Well, I bet you thought once we arrived in RI and our boat was launched we would stay put for a bit. Unfortunately not so! We had to make appointments way back in December to schedule visits to Entegra (Middlebury, IN) and Spartan Chassis (Charlotte,MI). But this wouldn’t be a fun, sightseeing trip but a “let’s make sure our coach/home is in good working order” trip.

Entegra offers a 2 year warranty on their coaches and offers a factory PDI (Post Delivery Inspection) within that 2 years. Entegra owners can take their coach to the factory with their list of issues in hand and have everything fixed. In addition Entegra will apply any fixes and updates that may have become available since the purchase of your coach.

Because Entegra is so busy, you have to book your PDI week at least 6 months in advance. We also wanted to take the Entegra specific Spartan Chassis owner training course which was offered the week of June 16th in Charlotte, MI. It was a major feat coordinating everything between the two companies so far in advance but by mid December, we were booked for the training class and our PDI. We figured we would be gone at least 3 weeks in June. Darn, no boating for us in one of our favorite boating months!

Initially unplanned, we found out in late May that Rob’s Dad, Bob (85), had planned to fly to Chicago to visit Rob’s brother, Jeff and his family, for a week the beginning of June. So naturally we offered to drive him in the coach. Taking him would add several extra days to our trip and would take us a few hundred miles out of our way, but now that we don’t see him that often it would give us a chance to spend some quality time with him. Since he only wanted to stay a week at Jeff’s and we needed to be away longer, he would have to fly back to Albany.

So on June 2nd, we left Sun Valley headed for Albany via I-90. Campgrounds in the Albany area are very limited so we stayed overnight at Arrowhead Marina and RV Park. You can read about our previous stay here so I won’t go into any detail, the only difference was that this time we had a pull thru site (#48) instead of a back in. It was only 30A but the weather was cool so that was not an issue. The Aspen trees were shedding seeds at such a rate that it was literally snowing, with piles of the stuff accumulating on the ground, not to mention plugging up our window screens!

The next morning we picked up Bob at his new apartment, then stopped for breakfast at the Scotia Diner. By 10:30 am, we were on the road. From Tuesday through Friday we would be living up close and personal er, cozy on the bus. We’re not used to having company on board but it worked out quite well, even the kitties didn’t mind having grandpa on board and snuggled up with him for part of the night.

I think initially Bob was quite excited about the road trip in the beast, but since we were on the road for 3-4 hours each day the excitement wore off and the monotony set in pretty quickly. Keeping up that pace for several days in a row was pretty exhausting for him. Not surprised since keeping up that pace is exhausting for us! Not the way we typically travel except if we are trying to escape the snow or have a specific timetable as was the case with this trip.

Déjà vu on the second night, staying at another resort we had stayed at in 2013 – Southwoods RV Resort in Byron, NY.   Again I won’t bother with any details since we had written about this resort last year. This time we had a pull thru site (B-7) located in a woodsy area near the back of the campground. Surprisingly the pull thru had a little bend to it so it was a little tricky pulling into it (we would not recommend staying on this particular site). We even had a repeat breakfast at Chap’s Elba Diner in Elba the next morning.

On the third night we stayed at the Indian Creek RV Resort in Geneva On The Lake, OH.  In our previous review of this campground we said that we would most likely not return, but due to the lack of campgrounds in this area, here we were again! At $58 a night, this place is pretty overpriced but luckily it is part of the Passport America network so our rate for that one night was only $29 (Sun-Thu 2 nite max). We had breakfast the next morning at Mary’s Diner.

I think a re-assessment of our previous review of Indian Creek is in order and we will return here again assuming we can get the PA rate. The full hookup 50A pull thru sites have unusually wide spacing between (for a private campground) and are plenty long for us even with the toad attached. To get here we would recommend ignoring your GPS and taking I-90 exit 218 to SR-534 North, then a right (East) on US-20 (Main St.), then turn left (North) on Austin Rd (SR-209), then right (East) on SR-531. The campground will be about a mile down SR-531 on your right. This avoids most of the congested areas and most of the low hanging branches (although you will still need to dodge a few). Most of those low branches hit only our radio antennas and not our roof. Also note we had no problems crossing the raised railroad tracks on SR-534 even with our low slung 43 footer.

On our third night we stayed at Harrison Lake State Park in Fayette, OH which was a new experience for us. Harrison Lake has 173 campsites (152 electric, 21 non-electric), but no sewer or water. Very nice park! Sites were well spaced, each with a picnic table and fire ring. You can get reduced rates under Passport America but only Sunday through Wednesday. Unfortunately we were there on a Thursday so our rate was $24 per night. From our campsite (119), we could see the lake where there was a small beach. Once we settled in, Rob and I took a walk across the bridge over to the lake and the dam.

On Friday, we arrived at Leisure Lake RV Resort in Joliet, IL, about 50 minutes from Rob’s brother who lives in Wheaton, IL. I guess we were so unimpressed with Leisure Lake, we didn’t take any pictures! It was OK, but the interior roads were dusty and the sites were cramped. Full hookups here, but the water spigot was shared and on the wrong side of the coach. Coming into the campground there are signs warning “No Trucks” and there is a spooky looking underpass – the bridge height is OK and the truck signs don’t apply to those destined for the campground but you don’t know that if you are a first time visitor. We would only stay here again if there were no other options.

While we got settled in, Jeff came to Joliet to pick up Dad since he needed to have some blood work done at a local hospital. That night we drove to Jeff’s house in Wheaton where we had a delicious dinner prepared by Michelle. Great seeing everyone, especially the kids, twins Sienna and Olivia and Christopher. We didn’t see much of Christopher because he was in a Community Theater play, The Music Man so between rehearsals and performances he wasn’t around much.

On Saturday, we drove back to Jeff and Michelle’s house. We ended up going to the “Taste of Wheaton” where they had live music, food, arts & crafts and lots of other festivities. Perfect day to enjoy the festivities! After walking around for a few hours, we went back to the house for another delicious dinner. Then sadly it was time for us to say our goodbyes, knowing that it would be a while before we would see them again.

On Sunday morning, we left Leisure Lake, heading to Entegra in Middlebury, IN. Stay tuned for our activities there!