Wednesday, April 8

On the road again.

A cloud formation

Truckers love this flat stretch of highway in Illinois.

I look forward to seeing this cross in Effingham.

There was still a faint moon at 8:30 AM.

As we approached East St Louis, we saw many signs of spring.

I can’t resist old barns.

Our only sighting of the Arch.

Our destination for the morning near East St. Louis.

We stopped to install a new air conditioner.

Cerwin and Chaplain Dan carrying it to the chapel.

Dan woke up one morning to a loud crash – when the air conditioner fell out of the living quarter’s window. He thinks someone was trying to steal it since air conditioners don’t usually just fall out of windows.

While they worked I admired the green grass – and my first dandelion of the year.

I am not sure what this delicate flower/weed is, but it was pretty to me because I have not seen many flowers yet this spring.

Cerwin unloading some tools.

Literature in the chapel area.

I enjoyed the beautiful 70 degree weather while sitting on the deck, watching trucks, and listening to the sounds of a truck stop.

Truck stops are rarely silent as trucks are constantly fueling and moving around the property.

The scene at the fuel island changes every few minutes as trucks fuel and move on up or down the road.

Cherry blossoms are blooming in East St. Louis.

I wonder if this trailer is full of bubble gum. I can’t imagine an entire trailer of bubble gum.

Cleaning the air conditioner in the chapel area.

I asked Chaplain Dan to pose for a few pictures before we left.

Saying goodbye

Going by the cherry trees I saw earlier.

Heading north to Rochelle

We got into heavy rain – where flashers were needed for several minutes and some people pulled to the side of the road.

When only 4 tires fit onto a trailer, you know they are very large.

Two similar trucks were following each other – each with only 4 tires.

Our destination for the evening – the Petro near Rochelle, Illinois.

We enjoyed a great evening meal with Chaplain Jay and Karen.

Thanks, Karen, for coming out to the truck stop just because we were there. After supper she went home to care for a new puppy, Cerwin enjoyed a 7 PM Bible study in the chapel with Jay and several drivers, and I went back to our motel room – across the street from the chapel – to walk on the treadmill, blog, and relax.

It was a great day!

~~~

This is the area where the tornado hit the next night. Chaplain Jay and several drivers stood in the parking lot and watched it go by – just north of the truck stop.

Now that I know everything is okay with the chapel and truck stop, I wish we had been a day later. It would have been fun to photograph that. 🙂