Shipshewana, Indiana To Get Fridge Fixed

Fridge is not working; driving to Shipshewana, Indiana from Two Rivers, Wisconsin to get it fixed.
Travel Day: We had a great drive. 320 miles. Along the way we saw signs: “crash investigation site” and then gives an exit number. There were quite a few of them and some have their own pull offs. Good idea. At Oak Creek, just south of Milwaukee, we stopped at Kwik Trip for fuel and Kevin replaced a battery on HOWE’s (footnote 1) tire sensor. It had just rained through there but was done when we got out. Thankfully only a short amount of rain the entire day. This area, and all of Wisconsin, has a lot of manufacturing. We passed Haribo and thought of their darling TV commercial. It is a favorite (adults with kid voices).

No Problems Through Chicago, IL, 09/23

Nearing Chicago, on the freeway, both Garmin (set for RV) and Siri said to get in the express lane. We did but with the moment’s hesitation of, “can an RV go here or is it just for cars?” Well, too late. HAHA Down the road Kevin saw a dump truck in front of us so he was relieved. The express route went much faster than the regular road and they went through construction. The day was humid and you can see it in the air. Mostly cloudy, too, and 70° so that kept the truck comfortable. Kevin did great through the traffic and HOWE pulled along awesomely. So thankful. 

Twin Mills Campground, near Shipshewana, IN 09/23

So fun to see the Amish-Mennonite homes and farms along highways 5, 20, and 120 in Indiana. We got to Twin Mills Campground, near Shipshewana, and found it to be a very nice place. The place has lots of tall trees – a problem for Starlink (footnote 3)! The leaves are green and yellow and a lot are on the ground already. 

South Twin Lake At Campground, near Shipshewana, IN 09/23

After getting set up, I went on a walk while Kevin took a nap. I explored this campground – a little outdoor movie screen, 18 hole mini golf, tetherball, and all sorts of courts. The heated pool is closed for the season. Too bad, that sounded so nice tonight. I walked to the site and saw Kevin was still asleep in his chair outside so I walked the other way and went to the beach. A lovely lake, nice beach, and a boat dock. I just sat at the picnic table under a pavilion for a long time. Later Kevin texted me where I was and then walked down to join me. By this time it was now 6:30pm and we were hungry. For dinner we had smoked salmon from Two Rivers, WI. Delicious! 

Starlink’s Receiver, Named “Dishy” Isn’t Seeing Much But Beautiful Autumn Leaves, Twin Mills Campground, 09/23

There are so many thick trees here that Starlink will hardly work. Seriously, it spikes to working ability but drops down to not. I am a little worried about Starlink working well in the east with all the trees but we will cross that bridge when it comes. AT&T on our phones worked great.

Lolly’s Fabric Store, Shipshewana, IN 09/23

Around 3:30pm we drove to the town of Shipshewana. There were more visitors than the 900 people who live there! HA  Lots of cute autumn decorations and displays outside and inside stores. We walked around part of the tiny downtown and into a few stores. There is a huge building that has 4 flours and lots of businesses inside. The first store we saw was a unique music store. Serious and funny instruments and all things music. Another store had the most puzzles we have ever seen. Marcia T needs to come here! We found Lolly’s, a fabric store that fellow quilters had told me to check out. I tell you, They had so many beautiful fabrics, I could have spent $1000.00s. It is good my fabric stash is full! I got instructions for a “little scraps from this & that” called Cinnamon Sticks. It is a table runner.

Blue Gate Restaurant, Delicious! Shipshewana, IN 09/23

The pretzels in the food court smelled amazing and when I asked Kevin if he wanted to split one, he thought about it and then said he wanted to eat at a place his brother recommended. It started to pour rain and continued throughout the night. We walked through some furniture places and then went to The Blue Gate Restaurant and Bakery. This is the recommendation. The building has a big theater in it and they are doing a musical. On the main floor is a restaurant and in the basement is a buffet. We decided to go to the buffet, as it has a lot of Amish-style food. Delicious. Tasted like Jamesport Amish restaurant which is near where Kevin grew up in Missouri. My favorite? Mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and chicken. HAHA We enjoyed our meal and rated it: Every Time We Come To This Town. 🙂 We drove a different road home (footnote 2), south, east, north, and then west. Fun to see the farms and fields.

Chief Shipshewana. Explorers arrived in this area around 1800. Chief and his band of Pottawattamie Indians were driven out of here in 1838 and forced marched to reservations in Kansas. This is knows as Trail of Death. A year later, the chief and a few Indians were allowed to return. He died and is buried on the shores of Shipshewana Lake in 1841. That is the same year Amish arrived in the area. 

Walking While Waiting For Fridge To Get Fixed, Shipshewana, IN 09/23

Drove HOWE to get the fridge fixed. Walked into the office at JC Referigation and the guy said, “8:30?” Yes, that is us. We were about 1/2 hour early. No problem just back up to the doors because a motorhome was inside the bay. The place has a very nice waiting room built out in front of the offices but it is small and was crowded. So we just waited in the truck. They put in new guts and now it is working correctly. Whew! They also installed a thermometer so we could monitor the temperature in the freezer and fridge without opening the doors. We chuckle how “the sun don’t shine in Shipshewana” and Kevin says it sounds like a song or poem. We never saw the sun here this week. 

Great CoE Fisherman’s Corner Campground, Moline, IL 09/23

From Shipshewana, Indiana, we headed out and drove to Corp of Engineers campground named Fisherman’s Corner Campground near Moline, Illinois. It was a good drive, sun came out, no wind. The roads are pretty rough on I-80 south of Chicago area. Got to the campground and what a nice place! Grass green and mowed, asphalt roads and concrete sites. The sign on the guard shack said to go to your site and host would come check you in. We are right along Mississippi River and just two rows of sites between us.

Mississippi River, Moline, IL 09/23

Kevin decided he was hungry for Texas Roadhouse for dinner so we head over. Along the way you can see the large river and lots of parks and walk ways along it. We pulled up to Texas Roadhouse and saw probably 30 people waiting outside. Nope, that isn’t going to work so we went down the road to Red Robin. The service was horrible slow but the food was good.

1. “HOWE” is what we named our Alliance Avenue 36-ft 5th wheel. See: Home On WhEels and we pronounce it Howie. We live and travel in it full-time around the country.

2. “Home” is where we park it. Home is our 2022 Alliance Avenue, 36 ft, 5th wheel.

3. Starlink is satellite internet. It works even when you are out of cell coverage area. You can make phone call through it, too.