Our latest camping trip was a special journey just for our sister Lynne. She is mentally handicapped and has some physical challenges as well, so the five nights we spent in the June Bug was just about the maximum we could handle. She’s a real trooper, though, and had a really nice vacation.
Quincy, Illinois is home to our cousin Janice, who happens to be Lynne’s favorite cousin because they’re almost the same age. (Lynne likes to brag that she’s the oldest!) We drove west, towing the June Bug, and our other sister Susan and her husband Frank followed with a rental travel trailer. It just so happened that Driftwood RV Park (formerly a KOA) had two spots next to each other, and we were able to set up a nice compound for Lynne to enjoy her family.
Camping along the Mississippi River during the heat of summer can be challenging, so we made sure to use lots of mosquito repellant (Zika virus…no thanks) and didn’t have a campfire! We were still able to enjoy some time outside because there was almost always a breeze. Let me tell ya…I’m thankful for air conditioning, though.
Lynne tried her hand at Corn Hole and actually got the bean bag onto the platform. Success!
Nap time in the June Bug. Lynne was just fine on the lounge during her naps, and it folded out into a nice bed for her at night.
After Quincy, we took Lynne to Chillicothe, Illinois, to attend the Santa Fe “old timers/retirees” lunch. Our family lived there from 1967-1990 and three Martin siblings worked for the Santa Fe Railroad back in the day. Two of ‘em (Susan and Yale) retired from the company, but I only worked for short spurts during college. Lynne enjoyed seeing some of the old folks she knew from when our dad was the Agent at the depot.
The ONLY time all three of us worked at the same depot on the same day. Becky, Yale, and Susan
Our brother Yale joined us to camp in the Steely Van, and our baby brother Rex drove down from Evanston. We camped at the old gravel pit, which used to be called simply THE PITS back in our high school days. It’s been converted into a fishing and diving lake, and although we were unable to snag waterfront sites, we were able to at least get all three of our RVs parked together.
Dinner with the whole gang at Club La-Con in Lacon
Because Lynne couldn’t care less about sightseeing, and almost exclusively cares about seeing the people she loves, I’ll just include some photos showing how very happy this trip made her:
Bob walked Lynne to the door of her little house. We bribed her to have a good attitude by promising another trip in July. Stay tuned!
Looks like you had a wonderful time. Sort of in my neck of the woods here. Make a Peoria to Quincy run quite often. Thoroughly enjoy reading of your adventures. Keep the pictures, descriptions and smiles coming!
Thank you for reading this little blog. We love taking Lynne along on our adventures, and we’re heading back to Illinois in a few weeks for another one. Stay tuned. (I hope you’ve listened to the podcasts!!)
Love that you were near my home town Peoria as well. Sounds like such a great time Lynne had!
I lived in Peoria for many years, and actually graduated from high school in Chillicothe. Small world! (Thanks for checking out the blog.)
How dear is Lynne?! Looks like you guys gave her a wonderful time with her family.. and I’m sure enjoyed it immensely yourselves. Have been ‘lurking’ on your blog for some time, and this put a real smile on my face today, so I wanted to comment. Thank you for sharing! Looking forward to reading about more of your adventures. 🙂
Thank you for commenting on how sweet Lynne is. I hope you’ll listen to our podcasts! On the most recent one, if you stick around to the end, you’ll hear Lynne sing.
I’m glad you’re a fan of this little blog, too. Thanks.