Friday, December 20, 2013
We are finally on the road. Those of you paying attention know we were supposed to leave on Wednesday. But sanity reigned for a change and we took two more days packing up the RV.
We also managed to get the furniture in the house moved back into the normal places, so it feels like home again. (Many thanks to our friends Diana and Greg. We couldn't have done it without them.) There are still one or two items to be done, but the remodeling and repairs are done. The roof doesn't leak anymore, my new walk in closet is wonderful and the new lighting and ceiling in the family look great.
I'm sitting on the bed in the RV typing this. We are parked in a campground near Whittington, IL. There are about 8 RVs parked here, 4 of which are obviously occupied. It looks like a nice campground, but we'll be pulling out in the morning.
We have two more full days of driving to get to Dallas. Natasha and Mike closed on their house in Plano, TX (north of Dallas) on Thursday and the movers dropped off their furniture yesterday, too.
Obi is surviving. He can get quite heavy when he doesn't want to do something and plants all fours. Luckily I can pick him up. He wasn't shaking in the truck today as he usually does in the car, but we let him ride on my lap. For most of the trip it was like having a sack of potatoes on my lap. But in the late afternoon he started shifting his position around and relaxing a little bit.
We've had him in the RV as we were working on things and he didn't seem to like it. But tonight as soon as we put him in it, he snuffled around until he found the bag with his food in it and let me know he was hungry. Then he found his little chair (a foam toddler's chair we rescued from the garage sale years ago) and curled up in it while we were eating.
Right now he's curled up on the bed in Steve's spot, listening to the rain. I can tell it won't be a thunderstorm, as he's quite calm.
One good thing about not leaving until today is that we did get to see Leigh and Wes for a few minutes last night. We are lucky that we have Leigh to house sit for us while we are gone.
I'm signing off for tonight. I'd like to get a good night's sleep so we can put in a lot of miles today.
Deb
Steve and Debbie are amateur radio operators (known as "hams") who are traveling (mostly by RV ) in their retirement.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Here's what our weather looked like today:
We stayed in and worked mostly on computer projects, it seems. Our weather advisory didn't end until 6 pm and I think the snow stopped about then. It's 26 degrees now, so not too bad. I looked out at the sky this afternoon and it was solid gray. Looked like it could dump a lot more snow on us but no more snow is predicted until tomorrow night. I just hope enough gets cleared away that we can travel on Wednesday.
It looks like we'll encounter rain for most of our trip to Dallas. We'll just hope that a cold front doesn't move in and change that to snow.
I love seeing the trees with snow on them, but glad I don't have to go out. Now that the snow has stopped, Steve went out to brush off the truck. He's going to take the 4 wheel drive vehicle to church tomorrow.
Things arrive daily that one or the other of us has ordered for the trailer. We have a soap and shampoo dispenser for the shower. That way we won't have to worry about bottles, etc. We're still trying to decide how to handle everything else in the bathroom.
Steve's been getting in all kinds of things I don't even know about, but among them is a back up camera that will mount on the back of the trailer with a screen in the truck. The truck part is installed, but not the trailer part.
And we want to do some experimenting with furniture. The rocker/recliners in the trailer are nice, but too deep for me. We're going to pull one of those out and replace it with an Ikea chair and footrest that we both find very comfortable and already have. If the Ikea chair works, it weighs a lot less than the recliners and would lighten our load. We're also substituting 2 desk chairs for at least 2 of the dining chairs. We think they'll be more comfortable for computer work and will function just fine at the table. We'll see how it goes.
This is going to be a 3 month shake down cruise. Steve's already located the Camper's World near where we'll be staying and Natasha has located Home Depot and Walmart. I found the JoAnn's Fabric. I'm sure we'll find lots of things we didn't pack.
More next time!
Deb
Here's what our weather looked like today:
We stayed in and worked mostly on computer projects, it seems. Our weather advisory didn't end until 6 pm and I think the snow stopped about then. It's 26 degrees now, so not too bad. I looked out at the sky this afternoon and it was solid gray. Looked like it could dump a lot more snow on us but no more snow is predicted until tomorrow night. I just hope enough gets cleared away that we can travel on Wednesday.
It looks like we'll encounter rain for most of our trip to Dallas. We'll just hope that a cold front doesn't move in and change that to snow.
