Pucker Brush Days

July 19, 2015
Forest City, Iowa.

We did not see the Pucker Brush Days Festival. When we got there at 6PM everything was closed and there were no people. They did have some cool bicycle art on display.

Forest City is a small Iowa town of about 4200 people. Most of the people work at the Winnebago Factory located in town. This weekend was the PBD Festival and Tuesday starts the WIT Grand National Rally. It lasts for two weeks and you have to be a member of WIT to participate. WIT stands for Winnebago Itasca Travelers.

We are staying at Pannel Park Campground for the night. We plan on taking the Winnebago Factory Tour tomorrow. We are interested in buying a Winnebago for our next RV. They have a dealership here in town, Lichtsinn, so we can test drive the various models. Lichtsinn is the number one RV dealer in Iowa.

We went to a winery today and did some tasting and listened to some live music. Judy bought a bottle of wine and sipped it while watching the band.

bicycle art

wine and band

Winnebago Factory

notice the tank in the background

Forest City Iowa

July 18, 2015

We left Phyllis and Kevin's house this morning around 10. We spent the last three nights there inside their home. This is the first time since we began our trip, May 1st, that we have not slept in Monica. Their house is on a curve and I was afraid we might get rear ended if we parked on the street. We parked Monica in their sloped driveway and slept in the house basement. It was very hot so it was nice to be inside in the air conditioned house.

We visited The University of Illinois where Kevin and Phyllis are starting their new jobs next month. The Campus is huge and very pretty. Most of the buildings are old and brick,  but refurbished inside. You can tell there is lots of history there.

We stopped at the biggest truck stop in the world on our way to Forest City, Iowa. It is located in Wallcott, Iowa. The main building is 67,000 Sq ft.  They have fast food, a restaurant, and lots of travel items for sale. It gets an average of 5000 visitors a day and has 450 employees.

We are camping tonight at Iowa Pilot Knob State Park. It costs $16 for the camping spot with electricity and showers. Tomorrow we will be touring Forest City.

Kevin and Phyllis eating ice cream

The Sociology Building

The Mathematics Building 

inside the truck stop

The Restaurant 

Just Pictures

We are laying low for the next couple of days in Urbana. Hanging out with friends. Since I didn't go anywhere today these are some old pictures I took on our trip.

Judy told me her favorite most useful thing she has brought on this trip is her smartphone. My most useful thing after my smartphone is my quick-dry towel. My favorite place is usually the last place we've been. Judy's most favorite place was Stephen's house in the Adirondack's. The best thing Judy drank was salted Carmel latte in Hingam, Massachusetts. My most favorite drink is a toss-up between Tim Horton's frozen hot chocolate or frozen daiquiri's in Louisiana.

Phyllis and Kevin's house

Miles from nowhere

Pensacola Beach Sunset

Ball of drywall paper tape

Urbana, Illinois

July 14, 2015

We left The Fair Grounds in Goshen early this morning to go on the Jayco Factory Tour and instead went to Illinois to visit Kevin and Phyliss. The last time we saw them was in Washington DC. They are staying in their brand new, but empty home.

"The Anonymous Travelers" are headed back to San Diego pronto because of a family emergency. We will not be traveling with them because we have other places we want to visit.

Rest stop in Illinois

Pumpkin being a watch dog.

Nexus RV Factory Tour and Old Bag Factory

July 13, 2013
This morning we awoke to a wicked scary thunderstorm. The rain was heavy and our shore power went out. The wind blew our little van from side to side. You could feel the concussions from the thunder. Being from San Diego both Judy and I do not know anything about extreme weather, but we are sure finding out on this trip. The storm lasted lasted about four hours and then the sun came out and it was hot. It's amazing how the weather can be so changeable.

I went on a factory tour of the Nexus RV Factory with "The Anonymous Travelers" this morning. The Tour was scheduled to take 45 minutes, but I left after 2 hours. 'The Anonymous Travelers" want to sell "The Taj Ma Jal" and get a class C motorhome. I will have some pictures so you can see what they look like.

After leaving "The Anonymous Travelers" with the RV sales person, Judy and I went to an artist's village in Goshen. It was located in what once was an old bag factory, hence the name of the village was, The Old Bag Factory. They had some art quilts that were selling for over three thousand dollars. There were some antique stores, a restaurant, coffee house,  and a chocolate factory.

"The Anons" checking the workmanship 

Roof inspection

The laminating section

Nexus

At The Bag Factory

The Bag Factory chimney 

The Fair Gounds Elkhart, Indiana

July 12, 2015
We are still at The Fairgrounds camping. We are parked next to "The Anonymous Travelers" fifth wheel trailer. Judy went bike riding with them today and we all went out for dinner and beers. I got new batteries for our key fobs and some dog food for Punky. Tomorrow I want to tour some more RV factories. Jayco and Nexus RV Tours are my choices.

The Fair Grounds

"The Anonymous Travelers"

The RV Hall of Fame and Museum

July 11, 2015
We visited the RV Museum in Elkhart, Indiana. They have a RV Hall of Fame there, which consists of framed photographs of a bunch of old white guys. They have a RV library which is pretty cool if you need to look up stuff about old RV's, but the RV'S on display were the most interesting to me. I took a slew of pictures that don't really do these old beauties justice.

They have an old trailer out in front that a man bought when he got out of WWII at age 22. Sorry, I don't have any picture of it. He lived full time in it up until 2012 when he gave it to the museum. It is beat-up and smells like old socks inside. I can't help but wonder what the rest of the story might be concerning his life. Did he get married, have kids, live in the backcountry somewhere off the grid?  What kind of job did he have that he could live in a trailer his whole life? Was he insane?

We visited the RV surplus store, but it wasn't that great. We couldn't find the clear porch light cover we needed.

When we were looking for a place to stay for the night we decided to go out to the Fair Grounds because it is close to the bike path Judy wants to ride on tomorrow. Who did we find there camping but "The Anon Travelers". We had not heard from them for two days. It turns out that "A" had dropped her cell phone in the toilet.

If it doesn't rain tomorrow Judy will go for a ride. If "T" is feeling better from her sinus infection they will ride together.

Tomorrow I will probably wash and clean the van and do some errands if it doesn't rain. I need to get some batteries for our remote key fobs.

This place isn't much of a campground. I guess that is why they call it The Fair Grounds. We have electrical and water, toilets and a shower. It is out in the middle of nowhere land. There are no trees or shade of any kind and it is hot. We are inside running the air conditioner. Judy and Pumpkin are  taking their afternoon nap. I am writing this blog.

"The Anon Travelers"

Nice interior

I remember this model

Cook while you drive

this one was space age for the time

in remarkable condition

nice color