The much anticipated trip came and went without a hitch (no pun intended). I want to thank my parents for watching the kids for a few nights as Ali and I both needed a little time away. Its funny how 5 years ago we never thought that both of us would look forward to all that is traveling in an RV....the close quarters, tiny bathrooms, weird gadgets and of course the whole water/waste thing. Yet, both of us were very excited to sit and literately do nothing for a little less than 48 hours. Our destination was Carlyle Lake (Coles Creek Rec Area) and like our three prior visits it does not disappoint. The first loop is full hookup with the outer 2/3's being lake side. Come to think of it most sites at Coles Creek are at worst lake view. There is something about Carlyle Illinois that is very nice and Norman Rockwell-ish. Not unlike most small towns in Illinois, there is a town square that is flanked on all sides by old store fronts. There are two grocery stores that are a blast from the past and a fairly substantial bait shop. Most of the homes are well kept and look very very nice.
We stopped by the Fish Hatchery to investigate the flock of ducks that can be seen from the road only to find we had been swarmed. We just so happened to catch feeding time and a duck with his best 4th of July George Washington holiday hair.
What the hell is Ski Soda? For some reason we were baffled at all the old Signs the first time we went through the town and low and behold it was a local drink that is very prevalent here. Its everywhere.
I finally made the jump and ordered and installed a new Weight Distribution hitch for the camper. Reason being is the Husky Centerline was constantly giving me problems and I honestly did not feel safe with it anymore. Their customer service was outstanding, but the product failed to deliver. Because all I had ever known was the Centerline, I was a bit skeptical about switching to another hitch. This was the first trip with the new hitch and I will say it is 1000x's more stable while in tow. It is like night and day. I would literately fight the Centerline hitch in pretty much any wind over 10mph, passing trucks required a steady hand and correction in the opposing direction and the trailer had to move (sway) to activate the cylinders to control it. Its marketed as a active sway control, but to get it to activate you had to induce a yaw in the trailer. With the new Equalizer it is truly an active system as the entire unit is under tension at all times. All that is gone. We traveled home on Monday with steady winds over 30mph with gusts higher and although I hate when this term is used....I almost forgot it was back there. The hook up is so much simpler and not an involved process Plus the hitch head weighs about 20# less than the Centerline. I still think I need to adjust it little to dial it in but as far as an anti sway hitch, I don't think it gets much better at this price point. Highly Recommend The Equal-izer!
After dropping the trailer at the storage lot I took the back road to check out the flooding...water is rising.
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