West Lafayette, Indiana --- He Did, She Did

Roger here...  We are currently enjoying the perfect October weather in Indiana.  October is my favorite Indiana month.  

We allowed a week for our Newmar service and scheduled a free week before our interior remodel at Bradd & Hall in Elkhart.  Since the Newmar service was completed as scheduled, we had time to spend a week near West Lafayette, IN at our favorite state park, Prophetstown.  The view from our campsite was a sea of golden tall-grass prairie.  

We have posted about all the reasons we love this state park in the past, so I won't repeat that information, but suffice it to say, our opinion has not changed. 

There is always a lot to do here; however, our main reason for coming here was to see Dianne's cousins.   Since our time was limited, we decided to split up and do the things that we each wanted to do most.  

HE DID:

Dianne accompanied me on a quick drive through the Purdue campus, my alma mater.  I gave a quick wave to the Neil Armstrong statue, could not find a place to park, then we went to the Nine Irish Guys Pub (just off campus for lunch).  Purdue is playing Nebraska as I am writing this.  I am taping the game.  I am not optimistic about the outcome, but stranger things have happened.  Did not happen this week.  My poor Boilermakers!

I spent most of our three full days at Prophetstown State Park hiking with the dogs while she pursued other  interests.  The entrance to Trail One  was easily accessible from the back of our campsite.  We (the dogs and me) hiked for seven miles the first day, four miles the second day, and three miles (She joined us) the third day.  A montage of the beauty of this area appears below.

The golden grass in the tall-grass prairie really is tall.  

Hiking through the tall-grass has the feeling of hiking through a tunnel.

A boardwalk through the fen.

A pathway through a copse of majestic sycamore trees.

A profusion of wildflowers.

More milkweed that I have ever seen before.

A tranquil pond that was a hotbed of avian activity, including some very large birds.
The elegant swan below seemed to be the master of the pond.

Not to be outdone, a pair of great blue herons staked out their own corner of the pond.

This guy lifted from the shallow water of the pond then gracefully glided to a perch in a tree across the water.

Bandido picked a stop next to the pond as an opportunity to roll around in the smelly mud.  Why do dogs do this?

Two new trails have been constructed in the park.  Trail 3 hugs a hillside through the woods.  Eventually, it opens up into a walk next to the Tippecanoe River.

And then, Indiana's iconic Wabash River.  

Another nice improvement is the addition of an extensive aquatic center.  What a great place for young families.


Whew,  after all that exercise the dogs and I needed some serious down time.  

Tequila picked a sunny spot in the grass.

Bandido flaked out on the picnic table.

I dragged the hammock to a shady spot and took a nap.








The other activity that I enjoyed was photographing the beautiful sunsets that painted the skies every evening.

And my favorite sunset picture:

SHE DID:  Dianne here.  Sometimes it's good to just do your own thing.  Since we were in the part of Indiana that I grew up in, this was my chance to do what I wanted to do.  The first day after we arrived at Prophetstown State Park, my dear cousin Becky (we've always been more like sisters than cousins) picked me up and we went into West Lafayette for a delicious lunch and dessert.  We reminisced about the delicious mince pie our grandmother always made, and the fun times we spent together with her.  We spent a delightful afternoon then at the campsite "catching up" about children and grandchildren.   I always forget to take photos when I'm with my cousins because I get so excited to see them that I forget about the camera.

The next day

Frankfort Community Library

I ate breakfast, packed a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, and made my way to my hometown, Frankfort, Indiana, to spend some quality time in the genealogical section of the community library.  I had great success and spent the entire day immersed there.

 On my quick lunch break, I walked next door and snapped a photo of the Presbyterian church where I spent many a Sunday growing up, and also where Roger and I were married in July of 1972.  It hasn't changed too much....

On my way out of town, I stopped at the drug store for a couple of items and snapped this quick photo of a T-shirt on the way out,

in case my Texas friends want to get a chuckle out of our high school mascot.  Yes, I really am a Frankfort "Hot Dog"!  

The next day (after we moved from the state park to my cousin's farm) I left Roger and the dogs behind and spent the night with two high school girlfriends (the same ones I met in Fort Lauderdale for spring break).  Thanks, Margy and Karen, for a great time!  Once again, I was so busy gabbing and drinking wine that I forgot to take photos.  

Before meeting all my cousins for dinner the next evening at the farm, I made a quick trip to the old Geetingsville, Indiana cemetery to pay my respects to the ancestors I've been studying up on and also my aunt and uncle and my dear grandmother, Clara, of the mince pie fame.  (R:  and fried chicken)

 If you do the math after looking at her tombstone, you'll note that she lived to be 105!!  She was the greatest single influence on my life and I miss her dearly.  The cemetery itself is very scenic, on a rolling hill in the quiet countryside.  Back to Roger...

