Moving Along to Springfield, IL

St Louis, MO

Hwy 60, The road from Bartlesville heading to Missouri , is full of farms and wide open spaces. Lots of green grass with hay bales, cattle and horses.

After getting on the turnpike it started raining and temps dropped to 67! Haven’t seen that since last winter in Houston. I will take it.

Crossing the Mississippi!

The RV Express park in Marshfield, MO is a nice one night stop over. Pull throughs with concrete pads right off I 44. 

Again, we enjoyed the rain in the afternoon and cool temps. When we are planning a long trip, I spend some time before cooking stuff and putting in freezer, so when we drive all day and get set up, we don’t  have to get out again to find dinner. This day we had Chunky italian Soup! Nice on a cool rainy day!

Next stop Double J RV Park in Chatham, IL. Very nice park. Trees, gravel pads and surrounded by corn fields. We got set up, again, in cool weather; had walk around the park and visited with other campers who walked by while we set outside. You rarely find a grumpy camper. Everyone is happy to be out and enjoying their time.  This night we had beef pot pie, made at home, frozen, and yummo at camp - and easy!

Dennis wants to see as many Presidential Museums as possible. So, we are near Springfield, IL to see the Lincoln Presidential Museum and Lincoln’s home. Lincoln lived in Springfield for 27 years and had planned to return there after being president. The museum is one of the best ones we have seen. Lots of history of his presidency and life. The wax figures are incredible. There is one of Mary wearing mourning clothes after a son died. The suffering in her face was so real, I felt I was intruding if I took a picture.

We had a guided tour of the home. The museum is run by the state and the home by the National Parks. You can read books about the history of things, but seeing it in person and led by a knowledgeable guide, you learn new things. The railing up the stairs to the second story of the house is original to the house. President Lincoln would have touched this spot often where Dennis is touching....

 

Mary Lincoln's sewing chest.

Perhaps a relative

Around Lincoln's neighborhood

We were told downtown Springfield had a farmer’s market on Saturdays, so we went to check it out. Wonderful market with corn, peaches, tomatoes and delicious baked goods. We like to visit places like this when in a new city. It brings the city to life and tells us a lot about the people who live there. It looked like most of Springfield comes on Saturday! It is an easy town to get around in and the map of downtown is easy to follow.

 

Sunday is moving day at lots of parks. Friday we saw them move in and then Sunday move out. We, however, are doing laundry and a bit of cleaning before making a one night stop and then we will be in Michigan for a week visiting with Debbie & Chris!

Cute little camper all decked out in
red & white - and pink Flamingos.

Bartlesville, OK

The Merchantile

After a rather stressful day traveling and getting new tire, we were happy to settle in to Riverside RV park. A nice little park, beautifully landscaped; a little oasis in the city. We were happy to sit out under the awning and have coffee in the morning watching the rain.

Aunt Martha & Uncle Les

Danny

We met my precious aunt and uncle and cousin at the Pioneer Woman Mercantile. My uncle is the Oklahoma Balladeer - singing western songs and telling stories. Check it out at:  www.lesgilliam.com. They live in the area. We enjoyed cinnamon rolls - so yummy - and visiting. The bakery upstairs has a large sitting area, where we could visit and not feel hurried. The Mercantile store is nicely laid out                                                            with lots of merchandise!

 In the afternoon Dennis & I went to Woolaroc - the country lodge and museum of Frank Phillips, founder of

Phillips Petroleum. It’s hard to describe the museum as it is too marvelous. Much Indian pottery dated in early A.D. found on the property. Lots of Indian history and paintings.

As you enter the property you are led to a mountain man trapper camp. We had an actual trapper show us through the area with the history of trapping.

We got to throw tomahawks and shoot a muzzle loader rifle! I need to practice a little….  

Entrance to the Frank Phillips museum

 

Cowboy RV!

 The lodge at Woolaroc was Mr. Phillips country home, where he entertained many famous and important people of the day.

The next day we went to his city home. All of the items in the house are original to the house and arranged just as they were when the Phillips lived there. Very good tour guide who shared many stories of the family. Stories: At Christmas Mr. Phillips gave gifts of fruit, candy and a silver dollar to every student in Bartlesville every year. When area churches had trouble meeting their mortgage, he paid off the mortgages. Both he and Mrs. Phillips were big givers and did much to help the community. He started out a barber and by hard work  and not giving up ended up finding oil.

