We spent a slow, lazy morning doing a whole lot of nothing except enjoying the quiet, watching the cedar waxwings and warblers, and amazed by the wildflowers carpeting the space between RV lots—and, when combined with near perfect weather, it was a very peaceful setting indeed. Just after mid-morning, neighbor Chuck called for a fly casting lesson, and he proved to be a very quick study, just slowing down, learning the 10 to 2 arc, and stopping on his backcast. The double haul cast was a bit different as he struggled, but he mastered the single haul without much ado. Kay and I really liked he and Judy, and found that we have a lot of interests in common, including our Christian beliefs.

The area around Empire, Michigan, consists of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, several small villages either on Lake Michigan or on one of two natural lakes nearby, Glen Lake and Lake Leelanau, and rolling hills of orchards, vineyards, corn. Lake Michigan, Glen Lake, and Lake Leelanau are a beautiful aqua blue color, with sand and gravel beaches, and clearly visible bottoms, reminding one of the Carribean.Fruit and vegetable stands dot the roadside, selling cherries, apricots, blueberries, jams, corn, other vegetables in season, etc. When we remarked that it was similar to Door County, Wisconsin, we were reminded that it is only 50 miles across Lake Michigan. And both contain the 45th parallel, the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole. Kay enjoys exploring the countryside, and we took advantage of a short window of time to drive through much of the area and many of the small villages before returning to Indigo Bluffs for an ice cream social at 2:00 PM.

Late afternoon provided an opportunity to bike the pave, mostly level 4.25-mile each way Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. Mostly through forested areas, it connected Glen Haven Historic Village to Dune Climb. It was a great ride, and Kay is becoming quite a biker having learned to shift into low gears for hill climbing and high gears for downhill runs. With side trips, we made the 10-mile ride in about an hour.

Well, today was another great gift from God, and we are so blessed—words are simply inadequate.At Indigo Bluffs, we got a new neighbor, and wouldn’t you know it, they were from Gravette, Arkansas, in the far northwest corner of the state. (Cheryl, they are members of FMCA, but do not belong to a local club; they are active in their Good Sam Club chapter where he is wagon master. We’ll send you their address and email as they have an interest in the Ozark Ridge Runners.) He retired from Walmart, and new my cousin, Tommy Dunn—it’s a small world! After introductions, we had a great visit, sharing trip experiences to many of the same places. Kay and I are always interested in other RVers favorite places.