Vacation 2010 - Day 2

Well, I got up at first light and broke camp and make my way into Natchez, MS. Took the scenic route through the city and decided that this was one place to revisit and spend maybe a weekend at. I then passed into Louisiana and continue on.

I notice that through every town I went through that the traffic lights were green. Not the lights itself but the casing/housing. Odd.

Because of some construction that was going on in Winnfield, I missed the turn for my road and ended up heading north. By the time I realize that I wasn't on US 84 I was passing through Dodson, MS. And met the local constable. Imagine Andy Griffith mentality incased in a Billy Rollin's physique. He pulled me over and informed me that I was doing 40 mph in a 25 mph zone. I apologized that I didn't realize that the speed zone had slipped from 45 down to 25 and he informed me that the LDOT had taken the sign down that morning but it was state law that 25 mph was the default speed limit unless otherwise posted. Now to see if I still have that number to that law group in Oklahoma.

I continue north to Jonesboro, La because I wasn't going to risk turning around going through Dodson again and getting stopped for doing 40 in a 25 mile an hour again and stopped at a local "truck stop" to get direction and I left westward on LA 4 to hookup with LA 155 and hook up again with US 84 in Coushatta, La. Then I was back on the right track.

Make the Texas state line and saw an immediate difference in the quality of the roads. This area of Texas was part of their section of the Great Piney Woods of east Texas, west Louisiana, south Arkansas and southeast Oklahoma. I continued on until Rusk, TX. where I stopped and got a bite to eat, a Taco Bell, no less; (no I'm not hyperlinking Taco Bell), and got a couple of bean rolls. The when I drove through the center of town they had the little brown "tourist" sign for Rusk Footbridge, and I detour to see it. Then I stopped at a little convenience store to use the bathroom, those bean rolls worked fast, and as I was coming out I witness the start of a fight. I decided that I didn't need to be the witness of any fight in Texas so I moved on.

Pass Rusk is were the terrain started to look more prairie like and less trees. I make Waco and stopped at a Jason's Deli to get a Ruben Sandwich for later when I stopped at Brownwood, TX for the evening. Got gas again, (for the truck, not from the beanrolls), and then traveled onward.

Well, I made Brownwood after dark and I stopped to asked for direction to the state park and was told that they didn't receive anyone after dark. I asked at two places and was told the same thing. So I decided to push towards Santa Anna, TX and camp there at an RV park. I made Santa Anna and stopped and looked around in the closed shops window, Santa Anna is know for it's hand made furniture, but really didn't see anything that would interest me and NO RV park, (I seen later on the net that I must have passed the park when I came into town but missed it, it looked like it was part of a hotel) so I continued towards Ballinger, TX and turned off on a county road and then onto an access road for some farm fields and then set up camp. It was a beautiful night and I decided not to even raise the tent but just inflated the mattress and laid down into the back of the truck. I had eaten my sandwich and tended to Figaroe and was ready for nighty-night.