The Maiden Voyage of Spamalot - The Quest: Part 1

Jim and Sue L.

Jim and Sue L.

Junior Ranger
Finding Our Way to Necedah.

Every journey begins with a single step-ours was more of a stumble.....

We had planned to start early that Saturday, October 8, 2011, but fate would not have it. Alright, it was the family, not fate and we were expected at the yearly Halloween gathering at the Del Osso Farm pumpkin patch in Manteca. A fun time watching the youngest generation tearing about, skinning knees, gobbling lunch and generally tripping up everyone in sight. By 1:00 PM we had to get started, so several hugs and sticky kisses later, and with one eye trained on the storm following close behind, we were on the road.

We made it as far as Winnemucca, Nev. and hunkered down for the night in the local Super 8. Our "suite" sported a magnificent view...of the town cemetery. Oh, swell. Such an auspicious start for our quest.

Dawn found us on the road. We managed to traverse all of Nevada and Utah that day and spent the night in a biker motel on the outskirts of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Up before dawn again (couldn't sleep late there anyway, what with the wind howling through the cracks around that flimsy door and all those bikes roar to life every five minutes..by I digress) and a beautiful Wyoming sunrise over the snow covered pass, we traversed the Great Divide Basin. Stunning vistas, glowering storm clouds over sharp peaks and pronghorns everywhere. Wonderful.

Next it was on to Nebraska. We made it through that giant corn maze and discovered a Comfort Inn Suites in Lincoln. The Comfort Inn was very comfortable and we were off again down the road to discover Iowa was nothing more than part two of the corn maze! The night was spent in Morris, Illinois...no more corn.

Now, some of you are probably saying to yourselves, "Whoa there, didn't they overshoot Wisconsin a bit?" Yeah, but we couldn't go that far east and not pay our respects to dear Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park, Illinois. Okay, grovel and his feet is more like it, but what the hey. We needed to break up the non-stop driving and have a little fun. Took the tour of his house and studio and walked the neighborhood admiring several examples of his early architecture.

After half a day worshiping FLW, we took the left turn (not at Albuquerque) and headed up the coast of Lake Michigan to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A late afternoon stroll along the beach
to stretch the legs and off again into the face of that damn storm we had been avoiding the whole week. A soggy two hours later, we arrived in Madison-where we nearly had to sleep in the truck because of an unsuspected software convention that had booked almost every available room withing 50 miles!! But Fate was kind, if not frugal, and granted us the last room (on the ninth floor)....in a freaking expensive hotel. Yikes. Where's the TD when you need one?

The following morning did not find us heading for our TD. No, sir. We were in Wisconsin, central Wisconsin, and that means only one thing to nut cases such as us.......Talliesen: Franky's wonder home in Spring Green. We had left the rain in Madison, the sun was up, so we squandered the afternoon drooling all over his architecture, taking the tour of his studio and school. Unfortunately his house tour was fully booked for the day. We were heart broken. Fate is a fickle creature-and so cruel! How could we have traveled so far only to be thwarted by a locked door? So we changed our plans and booked a tour for Monday. Take that, Fate!

It was very late in the afternoon and we had to hoof it to Necedah in order to make our morning appointment that next day. As we passed the outskirts of Necedah, we couldn't resist the urge to make a surprise visit to the Mother Ship....and spook Cary. Had the poor guy all confused about the delivery date for a bit. Yeah, that was mean-but entertaining. Fun times!

The next day dawned cold and overcast....but who cares! It was Friday, October 14, 2011 and this was the day we were to claim our teardrop. It could have been snowing and we wouldn't have cared...well, maybe a bit. We met up with Cary at the appointed time and were finally introduced to our baby teardrop. So pretty! As we ooh'ed and aah'ed over the little darling, a glorious realization struck us: our quest for Spamalot was fulfilled! Well, almost. We still had the orientation before claiming our darling. Cary made it fun and informative and, after signing the Wall of Fame, we hooked our baby up and off we went on Spamalot's maiden voyage.

And as the factory door slammed shut behind us, we looked at each other and said, "What the hell did Cary say about the condensation dripping on our heads...?"

The saga continues.............tune in later-same bat time, same bat channel.

Jim and Sue
Proud owners of Spamalot.
 
