On the Road with Zoey

Busy Morning in Ohio: Just because we're not at a National Park or Monument doesn't mean that there's nothing going on, or wildlife to observe.   Here's a brief series of shots showing activity around the pond at our RV park in Mt. Gilead, Ohio this morning.    Note the Blue Heron in the middle of the picture, seemingly oblivious to the others (yes, he was real). Just hanging around, in segregated flocks... ....someone gives a signal.... ....time for a dip... ....and off they go, while the white ducks stay ashore. Near Canandaigua, New York tonight - one last posting tomorrow! 

  Skies: Saturday night's sunset in Casey, Illinois was one to behold, but should have served as a warning for the thunderstorms that woke us up a few hours later....: Thankful that we're not tenting as we did 30+ years ago, the sound of thunder in the tin can of an RV is nevertheless daunting, but I'm happy to report that our dog Zoey seemed oblivious to it all --- more than I can say for me! The morning brought cloudy but dry skies, and a view of the surrounding acres of corn fields.. As great as these last four weeks have been, we've reached that corner where our thoughts turn to home and we're ready to just get back there (it doesn't help that the stretch across the middle of the country seems to take so long!).  So today,  we just plodded along the Interstate from eastern Illinois, through Indiana and into Ohio, with not much of interest along the way to report except for more tractor trailers and more rain showers in the afternoon. We arrived at tonight

Road Signs: Today's highlights included: 1. A life saved: This little guy was in the middle of the pavement at our RV park's driveway, right in the path of exiting big rigs.  Another visitor and I flagged down the traffic, picked it up, and carried it to safety in a grassy area nearby. 2. An interesting side-trip: After almost four weeks on the road, we ran out of wine last evening.  A search for wine shops along I-40 in Missouri this morning led us to the town of Marshfield, which happens to be the birthplace of Edwin Hubble of Hubble telescope fame. A search for wine led us to Hubble Drive 3. An abundance of billboards in Missouri (of interest to someone who lives in a state that doesn't allow billboards): 4. The crossing of the Mississippi River into Illinois at St. Louis: 5. 350 miles closer to home.

Routes 40 & 44: How to say this nicely?  These are the days that I'm glad I have my knitting and a good book to read.   Today was a 300+ mile drive eastward through eastern Oklahoma into Missouri.  The temps were up in the 90's with not a whole heck of a lot of options for stopping to comfortably do some sight-seeing.  Truth be told, I-44 in Oklahoma didn't even have any rest stops along the way  to just pull over.  The highlight of the day was grocery shopping at a super Walmart where the A/C was in full force. On the other hand, there are always the highway signs along the way to break up the drive; something for everyone: I'll stick with the chocolate. Tonight, we're at a lovely KOA campground outside of Springfield, Missouri.  The temps are still up there, but we're surrounded by tall trees and greenery (not to mention the A/C in our RV); it's looking more like home!

Art on a Large Scale: We took one last drive through downtown Tucumcari on our way out.   Although the town is just a shadow of its pre-interstate heyday, it's got quite the collection of murals and quirky relics from those days.   Speaking of quirky relics, as we continued eastbound on I-40, we just HAD to stop at Cadillac Ranch outside of Amarillo: As pretty as the desert-like scenery of the last week or so has been, it was nice tonight to pull into an RV park with real green grass and flowers here in El Reno, Oklahoma.

Albuquerque & Tocumcari: I have to hand it to John for his ability to maneuver a 30-foot vehicle through city streets and parking lots!    Today, as we continued eastbound, we found our way into downtown Albuquerque and visited its "Old Town", founded in 1706: As the sign says, the arrival of the railroad moved the commercial center of the city to the east.  Still, the Old Town has been preserved, albeit mostly as a collection of touristy - but colorful - shops...... some with Native American and local art..... .... and some with just a lot of colorful tchotchkes.... One hundred and seventy five miles further east along I-40 (Route 66), and we're spending the night in an RV park in Tucumcari, NM.    Just like Albuquerque's fate with the railroads, Tucumcari, once a lively stop along Route 66, has largely been bypassed since the construction of I-40.     Parts of Tucumcari look like a ghost town, and according to a shop owner in town, the population has dropped by

Take It Easy: When convenient as we head east, we're going to try to follow portions of old Route 66 as it weaves and merges with I-40.  Today the road brought us to the inevitable and iconic (and touristy) Winslow Arizona.  Turm up the volume and CLICK HERE as you look through the next few pictures: Next stop before we crossed the line into New Mexico was a short visit and lunch at the Painted Desert portion of the Petrified Forest National Park : In New Mexico, we ventured into "historic" Gallup, but detours and difficulty navigating a 30 foot RV yielded only a couple of pictures of the town: Wall mural in Gallup, NM What did impress us all day, however, were the endless miles of train tracks paralleling I-40, with trains of as many as 100 cars (we lost count!) east and westbound: We arrived at tonight's destination in Grants, NM to rain and temp's only in the 60's - but after days of dry sun and wind, it was kind of a nice change, and a chance to settle in