buckle up boys! It's gonna be a bumpy ride.

Papa had been looking forward to this trip forever. Our first time taking the RV out of state and our first real vacation in years. As the time to go approached ,it became clear that Daddy was paralyzed and unable to mentally or physically prepare for our trip. At the last minute, Daddy had a melt down, something about the house not being clean. Now I'm not sure what that was all about cause Katie Cat never seems to mind and nobody else was going to be home. Anyway this caused a great amount of stress in the house and Papa said we were leaving in the morning whether Daddy was ready or not. Morning came, Daddy not ready , Papa mad! Back to the drawing board. Papa, Kingsley and I would leave today and Daddy and Spike would drive over the next afternoon. We loaded up the truck and off we went😳

Now I should probably let you know that this was only the fourth time Papa had pulled the RV and the first time by himself. Lone Pointe Campground is located on Lake Shelbyville in central Illinois about 5 hours from Indy. Driving down I-70 in my favorite spot(Papas lap), I notice that Kingsley doesn't look so good. I had never seen a green Shelty until then. All of a sudden, Kingsley filled Papas cup holder and cell phone with his breakfast. I must say his aim was excellent . Kingsley proceeded to puke and slobber for 4 hours straight! I didn't know a Shelty had that much fluid in his fuzzy body. After a couple of stops to clean up Kingsley, potty and gas up, we arrived in Effingham Illinois for the last stretch of our journey. We all thought we were close to Lake Shelbyville ,so Papa went to call Daddy  and tell him we were headed out of town. Hmmm no cell service, oh well I think as we head out into a endless maze of cornfields. We drive and drive for about an hour and I can see  Papa is getting getting a glazed look in his eyes. Finally we get to Shelbyville Illinois and the bottom edge of Lake Shelbyvillle,so Papa went to call Daddy and tell him we were headed to the campground. Hmmmm no cell service, oh well I think as we head back out into a endless maze of cornfields. Now Papa seem a little more worried about the cell service because he starts kinda muttering to himself. Something about the truck being a traveling 4G and how can we not have cell service. As we wind and wind from county road  to county road and thru endless flat cornfields, the truck gas light and chime comes on. At this point, Papa has been praying and dancing in his seat which tell me two things...

1-he is worried

2- he needs to pee

First things first, a quick stop in a corn field. As we take off, Papa is looking for county road 1800 and praying we make it to the campground Remember puking Kingsley, no gas, endless cornfields and no cell service. As we pass county road 1795, we go over the only hill within 100 miles , a railroad track, we come down the other side on a one lane gravel road. Nooooooo! Screamed Daddy.

And now nothing but cornfields. See the only trees anywhere are along Lake Shelbyville, and the constant corn maze keeps taking you up and over then up and over. Papa realized this couldn't be right so turning around or running out of gas on a dirt road in a corn maze with no phone and a sick dog were his 2 options. In his state of panic and seeing what looked like the only road in site, Papa quickly turned onto ,not a road, but a trail for tractors between two corn fields. And to make matters worse...MUD! Luckily Papa realized this before the trailer went off the road. He shut off the truck (to save gas he later said) and said a long prayer. I knew this was serious because I had to sit in the seat and not in my normal lap spot. Papa started the car , put it in 4 wheel drive and hit reverse. Mud flew everywhere and we flew backwards but Papa stopped before the trailor went off the other side of the road. He turned us around and back over the tracks and you know what? This side of that sign said county road 1800! We quickly turned and a couple turns more and there we were...Lone Pointe Campground. We pulled up to the attendant, quite a sight....an RV covered in mud, a trucks low fuel alert chiming  and  a vomiting dog. I bounded up on Papas lap and gave the attendant my best Louie look and we drove off through the campground . I think we made quite the impression as we went to the very last spot on the point. Give Papa his props, we were very private with only one other camper within sight!

Papa was able to get us set up and went off to get gas. Lake Shelbyville is a very remote lake with six very small towns located around its banks. Papa drove around even going to the dam to try and find phone service, no luck. Back at the campground, Kingsley stomach had calmed down so we ate a late dinner and settled down for bed. We knew Daddy would be worried but our options were limited. Sleep now and deal with the phone tomorrow.

