Hillsdale, IL to Sarona, WI to Cloquet, MN – May 4-10, 2015

Yesterday, Sunday, we said goodbye to Marvin and Shirley, and headed north again, this time to Sunset Lakes RV Resort in Hillsdale, IL, just over 350 miles away. It was a good travel day, with good roads for the most part with some rough spots as we traveled Highway 51 North through Illinois to Interstate 74. We went through quite a few small towns, but it was a good taste of "small town America." Weather was cooperative, with temperatures reaching the low-80s, some clouds, but no rain. We arrived to our destination at 4:00 p.m. and were set up by 5:00.

Sunset Lakes is a beautiful family-owned RV resort, with over 700 sites for both RVs and tents. Paved roads lead through wooded park-like settings to concrete and grass sites, all with concrete picnic tables. During the summer season there’s an Olympic-size outdoor pool with lifeguard, a mini-mart and snack bar. Tennis, volleyball, miniature golf, basketball, horseshoes, 5 fishing lakes, paddle boats, and myriad other activities are available, as well. A full workout room, laundry facilities and showers were available in the clubhouse. And, you get to experience Canadian geese up close and personal…we saw families of geese with little goslings everywhere along the lakes. Too bad we were there for only 2 nights, as there was so much to experience, and it did rain and was cold the full day we were there. Wi-Fi was available in the park, although they charged for it if you wanted it at your site (free in club house).

Sunday night at Sunset Lakes brought heavy rain and thunder storms, and rain lasted off and on throughout the day and into Monday night. Thankfully, as we packed up Tuesday morning the rain had abated, but it was still a chilly 58°.

Our trip further north through a part of Iowa and back into Wisconsin was uneventful, although highways were terrible in spots and good in others. Lush green fields and beautiful farms fill the heartland of Wisconsin, where horses and cows were in abundance. I mentioned that we drove through part of Iowa, and as we drove north the temperatures gradually dropped; as we left Dubuque the temperatures were hovering near 50° with drizzly rain—and of course, always the optimists, we were dressed in shorts and t-shirts. Brrr!

We arrived to Sarona, WI along Highway 53 about halfway between Rice Lake and Spooner, at 4:00 p.m. This next campground, Whitetail Ridge, is located about 6 miles off the highway in a wooded area near Shell Lake, WI. Beautiful wooded and farm lands surround the campground, which has been in business for about 9 years. Full hook-ups were available for long-term guests, but we had only electric and water. Free Wi-Fi was available. Also onsite was a full-service bar, pool tables—and a horseshoe pit, where they hosted a horseshoe tournament the night we arrived. (Funny to see guys haul their own horseshoes from the backs of their pick-up trucks to participate!)

Weather Wednesday continued to be cool, only in the mid-50s but that didn't deter us from driving the few miles to Spooner. While there we picked up a few groceries, fueled the truck, and had lunch at Nick’s, a local restaurant. Being early in the season, many of the touristy attractions weren't yet open, but we did drive a few miles to Shell Lake were we took in The Potters Shed. What an eclectic place! They provide lessons and lectures on pottery making, mosaic work, etching, and all things related to clay. Their gift shop offers unique gifts from around the world, including jewelry, soaps, candles, locally-made pottery, clothing, etc. Onsite are a café, gardens, and an art gallery. During the summer they offer live music for their “Music at the Shed” concerts, where local and some not-so-local bands provide entertainment, mainly on the weekends. It’s worth the trip and stop!

We were hoping to get out to investigate more of the area, but Thursday was another cold, rainy and windy day so we stayed in to catch up on stuff in the camper, like computer stuff and knitting.

Friday morning we were at it again, packing up and preparing for the trip to Cloquet, MN, where we would begin the arduous task of clearing out Mom’s house to get it ready to sell. This trip was probably one of the shortest of any we've taken, just over 100 miles. We left the campground a bit after 10:30 Friday morning, arriving to Cloquet at about 12:30. Light traffic, slightly overcast and the fragrance of the north woods made for a good driving day. As we drove towards Duluth/Superior, we could see glimpses of Lake Superior through the trees—beautiful! That lake draws me every time I see it.

