Photo by The Joneses Here we are, on a fishing boat out on a lake in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Unfortunately, we weren't too fortunate ... we came back empty handed! — — — E-mail Gisela — — — SLIDE SHOW: 10,000 lakes? More like 15,000! We went fishing on one lake
ARCHIVES: You wouldn't believe how beautiful Canada is! Wouldn't change a thing Who knew there was so much to see in South Dakota? Time is flying by — but at least we're having fun! I (heart) Hart Ranch, South Dakota Rallyin' in Goshen, Indiana A special day From friends to work to warmer temps, we're still having fun in Florida Traveling to Texas Finally, we're in Alaska! On the way to Canada Boise sure has changed a lot Escapees Rally in Wyoming Bittersweet trip through the southeast From Boy Scouts to ‘Stars on Ice’ Michigan is full of treasures Arriving in Florida Earning our ears Celebrating Christmas and New Year's in Florida and the Disney Parks Down in the Lowcountry Making our way through Minn., Wisc. and Ill. The holidays in Florida Our time in Lakeland has come to an end Couldn't have had a better time in Omaha! Arriving in Charleston A day with friends from Frederick 'Life is good' in Lakeland, Fla. Leaving Florida, and heading north Our final days in Kentucky Into the Keys Out of Charleston and off to Indiana Dreams come true in Vermont You never know what you'll see or who you'll meet in Alaska Leaving Indiana, but not before taking some of the state's best sites Idaho is full of natural treasures — and moon-like craters, too It's all about the theme parks From prairie country to beautiful views to grand 'ol Yellowstone Thunderstorms, flooding, tornados and a visit with the 'Duke' And so it begins ... Moving days for Greg and his family The gang's all here! Happy to be in Florida again Strawberries, and more strawberries 'The RV Capital of the World' From the beautiful Maine coastline down to southern Connecticut Training for our jobs at Disney World Chillin' out at 'Camp Monaco' Under the weather Back in Florida At long last, back in the area Lots to see in the 'Show Me' state With family and spectacular sights in Hailey, Idaho Look back, look ahead Back in the Lower 48 The cold weather is hitting Florida From Dallas to devastation Back on the road again Leaving Idaho and heading east Beautiful Alaska A memorable visit to Alaska's Kenai Peninsula Watch out for flying dinner rolls

In Minnesota we stayed several days at a Coast-to-Coast resort near Aitkin on Mille Lacs Lake. This beautiful lake is the second largest in Minnesota and it is huge.

Minnesota is called the state of 10,000 lakes, but according to the travel guide there are more than 15,000 and I do believe this is true. Everywhere we drove there were lakes, some large enough for boats — fishing and all types of watersports — others just small fishing ponds.

The area around Mille Lacs Lake is definitely a vacationland for anyone who likes being near the water, especially for the people from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Ralph and I took a fishing excursion going out on a fishing boat in the evening to fish for Walleye — the fish ‘supposed’ to be plentiful in this lake. Well, there weren’t any out there that night. We didn’t catch anything — but had a fun time. They fish with leeches! However, not the blood sucking kind I was told, lucky for us.

We also went one evening to a Polka Fest in McGregor. It was in a big barn way out in the country and the band played only polkas, a few waltzes and some country western two-steps. Ralph and I both love to dance a polka or a waltz, so needless to say we had a great time.

From Minnesota we traveled through Wisconsin. I couldn’t get reservations for a campground on our route so we stayed one night at a Wal-Mart off I-94 near Black Water Falls. We don’t particularly like staying at Wal-Marts, but sometimes it is just more convenient to do so.

Many RV'ers stay at Wal-Marts to save on campground fees. However, for Ralph and I it doesn’t work that way. We go shopping and there is always something “we just can’t live without” and we buy it.

Something we did do in Wisconsin was stop at the "Mousehouse Cheesehouse" to buy several kinds of Wisconsin cheeses. We were told that these cheeses, if handled and stored properly, can last six months or so. I think we bought enough for at least three months.

After Wisconsin we drove into Illinois where we stayed a couple of days at an RV park in Jolliet near Chicago.The only sightseeing we did there was a drive along Lake Michigan on the Lakeshore Drive in Chicago. I have been to Chicago several times and Ralph hates big cities, so sightseeing in Chicago was not on the agenda. We enjoyed the drive, the many marinas and beautiful boats. We stopped for a walk on the beach. Lake Michigan really looks more like an ocean.

We didn’t spend much time in these states because we had an appointment at the Monaco service center. One thing is for sure: We will come back to this area and travel through Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. We want to see more of the three lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron), especially the Upper Michigan Peninsula. What we have seen so far is beautiful; it warrants spending a month or more.

We also wanted to spend a few days with friends in Michigan. The last time we were in Elkhart at the service center we met Verne and Allan. They are from Little Rock, Arkansas, and full-timers like we.

This summer they stayed in an RV resort near Kalamazoo, Michigan, about 90 miles north of Elkhart. Since this is so close we decided to spend a few days with them before coming here. I’ll write about our enjoyable stay at this resort next week.