Hit The Road J.A.C.K. Enterprises and Living Our Lives On A Wing & A Prayer

My name is Race Happy and I am an Official spokesperson for Happy Camper Club, Inc. www.rvscrapbook.com and for the time being I am hanging out with Jerry & Kimberly. On their way to Daytona International Speedway they came by the office in Monroe, Louisianna and picked me up and the plan is join them as they fulfill a part of their dream by attending many of the NASCAR tracks this season.

For all the details and stories you will need to stay tuned on this website and of course click on the advertisement here for some information of my home base and all the fun you can have by subscribing to the Happy Campers ˝ Price Club along with RVScrapbook. You may even be able to take one of the Happy’s on the road with you, take a peek at the website for more information.

Bayfield, Wisconsin & The Apostle Islands

The views from our room and of our hotel show the beauty that arises everywhere we looked. The hotel was very reasonably priced and the service went way beyond good customer service. We found the room to be very charming and the crisp white sheets, towels and even the totally white comforter really stood out and was very tastefully done. We slept with our window open all night and the fresh air was great but the morning sound of the geese and birds was a bit annoying but was worth leaving the window open for the freshness throughout the evening.

The area around the hotel was also very interesting with all the boats in the marina and the little shops and restaurants. The few photos of the Greunke’s Restaurant are not the best but they show what a cool and very unique place it is and all the great stuff to look at while enjoying a very delicious meal. The service was good with plenty of smiles along with the atmosphere of the place and the good food I wouldn’t hesitate to return.

We took the cruise on the Princess to see some of the Apostle Islands and the captain narrated throughout and gave us so much interesting information. It was the “Three Hour Cruise” and of course as we went out into Lake Superior and “The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed, if not for the…“ We began looking for “The millionaire and his wife, a movie star, professor and MaryAnne…” We didn’t shipwreck on any of the Islands but the Captain informed us that there were a few islands that were uninhabited and one was even used to ensure the future of the Bald Eagles. They close this particular island from May to October and allow the eagles to recreate without any chance of endangering them by humans. There is another island that is not developed because it has several rare plants growing that they have yet to totally uncover and examine.

Fishing boats were quite common to see and the seagulls following them was one of the apparent reasons to know that it was a fishing boat and not any other vessel on the lake. The captain explained that on the way back to shore the fisherman begin cleaning the catch of the day and dumps the fish guts back into the lake which the seagulls along with other fish consume the droppings.

Our advice would be to take some extra time and not just one day as we did since one is not enough to enjoy all that this very unique place has to offer.

Completion of the North Shore

Our weekend was filled with “Firsts” for both of us, some were fabulous and some were not so great but all in all we had a marvelous time. Instead of sightseeing on the way up we chose to drive directly to our end destination and then work our way back down the North Shore stopping at all the spots that looked interesting for us.

Our first stop was at the Grand Portage Lodge & Casino which is the only hotel in the area and even though the only availability was a smoking room we opted to stay. It had just been remodeled and the room had a window that opened and faced out to Lake Superior where you could feel the freshness from the lake breezes all through the night. Jerry’s watch had stopped so we missed dinner at the restaurant but we got up early enough to enjoy breakfast. Our server was a young pregnant girl with a lovely Canadian accent and she had a beautiful smile and treated us very kind. We always try to have the specialties and we were especially satisfied with our choices this time. The chicken fried steak and the sausage were tender and juicy, the portage potatoes were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and the sausage gravy was the best I have tasted in a long time. How do you make toast a special treat? By toasting thickly cut homemade French bread that is out of this world and the most scrumptious rye bread and serve it with melted butter drizzled all over it. The only thing we found truly upsetting about the resort was the beach area that was loaded with pet poo. I am not against allowing pets at the resorts but I am against people not cleaning up after them and allowing them to run free, it truly makes it bad for all pet owners. After seeing all the poo on the beach area of the hotel I would have second thoughts about allowing pets on my property if we owned a resort, it was disgusting.

After breakfast we drove to our next destination which was just this side of the Canadian border in the Grand Portage State Park. It was a half-mile walk to the falls on a paved path and the only thing we encountered was loads of mosquitoes and we forgot our spray in the Jeep so we smacked and itched all the way there and back. The falls were high and pulsating but our favorite still remains to be the Gooseberry Falls at the beginning of the North Shore.

Our next stop was hiking all the way to Devil’s Kettle, definitely different than our first little jaunt to the other falls. Even though we did it, it should not be done in flip-flops and sandals, this is definitely a hiking trail, unpaved with hundreds of steps to climb, and steep ascending paths but is without a doubt worth the effort just to see the amazing amounts of water falling into a hole where nobody knows where it goes, hence the name. We were so pooped by the time we finished with this walk that we decided to bypass the Lutsen’s attraction of riding the Alpine Slide. We also stopped and took photos at the gorge at Temperance State Park which you can see was a great place for photo taking.

As we headed off the North Shore and down Interstate 35 I experienced my first time being pulled over by a State Trooper. Since we usually travel the roads less taken where the speed limits are only 55, I was only doing 69 in a 70 mile zone so I was quite shocked after seeing him follow close behind us for a very long time when he turned his lights on. My first reaction was to ask Jerry, “Is he pulling ME over?” and I soon found out that he was indeed pulling me over. I gave him my license as requested and was still confused on why I was pulled over when he advised us that in the State of Minnesota it is illegal to have things hanging from our rear view mirror. With that information Jerry began immediately removing our sunglasses, a dream catcher and a few strands of beads and we both began apologizing. He then went back to his vehicle for what seemed like an eternity while I began to panic, even though I knew I had not done anything illegal I was convinced that he would find something to arrest me for but he finally came back and told us we could go. My first experience and I hope it will be my last and no more dingily dangly doodles hanging from our mirror for us.

