Since I'm not our trip's designated navigator, I very rarely look at a map. As we drove along the northwest side of Lake Michigan, I noticed there were several signs and bumper stickers that read "UP". My husband explained that we were in Upper Michigan, and it's separated by Lake Michigan from Lower Michigan. Huh.
It wasn't long before we crossed the border into Wisconsin, and I expressed interest in stopping. It was nice enough out, with a chance of rain in the morning, according to the radar app on the iPhone, so we decided to chance it to camp for the night.
We searched for Badger Park and Campground on the web, and found it on the edge of town, along the Peshtigo River. As we pulled in, teenage boys were riding their bikes and skateboards out of the park. "Hooligans! I said." As we drove further in, though, it seemed a very nicely kept up park, even boasting a brand new, huge wooden climbing structure. It had aspects of castles and forts and bridges, a wonderful place to play make-believe. It turns out was donated and built by local woodworkers.
No one was at the gate, so we drove slowly around to find the perfect site. We passed by a group of about 10 people that looked like they were together, so I voted to go farther away from them and closer to the restrooms.
The Prius was parked in its place for the night, and we decided, as we so often do, to sit first and have a drink by the campfire. A young woman, about 27 and kind of round, with tousled blond hair, walked over to our site. She wore a loose dress that she may have had on for days. It was a little too short, showing her bare and stocky legs.
"Hi, I'm Audrey." she announced in her childlike way. She rather bluntly asked us where our tent was, and we told her we would sleep in our car. Her questions kept coming then, and we told her about our retirement trip. She told us that we could put our money for the night in an envelope in the box and the guy would get it in the morning. Then she turned and left to go back to her campsite with the big group.
About a half hour later, Audrey came back, lugging some pieces of wood for us to burn in our campfire. Surprised, we thanked her, as we started to get out our things to make dinner. She surprised us again and said, "You could come over and have dinner with us. It's my birthday." Doug and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, and said, "Why not?!" Doug said, "Should we bring something to share? Maybe some baked beans? " We had just grown to love baked beans on the East coast, and had a big can. Audrey said "Sure.", and we gathered up our can opener, our little covered pot, a spoon to serve with and our drink mugs.
We grabbed our solar powered lantern and followed Audrey over to her site. There was a campfire raging, and plenty of extra chairs, so we didn't need to bring our own. An older woman sat near the fire. "I'm Marnie. Glad you could come. We have plenty of food left over." and then to her grandson, "Robby! get these here folks a coupla plates!" Robby did as he was told, and I said, "We brought some baked beans to share, if you'd like some. I'll have to heat them though."
Marnie called out again to Robby. "Robby! Crank that there grill down closer to the fire so they can heat their beans. I love baked beans! Haven't had 'em for years!"
As Doug opened the can, I got our pan ready. I watched Robby turn a crank that lowered a circular grill held by three chains as it hung from a high tree branch. The grill hovered over the flames, and Doug placed our pot of beans on it. Marnie ordered us to fill our plates, since it turns out everyone else had already eaten. There were two big covered foil pans, and I dished us a little each of the chicken and the potatoes, in case they seemed to have been sitting out for too long. It turns out that my fears were unfounded, and everything was hot and tasty and we both had seconds. Doug dished out our beans and everyone tried some.
Another woman, Stella, Marnie's daughter, and her little girl Tiffy, had emerged from their tent. "I want some birthday cake!", shouted Tiffy. "Hold your horses, little girl!" cried her Mom. "I don't know if you deserve any today!" We noticed that little 7 year old Tiffy, couldn't seem to do anything right in her mom's eyes. "But my stomach hurts!" and then she coughed a few huge low coughs.
"That's another reason you shouldn't have cake!" retorted Stella.
Yet another lady hobbled out of another tent with a cane, about Marnie's age. "I gotta come out and meet these folks that have traveled so far..... and I want to hear one of those songs you've been singin' while you drive along!" We were taken aback by this statement, but then remembered when Audrey had been grilling us about our trip, she had said, "Don't you get bored, just driving along?", We told her among other things, that sometimes we would sing songs that we remembered from Sunday School and from Pentecostal churches we had gone to. Audrey must have told everyone our story.
