19 Sep - That's a wrap for "Schellhase 2021 Southeast and East Coast RV Travels"

 

The final post here is a bit delayed, but we arrived back home right on time.  On 19 Sep we departed Yogi Bear Campground near Caledonia WI after saying goodbye to our daughter Michelle and grandson's Jon and Joe.  We had a fantastic time camping with them as we always do. 

Pulling out of Yogi Bear Campground - photo credit ME & You Photography

392 miles and 7 hrs 21 minutes later we arrived at Prairie Flower Campground which an Army Corps of Engineers park at Saylorville IA.  This is where we will unload for our extended trip.  Needless to say we were tired.  That is much longer than we normally go on our travel days, but everything went fine.  We just made several stops to break up the trip.  So here we are.  Home!

2021's big adventure was fantastic.  Everyone remained healthy, including Liberty until the very end when Doreen came down with a cold!  As a precaution she saw her doctor today and took a COVID test which came back negative just a few minutes ago.  We did not have any significant truck or RV malfunctions out of the ordinary.  There was no bent metal and no one was injured making this adventure!  No, seriously, if you consider the 12,945 miles we drove through 22 states, camping in 35 different campgrounds (thats 35 setups and 35 tear downs), we are fortunate.  There are a lot of "knuckleheads" out there on the road that really don't pay attention to what they are doing.  

Doreen, Liberty and I want to pass along our sincere thanks to all y'all who followed along on our adventures this year and posted great comments of encouragement.  We love our part time wandering life visiting these great United States of America.  There is so much to see and do, and everywhere you go there are different cultures, different scenery, different foods and beverages. Reconnecting with friends, relatives and military comrades - those who we served with along our 42+ years of military service is what really makes the traveling fun. And now we have an extended "FamAlly" - those Alliance RV owners we have met online and run into at campgrounds everywhere!   But with all that, for us, there is no place like home, Toto!  We are glad we have a "sticks and bricks" to come back to and "reset" a bit.  Some day the full time RV life may be what we choose, but not right now. We also plan to continue our summer travels and winters in Iowa at least for the near future.  

Finally, a special thanks to our son, Dan, for stopping over to our house weekly to check things over.  We could not do this without all your help!

So until next spring when we launch out on the next great adventure, that's a wrap!

Final Trip Stats:   

This is campground number 35 of 35!

# States Traveled Through This Trip: 22 (IA, MO, IL, KY, TN, GA, FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, MD, DC, DE, PA, WV, OH, IN, MI, WI, IL, IA)

Baseball Parks Visited So Far This Trip:  7 (Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Columbus Clippers, Indianapolis Indians)

Lighthouses visited:  43

Lighthouses climbed:  10

Point to point travel miles:  5847 miles

  - Avg point to point travel miles:  171 miles

Vicinity miles:  7098 miles 

  - Avg vicinity miles:  222 miles

Total miles driven:  12945 miles

# Oil changes:  2

Total point to point driving time:  126 hrs 44 minutes

Total diesel fuel purchased: 1053.009 gals

Total diesel fuel cost:  $3264.68

Average diesel fuel cost/gal:  $3.103

Max diesel fuel cost:  $3.659 (Rochelle IL)

Min diesel fuel cost:  $2.799 (Townsend TN)

Avg MPG:  12.45 miles/gal

# Nights at end of this stay:  203 (Includes Griffs)

Lodging cost:  $8514.78 (includes Griffs)

 - Avg lodging cost/night:  $41.94/night

18 Sep - Last day at Yogi Bear, Grandsons Bowling, Campground Activities

 

We had a great day today, our last day before arriving home tomorrow.  We have to hit the road early tomorrow and because of that this will be an abbreviated post.

This morning we headed into Oak Creek so we could watch our grandsons bowl.  They both compete on leagues and for their schools, and they are both very good.  Jon is in Middle School and Joe is a high school senior.  

Jon just before bowling a strike!

Joe also knocking them down

Joe's girlfriend is also a high school bowler who earned a full ride scholarship for bowling.

After bowling we fueled the truck and picked up a few groceries on the way back to the campground.  Doreen worked on packing in preparation for our departure and I worked on a couple things on Michelle's RV.  I then emptied and flushed our tanks and uploaded some fresh water to finish today and get us home tomorrow.  

Michelle's camping friends had started a smoker early this morning and prepared smoked pork, smoked baked beans, smoked mac & cheese, and even smoked cream cheese.  Everyone brough side dishes and the meal was awesome!  Unfortunately I failed to get pictures.  Too busy eating!

Here at Yogi they have a Halloween celebration every weekend in September so at 6pm the trick or treaters were out in mass, including the adults!

Michelle and her friends dressed up!

Grandson Jon and his "sitting on the potty" costume!

This evening we walked up to a lake area that is normally filled with swimmers and kids playing on the water attractions. On the way we passed a light tunnel that is also used for the holiday displays.

The floating water attractions soon to be removed for the season.

Those water attractions are closed for the season, but each Friday and Saturday night they host an amazing Drone Show.  

Michelle introduced us to the manager and some of his security staff.  While waiting for the show to start, the manager surprised us with complementary front row seats to enjoy the show.  

