Another trek across the country

We have made this cross country express trip often enough now that we are duplicating routes and campgrounds.

4/6: We run very famiiar highways across the Chesapeke Bay, through the Washington/Baltimore megalopolis & westward to the Appalachians. First night, Rocky Gap State Park near Cumberland, MD. You just know that you are early in the season in these parks when only one camping loop of five is open and we are only one of three occupied in a thirty plus site loop.
Mile 470

4/7: First bit of excitement. A guy comes up alongside of us frantically waving and pointing at our trialer. We stop at a rest area a few miles further for a look. See nothing wrong. Smelled burning brake shoes but thought it was a  truck parked next to us. A few miles further was our stop for the night. Got out of truck and smelled burning brakes again. Not good. One of our trailer wheels was too hot to touch. Very not good. Next morning we went to a nearby truck and trailer repair shop, got immediate service. Nothing seriously wrong. Stuck braking mechanism maybe. A little lube and $40 later we are on our way.
Mile 784

4/8: Next stop was west of Indianapolis, IN.  We had planned on two nights here but weather kept us an extra night. There is no point in driving in hazardous weather if you do not have to.
Mile 1119

Sunset at Racoon Rec area, west of Indianappolis

 4/11: On to Hannibal, MO of Mark Twain/Tom Sawyer fame. This was a one nighter. Hannibal would likely be nothing but a dying river town if not for the Mark Twain fame. Every business seems to have his name slapped on it
Mile 1364.

Tom Sawyer's town: Hannibal, MO

Capt Mark Twain

4/12-13: We are going to Kansas City to pick up Jenny. She arrives late on the 13th. We use the day for domestic stuff like laundry and house cleaning.

Mile 1602

4/14-15: With Jenny onboard we are headed due west again. We can't seem get a break from the weather. First it is wind. Then we get rain, sleet, snow and near blizzard conditions. Again we hole up in a virtually empty CG  west of Lincoln, NE. an extra night to let the whole thing blow through. Good thing too. Had we pushed on we would have been caught up in blizzard conditions only a few miles westward in our path.
Mile 1875

Snow, ice, freezing rain

A down day staying warm

 

 4/16: The weather caused us to scrap a stop in North Platte, NE so it was a long day from near Grand Island, NE to Longmont, CO.
Mile 2277

Yup...most of Nebraska is this flat

4/16-20:The main purpose of the Boulder/Longmont detour was so that Jenny could see longtime friends Bill and Pearl who had not been seen in some ten years. She also wanted to do some shopping and did a fairly good job of melting down her credit card.

First time driving in US

Guests right outside the door

4/21-22: Northbound into Wyoming took us to Cheyenne where we had spent two weeks in 2009 while our truck was repaired after the infamous trailer blowover that year. Time for a quick hello to some of the people at the Chevy bodywork shop and the truckstop restaurant where we had eaten so often while there.

Somewhere on I25, Wyoming

Wyoming

 
4/22: You have to look real hard to find Lusk, WY on a map but it exists weather has us stuck yet again. This time it is the wind. High wind warning gusting to 65mph. Prudence says stay put. It is not worth the risk driving the open prarie with such a high sided trailer.
Mile 2507