Just An Eclipse

Finally it's April 8, the day so many strange things are supposed to happen. We've all hear the wildest conspiracy theories, from "sudden ruptures", appearances of Jesus and "extreme human suffering" to "sickness" caused by the solar eclipse. People who spread these theories have an agenda rooted in the fear psychology and fanatic "christian" beliefs.

It is all a big hype! I have seen solar eclipses, even though partial ones only, before and it always was and will always be a natural occurrence happening between Earth, Moon and Sun. For thousands of years these things have been happening, but of course, when it happens in the US, the whole country goes crazy. It is more than ridiculous.

We had just passed from Kansas into Missouri when I looked at the fuel gage and found out we could need a fill-up. Right then I also saw a fuel station turn up on the left side of the highway. A good fit. The clock showed 1:50pm and a stop now would give us an opportunity to experience the few minutes the eclipse would last. However, we were still outside the path of a 100% eclipse. Yet the light turned a touch darker, almost like the sun would shine through a cloud. Bea calls this "metallic". And yes, the light seemed unnatural, but it didn't get dark.

We got gas and a cylinder of 7gal of propane. By the time we had finished, the eclipse moment was over. Not a big deal, as I say. Full sun shine returned and we headed off towards St.Louis.

We haven't made it all the way to St.Louis. At Columbia we found parking at a Sam's Club and a Walmart nearby. It was less than 400miles today, but we are not in a hurry. The east coast is supposed to suffer through a storm this coming weekend, and we are not eager to get hit by it.

At Cheney Lake State Park

It certainly turned out to be the haven from the storm we have been looking for. Yesterday, the wind was so powerful, it was basically impossible to be outside. Lucky for us, the wind was hitting the trailer from the front, which made for less movements. Yet, Dixie jumped up a couple of times when the gusts became too strong. 

This morning the wind had died down and we took a great walk down to the lake shore. Birds were feeding in the shallow water along the shore and Dixie had a great time doing here dog-like discoveries. Very few people were out this early, though some campers were preparing their departure. There was a lot of spring in the air.

By late morning the wind has increased again to around 25mph - not too bad but not good enough for driving down the highway. Besides, we found that we had deserved a couple of days relaxing in a nice place.

The park features 29 miles of asphalt roads and parking areas; a park office; 2 marinas; 223 reservable electrical hookup sites with water; over 400 primitive camp sites; 4 trailer dump stations; 6 boat ramps with 22 launching lanes; 4 courtesy docks; 2 fish cleaning stations; 7 modern pit toilets; 9 shower houses; 1 shelter with restrooms; 2 large group shelters; 2 medium group shelters; 29 small picnic shelters; a large shelter and a restroom; 3 nature trails including a 5 mile bicycle/walking trail; and 9 modern cabins.

Tomorrow, we will be getting back on the road heading towards St.Louis, MO.

Today, we Did Only 156 Miles

 It was already breezy when we got up this morning, so initially we expected to stay put in the city park until the high winds of Kansas would die down towards Monday morning.

But things took a different turn. The day wasn't going to be too windy, or so it seemed, so it was me who finally decided to get going farther east towards Kansas City.

At a quarter to nine we left Meade getting back onto Hwy 54 east.

However, it didn't take long that the wind picked up, way more than what I had expected. And after a short stop at a Walmart, we were bound to Cheney Lake State Park, which is west of Wichita. A quick phone call to the park confirmed that space would be available. Also their rates are really reasonable. The friendly young woman in the office advised us a site in one of several camp loops. The park is actually quite beautiful and is located along the huge Cheney Lake. 

We have a spot between some Pine trees, well protected from the wind which will blow very hard tomorrow and through Sunday. So we will stay here for 3 nights.

Cheney Lake

After setting up camp we took a nice walk down to the water. At the old boat ramp Dixie stepped out into shallow water and started drinking a lot of water. It was fun to watch her enjoy nature. And of course, she loves rolling in the soft grass everywhere.

Great camp site!

We have been very lucky to get this site with maximum privacy. The park has several dump stations and water spigots can be found on the electric sites as well. Down by the water's edge we also saw a number of dry camping sites. We paid $80 for 3 nights which also includes the Kansas vehicle permit of $5/day. 

So, we will be happy campers until Monday morning!

I am the travelin' dog

Somewhat More Of Nothing And Oh We Had A Flat Tire

After an extremely quiet night in the Juniper country of Santa Rosa, NM (It was also extremely dark outside) we woke up to a clear blue sky and some low temps. I quickly found out that our batteries needed a charge so I started the generator. 

The question this morning was whether we should stay in the State Park or move on to a State Park in Kansas. 

We were still talking about it after emptying the waste water at the dump station.

The upcoming storm would blow here in New Mexico for at least 3 days, while it seemed more like 2 days in Kansas.

So finally we decided to move on to a State Park in Kansas.

Rolling down the I-40 towards Tucumcari, we suddenly got into a full stop and line-up. Checking on Google, Bea found that we had a construction area ahead of us, but that there also was a stalled vehicle, which obviously had caused the full stop on the highway.

It lasted about 30 minutes before an old crappy minivan had been pushed out of the way.

We got through New Mexico, then just sideswiping Texas and Oklahoma before passing into Kansas.

The entire drive can be called uneventful, even boring as the only thing you'll see are endless flats, first still some semi-desert, then morphing into cattle country and finally greener pastures in Kansas. 

The Texas feedlots with thousands of cows, kept in throngs, with little room for the animals to even move around, are among the most depressing sights I have ever seen. And the overpowering stench permeating the entire area all the way into towns...

At around noon we stopped at a Loves truck-stop for lunch. After lunch I did an inspection around the trailer. To my surprise I discovered a flat tire on the passenger side.

Running my hand around the tire I discovered a screw embedded in the tire.

I pulled out my 12V air pump and brought 50 PSI back into the tire. Meanwhile, Bea had found a tire shop online, located barely 0.2 mile away in walking distance.

 I drove the rig over to their shop and was admitted right a way into their shop. Within the next 20 minutes the two young fellas had taken off the wheel, got it repaired and mounted again. $20 later we were leaving their shop with a working tire again. Talk about being in luck when it could have turned out into a costly affair if it would have happened along the open highway. Now, I do have a spare tire, but just changing a trailer wheel on a narrow highway shoulder would have taken easily one hour and been a hazardous undertaking.

We had lost some travel time today and found out that the Kansas State Park we had thought of reaching today would be too far out yet. And again it proved so valuable to have Internet connection on-the-go. Bea found out that the Kansas City of Meade was sporting a city park which also serves as a free (!!!) campground. It is located just east of the city and it really is beautiful with its decade-old cotton trees. There is potable water and even a free dump station.

Pulling into the city park I noticed a light green Mercedes Sprinter with a German license plate. 2 people were outside and I waved at them going by. We found a camp site not far from that sprinter.

The owners turned out to be Hermann and Ursula Rall from Bavaria, both some real world travelers who have been all the way to Mongolia, most European countries, Canada, USA, Central and South America. Needless to say we quickly found ourselves in wide-spread conversations with them - in German. If you want to check out their website: www.rallhu.de

So, thanks for traveling along with us through this blog, there is more to come, so stay put.