Greg and Bonnie’s RV Adventures

We had a great nights sleep at Whittington Woods and took a walk in the early morning hours.  It was early morning because we went to sleep last night at 8:30 pm!!!

We stopped for fuel in a little town called Mansfield, Illinois.  I saw in a book that Mansfield has a very old General Store that has a lunch counter.  The gas station attendant said they make a very good roast beef sandwich.   So we made our way down the street, crossed a railroad track, turned right, then turned left, and came upon a little Main Street about 50 yards long.   We parked and walked into the Mansfield General Store, which has been part of this town continuously since 1896.   The family who owns it today is only the third family to own it, having purchased it in 1979.

The store was exactly as those of you around our age remembers them.  Creaky wooden floors, shelves all the way up to the second floor with a rolling ladder, a candy counter, and all the things you would expect.  We sat at the lunch counter, the only patrons in the store.  The owner made us a very good roast beef sandwich, which we shared.   Living in a large city does not give you the sense of small town America, but this town is certainly a good example of all that is good in the USA.  People walking everywhere, riding scooters, etc.   It was a nice experience.

We made it to Davenport Iowa, around 3 pm and set up camp in the Interstate RV park.   It’s still hot!!  We thought the weather would be cooler up here but it was 87 degrees when we stopped for the day.  Tomorrow we will make our way over to Forest City Iowa and spend the night at the Winnebago Service Center at their home plant.  We have a service appointment early Monday morning.

Mother always told us we MUST go to Alaska twice.  The first visit in 2010 was filled with all sorts of touristy things.  The second trip will be just for the pure joy of seeing the beautiful scenery, and taking turns in the road that we missed in 2010.

Getting the RV ready this year has been somewhat difficult and time consuming.  Because we store it for most of the year before using, it seems that every system has to be checked out by professionals.   The cab air conditioner needed refrigerant, we had oil change, fuel filter change, etc.   At any rate, here we are, finally on the road.

We stopped for our first night at one of our favorite campgrounds in Benton Illinois.  The campground is Whittington Woods.   Absolutely beautiful park with big tall trees, level sites, and clean restrooms.   The interesting thing about this park is the owners are avid gardeners and they own several chickens which they keep in a very clean coop.   Our experience here has been upon checkin, the owner gives us some fresh eggs from her hens.   This trip I remembered to bring an empty egg carton for her to fill.  Sure enough, she gave me a dozen of beautiful eggs.  I offered to pay her, but she would not accept.  So we will enjoy fresh eggs in the next week.

We had no sooner gotten set up and taken a quick walk, when it poured rain.  It was a nice gentle rain and really cooled things down.  We enjoyed honey baked ham and potato salad for dinner.   I’m sure we will sleep well this evening.

By the way,  Ben is currently traveling overseas.  Today around noon, my IPAD rang, and it was Ben calling us —  FROM THAILAND!!!  So we are driving down the interstate near Paducah, Kentucky, talking with Ben in real time.  He came through clear as a bell.  Amazing!

Fresh eggs from Whittington Woods Illinois