Well I have been a bit lazy in getting this out to you. We actually did make it home and had a great time doing it. Let me catch you up on our travels. The night before we left we had a good supper of Burritos from the local Mexican store, and just kind of chilled out for the evening and we all got a good nights sleep. Early that following morning we said our sad good-byes to Jason and had the Doodle all packed and ready for the road. Carol had her two pots of Mums in the bathroom, and everything was stowed securely, and we had our ration of coffee.
Evening burritos
If you have never traveled by RV you have no idea how things like to jump out of cabinets and doors love to pop open at inopportune times. So down the road we went saying good-bye to Sun Prairie and we had Chicago in our sights. Our travel plans home had changed several times. Our original planned route took us south to Kentucky and then east but the weather to the south was just too hot for us so we headed toward Chicago to turn east there. Somewhere south of Sun Prairie we took on fuel and had a good breakfast at a roadside diner. We had made reservations at the Warren Dunes State Park, on the East side of Lake Michigan.
Our spot at Warren Dunes SP
The following morning we made our way down to the shore of Lake Michigan and found a dog beach where Harper coud enjoy the sand and waters edge. This was a very pretty spot, we were sad that we didn't have time to stay a few more days, the things back home were pressing.
Harper and Carol in Lake Michigan
We wanted to see a bit more of Michigan so we drove East across the state. Our destination was a Harvest Host called The Flower Market just on the East side of Dundee. It was an easy day of driving and we arrived early. Carol did some shopping it the Flower Market and came away with a Bonsai Tree, the inside of the Doodle was now becoming a forest!
Dundee, Michigan
We drove back into Dundee, a cute little town built on a river, and found a dog friendly restaurant where we all enjoyed a hearty supper before parking the Doodle back to the farm part of the Flower Market. We were out by the chickens, and goats and pigs and donkeys and such..it was a fascinating evening playing cards amongst turkeys and roosters walking around our feet.
Friendly neighbors
This was a very nice place to stay. We had a great sunset and an even better sunrise the next morning.
At home on the farm. . .
We left in good time and drove into Monroe, a town on the Western shore of Lake Erie. We had breakfast on 'The American Diner' and were not disappointed, it was a very hearty breakfast indeed, and we wrapped up some bacon and sausage for Harper to have when we got back in the Doodle.
Getting back on the road.
We had a relatively short drive (250 miles) to our destination so we made a few stops along the way. One stop in Youngstown, Ohio was the Lanterman. An actual working waterwheel grist mill where they make three kinds of flour.
Lanterman Mill, Youngstown, Ohio
It was a great experience to tour the mill and see all the working parts spinning. Of course I bought all three flours and some rustic artisanal breads are in my future.
Down where the waterwheel is.
Our camping spot for the night was the The Big Rail Brewing Company in Grove City, Pennsylvania. This Harvest Host was set back in the woods and is only open to the public Thursday through Sunday 5 - 9.
In the woods waiting for the music to start.
The brews were served from a trailer and food trucks supplied the grub. The had pavilions and tables through out the woods and a stage set up for live performances. This is a great concept for family evening fun. Kids were throwing footballs and frisbees and families were gathered around campfires. We had the Doodle snuggled in back in amongst the trees and enjoyed the evening.
Big Rail serving the crowd
We sampled their beer and it was awesome and had pizza from a food truck. Harper love hanging out and said hello to just about everyone who walked past. The band was good country/folk music and the evening was one to remember. We walked back to the van early and I got in a sketch of the wood pile that was next to us and we chatted from time to time as people walked past..Carol beat me again at cribbage.
We snuggled back into the trees.
The following morning we had 300 mile drive to the Mountain View Campground, the last overnight before we got home so we needed to pump out again so we would have empty tanks when we got home. This turned out to be just another family oriented RV park where things were too close together and there were lots of kids running around. And there was no 'vista' - we may have been on a mountain but you couldn't prove it.
Parked in Stroudsburg so we could explore and have lunch.
We did have all good services and had a few good games of cribbage, a great supper and a good nights sleep. In the morning we drove into Stroudsburg and walked around, shopped a bit and had lunch at a great Irish pub.
Driving through the Delaware Water Gap
From here we headed home, making one last stop in Norwalk Connecticut at a grocery store we love, Stew Leonards. We stocked up knowing that the fridge would be empty when we arrived home.
Along the highway in Connecticut, Harper needed a walk and so did we.
The remainder of the trip was uneventful and we back into the driveway in the late afternoon without ceremony. Another good trip ended quietly, just as it should, without incident. All is well.
Below is a gallery of images that may or may not make sense, but were taken along the way.
