I just purchased a small tent camper sight unseen, from a gentleman in far southern Illinois. I wanted to comment on the number of signs I saw reminding people we are out there. The lighted overhead signs that normally give time estimates and Amber Alerts would flash the message, Buses, Taxi's, police cars, even a six foot wide sign painted on the back of a bulk milk hauler's truck! One town we passed through, Normal I think, had a huge yellow banner crossing four lanes of downtown traffic.
We definitely felt like motorcycles were a welcome part of the scene in Illinois. To all you riders who helped make this happen, THANK YOU from the rest of us!
Hi Mike,I saw the pictures on another forum, you got a full townhouse, not a small tent. Great deal, enjoy.Linda
Originally written by OlBroad on 7/3/2007 9:40 AM
Hi Mike,I saw the pictures on another forum, you got a full townhouse, not a small tent. Great deal, enjoy.Linda
Shhhhh! I don't want the SKUNKS to get jealous.
Actually it is pretty nice, king size bed, 8 by 10 seating area, and lots of storage room.
We used to have an old green canvas sided Time-Out that was a real pain to set up. If it happened to be raining when you started, you'd have to completly unload the trailer, set up the frame, then drag the canvas over it all before you could get your stuff out of the rain.
This one pretty much sets itself up as you open it and all your gear is easily accessable, dry, and secure under the bed.
With the sitting room
Without the sitting room attached
VERY VERY COOL
I really hate to admit it, BUUUTTT...Your's is bigger than mine!!! Ho, Ho.
Newfiedad.
PS I bet we make a lot of people envious at next years SKUNK Rally and Typhoon watch as we set up side by side on the "schnapps and Jager" end of the camp.
Originally written by newfiedad on 7/5/2007 8:10 PM
I really hate to admit it, BUUUTTT...Your's is bigger than mine!!! Ho, Ho.
Newfiedad.
PS I bet we make a lot of people envious at next years SKUNK Rally and Typhoon watch as we set up side by side on the "schnapps and Jager" end of the camp.
I'm guessing you're right. We're taking it to a family reunion in Plymouth next week. I'll post a test report when I get back.
I haven't spent a lot of time riding in Illinois, but I'm wondering if all of those signs are because they've had a lot of cyclist hurt or killed there. When we passed through Illinois in 2002 on our way to California, I was very grateful that our trike friends hit an extremely large hole at the end of an interstate bridge before I did! There were absolutely no warning signs for that hole or several others that were just as bad. The jolt was so severe that my friend's false teeth almost flew out of her mouth. Because I was behind and saw what happened to them, I managed not to take quite the "plunge" that they did. It was a truly dangerous situation that the state of Illinois didn't bother to warn unsuspecting motorists about before they found out the hard way.
I know Illinois as the ONLY state where "No motorcycles allowed" was the norm at all non-state owned campgrounds. The state is all yours, they will never get a penny of my money.
I even went so far as to stop and ask, figuring that they meant no small motorcycles tipping around the campground, or that they meant no LOUD motorcycles,but nay, they meant no motorcyles, big ir small, touring or dirt, loud or quiet. They simply don't want motorcycles or their riders. Fine by me. Wisconsin has better roads anyway.
Originally written by Lunatic on 7/6/2007 6:14 AM
I know Illinois as the ONLY state where "No motorcycles allowed" was the norm at all non-state owned campgrounds...
That's a pretty broad statement and being that I live in Illinois I know it's not true...
I agree. We stayed at a campground in Champaign called Tin Cup, that had a group camp area reserved for motorcycle campers only. They were a bit too close to the highway for my taste, but very nice, very clean, and reasonably priced.
Originally written by Circuit Rider on 7/6/2007 7:06 AM
Originally written by Lunatic on 7/6/2007 6:14 AM
I know Illinois as the ONLY state where "No motorcycles allowed" was the norm at all non-state owned campgrounds...
That's a pretty broad statement and being that I live in Illinois I know it's not true...
