Lots of rain but I made it to Texas

It was a tough driving day with almost 6 hours of solid rain. I managed to make it to Bloomington Illinois but realized it was early and kept going down to Springfield. The Cracker Barrel was accommodating and had good food.

I dined on the breaded shrimp and vegetables.

As with most of the Cracker Barrels, this one was near the highway and had the noise that accompanies that proximity. I was far too tired to notice the noise and woke up early enough to leave and have a good start on the long drive.

Will Rogers Downs KOA

I made it to the KOA north of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was at a Casino and a horse race track, but the races don’t start until March. I would have had an excellent campsite at trackside.

Shopping for good food so I would eat healthier.

It was a good place to stop and fill up with water and go grocery shopping.

A good and healthy stir fry.

It was very nice to be able to cook again. The couple of days where I ate out had an effect even though the food was tasty.

Back to big sky country.

It was good to be warmer and not to worry about getting too far below freezing.

The panorama.
KOA Will Rogers Downs Tulsa OK - a sunset
Still not adjusted to the time zone change – the sunrise.

I woke early and packed up. I managed to get out of there quite early hoping to make it fairly far south and into the warmth.

Ray Roberts Lake State Park TX - bus and trailer
Dougs bus and my rig parked at Ray Roberts Lake State Park the Isle Du Bois campground.

Doug and I finally met up. We’ve been travelling in similar areas over the years and have been as close as 50 miles from each other but going the opposite directions. This time we managed to meet in Texas at the Isle Du Bois campground of the Ray Roberts Lake State Park. That was a terrific time to catch up.

Ray Roberts Lake State Park TX - on the fishing pier
Doug on a fishing pier.

Unfortunately the weather was still quite chilli and it had rained all night. Fortunately we missed the big part of the storm. We had a long walk exploring the park trying to avoid the muddy areas. Part of the park had also been flooded out, but not our equestrian area campground.

Ray Roberts Lake State Park TX - Doug and Pierre
Using the trailer to block the wind, we enjoyed about an hour of good sunshine.

We were lucky that by noon the sun was shining. We drove around Sanger and Pilot Point Texas and bought wine and beer to enjoy later that evening. We managed to get an hour of sunshine while sitting outside the trailer when we returned.

Ray Roberts Lake State Park TX - the dam
The Ray Roberts Dam that makes the lake.

It was great to finally meet up with Doug and enjoy each other’s company. I’m sure we’ll see him this summer at home. The night temperature dropped to just below freezing and I worry about the water – but once again it all worked out. The morning was sunny and the journey West started.