{"id":664,"date":"2013-03-04T18:09:31","date_gmt":"2013-03-04T22:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cabanonline.com\/travel\/?p=664"},"modified":"2013-03-04T18:09:31","modified_gmt":"2013-03-04T22:09:31","slug":"2013-day-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.cabanonline.com\/news\/missouri-trip\/2013-day-5\/","title":{"rendered":"2013 Missouri Trip: Day 5: Hitting the Road … Heading to Ohio!"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Sunday, March 3):\u00c2\u00a0 Today we began the trip back to Ohio with Patty, her Jeep, the UHaul trailer, the two dogs, and two of the four cats.<\/p>\n

The plan was for me (David) to drive the Jeep towing the trailer, with the dogs as my travel companions.\u00c2\u00a0 Sue would follow in our vehicle with the two cats (Rainbow and Muse).\u00c2\u00a0 Patty would ride in one of the vehicles and then switch to the other at stops along the way.<\/p>\n

We woke up early and ate breakfast.\u00c2\u00a0 Sue helped Patty finalize her packing, and also packed up our vehicle.\u00c2\u00a0 I loaded the trailer and jeep, and Chris took the dogs for a walk.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9266\"<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9262\"<\/p>\n

The trailer and the Jeep are fully loaded in this shot.\u00c2\u00a0 You can see how the front end of the Jeep appears elevated because of all the weight in the back.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9267\"<\/p>\n

Lady Bug and Trolley are all nestled in the Jeep for their journey across the country!<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9269\"<\/p>\n

10:15 am CST:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 We said our final goodbyes to Chris and pulled away from Arbor Court.\u00c2\u00a0 Sue recorded our vehicle mileage trip counter at 675 miles.\u00c2\u00a0 (In other words, since leaving Cleveland on the 27th, we had travelled 675 miles.)\u00c2\u00a0 Patty started the trip riding in the Jeep.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_3556\"<\/p>\n

Here we are pulling into the I-70 East entrance ramp \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

\"IMG_3558\"<\/p>\n

On the road, heading towards Akron, Ohio!\u00c2\u00a0 Funny timing for a picture.\u00c2\u00a0 Two UHaul trailers side by side.\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the UHaul in the right lane.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_3559\"<\/p>\n

It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t until we were well on the road that Sue realized we had forgotten something.\u00c2\u00a0 In all our preparations, we had neglected to fill up our own vehicle with gas!\u00c2\u00a0 When she and I had arrived in Columbia, we simply parked in the driveway and never moved the car.\u00c2\u00a0 Patty and Chris drove us around in their cars during our stay with them.\u00c2\u00a0 Silly us to forget something so simple!<\/p>\n

Sue also captured this M-I-Z-Z-O-U sequential billboard as we headed East:<\/p>\n

\"IMG_3561\"<\/p>\n

\"IMG_3565\"<\/p>\n

~ 11:40 am CST:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 Stopped to gas up our vehicle after almost 70 miles on the road.\u00c2\u00a0 We were near Wright City, Missouri, and stopped at a Shell station just off I-70.\u00c2\u00a0 We gassed up both vehicles, and found the jeep was getting 12 miles to the gallon so far.\u00c2\u00a0 (Chris said the norm was ~25 mpg).<\/p>\n

I was concerned about the oil pressure gauge on the Jeep because it was out of acceptable range.\u00c2\u00a0 We called Chris to report the status, and I checked the Jeep owner\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s guide about what to do.\u00c2\u00a0 I popped the hood, checked the oil level, and made sure the oil cap was tight.\u00c2\u00a0 We started up again and the gauge went back into the correct range, so we hoped it was just an aberration (it was<\/em>).<\/p>\n

~ 12:13 pm CST:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 Back on the road, pulling away from the Shell station.<\/p>\n

Sue was paying attention to highway signage and noticed we could take I-370 across the Missouri River instead of the route we took on our trip out to Columbia.\u00c2\u00a0 When we made the trip West four days prior, we took I-270 West across the Missouri, and got caught in a big traffic backup because construction crews were rebuilding the westbound bridge.<\/p>\n

We took the I-370 East bypass (which actually crosses the Missouri farther north), and maintained a steady 55 mph the entire time with no delays.\u00c2\u00a0 Here we are crossing the Missouri River:<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9272\"<\/p>\n

