August 4, 2018 - Visit to Peoria, IL, Housekeeping Duties, Resting; August 5, 2018 - Travel Day to Shipshewana South Campground, Shipshewana, IN; Evening Walk; NO Electricity?; Visiting with Neighbor

August 4, 2018 - Visit to Peoria, IL, Housekeeping Duties, Resting

We were up and about and ready to leave early this morning.  You've probably all heard about Camping World buying out Gander Mountain and Overton stores?  I happened to see and advertisement about the Gander Mountain in Peoria, IL that had recently reopened, so we decided to drive over and visit it.  We also needed to pick up a few groceries and there are no grocery stores in any of the three small communities we visited yesterday.  We would need to drive to Normal, Bloomington, or Peoria for groceries, so this trip worked in well for fun and things we needed.

The drive was easy and in about 35-40 minutes we were pulling into the parking lot shortly after their opening time of 9:00am.  We were one of the first ones in the store.  After looking around, we left without any purchases.  We were a little disappointed.  We expected the store to be bigger and have more of a selection than it did.  I did see one thing that we considered buying but chose to pass on it today.  I'd like to have a stool I can put my feet on when we are outside.  I found what is actually a seat made for hunter's.  It sets low to the ground and one side of the legs are slightly shorter/taller than the other.  This would be perfect for putting my feet on.  But since we have plans to spend quite a bit of money in the Shipshewana/Goshen area, I decided we needed to hold off on anything else for now.

From there we stopped at a Walmart to pick up a few items.  Unfortunately their fruit produce wasn't what I was hoping for and we passed on it.  I'm looking for some good peaches, watermelon or cantaloupe.  I hope we can find some at a road side stand somewhere.

We returned to Bentley, where I used the rest of the chicken salad to make us a sandwich.  Even though I had not planned on doing any laundry, our hamper was almost full so I ended up doing two loads - one before we left and the other once we returned.  The freezer has needed to be defrosted for awhile, so I took on that task.  I was so glad to get that done.  Then I tackled the bathroom, which I had not addressed, due to my back hurting.  It felt good to get all of those chores out of the way.  Speaking of my back, it is so much better.  I've been doing some exercises (I may have mentioned this already - forgive me, if I repeat myself), and I believe they are really helping.

We spent the rest of the day doing nothing!



August 5, 2018 - Travel Day to Shipshewana South Campground, Shipshewana, IN; Evening Walk; NO Electricity?; Visiting with Neighbor

We left Kamp Komfort shortly before 8:30 this morning and had a long travel day to Shipshewana, IN.  We arrived at 3:09 (Eastern Standard Time).  A 5.5 hour travel day is much longer than we prefer, but we bit the bullet and did it anyway.  I didn't take any pictures along the way, so I don't have much to add in that respect.  We were so glad to see the campground and to pull into our site.  It was HOT - close to 90 when we arrived.  We quickly did our setup routine, turned the air conditioners on as soon as our surge protector said all was okay and headed inside once we finished our outside work.  Since we will be here for 4 days, I put everything out.  Typically I do not take the time to hang the few "plaques" I have, or put out my "desk items".  When we are somewhere for awhile I like to put them out to make it feel a little homier.  

We decided we would stop in Shipshewana on our way to Matt's to check into a few things.  As you know we've ordered disc brakes and new shackles for Bentley and they will be installed on Wednesday of this week here in the campground where we are staying.  There are a number of surplus stores in the area and we are looking for parts to repair a couple of minor things, plus we are seeking some quotes on a couple of other things we'd like to have done to improve our quality of life in Bentley.  Being in the heart of RV manufacturing it's a good place to check things out.

This is our home now, so we want to be comfortable and have that homey feel - no different than a sticks and bricks home.  This fall, when we are back in Kansas, Dean plans to remove our table and build a desk/table which will give us additional storage, and dedicated desk and dining use.  Right now, I use it almost exclusively for a desk.  The storage will allow us to store my Instapot and Airfryer - freeing up space I can really use in the pantry.  

After having dinner, of leftover orange chicken/rice, we were enjoying the cool temperatures in Bentley, when all of a sudden - no electric!  Dean went out to make sure it was not us.  The lady in the rig next to us, came to her door and said she didn't have any electric either, so now we know for sure it's a problem within the park.  We visited with her for a few minutes before we decided to take a walk.  It had cooled down considerably outside and there was a nice breeze from the south.  The electric was still off when we returned, so we set our chairs outside to enjoy the breeze.  It wasn't long before a man walked by.  We exchanged hellos, and he walked over and visited for quite awhile.  Come to find out he is our neighbor - husband to the woman we visited with earlier, and his name is Huck.  They are here for the Forest River Rally that begins next week at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds.  His wife helps with registration so they go in early to help get things ready, and will be leaving in the morning.

Once we went inside, we spent quite a bit of time talking about the changes and upgrades we want to make, taking measurements, pictures and notes to take with us tomorrow, and what places we want to be sure and visit while we are here.  We also want to be sure and get Bentley re-weighed before we leave.  

It wasn't long and we called it a night!