Parke County Revisited

The rig had been in storage for two months. Seemed a lot longer.  I needed to pick up couple of pieces of iron work from John Bennet that we had commissioned. And finally, we wanted to spend some time away from home with a couple of our good friends.  All of that seemed to point to a short road trip back to Parke County Indiana.

Turkey Run State Park has a number of trails that are creatively named #1 thru # 11.  We followed trails #1 and #4 along Sugar Creek to the Narrows Covered Bridge.  There were quite a few up and down steps on #4 but not too much effort at all and the early spring forest was nice to see.

On the third night in the park we were sitting at the dinner table watching a group of robins search for the last meal of the day on the ground just outside of our window; very peaceful. The following day was to be a “travel day” so we agreed to a very early start.  We always plan for a very early start.  I’m beginning to think the Princess isn’t really on board with this concept.  The next morning as the clock struck 10:00 AM we pulled out of the campsite into the first of many enhancements to our day.

First, we stopped at the edge of the campground to empty the tanks. Pay attention to this part.  It is a hint for all of you beginning RV’rs out there. Be sure you close the tank valves before you start filling the tanks with waste water. As I removed the cap from the holding tank drain outlet to attach the drain hose, I was surprised by a surge of waste water shooting out at me.  This was an exciting beginning to the day and a lesson I hope to never repeat.  The Princess strongly suggested I change clothes before getting back into the truck.  She is just so sensitive about some things.

With that incident behind us I start the truck and see a warning message about the next enhancement to our day. Apparently, there was only 35 pounds of pressure in one of the front tires. Too little to drive far. My first thought was that could be a learning experience for the Princess because she has never changed a tire before. I was sadly mistaken about that opportunity.  Luckily there was a convenience store a short distance away selling air for $1.50. I over filled the tire with the hope we could limp along to a repair shop in Rockville nine miles away. Here is a thankful shout out to Rick’s Auto Service.  In thirty minutes and $10 later we were back on the road again.

Our next stay was in Brown County State Park in south central Indiana, a smidge less than 100 miles down the road.  Funny thing about Google Maps is that if you miss a turn and don’t notice for a while the revised route could be an adventure.  At one point the ORV was wider than the lane we were supposed to be in.  Made passing farm equipment interesting. Four hours later and countless turns on very small country roads we found our campsite.  Before we could unhook the trailer to set up our lodging we ran into the third enhancement to the day. The electric front jack which was working perfectly hours earlier was not functioning.  At this point visions of a double vodka and a room in the Inn were dancing in my head.  It didn’t take too long to trace the problem to a loose wire, a quick repair and we were back in business.    

It appears we needed this trip to get back into the travel mindset and to relearn a few basics. After today I must say traveling with a travel trailer is still better than a good day at work.

Dennis