We left Grand Isle in amid strong winds and blowing sand. The oil spill hadn't reached the Isle and so our thoughts were about the days trip. The bridge crossing went easy as the wind was behind us and the roads hadn't yet flooded from the unusual high tides.
The wind was at our backs and so we got great mileage, 14.1 mpg, not bad for a traveling house! We had been told of a beautiful state park in Mississippi, Percy Quin, and so that was our goal for the day.
Arriving about noon we checked in and found it to be as pretty as we had been told. The spots were large and all full hookups and so we parked and rested. Cardinals and bluejays flew about, with the forest dominated by the towering longleaf pines and red maples along with nutall oaks,(note that my tree identification is a bit shaky).
The next morning we headed further north, taking Interstate 55, and passed the tornado's path of destruction at mile marker 152. We have seen tornado damage before but the path,149 miles, and width of this tornado was larger than most. I wondered how quickly the Mississippi forest will hide the damage, compared to the tornado trail we saw in Pennsylvania.
Our planned spot for the night was at Enid Lake, the Corp of Engineers Campground at Wallace Creek, and the place was so beautiful that we decided to stay for two nights. The spot were huge and new and mostly empty and so we camped on another lake shore.
Shortly after setting up our fifth wheel an eastern bluebird landed near our doorstep. Again we saw cardinals and bluejays and lots and lots of eastern bluebirds.
A great blue heron waded along the shore and Renita wondered if it was one we had seen wintering along the coast.
After an extra day we headed north, crossing into Tennessee, The streams and rivers were all in flood stage and we were glad we weren't heading to Nashville. The roads in Memphis were some of the worst we have seen and crossing into Arkansas didn't seem to show much improvement. Signs of future roadwork due to stimulus money promised improvement and so we won't cross this path off of our list, yet.
The miles flew by and we reached Cape Giradeau and the private rv park, Cape Camping and Rv Park. It was a letdown after two days at Lake Enid but it really wasn't a bad place and it fulfilled our needs for an easy overnight place.
The next morning we left bright and early, 8 am, and headed towards St Louis, Mo. The road was ok, but a bit bumpy and so we took it slow. Flooded fields told of the passing storm front but it seemed to dry out as we got further north. We took 270 around ST Louis and so didn't see much except trees and cars. I did have the usual idiot try to play chicken with me as they entered on a ramp but they backed off before I forced them over the railing,
Northward we continued and the signs for Hannibal appeared. We actually want to visit there someday but not this trip and so we passed it, only stopping for fuel and necessities. The road actually improved a bit as we headed north and after a long 330 mile drive we arrived at Lake Sugema.
We found our reserved spot, it didn't have a notice, but we set up anyway and soon a lady came by and asked if we were the Brackins. I assured her we were and so she joked about it a bit. She had been moving a pile of rocks when we drove by her and it struck me as funny that here people like to joke around and have fun, not all places are so relaxed. The people here and Iowa kind of remind me of hobbits and the Shire, only without the furry feet and much nicer looking people(Note the lady was movind rocks by hand!).
We called Renitas sister Pam, and told her we had arrived and set up our house. She had already told us she had prepared dinner and so we are taking four days to rest and visit with her and Roy and their family.
Traveling with your house is really nice. Some people mow lawns and do yardwork and we just move to new places and let the park personal keep our yards spotless. When I think of all the beautiful places we have stayed and all the family and friends we have visited we both feel lucky,but I have already said retirement is good. Clear skies.
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