Heading North

My what a difference a phone call makes! Wednesday evening (July 9) we thought it was about time to check in with Beth and Costandy (the owners of Munzar Acres), just to let them know how we were doing and, in the course of our conversation, Beth instructed us to be sure to make an entry in the guest book. We hadn’t even discovered it yet (after all, guests don’t snoop in every drawer!) and we could easily have left without leaving a trace. Thank you Beth!

Then to our amazement, when we did locate it, we discovered that it was the original Book from the little red cabin behind the Maple Grove Church and so it has the entry we made on our job-seeking trip to the area before we moved here as pastor of the congregation in August of 1966, and our later entry while on vacation in 1974. It was a real trip down memory lane to go back over the entries and remember all the people who visited while we were in Rust.

Tuesday (8th) Once the rain stopped and things began to clear, we spent the rest of the day canoeing on Fletcher Pond, bird watching and trying to fish until Gene’s reel broke, so we just paddled across the lake to Jack’s Landing, got a bite to eat and relaxed, then headed back into the wind and waves. A great adventure.

Much of Wednesday (9th) was spent at Avalon Lake with Darlene reading and Gene windsurfing with some challenging wind.

Spent the evening reading Amish Grace , the story of the shootings at the Nickel Mines School in PA. Coming from an Anabaptist background the grace of forgiveness which they showed, while wonderful, was not particularly surprising to me (Gene). What was truly amazing was the way the PA State Police handled the press conferences and particularly the way they led the funeral procession - on horseback rather than using their cruisers. It was truly respectful of the Amish community and one more model of how to do life well which emerged from this tragic story.

Thursday, July 10
An all-day trek to the Traverse City area (just past Honor on the way to the Dunes) to spend several hours with Edna Shaffer whose husband, Howard, now deceased, was pastor at the UM Church in Hillman during the years we were at Rust and with whose family we became very close during that time. Edna served us a wonderful lunch over which we lingered , took a long walk down memory lane and brought each other up to speed on our current journeys and families. We plan to meet one of their daughters, Molly, when we cross the UP (Upper Michigan, for those of you not from around here) on Saturday.

Friday,July 11

Our last day here (still cloudy and cool from the rain of last evening). Doing laundry, packing up, and getting this cozy place ready for the next guests. Gene got a haircut this morning from Diane at her salon and this evening, after the fish fry, we were able to connect with another of our former youth group members, Marsha, who owns the Lickety Splits ice cream parlor in Hillman.

Saturday, July 12
Breakfast at Lickety Splits courtesy of Marsha and Don. We said our final “good-bye’s” and headed north.

It has truly been a blessing to be here in this “quiet place in the beauty of God’s creation.” What a wonderful start for our sabbatical and the first of many similar places to come over the next 3 months. The pace has been relaxing (we never turned on radio, TV or video), the activities we’ve been able to do outdoors rejuvenating and our contacts with the people we’ve been able to meet from days of long ago have exceeded our expectations - heartwarming, affirming and challenging.

We are deeply grateful to the Lord and to Beth and Costandy for the privilege of being here at Munzar Acres. We’ve become a bit attached to it and the people we’ve re-connected with so we leave with some measure of sadness but also of anticipation for the Journey ahead. And so it is with the people of God - continuing on our Pilgrimage for on this earth we have no permanent abode, but we seek a City whose Builder and Maker is God.

Saturday Evening, July 12
Dinner in L’Anse, Michigan, at the base of the Keweenaw Bay on Lake Superior with Molly (Shafer) and her husband, then down to the Sylvania Wilderness, stopping along the way at some points where Gene had kayaked when he was with the Honey Rock Camp program.

Sunday, July 13-Sunday, July 20
Encampment Two: Sylvania Canoe Area

A wonderful time relaxing the beauty of this wilderness setting. Our cabin is adequate and cozy and we are constantly serenaded by 6 or more hummingbirds outside our window. 

Lazy days of canoeing, a bit of fishing, marginal windsurfing and lots of wild-life watching. The other guests at the cabins are very much “into” the out-of-doors as are our hosts, Josh and Katherine, so we’re among kindred spirits. Bald eagles are common around here and we saw them daily.

Gene spends a lot of time reading his wilderness trip journals (since 1972) and writing reflections from those experiences as well and distilling material for possible essay topics. He's also doing readings in preparation for our trip to Zambia. Darlene does cross-word puzzles, plays Scrabble and reads. 



Sunday, July 20 we left Sylvania, heading for Cedarly Retreat in Wisconsin. Along the way we were able to stop at Honey Rock Camp where Gene served and studied in 1972 and 1978. We arrived just in time to participate in their worship service and then walked the campgrounds for a while.

We arrived at Cedarly around 8:30 and were warmly welcomed and made familiar with our setting. This promises to be a perfect place for some very quiet meditation and processing of life’s journey. Next post from Fargo, ND on July 25.

When I checked our email today (July 21) I discovered a most amazing map of our U.S journey posted on line by our son, Tim.  Thanks Tim for this excellent addition which will help people  keep track of our journey. Just click here to view it.