August 12, Oops!

Since we had had 3 days with less miles than expected, Jeff got a really early start with the goal of 40 miles or more. I went searching for a laundromat. This town had a McDonald's, and a Sonic. But there was no laundry. I even checked the local motel. They didn't have a guest laundry. So, I got some ice at Sonic, they make the best ice!, and a breakfast sandwich for Jeff, and went on down the road.

This area is known for its pecans. Who knew? I thought pecans were a southern thing, but apparently it is a major crop for this area. In fact, the county seat, Keytesville, has the world's largest pecan! I stopped at a roadside produce place and got a few things. I love being in the country where you can find fresh tomatoes this time of year! The flavor is wonderful.

      

The produce stand/farm that I bought veggies at, had a great pumpkin patch going. The pumpkins were getting huge!

Of course, Jeff is still finding curious items along the side of the road. I think that maybe he finds more stuff, in addition to the obvious fact that he is on the road for 10 times the hours I am, because he is just so much more observant of everything. He would have made a good cop or something, because of his observation powers.

I love not only the peacock, but the rendition of the flag.

I have heard of the Trail of Tears. I guess this was similar.

       

Santa's head will be cold this year!

I do love the way Missouri has such green and varied scenery. Although we are primarily in the farmland, there are always some good scenic shots easily found. And there are so many old, historic buildings and houses. If I am so amazed by this, think how excited I will be when we reach the east!

      

       

And, it's interesting. I don't remember at all going through some of these towns. I guess because I was moving so much faster than Jeff!

In the middle of nowhere, really, we came across this cute little park. The dogs loved exploring it, and were intrigued by the corn. Pinkie just trucked all over the freshly mowed grass. The girls really wanted to run and play, but it was right off the highway. And I figured if one of them got into that corn, I'd never find them. I asked the guy mowing if it was a state or county park. He said it used to be a state park, then the state stopped maintaining it. So, the guy that owns the local elevator, bought it along with a bunch of farmland around it, and is now maintaining the park. Very nice!

       

While out there on the road, Jeff continues to talk to everyone, and make friends as he goes. This lady was a school teacher and was traveling. She had seen us in 2 different states!

While in Keytesville, I was waiting for Jeff and a lady, Donna, came over to talk to me. She owned the diner that I was parked in front of. (It was closed at the time. I am careful about where I park this thing!) Anyway, she was very excited that we were coming through her area. She said they don't get too many interesting things, but every now and then, someone comes through. She also gave me a $20 donation. Thanks, Donna! Hope you are reading this!

      

     

      

Jeff says it is getting harder to find a flower of the day we haven't had before. I think all the wildflowers are pretty.

Great Flower of the Day!

I love the road ahead with the sunrise and the full moon!

       

We made it the 40+ miles and stopped in a town called Salisbury. And, they had a laundromat! So, while Jeff was finishing up his last few miles, I went on ahead and got the laundry done. Quiet little town. I asked at the c-store if there were any RV hook-ups in town, and was told about a little park just south of town that had several. It was Potts Park, and inside the park was the Bill Leach RV Park. I could find nothing about paying, no indication it was even on the honor system. Cool! I love little towns that are RV friendly!

It was getting dark by the time we got there, so I backed into the first spot. Jeff went to plug in the electrical cord, and sparks flew! Thankfully, he was ok, and managed to pull the plug out quickly. Luckily, we didn't plug in the coach side first! Might have had some electrical issues had it been plugged in. So, I decided to move to the next spot. As I pulled out of the first one, in the dark, with no real lights around, I cut my wheels in order to stay on the little gravel road that was there. Bad idea! In the dark, I missed that there was a bar ditch on either side of the narrow gravel pad, and my right rear wheels fell off. Now, I had no traction, as the coach was suspended between the front wheels and the hitch. Crap.

The bar ditch and resulting scrapes from the underside.... mostly the hitch.

I got on the phone to get some assistance from Coach Net, and a guy from the RV next to us came out to see if he could help. We ended up using the leveling system to raise the coach more, stacked a bunch of large rocks and then some wooden cribbing material, under the wheel that had fallen. Lowered the leveler, and I was able to drive forward. Whew.... what a stupid move that was. Guess I will be more aware in the future when in the dark. The electrical and everything worked just fine in the second spot. And, we used the a/c! It was great! The bedroom is even cooler than the front. We are now happy campers!

This was a great mailbox day!