CHARLOTTE, MI: A Few Bumps on the Road

Actually, since we've been in northern Indiana and now Michigan, there's been a lot of bumps on the road.  The roads and highways this far north do not offer many smooth moments of travel.  The winter weather is rough on the road surfaces, and most state and municipal DOT departments typically run low on repair budgets.  So you just try to miss as many potholes as you can.

Last weekend, Little House had unwanted visitors - ants.  Our usual sprays didn't stop the little critters, but Terra ant baits ended the invasion after about 36 hours of use.

Sunday, June 21: We went through another bout of severe weather Sunday night in Battle Creek. This one lasted about 4 hours with waves of torrential rain (probably 2-4 inches), frequent lightning,  small hail, some high winds and several tornado warnings due to radar indications.  Fortunately, we came through just fine with just some tree debris on the roof.  Monday morning brought cool and less humid weather to the area.

Tuesday, June 23:  Tuesday morning was "pack up" day as we prepared to move north to Charlotte, MI ( pronounced Char-lot - rymes - with car log)  for a chassis inspection on Wednesday.  Before we left, we went to the Battle Creek USP Customer Service center to pick up a delivery, only to find out that they now have limited daily hours in spite of what their website says, and that they  would be closed for 3 more hours. We wanted to get on the road to Charlotte to be there before their 4 P.M. deadline to get the necessary paper work completed so we decided to get that package in a day or two since we were only going to be about 45 minutes away.

We arrived at Spartan's facility in Charlotte and got set up.  Spartan has a nice paved campground for their customers' use next to the service center with free electric hookups and free WiFi. We arrived with plenty of water on board and empty gray and black tanks.  This facility builds and repairs chassis for certain brands of motor homes as well as fire engines and other commercial vehicles.

 Since we hadn't eaten lunch, we headed out to a local restaurant for an early dinner.

Unfortunately,  we were involved in an accident in downtown Charlotte.  The good news is that no one was hurt, and the big pickup involved only suffered bumper damage.  However, the HHR has severe damage to the left front tire area.

 The car was towed to a local GMC dealership and the process of a insurance claim was started with the help of the dealership.  We rented aa2015 GMC Terrain for the time being  as we wait on the insurance adjustor's report and decide whether to repair or replace the car.

 

 
Wednesday, June 24:  We  had to have Little House ready by 7 A.M for a technician to start the chassis inspection.  They ask everybody to be ready at 7 A.M., but it was about 8:30 A.M. before it was our turn.  We took some insurance information to the body shop in Charlotte, and we were called by the insurance company  to get more information about the accident and car damage.  Later, the insurance adjuster called to say she would arrive on Thursday to do her assessment.  The  motor home chassis inspection turned up several things that need to be addressed  - some are maintenance items that we will have done, and others are just things that have to be done as a coach ages.  Motor home service is never inexpensive, but our extended warranty should cover the items that are more than routine maintenance - pending an inspection  by their representative on Thursday.

Thursday, June 25:  Once again, we had to be ready by 7 A.M. in case our coach was wanted in the service bays.  After Little House was ready to be moved, we drove to Battle Creek to pick up the waiting UPS package.  We took time for shopping at Meijer's  and Dollar Tree, then lunch at Chili's while we waited to visit the Bedford, MI post office where we were expecting a mail delivery.  After stopping in Bedford, it was time to return to Charlotte and see what had been happening with Little House.  As we arrived, a technician was there to take the coach to the bays  for the warranty's inspector's visit. The body shop also called to tell us their estimate on repairs and said the insurance adjuster had been there as well, but her report will be coming later.

Friday, June 26:  We didn't have to get up early this morning as we're waiting  for the warranty inspector's report on what they will cover before any more of the motor home work is done.  We hope to hear today from the the car's insurance adjustor so we can either get that work started or find a replacement vehicle.

So we're playing the waiting game now. The weather here continues to be relatively cool and there was some rain yesterday.  Hopefully, the road of life will get a little smoother in the near future so we can once again move down the highway.

BATTLE CREEK, MI: Enjoying Our Stay

So far, our time at the Creek Valley Campground has worked out well.  Our locations is on the northwestern edge of Battle Creek. We've made a couple of exploring rides to downtown Battle Creek and the surrounding area, some shopping outings, and one unplanned trip on Saturday evening to escape  a tornado warning for the campground area (all was well when we returned although a large area nearby was without power). This 22-site campground is on the front edge of a large mobile home community - just basic sites on grass close together with full hookups and free WiFi that works well most of the time.  There's only 6 other units here, and they're all long-term.  This type of RV Park would not appeal to a lot of RVers looking for extra amenities, roomy sites and extra activities, but it has everything we want for a relatively low price including good cell phone signals.  They offered a monthly rate that made the price per night less, even if we don't stay the whole 30 days.

The weather has been rainy almost every day since we arrived last Thursday, and  occasional rain and storms are forecast for the days ahead.  At least the temperatures have been pleasant compared to those in areas south of here. 

BATTLE CREEK, MI: We Had to Move On

As you see from the title, we made the decision to leave Heartland Wood RV Resort near Stockbridge, MI. 

Yesterday (Wednesday) we drove 9 miles to Leslie, MI to wash our clothes.  In the afternoon, we went exploring in the surrounding area, enjoying the rural scenery, the lakeside drives and just being out and about.  Most of the roads that are not state or US highways are very bumpy,  probably due to the rough winters in the area.

