Back in Ontario....

Our Location: Woodstock, Ontario

We woke to rain on Friday morning in Oakdale Campground and decided we’d give it a couple of hours to see what the weather would do over the morning hours. If it continued raining we would stay for another day and head out on Saturday, if it stopped we would head out Friday. 

Along our travels in Ohio after leaving Oakdale Campground in Quincy.

 

 About 9 am it stopped and we finished hooking up and headed out. It took us about 30 minutes to get out of the campground and we didn’t dump as we missed the turn and there was no where else to turn around and go back without wasting another half hour. We opted to find a dump station elsewhere. 

 

Flag City and Findlay are the same city.

 We were on the actual road, not just getting to it by 10 am with another destination in mind. Beaverdam and the Flying J with a dump station. About an hour’s drive from the campground and about half way through out travel day. We were happy to be on our way further north and closer to home. The roads were a bit damp but we had no issues. The way to the interstate is never straight forward but windy, twisty and skinny back roads, turn right, go straight, turn right, go straight, you know the way the GPS takes you. We eventually ended up on I-75 Northbound. Bonus, we were going the right way too!!! 

That is the Motor City ahead of us this morning.

 

A stop at the Flying J in Beaverdam, Ohio had us spending $10 to dump our tanks. No complaints, easy in, easy out. Huge parking lot in the back for future places to stay if necessary. The sky was clearing a bit and it was warm, very nice and warm. Not hot but certainly nice spring weather. Within the hour we reached our changed destination. We had been planning on the Walmart at Perrysburg, a suburb of Toledo but opted instead for Bowling Green. Only a few miles short of Perrysburg. Easy to find, easy to park, not the most level place (again not a complaint just a reminder for the future) but still lots of room or so we thought. The reefer truck beside us all night could have parked in another spot but chose right beside us instead. He arrived in time to have multiple choices, and he chose us. Oh well, it’s only one night.
 

Michigan is home to Detroit which is home to the Pistons Basketball team.

 

After unhooking to fuel up which took more time to hook and unhook than fueling took, we were on the road once again around the 8:30 am mark heading north on I-75 and the border crossing. The first part of I-75 is brutal and should be closed until it’s repaired before someone hurts themselves trying to dodge holes. However it was short lived, and before long the roads were much better with only the occasional hump or hole. 

 

Different states but the same painting. Very patriotic.

 

We easily found our way to the ‘ ridge to Canada' exit, and before long we were crossing the St. Clair River after paying our $10 US fee to cross. A bit of construction on the bridge but nothing too major and soon we were in line for customs. Not many in line ahead of us but the guard was taking his time and we waited about 20 minutes to reach our turn. A few questions and we were off to find the 401 East to London. The exiting of the customs area was like driving in Michigan, and we as Ontarian’s should be ashamed of ourselves for letting that particular two car lengths of road get like that. A person could lose a small car in one of those holes and not ever find it again. 

 

Crossing the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit, MI to Windsor, Ontario. We pass over the St. Clair River.

 We motored right along on the 401 Eastbound enjoying the sights and the smells of being back home. Our destination was the Dutton OnRoute but after stopping for a Timmie’s we headed back on down the road to Woodstock, just a mere 45 minutes from tomorrow’s destination. Forecast is calling for rain and I don’t want to drive far in the rain so this a much better stop. Not a big lot here but we’re settled in nicely and are looking forward to reaching Bradey & David’s tomorrow. Of course some text messages to family letting them know we arrived back in Ontario and a call to dad were also part of the ‘home’ experience.

We are taking that exit. Going past London but as far as Toronto yet. Those are kilometers on the sign, not miles.

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. I’ll be posting every couple of days for a while as things will be a bit busy.  

They let us back in again!!!!

 

Until next time… take care, be safe,

Deb

Chores today....

Our Location: Oakdale Campground, Quincy, Ohio

 

I always seem to be lagging behind these days with my postings. I need to stop that. This is yet again, yesterday's post. 

 

We had a cool overnight but not too bad. We are used to cooler overnights of course, the winter is full of them. I guess our minds think that because we are getting further north the air should be cooler at night but I wonder if the river here is tempering the temperatures? We are in a small hollow between much higher river banks and it almost seems as if it's a little climate of it's own. The nights are warmer than we expect and the days are cooler than when we go out of the campground. 

