Crossing Country

[Bduck]

Doing a trip across country mainly going to travel into southern states. Passed thru Blue Mesa, Co yesterday and never realized how large that lake actually is. It must be at least 25mi long. Sure wish my boat was in tow. [] Our goal is to get to Louisiana, check some sites as we travel thru to Florida. My high school stomping grounds is in Huntsville, Ala., my birth state is Florida and my wife's is Washington DC. We are hoping to go northbound and along the eastern seaboard to DC before making our way back west.
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[wiperhunter2]

Hey Roger, haven't heard from you in a while, good to see you finally retired! Sounds like a great trip you are taking. I did a similar trip the year I retired but I went North an hit the New England states and finally finished my bucket list of hitting all 50 states. Yea, Blue Mesa is a huge lake, bigger than I thought it was as well, hopefully I'll fish it one day[:/]. Good luck on your trip, sounds like you will be hitting a lot of different states before you get back. Let me know when you get back, maybe we can get together and do some fishing.
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[fmrusmc]

That sounds like a great trip! Im a native floridian myself. I only spent 3 months there after i was born before we were relocated to MCRD San Diego.
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[albinotrout]

Gotta love road trips. Stay safe![cool]
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[Bduck]

Stayed in Pueblo, Co last and rolled into Oklahoma City tonight. My wife & I use to live here. We relocated in 1997 when McClellan AFB in Sacramento closed and I worked at Tinker AFB for 2yrs before relocating back to the west and Hill AFB. We drove mainly away from the interstates but decided a last minute change when we came to I-40 in Oklahoma. Today's trip included driving thru Dodge City, KS. Mostly all towns were shutdown with no activities going on. When driving thru small towns, noticed how run down they were in, indicating a poor economy and a step back in time like I was visioning towns in the south when I was growing up in the 60's. The first pic is a sunrise on the Plains leaving Pueblo, Co. Next is just a couple of Dodge City pics. I'll try to post my daily adventure. No guarantee since I can get lost in my own time. [] this trip doesn't have a set "things to do" once we get to our locations. It's winging it after we get there, checking with Travel Centers to pick up brochures. This is the first time we decided to do this in this manner. There is maybe 1 or 2 sides we have thoughts on something in our to do list.
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[Kent]

Sounds like a great trip. Are you in a motor home, pulling a 5th wheeler or staying in motels?
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[Bduck]

Good morning to all. A new day a new start. Was hoping to hear from a friend I have hear but they are out of town. Besides it was a last minute decision to slip in here in OK City.

We are traveling in my wife's Cadillac Escalade. We can cover more ground and making the stops when we need until we get into the deep south. Staying at motels and getting a refreshing start is not so bad. We usually tow a travel trailer but this is a long trip and having the accommodations makes it easy especially for the wife with a disabling disease she has. Besides no unscheduled maintenance to do with the towing possibilities.[]
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[riverdog]

Thanks for the pics. I haven't been to Dodge City (as well as Ike's Birthplace in that neck of the woods) since I was about 10. I just drove 2400 miles. Unfortunately much of it was on I-80. The view was 90% corn for about 1000 miles starting in western Nebraska. Can't imagine why we have an obesity problem when corn is subsidized to the point that a 2L coke ( 1L corn syrup) can go for 99cents.
So are you driving straight on I-40 to Huntsville or are you getting off the beaten path? Plenty of remnants of Route 66 from there up to Joplin and Carthage MO area. If you divert north George Washington Carver Nat Monument isn't too far south of old Rt 66. The spring fed pond there still had trout the last time I stopped. Could then cut through and see some of the Ozarks including Branson or the reservoirs and rivers there. Just remember Missouri and Arkansas have a different definition of mountains than the rest of the country. Not much on 40 itself except dry rub BBQ and Graceland in Memphis.
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[Bduck]