Roger here again...  Unfortunately, we were not able to spend Friday and Saturday nights at the state park.  Because we did not know our exact schedule, we waited too long to reserve a weekend spot.  The Purdue - Nebraska football game probably did not help matters.

Fortunately, Dianne's cousin, Charlie (big Chuck's namesake) and his wife Leslie, offered to let us park near their farm in a bucolic barn lot (that they also own) for two nights.  

While Dianne was out galavanting  :-) with her high school buddies, I spent an evening with Charlie's family eating Pizza King Pizza, my favorite, and talking with their friends, Steve and Debbie, who just bought a fifth wheel.  They were anxious to pick my brain about our lifestyle, and it was fun to give advice and talk with them.  Other members of Charlie's family were also there: Leigh (daughter) working at a doctorate at Purdue, Darcy and Andrew (daughter and son-in-law) who were in town for the Nebraska game, and their amazingly cute daughters, Hailey and Ella.  We (both of us!) are headed back to their farm for dinner tonight.

Earlier today Charlie dropped by our site to give a Dr. Pol-like innoculation to one of his calves.  Wish we had had the camera.  The calf was not happy.  Charlie opted not to give the cow an additional pink-eye shot directly into the eye membrane.  Dianne was happy to not have to see this.  She would have turned her head anyway.

Dianne again:  I snapped a quick photo of Charles next to his spiffy cattle chute when he came by to get cattle feed.  Did you know there is actually a

magazine named "Hereford World"?!   I laugh, but if I made my living raising cattle, I'd probably subscribe to it, too!

It was wonderful to see my family and I feel so fortunate to have them in my life.  Back to Roger....

We (both of us!) headed back to the Robison house to join other family members for dinner tonight.  It turned out to be quite a crowd: Charlie (cousin and his wife Leslie), Becky (cousin, and her husband Rich), John (cousin and his wife Marilyn), Betsy (Charlie and Leslie's daughter and her husband, Reston).  After dinner, John and Marilyn (a true animal lover) followed us back to the motor home to meet Bandido, Tequila, and Big Chuck.  Big Chuck wants us to take him to Marilyn's house to live!

The pet picture of the day shows Tequila (hammock view) right after she woke me up from yet another nap by licking me on the nose.  Dianne's dog can really be a pest sometimes.  He says that, but he doesn't mean it -- D.

Tequila deep in thought.   

Goodbye Newmar! Great Experience

Roger here.... (Big Chuck sends his regards.  He is napping right now)....  Now that our scheduled service is complete, we have moved to the Newmar overflow parking lot for the weekend (watching it rain) to open space for the new people coming in.  The opening photo of an Amish school with a grassy parking lot full of bicycles highlights the fact that we are still in Nappanee.  We are waiting for the weekend to end so that a local tire service (recommended by Newmar) can change a leaky valve stem on one of our tires.  Then we are outta here!  Dianne is going to talk about our visit to The Rentown Amish Country Store, but first I want to talk a bit about our recent Newmar Service experience:

In late July, while en route to Salt Lake City, I called the Newmar Service Department to set up an appointment.  We then submitted a laundry list of 13 items that we wanted to have completed.  One of those items included an extensive list of chassis maintenance tasks that we wanted to have done at the factory.  Our Mountain Aire has been remarkably problem-free, and we want to keep it that way.  An arrival date of September 30th was confirmed at that time.  After a few email exchanges, we received an estimate for the work and agreed to proceed so that parts could be ordered.  

On the first morning of our scheduled service, Byron, the representative who was overseeing and doing much of the work on our motor home, reviewed our requests.  During the discussion we actually added a couple more items.  Over the course of the week, Byron contacted us frequently regarding how we wanted him to proceed.  We got to know his boss, Leander, and the entire crew who worked on our rig on a first-name basis.  We quickly grew to trust them with our home.  It was apparent that this was going to be a first-rate experience.  

Big Chuck told you about the repairs to our automatic steps (much cheaper than the estimate), the awning, the lights in the bedroom, the off-track pocket door, etc.  I have a few photos of some of the outside improvements.

Before

More than a year ago I clipped the rear end on a concrete post at a gas station.  The damage was noticeable if you walked by, but not horrible.  It was in the back, so most people did not see it.  At Retama Village (our winter home) we surrounded it with shrubs  :-).  However, it caused my stomach to churn every time I saw it.  Big Chuck showed you the initial repairs in the last post.  At that point the new trim had been added and the fiberglass on the bumper repaired.  All that remained to be done was a new paint job.  Looks pretty good, doesn't it?  One less thing to occupy my mind.