 

The original. There is a campground on the other side of the river too.

 I have only two photos today, both of the same thing. One is a cropped photo and one is the original. It was taken with my phone. It gives one an idea of how far away the phone can be and still take a decent picture. 

 

It was a busy sort of morning. I defrosted and cleaned both fridge and freezer before breakfast. After that I headed out for a walk and again managed to get in just over 2.5 miles in an hour. I journeyed to the office to pay for one more night, we will be leaving here Friday morning but not crossing until Saturday. Back home I tidied up a number of cabinets and drawers inside and out, wiping them completely down to remove all the desert dust and accumulated debris.  I'm always amazed at how dusty things get. We'll finish our spring cleaning over the couple of weeks we are at Buttercup Ridge in Roseneath, ON. 

Riley also was busy while I was out, she hauled out the vacuum and did a very nice job, she also cleaned up her own room/bathroom. After lunch she decided to go for a walk and managed to put in about 2.5 miles as well. 

 

A bit blurry but not bad for the distance.

 By the time I was finished doing those few housekeeping chores I thought I'd sit outside, we had the big door open and it seemed coolish but nice. Of course the sun went behind the clouds and the wind turned even colder in the shadows of the clouds. I moved back inside within 15 minutes even though I had my hoodie on. I don't think gloves would be appropriate for reading outside. 

From that point on we had a quiet relaxing day doing a whole lot of nothing else. So a nice day, a productive day and a good day to be busy outside but not sitting. Still it's April in the northern USA, so not a complaint just a statement. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you had a fantastic day. 

Until next time... take care, be safe, 

Deb

A picture kind of day....

Our Location: Oakdale Campground, Quincy, Ohio

 

(yesterday's post)

 

I didn't sleep well last night for some reason, and kind of dragged all day. No amount of exercise or fresh air could get me up to do much of anything and with the cold north wind, well it wasn't hard to convince myself to stay inside most of the day. Riley too seemed to be dragging. We headed out for a walk in the morning, putting in a little over 2 1/2 miles in an hour but that it was it for the day. We spent the remainder inside reading, watching a movie or two and just taking it easy. 

This was on my phone. It is from Natural Falls S.P.

We walked along this driveway yesterday here at the campground.

Way out there is State Route 235, we walked along it too.

That big tree was completely hollow in the middle.

Only one of these trees has a tire swing, but two have steps.

This one will be high and dry during a flood.

 

There is a dock under that high end. Must have washed down here in the big rains.

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you had a fantastic day!! All of today's photos were taken on my phone.

Until next time... take care, be safe, 

Deb

 

 

Visiting friends today.....

Our Location: Oakdale Campground, Quincy, Ohio

A warm night for sleeping and we enjoyed the quiet once more. This is a great place to rest and catch up on our sleep. 

Winding our way down the country roads today.

With the morning skies overcast and a chance of rain in the offing we didn’t really know what we wanted to do today. So after a quick walk I contacted George & Suzie (Our Awesome Travels) to see about getting together today. 

Some of the fields waiting to be worked up.

After a quiet morning Riley and I climbed into the Dogsled to head north to Wapakoneta for a happy hour with George & Suzie. The windy road lead us across the country side and within a short time we were pulling up to the campground security gate. Before long we were parked and chatting with George & Suzie. Thanks folks for the movies and the books. We appreciate them very much. Riley & I enjoyed the afternoon a great deal and before we knew it the clock was reading 5 pm and time for us to go home. 

The skies were overcast today.

 Back at home we slipped into the campground and settled down for the evening of watching a movie or two. The perfect end to a nice day.
 

Suzie, George & Riley.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

 

Suzie, George & Deb

Until next time… take care, be safe,

Deb

Errand day....

Our Location: Oakdale Campground, Quincy, Ohio

 

A very nice night, warm and quiet with the frogs making the usual night time noises. Always nice to hear them, it means spring is here and summer can't be far behind. In our summer spot we can hear them as well as the tree frogs that seem to be growing in number. 

 

The little hamlet of DeGraff, Ohio.

