Sunday, June 23, 2019

Newmar Week Two

Last Sunday found us on the road to Merrillville, Indiana, for a bit of shopping at a large mall. Merrillville is about 75 miles from our location in Nappanee and just a few miles south of Gary, Indiana, but it was the closest location for a particular store we were looking for. You see, a good friend turned me on to Sketchers shoes a few years ago, and now it's my go-to brand. It was time to get re-shod, so off we went. A very nice lady helped us and after an hour we were back on the road home. A long way to go? Absolutely. Comfortable shoes? Absolutely.

On the way home we stopped for lunch in the town of Valparaiso, IN, at the Industrial Revolution. This restaurant is themed in a period when industrial expansion and invention was at its height. This view adapts the iconic photo of workmen having lunch sitting on an I-Beam during the construction of a skyscraper in New York.


Of course it was cloudy and raining most of the day, but some breaks gradually appeared.


On Monday, our coach was scheduled for a windshield replacement, which required that we spend the night out of the motorhome so that the adhesive/sealant could bond properly. Newmar kindly comped us a room at the Oakwood Resort in Syracuse, IN, about a half hour east of Nappanee along the shore of Lake Wawasee. The lake is huge, over four square miles in area, but is roughly twenty one feet deep, so it is an extraordinarily nice place for boater, water skiers, and swimmers. It is the largest natural lake in Indiana. Oakwood Resort has a private dock, providing access to the hotel restaurant from the water.


The sprawling resort can accommodate hundreds of guests and hotel property spreads over several acres, with event building, outdoor performance sections, and playgrounds. We stayed in room 103, on the ground floor on the lakeside with a nice view of the lake.


The clouds rolled in and the clouds rolled out! Almost every day this week we experienced a midwest storm.


Wednesday and Thursday nights were spent back at Oakwood Resort. We were able to stay in Nessie2 on Tuesday night, and it felt really good! While the hotel room we occupied on Monday night was very nice, the smaller queen bed just wasn't comfortable for all of us....you know...it's all about the dog.

This time we had a room on the third floor with a king-size bed. Sasha approved!


It's Springtime in the Midwest! We've seen dozens of new colts just learning how to navigate on those long, long legs!


This young lady was feeling a bit frisky!


Until she got tired!


Mr. Farmer walked around the corner of his barn and another family joined the party!


We checked out of Oakwood on Friday, a bright, shiny day on Lake Wawasee.


We arrived at the Newmar Service building Friday afternoon to rescue the motorhome. While that went well, we found that the technicians had found a couple of additional issues that needed to be addressed. One thing involved the system that uses diesel fuel to heat the coach....there was a small fuel leak. Not a good thing to have a few inches away from a flame! Another repair changed the nuts and bolts that attach the awnings to a method that is more secure. Evidently an awning came off a coach.....another not so good thing to happen!

So, we were scheduled to be done this week, but need to wait for the part for the heating system, so we will be here a couple of more days. The techs are not all Amish, but they all seem to have a dedication to the performance of a good job. We've gotten to know several over the years, and particularly this long visit, and have never had a distasteful experience. The new facility is first rate and we notice that Newmar is constructing new buildings at other locations on their campus. It's good to know that our dollars are being used wisely!

Since we need to stay a little longer, another trip to Shipshewanna was in order. Along with the purchase of more meat and cheese at our favorite store, we stopped for lunch at the Blue Gate Restaurant and Bakery. As you probably know, they have an Amish themed theater production most nights, at which you can combine an all you can eat dinner. Let's see....all you can eat, then sit in a comfortable chair in the dark......I'm thinking ZZZZZZZ/

We didn't see the theater production, but it has received rave reviews. We settled for their famous Fried Chicken dinner (not all you can eat!). Four pieces of chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing with gravy, hush puppies and green beans.....gulp. We brought home more than we ate!


Some construction in the town of Goshen sent us off into the countryside on a road we've never traveled before. Reminded us of Oak Avenue Plantation in Louisiana!


The next step at Camp Newmar is to wrap up the last few things on Monday. A move to the less desirable "overflow" area on Tuesday will free up a site in the full hookup area for someone whose coach is in Service, and then we're outta here on Wednesday! Still have a couple of maintenance things to address: a stop at the Cummins engine dealer in Ft Wayne, IN, will get the oil changed, and then it's north into Michigan next week.

Have a good week!

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