After

When we were on the west coast, I climbed up on the roof to do something (who knows what).  I immediately noticed that the paint along the curved area between the roof and the vertical walls was deteriorating.  The salty air on the Oregon coast and the baking  Texas sun probably accelerated the decline of the paint job. The entire perimeter of the roof line was affected.  It was pretty bad.  I knew that if this was not corrected in a timely manner, that the deterioration would spread to the visible surfaces.  That trip to the roof was the impetus for moving up the Newmar service to this fall instead of waiting until next summer (our original intention).  We are very pleased with the shiny new paint.  It was good to have this done at the factory where we knew the paint would match.

At some point during the last leg of this year's travels, we lost a hubcap cover.  I am sure it has a happy home  along a road somewhere in Colorado.  I am actually glad that the loss of the cover happened before our service appointment.  Less hassle for me.  Pretty shiny, huh?

For the past few years our headlights have become foggier and foggier.  One turned yellow.  One turned frosty white (not sure why they were different).  These ugly lights were very noticeable to me and to others (I am sure).  As I looked into replacing the covers, I learned that the headlights came as a unit.  I would have to replace the entire unit.  Last year I bought a restoration kit (chemicals and sanding).  It helped, but really made the ugliness only slightly less noticeable.  I cannot express how happy I am with the new headlights.  Whew, that looks SO MUCH better.  I think the light can actually now illuminate the road.

When all the work was completed, Byron came to our coach to review each item and the ensuing charges.  I won't reveal the total bill.  It was not cheap.  However, I am happy to report that it was $2000 less than the estimate.  In the future, if we ever need major work done, and the motor home is drivable, we will definitely return to the Newmar facility.  There is a reason for their excellent reputation.

After we paid our bill, we took the path across the street through the fields of Amish Acres.  To celebrate a successful venture, we decided to repeat the chicken dinner that we enjoyed when we first arrived.  We do not often eat fried foods;  however, we won't be back for a while so, what the hay!

Before turning this over to Dianne, I did want to say a few words about the factory tour that I took. It did not turn out to be what I expected.  (No pictures allowed).  I expected a Henry Ford type assembly line.  That does not happen here.  Since each of the coaches are only built if there is an order, there is a great deal of customization.  Most of the materials are cut at the point of installation - not precut.  The coaches are moved to different stations, but that move is done on air-filled pads that four to six workers actually push by hand!  The tires are not released until it is time to send the unit to the paint shop.  A large percentage of the workers are Amish -- you know, the people with the reputation for excellent and meticulous work.  Seeing the coaches built helped me realize the reason for the quality.  

By the way.  At this time Newmar produces four new coaches a day.  That number is being increased to five with possibilities of adding more in the future.  Newmar is hiring.  I must report, however, that there is a general concern that this boon may go away if the mess in Washington is not resolved soon.

Time to turn things over to Dianne.

Hi all, Dianne here.  All week long we've watched slim, trim Amish women (and men) riding all around town on bicycles and on the country roads leading to town.  Between 5:00 and 5:30 every morning (in the pitch dark) you can see tiny bicycle headlights on the country roads heading toward the Newmar factory.  I can only imagine what time they had to arise and leave home to make the trip by bicycle.   If you worked as hard as they do and used bicycles and feet to get around like they do, you might get by eating like they do!  I won't even describe the deliciousness of the cinnamon rolls we devoured from the Rise and Roll Bakery one morning while killing time in the car waiting for daylight.  We also checked out the Rentown Country Store, recommended to us by our main service guy, Byron. 

What a wonderland!  Delicious Amish cheese of every description, bulk foods and spices, baked goods, fresh orchard apples, and much more.  Here's what I came away with on our first trip
 there: 

Almond butter, dried sour cherries, homemade cookies, honeycrisp apples, apple and vegetable crisps, dip mix, etc. etc., plus some very delicious cheese.  I have no willpower when it comes to sweets and pies, donuts, rolls, and homemade baked goods, so I need to get out of this town!!!

Tomorrow we're heading back to central Indiana to visit family and friends, then back north a week from today to drop off the motor home for the interior renovation.  Then we'll be "homeless" for another week and a half, this time with no access to the motor home at night.  Our friends Jay and Nancy have graciously offered to let us stay with them, so we are very lucky indeed!  Back to Roger....

The pet picture of the day was taken on the day that we packed for a night at the Amish Acres Inn. We were not able to sleep in the motor home during the painting process, so we threw clothes in a suitcase and crammed a lot of stuff into the car.  Big Chuck seemed to think that we bought him a cozy new bed.

