DuQuoin, IL Escapade

Well, we sure have been busy since last update. After the Labor Day weekend celebrating with Avion (Fleetwood) Travelcade Club friends and families, we continued our visit with Don and Doris near Flint, MI. Loretta attempted to contact more relatives in the area without any luck. Guess they were out of the area. Don assisted on some maintenance on our trailer, and hopefully I was able to assist him on a task or 2 also. Don is very handy and has a well equipped shop which was a great advantage when undergoing some of the repairs.

After leaving there, we headed for Plymouth, IN spending one night at MorRyde in Elkhart, IN. There I purchased a new brake controller for the trailer brakes as indications were that there were problems with the one in our truck. And we are always treated very well there. Wiers International in Plymouth did some minor repairs and painting on the bumper on our truck. I had scratched the tool box and fairing also and in addition the clear-coat had come off part there so we gave the Body Shop a bit of business. I had also discovered that a mechanic had overtightened the lug nuts on the front tires. So I had them remove, replace and torque them properly. As usually we were treated well with a parking space and a vehicle to use while ours was in the shop.

We returned to Michigan then for the Michigan State Rally of the Fleetwood Travelcade Club at the lovely fairgrounds in Hudsonville. A very interesting week with lots of activities, good food and fellowship. One of the highlights was a driving tour of Grand Rapids. Another was a tour of the headquarters of the company that developed from the familiar marketing company Amway. They still have that name among their companies but only overseas and in this country use another name. We also enjoyed a great dinner in a restaurant that was in an old church. It is no longer used for services, but weddings are still performed there. A beautiful setting.

Last Saturday, we left Michigan for the Escapees RV Club Escapade in DuQuoin, IL spendin one night on the way. There was heavy rain that night so on Sunday we arrived at the State Fairgounds to find things very wet. However we were parked in a space that wasn't too bad. So even though my feet got wet, we were able to set up and move our tow vehicle around with no difficulty. This is our first Escapade, and we have had a great time. There is always something going on and we have made many new friends in addition to discovering that there are quite a few old ones here also. There have been seminars on many subjects of which we attended a few. Also many vendors displaying their wares both inside and outside. The outside areas have been somewhat wet but good weather most of the week. Many of the local chapters and special interest groups had set up locations to visit and obtain information. Every evening there was a program with over $15,000.00 in prizes being awarded (NO, we weren't among the lucky ones). This was followed by excellent entrertainers including Rex Allen, JR. and Carl Acuff, Jr.

Last evening the entertainment was to be provided by talent from within the group on the grounds. However a severe storm warning came up and the perfomance was cancelled. We did get some winds and a lot of heavy rain. I managed to stay out of it as the Amateur Radio license exam was at the same time. I had volunteered to be a Volunteer Examiner so was out of the weather. Loretta wasn't as lucky, she had a long ride on a tram with little protection from the weather and got thoroughly soaked. We just returned from the closing ceremonies at the grandstand. We have checked out several of the nearby restaurants and are now doing another. Tomorrow we will leave heading to Bloomington, IL for the Fleetwood Travelcade Club rendezvous there.

Hope all are well and hope to hear from you.
(either comment here, or email to W2UCZ4@gmail.com

Andy and Loretta

Near Flint, MI

Well, I finally got almost all of my programs in the computer working again, so we decided to leave "Mott Mountain" (our friends in NY's yard) on the 23rd. We had several things to do that morning before leaving, so only moved to Austinburg, OK. There we fueled the truck - $2.54/gal. Also dumped our tanks which were getting full after which we had supper then returned to the trailer for the night.

On Wednesday, we took a rather scenic route west of Cleveland, OH near the Lake Erie shore. We were travelling with 2 trucks as we neared Toledo and ran into some construction where we lost them. We missed the turn we should have taken, but it was lunch time anyway. So we found a truck stop to eat and check the map. We saw that we could have taken a different route than they suggested, so got back on our way. We arrived at the home of our friends Don and Doris in Grand Blanc, MI late in the afternoon. Just in time for a birthday party for a grandaughter that evening. Most meals have been shared here with them, however one day we all visited Al and Mary (more RV friends) and all went out for dinner. Also we were taken to a great German restaurant (Zehnders of Frenkenmuth, MI). We have also done some shopping in the local area.

Thursday we went to Oxford, MI to visit Loretta's aunt Jean. She is in a great assisted living facility there. Since our last visit, we had heard she had had some health problems. We found her in very good spirits and getting around quite well. She does use an electric cart to move outside her room and is on Oxygen which doesn't seem to slow her down. We had a great visit. Last Saturday, I threw my back out again while putting some items in the storage compartments on the trailer. For weeks I had been lifting blocks of firewood, some of which may have weighed over 100# without problem. Then my back slips on a 20# box, HI. So last weekend was one of pain and ice on my back. I was able to assist Doris with a computer problem though.

Monday we located a chiropractor only 1.5 miles away. Felt a lot better after one treatment but decided on another on Tuesday. Wednesday I felt great and visited Don as he worked on a couple of projects in his shop (which we are parked near). We discussed a problem with one of the slideouts on our trailer, so he got underneath to check it out. When there, he discovered that when we lost that tire in Georgia, it had torn up the aluminum underside of the trailer. He replaced the damaged part with galvanized steel and I was able to assist without any pain. We discovered the slideout problem was teeth chipped off a gear but was unable to contact the manufacturer that day. I went to bed feeling fine and woke during night even better. But while I was up and again the next day my back slipped some again. Not too bad, but pretty uncomfortable.

Thursday Don and Doris went to their property about 100 miles north of here. We were invited to hook up and go with them, but with my back still tender and Loretta coming down with a cold, decided to stay behind. I was able to get the new gear ordered which should be here next week and we will be able to repair the slideout then. Yesterday I felt pretty good but still tight so made another trip to the chiropractor. Have felt great since. Today Al and Mary invited us and some other RV friends to follow them to a lawn party at the home of one of her brothers about 25 miles west of here. We had a great meal, met many new friends and had nice visits in a lovely setting. Loretta is feeling good, but we decided to leave early before she became overtired. Hopefully we will get to visit some of her relatives east of here over the weekend.

A good share of our at-home time has been following the events on the Gulf Coast. We certainly feel for those that were and many still there. We are praying for them and those giving assistance, and ask for your prayers also.

Incidently, yesterday Diesel was $3.00/gal and gas even higher here. Today it was somewhat less, but best Diesel price I saw was $2.86/gal. With my 130 gallon tanks I hate to think about a fillup.

Guess that is enough for now. Would appreciate comments here or emails.
God Bless

Andy and Loretta