Great beginning! You were in our neck of the woods for a bit - our daughter teaches at Oak Park High School. We live in Chicago, on the south side, and make it out to the Morris area quite a bit. Maria's is a great Italian restaurant there if you ever get back. We also happen to get past Spring Green very often, on the way to some of the best fly fishing in the country - in SW Wisconsin! We tried to get into flw's place there once, but, like you, the tours were booked. There's another flw in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood that you should put on your radar if you're in town again. Congrats on your new trailer!
 
Evan said:
wall of shame?????
Click to expand...

Perhaps it is more like the Wall of Names...I'm thinking you guys signed it when you picked up Snugglebug...It's the wall where customers sign their name, trailer #, date, etc. when they come to pick up their teardrop.


:cool:
 
Holy mackerel, did we say wall of SHAME??? Cripes-it was supposed to say FAME. Never start a long winded narrative when you're half road dead (and we proof read the darned thing, too!). We'll remedy that.

Mea culpa.

Jim and Sue
 
Oh, but not as elaborately as Sue did! I think she might have started a new fad on the wall of fame. Turning more into art than simple name signing.

Cary
 
Spamalot Part II: The Return

Now where were we......? Oh yes!

Friday ,October 14, 2011. 1:30 PM. Spamalot was all hitched up, we were ready to roll and Cary had just slammed the door shut. Oh SH**, we're on our own! There's no going back now-besides, the check has already cleared the bank. OH well...and the adventure begings!

Cary had given us some suggestions on where we might find good camping grounds in the direction we were headed: the UP. Good thing Cary is a local guy, he was able to steer us around some nasty construction on the main highway. Following his lead, we managed to make it to the shores of Green Bay near Oconto by sun down. We found a small county park right on the shoreline. Cold and windy as hell, and a few sprinkles to boot, we were unable to take advantage of our new galley and had to make due with a cold dinner-of some great local sausage and cheese we picked up along the way. Yum!

We settled down early in our "new abode", buried under a mountain of sleeping bags and micro fiber blankets. Due to the high wind-gusting up to 40 MPH at times-we were unable to leave the "fantastic fan" open for fear of it being blown off and landing some where in Northern Canada. The rain kept slamming into the right side of the TD, so we were only able to keep the left window open a crack. We sat up, read and planned our route for the following day. Condensation ensued. By the time we were ready to sleep, moisture was beading on all the metal trim and running down the windows and walls. In hopes of alleviating the damp, we risked opening the roof vent whenever the rain and wind took a breather. It sorta worked...enough for a good nights sleep.

We were up before dawn for a cold breakfast (still too windy) and a walk along the shore. A beautiful sunrise with clear skies; it boded well for a long, scenic drive. A quick stop at the local "gas and gulp" for a tank of gas and a couple of cups of hot coffee and we were off to Manistique, Michigan. We took the shore route along Green Bay and Lake Michigan. A lovely drive.

Manistique-why Manistique, you say? Simple: Jim was in search of his great grandfather who had been a Baptist minister there in the late 1800's. We stopped by the First Baptist Church of Manistique-his great grandfather had carved the church's corner stone-and the Lakeview Cemetery in search of his grave. After much thumping about among the greenery, we found Rev. James B. Lambly's grave marked by a huge obelisk, nearly 10 feet tall. It was quite an impressive sight. He had been a very young man when he passed-only 33-and very short on funds, so the obelisk had to have been erected by the community. He must have been greatly loved and admired for the people of Manistique to dedicate such a massive monument. We laid flowers and payed our respects.

By now it was early afternoon and we wanted to head up to Tahquemanon Falls for the night (thanks for the referral, Bear). But first, we couldn't resist the chance to picnic by the shore and watch the storm race along the top of Lake Michigan...which we did in the truck-rain, you know. We headed up the road, it was getting close to sunset and that's where the fun began!

Saw a sign for a county camp ground (Cary warned us about the extra fees involved in state camp grounds-thanks, Cary)and according to the map-the six year old map-it was just a few miles past the turn to the falls. Yeah, right. Found the sign and turned down the road. The gates were open-YES!!! As we drove down that lonely, lonely road, our first hint this was not a good idea was the dead tree that had fallen and partially blocked the lane. No one had bothered to remove it....HHHhhhhhmmmmmm. The kiosk was open for self registration, so we decided to proceed further. Drove a couple of the loops-it wasn't a pretty sight. Not a camper to been found, not even the host. A thick blanket of leaves covered the grounds and you couldn't even see where the road went. Well, what do you know, our first encounter with "if the campground doesn't feel right, move on". I had the distinct impression something was going to come lurking about at night (that's when they come out, you know) and I didn't want to be around when it did. We beat a hasty retreat before someone locked the gates! Yikes!

