RV – Page 7 – Julia A. Keirns – Author, Blogger, Writer

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

July 31, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Herbert Hoover was born on August 10, 1874 in a small town in Iowa. He served as the 31st President of the United States from 1929 – 1933. The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site is located in West Branch, Iowa and we were only 30 miles away while we were parked at the Iowa 80 Truck Stop & Museum.

We hopped in the car and drove to the Visitor Center. I got my stamp and sticker for my National Park Book. From the Visitor Center you simply walk the old wooden plank sidewalk to the small cottage where he was born.

This 14 foot x 20 foot home was built in 1871. It doesn’t take long to go from the front door to the back door. With two adults and three children, there was not much room in the small dwelling.

Out the back is another wooden plank sidewalk leading to the outhouse and across the street to the Blacksmith Shop where Herbert’s father, Jesse Hoover, worked.

Next is the one-room schoolhouse built in 1853. It served as the primary school for the children of West Branch when Herbert was a boy. It used to be a couple blocks away but it was moved here beside the Blacksmith Shop.

From here you can walk to the Presidential Library & Museum or drive to it. We got back in the car and drove to it. The Presidential Library is separate from the National Park so there is a separate fee to enter. We chose not to enter the museum.

Continuing on the road past the Presidential Library we drove through a peaceful park leading to the gravesite of President and Mrs. Hoover. It is very simple and elegant. I have never visited the gravesite of a president before and I was extremely impressed with the simplicity of this one.

Herbert Hoover died on October 20, 1964 and was buried here – on this hill overlooking his childhood home – five days later, beside his wife Lou Henry Hoover who died in 1944.

From the parking area it is a short 280 ft. walk to the graves. The path will continue around to a Tall Grass Prairie Observation Deck or you can simply go back to your car.

If you are ever on I-80 in Iowa it would be good to take the time to visit this gem of a place.

Iowa 80 Truck Stop & Museum

July 31, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

We left home in Ohio early this morning and traveled 358 miles to the Iowa 80 Truck Stop and Trucking Museum. This truck stop claims the title of the world’s largest truckstop.

It was established in 1964, which makes it as old as I am. Stepping inside the doors is like stepping into a large shopping mall. There are shops and fast food restaurants galore. Other amenities include a barber shop, chiropractor, custom shop, dental office, laundry facility, showers, library, and even a movie theater. Who could ask for more?

You can eat and shop and visit the trucking museum. The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum is down the street, but we walked to it from the parking lot. Entrance is free but donations are welcome. What a wonderful display of old antique trucks, modern trucks, rare trucks, and toy trucks.

If you are traveling down Interstate 80 through Walcott, Iowa, you simply must stop and visit the largest truck stop in the world. Overnight parking in the RV is allowed and there is plenty of room.

Back at Home

July 28, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Leaving a campsite is a lot of work but after 15 months we have it down to a science. Well, almost. One thing I never did, that I always say I should have, is make a checklist of things to do. It seems like we always miss something. Usually it is something minor, but I think I will make a list.

Back at home in Convoy, Ohio, the kids were glad to see mom and dad, but sad to leave Grandma and Grandpa. I think they had a memorable vacation that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

It stormed in Northwest Ohio several times in the past few days. As I write this we are under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning and I can see a tornado spotter sitting in a vehicle on the road when the lightning flashes. The wind rocks the camper back and forth making me feel like I am back on that ferry boat. At times like this you wish you had a basement to go down to.

Okay, back to bed. Tomorrow is another adventure. Thanks for stopping by and checking in on us. Safe travels.

Seneca Caverns – Bellevue, Ohio

July 27, 2023 – Traveling With Rich & Julie

Yesterday morning we began our day at a small local restaurant for breakfast.

The Amsden House Restaurant on Main Street in Bellevue was a super nice and clean establishment. The kids were given coloring sheets, and the food was good. The meals were large portions for a reasonable price. We always try to support the small town businesses, especially restaurants. If you are ever in the area, we highly recommend this one for a good family breakfast.

On to the main event for the day – Seneca Caverns. Rich and I have lived in Ohio most of our lives and have never been to this one. This was one event the grandkids will never forget.

Seneca Caverns was discovered in 1872 by two young boys who were out hunting with their dog. The dog fell into a sinkhole, and the boys followed him down into a cave. Interesting fact about this caverns is that it is actually a bunch of fractures in the earth. It was not formed by water movement, but rather cracks in the earth. There are places where you can see how the floor you are standing on simply broke away from the ceiling and fell down.

It is one of the largest underground caverns and is definitely a trek underground you will not soon forget. It is important to note that this climb down to the Ole Mistry River on level 7 is not easy. I would label it as moderately difficult. I did it, but every muscle in my body felt it afterwards.

We were fortunate to catch it on a drought year when the water level was low and were able to go all the way down to level 7 – 110 feet underground – where the water table was. The problem is then you have to climb back up out of the cave. Some of the crevices are tight and narrow, but if I can do it, most anyone can.

I did not take very many photos because both of my hands were busy hanging on to the rocks and walls.

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After making it back out of the cavern alive, we headed to the Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum. The grandkids did not want to go inside and walk through all the trains but we spent some time in the gift shop and took some photos.

Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum Entrance

Tickets are available across the street in the gift shop. We enjoyed seeing the trains from a distance. After the caverns we were hot and tired. It was near 90 degrees outside with high humidity. We came back to the campgrounds and swam in the pool until thunderstorms blew through the area and we spent the rest of the evening inside watching movies and playing with toys.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s adventure.

Breakdowns & Fixes

July 19, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Living in a motorhome full-time is no more glamorous than living in a sticks and bricks house. Driving your house down the bumpy, and many times “under construction” highways across the country takes a pretty big toll on the unit and the stuff inside. It is all part of the process.

Breakdowns are common. Many times our issues are minimal and affordable to fix. Rich and I have learned to fix many things ourselves as most full-time RVer’s do. This time I don’t know though. I try to stay positive but we are looking at an electrical issue.

I live my life under the assumption that things always work out for the best and this issue will too…eventually. I may just have to be patient. Schedules change regularly and I am always mindful when I make reservations to note what the policy is on cancellations.

We finally found someone to come and hook up a computer to the engine to find out what error codes there were, and one of the fixes is only $65. We will start there and work our way up to the expensive fixes if we have to.

We are scheduled to do some traveling next week with the grandkids before leaving for a long time on Monday, July 31. We hope to be fixed and ready to go by then, but our schedule always remains flexible.

I also want to mention that I don’t feel like we have any more problems in this 20-year-old RV than some of the newer units. We have met many people in a lot newer units who have had some pretty serious problems too. We hope to stay in this one as long as it is still fixable and gets us from point A to point B.

To anyone out there who is a mechanic I would like to say that there needs to be more RV mechanics who are willing to come to where you are broke down. We struggle with calling many places sometimes before finding help.