When we arose at 6 AM the temperature at our campground near Cripple Creek, CO was in the upper 30s, a bit nippy! With most of the packing done the night before, it didn’t take long to load the remaining items after eating a quick breakfast. We headed out of the Rockies and across the Plains with wind turbines and vast fields of corn and sunflowers. Once we crossed the state line into Kansas, gas became fifty cents cheaper.
Back in ‘89 when Bill was driving the country solo, he came across some interesting land formations he glimpsed from the highway in the middle of nowhere. He detoured to explore and came across what are known as the Chalk Pyramids. Since they were sort of on our way to our final destination of the day, we went off the main road and traveled a few miles on a dirt one. The rocks are pretty impressive! Even though they are on private land, the owners allow interested folk to stop and explore and photograph them. Towards the end of our time there Bill leaped across a small ditch to gain a better photographic view and inadvertently tore, probably partially, the arch of his foot with plantar fasciitis. He managed to finish was he was doing and hobbled back to the car. All we had were coolish ice packs so while I drove for an hour he tried to chill the inflammation.
After a stop for a quick lunch he continued on with the driving. The next stop was in Garden City for….Pie Five Pizza! It was late afternoon so we decided on the 11 inch pizzas, one for each of us, as the 9” that we had in Lubbock weren’t available. The thought was whatever we couldn’t finish would be our breakfast the next day. Well, we each had two slices for breakfast and another two, warmed on the dashboard, for lunch! That was enough pizza for quite a while, yet it was still yummy.
Dodge City, which looks nothing like Gunsmoke, was our campground that night. It was new with minimal shade and as we were the only tenters, we could choose whichever site we wanted. We opted for one across from the main building so the bathrooms would be close. I bought Bill a small sack of ice so he could ice his foot again and still have enough for later. As usual, we waited until almost dark when it was a bit cooler to put up the tent. Eventually a long truck pulled into a site up from us and after a phone call to the office, now closed, he moved to the site next to us. We chatted a bit and met his sweet cat Penny. She was allowed to explore the area but we all kept an eye on her so she couldn’t go too far. We were pleased Penny did come over and see us a couple of times. This man’s wife had died of lung cancer in April, he had retired a week ago, and was on his way to Florida. He might winter there but at some point will set sail on a 35’ boat and go up and down the east coast with Penny as his only remaining tie to his wife. Despite a faint aroma from the local stockyards, we managed to sleep ok and by morning the breeze had shifted.
That morning Penny explored our car three times. The first time Bill removed her without issue but the second time she was a bit resistant when I took her out, and the third time she hissed at me so I had her person do it. We got to “sit” her while her dad took a quick shower. It was fun to meet him and his companion who travels well and sleeps in the truck while he uses a one-person tent.
The Gypsum Hills scenic byway wasn’t very interesting but does have a few low mesas. Occasionally there were oil wells and we saw a pheasant crossing the road. When we stopped at 2 to pee, we each bought a Snickers ice cream bar which was decadent and tasty. Due to construction we had to take a detour which added an hour to our trip. We finally arrived in Joplin, MO and again were the only tent site being used. There was a threat of rain towards early morning so I knew I could sleep well until then. I woke up just before 6 to massive continual lightning flares in the distance. Radar showed an immense storm sliding southeast from us. Once again we were lucky. Soon after we were on the road again a blaring emergency alert startled me. It came from my phone to warn of flash flooding. Not to worry as we were leaving the area.
The drive for the day was pretty uneventful and our campground was not KOA this time. We arrived at Willow Beach in Arkansas at Terry Lock and Dam in the early afternoon. Again we were the only ones with tents and this time the sites were for any type of camping. There were two drawbacks despite the otherwise pleasant setting on a lake. The bathrooms were quite far and did not have AC. I was glad I had taken a shower that morning back in Joplin where there was. The second drawback was the mosquitoes. The price was right though at $9.50 with our national park discount and we had both electricity and water right there. We put up the tent in a dryish level spot as close to the post as possible so we could get the extension cord in the tent to run our fans.
Having time to spare and wanting AC we drove around the park and then headed to Kroger where we got some food and then perused a roadside market where we bought pickled beets and bag of homemade molasses cookies. Although it wasn’t quite 5:00 we had a very early dinner next door. We opted to sit alone in a side room. Despite the waitress wearing a mask, she got too close to us for comfort while taking our order. The food was good and we didn’t have to swat at mosquitoes while eating. That night there were more storm threats and despite some lightning a bit too close for my comfort, which I sat out in the car with some trapped mosquitoes, we never got more than a few sprinkles. I did have to pee in the night and chose to drive rather than walk a few minutes.