Cloquet is located about 20 miles west-northwest from Duluth—an easy drive. By early afternoon we had the camper set up on the street in front of Mom’s house, and stuff brought into the house that we would need for our stay, including everything from the refrigerator/freezer. We settled in.

Saturday afternoon we made our first visit to Mom, at Inter-Faith Care Center in Carlton, MN. She didn’t really know who we were, although it appeared she felt she should know. We gave her a Mother’s Day card and corsage, which she seemed to appreciate, and visited for a few minutes before taking her to the on-site Mother’s Day Social in the community room. Between 60 and 70 residents and family members were there for the social, enjoying the coffee and dessert provided, as well as the live piano music and sing-along. Mom even sang along with the songs. She seemed to enjoy this little outing.

Later that day, my brother Ron and his wife Debby arrived from Roseau, MN located in the northwest corner of Minnesota to stay for a week to help. Dinner that evening was salad and pizza from Papa Murphy’s with Ron and Debby, brother Rich, his wife Karen and daughter MacKenzie. A perfect ending to a good day.

Sunday morning we attended Grace Baptist Church, Mom’s home church here in Cloquet. The longer we’re away from Cloquet, the fewer people we know at the church, although there are still a few who welcome us with open arms. It’s always good to see them again.

After a quick lunch at home, we tackled a few things around the house. My mom’s youngest sister Fern and her husband Kenny stopped by that afternoon on their way home to Grand Marais from the Twin Cities, so we had an opportunity to visit with them and catch up on their lives. After they left Ron and Deb visited with Mom at the Care Center for about an hour. Again, it appeared she should know who they were but wasn't quite sure. At least Mom's still relatively healthy and has a good attitude; she spends most of her days cruising the halls in a wheelchair or in the common room in the memory care section of the Center.

That’s it for this week. We're planning on being here in Cloquet for at least a month, clearing and cleaning out the house, selling what we can, and getting it on the market to sell.

We hope this finds you well. Until next time. (Just an FYI, I may not publish a blog next week, depending on how the days go clearing out Mom's house. There may not be much to share...)

Love ‘n’ hugs,

RJ and Gail

Carterville, IL – Kamper’s Supply – April 27 - May2, 2015

What a wonderful week we had with Marvin and Shirley Oetjen, in Carterville, IL. We arrived to Kamper’s Supply (their RV business) on Monday afternoon around 3:30 after a 304 mile drive from Shirley, AR. Thankfully we had wonderful weather to travel, and the roads—for the most part—were good, although hilly and windy through Arkansas and the small section of Missouri we had to go through.

We were welcomed with open arms; Marvin and Shirley are ever the gracious hosts, even though we take up a parking “site” in front of their service bays while we’re there. They just tell us where to park, provide us with power and a hose to load up our unit with water, and tell us to enjoy the stay! That evening we had a yummy meal at a local Italian restaurant, Mimmo’s, just up the road from Kamper’s Supply. Friends Randy and Jeri joined us. We noshed on a calzones, Philly cheese steak sandwiches, grilled chicken sandwiches and Italian subs. Yummy!

Tuesday was Dick’s birthday—he turned a very young 71! Happy birthday to him! That was the day for John and Curtis (Marvin and Shirley’s sons) to take over our unit to complete repairs from our blow-out last summer, anchor the front edge of our awning, fix a leak on the rear door side of the camper, check the roof for hail damage (see Nacogdoches blog), and anchor some electrical wires under the dining room slide. They really know how to “get ‘er done!” Thanks, guys!

That evening we had dinner at Red Lobster with Marvin and Shirley, and Randy and Jeri to celebrate the birthday boy. We certainly weren't disappointed! Shrimp, scallops, rib eye steak, flounder—cannot go wrong there! Then, we headed back to Marvin and Shirley's for a few games of Pegs and Jokers, ice cream and cake. Sadly, the gals lost 2 of the 3 games we played. Of course, we gals said it was because we needed to make the guys feel good—especially Dick on his birthday. Ha!

