Terri and Peter's RV Adventures

I awoke at dawn to a glassy Mississippi River mirroring the thin veil of clouds above where all looked very still but the river just kept on rollin’ as it had all night and for countless days and nights before. I was an in awe guest, honored to be there, surrounded by a new chorus of 13 different types of birds, and a backdrop of the river. Then, to my shock on top of awe, a black squirrel pranced in front of me and raced partway up a tree trunk, pausing long enough for me to snap a quick photo. I later read that they are extremely rare (which is why I’ve never seen one before). Rather than attribute some spiritual meaning to it (why not), I just smiled. It takes being on vacation or in a new place to open my mind and eyes and see anew.

Reluctantly, we packed up and tested out our new cosmic colored sewer hoses. Not to dip into too much detail, they worked perfectly. Nary a drop spilled. More importantly, right next to the dump site was a thoughtfully planted lilac bush, my absolutely favorite childhood tree and smell. I say thoughtfully because I could smell its luscious sweetness rather than anything emanating from the dump site a few yards away.

So off we went across our home state of Illinois, through rolling farmland, thickets of trees and acres of geometric rows upon rows of fertile soil secretly nurturing germinating seeds who have yet to poke their heads out.

This bucolic scenery of greenery, expansive brown rows of promising crops, red barns, white houses and sometimes flat land stretching into eternity soon gave way to the nightmare urban fallout known as the Chicago/Gary, Indiana tollroads in their full season of road repair. We’re talking cement barriers on either side of two lanes as narrowly placed as possible to the road’s edge with absolutely no room for error; no shoulder. Gravel would have been a superior option to the pavement we were forced to endure. It was a brutal, nail biting chore and Peter handled it perfectly while I assumed the crash position and the dogs slept through it all.

Returning to open farmland, I retook the wheel after stopping at a Speedway gas station where I needed caffeine reinforcement to drive the final hour. I got stuck behind a woman buying lottery tickets (she didn’t look like she could afford her next meal but thought lottery tickets were a sure way out of her economic situation maybe?). Apparently, it took all three women behind the counter to help her. Between the four of them, their tattoos and other bodily ornaments, I felt like I belonged on a different planet. I ended up doing a self serve check out for my $1.49 cup of coffee that was worth every penny of the jolt it provided along with the reminder of this different side of life that is alien to mine.

We soon jettisoned off the interstate and quickly landed in a sea of lush green farmland. Each turn took us down an even more rural road and finally onto the lane that lead us to Teaberry Wood Products in Middlebury, IN, our Harvest Hosts for the night. As we approached this simple white building with black trim on the roadside, a high-stepping black horse pulling a black wooden carriage carrying a bonnet wearing woman and bearded man came toward us, the distinct, percussive sounds of hooves on pavement declaring their cultural independence and purpose. Wow. We’re in Amish country. In Indiana? Sure enough, I looked it up and yes, we are in the heart of Indiana’s Amish Country. How sweet and what a lovely surprise!

We had a short but friendly encounter with our host, Vern, who set us up with an extension chord and then returned to his home next door. We are parked in front of his woodworking shop and store. In a curious way, it reminds me of our trip to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam where people set up shop in front of their homes, making rice noodles or some crafts or other food and sell it in front of their homes. How is that any different than this? It’s quite nice, actually.

So while it was another long day of driving (and the girls excelled as passengers in the back seat), we arrived in a completely different setting than the one we left and I’m reveling in the beauty of diversity in our country. (I don’t care if the “diversity” police discover this blog, it’s true that our country was founded by immigrants who were escaping religious persecution (Amish, Mennonite, Jews, Mormons, Irish Catholics among others) and violence (people from Central and South America, the Middle East and Africa and South East Asia among other places). All of us or our ancestors (unless you are Native America), have made this our home, have assimilated to varying degrees and have contributed our heart, sweat, and intellectual talents to make this country better. Despite our current political turmoil, I love the diversity I’m experiencing even in these early days of the trip. It’s the best part of a road trip. And our Harvest Host stays are enriching my understanding of life in these communities that I would have missed at a campground or hotel.

Tomorrow we head to Cleveland for a two day visit with Peter’s nephew, wife and their six kids. We get a two night rest in one place which we all need. It’s been a lot of driving and we’re ready for a little break. But now that we are in the eastern time zone, the mileage between stops will get smaller and smaller. What an exciting trip this has been even now, and the best is yet to come! Thank you for following along.