I said, "Oh, okay." and then started singing, "We have come into this house, to call upon his name, and worship him." Everyone joined in, seemed to know the song, and by the third verse, I think there was harmony. It was wonderful there with these strangers to find a bond that you didn't know you had around the campfire on a starlit night. We sang another song, and then Tiffy said impatiently, "Now is it time for cake?"
I volunteered to light the candles and cut the cake, which was huge, neon colored, and from a bakery. They had actually already enjoyed the cake earlier, and only half was left, but we put the candles on the untouched side and sang to Audrey, who's face shone in the firelight. I had an ulterior motive to do the serving. I wanted to cut back on chances of catching little Tiffy's cough, so I sort of graciously served everyone what was once again, a surprisingly delicious dessert!
We excused ourselves after that and toddled back to our site and got the car ready for bed. It drizzled during the night, but was dry enough in the morning to have our usual Peet's coffee, cereal and fruit. We saw that Audrey was over at someone else's campsite talking to them. Later, while we were packing up our bedding and getting out clothes to change into, she appeared once again to satisfy her curiosity about how we did things. She watched Doug sit at the back of the car opening putting on his socks, and me using the top of the Prius as a vanity to get out my pills and put in my contacts.
The man in charge of the campground came over to say hello. He knew Audrey and greeted her. Stella and Tiffy passed by on their way to the bathroom. Tiffy yelled out hoarsely, "Hi Mr. Ranger!!" He said, "How are ya doin' today Tiffy?" She thought for a second, and then called out, "I woke up!!" He shook his head and said, "Well that's always a good thing!!"
John, "Mr. Ranger", told us that while we're here we should make sure we go to the Peshtigo Fire Museum. "It's really something. Most of this town burned down the same night that the Big Chicago Fire burned in 1871.....you know when Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern? No one really knows about our fire. It was really awful! Lots of people died." Doug loves history, so I knew what would be next on our agenda.
It wasn't long before we crossed the border into Wisconsin, and I expressed interest in stopping. It was nice enough out, with a chance of rain in the morning, according to the radar app on the iPhone, so we decided to chance it to camp for the night.
We searched for Badger Park and Campground on the web, and found it on the edge of town, along the Peshtigo River. As we pulled in, teenage boys were riding their bikes and skateboards out of the park. "Hooligans! I said." As we drove further in, though, it seemed a very nicely kept up park, even boasting a brand new, huge wooden climbing structure. It had aspects of castles and forts and bridges, a wonderful place to play make-believe. It turns out was donated and built by local woodworkers.
No one was at the gate, so we drove slowly around to find the perfect site. We passed by a group of about 10 people that looked like they were together, so I voted to go farther away from them and closer to the restrooms.
The Prius was parked in its place for the night, and we decided, as we so often do, to sit first and have a drink by the campfire. A young woman, about 27 and kind of round, with tousled blond hair, walked over to our site. She wore a loose dress that she may have had on for days. It was a little too short, showing her bare and stocky legs.
"Hi, I'm Audrey." she announced in her childlike way. She rather bluntly asked us where our tent was, and we told her we would sleep in our car. Her questions kept coming then, and we told her about our retirement trip. She told us that we could put our money for the night in an envelope in the box and the guy would get it in the morning. Then she turned and left to go back to her campsite with the big group.
About a half hour later, Audrey came back, lugging some pieces of wood for us to burn in our campfire. Surprised, we thanked her, as we started to get out our things to make dinner. She surprised us again and said, "You could come over and have dinner with us. It's my birthday." Doug and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, and said, "Why not?!" Doug said, "Should we bring something to share? Maybe some baked beans? " We had just grown to love baked beans on the East coast, and had a big can. Audrey said "Sure.", and we gathered up our can opener, our little covered pot, a spoon to serve with and our drink mugs.
