3 down 2 to go

We are now in our campsite near Mystic, CT.  Along the way we stopped at a truck-stop and Jo was able to bag a CT t-shirt which was on the list.  Now we only have RI & VT to fill our goal for this trip.  Our campground is only a few miles from the RI state line and we are here for the next two days so will head into RI for that hunt and then check out other attractions in this area that might be of interest.

We have traveled over lots of scenic routes on this trip but windshield pictures just don't show the beauty.  Hopefully while we are out we can get a few pictures of the seaports and sailboats in this area.

Success again

It was another successful outing today with the bagging of the 2nd of 5 t-shirts in this trip's purpose.  With a DE t-shirt last Monday and a NJ shirt today we now have only CT, RI, and VT to satisfy that goal.

The drive today was very nice and mostly on local roads past small farms and towns on a winding path.  Just like General Washington we crossed the Delaware River (twice).  Jo found what she thought was a town named Ledgerwood, NJ but when we got there we found that the spelling was almost like her maiden name except that they forgot the "r" so we had a nice lunch in Ledgewood, NJ at a good Irish Pub.

PA roads are rough

Now set up in Eastern PA for the next two nights.  Tomorrow we drive to a nearby truck stop in New Jersey to continue the t-shirt hunt.  Most of Jo's t-shirts have come from truck stops in their souvenir section.  If that doesn't work then it is off to Wall Mart or somewhere else to satisfy the goal.

The weather forecast is for rain most of tomorrow and tomorrow night but then maybe clear up for our drive Friday to CT.

all is calm

... weather wise that is. We had a nice day yesterday with Phyllis helping her move a few things around her house and doing a little bit of shopping with her while our truck was available.  We hauled a wheelbarrow from Lowe's and a large sack of kitty litter from Pets Mart.

This morning we head toward Stroudsburg, PA and the weather is looking good for today.  Tonight and all day tomorrow however is forecast at 100% chance of rain.  A T-shirt hunt tomorrow may result in a wet T-shirt. ;-)

mission accomplished

This morning Jo and I headed toward Delaware in search of a T-shirt and it was a successful hunt.  Phyllis decided to stay home today and get caught up on her laundry so she can pack for her trip with us starting Tuesday.  There were rain showers, some very heavy, off and on all day and they still continue this evening.  There were severe storm warnings and even a tornado watch with possibly a sighting in the Woodbine area (in the vicinity of our campground) around 7:00 this evening.  We were with Phyllis at that time and didn't get back to the campground until around 8:00 and on the way here there was a tree down across the roadway near the campground but no apparent storm damage in the campground.

Her yard looks real nice

Phyllis has sure been working around her house and yard.  She has used landscape stone work to mark out several beds and small gardens.  After the tour of her yard we went to the Double T Diner for a bite to eat and with the left-overs in some boxes we will have another meal before we leave this area.  She has laundry planned for tomorrow while Jo and I drive over to Delaware to find the first T-shirt to begin the hunt this trip is designed for.  We will visit again Tuesday with her before the three of us head out Wednesday on the hunt for the remaining T-shirts from this area.  If this hunt is successful then she will have 48 of the 50 state shirts.  The last two would be ND and MN and we have plans for that hunt later this year.

yesterday's hitch

Yesterday's trip was almost as usual except for a hitch as we were passing through Lexington.  Just as we were entering the urban limits we saw red taillights in front and slowed to a stop.  We spent the next hour in a three lane parking lot with a lot of other folks.  When we finally got to the accident site there was a lot of hay strewn along the median barrier and pieces of a horse trailer were being hauled off.  We just hope that if there was a horse in the trailer that it was okay.  At one point there was an emergency response vehicle driving down the shoulder pulling a trailer with "equine rescue" on the back heading toward the accident site.

Today we head for Woodbine, MD and our campground which is only about 20 miles from Phyllis' house.

Our trip for tee shirt hunting in the northeast

We're on our way again stopping this evening in a campground we have used many times.  Our trips to Baltimore have been made so many times that we have the rest stops, fuel, and campground locations memorized.  Our day started with a small oops on my account as we made it almost to the highway before I realized that I hadn't picked up my billfold, glasses and pocket items.  It was simply a loop around the block and then park in the roadway in front of our house while I ran back in for the goodies.  We always wonder just what we did forget as we head down the road but without my glasses and drivers license the trip wouldn't have been any fun at all.  We couldn't just buy those items at Wall Mart or Dollar General.

