So long Amazon; let's NOT do this again!
The last two weeks were a lot rougher than they needed to be, thanks to an odd schedule change that affected all remaining campers. We worked on our days off, had Friday off, then worked into the following week five days straight. The only good thing about it was getting off on the 21st, so we could leave on Friday the 23rd.
Kind of a crazy photo, I suppose - but this is what my locker looked like right before I emptied it for the very last time.
Kind of a crazy photo, I suppose - but this is what my locker looked like right before I emptied it for the very last time.
Placing the TREK onto the Truck was Tricky!
But we finally managed to get it onto the truck.
Because it took us longer to get everything done on Thursday, we had to finish some stuff before we could pull out of Campbellsville on Friday. It was a little daunting for me, as I had not had the opportunity to practice driving the truck with the camper on it beyond a couple of trips around the campground before we hit the road. My palms were a bit sweaty when we started, but I soon calmed down.
We drove from Campbellsville, KY to Charleston, MO on that first day. It got dark early and we were fogged in, so when we got to Charleston and found a truck stop, we boondocked for the night. I only took a photo of the camper - the van and argosy were parked over with the big trucks. I was so terribly tired, the noise of their engines didn't stop me from sleeping, nor even slow me down!
We drove from Campbellsville, KY to Charleston, MO on that first day. It got dark early and we were fogged in, so when we got to Charleston and found a truck stop, we boondocked for the night. I only took a photo of the camper - the van and argosy were parked over with the big trucks. I was so terribly tired, the noise of their engines didn't stop me from sleeping, nor even slow me down!
Day Two Was The Longest Day Ever!
Because dinner in the Huddle House was not so great the night before, we opted for coffee and a breakfast sandwich from the Flying J store before setting out on Day Two.
We had to stop more often than we anticipated, because the truck was only getting 6 to 7 miles per gallon of gas. Consequently, the stops for gas were more frequent and costly than anticipated. I checked in on Facebook for two reasons: I wanted my family and friends to know I was OK, and I had this blog post at the back of my mind and knew that having it recorded on FB would help me recall things in the proper order.
Ellsinore, MO was our first pit stop at 10:30 a.m. We pulled into the Leerjak Travel Center on US 60.
Gas and Lunch was in Cabool, MO at the El Rancho
I had a big cheeseburger, and relished every morsel. It was a long time from breakfast to lunch.
We totally skipped eating dinner, I just realized. Talk about people on a mission! We gassed up again in Joplin, at 2 different gas stations because we got separated and I really needed gas and a bathroom. Finally found each other, got back on the right road going the right direction, and made it to Lamar, MO where we parked the argosy and van so we could take just the TREK and Truck up to our friend's home to deliver him back to his family before Christmas. We really would have liked arriving in daylight and getting a tour of his farm, but maybe next summer we can visit. We had no time to spare due to a much needed dialysis appointment in Greenville.
However, by the time we got back to Lamar, we were too tired to drive and it was too dark so we just boondocked next to a big truck in the Walmart parking lot - the store was closed, so we couldn't go in and ask if it was OK.
We totally skipped eating dinner, I just realized. Talk about people on a mission! We gassed up again in Joplin, at 2 different gas stations because we got separated and I really needed gas and a bathroom. Finally found each other, got back on the right road going the right direction, and made it to Lamar, MO where we parked the argosy and van so we could take just the TREK and Truck up to our friend's home to deliver him back to his family before Christmas. We really would have liked arriving in daylight and getting a tour of his farm, but maybe next summer we can visit. We had no time to spare due to a much needed dialysis appointment in Greenville.
However, by the time we got back to Lamar, we were too tired to drive and it was too dark so we just boondocked next to a big truck in the Walmart parking lot - the store was closed, so we couldn't go in and ask if it was OK.
Day Three Was Terrifying, but started out good!
It was still dark when we left, so I wasn't able to get any photos. Just imagine any big empty Walmart parking lot and you will know what it looked like.
We drove 40 miles towards Joplin, heading for Miami, OK when Bob spied a Flying J and we made a slight detour to find it because he needed gas in the van. We were delighted to find this Flying J had a Denny's, so we stopped in for a hearty Christmas Breakfast. Our waiter was so nice and friendly - I thanked him for working on Christmas and told him how much we appreciated him and his kindness. I'm fairly certain Bob left him a nice tip as an extra thanks.
We drove 40 miles towards Joplin, heading for Miami, OK when Bob spied a Flying J and we made a slight detour to find it because he needed gas in the van. We were delighted to find this Flying J had a Denny's, so we stopped in for a hearty Christmas Breakfast. Our waiter was so nice and friendly - I thanked him for working on Christmas and told him how much we appreciated him and his kindness. I'm fairly certain Bob left him a nice tip as an extra thanks.
Bob gave me this - he won it from a claw machine!
Trouble began on the Oklahoma Turnpike.
The truck had been coughing and periodically sputtering, so with each fill up Bob was putting an additive in the gas to clean out the injectors. However, once we got onto the turnpike, where the minimum speed was 50 mph, the only way I could keep up was to put the gas pedal to the floor and let the engine downshift and run at very high rpms. I was really scared, and we ended up limping off at Big Cabin, OK, just before 11 am.
I had lost 3rd gear, and could only go about 35 to 40 mph, so getting back onto the turnpike was not an option. So we opted to limp along on an old road without the minimum speed requirement.
Consequently, it took us longer to get to where we needed to be. Then we got rain and the sun set early, so we opted to spend the night in a casino parking lot. We had a sandwich in their restaurant that was quite good, so that was pleasant.
Consequently, it took us longer to get to where we needed to be. Then we got rain and the sun set early, so we opted to spend the night in a casino parking lot. We had a sandwich in their restaurant that was quite good, so that was pleasant.
Day Four and We Finally Made it Back to Texas!
We got a nice early start on Day Four, Monday, and hit the Texas Travel Welcome Center at Denison, TX just before 9 am. What a welcome sight that was for us!
Welcome To Our New Home - Greenville, Texas!
This is where we shall remain for a few months while we get our bearings and get Bob onto peritoneal dialysis.
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