Making Tracks With An Accident Delay.

Our Location today is Sullivan, Missouri, U.S.A.

Just after posting last night’s Blog we found out that the Truck Parking Area at the Pilot in Daleville, Indiana was located within a Hundred Feet of a Highspeed Rail-Line. We were so tired that when our heads hit the pillows we didn’t hear a thing outside of our own breathing. 

I-70 west heading for Indianapolis.

When we woke just before 8:00 this morning it felt comfortable enough that the 41 F (5 C) wasn’t that bad compared to what we had experienced the last few days in McGregor. We however both woke up feeling Stuffy. It was at that moment that I remembered not having put any Distilled Water in our CPAPs last night. That meant the air we were breathing was dry and caused the stuffiness that we would suffer with for the rest of the day. 

Indianapolis Skyline.

After getting the CPAPs packed for travel we walked back up to the Denny’s restaurant to have our breakfast. We took our time making eating at a leisurely pace. Our only objective today was to travel far enough that we wouldn’t be freezing at night or have to cycle the Furnace. 

Another Cloudy Day.

We were back on I-69 heading south by 9:20 and after a brief potty stop we turned west onto I-70 that took us towards St. Louis. 

Welcome to Illinois, the land of Lincoln.

Seeing a sign for Cracker Barrel ahead around 12:30 we stopped to have lunch. Cracker Barrel is known for having Bus and RV Parking but as usual with the number of Cars taking up those spots we had to find a clear spot along their curb to park. We both enjoyed their Ruben Sandwich with a small dish of their Baked Apples as the side. 

The St. Louis Arch from I-70.

Back on I-70 before long we were winding our way through the maze of highways going through St. Louis itself. The route we planned on taking was to I-44 then over to I-40 which will bring us across the northern tip of Texas. We had already figured where we would stop for fuel before continuing on but that all changed. The Electronic Billboards on the side of the Highway told the story. It took and Hour and a Half to drive Five Miles due to a Major Accident. When we passed the Wrecked 18-Wheeler just hanging on to the destroyed Guard Rail that prevented it from going into the gorge below. Unfortunately, when Kathy used the Point and Shot Camera to take pictures of the mess she accidently zoomed in. No decent pictures other then the destroyed Guard Rail and the Response Vehicles. 

We were so tired after that when we saw the Flying J at Sullivan, Missouri show up in our sight we called it a day. Looking at our watches it was nearly 5:00 EST when we walked in to the Denny’s Restaurant. Knowing there was a Time Zone Change coming up we asked our waitress the time. 3:51 CST. We were still too tired to push on and besides I had to check a few things on the truck. For supper Kathy enjoyed a wonderful Grilled Chicken Salad while I had a Chicken Philly Sandwich with no Fries. We also both enjoyed a cup of their Chicken Noodle Soup. 

Emergency Response Clean up.

After parking ourselves along a curb near the RV Parking Area we were able to fully open the Bedroom Slide and partially open the Dining Room Slide. Last year on our first southwest trip we had a problem with our Closet. Jayco had used cheap wooden doweling to act as Clothing Rods. When the Rods broke our Clothes pushed the Mirrored Door out of the track. Since that happen we can’t go anywhere without it coming out of the track. Jayco insists that our Structural Issue has nothing to do with it. We travelled some bumpy roads today but nothing compared to some in the past. When we opened the Bedroom Slide the Mirrored Closet Door that normally pops out of the track was Cracked almost diagonally. Now what’s Jayco going to say?  

What's left of the Guardrail that stopped the Semi
from going into the gorge.

Kathy busied herself logging in our purchases into our Expenditure Spreadsheet while I went outside to check things on the Truck. 

Something we haven't seen in days, the Sun.

We didn’t need to stop for fuel today which is odd, so I had to check to make certain the Ball Valves from the Auxiliary Fuel Tank were closed. What I found was things had shifted in that Cabinet and the Main Valve was partially open. Not what I wanted. Yesterday when we left McGregor all our lights were working properly. This afternoon the Parking Lights to the Trailer stopped working. We had Signal/Brake Lights but no Parking Lights. The Truck Lights are working perfectly. When I checked the Owners Manual I found the location to the Auxiliary Relay Power Box is located under the Hood under the Coolant Overflow Bottle. Since Flying J doesn’t carry this particular style of Fuse, guess what I’ll be doing somewhere down the road. 

The crack starts on the Upper Left Side
and goes to the bottom right corner..

This evening we are sitting here in 79 F (26 C) temperatures with most of our windows open. The Temperature will be cooling down but we won’t need our heavy Bedcover to sleep tonight. Even with the accident delay we still managed to drive 363.7 Miles today. Now that we are in the warmer temperatures we can slow down and take our time getting to the Deserts of Arizona. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Words of Inspiration

One joy scatters a hundred griefs.

Chinese Proverb