For her quick thinking and observant driving, Sue has officially earned \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wife of the Year\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from me.<\/p>\n

1:07 pm CST:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 We crossed over the mighty Mississippi, leaving Missouri behind and entering Illinois.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9276\"<\/p>\n

1:35 pm CST:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 We decided to make a stop for lunch and to give the dogs some exercise.\u00c2\u00a0 We were 144.1 miles and 3 hours, 20 minutes into our trip at this point.\u00c2\u00a0 (Remember, we were driving 55 mph because of the trailer, and had already made one 33 minute gas fillup stop.)\u00c2\u00a0 Temperature was 39 degrees F.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_3567\"<\/p>\n

We stopped at the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Silver Lake Rest Area\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, ate sandwiches Chris had packed for us, and let the dogs out of the Jeep for a walk around the rest area.\u00c2\u00a0 I consulted my maps to get the big picture of the next leg of our journey.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_3570\"<\/p>\n

2:33 pm CST:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 Patty switched over to riding with Sue.\u00c2\u00a0 We got back on the road, leaving the Rest Area behind.<\/p>\n

3:46 pm CST:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 Arrived in Effingham, Illinois, to fill up the Jeep with petrol, take a bathroom break, and grab a quick bite to eat to tide us over for the next leg of the trip.\u00c2\u00a0 We were 211.5 miles into our trip at this point.\u00c2\u00a0 Temperature 38 degrees F.\u00c2\u00a0 Jeep getting 16 mpg now.<\/p>\n

This is the famous cross outside Effingham which we reported about back on Day 2 of the trip.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9283\"<\/p>\n

4:30 pm CST:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 Left Effingham, full tank in the Jeep, and got back on I-70 East towards Indianapolis.<\/p>\n

5:35 pm CST \/ 4:35 pm EST:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 Crossed over from Illinois into Indiana and switched from Central Standard Time to Eastern Standard Time!<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9285\"<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9286\"<\/p>\n

After crossing into Indiana (near Terre Haute), we were only 89 miles away from our stopping point for the night on the East side of Indianapolis.\u00c2\u00a0 The dogs were sleeping fine, so we decided to push through and drive while we had as much daylight as possible.<\/p>\n

Nigel (our GPS with the English accent) took us through downtown Indianapolis which looked nice at night.\u00c2\u00a0 Fortunately it was late on a Sunday night, and traffic was light.<\/p>\n

7:15 pm CST \/ 8:15 pm EST:<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 Arrived at the La Quinta Indianapolis East for the night.\u00c2\u00a0 (Almost all La Quinta hotels are pet-friendly.)\u00c2\u00a0 This was the same hotel Sue and I stayed at on the way out to Columbia.\u00c2\u00a0 Temperature 33 degrees F.\u00c2\u00a0 We were 359 miles into our trip so far.<\/p>\n

While Patty took the dogs for a walk, Sue and I emptied the vehicles of our travel luggage (and a few other items).\u00c2\u00a0 It was late and we were hungry, so we went out to dinner at a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153steak and peanuts\u00e2\u20ac\u009d restaurant (Texas Roadhouse).\u00c2\u00a0 Patty checked in with Chris, and with Mom & Dad Jaconetta.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_9293\"<\/p>\n

We filled up both vehicles with petrol so that we could just get on the road in the morning without any delay.\u00c2\u00a0 Found out the Jeep was getting almost 19 mpg, while our vehicle was getting close to 34 mpg (the best we’ve ever gotten … remember, Sue was driving at 55-60 mph and in the draft of the trailer the whole way).<\/p>\n

After the vehicles were prepped, we packed it in for the night.\u00c2\u00a0 Sue and I in one room, Patty and the animals in another.<\/p>\n

Coming tomorrow \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 arrival in Akron!<\/strong><\/p>\n

More pictures below!\u00c2\u00a0 (Click on any photo to enlarge)<\/h4>\n

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(Sunday, March 3):\u00c2\u00a0 Today we began the trip back to Ohio with Patty, her Jeep, the UHaul trailer, the two dogs, and two of the four cats. The plan was for me (David) to drive the Jeep towing the trailer, with the dogs as my travel companions.\u00c2\u00a0 Sue would follow in our vehicle with the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventures","category-missouri-trip"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cabanonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cabanonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cabanonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cabanonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cabanonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.cabanonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cabanonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cabanonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cabanonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cabanonline.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}