We Have Achieved Maui !

   Fortunately we were up and ready when the call came in the morning at 5:30 that our ride was waiting. In the van was a collection of other folks who had been scheduled on our flight. One couple were on their honeymoon. We were dropped off at American, a quick check in, the chair was ready, breezed through security and we were at the gate with plenty of time to spare. I went down the concourse to pick up coffee and a breakfast sandwich (voucher $14).

   While waiting for our flight to be called, I phoned Capital One. I listened to the choices and finally was connected to a person. I told my story and was forwarded to another person, I went through my story again and was again told I was being forwarded. Total silence. No music, no dial tone, silence. I hung up and tried again. Same results, pick a number, operator to second operator to third operator to silence.

I went up to the counter to make sure we'd have a chair on Maui. The gal changed our seats to row 3 and told us we would be called for pre-boarding. I tried Nancy's phone, at each step I explained what had happened, same result.

Our plane was called. The flight was great. When we landed there was a gal waiting with a chair. She had three passengers to take care of but we were first. She was also the baggage agent and she had our checked bags. They had made the flight yesterday. So we got our bags and she took us to the Thrifty shuttle. I checked with their desk and someone had extended our car's wait time to 48 hours so all was good.
A warm, windy welcome to Maui.

   While Nancy waited with our luggage, I checked in at the Thrifty office, picked up the car, loaded the bags and we were on our way across the island to our home for the week, a condo development called Kihei Holiday.

   We found our parking spot and took our bags into unit 6. We explored the place and found it came up a little short of its description. It was advertised as having 1 1/2 baths but we only found 1. We were told we would have a view of the Pacific from our patio but what we had was a view of the folks on the balconies on the other side of the parking lot who had a view of the sea. But hey, we aren't going to be here that long and it does have wi-fi so we don't care.

   After getting squared away, we take a run about town and look for a place to have Linner. We find a sports bar named Diamonds and at 2:20 in the afternoon we eat while watching the Lions play the Bears on Monday Night Football. The time change is going to take a bit of adjustment. Back at #6, Nancy fires up the wi-fi and helps me log in. I discover that my power cord has died but I can use hers to recharge overnight.

To Maui ToMorrow?

   This is our day to go to Maui.

   We will fly the Eagle around 2 p.m. for a short flight from San Diego to LAX, transfer to American for our Maui flight arriving by 8 p.m., pick up our car and spend the night at the Kihei Holiday in condo 106.

    We have time to drive through and explore San Diego Old Town, have lunch and get to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Old Town is a gentrified area which used to be a warehouse district. It is loaded with restaurants. Picking one was not easy. The winner was Jim Croce's. We had a relaxed lunch and then Tom dropped us off at the airport with plenty of time to check in and clear security . Had we known what our future had in store for us, we'd have had him take us to LAX.

    We checked our bags in, picked up our boarding passes, went through security and stopped at the little snack area for a beverage and some stuff for the plane. After about a half hour, we heard our names called and went to the counter. They told us the plane was delayed and we had to go back downstairs to pick up our checked bags and catch a shuttle if we were to make our next flight in LAX.

    After some delay, we joined a half dozen other folks in a van to Los Angeles. The driver apparently spoke no English. He was on the phone quite a bit of the trip speaking Spanish. He dropped us off at the terminal quite a ways from the American check in. I guess we should have known that we had to go to the Eagle desk but we didn't and no one told us. After trying to talk to the American folks, we wound up at Eagle and had our bags checked and were told to go up the escalator and get in line for security. I asked about a chair and the supervisor person told us "You don't have time!" We went up and got in line. I asked the folks ushering us about a chair and they said they'd check. About 10 minutes later we got one. The fellow was great. He pulled us out of line and expedited our trip through security and on to our gate.

As we arrived, we saw an aircraft pushing away. It was our flight. The gals at the desk were great. They gave us boarding passes for the next morning flight, vouchers for hotel rooms, vouchers for meals and sent us down to the special shuttle which would take us to the Crowne Plaza. There was one just up the street but we drove right past it and on to the one in San Pedro, 30 minutes away. We checked in, the room was nice, we went to dinner, it was fine, the voucher covered $24.

We noticed a couple at a nearby table who had their bags with them. I overheard enough to get the impression they were in the same boat. It turned out that they were indeed. They also were going to Maui from San Diego. They told us they had called for the morning shuttle to pick them up at 5. We'd planned on 6 but figured that if that was when the van was going to be here, we'd better be on it. I called the service from our room and they knew nothing about a 5 o'clock shuttle, it was coming at 6.