 

 After our  normal morning routines and some breakfast we headed off to Bellefontaine. A few errands to do today. The country roads were pretty empty and before long we found our way into the edges of town. 

 

We have indeed reached Bellefontaine.

 

 Our first stop was the Jiffy Lube for an oil change on the Big Dog. We will be taking him back to the Chevy Dealership in Cobourg on our return to Ontario as he's still having an oil issue. Not a big one, just an annoying one. 

 

These fellas changed the oil, cleaned the outside of the windows and ran a vacuum over the inside mats.

 

From the Jiffy Lube we headed off to Walmart for some groceries. We managed to get everything on the list without any issue even though many of the shelves were looking a bit like Mother Hubbard's cupboards, BARE. The rain held off until we were in the Dogsled heading home but then stopped as we pulled up to the Igloo. Yeah, a dry time of carrying groceries. 

 

I wonder what kind of story this place would tell if it could talk.

 

The rest of the day was on and off rain, but warm temperatures, so we have no complaints. We spent the remainder of the day just enjoying the quiet. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

 

I love this house, not crazy about the colour but it's eye catching.

 

 Until next time.. take care, be safe, 

 

Deb

All caught up now.....

Our Location: Oakdale Campground, Quincy, Ohio

A quiet night here in the campground, we both slept well with the sound of frogs as our night time music. 

 

Our spot this year at Oakdale Campground.

 

This morning found us with our hoodies off and enjoying the warmth of the spring air. The park is pretty busy today as it’s the first open day of the season in the park. Numerous folks coming to open up, park, set up and air out the summer spot.
 

The road we'll take to leave the campground next week.

 

We spent some time exercising our walking shoes this morning by putting a couple of miles under them. The warmth of the sun soon faded though as the clouds came in and covered the sun off and on for most of the day. We spent the rest of the day just enjoying the peace and quiet and relaxing. Tomorrow we have some errands to accomplish. 

 

The Miami River.

 

It’s going to be a very quiet week for us here in Ohio but I’m sure we’ll manage to enjoy the time. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

A different view of our spot.

 

Until next time… take care, be safe,

Deb



 

Back in our own time zone.....

Our Location: Oakdale Campground, Quincy, Ohio

(April 5)

A quiet night in Richmond, or at least for me it was a quiet night. Riley didn’t sleep well but those things happen. We were in no hurry to leave the little spot in Richmond and we did a number of things all pertaining to the nail punctured tire back in Hereford. It appears the plug is not holding well or perhaps there is another issue but the tire continues to loose air, not a lot but some and so I thought since we’ve a short day why not have it looked at. Do you know that is more difficult than one would think. 

Left over from Thursday travel day. I thought of St. Elmo's Fire, Riley thought of Elmo from Sesame Street.

Walmart had nothing to lift us to remove the tire and had no desire to help us. A police officer mentioned Camping World a number of exits behind us and also a couple of tire shops but wasn’t certain if they could help us either. With that in mind we pulled up to the air machine at Murphy’s Gas Bar in the Walmart lot and tried to top it with air. I’m never sure if those things are worth the price as they seem to be hit and miss as to which ones work and which ones don’t. Gave it a shot anyway.

No we didn't leave the USA. Fuel prices are rising.(Another left over photo)

We pulled out about 9:30 am Central Time heading back toward I-70 East. Noting a Mike’s Tires we pulled into the medium sized lot. They didn’t have anything to help us either but offered to check and air the tire. Even though I was sure it was good I took them up on their offer. A bit of wiggling around had us close enough to the door for the hose to reach. The nice young fella that aired the tires in fact checked all of the tires, truck and trailer. They all hovered around the 75 lb mark he added air to a couple to make them all consistent. No charge and have a good day. Nice place, and we appreciated their help.
 

Riley laughed at the second name in the list. (left over photo)

  

Back on I-70 East we past in to the state of Ohio within about a mile and finally reached our own time zone. Yeah. We are now back with Ontario time. We made our way to I-75 North just at the top edge of Dayton, Ohio and motored on for about 45 minutes to reach the small quaint town of Sidney, taking exit 92 we headed toward Quincy. We stayed in this same park last year on our way and enjoy it except for the poor cell signal. We are in a different spot than last year but still right on the Miami River banks. The park is listed as opening April 1 but due to flooding, rain and a death in the family it was closed until today April 6. However a nice fella that we met last  year met us at the closed gate and allowed us entry. We followed him to the spot which I was a bit skeptical of at first but we fit quite well and I had no issues backing us in.
 

