Headin' for Texas, Y'all!

Hi all, Dianne here.  We actually have just crossed the Texas state line (still only about half-way to Mission),  but due to some lovely, tree-filled RV parks along the way, we are way behind in our blogs.  We finally have a clear sky, so today's plan is to write several catch-up blogs.  We'll post them one at a time over the next week, so check back soon for updates!

As we drove through Indianapolis heading west on I-70, I snapped a quick shot of Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, and what Roger terms as the "Finest stadium in the U.S."  It actually is pretty impressive, with its retractable roof.  We were able to attend a high school football exhibition game there when it first opened, and even got to sit in the VIP section.

We've been in the Midwest for months now, and having both grown up in this area the scenery wasn't what we would term breathtaking, so we resumed our trusty auto "bingo" game.  We had just finished the last game (which we started a few months ago), having kinda-sorta cheated on seeing a grist mill.  (It was a fake one at a wedding chapel in Indiana).  The photo above shows the easy sides of the cubes.  Later on, there are things such as drawbridges, teepees, totem poles, and passenger trains, that aren't as easy to spot.

It's such a long drive to our winter home in Mission, Texas that we decided to make our way slowly southwest, making multiple stops and side trips.  We spent our first several nights in site #61 (a non-reservable site) at Rend Lake Corps of Engineers campground near Benton in Southern Illinois.  Huge, beautiful, wooded sites.  It is right next to a lovely resort area and golf course.  Definitely a place we'd like to revisit.  Next time, we'll make reservations ahead of time and choose one of the open spots we noted on our map so that we can get satellite and Direct TV.  Then it will be perfect!

We rode our bikes on a 6+ mile (3.8 miles out and back) section of paved bike trail through wooded areas, around a lovely cemetery and next to corn fields.

More bike trail scenes:

The weather was perfect during our visit.  Each time we returned from our bike ride, here's the scene that awaited us back at the RV:

"Awaiting our Return." 

Bandido wasn't totally deprived, though.  While walking around the several loops of the large campground, we happened upon a very cute female Blue Heeler and her proud owner.  Bandido thought she was quite a dish!  The female is a pure-bred blue heeler, and with the two of them side by side it was easy to see the differences.  

(Ears and tail and size, among other things).  I guess we're actually "Traveling with Blue Heeler" now instead of "Traveling with Whippets," but the memory of our two dear friends, Jasper and Chaplin, is still very fresh, so for now whippets it will be.  I will probably change our header photo next time around.

The pet photo of the day is a pretty picture of Bandido looking out over Rend Lake.

Oubache (Wabash) State Park - with pictures this time

Roger here....   The sunset photo segues a goodbye to the Indy area and an arrival at Oubache (pronounced Wabash) State Park just outside Bluffton, IN (near Fort Wayne), where we spent eight nights.  


This particular state park was a very pleasant surprise to us.  Lots of hiking trails, biking trails, and unique nature viewing.  We had scheduled a time to visit my brother in Ohio in early September, and needed a place to stay for eight days, including Labor Day.  Oubache State park more than filled the bill.  The only drawback was a pesky tree branch that partially blocked our satellite reception.  We were able to get TV, but not internet.  Oh well --- a small price to pay for eight activity-filled and relaxing days in one of our favorite campgrounds.

I'll start with the relaxing part.  Our campsite was surrounded by trees that allowed dappled sunlight to penetrate all day long.  It was also huge.  

Three trees located just behind the motor home provided a perfect setting for the hammock that we only drag out of the bay for worthy settings. 
  

Here is a shot of Dianne enjoying a good book while resting on the hammock.

Here is a shot of Dianne ten minutes later.

(Photo used under protest....D.)

Oubache has lots of hiking trails.  Bandido drug us along on all of them, including a six-miler on the last day of our visit.  




Several of the trails led to the lake.  A good place for Bandido to cool off.

Most of the trails provided a healthy environment for an abundant growth of various types of fungus.  Right after taking this picture, we noticed that the forest surrounding us was filled with hundreds of red fungi.  Dianne took a picture that we did not think would capture the view because of the dark shade.  We were wrong.  We love this picture.

I mentioned the unique wildlife.  Here are a couple of examples.  Have you ever seen a coal-black squirrel?  Before Oubache I had only seen squirrels in various shades of brown.  This guy in the picture above hung around our campsite.  Sorry about the fuzzy picture; with his constant movement, this was the clearest picture we were able to get.   He was an active little bugger.


The big surprise at Oubache is its bison (buffalo) area.  Several of the hikes led to the huge enclosure where a dozen or so bison, including this little guy who was born in early August, make their home.

Bandido showed off his herding prowess by attempting to reign in the bull (on the other side of the fence).  

When we weren't relaxing and hiking, we were biking.  Oubache has an outstanding six-mile paved bike trail that winds along the Wabash River into the quaint town of Bluffton.  Half of the trail meanders through the woods in the state park.  The other half is part of a public parkway that skirts the river. 

This covered bridge, near Bluffton was fun to ride our bikes through.  (We are evidently in Amish country.)