The other problem I had to work on was our rental car. I had rented it through Capital One using the rewards program. They went through Travelocity to arrange for a car from Thrifty. The paperwork said that they would hold the car until 11 AM Monday, we weren't going to get in until after 1 o'clock. I called Thrifty in Kahului. They couldn't do anything, I'd have to call their main office. Thrifty central referred me to Travelocity. I tried Travelocity, they sent us to Capital One which was closed for the weekend. Oh well tomorrow is another day.

Game Day

   Saturday we had Tom all to ourselves. He took us down to see the ocean. A combination of poor weather and fatigue kept us from a stroll but we had a chance for some fun views.

We had lunch served by a very animated waitress who reminded us of the one we call “The Gusher” at the Omelette Shoppe.

We returned to Tom’s and settled in for the game with State. Michigan never scored a touchdown. After a scoreless first quarter, we kicked a couple of field goals and led 6 - 0 at the half. In the third quarter, State put together a drive that resulted in a 7 - 6 lead. The Blue came back in the fourth with another kick to lead 9-7. All we had to do was shut them down. And we did, we pinned them deep and forced a punt, except it was a fake and the punter picked up the first down. They drove the length of the field before we stopped them but their kicker, after missing one earlier, nailed a chip shot for a 10 - 9 lead with less than 6 minutes to go. Following the ensuing kick off, our drive stalled and with about 3 to go, we punted to them and barring a miracle, the game was over and the Spartans had their 5th straight victory over us. But wait! There’s more! It’s not over ‘till it’s over.

Using our time outs and a solid defense, we held them and forced a punt with just about 2 minutes to play. Denard took us down the field and with just about 5 seconds left, our kicker nailed one from just outside the 20 and we had the victory 12 - 10. WOW!

Oct. 20, 2012

vs. Michigan State

W, 12-10

Day:		Saturday
Date:		Oct. 20, 2012
Location:		Michigan Stadium
Time:		3:30 p.m. ET

Gibbons Kicks Wolverines Past Michigan State, to 900th Win
		Gibbons Kicks Football Past Michigan State, to 900th Win

 Let’s go have dinner to celebrate and pack up for tomorrow's trip to Maui!

Thanks, Kevin and Amy

   Friday we both took a walk. Nancy explored the neighborhood. Apparently there is a termite problem in some of the units and they were enshrouded in these huge covers which look like giant balloons or circus tents.

    I fired up the GPS and hiked off across the Ted Williams to find the nearest cache.

    For lunch, we stayed close and went up the road to the closest strip mall and ate at Wings - N - Things. No more exploring. At the table next to us a group of about 8 guys were playing cards. The faces on the deck looked like Tarot cards. There seemed to be a lot of laughter involved. I guess this is how they spend their lunch hour, no Mountain Bikes for them.

Friday night ranks as the highlight of our San Diego stop. We had dinner with Tom, Kevin, Amy, Maya and our newest great-great-grand niece, Ella. Maya chose the location, she said it was her favorite place. We stopped over at Kevin’s house and met the baby. She’s very cute but let’s face it, she’s a tiny baby. Personality will take a while.

 Maya is the star of the show! She played the piano for us and showed us her room. She is definitely a little Miss Personality Princess.

At the restaurant - Chin, we ordered and ate family style. Maya ordered the appetizers and her favorite dish and we all pitched in. While waiting for our food, Maya switched between showing me how to play games on the iphone and crawling on Uncle Tom. I’m not sure who was enjoying it more.

We also had a chance to chat with Kev and Amy and catch up on their work, their folks, their health, and of course a little talk about THE GAME coming up tomorrow. It was a fun evening and we took a pass on returning to their home after dinner because the old man was having trouble stifling yawns.

Darn You, NuVi

   Thursday morning Tom was off to work and we had cereal and just hung out. We read on our laptops and watched programs that Tom had recorded on his TV. We talked about lunch and I pulled up a map. Yesterday while Tom was bringing us home from the airport, I realized that 20 years of life in Traverse had not prepared me for California Interstates. Sure, I’d driven them before, just a couple of years ago in fact, but I was just not comfortable with the idea.

   There is the small town of Poway just a ways east of Tom that looked good. I figured we'd just plug it into our Nuvi which we’d brought with us preloaded with geocaches. Just plug it in and cruise on over. The vehicle we had was Tom’s Porsche because he had put his bike on the Subi so he could go for a ride at lunchtime. We sometimes chuckle about the Porsche because back when he was in High School, we had a CJ 7 rag top. When Tom first saw the price of a Porsche he was shocked “Why would you buy that? If I had that much money I would buy two jeeps!”

