Camp Turkeyville. Seriously?

Real, live turkeys at Camp Turkeyville.

Who would actually make reservations at a place called “Camp Turkeyville”?  We would!  The place is wonderful.We are currently just south of Lansing in Michigan. We’ve had a busy couple of days since we left Arkansas. Our first day on the road we made it into St. Louis and got to have dinner with Grandma Pat. So great to see her again (Thank you again for dinner Pat!) We went to 54  ^th Street and the food was delicious. Have to find one of those in San Antonio; I think they have them there. 

Wonderful to see "Grandma Pat" again.

Our RV spot wasn’t anything to write home about but it served its purpose. Got up bright and early to play tourist at the Gateway Arch. Phenomenal! I didn’t realize that the Arch is actually part of a National Park: Jefferson Memorial Expansion Park. A lot of the area is under construction but you can tell already that it’s going to be absolutely beautiful when it’s completed. The “entrance” to the park is at what they call The Old Courthouse. This courthouse is where, in 1846, Dred Scott and his wife Harriet, both former slaves, sought freedom for themselves and their 2 daughters. 

A nice man took our picture in front of the Old Courthouse. 

The 1857 decision against them was instrumental in pushing the US into the civil war. Such an odd feeling to stand on those courthouse steps and know that in earlier times, the fate of slaves were decided there. Once again, I so wish I had paid more attention in history class. Mya will be in 8^th grade in the fall and the curriculum is US History. How amazing to be able to say you’ve actually been to some of these places. I hope the girls grow to appreciate these experiences. Jade made the connection to the Dred Scott court case once I jogged her memory.

Dred and Harriet Scott

You climb though this little door
into the "pod".

The trip up into the Arch was fascinating. You ride up in these little “pods” that have 5 seats. No way that anyone with claustrophobia could ride to the top. Its 630ft high and it takes 4 minutes to go up, 3 minutes to come down. At the top there are 16 small windows on each side to look out over St. Louis and the Mississippi River. There were lots of barges making their way up and down the river. We were so glad we decided to make the time to do this. I’d recommend it to anyone who finds their way to St. Louis.

Inside the "pod" to ride to the top of the Arch.

Explaining the creation of the Arch

We continued north through Illinois. Jeff and I were both surprised at how rural Illinois is. Lots of agricultural land; reminded us both of Iowa. Lots of corn and soybean fields. Spent the night in a KOA that we’re only giving 3 stars max but it was a place to hang our hats. The best part was it had a fenced “dog park” and Otis could run around off-leash. He is becoming quite the traveler. I think he’s figuring out the routine and he’s stopped pacing while were driving. Although, every time I get up from my chair he steals my seat. He likes looking out the windows at the passing scenery!

View of the Old Courthouse from up in the Arch.

A little excitement this morning at 5 a.m. The air conditioner started sounding REALLY loud and then it sounded like a jet was landing on the roof. Jeff jumped up and turned the thing off. After climbing on the rig and peaking in the unit, it appears the fan has disintegrated. Fortunately, it’s not leaking any fluid or anything but we are without a back AC unit at the moment. Thank goodness we are up north. The weather everywhere has been so hot but here in Michigan we are finally getting a reprieve. Which is good because the big awning also broke. This is why we decided to take the rig on a long trip. It’s a “shake-down” trip to see how the rig functions. We did the same when we got our previous RV; that was our trip to Alaska. We are thinking of swinging by Red Bay, Alabama – home to the Tiffin factory – on our return trip and having them fix everything.  

Otis riding shotgun.

Just got back from a stroll to the Camp Turkeyville ice cream parlor and settling in for an evening of watching American Ninja Warrior - the girls' favorite show while we are on the road. 

Tomorrow we are headed into Toronto to start the Canadian part of our trip. Keeping our fingers crossed that there is no problem with Otis's paperwork or anything else they can think of. It's going to be a rather long day, about 350 miles. We like to keep it under 300 usually - not sure what we were thinking when we made these reservations. The girls have just learned that while in Canada they will not have access to any Internet. The fees for outside the US are expensive so only my phone will have access so I can make reservations, use Google Maps, etc. We may not make it out alive!!!!!!