Itinerary

I finished putting the Circle Tour itinerary on paper today.  This is what the first few days look like. 

I leave Seymour on Sunday, July 13, car packed with all that I deem necessary and maybe even a few things that Gary insists on.  My first planned stop is Camp 7 in the Hiawatha National Forest in the Upper Peninsula.  I stayed there a few years back and enjoyed it.  Before I get there I will pass into the Eastern time zone and will have to change my clocks.  As a senior citizen, I pay half-price at any national forest service campground.  This one will be $6.   

The next morning I want to visit a friend in Trout Lake then drive up to one of my favorite spots, Bay View, a campground overlooking Lake Superior. This would be my fourth stay.  It can be very cold there so I know I will find a use for that winter sleeping bag.  But oh, the joy of waking to the sound of waves crashing against the shore.

The next day, July 15, I'll drive to Drummond Island, the easternmost point of the Upper Peninsula. I'll have to take the ferry to reach the island. That night I'll camp at the Drummond Island Township Park on the shore of Lake Huron. 

The next morning, July 16, I'll perform at the Drummond Island Township Library at 10:00 a.m.  I have to finish right on time and hit the road because I have to take the 12:10 ferry back to the mainland and drive to Cedarville, Michigan.  If I miss the ferry, I won't make it so I have to have this timed just right. 

I'll perform at Les Cheneaux Public Library at 2:00 p.m.  Afterward I'll go to Loon Point for another camping night overlooking Les Cheneaux Islands.  I'll set up the tent then drive to the town of Pickford for an evening performance at the library.  By 9:00 pm,  I'll be back at the campground. 

The morning of July 17 I will pack up early. I have to cash the checks from the day before and fill up the gas tank before crossing the border to Canada.  Gas averages around $5.50 a gallon in Ontario at present.(Today I figured this out by adapting liters to gallons and the the Canadian currency to that in the United States. I like the metric system but the United States is still in its outmoded system so I worked it out for my readers.)  It makes sense to have a full tank of less expensive gas.  I can drive 530 miles in the Subaru before filling up again, so I should only have to buy one tank full of the more expensive gas while I'm in Canada. 

I have to get those errands done before I get on the bridge that marks the crossing. I've been stuck on that bridge before. Last crossing, Gary and I were pulled aside by the United States border patrol for a spot check that took two hours. I don't expect as much trouble with the Canadian Mounties, who seem laid back compared to their counterparts on the other side of the bridge.  

I'll find a bank to exchange my United States dollars to Canadian dollars if I have time before an afternoon performance at the Sault Ste. Marie library. 

Tomorrow...the Canadian itinerary.