September 7, 2025 (Sun.) - Exploring MI, Otis' stomach troubles.
Nobody was in a rush to get up today. Lynn, usually up by 7 AM, didn’t stir until 8 AM, thanks to the church bells ringing across the street—about 150 yards away, loud and proud at the top of the hour. Instead of rolling over, she gave in to the call of caffeine and got moving. Kirk, on the other hand, went back to sleep after another restless night and didn’t emerge until 10:45 AM—and only because Lynn had to wake him. Otis had vomited all over the couch and floor. Thank goodness for leather (or pleather!) seats—easy cleanup! Poor guy hadn’t eaten anything yesterday, and now we knew why. Maybe it was the pork loin he snuck a few bites of. It was definitely a slow morning, perhaps it was the dreary, rainy weather making us feel sluggish. After Lynn handled cleanup duty, Kirk made his appearance—great timing, huh?
Â
We didn’t have much planned, so we headed out around noon-ish to explore. First stop was Curtis, but it turned out to be more of a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of town. So we continued on to Newberry, which was slightly larger—but being Sunday, most places were closed. We lucked out with a gift shop that was open, where we picked up some long-sleeved shirts (temps are definitely dropping), and found a great lunch spot: Timber Charlie’s. The food was really good—just what we needed.
Â
We also scoped out a couple of Roadside America attractions nearby. One was closed (it being Sunday), but the other—a Painted Pink Moose—was just a few miles away. Lynn wanted to see it, but when we arrived, it had been repainted in patriotic red, white, and blue, which she actually liked more. There was also a yellow moose nearby, but sadly, no pink in sight. Everything else we were interested in was about an hour away, so we decided to save those for another day. We didn’t want to stray too far from Otis.
Â
The drive through the area was gorgeous—empty roads, trees beginning to turn, and that crisp early fall beauty. We spotted deer twice: first, a pair grazing roadside, and later, a group of three lounging in the grass. No photos, unfortunately—we passed them too quickly.
Â
By 3:30 PM, we were back at the campground. Otis was resting comfortably and finally ate some food, which was a relief. The rain continued off and on, so we kept things low-key. Lynn tackled laundry, since our last campground didn’t have sewer hookups and it had been a few days. The evening ended up with TV and relaxing fireside. Not a lot of pics today.
Â
A quiet rainy day, but full of little moments—and fingers crossed Otis is back to his usual self tomorrow.
Â
Weather – High 57*, Low 44*. Wind 6-19 mph. Rain. No humidity.
Traffic – None.
Food – Timber Charlie’s – very good.
Notable – Otis got sick, Timber Charlie’s, Patriotic Moose.
September 8, 2025 (Mon.) - Pictured Rocks (Munising, MI)
Today’s adventure was a cruise to see the Pictured Rocks off Lake Superior in Munising, MI, so we were up early—Lynn at 6:00 AM, Kirk at 8:00 AM—to make the hour-long drive. Originally, we’d planned to do the Pictured Rocks Kayaking Tour, where you launch your kayak from a boat to explore the scenic shoreline. But with temps hovering around 50°F on the water and Lynn’s motion sickness in mind, we pivoted to the boat cruise option instead. After her smooth experience on the Witches Gulch cruise in Wisconsin Dells, she was hopeful this one would go just as well.
Â
With Otis’s morning routine wrapped up, we hit the road by 9:15 AM. It was a beautiful drive in and we spotted an eagle soaring overhead! No pics obviously as it was gone in a flash but low enough to recognize it. Pretty cool to see.Â
Â
Our cruise wasn’t until noon, so we headed into Munising to find breakfast and landed at a cozy little spot called Earl E. Byrd’s CafĂ©. The food was delicious, but the lack of attention to new customers was a bit frustrating. We stood around awkwardly while the staff chatted, clearly seeing us but not acknowledging us. A simple “Hi, we’ll be right with you” would’ve gone a long way. Once seated, the servers were friendly, and the food made up for the wait. Kirk’s pancakes were like mini birthday cakes—sweet and fluffy, and Lynn’s breakfast burrito was massive, so big she could only eat half. An elderly gentleman next to her suggested taking it to go, but with a two-hour boat ride ahead, it wouldn’t have kept. With time to kill, we explored the town of Munising a bit before heading to the cruise area. Took some fun pics, stopped in gift shops, and had a bit of nostalgia seeing a “Communications History” mural.Â
Â
We arrived at the dock around 11:15 AM, already about 10th in line. It’s recommended to sit on the right side of the boat for the best photo ops, though the boat does turn and revisit points for the left side passengers—just without the narration, so you’re not always sure what you’re snapping. The weather was sunny and in the low 60s, but out on Lake Superior, it’s typically 15 degrees cooler. Lynn came prepared with her heavy-duty winter jacket, and Kirk wore his Indian water-repellent jacket from Sturgis, which he later declared worth every penny—it blocked the wind and water and even helped him hear better by cutting down on wind noise. Lynn was layered up: leggings under hiking pants, base layer, hoodie, hiking socks, and her winter coat. She stayed warm and comfortable the entire time.
Â
The cruise itself was spot-on—departed at noon, returned at 2 PM sharp. The ride back was chillier due to the boat’s speed, but overall, the weather held up. We chose the Spray Falls tour, which added an extra scenic stop and shaved 30 minutes off the return time thanks to a faster boat. It was a slight price bump—$54 per ticket (versus $46 for the Classic Tour)—but totally worth it.
Â
Lake Superior was breathtaking. We had no idea how massive it was—larger than all the other Great Lakes combined, and it truly felt like an ocean. We snagged great seats up top and took tons of photos (thankfully with our iPhones, since our Canon DSLR is still out of commission).
Â
After a quick grocery stop, we returned to the RV around 4 PM. Otis was doing well—looks like that stomach issue was just a one-time thing. We spent the rest of the day relaxing, with Lynn battling the lingering effects of Dramamine. Last time it knocked her out for 15 hours, but this time she fought off the drowsiness with coffee.
Â
Kirk booked our next stop in Mackinaw City, MI, but since there’s no availability for September 10th, we’re extending our stay in Germfask by one extra day before heading out. All in all, a beautiful day on the water and a great way to experience the magic of Pictured Rocks.
Â
Weather (Munising, MI) – High 65*, Low 43*. Not windy other than the boat ride. No humidity.Â
Traffic – None. A few ‘one lane road’ stops but nothing major.
Food – Earl E. Byrd’s – very good.
Notable – Pictured Rocks Cruises, Seeing an eagle.
