My families Great American Adventure

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

1 hour ago, RPM said:

You might stumble across some Amish in that neck of the woods. Weird people, but great food.

There are some amish inside of 30 minutes I’m told. We will go check them out I suppose bc what the fuck else do I have to do with 6 days in rural (ish) Indiana? 

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

39 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

You are also in the Midwest a little early for certain enjoyable fresh produce availability (like corn). Indiana should have some halfway decent pies. Try and find a diner.

I know you are a pie lady so... sugar cream pie- you ever had it?  That’s apparently their special pie in the state. 

Also- you guys are missing what is awesome about visiting Indiana... I’m just visiting. I don’t live there. Can’t have too much fun on this trip or never come home. 

Also, my phone works really well, I have good WiFi connection so I’m set. 

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Heard of it, never had it nor made it. Also believe shoo-fly pie is more common in that region. Great, now you're making me want to go RVing just so I can do a pie tour.

Safe travels!

[6th Street 6,656]

57 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

There are some amish inside of 30 minutes I’m told. We will go check them out I suppose bc what the fuck else do I have to do with 6 days in rural (ish) Indiana? 

Not sure where you are currently but we usually take a few day trips over to the Indiana Sand Dunes in the summer time. Nice beach off Lake Michigan that allows alcohol and is only 1-1.5 hrs from Chicago (though it does get packed by the afternoon). Kemil Beach is dog friendly. 

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

12 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

Not sure where you are currently but we usually take a few day trips over to the Indiana Sand Dunes in the summer time. Nice beach off Lake Michigan that allows alcohol and is only 1-1.5 hrs from Chicago (though it does get packed by the afternoon). Kemil Beach is dog friendly. 

Richmond Indiana. On I-70 on the border of Ohio- about 120 miles east of Indianapolis I think. So not close to that area. 

The campsite is basically 1/2 a mile from the interstate. Nothing remotely nice or pretty about it with a very small pool. Dis gonna be a long week for the wife and kids I believe.  The one thing that could have saved this was a great campsite/ great rec area.  Nope. But, I have a hook up directly to my septic so that means I can showers continuously without turning the water

off. Winning. 

Also, nice to be back inside church for the first time in 3.5 months. 

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

Ha, and now it’s raining. Along with 70% chance tomorrow. Muggy and hot- ish (87 anyway) today and tomorrow. 

That said, by Tuesday it’s supposed to be high of 80 low of 63- so that’s pretty much my ideal weather.  

[troph 25,111]

You’re picking amazing spots 2 weeks in. Walmart twice and Indiana for a week in a camp site within earshot of the interstate. For the sake of your wife and kids step up your game man.

[Landomatic 3,813]

4 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

I used to tour around the country with a band and I drove by this monstrosity a few different times in Indiana.  Not much else there besides corn.

Looks familiar.  Effingham, IN?  I know there’s a big effing cross like that in effingham.

[Biff Tannen 46,099]

1 minute ago, Landomatic said:

Looks familiar.  Effingham, IN?  I know there’s a big effing cross like that in effingham.

Yep

[luke duke 6,448]

But, I have a hook up directly to my septic so that means I can showers continuously without turning the water off. Winning. 

You don’t want to allow your grey/black water to just drain freely into the septic tank. Keep your valves closed until you’re ready to dump. If you leave your black water valve open then all of the piss drains while all of the shit and TP stay behind. If you leave your grey water valve open then you have nothing to flush your shit and piss out of your drain hose.

[CycleTex87 3,010]

3 minutes ago, luke duke said:

 

You don’t want to allow your grey/black water to just drain freely into the septic tank. Keep your valves closed until you’re ready to dump. If you leave your black water valve open then all of the piss drains while all of the shit and TP stay behind. If you leave your grey water valve open then you have nothing to flush your shit and piss out of your drain hose.

