Reynolds, IL - MD

Friday - A short travel day to Reynolds, IL. Thanks were dumped and the water tank filled. We are moochdocking in a driveway with a 15amp shore power connection. I have the Victron set to 14 amp max and I’m currently running the A/C using power assist. Solar is providing most of the extra current so even after several hours of running, the batteries are still at 100%. When the compressor shuts off, the fan stays on and the batteries get charged back up. We’ll try keeping the A/C running this evening. It has been windy all afternoon at 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph.

BTW, the worst roads we’ve run into so far are in Illinois. The road repairs run straight across the road and are every couple of feet. Lots of dodging potholes and poorly done repairs. There are a ton of loose screws in the RV right now. I need to pick up some glue and toothpicks. 

Saturday - We went to a farmers market just across the Iowa border. I picked up a few things that looked tasty and had a Cuban sandwich for lunch. Toasty, and delicious! We then hit up Costco, Walmart, and Target. But I still forgot glue and toothpicks. It is pleasantly cool today but still kind of windy. No A/C needed. A very relaxing day.

Sunday - After a cool night (44°F), it warmed up pretty quickly. We went to a mini-golf club place this afternoon as well as a couple of antique shops. 

The RV project was simply installing this handle on the screen door. There really wasn’t a great place to grab the screen door especially since it is mounted low. Low as in two steps down inside the RV. This makes it easy to close the screen door or keep it from getting caught by the wind.

 

Hannibal, MO - SP

Thursday - I was thinking of doing the morning test session outside but too many bugs. After the session was canceled, we drove into Hannibal, MO, to get some chores done and maybe pick up a few groceries.

This is the Mississippi River from downtown Hannibal. There is a small riverboat that does tours. We went into town for lunch right across the street from the Mark Twain Museum. I believe that Hannibal is his hometown. 

We wandered around town a little, but it is pretty warm and humid to walk too much. I'm just not used to the humidity.

We didn't go on the riverboat tour or spend time at the Mark Twain Museum. Maybe if we were planning to spend the entire day in Hannibal, we might have visited some of the touristy sites. We arrived back at the state park in time for me to participate in the afternoon test session.

Into Missouri - HH, SP

Tuesday - We left the campground around 9 and crossed into Arkansas around Fort Smith before heading north. Arkansas does not seem “traveler-friendly” as rest areas are almost nonexistent.   We finally stopped at a Bass Pro/Target parking lot for lunch and to pick up a couple of grocery items for tonight’s dinner. 

We are staying at the Missouri Route 66 Welcome Center. We found this location on Harvest Hosts. It is a huge test area with lots of truck/RV parking, so I suspect it may be a bit noisy. But that’s fine. We have open sky above us, so StarLink should work well. 

The picnic sites and the little visitor center are all Route 66-themed. It's a nice stop after 330 miles of mostly interstate driving. 

Tomorrow is a much shorter day at 188 miles to another state park. And we will be there for a couple of days. This is a very laid-back trip. Which I am very appreciative of, as I’m trying to recover from a cough. 

At 10pm, the batteries are at 87%, and we made dinner using the microwave and watched TV for several hours. StarLink is set to sleep at midnight. We’ll see what the batteries are tomorrow morning. 

Wednesday - A relatively short travel day at 190 miles, though it seemed longer. We had to disconnect the Jeep at the gas station as it was kind of cramped. That’s a real disadvantage for a gas RV. The diesel truck lanes are much roomier. Fortunately, it doesn’t take very long to disconnect and then worm my way out around all the parked cars. 

We are at a state park in northeast Missouri, and it is pretty nice. Concrete pad, and the full hookups are nice to have as it’s in the mid-80s (°F). Being able to run the A/C is nice. We are stopping here for a couple of days before heading to our destination in northwestern Illinois.

The batteries were at 73% this morning, and between the solar and the DC-DC charger, we were at 100% quickly. 

Canadian, OK - SP

Sunday - A short travel day from Ada, OK, to a state park near Canadian, OK. We stopped here to visit family, about an hour or so away. The campground is pretty empty. The water level of the lake is really high, with the picnic area completely flooded, but the campground is located on a ridge overlooking the lake. We met Bridget’s niece for dinner in Eufaula, a small town north of the state park. A decent Mexican restaurant with the best carnitas I’ve had in a long time. 

Monday - The state park is on a large lake. I'm not sure of the name of the lake. The water appears really brown due to the runoff from the recent rain. The water level is really high though the campground is located on a ridge overlooking the lake. This picture is taken from what I believe may be the camp host site, as the site is chained off from the road.

We head out tomorrow morning, heading into Missouri.