   The first time we came out to visit, Tom had given us the keys to the Porche and a paper with turn by turn directions for a ride through some mountain roads. It was great, all went well. Sure it’s a stick but so is our Jeep. Well, things didn’t go quite as planned. First, the Nuvi had some roads on it but for the most part, without names. Also - no place names. I figured out later that if I’d selected a cache in Poway and told it to go there, we would have had some turn by turn directions. Well we can figure this out.

    We pulled out of Tom’s development and I turned the wrong way. Instead of going east, we were going west. By the time we realized what I’d done, we were on the Ted Williams Freeway. I pulled off to turn around but there was no entrance going east. We drove around talking about buying a map but I just got back on and went further west until we spotted an exit with an overpass. In this process, I also discovered that first gear in the Porsche is very touchy and so is the clutch. In the Jeep, I can start out in second but not in this baby. Also, once you stall it out, you must shut everything down to engage the starter. Luckily, all my shifting screw ups occured in parking lots where we had plenty of time and space to work things out. Anyway, I made the turn and we were soon back in the proper direction and made it to Poway.

   Now, where to eat? We drove through a parking lot and spotted a place called the Chicken Pie Diner. Neat place, so thoroughly American. We were some of the few folks who were not greeted by name. After lunch, we drove around a bit but did not feel comfortable exploring a lot or going after caches. Back at Collage, we hung out until Tom got home, talked about our day and went in search of Mexican. We wound up at Rene’s Mexican Grill and Cantina.

California, Here We Come

   Our October excursion to Maui really began back in 2007 when we designed and had produced a Geocaching coin to commemorate our fiftieth wedding anniversary. The cost and minimum number required increases with each additional attribute that is added to the basic coin. A few more to make it trackable a little more for gold, and quite a little more to give it an icon which will show up in the profile of each person who logs it as a find. We decided to go whole hog and so the bottom line is that we wound up with more than 200. What to do with them? People trade them, collect them, sell them, and place them in caches. When you start a coin on its journey, you can name it, tell its story, and give it a mission. We decided to find a cache in each of Michigan’s 83 counties and place a coin in it named for that county. That was a fun quest but by the fall of 2008, we had accomplished it. Now what?

   What the heck, why not one for every state? We cached on our way to Florida for Christmas with detours to the west of I 75 on the way south and to the east on the way home. We expanded our route on the way to DC and made side trips on our way to San Diego. We made longer trips to circle New England and to visit Yellowstone. We took a cruise to Alaska with the Sniders and visited the “Original Stash” in Oregon while we were at it.

    The life of the coins varies, about 1 in 4 is pocketed by someone and is never heard from again. the distance they have traveled varies from 0 to over 6000 miles. It is fun to place them and it is also fun to track their travels.

   With 49 states and the District taken care of, only Hawaii was left for us to visit and drop off a coin. We decided to combine our trip with a stop in San Diego to visit Tom, see his remodeled dwelling, and visit with Kevin, Amy, Maya and Ella, the newest addition to the family. We got tickets to leave TC on the 17th.

   The flight was on American Eagle, scheduled for 7:45 a.m. so we had the car packed the night before, got up at 4, were at the airport at 6, checked in and were alone when we went through security. (That never happened again.) The flight was on time, we were in Chicago at 7:35 and there was a wheelchair waiting. The porter took us through the terminal with a chair in each hand from G20 to H15. We had time for a snack and were in the air by 9. We were on the ground in San Diego by 11 and gathered our bags. Tom picked us up in his Subi and it was off to lunch at Marie Callender’s just up the street from his house. He had to go back to work and we just crashed. For dinner we tried to find a Mexican place that Nancy liked but it was closed. We did Asian instead.

The Aftermath

The ex Brown Bridge Pond, a sea of muck and stumps.

.





What the water did to the steel beams




Muck and stumps


The boardwalk all akimbo
;

Boardwalk with muck and standing water.


Muck city



Flattened bushes and debris on the river bank




Landing on riverside deck



Debris



The line between leaves and no leaves is the high water mark in front of our house.



The island was totally inundated.  Notice the high water mark on the tree trunks



Close up of high water mark on island

Flood and Evacuation

FROM:Richard Steiger
TO:Laurie, Chip & Dylan Tom Steiger Jana Steiger
 CC:goatlook
Message flagged Saturday, October 6, 2012 10:47 PM

Well this has been an interesting day.