 

themoreyouknow.jpg

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

41 minutes ago, troph said:

You’re picking amazing spots 2 weeks in. Walmart twice and Indiana for a week in a camp site within earshot of the interstate. For the sake of your wife and kids step up your game man.

Ueah we’ve already covered that multiple times. Walmart every Saturday night. Campsites Sunday-Saturday. 

And, as I said before, this was the only week that wasn’t going to work bc it’s equidistant between two far away places with her friend and her sister and not shit in between- it was always going to be fucked once we were a week late in getting away from town and decided to go visit bumfuck Missouri first. 

Eureka springs was beautiful. 

After this it’s:

sister in West Virginia (greater dc)

gettysburg

hudson valley outside NYC

boston/cape cod

maine

upstate NY/niagra falls. 

This was the shit week we had to just get thru bc the logistics were fucked visiting the people she wanted to visit when and where she wanted to visit them. 

And yes- it will be Walmart every Saturday night. It’s almost like we have a schedule- clean/break camp/travel on Saturday, stay somewhere for free- shop/prepare for week/church/some local cuisine (if, unlike Indiana, there is any worth exploring) set up camp Sunday, work Monday-Friday every morning, kids school during that time, do something related to the area we are in together as a family in the afternoon, cook, eat dinner, play games in the evening. 

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

29 minutes ago, luke duke said:

 

You don’t want to allow your grey/black water to just drain freely into the septic tank. Keep your valves closed until you’re ready to dump. If you leave your black water valve open then all of the piss drains while all of the shit and TP stay behind. If you leave your grey water valve open then you have nothing to flush your shit and piss out of your drain hose.

 

Should have been more specific- yes that’s the way we are doing it, valves shit but hose connected. Then, once a day going and opening all the valves. But I don’t have to worry about filling the black or grey water tank up bc it won’t be a hassle to dump them. I get to dump them whenever I pull the handles. 

But yeah- don’t hesitate to jump in if you see me say something that’s not right. I’m an idiot. But I asked the guy at the desk if I should park and keep them open or closed as I’ve not had a place with a sewer hookup yet and he told me closed bc of exactly what you just said. 

Edited June 21, 2020 by Wulaw Horn

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

54 minutes ago, troph said:

You’re picking amazing spots 2 weeks in. Walmart twice and Indiana for a week in a camp site within earshot of the interstate. For the sake of your wife and kids step up your game man.

While I realize that several circumstances may necessitate some of your camping locations, troph has a fair point. Your children are maybe on the younger side for it, but you may wish to google up some of those really super odd tourist sites (think along the lines of "world's largest ball of string" or some tiny museum no one's heard of. I'm sure my children are just weird, but some of their favorite recollections from trips were sometimes just the desperate side trip that my husband and I conjured up when something we'd planned on wasn't available. There is a chair in South Dakota (might have been Deadwood?) made entirely out of antlers that my son still talks about. Or the park we found in a little Kansas town that had all the  play equipment you can't find anymore (DANGER!) like gate swings, metal rocket shaped climbing structures, and the merry-go-round (aka the head buster special). It was glorious for them.

The important thing is that you all seem to have a good attitude, and we found that to be half the battle (with the sense of humor and the absurd thrown in for good measure). Who knew that the suburbs of Europe are similar to the United States when you board the wrong bus? Well, our children know, but they laugh about it.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Mrs Whiggins
addition

[davidg 4,057]

18 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

what a shitshow  Adventure.  

Perspective and attitude in adverse conditions is everything.  I admire the shit out of Wulaw for jumping headfirst into this trip.

