Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Day Five – Walmart, Illinois to KOA, Ohio

KOA, Perrysburg, Ohio

It wasn’t the best night’s sleep for me, finding myself awake a few times and not able to get comfy enough to go back into dreamland. Obviously, after 12:30, I drifted on and off until I heard Bill and Gibbs at 5:55 am. I think Bill slept pretty good and that is the most important thing. When he was finished in the bathroom, I took my turn getting washed and ready.

Last night's sunset
We had a waterfront view!

We had some breakfast, being careful not to step on or trip over anxious little Leroy Jethro. 😊 “Don’t forget me, don’t forget me!” I won’t bring the livingroom and kitchen slides in with him still inside so he goes out with Daddy to piddle and then get strapped into his seatbelt in Black Beauty. As soon as we pull out, he’s in his bed curled up in a ball.

This morning's sunrise

This morning was even earlier when we exited the lot, not that we’re trying to set any goals but it was 7:02 am, 55F/13C with the sun just making its appearance. There were some wispy clouds and we were in shorts again, expected highs in Ohio to be 79 to 81F/20 to 22C. Lovely! We were right next to the exit for I-70E which is really convenient at the worst and best of times.

We soon left Illinois behind
and crossed into Indiana

We were 20 minutes down the road when I realized I’d left my to-go mug filled with hot tea sitting on the island. I’d grabbed my phone, purse, sunglasses and then closed the slides. My bad. Bill pulled off at the first exit and sure enough it was a mess but only in the entranceway. Luckily, it fell towards the door making for a minimal mess to clean up at least. I guess it was my turn to make woops! We were back on the road in 3 minutes. 😊

The bypass I-465 around Indianapolis
made life a lot easier
and the traffic wasn't too heavy
Then back on I-70E towards Dayton

Crossed the state line into Indiana around 9:25EST (our last time change) and pulled into a Marathon fuel station at Terre Haute. Luckily the pumps were facing the right way or we wouldn’t have got our big selves in. 😊 Fuel was up, $4.19/gal but we needed to fill up before we hit Indianapolis. ‘That crazy city’, my sister, Gayle, called it. Temperatures are rising, already 70F at 10 am. We’ll be happy to sit for a few days in this warmth.

See the light patches in the highway?
Those are very rough patches
they think they fixed the roads? LOL

Taking Exit 69 Black Beauty found her way onto I-465S, the bypass around the city and although in rough shape, we avoided the downtown craziness. It’s 11:00 so things would be picking up for the lunch hour.  Finding Exit 44B, we jumped back on I-70E. Famous last words. ‘We’re not travelling this highway again, going or coming’. It was terrible and we are both timid of opening up the Suite when we stop.

Once in Ohio, the highway was perfect

Once we crossed into Ohio, around 12:30, (EST) the pavement changed instantly. We pulled into the next Rest Area at Eaton and took care of business. Part of that was eating our salmon sandwiches. Gibbs gets a milk bone. 😊  Back on the interstate at 1 pm headed east. What a lovely day, with just enough breeze to keep it comfortable. Our next exit was 33B bringing us onto I-75N towards Toledo.

The Rest Area we stopped at for
lunch was so bright with greenery
Follow the path and you'll see our rig
Gibbs needed the break and soon was off to sleep

I'm always impressed when I see states looking after
their own by cleaning up the garbage
Indiana had many workers out today
In Ohio, the inmates are working at it
Compared to Arizona, it is night and day
(Ps, you could write your own caption for the
two inmates - I won't bother. )

We found the familiar KOA at Stony Ridge, OH near Perrysburg. It isn’t fancy at all but it is private, in a woodlot setting. We like it for its proximity to Toledo. We were given a pull-through site #109 straight in from the gate and were set up within 20 minutes of our arrival at 3:50pm EST. We are staying put for 3 nights and can get a few things taken care of while we’re here.


Familiar sightings

We relaxed until it was time to make supper, reading our ‘hard to put down’ books. I’m reading Nothing to Lose, J.A. Jance and Bill is reading a Stuart Woods mystery with Stone Barrington. Both excellent. I baked chicken thighs and while they cooked, I prepared some leftover potatoes for frying and made us each a vegetable. Gibbs and I went for our walk around the park to explore.

My first robin picture
Our walk around the park
Love the humour of the park hosts
(read the sign)

signs of spring,
the KOA entrance sign
and WHOA!
at the exit. 

My blog is getting attention in between with a few less pictures today – I tried really hard! Supper turned out great. 

Nice to use our convection oven again
I don't use it on the road

What a great day, again! It is 82F/28C, quite gusty with warm winds from the sw, which we appreciate right now. The winds died off by 6:30 making for a lovely evening. We traveled 429.1 miles today in 8 hours. We were happy to stop. 

Our site #109
Good night!

Thank you for the visit.

11 comments:

  1. Home turf is getting really warm too. Going to be high 20s tomorrow!

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  2. Your photos are bringing back memories of when I lived in Ohio. Beatiful state!! Thank you! Don in Okla.

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  3. Moving right along enjoying this summer type weather. Enjoy your stay.

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  4. Isn't it funny, or sad, that the best weather of the winter is on your trip home! At least you are spending three days in an area with nice weather ... enjoy :-)

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  5. I am catching up and had to catch my breath all those miles. I loved the field of wishes and the Bee water tower that was one of my favorites, also, I remember seeing that last year. So much of your trip looks familiar including Indiana's roads. All the green is beautiful. Enjoy your time where you are at.

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  6. Great day. We are about a 100 miles south west at Celina. Great weather here too. I love the fresh green of the grass and the tiny buds breaking into leaf on the trees. We even noticed some dandelions. Enjoy the rest.

    Deb

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  7. Maybe there's an airplane hobby shop around there??? It's awful when they repair the roads with concrete ... it always makes it worse. The truckers hate me because I just slow way down. It's nice that Mr. Gibbs travels so well.

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  8. Do enjoy your stay! I'm sure you're all ready for a break from the driving and riding.

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  9. We are quite familiar with the area you are at, although not the KOA. I've been to the Aldi store and we stayed at the Camping World overnight. If you are planing on taking the I-75 through Michigan, be prepared for more potholes and bumpy ride! Enjoy your stay.

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  10. It hit 26C here today - actually hot!

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  11. I love all of your pictures. It will be nice to enjoy a little downtime for a few days. We are loving this warmer weather too, but we need rain so badly. It's in the forecast for the coming week, but low percentage rates.

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