I love seeing the trees with snow on them, but glad I don't have to go out. Now that the snow has stopped, Steve went out to brush off the truck. He's going to take the 4 wheel drive vehicle to church tomorrow.
Things arrive daily that one or the other of us has ordered for the trailer. We have a soap and shampoo dispenser for the shower. That way we won't have to worry about bottles, etc. We're still trying to decide how to handle everything else in the bathroom.
Steve's been getting in all kinds of things I don't even know about, but among them is a back up camera that will mount on the back of the trailer with a screen in the truck. The truck part is installed, but not the trailer part.
And we want to do some experimenting with furniture. The rocker/recliners in the trailer are nice, but too deep for me. We're going to pull one of those out and replace it with an Ikea chair and footrest that we both find very comfortable and already have. If the Ikea chair works, it weighs a lot less than the recliners and would lighten our load. We're also substituting 2 desk chairs for at least 2 of the dining chairs. We think they'll be more comfortable for computer work and will function just fine at the table. We'll see how it goes.
This is going to be a 3 month shake down cruise. Steve's already located the Camper's World near where we'll be staying and Natasha has located Home Depot and Walmart. I found the JoAnn's Fabric. I'm sure we'll find lots of things we didn't pack.
More next time!
Deb
Friday, December 13, 2013
Friday, December 13, 2013
My goal for this winter was to go south before the cold weather hit.
Blew that one. I swear WBAA (local NPR station) said the wind chill was -17 a few days ago. Leigh said it was 5 degrees when she went to her final Thursday morning.
On Tuesday, we headed for Chicago in the car to help Natasha pack, move and close on her townhouse there. The drive up was uneventful and we got checked into a hotel near Natasha. The hotel architecture has always intrigued us, but this is the first time we had stayed there. It's a Hilton hotel, called Indian Lakes. It's a resort, although we didn't indulge in any activities.
It was designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright's and is based on a series of octagons, resulting in unusual shapes. It was built in the 50's or 60's and as a result has some maintenance issues. Our room was 75 degrees when we checked in and went up to 78 degrees. The maintenance guy said the compressor was going out and they moved us to another room for our second night.
But they allowed dogs and Obi was remarkably well behaved for us. I think he is a bit deaf and doesn't hear as much as Scrappy did. Scrappy would frequently just bark once or twice and then Obi would start and not stop. So we have a quieter (and lonelier) house.
Olga and Natasha had packed almost everything except what they used on the last day. So there were bits and pieces to get packed. Steve and I did some on Tuesday and we finished when Natasha flew in on Wednesday.
The truck was supposed to arrive Wednesday afternoon, but due to the weather, did not get there until after 9 am on Thursday. Since closing was at 2:30, the buyer wasn't exactly happy, but luckily did not have a moving truck waiting to unload. The movers worked their tails off and pulled out about 5:30 pm. Natasha's flight was due to leave a 6, so one of the neighbors took her to the airport for us. Luckily her flight was delayed, as it took them an hour and a half to get to Midway.
We pulled out just after the moving truck, loaded up with the plants Natasha wanted to keep and the friendship bread starter she wanted. I figured if Charley's cousin Diane could travel in a motor home for 2 years with a lemon tree, we might manage 3 days with 2 plants. Traffic was bad, although the weather was just cold, no precipitation. We got home just before 10.
So now we have to pack the trailer with whatever we think we might need for the next 3 months. We hope to leave next Wednesday, Dec. 18, assuming the weather allows. We're currently hunkered down under a winter storm warning that will last until 6 pm Saturday, with an accumulation of up to 4" of snow. Ouch! We may not be leaving the house until Sunday!
Leigh, our housemate, left this morning for California for some time in her new/old home with her hubby, Wes. They'll be arriving back for Christmas after we leave, so we'll miss them. Wes stayed for a few extra days at Thanksgiving, so we were able to spend some time with them then. Diana and Greg McKinney will be arriving Sunday to spend the holidays with their families, so the house will be full, even if we're gone! It's nice to have a home we can share with others and have others help us watch over it.
No pictures with this post. Pictures don't really show the cold.
I'm hoping to get our furniture moved back into the family room before we leave. The room would be done except they didn't measure right for the bar counter and it has to be remade. That and the mirror in the pool bath are all that is left, I think. It's been a 5 month project and I'll be very glad to have it done.
