I woke up to very cold and very uneducated about the thermostat....so I got dressed quickly!!! I slept great, and I needed to hit the road. I needed to cover at least 500 mi and I did.....but it was a loooong day.
I was on the road by 830a and things were going well. Evidentally my younger yrs of RV'ing have paid off...I didn't leave anything open or on a counter to fall off...so no crashes or new noises....but there is plenty of road noise in this baby!!! I was getting hungry..I didn't stop to even eat breakfast this morning, I wasnt't hungry and I wanted to hit the road...plus, I had decided since my eating yesterday had consisted of cereal/strawberries and crackers I was going for a hot meal.....which was my first lesson of the day. I decided it was time to eat so the next exit with a Denny's was it.....I get off and go to it, which u can see from the exit and the parking lot is very small...so I see a Post Office across the street....it's empty and closed...woohoo...score!!! But there was a reason it was empty...a BIG sign that said, if u park here u will be towed.....okey dokey....no time for that...so I park long enough to use my own potty and get back on the highway.....lesson 1.....if the sign on the highway does not say.....RV/BIG RIG friendly....skip it!!! OK...got it. I have already learned that before I go into a parking lot I look for my exit...however, this small rig fits in some good places and I can back it up....once, I'm on the road with 40' plus a Jeep, I can't back up!!! So I will have to think differently, but at least I'm heading in that direction. And, you'd be surprised and how many empty lots there are if you need to pull in for just a min, never looked for them before, but they are everywhere.
Ok, back on the hwy and I see a sign for Blue Springs Cafe' (as seen on Food Network)....wow, really...so I exit and they don't open until 11a...so 2 strikes down. By now I'm really hungry and it's time for old faithful.. Waffle House come up pretty quick...woohoo....my answer!! There were guys smoking in there, humm, I guess they didn't get the memo in this state!! I get in and out and I"m on my way, but by now the storm I've been watching has hit and I drive in rain for about 20-30min. Not bad, and again, I need the experience. I'm sure Mickelson practices golf in the rain cause he knows sooner or later he'll have to play in it. After I run out of the rain, it's cloudy but even that turned to sun and it was another great weather day for me....thank you God for not making me learn EVERYTHING in this one trip!!
Rolling down the road I see a furniture place that has every color of the rainbow Adirondack chair..they were great, then I saw signs for the Louis and Clark Museum and a tractor museum...wish I'd had time.
I'm close to RT 66 too, but no time to detour, maybe i'll come back here one day when I can move slower.
Rolling along and going good....I see a billboard that reads "Do You have BRA problems?"
Humm....I don't think so, but evidentally if I did, this shop could help me...hillarious! Time for a gas stop and I've learned to look for truck stops, just love them, LOTS of room. However, I saw a sign that said RV Express, ok, I'll bite. I exit and quickly find it, it is a gravel parking lot with water and electric meters for $20 a night....I guess some folks can't live w/o amenities and just don't like sleeping with truckers....pity. Another lesson, RV Express is not a gas station, but I find one, and gas up. Apollo RV ask me to check the oil everytime I gas up....well, that requires help for me, I can see, but not REACH the oil stick. As luck would have it an SUV w/3 guys and 1 gal was right beside me, 2 of them had on camo, they had to be nice, so I started chatting, asked where they were headed....Canada...black bear hunting!!! Ok, didn't expect that answer, cool! There's is a 30hr drive, they were 9 down..whew! One of them helped me and I was good to go.
I am beginning to see rolling hills and different landscapes, not so much flat anymore, it's nice to see the changes. I crossed into Missouri and it was neat...right over cool high bridges and the Missouri River, I learned to hate Missouri as I rolled into Kansas City. That city is as bad as ATL, even on a Sat!!! AND...there was road construction.....AAAAHHHHH!!! My GPS was giving me commands so fast I couldn't keep up and I missed a turn, I couldn't get over 2 lanes, so we re-routed and I think I got to see some cool countryside I might have missed...I learned later, I missed a toll road...good for me!
So...back on I70 and VERY glad Kansas City is in my rearview mirror .....I cross into Kansas and all is well for a while, then we get into wide open space where those Kansas winds make themselves known. WOW, now I know how a pilot feels with a headwind, except these were side winds and forced me to go slower and have to work the wheel a lot. That is hard driving, and no cruise control. I fought that wind a long time and was going to go to Salina, but when I stoped for gas in Grand Junction I decided to stay. The gals working here were so friendly, it's next to a Wal-Mart (my new BFF), and I was really pooped. So I asked if I could top off my water tank so I could take a shower and i proceded to park next to a truck. I told her I was solo and would I be ok, you see last nite it was so late no one really knew anything about me or this RV but it was only 730p and it would likely be obvious I was solo....she pointed to one truck and said, "park next to him, that's a father/daughter team, you will be fine"....so I headed to the lot. I introduced myself and they were nice folks....so here I am in trucker world again, but I"m just fine and it's another freebie!!! And....since the sheets and towles in here were all new and needed badly to be washed once, I got that done....who knew you could do laundry here!!! BONUS!!!! And they have showers, but I did use my own...so another day of many lessons. It's been a true learning experience.
What have a seen:
cool barns and farmhouses
HUGE tractors
Lots of signs for wineries...so sorry I can't stop
some beautiful rolling hills and countryside
What have I learned:
1. I like to hug the right side of the road, have heard that sound many times when I roll over the strip to stop you, but I'm getting better. My driving teacher says everyone does that, it will get better.
2. If an RV'er needs over LET HIM OVER....don't speed up and go around him....he's doing all he can and for him to correct a missed exit is HUGE, you know your own city and will be fine, help him out.
3. I need to remember to walk around the rig before taking off from any stop, just to make sure all is well. I do some, but I forget some...need to do it everytime.
4. Also be aware of my height with trees and lower roof lines like at gas stations, have been ok, but need to watch.
5. Who cares what type of food a place has, if the Rig fits....go for it!!!
6. I'm really glad my Class-A has light switches I can reach, I have to stand on the booth bench for the A/C unit and a light, and in the bathroom I have to step up into the shower to turn on that light....hillarious.
7. I really miss my music...no Sirius/CD's or AUX outlet for the IPOD in this little rig!! So, everytime a station turns statically I scan....I've at least been very entertained at times, and I can tell u the 3 states I've covered today ALL like this song that goes like this...." chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit"....I've heard it several times today!!! what a hoot!!!
The Apollo guy told Susan that this was probably the lowest end unit that they had.....I totally agree!!!
But it is serving my purpose!!
So...that's it for day #2.....I have lots of miles to cover tomorrow, and my trucker neighbor told me that the wind will be there, but he thinks it's going to shift direction tomorrow so might be better driving, I surely hope so.
Fighting it is no fun......so, good night from Kansas....tomorrow....Colorado Springs or bust!!!
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