Another Dang Short Story

Location: Ray Behrens Corps of Engineers Campground; about 30 minutes west of Hannibal, Missouri

I have changed my plans and reservations so I can back to my homebase in Louisiana on September 2nd. No emergency, just a feeling that I need to get back earlier. I've stayed at this campground before and if you search the name of the campground in the blog it should come up.

The following short story has been bouncing around in my head for a week or so, especially when I'm traveling. The only way I have found to rid myself of it is to type it out. So here it is:        

  

Healing Hearts

They met in the travel section of the local bookstore. It was the only bookstore in Dexter, Nebraska and it was an old-style store with the smell of freshly brewed coffee mixed with the scent of leather from some of the book bindings. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor scanning a travel book as he turned into the aisle. He wasn’t paying attention and tripped over her. Luckily neither was physically hurt but both were very embarrassed. They each apologized repeatedly; he for not paying attention and her for being in the way. Neither could look the other directly in the eye and both were trying to get away from each other as fast as possible. The bookstore clerk, a good-hearted older woman, knew both individually and her heart went out to them for two very opposites reasons. She saw what happened and felt as though fate had just taken a hand in their lives. She had been hoping they would meet each other.

After the two people left separately, the clerk relayed what she knew about the two of them to her co-worker. She said the woman’s name is Denise, but she goes by Deedee. She had been in an emotionally and physically abusive marriage for way too long and prior to that had a very abusive childhood. She had tried to escape from her husband several times during the earlier years of her marriage, but he always found her. He would make promises to change and although she knew they were hollow promises, she would return, it seemed as if she had no other choice. She knew she needed her freedom but couldn’t muster up the courage to officially leave her husband and file for divorce. She was trapped and knew it. She had come to accept her sad married life just as she had previously accepted her abusive childhood. In her mind, for her, this type of life was just inevitable. One day, the finger of fate freed her from her abusive husband when he passed away in a fatal car accident. She was now a widow, and although she had her freedom, she was afraid. Her deceased husband had never allowed her to have any close friends and since she had no family, she found herself truly alone in the world. Her abusive relationship had not prepared her for this type of freedom, so she kept herself closed off to anyone who tried to get close to her. Her life consisted of work, home and the bookstore. The wall she built around herself was tall and strong. She could not trust anyone. The bookstore clerk, had only known her for less than a year, but was probably the person closest to her.

The man, Peter, had an opposite life. Strangely, he was a widower which gave them something in common. His wife of twenty-some odd years had been his true soulmate. They found each other in high school, dated exclusively throughout college then married after graduation. When people saw them together it was as if they were only seeing one person. Each completed the other in every way. They each made up what the other was lacking. Life allowed them to find each other but never rewarded them with children. Although sad, they both came to accept the fact but rejoiced in having each other. Life was good for Peter until the cancer took his wife away very quickly. Just like Deedee, Peter had no close friends because both he and his wife felt that sharing their feelings with someone else was just too close to betrayal. They believed each was enough for each other. Also, like Deedee, he had no living family members either on his side or his deceased wife’s side. He had also built a wall around himself to prevent anyone from getting close to his heart. He just couldn’t risk going through the pain of losing someone again. Their walls were almost identical in that they closed themselves off from giving and receiving love.

The bookstore clerk knew in her heart that she needed to do something to bring these two lost souls together. She believed they needed each other to help each other heal. She knew both were interested in travel because that was the only section of the bookstore they used. Neither had ventured very far from their hometown so the clerk cooked up a simple plan. She started a “Travel Book Club” that would meet once a week in the bookstore. She sent out invitations to both Deedee and Peter. Her sneaky plan worked and both Deedee and Peter showed up for the first meeting. They were curious why they were the only two attendees. Little did they know no one else was invited. Although both faithfully attended the weekly book club meeting, it took a few months before they felt comfortable interacting with each other. Sure, they would talk during the meeting while discussing places they wanted to see but it never got personal. The walls they had built were just too tall and strong. It was during one meeting, Peter asked Deedee if she had done much traveling. Her answer was sad and insightful, “Only in my mind”. He replied, “Same here, but maybe someday I will.”