[troph 25,111]

Ueah we’ve already covered that multiple times. Walmart every Saturday night. Campsites Sunday-Saturday. 
And, as I said before, this was the only week that wasn’t going to work bc it’s equidistant between two far away places with her friend and her sister and not shit in between- it was always going to be fucked once we were a week late in getting away from town and decided to go visit bumfuck Missouri first. 
Eureka springs was beautiful. 
After this it’s:
sister in West Virginia (greater dc)
gettysburg
hudson valley outside NYC
boston/cape cod
maine
upstate NY/niagra falls. 
This was the shit week we had to just get thru bc the logistics were fucked visiting the people she wanted to visit when and where she wanted to visit them. 
And yes- it will be Walmart every Saturday night. It’s almost like we have a schedule- clean/break camp/travel on Saturday, stay somewhere for free- shop/prepare for week/church/some local cuisine (if, unlike Indiana, there is any worth exploring) set up camp Sunday, work Monday-Friday every morning, kids school during that time, do something related to the area we are in together as a family in the afternoon, cook, eat dinner, play games in the evening. 

Rock on!

[Covri 6,367]

3 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

Best I could come up with on google was breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. Survey says... nah. Had those in Iowa and incredibly unimpressed. 

[Brew 3,049]

Take a day trip to Cincinnati. They have a decent aquarium and zoo and there is an Underground Railroad museum there worth a visit. They also have a nicely done riverfront park that the kids would probably enjoy.

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

15 minutes ago, Brew said:

Take a day trip to Cincinnati. They have a decent aquarium and zoo and there is an Underground Railroad museum there worth a visit. They also have a nicely done riverfront park that the kids would probably enjoy.

This place we are at also has one of the biggest underground railway museums too. My wife is confused- she asked me- is this yankee land or are we still in the south?  Me- it’s complicated. Indiana goes both ways. 

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

It's probably out of your way, but it would be apropo if you traveled to Elkhart in the north. They have....the RV Museum and Hall of Fame.

Me, I'd go to Kokomo to see Old Ben--the world's largest steer. He's dead btw but preserved behind glass. Kokomo also has the world's largest sycamore stump (formerly the world's largest sycamore tree but it died too.)

In reality, though, the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial near Santa Claus, Indiana near the Hoosier National Forest seems like a good spot for children, too. Especially if you're headed to the DC area a week or so later.

[zlavydra 2,142]

Apparently there was a prodigious explosion in downtown Richmond, IN in 1968. Commemorative plaque?

[SHOOTER12 8,883]

On 6/19/2020 at 8:25 PM, Wulaw Horn said:

We are watching you tube and trying. I’ve now failed at two projects but weirdly the stuff we messed with is now working- no idea why.

i now can see how things work together and understand the mechanics of it- I’ve been defeated by being unable to get the screws out without stripping them, simple stuff. 

Screws while a simple concept are a nightmare.  Whether slotted or Phillips head, they are useless pieces of crap that should be illegal.  Torx head, hex head,  square head, anything.  I haven't willingly used an "ordinary" screw to assemble anything if there were other options.

Obligatory:. Good luck, we're counting on you...

[Johnny Sack 8,397]

15 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

This place we are at also has one of the biggest underground railway museums too. My wife is confused- she asked me- is this yankee land or are we still in the south?  Me- it’s complicated. Indiana goes both ways. 

Elvis country.  Which is any place without Jews or Italians.

[RPM 26,585]

Has the a/c leak stopped?

[zork 629]

22 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

I know you are a pie lady so... sugar cream pie- you ever had it?  That’s apparently their special pie in the state. 

Also- you guys are missing what is awesome about visiting Indiana... I’m just visiting. I don’t live there. Can’t have too much fun on this trip or never come home. 

Also, my phone works really well, I have good WiFi connection so I’m set. 

kokomo indiana had a very touchy-grindy--feely $10 lapdance place when I was up there working on a near-by frito-lay distribution center(edit: can't recall whether it was a DC or MF(manufacturing facility).  (over 10 years ago)

 

Might be a good tour if they give them.  Seeing all of the yuge machinery to make the cookies, chips, etc in super bulk was cool.  We were working on their computers/networks/etc throughout their facilities nationwide.

