What do you mean, the road is closed?

So, ok, we're here in Nappanee, IN, having a good time, enjoying the company of Charles, Barbara, Molly, and of course, John.  And getting the coach serviced.  On the way in, we had noticed some signs indicating there might be some lane closures on I65, in Indianapolis, in the near future, and on Indiana Hwy 6, starting on Monday.  Well, we were planning on heading out on Sunday, so that hwy closure on Monday wasn't going to bother us in the least.  Plus, when we mentioned it to John, he said, no worries, there's a road to the north and a road to the south, both going the same way as 6, so it wouldn't present any problems.  But what about the I65 constructions?  Ah, yes, good of you to ask!

Friday afternoon, just by chance, and because I knew we'd be pretty busy Saturday, what with John's mom's 90th birthday party and all, I thought I'd take a peek at the route outta here.  And this is what I saw!  Only difference was, on Friday, it was all RED!  With big, ugly circles and bars, indicating road was closed!  Yes, CLOSED.

When you click on any of those little information markers, a window pops out and explains exactly what the issue is.  Notice the one below.  All southbound lanes are closed.  Seek alternative routes.  WTH?  So, who was the (bird)brain that decided that would be a good thing?  And maybe I'm reading it wrong.  Sure, that's it, I must be reading it wrong.  There's a number to call Indiana DOT, so I called it.  Friday night.  At midnight, or darned close to it!  I actually got a real, live person.  Granted, she was not necessarily the sharpest tack in the box, but, she came to the same conclusion I had, that there was no good way into or around Indianapolis, coming from the north, as we would be.

We stewed about it a bit, then decided, we just can't deal with it anymore, and it was late, and we had things to do in the morning, so, off to bed we went.  Ignorance is bliss, right?  And maybe things would look different in the light of day.  Well, no such luck.  A quick peek in the morning showed nothing but the same closures.  Off to market we went, though, as we did want to restock our produce and some meats for our upcoming road trip.  Then it was time to go to the party, and party we did!  (Happy Birthday, Mom!)  Here we all are, at the gazebo on the point.  That's John, smack in the middle!

So, Sunday dawns, bright and clear, and early!  We are also watching the track of Tropical Storm Barry, who is due to drench New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain, where we are eventually heading.  By now, you may know, we had already canceled our plans to stay at Tom Sawyer's RV Park, right on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi.....due to high water.  Like, 36 feet of it!  The park has been closed since June 10, and they just called, Saturday morning to see if we were still planning to arrive Sunday.  Weeeeelllll, actually, NO.  We had changed our plans last week, and sent them an email stating so, but they had not yet responded, so we just thanked them for the confirmation call and wished them well.  But now we are looking at a similar situation down in Louisiana.  Barbara, from Portland, had highly recommended the Lake Pontchartrain Marina park, and several people had mentioned lots of compelling sites to see in New Orleans, so that's why we booked it, even though it was kinda pricey.  We also had a week booked at Pass Christian, so we could visit the beach one last time.  Hah, what about the green algae bloom?  Yeah, plans need to change.  Like, right now!  So here we are, Sunday morning, and we are still not sure where to go or how to get there!  Road closures, remember? 

Barb & Charles were kind enough to host us for Sunday breakfast, blueberries, blueberry pancakes, sausage & eggs, yum! We hated to dine and dash, but we decided, if we hurried, we could go southwest and get to Litchfield, IL, where I found a Passport America park.  (that translates to not so expensive, for those of you that aren't sure what Passport America is or does)  Well, typical Dick Luck (as if all the road closures and weather events weren't enough already), we met oncoming traffic, not only IN the new Newmar Service Center campground, but also, coming INTO the park as we were leaving.  And yes, we were in the wrong (entrance only) lane leaving, so we could bypass the closed gate of the exit lane.  But still...

We exited safely and hightailed it down the road.  Hwy 6, to be exact.  The one that will be closed for culvert insertions tomorrow.  The GPS kept trying to route us up through Chicago, and down the toll roads, but we had already researched, and found the tolls would be $20 a pop.  For 89 miles!  The dude in the Dutch Star next to us had traversed that road coming in, and he had racked up over $200 in tolls!! That was a route to avoid, for sure!  So we kept ignoring Sally, and navigated using our Trucker's Atlas, trying to stay on the orange roads.  They're the ones safe for truckers, so that makes 'em safe for us.  Unless there's a real-time event or situation.  Such as the narrow bridge.  Like, 9' 3" narrow.  Yes, we are 8' 6", so that gave us a whole 9 inch safety margin.  Divide that in half, and you get 4.5 inches on each side.  Piece of cake!  Here's what the approach looked like.

And here's the video, yup, it's shaky!  If you're reading this in an email, click right here to go see it on YouTube.

And then there was the low bridge.  Yeah, that was fun too.  Always get just a wee bit concerned, when you see a sign says Low Clearance 13'7".  We are 13 feet tall.  Yup, I ducked.  And closed my eyes.  Good thing I'm not the Driver!

We finally made it into Illinois, Land of Lincoln.  It's just as flat as Indiana!  We saw lots and lots of cornfields, silos, grain elevators and nicely kept homesteads. 

 And then, coming into Springfield, we saw these stacks, spewing steam into the air.  Turns out, they are yet another power plant.  Gosh, we as a country sure use a lot of power.  I say that, as I sit here with the lights on, the TV playing, the dishwasher running, and the A/C cranking.  I'm sure I'm using my share.  Or more than my share.

I had to chuckle at this stack - it looked to me like Springfield was giving us the finger as we sped by.  

As we left town, we crossed over part of Lake Springfield.  Apparently, lighthouses are a thing in this landlocked state.  (I don't really get it...)  There was a great big one in front of a bank, and this one, on a little island next to the road.

There were a TON of people out on the lake, in all sorts of watercraft.

Here's the view out our dining room window tonight.  Kamper Kompanion is a charming little campground, only about 40 sites or so.  We are in a pull-through, all by ourselves, at the edge of the park.  There are flowers and birdfeeders throughout the park, and Bridgette, the new owner, proudly showed off all the work they've been doing.  The bathrooms are SPOTLESS and smell GOOD, the office is comfy and cozy, with a beach theme (they are originally from Palm Beach, FL), the roads are good gravel and clear of debris and overhanging limbs, the sites are well appointed, and there are more lighthouses sprinkled around the grounds.  Hubby has made 14, but they're not all painted yet.  Again, I don't quite get it, but they are cute.

We went for a walkabout after dinner, and Bridgette was kind enough to snap our photo as we enjoyed the warm evening sun.