Wednesday Dick took a 50 mile motorcycle ride through the countryside; I stayed back at the ranch to knit, and had a long-overdue pedicure. Later that day we all had dinner at Bob Evans before we began the real serious preparation for Kamper's Supply open house to be held Friday through Sunday. We hit Sam’s Club to pick up food for the weekend’s event: Kamper’s Supply’s 40^th anniversary! Wow! Kamper's Supply was established as a family owned "Mom & Pop" dealership in May 1975. It was time to celebrate!

Here’s an article written in a local newspaper, the Southern Business Journal,about the Oetjens and Kamper's Supply. Thought you’d enjoy reading it. We’re thankful and proud to be friends of the Oetjens.

At Sam’s Club we picked up 6 pork butts, at least 8 full racks of ribs, hot dogs, buns, potato salad, brownies, animal crackers, chicken, coffee, and condiments. Friend Randy smokes the butts and ribs on his super-duper smoker for 3 days of food! Barbeque sandwiches and hot dogs are prepared for customers, while we "workers" got to nosh on barbeque sandwiches, grilled chicken sandwiches and ribs. YUM-YUM!

Here’s a photo of Randy’s smoker, on which we prepared the weekend’s meats: pork butts, ribs, hot dogs and chicken. He’s quite serious about this, and we definitely benefit from his culinary skills!

Here's the cooker.

Friends Bob and Sharon live near St. Louis, MO so we drove to Fairview Heights, IL to have lunch with them on Thursday, just a couple of hours away. We decided to have lunch at Smokey Bones BBQ even though we’d be having barbeque all through the weekend. Sure was good to see them again. Sharon and Dick had a grilled chicken salad, Bob noshed on the pulled pork special, while I had a barbequed brisket stuffed baked potato.  Again, I say, YUM-YUM! We spent about almost 2 hours together talking, laughing and eating. What a great way to spend a day! (While we were with Bob and Sharon, the crew back at Kamper’s Supply noshed on Randy’s grilled chicken sandwiches which, we were told, were wonderful!!! Sorry we missed them!)

That evening (I cannot believe we ate again!) we had dinner with Marvin and Shirley, their son Curtis, and other friends Leroy and Lori at a local restaurant, the Country Cupboard. Spread across the table were hamburgers, chef salads, chicken casserole, Swiss steak, and a patty melt. Good grief! But, boy was it good! Then Marvin and Shirley, and Dick and I returned to Kamper's Supply to get to work doing final preparations for Friday’s opening. Dick and I put batteries in give-away flashlights (pretty cool little LED units). And we all carried stuff to the door prize table. There was some pretty cool stuff being given away, like blankets, camping chairs, hitches, a portable ice maker, grilling utensils, and other things that make camping and the RV life enjoyable.

Kamper's Supply and the RV lot. Lots of campers to choose from!

Clockwise, top to bottom: sign up for door prizes, the
table of door prizes, food table, Randy preparing the ribs and
Jackie blowing up the balloons.

Kamper's Supply store and floral bouquets they received
in celebration of their 40th!

Friday morning came early, as we did the final preparations for the open house. Randy was smoking the pork butts for the barbeque sandwiches; Dick and I stuffed paper bags with other give-away stuff like pens, tank treatments, sewer dump gloves, pens, etc.; granddaughter Jackie was filling balloons with helium for outside decorations; Jeri and Lori were busy preparing the food table; Leroy was busy preparing to demonstrate Direct-TV and Dish networks with RV satellite equipment, and Jack RV antennas. What a busy place! When the doors opened folks came pouring in! Later in the morning Jeri, Lori and I manned the food table, preparing hot dogs on buns, barbeque sandwiches on buns, cutting brownies and cake, making coffee, filling little cups with animal crackers, and making sure the punch thermos was filled. (Randy—the retired pharmacist—has quite a reputation for barbeque, so folks really enjoyed that treat!)

