Summer '22 Cross Country - Day 14
Final full day in Utica, Illinois
Saturday, 18 June 2022
First of all, Happy Fathers Day to the fathers out there!
Second, I’m truly humbled by the number of subscriptions this publication received today. I asked Frieda to please promote it to her Facebook friends and wow! Thank you! I will try not to disappoint.
As for expectations, I intend to publish an update about our travels in our 2022 Oliver Legacy Elite II travel trailer once per day while we’re on this 3-4 month adventure. Since the purpose of Oliver’s Travels is also for those who have a specific interest in Oliver Travel Trailers, I will also be posting occasional articles about the trailer itself along with products and services that make our camping experience more enjoyable.
Since there are so many new readers, a quick summary. Frieda and I achieved a 20+ year dream in December when we took delivery of our Oliver Legacy Elite II travel trailer. Why an Oliver? I’m actually working on a post about that but the short version in approximate order of importance is: high quality, made in Tennessee, features, all season capability and compactness.
Why a 3-4 month cross country right out of the gate? It’s complicated, but our soon-to-be next door neighbors and friends needed a place to live and we were going to be traveling anyhow. So we moved our travel schedule up a bit and let them rent our house through at least the end of August. A win-win!
Meanwhile, back here in Utica, Illinois, it’s our last full day here.
In four days, the weather has gone from extreme heat and humidity all the way down to pleasant, springtime weather. So of course, we had to take Maddie and Skipper on a long walk along the farmer’s fields. They loved it as did we.
Dogs now properly exercised, and with the two of us craving a deli sandwich and ice cream at Bruce & Ollie’s, a fun place we had discovered earlier in the week, we headed back to downtown Utica.
After lunch, we walked around a bit, then drove over to Starved Rock State Park. An extremely popular destination — especially on weekends — it had been too hot to enjoy it earlier in the week and it looked too crowded to do anything but a quick drive by on a gorgeous Father’s Day weekend. We then stopped by the Starved Rock Lock and Dam managed by the Army Corps of Engineers where we were able to see a pleasure boat lock through. It reminded us of being back home with all of our locks and dams.
In the late afternoon we enjoyed some time sitting under the awning of our Ollie and taking in the sights and sounds of the wonderful campground where we are staying.
Tomorrow, is a travel day where we’ll head to the Good Sam Rally in Amana, Iowa.
Hi Scott - I hope this note continues to find you and Frieda doing well. Dave and I are really enjoying reading about your summer adventure. This particular post was a bit special to me as Dave and I were engaged at Starved Rock. It was a lovely autumn day and our dear friends were with us. I hadn't actually thought of that actual day in a while, so thanks for helping to bring back a very fond memory. Safe travels on your way to Gettysburg. Happy Independence Day to you both. Diana-