SYCAMORE, IL.  As we attached the Jeep to the motorhome this morning in Oxford, IA to leave for here, I drew Betty's attention to the sky far behind the motorhome.  It was deep blue and turning black.  Images of tornadoes raced through my head as I recalled the RV park manager in Iowa telling us that in the event of a bad storm to run to the park men's room and shower area to seek shelter, but the weather radio said a severe storm with hail was coming but nothing worse.  The motorhome next to us pulled on out quickly, hoping to run away from it.

Just as we started to leave, the rain poured down.    I turned on the motorhome windshield wipers, and the driver side wiper fell off onto the ground.  I put on a rain parka and went out to try to fix it, very upset that something so ridiculous was holding us up.  This undertaking with the wiper lasted quite a while, with me getting very wet.  Betty walked over to the office to see if anyone could help, but no one was there since they do not open until noon.  She reached by phone someone who told her that trying to fix a wiper was futile; just order a new one.  That lit a bulb in my head, reminding me that I had ordered two spare wipers before the trip and put them in the basement.  I got one out and and replaced it quickly, shaking my head that I did not think of doing that sooner.  Betty returned, and now she and I both were soaked.

We put down the leveling jacks and deployed the slides to make it easier to change into dry clothes.  After that we again pulled in the slides and pulled up the leveling jacks.  At last we could depart, a couple hours late.  Sort of typical of how things have been going on this trip.

It was a very windy, rainy drive on I-80 and I-88.  Betty and I mused that God in His providence delayed our departure to allow the worst of the storm to pass before we got on the road.   Funny how we figure that out usually in retrospect, but fight the issue as it unfolds.  As we approached Sycamore, the rain stopped and the skies partly cleared.

We are staying three nights at the Sycamore RV Resort.  It was not easy to find this "resort."  Once in downtown Sycamore, you turn down a very beaten-up road through an industrial area.  At the end of that long pot-holed road is an RV office with an old RV park on two lakes.  It seems the lakes are popular for fishing, and locals come here just for that.  In season there are boats to rent, swimming, etc, but the season is over.  There are grassy areas in the distance, but the parking sites are all back-in on gravel everywhere.  Does not look like a resort.

Our Site at Sycamore RV Resort

Tomorrow we drive to Elmhurst for a short visit with Betty's relatives.  Driving in the Chicago area is always an adventure, with road construction and tolls common.