Traffic!

August 2 Petersburg, MI

I didn't sleep well last night, which was unfortunate since after the front came through the air was so fresh and clean and it smelled so good, I should have slept like a log. Maybe tonight, who knows. And then Puck pooed, and it didn't smell good anymore (by the way, there has been no more barfing/diarrhea, yay!).

I got going around 8:15, stopped to get diesel, and crossed the Mackinac bridge very slowly since it was windy. And I spent much of the rest of the day being blown sideways. In the northern part of Lower Michigan's mitten, the trees helped shield the wind, and luckily the wind died down when the trees began to vanish. Unfortunately, the traffic then picked up. About where 127 split off from I-75, it was bumper-to-bumper, albeit at a high rate of speed. That was about 11am, so that would work out right for the weekenders trying to get home. And pretty much every plate was Michigan, to bolster my view.

I had planned on stopping at the Toledo Zoo this afternoon for a quick visit before heading a bit farther south, but I was tired and I decided to stop early, so I'm now at the KOA about 7 miles from the Seneca Trail house. It lives up to the KOA policy of being within sight of any nearby interstate/busy road, so I'm not sure I'll have much quiet. That, and it's full of screaming running children, a couple of whom I almost pasted because they thought it was OK to pass my RV (on bikes/running) on the RIGHT. Um, no. I have a fairly level space, although there's no privacy here, really. I know I'm back in the midwest, because there are some seriously fat people here. Yeah, I know, I'm pretty seriously fat myself, but wowsers, the sheer number of them here is startling.

There is a lot to do here, which may explain the hordes of kids. There's a waterslide, which is relatively mild but fun. There's a swimming pond, which is artificially aerated to keep it from going all mucky, and which is also a color not found in nature (I suspect they put in some of the same anti-algae stuff I saw in the sluice in Hannibal), a weird blue/green. I did go swimming in it, swimming across and back, although since the water is also opaque I can't say I liked it much. Ew. At least it wasn't too mucky. Then I rode the waterslide to try to rinse off the colored water (I had been careful to keep my head out of the water, both to avoid ear infections and to keep my hair from turning green!), which was quite fun, particularly while watching the slide riders flout some infractions (diving/headfirst/going in groups) while being yelled at for others (most notably running to get back to the ladder). Then I walked around the camp, checking out the large number of tent campers as well as the snack bar--I'm going to go get a hot dog when I'm done here. And maybe some jalapeno poppers . . . no wonder I'm fat!

The cats are fine. I just fed them, and they are completely fascinated by all the hubub. They are also technically illegal, since I didn't tell the office I had pets--the lousy place charges $5 a pet! I'm not going to pay that for animals that will never leave the RV, so they can bite me.

Tomorrow I intend to drive by the Seneca Trail house, then go to the zoo for an hour or two, then head south. It looks like I'll be in Panama City some time Wednesday.