Champaign, IL.
77 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.
About 9:30 or so this morning Jim and Linda hopped into Lily and headed to a little cemetery, out in the country between Champaign and Fisher. Some of Linda's distant relatives are buried there and they usually go out there when we are in the area.
After viewing the graves, they decided to head to Rantoul to stop in at the Prairie Pines CG to see if Paul and Louise were there, and say Hi to them if they were. When they arrived, Jim noticed that Louise's car wasn't there, but the office door was open, so they parked Lily and went up the walk. As they got up to the office, Linda, one of the people who had helped Louise with the CG last year came out and greeted them. Upon asking about Paul and Louise, she told them that while they were down in Texas, in December, Louise had a stroke and ended up in a hospital. While in the hospital, they discovered a large cancerous tumor, (I think in her mid-section).
I don't know all the details, but in March, Louise passed away, from the cancer!!!
Don't know what else to say. We're all in shock!!!
Paul is living in his 5th wheel trailer at the CG and helping out as much as he can. He is suffering from dementia and is having a lot of trouble. Luckily, his son, Mark, is staying there with him to help as much as possible. Both Jim and Linda said that they doubt if Paul will be able to do much of anything pretty soon.
A very sad situation.
While they were there, Ron and Marilyn stopped by, (friends of their's that are staying at the CG) and they talked for a little while. They have made plans to meet up at the Urbana Gardens Restaurant for a meal soon, and maybe Jim and Linda will learn more about Paul and Louise then.
Rest in peace, Louise. We'll miss you.
Woof!!!
Showing posts with label Campground Hosts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Campground Hosts. Show all posts
Monday, August 14, 2017
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Jim's 75th, Leaving Rantoul and The First 3 Days Of Travel
Waynesville, NC
55 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 83F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday, September the 17th, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed to the Longhorn Steakhouse down in Champaign. You see, Sunday the 18th, was Jim's 75th birthday, but neither Jim nor Linda wanted to go on Sunday when it would be much more crowded at the restaurant. They both had very good steak dinners and really enjoyed themselves.
Then, on Sunday, Louise and Paul, (the campground hosts), had Jim and Linda over for a Pork chop farewell dinner, ( Louise didn't realize the it was Jim's birthday). The meal was great and the conversation even better. :-)
By Wednesday morning, Jim and Linda had everything packed up and ready to go, so after hugs and handshakes, we left Prairie Pines CG and headed East towards Indianapolis.
After following I-74 into Indiana, we took I-465 around to the South side of the city where we pulled into the Lake Haven RV Park. It took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to make the 135 mile trip over there. After arriving, Jim took a little nap and then he and Linda headed over to Linda's cousin's house for a visit.
It had been a year since they had visited with Mike and his wife, Sandy. Both Linda and Jim really enjoyed seeing them and hopefully they'll see them again next year.
Thursday, we left Indy and took I-465 the rest of the way around the South sided of the city where we picked up I-74, heading SE towards Cincinnati. Just before the city, we turned off on I-275 and followed it around to the South side of Cincinnati where we turned South on I-75. We then took 75 all the way down to Berea , KY where we pulled into the Walnut Meadow RV Park.
It was a long day for us, but Jim did well and by the end, we had traveled 235 miles in about 4 hours and 5 minutes.
The reason for coming to Berea was to stop and see Linda's other cousin, Rick and to meet his new friend Barb. Rick went through a nasty divorce a few years ago, and everyone is really happy that he found someone he really seems to enjoy being with.
Anyway, Jim, Linda, Rick and Barb went to the local Cracker Barrel Restaurant where they all enjoyed the good food and the great conversations. Then, after the meal, Rick took everyone back to his apartment where he surprised Jim with a belated Birthday cake and ice cream for desert!!!
Afterwords, they all sat around visiting and catching up on what has been happening the last few years since they last saw each other. It was good seeing Rick again and he seems much happier now that he has met Barb, who seems like a very nice lady.
Yesterday morning, we left Berea and continued South on I-75, down to Knoxville. Just North of Knoxville, we turned East on I-640. We followed it around to the East side of the city where we picked up I-40. 40 then took us first East and then South down here to Waynesville, NC where we turned off on US 276 and followed it a few miles here to the Creekwood Farms RV Park.It was about 12:55 by the time we arrived and so we had traveled another 223 miles in about 3 hours and 45 minutes.
Another long day for us. :-(
Today the plan is to head down to Forest City, NC to visit Jim and Linda's very good friends, Roland and Louise. Long time followers of this blog will know that Roland and Louise have been very good friends for many years and they always enjoy being together and catching up on what has happened since their last meeting.
We'll be staying at their place, out in the country, for 4 nights before heading to the Raleigh area to see Jim's son Mike and his family.
Did you know that on this date in 1977 - "The Love Boat" debuted on ABC-TV?
Woof!!!
55 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 83F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday, September the 17th, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed to the Longhorn Steakhouse down in Champaign. You see, Sunday the 18th, was Jim's 75th birthday, but neither Jim nor Linda wanted to go on Sunday when it would be much more crowded at the restaurant. They both had very good steak dinners and really enjoyed themselves.
Then, on Sunday, Louise and Paul, (the campground hosts), had Jim and Linda over for a Pork chop farewell dinner, ( Louise didn't realize the it was Jim's birthday). The meal was great and the conversation even better. :-)
By Wednesday morning, Jim and Linda had everything packed up and ready to go, so after hugs and handshakes, we left Prairie Pines CG and headed East towards Indianapolis.
After following I-74 into Indiana, we took I-465 around to the South side of the city where we pulled into the Lake Haven RV Park. It took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to make the 135 mile trip over there. After arriving, Jim took a little nap and then he and Linda headed over to Linda's cousin's house for a visit.
It had been a year since they had visited with Mike and his wife, Sandy. Both Linda and Jim really enjoyed seeing them and hopefully they'll see them again next year.
Thursday, we left Indy and took I-465 the rest of the way around the South sided of the city where we picked up I-74, heading SE towards Cincinnati. Just before the city, we turned off on I-275 and followed it around to the South side of Cincinnati where we turned South on I-75. We then took 75 all the way down to Berea , KY where we pulled into the Walnut Meadow RV Park.
It was a long day for us, but Jim did well and by the end, we had traveled 235 miles in about 4 hours and 5 minutes.
The reason for coming to Berea was to stop and see Linda's other cousin, Rick and to meet his new friend Barb. Rick went through a nasty divorce a few years ago, and everyone is really happy that he found someone he really seems to enjoy being with.
Anyway, Jim, Linda, Rick and Barb went to the local Cracker Barrel Restaurant where they all enjoyed the good food and the great conversations. Then, after the meal, Rick took everyone back to his apartment where he surprised Jim with a belated Birthday cake and ice cream for desert!!!
Afterwords, they all sat around visiting and catching up on what has been happening the last few years since they last saw each other. It was good seeing Rick again and he seems much happier now that he has met Barb, who seems like a very nice lady.
Yesterday morning, we left Berea and continued South on I-75, down to Knoxville. Just North of Knoxville, we turned East on I-640. We followed it around to the East side of the city where we picked up I-40. 40 then took us first East and then South down here to Waynesville, NC where we turned off on US 276 and followed it a few miles here to the Creekwood Farms RV Park.It was about 12:55 by the time we arrived and so we had traveled another 223 miles in about 3 hours and 45 minutes.
Another long day for us. :-(
Today the plan is to head down to Forest City, NC to visit Jim and Linda's very good friends, Roland and Louise. Long time followers of this blog will know that Roland and Louise have been very good friends for many years and they always enjoy being together and catching up on what has happened since their last meeting.
We'll be staying at their place, out in the country, for 4 nights before heading to the Raleigh area to see Jim's son Mike and his family.
Did you know that on this date in 1977 - "The Love Boat" debuted on ABC-TV?
Woof!!!
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
A Nice Labor Day Weekend and Gatting Ready For Company
Rantoul, IL.
74 deg. clear, SW wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 93F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Tonight, partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low around 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
As many of you may know, Labor Day is one of my favorite holidays because after it, the kids are back in school, many RVers put their RVs in storage for the winter and most people have taken their vacations and settled down somewhere for the winter. That means fewer cars and RVs on the road and less crowded campgrounds for the most part. :-)
Also, the weather will start cooling down and if you plan your travels right, there's a very good chance that you'll have some beautiful fall travel weather.
The CG here at Rantoul wasn't completely full for the Holiday this year, but most of the good sites were taken. Also, it seemed like there weren't as many kids here this year. Either that, or they just weren't as noisy as in years past. Can't really say that about the dogs that the RVers brought along though. They were very annoying at times. :-(
Louise and Paul, (the CG hosts), had a cookout Saturday afternoon. They furnished the brats, baked beans and potato salad and everyone else brought food to share. By the time everyone brought something, (about 30 people came to the cookout), there were 2 picnic tables full of food. If anyone went away hungry, it was their own fault!! ;-)
Jim and Linda went grocery shopping yesterday. There weren't too many people shopping the day after Labor Day, so it wasn't crowded at all. Again, they bought too many groceries and had trouble getting everything into the refrigerator and cabinets.
Tomorrow, Dave, (I don't know if Dee Dee will be coming tomorrow or not), will be coming here to Prairie Pines. He'll probably be getting here somewhere around noon. I hope the weather co-operates and the rain holds off so he can get his trailer set up without getting soaked.
Friday morning, Dave has a dental appointment to get a broken tooth taken care of. Jim will be taking him to his appointment because Dee Dee will be busy and he needs someone to drive him back here as he will receive a sedative for the procedure.
The weather for the Labor Day weekend was really nice, but is has been quite hot the last few days. This weekend, it's supposed to cool off again though, and we should have decent weather for the last half of the weekend and into the first part of next week.
Today and tomorrow morning, Jim and Linda will be getting ready for Dave and Dee Dee's arrival and for Jeff and Heather's arrival on Monday. I'm getting all excited about all that company coming and can hardly wait to see them!!!! :-)
Did you know that on this date in 1930 - The cartoon "Blondie" made its first appearance in the comic strips?
Woof!!!!
74 deg. clear, SW wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 93F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Tonight, partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low around 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
As many of you may know, Labor Day is one of my favorite holidays because after it, the kids are back in school, many RVers put their RVs in storage for the winter and most people have taken their vacations and settled down somewhere for the winter. That means fewer cars and RVs on the road and less crowded campgrounds for the most part. :-)
Also, the weather will start cooling down and if you plan your travels right, there's a very good chance that you'll have some beautiful fall travel weather.
