Apples!

The overcast weather continued, so it was an inside day for both people and dogs.

Tim's McIntosh apple tree is LOADED with fruit, and the ground below is also covered with apples, despite his picking up bucketsful of them.

So we spent the afternoon making apple butter.  Pam did most of the work, but I did my share of stirring for the three hours it took for the apples to cook down.

And the finished product!

We have a dozen jars of apple butter to share with family members along the way, with plenty to take home and enjoy this fall and winter.  A satisfying day's work!

For dinner we had a great pizza from Zooey's of Marion, IA---highly recommended if you are passing through the area.  

Moving on to Marion IA

Although we had planned to stay at the marina until mid-week, we decided based on the weather forecast to head to Tim and Pam's home in Marion.  We've stayed "camping" in their driveway in the past, and Ranger loves the opportunity to run free with Lola in their fenced backyard.

The day was humid, the air heavy, but no rain actually appeared, although it looked on the radar as if the storm went south of Marion, right where the campground is located.  

Tim and Pam picked two big buckets full of tomatoes from their garden, and we peeled and chopped them, along with lots of peppers and onions, to make salsa---18 pint jars of it.  Their apple tree is also FULL of fruit now, so tomorrow's plan is to make apple butter!  

Ranger is delighted to be in a house and to be able to be underfoot wherever people are.

Hot Sunday on the water

The weather continued to be extremely hot in Iowa, but we were able to get out on the water of Coralville Lake and enjoy a cool breeze.  Tim took us cruising around the lake on their houseboat.

Here's the view as we left the dock:

Lola was nervous on the water and she did not seem to like her lifejacket one bit!

Ranger stayed behind in the air-conditioned RV.

We rode along the shore for quite awhile.  This is a man-made lake, along with its partner Macbride Lake.  The shoreline was full of interesting sandstone formations.

We spent much of the afternoon rafted up in a cove with Pam's daughter and her husband (and friends of theirs) and the kids had a great time swimming and sliding down a mud-covered slide into the water.

When we returned to the marina, Pam made a big dinner of pork chops, potatoes & onions, and corn-on-the-cob.

Boat-A-Palooza

Yesterday at Pointe Marina and Campground, things were hoppin'!

For Boat-a-Palooza, people are given pieces of cardboard and one roll of duct tape with which to build a boat.  Boats are then raced around a marker and back to the starting line---hopefully without sinking.

Here are Megan Dorgan (our niece) and her family working on their boat, Anchors Away.

Reiley and Lily composed the crew, and they did great!  We all thought they would have placed in the race  (which was done in a series of heats, by time), but no trophy for them.  

We thought we would escape the August heat by leaving Virginia, but it was steamy in Iowa yesterday.  Much of the rest of the day was spent relaxing in the shade and taking in fluids.  It was fun to chat with Reiley; hard to believe that she is in high school already!

The kids cooled off by jumping into the lake from the back of Tim's boat.

Our First Destination

Yup, that's the Mighty Mississippi, which we crossed yesterday at Peoria.  By midafternoon we had reached our first destination of the trip: Scales Pointe Marina and Campground in North Liberty, Iowa.  Dan's brother Tim keeps a boat here, and we plan to stay for awhile, to allow some boatwork, fishing, relaxing, and visiting with family members.

This is the weekend of the Boat-a-Palooza cardboard boat races, apparently a big event, and the place is packed.

It seems that most of our (very) nearby neighbors have dogs, so Ranger is well-entertained.  Fortunately he seems to get along with Cooper next door, and of course he had fun with Lola, once Tim and Pam arrived.  We left the two dogs in the RV while we had dinner at the bar just a few steps away from our site, and they must have behaved as there was no destruction to be seen.

Things are a bit quieter in the early morning as I write this, though I suspect that the partying will pick up as we get closer to afternoon.  For now, this is the view:

Into Corn Country

On Day 2, we drove across half of  Kentucky to Louisville, and on into Indiana.

On into Illinois on I-64, then we took US-45 through farm country, a little slower drive through some small towns, but not bad.  Just past Effingham IL, we got onto back roads....miles of back roads...to reach Wolf Creek State Park, on Lake Shelbysville.  

It was a long day of driving, but with the change to Central time, we were set up shortly before 5.  The park has 300 sites, but few were taken when we arrived, so we got a prime spot with a paved drive and "patio" near the restrooms.  A warm shower and clean clothes perked me up considerably! Weather remains sunny, a bit warmer, but pleasant.  Ranger seems to be getting back into the routine.

Several people pulled into sites near ours after dark (which came early, with the time zone change), both with fishing boats.  I guess fishing is the attraction at this large park that seems to be close to almost nothing but corn.

Day 1: Midwest Trip of August 2015

Day 1 took us from home, through West Virginia, and into Kentucky.  The day was sunny and warm, just in the low 80’s so pleasant for travel. 

We stopped for the night at Grayson Lake State Park, where we discovered that we really did not need reservations: the park is only about 5-10% full.  The campground is not on the lake, as expected, but rather is in the middle of a golf course, open and grassy.  Our site does have several oak trees shading it, which provided a drum beat of water droplets from the trees falling on the roof all night. 

Ranger awoke several times to bark at some critter outside; I guess it will take him a few days to get back into camping mode.  We awoke to a very foggy morning, with another long day of driving ahead----heading toward Illinois for the next stop.