July 12-13, 2007
Just Chillin’
It was a late morning wake up today, after a long night of TV movies last night. It’s becoming more like we’re back home already. We’re being lazy, not worrying about the stresses of the road. It’s nice not having to plan routes and rest stops. We’re in a good place, just doing whatever we want to.
Today has been mostly watching TV and biking through the woods. We called Mike to see if he would be able to ride out here with Micah’s parents when they headed out, but he couldn’t. Apparently asking off from work a few days after a month long vacation isn’t so easy. We’re going to finish the trip with the five remaining crew members.
Micah’s parents and sister Eva arrived Friday evening, bringing groceries for the next couple days. We would be eating well for the next few meals; lasagna, bacon and eggs, steaks, smores, and a bunch of other stuff. So far it has been the best few meals we’ve had in a while, and maybe even better than what we’re going home to in a couple of days.
We took a short trip to Bear Lake about a mile down the road. The water was cold and clear. The rest of the night was spent playing poker and watching TV. We knew it was one of the last events of the trip before we left the next day for home. Nobody knows that we’re coming home tomorrow; it’s going to be a surprise. If you’re reading this it means we made it home. We haven’t been around internet in days, and home is the next stop. If you want to hear more about the trip give one of us a call, we’ll be back home.
If nothing goes wrong in the last hours between Grayling and Holland than our Winnebago Trip 2007 has less than 24 hours to go. It’s going to be an adjustment returning to our families, jobs, cars, showers, beds, and hot food. Each of us has to ease back into a normal lifestyle, but if it gets too bad we can always camp out at the Holland Wal-Mart, grilling dinner with the six of us; just like old times.
Winnebago guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Grayling Michigan, last stop before home
Sunday, July 15, 2007
July 11, 2007
July 11, 2007
The Cabin
Leaving the Holmes residence this morning we had one goal in mind. We were aiming to get to Grayling, Michigan where we would stay in Micah’s until the end of the trip. We’ve stayed at the cabin a few times before and always have fun. It would be a good last stop before home.
We cleaned up around the Deer Lodge this morning. Using kitchen appliances for the first time in a while, we made pancakes. Wanting chocolate chips in our pancakes, we went the Bago to get some, but they had melted into one big block of chocolate. As a chocolate chip substitute we grabbed some Hershey bars and broke pieces off into the mix. It worked, and we ate every last pancake. We hit the road around noon and headed east for the bridge. Thanks again to the Holmes for letting us stay a night at the lodge, it was awesome.
The drive through the UP was fairly uneventful; just one small town after the other, and a lot of trees. Much preferred to city traffic while in the 25ft. long house we’ve been driving. Making it to the Mackinaw Bridge was exciting. It was a little windy outside, and RVs were restricted to 20mph while crossing the bridge. We sped a little bit, but we didn’t get blown off the bridge, we made it.
Making it to the Lower Peninsula, we immediately felt more at home. We regained cell phone reception temporarily and made a few calls home to announce that we’re getting closer. From the bridge it wasn’t a long drive to Grayling.
Once at the cabin, we moved our stuff in right away. Another round of hot food for the day made it one to remember, as we ate chili, soup, and stew. After dinner we broke out some of the bigger fireworks that had been tucked away while parked at the Wal-Marts and in the cities. That’s when we got the good idea of blowing up the microwave in the Winnebago. We hadn’t used it yet, and didn’t look worth saving, so we blew it up. Loading it with fireworks the first time, Micah lit the fuse, tipped it over, and ran away. The explosion was contained pretty well, and not much damage was done. We sent Luke back to the cabin to grab another explosive so we could do it again. The second try we left the door on the microwave open. The explosion was much more visable on the second attempt than the first and we captured it on video. The microwave might still work, but it might leak radiation a little. We’re not sure, so it’s trash now. Totally worth it though.
We’re now back inside, watching CSI and playing computer games. There is more food to be eaten and pop to be devoured. The food our mothers sent us off with has not yet run out, but we’re trying our hardest not to come home with anything other than what’s stuck in our carpet and furniture. Nobody is really sure of how long we plan on being out here, but it could be a while because we always have fun here. There isn’t any internet here, so when this is posted we could be home, give one of us a call.
Winnebago guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Grayling, Michigan
The Cabin
Leaving the Holmes residence this morning we had one goal in mind. We were aiming to get to Grayling, Michigan where we would stay in Micah’s until the end of the trip. We’ve stayed at the cabin a few times before and always have fun. It would be a good last stop before home.
We cleaned up around the Deer Lodge this morning. Using kitchen appliances for the first time in a while, we made pancakes. Wanting chocolate chips in our pancakes, we went the Bago to get some, but they had melted into one big block of chocolate. As a chocolate chip substitute we grabbed some Hershey bars and broke pieces off into the mix. It worked, and we ate every last pancake. We hit the road around noon and headed east for the bridge. Thanks again to the Holmes for letting us stay a night at the lodge, it was awesome.
