Aug 4 Leaving Erie

Starting mileage 47,241

Another leisurely morning. Oh, what a life! We fixed blueberry pancakes for Bob's mom. He won't listen to my advice. His mother told him to "Listen when someone is trying to give you information." Like this is going to help. He wouldn't let the bubbles pop in his pancakes before he flipped then. Guess what…they were soggy. So, I was told to make my own, which I did gladly and then Marge took over and did some even better. By then the pan had cooled from how hot he had it set.

One more comment about my pancakes, and she's going to be wearing them. She had no idea what I was doing. I was cooking pancakes the "guy way".

Ben stopped by to see his grandma and wish us bon voyage. We chatted for a while. Ben and Bob have the same stupid sense of humor. They both think the dorky Airplane series of movies are great…as well as old Chevy Chase movies. They were cracking each other up revisiting old scenes from these flicks that should have never been shown in the first place.

Chicks just have no appreciation of fine humor. Guys love and appreciate the creative efforts of the people who make these fine cinematic masterpieces.

So, we headed west along the shores of Lake Erie towards Cleveland. Once again…no superhighways. We wove our way along the lake through tiny towns. Geneva-on-the-Lake looks like it was stuck in the 60s with arcade games, putt-putt golf, little cabins, motels and taverns. We wound our way through Ashtabula and my first piles of raw coal.

Deb has neglected to mention the dining opportunities available in Geneva-On-The-Lake…

There are a multitude of soft ice cream shops, pretzel places, sno-cone shops, pizza parlors, cotton candy booths, candy and peanut shops, and, quite appropriately I think, the ever-present Dairy Queen. All the food places that make seasonal summer playlands worth going to.

We waited for Laurie's boyfriend, Dave, to show up. Then comes the "Where are we going to have dinner?" routine. We have not been patronizing chains, which momentarily stumped them. We decided to check out old, historic, downtown Willoughby. One expensive option and another with too long of a wait. We headed closer to home for a pasta palace. There we were told the computers were down and the kitchen was backed up. We decided an early dinner was not to be our destiny, so settled in with a drink to wait.

But it was a good dinner when we finally got it. But when has anyone ever had bad Italian food?

Aug 5 Cleveland, Ohio

Vinnie didn't move

After a stormy night and a cool morning we awoke refreshed to a cloudy day in Cleveland. Our day's goal is The Rock and Rock Hall of Fame. We headed down to the waterfront and into the modern glass enclosure to immerse ourselves in the sounds of music of the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. It was a cacophony of music from many years and many cities. For me there were lots of memories of the 60s and 70s.

But first we picked up Laurie's computer which had been in to get a new motherboard. That took us a bit out of the way.

The R&RHoF was quite the architectural masterpiece. It was quite an impressive building. Six floors of R&R. The first four floors were full of R&R memorabilia. I personally thought they had a lot of good stuff, but the presentation was poor. Too crowded, too much noise, and too confusing. We completed four floors and then, and only then, were we permitted to approach floors number five and six which were devoted to… THE KING OF ROCK AND ROLL, Elvis himself. They had a bunch of stuff that was on loan from Graceland so it was a pretty good exhibit.

We have just gotten home. Bob is helping Laurie hook up her computer. It has been at the shop to have a motherboard replaced. Apparently they did more than that, they formatted her hard drive and wiped out all her programs and data. Bob has been on the phone with them and they say they had to do it and were not responsible for her data. Well, they didn’t need to format the drive plus they installed Windows 98 without giving her the licensed software. We can't get it to work. The phone line keeps disconnecting her computer and my computer also, so we can't get the printer drivers from HP.

The jerks really upset me. They have the cumulative computer skills of a brick. Plus they lied about it. I did, however, get the printer driver installed and working. Laurie's going to write a nasty letter to the president of the company. If that doesn't resolve things I'm going to notify Microsoft that they are installing free copies of Windows 98 on people's computers. Microsoft has been known to get really upset about that.

Aug 6 Leaving Cleveland

Starting mileage 47,359

Cleveland is right between us and our destination to the west. So in order to stick to our plan of not driving the interstates, we drove south around the city then north and then west. The little communities are very attractive, but Bob keeps reminding me that I have not yet seen a winter. We passed through Twinsburg and this weekend is the Twins Festival. Another extravaganza that we will miss, since we are expected at Ann and Dan's tonight.

The shore of Lake Erie is filled with small harbors and docks. Vermilion is a very attractive little town. They scooped out waterways that weave through the city. The Vermilion Boat Club (VBC) looked like the hot spot--a pool with comfortable lounge chairs and shady areas overlooking the river. Anyone who lives near here should make a weekend journey to this area.

We are heading for the Erie Islands. Ferryboats leave every half hour for South Bass Island and the town of Put-In-Bay. Once onshore you can either take the bus for a buck, rent a golf cart or ride bikes around the island. There is maybe a total of 12 miles of road on the whole island. Jimmy Buffet music blasts from the bus. This is a party community.

It's a small town with lots of waterfront shops, bars, cafes, and hotels. A very quaint, seasonal community. It was a Friday so the boats were already tied up four deep at the docks in front of the town. The testosterone was flowing… Lots of college guys hanging around the docks drinking beer and yelling like crazed gorillas at the pretty girls walking by.

We visited the Commodore Perry Memorial. Another tower. Bob went up with me, but wouldn't look over the edge. From atop it is a great view of the islands.

This thing is much too high. It's a bit taller than the Statue of Liberty and there are no iron bars or windows to prevent you from flinging yourself over the side. It's way too dangerous and should never have been built. The view, however, was impressive. You could see all the small islands floating in the lake and also the part of Lake Erie where Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry fought the Battle of Lake Erie and saved the world from the ruthless onslaught of the evil British Empire.

