Day 9 Thursday...Bye Bye Texas..... Hello Arkansas

The campsite last night was basic but again it did the job. This was going to be our first night sleeping in it for nearly three years. Stephen went to get something from the storage compartment underneath the motor home. This is in reality also underneath one of the twin beds at the back of the motor-home.

You know already that I am leading up to something don’t you and it’s not very good.

Occasionally on the journey, since Chelem actually we have been finding those flying ants ( big mamas they are ) just odd ones here and there.

Before we left Chelem  we took out the mattresses and cleaned everthing I hasten to add, so seeing the odd flying thing on top of the bed didn’t cause too much concern but remember we had been staying in hotels/motels until last night.

Back to Stephen in the storage compartment. It was there that he discovered the flying ant nest ( or whatever they were, big ugly things anyway).  After a lot of bug spray and a vacuum cleaner the job was done then he came inside stripped his bed and checked underneath.  All clear. THIS AFTER 2 HOURS !

Having done his bed I recall that some of the bugs were on my bed. Stephen assured me that he had got rid of them all. Famous last words. I was not convinced.

My bed had a compartment underneath that houses the generator and is accessible from a door on the side of be bed.

When I opened the door the little blighters jumped out. Yuk. I ended up on my hands and knees with bug spray and the vacuum. It was necessary that I do the job my self as I can’t rest until I’ve seen the bodies.

I am now waiting for the plague of locust. Floods and famine.

This was not however conducive  to a good nights sleep. I just kept imagining them crawling all over me in my sleep.  I am beginning to wonder where is that elusive good nights sleep is ?

Al this apart we said goodbye to the Ya’lls at 10 o’clock and said hello to Arkansas.

We’ve been trying to get out of  Texas for  2 ½ days. It’s a  helluva big state .

Stephen and Hannah
 reading maps

We look small at the side
the huge trucks don't we?

 Just one last Texas story…………..

Getting in and out of the gas stations is not easy for us especially if cars are parked for the shop right across where we need to pull forward. ( bring back the Pemex stations they really know how to do it ).

We were just about to pull out when this guy pulls right in front of us so I run over as he’s getting out or should I say heaving himself out and politely explain the situation and asked if he would mind pulling forward a tad. Well he moaned and groaned then grunted some idiotic remark at me .  All this in some drawling  Texan  ( I think) accent. I just told him not to bother, I really wanted to punch his lights out The stupid fat moron.

Quite the contrast to the next guy I asked to do a similar favour. Before I had even finished asking he just said ‘ yeah, you got it’ no fuss , nothing. Lovely intelligent thin guy.

And don’t anyone think of writing any comments about being politically correct then think again I could have called the fat guy much worse.

So tonight another RV camp site. We happened by it quite by chance. Again nothing special but it’s only $22.50 and we got some washing done too. ( that would be Stephen by the way !)

Barney checkin it out

  I haven’t got a plank for Barney yet but he just goes out to explore then meows at the door to come in.

Tomorrow, well a slight change of plan.  Instead of Tennessee we are heading up to Kentucky and West Virginia. We could have gone through Memphis but would have ended up by Washington D.C…… er no thank you . The other alternative was up through the Appalachian Mountains……… the hint to not going that way is in the last word MOUNTAINS. Ain’t going anywhere near a mountains unless we have to. Anyway been there done that. Although I do recall the song….. Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Mmmmm.

Now to all my friends in Chelem……….. You can have the last laugh. This is where we ate tonight…. Only because there was nowhere else close by.

Yeah, yeah very funny……………………….

Yes, a Mexican Restaurant.

By the by…………….............

  A rhetorical question ............................ Does small not exist in this country ?

So Kentucky it is………….. want me to put a  bet on for you Paul?