Having spent some time planning visits with family and friends as well as allowing for some impromptu sibling time, I had a pretty full schedule for my three weeks in northern Illinois when I departed Springfield IL on Wednesday, September 18, 2013. With the exception of a 20-30 minute downpour on I-39 that reduced ALMOST everyone’s speed to 35-40 mph, the three-hour trip was uneventful. Welcome back to the Midwest! Rockford, for all of its shortcomings, has an excellent park system and has numerous well-done festivals. Unfortunately, a couple of the better festivals - the Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-In and the On the Waterfront festival - have departed for whatever reason. I decided to check the events schedule and found that a World War II Reenactment would be held at Midway Village in Rockford during my ... read more

The drive from Goodlettsville TN to the Dog Creek Campground on Nolin River Lake is only about 100 miles but took me over two hours on Wednesday, September 4, 2013. The narrow, winding roads leading to the campground from I-65 had me driving most of the distance at less than 35 mph. Nolin River Lake and the Dog Creek Campground are U.S. Army Corps of Engineers facilities located near Mammoth Cave National Park. I reserved an RV spot for only four nights since there were only a few additional attractions I had on my “to do” list in the Bowling Green area and since I had scheduled a visit with my aunt in nearby White Mills KY for the other three nights of my self-imposed “week.” I have found most Corps of Engineer campgrounds are similar ... read more

For those unfamiliar with National Park Service parkways, they are (for all practical purposes) two-lane controlled access highways although there is an occasional side road intersection and the “access ramps” terminate at the parkway in a “T” intersection instead of the traditional “merging traffic” feature. The parkways prohibit commercial trucks, are absent of billboards and roadside businesses and have a speed limit of about 50 mph. In addition to the Natchez Trace Parkway, I know of only two other National Park Service parkways. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469-mile scenic connection between Shenandoah National Park VA and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park NC, and the Colonial Parkway is a twenty-three mile scenic roadway between Yorktown VA and Jamestown VA. All three parkways are All-American Roads, and all three have a Mile Post system incorporated ... read more

The drive on I-20 from Vicksburg MS to LeFleur's Bluff State Park Campground in Jackson MS on Wednesday, August 14, 2013 was about fifty miles and took about an hour. LeFleur's Bluff State Park is set amid the hustle and bustle of the City of Jackson and is somewhat of an island in the storm. The campground is situated about a mile from the entrance and borders a quiet lake with many lakeside campsites. The facility was mostly vacant and found me chatting with only two other campers during my week-long stay. Thursday found me heading for downtown Jackson to visit the Old (State) Capitol Museum. As with most downtown attractions in most cities, parking is a challenge – at least until the visitor learns the lay of the land. I found, however, a vacant, no-charge ... read more

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 dawned another beautiful sunny day with highs forecast to be in the low 90s. I got an early start with hopes of completing my Pilgrim set-up before the heat of the day had arrived. The trip from Baton Rouge LA to Natchez MS via US 61 is only about 90 miles and is designated in my atlas as a scenic route for the entire distance. Scenic is a subjective term, but I will concede the drive along the mostly 4-lane divided highway was relaxing and enjoyable with minimal reminders of human intrusion. I arrived at the Plantation RV Park before I reached Natchez. The RV park is in the front end of what appears to be a mobile home community or permanently placed RVs. Although the park is located right on US ... read more