4,335mi Trip begins with the 1st step

[creativepart]

Our daughter lives in Chicago now and my sister lives in Akron, OH. Since Covid we haven't seen either one in 17 months. So, it's time to visit and perfect timing for a BIG trip in the RV.

We leave the last week of April and return in the 2nd week of JUNE! So, it really is a BIG trip.

I use Rand McNally TripMaker website to plan the trip along with www.campgroundreviews.com and Google/Maps. We don't like surprises so we plan every single stop and make reservations - 23 campgrounds on this trip. Memorial Day Weekend falls during this trip and it was tough finding a spot for the whole weekend but we succeeded finally.

We're of the Under 300 miles a day type of travelers so we stop a lot. And, every 3 or 4 days of just driving is planned to get us to someplace nice for a 3-day "vacation" from the driving part of our trip. So, this trip has mini-vacations in Hot Springs, AR, Port Washington, WI, Door County, WI and Lake of the Ozarks, MO. There are, of course, a couple of weeks of family visits fit in there too.

We're staying 4-days in Downtown Chicago. Right downtown. Actually, it's boondocking. We'll be at the McCormick Place Convention Center Truck and Bus Marshalling Yard. That's right - paying $140 to boondock in a huge parking lot smack dab in the middle of town.

We're going all the way up to Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, too. So, we're going to see all kinds of weather from Texas heat to UP cold and back to even hotter Texas heat.

Here's a map of where we're going and what the whole thing looks like. I use the Rand McNally trip planner because I can simply copy this trip to my Adventurer's Xite GPS and it will take us the whole trip without having to reenter everything again.

[rk911]

sounds like a womderful trip. my only advice...street crime, carjackings and shootings in Chicago are rising...fast. i'be very, very careful if you venture out at night. be safe and enjoy!

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by rk911

sounds like a womderful trip. my only advice...street crime, carjackings and shootings in Chicago are rising...fast. i'be very, very careful if you venture out at night. be safe and enjoy!

Thanks but... we don't go to places where we might worry about such things. And, we are not go out at night folks any more.

The "Mashalling field is gated and has 24-hour security and from what I hear far too many lights illuminating the place. In Non-Covid times there would be massive conventions being staged there weekly. With hundreds of semis hauling massive exhibit hall display's and buses and RVs full of workers that man the booths. The Hall is completely closed now for over a year. But the security staff is still on the job.

[imnprsd]

I stayed on Lower E Rangolph @ Mellennium Park for 3 nights in a Handicap zone. Made friends with the cops on my 2nd night... and I bicycled all over the heart of Chicago... This was my first visit back in Sept-2019 and I would do it all over again.

I would have returned last year had it not been for Covid shutting down the Wrigley Field; and this summer I just may get back to Chicago in 2021. TBD.

All the trouble you see on RV is mostly confined to South Chicago not far away. And I am amazed at the socioeconomic divisions and etheric lines drawn in this town. You would think you traveled across a country's boarder given the violence on one side and the affluency on the other.

The people I met in Chicago are both street smart and well educated. It's an amazing city, but a checkered past speaking as an outsider. Mind you, I'm no fan of the politics in Chicago, but from a tourist point of view I can't wait to go back.

When I tried to go see a White Sox game I had a real hard time trying to find a parking lot that you take my 40' RV and tow car. They simply did not know what to do with an RV. And bus parking was $60, but they would not let me park there. So I found a local Italian Restaurant and had a great Italian meal about 5 blocks away from the White Sox Stadium, but I did not stay the night in South Chicago!

All that "shika" you see on TV is in the South of Chicago. Navy Park and throughout the inner city is real nice and I never felt uncomfortable.

FYI, I like googling famous jazz clubs, but alas... the best I found was a throwback to the early 60's... but "Granny" was still putting on the Ritz like she did in 1964!

In Chicago you have to do the River Walk and get an "Italian Meat Sandwich" at Portillo's. And of course Pizza. I then found Dave's Ice Cream and you can't beat that either. I also took a boat tour off Navy Pier and that was okay. You definitely only want to do this on a nice warm day! ...And any architecture tour would be a good idea too.

The key to enjoying Chicago has to do with the weather... and if you want to go see a Cubs game at Wriggly Field, just pull in at 7pm the night before and park in a yellow zone where I have drawn it on the map below. Boondock... and then ride your bicycle or Uber 1/2-3/4 miles down Atkinson to Wrigley Field and buy a ticket at the gate.

