We left Sarnia on Tuesday, 13 June; had to stop at Tim Hortons for our last “fix” lol before we hit the border. We had no issues at the border; there was construction but still didn’t take that long to get to the other side. We were fortunate.
We stopped in Benton Harbour, Michigan and got ourselves a site at Eden Springs Campground, site 27. Pretty big place and we were the only trailer in our section (“Canadians only” section I guess lol) Lots of seasonal trailers across on the other side. When we got to our section the lady had said we were at site 27 but there were no numbers or indications of where any site was. We drove around and around. Finally I got out of the truck and walked around and found all the little number signs laying on the ground; they had taken them out for lawn mowing and forgot to put them back ! Pretty funny, the lady came out to help us; probably got tired of seeing us driving around in circles.
After we set up we left and did some tourist stuff. Ended up at Lemon Creek Winery and they had a Wine Dog ! I love Wine Dogs. What is that you may ask? Well a winery that lets their dog, or dogs, roam around is a Wine Dog. This one was a Golden Retriever and he was sleeping by the bar. I cannot find a photo of him but I know they are somewhere! Tastings were 5 samples for 8$ and we enjoyed their wines. We bought a bottle of Lighthouse wine which is a sweeter white and a bottle of something else, I did not write the name down. 9$ and 10$ respectively.
On to the next tourist spot !
This place was called Round Barn Winery, Distillery and Brewery. This is a big place and quite a nice spot. They have a couple of different buildings, a food truck and outdoor seating. It appears they have outdoor entertainment and you can book to have your weddings/birthdays here. On the top of the hill is the huge round barn, interesting building. For 12$ you could try six of anything. This is the first I have been to a business that does all three; usually beer and cider or maybe beer and wine. We tried bourbon, 3 different beers and 2 different wines. We really liked the white wine but close to 20$ US so we passed. I know, we’re all talk and no drink BUT we did buy a bottle of Black Walnut Cream. It was quite tasty.
Our last stop was Dablon Wineries; we shared a flight but we didn’t care for their wines and they were quite expensive; probably to pay for the huge new modern place they were located in.
We went back to our campsite and across the road they had a tether ball game set up. I have never played that in my life but Clint talked me into it. Except for getting whacked in the head more than once, it was fun !
We were getting ready to leave the next morning and the lady from the campground came over to say goodbye. She told us that this used to be a 35 acre Amusement Park. We took some time and walked down the path and through a gate to where there were old buildings and a little train track. The park is currently undergoing restoration. The work is done by volunteers as this is a non-profit group. It must have been a great park back in the day. Hope they continue working on it, it would be a terrific addition to the campground.
We are now on our way through, or past, Chicago, Illinois. Before we reached there we were on a toll road. We had to pay 90 cents at the first toll. Really? Clint put in a dollar in the machine and then just drove away. He left the dime as it was hard to reach out to get the change back from the machine. Got to the second toll and it was $2.10 Are you kidding me right now? lol Where’s that dime ? Who thought this up?
And then the third toll was $24 so I guess I won’t complain about 90 cents and 2.10 anymore. hahaha The lady at THAT toll said that is all we would have to pay to get through/past Chicago so hopefully she’s right or we will be banned from Illinois for life.
We drove right through Illinois to Warrens, Wisconsin and ended up at McMullen Memorial County Park; by Wazeda Lake off highway I94. It was an out-of-the-way drive but a nice park. Not like KOA style camping at all. We had a big site down a long driveway surrounded by trees. We chose Site 33 (21 $ US) and all the bugs in North America were also there. I couldn’t believe the mosquitos and black flies. We broke down and took our little screen tent out of the truck and sat in it. First bugs we have seen so far though ! But the bugs didn’t stop a deer from running through our site and laying down in the bush behind our trailer ! Oh and did I mention it was super hot today also?
Well tomorrow we are heading to South Dakota ! So excited to see the Badlands.
NOTE: I ended up having some corrupted photos on my camera and I believe it’s all the other photos I took in this area. I am trying to recover them and hopefully post later.
Trums Travels 