Eye catching welcoming.

A call to dad to tell him of our safe arrival and we the rest of the day just resting from our days of driving. Today we’ll scoot down to the office to pay and get out for a walk as well. We’ve been neglecting that for a few days. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the visit. 

Sidney, Ohio.

 

Until next time…. take care, be safe

Deb

Rain, windy, back in Ontario.......

Our Location: ONroute, Tilbury, Ontario

 

(No pictures today, they just won't upload)

 

It was very warm last night when I went to bed but by morning it had dropped 30 degrees staying steady at 47F/ 8C with over cast skies. At 7 am my dad called to ask what kind of weather we were having and telling us they were having snow, high winds, and it was very cold. We chatted for a few minutes before saying goodbye. Riley and I were quick at getting everything secured and ready to roll just at the time the rain started to fall. 

 

We didn't have to go very far for our first stop, only a few hundred feet to the dump station. I will be honest with you, we made it up the first hill okay until I tried to turn to the right then we had a problem. The washed out hill, the new gravel and well you get the idea. For a few feet we were chattering sideways until I stopped, popped into 4x4 and with a little bit of a heavy foot we managed to get up the hill. I left us in 4x4 until we had arrived safely on the very top ridge at the dump station. 

 

Of course, it started to rain again as soon as my feet hit the grass outside the Dogsled door. No worries I'd donned my bright yellow rain slicker and proceeded to sweat as the temps were too warm for a none breathable coat, but the air was wet and the rain drops cold. Oh well, it's only a short time outside, then I'll head inside, change my shoes and sweater, coat, and be ready to the hit the road. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get the water to come out of their hose. They had some kind of valve after the handle on the faucet but the valve just spewed water everywhere except out the end of the hose to rinse the sewer hoses. So I simply turned on the pump and used our own water, a quick rinse, put the hoses away, changed into dry clothes. We were heading out the driveway at 8:10 am. Of course the rain has been coming in waves at this time, now it continues but with a bit more gusto. 

 

Our RV GPS had us wandering around the back roads like two lost sheep. She was basically having us go west for a mile, go north for a mile, go west, go north, etc. I mean really? The Interstate it 12 miles that way, lets just go that way. Finally I just ignored her and off we went finding the Interstate just where I thought it would be, it hadn't moved since last fall. That added at least 30 minutes to our time. I wasn't impressed. I'm going to be chatting with Garmin in the near future, I am not happy and for the price I paid for this thing, it should damn well work properly. 

 

So we finally climbed onto the interstate near exit 103 north, and pushed the Big Dog toward Lima, only 21 miles/ 33 km away. For the entire morning we rolled along at 55 mph/ 88.5 km through the nearly flat state of Ohio. The wind wasn't bad at all when we started out, the rain kind of came and went, never very hard though, I think I only had the wipers on full once due to spray from the truck ahead and beside that seemed to be just sitting on my front bumper and my side door. Not sure why they do that but oh well. I will say the roads were pretty good until we reached the upper edges of Ohio and in to Michigan. It was here that the winds started to be noticeable as well. Michigan is always a nightmare for that stretch around Monroe. I thought for certain I drove over another 5'er that was lost in the hole with just his A/C sticking out. Turns out I didn't, it was just my imagination, but a couple holes were deep enough to get lost in and I was lucky to avoid those ones. I will be driving the middle lane in that stretch from now on though, they'll have to pull me over to give me a ticket before I start driving in the slow lane again until they fix that particular piece of roadway. It's insane. We pulled off at Luna Station for a fuel stop as the prices seemed to be steadily rising, we were seeing only numbers right at or above the $3 per gallon mark. We filled the Big Dog's bowl for $3.09 a gallon. The Big Fella took 22 gallons, or approx 83 liters (1 US Gallon = 3.79 CDN liters). Couldn't squeeze in $50, stopped at $49.50 USD.