The CG here at Rantoul wasn't completely full for the Holiday this year, but most of the good sites were taken. Also, it seemed like there weren't as many kids here this year. Either that, or they just weren't as noisy as in years past. Can't really say that about the dogs that the RVers brought along though. They were very annoying at times. :-(
Louise and Paul, (the CG hosts), had a cookout Saturday afternoon. They furnished the brats, baked beans and potato salad and everyone else brought food to share. By the time everyone brought something, (about 30 people came to the cookout), there were 2 picnic tables full of food. If anyone went away hungry, it was their own fault!! ;-)
Jim and Linda went grocery shopping yesterday. There weren't too many people shopping the day after Labor Day, so it wasn't crowded at all. Again, they bought too many groceries and had trouble getting everything into the refrigerator and cabinets.
Tomorrow, Dave, (I don't know if Dee Dee will be coming tomorrow or not), will be coming here to Prairie Pines. He'll probably be getting here somewhere around noon. I hope the weather co-operates and the rain holds off so he can get his trailer set up without getting soaked.
Friday morning, Dave has a dental appointment to get a broken tooth taken care of. Jim will be taking him to his appointment because Dee Dee will be busy and he needs someone to drive him back here as he will receive a sedative for the procedure.
The weather for the Labor Day weekend was really nice, but is has been quite hot the last few days. This weekend, it's supposed to cool off again though, and we should have decent weather for the last half of the weekend and into the first part of next week.
Today and tomorrow morning, Jim and Linda will be getting ready for Dave and Dee Dee's arrival and for Jeff and Heather's arrival on Monday. I'm getting all excited about all that company coming and can hardly wait to see them!!!! :-)
Did you know that on this date in 1930 - The cartoon "Blondie" made its first appearance in the comic strips?
Woof!!!!
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Hot!! Hot!! Hot!! and Happy Birthday Linda!!
Rantoul, IL
88 deg, clear, S. wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing this afternoon. High 89F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
Like so many other parts of the country, it's been really hot here in Rantoul lately. Many of the days the temp. has been up around 90 with high humidity and light winds. :-( So, , , , , like almost everyone else in the park, Jim and Linda have been mostly staying inside of Nora where her A/C unit is purrring along nicely and keeping the temperatures nice and cool!! :-)
One exception is that yesterday afternoon, Big RED took Jim and Linda down to Champaign and to the Longhorn Steakhouse where they both enjoyed nice steak dinners.
Now, I'll bet you're asking yourself, "Why would they go out to get a steak dinner when it's so hot out?" Well, , , , yesterday was Linda's birthday and Jim decided to treat her to a nice dinner!!!!
By about 2:30 or 3:00 they were back here, (stuffed), and were over across the street, talking to Paul and Louise. They didn't stay too long though, it was pretty hot and the "sweat bees" were driving everyone crazy.
After returning to Nora, they both just stayed inside.
Other than that. nothing much has been happening around here. Both Jim and Linda have been starting to get ready for our trip up to Wisconsin for Linda's family reunion, which is just over a week away. Jim dumped the tanks today and then will dump them again just before we leave, so that we'll be traveling with almost empty black and grey water tanks. He will make sure that we've got plenty of fresh water though, so he doesn't have to hook up the water hose when we stop at a CG part way up there.
Did you know that the highest temperature ever reported in Illinois was 117°F in East St. Louis. IL on July 14, 1954?
Woof!!!
88 deg, clear, S. wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing this afternoon. High 89F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
Like so many other parts of the country, it's been really hot here in Rantoul lately. Many of the days the temp. has been up around 90 with high humidity and light winds. :-( So, , , , , like almost everyone else in the park, Jim and Linda have been mostly staying inside of Nora where her A/C unit is purrring along nicely and keeping the temperatures nice and cool!! :-)
One exception is that yesterday afternoon, Big RED took Jim and Linda down to Champaign and to the Longhorn Steakhouse where they both enjoyed nice steak dinners.
Now, I'll bet you're asking yourself, "Why would they go out to get a steak dinner when it's so hot out?" Well, , , , yesterday was Linda's birthday and Jim decided to treat her to a nice dinner!!!!
By about 2:30 or 3:00 they were back here, (stuffed), and were over across the street, talking to Paul and Louise. They didn't stay too long though, it was pretty hot and the "sweat bees" were driving everyone crazy.
After returning to Nora, they both just stayed inside.
Other than that. nothing much has been happening around here. Both Jim and Linda have been starting to get ready for our trip up to Wisconsin for Linda's family reunion, which is just over a week away. Jim dumped the tanks today and then will dump them again just before we leave, so that we'll be traveling with almost empty black and grey water tanks. He will make sure that we've got plenty of fresh water though, so he doesn't have to hook up the water hose when we stop at a CG part way up there.
Did you know that the highest temperature ever reported in Illinois was 117°F in East St. Louis. IL on July 14, 1954?
Woof!!!
Friday, June 24, 2016
Yes, We Did Make It To Rantoul
Rantoul, IL.
65 deg. clear, N. wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Sun and clouds mixed. High 87F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Sorry it took so long for me to write this post, but it's been quite busy since the last time I've posted.
We left the Hilltop CG in Goreville Monday morning after a nice restful day on Sunday. It was about 8:30 when we pulled out of our site and headed North on I-57. 57 took us all the way up here to Rantoul where we turned off on US 136. 136 took us into town and to Rt. 45/Century Blvd. where we turned South. If you keep heading South on Century Blvd instead of following US 45 as it turns West, Century will take you to within a block of the Prairie Pines CG. All you have to do is turn East on the S. Perimeter Rd at the stop sign and take it 1 block to the CG. (You'll be able to see the CG as you drive South on Century.)
It was right at 12:15 when we pulled up in front of the office, so we traveled the 220 miles up here in 3 hours and 45 minutes.
Our site is right across from the office this year. I'm still trying to decide if I like as well as the site we've had previously. It has shade at many times of the day, but in the evening, (around dinner time), there's no shade at all on our awning side, and the sun is low enough that the awing doesn't help either. Now, later in the evening, the sun goes behind some trees to the west and shades our site nicely.
I guess it's like anything else, it'll just takes some time to get used to the new site.
Jim got Nora partially set up when we arrived Monday and then Monday night, we had a strong storm go through the Rantoul area. Just a few blocks North of here, there was quite a bit of damage at the airport and there were many trees and branches blown down in the area. We lucked out here at the CG though, only small branches and a few things blown around. There was one MH on the East side of the CG that lost it's awning though. As for us, the big thing was that Nora developed a leak where the front cap connects to the roof and water leaked into the cabinets over the bed and then down onto the bed!!! :-(
Needless to say, Jim and Linda spent much of the night, soaking up water and trying to prevent the bed from getting too wet.
Tuesday, Jim went over to ACE Hardware and bought some silicone sealer for the roof/cap joint. Then In the afternoon, Paul's son, David, (who was visiting Paul and Louise and lives in California), came over with a tall ladder and ran sealant all along the joint, while looking for any small cracks or places of possible leaks along the seam. David evidently did a good job because Tuesday night we had another heavy downpour, which lasted most of the night, and there were no leaks. Jim didn't get much sleep though because he was constantly checking inside the overhead cabinets for water.
Thanks so much, David!!!! Jim just doesn't feel safe getting up on a ladder at this time and he really appreciated the help.
Wednesday, Jim was very tired and really worn out, so he rested and napped most of the day.
By yesterday morning, (Thursday), he was feeling much better though and even felt good enough to re-organize some of the "basement" compartment. Then, for dinner, he and Linda took Big RED and headed over to Fisher, IL and to the Blue Start Restaurant where they both had very nice meals.
A Quote to Ponder ; “The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.”
John E. Southard
Woof!!!
65 deg. clear, N. wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Sun and clouds mixed. High 87F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Sorry it took so long for me to write this post, but it's been quite busy since the last time I've posted.
We left the Hilltop CG in Goreville Monday morning after a nice restful day on Sunday. It was about 8:30 when we pulled out of our site and headed North on I-57. 57 took us all the way up here to Rantoul where we turned off on US 136. 136 took us into town and to Rt. 45/Century Blvd. where we turned South. If you keep heading South on Century Blvd instead of following US 45 as it turns West, Century will take you to within a block of the Prairie Pines CG. All you have to do is turn East on the S. Perimeter Rd at the stop sign and take it 1 block to the CG. (You'll be able to see the CG as you drive South on Century.)
It was right at 12:15 when we pulled up in front of the office, so we traveled the 220 miles up here in 3 hours and 45 minutes.
Our site is right across from the office this year. I'm still trying to decide if I like as well as the site we've had previously. It has shade at many times of the day, but in the evening, (around dinner time), there's no shade at all on our awning side, and the sun is low enough that the awing doesn't help either. Now, later in the evening, the sun goes behind some trees to the west and shades our site nicely.
I guess it's like anything else, it'll just takes some time to get used to the new site.
Jim got Nora partially set up when we arrived Monday and then Monday night, we had a strong storm go through the Rantoul area. Just a few blocks North of here, there was quite a bit of damage at the airport and there were many trees and branches blown down in the area. We lucked out here at the CG though, only small branches and a few things blown around. There was one MH on the East side of the CG that lost it's awning though. As for us, the big thing was that Nora developed a leak where the front cap connects to the roof and water leaked into the cabinets over the bed and then down onto the bed!!! :-(
Needless to say, Jim and Linda spent much of the night, soaking up water and trying to prevent the bed from getting too wet.
Tuesday, Jim went over to ACE Hardware and bought some silicone sealer for the roof/cap joint. Then In the afternoon, Paul's son, David, (who was visiting Paul and Louise and lives in California), came over with a tall ladder and ran sealant all along the joint, while looking for any small cracks or places of possible leaks along the seam. David evidently did a good job because Tuesday night we had another heavy downpour, which lasted most of the night, and there were no leaks. Jim didn't get much sleep though because he was constantly checking inside the overhead cabinets for water.
Thanks so much, David!!!! Jim just doesn't feel safe getting up on a ladder at this time and he really appreciated the help.
Wednesday, Jim was very tired and really worn out, so he rested and napped most of the day.
