Saturday and Sunday

April 30 and May 1     Driving through many rainy states


I forgot to mention yesterday - when in the campground in Byram, MS - you can hear the train whistles very close by, but they did not sound between 9pm and 5am.

Early Saturday morning I left Byram, MS headed out on I-55.  Some scattered showers, no heavy rain as I drove.  This route took me more west than I needed to be. With all of the rain in the area, I opted to stay on the major interstates and hopefully avoid flooded roads. I was on I-55 all day Saturday, ending up for the night in Sikeston, MO at Hinton RV Park, 2 blks from I-55 and one mile from I-57.

There is flooding near the town of Sikeston, the town did not flood but the surrounding countryside and farms did. Some of the people staying in the RV park were flooded out of their homes. The National Guard was set up in town to help out. I was told that they didn't have time to fill sandbags, and dumped truckloads of dirt at the end of a road, to create a temporary dam and keep the flooding out of the town. It rained most of the night Saturday and stopped by 5:00 am Sunday. I was on the road at 7am Sunday, I stopped to take pictures of the train depot in Sikeston and headed to I-57.

It was warm and humid, no rain this morning. It was foggy in some areas, on the bridge over the Mississippi River with all of the fog below, I could not see the water. I drove on I-57 until I reached Neoga, IL then I headed north on Hwy. 45, driving through small towns and following the railroad tracks and stopping in a few country stores.
This area is familiar to me as we would travel these roads on the weekends taking photos of trains, silos, old falling down barns, etc.
Today, May 1st, would have been my 35th wedding anniversary. 

I arrived home around 4:30 today.

Lots of mixed emotions today. Listening to the folks in Missouri talk about the flooding, reading about the number of deaths from the tornadoes in Alabama and other states last week.  Remembering happy times traveling with my husband.

Feeling very grateful to be able to follow my dreams and finishing the first trip of this journey. Feeling sad that I am doing it alone. Feeling proud that I am able to do it alone, although I am not really alone. Others have been very helpful.

Learning to ask for what I want and to repeat it when I am not being listened to. And learning to ask for help when I need it, instead of struggling.

It has been a great week and I can't wait until my next trip!

Beware of Illinois taxes:
I've been paying $3.69 to $3.89 for gas, here at home its $4.85.
Also, the IL tollway charged me double ($1.50) because I have 6 tires, I paid tolls in other states and they charged me the car rate. I was told that the I-Pass discount only applies to cars.

Have a good day, Teri