Southern Illinois

September 6, 2013

 

This is our first trip in the motorhome with the jeep hooked up.  We learned a few thing about preparation.  We need to start packing a week before our trips instead of the day before.  We were worn out after the first day of packing and getting the jeep and bicycle hooked up. 

 

The next morning we did the final packing and it wasn’t till 11 o’clock that we finally got on the road and that was not without a learning curve also.  The motorhome pulls the jeep very easily.  However, when reading the directions to hooking up the jeep, it said to put the transmission into neutral and then place the gearbox into neutral and then put the transmission into park for traveling. 

 

It also said to turn the key one position.  However when I did that the key would not come out so I moved it to the second position so that I could remove the key.  When we started on the trip I noticed turning out of the drive that the jeep made a squeaking noise and the motorhome felt like it was pulling to the right hard when going down the road.  I went along for about 25 miles to the first rest stop on I74 heading toward Champaign. 

 

I started thinking that maybe the steering wheel was in a locked position as they normally do when placed in park and the key is removed.  I went back to check and sure enough it was locked into position.  The first key position unlocked the steering wheel.  I called Evan to discuss the situation and he said that I should leave the key in and drive it like that.

 

Started down the road again and the pulling to the right disappeared and all was right with the world!  The jeep pulled like it wasn’t there and a lesson learned.

 

The trip was uneventful all the way to Golconda, our day’s destination.  We ate lunch at the McDonalds in LeRoy.  Next stop was the rest area at Rend Lake and then gas at Marion.  Got 30 gallons for $4.59 a gallon and the mileage was 236 for a whopping 7.7 miles to the gallon.

 

We stopped at the Golconda Marina that Doug and Carrie manage and Carrie and her mother were at the register checking a group in from their pontoon boat rental.  The Marina is a small man made cove on the Ohio River separating Illinois from Indiana and Kentucky.  We visited Carrie for about half an hour and she suggested we stay at the Glendale Lake Recreational State Park on Rte 145 .  I had never heard of the park.  It is very near Dixon State Park which is just down the road at the Rte 145/146 intersection.

 

We had planned to go further up the Ohio River to Cave-in-Rock State Park but it was getting late so plans were changed.  Glad we didn’t have reservations.  Glendale Lake State Park is $20 a night and quite large, winding around the southern and eastern end of Glendale Lake.  Quite wooded and no AT&T cell service at all – zip! Knowing that Dolly would like to watch football on Sunday, I paid for tonight and Saturday night.  We will check around the area on Saturday for cell service and a good southerly view so we can hook up the Dish for football.  The Marina parking lot will be perfect so will check with Doug tomorrow to see if that will be okay.

 

We are tired, so it is dinner and to bed for us tonight.  Tomorrow we will see some sights and visit with Doug and Carrie at the Marina for a bit.