We found warmer temps…….

 

Our Location:

Walmart, Benton, Arkansas

We woke this morning to a cold start but warmer than Wapakoneta. We were literally 5 minutes from the Tennessee state line and only an hour from Nashville. We opted to leave a bit later, around 8:30 am to allow most of the rush hour traffic to at least have a head start.

We arrived this morning and left this afternoon.

Not much colour.

Roughish roads for the most part off and on all day. Of course there were some very nice stretches of fantastic roads as well. Lots of narrow lanes in construction zones but over all a pretty good day. We crossed into Arkansas via I 40 west over the Might Mississippi River after the noon hour. Another 3 hours or so and pulled into Benton Walmart. Not one I would pick again but it will work for the night. We had to get off of I 30 south only to have to get back on I 30 north for about 1 minute. The lot has a bar but the drop down piece has been removed and pretty much everyone fits under it. We had to park all the way across the lot near the forest, unlevel but okay for a night.

At a Tennessee rest area.

Not fantastic but still they are flowers at least.

Yep, it’s cotton, not snow.

We stopped often today, not having our travel legs yet. We rolled along well and hope to put in a shorter day tomorrow. We are hoping to stop near Mineral Wells in Texas, just a bit west of Dallas. There we hope to slip into a park for a few days to take care of a number of things. 

We are nearing the Mississippi River.

There it is.

Welcome to Arkansas….

A few pics taken mostly as we hurtled down the interstate at break neck speeds and air borne moments! 

Until next time…..

Take care, stay safe,

Deb

A new time zone…..

 

Our Location:

Walmart, Franklin, Ky

A very cold night in Wapakoneta last night, we dipped a fair amount below that number we call freezing and a cold wind didn’t help. However the sun popped out and the rest of the day was sunny and warmer. Tonight will be cold but we will stay above the freezing mark by a few degrees.  The warmer temps are coming back and we are running south to find them.

Snow in the London, Ontario region on Wednesday.

All is well on The Rock in the waters of Lake Huron. The snow is melting and pretty much gone, the big brush pile in the pit is gone, and the folks are doing well.  Sister is off to Ottawa for a few days to visit her youngest daughter and family. They recently moved back from Newfoundland.

Yep, we made it into Kentucky.

Some other news to share, Riley and I couldn’t roll the wheels south any sooner because we were waiting….

Here.  For this…….

Meet Igloo 2.0

We decided the original Igloo was getting tired of the long drive and it was time for something different.  We opted for this newer, lighter, and a weeeee bit shorter Open Range Light.

It pulls well. 

We started moving things Tuesday afternoon, spent the night in the new rig in the yard outside the fence and resumed moving things again on Wednesday morning inside the fence. We were finished around 1 pm, hit the road by 2, pulled into Wapakoneta around 10. A few little issues but all is going well. We are stuffed to the rafters, unsure where anything is, winterized and happy. 

A bigger kitchen area.

I called Wayfarers Insurance to change the rig on my full timers policy and was informed that Orbit (new owners) have decided not to offer that service any longer. I have about 12 more days to find another company. I am not having any luck but I will think of something to get us thru the winter and back home and then delve into it more deeply. In a few days we will get into a park and do a number of things and I will hopefully have answers by then.

More seating.

Anyway, there you have it. We were delayed but are rolling along now. I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek.

Until next time…..

Take care, stay safe,

Deb

We've settled in for a bit...

 

 Our Location: Lake Lurleen State Park, Coker, Alabama

 

The lot at Walmart, Franklin, Tn was quiet, very quiet all night. A few others pulled in, parking in places that weren't designated for parking but oh well. We were up and out the door, on the road before 8 am this morning under cloudy overcast skies. Temps were 63F/ 16C (approx) and a bit of breeze. We managed to turn around and get heading out the right driveway, we turned right on to Malory Lane and another right onto Cool/Cold Springs Blvd, the Interstate was right handy there. As we headed off down the road I noticed all the exits were the same...exit only, which used to mean there was no way back on the interstate from that location. However this one seems to have meant that only the inside lane was an exit lane and no other possibilities. Strange and confusing to me. However maybe some of you already knew that and I'm behind the times but now I know too. 

 

The Alabama Welcome Center.

