Day 3 - Rest Stop West of Santa Rosa, New Mexico

Headed out early this morning at 8:15 heading for Amarillo,  Texas.  This morning it is beautiful.   No wind, no rain, no clouds.  Just the way I like it.

East Texas is rolling hills but looks flat.

Leaning tower still standing. 

Passed by Cadillac Ranch and there was a crowd of people, but didn't stop.

Yesterday, I almost froze thinking the dash heat didn't work.  I had tried most of the positions with no luck so today I tried VENT and boom, the heat came out.  Wished I had done that yesterday.  Oh well, yesterday was a wash anyway.

Made good time with two stops for diesel and several stops for Yuma to stretch his legs.   I was soon into New Mexico.

My cruise control went on the fritz so it's the old foot control now.  Bummer!  It wouldn't hold the gear when it dropped down on hills.  And there were a lot hills till West Texas.  

Finally arrived at my rest area destination at 3:45 Central time; 2:45 Mountain time.  Drove 387 miles again today and it took me 7 hours fifteen minutes.

See you later.

Day 2 - Weatherford, Oklahoma

 Slept fairly well for the first night on the road.  Had a short breakfast and took Yuma for a walk and we were on the road by 9 o'clock.

It was cloudy and a light rain started around Springfield soon after we started our drive and lasted till Joplin at the Missouri/Oklahoma border. 

Had small sprinkles till Tulsa, Oklahoma but they were not bad.  The winds really picked up to around 20 mph in Oklahoma with gusts in the 30s out of the North.  It made driving kinda rough.  They lasted the rest of the day.  

My big worry was getting through Oklahoma City and it was hard.  There was road construction on I44 going into the city and the hook-up to I40 was difficult.  The roads were really bad.

I was expecting to find a rest area about 30 miles west of OKC but there wasn't one, so I drove an additional 20 miles to the Walmart in Weatherford, OK.  

Stayed here before and with the temperature getting down to 21 tonight, probably a good thing.  Got here at 4 o'clock and we are in for the night.  I'm sure the heater will be going tonight.  Luckily, the wind has died down. 

Had dinner already and just finishing my blog.  Only 6:30 but I'm ready to lay down and rest.  

Traveled 387 miles today and took 7 hours.  Stopped twice for diesel and one stop for a short break so Yuma could walk around a little.  He is settling down, but I think he would rather be at home.

See you later.

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.

Everything is a Go!

Had my doctor appointment this morning by video and when I have my blood tested I worry that my A1C glucose will be high, but again stayed at 6.0.  This number is still prediabetes but close. Anything above 6.4 is considered type 2.  I'll take it.

We've had two days of clouds and rain, but after today, the weather turns sunny and mild.  For the next week this will hold giving me the opportunity to travel I-40 across the country. 

I will finish packing on Friday and head out Saturday morning.  Following is the final version of my planned route and stops along the way.  Driving time each day is around 5+ hours till I reach Deming, NM and then slows down drastically.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Almost Ready to Leave

Bought new glasses and got a pair of Ray-Bans too.  Been a long time since I've had a pair of prescription sunglasses.

Been slowly moving forward.  Last week I took the White Lion to have the front shocks replaced and added new front tires.  That was an expensive visit.   On the way home stopped by and had it washed so it will look nice for my journey.

Finished setting up my new Jeep brake assist and it is ready for the road.  Haven't tested it yet.

Slowly packing the MH and Dolly bought $500 worth of food and meat so I'm good to go on food for awhile.  Leaving the 28th.  Next week I have my doctor visit and Thanksgiving, so will be busy.

The Covid ID (call it this because we watch the Discovery ID channel so much) is hitting close to home now.  Three of the girls working in the same place as my son Jim have tested positive and Jim is waiting on his test results.  He has no symptoms, thank goodness.  

They are asking for no travels this holiday so the roads should not be too crowded.   I have decided to follow the interstates and stay at the rest areas along the way.  I will have a full fridge and will only need to stop at rest stops and for diesel fills. 

With this plan I hope to travel longer distances each day.  The White Lion loves to gallop and don't have to worry about towns and two-way traffic.  I also plan to take longer breaks to keep from getting tired.  I will be able to travel after dark with only four lane roads to worry about.

Nervous about all the uncertainty this year but the call of the desert is strong.  The weather is looking good next week so that's a good sign.  Got to a beautiful 62 with sun and no wind today.  Can't beat that this late in the Fall.

See you later.