Without AC we didn’t bother with showers as it would just have been a sauna as in Fullerton. We cleansed with some special wipes Bill had purchased off Amazon and made do. Of interest that day, we saw three crop dusters seeming to have fun as they swooped and banked and sprayed the cotton fields. We also saw crops of what might have been soybeans, rice, and corn. The land was flat, flat, flat, like Flat Stanley, until we finally came to some rolling hills and woods. We borrowed a Baptist church parking lot again to have a picnic in the shade of tall tree with poison ivy around its base. Our KOA in Meridian East, MS was woodsy, and again we were the lone tent people. No office personnel were wearing masks! The pool was filled with people which I wouldn’t go near. Bill drove to Arby’s for a roast beef sandwich for dinner while I decided just to have cheese and crackers and an orange.
The next morning was surprisingly cool enough, 66 degrees, for a cardio walk while Bill slumbered. I did two laps around the campground, about a mile, and then did the next mile out on the road. After a shower in AC we continued and stopped in Eufaula, AL to take some pictures of the old mansions, famous in their day. Then it was on to Plains, GA where we had more peanut butter ice cream early in the afternoon. This time there was only one gnat pestering me while I enjoyed the cool deliciousness. We drove on to the welcome center, looked at the display regarding the Carters, and used the restrooms. The woman behind the desk said the Carters don’t get out and about the town much any more, especially with COVID-19.
The KOA in Americus, not much further down the road, had some gnats but not as many as I had feared from our previous stop in the area. This campground was on the edge of a golf course. Our tent site was right across from the restrooms with AC so even though we didn’t have water, it wasn’t an issue. In fact, with the hot water I was able to give the few used dishes a proper cleaning. We did have electricity though.
That night dinner was quite an issue. We decided to try Ruby Tuesday. We entered wearing our masks but saw the employees with inconsistent usage. While waiting to be seated we noticed the salad bar was in use and a patron without a mask serving herself. After several minutes the maskless hostess appeared, no apology for making us wait, and took us to a booth. She chose the only one with a gaping hole the size of a dinner plate in the bench! I asked for one without a hole and selected a booth I liked. Then the waitress, wearing a mask, came to take our drink orders. She had no idea how to say the names of any wines or spell them and had to return to the bar twice as none of the wines or beers we requested were available! While waiting for her to return I saw her in the distance with the mask down to her chin. After two failures she returned with a list of all wines and beers, most of which were not in stock! I finally requested water and Bill a boring beer. While we were waiting I saw her serve food to another table and she did not have on a mask at all! That was the final straw. I told Bill I didn’t feel safe eating there and we left. There was a Mexican restaurant across the road and they were very clear and consistent about their precautions. I felt much better there and we were able to enjoy our meals. Later, Bill emailed Ruby Tuesday’s corporate headquarters to register a complaint and I left a very negative review on Google.
In the morning I managed another cardio walk around the campground and then onto the pathway of the golf course. The gnats were annoying by the greens so I had to keep moving and waving my arms. Not long after we were on the road again, Bill got a phone call from Ruby Tuesday’s corporate headquarters! Amazing! He was quite horrified at Bill’s email and listened to all our complaints. He said he would get up to the restaurant in two days and either get the management straightened out or get new personnel. Wow! He also sent Bill a gift certificate to use at any other location.
We had just a few hours to get to our next and last camping site. After checking in there and finding our primitive camp site by the water amongst the trees, we drove further east to see Jekyll Island, paying $8 daily fee, and explored that a bit. The Spanish moss was everywhere and then some. The island is quite touristy and Driftwood Beach up at the north end looks like a war torn city with people coming to investigate. There is all sorts of driftwood and downed bare trees populating the sand.
By then it was time to make our way to St. Simon’s Island to meet the homeowners of our next pet sit. Kate and Kara gave us the tour and explanations of the condo and two partially sighted cats, 11 year old siblings. Everything looked comfortable and the river/marsh view off the back was refreshing. As Kate took us out the back to show us the storage area under the house, a young blue heron swooped in and landed on the reeds. She said that was quite a present!
Giving them time and space to finish getting ready for their early morning departure, we left them to it, stopped at Harris Teeter for a quick and easy sandwich, and drove back to our campsite to eat and set up the tent. Along the camp road a small armadillo ambled. As the only other people in our area were not visible and the bathrooms driving distance, I opted to make a cosy area my pissoir. Shortly after getting in bed I heard a noise out by the picnic table. We had been sure not to leave food out but a huge raccoon had come along to investigate. It was a bit skittish with the light from my headlamp, left, and when it returned I scared it away with a loud definite psssst. Off it scampered and I didn’t hear or see it again.
Of course, that was the only morning we woke to a wet tent, due to condensation, and we wouldn’t be using it for weeks. I wiped it down and when we got to the pet sit Bill set it up in the storage area to dry. We were going to enjoy living in AC for two weeks, use of a full kitchen, spread out a few belongings, and have a bathroom just a few steps away in the night!