Sixty Miles and Things Came to a Screeching Halt Or In Reality a Whistling Stop

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

When we arrived at the Natchez Trace RV Park in Shannon, MS we had planned on staying a week on Sunday we decided to leave a day early. The internet signal at this park is poor at best and inconsistent. With everything going on in our country right now because of the Coronavirus we felt the need to be in a place were we could get the latest news and keep up to date. Fortunately, we did have cellphone service, along with the ability to text and messenger was working. Sunday we were able to secure a place in Hanna Indiana for two weeks so our goal was to take three days and arrive on Friday.

It was cloudy and wet when we took off early this morning. For about fifty-five miles things went really well.  Then we saw the Mississippi Welcome Center and stopped to eat breakfast around 9:30.

A nice perk for RVer's we noticed  a place to get water
and on the way out a Dump Station.

For the first ten miles we were on the Natchez Trace. The plan is to come back this way in the future and next time we plan on checking out the entire 444 miles. Between the weather and so many things being closed this was not the time to do it.

Top Left: The Bridge we are about to go over.
Top Right: Looking back at where we spent the last six days
as we drove over the bridge. The trees are starting to bud and
the fields are filled with golden wildflowers.  

Merging on to US-45 we noticed three things.
First there is not as much traffic.

Secondly, the semis are definitely still out there.
The third  thing was that several of the rivers have gone
over their banks. 

Back to what happened after about sixty miles. We pulled out of the Mississippi Welcome center and as we merged into the traffic we could hear a distinct whistling sound coming from the engine. Tom pulled off at the weigh station, While he got out to check things out I did a search for a nearby diesel repair shop.

When I stepped out to see what he had found a Patrol person from the weigh station came over close and personal to see if we had an issue and could he help. So much for social distancing. Not being able to see any issues and there was no smoke Tom decided to start back up while the young man watched to see if he could see anything unusual. Still no smoke and while we were not moving no unusual noises so we slowly took off.

Merging into traffic he immediately knew there was definitely something wrong. I pulled up the directions to the diesel shop, we took the next exit, and headed back three miles to the repair place. The closer we got the more he noticed we were losing power.

We pulled in and the two gentleman immediately said it sounds like there is an issue with your turbo. We unhooked the Jeep and they got us pulled into their garage where they could take a better look. After checking things out they showed Tom with their Snake Camera just how bad it was. A hose had disconnected and something, probably gravel, had gotten inside and all the blades on our Turbo were "chewed up". It sounds like we were lucky to have gotten there and this is going to be one of our more expensive weeks.

The  New Turbo is on its way and should be here Wednesday and they will be replacing our air filter. He showed Tom the air filter and his guess is the shop that has been doing out servicing has not changed the air filter ever. Tom will be addressing that issue with the diesel shop when we get home.

That was our morning. We are presently at a Quality Inn  in Corinth, MS and the Stinger "B" is in a garage at Pro-Fleet Truck & Trailer Repair. The estimate is two to three days before we are back on the road.

If it is true things happen in threes we should be good. The refrigerator, then the fan belt and tightener, now the Turbo.


FYI:  "a Whistling Stop" that was the sound, a loud whistling sound the Turbo was making.

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from hearing you.

Vicksburg to Shannon Mississippi

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Tom and I are sitting in the parking lot of Elvis' Birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi. It is a grey cloudy day and we have just finished walking the grounds. Nothing here is open because of the Coronavirus and there are at the most 10 people here and everyone is keeping their distance. I will be posting pictures at some point when we have better internet service where we are parked.

We are presently staying at the Natchez Trace RV Park in Shannon, MS. This small park is located just off the Natchez Trace about 8 miles south of Tupelo, MS. The internet service here is very slow and inconsistent.  We are able to send and receive calls, text, and messages so that is good. After finally getting the blog caught up it is not looking good for keeping it up to date.


Wednesday, March 19, 2020

Up before the sun this morning we wanted to pull out of the Shaw Performance Parking Lot before they were open for business. Tom had turned the Stinger "B" around the night before so her nose was pointed out. Our initial plan was to head towards a Mall down the road to hook the Jeep up. As we were getting ready to leave we decided to see if Tom pulled ahead would it be level enough to hook the Jeep up and as luck would have it was. After hooking up the Jeep we were on our way by 7:20.

