Our campsite on the river was so fabulous and the weather prediction was so sweet, we just couldn't leave as planned. After two days of running around, Fallingwater and Waynesburg's Homecoming, we just wanted to hang around the campground. We did some travel planning, secured our next campground, worked on the blog and then headed out for some exercise on the bike path behind the campground. The Yough Bike/Hike Trail portion of the Great Allegheny Bike Trail is beautifully maintained. We were told you can take it all the way to Washington, DC. We met a few older folks who were heading that way on their bikes. I guess they're in a bit better shape than we are.
After a number of miles on the trail, Don was still complaining about the uncomfortable seat on his bike. Since we were near town, we asked a couple if they knew how close we were to the bike shop that we had passed when we drove through town the day before. Lucky us, as the shop was on the trail about a half a mile away and open on Sundays. Don got a great new seat with springs. Also found a kickstand that he's wanted for about 30 years - very happy guy. We no sooner headed back down the trail when his derailleur (???) spring broke and he could no longer shift. Okay, $90 later for all three new items and repairs, he was still a very happy camper feeling fortunate to have a bike shop so readily meet his "butt and gear" needs.
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| Look hard, you might see the train on the far side of the river. |
Monday, October 18th: Cross Creek Camping Resort, Delaware, OH
Since we didn't do any prep work the night before to leave, we left Connellsville rather late, somewhere around 11:00. I was sad to leave River's Edge and today's drive was long and boring. The part of Ohio that we drove through was flat, mostly tree-less farmland and loaded with cookie cutter homes - newer developments with fancy names and not much space between good-sized houses. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel and got a book-on-CD, Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline. Did you know about the Cracker Barrel deal? You pay for the recorded book in full, return it within the week at any Cracker Barrel down the road and they reimburse all but $3.49 for the rental fee. Their selection of books is lightweight, but the fast-paced storyline helped the miles fly by. Thank goodness.
Don said we'd go out for dinner, but we forgot that we did not want to unhook the truck from the trailer. This was our first one-night stand (one night only at a camp ground). We were in travel mode. We got to Cross Creek Camping Resort around 5:00. Don told me the "resort" word probably means more $$$, but in this off-season it was $27.90. Good deal. We pulled into a beautiful corner spot and set-up was fast, as we were doing minimal for this short stay. We hopped on our bikes and toured around the campground checking out the many high-end campers and their Halloween decorations. There were many seasonal campers in this park. Five minutes into our ride, it started raining and never let up until morning.
As for dinner out, Don learned from the camp hostess of a pizza place that delivers to the campground. We can't even get pizza delivery at home, but at a campground? Pizza was great.
Tuesday, October 19th: Eby's Pines Campground, Middlebury, IN
Because it was going to be a quick, easy exit, we had a big breakfast and got out late. With a five hour drive, a stop for a long lunch and two crazy times trying to get gas (one gas station's pumps did not work; a second station was too full to maneuver the truck and trailer around all the other cars), we did not get to Middlebury until 5:45.
Crossing over into Indiana and seeing colorful trees, beautiful countryside and easy highway driving boosted our spirits. We thought of Elaine Eadler growing up here and attending Purdue. Looks like wonderful mid-America. Middlebury is near Elkhart, in the north central part of the state about 8 miles from the Michigan state line.
We have learned that arriving late and an attitude issue go hand-in-hand. Don's attitude, that is. Eby's campground had no zing and was pretty deserted. With Halloween close at hand, camp spooks were lurking. We did the quick tour-by-bike around the park and had yet to find a better site, so we just settled in for the night, truck still attached to trailer.
Wednesday, October 20th: SunnyBrook RV Manufacturing, Middlebury, IN
We have now been on the road for a month!!!
Up early and still a little late for our 9:00 appointment at SunnyBrook, but not a problem. In previous entries we mentioned a few issues with our camper which we were hoping to get resolved at the source. After about an hour at the plant, Hank and Paul had taken care of every little problem - sink leaks, disconnected wire under the couch to an overhead light, plus we had a new, unstained spare tire cover. They also arranged for us to go to the axle manufacturer, eight miles down the road, to see if our tire wear was due to a faulty axle. We were pleased to hear that there the axles were in proper alignment, so not having balanced the tires sooner caused the tire wear. A lesson learned.
Jessica, the warranty and service woman at SunnyBrook, gave us a new campground suggestion, as well as some touring ideas for the area. Since the camper was still attached to the truck and we told Eby's Campground that we may or may not be back, we went in search for a nicer campground. This was our first experience at a KOA and we were pleasantly surprised. We were offered the site with the brand new deck and a pagoda campfire pit at the regular site rate. It was nice to be spoiled and be back at a campground that had a few people around. Between getting our trailer fixed, good news about the axle and finding a neater campground, we were in fine spirits.
We unhooked Four-Bit and returned to SunnyBrook for a 3:00 factory tour. Don was hoping to see how our Harmony trailer was made, but they were working on their bigger stick and tin, "price point" models, Edgewaters. Jeff, the guy giving the tour, was obviously proud of how SunnyBrook makes their RVs and he pointed out the differences in the construction of our light weight, aluminum tube frame and fiberglass, gel-coated trailer from what was currently being produced. It was a fascinating tour, lasting almost two hours. We left with the knowledge of what is behind, underneath, above and inside our camper. Pretty cool.
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