This is a long one. Go get a cup of coffee, cup/glass of tea, etc.
This morning we left Coldwater. When we were still on a county road I worked with the new brakes a little to "seat" them on the drums. They seemed a little weak but braking improved after 4 or 5 slow downs from 40-20 mph. All seemed in order.
We headed west on US12, rather than using an Interstate or Toll Road. We did drive on I94/I80 around Chicago and part way through Illinois before getting on US6 near LaSalle, IL. We continued on US34 at Sheffield, IL. We stopped at an Interstate rest area on I80 and had lunch in the camper.
It was a little windy in the morning but by mid day the wind really picked up. If for no other reason than slowing down to minimize the effect of the wind, I was glad to get off the Interstate. Traffic was fairly heavy on I80 but it was surprisingly light once we were on 6 & 34. The road surface was in relatively good shape and it was nice to drive through some small towns.
We saw some spectacular fall colors as the leaves are changing, and the colors will be even better in another few days. One town worthy of mention is Princeton, IL. There are numerous awesome old houses along US34. It would have been a nice place to spend a day to check out the town.
I had originally planned on our staying overnight at a campground near Sheffield, IL. Kathy called to check on campsite availability around 2 PM, they were full. She started looking for another place to stay and finally found Francis Park near Kewanee, IL. I think we travelled around 280 miles today.
It is a mile or so off US34, before you get to Kewanee, in the midst of fields. They have 30 or 40 power panels with 30 amp connections spread around in the grass. The panels are laid out in an orderly manner but the campground is apparently used so little that no wear patterns are evident in the grass. We pulled in and paid the gentleman $13 (cash or check) for an overnight stay. Water is available at a frost free hydrant in the middle of all the grass. Its like driving across a lawn to get to it. There is a dump station on the way out of the park.
There was enough playground equipment to keep kids occupied.
We noticed an interesting house in the park as we drove in, the Woodland Palace.
I have no idea about the purpose of the small double doors in the photo below. They led to a small vestibule area with a typical exterior door. They reminded me of the doors on old phone booths. I kidded Kathy about checking to see if Superman was in there.
More at: http://www.cityofkewanee.com/departments/grounds_maintenance/parks/francis_park.php
and at
http://cms5.revize.com/revize/kewanee/document_center/FrancisParkBrochure.pdf
No showers but they do have reasonably modern, and clean, toiles facilities in the brick building on the right. The building on the left appeared to be a storage building with an interesting roofing system.
The "roofing" is wood planks, in a clapboard, herringbone pattern. Unless the laps were "tarred" it doesn't look very waterproof to me, but it did look like it had been in service for a LOT of years.
There are maybe a dozen sites occupied around the park. Mostly travel trailers, but a few tents. The evening was a little warm but the wind, now relatively mild, kept it comfortable to sit outside. It was an almost idyllic evening, listening to the kids in the campground having a grand time playing on the playground equipment and enjoying other games. I saw several sets of pits for pitching horse shoes. After dark one group of kids had "light sticks" or "light balls" that they were throwing in the air (playing catch?). They sky was clear and stars visible.
Now the "rest of the story", as Paul Harvey used to say. After filling up our fresh water tank I planned on backing up, through the lawn, and then pulling into one of the campsites. I asked Kathy to watch for obstacles as I backed up. I noticed it felt a little bumpy when I started backing but thought the lawn was a little rough (lots of mole activity). Kathy waved for me to stop and told me the wheels on the back axle weren't turning, they were just skidding across the grass. She noted that they made a lot of noise.
I drove forward onto the roadway and tried backing up on the asphalt surface. She said the wheel turned, but they made a lot of noise. I drove around and pulled into the campsite I had originally chosen. It was 4:50 PM Michigan time. I called Hayletts RV and talked to a lady in the Service Department. Rather than connecting me with a Technician she acted as a relay between us. After several exchanges the Technician suggested disconnecting the 7 pin electrical plug and see what happened. Not wanting to keep her "on hold" I told her OK and that I would call back, thinking they were open until 6:00 PM. I unhooked the 7 pin, backed up and no problem. Reconnected the 7 pin and backed up. The wheels turned but did make strange noises, like a coil spring binding on something as it was being stretched. At 5:02 PM I called back and the phone rang and rang. Apparently they all ran out the door at exactly 5:00 PM.
I will call back in the morning hoping that someone in the Service Department works on Saturday mornings, on holiday weekends (Columbus Day).
The Lord has certainly allowed this to be an interesting "vacation" so far. Whatever He is trying to teach me I'm apparently not getting 😀.
God is good, may He bless you and yours.
No comments:
Post a Comment