City Park, Madison Indiana

We had a grueling travel day yesterday.  Left Rising Sun's Little Farm on the River around 12:30 and arrived in Madison about 2pm...LOL!  My kinda of travel Day.  We had made the decision to follow Highway 56....it was scenic, but it was another twisty, narrow country road.  Fortunately, there was little traffic and the road was in good shape.  The campground we are staying in here in Madison, Indiana is called "City Park".  It is a small, no frills campground, but it is only a few blocks from the historic downtown area.  Here are a few photos......

Here we are, as you can see the sites are close together, but we have a nice level asphalt pad and plenty of lush grass around us.  Hookups consist of water and 30amp electric only.  There is a "bathhouse" and dump station.

This is the rear of our site.  Behind us are a few, what used to be, pull throughs.  I think, now they are primarily used for "off street" parking.  This place was not built for 40 foot fifth wheels...LOL!  So, they had us use this area for parking our truck.  The street does has some traffic, but not enough to bother one with any street noise.

This is a view of the campground from it's one and only street.  I think there are about 20 sites available.  The "river side" puts you right on the Ohio river, but we have a great view from our front door.....

This is the payoff....what a view!  If you decide to check this place out, I would call ahead....especially if you have a larger rig.  We are paying $25.00 a night....cash or check only.  Camp host is a real sweetheart of a guy, actually took a photo of us upon check in to add to his collection!  Even though this is a somewhat "tight" little campground, we had no problem backing into our site.  DAD....you may want to check this campground out next time you are in Indiana!  I thought of you immediately when we pulled into this place.
Next post, I should have some photos and info on the historic downtown of Madison.  We did a drive down main street and I am looking forward to seeing more today. 

The "rest of the story".....

As I promised....let me tell you about our little adventure to Rising Sun and Little Farm on the River.  It started out innocent enough.  We left Precision Temp around 5:00pm.  It had been a long day and we and the furballs were tired, but we only had about 30 or so miles to travel.   We finally got through the Cincinnati traffic and off the interstate. We were traveling on state highway 50 then picking up 56 into Rising Sun.  I had programed our Garmin with the RV park's address...that was our first mistake.  Normally, I double check these things...today I didn't...I was tired...I knew the RV park had been around awhile and felt confident the garmin could take us right to the front door.  HA!  OK...so the garmin is squawking out directions...."turn right on East Belleview Lane"....we are intently looking for signage.  We have made the mistake of turning too quickly before and want to verify that this is indeed the road we need.  We are so intent on the "right" side of the road that we are completely oblivious to the fact that the Ohio river is on our left....."Little Farm on the River"....duh!!  The Garmin is still squawking...."right....turn right". Never mind the big ole sign, "Little Farm on the River", with a big arrow pointing to the left! Duh!!  Just keep blindly following the "bi*ch" or I mean Garmin, and turn right....."turn right now"!  OK, OK we turned our big honk-en 40 foot fifthwheel to the right.....right onto this little narrow country road.  And then.....and then.....the "bi*ch" (no, I think I got her name right now) calmly tells us that "destination is on your right"!  There is only a farm house on our right....farm ground on our left....and a little narrow country road that looks like it runs straight up to heaven in front of us.  That sinking feeling hits, you know the one, in the pit of your stomach.  The one that tells you something is terribly wrong.  Here we go again....no place to turn around....can't back up onto a busy highway...no idea where we are...up the hill to heaven we go.  The twisty road took us up to the top of the ridge and wound us through countless farms...folks would stop and wave...I"m sure they wondered about our sanity!  We drove and drove hoping to run into a crossroad that would deliver us safely back down to the highway.  I had, of course, turned the "bi*ch" off, but sadly decided it was time to ask for her help.  She gladly and cheerfully started spewing out direction.  We found the crossroad.....wound our way back down and back on highway 50.  We s-l-o-w-l-y made our approach to East Belleview Lane....not wanting to be caught in the "bi*ch's" cunning trap again.  Billy gasp!  "What", I say, "WHAT NOW!"   "The river is on the right....there is a sign on the right", Billy exclaims!  We just looked at each other.  You have got to be kidding, how on earth did we miss that!  The "bi*ch" is still screaming to turn right....We both reach for her...both looking to silence her forever, but come to our senses and hit the off button instead.  We turn left and then find our "destination" on our right!  Duh!!  That my friends is the "rest of our story"....I know you are laughing, but beware.  There are more evil gps's out there just waiting to do to you what she did to us!

Ok, done laughing yet....here are a few photos of our site and the quaint little town of Rising Sun.....

Nice level gravel pad....lots of green grass.  There are upper level and lower level sites.  We chose the lower level which backs up to the Ohio river.