Steve told me today that there was a lot on his list that wasn't going to get done before we left. Me, too! I'm considering this a long shakedown cruise. We'll never be that far from a Walmart or a Camping World and there is very little we can't live without for awhile if we already have it at home. It will be an adventure!
Keep warm!
Deb
My goal for this winter was to go south before the cold weather hit.
Blew that one. I swear WBAA (local NPR station) said the wind chill was -17 a few days ago. Leigh said it was 5 degrees when she went to her final Thursday morning.
On Tuesday, we headed for Chicago in the car to help Natasha pack, move and close on her townhouse there. The drive up was uneventful and we got checked into a hotel near Natasha. The hotel architecture has always intrigued us, but this is the first time we had stayed there. It's a Hilton hotel, called Indian Lakes. It's a resort, although we didn't indulge in any activities.
It was designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright's and is based on a series of octagons, resulting in unusual shapes. It was built in the 50's or 60's and as a result has some maintenance issues. Our room was 75 degrees when we checked in and went up to 78 degrees. The maintenance guy said the compressor was going out and they moved us to another room for our second night.
But they allowed dogs and Obi was remarkably well behaved for us. I think he is a bit deaf and doesn't hear as much as Scrappy did. Scrappy would frequently just bark once or twice and then Obi would start and not stop. So we have a quieter (and lonelier) house.
Olga and Natasha had packed almost everything except what they used on the last day. So there were bits and pieces to get packed. Steve and I did some on Tuesday and we finished when Natasha flew in on Wednesday.
The truck was supposed to arrive Wednesday afternoon, but due to the weather, did not get there until after 9 am on Thursday. Since closing was at 2:30, the buyer wasn't exactly happy, but luckily did not have a moving truck waiting to unload. The movers worked their tails off and pulled out about 5:30 pm. Natasha's flight was due to leave a 6, so one of the neighbors took her to the airport for us. Luckily her flight was delayed, as it took them an hour and a half to get to Midway.
We pulled out just after the moving truck, loaded up with the plants Natasha wanted to keep and the friendship bread starter she wanted. I figured if Charley's cousin Diane could travel in a motor home for 2 years with a lemon tree, we might manage 3 days with 2 plants. Traffic was bad, although the weather was just cold, no precipitation. We got home just before 10.
So now we have to pack the trailer with whatever we think we might need for the next 3 months. We hope to leave next Wednesday, Dec. 18, assuming the weather allows. We're currently hunkered down under a winter storm warning that will last until 6 pm Saturday, with an accumulation of up to 4" of snow. Ouch! We may not be leaving the house until Sunday!
Leigh, our housemate, left this morning for California for some time in her new/old home with her hubby, Wes. They'll be arriving back for Christmas after we leave, so we'll miss them. Wes stayed for a few extra days at Thanksgiving, so we were able to spend some time with them then. Diana and Greg McKinney will be arriving Sunday to spend the holidays with their families, so the house will be full, even if we're gone! It's nice to have a home we can share with others and have others help us watch over it.
No pictures with this post. Pictures don't really show the cold.
I'm hoping to get our furniture moved back into the family room before we leave. The room would be done except they didn't measure right for the bar counter and it has to be remade. That and the mirror in the pool bath are all that is left, I think. It's been a 5 month project and I'll be very glad to have it done.
Steve told me today that there was a lot on his list that wasn't going to get done before we left. Me, too! I'm considering this a long shakedown cruise. We'll never be that far from a Walmart or a Camping World and there is very little we can't live without for awhile if we already have it at home. It will be an adventure!
Keep warm!
Deb
Friday, December 6, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
December? Already? If anything, time flies faster in retirement than it did before.
I last updated in October when we drove the Uhaul to Dallas for Natasha and Mike. Steve had ordered our truck and we were waiting for it to arrive before we could go get the trailer from Grand Rapids.
We picked up our shiny, new, blue Silverado on October 31. It's a one ton diesel Chevy quad cab. It has 4 doors and seats 5. It has running boards so I can climb into the thing and adjustable pedals and steering wheel so I can drive it. And, independent heat and cooling for the passenger and driver so I don't freeze Steve out. I sometimes call it Big Blue.
