Sunday, August 2, 2015
Day 47
Daisy and I
had a great time seeing the sights and visiting our friends in Canada, but it
was a good feeling to be heading back into the USA!
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| Bridge over the St. Clair River |
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| Lake Huron in the distance |
After 45 minutes, we entered the US in Michigan, which was the 49th state we have traveled through in our truck camper since we were married, just over three years ago. Our only stop in Michigan on this trip was for lunch—we will definitely explore the state more and visit friends on future travels.
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| Lines are moving as we approach, then all stop. |
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| Border crossing |
As we approached the US customs all 10 entry lines stopped cold for 20 minutes. We were in line for 45 minutes. There was activity at the entry portals with people in uniform scurrying to and from. We have no idea what it was about. When the line did begin moving, I noticed that our customs entry officer was agitated, and I made it a point to just smile.
We traveled 362 miles to our overnight stopping point in Peru, Indiana.
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| A shady spot for some downtime |
We got set up and decided to cleanup all the leftovers we had from the Chinese restaurant in Niagara Falls for dinner. Campground wifi as well as the wifi signal from our portable jet pack were poor, but we were able to manage a fair cell phone connection to let family and friends know we were back in country.
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| Sunset |
We had a nice evening, went for a walk as the sun set, and wrapped up the day by taking advantage of nice shower facilities.
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| 8 foot corn stalks |
Monday, August 3, Day 48
Sunny, 68 degrees
We had a thunderstorm between 2 am and 3 am but it cleared and our reward was a fresh sunny morning to continue our journey to Illinois.
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| A forested roadside |
We cut across country on our way to visit our friend Rita in western Illinois.
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| Our first Smokey sign.... I was home. |
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| Another sign we were home,...an unannounced 20 mile detour |
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| Barns and corn |
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| Silos and cows |
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| Ever been to the buckle of the corn belt? Now you have! |
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| And of course soybeans |
We spent two nights in Illinois at a campground near the home of our friend Rita Hatch, and of course we toasted each other with a glass of wine.
To good health and happy
times ahead!
The next day, Rita took us on a tour of the Galesburg, IL area. We saw many acres of good-looking wheat, corn, and soybeans on our trip, in Canada as well as the US.
We had lunch at a Maid-Rite, which has been in continuous operation since 1926. Daisy and I had never heard of that brand name.
.
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| A chocolate shake and a loose meat sandwich |
If you are not familiar with this regional chain, it is based in Iowa and also has a few franchises in Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri, and one each in Ohio, Utah, and Wisconsin. We are going to look for these as we travel.
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| Tasty |
Maid-Rite is known for their “loose meat” hamburger sandwiches, which of course have a secret blend of seasonings. The traditional way to eat this sandwich is with cheese, mustard, onions, and pickles. It was very tasty and economical. We would definitely order it again!
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| This was one of Rita's surprise eateries for us. |
Next to Rita's house is a now abandoned structure called St. Mary's Chapel. We went to investigate.
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| The rear of the chapel |
The Chapel and attached cloister is all that remains of a once flourishing school for girls that failed during the depression of 1930s. The Chapel construction was started in 1881. Its purpose was for the "educating, refining and thorough culture of young ladies."
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| The chapel front and archway entry corridor |
Due to financial problems and need of major repair it was closed down in 1035. Only the chapel and the conservatory remain after the 1936 demolition efforts. Part of the property is now a city part and a pond once used for boat rides has been filled in.
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| Saint Mary's School Bell circa 1883 |
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| 300 year old live oak |
We walked back to Rita's house and decided we should have some ice cream. Rita said, "Good idea, let's go to the hardware store!" I kid you not. The hardware store in Knoxville is one of the most unique ones I have ever been into. We went in the back door, may our way among pipes, lumber, wire and nails to the front of the store. There of to the side was a sweets mecca of old fashioned and modern candies in glass jars from yesteryear. And, there was an ice cream counter with a good variety of hand-dipped flavors.
There was also a long table at which patrons could sit and read marvel comics that were placed there for entertainment. The other things I found intriguing were the sodas you could get.
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| PB and J |
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| Bacon with maple syrup |
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| Ranch Dressing |
Yes it was a very unique and all-American store.
Tuesday, August 4, Day 49
My Birthday
As we were driving down one Galesburg street, I noticed a sign inviting us to visit the birthplace of Carl Sandburg. I studied him in American literature in HS. We decided to check it out.
His home, a modest 3-bedroom cottage, is located on a quiet side street. His ashes are interred behind the house. Unfortunately for us, the visitor center was closed that day but we were able to walk the grounds.
Galesburg is primarily noted as a railroad hub for the BNSF. The city has 7 main rail lines coming into and out of it.
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| RR classification yard |
Daisy and I specifically found the following 1890s homes visually eye catching.
For dinner,
Rita took us to her favorite barbecue restaurant, the Rib Shack.
We got there just before opening and its a good thing we did. They filled up fast.
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| Appetizer: 1/2 order of onion rings |
As you can tell from the size of the servings on the half slab platter, none of us went away hungry!
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| Main course: Ribs |
Nothing like a good friend and loved one on your special day sharing BBQ ribs.
We waddled back to our campground after a filling birthday meal.
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| Rocking picnic table |
Wednesday, August 5, Day 50
It was time to head home.
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| Mississippi river crossing |
We had one more night out before we would make it home.
It was a cold, windy, wet evening as we set up for the night.
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| Pool was vacant and ordinary. |
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| Shower was not ordinary. |
Thursday, August 6, Day 51
70 degrees
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| Entering Branson. MO |
We could smell home.
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| Table Rock Lake |
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| 3 miles from home |
Epilogue
As of the
completion of this recent Summer 2015 journey, Daisy and I have traveled, in our truck
camper, in 49 US states and 8 of the 13 Canadian provinces and territories in
the 3 years we have been married. On this specific trip, we drove 6,573 miles,
were on the road for 51 days, and most importantly visited with 8 family
members, 12 friends in the US, and 18 friends in Canada. We had fun and feel blessed
to be able to enjoy this wonderful lifestyle together.
