2016 road trip to St. Louis Part 1

NOTE: I am going to add a daily summary of my trip to this post. I am not going to worry about editing. Just forgive typos and senior moments.

June 23, 2016, 7:54 PM, Mother Neff State Park

Well, this trip has been a long time coming. I started planning it right after Rachel and I got back to San Antonio after Jane's funeral. I went to work spacing out new campsites that would allow we to drive 3 - 4 hours a day. I wanted enough time to actually explore the sites when I got to them. I came up with an ingenious plan that would get me to St. Louis with six nights of camping along the way at 5 different places. I did the same thing for the trip home. I was ready to go.

Then the floods came to to Texas over Memorial Day weekend. Three of the parks I had planned on had to close. That sent me scrambling to find other ones that would still keep my driving stretches short enough. With a little work, I successfully came up with a new itinerary. Yay me!

Today was day one. Finally, after all of the planning, excitement, worry, and anxieties, I was actually getting on the road. I had planned to leave at around 10:00 am, but I was panicking over whether or not I had a 30 amp to 50 amp converter in the Colby T. I totally forgot to check on that earlier. I kissed Rachel goodbye and headed to Packrats. Luckily, and rather uncharacteristic for me, I did have one, so I was actually able to hitch up and leave early, instead of making a mad run to buy one. Two of the parks I am staying at only have 50 amp service at the pedestal. The Colby T runs off 30. That might sound like gibberish to you. Don't worry. You are not alone.

I made a list of all the gas stations I want to stop at on the way. Pulling a trailer makes getting in and out of some stations a risky venture. My first station was the Flying J in Jarrell, Texas, just about 15 miles after I left the toll road and got on I 35. They are designed for trucks. I pulled up to the pump that is designated for RVs and smaller trucks. I filled up without a problem. Then, I accidentally pulled myself into a parking area that had no outlet. I thought I was going to be able to get out the other end. No such luck. I had to back the Colby T about 50 yards with a bunch of angry people honking and cussing at me. (They obviously we're not fellow campers!) I was having a little trouble backing past a truck that was just too close for my comfort. I stopped, closed my eyes, said a little prayer, and just did it without letting myself get to nutz about it. Trust me, I learned a lesson and will be much more careful from here on out!

NOTE: The sun is starting to go down. The camper is at 81 degrees. Ten minutes after dark, I'll be freezing. It is hard to cool the camper down when the sun is shining on one side with no shade. 

Anyway, I got back on the highway. I'm using Siri to get my turn by turn directions these days. I let go of OnStar as part of the "reduce the budget for retirement" plan. It does a better job than OnStar for FREE! Unfortunately, I couldn't get off at the right exit safely. I was going to go to the next one and circle back, but Siri rerouted me. I went about four miles and took another exit. Unfortunately, I got twisted around and ended up trying to get to Mother Neff from the south. I knew I couldn't get there that way because the bridge was washed out on the highway and the entire south end of the park is still under water. I had to call for directions, and that entailed going all the way back to Moody and approaching the park from the north. That added about 30 miles to my day. No big deal.

The park is beautiful. Since my visit in July of 2011, they have added a new headquarters building and a really nice full hookup RV loop. All the old trails are still there, too. It is a really nice blend of old and new. Fitting for the state's first state park. As I said before, the southern part of the park is under water.  This is the second time that has happened. They were recovering from a flood when I was here last.

It was really hot when I got into site #9. It is a pull-through site. I wanted one of those because I am not taking the trailer off the hitch for one night. When I got inside to put the AC on, the thermometer was reading 110 degrees. I settled a few things and plugged in the ice maker. Then I went and took two hikes while I waited for the camper to cool down. By the time I was finished, it was only 85 inside. Not wonderful, but okay with a box fan blowing on you. It is 79 right now. By bed time, I'll be reaching for Mom's crocheted afghan!

Anyway, that is a pretty full account of day one. I ate a Hormel Compleats spaghetti dinner. Now I am going to read until bed time. Oh... I forgot... I will also be snackng on pork rinds and squirt cheese and guzzling--- I mean sipping Merlot.

June 24th, 2016, 6:54pm, Eisenhower State Park

I woke up this morning at 6:00. My alarm was set for 7:00, but sometimes, it just isn't up to me. It was way too early to set off on the next leg of my trip, so I relaxed over two cups of coffee and some bacon jerky. Then I started packing up the interior of the camper.

I had already dumped my tanks last night. They were full from my trip to Guadalupe River SP last week, but there was a line with about five RVs waiting to dump, so I decided just to wait until I arrived at Mother Neff. I had full hook ups there, so it was easy to do. All I had to do this morning was top off the fresh tank and stow the sewer hose and water hose.

