Day 8, Monday, April 9, 2018 Galveston- Rain stops, birds abundant, warms a bit

ANNOUNCEMENT; Some of you wanted to know how to make a comment on the blog.: here is the directions from one who made a comment and knows the drill--- (Thanks David)

"No problem, at the bottom of your daily post it says posted by Jim and Ruth (and then time of day). Just to the right of that info there is the word Comments (if there has been a comment made on the post) or No comments (if there has been no comments made on the post.  You just need to click on Comments/No Comments and you will be able to make a comment.. Once you type in your comment you need to click the publish comment button. That's it.  "

Hope that works for you . Do NOT do the 'robot thingy'.

 It was still a day to stay inside until the rain let up about noon, and the temp warmed a bit. Then Ruth and I headed out to the eastern most end of Galveston Island to what is known as "East End Beach". WOW! Talk about a spacious beach. This is the "party beach" in the summer with a $10.00 admission and sometimes becomes a picnic and beer bash... I have been told.  Today there were three people on the beach and as the wind was stiff, the birds had the place all to themselves.We took advantage of that with some Photos.

Black Skimmers, Caspian Terns, Gull Billed Terns at East Beach.

"East Beach" looking east

"East Beach" looking westerly. This is Texas' largest beach.

At the end of  Broadway Street at the east end of town there is a very large wetlands called the East Lagoon. It is home to many species of birds especially the shore bird  and wetland type like Egrets, Heron, and larger sandpiper types. We scoped this mile long section as there is a concrete road about 20 feet above it so the viewing is marvelous. On the north side of the wetland there is a 20 foot dike which hides the Intracoastal Canal from sight. The birding here was terrific as were a number of ponds along the road that led to East Beach. Stopping along the way we identified another 20 species, amoung them were the Hudsonian Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, and Reddish Egret.  The spring migrations are  truly in progress as after we got back to the Park ...well read the next paragraph.

There was a flock of Indigo Buntings in the Park today.

This a portion of "East Lagoon" on the east end of the Island. Great birding here. There are more than 15 birds in the photo.

Two Black Necked Stilts in that wetlands.

Some of the 13 ships we saw  coming from and going into Houston.

Supper consisted of  gemelli noodles and chicken in a pasta sauce and was very tasty after a "day in the wetlands".  Ruth tabulated and posted the birds and I walked to the office to check on mail. On the way back I stopped along the fence of the pasture next to the park and saw a small bird in the hedgerow, which was a Kentucky Warbler.  Yea! While surveying the field I watched hundreds of bird feeding probably after a long trip across or around the Gulf doing "stocking up" first before heading north. I could not identify them without the binoculars so walked to the truck to get them. Then with the glasses, was able to identify, surprisingly, about 200 Spotted Towhees. Hit the jackpot on that one! They were in a feeding frenzy in that field of small shrubs and those yellow indigo flowers (see two days ago). Then while observing a bird closely, a pair of Common Yellow throats appeared in the field of view. So two new birds  and one already seen. That was a good evening and a great day of birding. Total for the day was 45 species. The trip total in just one week is now at 85 species. I'll sum up with a few photos and let you know that we will be at the east end tomorrow, again,  and probably get to Offat's Bayou and Pelican Island.

A Reddish Egret that flew in after a Great Blue Heron left the same spot.

If you can tell me what these are used for I'd like to know. Two winches and a set of iron loops on the frame. Possibly for ropes to secure windbreaks to keep the sand from blowing in your food? I had never seen them before.

 Happy Tuesday to you . Drop a comment  as it will help to make the blog better.

 

Day 7, Sun., April 8, 2018 Bird watching, 1st laundry, a Triathalon!

Yes that was right. There was a 70.3 Ironman race just outside the Park today and we had a chance to ride along with it at one time (in the truck of course) The "70.3" refers to the total distance in miles (113.0 km) covered in the race, consisting of a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) swim, a 56-mile (90 km) bike ride, and a 13.1-mile (21.1 km) run. They are run all over the world and today it was here on Galveston Island and a bit more. Every bit of it was along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline except tsome of the run portion.