 

We reached the area of construction, which of course were shut down today and motored right along. As we approached Dearborn exit the traffic suddenly came to a very fast slow down, a creep along. Within 15 seconds of the slow down I could see the problem ahead. A big rig had jack knifed in the 'fast' lane into the construction lane and just his back bumper was sticking out a bit into the next lane, he wasn't impeding traffic by more than 6" -8". The driver was out walking around but no one else was on scene so it had literally just happened. We didn't see or hear any evidence of law enforcement, medical or fire aid of any kind. We were past the end of his truck within 30 seconds and on our way. Sorry for his troubles but we didn't see it, he wasn't hurt, we couldn't help, so lets get out of the way. No need to gawk, big deal his nose is kissing his A**, he's fine, keep driving. 

 

We pulled up to the Canada Customs lines which are confusing in that they now have lots of truck lanes open but no arrows pointing you to the car lanes, nor is there an RV lane, which there is going the other way at this crossing. I checked the time, 12:15 pm. We found our way to the car lane, 4 folks ahead, we rolled along and were at the booth within probably 4 to 5 minutes. Nice lady asked us a couple of questions and told us to have a nice day. We were across in a little more than 5 minutes. Yeah us!! Welcome to Canada. Home of the Maple Leaf, Tim Horton's, and $1.25 per liter diesel. So that $49.50 fill up would have cost me $103.75 here in Ontario.

 

We immediately began seeing the overhead signs warning of freezing rain in Ontario. The temperatures by this time had reached 37F/2.7C and were staying steady. We discussed a few options and Riley checked out the local forecasts. We decided we'd pull in at the first ONRoute (rest area) in Tilbury/Chatham-Kent. Which is where we are right now. We pulled in against the grass edge, but are leaving the slides in to help keep us warmer and in case we receive some freezing precipitation overnight, it won't stretch the slider topper and we won't have to go up there and knock it off. Plus with the slides in we don't rock and roll so much in the wind. We had our heater going within a few minutes (which requires us to run a hose in the window), and the Igloo is nice an toasty. 

 

I called my dad, we chatted for a bit, he's glad we're off the road for the day and I'll let him know tomorrow what we plan on doing. I don't believe the roadways are the issues. I'm pretty certain they will be sanding, salting and doing all that good stuff over the next two days. The issue I believe will be when one is getting off and on the roadways, ramps, side streets, parking lots, etc will not be as well  maintained as the major road ways will be. So we're going to sit here until late tomorrow afternoon or Monday late morning before heading out to Hamilton. By then every thing should be cleaned up, salted or melted, as the temperatures will rise a bit in the next day. 

 

So there you have it, we are safely back in Canada, although we will be conserving our battery power a bit as there doesn't appear to be much sun in the forecast for a few days.  The temperatures are above the freezing mark and in this area there are no freezing rain warnings posted on the web. Just a bit further along there are of course lots of warnings posted. 

 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. I hope you've had a wonderfully safe and productive day. Thanks again for following along. Please feel free to leave a comment if you like, I read them all. For those don't wish to leave a comment, that's quite alright too, I'm honoured that came by to read! 

 

Until next time  ......  take care, be safe, 

 

Deb

 

 

 

Very warm, sunny and windy on our last full day here in Oakdale Campground.......

Our Location: Oakdale Campground, Quincy, Ohio

After posting my blog last night I managed to chat with the fella who's seasonal spot I'm sitting in right now. Never did get his name but I spoke with him and the rake Lady. Very nice folks, he's bringing his trailer in today but apparently always parks it where his truck was sitting, on the other side of the Igloo. This area is apparently where the single folks congregate. 

I'll bet they enjoy this deck all summer, those stools are under the bar edge.

He also answered a few other questions as well. The water still has another foot or so to go before it's at normal levels. The area we see across the river is also a campground, although it looks very permanent. It's called Miami River Campground. They know the fellow with the boat, he apparently is a river hopper and comes over often during the summer months, parks his boat on this side somewhere and enjoys the company of those over here. 

This bright yellow racer is parked by the wood pile that is waiting to be split and bundled.

Gene and Sally (the welcome home sign from yesterday's pictures) are the couple in the office, they seem to be well loved here. I mentioned a few of the washed out areas and it was explained that they fix them every year but due to the hills and the spring rains, they wash out every year, which explains all the gravel piles I see around waiting to be spread. 

