Indiana Dunes

I made it! Today saw 5 states... left South Dakota this morning, and cruised through Minnesota (stopped for gas near the biggest porn shop I've ever seen... was a little scared), Wisconsin (stopped for cheese), Illinois (got flipped off in Chicago traffic- feels like home already!), and ended in Indiana. I rolled through Chicago at about 8 PM Central, and was set up at camp by 9:30. Now I'm feeling rather decadent with my facial mask, glass of wine, air conditioner, and HBO on the iPad. Is this still in the realm of 'camping'? Does it count more because I have some inconveniently located bug bites?

First Night Camping

The night at the Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park campgrounds started late (arrived at 11 pm), so I popped the roof as silently as I could, and crashed. Then I spent the morning doing some organizing and cleaning inside. I opted to not tour the caverns, since it was a 2 hr time commitment, and no dogs.

Here's the camper basking in the morning sun. I think she likes Montana... even with all the bugs.

Mile 14

Last Seattle stop (well, before getting gas) is Kreg's house. He checked out my trailer and showed me the water hookups & drains. I had a vague notion (RTFM!) of how it worked, but it's nice to have a seasoned RVer offer advice.

Big Bed

The girls are getting used to the camper, even with the shaky feeling that comes from not putting the stabilizers down. Now I just need a dog blanket big enough for this king sized bed!

Car Serviced

Yes, I got the car serviced. And the camper. Boy... it's like I have two dozen sets of parents making sure I'm ready for the trip. I'll never be ready, no matter how new my brake pads are.

But just so you all feel better:

  • Subaru trailer hitch installed
  • Subaru transmission cooler installed
  • Subaru brake pads replaced, rotors & calipers serviced
  • Subaru tires rotated, filled, balanced, inspected
  • Subaru oil & filter changed
  • Subaru tie rod ends replaced
  • Ainer brakes checked... nearly new, so no need to replace
  • Aliner tires all replaced, including the spare. The rubber was aged & cracked.
  • Aliner wiring checked... brake lights & turn signals, electric brakes
  • Aliner battery replaced
  • Aliner fire extinguisher replaced
  • Aliner gas leak and CO detectors checked/replaced

But damn. Thanks, Visa... I owe you one. Or two. Thousand.