My technical adviser wants me to correct myself. Regarding getting the email notification about a new blog post, it does not contain a link, it just simply opens up into the blog itself. But if you choose to read it there, you cannot get the photos to open into the carousel mode of viewing, so all you will see is the cut-off versions. Like I advised, if you sign up for the email notification, once you receive one you would be better off just opening the blog in your browser of preference. Nuff said…
After leaving the North Shore area, we headed south, aiming for Red Bay, AL. We did an over-nighter at the Minneapolis Southwest KOA, then headed into Des Moines, IA for a couple of nights at the Des Moines West KOA. We made good use of our time in Des Moines, starting with a visit to the Des Moines Downtown Farmer’s Market in the Court Av. district at the base of the Polk County courthouse. This has to be one of the premier farmer’s markets we have been to, coast-to-coast, hands down. It was jam-packed, humans and K9’s, and they had wall to wall booths for farmer’s products, crafts, and all manner of food to nosh on. Several musical entertainers were interspersed throughout the massive downtown area. Being kinda like “produce snobs” (former life-long residents and escapees from California, the produce capital of the U.S.), we were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the fruits & veggies.
Welcome to the Minneapolis SW KOA
Our home at the Minneapolis SW KOA
Yup, it was a little thick with trees…
They had a nice indoor pool at MSW KOA
Our home at the Des Moines West KOA
Nice little fishin’ pond at the KOA
Plenty of play space for the kiddies
They even had some jump house stuff. Looks like the bounce pillow was out of commission.
While we were downtown, we veered over to the capitol complex and wandered the grounds taking in the statuary. At least we got to see some history before the numb-nuts cancel culture gets to it…
On our way to find some chow we cruised by and found Pappajohn Sculpture Park. A walkabout took us by several “interesting” pieces of sculpture. It appeared the park would best be enjoyed after dark, since all the sculptures seemed to have ample spotlights surrounding or contained within each piece.
From Des Moines we continued south to the tiny town of Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas and a couple of days at yet ANOTHER KOA, the Kansas City West/Lawrence KOA. It was OK as far as KOA’s go, the only drawback was it is about 30 minutes driving to get to downtown Kansas City and be prepared for at least one toll highway, I-70, the toll is between KC and Lawrence.
Our excursion into KC led us to check out the City Market, a semi-indoor marketplace. It was a sad example of a “city market” in that there was a serious lack of patronage when we were there.
Lunchtime we took a short stroll to Jack Stack Barbecue and partook of some BBQ that came highly recommended through social media and local sources. The area was pretty cool to walk through, the BBQ fare was good but not extraordinary.
For our grand finale in the big city we stopped by the Boulevard Brewing Co., local brewer of craft brews. What I found out, heretofore unbeknownst to me, was that Boulevard has two “sister” breweries, Brewery Ommegang and Firestone Walker Brewing Co., and those are certainly a pair to draw to! And Boulevard has an outstanding offering in their Space Camper Major Volta Imperial IPA…
Southbound and down, into Branson, MO we went. A couple of days visit with Jeanne’s sister Denise’s family provided us with a nice day on Table Rock Lake with Denise and husband Tom, and a nice BBQ feast put on by Jeanne’s niece Savohna and husband Robert. This stop has now taken top billing for how far off direction my on-board trucker’s version GPS (nicknamed “Rosie”) can possibly get. We were programmed for the Tall Pines RV Park near Silver Dollar City, but Rosie took me in the opposite direction, up into the hills above Table Rock Lake and the half-lane wide, winding and congested roads. For that particular day’s lesson in 4-letter word vocabulary, Jeanne, I do sincerely apologize!
Red Bay, Alabama hasn’t changed much over the course of the last 7 years. I’ll cover our exploits there in the next post, stay tuned…
It took 5 years of full-timing, but we can finally say our wheels traveled through and came to a stop for at least one night’s stay in all of the lower 48 states of the union! And in all but 3 states we actually stayed in at least 1 RV campground/park. Kansas, Nebraska, and West Virginia were our park-less stops, but stops nonetheless with the help of some of the many options available for free, overnight stays. In these 5 years we have learned of several no-cost options for overnight stays during our travels, including but not limited to Walmart, Cracker Barrel, truck stops, some rest stops, Cabelas, Bass Pro, public lands such as BLM and National Forest lands, and occasional open field/private property that allows overnighters. Now, in that time and during these travels, we have seen a lot of beautiful sights nationwide, however we have only scratched the surface and there remains still much more to experience. How much more, on our part, remains to be seen, since we are starting to get the “settle down itch”. What that means – total “get off the road” to maybe becoming part-timers to remaining status quo, we just haven’t sorted the cards we have been dealt yet. But for now I’ll get back to current events.
Finished in Maine, it was time to head back west for some kids and grandkids time. It was not without some minor detours. When Jeanne’s sister Denise left us we told her we were gonna swing by on our way west to check on her in Branson, MO, (she recently lost her husband, Don.) So instead of a northern crossing we headed south. We did an overnighter at the Sturbridge, MA Walmart, then to an overnighter at a place called Aspen Family Campground in Candor, NY. Holy-Total-Pit Batman! This place was off a skinny road, with a skinny, back angled driveway which I BARELY made with the toad, then terrible rutted gravel uphill driveway. We were tired and did not feel like driving more, so we buckled and stayed here. The grass field we were put in was accessed through a tunnel of trees, then was not even close to level, and the sites were not delineated so you park any which way you like near the W/E post. The grass/mud was moist enough that when I tried to use my jacks, they just sunk into the grass/mud. So it was an unlevel, unrestful night’s sleep for us, never to return here again.
The field at Aspen Family Campground.Our settled position, we were far from level.Jacks down, oops!Our tunnel of trees getting to our site.
Next stop was the Luray KOA in Virginia. While here we took a drive along the Skyline Dr. in Shenandoah National Park and used this stop to take care of some business, car insurance business that is. Texas is a terrible state to have to insure your vehicles through if you are a full time RVer with the Escapees RV Club mailing address in Livingston. Our Jeep insurer, Nationwide, just notified us that the Jeep was going up $1,000 more this year, no tickets, accidents, nothing. After clearing the smoke out of our motorhome from what billowed out of my ears, Jeanne set off on yet ANOTHER insurance search. We ended up at Hartford through AARP (sometimes it’s nice to be an old fart) and got a $100 discount by just taking an online AARP Driver’s Safety course. The hunt continues for a break in our motorhome insurance, currently costing us $4,000 per year (just let that one soak in for a second, don’t say a word!)
Our home at Luray KOAPlayground and ping pong at Luray KOAPavillion area with smoker/BBQ at the KOAPools at the Luray KOADriving through a tunnel along the Skyline Dr. at Shenandoah Nat’l Park. The valley below Skyline Dr. Another shot of the valley Iron Mike stands in commemoration of the Civilian Conservation Corp whose sweat made the park possible.
Another Walmart overnighter in Hurricane, West Virginia, then it was on to Frankfort, KY and the Elkhorn Campground. While there Jeanne and I were able to finish out the Kentucky Brewgrass Trail (craft breweries in the area) and earned our official Brewgrass Trail T-shirts (sorry, no pic, they had to mail them to us and we haven’t gotten our mail yet.) We also made a visit to the Buffalo Trace Distillery this time around. It is not included in the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail or the Craft Distillery Trail, but it is on the trail. The distillery gives free tours and tastings and is quite picturesque. Also while here we started seeing these small painted rocks hidden around the park, we found 3. It seems there is a Facebook group called RVers Rock! who are the responsible culprits. The tops of the rocks are painted with anything the artist desires, then the backs have instructions printed to keep or rehide the rock, post pictures on the group’s FB feed, and frequently have the location/park of origin or state also included. This caught Jeanne’s curiosity/interest, so it looks like we will become artists now. Our 3 found rocks will also find new homes somewhere along our westward trail to California. You never know where you may find one, they can be anywhere. We will be sticking with hiding them in or around RV parks.
The playground and a pavilion at Elkhorn Campground.Miniature golf, anyone? Elkhorn C.G.The pool at the campground. Some of the sites at Elkhorn C.G.Welcome to Lemons Mill Brewery So many choices, so little time…Let’s brew some beer!What’s on tap?Back on the hard stuff… Messin’ around with the buff… Here they use that high tech method of manual air conditioning to keep the aging barrels cool…Buffalo Trace gift shopHe saw me coming. “Set ’em up!”Jeanne checking out Warehouse V, licensed to house (1), count ’em, (1) barrel of Buffalo Trace bourbon.And here’s the current barrel housed in Warehouse VRVers Rock! artwork.More RVers Rock! art.The backside of the art.
