A colder, and much wetter than normal winter, resulting in a
fierce spring allergy season caused us to postpone a lot of hiking and travel
so far this year. Colder is OK, rainier is OK, combined they tend to keep you
confined to the RV doing things that could be done at home in more comfort.
A new-to-us larger RV prompted us to get moving again. We
used and enjoyed our Roadtrek 190 Versatile for almost 4 years. Our two week
trip last November showed us the limitations for us in terms of space
(photographers carry a lot of gear), and a comment during a routine maintenance
that parts were no longer available for most of our appliances, so we would
need to replace them completely as they broke down, prompted us to start
looking for a larger, newer motor home. We found a 2013 Coachman Freelander 21
QB lightly used at a reasonable price, and made the plunge.
We decided to take our two day shake-down cruise to Paynes
Prairie State Preserve. The drive consists of highways and two lane roads and
driving through a few towns. All systems worked fine, though we made many notes
for improvements we want to make (naturally).
We took a three hour hike on Monday morning, starting on the
Chacala Trail with the intention of linking to the Jackson Gap trail. We
encountered a lot of standing water, but a recent burn along the trail made
circumventing the puddles easier. Almost one-half mile into the hike, the trail
turned into a stream of running water, with pooling in areas. We retraced our
steps, and walked along the road to the Visitor Center, then back to the
campground via the Lake Trail.
The saw palmetto showed signs of growth along the burn area.
The tendrils against the dark background caught my eye, and I tried to capture
the beauty of them in the sun.
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