Elkhart Exploration

Wednesday, 9/08

The Elkhart area is known for its hardworking Amish, and for being the capital of the RV manufacturing world.  In good times, thousands of campers, trailers, motorhomes and fifth wheels (house trailers connected to pickups by latching to a "fifth wheel" in the bed of the pickup, similar to how big rigs connect the trailer to the tractor) are produced annually.  All the towns in the area either manufacture, or provide product to the manufacturers.  Dairy and crop farming coexist on nearly flat land with ample water.  Winters can be severe and summers can be hot & humid, while spring can spin an occasional tornado (YIKES!).  Regardless, people are friendly and most helpful to transients like us.

Friendly?  None beat Karen & Tony.  This morning, they picked us up to tour the area.  First stop was the RV Hall of Fame & Library.  What a treat that I believe non-RVers would also enjoy.  From the early 1900s to present day, well restored (or even untouched after being found in barns and dusted off) examples of a comprehensive variety of traveling "homes" are displayed.  And if you've lived more than a decade, you'll be reminded of the progression toward the present state-of-the-art tents to million dollar RVs even during these past ten years.  What fun to wander through the exhibits, artfully arranged.

Of course, we had to have lunch, consumed in an Amish themed restaurant, family style.  How we ate all that food, I can only assume it's because we've been expertly practicing so much during this trip.

The locals also have other methods of extracting visitors' cash.  Nearby Shipshewana (say that 5 times while attempting to learn why anyone would name a town Shipshewana), is home to one of the largest Amish communities.  Reconnoitering the county roads while avoiding the Amish horse-drawn carriages, we found ourselves in the middle of the soybean and corn fields ... except the beans and corn had disappeared!  In their place was the largest outdoor flea market we've seen, and we've seen many in our travels.  Acres and acres of vendors vending on a dusty lot.  Many football fields of STUFF.  Not just T-shirts and deep fried bacon, but somewhere in this largest outdoor flea market in the Midwest, one could actually find something useful.  If one had patience and didn't mind the strong wind and dust.  Whew!  What an experience, sometimes complimented by the fragrance of the adjacent Shipshewana Cattle Auction.  Trust me, there are times when the word "Organic" does not conjure up healthy dining. 

Don't let my description detract from describing the fun we had.  A special day touring Indiana with the natives is one of the best so far.  In the middle of all this, we run into Jerry & Carol, new acquaintances made in Rapid City, SD.  Also fun people, they're heading to New England to see the foliage.  RV parking being at a premium during leaf peeping time, we're doing our best to steer them instead towards the Florida foliage so that we don't have to park in someone's barnyard to see the leaves change color in Vermont.  I'm not sure, but they may be seeing the value of changing their itinerary.  

Karen, Tony & Doris supporting Shipshewana's Flea Market

The Windy City to Hoosier Country

Tuesday, 9/07

Sadly, we leave so many friends in Illinois, but also look forward to sharing time with more in the neighboring state of Indiana.

Leaving the Chicago area is expensive.  We westerners are unused to paying road tolls, but we sure got familiar with it.  Nearly $25 was contributed to maintaining/repairing poor freeways in the Chicago area and across the border into Indiana.  The amount could have been 50% greater, but we had already learned to raise the third axle of our  coach, thereby being charged for being a two axle vehicle.  Let it be known that we'll still leave the savings behind as we continue to feed our home-on-wheels its nourishment of inexplicably expensive diesel fuel. 

Through more corn and soybean fields, we are again eastbound on I-80, entering Hoosier land and continued picturesque, rural beauty.  Elkhart, home to RV industry is our destination.  Obtaining an Enterprise car, we explore the area and ultimately park our home at one of the comfortable RV parks in the area.  

What also makes Elkhart a great location is that it is minutes from Karen & Tony, more friends derived from my business, and both successful in their local careers.  Their gorgeous home on five country acres was the site of of our evening break from the road, a time filled with fine food and shared stories.  It was so gratifying to see Karen so healthy perhaps even 20 years younger than we when we saw her four years ago.  A true inspiration!  

Labor Day

Monday, 9/06

It's Labor Day 2010.  Another ideal weather day, perfect for moving to more and dear old friends in Park Ridge, a northern 'burb of Chicago.  Sandy encouraged us to park in her driveway in this calm and beautiful location for a reuniting with friends who began as clients of my business. 