We crossed into Alabama about 9:30 am and the temps just kept climbing. Our high today reached 83F/25 C. Sunny with cloudy intervals and 15 drops of rain as we left Franklin, Tennessee. Roads were good, Alabama allows only 'resting' with no overnights at any rest areas. I filled the Big Dog from just over a quarter full to the very tip of his lip for $138 and change. I was certain it would take a great deal more. Diesel was $4.83 a gallon at the Speedway just near Tuscaloosa.

 

The sign says it all.

 Friendly folks and always ready with a smile here in Alabama. We stopped a few times and just kind of ambled along until we arrived around 1 pm. We managed to snag a pull thru site (#5), with water and electric. We are staying put for 4 nights and are going to enjoy the warmth, the sun and the rest. I would suggest if you are going to choose this park you do two things, first check college football schedules and choose an away weekend to come, and second make reservations, either on line or by calling. The park is bit far off the beaten path if you end up not staying. Lake Lurleen State Park, Coker, Al, near Tuscaloosa. I'll post some photos when the connection is better. 

These things are huge.

A call home to my Dad netted me some more local news and a few laughs. We won't be chatting with dad now for a few days as we are settled in. Also called my sister for a quick chat and to see how they are doing. It seems all is well on the big rock in Lake Huron but fall is definitely in the air, cold, damp, damp, damp and cold, did I mention that?

 

Our spot for 4 nights.

So now you are up to date again. The connection is slow and I may not be posting pics every night but just know we are truly resting and just soaking in the heat. 

 

Out our door.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

Take care, be safe, stay healthy, 

Deb

Arrived in Mississippi....

Our Location: Roosevelt State Park, Morton, MS

I didn’t forget about you folks, honest. I have just been struggling for the past few days trying to find enough time to sit down and write. When we last left you we were waiting for an appointment in the morning at Midway Trailers. I can assure you we aren’t waiting any longer and have journeyed a number of miles since that morning. 

 

 

Sunrise as we are leaving Pyett's not far from Binbrook, Ontario.

We were waiting for the doors to open at Midway Trailer before 8 AM as our appointment was made for when the doors opened. The folks at Midway Trailer couldn’t have been nicer. Brian, Cody, Jesse and a number of other folks all made our wait much easier. Brian explained that what they thought would be a bracket replacement wasn’t actually going to be a replacement but a straightening. They adjusted/straightened the bracket, added a steel brace with support struts to ensure it won’t bend again and we were happy to be on our way. The wait was long but we didn’t mind, we just wanted this issue fixed. By 2 pm we were on the road again having settled what I think was a very reasonable bill. We came in right around the $400 mark. Most of the bill was labour. I would definitely recommend these fine folks at Midway Trailers in Dayton, Ohio. 

Interesting building, I think it's in Cincinnati, but maybe not.

 

We opted to boogie on down the road even though we were just getting started about the time we are usually stopping. We decided we wanted to get someplace much warmer even though the weather wasn’t terribly cold the forecast was looking frosty. We pointed the Big Dog south on to I-75 through the remainder of Ohio, hung a right onto I-71 toward Louisville, KY and just kept going. We managed to catch rush hour of course, but just the tail end and so before long we were steaming along again but this time on I-65 SOUTH. We crossed a time zone here of course and when we landed in Franklin, KY we had gained yet another hour in a few short days. (Daylight Savings having just ended).

 

 

Leaving Ohio behind, entering Kentucky.

 

We had a few ideas about staying in Alabama but silly me I had forgotten about college football. Everything was full until after the weekend in the locations we wanted to stay, so we continued along on our way and headed for our current location of Roosevelt State Park in Morton, MS. We are familiar with Mississippi having visited many times but usually we are further south along the gulf coast and so this area is new to us. We are looking forward to exploring the park’s walking trails and perhaps taking a drive or two around the area to check it out. Or we may just sit and enjoy the stationary part of this lifestyle again for a few days.

You have to appreciate the interstates here in the USA.

 

I have a few little things to take care of before we head out again next week but nothing major. Having installed new bathroom faucets I checked them first thing when we hooked up, everything looked dry but after an hour or so when I checked again I noticed a small leak under my bathroom sink. No problems, we just shut off the water and I dealt with it this morning. Yeah, we’re all fixed and now we can enjoy the rest of the day. 

Interesting, don't you think?

 

The photos are a mishmash and I don’t really know where they were taken other than Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi.

 

We travelled through some rain on our way to Mississippi.

 

Thanks for stopping by, until  next time… take care, be safe,

Deb