The bookstore clerk couldn’t wait for Cupid or lightning to strike so she came up with part two of her plan. During one of the weekly meetings, she asked them if they would do her a big favor. Both replied at the same time, using the same word, “certainly”. Wow, two speaking as one?  This only confirmed what the clerk had already known. She told the two about her upcoming retirement and her plans to travel around the country in an RV. Of course, that wasn’t true, but Peter and Deedee didn’t know that. She politely and humbly asked them if they would please do some research and provide her with a list of interesting places to see in the country along with campgrounds to park the RV while exploring an area. She added that a detailed map and preliminary budget would also be very helpful. As an afterthought she asked if they would research and recommend which RV she should buy that would be suitable for her and companion. She strongly emphasized that they needed to work together so that what they came up with would be a balance between both a masculine and feminine point of view since her companion was a male.  At that point they both turned and looked directly into the other’s eyes. It was the first time they really “saw” each other. Before that, they felt like they were invisible and liked that feeling. After two weeks, the clerk asked for a progress report on the plan. Since they had only met once at the last weekly club meeting, they didn’t have much to report. Part three of her plan was then put into effect. It was to ask them if they could speed up their work on the project since her retirement was quickly approaching (another little lie). They agreed to meet more often and after a couple of weeks they found themselves meeting almost daily. In the beginning, they would meet at a coffee shop or in the park. Eventually they began meeting over dinner which each enjoyed more than they would admit. In the future, neither would admit to suggesting that first dinner and would jokingly blame the other. After that they began to spend almost all their available time together with only part of the time working on the project. No, they weren’t falling for each other, but they had learned to be more open, sociable and comfortable with each other. That change only occurred with each other, not other people.  Each of their walls was still high and strong to the public.

After nine months of working on the project, they submitted their completed project to the bookstore clerk. She barely looked at it and part four of her plan began when she said, “Thank you both for such great work but things have changed. I won’t be retiring, at least for several more years. It is a shame that so much work will go to waste.”  Allowing that news to sink in for a minute or so, she quickly and strongly said, “You are both financially secure and eligible for early retirement right now.  Without any family, you’re free to travel as much as you want. The project you put together is for two people so why don’t the two of you put it to good use.” Again in unison, both quickly said, “We’re not a couple”. The clerk summed up the conversation with, “Why can’t friends travel as friends”. It was as if a light bulb went on over each of their heads. Peter and Deedee looked at each other and said, “Yeah, why not”?

Over the last fifteen years and two RV’s, with Deedee as navigator and planner, they had visited and camped in each of the lower 48 states and Alaska. They were living their dream. As they passed through the old hometown they would report in with old bookstore clerk and give her souvenirs of their travels. She began an extensive collection of them in the travel section of the store. She often arranged small get-togethers at the bookstore so they could speak about their latest adventures. There were maps on display in the travel section showing where they had been and where they were going. They were “near-celebrities”. Several times they were asked if they were married, but their reply was always, “Just friends”. The bookstore clerk knew they were more than friends but would never reveal their secret.

In was in their twentieth year of traveling when Deedee began to feel sluggish and lacked energy to explore areas like she had in the past. She also had mysterious pain throughout her body. The doctors diagnosed her with fibromyalgia. While the doctor said the disease was not life threatening and that she had many years ahead of her; she would need to be placed in a nursing facility sometime in the future to deal with the increasing pain and possible memory loss. As usual, they both asked the doctor the same thing at the same time, “When?” The doctor calmly said, “You will know when”. Later that evening while sitting in the RV, Deedee said, “We’ve been traveling for such a long time that the whole country has been our hometown. Like we’ve said over the years, ‘our RV has been a small home but with a big backyard.’ I guess we need to find a stopping spot. But where do we stop?”

So began the search. They weren’t exploring areas like they had been doing over the years. No, instead they were searching for a nice nursing home where Deedee would be happy. They interviewed dozens and dozens of homes over the years after the doctor gave his diagnosis. Deedee’s check list for the home included friendly but qualified nursing staff but it must have a great view. She really didn’t have a preference as to the view. She told Peter she would know it when they found it. Silently, under his breath, Peter said, “if there’s time.”