Now, Big Blue needed to have 500 miles on it before we could go pick up the trailer, so we started to drive it everywhere, including over to the Beef House in Covington, IN one night for dinner. We had 300 miles on it when Steve realized that the temperatures in Grand Rapids were starting to drop below freezing and the trailer isn't winterized. So a rush trip to Grand Rapids was planned. Since it's 200 miles to Grand Rapids, the mileage would be okay - barely. We took off on Thursday, November 7, drove to Grand Rapids and picked up the trailer the next morning.
Now, other than towing Natasha's car behind the Uhaul, we are novices at towing. The trailer had been stored at the dealer who did an inspection for us and one of their employees helped us get hooked up and ready for the road.
But the truck isn't supposed to pull at high speeds for the first 500 miles of towing, so no interstates on the way home. We made it in one day (a long one) and I even drove part of the way. ( I also did the backing up when we were getting the truck and trailer hitched together.) Here's our rig.
It was actually a nice drive home. Because Steve is red green color blind, we don't typically go looking at leaves in the fall. While it was late in the season, there were still some brilliant colors and a bit of snow!
After an entertaining half hour, we even managed to get the trailer backed into the driveway. Leigh was there to help and several of the neighbors really did come out to watch! I am impressed with my hubby - he can get a trailer, truck and two prius' in the driveway if he tries hard.
After a whirlwind trip to Michigan, we had a whirlwind weekend before we flew to North Carolina for my niece's wedding. Saturday was a home football game and even with all the construction going on, we're still "tailgating" at our house before and after the games.
We also lost our black dog, Scrappy, that weekend. The front door was open and he saw something to chase and took off, into the path of a car. When Scrappy was focused on the chase, there was no stopping him. Scrappy had some problems, but he could be loving and funny, too and we miss him. This is our last picture of him. He had crawled into Steve's lap and asked for some loving.
The next week my niece, Jessie, was married. The wedding took place in Ahoskie, North Carolina, not far from Virginia. It's about 2 hours away from New Bern where my mom and dad live. Our job was to get them to and from the wedding. Mom's 85 and Dad's 86, so it wasn't as easy as it sounds. We stayed at a terrific bed and breakfast in Ahoskie and they took great care of us.
We hadn't expected the weather to get as cold as it has, so the trailer has remained mostly in the driveway, plugged into electricity and running it's furnace to keep from freezing. We both head out there daily to work on getting it set up. Steve drove it to Plainfield, IN (I think) to have some antenna work done and Dish Network was here this week to install the satellite.
We had hoped to take the trailer to the family Thanksgiving at the Dickerson's, but that would have meant having to back it into the driveway in the dark when we got home and we thought better of that idea.
We'll be driving up to Bloomingdale (without the trailer) next week to help Natasha supervise movers and close on her house there. Then on the 18th we plan to leave for Dallas. Natasha takes possession of her Dallas house on the 18th, so by the time we get there on the 20th, Olga will probably have everything unpacked! But Natasha has a long Daddy Do list, so we'll be busy through the holiday.
I'll be updating on an irregular basis, so if you want to follow along, you might want to sign up to follow me by email. If you have trouble, let me know and I'll help you get set up.
Deb
December? Already? If anything, time flies faster in retirement than it did before.
I last updated in October when we drove the Uhaul to Dallas for Natasha and Mike. Steve had ordered our truck and we were waiting for it to arrive before we could go get the trailer from Grand Rapids.
We picked up our shiny, new, blue Silverado on October 31. It's a one ton diesel Chevy quad cab. It has 4 doors and seats 5. It has running boards so I can climb into the thing and adjustable pedals and steering wheel so I can drive it. And, independent heat and cooling for the passenger and driver so I don't freeze Steve out. I sometimes call it Big Blue.
Now, Big Blue needed to have 500 miles on it before we could go pick up the trailer, so we started to drive it everywhere, including over to the Beef House in Covington, IN one night for dinner. We had 300 miles on it when Steve realized that the temperatures in Grand Rapids were starting to drop below freezing and the trailer isn't winterized. So a rush trip to Grand Rapids was planned. Since it's 200 miles to Grand Rapids, the mileage would be okay - barely. We took off on Thursday, November 7, drove to Grand Rapids and picked up the trailer the next morning.
Now, other than towing Natasha's car behind the Uhaul, we are novices at towing. The trailer had been stored at the dealer who did an inspection for us and one of their employees helped us get hooked up and ready for the road.