Yesterday, we went to downtown Rising Sun.  Very Welcoming as you can see...few shops and a couple of restaurants.  Nothing to write home about, but we enjoyed it.

This is at the end of the street, overlooking the Ohio river.  Not quite sure why....kinda spooky, but then I like spooky.  There is a paved river walk and we enjoyed that as well.

As our day comes to an end....we are thankful to have found "Little Farm on the River" and I'm so very thankful that Billy had the smarts to actually look to the LEFT!

Rain, Sirens, and OH MY!

Last Sunday night was quite the night.  Heavy rain, thunder, and lighting  continued into the early morning hours.  The weather was not threatening....just loud.  Come morning; however, an unfamiliar sound filled the air and brought myself, hubby, and the furballs fully awake.  At first, I thought tornado....but then I realized it was quiet no rain, no wind, no storm.  So I went to the window and noticed the bath house across from us had a flashing yellow light to go along with the sounding alarm.  I turned on the local news.....nothing about a tornado, but plenty about flash flooding.  It seems Cincinnati had received almost 4 inches of rain.  The lake here at Winton Woods was up.....way up....and that is why the alarm had sounded.  Have a look.....

This is the scene out our back window.....there had been no water there last night.  That am I'd say it was up a good 3 to 4 feet on the tree line and that was about 8 feet from our back window.  I didn't feel we were in any danger.....I think the worse was over at that point.  Looking around the park, I noticed just how bad it really was.....a deck overlooking the lake...one I had stood on the day before, was completely under water and the boathouse where you could rent rowboats, kayaks, and pontoon boats had water over it's decking as well.....scary stuff.....that much water and it came so fast.

This guy didn't seem to mind that the lake had been "enlarged"......

So we began our day.  We were going to be leaving Winton Woods and heading over to Precision Temp for repair on our On Demand Hot Water System.  We headed out around 11am.  Right at the exit of the park was a sign stipulating a road closure due to the flooding.  We had no idea where that road was....so we turned to the right to head out to the highway.  As soon as we rounded the first curve, we knew we were in trouble.  The blockade stopped us dead in our tracks.  To the left...nothing but lake....to the right a steep climb into a subdivision we knew nothing about....we were trapped.  We discussed the situation and I decided to head up the hill on foot and see if we could find our way out that way.  Fortunately, a park ranger happened by and told us he would lead us through the subdivision.  By that time....a motorhome had also joined in the caravan.  The ranger called the station and told them they needed to change the sign....as a lot of folks leaving were unfamiliar with the area and the name of the road meant nothing.  We were all just trying to get out the same way we got in!  We slowly wound our way through the subdivision.... tight turns, low tree branches, and narrow roadway....but we made it through.  I sure hope this area gets a break from the rain and can dry out soon.
We arrived at Precision about 30 minutes later.....repairs were completed as well as adding their "cold pack" to our unit.  The cold pack is simple heat tape....which we can turn on to prevent freezing just in case we find ourselves in unexpected cold weather.....it happens.


Ok DAD....pay attention....we arrived in Rising Sun Indiana around 6pm.  We are currently parked close to the Ohio river in a little park that my Dad recommended.  It is called "Little Farm on the River".  Of Course.....our journey to this quaint little park was not without its problems....stay tuned for the "rest of the story" in my next post.......

A Day at Camp Winton Woods

I promised some photos of our site here at Winton Woods......

Most all the sites are like this one.  Nice and level with a gravel pad and a concrete patio and picnic table.  Lots of lush green grass for the furballs...a beautiful lake and great walking trails.  In fact, that is what we did today.  Billy, me, and the furballs took a 5 mile hike around the lake today.  Needless to say....we is all tired tonight!
Here is another photo.......

I wanted you to see just how much space you have between sites.....very nice little buffer zone!  We are really enjoying our stay here...even though we have had quite a bit of rain.  This weekend the place really filled up.  It was fun watching everyone come in and get set up.  Campfires abound tonight as the rain finally cleared this afternoon.  As to us, we are both taking it easy in our recliners....with tired little furballs at our feet.  By the way, I have been doing a bit of laundry with my new washer and dryer and I love them.  I have done jeans, king size sheets, and towels.  Everything came out just fabulous!

Fun at the Zoo...more repair time

Still here....still in Cincinnati.  I'm healing up nicely, just a few bruises and my neck and shoulders are finally feeling better as well.  Billy managed to get our new gas regulator in place here is a before and after....

Here is the old regulator.....and now the new.....

