Day Three – Our Journey Starts in the Fog and Ends in a Casino

Cherokee Casino, Sallisaw, OK

On Monday, Apr. 10^th it seems our alarm is set without even setting one. Bill up first, then I follow at 6:15, taking turns to get washed in the powder room. A bite for breakfast and we made our hot drinks to go and I packed our lunch. We were pulling out of the lot at 7:05am  CDT. It is foggy, pea soup-type fog, but it is a mild 49F/9C and the traffic is very ‘mild’ too. 😊

This is when we were ready to pull out of
the lot

It  doesn't look too foggy at all

We have a longer day today but still travel at 65 instead of the posted 75 mph. We hopped on I-40E and we’re On ‘Are’ Way! The fog didn’t clear quickly at all, at times becoming absolutely blinding. We were down to half a tank of fuel so started watching for diesel stations. Not an easy task on this stretch, especially in the fog. After some searching on my gps, we exited at 163 and filled up at a CEFCO at Shamrock. The price was right at $3.69/gallon.

Even when the sun appeared,
it was still wearing a veil that made it hard to see through

It was 8:30 and not until 8:50 did we finally started to see some clearing although it didn’t last even as we crossed the state line. Of course, I missed the sign as it was upon us before we noticed. Oh well, we’re in Oklahoma! Two and a half hours later, we took Exit 147a to the bypass of I-240E around the city. We’ve gone through it before but not this trip. Once dumped back on I-40E we had a long stretch to our destination for tonight.

Some things, although not clear,
were very clear
Jesus has risen.
On the right, The Leaning tower of Texas

fog then clear
fog then clear
The turbines are floating in the top
picture and the sun is still fighting
90 minutes later

It has reached 70F/21C, which seems to be matching the temperatures in some areas back home. 😊 Traffic has picked up, naturally, it’s a working city, almost mid-day. On the east side of OKC, we pulled off at Exit 176 to Sinclair’s for fuel up. The price was better still at $3.49/gal. It’s a treat to see the fuel prices coming down. We pulled to the back of the lot and had our sandwiches for lunch, since it is noon hour. This is the last of the egg salad.

Traffic was light, entering Oklahoma
A perfect cattle grazing land
Signage to the bypass around the city

These pictures show the spring greenery
and new blossoms

The top picture reminds me
of our freeways back home
Our elevation has dropped considerably

Back on the road to carry on our journey.  After taking Exit 308 we arrived at Cherokee Casino in Sallisaw at 2:15 CDT, our overnight stop. It is 73F/23C with overhead clouds. We don’t have hookups here like some casinos offer but we didn’t expect any. Our panels have been charging all day. We’ve driven 408 miles today in 7.25 hours. It has been a good day driving with only a few rough sections on the roads during the latter part of the drive.

Interesting lake
but it is the road name that I love
Read it slowly. 
Leaves popping out here
but it could be a couple of weeks before
we see it back home.

After set up and letting certain people know we are safe, I sat with the next J.A. Jance book (Nothing to Lose) and Bill went upstairs for a snooze. While he slept, I also washed my hair in the kitchen sink. We do have some water in the tank but with washing each morning, there was no urgent need for a shower – yet. 😊

Set up behind the casino in long rv lanes
Deb D. - these are for you, long spent though

Gibbs bounced back and forth in between the two of us. Once we are set up, he plays the role of Inspector Leroy and does what Clemson used to do. He goes into each room and checks it out before plopping his 27 lbs. beside one of us. 😊 All is well in his world then. At 5:30, Bill and I walked over to the Cherokee Casino Bar & Grill for supper. Kind of our late Easter meal, I guess.

We were the only ones in the
restaurant to eat

Bill had their bacon cheeseburger with fries and I had the catfish meal with hushpuppies, coleslaw, 2 pieces of batter fried fish and way too many fries. I ate the puppies, some of the other sides but finished the catfish. It was gooood for a change. Drinks are on the house so it was a cheap meal of $24, tip included. ♥ Then we took our $25 each to the slot machines.I was happy when I earned my $20 back and walked home with it in my pocket 30 minutes later. Bill left to take Gibbs out for a walk after he donated his share. 😊

Looks like we're eating separately but there
was no one around to take a picture of us together 💖

The evening is a warm one but there is a lovely breeze coming in our west windows. Two large Class C motor homes with equally large cargo trailers pulled in at the other end of the parking spaces but other than that,

we are alone. This has been a great day with another bunch of miles behind us. The warm weather seems to be sticking around for a few more days, here and back home.

Gibbs wishes you all
a 
Good night!

Thank you for the visit.

Moving on, New Sticker, Casino-docking

On Saturday, Mar. 23^rd we felt the moving itch early. Bill and I were awake around 6 and even Clemson was restless for a while. We got up soon after and made our hot drinks. I finished loading pictures into my post and got it published. It was a very warm night for sleeping and that is a real treat! Almost the warmest we’ve had at 64F. We read a few blogs but didn’t catch them all. A lot of friends moved locations yesterday as we all slowly make our way home so it was nice to see where they ended up.

