Retro Drive In Restaurant

We stopped at a 50s style Drive In for BLTs and pop. Alethea ordered the sodas without ice and they charged us 20 cents a glass for no ice. The pop was warm so we ended up going to McDonald's for ice.

Crater Of Diamonds State Park

The camp sites at the park are nicely laid out and are quite posh. Most of the sites are for campers, not tents, and have electricity. I was impressed by the number of people that camp with satellite dishes attached to their campers.

I haven't camped in 15 years so it was a lot of fun but we weren't counting on the temperature being over 100 degrees. The State Park has a water park for diamond hunters to cool off in and we certainly appreciated it after setting up camp.






















We went into town for dinner and I had a chicken fried steak served on a platter. The bowl of gravy was larger than the salad. I would love to know how they managed to make the french fries taste like hash browns. We also had french fries at the park the next day that were deep fried in chicken fried steak batter. I didn't know you could make french fries even more fattening but they certainly were tasty

The walls, blinds and every surface but the table tops were covered with patron's signatures. The front message board had a sign for carry concealed class.






















We went back to the tent and laid down directly on tent floor so that the the ground could draw off some of the oppressive heat.

We heard chittering as soon as it got dark and Alethea took the food off the hanging hook and placed it in the car trunk. An army of raccoons started investigating other peoples coolers; you could hear them being opened and dropped shut. The next day I got to clean up Tootsie Pop wrappers all around the tent, we didn't have any food but they picnicked by us anyway.

I don't know if it was from the Arizona fires but the moon was orange with a red rim, sort of like our eyes looked the next morning.






















Alethea went to the diamond fields the next morning and I remained at camp drawing one of the woodpeckers that woke us up. They started their party after the raccoon rave broke up.






















Alethea went to the diamond fields and discovered that it had rained all the previous week and the area was a huge mud pit. Clay covered shoes can weigh 20 pounds and it sticks like glue. She lasted less than a half hour in the 105 degree heat, it was 8:00 in the morning. We hung around camp for awhile and packed up.

Armadillo Bones

We stopped to take photos near a picturesque pond. Alethea wandered down a road while I sketched some flowers and she found sun bleached armadillo bones.

Ozark Highway Signs and Roads

The left side shows some of the signs we encountered while driving through the mountains. The path through the Ozarks is not for speedy commutes but the Arkansas Scenic Byway is worth the effort.

A Horse Fly Welcomed Me To Arkansas

The Trees Cling To The Rock Faces

The Ozarks

The last time I drove through the Ozarks it was pouring rain and very late at night, this was much better.

Hampton Inn Breakfast

I love waffles, fruit and a ridiculous amount of bacon for breakfast. The drawing was a little rushed but remember, I had a lot of bacon waiting for me.

Kansas City Steaks

We grabbed a room at the Hampton Inn and managed to find a late night steak dinner. Texas Roadhouse has good food at a very reasonable price.

While we enjoy staying at the Hampton Inn I was a little surprised finding a state tax, city tax, city fee and city fee tax added to the room bill. The taxes and fees were over 16%.

Hillside of Sheep

We don't see a lot of sheep in Minnesota so it was fun to see a hillside dotted with them (which shows how easily amused we are.)

Iowa Wind Turbines

Iowa has fields of corn and wind turbines, it's pleasant to see so many people embrace wind power.

Iowa's Welcome Center

Iowa has the most amazing Welcome Centers/Rest Areas. Some of them are beautifully landscaped and chock full of art.

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

McDonalds frozen strawberry lemonade is a good travel beverage and it would be an excellent mix with Vodka after reaching our destination.

The Saturn Road Like It Was On Rails

There was a rubber thing hanging under the car that sounded like we were riding on railroad tracks when we reached 70 mph. Fortunately it ground down fairly quickly.

Quirky Things Along The Road

We ran across:

A farm with a rocket in the yard
A tree growing inside a silo
Alethea saw her first armadillo in Nevada, MO.
Peculiar, MO
A casino sign on a farm water tower.
Mount Ida. A local pronounced it "mad at ya."
Cajun chicken gyros.
The sign for the last rest stop in Missouri, which was the only rest stop on the highway.
The temperature was 101 degrees at 6:00 AM in Murfresboro, 48 degrees Thursday at 6:00 AM in Coon Rapids, MN.

Gas Prices

We were fortunate that gas prices dropped the further south we traveled. The range was $3.89–3.49.

Road Trip Food

There is an art to road trip food; you need to cover the salty, crunchy and sweet categories.

My daughter and I are off to Arkansas, she wants to search for diamonds.

Travel Art Journal Page Leaving On A Jet Plane

I recently took a trip to Sanibel Island in Florida (these drawings are from the first 24 hours) and this sketch was done at the airport. My husband kept singing "leaving on a jet plane". The bags are my carry on suitcase, camera bag, and a large zippered bag I bought in Hawaii. We got to the airport at 6:00 am for a 7 o'clock flight.

























Never say at the airport "at least I never had to sit near the rest rooms", it's not wise to tempt the seating gods. The good news was we were as far away as possible from the crying baby and the seat between us was empty.

























It was so nice to hear the surf and see palm trees again; I missed it. It was particularly sweet when the temperature was -23 in Minneapolis (without wind chill). Fort Meyers Beach was a nice way to start the vacation but we preferred the more quiet beaches that Florida has to offer.

























Dunkin Donuts has left Minnesota but we remembered it fondly and had to stop for a dozen.

























The sea gulls spotted me taking a bagel out of my bag and swooped down; I was really impressed since it was wrapped in a paper napkin. I should have brought the rest of the donuts.

























Sanibel Island and Captiva are home to over 250 varieties of shells. The pristine beaches are a joy to walk along. The airport screener wasn't happy when he opened our suitcases and had to go through the shells we brought home. The suitcases are still airing in the garage.