The morning dawned cold and blustery with temperatures in the low 40s. We sat inside in the warmth of the motorhome drinking hot coffee waiting for a break in the rain to go out for a look around. When it stopped for a while, we hooked up the hounds and hiked around the Miami Recreation Area looking at the reservoir and the surrounding forest. A large herd of deer were feeding along the grassy meadow until they got a whiff of the dogs and bounded off into the bush.

Cold and rainy day. We got under way at around eleven and drove the hour or so down the narrow roads until we arrived in Elwood, Indiana the birthplace of both Wendell Wilkie and Steven J. Campbell. We stopped around town in a few places enjoying the quintessential American heartland community. Corn fields gave way to the old fashioned main street with early brick buildings, an assortment of churches and rows of historic houses with big porches and interesting filigrees. A step back in time to a quieter, slower moving lifestyle.

It began to rain more heavily as the wind buffeted the RV while we made our way southwest towards Indianapolis. The temperature never got out of the forties and the forecast is for colder weather tonight. PJ had received some promotional “Kohl’s Bucks” after doing some shopping in Rhode Island. They were set to expire in a few days, so when we saw a Kohl’s while passing through Noblesville we turned in and used the credits to buy a pair of pants. My shivering legs were grateful.

We wove our way through Indianapolis then settled in for a rough, rainy and windy drive into Illinois. There were some areas of construction that brought traffic to a crawl and lots of trucks kicking up spray and weaving in the wind. We drove on to Effingham and got a camp site on a small lake just outside of town. A few campers, mainly long termers and a few just passing through people like ourselves. Walked the dogs and had a look around. Laid back evening in the RV with the heat on.