National Shrine of St. Therese

Friday, June 05, 2009

It was surprisingly quiet in the truck stop parking lot last night. We both got a good nights sleep. Left for our primary destination for the day, the National Shrine of St. Therese, the Little Flower, in Darien, IL. Arrived there about 10:00 am. Toured the wonderful museum dedicated to St. Therese and the landscaped grounds. There was mass at 11:30. Covering an entire wall in the chapel is the largest religious wood carving in the U.S. It was hand carved in Italy and depicts the major events in the life of St. Therese. The shrine houses a collection of statues of Our Lady of Mount Carmel from around the world as well as a display of antique rosaries. We thoroughly enjoyed our morning. After lunch we continued to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore near Michigan City, IN. Stayed in the Dunewood Campground. We drove along lake Michigan for a while but couldn’t find any place where we could park. The parking lots were all full. It was a great beach day; warm & sunny.

Black Hawk & the I & M Canal

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Drove to Rock Island, IL to visit the Black Hawk State Historic Site. The Site was dedicated to the Sauk and Mesquakie Indian tribes who occupied the land from about 1730 until they were driven out by the westward expansion of the US. This was the site of the westernmost battle of the Revolutionary War. In 1780 Americans destroyed the Sauk village. In 1804 the Indians ceded all lands east of the Mississippi River, 51 million acres in all, to the U.S. Government.
Later we drove to Sunset Park which overlooks the Mississippi River. I was hoping to see some barges come past. No luck. We continued east with Starved Rock SP as our goal. When we got to the campground it was a big disappointment. Not very attractive, not close to the Illinois River as we thought from the park brochure. We decided to continue on for Gebhard Woods State Park near Morris, IL. A wonderful park. Unfortunately, there is only tent camping. Oh well. The park is located on the old I & M Canal which linked Lake Michigan with the Illinois River at LaSalle, IL. It was built in 1848. The old tow path is now a 61 mile long multi-use path. We took a couple of nice walks and grilled our dinner. We had some bratwurst from Pella, IA and our favorite vegetable, bar-b-que sweet potatoes. Had the most enjoyable afternoon. The park is very popular. We enjoyed watching the people fishing, walking, bike riding, etc., on a perfect, sunny afternoon. The park closes at 9:00. We spent the night in the parking lot of the Travel America Plaza on I-80.

The Amana Colonies, Iowa

Woke up to a rainy day. Drove the scenic back roads from Pella to the Amana Colonies. Rained all the way. The Amana Colonies is a group of seven villages. Amana, East Amana, Middle Amana, High Amana, West Amana, South Amana and Homestead. In High Amana we stopped at the High Amana General Store. From inside & out, it looked like the store that had been there since 1857. There were candies we hadn’t seen since we were children. Good ‘n Plenty, Mary Jane’s, etc. Bought locally made cream soda, root beer and cherry soda. We can’t recall the last time either of us has had cream soda. Bought some very good local German mustard. We drove around for a while hoping the rain would stop; never did. About 2:00 we gave up and went to the Middle Amana Middle Park Campground. $16.05/night. The park is surrounded by corn fields. I let Gopher off her leash to run for a while.
Iowa is an interesting state. Mostly agricultural in nature. Corn to the horizon most everywhere you go. I’m not sure just what I expected of Iowa but not the interesting places we’ve found so far.
The Amana Colonies have a very fascinating history. The Colonies were a German religious commune that thrived from 1842 through 1932. This link to Wikipedia tells the story:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amana_Colonies

June 3, 2009

A pretty, cool, sunny morning. In the morning we went to the Amana Stone Hearth Bakery in Amana. Bought three very good strudels and one cinnamon roll. Excellent. Our favorite treat is still the crumb cake & strudel from Hermann, MO. Walked through the Amana General Store and then toured the Woolen Mill. That was interesting. We watched wool fabric being made from the yarn. There was a loom from when the mill was first built in 1857. This is the only operating woolen mill in Iowa. Carol bought a cotton blanket for those chilly nights. We continued east stopping near Davenport, IA at the West Lake Park campground operated by Scott County.

Pella, Iowa

Friday, May 29, 2009
All the Lazy Daze people met at the Hospitality Hall for a farewell coffee and donuts; there were nine LD’s in all . We told the people about the town of Hermann, MO and the great bakery. Two of the group, are headed there for the day. There were nine LD’s in all. After that we headed north towards Iowa. Spent the night at the Crowder State Park near Trenton, MO. Only $10/night for dry camping. The campground was filled by the end of the day. Mostly families coming to camp for the weekend. There is a fishing & swimming lake. Found another HyVee grocery store and got a take out lunch. Hyvee is an excellent, high quality regional grocery store.