It was in the third year after they received the bad news from the doctor that Deedee’s pain level had increased to the point where stronger medication was needed. Her memory lapses would come and go. She would change from being able to remember in vivid detail places they had explored years ago and the very next day she had a hard time remembering what state they were currently exploring. One day Deedee told Peter the time had come and she knew exactly where she wanted to settle in for the ‘long goodbye’. Peter wondered where it would be. They had seen so many beautiful, awe-inspiring places over the last couple of decades. Had she chosen the nursing home overlooking the Pacific Ocean so she could see the setting sun or perhaps she favored the Atlantic Ocean to welcome the rising sun each morning. He remembered her fondness of a mountain valley they had once explored. Maybe that would be her choice. She had always said being near water gave her a sense of peace so maybe that home by the lake would be her preferred spot. On the opposite side of the peaceful places were the big cities. When exploring them she had said big cities seemed to give her energy with all their excitement and fast paced movements. So many choices to choose from, but where had she had chosen.

They arrived at the nursing home and Peter carried her suitcases inside. They had already pre-registered in the previous weeks, so it was just a matter of going to her room. Peter unpacked her things and placed them where they belonged. There was only one picture. It was of the two of them with the background blurred so much that you couldn’t tell the place where the picture had been taken. She did that on purpose. She had said it was that way, so when she looked at the picture it would be like a blank canvas, and she could place any of her memories of the places they had explored in the background. She said, “the picture will represent us and everywhere we have been, both at the same time.”

After moving Deedee into the nursing home, Peter told her that he would start looking for him a house to rent and try to find a buyer for the RV. Deedee responded with a firm, “No you will not. I won’t be responsible for you giving up traveling. I have a new list of places for you to see and things to do. You will go to those places, and I will follow you through the blog that we’ve always kept of our travels. You can call me and facetime me now and again. I don’t want you to waste your time or feel obligated to facetime or call me every day. Do it just on those extra special days, when you stumble across an extra special and great “wow” moment. In time between your calls, I’ll just enjoy my view. Don’t do this for me. Instead, please do this for ‘US’.”

And so it was, Peter traveling and Deedee updating her list of places for him to travel to and things for “them” to see. Although at first, he called her about every other day, she finally made him understand that she preferred him to call her every two to three weeks. When he called, she would quiz him about what he had seen since the last call as well as what he had felt when he experienced those “wow” moments. Every call was special to both of them. One day she didn’t answer. On the third day of calling, she finally answered and everything sounded normal. This confused Peter but he passed it off the natural progression of the disease. He figured it was time to return to her to see for himself just how she was doing. It took him almost ten days to get there and during that time, she never answered his calls. Once he arrived, the nursing home staff informed him that she had become non-verbal and unresponsive to human interaction. She just sits on the balcony looking out to what she always referred to as her “perfect view”. When he went to her room and found her on the balcony, she didn’t recognize him and gave him a blank stare. He knew the day would eventually happen, but it still hurt him deep into soul as he tried to get her to quiz him about where he had been. No matter how hard he tried, she would just stare at him. She had become lost within herself.

It wasn’t long after he got back to her that she passed away. It was as if she had held on just long enough for him to return to her even if she didn’t know him. He went to retrieve her meager belongings from the nursing home and while standing on the balcony, he was handed a letter. The nurse told him something he already knew. She said, this was her favorite spot. She would sit here for hours just staring at the view. Just seeing his name on the envelope, he knew it was from her by the flowery script she always used. After staring at the view that she had said was priceless, he opened the letter and it said:

 

My dearest Peter,

As I’m writing you this letter to explain a few things, I’m enjoying my view of the bookstore. I noticed the nursing home on the hill across from the bookstore when we last visited several years ago. That is when I knew where I wanted to spend the last days of my life. The bookstore has been the focal point of my life. It is where we found each other and where we planned our future although at the time we didn’t know it. It was a wonderful life, and we’ve saw so many things. Things I could have only dreamed about in my mind had we not found each other. You never talked much about your deceased wife even though I could always tell you were still very much in love with her. I never tried to take her place. It was the same way with me. I rarely talked about my abusive past. We each sort of made an unspoken pact to live for the present and try not to let the past affect us too much. Over the years, you have always asked me if I loved you and if I felt your love. I would never respond directly. I will answer you directly now. Because of my past, I don’t think I was capable of loving or being loved but you gave me something above and beyond love. From the time I asked you on that first dinner date, (yeah, I asked you) until my last breath, you made me feel safe and I was unafraid. That was the greatest gift you could have ever given me. Thank you for saving me by sharing your life with me but most of all for making me feel SAFE.

