June 29, 2015 - Monday

Got into a fight today.  There was yelling, screaming, name calling and tears.  The reason for the fight?  My TomTom sent me to the middle of nowhere!!  I plugged in "Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri" and off I went.  when the pavement ended and the directions where to go down a road that looked like it might require 4 wheel drive the yelling began.


I turned around and ignored the repeated directions to make a u-turn and back out to the highway.  Found a sign to Fort Leonard Wood.  Took I-44 and found a sign that said there was a security gate ahead and to be prepared to be inspected.  Hmmm.

Fort Leonard Wood is an army base.  While I knew that there was a portion of it that was I thought that there was a town around it.  There's not. 

I tried nervously to explain to the uniformed man (uniformed men make me very panicky) with a big gun (makes me even more panicky) who was scanning my driver's license that I was born there and was just curious to take a look.  It requires a background check and there is not a town and NO YOU CAN'T TAKE A PICTURE.  He allowed me to turn around and scoot away.  I got down the road and pulled off to put in my next destination.  TomTom kept telling me to turn around BACK TO THE GUARDED GATE!!!  That is when there was more screaming and the tears.

Looking at a map on my tablet, Fort Leonard Wood does look like it is in the middle of nowhere and the first directions that I was sent to would have put me coming into the Fort on an unauthorized road where I no doubt would have been SHOT!

Back on the road I realized how much the landscape looks so similar to Oregon.  The difference is the roadkill.  While I am tempted to take pictures of the different roadkill I don't want this blog to become macabre.  The roadkill in Missouri is turtles.  Box turtles.  Managed not to hit any of the live ones crossing the road.

 Anyway, I am in Tupelo, Mississippi and headed to St. Petersburg, FL where I got offered a job today.

June 28, 2015 Sunday

Stayed in Springfield, MO for several reasons.  A pending storm, didn't want to drive and because I couldn't decide where to go next.  Went to a meeting at the Kingdom Hall and met a lady from Oregon who had been to St Petersburg, FL.  Why is this relevant?  Well, two flood companies who have called are from St Petersburg, FL.  When looking at google maps it looks like a whole lot of concrete and big city and humidity. 

Side note, the humidity in Missouri is high and my hair is quite frizzy.  Making me a little cranky when I look in the mirror.  Anyway, I was try to decide if I should drive to St Pete.  The lady I met had a very favorable impression of it.  So off to St Pete tomorrow, and the next day, and maybe the next- about a 16 1/2 hr drive and heading east will loose another hour.

Was just going to chilax in the motel but decided to go check out the Fantastic Caverns:

A lovely 60 degrees, stalagmites and staltites and a number of other geological terms.
 

 A group of 13-18 year old girls in 1867 explored the caves.  Their names are listed on this rock, sorry kinda blurry.  They had a candle in a can to light their way and had to crawl through a narrow openings and over rocks.  Girl power!

 They had musical concerts in the have - included talents such as Buck Owens (too funny, I had such a crush on him as a kid HEE HAW).

Only critters seen were crickets but there are also bats, blind fish & blind salamanders.

June 27, 2015 - Saturday

3 States 9 1/2 hours, many miles

 

Wish I could bottle the air as a reminder of the different places.  One town in Colorado had the freshest, sweetest smell.  Not so much with Lamar, CO where I spent last night.  It didn't have any unusual smell when I arrived, but OH MY what the morning brings!  It was like a cattle stockyard and it lasted for 22 miles! Another place in Kansas had a very pleasant, fresh air too.

Passed the continental divide in Colorado and the temperatures have been mid 80's but a little more humidity.  Not too many pics.  Ran into interesting critters - road kill, like an armadillo.  His little legs sticking straight up in the air.  Didn't stop for a picture.  Once section there were FROGS !!!!!crossing the road.  Any one who knows my history with these EVIL creatures knows there was quite a bit of screaming and freaking out going on.

 Little bunny!  So cute!  Kansas 

Currently in Springfield, Missouri.  Will visit Fort Leonard wood, Missouri tomorrow - birth place of one Lj Feasel (formerly known as Linda Jane McCluggage).

