With good weather ahead and the wind at our tails, we departed promptly from Shelby RV park, and we certainly didn’t look back. We had become accustomed to warm welcomes and a can-do attitude from our park hosts, but Shelby unfortunately let the side down, with 2 very surly hosts, pitiful wi-fi and dingy showers. Such was Malkie’s vigour to leave that Ryan and I didn’t have time to ready ourselves for the road, with Ryan picking up some coffee to-go from the gas station clad in his special road-trip PJs. I took the opportunity to climb back into bed for a lie in, and watched Iowa sail by for a while before drifting off into that indulgent second sleep that truly marks a holiday.
After a pit-stop at McDonalds outside Des Moines (for the views, you understand, not the cuisine), we pressed on along US-80 to our next stop, an outlet mall. Whilst the boys spent hours shopping, I stayed behind to fix a whole raft of mechanical and electrical issues. The old RV was showing some signs of weariness today, and wasn’t firing up her tanks to produce any hot water until 2.30pm. (We have learned that most problems seem to either fix themselves mysteriously and independently, or Ryan finds a way). Although Ryan plumbed new depths of on-road pastime yesterday having taken as shower whilst travelling on I-90 east, I still felt that a shower in the parking lot of a mall was also breaking new ground.
My afternoon shift at the wheel involved a few hairy moments involving tricky mergers (the most difficult part of driving this 45ft outfit), heavier traffic then the western states and a pesky motorist cutting me up on a 4-lane intersection. If only he knew that my braking distance is about half a kilometre, and I could easily mow his insignificant little car down with my 20 ton vehicle.
The bleakness of the Great Plains has now given way to green, plush farmland in Iowa and Illinois. It was enjoyable to watch countless farms go by from the drivers seat, with traditional barns, neat rows of cattle enclosures, and enormous grain stores. I had to show great restraint whilst passing many signs for local antiques – the prospect of manoeurving the rig in anything but a huge gas station put me right out of the notion of a detour.
After hundreds of miles, and the prospect of thunderstorms at our destination (a place called Edinburgh, in Indiana), we decided to call it a day, and pulled off instead at Crawfordsville, just north of Indianapolis. The fuel indicator hovering at empty for a while was giving some cause for concern, but we rationalised this risky behaviour as an essential part of any authentic road trip experience. With relief we found a lonely gas station in the village, but our relief was short lived when we realised the fuel indicator remained at empty following our fill-up. A great big hole in the tank? Blown fuse? (our current explanation for most things). In any case, it was 10.30pm, and still pre-dinner, so we filled up the spare canister for good measure and arrived shortly afterwards at our campground – a spacious wooded area but with a few tight turns to navigate before firing up the BBQ. Thankfully, the fuel gauge sprung into action eventually.
Over our burgers and improvised chips, we reflected on our sterling efforts of the day in driving, navigating and troubleshooting. We have a mere 600 miles to go before Friday so we plan to take a leisurely pace through Kentucky and West Virginia, and into the Appalachian mountains and Shenandoah National Park.
Roundup of today’s statistics:
‘Traditional’ american meals eaten: 3 (egg McMuffins, hot dogs, burgers)
Total driving distance: 540 miles
States traversed: 3
Number of minor RV issues: 3 (hot water failure, window wiper fell off, fuel indicator temperamental)
Hours on the road: 10
Disclaimer: Apologies that the photos are a little thin today. Driving took precedence.
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