The drive through the UP was fairly uneventful; just one small town after the other, and a lot of trees. Much preferred to city traffic while in the 25ft. long house we’ve been driving. Making it to the Mackinaw Bridge was exciting. It was a little windy outside, and RVs were restricted to 20mph while crossing the bridge. We sped a little bit, but we didn’t get blown off the bridge, we made it.
Making it to the Lower Peninsula, we immediately felt more at home. We regained cell phone reception temporarily and made a few calls home to announce that we’re getting closer. From the bridge it wasn’t a long drive to Grayling.
Once at the cabin, we moved our stuff in right away. Another round of hot food for the day made it one to remember, as we ate chili, soup, and stew. After dinner we broke out some of the bigger fireworks that had been tucked away while parked at the Wal-Marts and in the cities. That’s when we got the good idea of blowing up the microwave in the Winnebago. We hadn’t used it yet, and didn’t look worth saving, so we blew it up. Loading it with fireworks the first time, Micah lit the fuse, tipped it over, and ran away. The explosion was contained pretty well, and not much damage was done. We sent Luke back to the cabin to grab another explosive so we could do it again. The second try we left the door on the microwave open. The explosion was much more visable on the second attempt than the first and we captured it on video. The microwave might still work, but it might leak radiation a little. We’re not sure, so it’s trash now. Totally worth it though.
We’re now back inside, watching CSI and playing computer games. There is more food to be eaten and pop to be devoured. The food our mothers sent us off with has not yet run out, but we’re trying our hardest not to come home with anything other than what’s stuck in our carpet and furniture. Nobody is really sure of how long we plan on being out here, but it could be a while because we always have fun here. There isn’t any internet here, so when this is posted we could be home, give one of us a call.
Winnebago guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Grayling, Michigan
July 10, 2007
July 10, 2007
Clean Again
We started our early morning in the Duluth Wal-Mart with some light rain that trickled in through our broken windows. Luke put shards of Plexiglas that we found on the side of the highway in the driver side window. It was a replacement for the window he shattered in Tucson. It kept a little rain out, but the storm didn’t last very long.
We left shortly after 10:00am, aiming for Michigan. It wouldn’t be the same Michigan we’re accustomed to; it’s the U.P. Our connection in the UP was made through the Van’t Hofs. Luke has hunted up here in the past and stayed at a cabin owned by the Holms family. We were looking forward to the sauna Luke had been telling us about. We hadn’t showered since the 4th of July RV park, and were all in desperate need of some form of cleaning up. A call to Luke’s dad told us that we would have dinner waiting for us when we arrived.
After a good day’s drive, we had gone from Minnesota, across Wisconsin, into Michigan, back into Wisconsin, and then into Michigan, for our last border crossings of the trip. The Winnebago only missed one street on our first try at the cabin. Our directions were pretty good and we made it in time for a lasagna dinner. It was delicious, and hot, and not cereal or soup.
With full stomachs we jumped into the sauna. It was a lot hotter than most of us expected it to be. It hit 170 degrees at one point. It was hard to stay in for very long at a time. We took it in rounds, a few minutes at a time, using buckets of water and some soap to get clean with. After we were done, we dried off, turning white towels brown with dirt. It was the cleanest feeling any of us have had the entire trip.
Later in the evening we walked to the house to check out Mike’s decoy collection (Mike Holms, our host). It was really neat. He makes a lot of them himself and they all look very realistic. We learned the science behind making them work, and we were all pretty impressed. We said our goodbyes to Mike tonight because he would be gone at work before we would be up and moving.
When we left the house it was pitch black outside. There is no light pollution out here at all. We staggered our way back to the cabin, trying not to run into trees on the way. After we got back we broke out the poker chips, mountain dews, and freeze-ices. A couple of hours of poker later, Micah and I both walked away with some extra cash. We put our phones and computers on their chargers for the first time in days and went to sleep in our first beds since we left almost a month ago.
Tomorrow we’ll leave and head for the bridge. Maybe we’ll make it to the lower peninsula and things will start looking more like home. Thanks again to the Holms for a great night off the road; we needed that sauna, bad. We’ll make sure that you get a copy of the DVD when it’s finished.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Iron Mountain, Michigan
Clean Again
We started our early morning in the Duluth Wal-Mart with some light rain that trickled in through our broken windows. Luke put shards of Plexiglas that we found on the side of the highway in the driver side window. It was a replacement for the window he shattered in Tucson. It kept a little rain out, but the storm didn’t last very long.
We left shortly after 10:00am, aiming for Michigan. It wouldn’t be the same Michigan we’re accustomed to; it’s the U.P. Our connection in the UP was made through the Van’t Hofs. Luke has hunted up here in the past and stayed at a cabin owned by the Holms family. We were looking forward to the sauna Luke had been telling us about. We hadn’t showered since the 4th of July RV park, and were all in desperate need of some form of cleaning up. A call to Luke’s dad told us that we would have dinner waiting for us when we arrived.