 Love, Deedee   

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road.     

Lesson Re-learned

 Location: Clark's Ferry Corps of Engineers Campground; about 25 minutes downstream of Davenport, Iowa

This is my second time to be in the Davenport area but the first time in this campground. The Davenport, Iowa/Moline, Illinois is a very interesting place to explore. I was here back in July of 2021 and have re-read my post from back then. It was pretty detailed, and I'll let it stand on its own with the link being here (if the link doesn't work search the archive on the right for July 31, 2021). Here's the link >> https://gozatravels.blogspot.com/2021/07/old-bridges-dams-and-pows.html

Northwestern Illinois

 

My campsite. Electric only, on the river's edge. $13.00/night

My view out the back window while sitting at my laptop.

Looking upstream while walking around the campground

I came here for three reasons: 1) the campground looked good on google earth and recreation.gov plus I was able to score a campsite "pert-near" the water's edge. I sure do like being able to be right on the river without a levee in the way. Just for reference's sake, the Mississippi River levee system general begins at Cape Girardeau, Missouri in the southeast corner of the state. I'll actually be camping near there in a few days. They go all the way down to Venice, Louisiana (if interested, I've been there too and if you search for Venice in the search bar of this blog it should come up). 2) and this is where the re-learned lesson comes into play. Last time I was here, I took a riverboat tour of the Davenport area of the Mississippi River. I enjoyed it so much I thought I would repeat it since I would be camped nearby. That was a mistake. I keep re-learning this lesson; Do not try to repeat good things (wow moments) on the road. Chances are they will never live up to the first time and will therefore taint my memory (silent echo) of the event. But the good news is it was only $20.00 for a 1 1/2-hour boat ride. The boat ride was worth it but did get boring in the later half. I've made this mistake a couple of times over the years but forget it sometimes. I think in a way it applies to life in general as well as to traveling spots. 3) I wanted to see the world largest roller gate dam. There isn't a place where you can get a good view of it, but I got as close as I could. In fact, I'll be using a picture of it from my old post since it turned out better.

From the riverboat approaching the I-74 bridges. They were under construction during my last visit four years ago.

 

Two things in this picture. The apparatus right under the deck can move so inspections can be done from underneath and not require a machine sitting on the deck and reaching under. This is just on the main span. 
Also, do you want to know why some bridge are so expensive to build? Notice the "twisted columns" in the background. Yep, they are definitely more expensive and more difficult to build. Somebody wanted a unique design instead of a standard design. 

The Isle of Capri Casino. It looked to be the only large one in the area. 

The world's largest roller gate dam. The water passes under the long red rollers which helps keep the siltation from building up downstream. The black roller, called a skimmer gate, allows debris and ice floes to pass over the top of that roller. There is another black roller on the opposite end of the dam.

I also bought some sweet corn from a large farmers market in Davenport. It wasn't as sweet as the ears I got while attending the RV rally. Microwaving them is the best thing I've found in a while. I tried it at the rally, and it worked great. Easy, no mess. 

Tomorrow is moving day, and I'll be crossing into Missouri to camp at another COE campground. This won't be a repeat campground but will be near the same lake. The weather has been great the last couple of days. Highs in the mid 70's and lows in the lower 50's. In fact, I've had to break out a small space heater to take the chill off in the mornings. It's great.

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road.  

  

Hello From The Mississippi River

 Location: Thomson Causeway Corps of Engineers Campground; Thomson, Illinois (about halfway between Dubuque and Davenport on the banks of the Mississippi River)

It was a nice tow on some descent roads in Illinois to get to this campground. 

Lots and lots of soybeans and corn.

I saw this tree far enough away so I could grab my phone. I thought it may have been trimmed due to the power line, but nope, it was just the way it was. 