The highlight of my trip North and East brought me to Old Quebec City... where I once again boondocked next to a park about 1/4 mile from where I wanted to be.
However, Old Quebec City is so "hilly" you will want to unhook your tow car and tour around. This was another highlight of 2019 trip and I hope you put it on your to-do list.

Why go to France when you can go to Old Quebec City!

[Marine359]

Sounds like a great trip Creative. Hey, South Side of Chicago ain’t that bad. I grew up there. Vietnam was marginally safer, so I left Chi-town For RVN. Although I lived on the south side. I was a die hard Cubs fan, and went to many games. Always some excitement in Chicago (like the 1968 Democratic Convention). Don’t miss Rush St. at nite for jazz and comedy. Have fun.

[be happy]

Do you have all of your campgrounds scouted out yet? Mainly in Door County, and the U.P. Have stayed in a few at both locations. Have a great trip, oh do not forget Frankenmuth Michigan on your way.

Good Luck safe travels

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by be happy

Do you have all of your campgrounds scouted out yet? Mainly in Door County, and the U.P. Have stayed in a few at both locations. Have a great trip, oh do not forget Frankenmuth Michigan on your way.

Good Luck safe travels

We are only staying at two campgrounds we’ve visited before. I use RV Park Reviews to choose campgrounds. We only stay at places that rate 7 or better and that have a lot of reviews and many recent reviews. Plus I use Google earth to check out the place and area. Every one is already reserved for our stay.

I lived in Michigan from ‘68 to ‘81 so I’ve seen most of it. This trip we’re just passing through to get from Door County Wisconsin to Ohio without going back through the Chicago and Indiana area traffic. It’s kind of the long way around but a much nicer trip.

[sundog964]

We stayed at Hot Springs AK on our maiden voyage. In the campground in the national park. It was very relaxing and scenic. Because of COVID, all the bath houses were closed, but we drove by them. Good choice.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by sundog964

We stayed at Hot Springs AK on our maiden voyage. In the campground in the national park. It was very relaxing and scenic. Because of COVID, all the bath houses were closed, but we drove by them. Good choice.

Sadly, we don't fit in the National Park CG. So, we're spending 3-days at Catherine's Landing RV Resort.

[imnprsd]

Here's where I stay every year when I visit Hot Spring, AR for 2-3 days.

Sorry, I'm always late with the freebees. What I like about all these "Secret Spots" is that they are ideally located and always available, and no unhooking the tow car.

If you head for the French Quarter I know a parking spot 1/4 mile away.

Same for Washington D.C. but not in 2021 thanks to the lock down, and here I recommend you pull in after 8PM.

And I have a spot in Brooklyn when you park and then drive your tow car to NYC or catch the ferry or Subway and park your tow car near the pickup and drop off spot.

Bar Harbor, Maine.

Houston off 610-W near I-10 too!

If you are going to any of these places you can PM me and I will send you a map.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by imnprsd

Here's where I stay every year when I visit Hot Spring, AR for 2-3 days.

Thanks, but, we would never park our RV on some street for free parking. In general we would not spend the night in anything but a designated camping spot... not a Walmart or such and certainly never on a city street.

We got caught out once without any options and stayed at a Walmart once 3-years ago but we work to never be in such a position. Glad it works for you.

[imnprsd]

Yah, there are a lot of people who work a lot to park to fit their RV in small parking spot; and then they have to arrive in the daytime so they can see where to go in the park and how NOT to hit anything.

And even if you can afford it, who wants to pay $140/nt? ...Ouch, is what I heard you say (not me) as I read your first post. ...So the big question is: Would you do it again?

I posted my response so other people who what to experience the heart of a city (or cities) know I do it, which I grant you is unbelievable, even unacceptable for some. But it works great for me every year! And does not cost me an arm and a leg to see great historical sights, art museums, world class jazz, and great restaurants! ...Which is why I go to the French Quarter.

Do you know that RV park in NOLA charges up to $200/nt and you often can't get in! What a gold mine! ...What a ripoff. ...And you do NOT get what you paid for, but you do get security and security is the secret to getting good sleep.

As for staying in RV parks, my favorite is when you can't turn a corner in the park, because the guests have their tow car parked in front of their RV and you can't get around it.

