California to Indiana

We awakened at 5:30 for some reason and could not go back to sleep. |I went in to shower and say goodbye again. I drove directly to Rexhall and Evelyn took the Saturn to the dealership for oil maintenance. I was here right on time but nothing was done for half an hour. I explained to everyone that we wanted to get back to Indiana ASAP and they agreed to hurry with us. I wonder how long we would have been here if they hadn’t hurried. They did fix the chair, and took the damaged awning off because the service chief said it would leak if we drove into rain as it was. They finally got to checking the battery drain about 1:30. Meanwhile Evelyn was delivered here by Saturn. We had agreed to pick the car up on our way out of town. While we waiting through the RV lunch hour, we drove over to dump at the most ill planned dump site I have ever seen. Evelyn was really disgusted as was I. After waiting all morning, we learned that the bifold that was to have been made and installed today had not even been made. It will have to be shipped to Decatur. This caused another delay because the lead man must call them and tell them what to order for us. I would have done it myself but don’t know the parts to ask for. It must be done correctly to get the extended warranty to cover it. We left there and went to get the clean, freshly serviced Saturn. We had to pay for the service but should get reimbursed from Saturn of McAllen. We drove out of Palmdale and went right on to I-15 until we reached I-40. We thought it best to skip the visit with the Maders but will call them when they return from Mexico. We had it in our minds to get out of CA today and made it to Kingman where we spent the night in the Wal-Mart. We were surprised to see another posted ordinance prohibiting overnight stays but there were 8 units parked there so we joined them. The local campground owners are delivering a lot of clout to the city fathers everywhere. It was after dark and I don’t like driving after dark while towing the car. But we got out of CA and away from $3.39 gasoline. I think things will get better as we go.
We got up very early and continued farther into Arizona. The weather was much cooler to our relief but there is a distinct and alarming lack of moisture all everywhere we have been. We learned it has not rained any to speak of since November in Weslaco. We have had nice tail winds so that has been a blessing and no trouble so far. We have noticed fuel prices declining since leaving CA : down past $3. We have been able to maneuver around the damaged awning roller we are taking to Decatur. I called Kelly RV and they said they would order the part. We hope it is ready to install when we arrive. I surprised Evelyn with a shrimp dinner we shared at noon and she made a salad for dinner. I am not fond of shrimp but can eat it and the French fries. Again we had to drive past dark and park in an empty lot. I would have stayed in a campground but it was too dark to find one. We went directly to bed around 9. We keep changing time zones and I forget what time it is. Does anyone really know what time it is?
Up and off at 7. We drove hard again and made it past Albuquerque to a small truck stop area called Clines Corners. There were several trucks there and it was quiet. We were impressed about the number of casinos in NM, although we should have reckoned with the native American population in the state. Only they are unregulated by federal laws governing gambling. NM is a poor state and looks very dirty but that is because it is desert. It is also understandable that there is nowhere for them to deposit their large junk items so they take it to a ravine. This also adds to the junky look of the landscape. But they really do use wonderful southwestern colors in their decor. Albuquerque is beautiful. Even their overpasses are beautifully decorated. Unfortunately for them, it is located in a bowl that makes it very hot there while it is comfortable 5 miles in any direction since that distance takes one to the top of nearby mountains. Once again it was dark when we stopped. I began to be concerned when I saw more than 6 deer grazing along the highway. It would have been disaster had one of them jumped out into our path. We played a game of Kings on the corner before retiring.
Wednesday we continued in NM, choosing to stop at the Tucumcari cheese factory where we have often bought cheese. This time we found that they had discontinued their retail business and the production of any type of cheese except feta. We bought a huge chunk of that, thinking Tom the Greek would help us eat it. We decided to eat out at noon and stopped at a Flying J for their big buffet. We succeeded in happily overeating. We are also finding fuel for $2.60 something per gallon. This was in both TX and NM. We have stopped at many truck stops to take advantage of the prices because we will need much more before returning to IN. We also filled the Saturn because we may not see prices this low again all summer. We found a Wal-Mart in Bristow, OK where we spent the night. We plan another driving day tomorrow although perhaps not as hard. Evelyn talked with her brother and learned that Mom has rallied a bit. The Lord may allow us to make it to her after all. He also said he had won the school board election he had entered. We hope he likes the job. It was disappointing to have to call the Maders to explain that we could not stop to see them in Nevada. They had been to Mexico to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with their adult children. We were all very close during the years John and I taught together in Indiana.
Thursday brought the realization that the storm we thought we heard last night was real. This was the first rain we had seen in 4 months. Most of the places we have visited had rain by the buckets until just before we arrived but were dry while we were there. We showered this morning (not something we do everyday while traveling) and drove on to get more “cheap” fuel. We stopped at every Flying J we came to because the prices hovered under the $2.70 mark. One time I bought propane at $1.99 thinking that was as low as I would find. Unfortunately, I saw a sign farther into MO for $1.49 unless I saw it wrong as I drove by. The highlight of the day was our stop for lunch at Lamberts restaurant, The Home of Throwed Rolls, in Springfield. It is always fun and filling to go there. A young man throws [sic] all the delicious hot yeast rolls you want to you virtually from the time you take your seat. He will fire them across the room or toss them into the air beside you but will never hand you one. Other freebees include molasses, black eyed peas, tomatoes and macaroni, fried potatoes mixed with onions, and fried okra. This is all in addition to the entree’ and two sides you order. Evelyn had chicken salad with candied yams and waldorf salad while I had two pork chops and the same two sides. There is so much freebee stuff that I didn’t even eat my pork chops but took them with us with a couple of rolls and the rest of Evelyn’s chicken salad. We both ate our yams and waldorf salad there. We drove on to a Russell Stover candy outlet and bought some candy to give to the caregivers at the nursing home in Berne. We drove on the Sullivan, MO where we stayed at a Wal-Mart. We went in and bought a watch to replace the one I broke last March. It is really challenging to drive so hard and long as we have been this week. I am generally entertained listening to talk radio and Christian tapes. Evelyn spends most of her time reading. We usually stop more frequently to stretch than we have since we are trying to get home sooner than we had originally planned. This can cause a stiffening of the back and legs. The blessing is that we can stop some and Evelyn can move around the coach as we drive.
We took off around 7 and drove to Teutopolis to meet with Don and Deana. They had decided to have lunch at their house so we could visit more easily and we did for about two hours. Their family is doing well. We were surprised to learn that they had been in TX when we went through San Antonio. We debated about going there but I had received an e-mail leading me to believe they had returned to IL. We left there and drove to the Indiana welcome center where we took a nap. We left and began listening to the Indy radio stations which told us that there were no fewer than 6 accidents in the city, one of which had traffic stacked up on I-465. We decided to try to skirt the city. We took 39 north but ran into a detour that directed us to 236 and then to 75. There was another detour forcing us to go farther out of our way. We ended up on 32 going through many small towns. The Lord did lead us to some $2.699 gas. He also led us to a route we had previously taken to Berne and Decatur. We arrived at the RV location and were shocked to see NO units waiting to be serviced. We suspected the place had closed or had been relocated. I had called them Monday telling them we would be coming for repairs this weekend. We checked the electric outlets and they were hot so we hooked up for the weekend. Shirley if you are still reading this, we have some Kahlua if you want to come to Decatur to get it. Ray, I miss your Saturday telephone calls. We will go to visit Mom Saturday morning.