(NOTE: View a larger picture by clicking on the photo(s) above.)
Here I sit, writing. It is raining. Why are we here? I’ll tell you in a moment, but first, let’s catch up from last week.
When I last wrote, we were “rocking and rolling” in our trailer being buffeted by 50 mile per hour winds. The winds became so strong that we considered leaving the trailer and going to hide in the campground Laundry Room or Restroom. We didn’t. We stuck it out and the winds diminished by bedtime. We had the whole RV Park to ourselves, or so we thought. The next morning we found that another brave soul had wandered into the campground for the night. We didn’t wait around for more weather. We left for Sioux Falls.
On Sunday, May 3rd, we checked in the Yogi Bear Campground on the East side of Sioux Falls. The Park was nice enough, but the space was a little short to fit both the trailer and the truck without infringing on the grass. Walking around the campground, we ran into our neighbors to the side of us and struck up a conversation. It was a doctor with his family; wife and four daughters. It turns out that he was an anesthetist who had a unique way of explaining his job. He said, “I get paid to pass gas.” OooooKay!! We won’t go any farther with that.
We spent two nights at that campground. We looked around the city a little, picked up some needed items for our meals, and generally just took a rest. Not a whole lot to see during this time of year. We left on Monday (May 5) for Minnesota farther down I-90, working our way back East.
We found a campground in Oronoco, Minnesota, just six miles north of Rochester called Tilley‘s RV Resort. When we pulled in no one was in the office. We found us a nice long campsite and settled in. Later, I went back to the office. Still no one was there. Another gentleman was also looking for the Manager, Owner, whoever. As I was talking to this gentleman, the owner showed. I told him where I had setup. He said, “Fine. How long are you staying?”
“Two nights.
“OK, why don’t I just catch you tomorrow.”
“OK!” I left. I guess he was too busy with something else.
We drove into Rochester to find a Mexican restaurant. Carolyn was in the mood for Mexican. We found one not too far away called Carlos O’Kelly’s. Now I ask you, “What kind of name is that for a Mexican Restaurant?” Someone confused Irish for Mexican, or the other way around. Interesting name, though. Good food.
When it came time to leave the campground, we still had not seen the Owner. We owed for two nights. The previous day I had found a lady in the office and asked her about paying. She told me the owner was real “laid-back” concerning the campground. Seemed that way to me. She called his phone and left a message that I wanted to pay. Didn’t work. If we had been dishonest, we would have just left. Instead, I called his number and told him we were ready to leave. He showed up about twenty minutes later. We paid. We left. Next stop, Lake Delton, Wisconsin.
Lake Delton, and sister cites of Wisconsin Dells and Baraboo, are mostly resort “villages.“ Dalles is a French word (meaning either "sluice" or "flagstone" and referring to the columnar basaltic rocks carved by the river).
One of the oldest sites to appear on maps of the western Great Lakes region is the "Dalles" of the Wisconsin River. It was identified as a convenient reference point by French explorers in the 1700's. The name stuck after the French explorers left Wisconsin, with the spelling and pronunciation Anglicized as the "dells". Wisconsin Dells is one of the oldest resort areas in the state. Most of the area, however, contains mostly man-made recreation to do with water.
Since we were in Wisconsin, we thought that it was necessary to find some good cheese. After all, the State is known for its cheese. We found a place in Lake Delton called The Cheese House. We bought some ten year old cheddar cheese for $15.89 per pound. Wow! The first picture above is of that establishment. They also have some interesting structures of wood. The second picture is of a restaurant called Moose Jaw, Pizza & Brewing Company. The last picture is of that “moose” on the car. I thought that was an interesting promotion.
So, here we are now in Union, Illinois. Another of those small places just outside a “big” city. In this case, Chicago. We are at a KOA campground in the North-West Chicago area. Some 40 miles from the city. Our purpose for being here is to visit the Chicago sights. Again, we try to work around the rain. We knew it was coming today, Sunday, so we decided that yesterday we would go to Chicago and spend the day. That’s what we decided. That is not what we did. Well, we tried to!
Those of you who know me, know that for years I have had a bad back. Well, it started acting-up a couple weeks ago, but I usually work it out. This time, it got worse. I take pain pills, muscle relaxers, sit with a heating pad and try stretching. So yesterday, Saturday, we planned our Chicago trip. There is a train running from Crystal City (about 16 miles from our campground) that goes into downtown Chicago. It is a commuter train, so it makes frequent stops along the way. In this case, about twenty such stops. The trip requires one hour and twenty minutes, each way, and runs on the hour.
The ride is pleasant enough, and the coughers, hyperactives (kids & adults) and the chatter-boxes, make it an interesting ride. We arrived at the large down-town terminal and disembarked. Our plan was to peruse Michigan Avenue (area known for its shopping), visit Hyde Park on the shore of Lake Michigan with museums and the like. When we arrived, I was having much difficulty walking. Pain! Pain! We decided to have a bite of lunch in the Terminal and strike out after a rest. By the time we had eaten, gone out onto Madison Street, tried to walk a few feet, I knew it was a “no-go.“ I could only make a few steps without doubling over in pain. We caught the next train back to Crystal Lake. What a time! Ride 1 ½ hours, lunch in the terminal and 1 ½ hours back. Some excursion.
We also filled the truck with diesel before getting back to the campground. We paid $4.42 per gallon. That is the most we have paid to date. Last month, we spent $1,150 for fuel. We are now adding some extra pennies to the quarters, dimes and nickels flying out the tail-pipe each mile we drive. So tomorrow, we are off to Indianapolis, Indiana. I can’t walk far, but I can drive. Sitting is not a problem, but walking….ouch!, ouch!, ouch! I’m sure it will get better…..but, when?
