"Coddiwomplers": The word coddiwomple (English slang) is defined as “to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination”.Thanks for joining us on another adventure with Jerry and Elizabeth, Misty, the guys, Miss Adventure Too and Clifford, the big red truck!
It's been an interesting few weeks with a mild winter, above freezing temps and then suddenly...a sub freezing polar cap moved in over North America. We wondered if we may have to delay our trip but it did clear up and we continued with our plan to leave on the 22nd of January. We figured we'd be staying in a few motels on the way until we hit weather warm enough to allow de-winterizing of the trailer and start the water works.
I'd (Jerry) been targeting Louisville, Kentucky. The worst of the storm/snow passed and we were able to make several trips out to the stored trailer for maintenance and to preload. There was so much planning involved for such a long trip, including seeing the doctor, getting 170 days of medications, taking Misty to the vet for an early rabies shot and a zillion other arrangements and plans. We had to look ahead and do things like gathering information so that Elizabeth can file our taxes while on the road. We're relying on Amie to check the mailbox for those T4 slips but we also know they can be accessed on-line.
Here's what the trailer looked like getting ready in 2020. This year was similar, we had about 5-6" of snow on the roof that I removed while Elizabeth "spotted" me up on the roof shovelling snow while on my knees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9s0gmoZ2KQ
Miss Adventure Too waiting to take off!
We have always understood that you can park your RV in front of your house for one night while getting ready for a trip. Well somebody in the City didn't take that into consideration. On Monday morning, Jerry discovered not one but two parking tickets one each for Clifford and Miss Too! Great start.
When we started out, the sun was attempting to shine but around Woodstock, we encountered rain and then snow and fog, mist, icy pellets, greasy roads and lots of rain. We did make it to the border and crossed at Sarnia.
We never seem to get the rules right. This time they took the frozen chicken and eggs. It's not a problem as long as you admit to having something if they ask.
The rain continued as we drove as far as Findlay, (south of Toledo) Ohio where we stayed at an Extended Stay America hotel. It's a new kind of hotel catering to people who are staying for some time. We had a living room and a kitchen but there was nothing in the kitchen. If you wanted dishes you had to ask at the front desk and if you wanted housecleaning there was a daily fee. We didn't need any of that stuff for just one night. It was too cold to leave Misty in the trailer even with the furnace running so fortunately this place was pet friendly and she experienced her first ever night in an hotel.
We were pretty comfortable but in the morning when I tried to take a shower I could not figure out how to get the water up to the shower head - believe me I looked everywhere. A bath was called for. I usually enjoy a bath but this tub was really slanted and very slippery and it was difficult to stay put. When it was Jerry's turn, I asked him to tell me if he could figure it out. Well 1/2 way to a full tub, Jerry noticed there was an extra ring around the mouth of the faucet. He investigated and discovered it was spring loaded and if you pulled down, the shower worked! I'm telling you all this just in case you're travelling somewhere and can't figure out the shower.
As we left Findlay (yes in the rain), Jerry noticed the slide-out was not looking right...always something. We pulled over on a side street and Jerry discovered the brackets that mount to the sliding floor were disconnected/sheared and the slide was not all the way in, so he pushed it in. We weren't sure what to do. At the next rest stop, we called a dealer, who was willing to take a look for us but couldn't make any guarantees. We were only about 10 miles away and when we arrived they took us in right away and got to fixing the problem. I (Jerry) was amazed at how friendly and accommodating they were and they got us back on the road in a couple of hours! They are "Campers Inn RV" in Troy, Ohio, a family owned business and the largest in the US with 35 centres. Oh we were soooo grateful and we highly recommend them.
We continued in the rain on the Interstate to Sharonville, Ohio a suburb of Cincinnati. The receptionist at Campers Inn RV advised us not to try and drive through Cincinnati during rush hour and suggested a good stop for the night would be Sharonville where we stayed at the LivInn Hotel. A really nice place that was also pet friendly and Misty enjoyed a second night in a hotel. She has been so good this trip, sleeping most of the time. I think it's because Jerry is increasing her morning arthritis meds. I think I need some of that stuff - she's just so mellow!
There's not much to see when driving on Interstate highways but we have passed a few interesting signs like "Big Bone Lick State Park" and "Blue Lick Road." The water tower in Florence has huge letters painted on it saying "Florence Y'ALL." We also passed one of the largest and probably the most ugly statue of Jesus. It looked like someone poured a huge column of cement and then tried to carve a figure. I assumed it was of Jesus as it was in front of a large Catholic Church beside the highway.
On Wednesday January 24th, we headed to Brooks Mills, Kentucky (south of Louisville) to the Brooks Mobile and RV Park where we de-winterized. And yes we made it through heavy rains and have all the waterworks and hydro and propane functions running...all's well. Lot's of water on the ground but glad to be camping again.
We had a very nice sight even though there was a lake around the fire pit! The description of this camp talks about there being trees, reasonably priced and that it is a safe place was a big deal. It appears to be mainly people living there and there really isn't any amenities except for a small shack with two washers and dryers. What they don't mention is that the park is located in a flight path and next to the railway tracks. We enjoyed the transportation sounds the entire time.
Thursday was grocery day - we really had nothing after they took the chicken and eggs. We decided to go to a dinner theatre just across the state line in Indiana. The Derby Dinner Playhouse has been around for a long time, it has a nice buffet, seats 500 and the wait staff are also actors in the play. Our waitress had been working there for over 20 years. She was back at intermission to refill drinks and bring dessert! The play called "The Bunco Squad" was written by a local play writer and included several local jokes that we of course didn't get but were well received by the rest. The play is about eight women who get together once a month a each other's homes to play bunco. It was very good, we had a great evening out!
The Bunco Squad.
Telling you about the interesting signs reminded me of some of the ones we saw on our last trip and didn't include. Here they are from my notebook:
In Thunder Bay - "God's love is deeper than this snow."
Call the Arbour Barber
Pita Pan Donair
Hemp Hemp Hooray
Caffeination Station - a caboose cafe
Sheard Beaver Hair Salon
Artrageous Gallery
Brewed Awakening
and
The Honest Injun Tourist Trap
So that's about it for now. Once we have better WiFi, we'll write some more.
So long for now.
Love from,
Jerry, Elizabeth, Misty, FJ (Flat Jesus), the Guys, Miss Adventure Too, and Clifford the Big Red Truck.
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