But the truck isn't supposed to pull at high speeds for the first 500 miles of towing, so no interstates on the way home. We made it in one day (a long one) and I even drove part of the way. ( I also did the backing up when we were getting the truck and trailer hitched together.) Here's our rig.
It was actually a nice drive home. Because Steve is red green color blind, we don't typically go looking at leaves in the fall. While it was late in the season, there were still some brilliant colors and a bit of snow!
After an entertaining half hour, we even managed to get the trailer backed into the driveway. Leigh was there to help and several of the neighbors really did come out to watch! I am impressed with my hubby - he can get a trailer, truck and two prius' in the driveway if he tries hard.
After a whirlwind trip to Michigan, we had a whirlwind weekend before we flew to North Carolina for my niece's wedding. Saturday was a home football game and even with all the construction going on, we're still "tailgating" at our house before and after the games.
We also lost our black dog, Scrappy, that weekend. The front door was open and he saw something to chase and took off, into the path of a car. When Scrappy was focused on the chase, there was no stopping him. Scrappy had some problems, but he could be loving and funny, too and we miss him. This is our last picture of him. He had crawled into Steve's lap and asked for some loving.
We hadn't expected the weather to get as cold as it has, so the trailer has remained mostly in the driveway, plugged into electricity and running it's furnace to keep from freezing. We both head out there daily to work on getting it set up. Steve drove it to Plainfield, IN (I think) to have some antenna work done and Dish Network was here this week to install the satellite.
We had hoped to take the trailer to the family Thanksgiving at the Dickerson's, but that would have meant having to back it into the driveway in the dark when we got home and we thought better of that idea.
We'll be driving up to Bloomingdale (without the trailer) next week to help Natasha supervise movers and close on her house there. Then on the 18th we plan to leave for Dallas. Natasha takes possession of her Dallas house on the 18th, so by the time we get there on the 20th, Olga will probably have everything unpacked! But Natasha has a long Daddy Do list, so we'll be busy through the holiday.
I'll be updating on an irregular basis, so if you want to follow along, you might want to sign up to follow me by email. If you have trouble, let me know and I'll help you get set up.
Deb
Friday, October 18, 2013
Thursday, October 18, 2013
I was too tired to blog last night (Thursday) so here's yesterday's blog.
We were on the road by 7:45 am. We only had a few miles left in Missouri and then headed into Oklahoma. This early in the morning there is some ground fog and I see a deer on the roadside. As we move into Oklahoma, the ground is flatter than Missouri. We are in Indian country and there are signs for the different tribes and their casinos.
At one of the rest stops in Missouri, the lady gave us tips for driving to Dallas. She suggested we turn off I44 at Big Cabin and head south on state roads. Big Cabin is a relatively small town and my imagination decides that back in the wagon train days the directions were "take the trail until you come to the BIG CABIN and turn south for Texas." I haven't taken the time to look it up.
I'm glad we have Satellite radio, as we listen to it all day. The trip is bringing back the years we used to drive the 14 hours to DC several times a year. I remember now why we stopped doing that!
As we approach Texas, the terrain gets hillier. Not quite as hilly as Missouri, but hillier than southern Illinois. Traffic hasn't been bad, but we hit Dallas around 4, so we're in rush hour traffic. We do manage to find the right Uhaul place and they help us get the car off the trailer. Looks like everything made it OK. We've heard from Natasha - they have landed and are waiting for their luggage. Mike is there to pick them up. I love it when a plan works!
For now, we're headed to the hotel to check in and park the truck. There is no place at the apartment to park it overnight. So, back into rush hour traffic. I'm driving the car and Steve the truck. We get there with no major incidents.
Here are some pictures from Thursday:
I was too tired to blog last night (Thursday) so here's yesterday's blog.
We were on the road by 7:45 am. We only had a few miles left in Missouri and then headed into Oklahoma. This early in the morning there is some ground fog and I see a deer on the roadside. As we move into Oklahoma, the ground is flatter than Missouri. We are in Indian country and there are signs for the different tribes and their casinos.
At one of the rest stops in Missouri, the lady gave us tips for driving to Dallas. She suggested we turn off I44 at Big Cabin and head south on state roads. Big Cabin is a relatively small town and my imagination decides that back in the wagon train days the directions were "take the trail until you come to the BIG CABIN and turn south for Texas." I haven't taken the time to look it up.
I'm glad we have Satellite radio, as we listen to it all day. The trip is bringing back the years we used to drive the 14 hours to DC several times a year. I remember now why we stopped doing that!
