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.

A Long Wonderful Day, Crossing States, Losing Time

Dream Catcher's RV Resort

On Wednesday, Apr. 3rd we pulled out of Pilot Knob RV Resort at 8:15 and were on our way to destination #2. It was a gorgeous morning but I slept past the sunrise. We travelled I-8E to I-10 to Eloy, Az. Our friends spend the winter at Picacho Peak RV Resort and we were meeting them for lunch at Denny’s. We haven’t seen Ken and Nancy for 2 years!

Good morning from Gibbs
Didn't want to walk too far because
Daddy was getting the truck ready.

Leaving Pilot Knob RV Resort

Mohawk rest area, panting puppy,
trains and water towers

When we started rv’ing, still working, we vacationed at Silver Lake, MI, we met for the first time. Each year, we rebooked and met at the same spot for a few years. We’ve had great fun rv’ing, swimming, riding the dunes etc. together. 

Oh my goodness! This brunch meal
was delicious!!

A great visit, although short, with dear Illinois friends.

It was a great lunch and gab session, catching up. So good to see them again. ♥ We left Eloy at 1 after fueling up and I texted my sister in Deming to let her know how the time was playing out.

Pretty views, even a
San Diego street car!

Yes, we are homeward bound

The terrain has changed so much
Snow caps
Turn off into Eloy, Az

We saw snow on Neaman Peak mountains off in the distance – a long way off and up. It can stay there. Our weather was perfect at 82F/25C. We eventually lost our Saguaros today but saw lots of those beautiful cacti, Teddy Bear and Staghorn Chollas as well as Ocotillos. We were rewarded with the amazing boulders (can’t call these rocks) as we entered Texas Canyon. With a stop at the rest area at 3 we were making good time.

Slow down in west bound lanes
Want a job? Painting the A?

Trump tower, Tuscon overpasses
and a C130 flies over

Until……..brake lights ahead and a semi beside us locked his brakes burning some rubber as we came to a dead stop. No one knew why but we poked slowly along the next 5 miles stealing 45 minutes of our travel. Eventually, it became as clear as mud that there was some kind of construction but other than moving to one lane for a short distance, it still didn’t seem obvious. I texted Gayle that we would be yet another 2+ hours including NM’s time change.

Amazing views

Getting ready for Texas Canyon boulders

bottom left, a grumpy old man
watches over us

Traffic slow down
Looking ahead, looking back
and speed reduced??? We were crawling
at 9 mph.

Our elevations changed from 500’ to over 4600’ on the drive today, crossing the Continental Divide after crossing into New Mexico. This would be our first time change, simply giving up an hour at the ‘invisible’ state line. Now, we were only 2 hours behind our home friends and family. 😊 

We arrived at Deming, New Mexico at 7:15, pulling into the Dream Catcher RV Park, an Escapees members park. This park has 8 non-member boondocking sites for which we were grateful.

Fraggle Rock
Decent priced diesel
The only cloud in the sky all day

It was a surprise to see a different
surveillance blimp
Thought this was another Cadillac Ranch
but it's solar panels.

It was great to see my sister and her husband and we parked just across from them for the night. No need to unhook, so we opened up, got Gibbs settled for a nap and walked over for a visit and a nice supper. I didn’t have to plan anything and the cold plate meal was perfect after our big lunch at noon. Thank you, Gayle and John! We would not see them again until we were all home so had a nice evening until 9:30.

Our little guy was ready to stop, as were we.

Gibbs doesn’t sleep while we drive, for some reason, so would surely sleep well tonight. As would Bill. They missed their snooze! I was too tired to blog but read a couple of chapters before joining my boys in bed at 10:30. It was a great day.

Supper was perfect with (ugly) homemade apple pie
for dessert. (her words, not mine. It was delicious).
Great night for a sleep over.
$13.59/night.
Good night!

Thank you for following along with us.

 

Los Algodones, Long Day for All of Us! Happy Hallowe’en!

Pilot Knob RV Resort

This morning, Tuesday, Oct. 31^st, we were up shortly after 6. It was a good, quiet but  warm night’s sleep. I should have left my window open as I had to kick the covers off a few times. It was a very mild 57F/14C overnight. This park has certainly changed, there are only about 27 rv’s in here right now. They have made numberous improvements as Gibbs and I noticed on our walk arount the perimeter. Things can change with the upcoming November and beyond guests but I wonder how much it will?

Caught the sunrise just as I came out of the shower.

And just a few minutes later, we were walking
into Los Algodones, Mexico. I had to stop taking
pictures for a while, not allowed at the border.

We had our morning drinks together plus some breakfast before having our showers. It wasn't long after that we were giving Gibbs his ‘look after the house’ treat. It was 10 when we left for Mexico. Our appointments weren’t until 1 pm at the dentist but Bill thought we’d get there early enough to get our/his eyes checked and new glasses ordered. We didn’t want to have to go back. 😊

Waiting for Bill at OK Vision. Each time now, it seems
we go to a new place. As long as they're friendly, we're good.
Bill's progressive, transition lenses were $180. Pretty good price
and ready in 2 hours.

A trip in to Los Algodones doesn’t need to include a meal and a drink for us when we’re on our own, so we like to try and get things done in one visit – if possible. There were changes upon entry into the parking area, still $6 though, and it was getting busy already. It was a beautiful, windy morning so we wore shorts and light tops. Bill got his eyes tested, he thought there was a change and he was right. He ordered new lenses for his frames and we left to do some shopping.

You'll have to wait and see the stained glass
but this is the metal frame work we both agreed on.
It should look good at the Ridge!

We found a stained glass window for the Suite’s door plus we found some metal art work for the Ridge gate. Andy, our favourite greeter,  helped us find the right vendor for the latter. It wa s wrapped up tightly and since it was still early, we went to the yellow food court for a sit down. I needed a cold drink so we each had a lemonade. No margaritas before a dental appointment, not for us. 😊

We had a sit down and bathroom break
at this yellow cafe/eatery. Never can remember
the name of it.

We turn our sign (forefront) to say NO salesmen
and we don't get bothered while we have our drink.

Just lemonade today for these
tea-totalers
It was refreshing, cold and wet!

The dentist was almost 2 hours delayed so it was 3:15 when we walked out with a clean checkup. While waiting, Bill nipped back to collect his ‘new’ glasses. Two hours, done and done! ♥ Lastly, a stop at the Purple Pharmacy and Liquor store for my pills ($8/50 compared to $10 last spring), a bottle of Appleton’s rum and 2 bottles of pure vanilla. We were tired and we had a pooch waiting back at the park for us.

Then we waited in Dr. Eva's cheery courtyard

Our medicinal purchases
I have enough of my shingles meds now
to last me over a year. It works like a charm as
I haven't had a breakout since January 2023.
For .16¢ a pill, I'm a happy camper!

He was good and very happy to see us. It was quite comfortable with windows open in the Suite, which is good. It reached a high 81F/27C today. For supper, we’ll have leftover chicken and salad with little pies for dessert. Yum, they were so cheap at Fry’s, I had to buy 4. I noticed last night that some of my programs I was getting back home and in Indiana have disappeared. Put on hold? I’ll have to find others to watch. Hmmm.

Entree
with some chicken left for sandwiches
The carcass is cleaned off.

A sweet little cherry pie for each of us.

What a great day, we’re happy with our purchases and we’re heading out in the morning. Look out Park Place RV Park, here come the Richards! 😊

After tonight, I'll have to walk further to get
the sunset on camera.

But the trade off is that we'll be at our new HOME
for 5 months. ♥ Yay!

Happy Hallowe'en
and
Good night!

Thank you for the visit today.