By yesterday morning, (Thursday), he was feeling much better though and even felt good enough to re-organize some of the "basement" compartment. Then, for dinner, he and Linda took Big RED and headed over to Fisher, IL and to the Blue Start Restaurant where they both had very nice meals.
A Quote to Ponder ; “The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.”
John E. Southard
Woof!!!
Sunday, June 19, 2016
AL to TN to KY to IL and A Long, Long Day!!
Goreville, IL.
77 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
We left the Deer Run Campground near Troy, AL earlier than usual (8:30 am), on Friday morning. The reason being that Linda was up early and the weather forecast for later in the day was for thunderstorms with high winds and heavy rain.
From Troy, we continued NW on US 231 up to Montgomery, where we first got on Westbound I-85 and then turned North on I-65. 65 took us up through Birmingham where the road is still very rough, but at least the construction that we encountered on our last trip through Birmingham was finished. Continuing North on I-65 took us up to Cullman, AL and the Cullman RV Park.
The Cullman RV Park is off the beaten path, but we've been there many times in the past and knew that they had some nice shady, level pull-through sites where we could stay for 1 night.
It was right at 12:00 when we pulled into the park so we had traveled 192 miles in about 3 1/2 hours.
Oh, and the weather that was forecasted? Well, it rained hard in Cullman after we arrived, but there were severe storms in Birmingham where there were trees down and some road flooding.
Yesterday was an eventful day. We left Cullman about 9:00 and continued North on I-65 to Nashville. On the North side of Nashville, just before we were to turn off on I-24, the traffic came to a screeching halt!!! The problem was that they had 2 of the 3 lanes of I-65 closed down for construction and everyone was trying to funnel down to the one lane. :-(
I think it took us the better part of 1/2 hour to get through that mess!!! :-(
Once on I-24, heading NW, traffic once again moved along nicely.
Following 24 took us up to Clarksville where we had planned to stay at the Clarksville RV Park. But, guess what? The park was full!!!!!
Now what to do? We had already traveled about 190 miles and those of you that are familiar with the area, know that there are not any other decent campgrounds in the area!!! We also learned that evidently, the Father's Day weekend is a popular weekend to go camping, it was a good chance that all state parks and COE parks would be full-up also!!!
Well, Jim decided that he would call our next planned stop, which was about another 2 hours farther away and see if they had sites available. They did not answer the phone, but Jim left a message on their machine and we took off continuing NW on I-24.
After awhile, the CG called back and said that they had sites available and they would be sure to save one for us.
So, , , , , , here we are in Goreville, IL. at the Hilltop CG. It was 3:15 by the time we arrived and we had traveled 335 miles in 6 hours and 15 minutes!!!!
A long, long, long day for us!! In fact I can't remember the last time we traveled that many miles in a day!!!!
How did Jim hold up?? Well he was really beat by the time we arrived, but he took his time getting Nora set up and then took a nice long nap. By evening, he was feeling better and it seemed like he was pretty well rested.
We'll be here for 2 nights and then tomorrow, we'll head for Rantoul. We'll get there a couple days earlier than planned, but I'm sure Louise, (The CG host), will have a site for us.
Did you know that Davy Crockett was not born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, as the song says? He was born on the banks of Limestone Creek near Greeneville, where a replica of the Crockett's log cabin stands today.
Woof!!!
77 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
We left the Deer Run Campground near Troy, AL earlier than usual (8:30 am), on Friday morning. The reason being that Linda was up early and the weather forecast for later in the day was for thunderstorms with high winds and heavy rain.
From Troy, we continued NW on US 231 up to Montgomery, where we first got on Westbound I-85 and then turned North on I-65. 65 took us up through Birmingham where the road is still very rough, but at least the construction that we encountered on our last trip through Birmingham was finished. Continuing North on I-65 took us up to Cullman, AL and the Cullman RV Park.
The Cullman RV Park is off the beaten path, but we've been there many times in the past and knew that they had some nice shady, level pull-through sites where we could stay for 1 night.
It was right at 12:00 when we pulled into the park so we had traveled 192 miles in about 3 1/2 hours.
Oh, and the weather that was forecasted? Well, it rained hard in Cullman after we arrived, but there were severe storms in Birmingham where there were trees down and some road flooding.
Yesterday was an eventful day. We left Cullman about 9:00 and continued North on I-65 to Nashville. On the North side of Nashville, just before we were to turn off on I-24, the traffic came to a screeching halt!!! The problem was that they had 2 of the 3 lanes of I-65 closed down for construction and everyone was trying to funnel down to the one lane. :-(
I think it took us the better part of 1/2 hour to get through that mess!!! :-(
Once on I-24, heading NW, traffic once again moved along nicely.
Following 24 took us up to Clarksville where we had planned to stay at the Clarksville RV Park. But, guess what? The park was full!!!!!
Now what to do? We had already traveled about 190 miles and those of you that are familiar with the area, know that there are not any other decent campgrounds in the area!!! We also learned that evidently, the Father's Day weekend is a popular weekend to go camping, it was a good chance that all state parks and COE parks would be full-up also!!!
Well, Jim decided that he would call our next planned stop, which was about another 2 hours farther away and see if they had sites available. They did not answer the phone, but Jim left a message on their machine and we took off continuing NW on I-24.
After awhile, the CG called back and said that they had sites available and they would be sure to save one for us.
So, , , , , , here we are in Goreville, IL. at the Hilltop CG. It was 3:15 by the time we arrived and we had traveled 335 miles in 6 hours and 15 minutes!!!!
A long, long, long day for us!! In fact I can't remember the last time we traveled that many miles in a day!!!!
How did Jim hold up?? Well he was really beat by the time we arrived, but he took his time getting Nora set up and then took a nice long nap. By evening, he was feeling better and it seemed like he was pretty well rested.
We'll be here for 2 nights and then tomorrow, we'll head for Rantoul. We'll get there a couple days earlier than planned, but I'm sure Louise, (The CG host), will have a site for us.
Did you know that Davy Crockett was not born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, as the song says? He was born on the banks of Limestone Creek near Greeneville, where a replica of the Crockett's log cabin stands today.
Woof!!!
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Chiefland FL. To Thomsaville GA. to Troy, AL.
Troy, AL.
77 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast tonight = Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Forecast tomorrow = Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. High 94F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
We left the Chiefland RV Park about 9:25 and headed Northwest on US 19. After traveling through places like Fannng Springs, Old Town, Perry and Capps, 19 turned North. It then crossed I-10 and the Georgia State Line and took us up to Thomasville, GA. and the City of Roses RV Park, which is another Passport America park.
It was 11:55 when we pulled up along side of the office, so we traveled the 130 miles up here in about 2 and 1/2 hours.
The City of Roses RV Park is an old park, but lately there have been some changes made. The same man is running the park but some of the permanent RVs that were there are gone. The grass was freshly cut and I think the place has been "cleaned up" a lot. There's still quite a few long term RVs around the outside of the park, but they seem like a friendly bunch of folks if you just say "Hi" to them and start up a short conversation.
We've been coming here for years and have never had a problem. And for $15 a night it's quite a deal for a full hook-up site.
This morning, about 9:25 ET, we left Thomasville and headed West on US 84. 84 took us to Cario and to Bainbridge where we drove into a reall "gully washer" which caused us to slow down to about 30 mph because of such poor visibility. After Bainbridge the weather cleared somewhat and we just had sprinkles the rest of the way to Dothan, AL. After taking 84 around the NE side of Dothan, we turned NW on US 231 and followed it up here to Troy, AL and the Deer Run RV Park.
It was 12:40 ET when we arrived, so we traveled 166 miles in about 3 hours and 15 minutes.
We crossed into the Central Time Zone as we crossed into Alabama, so it was actually 11:40 when we arrived here near Troy, AL.
We'll be staying here at Deer Run for 2 nights so that Jim can recoup a little. Besides that, they're forecasting a lot of rain for this area tomorrow.
Speaking of Jim. He's been able to do everything that needs to be done in the mornings and afternoons. He does get quite tired though and sometimes has to quit what he's doing and sit down for awhile. Then, he goes back at whatever he was doing and finishes it up.Not the way he likes to do things, but it's working. He also seems to get tired driving, so we probably don't want to travel more than 150 to 170 miles or so a day.
If everything goes according to plan, we should be getting up to Rantoul during the first half of next week. I should be able to be more precise in a couple days.
Did you know that Georgia was named for King George II of England?
Woof!!!
77 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast tonight = Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Forecast tomorrow = Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. High 94F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
We left the Chiefland RV Park about 9:25 and headed Northwest on US 19. After traveling through places like Fannng Springs, Old Town, Perry and Capps, 19 turned North. It then crossed I-10 and the Georgia State Line and took us up to Thomasville, GA. and the City of Roses RV Park, which is another Passport America park.
It was 11:55 when we pulled up along side of the office, so we traveled the 130 miles up here in about 2 and 1/2 hours.
The City of Roses RV Park is an old park, but lately there have been some changes made. The same man is running the park but some of the permanent RVs that were there are gone. The grass was freshly cut and I think the place has been "cleaned up" a lot. There's still quite a few long term RVs around the outside of the park, but they seem like a friendly bunch of folks if you just say "Hi" to them and start up a short conversation.
We've been coming here for years and have never had a problem. And for $15 a night it's quite a deal for a full hook-up site.
This morning, about 9:25 ET, we left Thomasville and headed West on US 84. 84 took us to Cario and to Bainbridge where we drove into a reall "gully washer" which caused us to slow down to about 30 mph because of such poor visibility. After Bainbridge the weather cleared somewhat and we just had sprinkles the rest of the way to Dothan, AL. After taking 84 around the NE side of Dothan, we turned NW on US 231 and followed it up here to Troy, AL and the Deer Run RV Park.
It was 12:40 ET when we arrived, so we traveled 166 miles in about 3 hours and 15 minutes.
We crossed into the Central Time Zone as we crossed into Alabama, so it was actually 11:40 when we arrived here near Troy, AL.
We'll be staying here at Deer Run for 2 nights so that Jim can recoup a little. Besides that, they're forecasting a lot of rain for this area tomorrow.
Speaking of Jim. He's been able to do everything that needs to be done in the mornings and afternoons. He does get quite tired though and sometimes has to quit what he's doing and sit down for awhile. Then, he goes back at whatever he was doing and finishes it up.Not the way he likes to do things, but it's working. He also seems to get tired driving, so we probably don't want to travel more than 150 to 170 miles or so a day.
