On The Road Again

Ever since we moved to TX, we have spent a lot time traveling here, there, and just about everywhere. Although there have been several flights thrown in for good measure, the majority of our travels have been made by loading up the family 'mobile & hitting the road. Perhaps we should try staying home sometime to see if we actually like living in Texas!

During the month of May, M., Millie, and I made a trip to Hoosierland. We were gone for about nine days, and experienced almost every kind of weather: chilly, hot, humid, stormy, sunny, windy, not-so-windy... Thankfully, no tornadoes.  We also witnessed some incredible sunsets.

This is a pretty typical evening view from my parents' house.  Add a few lightning bugs to the mix and it is an amazing show. And it's free! Thank you, God, for the glorious display of your handiwork.

Goodbye, Indiana.

This parting shot of the Thompson Ranch represents the calm before the storm. The morning we left Indiana, the winds were still and the sky was mostly sunny; however, we knew that our travel route was going to take us directly into the path of strong thunderstorms. Ahh, springtime weather in the midwest is somewhat unpredictable. Yet it has a beauty all its own.

No matter how many times I drive past this almost 200 foot tall cross in Effingham, Illinois,  I am still amazed at just how large it is. Effingham has long been referred to as the "Crossroads of Opportunity." Interstate Highways 70 and 57 intersect here, and there are other highways and byways that also intersect in Effingham, giving the city its nickname. This cross alongside the road represents yet another opportunity. ;-)

We were treated to beautiful cloud formations for most of the drive through Illinois. Thankfully, most of the storms were tracking just to the north of I-70, so we didn't get into too much wet stuff. This photo was taken at about ten o'clock in the morning, but it looks more like it's early in the evening.

 

Somewhere west of Springfield, MO, we passed a long line of dump trunks obviously headed to Joplin to help with tornado cleanup. This photo is taken looking back to the east, so you cannot see the very ominous dark clouds that were hanging over Joplin. Mercifully, the storm that appeared to be very threatening moved off to the north, so the city was spared from another blow. And we were spared from having to drive into really nasty weather. There were tornado watches and warnings all around, but nothing materialized. Whew!

From I-44 we could see just a tiny bit of damage from the storm in Joplin. Although we couldn't see much, it was still sobering. This flag at half-mast speaks volumes.


The trip through OK was okay, so I didn't take a single photo. We had to make a Mc Wee Wee stop somewhere near OK City, and we got soaked by a cloudburst. Definitely not photo-worthy stuff.

Yep, we most definitely were driving friendly. Is there any other way?

You gotta love the cowbell on this livestock truck's bumper -- only in Texas.

As we were nearing Keller, we were treated to a lovely sunset. The perfect ending to another long road trip. Gee, but it's great to be back home. We'll be back on the road soon, so we won't get too comfy.