Big Trip Report #4: The Three "I"s the Bridge from East to West

 Kathy and I grew up in Illinois. Kathy was born in Indiana. My birthplace, Tennessee, is due South of where I grew up, so this "central" part of the country, in our thinking, is familiar. On our way west it wasn't fly-over country, it was what we needed to drive through. 

Still this part of our journey, through Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa was interesting. Though this part of our trip lacked the awe-inspiring scenery that we saw, later on, it wasn't without its beauty. Mainly, though this 550-mile stretch gave us the opportunity to see some people we hadn't seen for a while.

We left Cornith Kentucky and made our way to Elkhart Indiana, passing through a sliver of Ohio along the way. We have spent most of our lives in the mountains. We are always struck with how flat this part of the midwest is.  Elhart is where Frolic was made. So, while there were no welcome home banners, I figure it was the little trailer's first time back.

Elkhart is known as the "RV Capital of the World." The industry boomed in the post-WW2 era. Some of the campers were made out of aluminum that had not that long before been the skin of airplanes that helped win the war. A couple of schoolmates of mine came from Elkhart. Their dad had a tiny camper company. The industry declined in the 70s, a victim of the gas shortage and high fuel prices. A  ride around Elkhart, today, however, will take you past acres and acres of trailers, fifth-wheel units, and motor homes. I'm told that the pandemic caused a recent surge in RV interest. The trailers in Frolic's era are really pretty simple rigs--simply wooden framing, covered with aluminum on the outside and plywood on the inside. The box is mounted on a plain old trailer chassis. There have been and are a bunch of RV companies, little and small. As near as I can tell, Frolic was a small Elkhart company that existed for less than 20-years. It began in the early 60s and continued until the late 70s. Our Frolic is a 68 model. I've yet to see another Frolic in person, though various internet posts tell me that they are out there.  There were three logos on my Frolic when I got it, back, front, and near the door. One was beyond hope and another may yet be salvaged. This one, the smallest of the three was restorable without too much trouble. I'm glad we were able to save it and the ID label above it.

My twin sisters live in Elkhart, about half a mile apart. My mom lived with one of them just before her death. We enjoyed visiting them. We enjoyed supper, one evening with one of my nieces and her friend.

Downtown Elkhart and the surrounding area show signs of the resurgence that I mentioned above. We enjoyed walking around the downtown river walk. The icecream at a creamery was great. We were introduced to pickleball by my sister and brother-in-law. We played at a very nice park in the Village Bristol, where both of them work. It's heartland America all around.

Scattered around the area are incredibly lifelike sculptures. I got in the picture with one of them.

From Elkhart, it was a short trip to Cedar Lake Indiana. CL brought back memories. When we were growing up, just over the state line in the suburbs south of Chicago, folk in our Christian community used to go to Cedar Lake Ministries for concerts or to hear well-known Christian speakers. Some people owned cottages there that gave them access to all the programs and facilities that made up the little community. It looks like Cedar Lake Ministries is thriving. As I remember the cottages that used to be there were small and only good for summer use. Now they are quite substantial. Some of the community buildings look new. We spent the night in the small campground that the ministry maintains.

Our friends, Tom and Rose Van Engen drove over from their home not far from where Kathy and I grew up. Tom was our pastor for most of the time that we were in Guam. He retired from Faith Church about a year before I left Pacific Islands University. Tom was one of the Board members of the school. We enjoyed a nice long visit in the shade outside the trailer and then shared a great meal together.

From Cedar Lake, we traveled to Cedar Rapids Iowa, actually Troy Mills, but I wanted to keep the Cedar thing going. Kathy's cousin--they are very close in age--Richard and his wife Nancy welcomed us to their lovely home in a beautiful little wood on the bank of the Wapsipinicon River (don't ask me how to pronounce it). 

Some of our patriotic songs talk about the fruited plain and the amber waves of grain. All along the way from Cedar Lake to Cedar Rapids, we drove through the richest farmland I have ever seen. Corn, soybeans, and cattle. We Americans live in a blessed nation. As we traveled this leg of our journey, Kathy and I were reminded of how blessed we are. We not only live in a land of abundance, we live in a place that gives us the freedom and the opportunity to take a trip like this.

More than that, Kathy and I are blessed with wonderful connections with some incredible family and friends. We saw incredible sites on our trip of a lifetime, but we were reminded that the pinnacle of God's creation is not made of rock, sky, or forest. It is people. For fifty years in our life together and for more than 20 years before that, we have experienced the wonder of love and friendship. In many ways we are who we are because of the people God has brought into our lives.

Thank You, Lord!