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.

Trees Again in Arkansas

Dianne here with a short update. We are heading toward Texas. Spent a few nights at Rend Lake in Southern Illinois. Now we're spending four nights at Lake Catherine State Park near Hot Springs, Arkansas. What a beautiful place! We have a view of the lake out our windshield and a huge wooded site. Same story at Rend Lake -- so many trees, not a chance that our Motosat would find a satellite. I'm pecking this out on my iPhone, and we'll post some updates as soon as we're back in civilization. At least our smart phones work, but I will be disappointed to miss two of my favorite tv shows' premiers. Guess we'll make the best of it, hiking, reading, and sitting around the campfire. Come to think of it, those are my favorite things to do, so I won't really be all that deprived! I'll just have to wait and see what happens with Meredith and McDreamy!

Chaplin... Another sad day.

Roger here...  Nine years ago we visited a local kennel near Indianapolis, Wildaire Whippets, to find a playmate for our whippet, Jasper.  We came home with a nine-month-old whippet whose nickname was AWOL.  (I can't remember for sure, but his AKC name was something like "Catch me if you can" -- also appropriate! -- D.)  The name was appropriate.  He was an escape artist during his first few years.  We renamed him "Chaplin," due to the black eyebrows over each eye that reminded us of Charlie Chaplin.  Within a year, the spots disapeared.  (You can see them in the professional photo below of Jasper and Chaplin taken in the fall -- D.  In the photo below, you can see that Chaplin even lunched at Sloppy Joe's in Key West.  At least he didn't have a boring life. -- D.)

The breeders intended to keep him as a show dog.  He was a handsome boy.  However, his personality did not lend itself to the show ring.  He was a quiet, submissive, easily-frightened dog who was also a little stubborn.  He would never do anything unless it was his idea.  Good news for us, because he was also a loving dog.  He was a perfect fit in our family.

When he was younger, despite our efforts, he did escape a few times.  One time neighbors brought him back in the bed of a truck after we scoured the neighborhood with pictures.  Another, very notable time, he bolted (there was no catching a dog that runs at 35 mph) at Lake Cumberland State Park in Kentucky.   We tramped through the forest and along the roads for four hours.  People had seen him chasing the wild turkeys, but we could not locate him.  A very kind park ranger befriended him and brought him to us.

Chaplin was the most gentle dog I have ever known.  He did not bark.  He was never aggressive in any situations.  When he wanted attention, he would stand next to you, quietly begging to be petted and occasionally licking your hand.  He spent countless nights snuggling next to me on the couch while I watched TV.  If I became tense (while watching a Purdue basketball game), he would hop down and seek Dianne.

He loved playing with other dogs, especially when he was younger.  He ran like the wind.  He hopped around in a manner that reminded me of Tigger.  He was a chick magnet whenever people were around.  He always seemed to find ladies and girls who wanted to pet him.

When our granddaughter, Kaia, was a toddler, he reluctantly allowed her to play with him.  She used to dress him up and on one occasion put pink lipstick, a skirt, and a pink ponytail elastic with a bow on his head.  Poor little guy.  (Needless to say, the ponytail holder was removed from his head immediately after these photos! -- D.)

This has not been a good year for our boys.  We lost Jasper in January due to a tumor on one of his kidneys.  On September 11th, of all days, Chaplin lost his battle with subcutaneous hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive type of skin cancer.

Unlike the unexpected loss of Jasper, we knew that disease would eventually claim Chaplin.  We first discovered the disease 2 1/2 years ago at Stone Mountain State Park in North Carolina, when we could not stop the bleeding from a sore on his stomach.  We had that tumor removed, but the local vet in Indiana did not recognize the disease.  Over the past two years, vets in Texas diagnosed the disease and removed multiple tumors on two occasions.  His last tumor was in an inoperable place.  We knew that when it inevitably started to bleed (With this disease the blood does not clot and the wounds never heal), that we would lose him.  

We truly miss our gentle, quiet dog that has been our constant companion for the past nine years.


Bandido, Mr. Energy, does draw our attention away from our loss.  BUT, things are not the same around here.  We miss our quiet, loving boy.

I guess we're no longer "Traveling with Whippets," but we're keeping the name, for now at least.  Jasper and Chaplin both will be traveling with us in spirit.  -- D.

Amish Country in Ohio -- a visit with my brother

Roger here...  My brother lives in Central Ohio, a little north and a little east of Columbus.   A visit to see Dick and his wife, Pam, has been on our itinerary for months.  Unfortunately, Pam was forced to go to Indiana before we arrived to take care of a medical issue with her mother.  So, it was just the three of us, Dianne, Dick, and me.  


We parked in Dick and Pam's driveway, where we connected to their electricity.  We had a great time despite Pam's absence.  Dick prepared meals on his new outdoor grill. We played Mexican Train. (Dick won every game and he had never played before.  Dick always wins, and I am really getting tired of it :-).  (I especially missed Pam while we were playing Mexican Train -- a little female backup would have been helpful; just a bit too much testosterone in the room for me!  You can read into that that I came in dead last each and every game -- D.)  We also did a little shopping and sight seeing.


Ohio Amish country was about an hour east.  We spent a day driving through the rolling hills and well-kept farms.  It is an extensive community, consisting of several towns.   Horses and buggies were prevalent on the main highways and the side roads.  Dianne told me that it was bad form to photograph the Amish without their permission.  I agree.  I did, however, take a picture of an antique buggy that was on display outside one of the shops in the town of Berlin (the opening picture).  

We stopped at a wine shop to sample some of the local Ohio wines and bought a couple of bottles, a Malbec and a Sangiovese.  Surprisingly good!


The highlight of the day was a stop in Kidron, Ohio to visit the flagship store of Lehman's.  The gigantic store (30,000 square feet, nearly a quarter- mile long) is billed as the best of Ohio's Amish country.  It was founded in 1955 to serve the local Amish with non-electric, old-fashioned products.  Dianne and I did some serious damage in the store, purchasing new dishes for the motor home (lightweight and unbreakable), as well as a few other interesting items.  (This then necessitated a trip to a Goodwill Store to drop off our old dishes -- something in, something out!  -- D.)  I will be very surprised if Dick does not make a trip back with Pam to buy a couple of the most comfortable Adirondack chairs that my derriere has ever rested in.  

We stopped for some amazing apple-cinnamon doughnuts and fruit at the local orchard (a mile from Dick and Pam's house).  We made the trip a couple of times.  The first time we were in the car. The second time we walked, making the purchase of the doughnuts a little less of a guilt trip.

We don't have any pictures of my brother, but we do have a picture of his fancy sports car.  Here is a shot taken from the motor home while he passed us
on his way to check on Pam and her mother.

(We had said our good-byes an hour or two earlier in Ohio and watched him speed off into the horizon.  We were surprised to see him pass us again in Indiana.  A phone call to Dick received an explanation that he had stopped for "a quick lunch."  I pointed out to him that it couldn't have been very quick, noting the discrepancy between his swift little sports car and our lumbering motor home; good to see him again, nevertheless!  -- D.)
  
We are back in the Indy area right now, waiting for the annual service appointment for our motor home at Mt. Comfort RV tomorrow.  After the appointment, we will slowly make our way back to our winter home in South Texas.  


The pet picture of the day shows Chaplin and Bandido resting on the couch.

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.