Wednesday, June 28, 2017, Nappanee, IN
Day 48

We spent the morning at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. Many hiking trails through beautiful forest included a river and creeks.  With Rosemary having Asian food withdrawal, we drove 22 miles to eat lunch at Chinn Chinn, a highly rated Asian restaurant in Mattawan, MI. Fortunately, the drive was worth it as everything was very well done. After our soup and a steak lettuce wrap appetizer we were approaching fullness when our main courses arrived. Have no fear - there were no leftovers. We drove to downtown Kalamazoo and walked around a bit but not much to see there. We departed Kalamazoo and headed for Nappanee, IN, home of motorhome manufacturer Newmar. After a brief delay waiting to pass an Amish buggy, we arrived at Newmar which had free water and electric hookup.  After hooking up, we drove around Nappanee and discovered a quilt garden, part of the quilt gardens trail.  Thee trail consists of 19 different locations of a garden each made to look like a different quilt pattern. We found a few others before retiring to the coach.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017, Kalamazoo, MI
Day 47

About an hour to drive to Walmart in Kalamazoo. We drove the car to Hickory Corners and did a self guided tour of the W. K. Kellogg Manor House. A beautiful mansion with an incredibly intricate staircase that was carved by hand and took 2 years to do. During our tour we had the place to ourselves as they close from 1:00 to 1:30 for lunch but left us in the house with the front door locked (they did inform us they were closing and that we could continue with our tour). From an upstairs patio, looking out over the gardens, we spotted a wild fox in the backyard. Next we visited the Gilmore Car Museum. Over 400 vintage autos in about 19 different buildings.  It has separate buildings for Lincoln, Cadillac-LaSalle, Model A Fords, Pierce-Arrow and many others with the buildings designed to look like each vintage dealership. Included in the collection is a replica of the very first car, made in 1885 by Karl Benz. The replica was one of 10 made by Mercedes Benz to mark the 100th anniversary of the car. Most cars are beautifully restored but many were in original condition. If you’re a car buff, this is a must see. Adjacent to the Gilmore is the Midwest Miniatures Museum. We had a guided tour of all the miniatures. The detail that goes into these is remarkable and the photos don’t come anywhere near doing them justice. If you go to the Gilmore, the miniatures is also a must see.

Monday, June 26, 2017, South Haven, MI
Day 46

Another fairly short drive to the South Haven Walmart. Walked along downtown including along the river to a lighthouse at the end of a pier and a Lake Michigan beach. The water was very rough and the waves came crashing onto the pier as we walked.  High temps in the middle 60's with a stiff breeze but there were still people in the water. We both touched the water and it actually felt warmer than the air.  Back to downtown and a stop at the Blueberry Store where they sell everything blueberry. After several samples, we bought some blueberry syrup. Dinner at Maria’s Taste of Italy Restaurant. Rosemary had her chicken parm while I had mussels in wine marsala sauce over penne. Food was very good and huge portions meant leftovers for tomorrow.

 

Sunday, June 25, 2017, Zeeland, MI (Holland)
Day 45

Car trip to Saugatuck about 15 miles south of Holland.  Walked around the cute downtown and stopped at the Fenn Valley Vineyards shop for a tasting and bought a dry Riesling.  We then headed to Mt. Baldhead, another sand dune. This time 289 steps straight up for a nice, but somewhat obstructed view.