Roving Reports by Doug P: 2019-16 Traveling trhough Indiana, Illinois and Iowa

2019-16

Paddle boat ride, Peoria Illinois

LaGrange Indiana
Earl Indiana
thru
Illinois
to
Wapello Iowa
Fairfield Iowa

Campground: Overnight at Twin Lake Rv Repair. Free. Well staying overnight was free, the cost for the repairs was over the top. Just pay it and move on down the road.

Campground: Earl Community Park, Earl Indiana. $15.00. Some 30 and 50 amp sites. Dump station available. Back a 2^nd time to this small community. Pleasant little park, with grassy sites. Just pick a site and go to the self pay station.

Campground: Fondulac Park, Peoria Illinois. $21.00 30/50 amp. Cheapest rate, electric only. They do have sites with water/elect. And some full hookup sites. On the Peoria Lake with city views across the lake. Good bathrooms and showers. Excellent Verizon signal.

Campground: North Park, Wapello Pro Rodeo. $20.00 6-12 campsites. 30 amp, water and electric at sites with concrete pads, otherwise grassy sites with electric only.

Campground: Jefferson County Park, Fairfield. $17.00 30/50 amp electric and water. Dump station available. Nice forested and grassy sites. Hiking trails as well.

Fondulac Park, Peoria Illinois

Earl Park, Earl Indiana

North Park, Wapello Pro Rodeo

Distance Traveled: 53 miles

Short one day stop before dropping camper off for repairs.

Distance Traveled: 12 miles

Twine Lake Rv Repair and detailing. Finally had the Rv skirting repaired from the wheel damage earlier this spring. Also had recent problems with the auto leveling/retracting not functioning. Repair shop got it working and I now have a backup control panel in case it doesn’t deploy properly again. Plus two new roof Vent shields installed. Too many encounters with overhead branches lately…

Cost, you don’t want to know. Note to RV-ers: would not recommend. Though they did a good job, they over charged and added stuff I hadn't agreed too. Also repair on stabilizer legs failed 1st time out.

With enough time to visit the Rv Hall of Fame, have a couple nice Amish meals and see the Mennonite and Amish traveling in their black horse drawn buggies. By the way, the Rv hall of fame has gotten way overcrowded with vintage Rv’s . They are now crammed into way too tight spaces and having no order as to age and type of camper. Missing the opportunity to tell the progression of the camper vehicles. Other spaces could to used to expand the story or maybe it’s time to add another wing to the building.

Distance Traveled: 174 miles.

I had a pleasant drive along country lanes through the bread basket of America. Not a lot of traffic, wonderful views of corn and other vegetable farms. Hard to identify what veggies, going 55 miles an hour along those two lane roads. Beautiful expansive blue skies with lots of puffy white clouds along the way. I've really been enjoying having the larger fuel tank on the truck. Never having to stop along the way to re-fuel on those longer trips. Actually got 13 mpg towing. With a return stop in Earl Illinois. Cheap camping before continuing on into Illinois and Iowa.

Distance Traveled: 120 miles
Peoria Illinois

Peoria Illinois home of Caterpillar Co.

I took all back country roads through beautiful green flat farmland. Had to make a stop in Pontiac for Rv service as the back stabilizer legs wouldn’t retract again. Pontiac Rv was great in diagnosing the problem and showing me how to fix it if it occurs again. Simple fix too. Oh and while there I checked out a new Open Range Roamer that’s only one foot longer than my current unit, but has a pretty spacious layout. Missing some storage in the bedroom but the killer was the extremely small basement storage. Such a shame as I would have considered it a possible upgrade. MF291RLS-2019 (three versions available thru Heartland RV)

31' 11" only one foot longer than my current Open Range

could this be my next camper?

Peoria is a great place to explore. Everything from a riverboat casino, the Caterpillar museum, next door is a nice art/history museum, next to the riverwalk with farmers market on weekends. A boat ride on a paddle-boat steamer. And a campsite on the opposite shore with great city views.

fun on the lake

part of the Illinois River system

history part of museum

A large LEGO exhibit, recreating
famous works of art

LEGO'S recreating art

swimmer

Riverboat and around the city

Caterpillar Museum

love a river boat tour

art on every street corner....

the famous Blue Bench... a site of interest
found using Google maps
we photographers love stuff like this

Distance Traveled: 130 miles
Wapello Iowa

and of course a visit with Ruth Ann

Surrounded by expansive farmland, I’ve arrived at the small town of Wapello, which is an Indian Chief’s name from the Fox Indian Chief Wapello, the name meaning The Prince. I’m here to visit with my good friend Ruth-Ann (I know a lot of Ruth’s). I first met Ruth-Ann at Desert Trails and we’ve been friends ever since.

Ruth-Ann and I did a bit of touring, to the town of Burlington on the Iowa River, one of the many rivers that flooded this past spring and early summer. Fortunately most of the town is above flood stage, but anything close to the river had major flooding. The fields have finally been planted after excessive spring rains delayed the planting, but now they’ve had a couple months of dry weather. It’s not easy being a farmer.

Burlington, the town Ruth Ann grew up in

And of course I’m trying to capture some good pictures of all the local barns and water towers in the area.

Distance Traveled: 59 miles
Fairfield Iowa

A town filled with spiritual minded
folks from the Maharishi University
great looking coffee shops, but lacking in the
basics like various sweetens, low fat milk etc.
(some people, me, don't take their coffee black)

downtown Fairfield, nice park square
and fun looking alleys

I’ve traveled over to Fairfield Iowa to visit my good friend LaVon H. as well as to t ake some time to catch up on a couple of chores I need to accomplish. Yes I’ve gotten behind on my one project a day. LaVon has been going to Desert Trails for 20 years and has decided that’s enough. She’ll winter in Iowa but plans on taking a number of trips sponsored by her bank. Still active at a young age of 88. While she was off volunteering and going to birthday parties, I took a day trip to Pleasantville and Swedesburg Iowa. Now who wouldn’t want to go to a town called Pleasantville. So many of the towns in the midwest have wonderful large town square parks with large trees and water fountains. A quick lunch in town, a stroll around the square and they a quick trip north to Swedesburg Museum. The museum captures the history of so many Swedish immigrants coming to America. I’m half Swedish/Finish heritage myself and enjoyed learning about the arduous journey to get to America and a better life.

Barn is Swedes-burg Iowa

nice Swedish heritage Museum

two of the original 1880's business's, part of museum

authentic Swedish cottage, with Red copper oxide
paint brought over as a powder from Sweden

a wagon used to travel to rural farms selling
all types of goods

shop owners family lived above the store

wonder if my Swedish relatives can read this...
I can't

each family traveling to America could only
bring one trunk for all their possessions

What a journey it’s been so far this summer. Traveling through three states in just a couple of weeks. Getting the camper repaired twice, visiting some great friends, wonderful farm country, having additional eye exams and visiting a couple nice museums. it’s a rich life if one takes the time to explore it.

I even got to tour the Drexter Washing Machine factorywith my friend LaVon.
with my friend LaVon and used their new Laundromat in town