Edited June 22, 2020 by zork

[SimonBolivar 11,059]

Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN has a couple of great wooden coasters...No idea if they're open.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

1 hour ago, zork said:

kokomo indiana had a very touchy-grindy--feely $10 lapdance place when I was up there working on a near-by frito-lay distribution center(edit: can't recall whether it was a DC or MF(manufacturing facility).  (over 10 years ago)

 

Might be a good tour if they give them.  Seeing all of the yuge machinery to make the cookies, chips, etc in super bulk was cool.  We were working on their computers/networks/etc throughout their facilities nationwide.

Phrasing in this paragraph needs a slightly stronger hand with the red pen and specific pronoun usage with respect to first sentence, second paragraph. Or not.

Edited June 22, 2020 by Mrs Whiggins
Edit

[zork 629]

4 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

Phrasing in this paragraph needs a slightly stronger hand with the red pen and specific pronoun usage with respect to first sentence, second paragraph. Or not.

yea, ha ha, i saw some of that after I edited it the first time.  oh well.  touring the strip joint would be cool as well, for the OP at least.  not always re-reading enough after quickly typing out posts for this site.

 

edit: after a quick search:   it is apparently still there:  Hip Huggers, Kokomo, IN, 46901

Edited June 22, 2020 by zork

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

57 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN has a couple of great wooden coasters...No idea if they're open.

Just looked it up and I’m 3.5 hours from there. That would have been a great place to visit for this kind of thing. That’s the exact kind of nonsense I’m looking to share with my kids. 

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

You mentioned looking up trip guides, I believe? Have you used this one? https://www.roadsideamerica.com/

It has many out of the ordinary little places. We also used to look up Historical Markers prior to setting out. There was one about the Banditti in Illinois that my husband was quite interested  in when we read the marker. We've been married for a long time and every once in awhile he says "maybe we should run away and join the Banditti." (tbh, they were criminals and outlaws but the whole road trip we rewrote history to romanticize them into some midwestern Robin Hood gang.)

As I mentioned before, extremely dependent upon personal interests/attitude. Sometimes a place ended up being way more interesting for the adults than our children but as often as not, it was the other way around. If a place was pricey, sometimes we passed it up. (None of us ended up enjoying House on the Rock all that much). 

 

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

39 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

You mentioned looking up trip guides, I believe? Have you used this one? https://www.roadsideamerica.com/

It has many out of the ordinary little places. We also used to look up Historical Markers prior to setting out. There was one about the Banditti in Illinois that my husband was quite interested  in when we read the marker. We've been married for a long time and every once in awhile he says "maybe we should run away and join the Banditti." (tbh, they were criminals and outlaws but the whole road trip we rewrote history to romanticize them into some midwestern Robin Hood gang.)

As I mentioned before, extremely dependent upon personal interests/attitude. Sometimes a place ended up being way more interesting for the adults than our children but as often as not, it was the other way around. If a place was pricey, sometimes we passed it up. (None of us ended up enjoying House on the Rock all that much). 

 

Not seen that. Looks cool. Will have to check that link out. Thanks! 

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

 I'm just tickled that your children get to spend some time with Dad and Mom on an adventure across America. Learning how to rely on each other, get along with each other, lift each other up, take the mickey out of someone--all just as valuable as all the great history and sights you'll see. Thanks for letting us join you all vicariously.

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

6 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

 I'm just tickled that your children get to spend some time with Dad and Mom on an adventure across America. Learning how to rely on each other, get along with each other, lift each other up, take the mickey out of someone--all just as valuable as all the great history and sights you'll see. Thanks for letting us join you all vicariously.

Thanks. 

