We had discovered some problems with maladjustment of the slideout and had
enjoyed an earlier trip to northern Indiana so we chose that direction for
our first real tour. This also meant we could visit the Henry Ford museum in
Dearborn, Michigan and then pass through Canada back to base. This would give us
confidence crossing the border given the horror stories we had heard.
Northern New York State is quite hilly but the road through Pennsylvania and
Ohio to Indiana is really quite flat. Not as flat as we are told Kansas is but
still to us it was flat. We drove the I90 with its tolls since we wanted to gain
confidence in driving and see how much the tolls would cost. The assessment
method varies from state to state. Some work on weight, some on axles and some
on tyres. The price did not seem extortionate for the distance and the ease of
travelling. Note that interstates are free when they pass through urban areas
and are often the best way through a city if you avoid rush hours.
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Indiana is the capital of RV manufacturing with over half the RVs being built in Elkhart county. It is also the home of the third largest Amish and
Mennonite communities. Many of them work in the woodworking industry which
produces exquisite furniture and the insides of RVs. There are over 27
manufacturers most of whom offer factory tours. So we had a tour of the factory
which made our RV (at Goshen) and they gave us a contact of someone who could
fix our misaligned slideout. We also toured the many component stores where you
could buy absolutely anything for an RV often at surplus prices. We took the
opportunity to buy some replacement parts. |
The Amish are not permitted to drive cars or indeed most technology. Neither
do they believe in the need for education beyond the eighth grade. Mennonites are
slightly easier going. There is a good interpretative centre at
Shipshewana which explains the background to these communities. So the buggy
passing the petrol station and the buggy towing the boats both taken in
Shipshewana highlight the pressures on their way of life. |
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While we were camping at Elkhart campground we heard about a rally at Goshen
being run by the ESCAPEES club. Upon enquiry we discovered we could attend even
though we were not members. Many of the members are full-timers and we thought
with the lectures and the people we might be able to pick up a few tips. The
rally is held twice a year alternating between the East and West of the USA. The
club's base is in Livingston, Texas which offers an accommodation address
service which is used by about 15000 members making it one of the largest mail
forwarding organisations in the world. Texas taxes are also lower. |
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We duly joined the rally on the Elkhart county fairground along with almost
1000 other RVs. We felt quite the poor relation given the size and opulence of
some of those rigs. When they start by setting up the satellite dish.... The
lectures were interesting ranging from insurance to electrics to internet
connections to travel in Alaska and Mexico with hints on how to avoid murdering
your spouse. The American way of doing things was very much in evidence and the
daily doling out of "door prizes" (gifts from dealers) got a bit
wearing. (Is this how they distribute the Wheelers campground guide?). But we
did find time to visit the genealogy and international travellers chapters, the
Baby Boomers group, and even found a bit of western square dancing (we decided
we are about 60% of the way to "regular" but may never get any
further). |  |
We became celebrities a bit with many people interested in what we were
trying to do. There was one other Briton (from Manchester) who I met at a 'Sky
at Night' talk when the speaker (who knew his geography from fifth grade) tried
to tell me that England was on a line with Philadelphia and not nearly 1200
miles further north as we both knew Manchester and Sheffield to be. It just
reinforced our view on how poor is the average American's knowledge of the rest
of the world.
Overall I think I was a little disappointed but we did make many friends and
now have ports of call in many more places.
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