APR. 20, Sunday, more sightseeing
Not much to report today. We went for a drive up Hwy 61 then along the river for about 30 miles and returned on a different highway. The country side is very beautiful with its wide open field, farms and neat little villages. Most of the villages have retained their atmosphere and looks of the early 1900 and late 1800's. It makes the places looked really quaint.
Once we returned, we ordered and had a pizza in our room then just vegetated. Looking forward to leaving tomorrow
APR. 21, Monday, the truck is repaired
We got up late and took our time packing and checking out. The truck is not supposed to be ready until around noon. We went for breakfast at a neat little cafe we found in West Burlington, not far from the dealership.
We arrived at the dealer and started to unpack the car and get it ready to return it when I saw the truck coming out of the garage. What a pleasant surprise, it's ready at least one and half hour early so I walked over and got the keys and hooked up. These guys have been really superb. Pleasant to deal with and always courteous. I would definitely recommend them and go back in times of needs.
After paying the bill (OUCH!!!!!!!), we got on our way. Drove east on hwy 34 to 67 where we turned south then east again on 116. I started looking for fuel as we were getting really low. Finally found some in Farmington where I took on 26 gallons @ $4.199. It was time, I think I was running on fumes!!
Carried on to Peoria where we got on I-74 and finally stopped in Bloomington, Illinois, around 2:30 p.m. Early but we have lots of time as our appointment is not until Wednesday now and we are only 175 miles away. It's a beautiful day and we might as well enjoy it and not get stressed out. We camped at "Kamp Kamfort RV park", a passport park for $13. full hook-ups but no internet (they have it but you have to pay an extra $2.)
N 40* 35' 43"
W 089* 09' 20"
Alt: 809 feet
Distance today: 210 KM
Av. speed: 48 mph
APR. 22, Indiana
A late start. We were on the road by 10:15 a.m. We drove east on I-74 and stopped in Oakwood for fuel: 10 gal @ 4.13 then we stopped again a few miles down the road for lunch at the Indiana visitor centre. The country side is very scenic and beautiful. Lots of neat farms and huge fields of corn and hay and whatever else farmers grow. It's pleasant to look at and a nice change from the brown of the desert.
We went around Indianapolis on 465 and stopped at "Flying J" for fuel: 10 gal @ 4.13( I get a discount at Flying J hence my stopping there whenever I can). We took I-70 east to exit 96, our campsite, Heartland RV park. We paid for 2 nights and set up but stayed hooked-up as we will be leaving early in the morning. Our appointment with "Mt Comfort RV dealership" is for 8 a.m. tomorrow.
It was a cloudy day most of the day but right now, it's sunny and very warm.
N 39* 49' 23"
W 085* 49' 56"
Alt: 862 feet
Distance today: 345 KM
Average speed of 48MPH
APR. 23, Wednesday, Day for repairs
Got up at 6:15 and we were at Mt Comfort RV by 7:55 a.m. We went over the list of repair with Ted our consultant (16 items in total) and then we left for Crawfordville where the Fleetwood manufacture is situated. We met with Fran and she gave us a tour of the place. It was interesting to see how our rig was put together and to walk around inside the manufacture. I was impressed yet I wasn't....I just can't put my finger on that feeling. The place was very quiet (and a lot cleaner than LaGrande, Oregon) as this is an inventory-taking week so most of the workers were off and there is no production going on except for a skeleton crew. The lay out of the buildings and the parking lot reminded us of Fleetwood in LaGrande, Oregon. We did see a lot and were impressed by Fran's empathy towards us and our problems.(SEE PICTURES) We made sure she got an earful but it didn't much good.
We left after 2 hours and headed back to Mt Comfort. We stopped in Indianapolis and saw the Famous race track, "The Indianapolis Raceway". The entrance goes under the track from the street and then we entered the centre compound. The museum is the first thing you see and as we entered we could hear a race car going around the track(actually we could hear it from the main street too). We parked and took a look around and saw the car going around. There were quite a few people sitting around on the grass. After this, we headed back.
Almost everything has been fixed. Only 5 items are remaining and we will get those fix in Quebec. ( it has to do with ordering parts) We have to come back again in the morning as 3 items haven't been fixed yet including the problem with the landing gears. I say there is something broken but they say that no, it's because the trailer is too heavy!?????? We will be back in the a.m. Fuelled: 12 gal @ 4.390
APR. 24, Thursday, a day of disappointment
I hate to brag but I was right about the landing gears and they reluctantly admitted it, sort of! The motor is rocking back and forth as the legs go up as half the bracket is broken. The amazing thing is this was also checked by Beaudry and they also missed it. So they called Fleetwood and believe or not, Fleetwood in Crawfordville doesn't have the gears!!! It has to come from northern Indiana from another plant so we would be stuck here for the week-end. NOT AN OPTION!!! It's an expensive State and the campsite don't come cheap either. After wasting 3/4 of the day, waiting for Fleetwood to call and playing phone tag with them, we decided to go and get the gears fix once in Quebec. We would have stayed another night if the gears had been sure to come in tomorrow but it won't happened. I have never been sooooo disappointed. We came here with the thinking that being close to the Manufacture, we would get the parts quickly but....NOT SO!
We headed East on I-70 and to Ohio. The country side in Ohio is now like a big forest. Lots of trees and it's becoming hilly. We stopped in Springsfield for fuel: 15 gal @ 4.199 and for the night at a "Good Sam" park, "Beaver Valley RV Park", on hwy 40, just off I-70, exit 62.
After setting up for the night, I dry-washed the truck, rearranged the kayaks, cleaned the window, greased the slide supports and took Tucker for a walk. Oh yeah, also added another State on my map outside the 5er.
N 39* 55' 26"
W 083* 40' 50"
Alt: 1114 feet
Distance today: 200 km
Average speed of 52 mph
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