Saugatuck, Mackinaw, and Kewadin

Despite the heat we had a good sleep. Our find was quiet and secluded. We didn't want to overstay the welcome so we headed out immediately, sans breakfast or our beloved coffee, and drove back into St. Joseph. After a wrong turn, which took us into Benton Harbor, we settled on a park next to the St. Joseph River. Benton Harbor, by the way, was in no way as revitalized as St. Joseph was. Clearly, industry moved out and left the people without means to support themselves. Buildings eroded, homes abandoned. An all too common story in America. But I'm sure, Trump will fix it.

We found a park by the water where Russ took a birthday run, then we showered and had some breakfast, and headed north to get away from the heat.

We lunched in the seaside town of Saugatuck, north along the coast. Ate coconut shrimp add walleye at the Mermaid, and sat in the heat on a water-side deck. This little town would be accessible from "the loop." I admit, the lifestyle is compelling.

We had reservations to spend the night at a nearby winery, courtesy of Harvest Hosts. After inspecting the place around 11 am, it looked like a very hot place to spend the day. We passed, and blazed northward, heading for Canada. The temps, however, remained astoundingly high. We stopped at a rest area around 3:30 in the afternoon to take a nap, and the thermometer read 97. I slept like a log, despite that.

We targeted Mackinaw as our next destination, assuming it, too, would be a cute seaside town. It was more like Pier 39 -- very tourist trappy as opposed to tourist friendly. But the weather here was much more fair, around 82, so we walked the dogs by the great lake. Lizzie surprised us by heading right for the water. Got her paws and belly wet without fear or worry (unlike the other dog). She is always a surprise.

In the end we ended up at a casino on the upper part of Michigan called Kewadin. A dirt parking lot, with other travelers.

St Joseph, Michigan

We arrived in St. Joseph around 6 pm, Friday, June 29. The darling town nestled next to Lake Michigan felt new and bustling, although it had a history of over 100 years. The bad news, however, was we arrived amidst a sweltering heat wave. By 8 pm, the temps and cooled to a tepid (that's a joke) 93 degrees.

Another obstacle was the towns lack of RV parking, or even the welcoming of overnight visitors. Signs posted read "no parking between 2 and 6 am". We had a backup plan, which is our standard plan -- Walmart. While toodling around, however, I noticed an empty field next to some water. The gate, which was open, advertised Captain Hook's charters. A man on a small plow worked on leveling the gravel parking lot. So, we asked (always a free thing-to-do). He checked to make sure we were self contained, then suggested parking under the large tree for shade.

Done.

We ate salad, pizza, and beer at RyeBelles, on the deck. Heck, 93 degrees for someone who lived in New Orleans and Las Vegas was downright pleasant.