Sault Ste Marie, MI

We arrived in Sault Ste Marie yesterday and spent the afternoon touring the downtown locks area and visitor's center. We watched from an elevated walkway while a 750+ foot long boat (yep, they call ships 'boats' on the Great Lakes) loaded with iron ore entered a lock and watched it get raised 21-feet to exit onto Lake Superior.

Today, we boarded a much smaller boat (with Soo Locks Boat Tours) for a two-hour cruise through the locks. As we left the pier, another one of those little 750+ foot long 'boats' was entering one of the locks. After cruising around the St Marys River and seeing some of Canada's sights (and seeing our RV from the water) for a few minutes, we entered the lock next to the big boat. The lower lock gate closed and the water level raised us up 21-feet in elevation in about 10 minutes. Then the upper lock gate opened and we entered Lake Superior followed closely by the big boat. We were shown a large steel mill in Canada then we entered one of the Canadian locks to descend 21-feet and return to our pier. What fun! BTW, the high temperature today will be 68 degrees. I never expected to be wearing a coat in early August. Really cool. . .

After lunch, we drove out to Whitefish Point along the shores of Lake Superior and went to see the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum where, among other things, we learned about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald and saw the ship's bell recovered from the wreck. We toured the museum, lighthouse and the keeper's home. Over 550 shipwrecks have occurred over the years in the waters around Whitefish Point. Makes me glad that we were on land. ;-)

We weren't finished yet. Our next stop was Tahquamenon Falls State Park where we walked along some long wooden bridges and paths to see both the Lower and Upper Falls. They were quite beautiful despite the brownish colored water (mainly from dissolved tannic acids from woody debris upstream). A lot of walking but all that beauty made it all worth while. We'll sleep well tonight.

Green Bay, WI - Day 5

While commuting to/from the reunion hotel this past week, we've driven by the National Railroad Museum and didn't want to miss it, so we stopped in this morning before hitting the road again. We got there just in time to board an open rail car for a tour around the grounds. Our guide explained the history of the museum and of many of its displays. We then walked the grounds and looked at the old locomotives and the various rail cars on display including a unique Aerotrain (built by GM in the early 1950's), Dwight D. Eisenhower's famous war train and even walked through an old mail car. We also learned a lot about hobo signs (cryptic marks that told other hobos about certain areas). A very nice museum indeed. We're heading off to Sault Ste Marie now. . .

Green Bay, WI - Day 4 (Lambeau Field)

This morning, we drove a few miles out to Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. They were having their annual shareholder's meeting and one of the Hubbard crew was able to obtain tickets for many of us. We walked around the stadium and visited the Packer Museum and, of course, the gift shop. While Susan isn't an official cheese-head, she sure looks like one, doesn't she? We learned a lot about the history of the Packers (who were originally created for a local meat company - hence the name) and famous people like Vince Lombardi.

In the afternoon, we attended the Hubbard business meeting and, later that evening, the formal banquet. It was so nice to see my old shipmates and friends again. They make me so proud to have served in the Navy.

Green Bay, WI - Day 3 (Manitowoc)

Today's tour took us to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc where we saw a lot of the history of the fishing and lake life of the area. At 10:30, we had a memorial service given by our friend Rear Admiral Roy Hoffmann for the fallen comrades of the Hubbard, followed by a tour of the submarine USS Cobia (SS-245) which is docked at the museum.

From there, we were taken to the Lighthouse Inn at Two Rivers for lunch followed by an ice cream dessert at the historic Washington House - where the ice cream sundae was invented - and toured it's nice museum. Then we wandered around the area seeing such unique sites as the world's largest grandfather's clock, beautiful Algoma Harbor and the Door County Maritime Museum before heading back to socialize with our shipmates. Quite a full day.

Green Bay, WI - Day 2 (Oshkosh Fly-In)

This morning, we were taken about 45 miles south to attend the 2009 EAA Airventure in Oshkosh, WI. For those who've never heard of this, it is a gathering of EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) pilots and other people who love airplanes and acrobatic flying. There were thousands of people, airplanes, bicycles, RVs and vendors gathered there. Four static displays of airplanes were there - warbirds (including a WWII Army camp), homebuilt, vintage and ultralight & rotorcraft - plus many other museums and displays of unique aircraft. In the afternoon, there was a fascinating airshow with sky divers, acrobatic planes (and even an awesome acrobatic helicopter), wing walkers, the new Airbus 500 passenger jet, and the White Knight 2 (Richard Branson and Burt Rutan's unusual prototype aircraft that is expected to take people into space in the near future). We've been to airshows in the past but nothing even close to this. Wow!!

Green Bay, WI - Day 1 (Door County)

We'll be in and around Green Bay, Wisconsin for a while to attend the reunion of the sailors who served on the USS Harry E Hubbard (DD-748). On day one, we went by bus to Door County where our first stop was the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse where we toured the lighthouse (nice because it didn't take too many steps to reach the top). This place even had what they claimed to be the original "brick sh*thouse" on the property.

From there, we were taken to the Old Post Office Restaurant in Ephriam, WI to experience a Fish Boil - a local delicacy. "What is a fish boil?" you may ask. Well, they sat us outside around a large cauldron full of boiling water above a roaring wood fire. Then, they placed a large container full of potatoes into the water. Next came a smaller container of locally caught whitefish on top of the potatoes. Then one full of whole onions. They all boiled for a while, then the cook tossed kerosene onto the fire, causing the water to erupt into a large ball of steam. They then removed the food and moved us inside to enjoy the delicious meal we just saw being cooked. Quite an interesting experience...and good, too!

Oshkosh, WI

After watching the off-road truck and buggy racing on TV for many years, I finally got a chance to see it in person. We went to the Oshkosh Speed Zone Raceway this afternoon to attend the Traxxas Off-Road Championship races. This is a dirt track with lots of jumps and tight curves. We got there in time to see the time trials, wander through the pits and watch the trucks and buggys being prepared to race, and, of course, watch the races themselves. While we didn't stay the whole evening (it was getting cold and we didn't have sweaters), we saw some real exciting races and several crashes. Even Susan had a good time. Like most sports, it is a lot more fun to see it live instead of on TV. What a hoot!