Now to answer the big question...."does our on demand hot water system function properly?"  Unfortunately...."NO".  The burner does seem to be going into high flame now, but it repeatedly turns itself on and off while we are running hot water.  That it is NOT supposed to do.  We go back to the repair shop come Monday.  Of course, we were supposed to leave Winton Woods last Thursday.  I didn't think we had any chance of extending our stay here in the park....it is one very popular place...especially on weekends.  Lucky for us, they keep one emergency site open and they were kinda enough to let us move into it!  I promise some photos of the park for next time.  I have just been so busy.....went to the Cincinnati Zoo the last two days. Take a look at some of my favorites....

This was taken inside through glass so not the best photo, but still.....soooo cute!

These two seem somewhat unhappy....it was raining a bit!

The old man of the jungle......

The King....

Oh, and let's not forget the giant bats....hanging directly over my head....so cool!There is so much more....I really fell in love with the zoo.  If you get the chance, don't miss it!  I also highly recommend Winton Woods!

"I've fallen and I can't......."

Well, I did actually get up..with a little help from Bill.  It was early in the am and I was just waking up.  Cosmo, who sleeps with us, decided to jump off the bed.  Unfortunately, I think he landed just a little too close to Belle, who sleeps on the floor.  Next thing I know....trouble is brewing....dogs are growling.  I quickly grabbed Cosmo, who weighs about 40lbs, and tried to put him back on the bed.  What actually happened.....Cosmo and I fell back onto the bed together.  We landed too close to the edge of the end of the bed and away we went.....rolled right off the end of the bed.  No way to "catch" myself cause I've got 40lbs of dog in my arms.  My knee hit the dresser and I crashed to the floor on my left side.  I've got some scrapes on my knee and everything else just hurts.  I guess I don't "bounce" as well as I used too!  It has been about 3 days since I fell and my neck and shoulders are still giving me problems, but mostly in the morning....everything is just stiff and painful.  Time will heal or I'll end up in the Chiropractor's office..  LOL!
I do have some photos to share today....here is our campsite in Richmond Indiana

Nice little park.....little old and rough around the edges, but great for an overnight or two.  Plus it is a passport America park so we stayed for $20.00.  It is called Deer Ridge Camping Resort....I'm not too convinced about the "resort" tag!
Here is a look out our back window.......

Nice!  But the sites are very close together, we were lucky cause the place was fairly deserted while we were there.  I took an early evening walk and did find some interesting subjects to photo.......have a look...

 

A little Angel bird bath......I loved the color and the soft reflection in the water.

And this guy.....pretty cool.....I had just the right lighting to "capture" this old man of the forest peacefully sleeping.
We are currently in Cincinnati.....had our on demand water heater checked out.  The techs think we have a faulty gas regulator as the unit seems to function properly, but can't achieve "high" flame.  Real nice bunch there at Precision Temp.  We think we spoke with both the president and the owner who came out to take a look at our unit.  They were both really interested in our problem and getting it solved.  We even got a Precision Temp cap and visor.  They couldn't replace the regulator for us, but told us where to find one.  Once the regulator is replaced they want us to come back in for a re-check.  So far, there has been no charge and they spent most of the day last Monday running diagnostics on our unit.
We are now staying in a very nice park known as Winton Woods here in Cincinnati.  Billy located and purchased the regulator and plans on installing today.  Photos to come......

Repairs and a Surprise!

The last few days have been really busy here in Elkhart at Recreational Specialties.  Ron and Dan have been working hard building, diagnosing, and repairing!  The first two items on our list were our AC (making a funny noise) and our furnace (stopped working altogether).  Dan removed the furnace and found that the burner and igniter wire needed to be replaced.  The AC took a little longer.  It was 60 degrees out and we were running the AC full out trying to get it to start making "the noise"!  It finally cooperated somewhat, but Dan couldn't really see anything wrong.  Next thing, the furnace starts acting up again.  Dan, after a little more testing, decided our problem now might be the new thermostat we installed last year.  He did a direct wire on the furnace and it functioned perfectly.....so that left the thermostat...Bill reinstalled the original thermostat, which we still had cause Billy never throws anything away, and so far so good.  Dan even thinks the new thermostat may have been the problem with the AC as well....something about only having a low fan setting and OH heck...I don't begin to understand his theory, but the guy is usually right!  Time will tell.  It was a really confusing day....one minute the AC is on, set to 45 degrees and next thing the furnace is running set to about 80 degrees!
Here are a few photos that tell the "rest of the story"........

Isn't that a beautiful sight.....no more unsightly tire blow damage.....all good as new!

Dan added a new receptacle and a new "cubby" for storage.  The receptacle is a dedicated outlet for our little fireplace.  This plug is connected to a marinco 20amp power connector as seen here.......

