Summer Holidays

Commodore Frank and Maryann submitted this travelogue. “We spent our summer in our RV traveling up the East Coast into Canada and across Canada to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and then headed south back to Marco. We visited some of our Marco friends along the way: Ann and John Brock in Lake George, NY for a couple of days; with our neighbors Brent and Susan Cook in Michigan; continued south to visit with Mary Ellen and Dave Mount and Ginny and Al Rapp at their beautiful lake in Cassopolis, MI. We stopped in to see Cheryl and Jack Coffin while passing through Indiana. Highlights of the trip included: St. Joseph’s Oratory, Montreal; Boldt Castle and the Thousand Islands in upstate NY; Niagara Falls; boarding the MS Chi-Cheemaun ferry with the RV to travel from Ontario across Lake Huron between Tobermory and South Baymouth; Mackinac Island; Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie; Churchill Downs Race Track in Louisville, KY; and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN.”

Barry and Claudette Gelfand joined PC Bob Boland and Lyn Bedel for a safari to Africa with a couple of days layover in Dubai. Bob submitted this brief summary of the trip highlights. “We visited Cape Town, Mala Mala next to Kruger National Park, Royal Malewane in Thornybush also next to Kruger and Duma Tau in the delta region of Botswana. Saw the big five animals (Elephant, Lion, Rhino, Cape Buffalo & Leopard) multiple times along with many, many other rare African animals. To have a male lion a few feet away from you or an elephant charge your jeep was a thrill, but to experience the pure majesty of the country and its animals was a trip of a lifetime.”

Dan and Lucille Dotterweich visited Ireland and Scotland on their holiday. They enjoyed touring Dublin, taking time to enjoy the city skyline from a bridge over River Liffey in Dublin. Dan took the occasion to enjoy some Irish beer. The highlight of the visit was kissing the Blarney Stone. Dan and Lucille continued on to Scotland where they did a little house shopping. They determined that Edinburgh Castle would require a luxurious vessel – the Royal Yacht might just fill the bill.

PC Alex and PC Marcia Orsolini chose a Baltic cruise for their holiday, visiting Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Germany and St. Petersburg, Russia. Following the cruise they spent a week in Sweden with the family of their Swedish exchange student that lived with them 35 years ago and toured many places together in southeast Sweden.

PC Charlie and Paula Skillern’s holiday excursion encompassed a large portion of the Great Plains, portions the Rocky Mountains and several National Parks including Theodore Roosevelt, Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Tetons National Parks. Other memorable sights included Deadwood, the Badlands of SD, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and the world famous Corn Palace. The abundance of wildlife was amazing.

Duluth, MN was the departure point for Dan and Deb Lowell’s Circumnavigation of Lake Superior. Points of interest along the way: Aerial Lift Bridge, Duluth downtown waterfront; Split Rock Lighthouse, MN; Grand Marais, MN; Thunder Bay, ON; Kakabeka Falls, ON; Rossport, ON; Soo Locks, ON; St Mary’s Island Trails, ON; Soo Locks, US; Mackinac Bridge, Mackinaw City, MI; Whitefish Lighthouse, MI; Crisp Point Lighthouse, MI; Grand Marais Lighthouse, MI; Copper Harbor, MI; Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI. A detour took Dan & Deb to Oshkosh, WI to connect with kids and grand kids for the annual EAA fly-in where they camped in a field along with 50,000 other aviation enthusiasts. A side-trip to visit Fargo, Grand Forks, and Devils Lake added North Dakota as the 50th on the list of states visited. And last, but not least, a visit to Lake Itasca to step across the mighty Mississippi at its headwaters rounded out a great summer holiday.