Back in Michigan June 20, 2008

Texas to Michigan June 2008

We finally get a "parole" from the Doctor, so we begin again where things have been on hold for seven weeks in our preparation to leave Texas for Michigan. Bob,, having many injections at the pain clinic with Dr Williams for his back, develops a blood clot. We enter a new world of dealing with blood thinners and shots of Lovenox twice daily. After living with the maybe yes, maybe no,, yo yo life , we leave the park June 14 at 1PM with a bit of sadness as we were feeling like we belong in Texas with the regular summer residents.

We make an instant decision on highway 37 at the highway59 exit to go the Houston route this time instead of Dallas. Stopped at 8 pm for the night at the Wal Mart in Wharton TX.
Driving through Houston early Sunday morning there was still more traffic than we expected. The weather is still 90 plus degrees.

At 2 rest areas on I-10 in LA we heard the chirping of the Cidadades [?], the grasshopper/bugs that appear every 17 years. The sound starts like a low hum and grows to a loud buzz and then dies out only to start again after a couple minutes.


Lake Charles , LA area


Spotted this sign at one of the rest areas and got a chuckle out of it. After thinking it over I scurry back to the Motor Home.


We always like driving through this area.

Here we are crossing the Mississippi River for the first of the 3 crossings we get traveling this route.



The Mississippi Rest Areas are very pretty and have 24 hour security. The guards look like retirees and have comfortable posts with AC, doors that lock and BIG guns on their hips. We have second thoughts about spending the night here!!! Even the one female I seen had her gun. The sign says 6 hour stay but we have no problem stretching the limit. Not much traffic comes through here but those that do are very friendly. The guards seem lonley.
Firing up the generator we have all the comforts of home. Way in the back of the overhead cabinet I come up with a tape of our 1992, 3 month trip around the Country with Patches our little dog. We settle in and relive all the fun we had exploring and vow to do that again.



Bob spotted a foot long ,6 inch high critter standing by side of road,, "what is that"? We are thinking baby alligator.

Leaving I 55 we make the short drive to Tunica for a 24 hour stay at Sam's Town Casino where we leave a donation.

Coming into Memphis there is this sharp curve coming onto Highway that crosses the Mississippi River into AR and MO. The traffic really backs up here as everyone obeys the 25mph sign.
The second crossing of the Mississippi at Memphis, lots of trucks, narrow lanes.

Leaving the Memphis area we see burning fields of something,,, we are not sure. I am thinking rice fields? Do they burn Rice Fields? Once the burning starts , it reminds me of the Sugar Cane burning in TX. There are many fires going on for about 100 miles. Then they are no more.

In some places the sky is real thick with smoke.
We have run the Motor Home real low on gas getting to the Flying "J" at Sikeston MO where we find our best gas prices yet. $3.69 per gallon. Such a bargain we get $181.00 worth!!. We forgo the Wal Mart at Sikeston and get on I-57 north and cross the Mississippi for the third and last time. Here we see the that the River is rising from the flooding in Iowa.



The River is flowing fast and rising over the banks.


We stop for the night at Wal Mart in Benton Ill. Bob's leg is swelled again , maybe too much driving today. There is some issue with the generator not running right , so no home movie and comforts of home for us. Just "ruff camping", we read until dark and go to bed. Today is the first time the tempeture has been below 80 degrees for us in many months.

Indiana rest area has a deer decoy to capture your attention. At the Flyin J in Spiceland IN, we stopped for the night and Bob worked on the generator , it seems the choke was stuck. Back to the comforts again. Are we spoiled or what? We watch our old car racing tape reliving memories of people no longer with us.

As you can tell we do not miss too many rest areas as we are stopping every 70 -100 miles for a short walk and elevating the foot and leg. I figure out of 8 hours on the road we drive 5-6 and spend 2-3 resting, walking and recharging ourselves. We have limited the travel to around 250 miles a day now.
Some Rest areas are very inviting like this one in Ohio.



Crossing the State Line into Michigan. What could be better than following a yellow Corvette.

--Now don't laugh, but it is late in the day so we spend the night 70 miles from home at Cabela's Sports Center. In the morning we dump the holding tanks and do a bit of cleaning. Then we arrive home sorta rested and ready to do all the things necessary to begin living at the Lake again. Bud and Evelyn arrive a couple hours later and help with carrying in food and clothes ..Gas prices for the trip range from $3.69 in MO. to the high of $4.07 in Ohio. Aprox miles 1827.

It is good to be here..