Kit and Carol on the Road

Apparantly the lower part of Michigan is called the Mitten. Tomorrow we are going to the thumb. Weather is perfect. Diesel/ gas prices are falling. What more can we ask. We drove down the West side (Lake Michigan) yesterday. Drove through the town of Thompsonville where my dad was born. It's seen better days but the real estate outside of town is thriving and the trees are thick. Stopped for the night in Bear Lake, where his Swedish grandparents settled. We camped in a public park on the site of the lumber mill which closed in 1901. It didn't take long to wipe out the forests of pine. Bear Lake is a nice town but the downtown is pretty sad. We found out one man owns much of it and doesn't want to sell or develop. Today we spent most of the day in the wonderful town of Manistee. This is the neatest place we've found since Big Timber, Montana. The downtown is still a vibrant place, there is a great historical museum, and lots of "wow" buildings from the late 1800's. (The town burned in 1871 so they rebuilt in stone and brick). The real estate prices are amazing. For $160,000 you can get a remodeled 4 br, 2 bath Victorian.
Now we are at a huge upscale RV resort in Ludington which has a great pool and WiFi which we've finally gotten to work.