After leaving the Metro Louisville KOA and the Louisville area, we traveled through Southern Indiana on I-64 to Haubstadt, which is north of Evansville on US 41. We had reservations for three in the campground of the Vanderburgh 4-H Center. Our primary reason for being in this area was to get some work done on the coach at Freightliner of Evansville. When we purchased the Newmar Dutch Star, the arrangement made with the previous owner was that he would pay for the repair to the gauge for the rear air system.
We arrived in the middle of the afternoon on Tuesday, July 1. Our space was in the “new” area which was all gravel with full hookups and room to pull through. The older portion of the campground, which the seasonal people filled, had shade trees. Not having shade was OK with Martha since we had high winds and a thunderstorm the first night. After that it cooled off enough that being without shade was a non-issue.
Wednesday, July 2, we arrived at the Freightliner service center a few minutes after 8 a.m. Getting anywhere at that time was a monumental feat because the exhaustion of the last two weeks had set in. There is no better way to say it than that we were weary!
Since Byron had confirmed the issue with service personnel at Freightliner Custom Chassis in Gaffney, SC, we were pretty sure of the problem. In making the appointment, Byron had asked that the part be ordered so there would be no delay with the repair. The first clue that things were not going to be as we thought was when the customer service person acted as though no appointment had been made. The next clue was when we were told they would need a wiring diagram to help in diagnosing the situation. We knew we should have questioned things earlier when, at 3:30, the service writer said the problem was the gauge, not the control module (VDC), and that we needed to return mid-morning on Thursday when they’ve have the part.
We headed back to the 4-H Center for the night. Fortunately we had planned for something going wrong; the reason for the three-night reservation.
At the campground we ran into some friends from our church, St. Matthews Baptist Church, Kevin and Janet Thompson. Janet works as a traveling nurse and is presently working in Evansville at St. Mary’s Hospital. Kevin had sung the male chorale that Byron had conducted.
Thursday morning we spent resting and doing some bookkeeping and other catch-up things. We returned to Freightliner of Evansville a little before noon. While waiting, we went across the road to Stoll’s Amish Buffet. If you have a desire to stop there from seeing the signs on the highway don’t, just keep on driving. This is definitely not a true Amish restaurant as far as the food is concerned. Some of the things in the retail store are Amish. But, the food? A definite “no.” It all tasted like it was fresh out of the Sysco cans that fell of the truck earlier in the week.
When we got back to the dealership we were told that the gauge had been replaced and that it, too, was malfunctioning. The technician had called Gaffney and been told the problem was the VDC module. At that point our anger grew and our opinion of their diagnostic procedure dropped. When Byron talked to the service manager, the person he originally talked with was also present and apologized for not looking at her notes after the phone conversation in early June. Of course, that was doing little good now. Despite her profuse apology, we left without resolving the original issue; the replacement of the VDC. Because the motorhome operates without the module working correctly, we continued on with our plans after unplugging the warning buzzer.
Compassionate Friends Memorial to Our Children at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center
At the 4-H Center is a monument with the inscription: Our children – loved, missed and remembered. It is situated in a park-like setting. It was established by the Evansville Chapter of Compassionate Friends. Near the monument one will find a latched, waterproof box which contains writings from families in the area who have lost a child. Periodically a candle-light service is held in memory of the children. Families may also leave flowers or a stuffed animal as a token of remembrance.
Byron contacted another Freightliner service facility in Indianapolis. They ordered the part while he was on the telephone with their service manager. It will be there awaiting our arrival when we return from the Upper Peninsula. We have also been assured that they’ll bypass the diagnosis phase since the issue isn’t uncommon and resolvable with the correct part.
We left Darmstadt, Indiana around 10-ish on July 4, Independence Day, and leisurely made our way north on Highway 41 to Clinton, Indiana. It seemed a bit odd, knowing we had somewhere to go without having a definite time we had to get there. We made a stop at Menard’s in Princeton for a couple of necessary items and also stopped to wash the motorhome. Byron ran the brush and sprayer while Martha kept the timer supplied with quarters. It took $6.00 which beats $40 at a truck wash where they wash it for you!
Wheat being harvested near Terre Haute, Indiana
The drive north in Indiana was beautiful with fields of corn and soybeans lining the roads. Wheat was being harvested, so the lush green was patched with fields of brown wheat stubble.
Entrance to Thousand Trails Horseshoe Lakes
We arrived at Horseshoe Lakes, a Thousand Trails Campground in Clinton, around 3:30. We were placed in the overflow section until a regular site was vacated.
