Back in Dayton

We will be here at least through August. Need A/C work and roofing work for the house. Probably get some Ohio hiking in.

Emo freed from collar, heat wave

Emo dog figured out how to lick his bad toe nail with the Elizabethan collar on, so I took it off. He was grateful for that!

The temperature here was 98 last time I looked. The 30 Amp breaker at the hook-up pedestal kept blowing, so I set the power center on the Winnebago on 20 Amp service. The breaker didn't blow anymore, but the A/C just couldn't keep up. Right now, I have the generator set running, and the cold air is rushing in. Full 5500 Watts for the A/C to work with. It is suggested to run the generator an hour a month anyway, and I have plenty gas in the tank, so we will keep cool for a little while.

Went for a short country drive today, nothing exceptional to report. With the dog healing, this may be a stick around the campground week. That's not all bad, I guess.

Emo boo-boo

Emo dog tore the nail off one of his dew claws (he has 4). The vet put him in an Elizabethan collar, so he won't lick it. I remember my terrier little Pepper Dog was the most miserable creature I ever saw with a collar. Emo seems to take it in stride, but I can tell he hates it.

You can see how red it is, must hurt, but little complaint from this always cheerful critter. God love him.

Vet said no hiking or swimming for a week or two. I'll be back in Ohio in a week, and I'll take him to his regular vet for a follow-up. Poor Emo. I expect the regular vet will remove the collar if the nail is starting to grow back and things look OK. I'll take the poor beast for a couple long country drives while we are here, but I just couldn't stand to hit the trails without him.

Arrived at St. Clair

We made it. I had a sewer hose spill setting up, what a stinking mess. Guy next door and I dumped a bunch of bleach on it, it still smells in this heat. I need a shower now, more later.

Good day

We went for a Sunday drive up to the Huron Nat'l Forest, and hiked 3/4 mile back to a lake where Emo went swimming. Took this picture of the Au Sable river from an overlook.

Plans

We are still at the OAI Rifle River park. Haven't done much the last few days, went to a meeting and checked out a back country area a guy told us about, lots of two rut roads to walk down. Drove the motorcycle on some more sand, did OK. Drove to Bay City then West Branch to check out cigar stores. Emo seems content with a single outing each day.

I made reservations for 19-26 July at the St. Clair Thousand Trails park here in Michigan, after that we will return to Wilmington and Dayton, back to the house for August, I guess. That's all for now.

Another good day

I went back to the Rifle River Recreation Area today with Emo Dog. We drove all over it, having a good time and stopping several places to let Emo swim. I even coaxed him to climb up a lookout tower. Then we hiked about a mile and a half back to a lake, and came back the way we went. The bugs were intense, poor Emo had a blackfly that rode about a mile on his hindquarters, and bugs buzzing about his head all the way. But, overall we had a great time. Here's some pictures from today.

A small lake, view from the lookout tower.

The two mushrooms on the left look like the picture of a poison mushroom I saw at the Ranger Station.

It is a great trail, until we got to Lost Lake and hit wet peat moss.

There were lots and lots of ferns on this hike, I like them.

Canoe on the Rifle River, shot from the swinging bridge. I asked them if I could take a picture, the woman in front grabbed her bikini top and said, "How much?"

We might kick back in the campground and do maintenance for a couple days, and let the weekenders have the trails.

Bike Ride

I rode about 150 miles today on the little 250cc Super Sherpa. Half of it was on gravel, dirt, and sand. I only fell once, in some deep sand on a curve, nothing hurt. I reconnoitered the Rifle River State Recreation Area and plan to take Emo there hiking tomorrow. He was glad to see me when I got back. I got mud on the bike, had a good time. The little bike is great for Michigan roads. And, it is perfect weather here, I didn't break a sweat even with my mesh jacket. Wildflowers are in bloom, campgrounds are almost full, families out picnicking an swimming. I like Michigan in the summer.

Luck smiles on us

I'm in a much better mood today. We drove to the State Forest Visitor's Center where I got maps and a great trail book. On the way there, I saw an RV in front of an electronics shop, and figured, I'll just see if they have a satellite dish and tripod. They did, and the guy gave me a few tips on setting it up. It is working! We travelled the back roads back, spending about two hours on forest gravel roads. Emo got to swim in a river. Things are slowly getting pulled together here!

Here's a picture of our campsite, and the always happy resident.

Set up in Michigan

We arrived in Michigan, set up for two weeks at the Outdoor Adventures Rifle River camp. My satellite dish quit. All I can get over the air is Oprah and PBS. No baseball! I think I have a battery problem, too, but I'm plugged in here. Also, a fog lamp came loose, I guess I'll have to crawl in the dirt and see what I can do. 30 Amps, water, no sewer hookup, but we can go 2 weeks with the huge tanks in this huge tank.

This place is dusty and hot, but we will have fun exploring around backroads and trails. Pictures to come.