The Journey Continues (Catching the Blog up to Where We Are)

Our stop for Monday night, April 13th, was in the large rig/overflow parking area at the Harrah's Hoosier Park Casino Racetrack.

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

As we were getting ready to leave in the morning for the last leg of our trip to Michigan we could hear the wind howling and the sky was a dark grey. By the time we were ready to pull out the wind was still blowing but the sky had turned to some blue with grey scattered clouds. Under normal circumstances we might be tempted to "hunker" down until the weather looked better. These are not normal circumstances so we will be pulling out shortly. We know better than to take chances so we will see what today brings. What the day brought will be in the next blog.

Monday, April 13, 2026

We were up and moving before the sun this morning. We pulled out of Lambert's Cafe RV Park just before 8:30AM. The trek today will take us out of Missouri, across the Mississippi River into the East, we will go across Illinois and into Indiana, and that is where we will spend the night.

On last picture of Lambert's as we pull out of their parking lot.

We are on our way.

Crossing the Mississippi River and we are officially back in the East!

Not sure what all the golden yellow is  but it was pretty.
We are in Illinois.

The scenery is still a lovely green.

What a pretty overpass.

A rest area filled with wishes.

The sign should also say but not here.
Unless there is a different rule for truckers
which if there is great. Illinois only allows 
3 hours the last time I checked.

I do not know what kind of tree this is, I just liked it.

A few of the farmers we passed today out getting their fields ready.

Those are VW Vans in the top picture.
The two bottom ones just struck me as cute as they went buy.

I lost count of how many times we saw this sign today.

Indiana Welcome Center
This is new since the last time we came this way.

Then we were on the I-465 North bypass around Indianapolis.
We have taken this before but not past the exit for US-31 which
would take us up towards Elkhart, IN.
Looking at the google map this had the least amount of red areas,
slow downs, of the three ways we could go.

We were in lots of traffic but we pretty much kept moving until
we were almost to our exit for I-69. 
Looking back both Tom and I remember two, ten minute slow downs.

The Nestle Quick Bunny. He had to be included in this blog.

Harrah's Hoosier Park Casino Racetrack Overflow Parking.
Two ducks and two geese in the pond next to our spot.

Kim and Ken and Patsy and Bill have both mentioned stopping here for the night going west and coming back east. Plus, their pictures made it look like a perfect stop for the night so we decided to follow their lead and pull in. It was perfect and quiet just what we needed. We can definitely see ourselves stopping here again if we come this way. Nest time we hope to take a walk over to the casino for dinner. This trip back to Michigan has been a tiring one and we were just to tired to even think about going into the restaurant. As I recall we both just had some leftovers for dinner.

Tomorrow, April 14th, we will end our day at the Wayne County Fairgrounds and it will feel good to finally be where we presently need to be. 

Autism Awareness Month is an annual observance held throughout April, dedicated to increasing understanding, acceptance, and support for autistic people. Originally established as a period to raise public awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the month has evolved significantly over the past decade. The Autism Society of America, which coordinates the largest national campaign in the United States, officially rebranded the observance as Autism Acceptance Month in 2021. The shift reflects a broader movement within the autistic community that emphasizes acceptance and belonging rather than awareness alone.

If you have enjoyed the pictures I have put out there 

or the words I have added that makes me smile. 

If you have time to leave a comment they are always special to read. 

No matter what I am glad you stopped by!

 

Two More Days Heading East and North

Monday, April 13, 2026

We left Lamberts RV Park at 8:20AM this morning and crossed the Mississippi River at 8:55AM we are officially in the East. The goal today is to be parked somewhere in Indiana for the night. 

Saturday, April 11, 2026

As we went over the Arkansas River leaving Saturday morning
I looked back and was able to capture this picture.

The United States Marshals Museum (USMM) opened in Fort Smith, Arkansas, on July 1, 2023. The star-shaped, iconic structure is in a scene setting along the Arkansas River, where many deputies in the Old West crossed and forded. The wide-ranging exhibits are divided into educational sections: “A Changing Nation,” “Frontier Marshals,” “To Be A Marshal,” and “Modern Marshals.” Mix of traditional exhibits and interactive technology smoothly flow throughout the experience. The themes all flow from a central hub, “The Campfire,” which features four different time-themed deputies telling their accounts of service. The finished 53,000 square-foot museum also contains temporary exhibit space, an atrium, café, gift shop, and offices. Further plans for an educational and archival center are underway.

This is a Harvest Host stop and it was one we planned before our timeline for getting back to Michigan changed. We still stopped and when Tom went in to make sure we were parked in the right place. The woman at the desk explained we were to late to really visit the museum when we arrived. Tom explained that we just needed a place to park overnight and unfortunately do to a family emergency we would not be coming in to tour the museum itself. She graciously said she understood and not to worry about it. Honestly this was a stop we were looking forward to and hope to come back in the future.

Our spot for the night and a view of the Museum in the morning
as the sun was rising. 

We were on the road and heading east before 9 o'clock. 

We were back in Oklahoma for a few miles then somewhere 
along this back road we were on "Hazel" said, or maybe you
 know her as Google Maps, Welcome to Arkansas. 
There was no sign.

