Short update on our Midwest visit

We have moved on into IL and the Bloomington/Normal area. We got a site at Kamp Komfort near Carlock, IL. It's not our first choice when in this area but the last 2 years the gnats have been so bad at Comlara County Park near Hudson, IL that we decided to opt for the Interstate traffic noise, train noise and full hook up instead of gnats. While in the area we have been spending some time every day with my dad at his assisted living apartment. He doesn't get out much due to his hip fracture that can't be operated on. We even brought him some dinner one evening from Longhorn Smokehouse. It's one of his favorite places for brisket. We used the kitchen on the second floor and ate dinner there. He really enjoyed the change of food.

Back before we started RV'ing, I did a lot of running and had a great friend who I did much of my training with, we even ran several races together. Anyway, Jana, was very intrigued by our new lifestyle and had many questions when every we were in town. Well she retired last January and decided to go full time RV like us. She's still in the process of selling her home but she just bought a new C class Coachman RV. She knew we were going to be in town and wanted to show us her purchase and ask some additional questions. We told her to make a reservation at Kamp Komfort for the same time frame and got to see her new rig. We talked about a surge protector, sewer accessories and maintenance. We invited her to our rig one night for dinner and then she returned the dinner invite at her rig. We had a wonderful time and so happy for her to start this new chapter in her life. We're looking forward to seeing her again before we head south for the winter. Can't wait to meet up down the road some day too.

We also had the opportunity to have dinner with some longtime friends, Richard and Brenda, who still live in the area. They love Chinese food so we met them at a local Chinese restaurant, Mandarin Gardens. The food is very good and the staff is friendly. We all had a good time catching up.

Brenda and Richard

We spent about 5 days in the Bloomington/Normal area be fore heading to the Paul Wolff campground in Elgin, IL to visit our daughter, SIL and grandson, Aiden. They bought a new house and we had only seen it one night after they took possession. So we were looking forward to seeing the new carpet and fixtures they put in. And of course, we needed our Aiden fix.

We got a very nice site with shade(site #11). The campground is part of the Burnidge Forest Preserve in Kane County. They have electric and water sites for $25/night non county resident. The campground has hiking trails and I even did some geocaching and found 3 in the Preserve.

We were only in the area to visit for a few days so we spent evenings and the weekend with Heather, Paul and Aiden. Paul borrowed a smoker from a friend and we smoked some great baby back ribs. Paul's first time and they turned out fantastic. We got our fill of ribs that night.

The weather was off and on rain, storms and humidity but we enjoyed our time with them. One evening we had corn on the cob and Aiden dove into his ear of corn like a champ.

After dinner it was time for a brownie bite. This kid eats well. He loves tomatoes, beans and olives.

After eating something he really likes, his dad taught him to say the food was yummy, tasty, delicious and scrumptious. I love it when he says that.

Grandma (Mee Mah) even got into the act with Aiden at dinner. He loves his food and his grandma.

I even had the opportunity to play some bouncy ball and basketball in the basement with him. He is so cute and has quite a personality.

One evening we help plant some new flowers next to the back patio. They're getting ready for a housewarming party this coming weekend. It's going to be a fun time.

With all the new space in the basement, Aiden and I set up his car set. It had been packed away with  the move to the new house. Nice to be able to spread out some.

We got to spend about 5 days with them and headed to Indiana to see the other grandkids. Our daughter, Sommer and SIL, Todd, Jasmyne, Brooklyne, Caden and Ryleigh.

We had an appointment to have some maintenance work done on the rig too. We couldn't get into the Elkhart Campground so we dropped off the rig at Charger Enterprises and stayed the night with our daughter. The next day after the work was done on the rig we drove to a campground in MI, Spaulding Lake Campground. Got a shaded site with close neighbors but we haven't spent much time there with our visiting. I haven't uploaded any photos from our visit in Indiana yet so I will close with that. Next up is time with family in Indiana. I did keep it short. :-) 

Staying in MI gives us another state on our map. It's filling up fast.