Day One

We didn’t get as early a start as we had hoped. Lawrie realized in the middle of the night that he had not made the last critical part of the tow hitch on the front of the motorhome. Then it took us a bit of time to figure out the tow connection to the Jeep. It had only been on the back of the motorhome once when we got the system installed. When we started to drive away it was like pulling a rock. We got the Jeep properly into neutral transmission and all was good. We were on the road by 9:15.

It was interesting looking at crops in Ontario as we headed to Sarnia. There are a lot of poor looking bean fields around. We stopped at Duty Free for a bathroom break as we will try to conserve our water and holding tanks as we will be boondocking for several nights. Also bought a couple of bottles of Baileys. 

It was easy going through US Customs as we knew in advance what we could and could not bring into the US. We were however randomly selected for an agricultural inspection. We were asked a few questions, the agent went into the motorhome and looked around for a couple of minutes as we waited outside and then we were back on our way. 

We did a scenic “oops'' detour off I-69 on our way to Flint. There was construction and the signage was confusing. We ended up having to backtrack for several miles as the construction along the interstate had all the on ramps closed for many miles to the west. 

Diesel prices in the US are a relief from the price in Canada. We signed up for a fleet discount card for our fuel purchases and saved $70 on our first fill up. 

Outside of Gaylord Michigan we crossed the 45th parallel, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole.

The Mackinac Bridge is an impressive structure and the views are pretty amazing but for me the lanes were too narrow and I was busy helping Lawrie drive and stay away from the guide rail on the passenger side of the bus. Haha!

We arrived at our Harvest Host destination around 6:30. We pay a yearly membership of $79 USD which gives us free night stays at locations across Canada and the US. The hosts are businesses (breweries, farms, wineries etc) or places of interest like museums. In return for staying for free, guests are requested to support the business in some way. We stayed at the Gourd Barn. They have space for 3 units nicely spread out and easy to get into. The owners are artisans and the old barn has been converted into a gift shop, studios and a dance area. 

We visited with our neighbors Pat and Stephen from Tampa Florida and then went on a tour of the Gourd Barn. Clarlyn, the owner, has some interesting antiques and home decor items for sale. Turns out Stepehn was a teacher (probably specializing in American history) who also owned an antique business. We bought a cute pillow for the couch. It was 9:30 by the time we got back to the motorhome and we had not had supper so it was late to bed.