As we approach Texas, the terrain gets hillier. Not quite as hilly as Missouri, but hillier than southern Illinois. Traffic hasn't been bad, but we hit Dallas around 4, so we're in rush hour traffic. We do manage to find the right Uhaul place and they help us get the car off the trailer. Looks like everything made it OK. We've heard from Natasha - they have landed and are waiting for their luggage. Mike is there to pick them up. I love it when a plan works!
For now, we're headed to the hotel to check in and park the truck. There is no place at the apartment to park it overnight. So, back into rush hour traffic. I'm driving the car and Steve the truck. We get there with no major incidents.
Here are some pictures from Thursday:
More tonight!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
We were on the road by 8:30 am, which is good for me. We headed for Joplin, MO, which is about halfway between Springfield, IL and Dallas. Google estimated 5 hours drive time, so we hoped to make it to the Drury Inn there in time for the evening free food.
As we approached St. Louis, the flat farmland changed to gently rolling farmland. Still lots of fields of corn and cows, with lots of color in the trees - gold, orange and red among the green. Occasionally, we see horses, sheep and even llamas.
Then the road signs indicate an intersection with I70. Surely we're farther from home than that? A bit depressing, even if we know we've made good progress.
Then we spot the Arch in the distance. We're almost to St. Louis. I wanted to take a picture of the arch as we crossed the Mississippi, but we needed to concentrate on getting on I44. It takes two of us to make sure we don't miss a sign!
But we made it and headed across Missouri. Once again, we are mostly following the route of old route 66. Missouri seems to be making it more of a tourist thing. We see more signs and the tourist information centers (of which there are a number) highlight route 66.
The terrain has gotten hillier. At points, the highway has been cut through the hills, exposing stone walls which remind me of Pennsylvania. And occasionally we get glimpses of views which stretch for miles. The Lake of the Ozarks and Branson are both in Missouri, rightly attracting lots of tourists.
We notice more RVs, although still not a lot. Some motor homes, some fifth wheels and a few trailers.
After lunch, I take a turn at driving. I've never towed anything before and this truck is the biggest thing I've ever driven. But with a few tips from Steve (make very wide turns) I'm on the highway and Steve gets a break. Salami has gotten comfortable enough to crawl into his lap and they both fall asleep.
Traveling straight down the highway doesn't take a great deal of skill. I manage fine until the next rest area when I pull over. Steve had his nap and my leg was tired. Steve asked if I've learned anything. Oh, yes! I definitely will use the adjustable pedals and cruise control in our new truck and I want a rear view camera on the trailer!
The truck parking at this rest stop is far away from the building, but they've marked the sidewalk like a road and the picnic shelters like building along Route 66.
It made me smile. The floor in the visitor center had a map of the whole Route 66 from Chicago to California embedded in the floor. Some day maybe Steve and I will drive the whole route. I think tomorrow we leave Route 66 when we turn south to head for Dallas.
Salami started getting comfortable after lunch, but didn't want to lay down on her seat. She wanted a lap. So she rode on the lap of whoever was sitting in the passenger seat. She's also comfortable enough to bark at noises in the hotel room. We only had two barks last night and she's already barked more than that.
We did make it to Joplin, MO tonight in time for free food. But 5 hours of driving should have gotten us here before 5 pm, even allowing for stops. But we didn't arrive until 6. Since we have about the same number of miles to cover tomorrow, we're going to try to leave earlier in the morning. We'd like to get to Uhaul in time for them to help us unload the Prius and they close at 7 pm.
Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Deb
We were on the road by 8:30 am, which is good for me. We headed for Joplin, MO, which is about halfway between Springfield, IL and Dallas. Google estimated 5 hours drive time, so we hoped to make it to the Drury Inn there in time for the evening free food.
As we approached St. Louis, the flat farmland changed to gently rolling farmland. Still lots of fields of corn and cows, with lots of color in the trees - gold, orange and red among the green. Occasionally, we see horses, sheep and even llamas.
Then the road signs indicate an intersection with I70. Surely we're farther from home than that? A bit depressing, even if we know we've made good progress.
Then we spot the Arch in the distance. We're almost to St. Louis. I wanted to take a picture of the arch as we crossed the Mississippi, but we needed to concentrate on getting on I44. It takes two of us to make sure we don't miss a sign!
