Traveling from Minnesota to Texas
"In long-range planning for a trip, I think there is a private conviction that it won't happen" -- Steinbeck, TWC
On Wednesday, March 1, Jinny and I hooked up our travel trailer and began the 1,500-mile trip from Crookston, MN to Livingston, TX. The hussle and the bustle of the months leading up to the beginning of the trip finally led to the trip, itself. A blizzard was supposed to have blown through, but missed Crookston. There was a wind blowing from East, loading the east side of the road with thin drifts, but we were on the west side. Travel was slow, but continuous -- more than just a little like life, itself (with luck). We made it all the way down to Yankton, NE, where we got a room across the street from an awfully good buffet. For the first week, I've yielded to the temptation to let everyone know what day it was of my retirement. That was day one. I'm actually past the impulse, now. Night two, we spent in Wichita, KS. It was a lot warmer.
We entered OK at the beginning of day three. I asked the woman at the rest stop where she would recommend camping. Wow, did she get it right. She led us to Lake Murray State Park 25 miles north of the southern OK state line. Concrete pads, full hookups, woods, a great restaurant -- and a lake. We stayed there three days. On the night before we left, we carried our quad chairs and wine down to the lake and watched the moon in the water.
The following night, we parked at a luxury resort north of Dallas and went out to dinner with friends.
The next day presented the worst of the driving -- smack through the Dallas freeway I35 - I30 - I45. It is absolutely impossible to choose the correct lane. Freeways intersect with one another. Lanes end. New lanes open up. Survival is a miracle.
Finally on day seven, we made it to Escapees RV camp in Livingston, TX, a place where folks like us stay a night, a week, a year, or the rest of their lives. But, if they happen to be staying the rest of their lives, they always keep their rig handy and ready, "just in case."
We've been in Escapees for three nights now. We now have a library card, a permanent address, and controlled climate storage for the 30 boxes we shipped USPS from Crookston to Livingston. What we don't have yet are (1) car license, (2) trailer license, and (3) drivers' licenses. It seems that the trailer and car need to be inspected before they get licensed. And, you have to have the car licensed before you can get a driver's license. So, we just went to WalMart -- what the heck.
Restaurants: Manny's Cajun, a Mexican restaurant just west of town, and Jerry's over in Onalaska. Never heard of "purple hulls," so of course ordered them.
The travel from Crookston to Livingston is now complete. The relocation was the first step in the adventure. So, we've made it happen -- at least the beginning.