THE DELLS REVISITED

There is something about the Dells that calls you back. It isn't that big a place but there is much to see in the area. When budgeting for vacation, one can't always do everything at once. By now we were running a Buick Sports wagon. It seemed like a good vehicle for vacationing with children; they had more space for one thing.

But where to put the orange tent, the sleeping bags, and the cookware? We acquired a one wheel wooden trailer somewhere. This is how we would haul four bicycles. Yes, by now, Bud was a strong rider. It was 1976; he would be seven in September and Rachel 11 in October. It would be the summer they counted railroad tracks and collected bottle caps.

Bottle caps that you took off with a tool! REMEMBER?

The idea was to go to the sand dunes in Illinois on the way to the island. Now, we knew people who had been there and when asked if the dunes were at tall as the local grocery store they just laughed. If you have seen sand dunes you know they are bigger than a Kroger store.

Have you ever tried walking up a sand hill? The sand is loose, you sink. But who should emerge as first to the top of the hill and ask what took us so long? An added bonus was a trip in a dune buggy, but it wasn't like we thought a dune buggy was nor where we able to tear around the dunes on our own. This is probably another time Rachel exclaimed it wasn't what it was advertised to be!

We would take a ferry to Macinaw Island where there are no cars. At the time we were there one either rode in a horse drawn carriage or you rode a bicycle, which one could rent if you did not bring your own.

The path around the island was asphalt, the air was pure and the weather was marvelous. We all started out together; three of us caught up at the finish line where Bud waited for us.

The shore was lined with Victorian like hotels. Small shops lined the walks. We bought fudge and shirts which read, : Captain, first mate, and crew. We would wear them proudly during the rest of the vacation.

e