Saturday/Sunday , May 30/31, 2009

Today’s destination is Pella, Iowa. We got up early so we could get there before noon. Pella is a very pretty city. Dutch in origin. We toured the Pella Historical Village and Vermeer Mill. The windmill is fully operational. During the tour, the mill operator grinds wheat into flour. The Village is a group of 20 buildings including an old store, blacksmith shop, a log cabin, library and a home once occupied by Wyatt Earp. The downtown area is designed to represent a typical Dutch village. There is a town square surrounded on all sides by shops. We found the Jaarsma Bakery which has been in operation since 1898. Another great bakery find. Bought three types of strudel plus a loaf of Dutch apple bread. Wow. On par with the bakery in Hermann, MO.
Late afternoon we went to the Corp of Engineers campground on Lake Red Rock and stayed at the North Overlook camping area. We got a site with a nice view of the lake. I took Gopher for a walk to the lake. There was no one around so I let her off her leash. She had been in the camper all day. She had a great time running in the lake, chasing a stick & rolling in the sand. There is a 15 mile paved multi-use path that runs through the campground. The strong German influence in this part of Iowa is apparent from the name of the trail. It’s the Volksweg which means “The peoples path” We all took a walk before dinner on Saturday and two longer walks on Sunday. Need to walk about a hundred miles to work off all those pastries. Carol wants to go back to town on Tuesday to get some more. We have a scale with us. Each week we get weighed. As long as we’re at our weight goal, we enjoy the goodies.
Two beautiful, sunny days. This is such a nice place we decided to expend our stay through tomorrow. We left home on May 1st. Been on the road for 30 days. Having a wonderful time as we always do. We’re both so happy when we’re travelling. The longer we’re out the longer we want to stay out.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Today we ran errands. Did laundry, filled the propane tank, went grocery shopping then made another visit to the two downtown Dutch bakeries. The weather is starting to turn rainy again. There is a front moving through the Mid-West. Tonight we’re supposed to get some strong thunder storms.

Lake Red Rock, Pella, Iowa

Some photos from Lake Red Rock near Pella, Iowa. This is the Corp of Engineers campground we stayed in while visiting Pella.

Escapade, Sedalia, MO 2009

Sunday, May 26, 2009 through Thursday, May 26, 2009

Met up with our friends at the Escapee 49th Annual Escapade. There were 775 RV's at the Escapade. In all there are eight Lazy Daze here. The weather has been poor. Rained most of the day Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. Carol & I attended some seminars and went to the Chapter 15 social. Some friends we had met at Escapees rallies in FL were there. We especially enjoyed meeting up with Frank & Maureen. By Thursday, the campground was so saturated wreckers were needed to tow people out. We got out OK and parked on the paved area for the rest of the day and night. We thoroughly enjoyed this part of our trip.

Heading to Sedalia

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Today’s plan was to tour the waterfront area of St. Louis including the Gateway Arch, Jefferson Westward Expansion Museum, etc. The constant rains in the area caused the Mississippi River to rise so high it flooded some of the streets in the area. After taking several detours we finally found the RV/Bus parking lot. It was closed for some type of construction. Oh well. Instead we went to the Harrah’s Casino to have lunch & decide what to do next. The lunch was very good. Much better than the other casino’s we’re tried over the years. As always, we both overate. That’s Ok though. This morning we both weighed ourselves and we were right at our target weights. The last trip out, we bought a scale to make sure we weren’t putting on weight from all the really tasty regional foods we enjoy.
Decided to avoid the Interstate Highways as much as possible, for the rest of the trip. Our destination for the day was Hermann, MO. One of our camping books showed that Hermann had a city RV park. We took SR 94 West from St. Louis; a part of the Lewis & Clark Trail, following the path of the Missouri River. Two years ago we were in this area following the L&C Trail but did not do this part. We stopped at a rest area by the Katy Trail State Park. The park is built on the former corridor of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (MKT or Katy). At 225 miles, this is the longest developed rail-trail in the country.
The ride from St. Louis to Hermann was through very beautiful, hilly, farmland. Corn, alfalfa & vineyards. Unlike Ohio, Indiana & Illinois, the corn had been planted here. It was about 6” tall. This area has dozens of vineyards. I never thought of MO as wine country. Drove by the grave of Daniel Boone and through the town of Dutzow, the first German settlement in MO. Hermann, our destination, is also a German community. There is a Hofgarten, the Deutschheim State Historic Site, German bakeries, restaurants, etc. A very pretty Old Town and waterfront park. We parked at the waterfront park for a while hoping a barge would come along. No barge. We did see some barges along the MS River when we toured the locks yesterday. Some of the boats can push as many as 15 barges at a time. We never saw one that big.
The Hermann City Campground is part of a larger recreation complex. After dinner, I took Gopher for a walk. We watched a girls softball game for a while. On another part of the field, the Little League teams were having photo day. Some kids were playing basketball. Hermann is middle America through and through. We’ve enjoyed communities like Hermann during our trips all across America. I imagine that the insanity of Washington DC doesn’t matter much in Hermann. It certainly doesn’t matter to the children.

