Day 4 , Th., April 5 2018 --Out of the Missouri storms into Texas

Yikes! I don't like city driving.  Especially pulling the trailer. Stop, start, stop, start, lookout for people cutting in and out and some who are too close to you . Yikes. Give me the two lane rural highway any day!

That sums it up today, well...oh...there were the orange barrels and the road stoppages for bridgework three times on this stretch.. This all would have been "hunky dory"under a normal driving day, but I forgot to figure the mileage distance correctly for the day before we started and ended up having to drive 125 miles  more than planned. Let's face it. I was tired when we stopped and ready to take a break. Fortunately, Dave (Park manager) was waiting for us at the campground (see photo) and greeted us with a good since of humor when I stated I was sorry I was so late, having told them I would be there at 3:00 PM and arrived at 5:00 Pm. He chuckled and said. "Why didn't you drive faster?" HA!

That's us in the middle under the trees in Buffalo TX.

 But the terrain and panorama along the way made it worth while. The many trees and quite good roads in Arkansas and North Texas helped salve the wounds . Although the sky was cloudy most of the day some of those clouds we had never seen before so I talked Ruth into taking a few photos as we moved along.  I believe these are a type of "wave" cloud.

Good framing by Ruth on these.

Those "wave"clouds at 60 mph through the windshield.

 The route took us from the very SW of Missouri, through NE  Arkansas and Hope, AR, the birth place of Wm. J Clinton. That gentleman has helped Hope to induce the tourists to that small community. The Library of his is a beautiful building on the Arkansas River in Little Rock.

I thought it was ironic, when I saw a plaque at a Rest Area in Cass County telling of how the city of Cass (named after our Michigan Governor of the 1800's) was renamed Davis after one Jeff Davis. I assumed that it was "THEE" Jefferson Davis, but upon researching found that he was an Arkansas politician , mean spirited though he was, led the state in  stopping "runaway"corporation laws that put corporations in a better relationship with the people. (There is a Cass County in Arkansas.)

Northeast Texas has hundreds of  lakes, and almost all of them are man made which adds much recreation in this part of Texas.  The dams provide power and in some areas irrigation water is drawn from the lakes. All of them provide needed water to communities especially during fluctuating rain and moisture levels. Sam Rayburn Lake is the biggest  in Texas at 114,000 acres and 750 miles of shoreline.

I almost forgot that we did see many flower types and a few of them are listed here . At one of the roads stoppages some were close enough to take a photo from the  truck where they growing .
We saw;
Spider Lily, Texas Thistle, White Prickly Poppy, Texas Bluebell, Indian Paintbrush
Bluebonnet, Bitterweed (bergemot), Creeping Jenny, a "Yellow Starflower" were the ones we saw, and these are a few of them.

Very 'phlox like' but  did not identify.

Both the Indian Paintbrush and a thistle to the right

In our campground and in North Texas the rose (this red one) is prolific.

Not a star flower, but in cut grass area.

The leaves looks geranium like, but not identified ...yet!

Tomorrow we will be in Galveston for the next two weeks. But first a stop at the chiropractor in Hempstead,  recommended by Ruth's D.C., Dr Schneider, both being graduates of The Palmer Institute . We hope this gets Ruth aligned again as we head for the Gulf.

Thunderstorms tonight at 70 F but clearing the rest of the week ahead. We hope the north land gets warmer and spring really arrives to stay.