Jan 4 thru Jan 7

      I thought I should bring this blog up to speed since I haven't posted for a few days. After visiting the Presidential complex at Little Rock I traveled to Buffalo Tennessee and spent the night in a KOA campground. This was a nice facility with electric, water and a place to dump waste tanks. I arrived after dark on the fifth and left before light on the sixth of January. I didn't sleep very well there was a lot of traffic noise from Interstate 40. This campground is located just next to the interstate, I am going to look for campgrounds that are at least 1/2 mile from major traffic highways in the future.  The trip from Little Rock though Memphis to Buffalo, TN was a long drive and the scenery was about the same as from Idabel, OK to Little Rock, AR.       January 4 I traveled from Buffalo, TN to Nashville TN and spent some time at the Bass Pro shop and Camping World. I picked up some RV supplies at camping world. I got two patches for the roof where I think the water is coming in. I also picked up a 90 degree waste water drain attachment that I think will better keep the sewer hose in the dump pipe. I haven't had a problem but don't want one either. I thought I needed some stuff from Bass Pro, but it turned out that I just wanted to walk around and look at the store. After spending a couple of hours at these stores I was ready for more travel. So I climbed back into Ms Daisy and traveled back up the road to Columbus, IN and spent the night in a Menards parking lot. This was much quieter than the KOA campground and the Walmart next to the Menards. It was also darker as they turn out the parking lot lights after 9:00 Pm when the store closed. I had a great night sleep and then traveled to Anderson, IN to Cracker Barrel Restaurant. I had planned to have lunch here but they were busy so I just turned in the audio book I have been listening to since Memphis.
     Before I forget I need to tell you about going through Louisville, Ky. Lola the lying GPS told me we had a traffic delay ahead about at the bridge over the Ohio river on I 65. She said to avoid delay to take the exit before the bridge and go the alternate route. I knew better but I couldn't help myself and listened to her advise. She had said there was about a 12 minute delay in traffic on I 65. Anyway I took the exit and after nine hairpin turns in the center lane with traffic on both sides of Ms  Daisy I was in line for the alternate bridge on US 31. I waited in a line of traffic through three traffic signals that were being controlled by police personnel at each intersection. This took me about 40 minutes of white knuckles on the steering wheel. After crossing the river I was able to get back on to I 65 without much trouble.

Bass Pro Shop at Nashville, TN

Small Mouth Bass in Bass Pro Aquarium

     I traveled from Columbus, IN to Home on Saturday ending this adventure with Ms Daisy. In total I Ms Daisy and I traveled about 3000 miles on this trip. We had a great time and hope to be able to take another trip together soon.

Until then I will be.............. thinking about Driving Ms Daisy:}

Little Rock Arkansas 1/4/2012

     The journey from Isabel, OK to Little Rock, Arkansas was good. I think I drove about 200 miles today. I had lunch at Cracker Barrel. This was the first time on this trip I ate at a restaurant I think. I have been to several McDonalds for coffee, and sometimes for breakfast sandwiches.
     The western part of Arkansas is very pretty with lots of water and woods. I saw lots of logging trucks and some places where the trees were harvested. The rolling hills to the west are ideal for tree raising. Some of the trucks were driving towards me and some were going with me. I thought why couldn't they just go the other way then they would save driving time and miles. I did see a operation where they were converting trees into poles for electric distribution. I also saw a lumber mill where they were kiln drying the lumber, so maybe they have good reasons for which direction the logs were traveling.
      After lunch I toured the William J Clinton Library this was a very interesting place I took lots of pictures. They have duplicates of the cabinet room and the oval office. This site was an old abandoned industrial complex. They did an excellent thing with this project.
       I am spending the night at Trails end RV park north of Little Rock. This is quite close to I 40 and I am hearing a lot of traffic. I hope I can sleep tonight like I did in the Walmart parking lot.
      I refilled Ms Daisy's propane tank and now don't have to worry about running out while heating her tonight. I use an electric heater when I have electricity but this requires a boost with the furnace once the temperature drops to about freezing.

Gleeson Lake on Hwy 70 west Arkansas

Hill country western Arkansas

Clinton Cabinet room

Clinton desk in Oval Office

Clinton Presidential limo.

