Category: Backroads Across America
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Backroads Across America: More Than Bad Weather Brewing For Us
We opted for a second night at our Dubuque, Iowa hotel as we waited for wind and snow flurries to blow through the western part of the state. To fill our rainy day, we decided to follow the scenic Mississippi River drive outlined in our guidebook. It seemed simple enough, but wouldn’t you know it…another…
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Backroads Across America: Stuff It, Chicago!
Finally, we are warm and dry, after a wild, wet, windy ride through the Chicago area. Illinois became the second state (the other was Mississippi) that we drove through without spending the night. We started the day in northwestern Indiana, in the eastern time zone. We soon gained an hour; Indiana’s northwest corner is in…
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Backroads Across America: RV Capital of the World
Our wrong-turn destination has yielded another welcome surprise: Elkhart, Indiana is the recreational vehicle capital of the world. More than 80 percent of global RV production is based in this area, we have read. Plus, it is home to the RV/Motor Home Hall of Fame Museum. That’s where we headed today, after a morning…
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Backroads Across America: A Taste of Our Country
Until Thursday, northwest Indiana was not on our itinerary. A fortuitous detour delivered us here and today was one of the most rewarding days of our journey, now in its seventh week. “This feels like America,” we concluded several times. Rolling hills with farm after farm, neatly kept. White farm houses, porches screaming for an…
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Backroads Across America: Going With the Flow
All of a sudden the ill winds are flowing all around us. The threat of extreme weather has blocked much of our westward path…and northward and southward paths too! We intended to take the better part of a week driving around the coast of Michigan and continuing into Wisconsin, taking in the sights along the…
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Backroads Across America: A Good Day for a Walk in the Park
Just a few miles outside of Charleston, West Virginia lies Kanawha State Forest Park encompassing over 9,000 acres of recreational land and facilities. Development of the park began in 1938 when the Civilian Conservation Corps established Camp Kanawha and began cleaning up and improving the area. Work continued until 1942 when World War II began…
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Backroads Across America: On the Banks of the Kanawha
Another day of clouds and drizzle sent us to downtown Charleston to explore West Virginia’s capital city. After a leisurely cup of coffee in a downtown coffee/bookstore, we wandered along a walkway that follows the Kanawha (Ka-naw) River, which flows through the city. Charleston’s present state capitol took eight years to complete, with work beginning…
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Backroads Across America: Big Plusses to Going Small
Notes from the backroads, week six We have continued pull one of the smallest trailers, often less than half the size of other RVs. Even after all this time, we feel we have everything we need and we have not even come close to strangling each other. There are advantages to going small: –We can…
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Backroads Across America: BBQ, Board Games and Breakfast
It’s been a whirlwind of a weekend since arriving in Charleston, West Virginia. Chris and Gail enjoyed a mini vacation when they spent Saturday night in a cabin at our campground. We enjoyed having them “right down the street,” if only for one night. After a barbecued steak dinner at the cabin, followed by two…
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