Indigo Bluffs, Sleeping Bear and New Friends

For the month of July we have enjoyed staying at a very popular RV resort called Indigo Bluffs in Empire, Michigan.  This resort is a little unique in that it is known for beautiful wild flowers planted throughout the resort, especially in the area where Class A motorhomes are parked.

Indigo Bluffs RV Resort - Empire, MI

Wild Flowers at Indigo Bluffs

Wild Flowers at Indigo Bluffs

Indigo Bluffs RV Resort - view from our Coach

Indigo Bluffs is in close proximity to Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, voted one of the ten most beautiful destinations in America.   Sleeping Bear Dunes is located on the northwestern shore of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, a hilly region fringed with shoreline sand dunes and lots of clear lakes.  We were mesmerized as we took a scenic drive through Sleeping Bear Dunes and enjoyed the view from the 460' tall dunes where so many brave (mostly young) people accept the challenge to climb.  We saw one of the only covered bridges with the National Park Service emblem on the bridge.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Covered Bridge with NPS Emblem

Sleeping Bear Dunes and Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Climbing Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

From 460' above Sleeping Bear Dunes

Sleeping Bear Dunes and Lake Michigan

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

View from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

I enjoy long walks every morning which give me an opportunity to see many unique vintage as well as new trailers, motor homes, and every conceivable type of camper you can imagine.  When the opportunity presents itself, I enjoy introducing myself to members of an international organization called Sisters On The Fly  (SOTF), an adventurous group of women who comprise over 1000+ members, who are known all over the country because they buy, restore and decorate vintage travel trailers, and then they travel around the country fishing, playing cards, cooking good food outdoors, and telling tall tales around a campfire. 

Chicken Coupe Express - Indigo Bluffs

 Since we left Florida in March I have met 2 different Sisters.  This is usually an opportunity to make a new friend and discuss their involvement in this organization, how they acquired their vintage trailer and turned "trash into treasure", where they've traveled, and where they're going next.  Everyone of the Sisters will make you smile, make you nostalgic, and think outside your comfort zone.

This morning, it was my good fortune to discover the "Chicken Coupe Express" owned by Laurie Anderson, Sisters On The Fly #336, who lives close to Chicago, IL, and has been involved with SOTF for several years.  She teaches archery, gun safety and fly fishing to youth.  When I introduced myself and asked if I could take a picture of her vintage 1983 Serro Scotty, she was eager to share some of the details of the restoration of her beautiful western-themed travel trailer.   She and her husband, Chris, enjoy kayaking and fly fishing, and they had spent the day before on the Boardman River which links Traverse Bay to Boardman Lake.  

Chicken Coupe Express

Sisters on The Fly - Chicken Coupe Express

Chicken Coupe Express - Welcome all Fisherwomen!

This is called a "Butt Kiss" on all Sisters On The Fly  Campers

Laurie Anderson - a new friend from Sisters On The Fly

 A couple of months ago when we visited the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, I met another SOTF member, Mary Berry, #3612, in a 1963 Shasta travel trailer.  Mary was attending a fiber show in Lexington, where she was selling alpaca fiber from the family farm outside Houston, where she and her husband raise sheep and alpaca.

Sisters On The Fly Logo

Mary Berry's 1963 Shasta Trailer

From all the books, articles and available information regarding SOTF,  this organization attracts the most amazing, capable, outrageous, talented, and utterly unique women ever!  Their motto is "We have more fun than anyone!"  An article written about a member from Jacksonville, FL, says a lot about the spirit of Sisters On The Fly.