An idyllic location for celebrating Labor Day with friends

Once established as a transient-in-place under the front yard trees, Scott gave us a grand tour of his remodeled home, known to us as "Scott's Lodge and Aquarium", a magnificent achievement of harmony and beauty, then return to the opposite side of the street where we enjoyed meeting new friends and sharing large portions of grilled salmon and steak.  Just what one needs to expedite the route to obesity, but it sure was fun for both of us.

Sharing Labor Day with Sandy, Doris and Scott.

 

Glen Ellyn 3

Sunday, 9/05

While Doris, the exploress, explored on her own, I got to work on cargo bay latches that had developed an attitude and begun not to latch, sometimes preventing the front slide from sliding outward.  Problem resolved, then there was Doris taking me to her favorite hot dog palace for my first "Chicago Dog".  The definition of this particular dog is that they put "EVERYTHING" on it.  So much stuff, that it took awhile to find the actual hot dog.  Regardless, a meal in itself, it was GOOD! 

More grocery shopping at "VALLI's".  I'm not much of a shopper, but this local store has a remarkable inventory of typical groceries, complimented by a comprehensive selection from nearly every country on the globe.  Doris returned three times before exhausting present and future "must buy" grocery lists.

Tonight?  Back to friends for BBQing and more silliness.  We wish you were all here to enjoy with us.

With friends like Greg, Julie & Wil, a good time was never in doubt

Glen Ellyn 2

Saturday, 9/04

Beautiful weather again.  Cool, dry and breezy.  The heat will return some day, but we're having a great time with friends, plus wandering about with Doris reminiscing about the old days.  I'm having a great time listening to the stories and the reconnection with special people.  The humor you've told me you enjoy has been consumed with them.  I'll just have to create some more for you.  Stay tuned.

Glen Ellyn

Friday, 8/03

After a night of rain, a cold front has passed through and we're enjoying breezy, dry 60s temps.  A great day for a short drive to Doris's old hometown of Glen Ellyn, a western suburb of Chicago.  Since we don't tow a car, a visit to Enterprise and we have a cute little station wagon for only $9.99/day.  Can't beat that!  Parking at the Wheaton/Glen Ellyn Elks, we check out the neighborhood and find the village of Glen Ellyn, population 16,000 to be as pretty now as in 1995 when Doris moved west to Walnt Creek.  Visiting her ex-neighbor/friends Wil, Julie, Kim, and Greg made for a great "welcome back home" and an afternoon that extended late into the night, the time filled with good food, drink, stories and lotsa laughs. 

It's a great day in the Amanas:  No bills!  (The buildings behind Doris were once communal kitchens.  Meals served were enjoyed by women & children dining in one area, men only in another.  15 minutes to dine & talking was frowned upon, probably because communal cooking wasn't that good.  )

Thursday, 9/02

Time to move on.  Rental car returned, we're rolling eastbound on I-80, the first freeway driving since 1,000 miles ago ... and not missed.  With so much to see, good roads and so little traffic, the side roads were a special treat.

First stop was "I-80 Truck Stop", advertised as the largest in the world and part of a History Channel documentary.  Definitely worth seeing, but buy your fuel elsewhere and save money.  Huge museum, and the largest trucker/tourist shop that makes Macy's look wimpy.

Attention shoppers!  We have a special on tractor trailers today!  Macho driver not included.

Driver Doris, the cutest coast-to-coast double clutching, gear jammin', horn blowing momma.  But don't get in her way!

One truck.  One 134' windmill blade.  One challenge in heavy traffic.

The task of the day was to find our second replacement air filter since we filled up the last one with horse sanctuary dust.  Real dust, not horse d'overs. You might think the engine manufacturer (Cummins) dealers would have them.  No.  Mack, who uses them?  No.  Anyone?  Yes, only if we're willing to wait 2 to 4 days for delivery from another planet.  Finally, one dealer referred us to a parts store in Rock Island, IL, around the corner from the truck/engine dealers we contacted.  Sure enough, they had our filter.  Several of them.  Why couldn't the dealers get one from them?  No one knows.

Filter in possession, we drove a few blocks to recommended Ace Muffler where owner "Butch" helped me man-handle the filter into place inches rear of a hot engine.  $15 and 15 minutes later, we're on our way northeastward to a funky lakeside park in Rock Falls.  Tomorrow:  The Chicago 'burbs and dear friends we're excited to visit.