Can you see the boat moving on the river?

 I woke this morning before 6 am and just listened to the birds for some time. It's so peaceful here, although I'll bet when summer comes it's a lot less peaceful. We are expecting more of yesterday's weather again today and I'm looking forward to soaking up as much as I can. It doesn't look like we'll be seeing any of these kinds of temperatures for a long time unless a miraculous warm up comes along. The temperature here right now as I start this post is 57F/13.8C at 7:14 am. Not a bad way to start the day at all. 

This is on the road into the campground across the farmers field. Those rigs closest to us are in storage, the other ones are permanently placed in seasonal spots.

The morning passed quickly with routine things such as cleaning/defrosting the fridge and freezer, dishes, dusting, vacuuming, you know the drill right? So now our little Igloo is clean and ready for the next part of our homeward trek. We didn't clean anything outside as we'll be driving in rain conditions anyway, so it would be a waste of time. 

The middle road is toward the dump station and bath house. 

Riley and I headed out to get some much needed propane as one of the small tanks was starting to seen a bit on the light side, and one of the big tanks was for sure getting close to the bottom. I wanted to fill them up before heading across the border tomorrow. I've found that the folks here actually fill the tanks but back in Ontario they don't seem to allow the air to bleed and that seems to make a huge difference in how long the tanks last.  For future reference we went to Heby Oil (N. Detroit Street) but everyone was gone for the day, they do however fill tanks. The lady in the office sent us to Grand Rental on Main Street, which is a rental company with a fenced compound, literally right across the roads from the Fairground. They filled our tanks for a grand total of less than $25 USD. (About 60 cents a pound, or $2.50 a gallon) Can't beat that for amazing. Tractor Supply Company (TSC) also on Main Street will fill tanks as well. Don't know the price though. Both are just up the street from Walmart in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Back in Ontario it costs me $43 to exchange the big tank alone, and if they fill it, it lasts less than 3 weeks where an exchange will usually last 5 weeks. The BBQ tank is about $25 to exchange and since I haven't had them fill one for a long time I can't tell you how long they last with fill vs exchange. So anyway I look at it, I'm way ahead of the game.

The Daffs are popping up everywhere.

We headed back to the Igloo enjoying the lovely country drive and were gone less than an hour. When we got back the fella next door was backing his trailer in to the spot beside us. I climbed out and helped him get it where he wanted it and then headed back home to do our own chores. Which included putting the propane tank back, getting things ready for hitching up and in fact today we did hitch up the truck which we don't usually do but we want have as little to do tomorrow as possible. Riley lifted the back feet, put away the two lawn chairs and I removed the lock, lantern, and temperature probe before hooking up. So we'll be out of here in the morning with minimal work. 

See what I mean? Just popping up everywhere.

The fella's name next door is Lou. The nice lady on the end of the rake, who's trailer also arrived today is named Jodi and the folks behind us also arrived for a bit today, some one over there is named Jr., while Dave is across the roadway. Lou is a chatter and loves to talk. He informed us if we wanted to see deer to head up to the top of hill around dusk and we'd see 20 easily as they come out into the field. He told us Gene & Sally are the managers of the park, not the owners. We learned a lot of stuff that is of no interest to anyone out there. Lou is a sweet fella, a charming aw shucks, kind of guy. He has a beautiful chocolate brown Chesapeake Retriever, Buddy who is four years old. He is a sweet fella and loves attention, water and playing fetch. 

I know I posted a picture similar to this one before but the grass is greener and it just looks warmer and more cheerful now in the fantastic weather.

  
I chatted with my dad for a bit today as well. Just checking on things and finding out all the latest weather for the area. He says they are getting nothing at this time, no snow, no sun, no wind, he also says today is a warm day at 43F/6 C, lots of yesterdays snow is melting. He can see a few patches of green here and there but figures with the weather coming tomorrow it'll be gone under more snow pretty quick. I'll talk to him again probably once a day for the next few days at least as I talk to him every day when we are travelling and with the weather not looking too good, I'm pretty certain it will ease his mind to know how things are going for us. 

A different view of the Miami River.

