It all came together for one glorious weekend on South Bass Island. Put –In-Bay is always a grand time, but loading the rigs on the ferry, camping for four nights at the island state park, and relying on golf carts to get around . . . it just doesn’t get any better. The masterminds for the weekend were Dan and Dawn; joining in was Suzie/John, and Caleb/Halie and Tom and I . . . for a total of 8! We set our sights for the 12:00 Miller ferry – a 20-minute ride from mainland Catawba to South Bass Island. We left rain and grey clouds in Van Wert to arrive to sunshine and blue skies for . . . the rest of the weekend! At the dock the lake was choppy, waves crashed over the dock, and the ride over was a bit rocky. Off the ferry it was only a 5-mile ride to the South Bass Island State Park. Suzie and John were right behind us on the next ferry, and Dan and Dawn were on the Island by 6:00. Caleb and Halie were arriving late to the area, would spend the night in a hotel and join us on an early ferry in the morning. The South Bass Island State Park has very nice bathhouses and sites with full hook-ups. The dense tree cover creates beautiful shade, but little ground covering; the dirt-base was not a problem as we had nothing but sunshine the whole weekend. We lined up in sites #7, #9 & #11 and set up a little compound for the next 4 nights! Dan and Dawn brought a new toy with them – one that we were anxious to see. It is a portable fire pit made by the BioLite company who make our little twig-fed camping grill. It is nicely designed with pop-down legs and a full mesh body that gives a great view of the flames. It is outfitted with a fan that mounts on the side, blows the fire for a smoke-free experience, and is run by your smart phone! It can be a fireplace that can be moved anywhere, and does double-duty as a cooker. Two more were ordered – by Tom and John -- before the weekend was over! John had his pizza oven out for supper, and treated us all to make-your-own-pizza. Dawn pulled out a bottle of Peach Royal Crown Whiskey, and passed out shots. All this was enjoyed sitting around the Biolite Campfire! Friday, Aug 23 & Saturday, Aug 24 Caleb and Halie joined us by 9:30 a.m. having spent the night in a hotel on the mainland. Caleb has a past history on the Island, but this was Halie’s first trip ever, and it was fun to see her enthusiastic reaction to the weekend events! We met them at the dock, and they followed us to get our golf cart. The island has mostly gone to golf carts for transportation and there is not a lot of car traffic. There were only 4 of us, but it took a 6-person cart to make room for Caleb’s wheelchair and Halie’s walker. We dropped their car at the campground, unloaded Caleb and Halie's gear in the Silvermine, and loaded into the cart for our first cruise on the island. First stop was at the Round House Chicken Patio for our favorite wine-basted chicken. There were a few shops in the area that needed shopped, and then we proceeded to put the golf cart though it’s paces . . . all over the island! All day on Friday and Saturday we roamed the island on our golf cart, never tiring of the blue sky, bright sun, and 74 degree temperatures. Tom and Halie went to the top of the monument -- Halie bravely climbed the narrow, steep, winding staircase to reach the point that they could load on the elevator. On top they had a wonderful view of the town and bay below. When Tom and I stopped to rest a bit, Caleb and Halie took off for a little excursion of their own. They hit the GemStone Mine and did some more of the shops in the downtown area. Friday night we cooked steaks at the campground, and Saturday night we went to the Put-In-Bay Brewery for a classic Lake Erie perch dinner. Saturday morning Tom made omelets and fried hash. As usual, camping revolved around the tremendous food! Sunday, Aug 25 For Caleb and Halie the island excursion was over early Sunday morning. Crowds are so big on the island and most (including big rigs and campers) leave on Sunday morning. They made the 8:00 a.m. ferry to avoid having to wait in a long line later in the morning. For Tom and I, the island get-away lasted one more day. We buddied up in a golf cart with Dan and Dawn and John and Suzie and continued the marathon around the island. We had been told not to miss breakfast at the Frosty Bar . . . wonderful! That fueled us for knocking around the rest of the day on the island. Monday, Aug 26 We weren't in any rush on Monday to leave, but following a slow morning around the campsite, by 9:30 it was time to motivate for a return to the mainland. Suzie and John and the same time-frame that we had, and we shared a ferry on the return trip. Dan and Dawn had a more leisurely approach to leaving the island, and it included hooking up their 30' Airstream and driving it through downtown Put-In-Bay -- stopping for a few photos along the way, -- including this one in front of the Boardwalk! All of us agreed this needed to be a yearly event . . . it just remains to see who will make it happen!
0 Comments
|
Archives
October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |