Mississippi

We didn't drive far. 106 miles. We headed east until we hit the Mississippi then followed it north. Now the RV lifestyle really kicks in. We stopped several times to admire the beauty of this area. It reminded us of the drive from Portland to Astoria. The wide river was to our right. The only difference is that the forest in deciduous and the road was fairly flat, no mountains. We decided to try to find a spot to stay along this stretch. We stopped a few times and found no place to park a rig this big. Finally, we came upon a rest stop and we pulled in. 6 hour stay maximum the sign said. The rest stop was located on a peninsula sticking out into the river. The parking area has an unobstructed view of the water. Green grass led us from the truck parking down to the river, 60 yards away. A couple is picking items from the ground. It turns out to be walnuts. The male is one of the maintenance people at the stop. We discussed the area, the fact that the river freezes two feet thick by February, that winters have been mild, only 30 days below zero last year, and that the wind blows all the time. I ask the gentleman about staying over night. "Ain't no one going to bother you. Stay the night." I ask his name. "Petersen" "Norwegian?" "Nope, it's got an e. Dane." Barb and I took a quick bike ride up the hill to view the valley. Then we came back to the RV and prepared our doggy bags from the Hubble House. We ate our leftover pork ribs, chicken and broccoli at a picnic table on the shore. We are staying the night on the shores of the Mississippi. Pete said we could.