A travel day...

 Our Location: Walmart, Vicksburg, Mississippi

We woke to very cool temps, fog and the sun trying valiantly to burn it off. Breakfast, a walk to the dumpsters, hooked up and we were off before 9 am. We needed a few directions at the local gas station as the GPS wasn't cooperating but we were quickly back on the straight line we needed to be on. A new toll road is in place that I don't recall the last time we were here. 

 

Morning fog at Lake Lurleen SP, Alabama

We basically just pointed the Big Dog's nose southwest and let him go and go he did. We rolled along on I-59/20 until we were in Meridian, Ms where we turned west and let I-20 lead us in the right direction. We stopped at a few rest areas and stretched our legs but still made it to our destination by around 2 pm. 

One of the rest stops.

References for me and you both, I-59/20 in Alabama was good, a few humps and bumps but nothing extreme. I-20 West in Mississippi leaves something to be desired. Many parts are good but the  bridges are difficult, very bumpy and the expansion joints are close enough or far enough apart to make it a rough ride, add to that some rough joints at the end of the bridge to the roadway and you get the idea. Some were excellent but some were very terrible.  Not a lot of construction and no real slow downs of any kind. Mississippi has beautiful rest areas and allows overnight parking with security, just for future knowledge. Fuel (we are looking at interstate prices) range between $5.50 and $4.82.

Still blooming here in MS.

Weather warmed up as we came west, from 43F/6C this morning to 70F/20C by our pull off time of 2 pm. Tonight will be a low of 12 or13C/ low 50's F. We'll take that happily. 

A military cargo plane winged by.

A chat with my sister in law Barb last night after finishing the blog had the news that Wayne's surgery was over and they expect him home today. Good news. Wayne of course is her dad. He is having trouble with his eye. A long drive to Toronto for this surgery and all follow ups too. 

Just down the road from the Walmart.

Talked to my dad today after settling in here, they had some snow on the ground this morning but it's not staying. He said they had sun shine this afternoon and it's the nicest day they've had since we left on Oct 11.

The Walmart here has a very large lot, easy in and out, and pretty close to the interstate, maybe a minute or two away. Tomorrow we will cross into Louisiana about 10 minutes after leaving this lot. Our goal will be in Texas.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

Until next time...

Take care, stay safe, 

Deb

Our last day here...

Our Location: Site #5, Lake Lurleen SP, Coker, Alabama

We have enjoyed the park a great deal but tomorrow we are heading out for points further west. We have two travel days ahead of us before we stop for a few more days. 

 

A few things to do here at the park.

And a few more things to do.

We took a few walkabouts today just to get out of the Igloo and stretch a bit, it was too cold this morning to do much of anything outside with the cold wind but the afternoon warmed up considerably. 

 

Some fellow Canadians here at the park.

The ducks don't like the Canadians.

 Our high today reached 60F/15C but with a cold wind until late this afternoon. Now it starts warming up again everywhere we are looking to go. We like that. 

 

They have things everywhere...

Lots of playground equipment too. 

 Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

 

Until next time... 

 Take care, be safe, stay healthy, 

 

Deb

Much cooler today....

 

 

Our Location: Lake Lurleen State Park, Coker, Alabama

We woke this morning to much cooler temperatures but it was still warmer than temps when we left Ontario, so no complaints. 

 

I think this may be a regular here.

I don't think they're related.

 Today was a good day for walking and we did that a few times, trying to stay to the sunny patches. We dropped into the office and chatted with Debbie (park entrance ranger) and she asked us to stop by before we pull out so we can chat again. 

 

Hollie Hocks just coming into bloom.

More decorations...

 I called my sister again today, and we chatted for about an hour, laughed a lot and just passed the time for a bit.  Today would be my 36th wedding anniversary and I was feeling a bit down, so chatting with my sister helped. Thanks Jan. 

 

Lots of decorations everywhere you look.

A nice young ranger readied the taps for cold weather.

