A Day Trip to Indiana Dunes State Park

So we dropped the fifth wheel off at the factory service center and decided to head out on a day of exploration. While we have spent time in Elkhart before, we have never traveled to the Indiana National Seashore or the Indiana Dunes State Park. The leaves are near peak right now and that alone promised to make the drive memorable.

We knew that the National Seashore would be closed, (thank you House Republicans), so that meant that we were really heading to the State Park. The National Seashore would have been free with my senior pass but the state park charged us ten dollars for the day pass as we were from out of state.

Ten dollars seemed steep to us as the regular restrooms were closed and the only restroom available was the worst smelling pit toilet I have ever used, (and that’s really says a lot)! In fact the bath house and all the facilities were closed, including the birding tower. You would think that the State of Indiana would at least charge less in the off season?

Still it was a nice, but windy, cool fall day and we strolled along the beach. It was such a clear day that we could see the Chicago skyline dominated by its towering skyscrapers, and they were fifty four miles away! We also enjoyed the large dunes and barren slopes that the park calls the Devil’s Slide.

So we enjoyed our time there, before heading back to Elkhart. It’s always a good day when you walk along a beach letting the sand work its way between your toes and it’s always a good day when you get to see a new part of the world filled with fall colors. Every day is a blessing! Clear skies

The RV Hall Of Fame and Museum, Elkhart, Indiana

We have spent the last week emptying the fifth wheel as we prepare to take it in for a major repair. So, the last week has been less then inspiring. Finally, we got to the point where there isn’t a lot left to do and so we decided to visit the Rv Museum.

Not really knowing what to expect we were pleasantly surprised to see a large and new building housing the museum. As we entered we were warmly greeted and after paying the senior rate one of the staff gave us a short orientation lecture for the self guided tour.

The first room had a display showing the manufacturing setup of a typical RV trailer factory. It was really a good model that showed much of what we had seen when we toured the Heartland Bighorn plant, six years ago.

The next room was really the main museum and as we strolled down the paved road, we were treated to trailers and motor homes that represented all of the innovations of the past one hundred years. I think I was most surprised at how little the RV’s have changed through the years. Other then the relative recent introduction of room slides, the different trailers had pretty much the same basic necessities of life.

What was really amazing was the beauty of some of the different units. As far as I was concerned the Hunt Custom Star was the most beautiful camper. Made in 1938, the Hunt Star exemplified the art deco style of the nineteen thirties and showed the beautiful curves from that era.

Another trailer that caught our eye was the tear drop camper that we see new examples of today. Which poses the question, is there really anything new? We also got a kick out of the forty two foot trailer, pulled by a one ton Studebaker pickup, (which was a thing of beauty in itself).

It was really neat to see all the vintage homes on wheels. One especially brought back memories of my Grandpa Huber’s Mallard Camper,(not really sure if it was a Mallard),. He had it parked in an RV park on the Upper Mississippi River and we used it often, (Unfortunately the picture is blurry). Just seeing it reminded me of all the fish we had caught while staying there.

So the RV museum had turned into a walk down memory lane, and that’s good. As I read once, it brought a smile to my face of good times and the joy that those good times had happened. Isn’t that one of the reasons for the place? Clear skies