Our lack of reliable cell phone signals, which also impacts our Verizon MiFi unit, and the lack of Heartland Woods WiFI usage except in the Information Building, led to the decision to move Little House to a more satisfactory location. Hank has website work to take care of so he needs reliable internet service. Today we traveled about 75 minutes west to the Battle Creek, MI area and  Creek Valley Campground.  This small campground (22 sites) on the northwest side of Battle Creek  is in the front of a mobile home park, and is nothing special to look at, but it offers free WiFi, good cell phone reception and full hookups......just want we need.  We may stay here a week or two.

STOCKBRIDGE, MI: Our Michigan Travels Begin

Yesterday (Monday) was our day to say good-bye to Decatur, In. We spent 5 nights dry camping in a grassy field as part of the Fleetwood 65th Anniversary Rally.  All of our 15 camping neighbors departed by Sunday evening.  With the forecast of possible severe weather,headed elsewhere and few moved to other sites with vacant spaces on pavement.  We decided to just stay where we were rather than pack everything to move on Sunday and then move again on Monday.

The severe weather went around us on Sunday night, but it rained most of the night.  As we were ready to hook up the car yesterday morning, the rain storms returned.  We decided to head to the rally site which was on our way out of town and hook up there on pavement rather than in the soaked and puddle-filled field.  After waiting out another shower or two, we headed east to Ohio then north to Michigan under rainy skies which eventually turned sunny.

We're now at the Heartland Woods RV Resort near Stockbridge, MI - a Coast to Coast park with a site fee of $10 per day for members like us.  It's out in the country in a wooded setting about 35 miles from Lansing, MI.  We planned to stay for a week, but we're rethinking that decision as we couldn't get a sewer hookup (need to do laundry soon) and there's no laundry facilities in the campground or close by.  The cell phone reception is iffy  at best and that also affects our WiFi connection.  We can go to the information center on the property for free WiFi, but that's definitely not as convenient as having access in Little House since we spend so much time with our computers.  We'll have to see how the days pan out.

DECATUR, IN: Looking Back at the Rally

Our visit to Decatur, In for the Fleetwood 65th Anniversary Rally was very enjoyable.  We had good weather until after all  of the events were over....then the skies opened up on Sunday night. During the 4 days and nights of the rally,  there were 3 meals included, 2 entertainment events, plenty of new coaches to look at, seminars on various products, plant tours, a downtown sculpture unveiling and wine-tasting event,  and lots of opportunities to meet new people and catch up with old friends. There were 340 motorhomes registered for the event and they were scattered over 5 different sites with dry camping only - no hookups.  Chartered school buses provided transportation to and from events at a large high school/middle school campus.

The Fleetwood company is a major employer in the area, and the town welcomed our business!

DECATUR, IN: Another Town, Another Rally

Today we drove the 28 miles from Ft. Wayne, IN to Decatur, IN.  Decatur is the home of Fleetwood, a very large RV company, and a major employer in this area.  Fleetwood is the company that makes American Coach.(Little House is an American Tradition).  This week Fleetwood is celebrating their 65th Anniversary and is hosting a huge rally with 340 units registered.  The main events are being held on a large school campus.  We are parked in an auxiliary location about 10 minutes away from the rally site in a grassy field.  There are no hookups so we are dry camping.  We are allowed to use our generator from 6 A.M. to 11 P.M, which will help our batteries to keep their charge as well as enabling us to use our A/C if needed, Aqua-Hot water system, and microwave.  Our refrigerator will run on propane and we have the propane stove to use as well.  School buses will shuttle us back and forth as there's not much extra parking on the school grounds.

The rally officially starts tomorrow evening and will end on Sunday evening.  There will be entertainment, seminars, RV's to look at,  tours, and some meals as the rally goes along as well as the chance to get any  parts that might be needed.   As always, there will be new people to meet and and old friends to catch up with.  It should be an interesting 4 days.

Tonight, the local fire department paid a  visit to "our field" to see how we were all set up just in case we needed their assistance.  That is one service call we all hope to avoid!

The weather was cloudy most of the day, with pleasant temperatures and nice breeze. 

DEPARTURE NOTES; Johnny Appleseed Campground, Ft. Wayne, IN

This is a small campground in the middle of Ft. Wayne.  There are no sewer hookups, but there is a very clean bathhouse and a dump station.  The sites are all gravel, except for two, and we were lucky enough to get one of those.  The campground is wooded and has a country feel to it.  Hookups are good, there's free city WiFi that works at least half of the time, and you can pick up many TV stations with the regular antenna.  Rates are $18 per day or $108 per week - quite a bargain.  There is a variety of shopping and restaurant opportunities just down the road. We would definitely camp here again.

FORT WAYNE, IN: Wrapping Up the Week's Stay

After the hubbub of a very busy rally in Goshen, we enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of  the Johnny Appleseed Campground.  Our site was actually on a public road which is part of the Greenway,  so during daylight hours there were plenty of cyclists, walkers and runners to provide an ever changing view.  We were right across the road from the sparkling clean bathhouse and laundry, so we were able to comfortably cut back on our black and grey tank usage since we did not have a sewer hookup.  One day, we took a drive through the Amish countryside northeast of Ft. Wayne, and another afternoon we drove around the city itself, which has many beautiful park settings, including one on the site of Old Fort Wayne  that includes a replica of the last fort that was built in 1815.  Of course, we had our usual errands to run as well.  But most of our time was just spent taking it easy.