Long Drive on a Hot Day
Yesterday, Wednesday, we made the 370 mile drive from Beaver Dam to Kalamazoo. Mom and Dad Hoch, and my Aunt Nancy came out to the farm about 8am to see us off. This is, for us, the gut wrenching and emotional part of being fulltime travelers... having to say goodbye to family and knowing you'll not see them again for 10 months or so. Especially after having been here for more than two months during which time there's a tendency to settle in, to put down some roots, to begin to think like residents.
The weather was predicted to be sunny and warm with southerly winds -- which turned out to be spot-on. Mid-day, with the temperature in the mid 90's and the heat index near 100, the bus-house dash air conditioner was straining to keep up. Tire temps were running well into the 130s, which is the warmest I've seen since I began checking them during rest stops with a digital thermometer a year or so ago.
For the most part it was a pleasant day. Getting around Chicago was an hour and a half or so of gritted-teeth concentration. Traffic was heavy, but flowing, and we only had one spot that slowed for a short time due to construction. The worst area is the 80/94 corridor where all major east/west roads squeeze around the southern tip of Lake Michigan. It's 5 and 6 lanes in each direction and more truck traffic than you may have ever seen before. (Have I mentioned lately how much I enjoy driving in big city traffic???? Huh?) Once beyond the majority of the traffic and congestion Dar took the helm and drove the rest of the way to K-zoo, while I sat in the passenger seat and slowly stopped vibrating. The bus-house hummed along and performed flawlessly all day long.
After about 7 hours of driving and a lost hour due to the time zone change, Dar backed us into our spot at Markin Glen County Park and we set up the camper for our 6 day stay. The traditional "arrival ale" tasted especially good. After a light dinner, a walk around the park, and an hour or so sitting out and enjoying the pleasant evening after the sun dipped below the trees, that Tempurpedic mattress in the bus-house was calling.
We'll see Dar's sister and brother-in-law, Cher and Jack, tomorrow. My understanding is that Cher has some work planned for us. Hmmm.
Kicking back in Kalamazoo...
T
The weather was predicted to be sunny and warm with southerly winds -- which turned out to be spot-on. Mid-day, with the temperature in the mid 90's and the heat index near 100, the bus-house dash air conditioner was straining to keep up. Tire temps were running well into the 130s, which is the warmest I've seen since I began checking them during rest stops with a digital thermometer a year or so ago.
For the most part it was a pleasant day. Getting around Chicago was an hour and a half or so of gritted-teeth concentration. Traffic was heavy, but flowing, and we only had one spot that slowed for a short time due to construction. The worst area is the 80/94 corridor where all major east/west roads squeeze around the southern tip of Lake Michigan. It's 5 and 6 lanes in each direction and more truck traffic than you may have ever seen before. (Have I mentioned lately how much I enjoy driving in big city traffic???? Huh?) Once beyond the majority of the traffic and congestion Dar took the helm and drove the rest of the way to K-zoo, while I sat in the passenger seat and slowly stopped vibrating. The bus-house hummed along and performed flawlessly all day long.
After about 7 hours of driving and a lost hour due to the time zone change, Dar backed us into our spot at Markin Glen County Park and we set up the camper for our 6 day stay. The traditional "arrival ale" tasted especially good. After a light dinner, a walk around the park, and an hour or so sitting out and enjoying the pleasant evening after the sun dipped below the trees, that Tempurpedic mattress in the bus-house was calling.
We'll see Dar's sister and brother-in-law, Cher and Jack, tomorrow. My understanding is that Cher has some work planned for us. Hmmm.
Kicking back in Kalamazoo...
T
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