After a good day’s drive, we had gone from Minnesota, across Wisconsin, into Michigan, back into Wisconsin, and then into Michigan, for our last border crossings of the trip. The Winnebago only missed one street on our first try at the cabin. Our directions were pretty good and we made it in time for a lasagna dinner. It was delicious, and hot, and not cereal or soup.
With full stomachs we jumped into the sauna. It was a lot hotter than most of us expected it to be. It hit 170 degrees at one point. It was hard to stay in for very long at a time. We took it in rounds, a few minutes at a time, using buckets of water and some soap to get clean with. After we were done, we dried off, turning white towels brown with dirt. It was the cleanest feeling any of us have had the entire trip.
Later in the evening we walked to the house to check out Mike’s decoy collection (Mike Holms, our host). It was really neat. He makes a lot of them himself and they all look very realistic. We learned the science behind making them work, and we were all pretty impressed. We said our goodbyes to Mike tonight because he would be gone at work before we would be up and moving.
When we left the house it was pitch black outside. There is no light pollution out here at all. We staggered our way back to the cabin, trying not to run into trees on the way. After we got back we broke out the poker chips, mountain dews, and freeze-ices. A couple of hours of poker later, Micah and I both walked away with some extra cash. We put our phones and computers on their chargers for the first time in days and went to sleep in our first beds since we left almost a month ago.
Tomorrow we’ll leave and head for the bridge. Maybe we’ll make it to the lower peninsula and things will start looking more like home. Thanks again to the Holms for a great night off the road; we needed that sauna, bad. We’ll make sure that you get a copy of the DVD when it’s finished.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Iron Mountain, Michigan
July 6, 2007
July 6, 2007
2nd last night with Mike
The calls were made; the location and time were set up. Mike would be going home with our youth group tomorrow. We would meet at a rest stop near a junction between our two highways. It was the fastest, cheapest option Mike had for getting home for his job interview.
This wouldn’t be our first time saying goodbye to Mike. He left the crew earlier on the trip, but with a little less warning. This time we had time to hang out and do things other than fixing Helen, unlike Mike’s departure from Tulsa.
We woke up around noon and had a delicious Brat breakfast with plenty of Sam’s Choice Cola. After a team vote we decided to grill inside the Winnebago. The sun was hot in the parking lot, so we stayed inside. For a while the smell of brats masked the odor of fireworks and dirty clothes. That didn’t last to long. That was the first meal of the day we would splurge on. After brunch we hit the road. It was on the road where we broke out more fireworks. A few more burns and the first blood drawn when Luke got drilled between the eyes with a bottle-rocket lit by Mike. It was really funny for the rest of us, but Luke wasn’t laughing so much.
We drove to the nearest Wal-Mart to our youth-group rest stop rendezvous. From there we walked to a nearby Sonic to eat dinner. Two real meals in one day, we ate well. It almost hurt to take my wallet out twice in 24hours but the food tasted good.
After Sonic we headed back to the Bago, where we chilled for a while. A lot of phone calls home were made. A car drove up and two girls invited us to a party nearby. First impressions told me that it wasn’t going to be our kind of party, so we declined the offer. Our kind of party was going on inside the Bago, and we were content with staying there for the night. In the morning we would drive to the rest stop, drop off Mike, and keep heading North for Nebraska and maybe South Dakota. We’ll see what happens.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Colby, Kansas
2nd last night with Mike
The calls were made; the location and time were set up. Mike would be going home with our youth group tomorrow. We would meet at a rest stop near a junction between our two highways. It was the fastest, cheapest option Mike had for getting home for his job interview.
This wouldn’t be our first time saying goodbye to Mike. He left the crew earlier on the trip, but with a little less warning. This time we had time to hang out and do things other than fixing Helen, unlike Mike’s departure from Tulsa.
We woke up around noon and had a delicious Brat breakfast with plenty of Sam’s Choice Cola. After a team vote we decided to grill inside the Winnebago. The sun was hot in the parking lot, so we stayed inside. For a while the smell of brats masked the odor of fireworks and dirty clothes. That didn’t last to long. That was the first meal of the day we would splurge on. After brunch we hit the road. It was on the road where we broke out more fireworks. A few more burns and the first blood drawn when Luke got drilled between the eyes with a bottle-rocket lit by Mike. It was really funny for the rest of us, but Luke wasn’t laughing so much.
We drove to the nearest Wal-Mart to our youth-group rest stop rendezvous. From there we walked to a nearby Sonic to eat dinner. Two real meals in one day, we ate well. It almost hurt to take my wallet out twice in 24hours but the food tasted good.
After Sonic we headed back to the Bago, where we chilled for a while. A lot of phone calls home were made. A car drove up and two girls invited us to a party nearby. First impressions told me that it wasn’t going to be our kind of party, so we declined the offer. Our kind of party was going on inside the Bago, and we were content with staying there for the night. In the morning we would drive to the rest stop, drop off Mike, and keep heading North for Nebraska and maybe South Dakota. We’ll see what happens.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Colby, Kansas
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