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...)
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