 The wooden sculptures on which the mile-markers were displayed added to the atmosphere.  

Manicured gardens and interesting old houses provided additional scenery along the way.

Back at the campground...  A really nice extended  family (grandparents, parents, and kids) occupied several of the sites near us over the Labor Day weekend.  Before departing on Monday, they offered us a load of their very burnable firewood.  We spent the last two nights and the chilly day in the middle huddled next to the fire.  We even used it to grill the chicken for our chicken burritos.

In a side note...  during our stay the daily high temperatures certainly ran the gamut.  During the first few days it was in the lower eighties (perfect).  Then it broiled to nearly 100 degrees for three days in a row (hiking and biking only in the morning). (There was such a demand for power with the crowds and heat on Saturday that the electricity was out part of the hot afternoon.  We were sure glad when it came back on! -- D.)   During the last two days the temperature never made it out of the 50s!   Brrr!  Great campfire weather.

The pet picture of the day is a special one.   

During our last hike (in the chilly weather) we met a lady walking four greyhounds -- an unexpected surprise.  An hour later, during the same hike, we met a man walking two whippets.  It is amazing to see how normally sedate Chaplin perks up when he sees other sighthounds.  After talking with the owner for a few minutes, we determined that his older whippet, Dyson, was found through the same breeder Wildaire Whippets where Chaplin was born in Mt. Comfort, IN.  It is a small world!  Here is a picture of Dyson and Chaplin:

Right now we are visiting my brother in Ohio for a few days.  From there we have an appointment for motor home maintenance back near Indianapolis on the 13th, so we'll be heading back to the Hoosier state, at least for a couple of days, before starting our long trek south.

Visiting Family and Friends, Memories, and Biking at Prophetstown

Hi all, Dianne here.  The lovely farm home above belongs to my cousin, Charles, and his wife, Leslie.  One of the main reasons for our stop here at Prophetstown State Park was to be close enough to visit with my cousins, who all live in this part of Indiana.  (These are the same cousins I mentioned in my last blog, who roamed care-free in the woods and trails at our grandmother's log cabin retreat when we were little kids).


The past two summers, we've hosted my cousins here at Prophetstown State Park for a cookout.  I wrote about it the past two years, but both times I was so flustered hosting the get-together that I forgot to take pictures when they were here!  


This summer, it has been so blasted hot that none of us could quite get excited about an outdoor cookout.  Motor homes are great for two people, but six for dinner doesn't work very well if you want to eat inside.  (The famous RV'ers rule is:  Six for cocktails, four for dinner, two to sleep.)  

Leslie graciously offered to host our get-together this year, so Sunday evening we traveled to Charles's farm for a wonderful meal and family fun.  My cousin, Becky, and her husband, Rich, also came.  Becky and I were like sisters growing up, and we still love to get together and "catch up."


I haven't laughed so hard in years!  The food was wonderful, including beef from the farm and fresh corn-on-the-cob from their garden.  The strawberry margarita pie I had for dessert was so good that I actually dreamed about it last night.  (Gotta get that recipe!)

After dinner, my "little" cousin John (the tall one) and his wife, Marilyn, joined us.  It was so good to see them all! Roger took the above group photo of us.  Left to right:  Rich, Becky, Charles, Leslie, me, John and Marilyn.  Charlie the cat wanted to go with us -- after all, he was born in the barn on this farm -- but he had to stay behind in the motor home and be "in charge" of the two dogs in our absence. 


 My cousins and I don't get to see each other as often as we did as kids, but through the wonders of Facebook we can keep up with each other and all our kids, and pick up right where we left off.


Monday I drove to my hometown, Frankfort, Indiana, to meet Karen, a friend from high school, for lunch.  Karen and her husband have also spent a lot of time traveling in their RV, so we have a lot in common to talk about.  

Before driving back to Prophetstown, I stopped to get a photo just for old time's sake.  (I mentioned before that Roger and I use this blog as a virtual scrapbook for ourselves.)  My cousins and I spent lots and lots of time at this house in the 1950s and early '60s when our grandmother lived there.  It is still being well cared for by its present owners, so I wanted to get a photo for myself while it is still looking good.  


This house was great to play in as a kid -- I remember every nook and cranny.  Becky and I knew every creaking stairstep to avoid when we'd sneak down to the kitchen at night to get into grandma's decorated sugar cubes.  I remember watching a circus parade from her front stoop as it passed down the street right in front of the house.  This house really holds a special place in my heart, just as my memory of grandma still does.

Other than seeing family and friends, we've been pretty much just hanging out here at Prophetstown.  It is still our favorite place to camp in Indiana. The tall grass prairie that they've reintroduced into the area has really spread since the park opened.   (For more on this state park, click on the link "Indiana State Parks" along the left margin and read our Prophetstown blogs from the past two years.)  

This year, the weather has been in the 90s each day with high Indiana humidity.  Roger and I have been using the bike trails anyway.  I love the bike trails here, and the ability to wind through tall grass prairie and smell the wildflowers and grasses.  