It's good to be back in a COE campground. This one has recently been reconstructed and is looking good. The only drawback is the water near my campground is slow-moving, almost like backwater, which has promoted the growth of a lot of water lilies. Besides it not looking really good, I thought for sure there would be an overpowering organic smell and be infested with lots of mosquitoes. Surprise, surprise, no smell and no skeeters. I'm not sure why there isn't a smell but the reason for no skeeters is there is an unusual number of dragonflies. I didn't get a close-up view of the dragonflies, but they must have some full bellies since I've only seen one skeeter.

Campsite 87. My surge guard protected me again when the 30 amp breaker went out in the middle of the night. It turned the power off but I could tell there was still power in the campground, so I used my 50/30 amp dogbone and plugged into the 50 amp plug. Problem solved.  

Nearly empty campgrounds are nice.

While waiting from Liberty to cool down I ran back into Thomson (10 minutes away) for what I hoped would be a great cheeseburger from a 67-year-old drive in. 

I was close enough and the weather was nice enough so I could eat my burger at my picnic table. Lunch with a view. 

The exploration for this area was a sawmill museum. The museum was so-so, 5 out of 10. But there was a unique and spooky display in the museum. There were four animated busts of the founders of the local timber dating back to the mid 1800's. Apparently, Clinton, Iowa was the hub of the timber industry back then. They were telling the story while their heads and lips moved. Kind of eerie, but interesting. Definitely a memorable moment.

This is the four talking heads. Very unique but weird.

 I thought I was going to strike gold with a Reuben Sandwich from a local deli, at least from the google reviews but it turned out to be only a 3 out of 10 sandwich. The search continues. Just for the record, the number one Reuben is from the Whistle Stop Cafe in Hinckley, Minnesota while the number two is from Sweet T's Diner in Freeport, Texas. All other locations don't have a ranking. I need to think about why I feel the need to rank museums and Reuben's. Besides an occasional woman, I don't rank anything else. Oh well, I guess it is just one more thing on my list to figure out. I'll start work on that as soon as I solve the time travel problem.

This is one of the other reasons I wanted to come here. It was to see this dam. It is a combination of roller gates and Tainter gates. To me, that is unusual. At my next campground I'll explore the worlds larger roller gate dam. 

Today is my 3rd and last day at this campground and it has been a nice one. Most of the time there has only been one other camper in this loop of the overall campground. It has been peaceful and quiet with one good sunset. It's been a while since I've seen a good sunset or sunrise so I soaked it up as best I could.

I liked this picture with the reflection in my door. Yeah, I planned that. :)

Same sunset. 
Night Ya'll

 Tomorrow is moving day and I'll be headed to another COE campground just south of Davenport. I have reservations for a riverboat tour around the Davenport/Moline/Rock Island area. I took that tour a few years ago but am looking forward to doing it again.

I'm still 887 miles from homebase and plan to be there around the 6th of September. 

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road.  

Small Things; Big Impacts

 Location: Illini State Park; Marseilles, Illinois (about 45 minutes west of Chicago)

I stayed at this campground in July of last year while on my way to the 2024 RV Rally. I explored the area pretty good and posted about it. I don't plan to repeat those explorations this time but if you want to know more about this campground and the area, here is a link to that post  https://gozatravels.blogspot.com/2024/07/peaceful-state-park-mostly-pictures.html

Campsite #18. That is the Illinois River in the background. It is a surprisingly clean and pretty river. The dam is about 1/4 mile to the left in that picture and it looks like they are releasing a lot of water. 

This is right behind Liberty. Nice looking river uh? You don't hear much about the Illinois River, but it was very important in opening the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. 

My view out my back window. A much more peaceful view than at the rally. It's been great to glace out the window while working on the laptop. 

My purpose for stopping here was to visit an old home place. It is located in Streator, Illinois which is about 30 minutes south of here. I lived there for about 3 months back when I was around 11 years old or so. I decided not to visit it last year because I wasn't feeling too good, but yesterday, I was feeling fine and was up for a slow drive through soybean/corn fields to find an old house I hadn't seen in close to 60 years. I think I found the house but am not 100% sure. The correct house isn't important. What is important, is what happened when we lived there and how it took me 10 years to find out.

