Heading North ON 131

Williamsburg, MI.

56 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. High of 88F. Winds less than 5 mph.

We left the CG in Dorr yesterday morning at 10:10, and headed back to US 131 where we again turned North. 131 took us up through Grand Rapids, where there was quite a bit of traffic considering that it was a Saturday morning. All went smoothly though and soon we were through the city and the traffic started to thin out some as we continued North.

US 131 is a pretty decent road. For the most part, it's really good, but there are some stretches where the road could use some work. But, considering what many of the US highways are like these days, this one's not too bad.

Once North of Grad Rapids, we started seeing more forest.

The farther North we went, the heavier the forest, especially after the highway dropped down to 2 lanes North of Cadillac.

There was still a fair amount of traffic up there, but they have passing lanes every so often, so there really wasn't a problem just taking our time and running the speed limit.

When we got up to Kalkaska, we turned West on Rt. 72 and followed over to Williamsburg and here to the Everflowing Waters Campground, which is just a little NW of the town.

It was 1:30 when we pulled up to the house where the office is, so we traveled 172 miles in 3 hours and 20 minutes. Not bad, considering that we did make a "pit stop" at a rest area, down South of Cadillac.

Everflowing Waters is a nice little park. the owner is very friendly and tries hard to please. They're having a horse show somewhere in the area right now, so the park is completely full, but from talking to a guy that's staying in a little cabin here, it's normally not that way.

This is a Passport America Park, but during the month of July, they don't give the discount. (which Jim knew before we got here).  That's OK though, it's still a nice park.

We'll be here for one more night before continuing our adventure up into the U.P of Michigan.

Did you know that Grand Rapids is home to the 24-foot Leonardo da Vinci horse, called Il Gavallo? It is the largest equestrian bronze sculpture in the Western Hemisphere.

Woof!!!

More Shopping and Bobbie T Gets Leveling Jacks

Dorr, MI.

63 deg. clear, SE wind @ 3 mph.
Forecast = Clear. High of 84F. Winds from the ESE at 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday morning, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed up to White Pigeon, MI. Jim wanted to see how long it would take us to get Bobbie T up to the Bigfoot Leveling Systems Plant and also go to Bontrager's Surplus RV Supplies to look around a bit.

They found out that it would only take about 20 minutes to get to the Bigfoot plant and after Jim roamed around in Bontrager's for awhile, he found a vent cover for the bathroom vent at a very good price. ;-)

From there, they headed back to Middlebury, stopping along the way to get CLT a drink of 87 octane. Once in Middlebury, they went back to Fox RV to pick up a second Slide Lock that Jim had ordered. His thoughts were that it might be a good idea to have another one in case the bedroom slide developed the same brake problems.

After picking up the slide lock, they headed to Aunt Karen's Cafe where they had lunch. Linda just had soup and a piece of pie and Jim had a BLT sandwich. Both were very good.

After lunch, they headed back to Shipshewana where they stopped a Yoder's Meat & Cheese Company. There, Linda bought some bacon, a beef chuck roast and some mixed cheddar cheese. By this time, Linda was really feeling it in her knees so they headed back here to the CG.

The rest of the day was spent reading, relaxing and taking naps as needed. ;-)

Yesterday, Jim and Linda were up by 5:30, and by 6:35 we were pulling out of the CG at Shipshewana and heading West on Rt 120. 120 took is over to Rt-13 which turned into US 131 as we entered Michigan. Just before we entered Michigan though, we stopped and got Bobbie T a large drink of 87 octane before heading up to White Pigeon and the Bigfoot Leveling system Plant.

It was right at 7:00 when we pulled up to the installation building.

It wasn't too long before they came out to get Bobbie T for the installation, so Jim took Linda over to the waiting room in the main building. After getting a cup of coffee, Jim headed back over to the installation building and watched  the installation and talked to some of the workers about the leveling system, when they weren't too busy.

Above is a photo of Bobbie T up on ramps
Below is one of the front levelers after installation.

