Category: RV Parks

Day 9: Tourist Attractions and More Rain in Minnesota

Posted in Minnesota, RV Parks, Tourist AttractionsTagged , , 8 Comments

Day 9: Friday, May 24, 2013. Coralville Lake, Iowa to Welcome, Minnesota with a couple of side trips. Welcome Campground, Site 10. 278 miles traveled.

Who says road trips have to be boring? We like to stop when there is something fun to see along our route. Sometimes we will even go out of our way to see something interesting. Today was one of those days.

We went out of our way to Austin, Minnesota to visit the Spam Museum. We learned everything there is to know about Spam! As soon as you take the Austin Exit I-90 you start to see Hormel processing plants. Signs direct you to the museum which is located right in the middle of downtown. We parked the RV on the street in front of the museum and took a tour and then had a Spam Burger for lunch at the diner outside.

You can find out everything you want to know about Spam here!
We drove out of our way to visit the Spam Museum in Austin, MN
In front of the Spam Museum
Spamburger, anyone?
Those are all cans of Spam!
Parked at the Spam Museum

After about an hour in Austin we were back on our way west on I-90. We stopped again in Blue Earth, Minnesota to visit the 55 foot tall Green Giant Statue.

Green Giant Statue in Blue Earth, MN
Henry is just a little bit taller than the boots
Beth and Blondie with the Green Giant

The rain started after we returned to the interstate. We set up the camper in the rain in Welcome, Minnesota. We heard the rain on the roof most of the night and got ready to go in a drizzle.

If you like to see unusual and fun places as you travel, Roadside America is a great resource. You can also purchase a copy of the book to carry with you in your vehicle.

Day 7: Driving through Farmland

Posted in Illinois, RV Parks, WildflowersTagged , , 2 Comments

Day 7: Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Kamp Komfort RV Park, Carlock, Illinois Site 14. 383 miles traveled. Crossed into Central Time Zone.

The scenery in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois was totally different from the mountains we saw yesterday and the roads were mostly straight instead of the curvy, mountain roads. The only time we weren’t surrounded by farmland was while we were on the bypass around Dayton and while it rained on us going around Indianapolis.  Many of the fields have been recently planted so we couldn’t tell what crops will be growing soon. In some places we could see then tiny sprouts jutting up through the rich, dark soil.

This old barn is located just down the road from the campground
We drove through Indiana
Entering Illinois
Kamp Komfort is located on this country road
Flag on a mailbox in Carlock, I
The campground is across the street from this field – notice the windmills in the distance
Our home for the night after a long day driving
Our view out the back window
These wildflowers formed hedges surrounding the campground

Day 6: Crossing the Appalachian Mountains

Posted in Ohio, RV Parks, SunsetTagged , , , 4 Comments

Day 6: Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Claytor Lake State Park to Chillicothe, 278 Miles traveled.

Our prayers go out to everyone in Moore, Oklahoma.

We woke up and it wasn’t raining! We left our campground a little after 9:00 am.

We traveled through the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia most of the day. We climbed many steep grades and passed through the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel and East River Mountain Tunnel. The mountains are covered in their brilliant green spring leaves.

Big Walker Mountain Tunnel on I-77
Coal Barge in West Virginia
Capitol of West Virginia in Charleston
We crossed the Ohio River to enter Ohio
We passed by Bob Evans Farms on US 35 in Ohio
Our home for the night at Sun Valley Campground
View out the back window at Sun Valley, Chillicothe, Ohio
Sunset in Chillicothe, OH

Traveling through the mountains means slow driving. To make it even slower there was construction all along the route. We had to stop three times to pay toll on the West Virginia Turnpike. The toll is $2 at each toll booth for a car, $2.50 for our truck and trailer.

We arrived at our campground around 3:30. Henry made a run to Walmart to fill the truck with diesel – $3.759 per gallon.

We relaxed outside in the sunny, warm weather before dinner and managed to catch the sunset before settling in for the night.

Day 1 – First Day on the Road to Alaska

Posted in North Carolina, RV Parks, RVing, WildflowersTagged 5 Comments
Leaving Lil Tybee
Hitched up and ready to go!

Our first day on the road started out great. We got everything packed up, hooked up the the RV and were on our way at 9:04 am. Our hopes for an easy, relaxing day were soon squashed.

Shortly after we turned east onto I-20 I tried to call the park where we wanted to spend the night. A guy named Steve answered the phone. No, this wasn’t the number for the park. I Googled the park on my phone and every web site listed the phone number that I had called. Very strange. We decided to go somewhere else.

We were getting ready to pull off the interstate for lunch when Henry saw that one of his sensors indicated there was water in the diesel. Luckily there was a GMC dealer at the exit and they were able to work on it. We unhitched the RV on the side of the road by the dealer and Henry drove the truck into the service department. After about an hour and a half and about $400 dollars we were on our way again.

Our unexpected stop at the dealer caused us to travel through Charlotte, NC right in the middle of rush hour. Most of you know how much we try to avoid going through cities when traffic is bad.

Wildflowers in the woods
Statesville KOA Site H10
Blondie was in heaven chasing her ball
View out our back window
Wildflowers
Our campground was surrounded by woods

All ended well. We arrived at the KOA in Statesville, NC around 5:00. We were able to relax for a little while before dinner. Blondie is happy – there is a fenced in doggie play area so she can run off leash!

Day 1: 278 miles traveled