We awoke to a beautiful view of the lake and a loud knock at the door. Kingsley jumped to attention and took his guard position. Papa opened the door to Ranger Rick checking on us. Daddy was so worried he must have callled Smoky the Bear first thing that morning. After explaining about the phone, the nice Ranger said he would assure Daddy we were fine. After all the excitement, we had a light snack of bagels and cream cheese....yummm. We had a few hours to explore the lake and campground before Spike and Daddy joined us.

We had an amazing private beach down a steep hill behind our campsite that we hiked to. Spike and Kingsley  had to take it slow down the slippery slope but I had a special spot in Papas beach bag so I didn't have to worry! We hiked along the lake shore and ran through the waves crashing on the beach. Daddy discovered old foundations from a town that was flooded to make the resevor decades ago . I don't think I've seen my Daddies this relaxed in years! 

Even Papa got in on our silliness and was  acting like he was being attacked by a snake. If you knew him you would know that this is one of his great fears! 

Daddies even rented a boat for a day and took it all around checking out the surrounding areas. I was  impressed because Daddy doesn't swim very well and I never thought I would see him near the water.  

Papa, on the other hand, grew up water skiing and is quite comfortable in the water even though he doesn't like fish around his feet. I don't blame him. 

After a long day boating, they came home and we feasted on mushroom flatbreads and steaks cooked perfectly on an open Fire!

"Applewood-smoked bacon, cremini mushrooms, asparagus, and Asiago cheese all come together on a thin, crunchy flatbread to create a hearty and delicious main. Preparation may take some time, but the finished product is well worth every second. Serve alongside a fresh green salad for nice balance."

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

 

• 1/2 pound applewood-smoked bacon, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 (12 inch) prepared flatbread pizza crust
• 3/4 cup prepared marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and stir in mushrooms and garlic; sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Cook and stir until the mushrooms have given off their juice and the juice has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set mushroom mixture aside.
4. Heat 1 more tablespoon olive oil in a separate large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, and place asparagus into the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus pieces are very well browned (almost but not quite burned in spots), about 8 minutes. Remove asparagus from skillet and set aside.
5. Reduce heat to medium, and cook bacon in the same skillet until crisp, about 10 minutes; stir often. Drain excess grease as the bacon cooks, for crisper pieces.
6. Remove bacon pieces and place on a paper towel-lined plate; blot with paper towels to reduce grease.
7. Place the flatbread crust onto the prepared baking sheet, and spread marinara sauce over the crust.
8. Spread the mushrooms and garlic evenly over the pizza.
9. Spread asparagus over the pizza.
10. Arrange bacon pieces on the pizza.
11. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over the pizza, followed by Asiago cheese.
12. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheeses are melted and bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes.

After 4 glorious, funfilled days it was time to return to Indy, but Papa had a better idea . Since we don't have to be back at work for a couple more days , Kingsley and I are going to stay one more day with Papa. We will miss Daddy and Spike cause they must return, but we can explore one more day. Hurray!!! We sent they guys off and found some great caves along the beach. Papa, Kingsley and I sat by the shore while the sun started to set . All of of sudden , we heard a large grunt coming from the forest. It was a large buck deer bringing the herd down for water. Papa made us go back up to the RV because Kingsley loves to chase things and we were being bad and off leash😱. 

The next morning we got up and loaded up for the 5 hour trip home. We made it all the way back to Greencastle when Kingsley started circling in his seat. Now this is the way he usually acts at dinner time but we had had a delicious breakfast before we left, so I wasn't sure what was going on. Papa seemed concerned when big fluffy sat at attention facing the door. All of a sudden the most rank smell came out of Kingsley and filled the truck. Papa kept trying to calm Kingsley and pull over to let him out. Oops ! Too late. Kingsley proceeded to poop all over the truck and himself. Another stop to bathe the Shelty . Once he was all cleaned up, we loaded back up and headed home. Once we arrived , Daddy cleaned up Kingsley and Papa cleaned the truck. I will say that even with ALL that happening,  we loved  Lake Shelbyville so much, we're going back with friends this July!

That's all for now. Bark at you