Day 2 - Mahomet, IL (or, what a long day!)

We woke up early (5:00 AM) and managed to get on the rode right at 07:00. We hit the PA Turnpike and headed west. Seems like every couple hours we stopped to fill up the tank. We were getting around 10 mpg. I guess that's not bad towing about 7,000 lbs with a 6,000 lb car. Oh, and we usually kept the speed pegged at 70!

The plan was to make it to Rockford, Il, but e soon realized that wasn't going to happen! We also decided we wanted to stop at a Camping World and see if we could buy a small generator to take to Yellowstone to be sure our batteries stayed charged so we wouldn't freeze.

Ended up finding a Camping World in Greenwood, Indiana, only about 4 miles off our route. Took about 45 minutes to get it as they had to check it out to be sure it would start and then print a manual since they couldn't find the original manual.

All the while Ann Sue had a stew in the slow cooker in the sink running on the inverter all day. Wow, did it smell good everytime we looked in the trailer. We arrived at Mahomet, Illinois Tin Cup RV Resort at about 7:30 PM after 630 miles. Found them in the Trailer Life directory. That was as far as we could make it today.

Got a pull through so we could leave the car hooked up for quick getaway in the morning. Bailey was soooo happy to get out of the car. She did get a bunch of walks on the way, but she always had to get back in the car. This time, she did her thing and then came in to eat with us.

This is a surprisingly nice place. Only $26 for full hookups. Here's a picture:

Day 1 - Burnt Cabins, PA

We're at the Good Sam park in Pennsylvania. We left the house in Leesburg at 4:00 pm Friday, drove to Frederick to pick up the Silver Twinky, and then headed up I70.

We arrived here in the daylight at 6:45. Bailey was really happy to get out of the crate in the car. Not a big campground. About a dozen almost permanent trailers on site. Only one other transient parked near us.

We are right next to the PA Turnpike, so we can hear a lot of road noise -- even through the usually quiet walls of the Twinky. Temps dropped over night and we had the heat pump on.

For dinner, we heated up homemade soup we brought and some rolls. Bedtime is 10:00. The plan is to leave by 7:00 and head west on I70 to Indianapolis, then north to Rockford, IL. We'll find a campground when we get tired of driving.

Location:Grist Mill Rd,Dublin,United States

Labor Day Weekend - 4 Sep 2010

We're down at Endless Caverns campground in New Market, Virginia for the weekend. We've met up with friends we met at another campground. Took a trip into Staunton to have lunch at the Depot Grill. Stopped at the Green Valley Book Fair on the way. After lunch we spent an hour at a local glass blowing shop watching a demonstration of artistic glassworks.

The weather was beautiful. Temps in the upper 70's. Clear skies. We grilled London broil for dinner. Bailey joined us all in the tent our friends set up outside their coaches.

Tomorrow is a day of relaxation. Nothing planned. Yippiee!

Sent from my iPad

Location:Endless Caverns Rd,Plains,United States

August 28, 2010 KOA near Hagerstown, Maryland

We're out for another weekend in the AG TWNKY before our big trip out west next month. Bailey is starting to get more comfortable traveling. She rides in her nice fabric dog house in the back of the Sequoia. She even lies down now -- no more frantic panting!

This is a nice campground just outside Hagerstown, Maryland. It is along the Conococheague Creek. We have a nice back-in spot along the creek. There is a great view out the dinette windows. This is a pretty nice campground. They have a snack bar where we had burgers and fries after we arrived last night. Bailey, of course, got some nibbles of burger when we got back to the Twinkie. She is on a diet, so only a few!

Oh, yes, that's what we are calling our Airstream -- the Silver Twinkie. We even got a special license plate from the state with AG TWNKY. We figured we'd find out who took chemistry in school ;-)

Another shakedown cruise - KOA in Harper's Ferry, WV, 25-27 Jul 2010

We took the AS out for another weekend to test out the systems in preparation for the big two-week trip out West in September. We picked Harper'Ferry since it was a short drive from the storage site in Frederick, MD. This was our first stay at the KOA in Harper's Ferry.

