Spring Western Trip 2017: Gouvereur to Joplin, MO

Judy and I have decided its time for another road trip with the RV.  We have several reasons.  One, it is a way to see friends and relatives we would not normally catch up with.  Second, I have a son and sister on the west coast that give us a reason to travel.  Third, we have the time. And finally, we enjoy traveling.  Its our hobby.

Our normal pattern is to take an extended trip in September and October and then a shorter trip in April.  However, because of a delayed front porch construction project at the house, we didn’t travel much last Fall.  So this trip is catchup time with our western friends and relatives. 

We aren’t the road warriors we used to be.  We try to limit our daily drives to 250 or 300 miles, which is 4 to 5 hours.  And then every few days we like to take a break and stay in the same place for a couple days to decompress.  It takes longer to cross the US, but hey, we have the time.

Friday, 3/31:  332 miles and camped at the Jonestown KOA:

Today was my Dad’s 96th birthday.  He is living at the Maplewood Assisted Living Home in Canton.  I took a couple boxes of birthday donuts over for breakfast to celebrate.  Back home, we finished last minute packing and were on the road by noon.  It rained all the way to Jonestown, sometimes heavy, and so it was a bit of a stressful drive to Jonestown.  But, there is nothing more soothing than listening to rain falling on the camper roof.  We slept well that night.

Saturday, 4/1 and Sunday 4/2:  265 miles and parked in the driveway of son Matt and family.

It was a cold and foggy drive across I-68.  After we were parked in Matt’s yard, we noticed a flat tire on the camper.  Oh no!  This is not a good start for a seven week trip.  Fortunately Matt found a Sears Auto Center that was nearby and was open on Sunday.  Come to find out, it was a freak stone puncture that we acquired pulling into Matt’s driveway.  For twenty dollars and a couple hours of time, we were fixed and back in business.  As always, it is great to see Matt and Jaime and the kids.  They grow up so fast.  It was a nice visit.

Monday, 4/3:  302 miles and staying at the Richmond, Indiana KOA:

It was a really pleasant drive from the mountains of West Virginia to the flat farmlands of Ohio and Indiana.  This KOA was a very nice small campground with a wonderful and friendly owner couple.  The weather was overcast and 65 when we arrived.  However, the rain started as soon as we set up, and it rained most of the evening.  We were nearly the only ones at the park.

Tuesday 4/4:  331 miles and camping at the Granite City/St. Louis KOA:

We arrived about 1:00 PM and quickly set up.  This KOA was a green oasis in the midst of an industrial area.  It was very nice and the staff was super friendly.

I’ve become fascinated from my previous travels about the artifacts left by the First Peoples in America.  I had visited several sites on my previous solo trips, and have read the book called 1491.  Come to find out, the Cahokia Mounds were only a 15 minute drive from the campground.  So we drove over and spent a couple hours at the museum and mounds.  There are over 120 earthen mounds of different sizes and purposes.  Between 1050 and 1150 AD, the “city” had an estimated population of 10-20,000.  By 1400 AD, the area was abandoned, probably due to over population and depletion of resources.  We found the museum and mounds fascinating.

Wednesday, 4/5:  341 miles and parked at the KOA in Joplin, Missouri:

The trip to Joplin was filled with high winds and heavy rain.  In fact, when we arrived at the campground, their power was out.  Fortunately, it was restored a couple hours later.  The park was nearly empty.  We had a pull through site that was level, so we never even unhooked the truck from the camper.

Tomorrow we are off to Oklahoma.