Well, here we go! Time to let you know how the trip has gone so far.
It has gone very smoothly, with a few stories to tell, including the one tonight , when it took us over an hour to find the campground even though we had gone by it two times. Now that is real navigation, I’d say! Even with a GPS (which we don't use) we would not have found it. The name had changed since January from “Lufkin R.V. Park” to a KOA. Not only the name was a problem, but the road it was on, was designated as FM2021 and the sign coming off the freeway did not say there was a North and a South 2021! (We took the wrong one.) Of course that led to a chase to find it and a young couple helped us with their phone GPS where we found that the “Lufkin RV” was on the other side of the Freeway anyway. (Amid much road construction and temporary lanes.) After passing the KOA by, as that “wasn't it”, as the correct one was 0.3 miles down the road... we stopped in a rural family’s yard where a young mother said she would lead us to the campground. She did and lo and behold it was the KOA. Not seen from the highway, were the words printed over the KOA ...“Lufkin RV”. We settled in finally . The trip all around Lufkin on their 50 mile “Circle Route” trying to find this park, gave us a look at the city and it’s enormous size. We had used up an hour driving to find the Park.
But back to the beginning of the trip on Monday the 16th of March.. It was a cool start at about 36 F but a partly cloudy day. That stayed all the way through the corn and bean fields of central Illinois, where we stopped the first night at Champaign Il. (Home of the Fighting Illini). The fields lie fallow at this time of the year , but as we moved to S. IL we could see there was much more agricultural activity. Trucks hauling large tractors, long conveyor belts apparatus were being hauled to sites, trucks hauling huge tires stacked three high on the trailers, grain bins getting a look over for emptying and covers coming off the “surplus piles” of grain stacked high and long usually next to the elevators in some places.
The highlight on Tuesday (St.Patrick’s Day) on the drive from Champaign to Sikeston MO, was stopping in a very small and old gas station (Old “flip handle” pumps with no credit card slots and ‘Pay in side’). When I went in to pay I almost choked to death. The smoke residue took me back to the days when we had no rules on smoking in various places. This place for sure had never heard of such a rule. The store “REEKED OF SMOKE” and I almost walked out it was so thick. When I got back to the truck, Ruth could smell the smoke on my clothes. That sweater stayed outside for awhile that night! Thankful for our laws on non smoking buildings!
Sunset the first night! (Champaign IL)
What a rest area this is in Arkansas! (left)
A spring flower unidentified.
More flowers in North Texas
A Texas Rose, white, but prickly and fragile.
Right by the campground tis evening.
This part of IL and SE Missouri is filled with lakes and rivers. One Rest area had a Lake (Rend Lake) that is a favorite for hunting and wildlife. On the lake by which we ate lunch that noon, were thousands of gulls and some ducks.They were a ways out , but we could recognize the Bonaparte’s Gulls and some Scaups, probably Greater. Gas was obtained at “King Tut’s” Party store soon after, which is appropriately named next to a very large lake called Egypt Lake. We crossed the Mississippi on the Cairo Bridge ( a steel Through Truss type) which even though the river was at flood stage and many miles around were flooded, it was not as high as we had seen other years. That evening in the campground I was walking back from the sunset, and I stood in one spot as more than 500 Robins flew right over me and around me getting ready to roost for the night. I was able to get a few videos in the fading light. They were only 6-10 feet off the ground for the most part. As a group, they are heading north for sure. What a fantastic witness.
The Cairo Bridge over the Mississippi River (above)
Rend Lake (A portion of) with the many Gulls and Ducks.(right)
Day three from Sikeston, MO to Benton, AR.
The area here has lots of rice, beans, corn, but few cattle (I guess we will see that in TX!). A north tail wind (that cold front) really aided the gas mileage and the driving that day. A head wind results in about 2-4 mph less for 200 miles for the Toyota Tundra.. Through Poplar Bluff, and the Mark Twain National Forest there were lots of trees. The effect the spring rains was seen in the flooding in and around Pocahantus, AR, and some homes were flooded out but most of the buildings were on high ground. If it happens every year , there would be good
reason to move. We crossed the Black and the White Rivers and tried to find an accesibe National Wildlife Refuge with the trailer on, but missed the front entrance and after traveling some 15 miles found that there was no “back” entrance. It was a good effort but ended in “no success”. We have to admit that the local folks seldom “let you down” when help with directions is needed.
Little Rock, AR really surprised me as it was huge. It has a 200,000 city population with more than 750,000 in the Metro area. As we approached Benton It began to rain, very hard. Of course on the freeway the splash from trucks especially can be a hazard. I usually slow down about 10-15 mph when that happens especially in heavy traffic.
Getting to the RV park that night, although just off the freeway, was tricky . The frontal roads led to a circuitous route to arrive at the RV Park. (right turn off the freeway, under the freeway, turn right,back over the freeway, a “U” turn to get to the frontal road on the other side and then to the Park). We did make it but I probably would not be able do it again the same way. (Don’t ask how getting back on the freeway in the morning went! )This day was overcast so there was no sunset as there had been the previous nights.
That night the wind howled from 2:00 AM until we left in the morning. The local weather station said the winds were steady at 35 and gusts above 40 mph. We lost no part pf the trailer but it sure shook all night!
Southwest Arkansas and NE Texas are filled with growing Loblolly and Southern Pine trees. Some farms and small ranches and seem to be old estates. It is a fact that Nacogdotches is the oldest town in Texas indicates that this area was settled long ago.
The US Steel plant (tubular steel) is huge! It covers more than a few square miles along the corridor (US 57) in Lone Star, Texas.
The story at the beginning (above) sums up the days end quite well. The temperature at 8:20 is still 67 degrees F. The door and windows are open and I have my shorts on.
Tomorrow we make the last daily leg and head for Galveston, “The Island On The Sea” where we will stay 5 days. The birding should begin there in serious quantity and quality. See you then. No more freeways for awhile. Yea!
P.S. Ruth spotted our first Great Blue Heron in the floodwaters in Arkansas today!
No comments:
Post a Comment