Butterflies and birds abound.  I even flushed out a pheasant one morning during my ride.  If we ride early in the morning, dozens of cottontail rabbits scatter off the trail and back into the tall grasses out of sight.  The only bike trails that compare, for me, are those at our place in South Texas.  Hm-m-m....there are dozens of butterflies and birds there, too.  Seems to be a common theme -- maybe that's why I like it here so much.  

I've discovered that if you wear cool enough wicking clothes, biking actually isn't bad in the heat because it makes its own breeze.  The bike trails from the campground equal 6.4 miles if you do the whole trail out and back.  I've been doing it once per day, and Roger has been doing it twice, so 12.8 miles.  Needless to say, we've been taking lots of showers.  (Glad we have full hookups here at the park, and really glad for the 50 amp electric so we can crank up both air conditioners).  

We bought some home-grown tomatoes at the gift store at the 1920s working farm exhibit here at the state park, and some frozen pork burgers.  They also sell fresh eggs, but were out of them that day.  As we drove up the gravel lane to the farm, we saw a horse-drawn plow heading to a field.  If you go, they sell some nifty locally-sewn old-fashioned calico aprons, the kind our grandmothers wore that cover your whole front.  I've discovered that these are actually pretty practical when I'm RV'ing and doing dishes by hand.  


Just like our place in Texas, we're not really ready to leave, but tomorrow we're off to Turkey Run to meet our friends for our annual kayak trip on Sugar Creek.  That's usually an adventure, so check back soon!

The pet photo of the day could be entitled "Dog Day Afternoon."  It's even too hot for dogs outside, so they've been napping on a cool sheet spread on the couch.

Mackinac Island

Roger here....  The opening picture is along the bike, pedestrian and horse-only road on Mackinac Island.  Pretty, huh?


Yesterday, we traveled from Sault Ste. Marie to St. Ignace, a short, hour-long drive.  We are still in the Upper Peninsula, but just a bridge away from the "mitten" of Michigan.  We are staying at Straits State Park and will write about our campsite in a future post.


The main purpose of our stop here was a visit to Mackinac Island.  Since the weather forecast was mid-seventies and sunny, after taking the boys for a long walk, we did that today.

The drive to the ferry dock was a short one.  It took more time to unload our bikes (which we took with us) from the car rack, than it did to drive to Shepler's Ferry Service.  Dianne snapped a quick photo of the St. Ignace Lighthouse as we left the harbor.

Shepler's Ferry Service was extremely well-organized and customer-friendly.  An agent met us in the parking lot to make sure that our bicycles made it to the ferry -- an amazing absence of hassles.  The boat left on time and took us on a quick side trip underneath the Mackinac Bridge.  The fifth largest suspension bridge in the world is pretty impressive from this angle.

We encountered a parasailer along the way.

On the way into the harbor at Mackinac Island we were able to take a pic of the Grand Hotel ($10, just to walk on the grounds -- not for us), really nice houses on the hill, and yet another light house.

Our main activity was to be an 8.2 mile bike ride around the perimeter of the island.  Since no motor vehicles are allowed on the island and the ride was billed as flat, the trip fit Dianne's criteria for the perfect ride.  But first, lunch.

We searched the main street for quite a while to find an open space to park the bikes.  As you can see, the hundreds of bikes allowed for very few open spaces.  It reminded me of trying to find a space to park our car when we visited our daughter in Chicago.

When we finally snagged a space, we were in front of the Chippewa Hotel and the Pink Pony Bar & Grill -- love the mural behind the bar.  The menu looked good, so in we went.  

We picked well.  Our whitefish sandwiches were delicious.  Our table was right by the street so we had a view of the street traffic --  The Grand Hotel Carriage, and an actual beer wagon pulled by horses, heaped with boxes of various brands of beer.

The main street experience on Mackinac Island was reminiscent of the Main Street area of Disney World (including the crowds).  The difference...  these buildings were more than facades.  


Okey Dokey... on to the bike ride.  I already laid out Dianne's bike riding criteria: flat, no cars, etc.  The ride had other attributes -- perfect weather, no wind, beautiful landscaping and amazing seascapes (as seen in the opening photo).  Dianne was happy.  I was happy.

I REALLY enjoyed all the cairns that hundreds of people have erected along the rocky coast over the years.  This is usually Dianne's domain, but after a few miles I decided that we must leave our mark.

As we neared the end of our ride and re-entered the town area we passed some amazing Victorian houses.  (Our last house was a 1902 Victorian house, so these magnificent houses had an impact on us.)  Here are a few shots:

Before I leave this part of the blog we did, indeed, buy some fudge :-).  We also bought some American Spoon Mango-Habanero salsa and some Sour Cherry Preserves that we sampled in one of the shops (thanks, Steve).


Back at the campsite.  Bob and Linda, our friends and neighbors at Retama Village, are also staying at Straits State Park.  We had a delicious dinner at their place last night.  More about that in the next post.  


We took the pet picture of the day at the Aune-Osborne Campground in Sault Ste. Marie.  Dianne ran into a couple walking FOUR whippets.  (It is hard to have just one.)  Dianne took Chaplin to meet the four female whippets the next day.  He was very excited to meet the pretty girls!