April 21, 2023 - Nashville, Tennessee to Springfield, Illinois

We left the Grand Ole Mall around 8 a.m. after having a quick cup of coffee.  Where we are heading, who knows!  But what I do know is that we will not be doing another long day.  It is cloudy, cold and raining. 

We stopped at Grand Rivers, Kentucky to go to Patti's Restaurant, but it was only 9:00 a.m. and they don't open until 11:00.  Some confusion going on there!  I asked Kip if he wanted to hang around until they opened, and he said no.  So we left.  

After much discussion, phone calls, and strife, we were no closer to finding (or agreeing on) a spot to rest for the night.  The State parks will not allow a boat on a trailer in their campgrounds, so ...  all of those are eliminated.  I made an executive decision that we will be stopping in Springfield, Illinois and stay at the State Fairgrounds campground.  

The campground has huge spots with power, and it is only $20 a night (senior discount).  There are some people here for a horse show and trade, but it has quite a few spots open.  Mike, the campground manager, asked our name and then came back with a receipt and told us that the Legion is having a fish fry tonight.  On our receipt he wrote "Gilligan and Minny" for our names.  

We got settled and took our pedal bikes and go to the Harley Davidson dealership.  Yep, I am able to ride my pedal bike now!  

Our bike tires were flat, so we stopped at three gas stations for air.  The first two didn't work, and the last one finally did the trick.  We hadn't eaten except for donuts this morning, so we stopped for the fish fry, which was really good.  Then we went to Walgreens for pop and other items to bring back to the boat.

There are people practicing and setting up for the horse show tomorrow, so we walked around and watched people riding and practicing with their horses.  Kip explained all the intricate details of horses since he was around them when he was really young.  😂

We went back to the boat, tried to find what we needed in the mess from going over the bumpy roads, and then settled in to write the blog and listen to the Wild playoff game.

Kip decided that we should stay here for another day or two.  He wants to winterize the boat before we head back to Minnesota.  The temp here is in the 40s, and the temp in Minnesota is getting close to going below freezing.  

So, tonight, we have our heat on in the boat.