 I video'd the show but it is almost 12 minutes long, and the sound track is copyrighted, so I cannot post it, but here are a few pictures.  It is an amazing show that uses approximately 50 drones with multicolored lights, synchronized motion and lighting, all remote controlled by a computer program orchestrated by music.  This show was based on the Disney movie Alladin.  The ground lights are also synchronized and controlled by the music.  These pictures do not do it justice.

After the show we headed back to the campsite and said our goodbyes to Michelle and her friends.  We had a great time here, especially seeing daughter Michelle and our grandsons that we had not seen since Christmas.  

Tomorrow we will drive home to Ankeny Iowa.  The Rv goes to a camping site at Prairie Flower (Army Corps of Engineers campground) and we will unload the bare necessities.

17 Sep - Arrived at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Campground in Caledonia WI

 

Today we drove from Antigo WI to Yogi Bear Jellystone Campground just south of Milwaukee near Caledonia WI, stop #34 on this year's trip.  200 miles right on the button and with one stop it took us about 3 hrs 41 minutes.  We arrived, got checked in and set up in the same camp site we had last year, not far from our daughter's.  When we arrived we were the only ones in the area but soon the surrounding area was completely filled.

The sites here at Yogi are nicely spaced.  This is a newer area of the park as they have expanded a lot over the past few years.  Our daughter has a "fall package" so they are able to leave their camper here during the week and occupy it during the weekends.  

We are located fairly close to their campsite which makes it nice.  Grandson Joe who is a high school senior works here at Yogi in his spare time and he stopped by on his way to work this afternoon.  Our daughter Michelle teaches middle school math and stopped to pick up our other grandchild here Jon on the way to the campground after work.  

This evening we enjoyed a campfire and dinner with Michelle and her friends here.  It was a beautiful night.  The humidity came and went and so did the bugs.  Almost on command we started being consumed by mosquitoes but shortly there after, then vanished!  

Tomorrow we will go into Oak Creek and watch our grandson bowl, and then return to the campground for the day's festivities.

16 Sep - Last Day at Antigo, Post Lake Fishing, Goodbye to Greg & Diane

 

Greg fishing from the dock

We drove up to Post Lake again this morning, about 28 miles from Antigo.  It was another beautiful fall day with bright sunshine and warming temps.

Wild flowers near the boat ramp

Our fishing spot by the dam/spillway was occupied, so we headed over to the boat ramp for a change. We fished minnows, crawlers, crank bait, twister tails, spoons, you name it, we threw it but the fish ignored us!

We switched to the dock but no luck there either, so after a couple hours of fishing we drove south to check out the Wolf River access.  The Wolf River starts at Post Lake and runs for more than 240 miles.  It is a popular white water rafting river for canoers and kayakers.

We did not fish here but just admired the scenery.  The water was crystal clear the sound of the rapids was almost mesmerizing.  On the way back to Antigo we stopped in to Lil'  Hummer's Bar and Grill, Pickerel WI, southeast of Post Lake.  We have been in here before and it was recently sold.  The new owner will be shutting down for some kitchen remodeling and reopening in October.  In the meantime, a Bloody Mary seemed in order so we enjoyed one before heading back to Antigo!

Back at Greg & Diane's we enjoyed a going away lunch of burgers and brats with them, and we said our farewells.  We've sure had a great time seeing them again and their hospitality is over the top!  We have not even left yet and cannot wait until next year when we can visit again!

Tomorrow we pull chocks here at Atigo and drive about four hours south to Yogi Bear Campground near Caledonia WI.  This campground is just minutes from where our daughter Michelle and her family live.  They will be camping there also, along with some of their friends so it will be a great weekend.  

15 Sep - Fishing at Post Lake, Lunch at The Old Mill in Phlox WI

 

Greg at the helm.

The girls were headed out shopping this morning so Greg and I towed his boat to Moose Lake today which is SE of Antigo near Phlox.   Moose Lake is small, about 113 acres and a maximum depth of  about 20 ft.  When we arrived there were several other boat trailers already unloaded and by the time we left there were twice as many, so for a sleepy little Wisconsin lake this place was busy!  

Not a cloud in the sky today

We unloaded quickly and fished along the outside of a couple weed beds and then moved around trying different spots.  It was an absolutely gorgeous fall day!  The sun was bright, the wind calm and very comfortable temps.  Even with a fish locator onboard and fishing both crawlers and minnows, nothing was interested in biting.  I caught the only fish today which was a tiny perch!

Top side of my bobber stayed pretty dry today!

The trees are just starting to turn

We fished for a couple hours and as many of the other boats had left the lake we surmised it was not just us having the poor luck today!  So we packed it in and loaded up the boat.

On the way back to town we stopped at Phlox WI and the Old Mill Inn and had a Bloody Mary with a Spotted Cow chaser and each of us ordered lunch.  

Bloody Mary with mushrooms, pickles, olives, sausage and cheese!

Not long after we got back to town the girls had returned.  Diance dropped Doreen off at the campground so I headed there.  That was about it today.

