Thursday, September 17, 2020

Wednesday, Day 2 - September 16, 2020

It was 80 degrees here in Effingham during the late afternoon yesterday, the 15th. The humidity was low and we sat outside for some time, reading and enjoying God's gift of such a nice place to spending the evening. The overnight low was 48. We left the windows and roof vents open all night. When I got up it was 62 in the camper, a glorious night for sleeping. 

This morning I sat, thinking/studying some, looking out some, since first light. It is now 7:45 and so quiet. There is some background noise from the tire whine on the Interstate. I haven't heard anyone leave the campground yet, I'm surprised. In the past it seems like people started firing up their diesels and hitting the road shortly after first light. I just saw our neighbors come out of their motorhome. She is walking the dog, he just walked around the other side of the motorhome and back, maybe checking something with the utility connections. Earlier I was another dog walker and also a guy who walked over and spent a few minutes looking at the lake. No need to social distance, they are outside and there is no one else around, but still this is the democratic republic of Illinois, I expected more people to be wearing masks when outside their homes.

We had a short travel day planned for today so we didn’t leave the campground until around 11. Part of the days schedule included a stop a Lou’s Diner in Cloverdale, IL. We had stopped there on our way home during the summer, when Kelsey and the great-grandchildren were with us. I had a tenderloin and Kathy had a Chef’s salad, plus we had an order of their great onion rings to get started. The food was very good, same as last time. I could almost feel my arteries clogging as I ate. 





Then it was on to Greenwood on the south side of Indy.

Eastbound traffic seemed lighter. We were occasionally somewhat shocked to see 6-8 westbound semi’s in a cluster as they slowly passed one another. Probably the same thing was happening eastbound but we just didn’t notice it. We are not in a hurry. On the Interstate I typically drive 65 mph. Occasionally I need to pass someone and will bump our speed up to 68-70 to get around them so that I minimize our blocking faster traffic. Fuel prices were high, compared to Missouri, in both Illinois and Indiana. What is a little surprising is at the “truck stop” style stations, the ones I know I can get in and out with no problem while pulling the trailer, the prices are the highest. They sell tens of thousands of more gallons of fuel per day than smaller stations yet charge 30-40 cents more per gallon. A 100 gallon fill up for a trucker costs him $30-40 more than it would if he could get in one of the smaller stations. We had enough fuel to get to Indy. After getting unhooked and set up I made a run to a Camping World to pick up a few things. On the way back I filled up at a Speedway for $2.259/gallon, still 36 cents a gallon more than I paid at Sam’s in Jeff on Sunday.

Masks and Camping World – I assumed I would need a mask to get into Camping World. I saw  no sign saying a mask was required, nor was there a mask “policeman” as there is a Menards in Jeff. The vast majority of  shoppers and staff were wearing masks.

We are staying at Lake Haven Retreat in Greenwood, IL for 2 nights. It is a little over a mile south of the I465 beltway. We have stayed here several times. It is a serviceable, “no frills” campground. At $36/night for a full hook up it is reasonably priced.

It was in the low 80’s when we arrived. It was hot enough inside the camper that we ran the AC for until around 7PM.

Doug and Anthony brought supper to us at the campground. Anthony has a late appointment so they didn’t arrive until 7:30. Doug had fixed some type of trout and also a dish of pork and mashed potatoes. The food was good, the visiting even better. It was nice enough that we sat at the picnic table and visited.

God is good, may He bless you and yours.

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