So, as we went out to scope our first birding area, (there is only one main road on the western end of Galveston Island) we crossed the bikers a few times. That brought us to a place called 'Dos Vacos (Muertos') (Two dead stacks?) set aside by a family as a donation to the Audubon Society in Galveston as a Nature Preserve in perpetuity. There are wooded areas as well as a good wetland of a few acres. Small, but abundant in animal life, and for us the birds, especially. They had even designed a blind on  platform at one side so viewers could be hidden from the birds and see through "slots"in the walls to locate and observe the birds.  We did use that to our advantage.The habitat consists of salt cedars, a pond, marshes, mulberry, wax myrtle, live oak and hackberry trees. There is also a seating area near a water drip for close up shots of the birds. We will get back to this spot when the sun comes out! We did observe; Chat, Catbird, Hooded Warbler, Northern Water Thruh, Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird  and a Northern Parula while we were there.

Always when we drive from place to place, even to the store (and many of you know this), we keep a lookout for any type of bird that we can see, That allows us to note each day  (every day) all the bird species that we have seen on our trips for more than 20 years now. We did finally compile those numbers for a "life list" just the past few months.. It is not our goal but people do ask so now we can answer the question. We enjoy learning aboyt and watching the bird actions and antics as much as anything.

In the park there is a large pond by the Office that has giant reeds and a shoreline of rushes for Rails and other Herons, Egrets and Bitterns in which to hide. There we have seen Moorhens, (a young family)  American Bittern and a Green Heron. 

This afternoon, after 8 days on the road, it was time to do a laundry. This Park has all facilities above ground like much of the housing along the Gulf shore. And by that I mean up in the air 10 feet or more built up oneither metal posts or at lest 8 x 8's.  So that means a stairs to climb with the laundry, but... they did think ahead and have a long ramp that circles the building so access is a bit easier.  Ruth took the ramp and I tookthe stairs. (Yes, I still can although it is not pretty to watch.) They were good machines at reasonable costs . I thought you would never ask!  Wash was  $2.00/load and dry was  $1.75/ load .  (Two loads of each for us)  That is a fair price as they do vary all over the country. You will see as we travel, I believe. 

So clean clothes, some bird viewing, rested up pretty good after the original miles (2,400) and settled in here on the Gulf Coast for two weeks. 

Tomorrow we will head into Galveston, perhaps in time to see the Tall Ships leave port for Pensacola FL. Theyhave made a race feature out of this event. Two legs. Galveston to Fl and then the week later Fl to New Orleans LA.  The three day festival in town had many activites, bands, games, food, rides on the ships, and tours. It was a big event for the community. This morning when returning from birding , the cars on this two lane highway were "bumper to bumper" at about 5 mph going back into town for the activities and to be with the racers.  We were happy to turn off at the Park.

This was misnamed earlier and is a Wild Indigo (cream) 

It grows profusely in many fields here.

Gilliardia is a common roadside flower

As yet unidentified roadside flower.

The total birds today was 31 with our individual species count at 61 for the trip.That number hopefully will continue to rise each day and it will be interesting to see where it will end up. During the last trip  to Alaska I held a contest to guess the number of species on the trip and we may do that again, after folks get the "feel" of how the days go in counting species. It has been posted each day.

See you tomorrow we hope in Galveston and more birds from the "back bays".

Day 6, Sat., April 7, 2018 Jamaica Beach (Galveston Is.) A shopping and "sort" day

Before I begin with the day's event, I must go back to tomorrow and include an event that even though I had forgotten to include it, it could have well meant the end of the trip and possibly a death on the highway.

