Kyle's Birthday through Game at Tennessee Martin

The weekend of Kyle's birthday we parked at Beaver Dam State Park. We had decided that I would go down on Thursday so we could get a good spot. NOT! When I got there the campground was almost full! The site I took was OK but the ground fell away rather quickly creating a slope for the table and fire ring. Also, we were right on the road.

This only added to an unpleasant start to our weekend. I unhooked the jeep in the boat parking area as I knew there was little room in the campground to unhook. When I got in the jeep to start it it was totally dead, not a click, nothing. Kyle and I got a jump from the ranger and drove the jeep for several miles to recharge the battery. I was making plans to get new battery in the morning as the battery in the jeep is four years old.

Friday morning an RV in a spot next to us pulled out leaving a larger flatter site vacant. I was by myself which meant that I had no spotter when I was backing up. And when I looked at the site there were trees that I would need to get between and a tree at the front that I would have to maneuver around. But because the site was next to the one I was in I would not have to pack anything, I could just drag it to the new site.

Well I made it! Before I moved, I checked the space I needed to use to get in the site and planned the turns in my head. Even with that I had to stop and get out and check clearance every few feet as I backed up to make sure I was clearing the trees.

Now for the battery. I had drove Kyle's SUV to the campground after dropping him off at his place the night before leaving the jeep there. Kyle's apartment is within easy walking distance of his office, grocery store, and the town square, so he did not need a vehicle. On my way in I checked prices at the local Walmart and parts stores. But when I got to Kyle's apartment, the jeep started without a problem. A few days later I figured out what the problem was. The supplemental barke in the jeep had blown a fuse and when I finally got one in Charleston and put it in the bake system the brake unit would not stop running. It probably ran most of the trip to Kyle's thereby running the battery down before blowing the fuse. After I got back to Quincy I called Blue Ox and they sent me a replacement unit and I sent them the old one. All this episode cost was a little worry and $13.00 to ship the old unit to Blue Ox. Good customer service!

Friday evening, after Cindy and Trevor arrived, we ate in town. But Saturday night we ate at the RV and tried out the new TV stand and converter box. Of course we watched football!

Trevor spent the nights with Kyle at his apartment so Kyle could show him around town. Sunday morning the guys came out for breakfast.
Later Cindy returned to Quincy for the company picnic and the boys and I watched football the rest of the day. Then Monday morning Trevor and I went to St Louis to see a doctor. The appointment went well and we got back to the RV just after lunch. That left enough time for me to pack up and relocate across the state at Fox Ridge State Park.

I like the way Fox Ridge has there campsites set up. There are plenty of tree and undergrowth to provide privacy.

But most of the campsite are plenty big once you are in them. I spent Monday and Tuesday night here while Trevor attended classes. Lately I have not been feeling well so the two days here were a welcome down time.

Wednesday, just after lunch, Trevor, Pug and I headed out for Fort Massac State Park. Trevor is not playing because of his leg and Pug is not playing because he had surgery to fix a broken finger.

When we got to Fort Massac it was full! On a Wednesdaynight! No-way!

The campground host told us about a commercial campground across the river in Paducah. So we parked in the sun on the gravel lot. A big difference from parking amongst the trees and grass of the state park!

Thursday morning before we left for the game we visited Metropolis IL.

Metropolis is the home of Superman!

Trevor looks more like Superman than I do!

Trevor had trouble fitting behind the photo stand.

Pug is a bit smaller and was able to get the pose.

I was rather disappointed with the Superman statue. After seeing the Jolly Green Giant and the world's largest pecan, Superman is not super. But the pig VW was worth seeing!

Clarke Kent?

No it's Big John! This statue was the same size as Superman so maybe it is Superman trying to earn a few extra bucks after he is done at the Daily Planet.

While there we had time to stop at the fort that the state park is built around.

Fort was first built in 1757 during the French and Indian War and has been rebuilt many time over the years. In 1908 the ground around the fort was name a state park, making it the first state park in Illinois.

View of the river from the block house.

View from the other side of the block house.

I never did confirm why the campgound was full, but in one of the flyers about the area there was a note about a weekend in October when they have a re-creation of lifestyles from the 1700's. I suspect that it was the coming weekend because of the tents and other stuctures that were setup around the fort.

Thursday night game!

Tennessee Martin asked to move the game to Thursday in an effort to get a bigger crowd at the game since the next day was the start of fall break for the students. As you can see the stands are almost empty.

Since Trevor and Pug were not playing, Trevor was given a clipboard to record the plays with Pug to assist him.

It was not a good game for us. We did not play well on either side of the ball. We had no fire and did not deserve to win and we did not.

Friday morning we were on our way back to Charleston to drop the guys off and then it was to Fox Ridge for the night. Saturday morning I was on the road heading home.