It’s only 90 minutes from the Madison KOA to Cliffside Park in Racine County; this is where we would stay for the wedding. So we didn’t leave the KOA until about 11:00AM.
The drive to Racine County is almost all interstate from the Madison KOA, and as you get south of Milwaukee all the construction begins to impact exits. Not only is there a lot of highway construction, this is the second year that everything in and around Racine seems to be torn up. It was hard to get to my daughter’s house from the campground last year, surprisingly, now it was worse.
Even out near the campground you can see a lot of road construction. In fact they had the main road to the campground closed requiring us to take about a five-mile detour. The section that was under construction was probably less than a city block in length. Why they couldn’t have left at least one lane open during construction baffles me.
Cliffside is a wonderful park but you need to reserve and pay in full if you want a specific spot, and you need to reserve early in the year. We always reserve the same spot which gives us a lot of privacy but there are many nice sites in this park. The sites are equipped with water and electric hook ups, but no sewer. As a result make sure you bring your “poop wagon” so you can make a trip to the dump station if necessary during your stay here.
This park actually has a “Host Family”, and I believe they have been the same folks each year we have stayed here (nice gig). Their job is to make sure that the right people are in the correct spots. they also make sure that any issues in the campground are addressed. Last year there was a gentleman that decided his dog didn’t need to be on a leash. It tried charging Hannah and I on two separate occasions and just generally wandered around on its own. I reported this to the Host Family and they took care of the issue quickly and professionally.
The site we stay in here has a great view of the southern sky so setting up the DIRECTV satellite is a no-brainer. I still needed to run an extension cord to the electric box to power the satellite as the GFI issue was still not resolved. This required Tammy and I to jockey the trailer a little bit so that we could get close enough to make the 12 foot cord reach. Once we knew we were set with distance to the box, the girls came out of the truck, we leveled the trailer and all systems were go.
County Park Camping at its best.
Shortly after we got the trailer set up, our Daughter Jennifer and our Grandson Trent arrived. We spent the afternoon just sitting outside with the girls enjoying the weather. Later Trent and I took his bicycle for a short spin around the entire campground. Trent left his bicycle and gear for future visits during the week.
The next day we picked Trent up and brought him back to the campground. This seemed like a great day to take Hannah on a walk to the lake. It was a hot day, even for Wisconsin. By the time we made it to the lake we were all pretty tired and started looking for shady spots to rest. I would say the whole walk took about 90 minutes, which of course Hannah absolutely loved.
Later in the day Trent and I hit the playground and got some time on the bicycle again. One of my friends Doug was supposed to come to the campground around 4:00 PM but got delayed at work so we decided to reschedule our get together to the next evening (Thursday). I had talked to Doug about a month before the trip and we were both looking forward to catching up. I also brought some of my home-brew along on the trip so that Doug could sample it.
On Thursday, Tammy and I decided to go to “Mikes” for breakfast. They used to have a location near the house we had in Pleasant Prairie; and they made the best Bloody Mary we had ever had. So we decided to try their location in Kenosha along the interstate. As usual we had to battle road construction on the way there. Once we arrived we started to wonder if they were even open as we didn’t see any cars. I think we may have been the first folks into Mikes that morning.
The beginning of a wonderful breakfast!
We started out with their Bloody Mary and beer chaser while they prepared our breakfast, or as Tammy calls it “a Wisconsin Breakfast”. The Bloody Mary was not as good as their other location; but it was still very good and their breakfast was great. After we finished breakfast we found a full service car wash so that the truck, now filthy from so many miles on the road, would be clean for the wedding. Then we headed back to the trailer and a little after lunch time, Jennifer and Trent returned.
Later in the afternoon I got a call from Doug and he was wondering with all the construction how he would get to the campground. I sent him some directions and after he navigated his way through all the construction we were sitting next to the camper having some beer. Doug and I worked in Chicago together and he was in the office right next to me. There wasn’t a day that went by where Doug didn’t come up with a one liner that made me laugh. Getting together with Doug is always fun, and with Doug it is like time hasn’t passed; we pick up right where we left off.
The next day was Friday, and this is the day of the rehearsal dinner. So at some point in the morning we had to make our way to the kennel to board the girls. It’s not reasonable to think that we can leave the girls in the trailer while we have the rehearsal dinner, or the wedding. That’s just too long of a period for them to be alone. So we would board them from Friday morning to Sunday morning.
Once we dropped the girls off at the kennel I went into full cleaning mode so that the trailer wouldn’t have any dog hair that might get on our clothes for the upcoming rehearsal or wedding. Jeff made it clear that we needed to be at the wedding venue for rehearsal at 4:00 PM so we left the campground with time allotted for all the construction and made it with time to spare.
Jeff (right) and Corrine’s cousin who officiated the wedding.