Parks have their purpose... and believe me I can afford it. I choose NOT to use RV parks as much as possible because of they way I travel. ...Never mind the density of people in the RV parks, which I particularly don't like.

...But when you travel like Creativepart does and pick "choice" camp spots, then density is less of a problem, and life on the road is good, to say nothing of peace and quite and rest.

You you don't get quiet at truck stops... who are not all that welcoming to RVers in their parking lot. So you might say the noise of those running diesel truck engines drove me away from these route options.

Most rest stops are good, but every state has there own way of providing or not providing services to travelers.

Where you camp is completely a personal choice, which I made after unhooking and then re-hooking-up my tow car several times, at private parks, and trying to fit my 40' rig into a barely large enough parking stall. So I'm done with that!

Plus I hardly ever want to book in advance, because I never know when I'm going to arrive or how long to stay. So, you might say I posted these choice spots for RVers who fit this description.

PS I would never join a Travel Park Club again! After joining 2 different clubs, and NOT getting what they promised half of the time, those programs are not for me.

You know what works some times, in some states, are State Parks, but you have to know where to go... and in may states the locals know about county parks that are really nice and can accommodate large RV. I found a couple in Wisconsin.

Creativepart: If along your route you can recommend parks to stay in, with pull-throughs, and if you can continue to post photos that would be much appreciated. Most of us who don't have a referrals are tired of the ratings game that helps to assess security, but not necessarily comfort and beauty.

Have a great trip!

PS
On your way through Kentucky, I found the Burbon Trail to be nice and I recommend you tour Jim Beam and/or Marker's Mark distillery. Both have ample parking for RVs.

And if you are on your way to Detroit, I enjoyed the Ford museum of cars too.

Asheville, NC has the Biltmore Estate too! ...But I see NC is not on your travel map. NP. If you have time and money then I would divert as in change your itinerary and tour the Biltmore (assuming you have not visited) and then I would travel on to Savannah, which is another great old town to visit.

...Oh, I forgot, if anyone is interested, PM me and I will let you know where you can park your 40'+ tow car in Savannah only 8 blocks from the Old Town. And if you have a bicycle, I highly recommend you bicycle around.

Safe travels!

[creativepart]

We stay in State Parks whenever possible, and Army Corps of Engineers (COE) parks are favorites too. I would say on this trip out of 25 RV "parks/campgrounds" 23 of them are pull throughs. We're staying at State Parks in Tennesse, Wisconsin, Michigan. We have two stays in Fair Grounds and one COE. The average cost per night is probably $40. The private RV parks we're staying in are right on our route, close to the highway and convenient places to stop.

The Chicago parking lot boondock is $35 a night. We're staying 3 nights on a pull-in Lake of the Ozarks Resort right on the lake and next to the Golf Course. It's the most expensive at $85/night. But it's a splurge for a mini-break. The cheapest is a COE at $12.50. With a Lifetime Senior Citizen pass you get 1/2 price on camping and free entrance to any national park, monument and COE campground.

Are there lousy, tight, unslightly RV parks out there? Sure, but they are super easy to avoid. The company that owns this website owns www.campgroundreviews.com and we've used that site for over a decade to weed out the bad campgrounds. We look for campgrounds with a good number of reviews (more than 4), a few very recent reviews, a rating above 7.3 and comments that sound like what we'd like.

It's tricky. There are sites with a 10 rating... and one review from 4 years ago. That's worthless. There are boondocking spots 35 miles from the nearest paved road with 20 reviews all 9 or above because of wonderfully remote it is. There are LOTS of dumpy campgrounds with great reviews but when you read them it's because the couple running the place were so delightful. Usually hidden in those reviews people also say it's too small, very old and run down and the sites are too close... but the owners are so nice. You just have to spend the time read the reviews and get the vibe. That and a look at their website and a Google SAT view of the place and you get where you can pick a great place to stay just about 100% of the time.

Perhaps, we're too old, too stuffy, too set in our ways (wait... that describes us perfectly!) but scouting around for a spot in an industrial part of town where you can park opposite an empty lot is so far from our way of doing things that it's not even an option if we were broken down on the road.

To each his own. That's what makes the world go 'round.

