Back in the Saddle

Actually I was never out of the saddle, I just took a break from the blog.  The few days I intended to skip turned into a week, then two and now what has been the longest break since I started the Roadrunner Chronicles.  A pause turned into a break which turned into a hiatus.  But we are back with another edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Thanks for joining us!

So the last time we left you we were in Port Huron, MI. While there we saw Marg and Bill for a few days and got to spend some time at their cottage in Tobermory, Ontario.

And we went into town down by the Little Tub for a nice afternoon of ice cream and a walk.

Then we went back to Port Huron to the Port Huron Township RV Campground so I could get my online work done.   We stayed there for another week.  In the evenings, we went for a few walks down by the city park on the water.

The Thomas Edison Railroad Museum is there.  He grew up in Port Huron. It is a very nice park with a good sized walkway and a great place to hang out in the evenings.

We also go to see George and Sharon (RV friends from Tucson) and Rod and Lisa, friends from our days in Hawaii.  Their daughter Andrea and granddaughter Verity joined us for breakfast before we left so that was nice.

After Port Huron, we drove to Dayton, Ohio and saw our friend Diane (also from our Hawaii time).  It is always good to see her.  We got to see a couple of her kids who are all grown up now.  It was nice.

Then we drove to Red Bay where we are now.  We have some work to get done on the Roadrunner and will be posting more about that.

Until next time, thanks for joining us!

Travel Day to Parry Sound

It was a travel day for us and we departed Tobermory (A) about 9:00 AM.  We drove down Highway 6 and ran into road construction.  Good thing we were in no hurry to get to Parry Sound (B), because we ran into road construction quite a few times.  Twice we just turned off the Roadrunner to wait it out.

But we eventually got to the KOA campground in Parry Sound, arriving about 3:00 PM. It is in a wooded area and has lots of campers.  Thankfully, there is good space between campsites and no one seems to be too noisy.

There are sounds of kids playing outside and having a good time which is great to hear, especially in summer.

After we got set up in the campground, we went into Parry Sound for an errand and some groceries.  We went to the Home Depot across from Wal-Mart and then over to Wal-Mart.  On the way back, we went through town which looks like there are plenty of things to check out:  stores, beaches and trails.

Later, we had a very standard camp-out dinner of hamburgers and pork and beans.

After dinner, I took some photos of the campground:

Later, my quirky connection on my Apple computer allowed me to set up a SKYPE call with my brother Marty and his wife Elena.  That was nice to see/hear those guys again.  We haven't seen them since Christmas in San Diego.  After that, I could not get back on the network so that was it for me last night.

For some reason, I have a lot of trouble connecting to the campground wifi.  It is completely random.  Sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn't. Kelly had no trouble on her Apple, so it must be the way mine is set up.  It has trouble holding a connection.  I have spent at least 90 minutes between yesterday and this morning trying to log on.  Sometimes it works, but so far nothing consistent, so I am using Kelly's MacBook Pro.  I didn't think she would mind.  Besides, she is still asleep...

And ~~ we're looking for 8 more people to signup to 'Follow'.   Will you be the next so we can get to 140?

Thanks for viewing today!  And joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles as we enter week three in beautiful Canada!

Boat Tour at Tobermory

We all decided to go a 2 hour boat tour on the Great Blue Heron out of Tobermory, Canada.  We got a first hand view of:  the 'Big Tub' Lighthouse (in Tobermory Harbor); two shipwrecked vessels (the Sweepstakes and the City of Grand Rapids);  and nearby Cove and Flower Pot Islands.  We took the mid-afternoon launch and it was a beautiful day for it.

The Big Tub Lighthouse (named so because the two harbors Big Tub and Little Tub are similar to bathtubs) is at the entry point near shallow water.

The Sweepstakes is strikingly visible and went down after it was pulled to this location while burning.  Most of the coal, rigging and equipment was salvaged before it sank. It was built in 1867 and went down in 1885.

The City of Grand Rapids was a propeller steamer built in 1879.  It also caught fire and was pulled into this area to prevent other vessels in Little Tub harbor from catching fire.  It went down in 1907.

Along the bay, there are many beautiful cottages.

While onboard the tour boat I was able to get photos of Adam and me, Pam and Bill, Pam and me and Pam and Kelly.

As we rounded Russell Island we could see two vessels used to take student scuba diving.  Tobermory is a known for its great scuba diving.

In the distance we could see the large Chi-Cheemaun ferry about a mile out of Tobermory.

The rocks and cliffs along the shoals were beautiful.

From Russell Island, we went over to Cove Island Harbor then to the east by South Otter Island.  Our last point of interest on the tour was Flower Pot Island where we saw unusual rock formations along the eastern shore.

From there we made it back to Little Tub harbor of Tobermory.  The weather was great, the water was crystal clear and the scenery was spectacular.

We drove back to the Bradley cottage where Marg had prepared a lasagna dinner.  Yum!

Adam stayed at the other cottage and Pam, Kelly and I returned to the Roadrunner.  On the way back, we caught the sun going down on the waters of Dorcas Bay.

Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles today!  Hope you are having a great week.

The Weekend at the Bradley Cottage

Not sure what to do about the weak internet connection except live with it.  I'd like to post of few pictures of Canada but so far have not been successful.  Maybe we'll get into Tobermory later today and I can try out the internet connection at the library- but it is doubtful. 

Saturday and Sunday we spent out at the 'Bradley Cottage on the Rocks' w.hich is the place Meghan's grandmother built years ago.  It was Meghan's favorite place in all the world and the choice for where she and Adam where to have their public wedding.  But that was not to be.  Instead we kept the date and planned on getting together with her family and Adam and her friends. 

Many of them were able to make it and some from far away places.  Meghan's grandmother, mom and dad (Bill and Marg) and aunt and uncle (Chuck and June) were there.  On Saturday brother Brad and fiance Chris arrived.  Later they were there along with:  Melanie, Chad (from Korea), Kyle, Stephanie, Asia, Gordy (from Bolivia, or Columbia?).  On Sunday afternoon Jordan and Peter made the drive from Toronto.

It was a fun time to 'hang out'.  We spent a lot of time with Bill, Marg, Chuck and June while the 'kids' were doing the same.  On Sunday, they went to the lighthouse in Tobermory and jumped in the c-o-l-d waters of Lake Huron.  Later in the day with Peter and Jordan, Adam and Kelly took canoes out in the waters near the cottage. 

Bill and Marg's neighbors lent their cottage for the week so it has been a great place to put up everybody from out of town.  We are about 5 miles down the road in Tobermory Village Campground which is working out well.

Late Saturday and early on Sunday I was able to get some online work done, so that is helping.  I managed to get a couple of nice runs in on Saturday and Sunday so I am pleased with that.  Pam and Kelly and I will be here another week with Marg and Bill so there will be plenty of more time with them which we are looking forward to.  The weather has been absolutely wonderful, warm but not excessively hot temperatures and a nice breeze.

That is about it from up north here.  Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles.  More (with pictures) to follow...

Have a great week!