The Drive to Carthage and Nauvoo - Day 2&3

Sunrise at our hotel.  Both photos taken with iPhone.

We left Fort Wayne (day 2) after mom finished her last day of work at the library and we packed her up.  We headed towards Carthage around 4:00pm or so.  Anndee, Laura and I drove Mom's car so she could ride with Haylee (who was begging to ride with Grandma).  Mom's car had wet carpet and she thought it was because of a recent rain storm.  Well, water kept dripping from under the dashboard on Anndee's feet.  I called the Master of All Useful Knowledge (my husband) and he said it was a plugged evaporation drain.  Great!  He told us to find a dealer and get them to clean out the line.  Not long after that, the check engine light came on.  Wonderful!  Called Boyd again and he said to find an Auto Zone and have them run a computer check.   Never mind that Mom wanted to take the scenic back roads and we were lucky to find anything but farmland all around us.  We did find an Auto Zone and the report wasn't critical and since Boyd told us that if the gauges were reading normal and the car seemed to have regular power, to just keep driving.   We drove until we found a hotel with a pool (Holmes requirement) in Bloomington, Indiana.  We got the last room they had, a family suite with only enough bed space for 6 out of the 8 of us.  Mom and I volunteered to sleep on the floor.   The next morning we went to the dealership in town that opened at 8:00 am.  I explained the problem and that I would like the evaporation/air conditioner drain line checked and the guy told me that 90% of the time it was the heater core (which is what the Auto Zone guy also tried to tell us), but I insisted that they check the drain line.  Well, that guy sent out an old, bent over guy named Bill.  I restated the problem to Bill, he said, "Pop the hood".    He reached in and pulled off a black plug that immediately released steaming water which didn't seem to burn his (what must have been Teflon-coated) hand.  He blew in it and tapped it on the ground, out came some sort of junk and then he put it back on.  He said we didn't owe him anything and before we could argue, he was gone.  Mom and I just shrugged our shoulders and left.   I will be sending a letter to the dealership commending Bill.   Great mechanic, but not much for conversation.   At least Bill didn't try to tell me it was a heater core issue.  Mom wanted to know how much Boyd charges for long distance mechanical consultation and I said, "Not enough!"
We then headed to Carthage.  I used my iPhone map app and Molli used her GPS called Norma.   Somewhere along the way, Norma led them off course and no amount of calling, yelling for them to stop, begging them to turn around would work.  Through a series of miscommunication or whatever, they left us in the dust.  Then when we finally caught up 30 minutes later, they tried to tell us Carthage was up a dirt road.  By this time I am yelling in the phone for them to STOP DRIVING.  TURN AROUND.  Nope, had to drive up a dirt road.  I was done and angrier than I had been in a long time and I have no problem getting angry on a daily basis.  This was bad!    It took me time to get over it and a few more heated moments before it passed.  The good news for all involved is that I won't be going on a family road trip again.  Besides the sheer stupidity of the roads they chose to drive on, combine that with the fact that I had been locked in a car for days and had not enjoyed my daily allowance of "alone time", I lost it.

Along the way to Nauvoo, we stopped at an overlook of the Mississippi.  In an effort to assuage my tension and anger, I told them to take pictures of me swimming out to a log in the river.  The log was a fair distance out and my mother promptly started telling me she wasn't going to let me do it, which of course, just fueled my desire.  Not only that, my nephew decided to join me.  We climbed down a steep bank with the help of a tree and I rolled up my pants and splashed into the water.  It was so warm!  And the river bed was so soft.   Kenny stripped down to his underwear and followed behind me.  We had a good time with Mom and Molli yelling from the bank.  I told Kenny too bad for him he was still young enough he had to listen to his mom, but when you are as old as I am you have a choice.   We went out quite a ways.  I would have kept going, but I had to take off my shoes since they were flip-flops and were sticking in the Mississippi mud and I thought I would lose them.  They were the only shoes I could stand walking in the whole trip.  The farther out I got the more sticks were on the bottom and I was out up to my knees and getting my pants wet by this point.  Besides, I had accomplished my goal. I had succeeded in being vindictive.  Mission Accomplished.  See how I am?  Anyone want to be my friend?  I am currently taking applications.   We have a lot of photos of the event, but since my 17 year old nephew is in his underwear I will restrain from posting them.  We ended in Nauvoo where I took a long walk (2 1/2 hour) through the sights alone.  It was hot.  It was humid.  It was so hot and humid even the locals were complaining.  Now that is bad!
No pics of us in the water, but I will post some of Morgan and Haylee by the river's edge.  I found Morgan sitting like this and then Haylee just joined her.  These weren't posed.

P.S.  The locust's (at least that's what I think) were loud and I loved it.  I got bit by one on the neck and Haylee on her foot.   Feels like a horsefly.