Time to leave

Well, my two week stay at Yankee Springs Recreation Area is about at an end. And while it’s been a productive stay, I didn’t have the time I thought I would to explore the park. But there was time for some photography, roasting marshmallows over the nightly campfires and some movies on DVD. Ronna and I have already agreed to return next May for another 2 week stay which should be a bit more relaxing than these past two.

 

Productive because I got a good handle on the organization of my new living space (which took longer than expected due to the many trips to the store).  Another goal was to give the camper a good shake out. I’m only 30 minutes from the RV dealer and could easily take the camper back if there were any warranty issues.

 

To that end I skipped using the parks “facilities”, shower and local restaurants electing to use the camper exclusively for all my needs during the past week. The large holding tanks have allowed me to go the complete time without dumping waste water or taking on additional fresh water. Never ran out of hot water and the fridge was plenty large enough to hold a weeks’ worth of food. The oven worked great for baking morning cinnamon rolls (all dinners were done on my charcoal grill). An all-day rain on Friday showed no leaks and the unusually cold weekend (in the upper 30’s on Saturday night and below freezing temps on Sunday night) allowed me to give the forced air propane furnace a good workout; there was no problem holding the indoor temps at a comfortable 70+ degrees. The thermo pane windows showed no sign of condensation or frost.  Propane has held up well as I’m still on the first of two 30 pound bottles. I’ve had a choice of over a dozen TV stations so it seems the amplified antenna is doing its job. Have to say that the camper met, and in some ways exceeded, my expectations.

 

Communications were no problem. My cell phone provided voice conversations and, using it as a hotspot, Internet service too for the laptop. Had good 3G reception without using the signal booster I installed during my stay but I’ll be interested to see how the reception is during my next two stops and how well that booster performs.

 

The last two days I’ve been laid up with a pulled right calf muscle. I was hiking one of the park trails on Sunday and stopped to take a self-portrait. Setting the timer I hurried to get to my position before the shutter released and, tripping on a tree stump, managed to pull the muscle. I did make the shot but the walk back to the truck was a long one, using my camera tripod as a walking stick. The leg still isn’t a 100% but is much better and thankfully doesn’t  affect my driving. The injury did allow enough down time for a “Sherlock Holmes Movie Marathon” all day on Monday, giving the DVD player a good workout.

 

I spent today doing laundry in Middleville MI, washing /fueling the truck and getting the camper ready for my morning departure to Tippecanoe State Park, IN, where I will spend one night.  On the way I’ll meet Chris, my Indiana friend, in Goshen IN for lunch. Thursday morning it’s on to Illinois for 6 days of dry camping (no electric or water hookups). Since most of the busy work with the camper is done I should have a lot more time to explore the area. And to try out the solar charging system.

 

So I will leave you with some scenic pictures of Gun Lake and Yankee Springs Recreation Area, as well as that somewhat disastrous self-portrait.  LOL

 

BTW, the shot of the Weeping Willow was taken by Ronna.