We also found a White Castle located in Hinckley, Minnesota and Jerry had his first bite and it will not be his last taste of those tiny burgers. We both had our first taste of Taco John’s and I must admit they are better than Taco Bell’s. Together we are doing so many firsts and life is the best it has ever been for both of us and continue to get better every day and we are so very grateful for all of it.

Our Trip to Itasca Park

Our destination this week was to see and walk on the Mississippi River where it first begins it‘s travels. We got a late start since we dropped off the Jeep for some scheduled maintenance and we walked around Aitkin and had some breakfast and did some errands. We then headed North through many of the small towns in the Region and each one has an uniqueness of it’s own. Grand Rapids was one of the larger cities and has all the essentials you need, the Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Hardee’s as well as many others.

We drove through Walker which was a really neat little town and it was so crowded. This is something that is rare for us to experience since our days off are usually on weekdays so we knew something was happening. We stopped to stretch our legs and discovered they were having their 15^th annual “Moon Dance Jam”. For those of you, like us who do not know what that is, it’s Minnesota’s largest Rock-n-Roll Concert that features some pretty big names that brings fans from the entire Midwest to this otherwise small town.

We stayed at a Super 8 Motel in Bemidji and it was adequate, nothing spectacular at all, it was fairly clean and the King Size bed was very comfortable but the room was very small and the free breakfast was very limited but the coffee was great. We ate dinner at the PepperCorn Restaurant located right next door to the Motel and they offered a 10% discount for guests. We had a very pleasant server and it had a nice atmosphere about it with the private booths. We had the all-you-can-eat crab legs which were priced too high as well as most of the items on the menu were but they were fresh and tasty and we enjoyed them. After stuffing ourselves we went for a walk around the area and found a store that carried Faygo, not my favorite Rock-n-Rye but the Red Pop and Jerry had his first taste and found it to be very refreshing.

The next morning we headed for our destination, Itasca State Park and what we found was a very peaceful and marvelous place. We stopped at the Pioneer Cemetery and even though it was pretty close to the road there was this peaceful calmness to the area, we both felt it and I even had an enlightening experience. As we were leaving I heard voices as if the spirits were all chatting about with one another and there was not another single person around at all. I have not felt that way for many years, that feeling of being totally connected to my spiritual side. I wasn’t afraid of it either and as a matter of fact it actually felt very natural and I hope it continues. The park has amenities besides just camping under the stars, there is a Lodge and cabins available that we were not aware of and had we been we would have spent the night here instead of in Bemidji.

The Jacob V. Brower Visitor Center offers an abundant supply of great information. Not only for Jerry who loves reading all the informational items but there was plenty that caught my attention as well. They displayed actual letters from the 1040’s written from and to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and photographs of not only the area but of individuals that helped make this State Park all that it is today. It confirmed my desires to capture and share my photos because when those photos were taken I don’t think they ever imagined that for so many years there would still be people viewing and enjoying them.

It’s definitely a very historical place to visit and we would recommend it to every family that is in the area. After all it is Minnesota‘s oldest state park with more than 32,000 acres and more than 100 lakes and so much more to do than just walk across the mighty Mississippi where it begins its winding journey traveling 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. I found a wealth of information on Minnesota’s DNR State Parks web page, just follow this link http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/itasca/index.html

Sharing a Piece of My Past at Mackinac Island

So Much To Offer From This Town 

This week we played tourists in Duluth, Minnesota and we had a great time. Since everything was in walking distance, we parked our Jeep as soon as we got there and didn't get back into it until the next morning when we were leaving.

We strolled around the Great Lakes Aquarium and it was interesting but a bit pricey for what they were offering. We thought about touring the Museum located on the USS William A. Irvin but after just a few moments in the gift shop I began to feel queasy from the movement. I knew that I would not be able to stay for the tour so we chose not to do it. Instead we walked over to Superior Street in the downtown district and checked out the local shops. There was a candy store that had all the candy from the past that was a real treat and we also stopped in the Casino Fond Du Luth and Jerry won 10,000 pennies, sounds like so much more than saying he won a $100.

The Aerial Lift Bridge up close was even more spectacular then just looking at it from afar which was magnificent too. But as we made our way under the bridge we were in awe at it’s amazing size. It took all I had to muster up enough courage to walk under it let alone stand there and wait for a car as Jerry did but as he explained it was breathtaking.

We had dinner at Grandma’s Bar & Saloon and it was impressive, the atmosphere was nostalgic and was really fun for us to go back into time and remember seeing the exact signs, etc. when we were kids. The food was scrumptious with many different choices that were very reasonably priced. We had ice cream at Grandma’s Caboose later on our walk back to our hotel.

We stayed at Hampton Inn which was overpriced but we took it anyway because we didn’t follow our hearts and were afraid the others were booked. As we later learned on our walk of the boardwalk that the others had much more to offer at a better price. As we walked the boardwalk we noticed the others had porches you could sit out and view the lake from and also one even had a bonfire out on the patio where guests were roasting marshmallows. We are still learning that it is always better to follow our hearts and not make choices out of fear and will continue on these life lessons all through our journeys.