[creativepart]

First stop tonight is Glen Rose, TX. It’s only 190 miles from home but that’s what we like. Normally we would have left home by 10 am and been here in time for a late lunch. But life doesn’t always go to plan. It was noon before we got away due to circumstances beyond our control.

This is a new RV park called Dinosaur Valley RV. It’s new as in 1/2 the sites are completed and the other half are being constructed right now... literally.

We’ve stayed at other RV parks in Glen Rose and wanted to try something new. Something better. This one is better and in a few years will be “nice”. They’re doing a good job and once it grows in a bit it will be the place to stay.

The town of Glen Rose is famous in Texas because of the Dinosaur remains found here. This park is next door to the Dinosaur Valley State Park. A lovely state park but all the sites are 30amp and this part of TX can get too hot to live on 30 amp. It’s only 84 here today but we still have both A/Cs running right now.

There is a tornado watch right now and big rain is forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

After Glen Rose you are on the edge of the DFW metro area. So tomorrow we drive into and through Dallas in the all day rain.

PS. Super fast WiFi here... 65mbps,

[SeeTheUSA]

Originally Posted by creativepart

First stop tonight is Glen Rose, TX.

... snipped ...

Some of the best spots for Bluebonnets is around Glen Rose ... you might be a bit late for them, though.

[tsut]

Great adventure, and planning!
If needed, Ohio Turnpike has dump stations (and powered overnight spots) at a few of the rest areas, should a replan need arise.

And if you need a mid-trip repair driveway, pm me. Am a few miles NW Of Akron.

[imnprsd]

CreativePart: I stand corrected. I thought you were paying $140/night to boondock in Chicago. Had I known that I wouldn't have replied like I did and just thank you for sharing.

Like the RV parks in NOLA or NYC or WDC (or as close as you can get to these places) it's often not on RVer's lists because it's too expensive or the nearest RV park is too far away. So I wanted to share my secret parking spots. And so far, every time I return to these places... there's my pull-through parking spot. And 10 minutes after I pull over I'm in bed. (Okay, not that fast, but you get the idea, and the next morning I having a full day of fun.)

I really do not like paying $125-$250/night as a matter of principle. ...And then I have to to remove the tow car and cram next to someone else. Nope. Did that a few times and never again.

So thanks for letting us know we can boondock in Chicago for $30/nt. That's great and Chicago is a great place to go if you time the weather right.

===

If you are on your way to Hot Spring, AR you will be likely passing through Texarkana; and there I recommend you have lunch or dinner at Naaman's BBQ right off the freeway; or pick some BBQ to-go!

Why? They have great BBQ, like many in Texas, but I make a point to arrive at Naaman's on a Friday or Saturday, because on these days you can get a huge Short Rib ($20-$35each depending on the size) that melts off the bone. It's really good if you like beef!

Texas has all kinds of BBQ places, but few if any do a short rib and Naaman's is the best I have ever had!

Enjoy your trip and keep the tips coming.

[creativepart]

Another day and the typical kind of RV joys.

Last night was huge rain, a little hail, nonstop rolling thunder and constant cloud lightening. Not a lot of sleep. Today we left at 9 am in light rain. 30 mi down the road one of my wiper blades goes flying. I replaced them both just before this trip and I guess I didn’t make sure it clicked into place. We were 13 miles from a Camping World and they had one in stock. So we were ready for more rain that never came.

Today we’re stopped at a KOA near Texarkana. Not a great one but it’s an OK site with concrete pads... very unusual for KOA Journey.

Tomorrow is a short 160 mi drive to Hot Springs, Arkansas for a 3-day stay on a lake.

[macnut]

Best of luck on the rest of your trip! Now that you replaced your wipers, you have probably guaranteed sunny skies.

[creativepart]

Today was a short 175 miles. We left around 10:30 so we had a lazy morning. We got to Hot Springs just before 2pm. The campground is nearly full being a weekend in a nice large campground on a lake in a tourist area.

When we were checked in the staffer told me they had only 135 arriving today. Wow!

Internet has been fluky here too. We’re near the city but it’s hilly and we’re in a valley so not a lot of good cell service available and the campground WiFi works great when it works. This has made streaming tv a bit frustrating but it’s still working.

Our site is fine, but looking around we could have done better. Isn’t that pretty much the way it is. You get to a new campground and look around to see what you would try to get the next time you visit... at least, that’s what I tend to do.

Here’s some photos: