I walked this morning in the campground before we left. It was humid and balmy but not raining. We thought we might be riding into part of hurricane Sally as we traveled toward Atlanta. But we were very fortunate and although we had periods of light rain, we had no gusty winds. Our ride took us through bands of clouds.
We arrived at Jones RV Park in the early afternoon. We spent the day cleaning the RV and getting it ready to take to Camping World, where it will stay for some maintenance while we visit David and Andrea and the boys. We plan to be with them for several weeks. We won’t write the blog while we are there but will resume when we begin moving again…so stay tuned!
We have very much enjoyed this trip. We have seen lots of things that we had never seen before. We were eager to leave Baltimore and we chose well…cooler temperatures and beautiful scenery, lots of time outdoors…all good!!
Lookout Mountain Chattanooga West KOA Trenton, Georgia
I decided to take my morning walk a mile or more down the steep hill from the campground. It was cloudy and cool and perfect for walking. The return trip up the hill was a little challenge but easier than I thought it might be…all my walking is working!!
We took the jeep to the Tennessee Riverpark Wheland Foundry Trailhead. This section of the trail is new and we have never ridden it before. The bike rental was right there (our bikes have been in Atlanta since Christmas and we really miss them!) We hopped on and began to ride. It felt sooo good!
The trail wound through a revitalized industrial area. There was lots to look at.
Then the trail ran along the Tennessee River into Chattanooga.
We took the pedestrian/bike bridge across to North Shore.
We have eaten at Blue Plate the last two times we have been here. They had outdoor seating and salads for a nice light lunch before the trek back to the Jeep.
There was lots of art in the park as well…its hard to take pictures while you are riding an bike!
Lookout Mountain Chattanooga West KOA Trenton, Georgia
A nice morning walk along the marina. When the weather is perfectly pleasant and the scenery is gorgeous, it is easy to walk 2 ½ miles!
We spent the whole day driving from Paris landing to Chattanooga, mostly on major highways. We were able to stop at a BestBuy and exchange my camera which was really wonderful. We had the most polite, professional and kind people helping us!
We arrived at our campsite and did some planning for our adventure tomorrow and for the end of this week. We took a short walk after dinner and started to get organized for our stay in Atlanta.
This morning I walked through the entire park, along the bluffs and back to the campground. It was peaceful and quiet and I walked alone except for the squirrels.
We drove most of the day into Tennessee. The beauty of Kentucky and Tennessee is the lush greenness of the rolling hills. Manicured lawns and big old shade trees resemble home. The dew on the grass and the humidity in the air were absent in the western states.
We stopped in Paris, a small town for a few supplies and we found barbeque for our dinner.
We stayed at Paris Landing and spent time this afternoon making plans for the remainder of the week. This squirrel was just hanging out on a limb by the RV. The first picture was taken through the screen. When I opened the screen for a better picture, he scurried up the trunk a ways.
We took our picnic to Kentucky Lake. We saw a bald eagle as we were getting out of the Jeep. He was circling, hunting, while a bunch of buzzards soared above on an air thermal. It was remarkable how much larger the eagle was. Buzzards have a wingspan of 4-5 feet but bald eagles have a 7 1/2 foot wingspan. The eagle dove into the water but missed his prey and then he flew off.
We explored the park for a little while this evening.
My morning walk took me through the part of the park that we had not yet seen. When the Mississippi River flooded in 1881 , the original town of Kaskaskia was obliterated. There were 3 cemeteries that were destroyed by the water. The townspeople gathered 3,000 boxes and carried them here to Garrison Hill and created a new cemetery.
There was going to be a fort here to protect the river. It was never completed though.
Chester is the home of the creator of Popeye.
We followed Route 3, The Great River Road, through Illinois. There were lots of places to stop and look.
Our original plan was to camp at Fort defiance in Illinois at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. This was a neat place to get out and walk around. The Ohio River.
The Mississippi River.
The meeting of the two.
When we went to look for the campground, we could not find it. It may have once been in the high, overgrown grass, though we never found the electric boxes or a solid road in. We had a plan B and that first involved crossing the Ohio River into Kentucky. The bridge is under construction and no vehicles wider than 9’6” are permitted…no worries…we are 8”6”. When the light turned green and it was our turn to go, Tim said: “time to focus.” We made it just fine, though it might have been more helpful if cars on the other side were all the way in their own lanes!
Fort Jefferson Memorial Cross was designed by area churches and paid for by citizen donations.
We traveled on to Columbus-Belmont State Park in Kentucky. We got a great site with a view of the Mighty Mississippi.
This park was on the Trail of Tears. In 1838, when more than 15,000 Cherokee Indians were forced to leave their homes and lands in the east, they were marched through Columbus and then ferried across the river and then the marched through marshes on the way to Oklahoma.
We took a great walk along the bluffs.
