I can NOT imagine embarking on this adventure without Google!
I think it may be the thing we depend on most (other than our faith). We probably spend far too much time researching everything, and I do mean everything! Hair and nail salons, gyms (we joined the YMCA), restaurants, diesel stations, churches, points of interest, stores, repair services, Walmart/Target…
It’s an endless list
I’ve spent the past 3 weeks making reservations at various camping parks all over the east coast. Until I mastered the RV Life app, it was almost a full time job. The planning, mapping, evaluating how long to stay and which campsite to choose (of those available) was exhausting. Reservations were made and cancelled when better choices presented themselves. Luckily we haven’t lost entire park fees! But often the people handling the payments are not as reliable as expected. Email addresses misspelled, systems break down and no phone # to call…
I’ve started napping
Currently we’re in Port Huron MI. It’s a small area, located right in the ‘thumb/hand’ part of the state. It looks at Lake Huron from the smallest area. As a port town it’s heavy on the harbor thing. It crosses into Canada via the Blue Water Bridge, we’re going there next week. Friendly people and comfortable weather. Rain and sun with temps I can live in.
Why Port Huron?
Well…originally we thought Bruce would manage a project in Niagara Canada at the end of August. When our plans changed, it was too late to find a spot closer to Toledo (Evan’s town) so we kept this one. We’ll head back to the Detroit area for 3 weeks, before heading east.
Such is the RV life
We took a drive to the tourist town of Frankenmuth. Its claim to fame is the worlds largest Christmas store, and chicken dinners served family style. Little German themed shops and eateries line the streets, and flowers bloom everywhere. The flowers were the best thing about the place. I suspect it’s in the town charter, “Abundant flowers must bloom all summer”
Another reason we chose the area is it’s proximity to Detroit. That city has been front and center for us since 2022. We wandered around in our thinking a bit but as time passed it came again to us, and once again, Google for the win. As Bruce says, finding churches today requires internet stalking and we are not exempt!
Our first church visit was back in 3/22 to Hope Church Detroit. Small, intimate, friendly, loving, Biblically sound and doing Kingdom things in a community that needs a strong Kingdom presence. We were there on Sunday and it hasn’t changed, except to become even more inclusive and loving.
We also visited Citadel of Faith an African American church, just down the street from Wayne State University. Pastor Harvey Cary-what a sweet man, so learned and able to articulate truth for our current generation. We were lovingly met, hugged, prayed with and mentioned from the pulpit. We will go back.
I don’t know exactly where we’ll land, but either of these places would offer us the kind of community we seek. One of the things said to us before we left IL was, “The latter will be greater than the former”. We even have an art piece with that verse inscribed. It’s hard to imagine a greater faith community than the one we experienced in IL/Chicago,
But let it come!
Our future travel plans include, Pittsburgh & Philly, Aulander NC, Chincoteague Island VA, Hatteras NC, Myrtle Beach SC, St Helena Island SC, and finally, we’ll spend November and December in Flat Rock NC…
The Smoky Mountains!
We think by then, we’ll be ready to stay put for a couple of months, before heading west for the rest of our journey. That leg will begin in January and take us through AR, TX, NM, and ultimately AZ, where we plan to stay till spring. It’s not that we have a deep love for the SW. We lived there for 3 years and the heat…oh the heat! But we have people to see in Tucson and Phoenix. And we’re hoping to hit a spring training game (or maybe 2).
Go Cubbies!
Again, I can’t imagine navigating this life without the benefit of the internet, especially Google. Those 5 star ratings have not let us down so far, so I’m sticking with it for now.
This morning’s Google search turned up a Salvation Army resale store, long arm quilter, and a hair salon (which I will have to call on the phone-sigh…). Bruce is currently assembling a sofa bed from our middle bedroom, so we can take it for donation, and I have a quilt piece to drop off this afternoon.
It’s a simple life out here in the wilds of Port Huron…
Thank you Google!
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