Innkeeper's Gazette
Start your day with the Innkeeper
Cortona
Hill town. Ste. Frances church circa 1826. Lunch on an outside patio overlooking piazza – marvelous view.
Castiglione del Lago
Stopped by lake where 2013 Lightning world championships were held in June.
Chianciano Terme
Larger hill city. Old city looked attractive but we did not have time to visit the old city.
Daytime Touring
Pienza
San Quirico d’Orcia
Montalcino. Got separated from Fernando and Carol in the city’s narrow streets. We hung out at the church while they visited a wine tasting shop (enoteca?) and ordered wine.
On return trip to the villa we stopped at a roadside turnoff to take shots of San Biagio and the surrounding countryside. The scenery was beautiful. We could not see the villa from our vantage spot as it was hidden by trees. The ladies met a carload of Canadians.
Dinner
Montefollonico. Great restaurant. Owner waited on our table. Food was excellent. Met two couples – one younger couple from NYCity and a pair of ladies (recently widowed) one of whom was staying in Montefollonico for three months.
Visited winery in _____
Drove from Tabiano Terme to Montepulciano
Stayed at Tabiano Castelo
Visited
Busseto
Roncole Verdi
Soragna
Toured the castle
Drove from Paris to Aosta
Snow at higher elevations in Alps
Late arrival to hotel
Dinner at small local restaurant.
Paris
Louvre
Notre Dame
Saint Severin
Taxi tour of Arche de Triomphe
Dinner on 9th at _____
Dinner on 10th at corner restaurant
Here is a nice shot of Mom taken at Brett Bradshaw’s wedding.
The St Ignace July 4th fireworks display was a grand finale for our visit there, and we headed 75 miles north this morning to Tahquamenon Falls State Park for a several day stay.
The park is run by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and is as nice as any of the Georgia state parks we have visited. We are staying in the park’s Rivermouth Campground which is located where the Tahquamenon River leads into Whitefish Bay.
The park is rather remote. Mom & I dropped by a store in nearby Paradise MI for provisions and fuel after arriving and discovered that their fuel pumps were out of order and would not be back in commission until a replacement pump control board arrived. They weren’t sure when it would arrive and the closest fuel was 40 miles away in Newberry. We could have survived on the fuel on our tank, but were concerned about emergencies so off we headed to Newberry.
The unexpected trip did provide an opportunity to sample the fare at a McDonalds in Newberry (no kiddin – Mom’s idea!) and visit the Park’s Upper Falls. The falls made the 80 mile trip worthwhile as they were beautiful – 200 feet wide and 50 feet high they provided lots of photo opportunities.
Tomorrow we will continue exploring the area.
Gotta run – it is time to start fixing dinner. Love to all!!
Jan and I are celebrating July 4th on the lower reaches of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – close to Mackinac Island. Our campground is located in Saint Ignace a block from Lake Huron and several miles north of the Straits of Mackinac. The campground is on a hill overlooking Lake Huron – we can walk a few feet from our van and enjoy a beautiful view of Lake Huron.
We spend day before yesterday on Mackinac Island – a 15 minute ferry ride from St Ignace – enjoying a tour of the Island via horse-drawn carriage and visiting Fort Mackinac. The island is beautiful. Wintering there in the late 1700s must have been a challenge even for the weather hardened residents of that time, but they left a beautiful legacy for us to enjoy.
Yesterday we visited Soo Locks on the US side of Sault Ste. Marie and watched several ships be locked up from Lake Huron to Lake Superior – a height difference of around 21 feet. We plan to return there today and visit a few attractions we missed.
Saint Ignace has a July 4th celebration close to our campground plus we will be able to enjoy tonight’s fireworks on Mackinac Island, Mackinaw City, and Saint Ignace from a hill behind our campsite.
Life is good. God bless our country on this special day.