The Banks of the Wabash - Our Indiana Home

Ahhhhhhhhh!  One of the most peaceful and restful campgrounds that we have encountered --- and so very close to where we both grew up.  Prophetstown State Park (on the banks of the Wabash River) is just outside of West Lafayette, Indiana and only a few miles from my alma mater, Purdue.


Roger here...   We have been to Prophetstown several times over the past six years; in fact, it has always been one of our favorite places to relax and decompress.  No hassles here, just an amazingly private, beautiful, and well-landscaped setting to kick back and enjoy life. We like it so much that we will be here for nine nights.  But first.... our last few days at Lake Leelanau, MI and a short stop in Grand Rapids.

The hot weather north of Traverse City forced a slow-down with our activities.  We really did not feel like hiking, or biking, or even going to the beach.  However, we did enjoy  multiple games of six-handed spades (in the shade)....  accompanied by Chuck's breakfast juice.  I just read that Bloody Marys are actually good for you.  Gotta love that tomato juice.

The few times that they were not wrestling, Bandido and Sophie enjoyed quiet time in the shade under the picnic table.  They really are "best buds."

On our last evening, we all piled into Chuck's truck for a very short drive to Leland for dinner.  Leland is located on a small bit of land between Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan.  A flowing river connects the two lakes in the center of town.  It was originally a fishing village, and in some respects it still is.  The older part of town is called Fish Town --- filled with rustic fishing huts on the river that have been turned into various shops.

My dad would have loved staying in the hotel next to the water, so that he could sit on the balcony and listen to the falls.

Chuck took a great picture of Dianne and me in front of the Fish Town Water Falls:

A very kind couple took a picture of our entire group:

On to dinner at the Bluebird.  A friend of Cindy's had recommended this place for its whitefish.  Even the non-fish-lovers in our group agreed that the fish dishes were excellent.  Dianne had whitefish.  I had trout.  We enjoyed a table by the window, looking over the river.  I am hungry again just thinking about those meals. 


After goodbyes on Saturday morning, we all headed south.  Chuck, Cindy, Audrey and Pat were headed back to their homes near Indy.  Dianne and I were aiming the motor home toward Grand Rapids for a two-night stay.  We had two things in mind:

First, we needed to replenish our basic supplies.  There is a Costco in Grand Rapids.  We had accumulated $380+ dollars worth of rewards by using our Costco American Express credit card.  (Dianne here:  This rebate/reward is an annual shopping spree for us.  We received the rebate months ago, but this is the first time we've been near a Costco since last August.  Our rebate expires next month, so this shopping spree was a "must do"!)

After little more than an hour, we managed to fill our back seat with needed items.


The second order of business was to meet new friends.  John and Judy (from the Grand Rapids area) are mutual friends with our Retama neighbors, Bob and Linda.  Linda knew that we would be traveling through the Grand Rapids area, and gave us information to contact John and Judy.  We are glad she did.

John and Judy are full-timers, but they have spent the past several months near their hometown.  They met with us at our campsite and helped us share some Michigan wine.  Later we joined them for dinner at a Mexican restaurant.  What nice people.  We certainly hope to see them again.  

OK.  Back to Prophetstown...  There is not much to report other than the tranquil atmosphere.  Our campsite is huge (they all are) and very private -- surrounded on three sides by pine trees.  After setting up camp, Dianne found a shady spot to do a sudoku and have a glass of wine. 

Bandido settled into a comfortable spot on top of the picnic table where he could monitor all the activity (or lack thereof). 






We are looking forward to a quiet evening listening to the tree frogs and cicadas.


The pet picture of the day is a dorky -- very dorky -- picture of me sitting next to my buddy.