As you can see we were squeezed in between other trailers on a tight road near the main buildings. Needless to say, it was quite busy and noisy. Bailey did not like all of the racket. Every time someone slammed a door or cabinet nearby, she got spooked.

To top it off, temperatures were 100+ and although it looks like some tress were nearby, they were on the east side and didn't shield us at all most of the day. It was like living in an aluminum oven! We had trouble with the refrigerator - it started to heat up and ended up at 58 degrees! Had to throw out the steaks we were saving for Saturday evening and Bailey's treats (leftover hamburger from last week on the grill).

The A/C also was flaking out on us, tripping the breaker, and not putting out the airflow it did on the first day. Can't believe it was the campground because I had a nice power conditioner and protector between the AS cable and the campsite 30A outlet. The meter was showing a draw of only 23A peak. Looks like we'll have to take it to the dealer to check out sometime in August.

Friday evening right after we unhooked the car, I took Bailey over to the fenced dog walk. As we were approaching the gate, a woman was exiting with three medium to large dogs (all by herself). One of them got away from her and approached Bailey. Bailey being the sweet and submission dog she is stood and let the other dog approach. As it was moving toward Bailey, the woman called out to me "ohhh, she might bite her!" I started to bend over to pick up Bailey and one of her other dogs rushed over and the two dogs started biting at and baring their teeth at Bailey. I quickly shoved the dogs while picking up Bailey. They were trying to bite her. I got her in may arms just before they could do any damage.

I headed with Bailey to the fenced area and went in. Not a word of apology from the woman! If you know your dog is that aggressive, you shouldn't have it close to other dogs. Not only that, where are your brains trying to handle three dogs by yourself? She was lucky her dog didn't bite Bailey. I was almost ready to kick it if I couldn't pick Bailey up in time.

I think that incident spoiled the location for Bailey for the weekend. She never wanted to go the the dog run. She would stop well before and do her business and then look at me with that "can we go back" look she has.

The KAO campground had a nice pool, lots of activities, and a walking trail to the Quality Inn nearby with a restaurant and tavern. We had lunch there on Saturday. We realized that was the same motel we stayed in on our honeymoon in 1979! The KOA is really geared toward families with kids. There was just too much commotion for Bailey to enjoy it. We prefer a campground like Endless Caverns in New Market, VA. Much quieter and more privacy.

First night on the road with our new Airstream

Well, we traded in the Fleetwood Icon for a new 2010 Airstream International Serenity 25' front bedroom trailer. We are in a (dumpy) campground in Maryland checking out the systems and seeing what things we need for the new trailer.

At the Fleetwood Motorhome Association Rally in DuQuoin, Illinois - 25 Jun - 28 Jun 2010

We travelled to DuQuoin, IL to attend our first real rally. This one is the 2nd Annual FMA Rally for owners of Fleetwood motorhomes.

We left Friday morning and drove as far as Lexington, Kentucky. We stayed at a very interesting campground called the Kentucky Horse Park. It is tied in with a large horse arena and related activities. We just stayed overnight, but would go back there if we were coming through the area again. Very reasonable rates ($30) that includes electricity and water. There are waste dumps in common areas.

Next morning we headed to DuQuoin, Illinois. The FMA Rally was held on the DuQuoin fairgounds. We took our bikes and rode around. 95 degree weather kept us indoors most of the time the first couple days. Here is Ann Sue on her bike. You can see many of the Fleetwood coaches lined up in the background.

We attended (actually, I attended - Ann Sue got bored quickly with the presentations on subjects like cleaning your hot water heater, avoiding under voltage conditions when in campgrounds, and ensuring tires are always properly inflated) many seminars on topics of interest to RVers.

I ended up buying a tire pressure monitoring system for our planned Airstream purchase next month as well as a power management and protection device.

Sunday evening, we volunteered to collect tickets for the dinner. Needed to earn our keep since our friends got us into the volunteer lot. We may drive into Paducah, Kentucky tomorrow to see what's there. 

Bailey has been trying to stay cool in the RV. The air conditioner runs almost constantly in this heat. Whenever she goes outside, she starts panting and dripping from her tongue. We're hoping it will cool off tomorrow so we can take her to the fenced dog park so she can run off-leash.