Tuesday, July 12, we felt no need to hurry on this moving day since check-out time is 1:00 and we have reservations at the next place. We had a smooth packing up and pulled out about 12:30. We took 31 north through crazy traffic in Traverse City. We picked up 72 east to 131 north and finally 32 east to run into I-75. Just another 30 miles north and we arrived at Indian River RV Resort and Campground, 561 N. Straits Hwy, Indian River MI 49749 (231) 238-0035. There are 140 camp site here and 9 log cabins. We are in the very back area, site #122, where all of the long-term campers are. Most are here April through September. We paid for one month, $525 plus whatever we use on the electric meter. That is much cheaper than the $36.00 per day rate. Unfortunately it is so hot we had to turn on the A/C when we got set up around 4:00.Don and Nancy, our hosts, are very nice. Don led us to our campsite and showed us a way to pull through an empty site and come in around the back. That saved us from backing in between tight trees. Our neighbor on the curbside was nice enough to move the picnic table out of the way so we could come in the back. He introduced himself as Tom and said they winter between Houston and Galveston; Dickerson, I think he said. We chatted for a bit and then Bob and I got busy setting up camp. Nancy suggested Hoppie's Tavern on Burt Lake nearby as a place the locals enjoy to eat. Soon we were on our way north along the shore of Mullet Lake that is just across the road from Indian River. We turned west on Mullett-Bert Road until it ran into Burt Lake and found Hoppie's Tavern. The sign out front said "If you found us, then you're lost!"
It was a rustic place with a good variety of items on the menu. Bob had a whitefish sandwich and I had an olive burger. We both got the Hoppie's fries (waffled potatoes.) Friday and Saturday nights they have all you can eat Cod, Whitefish and Baby Back Ribs. On the way back through Topinabee we stopped at a convenience store and bought a Detroit News. There were free phone books outside so I grabbed one of them. Back home we read the paper in the A/C. Then I took a lawn chair and a Smirnoff outside and browsed through the brochures Bob picked up in the office. By the way, they have wi-fi and DSL in the laundry room. I'm in heaven!
I went for a quick walk and met our neighbors on the streetside, Marge and Paul, who are from this area and are here through September. They have been RVing since 2000 and are on the road full time. No regrets Marge says. They don't move as often as they first did and boy can I relate to that. It was nice to meet them and I look forward to visiting more during our stay here. On my walk I encountered a guitar player at one of the tent sites. He sounded pretty talented as his strumming and Gordon Lightfoot-type voice floated across the campground. I didn't last long on my walk in the humidity. We are only a few miles from the very northern tip of Lower Michigan and it is still hot! Bob asked Don what the annual rainfall is here. He didn't know but said they get 120 inches of snow! During December last year they got 5 or 6 inches a day for weeks. Yikes!
It's 9:45 p.m. and 76.2 degrees.