Also- I think this thing is most likely the most fun to do vicariously 😀

[ChickenSandwich 9,928]

On 6/21/2020 at 4:15 PM, Mrs Whiggins said:

While I realize that several circumstances may necessitate some of your camping locations, troph has a fair point. Your children are maybe on the younger side for it, but you may wish to google up some of those really super odd tourist sites (think along the lines of "world's largest ball of string" or some tiny museum no one's heard of. I'm sure my children are just weird, but some of their favorite recollections from trips were sometimes just the desperate side trip that my husband and I conjured up when something we'd planned on wasn't available. There is a chair in South Dakota (might have been Deadwood?) made entirely out of antlers that my son still talks about. Or the park we found in a little Kansas town that had all the  play equipment you can't find anymore (DANGER!) like gate swings, metal rocket shaped climbing structures, and the merry-go-round (aka the head buster special). It was glorious for them.

The important thing is that you all seem to have a good attitude, and we found that to be half the battle (with the sense of humor and the absurd thrown in for good measure). Who knew that the suburbs of Europe are similar to the United States when you board the wrong bus? Well, our children know, but they laugh about it.

when my friend's dad would take us on road trips, he would stop at damn near every historical marker, ball of foil, small museum etc.  We thought it was awesome and he was just some sort of history buff.  Later he told us he would stop and go smoke pot in the woods while we were distracted.  Good times

[BevoSwag 272]

15 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

Thanks. 

Also- I think this thing is most likely the most fun to do vicariously 😀

You had mentioned earlier you had visited every state except two.  Did you parents take you on some type of American venture similar to the one you are conducting for your family?

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

24 minutes ago, BevoSwag said:

You had mentioned earlier you had visited every state except two.  Did you parents take you on some type of American venture similar to the one you are conducting for your family?

No. We traveled plenty as a kid but most of it was me exploring on my own. We went on one trip to the east coast that I planned in 9th grade to see different ballparks and historical places where we took in the east coast from virginia to Massachusetts, but I’d say 20 or 25 with them and the rest on my own. 

[Js1 87,090]

On 6/20/2020 at 8:01 PM, dcbc said:

Scrapple? 

With ranch I imagine 

[LonghornJones 838]

This video recommends some hot spots in Cleveland:

 

[horn4life 3,834]

On 6/21/2020 at 3:43 PM, luke duke said:

 

You don’t want to allow your grey/black water to just drain freely into the septic tank. Keep your valves closed until you’re ready to dump. If you leave your black water valve open then all of the piss drains while all of the shit and TP stay behind. If you leave your grey water valve open then you have nothing to flush your shit and piss out of your drain hose.

 

THIS!!! Even though I haven't taken my maiden voyage yet, avoidance of the poop volcano is apparently one of the rookie typical mistakes.  I am a research whore, and search out the bad things to try to avoid them.  NOT allowing black tank to get maybe 3/4 before flushing is a recipe for black tank disaster.  This is the one area of apprehension I have with my trailer.  As well as what is going to go wrong with it.  I am pretty handy, but you need the right tools, or that RV is gonna whip your ass over time.

You need to add a couple things. 

TOOL RELATED

1) A drill regular drill that has adjustable torque setting so you will NOT strip screws. Better to try lower torque settings to try and break a screw loose.  And as has been said a screw extractor set. And a decent set of titanium (for metal) drill bits to be able to drill out the bitch ass screws the extractor cannot handle.

2) Impact drill - with socket adapter set. This is mostly for emergencies in case a leveler electrically goes out or you need to use other manual functions on the trailer where you would hand crank.  For me it's a 3/4 socket that makes quick work of the levelers.

3) Epoxy, screw shields and assorted screw sizes, and RV roof sealant.  I would look online for a set with stainless screws. Simply as a resting screw simply looks nasty over time.  Then hope you can remove and repair any stripped screws in the future and have success!

4) A pair of breaker bars and complete socket set.  Check what the largest socket sizes you might have need for and buy them now.

5) Duct tape and shoe goo - you can fix almost anything temporarily with these two.

6) But an extra lower radiator hose.  And look at how to replace it now.  This is the single cheapest and most catastrophic failure for most engines.  You can duct tape an upper hope and limp along.  The lower hose drains all the coolant and you are SOL and severe engine damage is likely.

