Thursday evening we got the rig parked in our usual spot in Charleston, MO. Opened the hood and took the cover off of the fuse panel and located the fuse that controls the park/instrument lights and it was blown. It was replaced with a new one and it promptly blew, indicating a short. The cable was removed from the motor home to the van and when the fuse was replaced again, all was well. When I disassembled the plug on the cable, I found one of the wires out of its socket and shorted against another contact. I replaced it in its proper place and checked the cable with the ohm meter and all was well. It was still OK after the able was reattached between the motor home and the van. Just one of those bumps you hit while on the road to adventure in a motor home.
Friday morning we emptied the holding tanks and filled the LP tank as we knew we would be boondocking the next few nights in Cherokee Village, AR. We noticed that in the Bootheel of MO and the north east portion of Arkansan a lot of the rice was still in the fields as well as cotton and soy beans. We were traveling west with a cross wind from the north which kept you on your toes staying on your side of the road. After we got into the hills the trees broke the wind in lots of places, but the open areas were still a challenge. We arrived in Ash Flat, AR about 3:30 and got parked. It would sprinkle a bit and then the sun would come out before it rained again. We are here for the weekend as Evelyn has an eye appointment on Tuesday and we are waiting on a replacement cushion for my wheelchair that is being delivered to CV.
Saturday, Evelyn had gone to town to run some errands and see some friends to catch up on the news. While she was gone I had a show or classic cars. Probably a dozen or so classic cars came in and parked in a row, like they were going to show them. But, at 12:00 they all loaded up and headed south toward Batesville, AR apparently for a show. They were all old, from a 34 Ford to a mid 60's Olds vista cruiser. Even an old Mack that had been reworked and had a flat bed on it. Of course the camera was up out of my reach and as they were leaving, Evelyn came in and said, "did you see those cars leaving the lot as I was coming in" yes, and I could not get the camera either. So no photos of the beautiful classic cars.
We met Linda, Evelyn's step daughter and one of Evelyn's best friends at the local Chinese buffet for a very good meal. Lots of good food and a very nice selection, all fresh and the hot was hot and the cold was cold. A new restaurant since the tornado went through in 2008 and blew the area away.
Sunday it was cold and windy and I did not want to go out. So, Evelyn went to church and met a lot of her old friends and acquaintces, having been the church secretary for 10 years.
Monday, we moved to Fredericks Family Restaurant where they have a large graveled area to park. Lots of semis use the lot for parking when they are not on the road. The even have wi-fi which is quite handy. I finally got a tracking number on my seat cushion and it was not scheduled for delivery until Wednesday. The delivery is usually about 4pm at Linda's house and we need to be on the road to Ardmore, OK as soon as possible. We knew the package would come through the Pocahantas terminal, so we tried to get their phone number and no one at UPS would give it to us so we could intercept the package. We finally talked with the local gal that takes UPS packages and she gave us the number. I talked with the gal at the terminal and gave her the tracking number and she said it would be there on one of the two trailers they get every day. The first one comes in about 5:30am and the other one about 7 or 7:30am. They are both sorted and on the delivery trucks and everyone is gone by 9:30am and the place closed up. She said she would hold the package for us and Evelyn will drive the 40 or so miles and pick up the package early tomorrow morning and when she returns we will be able to get on the road to Ardmore, OK. We will spend Wednesday night somewhere in southern Arkansas and go on to Ardmore on Thursday. We will set up for the show on Friday and Saturday. On south on Sunday toward Rock Port, TX.