Five Weeks Flew By!

So much has happened since our last post. We’d love to go into greater detail about every adventure but it’s time we got you caught up to where we are now. Hopefully we’ll do a better of job of timely posts going forward. It was way back on Tuesday July 11th that we arrived at Big Rock Campground west of Chicago with the intention of staying one night at this beautiful campground that does not take reservations. We’re not shy about attempting a stay at a “first come” campground if we’re arriving early in the day mid-week and not close to a holiday weekend. It definitely paid off this time. We had our pick of a multitude of campsites and immediately decided to stay a full week. Not only was it a great place for long walks, and we certainly did not take advantage of all the trails through areas of savannah restoration, but it served as a great base for exploring some off the beaten path historic sites.

In Ottawa, Illinois we visited the Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage  Museum. We sought this museum out because we both have strong family histories in the scouting movements but were delighted to learn more about this historic community on the Illinois River.

Then we stopped for lunch at the Bull Moose Bar & Grille in Sandwich, Illinois. The restaurant features the dining car that served President Theodore Roosevelt from 1900 to 1913 and has been at this location in Sandwich since 1931.

The next day we trekked to Dekalb, Illinois to visit the Ellwood House. The guided tour gave us some fabulous insight into the invention of barbed wire in the late Nineteenth Century and into the life of Isaac Ellwood, the entrepreneur who turned Dekalb into the barbed wire capital.

A couple of days later we headed back to Ottawa to soak up history in Washington Square Park, the site of the first senatorial campaign debate between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln on August 21, 1858.

Next we headed to the Wisconsin State Fair RV Park. It was our first fairgrounds camping experience and it worked wonderfully for us. Shortly after we arrived we walked the short distance to Liquid Johnny’s where we enjoyed some good food, good beer, and people watching. We then spent two days in the area with our friend Marlis. Our adventures were wide ranging starting with a delicious breakfast at Yemas Family Restaurant then exploring the grounds at the Dousman Stagecoach Inn Museum in nearby Brookfield before heading to the Basilica known locally as Holy Hill, with an amazing history, an amazing structure, and an amazing view especially if you are brave enough to climb to the top of one of the spires. To finish off the day’s adventures we headed to Pewaukee, Wisconsin to stroll the charming downtown shops across from the beach. On day two we headed into downtown Milwaukee stopping first at EE-Sane Thai-Lao Cuisine for a lovely experience. It’s been a fave of Marlis’ for years. Then on to Colectivo Coffee Cafe to view the preserved 1888 pumping station. While we were along the lakefront we walked the mile long breakwater and watched the sky as the Blue Angels rehearsed for their show the next day. Wow! Then on to the Milwaukee Art Museum. Just the architecture itself makes it worth the trip not to mention the quality of the couple of galleries we had the energy to peruse thoroughly, Sandanavian Art and American Art. On our way out of downtown we passed the location of Rainbow Summer. We didn’t get to the the iridescent balloons inflated but we did see where they would glow later that evening.

Our next destination was Prairie Edge Farm outside of Madison. Our friends Mary & Jim have spent the last several years lovingly restoring this farm that dates back to the 1850’s. We were delighted to be able to moochdock near their barn, spend some quiet time with the two of them, enjoy watching “The Girls”, their flock of chickens, participate in their annual big outdoor party, dance in the amazing second floor ballroom in their barn, and just marvel at their prairie restoration.

After that we spend two more nights at Big Rock Campground, three nights at Forrest W. “Bo” Wood Campground on Lake Shelbyville near Sullivan, Illinois where we scored Site #7 with a view of the lake. That’s where we had an awning adventure when a rogue gust of wind pulled out some stakes and bent the arch pole of our Isabella awning. Using the picnic table and bench as a crude jig we did manage to regain enough of the original shape to be able to use the awning again at a later date.

Next stop was a weekend visit with CJ and Phil in Bloomington, Indiana. We camped in their driveway, got an introduction to 3D Printing – CJ’s new hobby, and headed into downtown a couple of times for dining adventures at Malibu Grill one night and the Irish Lion the next not to mention a foray into Soma Coffeehouse and a stop by a limestone disk on the courthouse lawn commemorating the time back in 1910 when Bloomington was the Center of the United States population.

Then after an overnight at the Richmond KOA Holiday in Richmond, Indiana we were back at Pier Lon Campground near Medina, Ohio for ten nights. From there we rendezvoused with Dave, Amy, and girls three times, took care of some personal business, and started packing for the next adventure.

On Friday we started heading east. We stopped at a couple of Harvest Hosts sites. Friday found us at Mound Grove Golf Course in Waterford, Pennsylvania as guests of Stephanie & Ed who now own and run the golf club and restaurant located on land that’s been in the family for a hundred years. After decades as a potato and dairy farm it was converted into a golf club in 1993 by her father who opened the restaurant in the 1860’s barn two years later.

The next night we ate, socialized, and slept at the Prison City Taproom and Brewery in Auburn, New York.

Finally we overnighted at Country Aire Campground in the Berkshires in Charlemont, Massachusetts. A full hookups site there gave us the chance to drain all of our water tanks before heading to Greg’s driveway in Greenfield, Massachusetts where we’ve been enjoying a chance to visit with the kiddos as we put finishing touches preparing the trailer to sit idle for six weeks and to finish packing our bags. Tomorrow we’re off on The Next Adventure!