Tahquemenon Fall State (sorry Cary) Park sounded damn good even with the extra fees, so off we went as fast as possible to the River Mouth Campground. A great spot until we found out the restrooms were closed due to a power failure and the closest pits were a half a mile away along another loop. Of course we discovered this only AFTER we had registered, paid the fees (plural), settled Spamalot and rolled out the welcome mats. It was still raining and blowing half a gale, so cold dinner in the truck again. Oh well. We made the long trip to the pit toilet before settling down for the night, only to discover on the way back that there was another pit, discreetly tucked away behind the shrubbery, only three camp sites away. No signs, no arrows and no help from the neighbors because they didn't know it was there either. Indeed, why should they? Their trailers were self contained. Such is life.

By early morning the power was back on, but the wind was still up, so a hot shower and cold breakfast, then off to the falls. Clear skies that morning, crisp and bright. We had a wonderful time enjoying the walk among the brilliantly colored trees to the falls. Lovely sight. We goofed around for a while, then off on the road again. We had those tickets to Taliesin for Monday noon and had to beat time in order to find someplace reasonably close to Spring Green, Wisconsin. What a grueling haul!

Sunset found us roaming about Wisconsin Dells in search of the campgrounds that were there-right there-on the map! NOT! We followed one set of signs that promised a comfy RV resort and found ourselves wandering down a narrow, trash-riddled, two mile drive to nowhere. It looked more like an RV storage lot rather than a resort and everything was covered up and battened down for the winter. We barely found enough room to turn about and get the heck out of there. Now, wouldn't you think the owners could have at least put up a "closed" sign at the entrance-no chance. Our second encounter with "if it doesn't feel right, move on!" But Fate was again kind and lead us to a very informative lady behind the counter of a gas station, who pointed out the only open campground within ten miles-the KOA.....on a very windy hillside. Once again, cold supper (that cheese and sausage was really coming in handy). In fact it was so cold, the lady in the monster motor home next to us tried to invite us in out of the storm. Very kind of her, but damn it, this is our maiden voyage and we're going to savor every minute if it kills us!!!

What about tours of the trailer, you ask? Well, we did give four.... Let's face it folks, we arrived at most campgrounds under the cover of darkness and left before dawn when everyone else was still comfortably snoozing away. Can't give a tour if the tourists are unconscious. We did get stopped at the Dells KOA by one guy who blocked our exit and stated he and his wife had been sitting in their vintage Airstream and "drooling" over our TD. Then there was one ancient codger who followed us around the local grocery store parking lot in La Crosse, Wisconsin, asking if we climbed in the back hatch and where did we shower and "poop". We told him the hatch was a galley, we got in through the doors and we showered and pooped where ever the Department of Parks said we could. We also got the ever expected question, "How do you sleep in that?" It received our pat answer, "Very well, thank you." Of course my favorite comment was the first and simplest: a ten year old boy walked by with his grandparents, took one look at Spamalot and uttered a very impressed, "WOW!". Love the kids.

So that was night three. We had traveled from Wisconsin, along Lake Michigan to the UP and the shores of Lake Superior and back again in one big circle almost to where we started in Wisconsin. Didn't get far, did we? Jim said at least we were close to the Mother Ship in case we got into trouble. I think Spamalot was feeling uncomfortable out of the nest and trying to home back in. It's only a baby, ya know....

Well that's it for now (my fingers are cramping).

Tune in next time for the continuing saga: "Spamalot, The Maiden Voyage".

Jim and Sue
 
Jim and Sue

Had to laugh when you said you had a 6 year old map. Kind of like dog years in maps. Looked around on the forum to see what others were using and thought I would make these suggestions:

1. If you have an iPad/iphone check out Gaia GPS. Great 'free' topo maps. You can download maps for offline use. Use this all the time on my photo treks. It does mark campgrounds, but user beware as you found out but generally accurate.
2. Woodalls - 2 apps
Woodall's RV& Camping - This one is primarily for the iPhone but works on the iPad. Need to be connected to the internet. Also show's Campingworld store locations.
Woodall's Campground Directory - This one costs $1.99 for the base version for a region and then $.99 for additional states. It is offline once downloaded. Basically a scanned version the Woodall's kill a tree 20 lb. print version.