NEAR MISS!!!!!
Here it is, as as I saw it (Ruth concurs) . We were driving at about 60 mph on Highway 159 south of Hempstead, heading to Glveston with a circuit around Houston. Hempstead is where we had stopped for the chiropractor, and we had the trailer in tow.   The traffic was heavy but not "bumper to bumper". This portion of the freeway had a very wide median, 300  feet across ,with one to two foot high  of grass growing. It had not been mowed in this part of the median.  That fact is important in this event.  A red pickup truck, 10-15 years old, was abreast of me passing and had just gone a few feet ahead of me so I could see a black and white dog in the passenger's seat. All of a sudden, the truck continued to go off the road on his left side, into the median, and down into the grass out of my sight. Instinctively,  I kept my eyes on the rear view  mirror to see if he was safe and what might of happened. There was no way I could stop for assistance in this instance.   I continued to look back in the rear view mirror to see what might have happened to him. Did he roll over, get stuck or what? Then, in the blink of an eye I saw in the mirror his truck coming up OUT OF  the ditch and heading for the back of the trailer.  HE MISSED by a few feet at most and continued behind me to the other side onto the shoulder. There I saw that he had finally come to rest on the right shoulder of the road  with his lights still on. I have to believe that he was OK and maybe the dog was, too. I do not know how he kept control of that vehicle to get it where it ended up. I prayed for him the rest of the day off and on. That was, way too close. There was no way to know what caused him to drive off the freeway at that speed. Another car passed me shortly after and we exchanged "whews" through the windows. Travel mercies  all around.  Lots of "ifs" and "coulda beens" in that one. Just thankful.

A Close up of a Caspian Tern (photo by Stevenson)

Western Meadowlark (photo by Stevenson)

 Today was a variable day weather wise. as last night it was muggy, 99% humidity, and 73 degrees in the evening. Looked and felt like rain, but did not. This morning the wind began to switch from the southeast to a more northerly direction and a light mist began to be driven by what later turned out to be a 25 mph, northerly wind. Now, at 5 PM the temperature is 56 degrees with the rain slowing to a very fine mist and still out of the north. A good day to cuddle up and keep warm.

We decided after a very casual morning and pancakes for breakfast, that we would do a bit of shopping and as much bird watching as there might be along the beaches of the Gulf.  So we headed into the city of Galveston (remember Galveston is a very long Island) and found a few stores including a Walmart which supplied all that was needed "grocery wise", but not the piece of hardware Ruth needed. (Large "S" hooks for hanging items). Walmart was unfortunately out of them, so we stopped at a hardware nearer the RV Park, and found a well stocked hardware store about a mile from the park. It would have made proud any Hrdware store short of Lowe's perhaps. Love those independent stores.

Some of the Terns we saw along the Seawall drive at the beach.

Can you see the Caspian, Common, Forster's and Gull Billed Terns?

That led us to the Gulf and the high waves that were keeping the Pelicans busy with food being kicked up by the wind and waves. As the wind was in the north and the waves were from the south, it splashed the waves in the air and allowed the Pelicans and other birds to have a field day with food along the shore and in the waves.



We did find, while driving  on the beach, a few more species of  birds to add to the list. (See photo)   Ruth and I are a bit rusty in some bird identification, especially those we have not seen in a year or more.  But with the usual amount of exchange between the two of us, we finally agreed on 4 types of terns and a few "peeps".  In the pond in back of the trailer a group of Cattle Egrets and one White Ibis were added today as well. The Western Meadowlarks, were seen on  fence posts with their tails and feathers blowing askew in the wind.  So we will take a break for "supper" as some still call it, and end this paragraph with what I have found to be an interesting bit of trivia at Gas stations when I get gasoline.  The credit card in the west (so far) has the magnetic strip placed to the left side where in our area of the country it it placed to the right. Hmmm? Gotta look that one up and see if there is a law or "rule of thumb".Maybe it is a Mississippi River boundary thing like 'call' letters on radio stations.   You know... the "K" and the "W"?  Or didn't you ? Google "Radio Call Letters".

Tomorow (Orthodox Easter)  we will see you in church or out in God's beauty.

Day 5, Fri., April 6, 2018--Arrived at the Gulf of Mexico

Yes! We arrived at Galveston this afternoon after another interesting day on the road.  One of the highlights , however was seeing and "ID ing "31 bird species both on the road and in the small pond that we can see out our trailer window. We are parked in the back part (last row) of this huge park that has three poools including an indoor "sand beach, swim up to the bar"  pool and two outdoor ones. It also has a circular "river" that you can float around in all day if you wished.

Arrival in Galveston along the Breakwater.

Ah! The Gulf of Mexico. We head for the campground.

Looking out the back window at the pond and meadow.
See ducks and gulls.

But back to the birds in a minute.