If everything goes according to plan, we should be getting up to Rantoul during the first half of next week. I should be able to be more precise in a couple days.
Did you know that Georgia was named for King George II of England?
Woof!!!
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Catching Up, IL to IN, IN to OH, "Campground Is Full" and OH to WV
Point Pleasant, WV
38 Deg. clear, no wind
Forecast = Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. Scattered frost possible. High 56F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
We did leave Prairie Pines on Tuesday as planned in change "C" of our trip plan. After hugs and good-bye's at Paul and Louise's it was right at 10:05 when we pulled out of the Prairie Pines CG and headed South on some local roads, joining I-74 in St. Joseph, IL. Once on 74 it was just a matter of following it East over to Indy where we turned South on I-465. 465 took us around to the South side of the city and to the Lake Haven Retreat which is just a little South of the Interstate on Rt.37.
It was 12:25 when we arrived, so it took us right at 2 1/2 hours to drive the 135 miles over there.
After arriving and getting Nora set up, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over to Linda's cousin, Mike's house where they had a great visit and a nice meal of Popeye's chicken. Mike and his wife Sandy, seem to be doing pretty well right now. It was about 8:00 or so by the time Jim and Linda returned to the park and both of them said that they had a good time visiting.
Wednesday morning, after hooking Nora to the back of Big RED, we left the Indianapolis area, at about 10:10, (Eastern Time), and headed SE on US 74. When we got over to Cincinnati, we took I-275 around the South side of the city and picked up Rt 32 on the East side. Following 32 SE to the Batavia, OH area, brought us to the East Fork State Park. Upon pulling into the park and at the CG entrance, there was a sign with big red letters stating that the "Campground Is Full"!!!!
Now, this is a huge State Park with many, many sites, but being that they are having a Halloween Campout for the next 2 weekends, all the sites were reserved or full. After talking to the lady at the office, she suggested Jim try the Stonelick State Park which was about 15 miles North of East Fork. She gave Jim the phone number so he called over there and they had a few sites available for a couple nights. So, , , , , , , after programming the address into our GPS, we took off, following "Tillie;s" directions up there.
Now, don't ask me exactly which roads we took up there. There were 4 or 5 different Ohio routes and I have now idea what they were, but Tillie got us there and by the time we arrived we had traveled 178 miles and it was about 2:10 when pulled up to the registration office at the Stonelick State Park, near Pleasant Plains, OH. :-)
They're having a Halloween Campout at Stonelick this weekend too, but we were able to stay for 2 nights in site #42.
As you can see by the photos below, it's kind of a nice park and the fall colors are just starting to show.
I can't even begin to tell you how helpful both of the ladies at the 2 State Parks were at helping us get a site. They went out of their way to accommodate us. I doubt if they'll be reading this, but I'd like to thank them for helping us. "Thank You"!!!!
After staying at Stonelick for 2 nights, (without any Internet Signal), we left there yesterday morning at around 10:15. Again, Tillie came through and got us back on Rt. 32 heading SE. We finally came to US 35 where we turned South and followed 35 down to the Ohio River where we crossed into West Virginia. Just across the river is the town of Point Pleasant. They have a city CG called Krodel Park. It was 1:00 when we pulled into the park and we had traveled 142 miles in about 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Krodel park is OK for an overnight stay. The folks here seem very friendly and except for some kids playing over at the public playground and a train now and then, it's quiet. Most of the sites are quite close together, but the pull-through that we're in is on the end of the row, so we have quite a bit of room.
Here a few photos of the park.
In this last photo, you can see the lake in the distance.
We'll be leaving here this morning to continue our journey to Virginia Beach. We'll probably stop 2 more times before arriving there on Monday.
A Quote To Ponder: “One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks.”
Jack Penn
Woof!!!
38 Deg. clear, no wind
Forecast = Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. Scattered frost possible. High 56F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
We did leave Prairie Pines on Tuesday as planned in change "C" of our trip plan. After hugs and good-bye's at Paul and Louise's it was right at 10:05 when we pulled out of the Prairie Pines CG and headed South on some local roads, joining I-74 in St. Joseph, IL. Once on 74 it was just a matter of following it East over to Indy where we turned South on I-465. 465 took us around to the South side of the city and to the Lake Haven Retreat which is just a little South of the Interstate on Rt.37.
It was 12:25 when we arrived, so it took us right at 2 1/2 hours to drive the 135 miles over there.
After arriving and getting Nora set up, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over to Linda's cousin, Mike's house where they had a great visit and a nice meal of Popeye's chicken. Mike and his wife Sandy, seem to be doing pretty well right now. It was about 8:00 or so by the time Jim and Linda returned to the park and both of them said that they had a good time visiting.
Wednesday morning, after hooking Nora to the back of Big RED, we left the Indianapolis area, at about 10:10, (Eastern Time), and headed SE on US 74. When we got over to Cincinnati, we took I-275 around the South side of the city and picked up Rt 32 on the East side. Following 32 SE to the Batavia, OH area, brought us to the East Fork State Park. Upon pulling into the park and at the CG entrance, there was a sign with big red letters stating that the "Campground Is Full"!!!!
Now, this is a huge State Park with many, many sites, but being that they are having a Halloween Campout for the next 2 weekends, all the sites were reserved or full. After talking to the lady at the office, she suggested Jim try the Stonelick State Park which was about 15 miles North of East Fork. She gave Jim the phone number so he called over there and they had a few sites available for a couple nights. So, , , , , , , after programming the address into our GPS, we took off, following "Tillie;s" directions up there.
Now, don't ask me exactly which roads we took up there. There were 4 or 5 different Ohio routes and I have now idea what they were, but Tillie got us there and by the time we arrived we had traveled 178 miles and it was about 2:10 when pulled up to the registration office at the Stonelick State Park, near Pleasant Plains, OH. :-)
They're having a Halloween Campout at Stonelick this weekend too, but we were able to stay for 2 nights in site #42.
As you can see by the photos below, it's kind of a nice park and the fall colors are just starting to show.
After staying at Stonelick for 2 nights, (without any Internet Signal), we left there yesterday morning at around 10:15. Again, Tillie came through and got us back on Rt. 32 heading SE. We finally came to US 35 where we turned South and followed 35 down to the Ohio River where we crossed into West Virginia. Just across the river is the town of Point Pleasant. They have a city CG called Krodel Park. It was 1:00 when we pulled into the park and we had traveled 142 miles in about 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Krodel park is OK for an overnight stay. The folks here seem very friendly and except for some kids playing over at the public playground and a train now and then, it's quiet. Most of the sites are quite close together, but the pull-through that we're in is on the end of the row, so we have quite a bit of room.
Here a few photos of the park.
We'll be leaving here this morning to continue our journey to Virginia Beach. We'll probably stop 2 more times before arriving there on Monday.
A Quote To Ponder: “One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks.”
Jack Penn
Woof!!!
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
"The Best Laid Plans Of Mice And Men Often Go Awry" Quote by Robert Burns
Rantoul, IL.
54 deg.overcast, NW wind @ 9 mph.
Forecast = Sun and clouds mixed. High 67F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.
Yep!!! You guessed it!!!! Another change of our travel plans!!!!
Oh well, Jim does have that big eraser and he put it to good use again yesterday when we woke up to wind howling through the CG and Nora shaking on her stabilizer jacks! :-(
So, , , , , , , , after talking it over and checking a couple weather guesses on the computer and on TV, Jim and Linda decided it was in everyone's best interest to stay here and "hunker down" for another day. Especially since the wind was out of the SW and we would be going SE, (the wind would be hitting Nora broadside), with predicted gusts of anywhere from 30 to 40 mph!!! :-O
Jim went over and checked with Louise to make sure it was OK for us to stay another night and then came back here and re-connected the water hose so he and Linda wouldn't have to run off of the fresh water tank's supply. Linda called her cousin in Indy to see of he and his wife were able to visit for awhile today instead of yesterday, (he said that they had no plans for today, so it didn't make any difference), and then unpacked a few items that she and Jim would need for an additional day.
Now, we'll have to change how long we'll be staying at one of our planned stops along the way, but that shouldn't be too difficult cause at 2 of the parks/campgrounds, we were planning on staying 2 nights, so now, we'll only be staying for one night at one of them.
Did you know that on this date in 1792 - The cornerstone of the Executive Mansion was laid in Washington, DC? The building became known as the White House in 1818.
Woof!!!
54 deg.overcast, NW wind @ 9 mph.
Forecast = Sun and clouds mixed. High 67F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.
Yep!!! You guessed it!!!! Another change of our travel plans!!!!
Oh well, Jim does have that big eraser and he put it to good use again yesterday when we woke up to wind howling through the CG and Nora shaking on her stabilizer jacks! :-(
So, , , , , , , , after talking it over and checking a couple weather guesses on the computer and on TV, Jim and Linda decided it was in everyone's best interest to stay here and "hunker down" for another day. Especially since the wind was out of the SW and we would be going SE, (the wind would be hitting Nora broadside), with predicted gusts of anywhere from 30 to 40 mph!!! :-O
Jim went over and checked with Louise to make sure it was OK for us to stay another night and then came back here and re-connected the water hose so he and Linda wouldn't have to run off of the fresh water tank's supply. Linda called her cousin in Indy to see of he and his wife were able to visit for awhile today instead of yesterday, (he said that they had no plans for today, so it didn't make any difference), and then unpacked a few items that she and Jim would need for an additional day.
Now, we'll have to change how long we'll be staying at one of our planned stops along the way, but that shouldn't be too difficult cause at 2 of the parks/campgrounds, we were planning on staying 2 nights, so now, we'll only be staying for one night at one of them.
Did you know that on this date in 1792 - The cornerstone of the Executive Mansion was laid in Washington, DC? The building became known as the White House in 1818.
Woof!!!
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Time To Head South
Rantoul, IL.
48 deg. clear, S. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Sunny. High around 80F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.
As you can see in the photos below, fall is definitely arriving here in Rantoul.
The crops are being harvested out of the fields and the nights are getting downright chilly. The grass is starting to turn brown and all of the songbirds have long ago headed to warmer climates.
All clues to indicate that we should also head to warmer areas of the country. ;-)
So, the last few days have been spent getting ready to do just that. There have been trips to Walgreen's, the grocery store, as well as a lot of reorganizing of "stuff" in the basement and other storage areas of Nora. Of course, Big RED wasn't left out either, Jim also went through much of the "stuff" in his bed as well as any other storage areas inside the cab.
