Trip Highlights (mostly pictures) Part 1

 Location: Heart of Haynesville RV Park; Mansfield, Louisiana

I've been back at my home-base for a few weeks now and have had a few coffee outings and lunches with my x-wife, lunches with Brandon and my grandson's birthday party. I have also successfully procrastinated at completing any item on my list of "things to do before hitting the road again". Maybe making this post will be like closing the door on my recent trip and will motivate me to complete that list in an expedited fashion. (yeah, yeah, I didn't believe it either, even as I was typing it).

I figured it was time to post the pictures from the trip since I mentioned it in my last post. As a brief reminder, it was a 3059 mile trip through 8 states with stops at 27 campgrounds. The pictures are either "wow" moments caught in time by my camera or something that will trigger a memory for me in the future.

I have to split this Trip Highlights into two parts. Just too many pictures and memories. I'll post the second part when I get back from Galveston. My X-wife wanted to go there for a few days so I'll be taking her next week. I guess I'm lucky she didn't want to go to France or some other place. Galveston is only about 4 1/2 hours from here. We will be staying in Condo I've rented so Liberty will be on her own for a few days. That will be her first time alone so keep her in your thoughts. 

 Here we go.

The is the route. The initial destination was Goshen, Indiana and the Forest River Owners Group RV Rally in mid August. Campsite #21 on the above map.

I was lucky in being able to catch some pretty good sunsets during the earlier campgrounds. They were harder to find later on in the trip.

The setting sun was back there somewhere, but the sky put on a nice show.

Another good one. This one reminded me of some sunsets out west in Arizona or New Mexico

And you have to have a sunrise too. This one was taken out my back window. It surprised me. The boats were lagniappe for the picture.

This picture was from one of the top 3 museums on the trip. It was The Museum of Native American History in Northwest Arkansas. I sat and looked at this painting for several minutes. It is telling the viewer so many different things. 

A typical Corps of Engineers lake. This is from a walk around the campground.

A view from the Castle in the Sky in southern Missouri

This is a picture in the Mark Twain Museum. It is of CCC Company 1743, "The Thunderbirds". They were an all black CCC company that helped build the Mark Twain State Park. Just like the painting of the Indians in the above picture, I looked at this one for a while too. Looking at each face in the picture tells a different story. I was impressed.

Americana somewhere in Iowa. This picture describes the heartland,,, Grain silos, American Flag and John Deere.

The Mayflies were swarming during one of my stays in Iowa. This was a very small number of them. There were times when I couldn't hardly see out the window and they would cover the side of Liberty. I've seen then at other times in the past and other places, but his was a surprise. 

This was from the last COE campground on the first leg of the trip. It was very peaceful.

If you're going to pass through farm country, you have to get a picture of a narrow country road with corn on both sides.

This is the tornado damage to Freedom. This storm was the first one I left Liberty and ran for cover in a block building. Not a good time, but memorable.

This picture will represent the Illinois River. That tow boat is headed to the locks with the dam in the background. The big red building is the old Nabisco Building. It has a history of its own. This picture was taken while looking out Liberty's door. 

One of these times I'm going to wish I wasn't wandering around deserted country roads. I was rewarded with a nice military memorial at the end of this road. Strange location for it, but very nice. 

Four corners in the country-side of Illinois. I like the building and wished I knew it's history. There was so little traffic, I could have ate my lunch and not have to move. 

Ya'll take care of each other. Maybe I'll Cya down the road.