Monday-Thursday, September 28-October 1, 2009



Day 23-26

We are on our way to Plattsburgh. It has been a busy time for us the last few days. We got an early start from CO on Monday and drove 640 miles to a motel near Des Moines, IO. On Tuesday we drove the remaining 420 miles, arriving in Elkhart, IN at 1 PM. The 5th wheel was ready and waiting for us and we were able to get our "walk-through" done that afternoon. They moved it for us down to the place that installed our hitch. We unpacked the truck, ate dinner, and headed to Wal-Mart to get our groceries and supplies. I had done some shopping, dishes and kitchen stuff, in CO at the outlets but we had plenty left on our list. We did not realize that we were in another time zone and the clock said 12:15 when we finally fell into bed...our first night in our new second home. We love the 5th wheel, especially the amount of storage. The upholstery is OK but I was disappointed that they had discontinued our first pick. Our only complaint is the mattress. They have corian counter tops but a chintzy mattress- go figure! We bought a foam pad and that made a big difference. On Wednesday, we were going to go exploring and get some more shopping done, but were pleasantly surprised when they said that they could put our hitch in that PM. So we went for a walk checking out the Cracker Barrel store, a Hallmark store, and a K Mart. By 5 PM, they were done so we went to downtown Elkhart and enjoyed a river walk. It was a lovely path with many little bridges over the two rivers, a waterfall, and several parks. From there, we found a Sam's Club and bought the remainder of things on our list. In two days, we managed to help the economy of Elkhart to the tune of $29,000, $25K for the 5th wheel and $4K on the hitch and outfitting it. On Thursday, we were moving slowly since we again went to bed after 12MN. We hitched up and Bob practiced a little in the parking lot to see how it handled and then we headed to the campground. Being newbies, we took our time unhooking and setting up.

We finished up just before the rain came. It felt good to finally relax! We thought about staying another day but decided after a good night sleep (10 hours +) to hit the road. Eric called us from Venice and woke us up. They are having a wonderful time...Paris, Venice, Italy and Rome, tomorrow. We hope to make it somewhere around Buffalo, NY tonight and Plattsburgh tomorrow. It is 61 degrees and mostly sunny. The 5th wheel is towing nicely at 65 mph. Life is good and we are counting our blessings.