Meanwhile, Linda has been repacking cabinets and storage areas inside of Nora as well as making sure the freezer and refrigerator are ready for travel.
Tomorrow morning, (Monday), we'll be leaving Rantoul and heading over to Indianapolis to see Linda's cousin, Mike and his wife, Sandy. Then, from there, we'll head farther East, going first to Virginia Beach, VA and then to Apex, NC before heading down to Florida for the winter, with the expected time of arrival in Fl. about the 15th of November.
We've had a great summer here in Rantoul, and will miss Paul and Louise and all the folks who regularly stay here or stop by. But, if everything goes well, we'll be back again next year. :-)
A Quote to Ponder : “To those who can dream there is no such place as faraway. " author unknown.
Woof!!!
48 deg. clear, S. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Sunny. High around 80F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.
As you can see in the photos below, fall is definitely arriving here in Rantoul.
The crops are being harvested out of the fields and the nights are getting downright chilly. The grass is starting to turn brown and all of the songbirds have long ago headed to warmer climates.
All clues to indicate that we should also head to warmer areas of the country. ;-)
So, the last few days have been spent getting ready to do just that. There have been trips to Walgreen's, the grocery store, as well as a lot of reorganizing of "stuff" in the basement and other storage areas of Nora. Of course, Big RED wasn't left out either, Jim also went through much of the "stuff" in his bed as well as any other storage areas inside the cab.
Meanwhile, Linda has been repacking cabinets and storage areas inside of Nora as well as making sure the freezer and refrigerator are ready for travel.
Tomorrow morning, (Monday), we'll be leaving Rantoul and heading over to Indianapolis to see Linda's cousin, Mike and his wife, Sandy. Then, from there, we'll head farther East, going first to Virginia Beach, VA and then to Apex, NC before heading down to Florida for the winter, with the expected time of arrival in Fl. about the 15th of November.
We've had a great summer here in Rantoul, and will miss Paul and Louise and all the folks who regularly stay here or stop by. But, if everything goes well, we'll be back again next year. :-)
A Quote to Ponder : “To those who can dream there is no such place as faraway. " author unknown.
Woof!!!
Monday, September 21, 2015
Paul And Louise Return, A Birthday and Continuing To Make Travel Plans
Rantoul, IL.
52 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny, high 78F. Winds light and variable.
Not a whole lot to report, but I thought I'd bring you up to date on what's been happening around here.
Paul and Louise rolled in about 10:00 Saturday night after going down to Florida for Paul's son's funeral services. It was rough for both of them down there, and it seemed like they were glad to be back "home". In fact, Louise said that they drove 12 hours on Saturday because they didn't want to stay another night in a motel.
Linda's eye is recovering nicely from the treatment on Friday. She's really glad that she won't have to go back to an eye doctor until sometime in December. Nothing much happened over the weekend except most of the "kids" called to wish Jim a Happy Birthday. His birthday was on Friday and since Linda's eye was sore and the weather wasn't too nice, he and Linda have decided to go out to have a belated "birthday dinner" sometime this week.
Over the weekend, Jim has been busy working on a trip plan for our return to Florida for the winter. As of now, the plan is to head out to Virginia Beach to see Joe and his family, then to Apex, NC to see Mike and his family, then wander down to Florida, arriving sometime during the middle of November. He still has quite a few details to work out, so no definite dates have been set yet.
That'll come as he refines the plan and he and Linda make decisions on where they'll be stopping along the way.
Jim and Linda would like to thank all of you who commented, e-mailed or called, expressing your thoughts and prayers for Paul and Louise during their trying time this past week. Both of them seem to be doing pretty well, and we're hoping that time will help heal the pain they must be feeling.
Thank You!!!!
52 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny, high 78F. Winds light and variable.
Not a whole lot to report, but I thought I'd bring you up to date on what's been happening around here.
Paul and Louise rolled in about 10:00 Saturday night after going down to Florida for Paul's son's funeral services. It was rough for both of them down there, and it seemed like they were glad to be back "home". In fact, Louise said that they drove 12 hours on Saturday because they didn't want to stay another night in a motel.
Linda's eye is recovering nicely from the treatment on Friday. She's really glad that she won't have to go back to an eye doctor until sometime in December. Nothing much happened over the weekend except most of the "kids" called to wish Jim a Happy Birthday. His birthday was on Friday and since Linda's eye was sore and the weather wasn't too nice, he and Linda have decided to go out to have a belated "birthday dinner" sometime this week.
Over the weekend, Jim has been busy working on a trip plan for our return to Florida for the winter. As of now, the plan is to head out to Virginia Beach to see Joe and his family, then to Apex, NC to see Mike and his family, then wander down to Florida, arriving sometime during the middle of November. He still has quite a few details to work out, so no definite dates have been set yet.
That'll come as he refines the plan and he and Linda make decisions on where they'll be stopping along the way.
Jim and Linda would like to thank all of you who commented, e-mailed or called, expressing your thoughts and prayers for Paul and Louise during their trying time this past week. Both of them seem to be doing pretty well, and we're hoping that time will help heal the pain they must be feeling.
Thank You!!!!
Here's a quote I found on the internet; “The rainbows of life follow the storms.” author unknown.
Woof!!!
Friday, September 11, 2015
From Tranquil to Tragedy
Rantoul, IL
61 deg. rain, W. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then variable clouds during the afternoon with more showers at times. High 71F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Not a lot has happened since we returned here to Rantoul, last Wednesday. The CG was busy over the Holiday weekend, but the park wasn't full because, mostly, the weather forecast was for high temperatures in the mid-90's and then storms coming through the area on Labor Day. Everything went fine for the holiday though and most people just relaxed under their awnings or a shade tree. And, the forecasted storms didn't materialize in the intensity that was predicted either.
Paul and Louise, (the CG Hosts), had a cook-out on Sunday. They furnished steaks cooked on the grill and other folks brought side dishes to go along with the meat. Jim and Linda were invited, but sadly, Jim couldn't go cause he had developed a pretty bad stomach ache. :-( But, he talked Linda into going and she enjoyed the meal and the conversation with other RVers and friends that Paul and Louise had invited.
By Monday afternoon, most of the holiday campers had left and those that didn't leave on Monday, left Tuesday morning. Even by Monday afternoon it was starting to get very tranquil and the park started settling into "off-season mode". So, even though it was quite hot the first few days of the week, by Wednesday, it started cooling off somewhat, and you could actually sit outside without sweating too much.
It was Wednesday afternoon when Mike and Terri Young stopped by the CG for a night, on their way from the Freeport, IL area to Virginia. If you remember, they had stopped by here for a few days in July and it was sure good to see them again on their return trip.
And again, Big RED took them up to Monical's Pizza where they enjoyed their meals and lots of conversation. Before returning here to our site, Big RED dropped them off at their trailer, but after checking on their animals and putting some left-overs away, they walked to our site to visit some more.
Yesterday morning, Mike and Terri left early, (about 8:30), and headed East. I hope they have a great trip and hope we'll see them again, real soon.
After they left, it was such a beautiful day that Jim and Linda opened windows, doors and vents to let the fresh air in. Then, a little after noon, Louise rode up on one of the 4-wheeler ATVs that they use here at the park. Jim was sitting in his chair by the open door and asked her what was going on. Well, the news that Louise had was not good at all. It seems that earlier in the morning, Paul and Louise had received a phone call and found out that Paul's adult son, who lives in Florida, had taken his life!!!
Now, this is not a phone call that any parent wants to get!!! Don't know any details but it's almost sure that today or tomorrow, Paul and Louise will be heading down there.
He left behind a wife and 2 teenage sons.
Everyone here at the CG feels so bad for Paul. He lost a daughter that lived in Texas, just 2 years ago. I don't know what else to say except that everyone here has Paul in their prayers. He's a strong man though and Louise will be at his side throughout the ordeal.
Such Tragedy!!!!
61 deg. rain, W. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then variable clouds during the afternoon with more showers at times. High 71F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Not a lot has happened since we returned here to Rantoul, last Wednesday. The CG was busy over the Holiday weekend, but the park wasn't full because, mostly, the weather forecast was for high temperatures in the mid-90's and then storms coming through the area on Labor Day. Everything went fine for the holiday though and most people just relaxed under their awnings or a shade tree. And, the forecasted storms didn't materialize in the intensity that was predicted either.
Paul and Louise, (the CG Hosts), had a cook-out on Sunday. They furnished steaks cooked on the grill and other folks brought side dishes to go along with the meat. Jim and Linda were invited, but sadly, Jim couldn't go cause he had developed a pretty bad stomach ache. :-( But, he talked Linda into going and she enjoyed the meal and the conversation with other RVers and friends that Paul and Louise had invited.
By Monday afternoon, most of the holiday campers had left and those that didn't leave on Monday, left Tuesday morning. Even by Monday afternoon it was starting to get very tranquil and the park started settling into "off-season mode". So, even though it was quite hot the first few days of the week, by Wednesday, it started cooling off somewhat, and you could actually sit outside without sweating too much.
It was Wednesday afternoon when Mike and Terri Young stopped by the CG for a night, on their way from the Freeport, IL area to Virginia. If you remember, they had stopped by here for a few days in July and it was sure good to see them again on their return trip.
And again, Big RED took them up to Monical's Pizza where they enjoyed their meals and lots of conversation. Before returning here to our site, Big RED dropped them off at their trailer, but after checking on their animals and putting some left-overs away, they walked to our site to visit some more.
Yesterday morning, Mike and Terri left early, (about 8:30), and headed East. I hope they have a great trip and hope we'll see them again, real soon.
After they left, it was such a beautiful day that Jim and Linda opened windows, doors and vents to let the fresh air in. Then, a little after noon, Louise rode up on one of the 4-wheeler ATVs that they use here at the park. Jim was sitting in his chair by the open door and asked her what was going on. Well, the news that Louise had was not good at all. It seems that earlier in the morning, Paul and Louise had received a phone call and found out that Paul's adult son, who lives in Florida, had taken his life!!!
Now, this is not a phone call that any parent wants to get!!! Don't know any details but it's almost sure that today or tomorrow, Paul and Louise will be heading down there.
He left behind a wife and 2 teenage sons.