Our only plans for today were to play computer games, putz around the yard, go to Sam's Club to pick up a few things, and watch Michigan vs the Boilermakers.

The weather was weird. Sunny for a time and then cold rain. At some times it was sleeting but then it was bright and sunny again.

After playin' and prunin' we were preparing to go shopping when the tsunami siren sounded. In the past, we have gotten a postcard warning us when they planned to test the siren but not this time. Soon, our phone rang and our neighbor informed us that the Brown Bridge dam was breached and we were under a flood warning. However, he had been told that it would take 3 - 4 hours for the flooding to reach us. It was about 11 so we decided to have lunch, see what developed and if it didn't look serious, we'd go to Sam's and then come back home to watch the action. By noon, there was no sign that anything was happening so we headed out.

We did our shopping along with about half the town. It is Saturday after all. It took us longer than we had planned. After checking out, we loaded the car and drove to Chum's Corners, and turned left down the hill to River Rd. As I made the turn onto River, a State Police car came past the line of cars waiting to turn onto Keystone toward me. I pulled off on the shoulder to let him pass but he pulled over to block me. We were told that River Rd was closed and that people were being evacuated. I explained that we lived here and we at least wanted to go home to lock up and grab some clothes in case we had to spend the night. He gave us permission and pulled out of the way.

We had the road to ourselves until we got to the Blair/East Bay Twp. line, about a half mile from home. There, the Blair Twp EMT truck sat with lights flashing, blocking the road. I explained that we wanted to get home to lock the house. Their orders were that no one could drive past. Fine! I pulled a U turn, parked by the side of the road, left Nancy in the Rav and walked. I mean, what are they going to do? Arrest me? Well, maybe.

I walked homeward as fast as I could, crossed over to the tracks and when I got to our drive, there was a Sheriff's car waiting for me. I was out of breath but explained once again what my mission was. He agreed to allow me to lock the house but he had to go with me. I made a quick pass, locking the place, I didn't grab clothes, foo foo, or anything other than a laptop and the Jeep keys. The Deputy let me walk up to the barn to get the Jeep and then followed me out to the road. I drove back to Nancy and we decided to meet in the library parking lot to decide what to do. We decided to leave the Jeep there and check out someplace where we could watch the game. The news on the radio was that the area had been evacuated and would probably remain closed until morning.

Last spring when there was a major power outage because of a storm, folks were driving to Kalkaska and Cadillac to find rooms so we decided we'd better grab one if we could. The first place was full but they checked for us and found us a room at the Comfort Inn. We checked in and then went to Target to pick up skiv's and toiletries to get us through the night. Back at the motel, we watched the Blue come through and then at half time found out on a news program that the evacuation was lifted and that we could go home if we wanted to.

But first, the second half. Denard had an outstanding day. In addition to passing for over 100 yards, he ran for 235 and set the rushing record for QB's in the Big Ten. Final score - M 44 P 13.

 Go or stay? Lets discuss it over dinner. We've paid for the room but Nancy pointed out that, except for those we watched in our living room, that was the least expensive game we've seen in years. We decided to get the Jeep and head south with both cars to see if we could in fact go home. When we got to the River Rd./Sleights Rd. intersection, River Rd was blocked by a barricade but it was unmanned so we just drove around it. It was dark when we got home and unpacked so we're not sure what things look like. Nancy saw in her headlights that Barker's place was surrounded by water and I took a flashlight and saw that the boardwalk has been displaced. We did get some flooding but I'm guessing not more than 3 - 4 feet.

 A full inspection will have to wait until morning.

Sand and Ice Cream!

Father's Day

We have no Dads to honor anymore, except in memory.  Thank you Dad!

We started with Brunch at the newly re-opened Brookside in Beulah.  Their brunch was really sublime - lots of fresh fruit and yummy desserts, and wonderful ham.  We really liked it!

Afterwards we drove to Lake Michigan in Frankfort just because it's always such a great experience with an always spectacular view.  It did not disappoint!

We stopped in at Crystal Gardens to do some flower shopping - they have such healthy looking plants!  We got marigolds and some blue perennials.


  We also had some cache maintenance to do at the Empire Beach on Lake Michigan.  You wouldn't believe how crowded the beach was.  It was a gorgeous, warm day and people wanted to enjoy the water.  Every parking spot in the main area was taken.  People were parked all along both sides of the access road, and some were parking in town and walking to the beach.  The smartest ones were the bikers - no parking problems there.