Here I sit, writing. It is raining. Why are we here? I’ll tell you in a moment, but first, let’s catch up from last week.
When I last wrote, we were “rocking and rolling” in our trailer being buffeted by 50 mile per hour winds. The winds became so strong that we considered leaving the trailer and going to hide in the campground Laundry Room or Restroom. We didn’t. We stuck it out and the winds diminished by bedtime. We had the whole RV Park to ourselves, or so we thought. The next morning we found that another brave soul had wandered into the campground for the night. We didn’t wait around for more weather. We left for Sioux Falls.
On Sunday, May 3rd, we checked in the Yogi Bear Campground on the East side of Sioux Falls. The Park was nice enough, but the space was a little short to fit both the trailer and the truck without infringing on the grass. Walking around the campground, we ran into our neighbors to the side of us and struck up a conversation. It was a doctor with his family; wife and four daughters. It turns out that he was an anesthetist who had a unique way of explaining his job. He said, “I get paid to pass gas.” OooooKay!! We won’t go any farther with that.
We spent two nights at that campground. We looked around the city a little, picked up some needed items for our meals, and generally just took a rest. Not a whole lot to see during this time of year. We left on Monday (May 5) for Minnesota farther down I-90, working our way back East.
We found a campground in Oronoco, Minnesota, just six miles north of Rochester called Tilley‘s RV Resort. When we pulled in no one was in the office. We found us a nice long campsite and settled in. Later, I went back to the office. Still no one was there. Another gentleman was also looking for the Manager, Owner, whoever. As I was talking to this gentleman, the owner showed. I told him where I had setup. He said, “Fine. How long are you staying?”
“Two nights.
“OK, why don’t I just catch you tomorrow.”
“OK!” I left. I guess he was too busy with something else.
We drove into Rochester to find a Mexican restaurant. Carolyn was in the mood for Mexican. We found one not too far away called Carlos O’Kelly’s. Now I ask you, “What kind of name is that for a Mexican Restaurant?” Someone confused Irish for Mexican, or the other way around. Interesting name, though. Good food.
When it came time to leave the campground, we still had not seen the Owner. We owed for two nights. The previous day I had found a lady in the office and asked her about paying. She told me the owner was real “laid-back” concerning the campground. Seemed that way to me. She called his phone and left a message that I wanted to pay. Didn’t work. If we had been dishonest, we would have just left. Instead, I called his number and told him we were ready to leave. He showed up about twenty minutes later. We paid. We left. Next stop, Lake Delton, Wisconsin.
Lake Delton, and sister cites of Wisconsin Dells and Baraboo, are mostly resort “villages.“ Dalles is a French word (meaning either "sluice" or "flagstone" and referring to the columnar basaltic rocks carved by the river).
One of the oldest sites to appear on maps of the western Great Lakes region is the "Dalles" of the Wisconsin River. It was identified as a convenient reference point by French explorers in the 1700's. The name stuck after the French explorers left Wisconsin, with the spelling and pronunciation Anglicized as the "dells". Wisconsin Dells is one of the oldest resort areas in the state. Most of the area, however, contains mostly man-made recreation to do with water.
Since we were in Wisconsin, we thought that it was necessary to find some good cheese. After all, the State is known for its cheese. We found a place in Lake Delton called The Cheese House. We bought some ten year old cheddar cheese for $15.89 per pound. Wow! The first picture above is of that establishment. They also have some interesting structures of wood. The second picture is of a restaurant called Moose Jaw, Pizza & Brewing Company. The last picture is of that “moose” on the car. I thought that was an interesting promotion.
So, here we are now in Union, Illinois. Another of those small places just outside a “big” city. In this case, Chicago. We are at a KOA campground in the North-West Chicago area. Some 40 miles from the city. Our purpose for being here is to visit the Chicago sights. Again, we try to work around the rain. We knew it was coming today, Sunday, so we decided that yesterday we would go to Chicago and spend the day. That’s what we decided. That is not what we did. Well, we tried to!
Those of you who know me, know that for years I have had a bad back. Well, it started acting-up a couple weeks ago, but I usually work it out. This time, it got worse. I take pain pills, muscle relaxers, sit with a heating pad and try stretching. So yesterday, Saturday, we planned our Chicago trip. There is a train running from Crystal City (about 16 miles from our campground) that goes into downtown Chicago. It is a commuter train, so it makes frequent stops along the way. In this case, about twenty such stops. The trip requires one hour and twenty minutes, each way, and runs on the hour.
The ride is pleasant enough, and the coughers, hyperactives (kids & adults) and the chatter-boxes, make it an interesting ride. We arrived at the large down-town terminal and disembarked. Our plan was to peruse Michigan Avenue (area known for its shopping), visit Hyde Park on the shore of Lake Michigan with museums and the like. When we arrived, I was having much difficulty walking. Pain! Pain! We decided to have a bite of lunch in the Terminal and strike out after a rest. By the time we had eaten, gone out onto Madison Street, tried to walk a few feet, I knew it was a “no-go.“ I could only make a few steps without doubling over in pain. We caught the next train back to Crystal Lake. What a time! Ride 1 ½ hours, lunch in the terminal and 1 ½ hours back. Some excursion.
We also filled the truck with diesel before getting back to the campground. We paid $4.42 per gallon. That is the most we have paid to date. Last month, we spent $1,150 for fuel. We are now adding some extra pennies to the quarters, dimes and nickels flying out the tail-pipe each mile we drive. So tomorrow, we are off to Indianapolis, Indiana. I can’t walk far, but I can drive. Sitting is not a problem, but walking….ouch!, ouch!, ouch! I’m sure it will get better…..but, when?
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