport Iowa.

OUR CRACKER BARREL HOME FOR THE NIGHT & WE EVEN HAVE OUR OWN STREET LIGHT & TREE

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Shaky went to a psychiatrist. "Doc," he said, "I've got trouble. Every time I get into bed, I think there's somebody under it. I get under the bed, I think there's somebody on top of it. Top, under, top, under. "you gotta help me, I'm going crazy!"
"Just put yourself in my hands for two years," said the shrink. "Come to me three times a week, and I'll cure your fears."
"How much do you charge?"
"A hundred dollars per visit."
"I'll sleep on it," said Shaky.
Six months later the doctor met Shaky on the street. "Why didn't you ever come to see me again?" asked the psychiatrist.
"For a hundred buck's a visit? A bartender cured me for ten dollars."
"Is that so! How?"
"He told me to cut the legs off the bed!"