The drive from Buffalo TX, to Hempstead , NW of Houston, led us to the chiropratic office of a classmate  of Ruth's chiropracter in Michigan. They were on the same "football " team together (Frisbee). He was good enough to get her in soon, so we tried to arrive before noon and we did at 10:30. He worked with her for a long time to try to get that rib to settle in place, but as yet it has not cooperated and she is still in pain. We willsee hw the next few days go. Resting will help.

Hempstead, a small rural town about 50 miles from the downtown Houston, has abut 5,000 people, and was named after the brother inlaw of the man that donated 1,000 acres to the government to form the town. During the Civil War it was a base for training the Confederate Soldiers and also a prisoner of war camp for Union soldiers.  As the occupation gradually took place after the war, General George Custer brought 4 Regiments to Hempstead to occupy the area and see that the Confederate troops showed up for ther 'paroles' Anyone know what that was? Neither did I  but  some research shows that when taken prisoner,  if he had parole papers he was allowed to travel back to his "side "of the fighting until he was part  of the army again. But at any rate the 'occupation' went on for a few years after the war.

Let's go back to the drive from Hempstead  to Galveston. This included driving around the west side of Houston on the Sam Houston Toll road. There were  four tolls  at $5.25 each and with the trailer  That was $21.00 for abut 40 miles . About 20 of those miles were under cnstruction which limited the lanes to two with those ubiquitous concrete barriers on the sides which causes "white knuckle" driving. Ruth confessed that she finally closed her eyes during most of it. On top of that the road is built out of concrete. It rides like someone put the slabs of concrete down with out leveling them . Talk about  bumpy ride. We found after setting up in the cmp,  that much of the insides of the trailer was on the floor when we finally stopped. Bathroom, kitchen, cupbards had all been disturbed. Fortunalely nothing broke or was damaged.

Ok it's the birds time.  We did not see a bird on the campground tghis morning, but did on the road. Ruth saw 19 species before we arrved at the park and after my slow walk out in the field behind the trailer, we collected a total of 31 species.  And ...we haven't started "birding"  yet. A few outstanding birds we saw were, Common Tern, Scissor Tailed Flycatcher,  Killdeer, Black Duck, Western Meadowlark (they were 5 feet from me in the field) , Snowy Egret, Black Bellied Whisting Ducks,   Moorhen,  Pied Billed Grebe, Spider Lily, White Ibis,  Caracara,  Osprey , and Brown Pelicans

A Pied Billed Grebe in the campground pond.

One of the MANY flower displays along the TX roads

 So it ended up being a fine day in spite of the tough driving and "concrete" roads.

Tomorrow will be a day of recovery as we make plans for a week of doing what we want to do, including but not ilmited to "birding".
 

A yellow "daisy" like flower

Texas Blue Bonnets with a few Indian Paintbrush.

This is wild plains indigo an abundant field flower growing near the trailer.

One piece of news today was  that the "Tall Ships" are in town for three days .  So seeing them is on the agenda. They are touring the Gulf towns this spring. Of course good seafood is aso looked forward to and we have two places already picked out.

See you tomorrow- Jim and Ruth

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.

Day 3, Wed., April 4, 2018, sunny and warmer...er ...colder...er...warmer in Arkansas,

The tornadic storms last night did miss us by about 20 miles and there was one that hit the ground across the Mississippi River but did little damage. It was worrisome as, when in a trailer the visibility was not good, and the territory is unfamiliar,  having a shelter to go to was good advice by the camp manager. We did not need that, and that was fortunate.

The sky was foreboding, the winds tolerable at 30 mph, and the rains ended up being average .The weather map (see), did show the affected areas and two huge cumulonimbus clouds that went both south of us and just north of us heading east. (See photos)

The temperature (75F) at 6:00 PM . By morning it was 36 F.

A few of the clouds that formed. Formng stage of  cumulus mammatus.

The tornado zone in orange, we were at Portageville (top)

A better view of the tornado zone (lower)  and at our camp  at Portageville. (upper)

More of the storm clouds passing over.

But by morning all had gone and we were in sunshine albeit quite cold. We were on the road again by 9:30 AM and heading south on I-55, I-40 and I-30 to get to Arkadelphia AR. The lasttwo days we ate ur lunch in the trailer to expedite time.

