Elkhart, IN

The Bighorn is in need of major reconstruction to repair a "flexing" problem in the overhang and a new floor in the large slide-out.  We have arrived, donuts in hand, at Heartland's corporate headquarters for the necessary procedures.  While our house is out of commission, we'll use timeshare in South Bend--a vacation if you will. :)

Relaxing at the condo.

The weather was windy and cold, but we amused ourselves nonetheless.  We had dinner at Das Dutch Essenhaus with Bill and Jean who were in town having work done on their Redwood.  Al and Bill spent an afternoon at The College Football Hall of Fame--which meant neither Jean nor I had to go!
Notre Dame University was close enough to attend Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.  Northern Indiana is the RV mecca of the U.S. and home to all things RV, including The RV Hall of Fame and Museum.  We also took a tour through the Bighorn plant at Heartland's manufacturing facility.  

A room with a view...at ground level!

One last thing to do is drive to The Indiana Dunes Nat'l Lakeshore on Lake Michigan.

It was a wild and windy day on the shores of Lake Michigan, but Al climbed Mt. Baldy--the hill of sand, and I ventured down to the beach for a quick photo and a bit of sand for my clamshell.

This butterfly makes me remember that a few days ago, we stopped in Paducah, KY to tour the National Quilt Museum and visit with Al's high school friend Judy, who is the Curator.  What a great collection of modern art, using quilting as a medium, and conventional new and vintage quilts.  The Museum is in the cobblestoned, old port section of town adjacent to the muraled flood walls that provide protection from the mighty Ohio River.   

Finally, the Bighorn is restored to its former pristine condition by the very nice folks at Heartland. Westward ho!  This time, we'll take a northerly route across Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Montana.