Then among the Civil War exhibits. Kentucky was originally a neutral state but that changed during the course of the war. A Confederate general put this chain across the river to ensnare passing boats, while cannons fired from land.
The soldiers created these earthworks to protect the 17,000 troops and the weapons, including 140 cannons from the Union forces.
After dinner, we sat on the swing, drinking wine, watching a couple of barges pass on the river.
Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site Ellis Grove, Illinois
My morning walk…loops through the campground because there were some showers lingering.
A farmers market along the way with delicious pink heirloom tomatoes!
We drove east through the remainder of Missouri and across the Mississippi River into Illinois.
We found a nice site at Fort Kaskaskia. The overlook of the Mississippi River. Is that rain falling in Missouri??
We sat under the awning watching the rain and drinking wine…no complaints!
Rudiloria trimaculata a type of flat-backed millipede with no common name
Sunset on the Mississippi River.
We were able to fill in several states on this trip…North Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska. Idaho is on the agenda for next summer! This does NOT mean we are finished traveling, there is still a lot to see that we haven’t seen before and some things are worth seeing again!
The campground we stayed in last night was very clean and nice and cheap and had full hookups…but it was on the interstate. It took a long time to go to sleep.
I did my morning walk in various parking lots close to the RV.
Today we had a short ride. Tim’s back is really hurting. Over the past week or two, he has tried all manner of remedies to feel better but today, it was just too much. We found an RV resort that offers tubing down the river and horseback riding in the Ozarks…but we laid low. We did call our resident physical therapist. Kyle sent some PT exercises and he also mailed some Rock Tape.
I managed to keep busy reading and I cleaned the inside of the Jeep…which was VERY dusty. I also took another long walk this evening.
We woke up and it was raining. I walked regardless, doing 9 loops in the campground to get my 2 miles done. I was hesitant to walk further…I didn’t want to get caught in a downpour.
We got a late start and then we drove 200 miles from Fall River into Missouri. The sky got brighter and the rain stopped. It is warmer here as well. We drove through Joplin on Route 66.
We drove through Springfield and then found a campsite along the highway in Marshfield, Missouri. We shopped for some supplies and then walked to Grillos for our dinner.
The wind died down during the night. By morning it was 40 degrees and misty. I decided to take my walk. The little town of Jetmore.
We drove 211 miles today in the rain. We found a campsite at an Army Corps of Engineers Campground. In all of our past experience, the ACE facilities have always been first class…and cheap. With the senior pass discount, we had a water and electric site for 9.00. When our email confirmation came through, it suggested that larger rigs should be cautious which entrance they use because of a small bridge with low weight tolerance. I carefully studied the map and chose the wrong way…so, we had a little tour of the Kansas countryside. We found ourselves on a road with some Amish farms. When we got to the park entrance, it was closed because of COVID, and last year’s flooding, and because if we went that way, we would have to cross that little bridge…which was also closed. We called the ranger who gave us the combination to the lock on the gate so that we could get turned around. We went back the way we came and found the correct entrance.
We took a nice walk to look at the dam and the river.
This is the little bridge. It had a 3-ton weight limit. We have an 11-ton RV. Tim took one look at it and said, “NO!”
Some Kansas flora.
Bracket Polypores – FungiBur or Prairie OakBlue Sage or Prairie Sage
We saw a bobcat, but by the time we registered what we were seeing, he was gone…but how cool!!!
It was raining again after dinner and it is supposed to rain again tomorrow. We should reach Missouri by lunchtime. We might just have to drive through Kansas again another time and see if we like it any better in better weather.
On Sunday, the temperature was 98. Yesterday it was 84. Today when we woke up it was 40. I guess whenever there is such a radical change, we should expect that it might involve a clash of the thunder gods. During the night we had strong gusty winds, wicked lightning, and pounding rain. We packed up and left without our morning exercise and walk…we just wanted to go!
We stopped along the roadside at this historical marker for our breakfast.
The rain, the cold, and a tailwind all pushed us south from Nebraska into Kansas. Indeed, there was a huge difference when we were driving from north to south and the wind was behind us. When we traveled east for short distances, the wind broadsided the RV. We took a scenic road but it might have been prettier on another day. It was hard to appreciate the view, especially for Tim who needed both hands on the steering wheel to keep us on the pavement.
We left the sandhills of Nebraska behind. Kansas is flatter with dark rich looking soil. This is still farm country with lots of corn fields, and hayfields.
We also started to notice sorghum fields. It is primarily used for biofuels, cereals, and animal fodder.
We found a six site no frills full hookup campground in the small town of Jetmore, Kansas. We spent the afternoon doing chores and reading and resting. It was just too nasty to go out. We are hoping that tomorrow will bring a change in the weather…but the forecast doesn’t look too promising. We are going to keep going south and east to outrun the wind and rain.