 Did a few little chores outside today, even though it was coolish with a brisk breeze. Highs today were around the 56F/13C, much warmer than our summer spot but still a bit colder than we hoped. A few cold days and it will warm back up again. 

 

I sat on that picnic table and chatted with my sis.

It is a pretty view, isn't it?

 I called my dad tonight, he mentioned that Del Budd had died a few weeks ago. Mr & Mrs Bud were from Owen Sound, Ontario and travelled to Long Beach, Mississippi every year for the winter, the trip took 4 days he told me. Mr Bud was 96 on his last trip to the Magic River park there and with the pandemic  hadn't been able to travel for the last couple of years. He passed away at the age of 98. Mrs Budd is a young 89. They enjoyed the casinos and could be seen leaving their rented trailer, dressed pretty spiffy heading out to dinner and then to gamble while the rest of us much younger folks were sitting around the campfire getting ready to call it a night. A very  young at heart couple. 

 

Thanks for dropping in, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

 

Until next time.....

 

Take care, be safe, stay healthy, 

 

Deb

A restful day...

Our Location: Site 5, Lake Lurleen State Park, Coker, Alabama

 

 

A quiet, peaceful day with lots of walking and picture taking.

 

Dad, this was your spot years ago.

Looking over the lake.

A cooler day today, only 72F/16C and a bit of a breeze but sunny. We'll take it happily.

Pirates landed on the beach.

 

View of the water near picnic area.

The Grim Reaper and Sidekick.

The butler did it.

I believe lunch will be limb soup.

 

 

I cleaned the BBQ today, we did dishes, made meals, etc but nothing strenuous. Showers in the nice bath house before breakfast. 

 

 The photos and writing are disjointed because Blogger keeps losing my photos and so I decided to just write and fit things in where they fit. 

Dad's spot on our way back from the dumpsters.

We are up in those trees.

Can you see us now?

 

 

The park is well decorated for the spooks. Lots of lights and air machines, and a couple of pavilions are well decorated as well. 

 

Happy Birthday to Linda. She is an amazing lady and I've known her for a very long time. We chatted for about an hour this morning and kind of got caught up a bit. 

 

Also talked with Janet and Dennis for a few minutes. Dennis just had a hip replacement due to a fall and their winter visit to California was in question. However all things have been worked out and they will be leaving on schedule on Oct 30, flying Toronto to LA. However Dennis can't golf until at least the beginning of the new year. It will be a challenge for him as he is used to golfing EVERY day while in the desert.  

 

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the visit. 

Until next time....

 

Take care, be safe, stay healthy,

 

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

A full travel day, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky....

Our Location: Walmart front yard, Carrolton, Kentucky

Woke this morning ( I'd just dozed off from being awake since 2 am) in the early wee hours just before dawn to the sound of rumbling thunder, police sirens, and flashing lights, along with the sound of hard rain pouring down. It was torrential, you couldn't see anything outside. It sounded as if it were going to pound it's way inside. ~laugh~ The cop was sitting beside a big rig a few rows over from us but I don't know what the issue was, he never came by our door but the big rig left within about 5 minutes of the cops noise makers going off. 

Rainy start to our day

The temps were warmish, in the mid 60 F range, that's about 18.3 C for the Canuckies in the crowd. The rain was wet, I know hard to believe but it's true. It stopped long enough for us to get ourselves into the Dogsled and headed out. It started raining again when we got on the Interstate. Not much, just enough to have to use the wipers on about mid delay. Pretty soon it was just sloppy from the road and not falling from the sky any longer. Not long after we just ran right out of it, the roads dried up, the sun came out, the skies turned blue, the temps were soaring and leveled off at 82F/27.7C. Not too shabby at all even though we were driving. I can tell you that we wrestled each other for the control of the AC, Riley was cold and I was hot, she would turn the blower down and the heat gauge to half blue, I would sneak it back to ALL blue and inch the blower up a notch or two once in a while. Finally she just put her sweater on. ~laugh~

