Fisherman's Corner COE Campground, IL

Well, I'm back on the Mighty Mississippi River, again! The wind finally died down enough for me to hit the road out of Indiana Dunes State Park this morning. I did have a large branch on top of the RV, but it fell off as I began my travels this morning.

I hit the road at 10:00, and made it through the Chicago area, and its white knuckle traffic, and pulled into Fisherman's Corner COE campground around 2:30, after about 200 miles.

The campground is located right on the Mississippi River by Lock and Dam #14. All of the sites have electricity, and are only a mile off of I-80. With my America the Beautiful Pass, the cost is $9.00/night. There is road noise from Il-84, but the views of the river are worth it.

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Early this evening, I took a walk around the campground and found the following...

a turtle sunning himself...

several Killdeer working the shallows for food...

and many squirrels. They are much darker in color than most squirrels, and really kept Emma on her toes this afternoon. They are everywhere.

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My plans are to head out earlier tomorrow and try to get across most of Iowa.

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

2nd post-family pics & best sunset

I guess there's a first for everything, and tonight I'm doing a second post in one day. Mostly it's pics of the granddaughters, but there is one great sunset picture.

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Robyn, Dennis, Avery, and Phoebe came out to my site at Indiana Dunes State Park today. I knew Avery would have a great time since my site is mostly sand. What kid doesn't like playing in the sand?

Here's Avery and her Dad...

and Avery trying to climb into the RV...

We can't forget about one month old Phoebe; smiling for her Grandma...

In the meantime, Avery had discovered Emma's perch on the dashboard. You can really watch what's happening in the campground from this perch.

A bird's eye view....no wonder this is Emma's favorite spot!

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The weather forecast for tomorrow calls for high winds and possible showers. I'll check it out first thing in the morning. I won't drive if the winds are bad. So, maybe I'll head for Moline, IL, and maybe I won't...

I just had to share my best Mississippi sunset with you from my last night at Grant River COE campground, in Wisconsin, last Sunday.

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Visiting, visiting, visiting...

Both yesterday and today, I drove into Dyer, IN, to visit Robyn & family. What a hoot it is to watch an a 19 month old discover and enjoy her universe. Phoebe, the one month old, pretty much just sleeps and eats. Before returning to the campground, yesterday, I was in charge of piloting Avery up and down the aisles of Wal-mart while her parents had a meeting at a mortgage company a few buildings down. Avery babbled and babbled as we "drove" around. I needed to get a new road atlas and throw rug for in front of the kitchen sink. After finding what I needed, I headed towards the toy department, and Avery shouted "Elmo!" Sure enough, there was an Elmo toy on display. I always enjoyed Sesame Street when my kids were growing up, but Grover was my favorite. Apparently, Grover has slipped from the lime light, and Elmo is now a member of the "in" crowd.

Today, I headed into Dyer fairly early and took Emma and my computer with me. My son-in-law, Dennis, was going to help me with a few computer issues I was having, and succeeded in solving all my problems. Ya-hoooo! I hooked Emma out to a tree in their backyard, and around noon my sister, Pam, arrived to visit for the afternoon and meet the new baby in the family. We all had a great time, and before you knew it, it was five o'clock, and time for me to pack up and head back to the campground before it got dark. I really don't drive after dark anymore unless it is really necessary.

It was a good day to be gone from the campground as every site is full and there must be 1,000 kids on bikes and scooters flying around the roads. There are probably also about 1000 dogs barking as well. ;) Perhaps, I exaggerate a little...

Robyn, Dennis, and the kids are supposed to come to the park to visit tomorrow, and then on Monday I'll be heading out towards Denver. It has been a great visit for the last week, but I'm ready to head on down the road.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Plans shaping up for the fall/winter

Yesterday was pretty much a catch up day...recuperate from the busy week and all the driving, and prepare for today at the visitor's center. Being at the visitors' center today was a real bust. I was in there for ten hours, and not one person came in. That makes for a long day. Once again, I put a movie into the projector, watched "Radio" without any interruptions, and played a lot of solitaire and Flip Words.

I have been working on where I'll be going in the fall, and many possibilities have passed through my mind. I have committed to return to Balcones Canyonlands NWR in the middle of February (can't beat mainly doing bird stuff), and campground hosting at Rice Lake from Sept. 1-19, but had the time in between open. I've been talking to Cibola NWR in AZ, but they're not sure there is an opening available. So, when I was visiting Robyn, I made reservations at Indiana Dunes State Park for the week of Sept. 21-27. I'll be meeting my new fourth grandchild that week. Then I thought I might go to the Gypsy Journal Rally in Celine, OH. I haven't signed up for that yet, but I probably will. Then I got a Workamper News email, and there was a volunteer position at a Corps of Engineer Park in Louisiana that sounded interesting. I talked to them today, and have committed to be there from Oct. 15 until the end of the year.

I also got a call, yesterday, from Stephanie Martinez, the volunteer coordinator at Anahuac NWR in Texas. Anahuac, and it's buildings and equipment, was pretty much destroyed by hurricane Ike. Stephanie is trying to rebuild the education program and was looking for a little input from me. I volunteered there in the spring of '06 and '07. There's the possibility that I could help her out for about six weeks after I finish in Louisiana. We'll see what happens.

Lot's of possibilities and new experiences ahead..........

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

Happy Birthday to Me!

Normally, I wouldn't post anything about it being my birthday, but today was a special one. Early in the morning, Robyn, Avery, and I headed out to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore about 40 miles from Robyn's house. I was on a mission. I turned 62 today, so I wanted to purchase my America the Beautiful Senior Pass (formerly known as the Golden Eagle Pass). For the princely sum of $10.00, I now am the proud owner of the Senior Pass that will allow me free entrance to all National Parks, Monuments, Nat'l Wildlife Refuges, and all other national sites for the rest of my life. In addition, I will get half off on all camping fees at these facilities and Corps of Engineer Parks. Yee Haa!! I plan to make good use of this pass starting in two weeks when I meet my sister and brother-in-law at a Corps of Engineer Campground near Hannibal, MO.

While in the area, I also checked into the possibilities of camping at the Indiana Dunes State Park campground this September when I return here to visit my newest grandchild. I won't be able to stay with the motorhome in Robyn's driveway since they will be having quite a bit of construction going on at the time and their driveway will not be available. When we got back to the house, I made reservations at the park for Sept. 21-27.

For dinner, we all went to Red Lobster, and, yes, I had lobster. I do like that crustacean! Afterwards, Dennis, Avery, and I went to Best Buy (after dropping Robyn at the house to work on a recommendation she had to write for a fellow Army Reservist). Can't understand why she thought it might be easier to do with the rest of us out of her hair. :) I'm thinking about a GPS unit and a hard drive to back up my computer, and Dennis was very helpful giving me input on these devices while we "window shopped" and gave Robyn some calm time.

After watching the latest episode of Deadliest Catch, the young folks headed off to bed, and I retired to my room to do this blog and some computer time. I've got to pick up Emma in the morning, visit Myrddin, and drive 419 miles back to Swan Lake. It will be another long day tomorrow, so I'd better pack it in for today.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy