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

My fall migration down the Mississippi Flyway

Believe it or not, my four-footed alarm clock decided to sleep in for the first time in her life! I was the first one to awaken and it was 7:26! So much for my plans to be on the road by 7:30 to get to Universal RV early. I blasted out of bed and was able to take Emma out for her duties, finish packing up, and made it to Rochester by 9:00. Phew...that was a challenge.

After dropping the RV off, I headed to PetCo to get a "furminator" for Emma. It is a tool for removing shedding and loose hair. The price was way more than I expected, but luckily, one of the employees showed me a similar model that she uses for grooming at PetCo and it was half the price.

Then it was off to get the car washed at my favorite place in Rochester. The Focus was really a mess after the gravel roads of Rice Lake. That completed, I still had time to kill while waiting for the levelers to be fixed. I decided to visit Golden Hill Education Center. That's where I was principal of the Alternative School before I retired. It was great to see all of the folks and the improvements that I had struggled so hard to implement. Many of those improvements have been put in place. While there, I got a call that the motorhome was ready, so I returned to Universal. Once I got all hooked up, again, and filled the gas tank, it was only noon, so I decided to head for Wisconsin.

I had decided on a Corps of Engineers Park along the Mississippi River as my eventual destination for the weekend, and since it was only noon, I thought I might be able to make it there today. After taking I-90 to La Cross, I ended up driving down Wisconsin route 35. It is a scenic two lane highway and is part of the Great River Road. And what a scenic highway it was. Fantastic views of the Mississippi River as you head south. All was well until I hit a detour. That detour resulted in an additional forty miles and an additional hour so that I didn't arrive at the Grant River COE campground until 5:30. I really saw more of "America's Dairyland" than I had planned on. ;)

Actually, it's a good thing I drove the whole way here today, as all of the non-reservable campsites are now full for the weekend. All of the reservable sites are booked for the weekend as well. What a surprise to find this campground so full at this time of the year.

I'll be staying here four nights, and hope to get some pictures tomorrow of the Great Mississippi. After speaking to my neighbor, I think I'll go to a local brewery for lunch tomorrow.

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