We went to Ohio today – twice ! It has been a strange day …
5am – up to get rig sliders in and everyone ready to be out of rig all day . Brutal time because we just switched into Eastern time . Started the day worried about getting rig fixed and so tired .
6am- Dan walks over to repair shop , and comes back with Ron . Kids , dogs , cooler and computers loaded into car . Pitch black and cold . Ron and Dan drive away .
630am- kids and I head to a cafe recommended by locals . We walk in , conversation stops and 7 tables stare at us . After sitting down, the waitress tells us we have to move , we’re in a bar, and we have to go to the back of the building to eat . At least she turned the lights on for us . The meal wasn’t worth the price , but the conversation about how it might have felt to be sent to the back of the bus was worth it . Then we tortured Nate about state capitols until we were all laughing .
730am- to McDonalds because it was the only other place open . Used the wifi to order stuff we need on Amazon and sent it to Grandma Helen’s. We cannot wait to get there .
845am- to the Allied Recreational Vehicle plant outside town to take the factory tour. I was going to try to be polite about all the mistakes on our rig . Turns out that you have to be over 16 to take the tour .
In between each stop , we take the dogs out and have to fight with Jessica about who belongs in the drivers seat .
The library doesn’t open until 9, so on a whim we decide to go to Ohio . It’s one of the 5 states I haven’t been to yet and is only 6 miles away . With the music blaring , we find the border and get out for the obligatory pictures with the sign . Nate runs down the highway to get a shot of the Indiana sign .
9am- we spend the next 33 minutes trying to get the wifi working at the library so we can do school . They say they are having problems with it , to be patient . We were .
1230pm- off to Wendy’s for lunch . Afraid to try another local spot , we opt for one we know has good salads .
130pm – took our time because no one wants to do more school . Nate’s eating an apple , so we use that as an excuse to drive around and explore some more . I vote for visiting Ohio twice in one day , so we head east . At an intersection , we hang a right because the sign for Wren was so cute . Turns out the little township was cute , too . Found a park and got out to play . Great new play structure with a fast slide and a low teeter-totter . The old merry-go-round and swings were still better . Finally sunny and 60, we enjoy the warmth . I cherish time with the kids like this – they are such a gift !
230pm- headed back to Decatur because Dan and the rig might be done … We hope . We had 2 pages of items to fix , and they have 2 days to do it, so we were anxious to see how much got done . Only took one small wrong turn and corrected later ; I am Ray’s daughter after all !
330pm – Dan and Ron pull into our camp site in the lot , and we pull in behind them . For an hour we’ve been wasting time and are really quite hysterical . Kids making mustaches with licorice , and anything we say is beyond hilarious . We are loopy .
5pm – all of us testing our new beds . New beds !!! Plus more ! They got the new skylight in and fixed about half of the rest of the problems . Hopefully tomorrow they can finish the rest because we need to get to Chicago and Dubuque before Grandma Helens next Saturday.
9pm – bed. Have to get up and do it all over tomorrow !
