Murphy's Law

The old saying, "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong" is a standard if you RV. You need to be prepared for anything. As I write this, I am sitting in the parking lot of an RV repair facility outside Chicago! More later on that, let me back up and fill in the story from our very long day on Monday.

To get an early start, the kids were going to sleep in the camper overnight. We pulled out at 5:30am.

Yes, that's Sammi trying to get some rest!






The drive along interstate 80 through Pennsylvania was cool and nice. There was occasional fog, rolling through passes into the valleys that made the drive in many spots look like a postcard. It was great to have the windows open and let the smell of pine and fresh air float in. Each turn along I80 brought another stunning view. And the road was in much better shape than driving the Pa Turnpike.

We switch off about every three hours. Here is Missy taking her turn! Love that iPad GPS!






We crossed the highest point east of the Mississippi on I80 by 10am. That's also the highest point we will reach on our trip as the great lakes sit around 600 feet above sea level.






As we hit Ohio the weather dramatically changed. It got very hot and humid and storm after storm rolled in off Lake Erie. Several times we had to pull over and wait out the rain, it was coming down so hard! The weather stayed rough for almost 200 miles. Slow going.

As the weather improved, we started noticing a small rattle and shaking in the motor home, especially as we went up hills. At first we thought we had a tire out of balance, but it continued to get worse. By the time we reached Indiana Dunes state park, it was clear we had engine problems. It was sputtering and shaking every time we tried to speed up.

Throughout it all the kids were great and kept themselves amused. Daniel watched movies, played games and didn't get dressed until noon, while Sammi worked on home work and continued reading Life of Pie for school.

As I have said many times, you can't own an RV if you can't deal with surprises. Moving a house down the road is not a perfect science and yes from time to time you will hit bumps in the road, that knock something loose!

Of course I didn't expect an issue only 8 hours into our trip!

We reached the campground around 8pm eastern time, 14 hours after departing. The kids couldn't jump out fast enough to explore!

According to the Indiana State park system, Indiana Dunes State Park





consists of 2,182 acres of primitive landscape and includes more than three miles of beautiful beach along Lake Michigan’s southern shore. Large sand dunes, located beyond the entire shoreline, have taken thousands of years to form, and tower nearly 200 feet above Lake Michigan. This is every kids dream to climb, and ours couldn't wait to explore.

The campground is very well kept with a newer looking bath house and nice large sites, with plenty of room. The park itself is one of the nicest I think we have ever stayed in.





Sammi shot this picture of the sun going down over Lake Michigan from the top of Toms dune. It's a 200 foot tall sand dune a d quite a hike to the top, but as you can see provides a spectacular view of the lake and the surrounding shore.

While Missy worked on dinner, I made phone calls to line up a repair shop.

After about an hour and a half of no kids we were beginning to get worried, when they finally wandered back into camp, tired, bug bitten and red faced, having explored what seemed like half the park on their own. Up and down sand dunes and out to the lake and back! I was ready to send out the park rangers to find them!!

Everyone slept well, Monday night.







So this morning, I'm working with a very helpful service manager at Camper Land in Chesterton, Indiana with the hope that the repair is simple and can be done while I wait! Thank you Roy and Camper Land!!

Missy and the kids are on their way Chicago. More later!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Camper Land RV, Chesterton, Indiana