It was a nice drive to Streator. The road had almost zero traffic and the fields where full of nearly ripened crops. As usual, the houses are spaced about a mile apart and each had we groomed yards. You could easily feel the pride they all had. It was a good vibe ride.

I was taking this picture to show the modern windmills in the middle of corn fields when this flock of birds flew up. 

I don't know the actual year we lived in Streator but am guessing somewhere in the mid-1960's. Fast forward to the mid-1970's and I'm in the Navy stationed onboard the U.S.S. Manitowoc (LST 1180). It's been a rough day and I'm tired but need to eat supper before "hitting my rack" early (going to bed early). So, I have my plate of food and while eating I'm listening to the conversation at the other end of the table. It must be a new guy since they are asking him where he's from. It is the most common question asked of new guys. He said he was from Illinois. The caught my interest because in my childhood travels, I lived in two towns in Illinois. I calmly asked, "Where at in Illinois". He replied, "Streator, about 45 minutes west of Chicago". I said, "I know where it's at because I lived there when I was a child". He asked for the address which I couldn't remember. I told him I didn't remember the address but said there was a golf driving range where you turned into the neighborhood. Once you turned in, you then took the next right turn, and the house was somewhere down on the right. He quickly replied, "It was the third house on the right". Wow, that blew me away and I asked him how he knew that. His reply was that he saw my name on my shirt, and he remember the name. He also said that he remembered my mother specifically. Apparently, on a hot summer day she had picked up some fresh beans and peas. She rounded up some of the local kids and bribed them with fresh cold watermelon if they would help her snap the beans and shell the peas. He said that was the best tasting watermelon he had ever had, and it may have actually been his first. He said he remembers that day every time he eats or even sees watermelon. Now picture this, in northern Illinois, a few pre-teens are sitting on a patio, in the middle of summer, snapping beans and shelling peas while listening to a woman with a slow southern east Texas accent talk about growing up poor in the "thicket". Then when the work was done, eating some cold watermelon and letting the juices drip down their chins while spitting out the seeds (no seedless watermelons back then). My mother gave those kids a memory that lasted a lifetime and I didn't even know about for 10 years. When I called my parents after hearing the story, she remembered doing it and apparently, it wasn't the first time. She had done it at some of the other places we had lived. It makes you wonder what other great true-life stories are out there that we just haven't heard about yet.  

There are a couple morals to the story. One, you never know the impact on someone by what you think is an insignificant act (snapping beans and shelling peas). Two, it really is a small world, and everything happens for a reason.

I think it is the second house but not for sure. I also drove around town thinking I may be able to conjure up some old good-vibes. It didn't happen, at least not in town. I did feel a ripple as I drove down the street, but it may have just been gas. My mother is the one who always found the house we rented while I grew up. Since I've been RV'ing, I've visited several of our old home places. She did a great job at finding the perfect places. I miss her but will see her again one day. 

Tomorrow is moving day, and I'll be headed to a COE campground on the Mississippi River between Dubuque and Davenport.

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road.         

Forest River RV Rally - 2025

Location: Elkhart County Fairgrounds; Goshen, Indiana

My obligatory road picture for you know who. This is some of the backroads in either northern Illinois or Indiana. Towing on these roads worry me in case I have a blowout and not much shoulder to pull over to change a tire. I still believe in my hard fast rule suggestion that I will tow on Interstates or roads with shoulders and explore on the backroads without Liberty.

That's Liberty in the middle. There were only two other Rpods at this years rally. It will be nice to get to a more open campsite. 