Starting to brighten up

We left Alabama behind for Tennessee and then later in the day traded that in for Kentucky. The vistas were beautiful, the early morning fog truly was like smoke wafting thru the trees, over the road and along the hill tops. Spring has reverted to it's pre green stage the further north we come. Here in Kentucky some trees are out in bloom and just a few hints of green can be seen around. We chatted off and on about the things Riley has experienced during our travels, the different people, the different cultures and mannerisms of those she met and those she just observed. She made some very astute observations, connecting the ideas of why she enjoyed some parks more than others and why she truly enjoyed some areas more than others. Her favourite parks were easy to guess and she enjoyed them because of the people and the experiences. It was an interesting conversation.

Look where we are now.

We managed to contact Miss Laura at Southern Chevrolet in Foley, Alabama this morning to work on our issues with the truck papers. She is a fantastic lady and I truly appreciate her assistance in this task. I'm hopeful we can have it all straightened out in time for us to cross by Wed or Thursday next week. A case of one hand not telling the other what needs to be done.

Could that the smoke of the famed Smoky Mountains we see ahead?

The Customs Brokers have been in touch giving me information about what I need to supply and will then give me more detailed instructions about how and what to do when I cross. I'll be honest, it's not a day I'm looking forward to except that when I leave the border area it'll be all behind me. Yeah!!!!! ~laugh~ 

Look at all that green on the hillside.

The Dogsled was running in fine form again today. The route was very different than yesterday with many more rolling grades, hills and even bigger hills at times. We also had the rain to contend with which makes it difficult to use the cruise. We had more cities to get thru today as well, plus many interchanges to connect with, all of those things combined to make the gas mileage a little bit less than yesterday but still very good. I used the engine brake today and it works amazingly well. I think the Big Dog was feeling pretty proud today when he was rolling along and not making any effort at all in the hills and the downgrades, he was just running along nice and easy. A steady sure pace all day long and not once did he seem to struggle or pant, hell he didn't break a sweat. ~laugh~

This big T-Rex fella was starting at us as we hurried past

We travelled 420 miles today, a total of 9 hours but that included about 6 or 7 stops along the way some for as long as a half hour at a time. The time was 8:30 am CDT to 5:30 pm CDT but when we stopped for the night we were in EDT so it was actually 6:30 pm. That would be 10 hours but due to the time zone change it was actually only 9.  Did ya get all that? ~laugh~  We are now back in our own time zone. Last fall we travelled 'back in time' for a total of 2 hours getting to do ONE hour over again when we left Eastern Time for Central Time plus another hour when we moved the clocks back when daylight savings time ended ( we were in South Carolina at the time). Now heading home according to Riley we've 'gone back to the future' losing those 2 hours....we've already lost an hour when we changed to daylight savings time and today when we crossed the time line we lost another one. No wonder we're tired and have no idea what time it is. ~laugh~

Home state of the famed Kentucky Derby, not just Honest Abe.

Diesel food for the Big Dog ran the scale from $2.29 to $2.59 per gallon according to the signs I noticed. I managed to squeeze a fifty dollar bill into the tank around 12:30 after running approximately 5 hours this morning. That's about $10 more than yesterday but the gauge was lower today too. So the Big Dog is eating at a consistent rate if I keep him checked in at about 55 mph. I think he's found his groove. ~laugh~ 

A Mercedes motor home towing a Saturn.

We settled in for the night on the front yard of Walmart in Carrolton, Kentucky on I-71 North between Louisville and Cincinnati. Lots of others around tonight but we're parked with the big rigs due to the tip in the landscape where the other RV'ers are parked. It all slopes down to the drain and I was worried Riley would roll to the back of her bed and not be able to get out so we opted for the company of the Really Big Dogs. ~laugh~ It rained when we were just arriving, then stopped and has once again sprinkled while I write this post, but can you believe it's stopped again? 

Pretty shades of green on the hillside.

