Some Photos

 It was cool enough that we had a campfire two of the nights we were at Old Mill Run Campground in Thorntown, IN.

During my walks around the campground I noticed an area where there were several of these acorns on the ground. Kathy said the leaves were like an oak tree, Bob Call told me that they are from a Bur Oak tree.

Kathy went to brunch with a friend and she brought me home a breaded tenderloin sandwich. After cutting this in quarters the pieces were only slightly larger than the bun. I stacked two "slices" on the bun and it was a good sandwich. It would have been better if they had not pounded it out this big, and thin, but it was still good.

The night we stayed at the wrecker service in Pittsfield we ate at Gianni's Pizza, on the town square. Below is a photo of our leftovers. We ate pizza for several days.

Gianni's is on the corner at the left side of the photo below.

The courthouse looks like it would be worth a visit during one of our future trips through Pittsfield.

This is us parked at the wrecker service, next to an abandoned Hardees.

When I walked up to tell the people at Robert's we had arrived they told us to back the coach into the building, and they immediately started work on it. The passenger bus was waiting for parts. While we were there another bus just like it pulled into the parking lot, a lady got out and handed one of the mechanics a box and then went on her way.

The night before, out on I72, a car crossed the median and ran into one of the sets of duals on this semi trailer. The impact broke the set of duals off the trailer. The two tires you  see, and the orange "beam" behind them, are part of a dolly the is supporting the back of the trailer. The trailer is loaded with drywall. While we were there another semi showed up and they started moving the drywall to the empty trailer.

We even had excitement after arriving home. Our new (only a couple of months old) heat pump system

quit cooling. The service guy came out the next morning and this is what he found. A frog somehow crawled up inside the unit and shorted out the electrical, blowing the 40 amp 240 volt breaker, note how the heat from the short discolored the top of the aluminum piece. A new board is on order and should be here next week. Not soon enough for Kelsey & Andy since we are experiencing 90+ degree days.

Even with frogs shorting out new heat pumps God is good, and faithful. I pray the He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.

 

Day 80 - Thursday, September 12 - Alternator Replaced & Home

 

After some online searching Wednesday evening I found a couple of places that I thought might be able to replace the alternator. One place was in Quincy, IL and the other was in New London, MO. At 7AM I called Roberts Garage & Towing in New London. I was told that they probably had an alternator in stock and that they would start changing it as soon as we arrived. It’s about 45 miles from Pittsfield to New London. We arrived at Roberts a little after 8AM. A little after 10AM we headed for Centertown. We arrived home mid afternoon.

We were gone 80 days. We drove the Flex almost exactly 2,000 miles and the coach 2,650 miles. During the 80 days we ran the generator 44 hours.

Since we arrived home I bought a new laptop and spent several hours this afternoon getting it going. Below are some photos from Old Mill Run, Pittsfield, New London and at home.

AAARGH!!!! I had added a bunch of photos and as I was almost ready to post this I lost them. It's late, I will try again another time.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.

Days 76-79 - Sept 8-11 - Nothing Exciting

 Nothing to exciting Sunday thru Wednesday AM. Originally we were scheduled to leave Old Mill Run Tuesday AM. Kathy had breakfast with a friend and learned about a ladies Tuesday night Bible Study, so we stayed another night. Kathy knew most of the ladies, they were happy to see her.

We left the campground in Thornton, IN about 10AM Wed, 130 miles later we stopped at a rest area near Argenta, IL for lunch. About 50 miles west of Springfield the battery icon lit up. A mile later the check engine light came on. We pulled of at an exit, I checked and all belts seemed intact. The engine was off for maybe 10 minutes. We started it up and there were no warning lights so we continued. In a few miles both lights were back on. We exited I72 where we normally do, and headed to Pittsfield, IL. We stopped at a farm implement dealer and I asked about a place that worked on semi's. He said Allen Tire & Wrecker Service might work on it, it was only a few miles away. Allen's put some type of meter on the battery and said the alternator is not charging. The guy thought they could change it but wasn't sure where he could even get one. After maybe an hour he suggested we go somewhere more familiar with Cummins engines installed in motorhomes. He said we could park at his place overnight. In the morning I will call some places, the closest of which is 45 miles.

We have the generator running, so that we can run the AC units. Hopefully it will charge the batteries enough to allow us to get to a repair facility tomorrow. I will be pleasantly surprised if we make it home by Friday night. Pittsfield is an interesting little town. We had supper at au Italian restaurant and then walked around the town square.

Once I get a new laptop I may post a few photos of meals and Pittsfield.

God is good. I pray that He blessed you and yours. He has blessed me.

Days 72-75, Sept 4-7 - Old Mill Run Campground - Thorntown, IN

 As I mentioned in my last post, my laptop is dead and using a tablet to post updates is difficult, so posts will be brief.

While we have been here:

We had a good lunch and a great visit with Chuck & Rhonda Winkles. Good friends from when we lived in the area.

Doug and Anthony (our older son and his husband) came one evening for a visit, and brought supper.

Friday evening Kathy met a friend and they attended a church service. (To Pentecostal for me 😀)

Today, Saturday, we had a great lunch at the drug store in Lebanon. I used to meet a guy for breakfast there every week. Then we went into Indy to do some shopping. I love Ekrich Smok-y Links. They are rarely available in Missouri. I think Kathy bought out the stock in two Kroger stores and one Meijer store, a 3-4 month supply. She also stocked up on Meijer English Mufins, which we like better than the more expensive Thomas brand.

On the way back we drove by our old home. It has been painted blue, the drive has been paved and a flag pole has been erected since we left. It, and the neighboring houses, will soon be torn down. The State has used eminent domain to take several thousand acres for an industrial complex, mostly for Eli Lilly.

God is good. I pray that He blessed you and yours. He has blessed me.

Day 71 - Tuesday, September 3 - Coldwater to Thorntown

 Today we moved from Mom's to Old Mill Run Campground in Thorntown, IN, about 190 miles. We stayed here at the beginning of the trip, Days 2 thru Day 9. 

The trip was uneventful, other than when my laptop computer bounced off the couch and hit the floor when we went airborne going thru an incredibly rough intersection. It won't come on, I think the screen may be shot, I'm using my tablet to compose this. Typing on this small screen is a pain. Posts for the remainder of our trip will be brief.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.

Day 69 & 70 - Sunday & Monday, September 1 & 2

 Yesterday a bunch of the family were at the pond for a cookout. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos. My brother David grilled hot dogs, brats & hamburgers. The food was good, the visiting was even better.

Below are photos of a bean field at David's. Note the trail the deer have made when walking out into the field to eat beans.

Today Nancy & Cindy (2 of Kathy's sisters) and Ed (Cindy's husband) came up for lunch. I bought chicken at Meijer's, to lazy to grill I guess.

Left to right - Nancy, Ed, Kathy (behind Ed) & Cindy.

Cindy, Ed, Nancy and my Mom in the red jacket.

Two Kathy Dirschells. David's wife Kathy and my Kathy.

The overnight low was 46 degrees. Today's high was a breezy, mostly sunny 72. Our kind of temps.

God is good. I pray that he blesses you and yours. He has blessed me.