I arrived last Saturday, August 9th which was one day before the official start of the rally. This is my sixth time to attend this annual rally. Besides meeting great people, the main draw for me is the chance to get things repaired or replaced on Liberty (new readers should know my RV is named Liberty and she is towed by my truck, Freedom). This year, Forest River, specifically the Rpod division, graciously replaced my refrigerator which quit working a couple of months ago. They also replaced my door that wasn't sealing/shutting properly. To give an indication as to how great the technicians are, the one who climbed the ladder to check the refrigerator vent also noticed the sealant around my skylight was cracked. They are not allowed to climb on the roof but this guy was tall enough where he could reach it from the ladder. He went and got some sealant from their trailer and quickly cleaned and resealed around my skylight. A little above and beyond is always nice. I also mentioned that I was trying to order a new shower curtain from the manufacturer since mine hadn't been properly cleaned since I got Liberty. I'm still waiting to find out who the person is that is suppose to clean that thing. I'm afraid it may be me, but I'm still in denial. Anyway, the next day, the techs showed up and handed me a new curtain that should fit my curved shower. More above and beyond. Just a rough estimation of free work I've received at the six rally's I've attended would be close to $20,000.00. A few rally's ago, I asked someone in charge how they could afford to do all this free work. She told me that Forest River doesn't do very much advertisement and relies on "word of mouth". I've paid that price many times over through the years and am doing so again by mentioning it in this blog post. It's harder than you would think to read the future but I'm pretty sure I'll be back next year.

Besides free work on Liberty, the other great thing is the people you meet. I won't remember their names but that isn't a new affliction for me since I've had a hard time with remembering names over the years. But I will remember the people and the conversations. Like the guy who had recently lost his wife but was attending the rally in remembrance of her. Or the guy with a limp and shaking hands I meet when getting coffee in the dining hall. I asked if he needed help and his answer was, "No thanks, it just takes me longer". After I got my food and sat down to eat, I noticed him at another table with his coffee but no food. I walked over and quietly asked if he would like me to get him a plate. Our eyes met and I knew I hadn't offended him. I fixed him a plate and sat it down in front of him. He said thanks, I said your welcome and I returned to my table. It wasn't anything dramatic, just one old man helping another old man. Or the "Vegan from Iowa" which I probably went overboard at kidding about her "veganism" (is that even a word?). I was genuinely interested in her views about being a vegan since I don't think I've ever talked about it with an actual vegan. I received a little education plus she sparked my interest and curiosity. I did a little research and found that a large part of their reasoning for being vegan is compassion. That may sound strange but it just means they are compassionate about most living things. Her husband kind-of summed it up by saying they don't eat anything with a face. Hmmmm, that will make you think. I don't think I'll become a vegan but if I do, I'll know who to blame (I just won't know her by name). Or the Canadian mother/daughter team that I met last year and again this year. They are still traveling strong. Once Canada become a state, they won't have to worry about crossing the border, right Rhonda? I guess that will go for Grant and Orit too. She is another one that I probably kidded too much. Or the full-timing couple from Texas that I met at breakfast. As full-timers, we sometimes speak a different language than other RV'ers. It was a good visit while eating the Yankee version of biscuits and gravy. There are many others but not enough time to mention. 

This picture will remind me of the Rally. I walked by it 2 to 3 times a day going to the dining hall, vendors building or Ice cream trailer. I've averaged over 1 1/2 miles per day which is another big benefit of the rally.

This is just a small representation of the people at the rally. This was from one of the dinners. I think they said there were about 300 RV's here so that would mean almost 600 people. Sadly, the food wasn't up to the standards set by years past. 

Tomorrow is moving day and I'll be heading west for a repeat visit to the Illini State Park (Illinois). I'll be there for three days and will make a short trip to an old place I lived as a pre-teen. We were only there for a few months, but later in life it showed me how small the world is and how one person can have an impact.

Instead of going the backroads to avoid tolls and Chicago like I did coming here, I will instead risk my life and drive I-80 through Chicago. Big cities never used to worry me but things have changed a lot over the last several years. Tomorrow, I'll just turn on some music, crank the volume up, not stop for anything unless it has flashing lights and when I get to the campground I'll check for bullet holes.  

This was from the first evening before other RV's were parked behind me. 

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road.   

Another "2-fer" (2 for the price of 1) Post

#1 Dam East - McNair Corps of Engineer Campground; Carlyle, Illinois (about an hour east of St. Louis)

#2 Kankakee River State Park-Chippewa Campground; Kankakee, Illinois. (about an hour south of Chicago)

This is the last of my two-day moving marathon to get to the Rally in Goshen, Indiana. Tomorrow will be moving day, and I'll arrive at the Rally, albeit one day early. My plan is to get there, get set-up, get checked-in and then get some nice Chinese food from a place I know in Goshen. With these two day moves, I've confirmed that my normal three day moves with an occasion four day move thrown in is the best moving strategy for me. I like being able to move on day 1, explore on day 2, rest up on day 3 then move to the next campground and repeat the process. I'll get back into that groove when I leave the rally on the 16th.