There were 3 men working on the installation, so by 11:00 the installation was finished, the testing was done,  Jim had been instructed on the leveling procedure of the system, CLT hooked to the back of Bobbie T, the bill paid and we were pulling out of the Bigfoot lot. :-)

From White Pigeon, we headed North on US 131 for about 65 miles until we came to Exit 68, where we turned West on 142nd Ave. 142, then took us to the Hungry Horse Campground near Dorr, MI.

It was about 12:35 when we pulled up in front of the office, and we had traveled about 70 miles total for the day.

This is a pretty decent CG, but it's very crowded with ton of kid running around and on bicycles. Many of the campers have fires going so it's pretty smokey and people are constantly cutting through everyone else's sites.  :-(

For one night though, it has served it's purpose.

Today, we'll continue heading North. Because it's the weekend, Jim has called a CG up near Traverse City and made a reservation for 2 nights.

Did you know that Michigan has the longest freshwater shoreline in the world?

Shopping In Shipshewana and An Excellent Meal

Shipshewana, IN.

59 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. Fog early. High of 79F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

One of the reasons that they originally wanted to come to Northern Indiana, was to do some shopping at a few Amish stores here in Shipshewana or Middlebury, so, yesterday was "Tourist Day" for Jim and Linda. Being that we had been in this area a few times before, (the last time in 2006), they had some idea which stores and shops that they wanted to go to.

Their first stop yesterday morning was at the Davis Mercantile where there's a little shop that sells lace items. There, Linda bought some round doilies and some lace curtains for one of the kitchen windows in the house down in Florida.

Their next stop was the Yoder Department Store. There, they bought some shirts and a new leather belt for Jim, some Minnetonka shoes for Linda and some embroidery projects to be used as gifts.

By the time they were finished there, both Jim and Linda were getting tired, so they headed back here to the CG to grab some lunch and to rest. (Jim took a nap). ;-)

For dinner, they decided to go to the Blue Gate Restaurant and Bakery. So, to beat the crowds, (and it does get very crowded for dinner), they headed over there about 4:30. At this restaurant, you can either order from a menu, or you can get what they call a "family style" dinner. Jim and Linda chose the family style with broasted chicken for the meat.

The meal came with a drink, a small loaf of bread, a big plate of chicken, a bowl of dressing, a bowl of mashed potatoes, a bowl of  noodles, a boat of gravy and a bowl of green beans. All of this is "all you can eat", so if you run out of anything, they'll bring more. Then, after you're completely stuffed with all of that very good food, you have your choice of about 20 different home made desserts!!!!

For dessert, Jim and Linda both got pie and brought it back here to have later. ;-)

Dinners at the Blue Gate are kind of pricy, but the food is excellent and so is the service. If you come to this area, be sure to try one of the great Amish restaurants. If you like good home cooked food, you won't be disappointed.

After eating they headed for the bakery and purchased some homemade bread and some goodies before heading back here to the park. Once back here, they both "crashed" for the evening.

Today, since a cold front when through here yesterday afternoon, it should be cooler and not so humid. That's good because Jim and Linda want to do a little more shopping and go a few more places before we head up to White Pigeon, MI tomorrow to get the leveling jacks installed on Bobbie T.

We need to be up there by 7:00 AM, so I probably won't have time to do a blog, but I'll post one just as soon as I can to let you know how the installation went.

Did you know that it is estimated that about 249,000 Amish live in North America?

Woof!!!

Bobbie T Goes To The Repair Shop

Shipshewana, IN.

73 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = mostly cloudy, with a 40% chance of rain. W. wind @ 5 to 20 mph.

We left the Beaver Ridge CG in Lakeville about 8:50 and after returning to US 31 followed it North up to the South Bend, IN area where we turned East on US 20. 20 then took us to Middlebury and to Fox RV Inc.

It was 9:35 when we pulled into the lot so it took us just 45 minutes to travel the 37 miles over there. Not too bad when you consider that we had some minor road construction slowdowns East of Elkhart.

In the photo below, you can see Bobbie T backed up in front of the building where they are working on repairing the upper awning arm bracket mounting bolts.

This is the compartment that they had to work in to check out the dinette slide motor/brake assembly.

Besides, the slide motor brake and the awning bracket bolts, Jim also had them check on a propane problem. You see, when the water heater was on and Linda was using the burners on the range, it seemed like the propane pressure would drop and both flames would be low, resulting in the water heater kicking off and relighting from time to time. The problem ended up being a blocked screen at the inlet of the pressure regulator, which Larry Fox (the owner), said happens sometimes when an RV is not used for a long time.

As for the awning bolts, after taking out the old ones, cleaning up the mounting areas, and installing new longer , thicker bolts, the brackets were secured and everything in the areas were re-caulked.

Now, for the slide brake problem, that was the main reason that Jim brought Bobbie T up here.

Well, first of all, it was determined that the brake on the motor/brake/gear assembly was definitely defective. So, that meant that a new assembly would be required. There was only one problem. They couldn't remove the assembly!!!

Why, you ask???? Well, when Bobbie T was manufactured, they didn't cut the hole in her main floor in the right place. It's off to the front about 2 inches. The motor assembly has to be unbolted and slid back out of the bracket, but that can't be done because the hole in the floor it too far forward and that makes sliding the motor to the rear impossible!!!!

The only way to remove that motor assembly would be to remove the complete slide out, enlarge the hole in the main floor, remove the motor, and then put everything back together again.

A new motor assembly would cost about $260.00, it would take 4 to 5 hours to remove the slide out and enlarge the hole in the floor, (at the shop rate of $100.00 per hour) and put everything back together again.

So, Jim and Linda were looking at a repair bill, (just for the slide), at somewhere around $700.00!!!!!! :-(

Larry said that since the motor and gear assembly seemed to be in good condition, he suggested the purchase of a Slide Lock, which is around $40.00!!!

He said that it should work fine and that if Bobbie T was his, that's what he would do. "If", someday, the motor or gear assembly should go bad, then the slide out will have to be removed, but in the meantime, this $40 slide lock will work very well to keep the slide from moving out when traveling. ;-)

By 2:50 PM all the work was done, the bill paid, (very reasonable on all the repair work), CLT was hooked to the back of Bobbie T, and we were pulling out of the Fox RV lot.

Both Jim and Linda figured that we'd be staying at Fox RV overnight, but being that the repairs went so quickly, we headed for the RV park that Jim had selected for the nights after the repair was completed. The park is the Shipshewana Campground North Park.

From Fox, we continued East on US 20 to Shipshewana, and then turned North on SR 5. 5 took us through Shipshewana and up to SR 120 where the park is located.

It was 3:20 when we pulled up to the office, so it took us just about 1/2 an hour to travel the 12 miles over here. (lots of delays in Shipshewana). :-(

This is a nice park. Quite different from the South Park that we had stayed at quite a few years ago. The South Park is a very large park and is all open with no trees while this one is smaller with some nice pine trees. Both campgrounds are quite expensive, but then, we are in a tourist area.

This post is getting pretty long already, so I'll tell you about the downpour of rain and more about the park  next time.

Stay tuned!!!! ;-)

Did you know that more than 100 species of trees are native to Indiana? Before the pioneer's arrive more than 80% of Indiana was covered with forest. Now only 17% of the state is considered forested.

Woof!!!

Dodging The Rain From Rantoul To Lakeville Indiana

Lakeville, IN.

72 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm. High of 86F. Winds from the WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

Even though we had fairly far to go, (for us), we didn't leave Rantoul until 10:00 yesterday morning. The reason was, that Jim was watching the radar and was waiting for a rain storm to pass to North of Rantoul. Once the rain had passed through the area, we pulled out of the Prairie Pines CG and headed North on I-57.

We took 57 up to Gilman, Il. where we turned off on US 24 and headed East towards Indiana. The 2 lane road was in good condition and we made good time through Eastern Illinois and Western Indiana.

All along 57 and 24, we had sprinkles on Bobbie T's windshield but hardly enough to run the wipers. That changed however, after we turned North on US 31, (a little East of Logansport at Peru). The further North we went the heavier the rain became  and by the time we got up to around Rochester and Plymouth, it was raining really hard. A little North of Plymouth, the rain did let up, however, and by the time we arrived in Lakeville, it was just sprinkling again. : )

In Lakeville, we turned West for about a mile on IN. Rt 4 and then North for a little way on Maple Rd. That, brought us here to the Beaver Ridge Family Campground.

It was 3:20 Eastern time when we pulled up in front of the office, so, taking into consideration the time zone change, we traveled 198 miles in 4 hours and 20 minutes.

Beaver Ridge is a nice CG. Nothing fancy but well maintained with 30 Amp electric and water in the pull-through site that we're in. This is a Passport America Park and well worth the $15.30 for the night.

The first photo is of the office, across the street from  us and down just a little.

The swimming pool which is almost directly across the street.

A view of our site and the street.

We're just staying for the one night, because this morning, Bobbie T has an appointment to get the slide repaired.

Oh, speaking of the slide. Jim's blocking seems to have worked. From Rantoul to up here in Lakeville, it did move out about 1/2 inch early in the trip, but hasn't moved any since then.

Today, we'll be heading up to Middlebury  and to Fox RV. We're supposed to be there sometime between 9:00 and 10:00, so I imagine that we'll be leaving here around 8:30 or 9:00.

Did you know that Indiana's shoreline with Lake Michigan is only 40 miles long, but Indiana is still considered a Great Lakes State?

Woof!!!

Just About Ready

Rantoul, IL.

71 deg. Partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = high temp. 90 deg. 40% chance of rain, SW wind @ 10 to 15 mph.

The last few days have been spent getting ready to travel up to Middlebury, IN., to get the slide problems repaired and get levelers installed on Bobbie T.

Saturday, Jim and Linda went over to the County Market Grocery store and bought items that they'll be needing. And, both Saturday and Sunday, they worked on getting everything put away and readied for travel. Yesterday afternoon, Jim brought in the dinette slide and blocked it the best he could, so hopefully, it'll stay in the retracted position while we're traveling up to Middlebury.

The tanks have been dumped and all of the utilities, except the electric, have been unhooked, the tires have been checked, and CLT is hooked to the back of Bobbie T.

I think we're just about ready!!!!!

One thing that is of some concern however, is the fact that there's a line of rain to the NW of here and it's heading right towards us! :-(   It is moving fairly quickly though, so maybe it'll be through this area by the time we're ready to leave this morning.

Don't know just where we'll be staying tonight. Jim has a couple different routes planned that we could take. A lot will depend on the weather and when we can get out of here.

Did you know that it is estimated that 6800 languages are spoken in the world today?

Woof!!!

Blocking The Slide and Dinner At Paul And Louise's

Rantoul, IL.

66 deg. hazy, no wind.
Forecast = 86 deg. partly cloudy, 30% chance of rain, S. wind @ 5 to 10 mph.

Yesterday morning, Jim ran Bobbie T's dinette slide in and tried to figure out how he was going to block it so it can't creep out while we're traveling. After some trial and error, with the help of some boards and 2X4s, he thinks he has found a way to hold it in the retracted position without damaging the wood trim or the aluminum frame.

I sure hope so, we don't need that slide coming out while we're traveling down the road!!! :-O

Even more RVs came into the park yesterday. Evidently, they had someplace else to be for the 4th and then came out here for the rest of the Holiday weekend. There's also more kids here now than there was at the beginning of the long weekend. They all seem to be well behaved though, cause I haven't heard any complaints at all.

Yesterday evening, Jim and Linda were invited over to Paul and Louise's for dinner, along with a few other people. Louise had pork chops, baked beans and potato salad. Laurie, one of the other ladies, brought some raw vegetables and a green bean casserole and Linda took a desert.

They ate outside under the awning and in the gazebo and then sat and talked until the bugs started getting really bad. (Which was around 8:00 PM).  

Don't really know what's happening today. I know that sometime before we leave here on Monday, Jim and Linda want to go to the grocery store to pick up a few items. Also, both of them will be working on getting everything ready to travel.

Did you know that on this date in 1699 - Captain William Kidd, the pirate, was captured in Boston, MA, and deported back to England?

Woof!!!