Gee Mike, you shouldn't be too surprised --- we're nice people down here in IL. Of course, you've got some nice roads in WI.
And you're correct that the statement that MCs are banned at campgrounds isn't the norm. I'm sure that the vast majority do NOT have that restriction.
Sidecar Ron - n - Luke
After about a half dozen "No motorcycles" signs at campgrounds I'd had enough. I stopped at the next campground and knocked on the door of the office. The fellow answered and I asked, why the no motorcycles policy. he replied. "Well a few years ago we had some guys gome in and camp and had themselves a 'harley party' (His words not mine) and they lit the picnic table on fire and everything"
I replied "So, those same guys are welcome back as long as they're in a truck?"
He didn't answer that, just replied "No motorcycles allowed". Guess the logic was too much for him. I could open up my Illinois map and spell out the route we took through Illinois where we found all the "No motorcycles" campgrounds, but it appears you are denying that they exist anyway, so there is really no point.
My wife and I continued our ride on our nice quiet Moto Guzzi, got a hotel room that night instead of camping as we had planned. At first light we headed straight north in to Wisconsin and spent the rest of our vacation there.
But, of course, none of that actually happened since the private owned Illinois campgrounds don't have "No motorcyle" signs at their gates. Suuuuure they don't.
I don't deny they exist, in fact, we encountered the same thing at a place called Turtle Creek Family Campground in Beloit, Wisconsin, one on the Wolf River, also in Wisconsin that I had camped at before, and one in Brookings, South Dakota. All many years ago. The guy at the one in Beloit actually came running out of the office yelling at us to leave the Goldwing parked on the side of the road and carry our gear in if we wanted to camp. At that time we had a Time Out tent camper and they weren't even going to allow me to pull it to the campsite. We had reservations saying that we'd be coming on a Honda Goldwing but refused to refund our money. They claimed they thought it was a car when they accepted the res. Needless to say, we moved on to another campground.
My point is that there are places that welcome us and places that don't in every state out there.
I must confess though, that my favorite roads and campgrounds are here in Wisconsin.
Originally written by Lunatic on 7/6/2007 11:44 AM
After about a half dozen "No motorcycles" signs at campgrounds I'd had enough. I stopped at the next campground and knocked on the door of the office. The fellow answered and I asked, why the no motorcycles policy. he replied. "Well a few years ago we had some guys gome in and camp and had themselves a 'harley party' (His words not mine) and they lit the picnic table on fire and everything"
I replied "So, those same guys are welcome back as long as they're in a truck?"
He didn't answer that, just replied "No motorcycles allowed". Guess the logic was too much for him. I could open up my Illinois map and spell out the route we took through Illinois where we found all the "No motorcycles" campgrounds, but it appears you are denying that they exist anyway, so there is really no point.
My wife and I continued our ride on our nice quiet Moto Guzzi, got a hotel room that night instead of camping as we had planned. At first light we headed straight north in to Wisconsin and spent the rest of our vacation there.
But, of course, none of that actually happened since the private owned Illinois campgrounds don't have "No motorcyle" signs at their gates. Suuuuure they don't.
>> I know Illinois as the ONLY state where "No motorcycles allowed" was the norm at all non-state owned campgrounds. The state is all yours, they will never get a penny of my money. I even went so far as to stop and ask, figuring that they meant no small motorcycles tipping around the campground, or that they meant no LOUD motorcycles,but nay, they meant no motorcyles, big ir small, touring or dirt, loud or quiet. They simply don't want motorcycles or their riders. Fine by me. Wisconsin has better roads anyway.<< Ya got THAT right! I'm an Ex Flatlander who came to his senses in the early 1970s! There were a MILLION reasons I left Chicago, and among them was the Illinois Tollway. Every time I go back to Illinoise I'm once again amazed by the new construction... of TOLL BOOTHS! I swear to Gawd that they're every 250 yards when you cross the line! Ain't ONE SINGLE FOOT of toll road in Wisconsin, and the roads are in a TON better shape!!! GAVNO