That evening—we weren't done eating yet! Twenty-seven of us were treated to dinner at an Italian restaurant in Carbondale, just a few miles away, by the RV sales reps that had come in for the Open House. The Italian Village Restaurant is a real gathering place where you don’t go away hungry! And, thousands of customers over the years have provided their autographs and notable memories on the walls of their main dining rooms. Cool! What a fun evening! Marvin and Shirley, their 2 sons and wives, 3 grandkids and their families (including 4 great grandchildren), Randy and Jeri, Leroy and Lori, the sales reps, and Dick and I ate our way through salads and at least 9 huge pizzas. YUM-YUM! And…Uff-da!!!

Saturday was day 2 of the Open House. Lots more folks came to visit, to walk through the campers, eat, chat, and make purchases from the store. (By the way, Kamper’s Supply is talking about expanding their store, moving the exterior wall out another 15 feet, giving them at least a third again more space.) They were ­b-u-s-y! And, the Cummings made some purchases, as well: a hood light for my stove (the original one burned out long ago and we can’t figure out how to replace the bulb), a sewer hose adapter, RV wash brush, a range hood damper, bottles of RV wash and wax, and an awning cleaner. Yup, we helped the local economy!

Randy prepared more butts for the barbeque sandwiches, and prepared his special barbeque ribs for us workers. Can’t get enough of those ribs!

Kamper’s Supply treated all us workers, and their families, to dinner at Giant City Lodge in Mikanda, IL that evening. (Gosh—one might think we went to Marvin and Shirley’s just to eat!) Served family style in the Bald Knob Dining Room, we ate our fill of their specialty: golden brown fried chicken, mashed potatoes with country milk gravy, scratch dumplin’s, home-style green beans, buttered corn, creamy coleslaw, and homemade biscuits and apple butter. Oh, and then there was strawberry shortcake, peach or strawberry-berry-or cherry cobbler for dessert. YUMMY!!!

The Giant City Lodge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. Built to reflect the local atmosphere and décor, the lodge was built on the highest point in Giant City Park. The foundation was laid out in concrete; the walls of the lodge were constructed of locally quarried sandstone. Illinois hardwoods provided much of the woodworking in the lodge: oak logs, hewn on-site by the CCC, were used for the beams and pillars in the interior of the lodge; wood doors at the entrances, as well as the main and balcony floors and all lintels, were constructed of solid white oak; shingles of the original roof were made of hand-split shingle oak. Circular stairs that lead to the balcony on the upper level were constructed of pecan wood. A local blacksmith did the ironwork found throughout the lodge. The lodge, dedicated on August 30, 1936, was built at a cost of just $106,000 in federal funds.

The buffalo was 2,800 pounds. It had gone rogue so it needed to be put down.
HUGE animal!

All good things must come to an end, which happened on Sunday morning. We did final packing and got on the road at about 9:15, saying farewell to Marvin and Shirley in their front parking lot. We certainly look forward to spending time with them again next year—either at Kamper’s Supply, or in Rockport, Texas at Bay View RV Resort. We are so thankful for them and our friendship. You’re never a stranger with them—just family.

The day was a good travel day: light traffic (it being Sunday), pleasant temperatures and sunshine all the way to Hillsdale, IL where we’ll spend just 2 nights before heading on north to Sorona, WI for 3 nights. For most of the trip the roads were good, although there were some rough places. We took Highway 51 north out of Carbondale, all the way to Interstate 74, which took us close to Sunset Lakes RV Resort, off Highway 88. We travelled through quite a few small towns, which slowed us down. More on Sunset Lakes next week, as we’ll include photos of the park.

That’s it for this week, folks. Hope you’ve enjoyed our travels so far; and our culinary experiences as we ate our way through Carterville, IL with Marvin and Shirley!

Love ‘n’ hugs,

RJ and Gail

P.S.: Here are photos of the Clivia I had given Shirley a couple of years ago, while in Texas; it was too large to fit in our 5th wheel. My, how it's grown, and it has bloomed! This is a photo of the Clivia taken a few weeks ago. Beautiful! Below it are photos of the Clivia as it is now (lost one bloom), and the Wisteria growing in abandon at Kamper's Supply. The fragrance wafted through the air the entire time we were there. Loved it!