What' the difference between a national park and a monument?

While you can find similar landscape in the two if nearby, you have to pay usually to get into a national park whereas a monument you don't.  There is a lot more people in a park than a monument.  So what is the attraction of a park?  Well, for those of us who may occasionally hike, but are not hikers a park is designed for ease and convenience.  Hike averaging less than 3 miles (although there are some longer).  You drive on pavement up to the attraction, short little walk and there you are.

A monument you will drive 57 miles on gravel and some parts, 7 miles the brochure said but correct that to 17, and you get one site.  Then you have to hike 8 miles one way through rugged terrain to view the really cool stuff that you drive to in a park.

So, if you occasionally hike - but aren't a hiker; occasionally four-wheel - but aren't a four-wheeler; adventure - but aren't an adventurer (I have just described myself and am in jeopardy of having Subaru reposes my car for not living up to the image), then you may want to opt for the more crowded national park and pay the $10.

The pics from yesterday was from the monument, these are from the park and on the way to the park:

          Follow the leader 

& balancing rock

 

The rocks are so fragmented it seems like they could fall away at any moment


and they often do...

  
The immensity of the landscape is awe-inspiring.  I wonder what brings people to these lands and what they think when they leave?


I am in Grand Jct, Colorado and trying to decide where to go.  The southland is on fire with temps, the north has tornado, thunderstorms and flashflood warning.  I'm thinking I should have maybe chosen Canada to do a cross-country trip!

June 24, 2015 - Wednesday  Yesterday drove from Jerome, ID to Beaver, UT about 410 miles, 6 hours which seemed longer than the day before for some reason.  Did a little geocaching, hit Salt Lake City and today went to Grand Staircase Escalande Monument.

 Snake River - looked for a geocache unsuccessfully, it was a small film case - so not my type of cache = ), really like the big ones that are hidden under an obvious pile or one that kinda sticks out like this next one...

Some desert critters

 Some of the views of the park

 The colors were amazing, especially with my sunglasses on, didn't show up quite as well with the camera.

 It's so odd how in one area there can be such different types of soils that created all this art.

 

 

June 22, 2015 - Monday
An early start 7:15, a 9 1/2 hour trip, 580 mile.  Made good time to be in Jerome, ID at 5:15 pm...except I didn't remember the time change - 5:15 became 6:15.  Almost my bedtime. = )

Some pretty sights in by side mirror but took 3 tries to the the mountain. 

Then I joined a convoy, a Subaru convoy (well it was 3 of us and as far as I could tell with my brown tinted sunglasses they looked brown). 

After getting to Jerome went to the Shoshone Falls and grabbed a few pics.






Next stop Beaver, NV.

I am pulling a Forest Gump and "running" across the country...driving across the country really, but it won't be in a straight line.  Taking off on June 22.

The original plan was to camp part of the time, seemed like a reasonable plan...until I did a test camping trip in my back yard.  Got an "instant" tent that is suppose to go up in minutes.  EXCEPT if your name is Lj.  How it is that I can tackle some fairly difficult tasks and yet have difficulty putting up an "instant" tent is beyond comprehension.  I started off with trying to open it while it was upside down.  It didn't make sense to me that the mechanics would be on the outside because it would be subject to weather and be subject to corrosion.  WRONG.  Finally got it right side up and well 1 minute wasn't quite right but it was fairly easy.  This was the outer frame and then a series of buckles and clips set up the tent portion.  Then the cot and the necessary accessories to make for a comfy bed.

After all that was done I took a nap but not in the tent, it was too hot.  Evening dawned (can an evening dawn or just dawn dawn?) and I climbed into the tent and into my cot.  Well after a couple of trips back into the house for varying things I lay waiting for sleep that didn't come, such sadness.  A bum knee and a low cot and no stable walls and the whole task of putting up and furnishing the tent was too much.  Then breaking down the tent solidified my decision that I am not the camping sort.

Motels R Us will be my accommodations with a last resort of a Wal-mart parking lot.