This definitely is cotton country as we saw mile after mile of fields pf cotton  and with Arkansas ranked 4th behind TX,MS, GA in bales produced in 2017.  Arkansas produces these main crops in the field: Corn,  Sorghum, Soybeans, Rice and  Peanuts. With rice they rotate soybeans two years after the rice, Some do a one year rotation. With cotton, the problem is often with the moisture distribution, so both sorghum and wheat are the odd year plantings. If the grower cannot make enough cash from that then they would plant the cotton two years in a row. Wise  use of water (irrigation) is a key. Some are trying the planting of alternate rows of sorghum and cotton and that seems to yield better results of the long haul. (I KNEW YOU WOULD LOVE THAT INFO!)

Some of the bright green along the road in Arkansas.

Many shades of green in the trees leafing on the roadsides.

One of the outstanding features of this drive through Central Arkansas was the myriad colors and shades of green that were seen . From brilliant "neon" green to a very delicate, soft, hazy green.  The hills are forested and few towns can be seen from the highway. Along this route one stretch was 40 miles between crossing highways of any consequence and no habitation. And although  for 150 miles, there was only one barnyard with cattle, some must have been still inside with the cold nights that they have had. (Cold for AR).  Arkansas is a gently rolling land in the south central Ouchita "mountains" which is the area surrounding Arkadelphia.  That city is centered on education (three colleges) and manufacturing. It s a city of only 10,000, and busy with tourism in the summer. The name is believed to possibly have come from the frequent rains that cause many rainbows. Hence the 'arc' (Ark) of the rainbow and 'delphia' which means 'brother place'.

The campsite near Arkadelpha, AR (3 miles from town)

 We have seen more birds each day with 11, 13, 17 each day so far. A flock of White faced Ibis was the rarest thus far, and that is at 60 mph, except for campgrounds. We also saw more than 10 hawks each day.

Tomorrow we head for central TX and a possible stop at a Chiro for Ruth to get that rib placed back. (chronic.)  Original plan was for Buffalo, TX, but we may head right for Hempstead and the D.C.

So, a sunny day  still holding at 57F and  good weather predicted for tomorrow.

Thanks for reading  along and the days will get more interesting as we move along.

Day 1 and Day 2. April 2, 3, 2018 Ruth says; "Let's go around the Continent, Jim"

So here we go!

And that was that. With more free time now, Ruth wanted to see if we could stay "on the road" with the trailer for most of the year.

The planning is over, the preparations and care of the house is completed, and most of the possible needs that should be taken care , ...are.

So we are truly "On the road". With one day and night under our belt, we know the trailer, truck and our bodies are moving in sync.  The goal will be to keep them that way as much as possible. The thing about travel, especially long distance ones like this one, is, that we know there will be issues that come up, machines and parts that don't function always the way you would like them to, and  aches and pains in these ancient bodies. that breakdown now and then. But, we will give it our best shot.
The first day was the drive through "the walled canyons" of I 94/I-80 to get to I-57 heading south. That went as smoothly as it can be for those of you who have driven that route a few times.

Last night, gaining one hour going to CST,  we stayed just outside Champaign IL, in a campground that was in the middle of restructuring their water supply lines, so as we were early in the camping season for them, and the water was only functioning in the bathrooms, so one night without water in the trailer  was an inconvenience , but not a disaster.  There may be other nights like that.  It rained during the night but by morning it was dry and we were on our way at 8:30 heading south down I-57.  Crossing the "Big Muddy" (The Mississippi R.) is always highlight for me, and the site of many historical events if not at that very crossing.

Approaching the Cairo Mississippi Bridge

The Mississippi River from the Bridge. It will be 3 feet over flood stage by Sunday

 We knew there would be rain Tuesday, but we did not count on the hail that met us near Ullin IL, just past Rend Lake. It rained hard for 2 hours off and on, and then on this one uphill, down came the hail.  The air temp was near 60 degrees so we did not expect that. It was very scary. (** This was reported to the NWS). I had already slowed to about 45 mph to be able to see the white lines on the side of the road and to avoid the splashes and mist put up by the trucks  as they passed us, of which there were many on this road coming out of Chicago and heading south to Memphis and beyond..  Finally at about 35-40 mph and three minutes of absolute uncertainly, it turned to all rain and still was coming down "Hard". How do you describe a "Hard rain"? One that says "This is the hardest I have seen it rain in the USA", (not as much as in a Chinese monsoon, however... 'been there, did that'). 'Thank you' prayers went up for the travel favors granted. All those travel prayers were needed.  Thank you. The windshield stayed in one piece and all was back to near normal. By 3:30 the skies had some blue and the sun came out ...until 7 PM. (Another story!)

