OUR OVERNIGHT SPOT AT FERNE CLIFFE STATE PARK NEAR GOREVILLE, ILLINOIS
I think the locals wrapped up their drag races in the Wal-Mart parking lot last night around midnight but we were long gone to dreamland by then. I was back up & on the computer at 3:30 & Kelly got up around 5. Had the big wheels rolling by 6, grabbed some fuel at a nearby gas bar, & we were southbound on I-69 by 6:15. Still dark out so we had to really be vigilante for deer. Have seen about a dozen casualties so far & our headlights lit up 2 live ones standing just off the right hand shoulder as we lumbered by.
AN EARLY ILLINOIS SUNRISE & REST AREA PIT STOP
Nice sunrise as the cloudy wet weather from days past began to dissipate. We just kept rolling & rolling this morning enjoying the beautiful autumn colors along the forest lines close to the road. Breakfast was served from Kelly's on board kitchen. Hot coffee & an egg salad sandwich brought right to the driver by boss Kelly her very self around 8:30. It was a big sandwich & thanks to a rough stretch of interstate under construction I managed to get as much of that sandwich on my pants as I did in my stomach. And the crumbs & eggs that missed my lap were quickly gobbled up by a little motormouse sitting by my seat with head turned up & mouth agape.
YEP, IT’S AN EGG SALAD SANDWICH ALRIGHT……STRAIGHT FROM KELLY’S ONBOARD KITCHEN CAFETERIA:))
I sure had to do a lot of swearin this morning to get us through Indianapolis. We knew Indy was going to be a miserable problem again as we approached from the north & saw the big orange construction signs saying the western by-pass was still under construction & interchange 465 was closed. We had turned Garmin Gertie, our 3 year old GPS on, & she seemed to have a problems getting her bearings. Between listening to Gertie's babbled ramblings & our own confusing bickering about road signs, construction signs, lane changes & whatever, we were siphoned right off the interstate onto a 6 lane traffic lighted highway headed straight for downtown Indianapolis. Kelly frantically tried to re-program Gertie as I frantically tried to re-program my vocabulary. Saw a road sign telling us we were on Binford Blvd but it was too late to matter. About the time I was considering just pulling over onto the shoulder of the road, putting up the TV antennae & calling Indianapolis home, Garmin Gertie sputtered & came through with what sounded like some believable directions finally. She told us to continue on for a couple miles & make a left turn on Keystone Avenue. With the Indy skyscrapers looming ever closer we put our faith in Gertie & went for it. Five minutes later she had us up onto I-70 & heading west. And I sure knew we were heading right when the sun warmed up my left shoulder & I saw the Indianapolis Airport on my right. We were finally back on track & headed in the right direction after well over half an hour of blithering blusters . And, that is exactly why I like to leave home on a Saturday morning so as to hit Indianapolis on a Sunday morning. Had to-day been a week day I would probably still just be sitting there on a street curb somewhere in the Indy suburbs watching the world go by thinking, whatever happened to those good old days at home relaxing in my comfy, cozy, recliner:((
KELLY CRACKED OFF THESE PHOTOS OF THE INDIANAPOLIS SKYLINE AS WE BREEZED THROUGH HEADING WEST ON I-70 ABOUT 9:50 A.M.
We reached Effingham Illinois in early afternoon & swung our bow southward onto I-57. Sun was out, the autumn leaves were in full color & the traffic was lite. Decided I needed a little extra energy so Kelly's kitchen came through with another......egg salad sandwich.
CHECKERS HAS HERSELF A COMFY SPOT IN THE LEAVES
Figured we might as well push on to Ferne Cliffe State Park in Goreville Illinois which is about 200 miles north of Memphis Tennessee. We had stopped there twice before on our way back from the southwest so it was familiar territory. In 04/05 we pulled in here on our way back from Big Bend National Park in Texas. It was December 31rst & we were the only ones in the whole park. Never saw a soul as we snoozed New Year's Eve away. Stopped here on our way back to Canada this past March too. This is a picturesque park with many hardwood trees so with this nice weather week-end the only two spots we could fit into were occupied. Drove around a bit with the sinking feelings of having to head back out onto I-57 again & keep pushing on. We drove through the park one more time & luck smiled on us as the folks in one of the 2 spots were just leaving. We had logged 439 miles to-day & were very grateful to have that spot. Since leaving home we have traveled 731 miles so far.
KELLY’S HANDLING ANOTHER WORK RELATED DEERPARK LODGE CALL (oh, & that leopard skin blanket is actually a dog blanket to keep fur off my bed:))
To-morrow we may head for another familiar spot & stop at the T-Rex RV Park east of Little Rock, Arkansas or we just might blow right on by there & end up wherever to-morrow night. Just another typical Bayfield Bunch day on the road. Hard to know where we’re going when we can hardly remember where we came from……………..:((
GROANER'S CORNER:)) A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons.The Stewardess looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger'
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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.
I can just imagine the words that were spoken or muttered going through or by Indianapolis. Good that you have that behind you. I look forward to your daily post. Thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteAl, you weren't lost, you knew you were in Indianapolis the entire time!
ReplyDeleteEgg Salad sandwiches? It doesn't get any better than that(hee,hee)!! Pretty good service too - right to the driver. Sounds like it was a long day for you both - hope things continue to go well.
ReplyDeleteThat first picture of the sunset on your Blog never fails to Awwe me ! Beautiful... I love egg salid, but we don't eat bread, hard to eat without bread.....:-)
ReplyDeleteSounds like your having a good trip so far. I'll say a little prayer that you don't have a SLO air leak in one of the tires on your toad...Disaster!! LOL,not!
Sorry,,,'bout that....:-(
Oh what a HOOT your posts are... I love to read your blog. Thanks for taking us along on your travels! May the road be free of construction and detours the rest of the way.
ReplyDeleteI didn't have too much trouble with Naptown last month, but I approached and came through it from a different direction. Columbus, Ohio tested my sailor vocabulary though. All cities of any size should be avoided if at all possible.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are doing well.
Tell Kelly that next time you want a peanut butter and onion sandwich!
ReplyDeleteSure liked that top picture. The view looking from under the tree toward your motorhome was a nice change from the way we usually look at things. A unique perspective!
439 miles??? Is it only the Bayfield Bunch, or are all Canadians this crazy?? Ya know, Cochise County will still be there next week!
ReplyDeleteHow well I understand the draw of J&R's ranch. We ranch-sat for them when Nellie was a baby donkey and they still had cattle. All of Odel's cowboy dreams came true. Hope we'll see you in the southwest this year.
Can't wait to read about the next leg of this journey. Very fun reading, thanks so much.
ReplyDeletePart of your problem in Indy was due to a big tanker truck explosion that had happened only a few days before. It blew up on one of the 465 overpasses and they had to shut it down to do test to make sure the overpass was safe. Thankfully and amazingly no one died....glad you made it through....stay safe
ReplyDelete