Drawing To An End….

  Well, our trip I never thought we would get to take this Winter is coming to an end this week.  Reflecting back on it, I would say it was one of the most anticipated trips ever, but had it’s bumps in the road.  Our first 2 weeks, we were very tempted to turn around and go back home…Nothing was going right and MacGyver and I were floundering around trying to re-learn how to use the Hiker.  I think that we were both suffering from some form of PTSD…Things were a bit stressful just before we left, and the big stressor for me was my health scare/thyroid problem.  Everything else paled in comparison when the heath issues popped up. I still have to revisit that one when we get home..more blood work, and addressing my high BP, which hasn’t come down on this trip. Oh well, “this too shall pass”.  When there are a few worries gumming up your mind, it can take some of the wind out of one’s “vacation sails”..

We will leave Clear Springs CG, Wright Patman lake in Texarkana A.K.A. “the Ark- La- Tex” this Wednesday as soon as the sun is up.  Our drive home to Sandwich, IL takes us up through Arkansas, into Missouri.  That night we will spend at Lake Wappapello in Army Corp campground called Redman Creek. Our next drive will go South of St. Louis and into Southern Illinois..(FYI, this Southern Illinois route is famous for having a “mixed precipitation” this time of year…). If we chose to , we could make it home by 5-6PM that night, but what the Heck is the rush? Soooo, we opt to stay at a place called Ramsey Lake State Park, in Ramsey IL.  From here we can leave about 8AM and be home after lunch on Friday…

We have enjoyed our last week here in Texas.  We  have a great campsite..

This campground has many campsites. We are in the W & E only, but there are many sites they just redid and they are full hook-up.  This being March and Spring Break, we had a full campground this weekend and lots of families with boats, smokers, kids and dogs…The campfires started in the early AM and went all day.. There is nothing like a campfire first thing in the morning, and Den and I joined right in…That campground had a wonderful smell of wood fires, BBQ and grilling… What a combo!

Left, you are looking at the full hook up area…and right is one of the big shelters that has a swimming beach and sand volleyball pit.

Last night was date night and we have been having trouble finding a Moose Lodge on our trip…but we knew there was one here in Texarkana, TX. (Texarkana city has an Arkansas side too..).  So  our last date night “on the road” was a cocktail at the Texarkana Moose Lodge. ( This link will be of interest for those who think we are drinking with large mammals…Hey, we ARE !)

If Mr. Moose looks a little “hazy”, well it’s because, unlike Illinois, Texas still allows you to smoke in restaurants and bars. Now THERE is one, and ONLY ONE, thing we miss about Illinois!! Actually, we did miss a couple things that involved 2 of our Heiser grandkids…Taylor, age 15, was chosen for a part in the Kaneland High School Spring Musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone”…

Friday and Saturday night and a matinee today..WE ARE SOOO PROUD OF YOU, TAYLOR!!

And Peyton was a finalist in the Harter Middle School Science Fair, at Northern Illinois University..WOOT! WOOT! PEYTON!!!

Suddenly, heading home to Illinois seems much less painful now…It’s time to get back to “home and hearth”…and a family we have missed very much….!!! As I say to Dennis, “Ice down the cooler and get in the truck!”..See y’all back in Illinois!