Chicago Day 1

The only time I was in Chicago previously was on a connecting flight, which didn't work out properly due to bad weather, so I had to stay over at one of the hotels near the airport.  Here was my opportunity to do the city up right.  A major reason for the stop over as well was to meet up with one of my golf team mates from my first year at Loyola.

George, originally from Florida was a senior at Loyola when the program started.  He only got to play one season.  We had some great times together in New Orleans.  We had kept in touch through Facebook and he was available to spend Saturday with me. 

For the next two nights I had arranged through the RVGolf Club to stay at Prairie Landing golf course.  We had an 11:00 tee time to start off the day.  We both arrived early and had a chance to do some catching up and warming up.  It was quite a nice day weather wise for mid November in Chicago. 

We played as a twosome, which allowed us plenty of time to chat between shots.  The course is very well designed (carts mandatory) and was in great condition.  It has some holes with tee blocks at multiple angles and double fairways offering risk/reward options.  I generally played it safe.  I would definitely like to play it again in the future if I am in the area. 

Camping here wasn't the best due to its proximity to a different airport than the previous night, railway tracks and the rather bright parking lot lights were on all night, although I was the only person there.  

The club house was closed when we were done our round so we had our post round drink in the trailer, giving George an opportunity to see my portable abode, while we planned our next move. 

Dinner was in order and the original plan was for Mexican, but the place nearby that we had in mind turned out to have a two hour wait, even though it was only around 5:00.  Instead of waiting around we headed to:

Menu

For:

Chopped Salad with garlic bread (for 2) and

Deep Dish Pizza

It was yummy and very filling.  We each took two slices home.

When George dropped me back at the golf course the "super moon" was over the trailer. 

I had a great day with George and he gave me lots of pointers on what to see and do tomorrow in downtown Chicago.  The next time I see George it will likely be in the Tampa, Florida area, where he will soon be moving to further advance his career.

Crossing the Border and 2nd Night on the Road

From Ridgetown, I was about 1 hour from the border.  I crossed at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor.  Thankfully there wasn't much traffic, I only had to wait for about 3 vehicles to clear the booth reserved for RV's ahead of me.  The gentleman in the booth asked the usual questions and although I declared that I was carrying some meat, fruit and vegetable items, the ones I mentioned didn't cause any issue.  He was going to go in the trailer to have a look and requested both the keys to the trailer and somewhat surprisingly, the truck too.  I suppose someone who still had their truck keys in the ignition drove off with the customs official still in their trailer.  It would have been quite a ride, so I understand him taking the precaution.  He wasn't back there long and when he came back he handed back the keys and wished me a good trip. 

From the border I had a pretty big drive ahead of me to get to my evenings stop in preparation for a big weekend in Chicago.  At this time of year all the campgrounds in the Chicago area are closed, because of the cool weather.  For my first stop I found the Air Classics Museum of Aviation, a member of Harvest Hosts.  I arrived around 4:00, central time and was met by the curator, who I had arranged the visit with.  I was able to tour the planes outdoors before it got dark (I am hating these short days), and then the indoor displays.  It seemed especially pertinent that I had selected this stopping place on November 11th, Remembrance Day, given that my father had served in the Canadian Air Force during WWII.  I believe that an example of just about every iconic military plane was
there on display, most notably for me a "HUEY" helicopter like in the show M.A.S.H.  I watched so many episodes that to this day the sound of a chopper overhead triggers thoughts of tragic consequences.

Inside there were metal airplane models, like one of my former work colleagues collects, and plastic models similar to the ones I "helped" my brothers build.  There were samples of many of the small airplane parts, including rivets the women who were called in to aid in the war effort installed.  Another section was dedicated to famous female pilots including Amelia Earhart and Evelyn Sharp, who shares her last name to a strong Ontario golf family, not sure if there is a genealogical connection there. 

This museum runs on a small budget, so the displays aren't all glitzy but the artifacts and notes about them are very interesting for airplane and military enthusiasts.  Although I don't really fit into those categories I enjoyed my couple of hours looking around and learned some things.  It was well worth the $5 admission.  Camping out front was fine and conveniently there was a sports bar and grill across the street I was able to walk to for a bite to eat.  The food and service were great, however some of the other patrons were rather loud and obnoxious, perhaps the result of being over served. 

The toll road around Chicago cost about $30 for my rig to travel on and seemed unavoidable. 

First Night on the Road of Winter Trip

My first day on the road included another visit to the dealership where I purchased the trailer to finally complete the fix on my refrigerator that was always way too cold.  The last time I was there they realized it needed a part they didn't have in stock.  The part arrived a couple of days after that visit there, but it wasn't convenient for me to go and have it installed, and they weren't prepared to send someone with the part to my site in Milton to install it, so the appointment was scheduled for my first travel day.  The appointment was at 9:00 a.m.(opening time) and it wasn't expected to take very long to install.  Their performance was as promised and I was ready to leave there by 9:45.  While waiting I was able to finalize my purchase of out of country medical insurance and the receptionist was nice enough to print off my policy card,which I had received by email.  The service work was gratis, so all in all it was a great visit there, though it remains to be seen if the fridge will finally be operating as expected.  Fingers crossed.  Thank you Ruston RV. 

I realized I was running a bit ahead of schedule as I was approaching London, so decided to pull off at the rest stop and see if I could find a friend to have lunch with.  The first person I called didn't answer, but the second one did!  I had a nice lunch with my friend Marilyn.  We went to Swiss Chalet, one of my favorite Canadian franchise places, I could almost drink their dipping sauce.  I had my usual 1/4 chicken, white meat with salad and whole wheat roll.  Marilyn agreed to share the fresh fried donuts with dipping sauce for dessert, what a treat.  

There were 5 or 6 in the order.  I forgot to take a picture before we dove in.

Sorry New Orleans friends, but these are much better than beignets. 

Seeing as all the regular campgrounds in "the north" are closed for the season, I am having to be creative on my first few nights heading south.  

For the first night I stayed at a place I found on Boondocker's Welcome near Ridgetown, Ontario.  It was a grain/corn growing farm.  The last name of the folks is McLarty.  They were very welcoming, including providing power, inviting me in for dinner and out to watch them curl that evening.  

Their barn had an interesting decorative piece near the eaves. 

I was informed it was a "barn quilt," something that is quite popular in that area, and others.  I don't recall ever seeing one before.  The design tells a story about who the farm/barn belongs to.  In this case there is a Scottish theme with thistles and tartan motif.  

During the meal (beef stew), I mentioned that I had a good girlfriend with the same last name.  It turns out the gentleman was her former brother-in-law.  My friends husband had passed away from cancer, just prior to my meeting her at the golf course I joined at the time, about 23 years ago.  Talk about a small world!  

During dinner I was invited to not just watch the curling, but to play, as a spare for someone who had cancelled last minute.  It had been about 6 years since I had last curled, but seeing as I had appropriate clothes to wear with me I decided to say yes to playing.  I suppose curling is as they say, "like riding a bike, you don't really forget how to do it."  I was a little unsteady on my feet at first, particularly getting into the hack, as the slider on the shoes I was borrowing was faster than the one I had played with, back in the day.  It only took me a few ends to get back into the swing of things and actually make a few of the shots I was asked for.  I played second.  We played 8 ends and then had the obligatory social period.  

It was quite a fun night and capped off a great first day on the road. 

Stationary in Milton

I was stationary for the longest period to date this fall in Milton.   There wasn't any competitive golf going on in October and early November.   I was biding my time prior to heading south for the winter.   Because I spent the month of August in the US, I have a maximum of 5 more months I can spend there.  As the beginning of April was nasty, I was stretching out the time in Canada in November,  so I won't have to return by April 1. 

My departure date from  Milton was November 10th with the border crossing the following day.

By lingering in Milton,  I was able to have several visits with many friends and relatives,  including both my brothers and their families.   We were able to meet up both at their homes and mine.  It was nice to be able to entertain them.

Those were pleasant occassions,  when I was otherwise unhappy with the cooler temperatures and shorter days.  Both of these factors negatively impacted the camping experience as well other campers were not keen to be outside in the cold and darkness. 

I also spent the time shopping for a couple of necessary items, specifically new eye glasses and a bicycle.