Day two started like any other day camping; get the girls up and out for a walk, feed them breakfast, and take care of ourselves. Then we would continue the trip Northward.
As I was packing things up, Tammy asked me to come inside the trailer. She showed me a small puddle of water on the bedroom floor. I quickly found the source of the water leak. It was a disconnected P-Trap at the bathroom sink. There was no broken fitting; the factory obviously missed a step. This is something you never anticipate, loose plumbing lines or fittings.
This was the second plumbing issue that we have encountered with our six month old trailer. The first was at Daingerfield State Park in Texas. We were watching TV and heard a sudden hissing sound. Quickly we located a cold water line that had been routed over a receptacle screw. This punctured the line resulting in a water leak under the sink. Both of the plumbing issues we have found could easily have been prevented with some common sense and diligence at the factory; but that will be a topic for another day.
I reassembled the drain pipe under the sink. I then checked the kitchen sink only to find the same issue, another loose fitting. If they hadn’t tightened the p-traps; was there a possibility of loose water lines as well? Sadly, the answer was yes. Now I was on a mission. I checked, and tightened every hot and cold water line.
After some more packing we set off on our remaining 370 miles to Wisconsin.
Funks Grove near Normal Illinois
We made one pit stop at a beautiful wayside near Normal Illinois. The wayside is huge and we were all alone in the rear section which had lanes big enough that we could put out both slides and still be within our lane. After giving the dogs a decent break, and eating some lunch it was back on the road again. This leg of the trip I averaged almost 11 miles per gallon, which meant I only stopped for gas once.
Forty minutes out from our stop we called the campground, and that’s when things got a little dicey. They wouldn’t be there but would leave a map to our site…and it wasn’t full hook-up, just water and electric. This was not a major concern as it was only a two night stop.
Once we got to the campground it became apparent we would have other issues:
1) The water and electric were on wrong side of camper, therefore we decided to pull in backwards.
2) The sites were not clearly marked. This led us to wonder if we were at the correct site. Perhaps that’s why the hookups seemed wrong. I wasn’t too concerned, we were almost alone in this campground. If the owners had a problem with our location we would move the trailer.
Deserted camping near Fort Atkinson Wisconsin
3) A massive canopy of trees covers the camping area. So there is absolutely no chance of satellite TV. This resulted in converted the living room back to “Air” TV, which took half an hour. It’s amazing how lifting a TV and moving wires around can take so long.
4) No 50 Amp Service. Luckily I had brought my 50 to 30 Amp adapter. If you don’t have an adapter, get one; you will not regret it. Although I don’t carry a spare 50 amp cord, the adapter will allow me to hook up to my 30 amp extension. The only disadvantage to 30 amp is that we can not turn on the second AC unit. However, while camping in Wisconsin this is not an issue.
5) Finally, A general feeling of disappointment and frustration. It just wasn’t as nice as we had remembered it. However, despite all of this it is still a beautiful spot. I enjoy the solitude of an empty campground.
Although a band of severe thunderstorms were headed our way, they completely fell apart just miles from the campground. So God must have decided to spare Hannah, and us by default, from having a bad night. She can’t handle thunderstorms. Even Kendra seemed a little on edge as the rumbling sounded to the west of our location.
DAY 3
The girls slept soundly all night, they are perhaps wasted from all of the travel. Today will be a great day for them to catch up on their sleep and relax. However, they will have guests later in the afternoon.
Traveling with the dogs is always a challenge. Hannah’s been on a semi hunger strike and this happens sometimes when we travel. Coaxing her to eat really gets old after a day or two. This is in contrast to Kendra, she will always eat regardless of the situation. Kendra’s two loves are Tammy and food…any food.
As we left the campground for Tammy’s Parents house we met the campground owner. She pulled up next to us and we had a nice conversation. She told us that hardly anyone else will be camping here during our stay; therefore we could spread out between two sites.
On the way to Tammy’s parents house we noticed a loud noise coming from the rear of the truck. It is a strange noise almost as if the rear wheels are on a graded highway. Given that I can’t determine the issue; I set up an appointment at the dodge deal in Racine Wisconsin for next Tuesday. Hopefully they can determine what is happening back there.
After lunch Tammy’s folks came to our campground to sample my home brew. We spent the afternoon just kicking back and relaxing.
Tomorrow it’s on to our destination stop at the county campground, therefore just 78 more miles to see the kids!
To continue reading about this trip click here.
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