Sights along the way remind me of cultural shock when moving from culture to culture. Only this is the seasonal shock that comes when we move from winters grasp to spring in a few hours.  And not just temporary but permanent.

Example: driving (from 9:00 AM until noon) and getting out of the truck to see daffodils in full bloom and not just a few but many along the roadside, in Rest areas and in peoples gardens. A splash of white from the Service berry in the hills of southern Illinois as the roadside ...surprise!...begins to show the rock formations that are non existent in the flat corn fields of central IL. Then there was a large grove of service berry with its white blooms sparkling against the gray sky.. There  is a Forsythia in full bloom, and the early green leaves of the honeysuckle for miles along the highway with a lone dogwood to brighten the landscape now showing signs of spring's birth.

As with  drivers hauling a trailer, I like to share the road with the truckers as most of them are courteous and appreciate the help when passing. So I almost always assist them by giving the "light blink" when there is enough distance between me and the truck to have the truck pullback into  the lane. It is easy to tell the more experienced and safer drivers who allow  plenty of room (and time) to elapse before pulling in.  Some few do not give enough room and it is evident when it is  seen.

Today we needed directions to find a Propane dealer and Ruth, (I was proud of her) for the first time used her new smart phone to find where they were located and while we moved in that direction we found one a bit closer and filled both tanks so we are ready for a while with heat and hot water from the flame provided by the Propane gas. DID YOU KNOW  that Propane is really a liquid and becomes a gas when it is emitted (with some adaptation)  through the lines to the device when needed. (You can look it up!)

Also seen along the road in Illinois were the winter wheat fields in their fresh, green, short stalks of wheat yet to be.  We saw  only one small herd of cattle all along that route for almost 300 miles. Hmmm.What's that all about? They raise corn , dummy not cattle.

We did not see any of those huge propeller blades for the wind generators, but did see, loads of telephone poles on trucks and one long truckload of metal poles (hollow) that were hexagonal in shape of unknown use. One trucker had pulled over on an exit ramp after the wind and hail had torn the shrink wrap that was on that huge piece of machinery he was hauling on a flatbed. It had torn the wrap in two and I would believe he was asking his boss... "Is this insured ,'cause here is what happened"? 

As usual, clerks and station stop assistants were helpful and courteous and most of them were  smiling. I usually try to get a smile if they do not. I am not always successful, but almost always.  Conversations at the gas pumps add to the change of pace for the day as well. Oh yes, and the DQ's, down here are open and serving. YUM!
 

Some of the storms today in S Illinois

Our Campsite near Portageville, MO. Lots of space.

Looking out at the corn fields to the north.

We arrived at Bootheel RV near Portageville, MO at about 3:45.  I like the "shorter" days as it keeps me alert and well rested each morning.  This campground's name has an interesting geographical origin. If you look at the map of Missouri in the deepest SE corner there is a large piece of land that is really a peninsula surrounded on 3 sides by the Mississippi River. Hence if the state were shaped like a boot this would be the"heel" or Bootheel.

So we arrived and set up camp in a large grove of oak trees and got settled , before the tornado warnings were posted at about 5:00 Pm. We were in the 'warning' zone, but the active area was about 20 miles south of us and was moving westerly  to easterly. We watched and waited and made it through the winds and rains. Not as bad as many storms in the past There was no local wind damage. Tonight it is scheduled to  rain more  as we watch the thermometer drop from the high of 73 F when we arrived to 34 F by morning. That is some drop , but the cold front (that's up north, right?) is coming by tomorrow AM.

So tomorrow its onward to Arkadelphia, AR., near the TX border.  Hopefully it warms some as we head south some more. Thanks for tuning in, and although there are only a few photos these first days with one night stops, that will change as we get settled in TX.  Stromboli is Rolling!