Unrelenting...

 

The wind.  It was a crosswind as we drove east on I-70, then a tailwind when we turned south on I-135.  I like the tailwind better.  Some trees along I-135...

 The leaves are just starting to change here.  Must not be temperature related, because it was 46º in Hays, KS when we got up this morning.  Warmed up to 69º by mid-afternoon as we traveled south.  On the bright side: plenty of sunshine and blue sky today.  Nice change.

Rufus did share some time on my lap today...

He spends more time on Joan's lap while we're driving... I get that: she is more comfortable, puts a cushy blanket across her legs before he hops up, and no pesky steering wheel in the way.  He does come sit by and on me once we are down, though.

Through Kansas and into Oklahoma today...

We had tentatively planned to stop at a place Joan found on RVparky: it is a gravel parking lot with hookups, located next to the Hideway Bar.  Not a lot of reviews, but the ones that we could find said it was OK for an overnight stop and inexpensive.  We planned to gas up at that same exit, and thought we'd check out this RV parking... couldn't find it.  However, there is an Indian casino across the road and they were advertising "a new RV park"... we took a look: concrete pads with grassy areas between.  The length of the sites is a bit short, but we can kinda make it work by unhooking the CR-V and parking it and the cargo trailer at an angle...

We hang out just a little bit on both ends, but the streets in this small park are plenty wide.  Plus, it is less dusty than the gravel sites of the past two nights.

Once settled in, we did a Google search on that bar with the RV parking: not quite "right off the Interstate," but it is within a mile.  Yep, all gravel.  It would have worked, but this is better from my perspective.  No, we won't be going to the casino.  I did take Rufus out for a short walk in the grass... by "short walk," I mean: the wind howled around him and he said, "I'm going back inside."  He is a big tough boy around big dogs, loud trucks and motorcycles, but he does not like strong wind... he said, "I've seen the Wizard of Oz - I know what happens around here when the wind blows."  I explained to him that the Wizard of Oz was Kansas and we are now in Oklahoma; he said, "Like it makes a difference?"  The furry boy has a point.  ;-)

We're planning another casino stop tomorrow night, at Winstar; billed as "the largest casino in the world."  The RV park there is much larger with seriously longer sites.  Plus, it will be our shortest travel day of the return home trip.  We've been doing good with keeping the driving times shorter this trip.  Nice to not be on a schedule.