After my stop in Ottumwa, I was getting anxious to get to Kalamazoo. I had a jam-packed stay planned, full of taking care of business as well as seeing friends.
I left Ottumwa as early as I could and drove until I couldn’t drive no more, which took me to Ottawa, Illinois. I found a listing for a State Park, Ilini State Park. I entered, and the campground host told me that they did have a few sites left. I went to check them out, but decided that they were too small and too muddy. I decided that I needed to find something else.
I looked for other options. One place I called didn’t answer their phone, so I went with the second place I called, which did answer the phone. I have to say that it was an unusual park. I think it was one of those places that makes the majority of its money off long-term seasonal rentals. They have trailers tucked into the trees, and they are rigged up so that they will never move again. They take the V out of RV. They may be recreational, but they’re not vehicles anymore.
I was met at the gate by the woman I spoke to on the phone. Since I told her that I was less than five minutes away, she was waiting for me. She opened the security gate and told me to follow her. The first thing that gave me pause was the bridge over the creek. It was a slab of reinforced concrete that looked like it needed some shoring up.
The next thing that made me wonder if I had made a wise choice was when I had to shift into 4 wheel drive to get up the hill to the campsites. I was scattering gravel as BART struggled to get Flo up the hill. But, by the time I had gotten that far, it would have been harder to back out than to go forward, so, go forward I did.
I drove through the permanent sites and then through a very well-mowed field to a power station along the edge of the field. I wonder when they would ever fill up that enormous field. Maybe they rent it out for large gatherings. I did notice a gate to another road at the top of the hill.
Anyway, I paid the woman the $35 for the site. She told me that there would be some people arriving around 1:00 AM, after a concert. Wow! I couldn’t imagine navigating that route in the dark!
Before dark, I decided to head out and gas up for the last part of my trip to Kalamazoo. The route out and then in again wasn’t any less spooky. But, the campground had electricity, which was a necessity given the heat. The trailer cooled down nicely while I was gone. I rested up and was ready to hit the road early.
I left Illinois, drove through Indiana and stopped for a bathroom break at the rest stop just across the straight line. You know, I couldn’t figure out what was bothering me about this picture until I was preparing it for the blog. The seal of the State of Michigan is crooked! Really, guys…I think you can do better!
My reservation didn’t start at Markin Glen until the next day, so I spent one night at Cold Brook County Park.
I had a lovely, shaded campsite. It’s a little more rustic than Markin Glen, but they have electricity and water at the sites – although you might need a long hose – and they only charge $22 a night. If you have to make a reservation, they charge an additional $5. But, when I called the park and they told me that they had loads of sites and they encouraged me to hold on to the $5. I appreciated the advice.
The next day, I had two big tasks to accomplish: I needed to move to Markin Glen and I had a dentist appointment. I knew that I could park in a church parking lot near the office, but I thought I’d see if I could get into my site early. I gave them a call, and they told me to come on it – the site was empty. I was happy to be able to set up camp before I went to the dentist.
I think Cora was happy to be settled in for a while, too. I wonder if she recognized the campground? This is where I was when she joined me last year.
I had the maximum number of days booked at Markin Glen, which is fourteen. It’s not the least expensive public park I’ve stayed at. It’s $26 per night, and I had to pay the $5 booking fee. But, the sites include a concrete parking pad and full hook ups. It also has a small lake with an area for fishing and a decent bathhouse.
It’s also centrally located, if doing things in Kalamazoo is why you are staying there. In fact, if you bring a bike or are really into walking, you can easily make it to downtown from the park on the Kalamazoo Valley River Trail.
I had a few priorities on my list. Number one was medical appointments, for me and for Cora. Between doctor appointments and labs and such, I had seven “events” and Cora had two. When we left Kalamazoo, we had clean bills of health.
The other priority was having fun with friends. I have to admit that I didn’t do a very good job of documenting the people I saw. I did get some shots of the food, though.
Here is the elegant lunch I had at Diane’s house. She also invited me over for an Independence Day cookout.
I met Linda at Food Dance in downtown Kalamazoo for lunch one day. It was good to catch up with her. I’m glad she was home when I passed through. This woman travels almost as much as I do – and she doesn’t have a trailer!
I also met up with a former co-worker, Narda, and her husband, Brian, and a friend, Cynthia. I forgot to take a picture of the food, but Brian snapped one of Narda and me before we got into our cars at the end of the meal.
I didn’t snap any photos of the delicious meals that I was invited to share with Ruth and Stu and LaRue and Paul in their homes. Nothing like a bit of home cooking with dear friends.
While we were LaRue and I were waiting for Paul to come home, we took the puppy for a walk, and the kitties came along. It reminded me of the Disney Movie, The Incredible Journey.
I also joined LaRue and Paul for a picnic dinner on the lawn at Kindleberger Park in Parchment while we waited to watch Brigadoon.
And then there was the Independence Day celebration at Gun Lake. What a great time I had at Amy and Tim’s cottage. First there was the community pot luck dinner. I brought cookies to add to the dessert table. Living in an Airstream has done nothing to improve my cooking skills, but I am great at shopping!
After dinner, we set out on the boat to get into place for the fireworks.
Here’s the crew in the bow.
And the stern folks.
There was a glorious sunset.
It just kept getting more beautiful as night deepened.
While we were waiting for the fireworks show to start, they tried to launch a Chinese lantern. The breeze was a little much at that time, though, and the lantern got blown back down into the lake.
Finally, it was time for the big show!
It’s a little hard to get good fireworks photos with the camera on a phone, but take my word for it, it was a good show.
And viewing it from a boat in the middle of a lake was a wonderful experience!
I also got together with a few other folks. Nancy, Glen and their son Henry came out to the park to see my trailer. Henry made me a little gift. I must have been out of the classroom too long, because I had forgotten all about these little slips we used to give out to recognize positive behavior! After a tour of the trailer and a little conversation, we headed out for ice cream at Plainwell Ice Cream. What a treat!
A former student, Sadie, wanted to get together while I was in town, and I was thrilled to see her again. She was in my class almost (almost, but not quite) 30 years ago! I hadn’t seen here since her high school graduation celebration, so we had a bit to get caught up with. I was happy to meet her daughter, too.
Leigh and I also got together for burgers and brew. After that, we went over to JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts to touch the fabric. Leigh bought some more cloth and I just looked.
I got together with Debora, a teacher-friend who is still in the trenches. I had some things that I picked up for her when I was in Neosho. I think she is an even bigger fan of Dr. George Washington Carver than I am!
The one bit of historical tourism I did while I was in the area was to drive by the home of Dr. Nathan Thomas, who was the first physician in Kalamazoo County. The house was built in 1835, which means that it is a very old house – more than 170 years old. That alone would make it remarkable in this part of the world. The reason I wanted to visit was because this was a stop on the Underground Railroad.
In 1843, Dr. Thomas was asked to help escaping slaves reach Canada. Mrs. Thomas would feed than and arrange sleeping areas on the floor of the doctor’s office. If they thought that bounty hunters were in the area, they would have the fugitives hide up under the eaves of the house. The would travel on to Battle Creek after dark, and then continue on to Canada. Dr. Thomas estimated that 1,000 to 1,500 fugitives came though their house on their way to freedom.
I was disappointed that I couldn’t tour the house. You see, it seems that you need to arrange visits ahead of time. I just did a quick drive-by after dropping Cora off for her dental work. Luckily, they have a detailed sign in front of the house. If your travels take you to the area and you’re interested in arranging a tour, the contact information is at the bottom of this link.
This brings me to the end of my adventures in Kalamazoo. Next stop: Jackson Center, Ohio. On to the Mother Ship!