By 7:45, I was ready to hit the road. I wanted to stop at headquarters on the way out and use their WiFi. There was a free game I wanted to have for the trip on Apps Gone Free, but it would only download over WiFi. Unfortunately, Mother Neff's WiFi installation hasn't taken place yet. No biggie.

I got on the road an headed for my first gas stop in Robinson. It was an easy stop. The pumps were situated right and there weren't many people there. I was back on the road in a matter of minutes.

My next gas stop was supposed to be near Dallas. I thought I was going to bypass the city, but ended up going strait through downtown to connect with Highway 75 to Denison. There was so much construction and bumper to bumper traffic that I decided not to stop for gas until I was out of the city. Tonight I looked over the map and realized that bypassing Dallas was if I went to Lake Whitney SP, which is closed because of flooding.

About 40 miles from Denison, there was an exit with both a Love's and a Flying J. both of them are usually pretty good for camper fill ups. I went into the Love's since it was on my side of the highway. It was really crowded and I didn't feel comfortable with the tightness of the turns I would have to make getting in and out from the pumps. 

I pulled out and used the overpass to get to the Flying J. I couldn't find the RV pumps that they claim to have on their website. I circled around until I found an accessible lane and just pulled in. I hate to do that because I am using the first pump to fill the truck, but the camper is blocking the other one. It is no big deal when it isn't busy. This time, I didn't really have a choice. I didn't know what else would be up the road.

The normal entrance road to the park is closed due to flooding (like Mother Neff). This time, I had pre-studied the way I had to go. Then the Siri took me that way anyway. The substitute road was the bumpiest stretch of paved road I have ever experienced. One of the rangers told me it was because of all the unusual RV traffic.

I checked in at headquarters and asked for a pull through site again. I casually mentioned that I wasn't taking the trailer off the hitch, so the ranger switched me to one that she said was really level. She also told me there would be shade, but I didn't see any until later in the day.

Fortunately, because I had started the morning with the AC cooling the Colby T to the low 70s, it was only 86* when I got to the park. I put the AC on and started up the ice maker. Then I changed clothes, grabbed some water, and headed off on a hike to see the lake.

The lake is HUGE! I only got to see a part of it. Coming back, I took a trail that lead me through the woods for about two miles without one single view of the lake. It was rocky and hilly. There was absolutely no breeze and the humidity was killing me. I should have gotten a video of my wringing out the paper towels I carried with me to wipe my face. I could have filled up a red cup- NO EXAGGERATION!

When the trail came out on a parking lot, I looked at the map and made a decision to hike back to camp on the roads. It was hotter than hell, but there was airflow. The sweat was evaporating off me in the cool breeze. I was grateful that I had carried water with me. Maybe two bottles next time- even on a short four and a half mile hike.

Back at the Colby T., I decided to put the awning up to shade one side of the camper. The other side wasn't getting sun anymore for some reason. it is a funny angle I guess. Then I stripped out of my wet clothes and hang them up from the awning like true trailer trash. They were just as wet as if I had been swimming!

I drank tons of ice cold water with blue raspberry electrolyte squirt stuff in it before getting a sponge bath at the sink. Then I put a towel on the bed, laid down, and took a nap. 

The nap ended when both of my thighs decided to cramp up on me. I walked it off as well as I could in the camper and drank more stuff. Then I ate a banana. It stopped just as suddenly as it hit. Thankfully!

I decided that after the cramping, I was done hiking for the day. I sat in the coolness of the Colby T and read for awhile. Somewhere in there, I snacked on some pork rinds and squirt cheese, my favorite snack! Not sure if it was before or after the nap. Who cares?

I decided a while ago that it was time to take the awning down. I didn't want to have dew on it in the morning. They need to be dry when you roll them up. For some reason, I couldn't get the support rods to come off. I tried everything. I even tried loosening the knob, just in case that was the problem. Unfortunately, I undid it too much and ended up holding the knob in my hand. I was able to find the two pieces that had come off and fallen to the ground, but I couldn't get the knob back on.

I decided that I would work on the knob later. Right then I was panicking over getting the awning down at all! I went in and got the user's manual, but, as I expected, I was doing everything right. After all, I have had the camper for 5 freaking years! I went back out to try again and the damned things just came off like normal! Do you remember the ghost in my window? I'm just saying.

I managed to get the knob back on. It took twisting a coat hanger up in there to hold the slider in place so I could screw the knob on. That was that. All is well in awning land.

I decided that wine service would start a little early tonight as a result of the awning fiasco. That just means it will end earlier, too. I have a set amount of wine that I can drink in an evening. Anything more, and I have a headache the next day. Not willing to travel with a headache that can be prevented.

Anyway, that's the day. I am going to update budget expenses, update my camping history file on Evernote for Mother Neff, read for awhile, and go to bed early.