Home again

Backed in around noon today after a very nice and enjoyable trip.  We really enjoyed the area around Taos, New Mexico and except for the tornado scare in Oklahoma the trip was uneventful.  We had a relaxing few days in the Springfield area for a couple of nice visits with our sisters.

Now it's regroup, repack, and get ready for our June trip which starts on June 7.  This next trip is to the northeast and a visit with Phyllis along with a tee shirt hunt for Jo.  She need just a few more to have her 50 state tee shirts that she intends to turn into a quilt.

See you in a couple of weeks.

nice visit with Vena

Sister Vena flew into Springfield this morning and came out to our trailer.  We just got back from dinner out and will visit until bedtime.  Tomorrow she is meeting an old friend for lunch and then headed toward West Plains and a visit with Neva.  We will also pull out of here in the morning and head toward the ol' Martin Manor RV park.

This will be a short stay at Martin Manor as on June 7 we head eastward for our June trip and visit with Phyllis.

just loafing

It is nice to have a day once in awhile without plans so we can just loaf or do whatever.  This morning we did drive to the local Camping World for some shopping.  Camping World is the RV owners shopping mart with everything you could think of or need for this life style.

This OLD man drove off from our campsite in Oklahoma City and left our water pressure regulator and water filter out by the hydrant and when we arrived in Alma, AR had to go to an RV dealership to try and replace them.  What I found there was enough to get us by in Arkansas.  Since Camping World is close to here I was able, with the help of Lowe's, to get our system back where I had it before the memory loss.  It was after lunch when I went to Lowe's and Jo did some housekeeping (vacuuming) while I was gone.  Now it's just rest and relax time.

Wilma

Yesterday afternoon and this morning we have had a very nice visit with Wilma.  Yesterday was her 73rd birthday so we took her out for a dinner.  This morning we picked her up and took her with us to Humansville for our visit to Mom and Dad's cemetery.  Then back to Springfield to visit Greenlawn cemetery where Jo's Mom and Dad are along with Wilma's husband, Ira.  After taking Wilma back to her house we are now back in the trailer for lunch and an afternoon siesta.

Back in Missouri

It was a nice drive this morning from Alma, AR to Ozark, MO.  We arrived a little after noon and after getting setup had a bite of lunch.

Today is Wilma's birthday and we will try to see her sometime this afternoon.  We called her a little bit ago and she was out so will have to try again later.  We will be here until Monday when we will head for the ol' Martin Manor.  While here we will visit cemeteries in Springfield and in Humansville.

On Sunday my sister Vena arrives from Idaho and we will get a good visit with her until Monday morning.  Later in the week she plans to drive up to central MO and we will get to visit some more before she heads back to ID.

Arkansas

The most direct route from Oklahoma City to Springfield would be I-44 all the way.  That trip is longer than we like to make in one day so we decided to make it a two day trip and by driving I-40 to Fort Smith we avoided the Oklahoma turnpikes between Oklahoma City and Joplin.  It was a short drive today to Fort Smith (actually Alma which is just a few miles East) and then tomorrow isn't a long drive either.  Short days of driving is what we like while pulling the trailer.  Since we are making it a two day trip a few more miles doesn't matter.

After the last couple of days of storms and rain it was clear blue skies today with pleasant temperatures.

Tornado in Moore, Oklahoma

After getting all set up in our campground yesterday afternoon we were watching local television and they were on severe storm watch mode watching a strong cell to the southwest.  They had storm chasers tracking the storm and from their cameras we actually watched the funnel form and touch the ground near Bridge Creek, OK.  The projected path was heading toward our campground and the sighting was probably 18-20 miles away traveling at about 25 mph.  The town of Moore where the greatest damage occurred is about 13 miles WSW of our campground and the storms path was in an ENE direction.