Everyone here at the CG feels so bad for Paul. He lost a daughter that lived in Texas, just 2 years ago. I don't know what else to say except that everyone here has Paul in their prayers. He's a strong man though and Louise will be at his side throughout the ordeal.
Such Tragedy!!!!
Saturday, July 25, 2015
It Was A Very Good Day, Mike's Visit and Some Shopping
Rantoul, IL.
67 deg. clear, S. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy early followed by scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 88F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Wednesday was indeed a very good day, both for Linda and Jim.
It actually started Tuesday when Linda's cousin, Rick, called to wish her a Happy Birthday. Rick always calls the day before her birthday now because one time, he got the dates mixed up on his calendar, and called a couple days late. Now he always calls a day early, just to make sure he isn't late again. :-)
All through the day, Linda got calls from family and friends. Then in the afternoon, Mike, arrived and was able to stay until about 8:00 in the evening.
If you remember, Mike is Jim's son and he flew in from North Carolina to visit Linda and Jim and other family members and friends. (This photo of him was taken when we were in NC this spring.)
After Mike arrived, they visited for a short while and then Jim mentioned something about the airport here and the fact that they're going to close down the Aviation Museum over there. Mike said that he'd really like to see it, so he and Jim drove over there and spent about an hour going through it. (They could have spent more time, but by the time they got over there, the museum was only open for another hour before closing for the day). Mike really enjoyed it because he works in the aircraft industry, and is very interested in learning about the older aircraft.
After they returned, Jim, Linda and Mike took Big RED and headed over to Fisher, IL, where they went to the Blue Star Restaurant, where they had nice meals and more conversation. Then, they came back here and visited some more.
All too soon, it was time for Mike to leave, but it was sure good to see him again. Linda was especially pleased that he was able to come on her birthday.
It made the day very special. :-)
After Mike left, Laura (Linda's daughter), called, from Florida to wish her a Happy Birthday, and that just topped the day off perfectly.
Thursday, Jim and Linda decided that they needed a few groceries, so instead of going here in town, they headed down to a Meijer Grocery store in Champaign. Normally, they would have gone to the local grocery store here in Rantoul, but lately, they've been out of or have stopped carrying some of the items that they want to purchase. They've noticed that they're many times out of sale items shortly after the sale begins and don't seem to restock those items until the sale is over.
So, even though Jim likes to buy as much as possible locally to help the local economy and the small store owners, they headed to Meijer's and found everything they wanted, and at a good price too.
After dinner, there was a knock on the door and it was Paul and Louise, (The CG hosts). Louise had a small Birthday cake and a card for Linda!!! That was really nice of them. They've really become good friends through the years. :-)
Thank you, Paul and Louise, Linda was thrilled with the cake and the card!!!
Yesterday morning, Jim took Big RED and headed over to Rural King to look for a few items. He found what he wanted then headed over to the Post Office to pick up a general delivery letter that had been sent there. Then to Walgreen's to pick up a prescription for Linda.
The afternoon was spent reading and fooling around with the computer. That is, until dinnertime when Jim fired up the grill and cooked a nice juicy steak that he and Linda had purchased at Meijer's.
It sure smelled good and by all accounts, it tasted really good too, but I wouldn't know, because I didn't get any!!! :-(
Did you know that the concept of a self-service grocery store was developed by entrepreneur Clarence Saunders and his Piggly Wiggly stores? His first store opened in 1916. Saunders was awarded a number of patents for the ideas he incorporated into his stores.
Woof!!!
67 deg. clear, S. wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy early followed by scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 88F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Wednesday was indeed a very good day, both for Linda and Jim.
It actually started Tuesday when Linda's cousin, Rick, called to wish her a Happy Birthday. Rick always calls the day before her birthday now because one time, he got the dates mixed up on his calendar, and called a couple days late. Now he always calls a day early, just to make sure he isn't late again. :-)
All through the day, Linda got calls from family and friends. Then in the afternoon, Mike, arrived and was able to stay until about 8:00 in the evening.
After Mike arrived, they visited for a short while and then Jim mentioned something about the airport here and the fact that they're going to close down the Aviation Museum over there. Mike said that he'd really like to see it, so he and Jim drove over there and spent about an hour going through it. (They could have spent more time, but by the time they got over there, the museum was only open for another hour before closing for the day). Mike really enjoyed it because he works in the aircraft industry, and is very interested in learning about the older aircraft.
After they returned, Jim, Linda and Mike took Big RED and headed over to Fisher, IL, where they went to the Blue Star Restaurant, where they had nice meals and more conversation. Then, they came back here and visited some more.
All too soon, it was time for Mike to leave, but it was sure good to see him again. Linda was especially pleased that he was able to come on her birthday.
It made the day very special. :-)
After Mike left, Laura (Linda's daughter), called, from Florida to wish her a Happy Birthday, and that just topped the day off perfectly.
Thursday, Jim and Linda decided that they needed a few groceries, so instead of going here in town, they headed down to a Meijer Grocery store in Champaign. Normally, they would have gone to the local grocery store here in Rantoul, but lately, they've been out of or have stopped carrying some of the items that they want to purchase. They've noticed that they're many times out of sale items shortly after the sale begins and don't seem to restock those items until the sale is over.
So, even though Jim likes to buy as much as possible locally to help the local economy and the small store owners, they headed to Meijer's and found everything they wanted, and at a good price too.
After dinner, there was a knock on the door and it was Paul and Louise, (The CG hosts). Louise had a small Birthday cake and a card for Linda!!! That was really nice of them. They've really become good friends through the years. :-)
Thank you, Paul and Louise, Linda was thrilled with the cake and the card!!!
Yesterday morning, Jim took Big RED and headed over to Rural King to look for a few items. He found what he wanted then headed over to the Post Office to pick up a general delivery letter that had been sent there. Then to Walgreen's to pick up a prescription for Linda.
The afternoon was spent reading and fooling around with the computer. That is, until dinnertime when Jim fired up the grill and cooked a nice juicy steak that he and Linda had purchased at Meijer's.
It sure smelled good and by all accounts, it tasted really good too, but I wouldn't know, because I didn't get any!!! :-(
Did you know that the concept of a self-service grocery store was developed by entrepreneur Clarence Saunders and his Piggly Wiggly stores? His first store opened in 1916. Saunders was awarded a number of patents for the ideas he incorporated into his stores.
Woof!!!
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Piketon, OH To Winesburg, OH and A Great Dinner
Winesburg, OH.
62 deg. overcast, N wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 78F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.
Yesterday morning, we left the Rockwater CG near Piketon about 5 minutes before 10:00 and continued heading North on US-23. 23 took us around Chillicothe and up to the South side of Columbus where we turned East on I-270. 270 took us around the city and up to the Northeast side, where we turned East on OH 161. Following 161, (a very rough road), for about 5 miles, brought us to US 62 where we turned NE.and followed it for about 80 miles to Winesburg, OH. Then is was only about 1/2 a mile to the Amish Country Campsites.
US 23 was a good 4 lane road, (almost all divided), with just a few rough spots, I-270 was OK but it had it's rough bridge approaches like so many Interstates, OH 161 was very rough and I was glad that we were only on it for about 5 miles. US 62 was good for the most part, but there were some very hilly areas and parts of it were very twisty with 35 to 45 mph curves and steep hills. The road surface of 62, was for the most part, very good.
It was 1:35 when we pulled up in front of the office after traveling 185 miles in 3 hours and 45 minutes. Not too bad considering parts the 80 miles of US 62 were slow going at times.
We been to the Amish Country Campsites twice before. The last time was in 2009 and even though they were full-up when we arrived with our 40' MH, they found a place for us behind the little utility shed next to the office. We even had 30 amp electric that was obtained by running an extension cord through the window. :-)
The folks running this CG are good people and will help you in any way they can. That's why there was no question on where to stay on this trip.
After getting Nora set up and resting for awhile, Jim and Linda decided to go out to dinner. Being that it's only 8 miles away in Wilmot, they headed to the Amish Door Restaurant and Village, where they had a great meal. After eating, they went to the bakery, next door to the restaurant, and bought some home-made bread and other neat stuff. Then, it was relaxing and TV for the rest of the evening.
Today they're planning on doing a little shopping at a few of the many stores in the area.
Oh, and Jim got out that big eraser of his again. He and Linda decided that we'll be staying here 7 days instead of the planned 5 days so that they could take their time exploring and shopping.
Did you know that Cleveland boasts of having America's first traffic light? It began operation on Aug. 5, 1914.
Woof!!!
62 deg. overcast, N wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 78F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.
Yesterday morning, we left the Rockwater CG near Piketon about 5 minutes before 10:00 and continued heading North on US-23. 23 took us around Chillicothe and up to the South side of Columbus where we turned East on I-270. 270 took us around the city and up to the Northeast side, where we turned East on OH 161. Following 161, (a very rough road), for about 5 miles, brought us to US 62 where we turned NE.and followed it for about 80 miles to Winesburg, OH. Then is was only about 1/2 a mile to the Amish Country Campsites.
US 23 was a good 4 lane road, (almost all divided), with just a few rough spots, I-270 was OK but it had it's rough bridge approaches like so many Interstates, OH 161 was very rough and I was glad that we were only on it for about 5 miles. US 62 was good for the most part, but there were some very hilly areas and parts of it were very twisty with 35 to 45 mph curves and steep hills. The road surface of 62, was for the most part, very good.
It was 1:35 when we pulled up in front of the office after traveling 185 miles in 3 hours and 45 minutes. Not too bad considering parts the 80 miles of US 62 were slow going at times.
We been to the Amish Country Campsites twice before. The last time was in 2009 and even though they were full-up when we arrived with our 40' MH, they found a place for us behind the little utility shed next to the office. We even had 30 amp electric that was obtained by running an extension cord through the window. :-)
The folks running this CG are good people and will help you in any way they can. That's why there was no question on where to stay on this trip.
After getting Nora set up and resting for awhile, Jim and Linda decided to go out to dinner. Being that it's only 8 miles away in Wilmot, they headed to the Amish Door Restaurant and Village, where they had a great meal. After eating, they went to the bakery, next door to the restaurant, and bought some home-made bread and other neat stuff. Then, it was relaxing and TV for the rest of the evening.
Today they're planning on doing a little shopping at a few of the many stores in the area.
Oh, and Jim got out that big eraser of his again. He and Linda decided that we'll be staying here 7 days instead of the planned 5 days so that they could take their time exploring and shopping.