We strolled over to Subway for dinner in a bag. Riley ate her whole foot long, I managed to eat half of mine which I'm sure will be all I get of it because I could see Riley eyeing it up thinking about lunch tomorrow. ~laugh~ We also headed into Wally's to pick up a few munchies for the road tomorrow. They help to keep the sugar levels from getting too far out of whack. Of course we always have lots of water available too but that causes other issues such as having to potty break often and toss a coin to see who gets the first seat. ~laugh~ We even give the kitty a potty break when we have one, of course we have to leave the Igloo for her to do her business after coming out of the Dogsled. She's not happy about having to leave her home and be seen in the company of a DOG!!! ~laugh~ I think it's truly embarrassing for her. Oh the shame of it all. 

I love the contrasting colours.

So after dinner I did some emails, some work for the broker, checked in on facebook, called my dad, and managed to write this post. It's now pushing on toward 9 pm and I'm getting pretty tuckered. I think I may just fall asleep early tonight. Hopefully I stay asleep which seems to be my problem of late. I'm tired and fall asleep only to wake up in 2 hours and not be able to go back to sleep. It's so frustrating when that happens. Makes for a long day the next day.

I believe this might be Louisville, Ky (it may not be though ~laugh~)

We're hoping to check into a state park near Cleveland, Ohio tomorrow and stay there a couple or three nights, depending on the border situation or we may find a campground closer to Buffalo for a night or two just because it will make the day we cross shorter without having to drive from Cleveland first. Anyway, we'll see how it goes tomorrow and the next few days. Hopefully everything works out according to plan, if not we have a back up plan. Always good to have a back up plan, don't ya think? I even have a back up to the back up. Damn I'm good, huh? ~laugh~

On that note, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed your visit to my little neighourhood. Feel free to leave a comment. Until next time.....be safe, take care...

On the road, more bumps than just construction....

Our Location: Exit 108, Burke Outlet Shopping Center, Bessemer, Alabama

A cooler night last night but still nice enough to leave all the windows open overnight. This morning dawned with only a slight chill in the air but warmed up significantly throughout the day. The high temps today 84F/28.8C. It was a warm one. ~laugh~

Up at the fire it was Mac and I for a bit, then Bobby showed up followed by Swilley, then we added Robert to the mix as well as Mike, Pete and Paige. A bit later on Pat and Billy also showed up but I had left at that point. 

US 49 North out of Gulfport, MS heading toward Wiggins, MS

Mr. Swilley came with the news that the river was rising and moving might be in order. Then there was the 'it's not rising very fast so we don't have to worry' followed by ' Butch says everyone has to go" and then 'well it seems to have crested'. We went to the Wolfe and looked for ourselves, it was 6 ft and surging a bit. We left there went to Walmart to get some fuel and dry cat food, came back to the Wolf River once again and it was over the 6 ft mark with no visible signs of any part of the 6, which meant it was still rising. We came home and packed up deciding that it was easier to just hit the road and not hem and haw about it for a matter of a couple of days. Mac left about 10:30 am, and we pulled out about a half hour later. Trish and Mike were also heading out today. 

We said our goodbyes, gave and received hugs from those wonderful folks there that we have come to know pretty well. It's always sad to leave but it's nice to be on the road again. Hopefully we'll see them all again at some point down the road but if we don't our lives have been enriched greatly by knowing them even for the short time we have. We have been fortunate to meet such wonderful people in our life time. Thanks to Mac, Billy, Charlene, Swilley, Mike, Trish, Paige, Pete, Pat, Robert and Amanda for seeing us off today.

Noticed this old timer along the way.

We pointed the nose of the Dogsled north to reach I-10 EAST, then chased our tail to get on to US49N in Gulfport, from there it was a straight shot to I-20/59 NORTH. We passed thru or near the Mississippi towns/cities of Saucier, Lyman, Hattiesburg, Laurel, and Meridian. We crossed over in to Alabama and continued our trek North East until we came to rest here in Bessemer, a bedroom community of Birmingham. We arrived here about 6:30 pm. 