The wedding would take place at a private club very close to where we lived before moving to Texas; and the grounds at the club are beautiful. Jeff and Corrine had a large army of groomsmen and bridesmaids; and I was impressed at how tight the friendships are among all of them. These people have known each other for years and it shows. They were more like brothers and sisters than friends.
After the rehearsal, it was just s short jaunt over to the rehearsal dinner, where I got about 10 minutes to give a little speech and tell a few stories. We had a great time and I think the kids enjoyed it. There was an incredible amount of food left over so we sent it home with Corrine’s parents because lets face it, a travel trailer is no place where you are going to store a huge amount of food, and there’s no way Tammy and I were going to be able to eat all of that.
After the dinner, we cruised back to the campground and there’s nothing I hate more than driving at night through construction. I really don’t understand why so many roads in the area are ripped up. This makes almost every route to the campground a challenge. I think we got back to the campground about 10:00 or a little after. The next day we were expected to be at the wedding venue by 1:30 for pre-wedding photos.
Saturday – It’s Wedding Day! The weather is beautiful, this is going to be a great day!
This wedding has been a long time coming – about two years to be exact. The two years was just the length of the official engagement, Jeff and Corrine have been together much longer; since they were in High School. In fact they have been together longer than a vast majority of marriages last. So, there’s no doubt their marriage will last because the foundation of their relationship is strong and has withstood the test of time.
We start the procession….
After pre-wedding pictures were taken it was time to kick off the wedding, with Tammy and I leading the procession. I kept my beard which was initially just due to forgetting my razor on our Florida Trip in February. I had asked Jeff in May if I should keep the beard, or shave it for the wedding. Without hesitation he said “keep it”. So, despite the grey, I sported the beard and was part of Jeff’s bearded brigade, which is how I referred to the groomsmen, all who I believe were sporting beards with maybe one exception.
The wedding went off without any issues and I could not have been any more proud of my Grandson Trent who was the ring bearer. You would never have thought he was four years old, he acted just like an adult through the whole service.
Corrine, Jeff, and Trent
When the service was over – it was time to party! I got to connect with my Sister Mary ( and husband Jose) and my Brother Bill (and wife Angie) plus all of their kids. We also spent a lot of time with Brad and Tammy, it was great seeing them again. Trent socialized quite a bit, he is not shy, and he absolutely loves Jeff’s best friend, Frankie. To say that Jeff and Frankie are best friends would be an understatement, I would say they are really brothers. Now, Trent absolutely loves Frankie too, and I think this picture really captures the “mutual admiration” between them.
Trent and Frankie
The Party went until about 11:00 PM or a little after. I have to say, this was the most fun we have ever had at a wedding. It was apparent that we were not the only ones that had this experience. I don’t think anyone in the wedding party wanted the festivities to end. I saw Jeff as the music stopped playing. He told me that they were just waiting for the bus to shuttle them back to the hotel; where the festivities would continue. So, at that point with everyone congregated in the parking lot. We said our goodbyes and headed back to the campground.
The next morning we picked up the girls from the kennel. Hannah was a wreck. Hannah does not like to be boarded and had injured her rear feet. We could only assume it was from standing upright against the chain link during her stay; that’s the only way we could explain the location of the wounds. We never anticipated that she would have been this worked up. Fortunately I was able to reach out to my vet and he instructed on how to take care of her feet. Both Dogs crashed for the remainder of the day.
Brad and Tammy dropped by to see us around noon. Tammy had run to the store in the meantime and had bought some fried chicken and sides so we had a great lunch. Shortly after we finished eating, Jennifer, bob, and Trent showed up. So we all got a chance to kick back, talk about the wedding, and relax. I would love to be living near Brad and Tammy again, every time we get together we have a blast.
Monday came and like every last full day at camp; I try to become organized and put away things we don’t need anymore. This includes cleaning the disgusting grill and storing it; as well as putting away any extra lawn chairs, mats, dog tie outs etc. Tammy and I decided to drive into Racine and see Jennifer, Bob, and Trent.
While we were there Tammy did some laundry and I rewired a faulty fan switch in their bedroom. Jennifer’s house was built in 1920, so the majority of the wiring is not modern. Bob asked if we should change out any of the other switches due to their age. My opinion was that since the wiring is so old, unless there is an issue lets not disturb it. I’m sure every house in that area has the same wiring but I’m not comfortable messing with it. Around 2:30 PM we removed Trent’s car seat from my truck and we said our goodbyes before heading back to camp.
Tuesday morning came quickly and it was time to pack up. I really regretted not packing the huge mat in front of the Camper the night before. Now it was full of dew and dripping as I picked it up. I did my best to dry the mat off with paper towels; after I shook it off on the road in front of the trailer. Then it was time to take down the satellite, roll up the power cord and hose; and then head to the dump station in front of the campground entrance.
Now it was on to our next destination – Goshen Indiana.
To continue this trip click here
If you want to follow this trip from the beginning click here
Leave a Reply