Michigan It Is

We completed our 1-month stay in Tiffin, and had a great time.  The list of our activities while there:
  - Visited local museums (Tiffin Glass, Seneca County, Ohio Civil War)
  - Enjoyed family; ate too much; drank beer
  - Watched the arrival of the mobile Vietnam War Memorial, accompanied by hundreds of motorcycle riders
  - Enjoyed family; ate too much; drank beer
  - Took a day-trip to the Amish country for cheese, bologna, fresh produce, and baked goods
  - Took a day trip to Lake Erie for fresh perch sandwiches (after lots of searching, we now know the best place to go--Avery's Cafe near Marblehead)
  - Enjoyed family; ate too much; drank beer
  - Watched an old stream engine train roll through the town of Attica
  - Enjoyed family; ate too much; drank bloody mary's (Ohio does have more than just beer, you know)
  - Visited the Seneca County Fair; we saw the antique tractor parade, pig scramble, sheep judging (great-nephews won several awards!), and horse pull (very impressive)
  - Enjoyed family; ate too much; drank beer (OK, so beer IS our usual drink while in Ohio)
  - Visited the new casino in Toledo (didn't loose as much as planned, so goes down as 'winning')
  - SheM visited Grand Rapids, Waterville, and Perrysburg during 'Girls' Day Out'; stumbled upon great farmer's market in Perrysburg for more fresh produce
  - Enjoyed family; enjoyed family; enjoyed family.

And now we're back on the road.  We decided to tour Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota before heading back to Texas for the winter.  Our original plans, so long ago, included the New England area, but we'll do that another time.  Our first stop is Essexville, just outside of Bay City, Michigan, right on Saginaw Bay.  Finn Road Campground is owned by the township and is quite nice.  The roads are paved and the sites are concrete.  Although they're a bit short for big rigs, they're roomy as far as width.

The city water here is so much an improvement over the well water at our last stop, we reveled in the quality of a simple shower--soap and shampoo will lather, no sulfur odor, no rust-colored tinge on the shower floor--not to mention that we were actually able to use our refrigerator's ice maker and water dispenser.  There's not a lot of amenities in the park, but they do have 2 nice hiking trails for our daily walks.  One goes to the edge of Saginaw Bay, and the other winds through some of the wetlands and woods along the bay.

Our only real outing during our 3 days here was to visit the neighboring town of Frankenmuth.  This town has German roots and has maintained its German heritage.

Although rather on the touristy side, it was enjoyable to sit outside listening to polkas played on an accordion, waiting for the glockenspiel to go through its performance of the Pied Piper.  We strolled through many of the little shops, and walked across the covered bridge.  We decided to forgo a heavy German meal (recalling the many "ate too much" activities in Ohio) and chose to sample only 1 of the local brewery offerings (recalling the many "drank beer" activities in Ohio).  Their dark Dunkel Lager was quite good.  If we run across it again, we'll have a second.

Next stop is Indian River, 150 miles north of here.