For quite a few miles we saw these lovely pink wildflowers
and I have not idea what they are.

Just some views as we move along.

We left I-40 behind for this adventure in Conway, Arkansas.

I do not take a lot of water tower pictures but these 
where both worth capturing.

We are not sure when we made the wrong turn and the one thing 
we were surprised about was how green El Paso was....lol
 We had not turned wrong we were not in Texas it was
El Paso, Arkansas

Traveling under fluffy white clouds.

We passed by several farmer's fields today.

There were also quite of few of these Grain Bins or they
could be called Grain Silos along the side of fields.

I just like this tree.

We ended the days journey in the Walmart parking lot in Paragould, Arkansas. The two question I have are: First, is there not a shop in Paragould that sells and installs car mufflers? Second, is the Walmart in Paragould a racetrack? I ask these questions because until around 10 o'clock the noise outside our door was loud and my answer the first question would be no and the answer to the second one would be yes. Luckily around 11'clock everything pretty much quieted down. So we were able to get a good nights sleep.

Sunday, April 12, 2026

This morning we took our time leaving Walmart. After talking it over we made the decision to stop at Lambert's Cafe and spend the night in their RV Park. That meant today would be a short day of only about 102 miles. As you know, if you read our last blog, we are in making miles mode. Our decision was based on needing a slow down day and Tom feeling he could do a very long day on Monday. The decision is made and the hope is we do not have to come up with a Plan B.

Three water towers in one blog...😊

I missed getting a picture of the sign but I think this was
the St. Francis River.

It was almost 1 o'clock when we crossed into Missouri.

Just like yesterday we are seeing lots of farmer's fields

and Grain Bins.

This guy was just hanging out by himself out in the field.

I could see the dust and knew there was a tractor in there. Then
it popped out of the dust at the last minute as we were passing.

Parked at Lambert's for the night.

We pulled in, paid, and got organized to spend the night. I even put in a batch of wash. Around 5:30 we walked over to get some of those "throwed rolls".

I had the roast beef dinner and Tom enjoyed the chicken and dumplings.

Dinner was good and I will be having the other half of my meal again today minus the roll. Those rolls by the way come hot and are very good. We spent a quiet evening and night in our home. Glad we made the decision to slow down for the day.

These last two travel days have been uneventful and that is just the way we like them. Hoping for two more just like them.

One last thing, thank you for your prayers and if you could keep them coming we would appreciate it.

If you have enjoyed the pictures I have put out there 

or the words I have added that makes me smile. 

If you have time to leave a comment they are always special to read. 

No matter what I am glad you stopped by!

The Trek East Continues

Shortly we will be pulling out of our spot parked near the United States Marshals Museum in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. We are continuing our trek East at a new pace. Things happen in life which we cannot always share but right now we need to be in Michigan near our children and grandchildren. Sometimes we need to ask for prayers and again cannot explain why but if you believe in prayer please keep our family in your prayers. 

Sunrise, April 11, 2026
The promise of a new day.

Friday, April 10, 2026

After spending 5 nights at the RV City Park in Sayre, Oklahoma we were up and moving as our trek East and then North begins in earnest. 

This was a lovely spot to stop and catch our breaths. No, it is not because the RV Park itself is spectacular, though it is clean and $12.00 per night is certainly a good price. For that price you get water and 50amp electric at your site, the use of the dump, plus if you do not want to unhook the sites are extra long it. For the size of this town it is a very nice park. There are ponds, Tom read stocked with fish, a golf course and a mini golf course. There are several small playground areas plus a pool. A sports field and what looked like a place they could hold a small rodeo. There are bathrooms with showers here but we did not go in so we cannot vouch for them but the building itself looks really nice. 

The sun has gone down on our last night parked in this place.

When I saw the dome in the top picture I thought I remembered it 
being their City Hall it is actually the County Courthouse.
The bottom picture is their City Hall.

The trees are starting to fill with leaves.

Several ponds

Taking a page from Shirley and Ken, 
Seeing America with Ken and Shirley, 
we had a Mimosa Monday...😉

Our spot and looking out our door and front windshield

The pictures below are of today's journey east on I-40.

We are on our way under cloudy skies.

We see this company's semis along the way always reminding
us to to hope and trust in the lord.
This is one of my favorite bible versus.

Going by Tinker Air Force Base

Skydance Bridge in Oklahoma City, OK
I always think of scissors when I see this.
Interestingly, this sculpture was inspired by Oklahoma's state
bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher.

The scenery is a beautiful green. After so many months in the 
desert we love it is wonderful to see the green again.

The clouded sky we started out under eventually turned into
a blue sky filled with white fluffy clouds.

Some trees filled with leaves some still working on it
and an Amazon truck promising happiness.

We exited towards our stop for the night at a Harvest Host,
the United States Marshals Museum in Ft. Smith, and crossed
into Arkansas.

Today's travel day was uneventful and we even found diesel at one station for $4.79. It was a good day.

If you have enjoyed the pictures I have put out there 

or the words I have added that makes me smile. 

If you have time to leave a comment they are always special to read. 

No matter what I am glad you stopped by!