Our July, 2006 Travelogue

Our July Pics are Here.

July at the Cradle of Forestry has been warm and busy. On weekends the local volunteers have been coming out, and we've begun the weekend 'songcatcher' events where story tellers and singers come out on Sunday afternoons to entertain attendees. We end this seasons tour of duty here on July 18th, so we've been busy cramming in activities before we leave.

July 18th we hit the road with the goal of reaching Eau Claire, Wisconsin on Friday the 21st so we could attend a wedding there on the 22nd. We took the path of least resistance and did not take highway 276 over the mountains to Waynesville - opting instead for the longer, but less twisting and steep route down our side of the hill and east through Asheville and I-40. It was probably a good idea to go that way. From I-40 we dodged up I-75 towards Lexington. We stayed the first night out in Berea, KY at a Passport America park.

Next morning we continued up I-75 until we got to SR 55 North - having made the decision to take "red roads" to avoid Louisville with the traffic and possible road construction. Now let me tell you that from now on crossing major rivers like the Ohio River might best be done on larger roads. This bridge was NARROW with semi-trucks coming towards us. I'm crowding the right as much as I can and MJ probably had her eyes closed. Anyhow - all of a sudden - whap! - the right side mirror taps the bridge. It swiveled in just fine - but that was close enough to the side of the bridge. We were very happy to get across that one! From there on the roads were pretty good - and the area in southern Indiana is pretty. We stayed the night in Bean Blossom, Indiana - home of the Blue Grass Hall of Fame.

From Bean Blossom we wound our way up to I-74 and made tracks to the west. This is where our motor home "adventure" for this trip occured - our 'auto-park' feature failed (again) which caused the parking brake to drag and overheat. We had to get a mechanic dispatched who disconnected the parking brake. This is not a repair to attempt in a parking lot in the rain. So we got back on the road alright - sans brake - and the only issue is now we have to use wheel chocks every time we stop. Anyhow, we made it to I-39 northbound - had to gas up at $3.10 a gallon - and found a nice park in New Milford, IL, just south of Rockford for the night. Another Passport America park.

Next day was a dash to Eau Claire, WI, because my cousin Doug had tickets for us to Country Jam that night. What a blast! Next day was the wedding - another great day. Finally on Sunday the 23rd we finished the trip to our park in Clear Lake, MN - airstream park.