Iowa to Indiana

It is Friday morning June 13, and it is raining. But, we are in Indiana, not Iowa. This rain is different because our circumstances are different. We are parked on asphalt, not grass and gravel. There are no floods around us, no high water, no closed roads and bridges, and no immediate threat of tornadoes. What a difference a day makes.

Folks at the Monaco rally made a lot of decisions Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Some left the campground early while others pulled in coach slides, pulled down curtains, and hunkered down. Some stayed awake to see the tornado they were sure was coming, and others went to bed with clothes and flashlights close by in case they had to evacuate during the night. Everyone had two choices to get out of Amana: north to Cedar Rapids or south to I-80 via SR 151.

The storm arrived about 5:00 AM with thunder, lightning, and torrential rain. Thankfully, we had no tornado. The storm was mostly over by 7:00 AM, but the rain lingered. Coaches began leaving at first light and the numbers increased as the hours passed. By 10:00 AM, when we left, the rain had subsided to sprinkles and campground roads were beginning to drain.

News reports were discouraging. Fifteen miles to our north, Cedar Rapids, IA was flooded. A railroad bridge across the Cedar River had collapsed and rail cars were in the water. Only one bridge for cars was open through town, and authorities were telling people to stay out of Cedar Rapids. To the south, the Iowa River overflow was across Route 151, but the road was still open. East-West Route 220 connecting the Amana Colonies was closed by high water.

We chose to go south on Route 151 to I-80. The first half hour was tense, as we did not know when the road might be closed. A delay occurred exiting the campground. A coach in front of us was crossing a flooded road when it suddenly stopped. The driver sloshed through the water to his tow vehicle and began working the tow bar. While he played in the water, a long line of coaches had formed behind him with no way to pass. Finally, this water soaked driver pulled away only to stop again outside the park for more repairs. We were able to pass by and continue southward.

Route 151 had one to two feet of water across it. DOT workmen were on both sides of the 200-yard breach when we arrived. They were prepared to close the road or to assist a driver who stalled in the water. We crossed with care and only relaxed when we reached I-80 later.

Rain showers stayed with us to Davenport, IA. The passenger side windshield wiper quit working during that part of the trip. Just what we needed: another item for the repair list. Our trip across Illinois and into Indiana was dry with sunshine and blue skies. We changed plans en route and decided to go directly to Elkhart rather than find a campground near Chicago.

Fuel makes the wheels go round, and we wanted a full tank when we docked. Indiana has tax-exempt (TE) fuel pumps for truck drivers; RV drivers do not qualify for this 40-cent per gallon discount. Some stations allow RV use of the TE pump, but at the non-TE price; other stations do not. We had to use an auto-diesel, non-TE pump. The small nozzle took a long 15-minutes to fill the top half of the tank. Only a few seconds were needed to smell the cargo in a truck fueling in the next lane. The trailer was filled with pigs: snorting, stinking, fat pigs. The pigs were still there when we left, but the odor lingered with us for several miles.

We arrived at Camp Monaco around 6:00 PM and settled into familiar surroundings. Several folks that we left here a week ago are still here. Some apparently are homesteading here and have no interest in leaving. Dinner at Hiennie's Restaurant was relaxing and good.

This morning we registered for our Monday appointment. To our surprise, Bud, our service writer, came to the coach early and had the techs working on it today. Hopefully, this will shorten our stay next week. We have another paint shop visit scheduled, and that could take two days.

A sad sign of the times in Elkhart was evident on SR 19 this morning. Two weeks ago Sun Coast RV had a lot full of motor homes and other vehicles. Today, this Monaco dealer is no more: the lot is empty and the office is closed. In Elkhart, the economy is a very big issue.

The weekend is ahead, and we are not sure what we will be doing. We'll make it up as we go along.