Historically, we have cached on Father's Day since 2003, so we picked up a couple of easy ones just to be historically correct!  It was a beautiful day for any activity you can think of!

Driving through Glen Arbor, Dick got a call from Tom, so we pulled over by the tennis courts, and they had a good conversation.  Our daughters called later, after we got back home, so he had a chance to talk to all of his kids on his Day.  Wildflowers in Glen Arbor has great looking plants too - Dick found a gorgeous hanging basket there.

We stopped at Tom's West Bay and bought steaks and baking potatoes and had a feast for dinner.  It was a lovely day.

06/17/2012	You found  Fair Park		Visit Log
In the spring of '03, we heard about this activity. On Father's Day, we took the GPS the kids had given us and gave Geocaching a shot. We were hooked! After a yummy brunch at the reopened Brookside, we found this cache and launched our 10th year. Thanks for the cache with a view. Now if we could only find the one across the lake.
06/17/2012	You found  platte lake		Visit Log
We came over to the area for a Father's Day brunch and to pick up some flowers at Crystal Gardens. We started caching on Father's Day of '03. This is the 10th consecutive FD of caching for us. The drive to and from this one was memorable. The "roads" reminded us of last weekend at the road rally. Nuvi must have sent us in the wrong way. Made the find, signed the log and took out some trash. TFTC

Are You Geocacher Enough? (AYGE)

It's time for the 5th annual Road Rally Event!

Are You Geocacher Enough? Road Rally

June 9-10, 2012

***********************************************

This is our second time around at AYGE - last year was hard, hard, hard and tiring yet rewarding!  This year was easier because now we're veterans and know what to expect - well, sort of!  We teamed again with DinoDuo and Captain Bud - they are the real experts!

It's Over!

Of all the medical procedures in the wild, wonderful world of medicine, the mammogram is by far the most deplorable.

 It really proves that you're an adult when you can make yourself actually go there and sit patiently for 15 minutes without bolting.

 It's over! Yaaay! I hated it - as always. Boo mammograms! All is well, by the way.

 Car thermometer said 88 degrees on the way home - everything is green and beautiful. The nursery by the depot is really looking good.

Derek and Carla

The Groom and his Dad

Having the wedding at the Minneapolis Zoo was a stroke of genius! The ceremony was beautiful, and the lemurs only howled once! The celebrant warned us at the outset that this is the lemurs' home, and they are in charge of what happens, and when.

 The vows of the bride and groom were especially touching - I would love a copy of Derek's vows. They both did an outstanding job.

My wedding mobile - a great way to get around the Zoo.

Tom and Dylan in their wedding finery...but they brought a change of clothes for the reception!

Shelly and the Small Ones

Our table - Tom, Jana and I with our new friend Heather.

A table for Lue's kids - Barb and Jim. John and Sharon

OK, It's Party Time!

Tom. Dylan, Laurie, Shelly, Chris Rocking the Dance Floor

Derek and Carla's wedding was a great family event for us. We usually only see each other twice a year - this year it will be three times! Thank you Derek and Carla!

Mall of America

In the afternoon, before Derek and Carla's wedding, we all headed out to the Mall of America so the younger generations could enjoy the rides.

 Dick had been teasing Dylan about going shopping because Dylan absolutely hates shopping, and he didn't have a clue about the rides!  So Dylan was extremely relieved and happy when we walked into the Mall and saw the Nickelodeon Universe!  Laurie, Tom, Jana and Dylan all rode for hours and Dick and I had a great time watching them!

Kevin, Amy, Maya, Shelly, Chris and Drew were at the Mall today, too. The little kids had fun on the kiddie rides, and at the Lego store. Shelly actually went shopping, which is what a mall is for after all! I think Amy and her mom spent some time in Nordstrom's, too - not a bad idea :)

I loved the Mall of America !!

Hooray for T.C.

This is why it's such a pleasure to live in T.C. - and why so many people love to visit!

Easter Brunch

Shelly asked us over for Easter brunch, so we got a chance to spend Easter with adorable kids and great family! Watching the kids was the most fun of all. The food was a big highlight too - everything was so yummy - and you should have seen the dessert! Thanks Shelly for a great time.

Spare Time

Dokas asked Dick what he's been doing in his spare time, so Dick took some pictures to illustrate his recent activities! Almost every day since the snow has melted, Dick has been hauling brush from downed trees and branches, and taking it to Woodhenge - he does all of the loading and unloading himself. I admire his stamina.

Storm Damage Clean-up:

 

On a brighter note: