Finally on the Road

I know were late on this post. Or should I say posts. But we are learning a lot in a very short time. Go figure. So lets back up to when we left Wisconsin.

We left Plymouth Rock RV Resort on Oct. 7th. Now we have been planning this for 5 years, and that planning has payed off in numerous ways. Knowing what RV we wanted, what we were taking, where we wanted to go and when. What roads to avoid, the best times to travel, and the list goes on and on.

So we were ready for this. We prepped  the trailer for departure during the week. Wrapping up all the breakables and securing the coffee pot, photos etc.. We planned our route and where and how long we were going to stay. Leave at 9am, hit Chicago around 11am, arrive in Elkhart IN around 3pm. I even learned the procedure and talked to the people at the CAT scale so we would know what we were doing when we got there. This is going to be perfect.  Lets do this.  

We woke up at 7am. Had coffee and breakfast and then got to work. Lynn on the inside and Glenn on the outside. We were like a well oiled machine. We pulled out of the campground right on time. 11:30am,  NOT! Scaled the truck and trailer and were on the road by 12:45. (what we didn't know at the time was that this would seem to become a pattern for us. sigh) We then decided to eat something before we got to Milwaukee. One of my favorite things is going to McDonalds in a 20' long truck pulling a 39' long trailer. If you haven't tried this you should, at least once in your life.

So now we were finally on the road. 1:30pm. Which means we hit Chicago at 3:30-4:00. Joyful, Joyful. Arrived in Elkhart, IN around 6 or 7. Now this is the way to start a new adventure. To be honest we have developed a new way of dealing with things. They are what they are. We are in no hurry and we really don't have a schedule. So life is good. (yes you just heard a giggle) The trip was uneventful other then sitting in traffic in Chicago. But all in all it wasn't that bad. We arrived at the KOA in Middlebury IN around 7. Set up and relaxed. We were on our way. Day one was behind us.

The next morning we took the trailer home. Its home that is. We stopped at the Grand Design factory. Had a few things fixed on the trailer, took a tour, and met some really nice people. A side note to our friends who liked our trailer but want something smaller. We saw the new 35' Reflection.

They call it the Minitude. Basically the same as our Solitude just shorter. So Karen and Ed and Stacy and Shari, you need to check it out.

After our visit we found a great RV Park called Eby's Pines RV Resort in Bristol, IN.  It's a beautiful small park smack dab in the middle of Amish country. In fact there was an Amish crew building a log cabin while we were there. They finished it in 3 days. Here are some photos of the grounds.

The next morning we were up and ready to go bright and early. Alright we didn't leave the campground until 11:30. I told you there was a pattern starting. Anyway we went to the RV/MH Hall of Fame. I got the shirt to prove it. Instead of posting all the photos here you can go to our photo page and look at them. They had a lot of really old RV's and it was neat to see the way they have changed over the years.
After the Hall of Fame we went to the city of Elkhart IN. They had a flower quilt that was really impressive.

They said there are around 40,000 mums in this one and there was another in a different town, but we didn't go there. Elkhart is also the town that we found the fabulous brewery call Lechyd Da, (yachy da), where I had the Cookies and milk stout with Sticky Toffee Pudding. Yum

 

The next day was Shipshewana. We learned that we need to plan our activities better. The auction that they are famous for was the day before. So it was quilt shops, Amish stores, and all of the touristy things that there is to do. We then headed to Amish Acres. A nice little farm/commercial development that shows their way of life.We sampled it all. Including a carriage ride.

After that we went back to the Essenhaus for dinner. Yes I over ate again. So much for losing weight. At this rate I'll need a bigger truck. All in all a great day.

Well we are going for a ride in the country. I'll hopefully be able to catch up on here tomorrow. See you down the road.