Events of Saturday, September 11, 2010 

Last night was our first attempt to boondock in a Costco parking lot. I talked with the manager and he gave us permission to stay until opening time, 9:30 am. As we looked for a good spot, Ben observed that most parts of a parking lot are far from level. However, Pam found us a great spot, at the perimeter but away from traffic. So I was not expecting a high-pitched whining sound. Did you know that street sweeper machines come and clean Costco parking lots at night? Neither did we. But we also learned that the parking lot lights shut off, half at 11 pm and the other half at 11:30 pm. Nice dark site!

This morning we drove into Ann Arbor to visit the University of Michigan. Parking was challenging, so we were a bit late for our 9:00 informational session and tour. As a high school teacher now, I was intrigued by the whole experience. The informational meeting focused less on the school’s strengths and more on how to get admitted to the school. The tour took us by many of the buildings and into a few of them. We saw libraries, dorms, administration buildings, student unions, and lecture halls. The design of the admin building caught my attention. Built in the late 60’s, the designers wanted to protect the President and Provost from the sometimes volatile student demonstrations. So they designed the building with that in mind. The building can be evacuated in thirty seconds. Window placement and shape keep them inaccessible to ladders. There is even a steam tunnel that connects the admin building to the President’s house so she can leave safely without exiting the doors.

After the tour, we retreated to the RV for a while. It rained while we had lunch. Michigan’s football team played at Notre Dame today, and we had hoped to watch the game on big screen TV. We could pay to watch in the stadium or we could join a free outdoor tailgater party on campus. As kickoff time drew near, the rain increased. So we decided to chuck the football idea and move on to our next destination, South Bend. There are no good RV camping places in South Bend, so we are staying in a nearby town named Elkhart. At dinner, Caitlin shared with us a new culinary creation: polka-dot pudding (vanilla pudding with chocolate chips). Delicious!