October 12, 2013 Travel to Iowa

We woke this morning to rain and a thunder storm.  We got things ready inside and once the rain subsided, we finished the outside work and off we went west.  For the first two hours we went in and out of a few storms.

This looks ominous - kept my eye on the weather underground, just in case we had to find a shelter:

The Mississippi River Bridge:

The Mighty Mississippi:

Barges waiting to go thru the locks:

And into Iowa:

We are officially in the west -.  When we first were planning this trip, we were going to stay at one of the Army Corps of Engineer Campgrounds along the Mississippi.  We figured we would spend a few days just watching the barges go up and down.  But, sad to say, they are closed due to the government shutdown - what a bummer.  (I could say more but this is a travel blog - not a political one.)

Love the colors - notice the sky - we are out of the storms:

Cute:

Our scenery changed so much today from flat areas to rolling hills, from farms to forests - our country is so beautiful:

Love the swirls:

The wind started to pick up late morning and the temperature must have dropped 20 degrees - brrrr.

Check out the flag - the wind holding it horizontal:

Actually, this is where we are staying - Terrible’s Lakeside Casino and RV Park in Osceola, Iowa.  It is $20.00 a night for full hookups and cable.  This casino used to charge $10.00/night with a players card but they have stopped that - Bummer.  The park is really nice - I will get some pictures tomorrow.

After checking in and setting up, we went to town to find the Laundry and Wal-Mart.  After traveling over 500 miles in two days, we are going to sit for a day or so.  Sunday is Andy’s football day and we both need to get a few things done before we head out again.

So stay tuned for our next adventure and enjoy today.

Stats for today:

Miles Traveled:  259 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Illinois:  Mill Point Road; SR-26; SR-116; US-24; US-150; I-74; US-34

Iowa: US-34; I-35; CR-H33

October 11, 2013 Westward HO......

We left the Fleetwood Repair Campground around 8:30 AM and headed west. (See previous post on new jack.)

We traveled today on the blue roads of Indiana and Illinois, thru farms and small towns - it was a beautiful drive.

Some pictures along the way:

Looks eerie with the fog:

This town was named “Markle” and check out the water tower - :

And if your name was Farkle, you would be Farkle from Markle -   .  (Sorry, I just couldn’t help it.)

A tunnel of trees:

Harvest Time:

Those machines fascinate me - love to just sit and watch them go!

We saw quite a few fields already harvested and plowed:

Flat areas where it seems like you could see forever:

Some great little towns - love this tower:

Many of these small towns have city parks and we had lunch at a lovely park in Fairbury, Illinois.

Love the colors:

We are spending the night in Mill Point Campground in East Peoria ($13.00/night with our Escapee Discount - it is also a Passport America Park).  A beautiful site in the trees with a view of the lake (Sorry, I did not get a picture).

During lunch, we made an appointment at Blue Ox in Pender, Nebraska - Next Thursday at 9AM.  So our plans are to slowly head that way with a few breaks in between.

Stay tuned and enjoy today.

Stats for today:

Miles Traveled: 257.33 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Indiana: SR-27; US-224; US-24

Illinois: US-24; SR-116; SR-26; Millpoint Road