Idabel, Oklahoma

      I didn't have Internet access last night so I couldn't update on the location of the team. Ms Daisy is performing flawlessly. Jay has flaws as most of you know.

        Spent the night in Walmart's parking lot after getting the OK from the customer service person. She said " Were not  supposed to allow that but go ahead everyone else does."  I had a great nights sleep, after traveling 340 miles yesterday.

        I am currently setting at Ms Daisy's table and typing this. We are connected to the Idabel public library system. They have a beautiful library here in the city, with a great Wifi signal. We came through the Texas hill country yesterday right up Hwy 96 to Hwy 59 the rolling hills were nothing for Ms Daisy but a little hard on the gas budget. About 9 miles per gallon yesterday, I do notice that there are a lot of little gas stations that Ms Daisy shouldn't enter, just not enough room for her bulk. Lola the liar performed much better yesterday after I made changes to select the fastest route.

      I tried to upload pictures from yesterday but couldn't maybe I will be able to later.

       I am planning to travel to Little Rock Arkansas today to see the Clinton Library, I will take what pictures I can. The last time I saw President Clinton was in Decatur, Indiana at a speech to get Hilliary the Presidential nomination for 2008.

Texas Hill country on Hwy 59 about 50 miles south of Oklahoma

Until next time I will be.................Driving Ms Daisy:} 

Texarkana, TX

     I left Sea Rim before 6 this morning and have traveled about 200 miles north toward Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas borders I may get there before dark. If I have Internet access tonight I will update this post later.
Until then I will be......... Driving Ms Daisy:}

Port Arthur, TX

       Rockport to Port Arthur Texas is about 300 miles. I white knuckled it through Houston,, traffic wasn''t terrible but you have to make sure your in the correct lane for the next time you have to catch the correct road. Lola the GPS is a liar. I had her set for the best fuel economy, but have since changed her to the fastest route. I think they should have a setting for the way Jay would want to go.
     Spent the night at Sea Rim State park. No connections so I boondocked along the shore. Sea Rim is about 20 miles south of Port Arthur on Hwy 87. There no other entrance since Hurricane Ike washed out the road to Galveston. The park also saw heavy damage in the storm, wiped out all above ground structures. Managers house, Asst mgr. house, all the walkways from the parking facilities to the beach. They just reopened last year with very limited resources.
      I have friends here that work camp for camping place with hook-ups. Jim and Sharon have been doing this since last year for the winters. Jim does maintenance around the park, including building fences and washing vehicles or anything else Manager Terry mentions. We had a nice visit last evening right after the sunset. Sharon walks the beach about everyday and picks up trash that washes in to the shore.
   Sea Rim park is pretty desolate with limited visitors, because of its location. Much needs to be done to bring it back as it was before the hurricane. One thing I know they offered before the hurricane was Air boat rides.
     Highway 87 from Port Arthur goes right through the oil refinery I was told this will be the largest oil refinery in the world when it is completed. It is very large now, and I wouldn't have believed I was on the correct road if Jim had not advised me it goes through the refinery. Just beyond the refinery is the Inter coastal waterway with big ships and barges bringing oil to the plant. There were also Shrimp boats and other industries along the inter coastal.
     Just for your information Port Arthur STINKS, I mean literally stinks, it bothered my breathing I don't know how the locals get along. Maybe they just get used to the chemicals in the air.

Ship on Inter coastal waterway Hwy 87 Texas

Cattle along Hwy 73 East of Houston, TX

Twilight at Sea Rim Park with hurricane damaged walkway.

Sunset at Sea Rim the black band is smoke from a brush fire.

Last day in Rockport

      Yesterday I went to the Rockport Beach and fed the Sea Gulls. I spent about 4 hours here just relaxing and reading my Nook. I also went to a Blockbuster video store that is closing. I was looking for two movies to add to the collection. The movies are DAVE this is a Kevin Kline movie about standing in for the President and the other is the THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT with Michael Douglas and Annette Bening. Didn't have either one. No wonder they went out of business.
        Back to  the campground for Happy Hour with the gang. After fellowship I said my goodbyes and expect to be on the road by 8:00 this morning.

This bird also showed up to see if what I was feeding the gulls was fit.

     I will be moving north and east this morning toward Sea Rim state park along the LA and TX border.

Today I will be ....... Driving Ms Daisy