Camp #53 Blackhawk COE & Camp#54 Grant River COE

   Been to Desoto, Wis. & Potosi, Wis. Staying at COE CG's on our way down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. Stopped at a COE lock and watch them lower a boat.They dropped the water level 14ft in 10 minutes!!

   Notice the view right behind our rig..gorgeous!!      Sure seems wierd paying the $9 to $12 fees per night after shelling out $35 to $45 almost all summer except for the Passport America parks.. I guess the Northern CG's have to charge more as their season is so short. We had noticed the higher fees when we researched this trip in the spring. Part of the price ya gotta pay to travel in the Northern latitudes. Another thing noticable is higher grocery prices and gas and etc, etc.. Good reasons to love being down South.
   So, now we're Southbound. Gonna take 6 weeks or so to get back to the Gulf region. No rush, no schedule, no appointments, just the way we like it. The "PLAN",  written in jello, is to set sight on the SW corner of Mississippi sometime in the beginning of Oct..
  We finally got a COE (Corps of Engineer) map that shows all the CG'S they operate.That'll sure simplify our plans as the net site they use absolutely sucks!! It's slow, sometimes impossible, and ya never know if it will give you enough info to find the park.(a lot of P.O. Boxes, fer instance) I'm sure Reserve America is getting rich running such a lousy site!! SSHHHHH!!!
   We're finding the Great River Trail that follows the Mississippi River very relaxing. It meanders alongside the river, crisscrosses state lines and generally is 30MPH to 55MPH, my kinda speed!!
Some of the little towns we've passed thru look like they're straight outa the "Mayberry" book. Quaint and laid back seems to be the rule of the day. We've pulled over to stop at a lot of Historical Markers as the River had always played a part in the formation of our country.
  Check back often as I'm sure there will be plenty to blog about.
   REMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY...   Charlie & Heather

PS-- The AC fan bit the dust..it's all BB's fault...ha ha ha ha !!!!