Starting this blog post with a little sunshine these are outside 
our door where we are presently parked. These little flowers
say spring to me and I think they are beautiful.

We are on our way.

We were on I-20 heading East for  about 45 miles today and during that time I started to take pictures of the semis passing us in each direction. I certainly did not capture them all but I took quite a few. You will notice a theme in today's blog. Things in our world have changed and I do not need to repeat it here you are living it just like we are. 

As we were riding along it was hard not to think about the women and men who are driving these trucks. They put in long hours as many of the workers in our country and the two countries that border us do on a daily basis so we have what we need to live. Things that up to just a couple of short weeks ago we just expected to be on the grocery and pharmacy shelves when we needed them.

Making our way along the outskirts of Jackson to I-55 North.
Did you ever think you would see a sign telling you to wash
your hands as you drove down the interstate? 
I know we did not.

We stopped for an early lunch at a rest area
just south of Winona, MS

We are on US-82 heading East.

After about 70 miles we turned north on US ALT-45

Driving through West Point, Mississippi

Then we were turning onto MS-41.

Then we saw the sign for the Natchez Trace.

We were only on the Trace  

for about 5 miles today.

After 5 miles we turned off of the Natchez Trace at County Road 506 and made our way to the RV Park which I need to take a picture of.  While we were driving today we heard from Shirley and Ken. They had been north of where we are visiting Ken's brother. I had mentioned where we would be earlier in the week hoping they would decide to possibly head this way as they made their way home. I am happy to say this morning they decided to do just that. They arrived a couple of hours after we did just in time for Happy Hour.  Tom and I were so happy they made the decision to travel a southern route home and we got to spend another evening together.


Thursday, March 20, 2020

We had a chance to see the new truck that is pulling their Mansion this morning before they headed off.  There was only time for a short visit and a couple of pictures and it was time for them to be on their way. Even though it was a short we are glad they made the stop. Until next time we wish them safe travels as they make there way west and north to their home.

A picture in front of the new truck, a selfie, and they are off.

After they left we took a short drive into Tupelo to put gas
in the Jeep and a quick stop for a couple of groceries.

Driving back we went past our turn and checked this out.

Our hope while we are here is to be able to take a ride a ways back south on the Natchez Trace and then check out Elvis's Birthplace in Tupelo.


Friday, March 21, 2020

Today it rained and rained. We did take a ride into Tupelo to a Walgreens to pick up a couple of prescriptions. On the way back we stopped at the turn out pictured below.

We also took a quick ride over to Shannon, MS.

As I mentioned above while here we are planning on taking a ride south on the Natchez Trace and make a visit to see Elvis's Birthplace. We want to enjoy where we are but at the same time not ignore what is going on. So we are, also, thinking about where we will head next. Our plan is to get closer to home and yet try to stay in weather that is a little warmer. Like a lot of our friends with everything going on we do want to be by family but at the same time we need to be realistic about the weather we return to. The other thing we need to think about is where will we park. Now that we no longer own a house in Escanaba the "when" we get there depends on a park being open. For the most part parks in the area we are from do not open until May 1st and that date could change if the ground has not thawed. These are all things we need to keep in mind as we travel North and that is the direction we are now headed. For now we are safely parked and when we move the goal will be to be in a place we can say the same thing about.  None of us know what tomorrow will bring and what is going on in our country is something most of us have never experienced before. What steps our government and the various states take to control the spread of the coronavirus we have no control over. What we do have control over is what we do and our decision is to use common sense, plan our trip North knowing where we will stay next, and not dwell on things we have no control over.

To our family and friends we hope and pray you are staying healthy and safe. If you are reading this as you travel we wish you safe travels and dry roads ahead.

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.

Quick Update With Good News.

Tom and I hope you all had a very Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Tuesday, March 17, 2020


We were up, dressed and having our coffee early this morning and then the waiting game began. Waiting for parts and waiting for them to start working on the Stinger "B". The work started around 10 o'clock.  (Not complaining just keep a record of our day.)

Looking at the bright side, yes I am truly trying to do that, we are inside our home relaxing.

In the early afternoon the needed parts arrived. The gentleman in charge decided to have the new belt put on and then start up the engine and see how the water pump did. The good news it is fine with no leaks. So they put the Stinger "B" back together and we are good to go tomorrow morning. Of course, there was the bill to pay but lets just say it was not as painful as we thought it would be. Thank you Shaw Diesel Performance for getting us back on the road as quickly as possible.

