Road Trip Home

Made it home safe and sound. Left New Iberia, LA at 6 am on Thursday, the 18th, and drove north on Hwy 90 out of New Iberia, which changes to Interstate 49 going north of Lafayette to Shreveport. There I missed the exit going around the city, so drove into Shreveport connecting with Interstate 20, then west to Interstate 220 north to Hwy 71. I decided to drive Hwy 71 north to see a little different scenery, going through the Ouachita Mountains to Fort Smith, and then took Interstate 540, which parallels Hwy 71, through the Ozark National Forest.



I thought I would see more antique shops going this route, but I didn't. The few I saw weren't open, but I did pass a couple of outside shops that had tables of rocks and now wished that I would have stopped. There was traffic close behind me, and I would have had to stop rather quickly without much warning to those behind me; so I quickly looked as I passed them by!

It amazes me that each part of the country has it's own type of road kill! Armadillo's seem to be the choice of "road kill" in Arkansas and Louisiana. They also call the armadillo, the "Hillbilly Speedbump"! I didn't hit one, thank goodness, but was tempted to stop to just look one over good! Can you see that - short old fat lady stopped and outside staring at road kill! The thought was too funny, so decided not to do it! I understand that armadillo sleep about 16 hours a day, and are out early in morning and in the evening hours digging for beetles, ants, and other bugs. Mike (of Mike and Cotina) said they don't have teeth, and that they have been digging holes in his yard to get to the bugs at night time. Using their claws and snout to dig, and their sticky tongue to get the bugs. He is trying to figure out away to do away with them without having to stay up all night!

Can you believe that there is a "Roadkill Cookoff" each year in Marlington, WV. They added that feature to their Autumn Harvest Festival in 1991. People come from all over to tri Deer Smear; Bumper Brused BBQ Bear; Pothole Possum Stew; Smeared Hog with Groundhog Gravy and other good tasting recipes. I hear that you vote by putting quarters in jars at each tasting site and that there is a winner each year. One guy had a sign "You Kill It - We Grill It"! Now that might be a place I would like to go to some September.

Then as I got further north, in Missouri, there were little racoons that made the road kill list. I only saw one (live) deer my whole trip home, and that was in Missouri. Didn't have stinky skunks on the road until Minnesota! South Dakota had quite a few deer on the road kill list on Interstate 29, and two road kill that looked like fox. Betweem the radio that I had to keep serfing for a good station or checking out the road kill, it'd be a toss up as to what was more entertaining! That's the only problem of traveling alone; no one to talk with, or play goofy road games. I did use my cell phone, but there were quite a few stretches where that didn't work well.

I stayed on Hwy 71 until Kansas City and then took Interstate 29 to St Joseph, Missouri. I stayed over night at Mound City; finally calling it quits about 10:30 pm = 16.5 hours. That was enough - had a tired butt, and needed to walk a little. It didn't take me long to get to sleep after a shower that night. Slept in until 6:30am, and was on the road just ater 7 am on Friday.

Got to Sioux Falls, SD just in time to have lunch again with Stephani. We went to Subway, as she was busy and only had about 20 minutes free. It's getting easier to find my way around there now. After leaving Steph back at work, headed north on 29 again. There is alot of construction on 29 and one way traffic. I felt like it was slowing me down, and I was getting bored. I made a stop at Brookings, SD, stopping a Runnings for a couple of baby things, and then after getting to Fargo, stopped at Mills Fleet. The air started to smell different as I got to the East side of Fargo. Getting away from the city and the big farming areas to the lakes and trees. Smells like home! Of course a good rain makes it smell good just about anywhere. It rained all the way from Fargo to home and as I was coming out of the Smokey Hills there was a rainbow.



Pulled into the drive about 7:15 pm on Friday, with total driving hours equaling 26 hours. We had been getting rain showers, so the grass and dogs were wet, and jumping all over me. I was a pretty muddy site, playing with Odda and Hooch. Happy that neither had forgotten who I was. Steve was in town at the Cancer Walk serving pork bergers and he came home about 9 pm.
Now back to getting yard work done this week. Checked with Jessica today, and all is well. They had company on Saturday, and a quiet day today. When I talked to her awhile ago, she and Floyd were playing computer games with Georgia and Vern.