Week in Review: April 21-27, 2013 ~~ Tennessee to Illinois

Where does the time go?  Already it’s almost the end of April, and we’re almost half-way back to Minnesota.  Sunday and Monday we were still in Big Buck RV Resort, heading to Illinois on Tuesday.

Big Buck RV Resort, TN

Sunday morning was a cold morning, at 46 degrees. We stayed in the park this day and after the temperatures warmed up a bit we rode our bicycles around the park to get a bit of exercise. It still didn’t get too warm, and there was a breeze making it feel cold even though the sun was shining. Our new buddies Teri and Everett left Sunday morning, so we were alone in our part of the park again.

Monday morning’s temperatures weren’t much warmer than Sunday’s, at 49 degrees when we got up. The clouds were rolling by, but that didn’t dissuade Dick from riding the motorcycle to Selmer, TN to run a few errands.  By the time he returned I had gotten the laundry ready to wash so we hauled it to the Laundromat on our bikes and did a couple of loads. We packed up as much as we could to get ready for our departure Tuesday morning.

Travel day Tuesday. We headed north aiming for Carterville, Illinois to spend a few days with Marv and Shirl, whom we met in Texas. We left Big Buck by 10:30 Tuesday morning. Our trip took us up through Tennessee, Kentucky, across the Ohio River and into Illinois. We arrived in Carterville by 3 p.m.—a perfect day’s drive.  As is true with most of the rivers in the mid-west, the Ohio had really flooded the banks. Lovely to look at, but wouldn’t want to live along-side it!

Marvin and Shirley are owners, along with sons, John and Curt, of  an RV dealership (Kamper’s Supply), so we are having them perform some service items on the Sundance.  We had the brakes and bearings checked and brakes adjusted and found all to be well.  We hadn’t had any trouble so this was a “peace of mind” adjustment. Since we are in their shop we had them replace the awning motor which we “fried” in Texas due to a “sticky” awning extension switch which stayed on a bit too long. Also we are adding “slide topper” awnings to our slide rooms that will protect the roof of these rooms from the elements. They are installing the dining room unit this trip and we’ll do the other two next fall on our way south.

These guys have been in business nearly 40-years and really know their stuff. Their high integrity, high quality service at a fair price approach is a real comfort to us. We are leery of having our work done at large RV dealers we don’t really know. So if you have any RV issue from motorhome to popup trailer these guys can help. They are located in Carterville, IL just east of Carbondale, IL. It’s worth a stop even if you have to go out of your way a bit. They are also full-line Starcraft dealers selling anything from popups to 5^th wheels and have an extensive in-store parts inventory as well as internet parts site at www.kamperssupply.com. Check it out! If you happen to be in the area, next weekend is their annual open house May 3-4-5. A great opportunity to get to know them and check out the operation.

These nice folks allowed us “dry camp” in our trailer while we visited and they performed the work on our “home on wheels” so we’re “camping out” at their dealership for the next week or so to see the sites while our service is performed.

Marvin and Shirley took us on a tour of Carterville where they live, as well as nearby Carbondale, home of Southern Illinois University and the Salukis. We also drove through Giant City State Park. Near the campus is Quatro’s, a pizza place, where we had dinner. Really good pizza, if you're ever near Saluki territory! 

While Marvin’s and Shirley’s sons Curt and John checked the trailer on Wednesday morning, Dick and I ran a couple of errands, familiarizing ourselves with the area. Later that day, Dick rode his bike around John A. Logan College, a community college just adjacent to the dealership, while I continued to get settled.

This 9-foot tall life-size wood carving of Gen. John A. Logan atop his horse was formally unveiled May 27, 2004, at the west entrance to the College in Carterville. The unveiling marked a pre-Memorial Day celebration. Art Boatwright of Marion, IL carved it, using mostly a chainsaw, from a lightning injured oak tree. Notice the details!

Wednesday evening after dinner in the trailer (creamy Cajun chicken over pasta), we were invited to Marvin and Shirley’s to meet their friends Randy and Jeri, and to play “Pegs and Jokers,” a very frustrating board game. We’ve played this every night since we arrived!

