Friday, August 2 and Saturday, August 3, 2019, Move to Clarksville, TN

The move from Hollister, MO, to Clarksville, TN, was more than we were willing to tackle in one long travel day so Joani found a Walmart that allowed overnight stays in Dexter, MO, to break up the trip. First, we needed some diesel and we found a Kroger fuel center that could not have been more perfectly placed. I parked off to the side of the lot while Joani headed inside to purchase some gift cards (at 4x points). With points in hand, we pulled up to the pumps and filled up at an average of $1.84 per gallon! 

A few more miles down the road we found the Walmart. It was very conveniently located and we were able to park in the shade. After 242.9 miles (94,772.3 total), I was ready for the break. What I did not understand was why we were the only ones staying overnight at what had to be our best Walmart experience to date.

The next day we continued east on Missouri highway 60 which eventually became I-57. We left the Interstate highway on the much smaller highway 62. As we neared the border, the road became narrower with not even a hint of a shoulder. Big rig trucks were coming from the other direction so I reasoned the road must be OK. I just had to steel my nerves and take it slowly. The road took us to a sketchy looking bridge that crossed the Mississippi River. I'm not sure there was much more than a few inches between us and the bridgeworks - it was a good thing there were no pedestrians - my mirror might have whacked them.

Immediately following that rickety bridge into Illinois we turned right and headed across another early 1900's vintage bridge over the Ohio River. I'm pretty sure we will take whatever route, however many extra miles we need to avoid crossing those bridges again. Another 20 miles of narrow, shoulderless road and we reached I-24 and a much-needed rest stop.

The rest stop was quite a sight with the facilities inside an old mansion and expansive grounds and gardens where Sam was able to work out some of the tension from the drive.

Holy cow! This is the rest stop just inside the Kentucky border in Paducah.

We finally reached the Clarksville RV Park after 171.5 miles (94,943.8 total) of road I would prefer to never see again in our travels. I was so grateful Joani added the overnight at Walmart, I'm not sure I could have managed that 420 miles in one day!

One of my friends from high school, Paul, and his wife, Janice, live near Clarksville and agreed to visit. We had only briefly met one time in the past 45 years so we had a lot to catch up on while we had some BBQ and talked about life on the road fulltime. 

Joani's brother, Steve and his wife, Jane, live in Clarksville, TN, so we planned a few days stay to see them as well. Their daughter, our niece, Kristy was down from St. Louis, so we were able to see her too. They taught us how to play Hand and Foot and we had a great time until late into the evening.

I had such a great time with my big brother, Steve, his wife Janie and my niece (their daughter) Kristy.