RV travel

A goose on the lake

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If you have been following Roadtirement, you know we have been getting out of the house and going to some RV parks to get away from our COVID-19 “isolation”. We went back to the Thousand Trails Indian Lakes campground in Batesville.

Calm lake view

This park has great paved roads for bicycle riding, and there are no large hills that are hard to climb. The pretty scenery also is nice for walks. It is nice to get away in our motorhome and to know that we are in a safe environment. Having our own self contained “house on wheels” means we do not have to use public facilities at all.

It has been reported that RV sales are booming as many have discovered the having your own facilities is safest during the coronavirus pandemic. We talked (at a safe distance of course) to a fellow who had just bought an new motorhome so he and his wife could travel safely. They were on their first time out with their new rig.

Stay safe as you start to get back out, friends, stay safe!

Wild looking critter

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I had just got back from my morning walk and was sitting outside at the table enjoying a cup of coffee when I noticed something on Sher’s bike.


I have never seen a caterpillar quite like this one before. Not sure why it liked the soft plastic handlebar grips on the bike.

We are back on the road again enjoying a few days at this very nice park that is part of the Thousand Trails system. The weather is just delightful today. It was cool this morning and the temps now at mid day are in the low 70s. It is so nice that the heat has finally broken and there is a hint of fall in the air.

Two hawks on today’s walk

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I had just started on my morning walk today when some movement in the sky caught my attention.

I expected to see turkey vultures but much to my delight there were two hawks enjoying flying together, circling and enjoying each other’s company. The photo is not the best, but I guess reasonable for an iPhone shot of hawks at least 100 yards up. Spotting birds of prey always make my day!

Relaxing and enjoying

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We’re at another RV park for a few days. This one is in Ohio between Columbus and Cincinnati. This one is gated, with the code provided so the checkin was contactless.

There are lots of rigs, but few people. Probably real busy on the weekend.


The weather is very nice, great for windows open sleeping and comfortable during the day for walking or riding bikes. We’re still being very cautious and doing the “social distancing” things.

This year has been a wreck. Coronavirus, the economy, protests, fires, hurricanes and of course “Political Stuff “. Sher and I are grateful to be able to get back out on the road. Our spirits are raised and we’re feeling more optimistic about things…

Stay safe friends!

Back to longer stays at RV Parks

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Sher and I have been pretty much staying at home, wanting to avoid that COVID-19 virus. We took a trip a few days ago and walked around in Vincennes, Indiana. We were anxious to get out and on the road again, however, and decided that we’d try out staying in an RV park see if we felt safe being in that environment.

We found what looked like a very nice park not that far from our home base. It was part of the Thousand Trails, a membership program where you pay a yearly fee and are then able to access RV Parks without any further fees.  We felt that by having only 10 nights of stays at these parks, we’d pay for the membership, anything beyond that would be no charge.

The Thousand Trails Indian Lakes Resort in Batesville, Indiana turned out to be a good choice for our first time out for a park. We had reservations, and did have to go into the gate house to get the dash board slip and the gate “key”. I would have preferred a no contact check in, but the lady did not let anyone else in while I was taking care of check in. Yes, she and I both had masks on.

We easily found an open site (sites are first come, first served). Back in on a level gravel drive with a nice shade tree. There was a concrete pad and permanent State Park style grill. The power pole and the water bib were  clear at the back of the site. It took almost all of our electric cable  to plug in, and both our water hoses.  Our T Mobile service was not very strong, but at least we could open email and access a few web pages.

A colorful sunset is a good way to end the day

We found that we felt safe at this park. We could hike around the park, and there were never so many folks that you could not keep the proper social distance. We chatted with some fellow campers, at a distance of 20 feet at least! By bringing all of the supplies we need, there was of course no need to go to any stores. We think we have found a safe way to travel, at least until there is a treatment or cure for the coronavirus. Oh yeah, we’re heading out again next week.

Lincoln Memorial Bridge over the Wabash

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The bridge carries U.S. 50 Business across the Wabash River from Vincennes, Indiana to Lawrence County, Illinois. The east end of the bridge is in the George Rogers Clark National Historic Park. At this entrance to the bridge you will find two large pylons made of granite, each with a raised sculpture depicting  a Native American Chief.

The bridge is of what is called a deck arch design, and has two traffic lanes and wide pedestrian walks on each side of the roadway.  It was opened to traffic in September, 1933.

View from the George Rogers Clark Monument

Wabash River walk, Clark monument to the left, bridge to the right

We drove across the bridge, not knowing that there was a sculpture/monument to Abraham Lincoln just on the other side of the river. Had we known, we would have walked across the bridge. We’ll cover that attraction in another post.

There were very few people out the day we were in Vincennes, thus we could easily maintain “social distance” and did feel safe. It was great getting out to see some things after our long COVID-19 isolation.

Historic 1837 college

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Behind the Catholic Basilica in Vincennes, Indiana is a small red brick building. The information plaque on the wall describes Saint Gabriel’s college that was started by the Eudist Fathers in 1837.

You can see a bit of our RV on the far right

Information plaque

Original stone wall visible

The Eudist Fathers were founded in the 1643 in France. and the group is still active today promoting missionary work and education. This old college was one of several historic places we found during our first real RV trip since February since we have been isolated due to that deadly virus. It is always fun to stand in front of an old historic structure and imagine what it was like back when it was built.

Stay safe while your travel, friends, but go ahead and travel safely!