Tomorrow Greg and I will head back up to the Post Lake dam and try our luck there again.  We will return by noon and have lunch with Greg and Diane before saying our farewells.  Tomorrow afternoon we will do our normal day-before-we-leave tasks and prepare to depart Friday morning for Yogi Bear Campground in Caledonia WI.  There we will meet up with our daughter Michelle and her family.  This will be the first time we have seen them since Christmas.  Yes!!

14 Sep - Fishing at Post Lake, Lunch at Greg & Diane's

 

Diane, Doreen and Greg

It was a great day here at Antigo WI.  The morning started out with Greg, his buddy Bob and me heading north of Antigo to Post Lake.  There is a dam and a spillway where we have fished in previous years.

This is a beautiful area, especially this time of the year.  Across the way was a Blue Heron checking us out.  

Bob split off and fished the boat ramp while Greg and I headed to the spillway.  There was another person fishing there but there is plenty of room for the three of us.  Greg tried crappie minnows and I tried crawlers.  The fish were biting quickly and on nearly every cast, but they were all small ones.  I hauled in a dozen bluegills and a bass, and Greg caught some crappies.  

We did not keep any of them due to their size.  Bob was using leeches and was catching smallmouth bass but, again, no keepers.  So we headed back to Greg's house for Bloody Mary's before lunch.  Diane had driven to the campground and picked up Doreen so they were waiting for us when we returned.  Doreen brought our Horseradish-infused Vodka we bought north of Traverse City and Bloody Mary's were served, garnished with Vodka-infused olives, homemade dill pickles, dilled green beans and dilled green cherry tomatoes!  

Diane made some delicious lasagna along with salad and garlic bread.  Dessert was cherry cake with whipped cream topping.  We also had a shot of Mackinac fudge liqueur to top it off!  After dinner our Maine stories continued and we laughed and laughed.  We were so young back then with a newborn (Michelle) and our sheepdog (Fonzi). 

Greg in about 1975 with a little Fonzi.  Our antenna field can be seen in the distance and Greg's garden right behind him!

So, backing up just a bit.  I mentioned we met in northern Maine, I mean to tell you we were way the heck up there, in what they call "the County" - Aroostook County Maine. 

We were assigned to Loring Air Force Base but we worked at a high frequency radio transmitter site off-base between Loring and Caribou Maine.  The single guys lived in the barracks on base.  Doreen and I had what we remember as about a 200 sq ft apartment in Caribou.  It was likely bigger than that but each time we tell the story it gets smaller!!  We were all in the same boat there.  With a few exceptions, most were single except Doreen and I who were newly-wed's at 18 years old!  We were all very young. We were all living paycheck to paycheck.  So needless to say we made the most of our time there, and we had some really GREAT times, snow and all!  

The entrance to our transmitter site building,  Typical snow for up there!

The friends we made there are friends for life.  We saw one of them on this trip in Georgia - Brad Herren.  We saw another one in Ohio - Ernie Reid.  And of course here we are seeing Greg and Diane.  We have stayed in touch with many of our friends there and quite a few attended Michelle's wedding in 2000.  

Hammy, Ed Doreen and Greg at pregnant Doreen's 20th birthday party!

So when we get together now it is like we never were apart.  We get caught up on the events of our families, and the "war stories" start!  There are usually a few beers involved and the laughing starts and never ends.  Oh, what a blast.  We so look forward to seeing our great friends from Maine as often as we can.  Fishing with Greg here is not about the fish!  It is about getting together again, enjoying something we love to do and having a great time together!

Tomorrow we are going to load up Greg's boat and head to Moose Lake to give it a go there.  

13 Sep - Arrived at Antigo Lake Campground WI

 

Hello from Antigo WI, our 33rd stop on this year's "big adventure"!  It is amazing the time has gone so quickly.  We departed Whitefish Hill RV Park this morning at 0954 hrs Eastern time and headed south to Menominee MI.  As soon as we crossed the Menominee River we were in Marinette WI.  The "Welcome to Wisconsin" picture did not come out, but we then headed west to Antigo, arriving at 1210 hrs Central time after traveling 154 miles.  We will be here until Friday.  The drive was nice, the scenery very nice!

While here we will be visiting our Air Force friends Greg and Diane Noskowiak.  Greg and I served together while assigned to Loring Air Force Base in Limestone Maine 1974-1977. Greg met Diane up there, married and moved back to Antigo which was home for Greg.  Greg is retired now but was a woodworker at a local manufacturing company here in Antigo.

Greg and Ed 1974

So our home for the next four nights is the Antigo Lake Campground.  We have stayed here several years prior.  It is a nice campground, close to where Greg & Diane live, full hookup and peaceful!  

We have the end site so no neighbors on one side, none in the rear and none in the front.

The "big ol' brown truck" shining in the fall sun.

This afternoon Greg & Diane stopped out and brought us a welcome package of homemade dill pickles, some Leinenkugels Oktoberfest beer and a bottle of  Fly Bird Baha Lime Margarita wine cocktail.  We plan to have a lasagna lunch tomorrow at their house.  The weather does not sound good so we may delay our first day of fishing until Wednesday.