By about 10:30 a.m. on Thursday the temperatures had risen to about 63 degrees—a perfect day to ride the motorcycle. Dick and I hit the road and rode for a couple of hours around Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, with a stop at Devil’s Kitchen Lake. What beautiful country! 

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is made up of approximately 44,000 acres of woodlands, wetlands, and grasslands, providing habitat for hundreds of species of birds, 43 species of mammals, and 50 species of reptiles.

Rolling hills, streams and creeks swollen with water from recent rainfalls and flooding from the larger rivers. The forests and country sides were thick with the creamy white and vibrant pink of the dogwoods, against the bright blue sky and spring green of new leaves. Wild flowers in every hue of purple and lavender, yellows and white sprinkled the ground. Lovely.

Later that afternoon Marvin and Shirley took us on a tour of Lake of Egypt, where they own property with a cabin, park model and two RV sites.  We also drove through Ferne Clyffe State Park before dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Marion, Illinois.

Temperatures on Friday morning warmed much more quickly than earlier in the week—55 degrees by 7 a.m. The new motor for the awning was installed, but John found cuts in the tape on the dining room slide roof, so that needed to be repaired too. Dick did some sweat equity cleaning the roof surface so new tape could be applied. He also worked on the printer and computer system in the dealership office. Later that day—and before “Pegs and Jokers”—we had dinner at O’Charlies with Marvin, Shirley, Randy, Jeri, and two other friends of theirs, Ron and Marietta.

Saturday morning was a morning of errands for us: the local yarn shop, Walmart, Goodwill and Sears.  We accomplished everything by about 1:30 p.m., in time to get back to the dealership to head out again on another sightseeing tour. This time was to “Bald Knob Cross of Peace,”  Fountain Bluffs, and the “bottom lands” along the flooded Mississippi River and Marvin’s home town.

These photos are of the flood waters of
the Mississippi, taken on Saturday, April 27.

Bald Knob Cross is a 111 foot tall cross sitting atop a hill top overlooking the Shawnee National Forest in Alto Pass, Illinois. It’s visible, when lit at night, over an area of 7,500 square miles. Originally completed in 1963, the cross is 22 feet square at the base, 16 feet square at the top and its arms extend 63 feet horizontally. The exterior white panels covering the cross are 4-inch architectural flat insulated metal panels while the base portion is covered in granite approximately 4-inches thick. The structure sits on a foundation of 730 tons of reinforced concrete that goes down 20 feet to bedrock. The steel framework weighs approximately 170 tons. Each of the four sides of the cross has a word inscribed into the granite: Peace, Hope, Faith, Charity. The day we visited the cross was a cloudy, misty and overcast day, where we had to walk almost up to the cross to see it. (See photo at right.)  Sunday was to be the 21^st annual service of “Blessings of the Bikes,” where motorcyclists rode their bikes up to the cross to have them blessed for safe travel in the coming riding season. Hosted by the Christian Motorcycle Association, this event draws thousands of riders every year to celebrate goodwill and the joy of riding. All proceeds from the event go to the Bald Knob Cross fund.

Above photo of Bald Knob Cross taken by David Revelle, downloaded from the Internet,

 depicting the cross before an Easter Sunrise Service.

Later, we had dinner at Mimmo’s (pronounced mee-mo’s), a local Italian restaurant. Really GOOD!!!  Then, of course, it was another evening of Pegs and Jokers with Marvin, Shirley, Randy and Jeri.

Thank you to all of you who sent cards to my mom.  She really likes reading them over and over, and they certainly brighten her days and her room. (She does continue to ask, "Who are these people?") She’s been up and walking quite well with a walker, up to 225 steps at a time so far, and is really anxious to get home to familiar things. My brother Ron and his wife Debby were able to come home on Thursday, and will be there until Tuesday. It’s good that they’re able to spend time with her until we can get there. It also relieves the pressure from my younger brother Rich, his wife Karen and daughter MacKenzie of feeling like they need to be with Mom/Grandma all the time. We’re cutting our return trip to Minnesota short, to arrive about a week earlier than we had originally planned in order to be available in case she is able to go home sooner than we anticipated.

This coming week we’ll be travelling north, getting closer to Minnesota, and we do hope that the snow has melted by the time we get there! Safe travels to you!

Love and hugs.

Dick and Gail