 

Now Billy can plug an electrical cord from this outside connector to the 20amp plug available on the power pole at most campsites.  Now our electric fireplace will no longer interfere with coffee brewing and hair drying....LOL!  

Here you see the inside of my new little cubby.  I have my griddle, a large pan, and my little pink Christmas tree.

And now for my surprise.....can you guess what Dan is doing here.....you bet ya.  Dan is prepping for my new washer and dryer.  "Dan is the Man"!

 

Almost ready...this is a photo of the bracing for the shelf where the dryer will rest.  Rather than stacking one on top of the other, Ron suggested we put the dryer on a shelf.  That way, should the need arise, we don't have to remove both units to work on the washer.

 

Here is the "hole" for the dryer vent and now....without further ado......drum roll please....

BIBBITY...BOBBITY...BOO!

Aren't they the "cat's meow"!  I am so proud of these and so surprised that Billy gave the go ahead, after all we spent a fair chunk of change over at Mor/ryde for our new suspension.  But he knew how much I had been wanting these....he is such a good hubby!  Mama is sooooo happy!! 

Tonight we are in Richmond Indiana and tomorrow we head to Ohio....

Back in Elkhart...repairs and foo-foo?

We enjoyed our brief stay over in Shipshewana.....lots of good food and some fun shopping.  Yesterday we headed back to Elkhart and will be having some repairs made to our rig over the course of the next few days.  

I really did enjoy looking around at all the gift shops in Shipshewana.  I used to own a gift shop in Lafayette and the one thing I miss the most is setting up displays and changing over the shop for each season.  Fall being one of my favorites!  I decided there was no reason why I shouldn't carry on that tradition in my fifth wheel and add a little fall "foo-foo"...have a look at what I did......

This is the "living room" side of my kitchen cabinets......nice little burst of fall color, don't ya think!

Here is the view from my kitchen side

Added a little "pop" around my lamp...look close you'll see a little squirrel peeking out from the ivy.

And, of course I had to add some fall color to my table centerpiece.  I'm very careful about using candles in our fifth wheel, but this one smells so good I just could not resist.  Now, I know what you are thinking....every time we move I have to pack this stuff up.  Well, the ones up around the cabinet are wired on so they travel just fine.  The centerpiece and lamp do need to be stowed, but it only adds an extra 5 minutes to the routine and it is worth it to me.  It makes me happy!

Twas a long night!

Spending the night inside a work bay is definitely not my idea of a good time!  Especially with most of the lights on....there was just too much light shining into the fiver.  Even the furballs seemed to be a bit confused.....both Cosmo and Belle got me up for a wee in the "wee" hours of the morning.  Anyway I did get a few pics for you all to check out.....

 Here we are tucked away inside the work bay for the night

Looks like we are "floating" in mid air!  Believe it or not that white cable you see attached to the fiver is indeed a tv cable.....just a few channels, but better than nothing.

This is the side of the fiver with the missing fender (tire blow damage), but it gives you a good view of the new suspension and wheel hubs and disc brake assembly.  

Here are our new....bright....and shiny wheels.....so pretty!

We left Mor/ride about 3:30 Thursday afternoon and headed over to Shipshewana South Campground.  It is very nice here and best of all it actually got DARK when nightfall came....LOL!  We all slept like babes.  

We will be here through Sunday and then it is back to Elkhart for more repair work on our tire blow damage and a few other odds and ends.

No wheels, no suspension, no axles.....oh my!

Well, we made it to Elkhart to the Mor/ride facility. We spent last night in their RV parking area. They have 4 or 5 spots with electric hookups only. We were up by 6am. Billy was backing our fifth wheel into the first bay by 7:30. Once inside, our fiver's wheels were individually weighed to determine if we really needed to move up to an eight thousand pound axle. We did, we were over on one of the wheels by about 400lbs....how did that happen! Once that was determined, we loaded up the furballs and headed out to breakfast. The furbabies were unhappy that they had to wait in the truck while we ate, but they were rewarded with their own serving of scrambled eggs.

It was a long day of waiting, but Mor/ride does take great care of it's customers by providing a great lounge area (which we could not use cause no dogs are allowed) and providing you with lunch and snacks. We had sandwiches provided by Panara Bread today.

Tonight we are spending the night in our fiver inside the bay. Our wheels, suspension, and axles are gone. We are up in the air on some really big bottle jacks. It is a little confusing to the dogs to go outside and still be inside...lol! Plus they left lights on inside the bay for safety.....so it seems night will never come.

Tomorrow they will put on the new axles and suspension and four new tires. I'll have some photos to share as well. Now it is time for bed...with the lights on...thank goodness I used blackout lining for our shades in the bedroom!