Monday, 5 July 2010
The shortest route we came up with when we were planning this cross-country trip took us through Chicago. Driving through big-city traffic on a post-holiday travel day didn’t sound good to us RVing newbies, so we made some adjustments. Hence the reason why we dropped down into Illinois via I-74 yesterday.
Today, we’ve already traversed Illinois and are mostly through Indiana. Our destination for the day is Cambridge, Ohio. Although the new route added about 80 miles [128 km] to our trip, so far it seems like we made the right decision. There is still a great deal more traffic to contend with in comparison to previous days, but it’s been nothing like what we were expecting.
Our route from Galesburg, Illinois to Cambridge, Ohio takes us on I-74 and I-70.
It was lights out in the Phaeton around 9:00p last night. We heard the fireworks go off at about the same time. Having gotten our annual fix by watching the Capitol Fourth on the PBS station, however, we skipped the festivities. It was certainly nice to get a full eight hours of sleep for a change.
Knowing that we’d be losing an hour to one last time zone change, we were up early and on the road by 7:30a. It was a humid 77F [25C], with heat haze making the blue skies look dingy. The temp had climbed to 98F [37C] by the time we pulled into a Wal-Mart parking lot near Indianapolis for our lunch break. Had we known that there was a rest area a little further down on I-70, we would have stopped there instead. Oh well. We weren’t alone in our choice of a lunch stop — a fifth wheeler, leveling jacks down and slides deployed, was already there. As were two semis. A quick salad and sandwich, and we were on our way again.
I’ve been pretty lackadaisical about taking pictures today. Not sure why. I think that what a friend said about road-weariness setting in around the fifth day is true. I don’t feel tired though, and I really am enjoying myself, so I hope I get back to my camera-clicking self again soon. In any event, here are two snapshots I took this morning while we were still in Illinois.
Peoria Skyline
Crossing the Illinois River.
The Ohio state line is fast approaching; I’ll try and get a shot of the welcome sign. More later …
Later … Spring Valley Campground
I did get a shot of the Ohio welcome sign, but that’s about it for any pictures from this state for now. I promise to try and do better tomorrow.
Eight states down; five more to go.
The second day in a row found us arriving at our campground early; around 6:00p. We’re at Spring Valley Campground — a pull-through site with 50-amp service for $29. There are 199 sites here. We’re in B4, a wide gravel site near the entrance; “easy in; easy out” as the camp manager said when I checked in. The perimeter sites back onto trees and there are plenty of trees towards the center, but none in our immediate vicinity. Mui was happy about that as it gave him a chance to test the satellite. We did lock onto a signal, but couldn’t get a picture. Looks like he has a bit more work to do on the connections. In the meantime, we’re getting great reception with the antenna, so we have entertainment again tonight.
After we had everything set up, we went for a walk around the campground, and Mui took a dip in the pool to cool off before dinner.
How’s the water, Mui?
Anyone want to go diving for the sunken treasure chest?
Black Swallowtail
(it was having a hard time flying; i think it may have lived out its lifespan)
Dinner was another frozen entree — something with chicken. It will be nice to be settled in with our pots and pans and whatnot so we can cook some real meals in the future. Afterwards, I connected to the wi-fi to check in with loved ones. Unlike the other campgrounds we've stayed at on this trip, the signal was very weak at the site, but it improved considerably when I took the laptop over to the area near the office.
| Start Odometer | End Odometer | Day’s Mileage |
| 10642 | 11148 | 506 [810 km] |
Statistics for Today
This is our last night on the road; time to get packing! We’re planning another early morning departure for tomorrow.
Next Up … Maiden Voyage: Last Day on the Road
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