But we made it and headed across Missouri. Once again, we are mostly following the route of old route 66. Missouri seems to be making it more of a tourist thing. We see more signs and the tourist information centers (of which there are a number) highlight route 66.
The terrain has gotten hillier. At points, the highway has been cut through the hills, exposing stone walls which remind me of Pennsylvania. And occasionally we get glimpses of views which stretch for miles. The Lake of the Ozarks and Branson are both in Missouri, rightly attracting lots of tourists.
We notice more RVs, although still not a lot. Some motor homes, some fifth wheels and a few trailers.
After lunch, I take a turn at driving. I've never towed anything before and this truck is the biggest thing I've ever driven. But with a few tips from Steve (make very wide turns) I'm on the highway and Steve gets a break. Salami has gotten comfortable enough to crawl into his lap and they both fall asleep.
Traveling straight down the highway doesn't take a great deal of skill. I manage fine until the next rest area when I pull over. Steve had his nap and my leg was tired. Steve asked if I've learned anything. Oh, yes! I definitely will use the adjustable pedals and cruise control in our new truck and I want a rear view camera on the trailer!
The truck parking at this rest stop is far away from the building, but they've marked the sidewalk like a road and the picnic shelters like building along Route 66.
It made me smile. The floor in the visitor center had a map of the whole Route 66 from Chicago to California embedded in the floor. Some day maybe Steve and I will drive the whole route. I think tomorrow we leave Route 66 when we turn south to head for Dallas.
Salami started getting comfortable after lunch, but didn't want to lay down on her seat. She wanted a lap. So she rode on the lap of whoever was sitting in the passenger seat. She's also comfortable enough to bark at noises in the hotel room. We only had two barks last night and she's already barked more than that.
We did make it to Joplin, MO tonight in time for free food. But 5 hours of driving should have gotten us here before 5 pm, even allowing for stops. But we didn't arrive until 6. Since we have about the same number of miles to cover tomorrow, we're going to try to leave earlier in the morning. We'd like to get to Uhaul in time for them to help us unload the Prius and they close at 7 pm.
Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Deb
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2014
Steve and Natasha got up early and went and got the Uhaul truck. The loading took a few hours, but we beat the heavy rain.
I should say they got the truck loaded, as Steve, Natasha and Olga did almost all the work. Salami and Sonia quietly stayed out of the way in their crate. Quietly, but not happily!
Steve and Natasha got up early and went and got the Uhaul truck. The loading took a few hours, but we beat the heavy rain.
Maria slept and entertained herself. She jabbers away and plays quietly.
Olga made us an early lunch and then we headed out in the pouring rain. We were headed for Uhaul to pick up the trailer for Natasha's car. We got lost on the way and ended up in an older neighborhood with lovely houses. Tudors, cape cods, salt boxes, colonials, even a Swiss chalet. Made me wonder when we stopped building houses like that. I know in the building boom after WWII ranch houses spring up everywhere and at some point split levels were in every development. But I don't think Steve appreciated the unexpected tour. We finally found Uhaul and they helped us get hooked up and loaded, in the rain. We finally headed out about 2 pm.
Because of the directions of the roads, we hit I80 and I74 much later than we expected. They made us feel as if we hadn't made much progress. Our goal for today was Springfield, IL. We had reservations at a Drury Inn that allows pets.
We took 355 out of Chicago and then I55 toward Springfield. Unfortunately, construction on a bridge held us up so we didn't get into Springfield until 7 pm. Just in time to miss the free appetizers!
But in spite of the rain, it was an interesting drive. We drove through a bird refuge/sanctuary and saw lots of Canadian geese flying in formation. I want to come back this way sometime, as I55 seems to follow the old Route 66 (and if you're young enough that you don't know what that is, google it) and passes by the Route 66 information center.
Salami is with us and is terribly confused. She has been sitting quietly between us in the truck, staring at Steve. And I mean sitting, not lying down. At about 5:30 she crawled into my lap for all of 5 minutes. At six, she finally lay down, but didn't take her eyes off Steve. Here in the hotel, she makes sure she has at least one of us in her sight. Steve ran next door to Steak and Shake and brought back dinner so we wouldn't have to leave her alone
Now we're settled in for the evening and hope for a reasonably early departure tomorrow. And that we find another pet friendly hotel for tomorrow night!
Deb
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