Tom and I both feel we have been treated well here in Vicksburg and look forward to being able to come back this way in the future. Lots of history in this area including the Vicksburg National Military Park.

Two other places I would like to mention. First, the Lady Luck Casino who said we could come in and park in their parking lot and when we were having a problem finding a place to move to said, no problem, stay as long as you need. Second, the Ameristar RV Park, which is a Casino Park. The Casino is closed because of the  Coronavirus concerns. According to the woman I talked to this morning it includes the RV Park. When I explained what are situation was and we were looking to purchase a bladder of fresh water. Our tank was on empty. She said, to come over, as long as we could get there before 5 o'clock and if we needed to dump that was available, also. The Stinger "B" was not moving but Tom drove over with our bladder when he asked how much, she said on the house. It might not seem like a big thing but when you are on empty 40 gallons of water is a good thing to be able to get. Especially, when at the time we thought we might be here a second day.

Yes, we feel like we have been treated well and it is not the first time we have felt this way. Over the years we have had other issues, tires, brakes, overheating etc... and each time we have brought our rig in we feel whoever we dealt with made it a priority to get us back out on the road and at the same time not overcharging us. Several times we have had things looked at that have turned out to not be an issue and when we have asked how much do we owe the answer has been do not worry about it.

Thinking of all our Rving friends both from the US and Canada as they continue to travel. We hope you all stay healthy, have clear roads ahead, and safe travel days.

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.

Today and Our Final Catch Up Post (Time with Friends and Three Travel Days)

Monday, March 16, 2020

Things have changed and we are not continuing on the route we had planned. A new plan has been made and instead of East the direction we will take is North.  We will travel a little over 200 miles and then we will park the Stinger "B" in a new neighborhood and take time to enjoy the days ahead.  That is not to say I do not feel some sadness about the change because I do. I had been looking forward to the time parked by the Ocean spending time chatting away with a life long friend since we made the reservations last May. Yet, if  I have learned one thing in life it is, you cannot change what is. Sometimes you just need to accept and move on.  (I wrote the above this morning as we were getting ready to leave and head North to Shannon, MS. It was time to leave so I shut down the computer intending to finish the post after we were set up in our new spot.)

Leaving the Lady Luck Casino in Vicksburg, MS
As we went  up the hill our check engine light came on.
Committed with no way to turn around we continued
to the Welcome Center. After doing some checking
everything seemed fine so we decided to continue.

We pulled out onto I-20 and the motorhome  immediately
overheated with a check engine light. We took the next
 exit and ended up at the above mall.

I believe the mall we are at is the Pemberton Square.
I would think it is some sort of Civil War Monument.
I did some research and could not find any information.

We are now parked at Shaw Diesel for the night.
Parts have been ordered and they are hoping to be able to
 fix the Stinger "B" tomorrow. As of now it looks like we
have lost a belt and need a new water pump.

Tomorrow's blog will include more information when we know more. The campground we were headed for has said they will hold our spot for us. We are hoping to be there on Wednesday but at this point not planning on it. Let's just say not one of our better days on the road. I am pretty sure anyone reading this knows how we feel right now. Just part of the fun of living on wheels.


Catching Up

Monday, March 9, 2020

It was a somewhat noisy night at the rest area. The Ward County Safety Rest Area is a good size and was filled with semis all running through the night. Not complaining just a fact. We always know it is  a good possibility when we pull in to a rest area that there will be semis running over night. After coffee we were soon on our way. We wanted to stop and pick up a few grocery items at Walmart this morning and looking at the directions we could see that the one in Midland, TX was close to the Interstate so that was our destination. The minute we pulled off and turned towards the Walmart we remembered being here a couple of years ago and knew it had not been the best choice as the parking lot is tight and not one we want to pull into.  Not stopping and circling we were soon back on I-20 continuing east. We did eventually pull of and stop at the Walmart in Big Spring. It is a little farther off the Interstate but was an easy on and off and the parking lot was one we could easily get into.

Between Walmarts we stopped for lunch at this really
nicely kept Picnic Area. 

The following pictures are views along the way as we headed towards the Lake Colorado City State Park. You might wonder why we would pick this park as a destination. The answer would be two special people, Melissa and Lyle, we know from British Columbia were parked there. We had been hoping to be able to cross paths again this winter and then as luck would have it they were staying at this State Park only 5 miles off of our planned route. So we made a call and were able to secure a site for 2 nights.