We have learned along the way that just because something worked one day, it may not necessarily work the next time we need it. Today upon arriving, the hydraulic leveling jacks decided not to go down; another thing to have checked at some point in the future.
We drove from Clinton to Ridge Farm in Illinois to have dinner with Larry and Peggy Stahl for the evening. We returned around 9:15 and called it an early night.
Our view out the front of the motorhome
Saturday morning, much to our delight, we were allowed to move to a vacated spot with some shade. The site faced one of the lakes at Horseshoe Lakes.
Traffic moves at a snail’s pace the campground. The speed limit is 5 mph probably because the primary mode of transportation is golf cart or bike. The campground is spread out over several acres and has 11 lakes; ideal for those who like to fish. Cell phone coverage is not good for AT&T users and data coverage is a little slow on our AT&T Hotspot but it is manageable. It is a bit dusty. All-in-all it is a nice place to stay.
On Saturday Byron did some rearranging of the storage bins under the coach and hung some shoe racks inside. Martha caught up on her writing as well as our expenses spread sheet.
That evening we drove to Clinton with Larry and Peggy and had a nice dinner with their daughter and family (Anita and Bob Miller and Trey) at Benjamin’s. Anita and Bob live in Clinton so it was convenient for them. Sunday morning we attended First Christian Church of Clinton with Anita and Bob. We sang several familiar hymns with all of their stanzas straight out of the hymnal. The pastor spoke about the church should be a place of peace though Satan attempts to create havoc in the church. There was a “carry-in” lunch after the service so we stayed to eat and visit.
Sunday was a pretty relaxing afternoon. Most people left the campground, so it was quiet. Martha was conscious of gearing her mind down to move at a slower pace. Byron is already there.
Monday morning we left Horseshoe Lakes around 9:30 and drove to Belvidere, Illinois. We traveled through more corn and soybean fields. We happened upon one small herd of cattle, the first we had seen amid all the farms. Our destination was Pine Country Resort, another Thousand Trails resort.
Once there we realized that it wasn't something we'd call a “resort.” It seems that the Thousand Trails system caters to seasonal residents leaving only a few sites for short-term travelers. The KOA system is the opposite. The Thousand Oaks campgrounds are also not handy to highways. The locations area also somewhat older and accommodating a larger motorhome is a challenge. Pine Country will not be on our list of places to return on a frequent basis. The weather was nice, however, so we were able to open the windows and turn on the roof fans, enjoying the breezes and fresh air.
The cemetery chapel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
Tuesday, we drove into Belvidere, known as the city of murals. We saw a few murals and drove to the Belvidere Cemetery to check out the chapel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. His designs were simple. The campground was quiet as most residents had returned home for the week. The mosquitoes were ferocious, making us thankful for our bug spray.
Wednesday was another travel day. Our destination was Plymouth Rock RV Resort in Plymouth, Wisconsin. Plymouth Rock is an Encore resort and lives up to the term, resort. We found Plymouth Rock to be very nice and well cared for. There are still a lot of permanent, seasonal dwellings but they are in good shape.
On Thursday we drove into Sheboygan, Wisconsin and had a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. We had lunch at the Mucky Duck, which turned out to be a mucky experience. Service was bad, food not much better, and grease on the tables, but we had a nice view. The weather was beautiful.
Looking onto Lake Michigan from the harbor in Sheboygan
Peering out the window at Mucky Duck on the riverfront in Sheboygan.
The Blue Wave Resort and Conference Center is in the distance
on what is called South Pier.
On Friday we drove to Stephenson, Michigan where we spent the night at the Coyote Campground, a small private campground. There was only one other coach in the park. The place was well maintained and simple. We only needed an overnighter as we needed to head to Escanaba early on Saturday so it met our needs well.
US 41 heading north to Escanaba, Michigan and the Upper Peninsula Fairground.
The drive to Escanaba reminded me a lot of the Alaskan terrain, very simplistic, lots of white burch trees. The countryside was clean and beautiful. The road was smooth and traffic very light.
We arrived in Escanaba around 10:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Since the Newmark Kountry Klub rally did not officially start until Monday, so we had a couple of days to explore. Later in the day we took a ride seven miles north to Gladstone, Michigan and then back to Escanaba where we drove out to Ludington Park.
The harbor light for the harbor at Gladstone.
The restored lighthouse at Sand Point near Escanaba.