Did you know that Cleveland boasts of having America's first traffic light? It began operation on Aug. 5, 1914.
Woof!!!
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Williamston, NC To North Topsail Beach, NC and The Surf City Family CG
North Topsail Beach, NC.
54 deg. overcast, NE wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. High near 65F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
As planned, we pulled out of the Pierce's RV CG yesterday morning about 10:20 and headed back to US 17. Basically, we just stayed on 17 all the way down to Dixon, NC., (About 14 miles SW of Jacksonville, NC.), where we turned East towards the coast on NC 210. 210 took us to North Topsail Beach, where the road swung around to the SW, and followed the coast to the Surf City Family CG.
It was 12:50 when we pulled up in front of the office, so again, it was a short travel day of 2 1/2 hours, traveling 130 miles.
Surf City is a "Mom and Pop" CG and I think that the same folks are still running it that opened it back 1961. Many of the campers that come here have been coming here for years and years, some spending a whole season here. Right now, the CG has many folks here who are ocean fishing, but during the summer months, the really nice beach is the attraction.
You have to go over the large dune to get to the ocean,
but the view from the top is really neat, and there's a great beach.
It was overcast yesterday, but if Jim can get some photos when it clears up, I'll post them in the next few days.
We'll be staying here for a total of 3 nights before heading down to Myrtle Beach on Tuesday.
Did you know that North Topsail Beach was incorporated in 1990, the Town derived its name from its location, the north end of Topsail Island. The area was formerly known as West Onslow Beach and North Topsail Shores. Town population is 843 (2000 census).
54 deg. overcast, NE wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. High near 65F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
As planned, we pulled out of the Pierce's RV CG yesterday morning about 10:20 and headed back to US 17. Basically, we just stayed on 17 all the way down to Dixon, NC., (About 14 miles SW of Jacksonville, NC.), where we turned East towards the coast on NC 210. 210 took us to North Topsail Beach, where the road swung around to the SW, and followed the coast to the Surf City Family CG.
It was 12:50 when we pulled up in front of the office, so again, it was a short travel day of 2 1/2 hours, traveling 130 miles.
Surf City is a "Mom and Pop" CG and I think that the same folks are still running it that opened it back 1961. Many of the campers that come here have been coming here for years and years, some spending a whole season here. Right now, the CG has many folks here who are ocean fishing, but during the summer months, the really nice beach is the attraction.
You have to go over the large dune to get to the ocean,
but the view from the top is really neat, and there's a great beach.
It was overcast yesterday, but if Jim can get some photos when it clears up, I'll post them in the next few days.
We'll be staying here for a total of 3 nights before heading down to Myrtle Beach on Tuesday.
Did you know that North Topsail Beach was incorporated in 1990, the Town derived its name from its location, the north end of Topsail Island. The area was formerly known as West Onslow Beach and North Topsail Shores. Town population is 843 (2000 census).
Monday, October 20, 2014
Dickens RV Park and A Visit With Mike, Gina And Family
Moncure, NC
38 deg clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High 69F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
The Dickens RV Park is really a nice park but it just doesn't have the features that Jim and Linda would prefer.
This is the sign you see from the road.
As you enter the park these are some of the sites that you see off to your left.
Straight ahead is the bath house/laundry to the right and the owners house to the left.
Off to the right you see the larger section of the campground sites.
As you can see, there's no grass or trees in the RV site areas.
There is grass between some of the rows of sites and some trees in those areas, but basically the whole park is just covered with large gravel.
But, Kent, the owner is very friendly and helpful and so is Marty, the manager. The park is within about 20 to 30 minutes from Mike and Gina's house, so for 10 or 12 days, it'll do nicely.
Speaking of Mike and Gina, Jim and Linda finally got to see them yesterday. You see, because the kids didn't have school on Thursday or Friday, Mike and Gina had made plans to go to Williamsburg, VA this past Thursday through Sunday before they knew when we were going to be here. Jim and Linda knew that and told them to call when they returned.
Well, yesterday afternoon, (about 3:00 or so), Mike called, said that they had just returned, and wanted to know if Jim and Linda could come over for a couple hours? Well, it didn't take Jim and Linda long to get ready and in just a little while, Big RED was taking them over there. ;-)
It sounds like they had a very nice visit, but because everyone still had a lot of unpacking to do and the kids had to get everything ready for school today, around 5:30, they left and headed back here to the park.
Both Jim and Linda said that it was really good to see everyone. They had a very nice visit and plans were made to go back over there this evening.
Did you know that North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the nation?
Woof!!!
38 deg clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High 69F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
The Dickens RV Park is really a nice park but it just doesn't have the features that Jim and Linda would prefer.
But, Kent, the owner is very friendly and helpful and so is Marty, the manager. The park is within about 20 to 30 minutes from Mike and Gina's house, so for 10 or 12 days, it'll do nicely.
Speaking of Mike and Gina, Jim and Linda finally got to see them yesterday. You see, because the kids didn't have school on Thursday or Friday, Mike and Gina had made plans to go to Williamsburg, VA this past Thursday through Sunday before they knew when we were going to be here. Jim and Linda knew that and told them to call when they returned.
Well, yesterday afternoon, (about 3:00 or so), Mike called, said that they had just returned, and wanted to know if Jim and Linda could come over for a couple hours? Well, it didn't take Jim and Linda long to get ready and in just a little while, Big RED was taking them over there. ;-)
It sounds like they had a very nice visit, but because everyone still had a lot of unpacking to do and the kids had to get everything ready for school today, around 5:30, they left and headed back here to the park.
Both Jim and Linda said that it was really good to see everyone. They had a very nice visit and plans were made to go back over there this evening.
Did you know that North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the nation?
Woof!!!
Monday, October 6, 2014
A Wet, Cold, Windy, Nasty Day and Saying Good-Bye
Rantoul, IL.
50 deg. cloudy, light rain.
Forecast = Rain showers this morning with some sunshine during the afternoon hours. High 61F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
As advertised, Saturday was a wet, cold, windy, nasty day with temperatures never getting out of the 50's and winds gusting over 30 mph. So, , , , , Jim stayed inside most of the day, watching TV and fooling around with the computer. :-) The only thing that he did was to go out and turn over the patio mat, spray it down with the hose to get most of the dirt off of the bottom side and then stake it down on a grassy area so that it wouldn't blow away.
Early Sunday morning, even though it was only in the low 40's with about 20 mph winds, he went out, and hung the mat over the picnic table to dry out. Then, about 8:30 he went back out and folded it up and put it in the back of Big RED. It isn't real clean, but it'll get a good scrubbing when we get someplace where there's room and they'll allow cleaning it.
After finishing with the patio mat, he dumped the black and gray water tanks, flushed everything out and stored the sewer hose and supports and then stored the green water hose that he uses for that type of job. After dinner, (a personal pizza and an Italian beef sandwich from Monical's Pizza), he went back out and put away the water hose and filter.
The only hookup left to deal with this the morning is the electric. :-)
Oh, and since they were going to Monical's to pick up dinner, he and Linda stopped by the gas station and topped off Big RED's fuel tank and dropped off a couple letters in the box at the Post Office.
About 5:30 or so, Jim and Linda walked over to the office to say good-bye to Paul and Louise and settle up for the site rent. They stayed and talked for quite awhile and then after H and H, (Hugs and Handshakes), they came back here and watched TV until bedtime.
This morning, if the weather co-operates at all, we'll be leaving here, probably around 10:00 or so. The plan is to head over to Indianapolis to see Linda's cousin, Mike and his wife Sandy. But, (and there's that "but" again), yesterday evening, Mike called and said that he wasn't feeling well and would more than likely go to see his doctor this morning. This is a recurring health problem and the last time he had these symptoms, he ended up in the hospital!!! :-(
So, we'll head over there and stay at a Campground in the area. If Mike is well enough, Jim and Linda will take Big RED and head over to his house. If he isn't, Jim and Linda will have to wait to see him and Sandy until the next time we're passing through the area. :-(
Bummer!!!!!!
Did you know that The first electronic mail, or “email”, was sent in 1972 by Ray Tomlinson? It was also his idea to use the @ sign to separate the name of the user from the name of the computer.
Woof!!!
50 deg. cloudy, light rain.
Forecast = Rain showers this morning with some sunshine during the afternoon hours. High 61F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
As advertised, Saturday was a wet, cold, windy, nasty day with temperatures never getting out of the 50's and winds gusting over 30 mph. So, , , , , Jim stayed inside most of the day, watching TV and fooling around with the computer. :-) The only thing that he did was to go out and turn over the patio mat, spray it down with the hose to get most of the dirt off of the bottom side and then stake it down on a grassy area so that it wouldn't blow away.
Early Sunday morning, even though it was only in the low 40's with about 20 mph winds, he went out, and hung the mat over the picnic table to dry out. Then, about 8:30 he went back out and folded it up and put it in the back of Big RED. It isn't real clean, but it'll get a good scrubbing when we get someplace where there's room and they'll allow cleaning it.
After finishing with the patio mat, he dumped the black and gray water tanks, flushed everything out and stored the sewer hose and supports and then stored the green water hose that he uses for that type of job. After dinner, (a personal pizza and an Italian beef sandwich from Monical's Pizza), he went back out and put away the water hose and filter.
The only hookup left to deal with this the morning is the electric. :-)
Oh, and since they were going to Monical's to pick up dinner, he and Linda stopped by the gas station and topped off Big RED's fuel tank and dropped off a couple letters in the box at the Post Office.
About 5:30 or so, Jim and Linda walked over to the office to say good-bye to Paul and Louise and settle up for the site rent. They stayed and talked for quite awhile and then after H and H, (Hugs and Handshakes), they came back here and watched TV until bedtime.
This morning, if the weather co-operates at all, we'll be leaving here, probably around 10:00 or so. The plan is to head over to Indianapolis to see Linda's cousin, Mike and his wife Sandy. But, (and there's that "but" again), yesterday evening, Mike called and said that he wasn't feeling well and would more than likely go to see his doctor this morning. This is a recurring health problem and the last time he had these symptoms, he ended up in the hospital!!! :-(
So, we'll head over there and stay at a Campground in the area. If Mike is well enough, Jim and Linda will take Big RED and head over to his house. If he isn't, Jim and Linda will have to wait to see him and Sandy until the next time we're passing through the area. :-(
Bummer!!!!!!