FOOD RELATED

1) Buy an additional freezer/fridge that is DC capable for additional food storage.  They are not cheap but will help in making quick meals without near as much prep. This is going to be a must for me because I am going to want a good deal of ice when trailer is on the beach. And to freeze fish catches.

2) Cook a ton of shit on the weekend.  Grill on the weekends and cook a lot of extra chicken or whatever else the kids like. Then you can reheat and repurpose the meat from Sunday, into tacos, enchiladas, sandwiches or whatever. Casseroles that you can bag and reheat as leftovers are great too.  We do a breakfast casserole with eggs, white bread, cooked pork sausage and cheese that reheats fantastically that we used for years to keep the little ones full quickly in the AM with no prep.  

GOOD LUCK!  The most difficult thing about doing something new is, not knowing what you don't know!  Which is what you are learning right now through trial and error, and God Bless YouTube!

 

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

So, my neighbor in the rv slip next to me last night was a mechanic. He said the stairs don’t have screws they have rivets and no way I’m getting them off. So, there’s that. 

I thought they were screws because there were screw heads on the thing. 

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

Cancelled visiting the sister in laws after my wife got into it a bit with her sister. I am living right and dodging bullets NEO style. 

Made reservations next for Shenendoah valley in Virginia. School me surly- what do I need to do in that area?  Have 4’days in campsites and then 4 days to boondock in between going from there to Gettysburg- so- what you got for me? 

[EE2B 1,569]

I just want to say I’m in before you are half way to Gettysburg and have to turn around because she made up with her sister and has to see her right now!

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

1 hour ago, EE2B said:

I just want to say I’m in before you are half way to Gettysburg and have to turn around because she made up with her sister and has to see her right now!

This would be funny. I know my wife pretty well though and this is highly unlikely to happen. I do, however have a built in 4 days between Shenandoah valley and Gettysburg that if they make up we can just boondock there. It will be a little out of the way but not too bad. 

[zork 629]

Did the kids like the Hip Huggers tour in Kokomo?

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

51 minutes ago, zork said:

Did the kids like the Hip Huggers tour in Kokomo?

Didn’t go yet. Will suggest to wife if it’s close enough to where we are for her to make it a day journey with them. 

[thrillhammer 686]

you lost me on this thread when you decided to spend a week in indiana.  i'm out.

[SimonBolivar 11,059]

20 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

Cancelled visiting the sister in laws after my wife got into it a bit with her sister. I am living right and dodging bullets NEO style. 

Made reservations next for Shenendoah valley in Virginia. School me surly- what do I need to do in that area?  Have 4’days in campsites and then 4 days to boondock in between going from there to Gettysburg- so- what you got for me? 

Monticello + looking at UVA is a solid day. Hiking in the National Park of course is great too. If you can get over to Richmond then take a look at the Confederate White House (American Civil War Museum) and there are plenty of other sites from the Colonial and Civil War Eras all across the state. It's really one of the best states to spend a month in.

 

 

Of course almost all of these places could be closed so do some research.

Edited June 24, 2020 by SimonBolivar

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

1 hour ago, SimonBolivar said:

Monticello + looking at UVA is a solid day. Hiking in the National Park of course is great too. If you can get over to Richmond then take a look at the Confederate White House (American Civil War Museum) and there are plenty of other sites from the Colonial and Civil War Eras all across the state. It's really one of the best states to spend a month in.

 

 

Of course almost all of these places could be closed so do some research.

Yep. Park should be open. 

[Wulaw Horn 19,565]

1 hour ago, thrillhammer said:

you lost me on this thread when you decided to spend a week in indiana.  i'm out.

One boring week out of 55 on the road. Sometimes lessons have to be learned and people have to be visited. Tough crowd. 

[luke duke 6,448]

Yep. Park should be open.