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!

We are in Sayer, Oklahoma

 

We arrived on Easter Sunday, April 5. 2026
Though it was not the first time this year we also stopped on April 4, 2026

Saturday, April 4, 2026

Saturday we pulled out of the New Mexico Welcome Center, where we had spent a restful night, merged on to I-40 and headed West, yes West. After just a few miles we were at an exit which we took, then crossed over to the entrance back on to I-40 going East.

Back on I-40 going East we soon passed the New Mexico Welcome
Center where we were parked among the Semis.

Then we again said goodbye to New Mexico
and 
Hello to Texas

In Texas and on our way.

We say a lot of semi-trucks today.
What a great message on the back of the middle truck.

We went by grain elevators 

and my favorite, windmills.

There were turbines in the distance and cattle.

We passed by the Cadillac Ranch. 
We have stopped here in the past but not this time.

Then we were going through Amarillo.
We actually had dinner at the Big Texan last Easter.

Then we spotted the Cross in Groom, Texas

Built in 1995 by Steve Thomas of Pampa, Texas, this impressive roadside structure (often called the Groom Cross) took eight months to complete with the help of 100 welders working in two locations. Once finished, it took seven flatbed trucks to move the giant steel pieces from Pampa to Groom, where they were assembled into what would become one of the most iconic landmarks on the Mother Road.

The stainless steel cross stands 190 feet tall, weighs a staggering 2.5 million pounds, and was specifically engineered to withstand the harsh winds that blow across the Texas Panhandle. While it’s often dubbed the “Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere,” it’s actually the second-tallest cross in the United States—just a few feet shorter than the 198-foot “Cross at the Crossroads” in Effingham, Illinois, which was directly inspired by the one in Groom.

Since 1995, Cross Ministries has grown tremendously. Starting with the Cross and a small building for greeting visitors, the grounds now has over a dozen life-sized bronze sculptures that portray Jesus’ journey to the cross. There is also a replica of the Shroud of Turin, the Empty Tomb, an Abortion Memorial, a bronze sculpture of St. Michael the Archangel, and The Ten Commandments. They have also moved from the little building to a much larger building, which houses their Divine Mercy Fountain, Gift Shop and Restrooms, Reception Room, Offices and Counseling Center, and Theater.

After looking up this information I hope we will come back this way and the next time we will be stopping.

The Leaning Tower of Britten.
Not my best picture of this. 

In Groom there is also a leaning water tower, sometimes called The Leaning Tower of Texas or The Leaning Tower of Britten, which currently serves as a decorative item and roadside attraction. The leaning tower was originally a functioning water tower which was slated for demolition until Ralph Britten bought it and moved it to serve as a sign for his truck stop and tourist information center (located on a stretch of interstate that was once a part of U.S. Route 66). This truck stop can still be seen, set back off the road behind the tower, now boarded up and in disrepair following a devastating fire decades ago.

Eventually we crossed into Oklahoma and stopped at the Welcome Center.

A few more miles and we were in Sayer, Oklahoma

In our Easter blog I mentioned we felt like life had thrown us a small "storm". Looking back it was more like a tiny "storm" but when it is happening it always seems a little larger. When we pulled out of Meteor Crater RV Park back on Thursday, April 2nd, there was a plan in place. By Friday night we had already put into place a Plan B. Not that big of a deal just another hour or so of driving and Tom said he was up to it. Then Saturday happened. I am not going to name the place or its location because just because it was not the right choice for us that does not mean it would not be for the next person. One thing we learned the hard way is when you do not feel comfortable pulling into a place do not do it. It only took once and that once resulted in damage to our 5th wheel and a popped out back window in our truck. Since then we trust our gut instincts and do not do it. We had planned a two night stop that would include going to Mass on Easter and enjoying a nice dinner I had planned. When we got to the stop we immediately did not like the entrance into it or the parking space made available. We did walk it to be sure but decided it just was not a place we would feel good pulling into, being parked at, or pulling out of. The corners and drive in were all tight. So we kept going and another Plan B developed, The Sayre City Park. We have stayed there several times and it is always half empty. It is not anything fancy but the sites are long with water and electricity (50amps) along with an available dump station. On this Saturday we pulled up to a totally full park. Checking there website later that evening we found out they had a Alumni golf thing going on. So now it is late in the day and we are not going to start searching so the decision was to head back the 17 or so miles to the Oklahoma Welcome Center, where we spent the night.

In the morning after I posted the blog we decided not to go into Elk City, look for the church and try to find parking for the rig. So we watched Easter Sunday Mass online, had our coffee. We talked about it and decided that with any luck people would be pulling out of the Sayre City Park and we would find a site. Regardless, we could use the dump and move on if we had to. Well luck was with us and while Tom was dumping our tanks I took a walk down into the park and the site we have always been able to pull in to was open. When we leave in the morning we will have spent five nights here and enjoyed the stop. At $12 per night we feel it is a very good deal. (You may feel like I put way to much information into this but it is about our memories of the journey.)

Heading back to Sayre again. When we turn onto the road to the
park we could see the dome on their city hall.

The entrance in and our site in the distance.

All is well that ends well is a good way to put these days. Yes, we had a few glitches or a tiny "storm" but in the scheme of things we had a good spot at the two Welcome Centers and were able to rest and move on.  Those new plans, B, C...etc...are just part of the journey. 

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!