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To view the photos click on “Photos May 2007” above.
tree in Goose Island State Park (see photos), then drove to Corpus Christi, saw the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (see photos) and drove along Ocean Drive, admiring the mansions. We then took a walk with Lobo on the beach, followed by supper at a Chinese restaurant. After arriving back at Goose Island, we met Dick who had spent the day nearby in the various bird watching areas. The next day we all visited the Fulton Mansion (see photos), built in 1874-1877 by the cattle baron George Fulton, and afterwards took a walk along the Fulton Harbor with Lobo. We had a supper of scallops and other fine seafood at the Big Fisherman. That night it rained quite hard and the following day it was very humid but the wind had subsided. We spent the day at the campsite, getting ready for our departure. Renée cooked a supper of Dick’s favorites: Pork Chops, potato pancakes, cauliflower, fried apples and salad. We had a campfire on the beach and the following morning we said our goodbyes. Dick left around 11 AM, driving westward to New Mexico. At 12:25 we left. The weather was cloudy, humid and windy, 88°F. We took Texas 35 North to Port Lavaca, then US 87 North to US 77 North and Texas 21 to Texas 60. There we encountered a railroad overpass that was too low for the RV to pass through so we had to back up in a field, and then turn around, travel back a few miles and take another road that went over instead of under the railroad |
State Park. It is a nice park with camping spots directly on the lake. The frogs really made quite a racket and were quite helpful that evening when Renée went for a walk with Lobo. It was already almost dark and she lost her way in the nearby woods. She finally found her way back by following the sound of the frogs in the distance! The following day (May 5th) was also muggy and cloudy. At 1:30 PM we left Lake Somerville and drove back to Texas 60 then to Texas 36 toward Palestine. In Palestine we stopped at a supermarket and then continued on to Palestine State Park to spend the night. Much to our surprise, the campsite was primitive, with no water, electric or sewer. Realizing that it was definitely a night that required air conditioning, we left and drove to Jacksonville, where we stayed at the “Castle on the Lake” campground with full hookups. This also enabled us to wash a few loads of clothes. On Sunday we drove via Henderson and Marshall to Texarkana, where we stayed at the Elliot Lake campground for two nights. Texarkana is located both in Texas and in Arkansas, with the courthouse sitting on the state line so that it sits in both states (see photos). Interesting that Texas has no state income tax but Arkansas does. Consequently, all Texarkana residents are exempt from paying Arkansas state tax! On Monday we toured the city and on Tuesday we drove in a northeasterly direction through forests with lots of lakes and rivers, to Hot Springs, Arkansas. In the middle of the city is the Hot Springs National Park consisting of the bath houses of yesteryear that have been restored to their original state and are quite similar to those in European spa towns (see photos). That night we spent at Lake Ouachita State Park to the North of Hot Springs. The next day we drove to Fort Smith where we went shopping at Aldi (the first one we had seen in almost two years). We then drove along US 71 North through the Ozarks to Brentwood. Amazing that these little towns have almost as many churches as they have residents! Outside of Brentwood we found a roadside rest area complete with grills, tables and benches that faced away from the highway alongside a swift running creek. The rest stop was maintained by the residents of Brentwood and was so inviting that we spent the night. After supper we sat on a bench and watched Lobo as he played in the water. After dark, we had a visit from the local sheriff, who stopped and talked a while. Many people feel somewhat insecure about spending the night at roadside stops, but we were probably safer there than in any campground where we have ever been. Thursday, May 10th, it was 81°F as we left at 11 AM. Our last day in Arkansas was in Bentonville where we visited the Wal-Mart Museum, housed in Sam Walton’s original store (see photos). Afterwards we drove on US 71 North to Missouri. In Neosho we turned east on US 60. In Missouri, we immediately discovered that the good times for the Vagabond lifestyle were gone. This state has almost no rest areas on non-Interstate highways. Those that we did see were not announced ahead of time and none of them allowed overnight parking. There were no signs anywhere that announced camping facilities. To top it off, even the Wal-Mart lot in Republic would not allow overnight parking! Between Springfield and Mansfield we again noticed the Mennonite and Amish farmhouses that we were familiar with from Pennsylvania and Indiana. Shortly before Mansfield we decided to turn off and drive through the towns in the hope we might find a place to park for the night. In Mansfield we found a campground directly below the Laura Ingalls Wilder house (< - - please click) . The TV series “Little House on the Prairie” was based on her books. On the following day we headed toward Fort Leonard Wood to stock up at the commissary, then through Jefferson City to Holts Summit where we spent the night at a truck stop. To emphasize how poor the road in Missouri are marked, we left Fort Leonard Wood, followed the few available road signs and shortly found ourselves on a bridge crossing a river where at the end of the bridge the road stopped, with the choice to either turn left or right on a gravel road that was impassable with the RV. Chuck had to back up across the bridge and back down the road to an entrance to a picnic area with a gravel parking lot on the river where we were able