On a bit different topic if you find yourself using RV type campgrounds it's worth investigating/joining either CampclubUSA, Passport America or if you have a CampingWorld membership they have the Good Sam Club. Generally you get 50% off at affiliated campsites for the first two of these.
 
Gary,

Thanks for the tips. Always helpful to have other minds, other experiences to pull from (Oooo! Sister Mary Francis would kill me for that last sentence!). Jim and I don't usually stay at RV parks. Unlike our best friends, we consider a hotel without a heated pool "roughing it", we prefer to stay in the more rural settings of the National and State parks. However, at this time of year, most northern campsites had closed for the season and we had to scramble for what we could find. Something more up to date than a six year old map would have come in handy, indeed!

We did pick up brochures at the welcome centers as we entered each state. That was helpful, especially when there were volunteers manning the desks. We don't have an Ipod (technically challenged is what our son calls us) and only just bought a smart phone, with internet and navigation, at our boy's pleading. Still learning our way around it and getting lost as usual. Is there a map for finding your way around a smart phone???? Oh yeah, it's called "instructions". Maybe we should read those sometime......?

So, as you can see, this trip was a learning experience for Spamalot and the smart phone. I'd say we earned a C plus. Okay, C.

Jim and Sue
 
Hey Bear,

Of course we mentioned you. You're the one who told us to check out that loop around the UP and the Tahquamenon Falls. It was a gorgeous area and we plan to return and spend some quality time up there............and maybe finally see some moose! Didn't spot any this trip, rats. You also suggested a few more remote placed we simply didn't have time for, worst luck. We're going back for them, too.

So don't quit on us. We just got here and your letters are chock full of info and true "Bear Wisdom". We'd miss that. And about being shunned by the masses..? Heck, Bear, you don't need masses. You can get a lot of laughs with just a few.

Now stick around, we haven't finished our story.

Sue and Jim
 
Bear, I for one enjoy your stories but you need to remember that many of us are still in the work world and do not always have leisure to read long stories right away and as for responding the same is true. So maybe give us your bear wisdom in bite size peices and take a look at how many people have read the post not just how many have had time to respond.
 
Bear, I enjoy your long and short stories. As for expecting long or short responses, I do not like to write. Much better speaking.

I will read them, smile, customize to my life, and don't expect much response from me beyond a thank you in writing. Next year you will hear conversation discussing your wisdom at the CICO.

Jean
 
Bear, I think your posts are getting plenty of eyes. I can think of only 2 others currently on this forum that can compare similar experiences as they are the only ones basically "living" in their TD. Some of us surely can relate, but don't want to darken your light. Then there are some of us that can only relate non TD experiences. All of which are bonified experiences. But we are constantly reminded by ONE individual that our experiences and knowledge don't mean _ _ _ cause it wasn't done in a TD.
I thoroughly enjoy your adventures, and quite frankly am envious of your position.
Besides what better place to practise b4 the big publish.
 
Bear,
This forum needs you. Your experience and opinions are invaluable to us all. I for one, have bookmarked your gems so I can refer to them in march when we get our TD.
Trust me, you are having am impact on the folks in this group.
It is our fault for not always responding.
We are all victims of one way communication, unfortunately.
Does a book author get an immediate reply from his or her written page? I would say for the most part "no."
So have faith on the impact you are making. I for one, welcome each and every one of your messages.
Thanks,
Ken in Louisville
 
Well Bear,

Looks like you'll HAVE to hang around as your absence would affect far more than "a few". You're stuck with us, kid-o! And I expect to see you at the next camp inn/camp out. Try to weasel out of it and Jenn and I will track you down, right Jenn!!??

Sue
 
Bear,
I agree w/ everything that's just been said. We're new to visiting forums like this so posting isn't something we often do. But reading your gems truly does make us smile, think, and especially be grateful. I hope you do keep them coming and we hope to meet you in person someday.
You are a welcoming soul and your comments have made this a unique forum that goes beyond the technical. Soul-searching and sharing your personal journey is a leap of faith. Please have faith that your words are reaching out and touching someone. I truly value the journey that you are sharing. When I have taken the chance and let writing out into the world, I've been surprised to find out who it has touched. Please keep the faith.
P.S. If you go off-line we will full-heartedly support Sue and Jenn's tracking expedition.
Best wishes and hoping to see more posts!
Stelena
 
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