Westward Ho!

Hi all -- Dianne here.  We left Patoka Lake bright and early on Labor Day and drove and drove through Southern Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.  It was uneventful and an easy drive until we encountered some really strong winds in Missouri.  We stopped for the night at Country Gardens RV Park in Odessa, MO, right off I-70.  The RV park has a country store which specializes in Amish cheeses,  spices, and jellies/preserves/butters, etc.  We had fun picking out some snacks for the drive, including cheeses and pepperoni-flavored beef sticks.

When we have long driving days (these were much longer than we normally drive) we often have a snack tray and nibble while we drive.  Then we'll fix a late lunch at a rest area and walk the boys.


In case you're wondering how our menagerie all travel down the road: 

 Charlie the cat must be in his sherpa bag (to keep him from getting lost in the open spaces when the slides are in).  This keeps him safe from the slide-out gears and also in case we need to make a quick exit from the motor home, we can just grab him and go.  He doesn't like it when I first stuff him in there, but then he always just settles in and sleeps.

Jasper rides on the Lazy-Boy Recliner or the couch, whichever suits his fancy at the moment.  He usually just sleeps the day away, too, until it's snack time.  The minute I put the snack tray out, he is at full alert.  I then have to eat with one hand and keep him at bay with the other.  It's my own fault for spoiling him, I know, but he is especially sneaky when it comes to stealing food (a common whippet trait).

This looks like Chaplin is being punished, but actually we're being kind.  After much trial and error, this is the only way he travels well in the motor home.  The engine noises and coach rattles give him anxiety attacks if he's loose.  He feels more secure in his little "travel house."

Day Two of Westward Ho was all about crossing the state of Kansas on I-70.  Those of you who have done this before know what I mean!  Starts out green and hilly, but then much of the day was spent looking at mile after mile of grain sorghum fields and wild sunflowers along the road.  We made it through Kansas City around 7:00 a.m. with no major problems. 

 We had planned to "Wal-Mart" it at Goodland, Kansas overnight.  We were on such a roll when we drove through Goodland that we decided not to stop.  We drove on to Seibert, Colorado and found a Passport America (50% discount for us) park right off the interstate.  It is the kind of mom & pop RV campground we like to patronize:  very well-managed, friendly, and clean.  Not to mention cheap for us!  $12 with our discount for a relaxing evening with electricity (in other words tv and internet) was a no-brainer.  We will definitely stop again at Shady Grove Wi-Fi Campground in Seibert, CO for an overnight next time we're passing through.

Westward Ho Day Three started early; after all, we had crossed two time zones in two days and our bodies still thought it was 7:00 a.m. at 5:00 a.m. in Colorado.  Roger (the planner) had researched our route to New Mexico well.  We cut off of I-70 at Limon, CO and drove southwest on U.S. 24 to Colorado Springs, where we hopped onto I-25.  This way we missed all the Denver area traffic completely. 

 It's always exciting after days crossing the flat plains when the first mountains come into view, and this was no exception!


We continued down I-25 to Walsenburg, CO and stopped around noon for the night at Lathrop State Park.  What a treat!  I'll let Roger blog on that one as soon as he gets a chance.