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Saturday, December 6, 2008

On Our Way South - Short Entry

Hi all -- Dianne here.

In case anyone is curious about our progress, we finally left Elkhart around 11:30 a.m. yesterday.  The TV installation is great -- I'll post photos later.  It was SO cold (around 13 degrees) that we were really worried about our pipes freezing as we drove.  We had no idea it would be SO cold SO early in the season!  Roger turned on all the lights in all the bays, we cranked up the furnace in the motorhome, and we watched our temperature sensor as we drove.  It steadily went from 45 down, down, down to 30 degrees when we reached Kokomo on US 31.   Every 20 minutes or so, I got up and ran water from the faucets briefly.  Luckily, once we reached south Indianapolis, the temperature finally started to go back up.   We reached Louisville during rush hour, but passed through without incident.  (Our GPS is a great help in telling us ahead of time which lane to be in; a real issue when you're driving something this large).

Since it gets dark so early this time of year, around 5:00 we decided to call it a day and stop for the night in Shepherdsville, KY, just south of Louisville.  Normally, on a travel day like this we would just stay in a Wal-Mart parking lot, but since we needed electricity to plug in our space heater in the water compartment overnight (still below freezing here), we shelled out $40 for a camp site at the KOA South Louisville.  This time of year there is also an issue of closed campgrounds, so the choices are somewhat limited this far north.  

This morning we plan to just hang out and let the temperature rise, then leave late morning and see how far we decide to go; possibly Chattanooga, possibly farther.   

As is typical in my experience, the campground wi-fi was unusable.  However, tethering our cell phone to the laptop works great.   That's how I'm on line now.   I'm glad we upgraded our cell phones to be able to do this!

Roger has nothing to add this time, other than to remind me to comment on the great little diner we visited in Goshen, IN, while we were killing time in Elkhart.  We had read about this place in Nick Russell's blog (gypsyjournal.net).   He sure knows his food!   This was the type of place you had to seek out and would never stop in unless you knew to go there.  It is an authentic diner attached to a permanent structure.  They had dozens of types of homemade pies, "Philly Chili" which was served in a soda glass with noodles on the bottom (Roger said it was delicious).   I had delicious lemon meringue pie and a veggie sandwich on Swedish limpus bread.  Roger had the best fries he's ever tasted.  These were also homemade from a whole potato, cut in a spiral, with the skin still on.   If you're ever up in this area, seek out the South Side Soda Fountain diner on South Main Street (south of town in a residential area).   You won't be disappointed!!

2 comments:

Nat Stoner said...

Hey you two. I'm so excited for you. I laughed out loud about Roger always worrying about SOMETHING. How true. :-)
Mandy and I have been emailing each other regularly. I'll keep an eye on her for ya.
I'm researching going to Jennifer Kensill's wedding in May, but it's looking like a weekend that would cost $1000. With my portfolio lately, thinking I might not be going. I have school that Friday, so driving is not an option.
Love reading your blog. Take care!!!

Chuck said...

Roger and Diane,
I just found your blog. Your blog is the first blog I have ever read. I am so blog deprived. Great update. I am glad you were able to get out of Indiana without any freezing damage. When Cindy and I retire and head South, we will try to leave the great state of Indiana closer to Nov 1. Cindy says hello and wishes we were also on the road. Cindy is already asking whether it is time to pack for our Florida trip. Tell the boys hello!! I really enjoyed your blog and updates. Roger, "day check", it is Tuesday!! Happy travels.

Chuck and Cindy