Walked about and had lunch, then rode the bus back to the ferry to continue our drive to Ann Arbor. Road construction in Toledo and another afternoon storm. We stayed on the back roads through fields of corn and soybeans. After a few miles of this, Bob said, "OK now you have seen Michigan."

Dan and Ann (they were the couple who came out from Michigan for our wedding party) have a very comfortable home in a quiet rural residential neighborhood.

And a freezer stuffed with vodka. These are people who pay attention to their friends. The vermouth and olives were ready on the counter. AND! They had crunchy, crusty bread. I was a happy Bob. Dan cooked up some great steak on the grill, and Ann made a really good salad with tomato and cheese. Dan has quite an impressive wine cellar in the basement so he selected a titillating, perky and slyly sensual cabernet, which made a wonderful addition to a great dinner. We went to bed happy.

Aug 7 Saline, Michigan (outside Ann Arbor)

Since we gave Ann and Dan such short notice of our arrival, they have already made plans to attend a wedding. We are on our own.

Right. We will be alone in their house so we will have a lot of time to go through all their stuff. As soon as they leave Deb will start going through their kitchen and office drawers while I start on the bedroom and bathroom.

Well, we did the nickel tour of Saline and Ann Arbor. Very nice towns. They appear to be clean and green. It began raining so we didn't get a chance to explore too much on foot, but we did get a fun lunch at the local Mongolian BBQ. I had never been to one before so it was a new experience for me. I liked it. Very different. If you don't like the food, you can only blame yourself.

We rushed back here as soon as we could and began going through Ann and Dan's stuff. I was the first to "strike it rich" when I found the French Maid outfit. Deb and I were having quite a giggle out of that when we realized that it was way too large for Ann to wear. But it would fit Dan perfectly! That really got us to guffawing. We also found the lever that drops the trapeze down in front of the full-length mirror. I wonder which one of them blows the bugle we found under the bed? And when? We're still pondering that one.

Aug 8 Leaving Saline

Starting mileage 47,594

We went out for breakfast with Ann and Dan and then left for Greg and Pattie's in Farmington Hills. Ann and Dan tried to be helpful and show us the fastest way to travel so we had to remind them that we were not taking freeways or superhighways. One of the best decisions Deb and I made was to travel only the backroads and stay off the freeways. To date we have averaged only 134 miles per day during the trip. But we have seen so much more than we would have if we traveled by freeway.

We arrived at Greg and Patti's in the early afternoon. Our first task was to meet Muffet, Shep, and Megan, the family puppies. They are wonderful dogs - happy, friendly, and well-mannered.

Greg and Patti had decided to board the dogs while we camped, but it soon became obvious that they would miss them too much so I begged and pleaded with them to bring the dogs so I would have someone to play with. After two hours of begging, crying, and blubbering, they finally relented and agreed to bring the dogs.

We talked, had dinner, and turned in early.

August 9 - Farmington Hills, MI

Starting Mileage - 47682

We got up late and took the dogs for a walk while the cleaning lady cleaned the house. We got in a healthy four-mile trek. It's quite a chore being walked by three very exuberant dogs that love exploring new trails and smells. We stopped for lunch, went home, and then departed for Green Lake and a campground about ten miles west of Ann Arbor. We opted for the primitive campground.

Rustic (primitive) means no shower for Bob. About 6 of the 25 sites are occupied; much better than the weekend 25 of 25. We parked ourselves across and as far away from everyone else. The doggies are behaving. Their leashes constantly are interwoven and tangled

We opted for an appetizer dinner and chatting around a fire. Yes!! It is cool enough for a fire and it feels good. Last night the temperature dropped to 51F and Pattie had to move some of her orchid collection inside for protection.

It's very nice to be able to sit for a while and not be heading off to a new destination right away. We had originally thought we would be doing more of this. The campground is lakeside in the middle of a beautiful hardwood forest. The countryside is pretty and rural with many small farms.

Aug 10 Green Lake Campground

Happy Birthday, Warren. We called this afternoon, but couldn't get a good connection. At least we were able to give him our best wishes. He and Mom said they are feeling better after the Asian Crud.

It was rainy this morning, so a swim was out. Instead we drove over to some of the other lakes, visited the geology exhibit and went for a doggie walk before we headed back to our campground for an rousing afternoon game of Waterworks. Tonight it is an early dinner of buffalo burgers. The dogs are intrigued by the smells coming off the grill. Actually though they are curious about any smells.

It's becoming obvious that Pattie and Greg spend a lot more time and energy on their menu planning than Deb and I. Greg even made waffles this morning. They got a batch of fresh corn from one of the local farms that we will eat over the next couple days. The buffalo burgers were cooked over a wonderful fire built by "One Match" Bob.

The fireflys come out in early evening. We have been eating and playing games in Pattie and Greg's screen room. Tonight we discovered a firefly in Pattie's hair, and a bit later on Deb got one under her shirt. Greg noticed her breast flashing. I took it as a mating signal and was quite disappointed when we realized what it really was.

Bob wants a doggie so bad. I'm hoping that a couple more poop walks with the plastic bag will cure him. Patti and Greg have offered to wake him at 7 tomorrow for their early AM walk.

Which, of course, I would have done, but they neglected to wake me. It was 9:00AM before Deb and I woke up. We stayed up quite late reading. Deb is reading a cry and screw novel quite aptly named "Savage Surrender". Where do these names come from? And the covers?!?! The norm is some tall, muscle-bound guy with long hair holding a beautiful, swooning damsel with magnificent hooters and a ripped bodice. But I digress….

End of Week 13