A quick drive up to Quincy, IL landed us on US 24. This was just a routine crossing of IL on the back roads. Pretty much the same country side as one can find in many states of the east, except for the wind driven electric generator.
We drove much longer than I really wanted to, 7 hours this day. But, I wanted to get to Elkhart, IN in order visit the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum and still get to Ypsilanti at a reasonable time, where we are going to have a visit with our daughter and son in law.
We got to the Hall of Fame relatively late, and after dark. The building and grounds are not well lit or marked. I ended up have back up the truck and trailer in the dark in order to make the turn I needed to. We finally got parked and settled in for the night.
The next morning we did tour the museum. Note the remnants of snow.
It was a good visit. It's very interesting to see the evolution of recreational vehicles, from shapes, sizes, types, and amenities.
This is the forerunner of the Airstream. When Wally Byam took over, the changed the boat tail rear, and moved the entrance from over the tongue to the side.
Here is the first travel trailer hooked behind a Model T.
There were early tear drops which look and function just like the modern teardrops.
Many of the early appliances are home type, and the heaters are oil fired Duo-Therm's with a metal chimney out the roof.
You are going to have to trust me about the oil heaters and the early tent trailer, which were basically a platform with a large fold out tent on it. A lot of the images I took aren't working. I see them on the camera, but I can't transfer them.
In any case, after leaving the museum at Elkhart, we took IN 17 north a few miles until we reached US 12 which we took east to Ypsilanti.
Some leftover snow on the way to Ypsilanti.
We're spending time with family, just visiting. When we leave Ypsilanti Monday morning, we're coming home, via the back roads of Ohio, and I77 & I64 through WV. West Virginia is one state I don't want to drive the "blue highways". Should be home on Wednesday.
Interesting blog. I have enjoyed your trip. Now why would you not want to drive WV blue highways???? We have been driving on I-77 since it was a two lane limited access highway. We live in NC and my home is in IN. It's always been our choice across WV.
ReplyDeleteI have driven a "blue" highway in WV before. Some time ago, before we had an RV of any kind. We drove over US 250 from Richmond to Sandusky, Ohio on the way to visiting our daughter in Michigan.
DeleteI'll stick to the interstates in WV.