Friday, May 22, 2009

On the way out of Hermann, we stopped at the Battocletti’s Bake Shop. My goodness. I got what I thought was a crumb cake. It was but unlike the crumb cake I was familiar with, it was filled with custard. The apple cake likewise, was filled with baked apples. We both agreed this may have been the best ever bakery we’ve been to. Also bought a loaf of dark rye bread for sandwiches. A guess we’re lucky we didn’t stop to eat the goodies until about mid-morning. By that time we were almost an hour away from Hermann. Too far to go back for more. 
We continued to Jefferson City, the capitol of MO, and the City campground at Binder Park. A very nice park and campground. Full hookups for only $14/night. An excellent value. Last night we paid $30 in Hermann. Camping out West in Forest Service, National Park and Corp of Engineers campgrounds has spoiled us. If a campground costs more then $10 to $15/night we think that’s too much.
Our friends Alex & Brenda Rutchka pulled in today. On Sunday we’re going to the Escapade together. Meeting up with two other couples in Sedalia.

On to St. Louis, IL

Sunday May 17, 2009

After saying our good byes we continued our trip west towards Sedalia, MO. Stopped for the night at the Clark County Fairgrounds campground in Springfield, OH. What luck. There was a huge antique show in progress. We walked around the fairgrounds for a few hours enjoying a cool, but sunny, day. Carol had some kettle corn; I had a soft pretzel with mustard.

Monday, May 18, 2009

In the morning I let Gopher off her leash at the Fairgrounds. We had the entire place to ourselves. No one ever came by to collect the camping fee. Maybe there isn’t any.
Another cool, sunny day. Drove to the Lieber State Recreation Area/Cagles Mill Lake campground west of Indianapolis, IN. A nice campground. Heavily wooded; well spaced sites but, once again, the campground is distant from the lake. $17.34/night.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Continuing west. Drove to the Mill Creek Park campground run by the Clark County Park District. Close to Marshall, IL. Attractive, well maintained. Near a large lake popular with fisherman. Once again, the campground isn’t near the water and has no special view. $14/night.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

This morning we left about 8:30 heading west to East St. Louis, IL. Our first stop was at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows run by The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The complex has a hotel, restaurant, church, outdoor amphitheater , outdoor sculptures, several shrines, etc., all set on 200 acres. It’s the largest outdoor shrine in North America. We arrived just in time for the 11:30 am mass. After church we toured the grounds stopping by the Lourdes Grotto, The Main Shrine/Amphitheater, The Millennium Spire, Way of The Cross, etc. We had a wonderful morning.
About 2:00 we went to the Museum of the Great Rivers near Alton, IL. It’s run by the Corps of Engineers and tells all about the Mississippi & Missouri Rivers, how the locks work, etc. Very educational. The Missouri River joins the Mississippi River at St. Louis. The Illinois River joins the Mississippi just above St. Louis.
Spent the night at the Oxbow Lake State Park in near East St. Louis.
A thoroughly enjoyable day. Warm & sunny. Starting to be shorts weather for the first time on the trip.