Nice start to our day but it didn't last

Nutrition for the road

Bill had toast and jam and I had a bowl of oatmeal and a piece of rye toast for breakfast. It isn’t because I was hungry but I knew I would be soon after getting on the road so it hit the spot and filled it. We were ready to pull out around 8:15 and I gave one glance back at this wonderful park. No doubt we will return. I really enjoyed it. It was sad that we didn't meet Tom and Cindy until our last day. It seemed like a nice connection and it would have been nice to spend more time with them.

Getting hooked up and ready to roll
they can cut the grass now that has grown a lot in 2 weeks

Great staff here made us all feel welcome

A glance back to say goodbye to a nice park

Turning right out of the park onto Cty Rd. 312 and then catching US-67, it was a cloudy start to our run. There were patches of blue before too long and a warm 63F gave us hope. In approximately 60 miles, we were exiting onto I-20E near Lancaster, Tx. Funny, as we drove on the upper of an overpass, looking down to the streets and businesses below us, the parking lots were proof of a recent downpour. Our route was dry.

Just a few things along the route today that I snapped pictures of

About 5 minutes of light rain spatters cleaned our already washed windshield and then it was more clear skies hovering over us. Yay! We needed a pit stop and since there were no rest areas closer than 58 miles, we pulled off into a travel centre. We all bought a coffee and took a piddle break, Clemson included. He got a nice walk with Pat and a drink of water too. Diesel was over $3/gal there and Rob wanted to fuel up so not too much further, we pulled off again to a TA station to better the price. At that point we topped up with another 12 gallons as well.

Looks like the sun is only poking through to draw up water

Everywhere you look, there are water towers, all the same shape but every once in a while, I see one worth snapping a picture of. 

This was right alongside the highway begging to be photographed
Such a big fat tower but I liked the tree in the name Cedar Hill

When I took the picture of the Lindale water tower, with the grapes, there was also a sign that said “Home of Miranda Lambert”. I didn’t know that about the c/w singer. It was 12:45 when we entered Louisiana. Arm pump! This is the first time, ever, for Bill and I in this state and we were impressed when we stopped near Greenwood at their Information Centre.

Lindale's tower - Miranda's hometown
Now, maybe they aren't grapes, maybe they are black berries

Bill went in first while I got our sandwiches out of the fridge. He signed their book and when he mentioned we were from Canada, the staffer offered him a state pin and a map. Thank you! How nice, we collect the pins. 

after the few spatters of rain

And he sleeps on Momma's hoody

Still not sure about the sky but it was warming up nicely

so much red earth this winter

I don't recall seeing so much of it previous years, other than Utah

It wasn’t much farther and we were making the exit off I-20 to the by-pass of 220 and soon enough turning into the parking lot of Harrah’s Casino and Racetrack. It is a large area for parking and a separate area for trucks and rv’s. We pulled up alongside the grass area rather than in the row parking and this was approved from a staff inside the casino. Works for them, works for us! 

This oversize load had a problem and we all just wanted to get by
before a tire blew - Phewy, burnt rubber in the nostrils = unpleasant

This is the interstate I-20E and a very pretty drive in some sections

Yay!

A new state for us!

We all decided to meet at 5:30 and go to the casino for supper. Until then, we sat, dozed and moved outside with our chairs and read our books. It was so warm in the shade that after returning from Clemson’s ‘ritual’ walk at 3, I joined Bill there instead of in the sun. Soon enough, the wind drove me to the back of the Suite for another 15 minutes of Vitamin D. We got cleaned up and walked back to Harrah’s. After getting a player’s card each, we walked, looking for the restaurant of which there really wasn’t one.

This was a huge waterpark that Chelsea, Olivia and Nathan would love
Well, maybe even the older grandsons too (Carter and Zach?)

For not being rush hour or a weekday,  Shreveport was busy enough

We parked as far away as we could

With grass for Clemson to piddle on

And he kind of loved it

What do you think?

It must have felt great on his feet or something
He was just bouncing all over

Fuddruckers (I dare ya to say that 5 times fast!) was the best choice, which consisted of fast food basically, as the only other option of a deli didn’t appeal to any of us. Other than the cost for the burgers, and fries, that was a humdinger of a meal. I had fish and chips with catfish and wedge fries and Bill had a bacon cheeseburger with fries. We both had a milkshake rather than a soda. It was all very good. We each donated a bit of cash at the machines but had no desire to spend a lot of money or time.

good food

We walked our suppers off crossing the parking lot to our homes and said goodnight. It was 7:30 when I changed into my ‘jammies’ and sat to finish my post. I’m hoping to get a few more chapters read in my book before my eyelids take over. This was a great travel day and we have arrived safely for the night. 

walking back at 7:30

We're such night owls

But we're settled for the night
My eyes are blurry, I must be tired
LOL - sorry for the picture being a blur

good night from Bossier City, Louisiana

Thank you all for stopping by!