The high today reached 79F/26C, with wonderful blue skies. Windy of course as it caused numerous leaves to lift from their resting place and fly around in swirls, diving, dashing, flipping and just rustling everywhere. A number of folks around us are raking winter debris, repairing with hammer and nails, etc as the weather has dried things out a fair amount. Tomorrow here the rain is supposed to start around noon time. They are expecting 2 or 3 more days of rain again. They aren't happy, they've had enough and want spring to arrive so they can get down to the business of enjoying their time in the park. I will say the park across the river has some very loud folks there, we can easily hear them over here on our side of the river, we can distinguish each and every word in their conversations.

Riley took most of the pictures today and enjoyed this sign.

So the day has found us enjoying the heat, sun and folks around us. We have found them warm, inviting and friendly. It has been enjoyable to spend this time in Oakdale Campground and I think it's safe to assume we may return in the future if our plans find us in the area. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've enjoyed your day as much as we have here. I hope you found peace, warmth, and joy in all the expected but also the unexpected places and people around you. Please feel free to drop a comment, I appreciate them all very much. 

Look west along the Miami River at the Miami River Campground.

Until next time.... take care, be safe, 

Deb

Very warm, sunny but with some pretty high winds....

Our Location: Oakdale Campground, Quincy, Ohio

A much warmer night with temperatures reading 51F/10.5C at 7:30 AM when I came downstairs. Now that is more like it and although we are under a wind advisory the temperatures today promise to be warm as well. Although the sky doesn't look like it will be a totally sunny day we will enjoy whatever we get and not complain. 

Ohio 235 North is at the end of the driveway, and that flag is showing there is a lot of wind today. In fact we have a wind advisory.

 Like other fellow Canadians we all know the risk of coming home at this time of the year and it looks like we didn't get lucky this time with temperatures about 10 degrees below seasonal norms. A freezing rain warning will be in effect pretty much all weekend for parts of the more northerly and eastern reaches of Southern Ontario. Hopefully the accumulation is minor and the roads remain ice free. We will however be taking our time and staying as far out of that area as we can. 

This farm house is between the road and the campground.

While reading blogs I noted a few more blogger friends have also arrived safely in the frozen north over the past few days. Ivan ( Road Trip 2018), along with Dave & Cheryl (Our View from Here) have also returned home. Both seem to have landed softly in the snow that is still covering the ground, with Ivan coming out the winner in having the most snow to contend with. I wish them all warmer days ahead and hopefully spring will appear rapidly.

The park is the right of the picture, the road to the left.

In yesterday's pictures I noted the white Chevy parked beside us. It's a relatively new thing in the last couple of days. Two fellows arrived in work trucks one evening around 5:30 pm, left one truck and off they went in the other. In the morning at 5:47 am they returned, but with two vehicles, leaving the big white Chevy behind and taking off in the two work trucks. They didn't return that night but they did last night, this time leaving the two work trucks and taking only the big Chevy. This morning they arrived about mid way between 5:30 and 6:00 am to take the two and leave the one. They don't go to any of the trailers or cabins, they just leave the different trucks. I will say they are pretty quiet over all not saying much but they do bang a lot of doors. I wonder if we're parked in front of their seasonal spots as they seem pretty comfortable here. Oh well, we'll be leaving in a couple of days. 

Definite signs of spring in the small forest near the driveway.

We've also noted that there are train tracks nearby, not close enough to be a bother but we do hear the far off rumbling of the trains. They go constantly day and night, I know this because I'm not the best sleeper and often awake at various hours throughout the night and I can hear them rumbling way off in the distance. Some times it takes a minute or so to figure out what the noise is, as it almost sounds like thunder off in the distance.

Welcome to Oakdale Campground. 

The sun shone off and on until about lunch time and then came out in full force and it was absolutely fantastic. Our high temperatures are almost embarrassing to tell our fellow Canadians stuck in the deep freeze and cold but we reached 76F/24.4C this afternoon. By 4:50 pm we were starting to cool down to 74F/ 23.3C. The wind has been blowing hard all day. 

Can you see the new leaves coming out?