Newmar - Big Chuck's Big Adventure

Sunrise on a foggy morning in Nappanee, Indiana

Well, hello there... Charlie the cat here....  But then you really don't know me, do you?  Mom and Dad always let the smelly dogs post these blogs.  Now it is my turn.  I am mom and dad's 12-year-old cat who used to roam free in Pendleton, Indiana before they sold their house.  I am named after Mom's cousin Charlie.  I was born in his barn on their farm near Mulberry, Indiana.  When Mom's granddaughter (would that make her my niece?), Kaia, picked me up at a family gathering when she was a little girl and I did not scratch her, they took me home and I became a part of their family.  Mom and Dad call me Big Chuck now, probably because I weigh as much as an elephant.  But, I am not as heavy as my smelly sister, Tequila.  

My life has been in turmoil lately.  Allow me to show you my new home.  The opening picture  was taken on a foggy morning near Nappanee, Indiana.  But, did I get to see it?  Noooo!  I was in a crate in the back seat of this car between my two smelly dog siblings. 

This is how it has been.  Last Friday we arrived at this place called Newmar, and all normalcy ended.  At 6:00 a.m. (Yes, six in the morning - still dark, foggy and cold) Mom and Dad put me in my crate and take me to the miniscule car.  They do bring my litter box and food, but my world shrinks from my spacious home on wheels to a tiny car!  Then Dad talks to a guy in a golf cart for a while, and Mom brings the dogs to sit on both sides of me.  Trapped! 

The golf-cart guy drives the motor home away and  we stay away for nine hours before coming back and resuming our normal lives, until the next morning when the alarm goes off at 4:30 and it all starts again.

Mom and Dad seem happy about all this.  They keep talking about how they like the golf-cart guy and the people who work with him.  

The stinky dogs (my siblings) brag about walking twice a day in the pasture across the street.   I could go, too, but I refuse to walk on a leash.  With me it is more like dragging, and I simply refuse.

I am really weary of hearing Dad wax ecstatic about how much progress the golf-cart guy is making with the motor home.  It does not affect me.

- dent in the back where Dad swung into a gas station barrier (clumsy Dad) ... ready for paint. I never see it.

-  new gutter on the side of the roof ...  ready for paint.  Like they would ever let me climb on the roof.

-  new headlights that aren't foggy and yellow...  I am not allowed outside at night so I could care less.

-  automatic steps that work every time... That is actually a good thing because sometimes they do take me outside.

-  a new motor for the awning so we can have shade...  OK, I can deal with that.

- bedroom lights that work all the time... I would rather be alone in the dark.

-  new screen for the door....  The smelly dogs did that, not me.

- a working pocket door next to the bedroom... They think they can keep me out of the bedroom now, but I will just pound on the door until they open it :-).

Dad says that the Newmar Golf Cart guy still has a few things to do, so I guess I will be a captive in the car for a few more days.  Just one more thing before I talk about the very few good times.  I would not mind this nearly as much if Dad would buy a jeep and have it and our motor home painted like the one in the picture below.  After all, I am a cat.  I do have some vanity.

I have to admit that I have had one great day, and another that wasn't too bad, while I was banned from the motor home.  The great day was at Potato Creek State Park.

It was a sunny, warm day.  Some of the trees were turning red.  I remember that from my past life roaming free and rolling in the leaves in our backyard.  We drove by a quiet lake.  Dad stopped the car so mom could take pictures. 

I got to see a two big birds sitting on a log in the water.  It looked like there were two more upside down in the water.  I would have liked to stalk them, but I don't do water.

When we finally parked the car, we were surrounded by these strange people.  Bandido was afraid of them.  Mom and Dad thought they were great.  I just pretended they were not there.

Mom, Dad and my stinky siblings went hiking in the woods for a couple of hours.   It was still cold out but they parked the car in the shade and cracked the windows for me anyway.  They let me out of my crate so I could use the litter box, eat, hide under the seats, and climb on the dashboard to hiss at birds.

When they returned from their walk, we all enjoyed three hours lounging around on the lawn.  By then the sun was out and it was nice and warm.   Even I enjoyed it.  

I had lots of room to play on my expandable leash.

I even had my own tree for sharpening my (nonexistent) claws.



Dad fell asleep while reading his book.  I guess these early mornings are too much for him.

Then he got up and fell asleep again laying on the ground next to Bandido.

Then Tequila licked Dad on the face and woke him up.  PRETTY FUNNY!  Don't let anyone know I have a sense of humor.

The next day was the not-so-bad day.  After a shorter trip in my crate, we arrived at a city park in Goshen, Indiana.  It was a foggy day and a little chilly.  Mom did not want to get out of the car.  Mom does not cope well with imperfect weather.  So Dad and my smelly siblings hiked about four miles along the Pumpkinvine Trail.  It was good to get rid of the stinky dogs, AND I got to spend the time sleeping and purring on Mom's lap while she did Sudoku.  It does not get much better than that.  

Since I am the author of this post, the pet pictures of the day are of ME!

I am the alpha male in this family.

Time for my close-up.

Mom thinks I have pretty green eyes.