We left OK City and since it was on the way, we stopped off for a few minutes to check our old domain. We were surprised it was up for sale. Our house was a 2000sqft ranch home sitting on 1 1/3 acres. We left going down the road out to the interstate and paid tribute to our pet Sheltie that passed on after we moved to Oklahoma in 97'. The first pic here is our previous home. Next is one of the local residence that's running all over the place, not a very good pic but enough to make out. Finally, this last pic of a map of southwest Arkansas of Provo, Ogden, & Ben Lomond. Did I go around in a circle and leave Utah?[] We are in Shreveport, Louisiana for the night. Our sightseeing at this point will be along I-20 all the way over to Montgomery, Alabama and then north to Huntsville. One stop I'm hoping to make is the Fire & Feast BBQ competition in Yazoo City, Miss Sept 6. Not far off my beaten path.
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[Bduck]

We were going to hang around Shreveport for a while but a couple of the locals suggested moving on to Monroe. The route we are taking is better inline with to do things and it was only 1 1/2hr drive so off we went. The first place we stopped was where the Duck Dynasty warehouse and checked out their gift shop. Didn't do any heavy spending but picked a couple of things that will get used. Next we went to do some wine tasting and walked out with some wine and jellies. Finally took a ride to the Black Bayou Lake game preserve. We have been getting caught in between thunderstorms all day but getting caught on a nature walk in a bayou during storms cuts time off from visit.
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[Kent]

Lived in Bossier City, (next to Shreveport) for awhile. I also spent considerable time in Monroe auditing a telephone company. Would like to visit that area again some day.
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[Bduck]

Hi all, today's adventure leads to leaving Monroe, Louisiana and going into Mississippi. Crossing over the mighty Mississippi River into Vicksburg. There it was a National Military Park, the 47 day siege of Vicksburg during the civil war. This self tour took us approx 4 1/2hrs. Included was 20min presentation film at welcome center and a drive thru the battle ground. As I drove thru it started in union line eventually wrapping around into the confederate lines. One thing I noticed of how there were more statues on the confederate side than on the union side. An iron clad USS Cairo that was actually torpedoed and sunk was found and raised in 1964.
Here's a few pics to share with you.
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[Bduck]

Made our way into Huntsville, Alabama. This is my high school stomping grounds. After 43yrs it's definitely not the same. I even found one of the lots where I use to live. The house is no longer there. A store that was next door was replaced with a community building in Lick Skillet, Alabama. Remembering back this place was actually on the old maps. Since, we have traveled down I-75 thru Central Georgia to I-10 east to Jacksonville, Florida. After milling about there started heading up north this time along Atlantic coast I-95 and decided to check out a plantation.
This plantation dates to the 1720's, with main house still standing and remnants of 25 small slave houses. There also is some inhabitants there in form of a banana spider which I came close to walking into, non poisonous but the fact that monster was about to give me a kiss. The other is a gopher tortoise. Next travel stops is the Carolina's and then we start making our way home
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[wiperhunter2]

Is this the first time you have been back to your home town, since high school? Sounds like a good trip so far.
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[Bduck]

Yea Curt, last time I was in Alabama was 1971. As the story goes for Florida, my birth state, mom told me I was 6mo old when we left, that was 1954. And there you go my age.
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[wiperhunter2]

Same age as my wife then, must have been a good year[]. How has the humidity been there in Ala?
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[Bduck]

Can't argue with year, after all the born on date is a given. The humidity has been terrible all thru the south. We are staying in New Port City outside of Knoxville, Tenn in the Great Smokey Mountains tonight. It has been raing heavy at times since we entered the Smokeys. We are on the westward swing heading back to Utah. Going to veer north a little to align ourselves with a straight in shot from here. But, looking to hit a Bass Pro Shop and Cabelas. [fishon]
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[wiperhunter2]

So are you taking I-80 back?
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[Bduck]

We are on I-70 and in staying tonight in Columbia, Missouri. Not sure about yet about I-80. Found out Wyoming is doing allot of road work.
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[wiperhunter2]

Over the years I have taken every major freeway from here to Ala just to see what that part of the county has that is different, from I-90 to I-10 they all have some good parts to them but I-70 always seemed like the most direct route back. Once we hit Denver we usually catch I-80 North into Wyoming mainly because it has the least amount of mountain driving but I-80 is good too, very scenic.
Being able to travel like that is awesome and there is so much to see across the USA. I always love to travel but it is sure nice to get home. I guess you will be back in a day or two?
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