Days 51 to 55 - Journey Home, Visits with Family and Friends

We have reached that stage of our journey, looking back at all the great places we visited with an appreciation for the history and different cultures that shaped our nation, but looking forward to heading home. We departed Colorado Springs on our 50th day on the road. The plan calls for us to overnight in Hays, KS move onto Kansa City, MO to visit friends, see friends in St. Louis, golf and visit family in Cape Girardeau, Mo then home to Bluffton. Well, the best laid plans don’t always go as planned.

We did overnight in Hays after a 320-mile drive from Colorado Springs. Good weather but heavy winds again, you know it is going to be tough driving when all you can see in the distance are wind turbines. Between the heavy traffic and strong winds, we were glad to reach Creek Side resort and get a good night’s sleep. Up early the next day to get to Kansas City, MO where we had dinner plans. The winds had died down so that was better but heavy truck traffic on the road; in Topeka we were surprised that part of I-70 had been converted into a toll road. Pat was going to do some research as he thought all interstates were non-toll roads. Will have to see what he finds out. It was only a 277-mile drive day so arrived World of Fun Village Park in time to get cleaned up before Don and Kelly McCall arrived for a pre-dinner cocktail at the rig.

It was good to see them again, we had not seen them for almost 9 years. Pat and Don go way be back to Dun & Bradstreet together, Don also worked for Pat at several other companies he ran, one of them being Sirsi in Huntsville, AL. Don’s family owned 3 restaurants in Kansas City and he is a fabulous cook, you never turned down a dinner invitation to their home. Fond memories of a lot of good times when we all lived in Huntsville. Don and Kelly had recently moved back to Kansas City and were very excited to take us to one of the family’s favorite restaurants, no, not one of his family’s but the world-famous Stroud’s Oak Ridge Manor, home of the worlds

famous pan-fried chicken. The Oak Ridge Manor is housed in an expanded 1827 log cabin and farmhouse. You will think you have had one too many when you enter as there is a definite lean to the floor. The food lived up to its reputation, all served by a friendly staff in the family style restaurant. It was a great evening to catch up and reminisce about all the good times together.

Back on the road for a 347-mile drive to Cape Giraudeau, MO, you noticed I didn’t say St. Louis, plans with friends there hit a snag and we pushed all the way to Cape. Pat’s sister Sara joined us at the rig for a predinner cocktail before joining the cousins for dinner. I had a conference call so was a few minutes late. We dined at a newer restaurant in Cape, Top of

the MarQ, a wonderful restaurant on top of the historical Marquette Hotel Building across from where Pat and Sara’s dad worked. Cape Giraudeau is on the Mississippi River with a rich history in river lore, but due to the flood wall erected to protect the city, there are not any good places to see the river during dinner. Top of the MarQ changed that, they have 3 rooftop patios’, two with gorgeous views of the Mississippi River and the new expansion bridge. We enjoyed a tapas style dinner with Pat’s cousins Charlotte and Ruth with their husbands Bill and Don. It is always special to spend time with family, catch up and share memories, especially as we begin to age and lose those close to us.

Dalhousie Golf Club is a beautiful golf course that Pat has played several times and wanted to share with me. We had golf planned for the next day but with a change in the foursome we decided to bow out of golf and start our journey home. TripWizard, the route planning application we use, showed us heading south, cutting east in Alabama and then around Atlanta

to Bluffton, 890 total miles. The navigation system in the rig showed the truck route starting a little north to pick up I-24 through Nashville, to I-75 through Atlanta, 790 total miles. The choice, longer route on a lot of backroads taking 3 days to drive or shorter route on interstates but through 2 major cities. We were stopped in Nashville with traffic on the way out and who wants to traverse the length of Atlanta. We chose the shorter route and broke it up into a long day, 450 miles from Cape to Adairsville, GA, about 30 miles north of Atlanta, followed by a shorter 340 miles the next day. It was a good decision, while Nashville was a nightmare, and the rush hour in Chattanooga was stressful; it took us about 9 hours driving time to get to Adairsville, GA, just in time for me to watch the Lions beat the Chiefs. Up very early and on the road by 7am to try and beat

the Atlanta morning rush hour, I had bet it would take us 2 hours to get through the city, it only took us an hour and we were off on our final miles home. Parked the rig at 12:58pm at Hilton Head National RV Resort. We made it!
Stats: for this leg, miles 1,734; gas 137-gals, drive time 35 hours

Epilogue –
We enjoyed our almost two months on the road, saw amazing places, experienced new things, met new people, saw old friends and family. It is a different way of traveling, may not be for everyone, and as Pat told me, only one month for him next time, but I enjoyed the freedom of traveling the open road. Once home, we spent the next two days emptying the rig and getting it cleaned up and back into the storage yard. We need to schedule some service and a good cleaning on the outside in the next few weeks, but no worse for the wear. I then flew to Michigan to pick up Maggie and Jack who stayed with my brother Chris and his wife Nancy. We could not have done this trip if they hadn’t agreed to take the animals, we knew they were in good hands. Maybe too good of hands as they each came home a few pounds heavier; it will take a while to break Maggie of the 11pm cookie snake before bed! My sister Pat joined me for the two-day drive from Michigan to home. She stayed for a couple of days, and we did some touristy things here including visiting Savannah. Finally, I feel like the trip has ended. Now, to start planning next year’s travels, we are thinking Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, stay tuned!


Stats Summary -

55 Days on the Road

Driving: Motorhome: 6,745 miles, 988.37 gals of diesel, 33.45 gals of DEF, averaged 7.5 MPG, approximate 145 hours driving. Jeep: 2,884 miles.
Visited - 24 States
Highest elevation: Us: 14,115’ at Pikes Peak; Rig: 11,158 Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 in Colorado
Lowest elevation: Hilton Head 24’
We visited:
12 National Parks or Monuments
4 State Parks
3 City or County Parks
2 Tribal Reservations
23 Museums or Attractions
We stayed at:
26 Campgrounds
3 Boondocking locations
Played 3 Rounds of Golf
and finally, needed 2 RV Repairs