We closed up the trailer and jumped into the truck for a quick drive directly South in order to avoid it's path.  We found a parking lot at a safe distance where we parked with our radio on listening to the description of the storms movements while tracking the storm on Oklahoma maps.  Where the tornado finally lifted it was only about 6 miles away from our trailer.  When we drove back to the trailer there had only been some leaves knocked off the trees but no major limb damage and utilities still in operation.

The local television stations have been on air since then with continuous coverage of the recovery work.  At the location of the elementary school where there are known students and teachers missing they continue to dig through the rubble as well as searching house to house hoping to help anyone in a storm shelter that might have been covered with debris.

While we were too close to this storm for comfort yesterday we sure hope that all our friends and family are safe from the remainder of this years storms.

Choctaw, Oklahoma

The address for our campground for the next two nights is Choctaw, OK which is just on the southeast corner of Oklahoma City along I-40.  We are in a severe storm watch for this evening and currently there is a cell southwest of here and scheduled to pass by this area in a couple of hours.  They are saying that the storms have weakened from the past couple of days but we will keep our eyes and ears pealed as they say.

We are here for two nights with thunder storms in the forecast also for tomorrow.  Nothing planned except for a day of rest from rolling down the road.  We probably will get out and search for a grocery store.

Amarillo

I corrected Friday's posting because I had noted the wrong Texas City (that begins with an A) for tonight's stop.  Now we are back in the Central Time Zone which is always nice after trying to adjust our tv viewing schedules and sleep times.

It was a pretty drive south from Taos to Santa Fe through the Rio Grande Gorge and valley.  Once we turned eastward on I-40 south of Santa Fe we had a 20-30 mph tail wind which was quite noticeable on the fuel economy meter.  Where normally we get 9 to 10 mpg, at times with the wind pushing from behind we were getting 25 to 30 mpg.  Even up slight hill grades we were getting 10 to 15 mpg.

Tomorrow we continue eastward to OK City and hopefully the storm system that has hit this area the last couple of days has moved on out.

Kit Carson

At lunchtime today we went into town for a nice (different) experience for lunch.  The brother to our balloon pilot has a brew-pub in town so we tried it out.  There was a large group of Harley riders there watching a hockey game that cheered at any goal but it really wasn't any problem just a lot of fun.  The beer and the food was very good with quite a different atmosphere in a typical adobe house.

Then we toured the Kit Carson house and museum.  Christopher "Kit" Carson was born in Kentucky but his family moved to Missouri near Boonville (Franklin, MO just across the river north) where he grew up.  At around 16 his mother apprenticed him to a saddle maker but he ran away and joined a wagon train headed west on the Santa Fe trail.  From then on his life was as a hunter, trapper, guide and army officer.  He spoke English, Spanish, French, and several Indian dialects plus sign language.  He knew all the country from California to Montana and all points from Taos westward.  His first two wives were Indian, the first died from childbirth of his second child.  The second wife couldn't stand his being away on excursions in the mountains so she divorced him Indian style and left with her tribe.  His third wife was the daughter of a trader from southeast Colorado and she was the one that lived in this house with him for several years and they had several children.  The museum showed a History Channel video of his life and the person that played the part of Kit Carson was actually one of his great great grandsons.

Kit Carson pictures

much better

After her treatment attempts and a good nights sleep last night Jo is feeling much better this morning.  Jo has an appointment for a haircut this afternoon so we are just letting her back get a bit more rest this morning.  She felt like she needed a haircut before we got back home so she ask the lady that was taking pictures at our Monday morning balloon ride for a recommendation.  She told Jo about a shop that was right across the street from our campground so Jo called and made this appointment.

We have sure been spoiled by the temperatures these past several days with morning lows in the low 40s and afternoon highs in the mid to upper 70s.  I just checked the extended forecast for our trip back toward Missouri next week and see that we will probably be using both AC units Sunday afternoon in Amarillo, TX because an afternoon high of 100° is predicted.

just resting

Jo woke up this morning with a hitch in her get-a-long so we have just taken it easy.  She put a heat pad on her back for a little while and took a couple of pills so hope she will be feeling better in the morning.  I did get out to the store for a few essentials and then after lunch warmed up the ol' mandolin for a little bit of practice, I need lots of that.

About the only other local thing that we have talked about visiting is the Kit Carson home and museum here in downtown Taos but we have the next two days to see about that.