Day 1, Sunday, June 24, 2007

Noon. That's when we pulled out today - three days earlier than originally planned. There was nothing keeping us from leaving so why not just go.

We have camping reservations all the way through a one week stay in Bar Harbor. Not only is it the prime time to visit the East Coast, but brother Tim and sister Dea are going to hook up with us for awhile so we needed to be locked into being at certain places at certain times.

Our first reservation is not until Wednesday at E. Harbor State Park near Port Clinton, Ohio, so we picked the only State Park between Elkhart and Port Clinton that was on Lake Erie - Sterling SP in Monroe, Mi.

The Lauer family has roots here in Monroe and I plan to investigate a little while we are here. Dad and his siblings when kids, used to spend weeks up here in the summertime - traveling by train without parents to stay with "Uncle Harry". As I understand it, the Lauer's came from Germany to Pennsylvania, and then followed railroad jobs to Monroe. My Grandfather then moved on to Elkhart with his railroad job and started his family. My Grandfather's brother, my Dad's uncle, Harry remained in Monroe.

My Grandfather used to go "on a bender" as Dad would call it once or twice a year and end up here in Monroe - taking the train back to his home town and staying until he sobered up or his boys came up and brought him home. Anyway, Uncle Harry has a son Jack who is still alive and still living in Monroe. We hope to meet with him tomorrow for a little "Lauer" history. It was my Great-Grandfather Sebastian who once ran a bar here in downtown Monroe that was frequented by General George Custer who once lived in Monroe with his wife and family. In fact, before Dad passed away, he handed down to me the silver coins supposedly spent by Custer at "Lauer's Bar" during his last visit home before the battle of Little Big Horn. Factual? I don't know, but that's what Dad believed.

Sterling State Park - right on Lake Erie, not very crowded, Mayflys are thick today. Campers here before us said the Mayflys arrived Saturday night and Sunday morning. Hope they all die by morning!

Lake Erie from the campground



Bugs on neighbors 5'er! Click on picture to enlarge