Melanie’s Decade Trip Part 2: Spring Mill
Seams Like a Story is taking a break from sewing to go on some summer adventures. It’s the summer of Melanie’s Decade trip and we are determined to make it fun for our special needs granddaughter as we travel around Indiana State Parks. In this post we leave Brown County and head to Spring Mill State Park.
A New Day Begins
Our first day is in the books! http://seamslikeastory.com/the-rv-adventure-begins/
After some initial resistance, Melanie slept well and we got a (sort-of) decent night’s sleep. We wake up to rain in Brown County. Coffee, tea and breakfast are the first order of business. Melanie finishes her cereal and begins a coloring project.
When the rain stops, we get dressed and find a nearby playground. Melanie is very tactile. She’s attracted to the water-filled sand box, but I divert her attention to the novel tire swing. After a quick lunch we pack up the RV and are on our way to Spring Mill State Park. It rains on us through Bloomington, Bedford, and Mitchell.
The Pioneer Village
When we got to Spring Mill State Park, we drove straight to the reconstructed pioneer village. By now the rain had slowed to a slight drizzle. Melanie was excited that we were using umbrellas! We weren’t sure how she would react to the old structures. Would they interest her? As we went inside each one, I made comments: “Look at that funny old bed.” “I wonder why they hung the chairs on the wall?” She was curious and followed along without complaining for nearly an hour. When we got to the last house I asked Melanie if she wanted to go in. “Bye House.” she said as she walked on. I think she’d had enough!
It was a short drive to our campsite. When we got there, I assumed my waving and yelling job again as Ed attempted to back the RV into the site. It took four tries, but we finally made it. This site has sewer and water hookups, but the hoses we have aren’t long enough to reach the outlets. Good thing we still have bottled water.
The weather cooperates and we explore our new surroundings. We meet the neighbors next door and discover just how friendly RV people are. They give me a guided tour of their new pull-behind. It has it all, even a special drawer to designed to hold wine bottles. Their RV is beautiful. Now I want one.
Settling in
After dinner, rain sets in again and we get cozy in our home on wheels. Time doesn’t really matter as we disconnect from the world. No TV, internet, and phone service is spotty. Kelli has downloaded Disney movies on an old laptop for Melanie and she’s content to watch “Lady and the Tramp” in her nest in the sleeping loft. Ed and I ramp up our Gin Rummy game at the dinette. This time we’re serious; we’ve looked up the official rules. He beats me 5 games to 3. Everyone is tired tonight and we begin the bedtime routine earlier. At 11:00 lights are out. Melanie rustles for a while, but falls asleep much faster than last night. Goodnight world.
Threads of thought:
Weigh in: RV? Tent? Hotel?