I thought long and hard about where to go after the rally. I toyed with the idea of going north thru Michigan or east towards Pennsylvania but didn't get any good vibes when checking those places out in my mind. I've been to both of those places so it would be a repeat trip. So, I decided to head west. I'll intercept the Mississippi River about half-way between Dubuque and Davenport; Iowa then follow the river downstream to the boot-heel of Missouri. I have a couple riverboat cruises in mind along the way. Unless I extend my trip, I should be back in Louisiana around the first week or so of September. There will still be a couple weeks of low 90 degree days, but they will just make me appreciate the fall weather when it arrives.

My confidence level is high that I'll get a new refrigerator installed during the rally. The R-pod representative has called me twice and I would guess the chances are in the upper 90's. Did I mention it will be free of charge too. The cost including installation would run at least $2,000.00 so it's a good deal and worth the trip. 

I'll finish the post with some pictures. I've had a lot of "thinking time" with these 2-day jumps but not quite ready to post about my thoughts.

This is my campsite at McNair Campground. The site is steep at first but flattens out nicely. I was able to get a strong Starlink signal 

In the heart of Illinois with corn fields growing tall.
 

A nicely re-built suspension bridge near the McNair Campground. 

Looking down the suspension bridge. I couldn't help myself and did some cursory inspections. 

The Carlyle Reservoir is a very pretty lake

They even provided some thinking benches to rest your body, soul and spirit. 

The Effingham Cross along the intersection of two interstates in central Illinois. When it was built in 2001, it was the tallest cross in America. However, it became the second tallest in 2018 when a taller one was built in Missouri. 

My campsite at Chippewa State Park. The campsites are large, level and separated. For $23.00, it's a bargain for electric only. So many state parks have raised their prices sky high. Shame, shame. 

For my last move, I'll be taking several county and state highways to avoid the bad parts of Chicago as well as to avoid paying roadway tolls in Illinois and Indiana. I will avoid such toll roads when possible based on principals. We should not have to pay tolls and gas taxes to drive on an Interstate highway. By the way, the price of gas in Illinois is about $0.50 higher than Missouri. 

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road.   

Two Campgrounds, One Blog Post

 Willow Beach Corps of Engineers Campground; just east of Little Rock.

Redman Creek Corps of Engineers Campground; a little northeast of Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

These moving days every two days are strange to me. This trip has a weird feeling from the beginning. I haven't figured out the "weird-ness" yet. Both of these campgrounds are old places I've stayed in before. They are conveniently located for this trip to Goshen and since I'm traveling quickly, without any major exploration, they fit my schedule just fine. The towing distance is longer than normal, but not too bad. 

Since I'm not exploring, I don't have anything of interest to report so I'll let the pictures make up the rest of this post.

Tomorrow is moving day, and my next campground is near Carlye, Illinois which is about 200 miles or so away.

A travel view from Louisiana. This is I-49 in northern Caddo Parish (county). It's from a high point along the road, which in Louisiana means a bridge. 

This is the campsite number 8 at Willow Beach. When I come back through here again, I need to remember, not to pick sites, 8, 11, 13 or 15.

It's a nice, peaceful and well-maintained campground at Willow Beach. This is the view out my back window when I'm working on my computer. 

Road picture from North-east Arkansas or possibly south-east Missouri. 

It was a pretty travel day with great weather on the trip from Willow Beach to Redman Creek. 

My campsite at Redman Creek. The entire campground was rebuilt a couple of years ago. It is also full hook-ups (ya'll non-RV'ers get your mind out of the gutter). Full hook ups mean sewer, electrical and water connections. This is rare for a COE campground. Most of the time it is water/electric only and sometimes, just electric. I'm sort of sad that I don't need to use the sewer connection but I think it will be better for me to wait until the last campground before arriving at the Rally.

This is the dam that created Lake Wappapello. My campground is about a mile or so on the other side of the lake. 

It's a very pretty lake on another great weather day. I spent about an hour visiting with the volunteers working at the visitor's center. They were a great couple. 

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road.