Sunday, July 15 – After spending last night blacktop camping at Walmart, we were glad to settle into Leisure Lake “Resort” in Joliet, Illinois. Not sure why this is called a “resort,” but it is nice with many amenities for families. Swimming pool, swimming lake, fishing lake, putt-putt golf, playgrounds, paddle boats, volleyball, and all the other things kids like doing. None of this has much interest to us though.
The sites have a concrete pad (although too small for our 40' motor home, 50 amp electric, water, and sewer.
Site 63
Looking left.
Looking right.
Fishing lake.
The pedestal arrangement is very weird. We had to park to the far right of our site to reach the water faucet. People have electric cords and hoses strung around like spaghetti. Two RVs share a pedestal for electric (1-30amp/1-50amp) and four share a water faucet. But, surprisingly, the electric voltage is good and water pressure is good.....guess it works! This is a Passport America campground giving us half off the normal nightly rate....our cost is $25/night.
The electrical box is in the back, the sewer is in the middle and the water is on the other side.
Four share the water.
Please note…If you decide to stay at this campground, copy the instructions off the website. The GPS will NOT take you to this place without going the long way around. The website directions are great.
We are here to visit friends Jane and Joe, friends from Mission, TX. They live in the area and are going to be our tour guides around Chicago.
Our first order of business was to meet with Jane & Joe at their house in Naperville, IL, (suburb of Chicago). We spent some time catching up on each others' travels and then took the Riverwalk to downtown Naperville. Considered the "crown jewel" of Naperville, the Riverwalk is a place of beauty that runs along the West Branch of the DuPage River. It features 1.75 miles of brick paths, fountains, bridges, meeting and event places, outdoor sculpture and artwork, recreational facilities, and celebratory memorials.
Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon. The bells ring on the hour and are lovely to hear.
Of six hundred carillons world wide, the Millennium Carillon is one of only four spanning a full six octaves. It is properly known as a Grand Carillon. The largest bell weighs almost 6 tons.
What a lovely town! Naperville was voted the second-best place to live in the United States by Money magazine in 2006. The people were out enjoying the Riverwalk, parks, and shopping in the many downtown shops and visiting the local restaurants. This town has a lot going for it and is alive and vibrant. It's wonderful to see people strolling downtown and enjoying the friendly atmosphere.
There were murals everywhere depicting the town's history.
Paul and Joe find a woman who will listen to them.
After returning to the house from our walk downtown, Jane and Joe prepared a delicious salad for lunch. Thanks guys, that was very thoughtful. We cooled down a bit in the AC – it's in the mid-90's outside – and headed back out for more fun.
We then went up to Cantigny Park to enjoy a symphony in the park. The North Shore Band was performing, and they were great! They played many familiar tunes. We enjoyed clapping along and tapping our toes to the music.
At intermission, we took a stroll through the lovely gardens.
Jane and Joe
Just us.
With evening fast approaching, we decided we better get back to the motorhome and rest up for our tour to downtown Chicago tomorrow. Paul has never been to Chicago, so he is looking forward to the adventure – especially since he doesn't have to drive in the famous traffic in and around Chicago.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day.
