What Day is This? Moving On, Solar Eclipse

Walmart, Lebanon, Missouri

On Monday, Apr. 8^th it was moving day. I was up at 6:45 to join Bill downstairs. It was still a bit dark as the sun hadn’t come up yet. When I opened the blind in the bedroom, I knew I had to get washed and dressed quickly to capture the pretty sky. There were a few low clouds which made the sky perfect for pictures. 😊 We had breakfast, yogourt and a banana for me, and we began packing up.

Good morning!

There he is again, my hero.
This time was much easier with no pressure
All done in half hour.

At 8, slides were in and Bill was hooked up. No, we weren’t ready to leave yet. He pulled the Suite out to the open lanes in the parking lot and began changing the old tire (spare) for the new one we just purchased in Lubbock. This would give us peace of mind for the remainder of our trip. While he did that, I walked in to the casino and signed us out. I had to ask her what day it was to sign out – duh.

All set to go, missing the hubcap from the
blowout. Darn!

Goodbye little buddies!
Our empty site and the clouds truly
look like a fleece blanket in the bottom corner.

She wished us a safe journey and advised us “be careful of the eclipse!”. I remembered the eclipse and last night I refurbished a Cheerios box into a viewer, just in case. Our destination today will put us in an area with a 90% view so we hope the clouds participate for everyone, including us! I said goodbye to the multitude of prairie dogs while Bill worked and then was able to help him turn the crank again for the spare tire ‘thingy’.

Tinker Air Force Base and
Skydance Bridge in Oklahoma City
always catch our eye.

We were on the road at 8:35 with our gps’ set for the day. We got on US81, US66 to I-40E. It was right around 9 when we drove through Oklahoma City. Although it was rush hour, it wasn’t bad with Bill staying in the centre lane. We followed I-40E through and came out unscathed on the west side. 😊  

Beautiful orange flowers along the route today
Long winding roads, up and down, fluctuating
from 1300 to 1700' elevation.

Gibbs wasn’t settling down, he's always panting, so we found an exit around 10 to see if he had to go piddle. Our drinks were done so Bill opened up and we took advantage of the break. We changed into sandals and shorts too.

Through the slowdowns, we open the back windows
Gibbs watches traffic, gets fresh air and barks at the trucks.

He does lay down but still pants. Goofy dog.
I had to laugh at this town. Glad I don't have to tell
people I live in Bald Knob!

The slow down gave me an opportunity to
view these flowers closer

The day has warmed up already from 46F/7C to a lovely 70F/18C with a few wispy clouds. Near Eufaula State Park we had another slow down. This time due to an accident. A transport hit the guard rail and dumped his load on one lane. What a mess. 35 minutes later, we were on our way. 

Had a great spot for our 2 hour break
at the Cherokee Casino in Sallisaw, OK
Blurry, yes, but I zoomed in to see my first robin this spring.

It was close to noon so we decided to take Exit 308 at Sallisaw and stop in the Cherokee Casino parking lot where we’ve stayed before. Had lunch, tried to catch the eclipse and the boys had a snooze.

My efforts and it worked but we didn't ever get the 
full eclipse. It was fun trying and the rest
was great.

After a not-near perfect viewing, we hit the road to try and make our next destination. It was a worthwhile 2-hour break and although it got no where the dark of night, we saw a partial eclipse in Sallisaw. The temperature increased by noon to 81F/25C with a light breeze, making for a lovely drive. We both shared the same emotion over seeing the green grass, trees branching out in leaves and the treat of knowing we have the best of both worlds. Ontario, Canada and southwestern Arizona. ♥

Different state, different scenery

The familiar Bobby Hopper tunnel.
Don't think about what is over head when you drive through.
(at least it's not water, that'd be freaky for me!)

A big slowdown because of someone following too close

Some water towers along the way today.
El Reno, Oklahoma City, Strafford.

We crossed into Arkansas at a few minutes after 3 and dealt with more traffic. All along I40 and I49 we’ve had more today than all of our travel days so far put together! Once more, near Fayettville, we got caught behind another accident. Looked like a fender bender this time and it only slowed us down, no complete stops and we were soon moving at our normal pace of 63 mph. Two hours later, we were crossing into Missouri.

Our 3rd state of the day
Natural rock walls along the Interstate I-44E

Getting close to our destination
as the sun was setting.

I thought I wouldn’t be taking many pictures today but every state is different and has interesting sites too. 😊 We stopped at the Mt. Vernon Rest Area which on my out-dated gps says ‘Full Facility’ but in actuality has vault toilets only. That’s okay, we didn’t have to open slides and were in and out within 10 minutes. Gibbs got a break too and could stretch his little legs. The temperature is dropping, now 75F/22C but it is also 6:30 pm, so to be expected.

I had to look twice........
things you see on the highway that give you pause.

We arrived at Lebanon, MO and found the Walmart easily by 7:50. The sun was setting over our left shoulders so I couldn’t get a decent picture as we drove. We parked and because it was way past supper time, I started heating up my spaghetti and big meatballs in a fry pan. Bill opted out, he’s not keen on spaghetti, and had toast instead. I did offer to make him something else but he made his own choice. I have another meal from this spaghetti and will heat it up one day for lunch.

My fried spaghetti and meatballs, yummy!

It is a warm night and because we’re in a W parking lot, it is noisy with all the young show offs in their hot rods. This is not a super Walmart so it will quiet down at 11 if not before. We’ll sleep well regardless, we have ear plugs. 😊 This was a long but good day. Many have seen the eclipse back home and got some good pictures, even my sister in Indiana had a good viewing.

My favourite water tower.
Good night!

Thank you for stopping by today/tonight.