I filled up the Dogsled's food bowl this morning at Murphy's USA on US 90 at Walmart, the price for a gallon of diesel food was $2.19, I was thrilled with that price. I filled up again at Knoxville, Alabama after 5 straight hours (55 mph for a total of 240 miles) of driving. I thought the gauge was faulty, we left before noon and were still driving at 5:30 pm on the top half of the tank. I pulled in to a fuel stop, filled the dog bowl once again and you know what? It was right on the money, used 17.6 gallons of fuel to travel that distance. I am very impressed. That's just under 14 miles to the gallon fully loaded/towing and driving in tow mode as well. I used cruise so I know I stayed consistent at 55 mph with few variations. The big dog did good. ~laugh~ 

His older brother, or maybe just more USED brother.

We pulled into the Walmart here in Bessemer, Alabama went to customer service asked about spending the night. Negative, nada, nope, no. The Walmart does not allow anyone to stay over night. It's not a city ordinance, it's a Walmart decision. The nice young man told us to try the Burkes Outlet just down the hill and so we did. The nice sales clerk told us it was fine and so we tucked in here at the bottom of the hill under the streetlight for the night.

We walked back to Walmart to get a rotisserie chicken even though they wouldn't allow us to park. I walked Riley back to the Igloo and then I walked over to Sonic to get some fries (it's been a long time either of us have had fries) to go with our chicken. We should have skipped the fries, they were awful. It was our first time to eat anything from Sonic, I think it may be the last one too. The chicken was good though. I added an orange to my dinner and we were finished. 

HRH looking around on her travel day in some time.

After that I called my dad to chat for a bit, brag a bit about the Dogsled's great performance today and to tell him where we can be found tonight. After that I started on the paperwork for the border crossing. This is when things started NOT going according to plan.

 I was not aware the brokers needed 5 days to do all the paperwork( I was under the impression they needed the paperwork just 72 hours prior) and I was not aware that the state of Alabama does not give the TITLE to the vehicle in the 'parting' package they gave me. They need to mail the title which will not work in my case and I'm kind of in a dither about that. I need that title in hand no later than Tuesday so I can cross the border and I don't know if a copy will do for me. They can email the title to the broker (a copy if okay for that) but the broker needs to have it for 5 days before I can cross. I also need a copy of the vendors NAFTA certificate to do my dance at the border which Mr. Manley said they would email tomorrow to the broker and a copy to me. 

Military presence here in the south, NO plates.

We will be in Cleveland for a few days and I'm hoping I can pick up the title at a Chevy Dealership there, maybe they can fed ex the thing there or something. I don't know if I could get it at a campground in Cleveland as I'm not sure where we will be staying yet. Hell I don't know if they can even have it in 5 days. See what I get for procrastinating? I need to stop doing that, this will be my lesson for certain!! So instead of sending any paperwork tonight I'll be on the phone in the morning trying to figure this stuff out!

So now you're caught up with us. Are we having fun yet? ~laugh~ I'll just bet you're saying, How come she didn't know she didn't have the title, how stupid can she be? Well I'll tell ya in Ontario you walk out with the title, you know that's the piece you take to renew your tag, they stick one piece on the back of the title and you put the other piece on the plate. They gave me everything I needed to get the tags so I assumed that meant it was the title. Oh how wrong I was and how foolish do I feel now? VERY VERY. 

We have been in and out of this state for a half times this trip.

However there is nothing I can do about it now, I'll deal with it tomorrow and we'll go from there. We can extend our insurance for a couple of days if we have to and I can extend the truck insurance for a month as well. Riley's first appointment isn't until the 14th so hopefully we get everything worked out for that. Stay tuned for the rest of.....yes, she's blonde!!! ~laugh~
 

It's after 11 pm and I'm tired so I'll sign off. Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit. Feel free to leave a comment. Until next time..be safe, take care..