The Bartlesville City Museum showed much about the founding of the community and history of the Indians.

All in all, Bartlesville was a great stop.

This picture was in the Bartlesville Museum.
Taken in WWII.
It is made up entirely of soldiers from the Armed Forces.

Leaving Texas

When you drive from Houston to Dallas on I45, a must stop is the Cooper Farms store at Fairfield. In the summer they have fresh veggies and wonderful peaches!  Out of season you can always stop and get peach ice cream and baked goods.

We had a good visit w friends and family in the Midlothian/Waxahachie area of the MetroPlex. Lots of catching up with those that had moved from Sugar Land and those who are close friends from our time in the Dallas area.

We spent time with daughters family. Dennis helping with chores and me and granddaughter cooking up stuff. The big treat - that is becoming a tradition - is homemade tacos for dinner! Kelsey & I made all the fixings and Tif fried fresh taco 

shells. Yummo! Then for dessert we made Brookies. That is brownie cookies. You mix up brownie mix and cookie mix. Then you put brownie mix in a muffin tin and top with cookie dough - Brookies. They are a hit everytime.

Some of us even made it to church!
FBC Midlothian

Planning to have a less than 3 hour drive to our overnight in Durant, OK. While driving up Hwy 75 North of Dallas another car pointed to our RV. We pulled over and had had a huge blow out…. We called Coach Net — our roadside service and they came and changed the tire for us. The big problem is the wheel might be ruined. So we had to find a tire place for a new spare and wheel. While we were waiting for the service, a police car came by - City of McKinney - and did not even stop. You could plainly see the tire was blown out from his car. Guess he was busy….Hopefully, this has been a minor problem that won’t repeat itself on our tour. Thankful for good RV Roadside Service.

Camp site Choctah Casino

Casino RV parks are very nice!

Used to be on a RV trip, you had a roadmap and pay phones. When you needed a tire place you just asked around town.  We used the cell phone to call the roadside service and internet to look up tire places; all while driving down the road with our devices plugged in to the truck. Then the lady with the nice voice on the cell told us where to turn to get to Discount Tire in Durant, OK. Highly recommended, they got us a new tire and we did not need a wheel. Of course, when you park a 36 foot 5th wheel and truck in front of their bays, they get right on it!

Riverside RV Park

Nice laundry building

We made it to Bartletsville, OK in plenty of time to set up, do a load of laundry and sit outside for a while. The weather was so very nice and cool.

Next blog: Bartletsville and some history lessons.!

Fall 2018 RV Trip: Getting Started

Well, here we go again. Another extended trip in the RV. We are leaving Sugar Land in August - dog days of summer.  We are loaded and ready to go. I always feel like I am leaving the country when I leave Texas, so I have to put in enough Rotel and Black Beans to make it before re-entering! The yard is looking pretty good considering the 105 heat index we have been enduring.

Again, the house will be well cared for and looked after by our son while we are gone.

Hanging basket - hanging in there!

We will, of course, travel first to Midlothian to see daughter’s family. Also, will catch up with friends.

We then travel up to Michigan, stopping along the way to see more family, sightseeing, then spend some time with Debbie and Chris in Michigan. They spend the summer there each year.

We will stop after in the Upper Peninsula, meeting friends, who will show us around. We have never been there so am excited to see some new things. I hear it is beautiful.

Our sitting out place at home.

The main reason for this trip is to go on an RV Fantasy Tour. We will meet other campers - probably about 25 - in Bemidji, MN at the headwaters of the Mississippi River. We will then travel along the river all the way to New Orleans, where the river goes into the Gulf. Along the way we will stop at different points to sight-see. It will take 34 days to complete the route. This tour group does all of the planning and reservations for us. It is a good travel company for Rver’s. This tour was so popular we had to book 2 years in advance and pay a down payment then. If you read my New York blog from several years ago, it is with the same company. This part of the trip will be a challenge for me to see if I am able to sight-see all day, travel from place to place, and write the blog every  few days or so….  I want everyone to enjoy the trip with us!

One more Mexican dinner

←This is the last good seafood we will have  until New Orleans. Fisherman's Wharf at Galveston!

We might have some oranges ready
when we get home!

So hang on to your hat and ride along with us as we begin another adventure in the RV.