Some of our views as we traveled East on I-20 today.

Reaching our exit 210 we were soon on FM 2836 with about 5 miles left to go to our destination we figured we would be there in no time. Then we caught up to this work convoy painting lines and going about 7 miles per hour. At this point we had about 3 miles to go.  I had let Melissa know when we had turned off of I-20 and was just about to call and let her know we would be awhile when the sign turned to an arrow and we cautiously, it is a very narrow and not well maintained road, passed the work convoy.

Within minutes we were stopping at the office and registering and on our way to our site.  After getting set up we packed our small cooler (there may have been adult beverages included), Tom grabbed our chairs, and we walked up to Melissa and Lyle's site. We had last seen them in November so we sat outside and did some catching up. Between the wind and some little flying bugs after a short while we went inside. They had invited us for "Hamburger Monday" and dinner was hamburgers with the works and potato salad. Thank you, guys.  Neither one of us ever feels like cooking after being on the road all day so having a delicious meal cooked for us was great. Better yet sitting and talking about what ever comes to mind with good friends made for a wonderful evening. Not sure what time the evening ended but I know it was well after sunset when we walked back down to the Stinger "B".

Tuesday, March 10, 2020


No rush to get anywhere today. We were already there. Just a leisurely morning enjoying our coffee. I heard from Melissa asking if we wanted to take a ride into Colorado City and check our the museum and we accepted the invite. In the end as the day progressed the decision was to just spend time visiting. They brought their chairs over, Tom barbecued chicken and we had "Taco Tuesday" at the Stinger "B". The time of course flew by as it always does when we are enjoying ourselves in the company of special friends.

I believe these are some kind of Prickly Pear Cacti.
When I was checking on this I found out that the  
Prickly Pear is the Official State Plant of Texas. 

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

( I know I have included some information about March 11, 12, and 13 in previous posts but I wanted to include more pictures which is why I am repeating these days in this catch up post.)


Today we were up and moving but not in a big rush. Check out at the park is noon and we only planned on going about three hours down the road to a rest area where we would spend the night. We had such a nice time visiting here with Melissa and Lyle. They are such a special couple and our time with them is comfortable plus the conversation  is always interesting. We are so glad every thing fell into place and we had this time. Looking forward to seeing them again in the future. Until then safe travels.

Tom, Myself, Lyle and Melissa

While Tom dumped our tanks I took a couple of pictures.

Looking back at the park. Not the prettiest one by far but clean.

We did not come for the views we came for the company.

Lots and lots of Prickly Pear Cacti in this park.

On our way we have made it to I-20.

This and the following pictures are some of the views
 out our front window this afternoon.

Our stop for the evening the Eastland County Safety Rest Area

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Today's route will bring us through Ft. Worth and Dallas so we were up and moving with the idea of making our way through that corridor around 10 or so in the morning.

I know I posted his picture before but how cute
is he peeking out the curtains at us.

We have pulled back on I-20 as we continue East.

I believe that was Ft. Worth in the distance.

We are making our way to Dallas.

Whenever we have driven in Texas one of the things we have
noticed is there display of the US Flag and their State Flag.
Until today we had not seen any combinations like this.
The wind co-operated to make for a nice picture.

If you knew Tom in high school you know why I included this.

Then there was second set a little further on. 

Buc-ee's this is on large gas station and store.
We have only been in the one near Bastrop, TX but there is a
little bit of everything in there.

A lovely field a yellow wildflowers not long before
we pulled into a rest area for the night.

Friday, March 13, 2020

Today we headed out in the rain. Our goal was to leave Texas behind us, drive through Louisiana, and end our day in the Mississippi Welcome Center. It did not quite work out that way as even though Mississippi allows overnight parking in its rest areas it is not allowed at this one. Which we found out when we pulled in.

Today's views.
I-20 through Texas has been a lovely green.

Crossing into Louisiana the beautiful green continues.

Driving through Shreveport I counted the above sign
5 times. Top Right, we are up high looking down.

The green continues

and it looks like they are getting ready to repave.

Getting close to Mississippi we can see that the river is
over its banks. There is  River Flood Warning for this area.

We have crossed the Mississippi River
and are officially back in the East.

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.