Well after the hill incident, Mr. B and I tested out the Xterra without the travel trailer and found it had trouble climbing a gravel hill from a stop which his Chevy truck had no problem with in 4WD. Although the light showed the 4WD was engaged, we concluded the 4WD could not be working and so we headed to the closest Nissan dealership in Marquette Michigan. Brian had the service mechanic take a look and concluded indeed the 4WD was not working.
Luckily I had purchased the mechanical repair coverage when I bought the car and after a call it was covered. The only downside was it would be a week before the parts came in and they also found a window switch that was broken and had ordered that part as well. Marquette is about a 45 minute drive from Michigamme and it took three trips to get everything fixed. First to check it out, second to work on the car and then they didn’t finish it so I had to come back the next day. With no other dealers or shops for hours in any direction they were my only choice and they knew. Things just take longer when there is no competition.
In the end they fixed the car up, it apparently was a problem with the hubs.
On my three trips to the dealership, I managed to get a mini office setup in the back next to the popcorn machine, if only I had been there Friday it would have been fresh popcorn all around. One of the salesmen in the dealership was a computer buff and we chatted about systems for awhile, it seemed to me he really wanted to get into computer work full time.
Also at the dealership I got to chatting with a guy who had a three legged dog. She had been protecting him from a bear and had it bitten off. He had a special attachment with her and with each story he told their bond became more and more apparent. You couldn’t tell it from the way she looked at you and energy she had but unfortunately she had cancer now and would be gone soon but he will be forever grateful of her companionship.
I drove around the city of Marquette, got a haircut and had lunch at a favorite restaurant
Vierling Restaurant
119 South Front Street
Marquette, MI 49855-4642
(906) 228-3533
http://wwww.thevierling.com
It’s a great old place that Mr. B took me to on my first trip to da’ UP. I had a nice salad bowl of cream of mushroom soup and a fantastic reuben. Following lunch I had a great conversation with the owner who told me all about the history of the restaurant how it had closed for a short time and went into disrepair before he eventually bought it and turned it into the beauty it is today.
I went down to the harbor in Marquette. The bones of huge ship launching platforms remain in the harbor as a symbol of the what was once a bustling mining and logging port yet now sit in decay as those days faded into history.
Some nice ships in the harbor.
I liked this logo and will have to stop in on another trip.
I stopped by and talked with the local Humane Society of Marquette county and made a donation to their cause. It’s a tough job in the rural parts of northern michigan to effectively keep animals safe and I applaud their efforts.
On the way back I picked up some fresh blueberries at a local roadside stand and they were fantastic, fresh wild Michigan Blueberries. Great on top of ice cream and especially on top of a bowl of shredded wheat cereal which I had almost every day.