Great Lakes Lazy Daze Campout

Monday, May 11, 2009

Left the campground about 7:00am. Our destination was the Muskingum River SP, the location of Loch #11, Ellis. This is one of a series of hand operated locks on the river. It’s still in use. Boaters use the lock to get around the small waterfall on the river. We were going to camp there for the night but the campground wasn’t much. Not well maintained, campsites not mowed, etc. We decided to go into Zanesville to do laundry & grocery shopping then stay at the Dillon Lake SP. A good choice of campgrounds. We ran into people from New Hampshire we had met at the Caesar Creek SP last week. Had a nice chat. A skunk was heading towards our campsite. Fortunately I saw it before Gopher. Chased it away. We’ll be here today & tomorrow then head over to the Great Lakes Lazy Daze Club rally. On Tuesday, some people we had met at Caesar Creek SP pulled in. They are from New Hampshire and live in their motorhome full time.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Went shopping in Newark. Wal-Mart & Kroger. I was going to wash the camper at a car wash. The clearance looked OK but I hit the roof structure and cracked the A/C cover. All I needed was about another ½”. Oh well. Used some tape to fix it until I can buy a replacement. We drove to the Lazy River at Granville campground for the Great Lakes Lazy Daze Club campout.

Thursday through Saturday

There were 14 LD’s at the campout. The people were from Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin & Minnesota. Each morning there was a Continental breakfast. A pizza party on Friday night & the customary pot luck dinner on Saturday night. One couple was celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. The weather was mixed, some sun, some rain. Tonight it’s supposed to get close to freezing. Chilly for May 16th. At least to us it is. These Lazy Daze campouts are always so enjoyable. Such nice people.

Roscoe Village

Another sunny day. We went to Historic Roscoe Village in the morning. The Village is a restored canal-era town located along the former Ohio & Erie Canal. We walked through the Village past the different stores, blacksmith shop, restored canal boats, etc. Unfortunately, most of the buildings had stairs so we looked from outside.
Went back to the Lake Park Campground for the afternoon. Lake Park is a huge city recreation complex. Soccer & ball fields, aquatic complex including a water park, the campground and several miles of paved multi-use paths. If we are ever in this area again, we would come back here.

Amish Country, Ohio

Thursday, May 07, 2009
We got off the Interstate, finally, and took the back roads to the Amish area of Ohio. Ohio has the largest concentration of Amish in the country. Whenever you see laundry handing on the cloths line and all the pants are long and black, that’s a sure sign of an Amish family. Electric appliances are not permitted. We say a young girl mowing the lawn with a push reel mower. No gas engines are allowed.
Spend the night at the Mohican State Park Campground near Loudonville. This is a beautiful park. Much nicer then last nights stay at Caesar Creek. We have a campsite right on the Clear Fork of the Mohican River; what a nice view. About 7:00 a thunder & hail storm came through. Only lasted for perhaps 15 minutes. Other than that, we had a rain free day. Not much sun, but no rain was wonderful.

Friday & Saturday
Toured all around Amish Country, Holmes County, OH. Millersburg, Berlin, Walnut Creek, etc. Went to the Holmes County Flea Market, ate lunch at the Farmstead Restaurant, stopped by a bakery and toured Heini’s Cheese & Chalet. Watched cheese being made. Bought Carol lots of cookies at Kaufmanns Bakery and some dark chocolate fudge as a Mothers Day treat. I ate my share ,of course. Stayed at the Scenic Hills RV Park which is located in Berlin very close to the tourist attractions. Berlin is a very touristy town. Interesting but one visit is enough.
The weather was decent. Rained for about an hour in the afternoon.
On Saturday we went to the Walnut Creek Flea Market in the morning. It was OK but nothing special. We’re spoiled by the Green Dragon Market near Lancaster, PA. Their motto is “If it’s not at the Green Dragon, you don’t need it”. Later we drove to Lehman’s in Kidron, OH. This store was founded in 1955 to serve the local Amish communities. In particular those living the traditional life with no electricity, motors, etc. Lehman’s has all sorts of devices that require no power. Lehmsn’s ships old-fashioned, non-electric merchandise all over the world. www.lehmans.com. Toys, tools, wood stoves, hand water pumps, kitchen appliances,etc. There are museum-quality antiques on the walls. Had lunch there. As a bonus, there was a steam engine convention in town. We both enjoyed the display of old steam engines including some very old tractors. A very enjoyable visit.
About 2:00 we headed to Coshocton. There is a great City park and campground there. The sun is finally out now & then. Took a nice walk on the multi-use trail system running through the park.
The drive from Kidron to Coshocton was along narrow, twisting country roads through the most beautiful farmland we can recall seeing. A thoroughly enjoyable drive.