Crawfordsville Indiana at the KOA, with Tony, Tracy, and Grandkids

May 28 – June 02, 2014 

On Wednesday the 28th we traveled to Crawfordsville IN 150 miles southwest of Granger IN.  We left a little before noon and headed to the dump station at the campground. We were on our way south by noon.

We traveled back west for 30 miles on the toll road I-80 and then headed south on IN-421 for 80 miles.  Just as I feared, we went in and out of rain on the way south just enough to get the rig dirty with road dirt just after I washed it the day before.  It still was an easy trip and being on the secondary roads made the trip go much faster; more to look at than on a boring Interstate.  Then just north of Lafayette IN we connected with IN-231 for the last 30 miles to the KOA in Crawfordsville.

We arrived around 3:30 pm and made arrangements (paid) to stay for the next 30 days.  We still are not sure how long we will stay but we paid up front anyway because the rate was much lower. What we do know it that we will either leave the 16th, 23rd, or the 28th.  We do not know which, if any, of these dates will be when we have the front RV frame repaired.  We are still waiting on a schedule from Recreational Vehicle Specialties (Prime Time contractor) in Elkhart IN.

It took us a little longer to set up as we could be staying for a month.  We put up some lights and decorations as well as getting out all of the chairs.  When we set up for more than just a few days we try to get everything set up just like we are living here.  After getting set up, my son’s (Tony) family came over for a while so we could visit with them.

Our KOA site in Crawfordsville Indiana.

On Thursday the 29th the grandkids came over for the day. We went to the KOA pool, played bocce, and then dinner with a campfire after.  Of course we all had s’more’s after dinner on the campfire!

Kids mugging for the camera.

At the campground playground.  L-R: Bailey, Savannah, and Livy.

Savannah, Livy, and Bailey.

Livy and her dad Tony.

Blurry pic, Livy in the swing.

Livy with a minor "hurt" from the swing.

On Friday the 30th we went to the local sportsmen shop and got a couple of new camp chairs.  We purchased a couple of nice “bag” chairs after a lot of practical research in the store. We had up to 6 chairs opened up for our inspection in the store isles at one point.  It came down to 2 chairs with the best being double the cost of the slightly less favorable chair.  We chose the slightly less favorable as we just couldn’t justify spending double for just a small increase in comfort.  

We had originally started out full-time with 2 of the zero gravity chairs.  We found that we rarely ever sat in those chairs.  The main reason is that we don’t really sit very much. But when we do sit, we don’t recline and the zero gravity chairs are meant to recline.  Also, if we go to a gathering at someone’s campsite we need chairs and the zero gravity chairs are just too heavy and not designed for that.

We spent the evening with the grandkids at their house in town.  

Saturday the 31st we hiked a couple of miles on the Sugar Creek Trail.  We called the grandkids and they agreed to hike with us.  We really like to get them out and moving around more.  Kids today just don’t seem to have any interest in being outside.  They all made it with just a little complaining!  Patty has been having problems with her hips lately and has sometimes found it hard to walk long distances.  Well, today was one of those days she was struggling.  She made it through!  I went back to the campground and walked/jogged another 2 miles to finish off my regimen.

This is a rails to trails trail.  Tracks were laid here in 1853. Tony, Patty, and Savannah ahead. 

Sugar Creek.  I canoed this creek many, many times as a kid.

Sugar Creek tributary at the end of the trail.

That afternoon we cooked St. Louis style ribs for dinner.  I have this new-to-me way of cooking the ribs.  I start them in the oven at a low temperature of 300 for 3 hours wrapped in a bag of aluminum foil.  The ribs have a nice spice rub on them while they cook in the oven.  After the 3 hours in the oven, I take them out and let them rest for a few minutes and cover them with BBQ sauce.   Next, put them on to a medium hot grille for about 20 minutes to caramelize the sauce.  They are very, very tender and taste great!  I am going to try this method with beef short ribs next.

Great St. Louis Style BBQ ribs for dinner.

Sunday, the 1st of June, my sister Diana and my brother Roger came over to visit in the afternoon.  We also had our granddaughter Savannah over for the afternoon and staying overnight.    We got a set of corn hole boards from the camp and played for a while.  I am actually good at this but was not doing well this afternoon.  We sat and chatted for most of the afternoon before Diana and Roger left for their hour trip back home. We had another campfire and more s’mores that evening.  We also played some Yahtzee and I won! Another fine day!

Savannah and my brother Roger on the right.  We are playing Corn  Hole.

Monday the 2nd Savannah and Patty went to the pool and I went for my jog/walk of 3 miles.  After that Savannah and I played more corn hole.  Unfortunately for Savannah, I found my rhythm and couldn’t be beat!  We also went to the game room and then played a little foose ball.  We both were not very good at that!

Patty cleaning the pool.  Seems that doesn't happen too often here.  Savannah is under water.

Savannah in the pool.

The afternoon brought a bunch of thunderstorms into the area.  We put up all of the loose stuff and tightened down the awning tie-downs in preparation.  The storms mostly brought heavy rain with just some gusts of wind.  We had no problems at all, but one of our neighbors had his awing damaged.

This is what we do not want to happen to us.

To close out the day, we went out and got a couple of pizzas and took them over to the grandkids house for dinner.  We stayed long enough to play a game of monopoly.  Of course Patty won!  

We got a states map that we can put on the states we have visited.  We don't have all of them on yet so we don't know have many we have visited yet.  To qualify for a sticker on our map we need to have stayed at least one night in the RV in that state.

We really don’t have any future plans for the next few days. We are thinking of doing a canoe trip maybe on Friday.  It really depends on the weather.

Stay Tuned!