I walked our garbage all the way to the dumpsters out by the farmhouse near the road. The weather was warm enough to go in long pants and a shirt but would have been too cool for me in shorts or without a cover up on my arms and shoulders. The wind however caused some dust devils to dance around me and make it difficult to see with my hair flying across my face. The trees were creaking and the wind through the branches was quite loud. We managed to walk around the park a bit today as well. We were back at the office for a few minutes to see if the water was on. The spigot near us was open and no water was forth coming, the fella assured me that the water on the OTHER side of the Igloo was on, but not the water nearest the river. So we managed to fill our fresh water tank today in the nice sunny afternoon. 

I'm not sure the purple flowers are real but the others are daffs, and they are real, they are all over the park.

We grabbed our books/tablets and sat outside for an hour today, managing to get mostly out of the wind where it became almost hot in the sun. NO COMPLAINTS, just saying it was a bit extreme from below freezing to above room temperature in the span of 2 days. Kind of a jolt to the system. I have no doubt we'll have a jolt on Saturday when we head to Ontario and it won't be a good jolt like this one. 

Looking down one of the roads here in the park.

The afternoon was a very pleasant one, I even managed a 30 minute nap at one point. I'm enjoying my book by Dick Wolfe, the creator of Law and Order, called The Intercept. It's pretty good so far and I think I'll be finishing it within the next day or two.
 

Looking the other way down the same road.

My dad called while I was out walking and anyone that seen me would think I was a bit odd, as I was walking backward to keep the phone mic out of the wind so he could hear me. He informed me they were currently under blizzard like conditions and at times it was difficult to see very far. Said it had just started within the last hour and didn't show any signs of letting up. He doesn't think we should come north too fast, maybe late into the first or early into the second week of May. He says it's pretty cold at night and the snow is a bit deep. No snow was falling when he headed up to the Sugar Shack to put on the fire but his quad was easily covered when he came out within a short time, so I guess it's falling fast. 
 

Looking up toward the top of the hill in the park.

We discussed the weekend weather and how it would impact us on our way home. I assured him we wouldn't take any chances and we certainly won't. Hopefully the temperatures are a few degrees above freezing and that will solve all the issues.
  

A number of nice rigs here in the park.

  
We once again sat with the door open pretty much most of the day, the wind strong but from the back didn't seem to bother us much inside and we tucked ourselves out of the wind by sitting under the front of the nose and the wind seemed to blow right past us. 

Numerous boats, sea doo's, and a couple of rigs all waiting patiently for someone to come.

 I found out the fella with the trucks is actually the fella that rents one of these spots around us. I'm not sure which spot but the office gentlemen told me that when I was chatting with him. He even sent Roger around to see if we managed to get the water working. So they are very helpful here in the park, I have to say. I also noticed the NO SMOKING sign in the window beside the door, but it's not new. The inside of the office was much cleaner, no ashtrays, no smell of any kind. So maybe my complaint did some good. Who knows. 

Sewage holding tanks here, almost every spot has one. A honey wagon comes around to pump them probably once or twice a week during the season.

We also noticed a lady this afternoon on the handle of a rake doing some mighty hard work in the seasonal spots around us. Not sure if one of them is hers or if she's been hired to do the work. She's wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and I can say she's probably dressed well for the work. I've noticed a few piles of debris that have been cleaned up in various places and are just waiting for someone to come along and haul them off. 

Cute little cabin, don't you think?

Also noted the fella across the river whose dock I showed you yesterday in the split before and after picture, now has his pontoon boat in the water and even took it for a ride down river today. The busy builder was working once again today on the reno/construction work, also across the river. They work a lot over there. I think both of them have actually been staying there while they've been working.
 

As you can see, the water is still going down.

Speaking of the Miami River it is now flowing west to east, which I think is probably the correct direction. I think with the high flood waters it was more swirling than flowing when we arrived. The wind managed to make it a bit choppy today on the river, no white caps but still a good bit of up and down on the surface.

The huge wood pile in the background suggests they split and sell the wood from the near by forest that has fallen or has been taken down. I believe this may be the 'grader blade' they use on the roads in the park. Looks heavy enough and that piece of iron goes full length under those wood pieces.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. Please feel free to leave a comment. I love to hear from you. I hope you all managed to have a fantastic day. 

Spring is coming to Quincy, Ohio.

Until next time..... take care, be safe, 

Deb