Did you know that The first electronic mail, or “email”, was sent in 1972 by Ray Tomlinson? It was also his idea to use the @ sign to separate the name of the user from the name of the computer.
Woof!!!
Saturday, September 20, 2014
A Very Nice Birthday, New Plans and A Cook-Out At Paul and Louise's
Rantoul, IL.
deg
Forecast =
First of all, Jim wants to thank everyone who commented, e-mailed, called, stopped by, or in some other way, wished him a happy birthday Thursday. ;-) He had a very nice day and all of you made it even more special.
Thank You!!!! :-)
Jim didn't do much Thursday, just enjoyed a nice quiet day and the great weather that we had. Then for dinner, Big RED took he and Linda down to the LongHorn Steadhouse in Champaign. Both of them had steaks and both said that they were excellent. The service was also very good and they both enjoyed the experience. ;-)
Yesterday, Jim worked on a new trip plan for part of the day. He called Roland and he and Louise will still be at their home in North Carolina when we'll be passing through the area, so we'll be stopping by there for a few days. He also called a few small campgrounds near Mike's house in Apex, NC., but they were booked for the dates that we'd be there, so we'll have to settle for a larger one that we've stayed at before or go to the Jordan Lake SRA, both not first choices, but well serve nicely.
Then, yesterday evening, Louise and Paul had a gathering at their site here at the CG. Louise made chili and cooked hot dogs on the grill along with all the "fixin's". There were about a dozen people from the park there and as far as I could tell, everyone had a good time talking, eating and sitting around the campfire. :-)
Thank you, Louise and Paul!!!!
No big plans for today. Tomorrow, Jim and Linda need to do laundry and then on Tuesday, I think Big RED will be taking them up to Naperville, IL. to see Linda's sister, Nancy and her son David. Naperville, is about 125 miles from here, so it'll be a long day.
Did you know that on this date in 1953 - The TV show "Letter to Loretta" premiered? The name was changed to "The Loretta Young Show" on February 14, 1954.
Woof!!!
deg
Forecast =
First of all, Jim wants to thank everyone who commented, e-mailed, called, stopped by, or in some other way, wished him a happy birthday Thursday. ;-) He had a very nice day and all of you made it even more special.
Thank You!!!! :-)
Jim didn't do much Thursday, just enjoyed a nice quiet day and the great weather that we had. Then for dinner, Big RED took he and Linda down to the LongHorn Steadhouse in Champaign. Both of them had steaks and both said that they were excellent. The service was also very good and they both enjoyed the experience. ;-)
Yesterday, Jim worked on a new trip plan for part of the day. He called Roland and he and Louise will still be at their home in North Carolina when we'll be passing through the area, so we'll be stopping by there for a few days. He also called a few small campgrounds near Mike's house in Apex, NC., but they were booked for the dates that we'd be there, so we'll have to settle for a larger one that we've stayed at before or go to the Jordan Lake SRA, both not first choices, but well serve nicely.
Then, yesterday evening, Louise and Paul had a gathering at their site here at the CG. Louise made chili and cooked hot dogs on the grill along with all the "fixin's". There were about a dozen people from the park there and as far as I could tell, everyone had a good time talking, eating and sitting around the campfire. :-)
Thank you, Louise and Paul!!!!
No big plans for today. Tomorrow, Jim and Linda need to do laundry and then on Tuesday, I think Big RED will be taking them up to Naperville, IL. to see Linda's sister, Nancy and her son David. Naperville, is about 125 miles from here, so it'll be a long day.
Did you know that on this date in 1953 - The TV show "Letter to Loretta" premiered? The name was changed to "The Loretta Young Show" on February 14, 1954.
Woof!!!
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Hank And Selene Arrive
Rantoul, IL.
65 deg. overcast no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Highs around 79°F. South southeast wind to 9 MPH. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.
It was around 2:00 in the afternoon when Hank and Selene pulled up in front of the office. Soon, Paul was leading to the site 25 right next to us. Jim and Linda talked to them a little at that time but tried not to distract them too much during their set-up procedure.
While Jim was over talking to Hank, Paul brought over the fixins' for taco's and gave them to Linda. You see, Paul and Louise were giving a taco party at the local VFW because they are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary and had invited Jim and Linda to come over and join them. But because Linda still isn't too steady on her feet at times, Jim and Linda decided they wouldn't go.
So, Paul brought the makings for the tacos over here!!!
Wasn't that nice of them???? Thanks Paul and Louise!!!!
Jim and Linda didn't eat the tacos last night though. Being that Hank and Selene had just arrived, it was decided that they'd order pizzas to have with them and save the tacos for today, so Linda covered everything up and put it in the fridge.
When the pizzas arrived, Hank and Selene came over here to Nora to eat and catch up on what's been happening since Jim and Linda have seen them, back in 2011 at a Rally in TN. About the time they finished eating, Mike and Terri returned from a shopping trip and came over to talk.
I couldn't see the clock from where I was, over by the dinette window, but I'm guessing it was about 6:00 or so, when they arrived.
Mike and Terri and Hank and Selene also know each other from previous meetings and so there was never a lack of things to talk about. In fact the talking, laughing and joking around lasted until after 8:00, when Terri realized that she needed to head back to their RV to take some medication!!
I think it was a very enjoyable evening for everyone and I'm sure they'll all be getting together again during the next week that Hank and Selene will be here. In fact there's already plans to go out to eat sometime soon. :-)
Did you know that today is "World Honey Bee Day?
Woof!!!
65 deg. overcast no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Highs around 79°F. South southeast wind to 9 MPH. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.
It was around 2:00 in the afternoon when Hank and Selene pulled up in front of the office. Soon, Paul was leading to the site 25 right next to us. Jim and Linda talked to them a little at that time but tried not to distract them too much during their set-up procedure.
While Jim was over talking to Hank, Paul brought over the fixins' for taco's and gave them to Linda. You see, Paul and Louise were giving a taco party at the local VFW because they are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary and had invited Jim and Linda to come over and join them. But because Linda still isn't too steady on her feet at times, Jim and Linda decided they wouldn't go.
So, Paul brought the makings for the tacos over here!!!
Wasn't that nice of them???? Thanks Paul and Louise!!!!
Jim and Linda didn't eat the tacos last night though. Being that Hank and Selene had just arrived, it was decided that they'd order pizzas to have with them and save the tacos for today, so Linda covered everything up and put it in the fridge.
When the pizzas arrived, Hank and Selene came over here to Nora to eat and catch up on what's been happening since Jim and Linda have seen them, back in 2011 at a Rally in TN. About the time they finished eating, Mike and Terri returned from a shopping trip and came over to talk.
I couldn't see the clock from where I was, over by the dinette window, but I'm guessing it was about 6:00 or so, when they arrived.
Mike and Terri and Hank and Selene also know each other from previous meetings and so there was never a lack of things to talk about. In fact the talking, laughing and joking around lasted until after 8:00, when Terri realized that she needed to head back to their RV to take some medication!!
I think it was a very enjoyable evening for everyone and I'm sure they'll all be getting together again during the next week that Hank and Selene will be here. In fact there's already plans to go out to eat sometime soon. :-)
Did you know that today is "World Honey Bee Day?
Woof!!!
Thursday, August 14, 2014
The Apple Dumplin' Restaurant
Rantoul, IL.
65 deg. clear, N. wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs around 77°F. North northwest wind to 7 MPH.
Not much happening the last few days but Tuesday, Jim and Linda asked Mike and Terri if they'd like to try out a restaurant that Jim had heard about from Louise, the Prairie Pines Campground host.
So, about 5:00 yesterday evening, Jim , Linda, Mike and Terri all got into Big Red and headed the 11 or so miles over to the Apple Dumplin' Restaurant near Urbana, IL.
Louise said that the food was very good and nobody was disappointed. :-) So, what did they have for "Supper"? Mike had the hot beef sandwich which was huge with mashed taters and gravy, Terri had a BLT which was very large, Jim had chicken fried steak with glazed carrots and mashed taters and Linda had Swiss steak with corn and mashed taters.
The portions were large, the food was very good and the waitress was great!! This is definitely a restaurant that needs further study. ;-)
Now, there was one problem!!! The portions were so large that neither Jim, Linda, Mike or Terri were able to try out one of their famous Apple Dumplin's for desert!! :-( They were just too full!!! I guess they'll just have to go back again some other time cause Louise says that the Dumplins are "to die for"!!! :-)
It was about 6:30 when Big RED brought everyone back here to the park. For Jim and Linda, the rest of the evening was spent watching TV, reading, playing with the computer and relaxing after the very large and excellent meal.
Did you know that Apple dumplings are a native food in the northeastern United States, around Pennsylvania? A very common recipe among the Amish, it is often eaten as a breakfast item, but they are also a very common dessert item after meals. It's also popular to eat them with ice cream or in milk.
Woof!!!
65 deg. clear, N. wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs around 77°F. North northwest wind to 7 MPH.
Not much happening the last few days but Tuesday, Jim and Linda asked Mike and Terri if they'd like to try out a restaurant that Jim had heard about from Louise, the Prairie Pines Campground host.
So, about 5:00 yesterday evening, Jim , Linda, Mike and Terri all got into Big Red and headed the 11 or so miles over to the Apple Dumplin' Restaurant near Urbana, IL.
Louise said that the food was very good and nobody was disappointed. :-) So, what did they have for "Supper"? Mike had the hot beef sandwich which was huge with mashed taters and gravy, Terri had a BLT which was very large, Jim had chicken fried steak with glazed carrots and mashed taters and Linda had Swiss steak with corn and mashed taters.
The portions were large, the food was very good and the waitress was great!! This is definitely a restaurant that needs further study. ;-)
Now, there was one problem!!! The portions were so large that neither Jim, Linda, Mike or Terri were able to try out one of their famous Apple Dumplin's for desert!! :-( They were just too full!!! I guess they'll just have to go back again some other time cause Louise says that the Dumplins are "to die for"!!! :-)
It was about 6:30 when Big RED brought everyone back here to the park. For Jim and Linda, the rest of the evening was spent watching TV, reading, playing with the computer and relaxing after the very large and excellent meal.
Did you know that Apple dumplings are a native food in the northeastern United States, around Pennsylvania? A very common recipe among the Amish, it is often eaten as a breakfast item, but they are also a very common dessert item after meals. It's also popular to eat them with ice cream or in milk.
Woof!!!
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