Have you every wanted to camp amongst the dunes on a sandy beach? Well you can't do that at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. You would think so from the name of it, wouldn't you? The actual campground is located on the other side of Highway 12 so you are in a forest with Dunes just a short drive away. The National Lakeshore is a neighbor of the Indiana Dunes State Park, which itself is right on Lake Michigan. The State Park has electric and more amenities than the National Lakeshore but also costs more than twice as much. There is also the piece and quiet factor that may come into your decision. The National Lakeshore campground, with it's primitive facilities, was nearly empty compared to a busy State Park. We slept great with the windows open.

There is a brand new visitor center for both of the parks. It is on Highway 49, south and outside of both of the parks.

Earlier, we went through Springfield, IL and stopped at the Cozy Dog Drive-in. It is a classic joint and the birthplace of what we now call the Corn Dog. Abraham Lincoln and Corn Dogs! Who could ask for more history from a single town? Highly recommended for anyone passing through or a must on any Route 66 trip.

Another town worth a quick look is Williamsville, IL. The town itself is practically a ghost town. A good looking ghost town. Mostly closed business fronts are in a cute little downtown with a grassy area in the middle. You can just wander and imagine what it once was. All the houses are still occupied and well maintained. American flags and manicured lawns in front of classic grand houses. A great big town park made for a peaceful midday stop.

Gary Indiana is quite a miserable place to drive through. After many years at the top of the list, Gary was rated the tenth most dangerous city in the United States. That may be an improvement but it's still a very scary place. We recently tried to bypass Chicago on a road trip and wound up in part of Gary, Indiana. We avoided the supposed bad part of Gary, Indiana. But this good part was much worse than any nightmare you'd care to be in.

Gary's decline was brought on by drugs, crime, and layoffs at the steel plants where although it continues to be a major steel producer, it is only at a very low level compared to past days.

We survived but it's a town worth avoiding at the expense of a few extra miles on your trip.

As time goes by, we have begun to suspect something. Do some RV Parks charge you higher rates when you arrive and are only staying one night? We always try to find parks with posted rates but many do not have this. You have to ask, what are the rates? Usually this is around the time that we also get a question to us about how many nights we are staying.

Sometimes it's even when we say, we have full tanks and batteries and don't need any hookups at all. At that time, you wish they offered a $7-12 rate for primitive spots. Instead you get the full charge even though you are not using any services but a piece of land. That's when other options look better and you will probably never come back to that rv park again. You may even criticize them on a travel website.

Of course seasonals and park residents get a huge break on the rate per night but we sometimes wonder if charging a higher rate for one night is good for business. Does it drive more of us to look for BLM land and Wal-Mart parking lots?

Have you ever pulled into a place well into the evening, said you were stopping for one night, knowing there isn't any other option for many miles, and been surprised by the rate. We have and would like to hear about your experiences as well.

We made it to Craig, CO around 5pm and without reservations. The first thing you notice is the slightly depressed town. We found that gas was 0.40, yes, forty cents higher per gallon here than in other towns both in Colorado and Utah. Even a middle-of-nowhere-usually-gouge-you-gas-station was cheaper than all the stations we saw in Craig, CO. They are either ripping off their own residents or have a secret discount for locals and are just ripping off tourists.

The second thing you may notice is that this KOA is mostly residents. From adult monster trucks and childrens yard toys to abundant propane tanks, you quickly notice that isn't the normal KOA.

Our record of having great KOA hosts ended here. The young woman at the reception desk seemed about as happy to see me as she would be to a rattlesnake coming in the door. After a less than warm welcome, we pulled into our spot behind the office. This spot was at least away from all the other trailers but beside the road that they all took into the trailer park. I'll call it a trailer park because it's not really a campground when everyone lives there.

I noticed that the tent sites made up the last row in back. Far back from the road, I thought at first. Then I saw what looked like trains just a matter of feet behind the tent spots. Must not be an active route, I thought. Just a couple hours later, the sound confirmed otherwise. Rumble, shake and the vibration of the train horn was felt throughout my RV. "What a wonderful place for a campground," I thought with sarcasm.

The problem with resident parks is that it's hard to do a quiet time. Sure, campers are usually in their spot and in bed. Residents however, come home from and go to work at all hours of the clock. They come home from bars. They go to early morning jobs. Motorcycles and trucks come and go at all hours. That is why KOA and other campground companies need to distinguish resident parks from campgrounds. They need to make a choice. This KOA should not be listed like other KOA locations that we've visited. There was some foul language in graffiti in the men's restroom as well. Restrooms were average overall. Not terrible but not as good as they could be.

And by the way, the train goes by about every six hours. The bump on my head from jumping up in bed is proof of the one that goes by in the middle of the night. Between the fuel prices and this campground, we're crossing Craig, CO off our maps and won't be going back soon.

Adam Longfellow