Saturday, November 28, 2020

First Day on the Road

 Dolly and I were up by 7:30 and we had a little breakfast and packed the last of everything and by 9:15 I was on the road.


First stop was in McLean at the Dixie 66 Truck Stop and I filled up with diesel.

  Not completely.  The pump stopped at $100 and I just left it at that.

All went smoothly until we got to St Louis


and I again missed the turnoff to I44.  Went down the first off ramp and it happened to be the Busch Stadium exit so got a picture and soon saw a sign to get back on I44 West and away we went. 
 

Stopped outside of St Louis and again filled the tank to $100 and we were off crossing the state of Missouri.  

I had forgotten how hilly it is in the southern Missouri area.  We went up and down all afternoon.  The sky was bright blue without a cloud anywhere.  The temperature got to the low 50s with little wind so it was a beautiful day for driving.  The only problem is there is a lot of traffic today.  Everyone was moving along so not a real problem.

About 25 miles from my stop for the night, I saw a truck on the side of the road with a flashing sign saying the traffic would stop ahead so prepare to stop and sure enough about a mile further brake lights were on and everyone was slowing to a stop.  Luckily I stopped right at an exit and the trucks behind me were taking the exit.  I followed.  Glad I did.  We took a highway along the interstate and soon I saw the problem.  There was a semi jack-knifed off the side of the highway and the traffic was one lane.

Arrived at the Route 66 rest area at 3:30.  Yuma and I took a walk in the rest area.  It is made up to look like a miniature town along route 66.  This is a nice place to stop or stay the night.  Very large parking area.

Called Dolly to let her know we were shut down for the night and soon Yuma and I were having dinner and getting ready to rest for the evening.  Nice and quiet here while I'm doing my blog for the evening.

Route for the day.  Took 6 hours and 15 minutes to travel 343 miles.


22 comments:

  1. I'm glad you boys made it safely to your first stop. L[ks like the accident was pretty bad. I hope all were okay. Have a good night and safe travels tomorrow!

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    1. Thanks Dolly. Glad to have the first day over with. Another long one tomorrow.

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  2. Looks like a fun little rest area for you and Yuma to explore on another walk. Continued safe travels as you head out in the morning.

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  3. Hope you have extra blankets with ya, we are cold out here in Arizona right now.

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    1. Cold here too MCA. Hope the cold is short lived. I saw on the news Phoenix was having a cold spell.

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  4. Must feel good to get on the back on the road again!
    Enjoy the freedom of the open road. Safe travels, Rawn Stone

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    1. Thanks Rawn. Be glad to get the long travel days over with.

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  5. Great first day of travel. And I love that rest stop. Hope you and Yuma had a good night's rest.

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    1. Thank you. Slept pretty good for the first night.

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  6. I love it when the first day goes well.

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    1. Yes. It was nice to get the first day over with and I didn't get robbed driving the back streets of St Louis when I missed my turn - AGAIN.

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  7. Glad to read that all went well for you on your first day on the road.
    Nice looking rest stop.
    Looking forward to more posts.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. Thanks Rick. Always good to get rid of the first day's jitters.

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  8. Sounds like a great day! We've also stopped for a break at that rest area.
    The only way to avoid so much traffic, perhaps, would be to leave on a week day?
    Safe travels!

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    1. Thanks Patsy. You're probably right. I was mainly wanting to miss the big city traffic by going on a weekend. Didn't help I guess.

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  9. Great pictures..what a cute rest stop! Glad you're on the road again!

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    1. Thanks. I'm glad they have these nice little stop overs. Getting tired of the Walmarts. The pictures were a little fuzzy taking one handed as I drive. :((

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  10. Glad to see the firs day behind you ok. We can't help being a bit envious! :((

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    1. Unfortunate you can't travel south this winter. I'll be glad to get to warmer weather.

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  11. Love that rest area. Have a safe trip!

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    1. Thanks Elva. It is a nice rest area for a night. Kind of cold over night though.

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