PLANS CHANGE.
Day 39 – 28 degrees this morning and the hardy hunters had already left – the Park is full of trailers; the trucks are gone. We hung around, catching up on a few things, until it warmed up some, then headed off to Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge.
Continue readingTRAVEL DAY: NEW HARMONY, INDIANA TO GOREVILLE, ILLINOIS.
Day 38 – We were up early this morning; the time zone change on top of the recent daylight saving’s time change is messing us up. It rained all night and was 40 degrees at 6:30 this morning. We relaxed a little, then packed up to leave. This campground was so quiet, we kinda hated to leave. Everyone was comfortable except for Java because Gracie sleeps on top of her and she can’t move!
CRAB ORCHARD NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE & THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER LEVEE DRIVE.
Day 76 – At around 7 a.m. it was 46 degrees & cloudy. We left the RV about 9:30, and by then there was some sun peeking out. We drove ½ hour north from the campground to Crab Orchard NWR, stopping first at the Visitor’s Center to get a map & some information about the Refuge. There are a couple of Wildlife Refuges in this area, the Shawnee National Forest, several wildlife conservation areas, and many other things to do. There are lots of lakes, and Parks with waterfalls & rock formations are also advertised. We had thought about staying an additional day, too, but the weather forecast is for rain all day tomorrow, beginning later tonight. So we prioritized & decided to see as much as we could today.
Day 75 – Right now it’s 4:10 p.m., Central Standard Time. We are relaxing at a Park in south Illinois. The sun is shining in on the dashboard, and a beautiful orange butterfly is flitting about outside the RV. The girls are SO excited. “Whoa, did you see THAT?!” they seem to be saying as their heads whip back & forth, eyes huge, as they follow the butterfly’s every move. Yep, we think this campground will work out just fine.
123 miles, (3:00), 36395-36518
Day 229 – Ah, so much better now. We are all well-rested and Luna is not growling & hissing at Java & Pixie all the time. We DO like our routines & any interruption tends to make us a little irritable. Grin………..
187 miles (4:30)
Day 228 – Up at 6 a.m. again to get ready. They are supposed to complete the front end suspension work today, and we’ve asked them to look at the RV to see if there is some way they could do the back end also at another time. Depending on what time they finish today, we will either spend another night, complete with friendly greeting dog, or begin our journey back to NY.
HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY, CAROL & TED!!! ENJOY THE CELEBRATION!!!
Day 225 – Beginning of Week 33. Mostly sunny and nicely warm this morning; wish we could stay here longer, but we have to be at Oskaloosa, Iowa Tuesday afternoon. The campground host was still not at his trailer, so while Rob was dumping tanks, getting more fresh water & throwing out the trash, I went over to the Park’s Office and paid for last night. They didn’t know he was gone, so we’re wondering who’s minding the shop now, LOL.
195 miles
IT’S EARTH DAY! HOPE YOU TAKE THE TIME TO SMELL THE ROSES TODAY.
Day 224 – By noon, all of the people who were camping here had left (including the campground host who evidently had time off because no one was there when we went to pay for tonight). Later two trailers came in, but that was it. Very quiet and peaceful.
Day 223 – Warmer here, 43 degrees this morning, cloudy. More campers came in but the campground was not even half full. There is a lock and dam nearby & it’s been interesting watching the activity when a big barge comes through.
BEST LAID PLANS……
Day 222 – We got by the alarm at 5 a.m. Ugh! We’d been told they’d begin work at 6:00. It was cold, 27 degrees, and we had to pack up the RV so it could be moved into a service bay, have the cats all fed and put into their room, and be ready ourselves. We were actually done in 55 minutes, not nearly awake yet, but the coffee was made & we were waiting with our gear for the day packed up in the car. We didn’t want to be far away because of the cats, so we’d just be staying in the company’s waiting area nearby.