We grabbed our solar powered lantern and followed Audrey over to her site. There was a campfire raging, and plenty of extra chairs, so we didn't need to bring our own. An older woman sat near the fire. "I'm Marnie. Glad you could come. We have plenty of food left over." and then to her grandson, "Robby! get these here folks a coupla plates!" Robby did as he was told, and I said, "We brought some baked beans to share, if you'd like some. I'll have to heat them though."
Marnie called out again to Robby. "Robby! Crank that there grill down closer to the fire so they can heat their beans. I love baked beans! Haven't had 'em for years!"
As Doug opened the can, I got our pan ready. I watched Robby turn a crank that lowered a circular grill held by three chains as it hung from a high tree branch. The grill hovered over the flames, and Doug placed our pot of beans on it. Marnie ordered us to fill our plates, since it turns out everyone else had already eaten. There were two big covered foil pans, and I dished us a little each of the chicken and the potatoes, in case they seemed to have been sitting out for too long. It turns out that my fears were unfounded, and everything was hot and tasty and we both had seconds. Doug dished out our beans and everyone tried some.
Another woman, Stella, Marnie's daughter, and her little girl Tiffy, had emerged from their tent. "I want some birthday cake!", shouted Tiffy. "Hold your horses, little girl!" cried her Mom. "I don't know if you deserve any today!" We noticed that little 7 year old Tiffy, couldn't seem to do anything right in her mom's eyes. "But my stomach hurts!" and then she coughed a few huge low coughs.
"That's another reason you shouldn't have cake!" retorted Stella.
Yet another lady hobbled out of another tent with a cane, about Marnie's age. "I gotta come out and meet these folks that have traveled so far..... and I want to hear one of those songs you've been singin' while you drive along!" We were taken aback by this statement, but then remembered when Audrey had been grilling us about our trip, she had said, "Don't you get bored, just driving along?", We told her among other things, that sometimes we would sing songs that we remembered from Sunday School and from Pentecostal churches we had gone to. Audrey must have told everyone our story.
I said, "Oh, okay." and then started singing, "We have come into this house, to call upon his name, and worship him." Everyone joined in, seemed to know the song, and by the third verse, I think there was harmony. It was wonderful there with these strangers to find a bond that you didn't know you had around the campfire on a starlit night. We sang another song, and then Tiffy said impatiently, "Now is it time for cake?"
I volunteered to light the candles and cut the cake, which was huge, neon colored, and from a bakery. They had actually already enjoyed the cake earlier, and only half was left, but we put the candles on the untouched side and sang to Audrey, who's face shone in the firelight. I had an ulterior motive to do the serving. I wanted to cut back on chances of catching little Tiffy's cough, so I sort of graciously served everyone what was once again, a surprisingly delicious dessert!
We excused ourselves after that and toddled back to our site and got the car ready for bed. It drizzled during the night, but was dry enough in the morning to have our usual Peet's coffee, cereal and fruit. We saw that Audrey was over at someone else's campsite talking to them. Later, while we were packing up our bedding and getting out clothes to change into, she appeared once again to satisfy her curiosity about how we did things. She watched Doug sit at the back of the car opening putting on his socks, and me using the top of the Prius as a vanity to get out my pills and put in my contacts.
The man in charge of the campground came over to say hello. He knew Audrey and greeted her. Stella and Tiffy passed by on their way to the bathroom. Tiffy yelled out hoarsely, "Hi Mr. Ranger!!" He said, "How are ya doin' today Tiffy?" She thought for a second, and then called out, "I woke up!!" He shook his head and said, "Well that's always a good thing!!"
John, "Mr. Ranger", told us that while we're here we should make sure we go to the Peshtigo Fire Museum. "It's really something. Most of this town burned down the same night that the Big Chicago Fire burned in 1871.....you know when Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern? No one really knows about our fire. It was really awful! Lots of people died." Doug loves history, so I knew what would be next on our agenda.