to turn around. That evening we made it to Mexico, Missouri where we spent Saturday night (May 13th). We had one of the tires checked on the RV that had been losing air at times. We check the tire pressure daily when we are on the road and sometimes it would lose up to five pounds a day; other times nothing. A nail was the culprit and the problem was solved. From Mexico we drove to Paris ☺, then on US 24 East and spent four nights at the Indian Creek Recreation Area on Mark Twain Lake. A cloudless sky greeted us on Monday morning, but the mosquitoes and other insects at the lake were unbearable. We spent the day performing housekeeping chores. The following two days were rainy with thunderstorms but we went ahead with our plans and first visited the town of Florida where Mark Twain’s birthplace is inside a museum and then on to Hannibal, where he grew up (see photos). We also drove to Marceline, the town that Walt Disney claimed as his hometown (see photos). On the return trip Renée had to use the bushes at a rest stop since there were no toilet facilities (remember, this is Missouri!) and was attacked by about ten ticks. This resulted in a miserable night and was also the beginning of several tick infestations for both of us. It was partly cloudy and 68° F on Thursday, May 17th as we left in the direction of Hannibal, then North along the Mississippi River to Iowa. Iowa is Renée’s 49th state (Hawaii still missing). Shortly before Iowa City, we stopped in Riverside to visit the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk of the star ship Enterprise. He will be born there on March 23, 2233 (see photos). We then drove to Coralville Lake, staying at Linder Point campground for three nights. While there, we visited the Amana Colonies (< - - please click). We left Linder Point on Sunday and drove East on I-80 across the Mississippi to Hampton, Illinois. Along this stretch of I-80 near Davenport is the largest Truck Stop in the world (see photos). Also along this stretch, we saw what could be the longest truck in the world (see photos). We stayed at Fisherman’s Corner in Hampton, right on the Mississippi River. Twenty years ago Chuck spent seven weeks in Davenport while attending a course at nearby Rock Island. We made a tour of the area and took a trip up the river on the Iowa side to Clinton, then back on the Illinois side to our campground. That evening we had a nice campfire and had grilled bratwurst for supper. Lobo became sick that night but the following morning he was much better. On Wednesday, May 23rd we left around 3 PM heading East on US 150, stopping for the night at Jubilee College State Park, northwest of Peoria. This part of Illinois consists of miles of flat agricultural fields, very few farm animals, and we encountered a very strong wind coming from the Southeast that we fought for several miles. The following day, with the same surrounding landscape we crossed into Indiana. We found a very nice campground in Earl Park, Indiana. Actually, it is a city park with water and electric hook- ups where several RVs can hook up in a “wagon circle” arrangement. We chose a spot near the exit and we had no one else in our “circle” even though the rest of the park became quite full for the Memorial Day weekend. We had intentionally arrived there before the weekend and spent the time there to avoid searching for a spot somewhere on a weekend night. The little town of Earl Park was a typical small town with a cute little church, orderly houses with some not-so-orderly, a town center but not a single person anywhere! It was like an episode of Twilight Zone where we were the only living beings in the town! But at the nearby park, it really got lively with lots of family fun, camp fires, etc. It makes you feel good to see people can still have this kind of good clean fun! We spent the weekend on household chores. On Monday afternoon as the park began to clear out, we also left and headed to our last stop before Fort Wayne where we would spend a while. We needed to visit a Tricare Service Center to update our medical coverage and the former Grissolm Air Force Base in Peru, Indiana is the service center for this area. We arrived at Lake Mississinawa near Peru at around 5 PM. The Miami State Recreation Area was emptying out as we checked in for two nights. The following morning we drove to Grissolm and accomplished our tasks then drove back in time for an afternoon nap. On May 30th we left Lake Mississinawa, drove back through Peru and took US 24 to Fort Wayne where we arrived shortly after 3 PM. Keith and Katja appeared quite happy to see us and Michael took off work early and came home. -Mileage at arrival: 68,922 -Since our departure from Fort Wayne on Oct 8, 2005, 19 months, 22 days and 3 hours had elapsed. -Since our departure we had traveled 44,808 miles in 22 US states, 2 Canadian Provinces, 1 Canadian territory and 3 Mexican states, We have had quite a collection of experiences, seen a lot of beautiful things as well as poverty and suffering. We have lived in pure nature, sought and found solitude, and (temporarily?) returned to “civilization”. We eat and live healthier, feel much better and are quite happy. We have learned to live with the small (and large) mishaps of this lifestyle. We treasure every minute of these experiences. June 2007: A Pause for the three Vagabonds Our RV is sitting next to Michael’s house in Fort Wayne and the month of June has been filled with re-organizing, renovating, cleaning and re-arranging. Chuck and Michael have also spent a lot of time on making necessary house and property repairs. An exact date when we will complete these tasks is not yet established. We will keep you posted. |
Travel Journal May / June 2007
Our Motto: Home is, where our RV is.
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| Butterflies in love in Michael's front yard (these guys were HUGE!) (About the size of an adult's hand) |