Gotta love the RV lifestyle. For the couple of weeks prior to our Elkhorn stop we have been having more issues with our water heater. Our water only heated to tepid at best. We were putting off looking for a service center until I just blew a gasket (metaphorically speaking). I called Precision Temp and one of their people in the know helped me troubleshoot the issue, discovering the propane regulator was bad. Gasket #2 just went (another one of them there metaphors) since we had just replaced the piece of $h!t regulator last January. It seems somebody imported a buttload of bad regulators, probably from our friend China, this according to the Precision Temp guys. Anyways, on moving day our first stop was at Bluegrass RV in Lexington to get another regulator. The saving grace for the day was that on our way in for service we got treated to an nice sunrise, Kentucky style.
A fine Kentucky sunrise…Oh, and by the way, if you should desire to drive your rig through downtown Lexington Kentucky, take a look at this photo before you choose to do so…
On the road with HOT water (!!!!Yippee!!!!), another Walmart, and into Branson, MO we rode. Denise hooked us up with a site at her camping club, Treasure Lake RV Resort, in downtown Branson. We had a nice stay visiting with Denise, Cedric, Savonna, Robert, Cooper, Brody, and Khloey (I probably mangled the spelling, sorry kid!). And we had HOT water the whole time!
Jeanne, Cedric, and Magnum enjoying coffee and cinnamon rolls…While at Treasure Lake RV Resort a couple of locals decided to stroll through…
Oh the joys of the RV lifestyle, volume 2. We have been having nothing but problems with our satellite reception since we switched DISH receivers to the Wally version up in Maine. Trying to figure out the cable and over-the-air reception has also been a disaster for quite some time. With (4) massive TV’s scattered throughout the motorhome, they never acquire the same channels from one TV to the other at any given stop. And to make matters worse, the jumble of wiring jammed into the small cabinet area is a nightmare trying to decipher. To add insult to injury, Woodrow Wilson (our K9 travel companion) has had one too many accidents on our small piece of carpet in the rig. It was becoming stained from all the shampooing Jeanne has had to do to clean up Woody’s indiscretions. So since we was in Missouri, another detour seemed in order, back to the east to our very favorite and happiest place on Earth…Red Bay, Alabama! (Insert mega-sarcasm here!) Home of Tiffin Motorhomes and the world famous Tiffin Service Center.
Which wire is it? That one, right there!
And the joys of the RV lifestyle are the gifts that keep on giving. So we are southbound out of Branson, heading for I-40 East. No sooner do we get out of town when my yellow check engine light starts going on and off, with the accompanying “ding, ding, ding” and the red “brake air” warning light flashing, the same time my gauges for the two air tanks go to zero. This goes on, intermittently, for about the next hour and a half. I have had issues with my warning lights and gauges since I got the motorhome 3 years ago. We have been to several Freightliner/Cummins shops, every time it occurs. It has gone unresolved from day one, but the audible alarms that go off drive me crazy. So this new occurrence was not surprising, but 90 minutes is a long time to worry if the bus would shut down at any time. The drivability during these episodes has never been affected. Add this problem to my Tiffin list, since Bay Diesel is just down the street.
We stayed at one of the off-campus campgrounds this time around (the service center was jam packed full). We got hooked up with Daniel Humphries, one of the “after-hours” techs who work on Tiffin products, to get new carpet (his specialty). While waiting we tried yet again to obtain full satellite reception. Our big gripe was we have never received high definition channels from the hi-def satellite, #129, since we switched to Wally. Still no hi-def, I did my usual call to DISH to try to resolve it. Gasket #3 went after another hour-long phone debate with the DISH techs and troubleshooting attempt. I hung up on DISH and we put a call into another after-hours tech for Tiffin products, Nick Brewer who specializes in the satellite/TV/electronics stuff. Nick took all of 1 minute and had me go into diagnostics, click one stinking button, and BOOM! I got satellite #129 and all the hi-def I could want. I guess the DISH techs were playing hooky the day they taught that in tech school.
While waiting/dealing with the cable/over-the-air issues, as well as a try to get in at Bay Diesel, we decided to poke our heads in and say howdy to Marion who is the tech in Bay #2, he has done work for us in the past. We also stopped in at the Tiffin parts store for a couple of things and Jeanne blurts out “Dave & Diane!” In the flesh, we see Dave and Diane (Dave writes his blog “Dave & Diane throwing caution to the wind”). Theirs was one of the first full timer blogs Jeanne started following way back in the beginning. And in the small world of RV traveling, we have run into them 3 times now; at the SKP park Jojoba Hills, CA, in the desert boondocking in Quartzsite, AZ, and now at the “real” happiest place on Earth in Red Bay. We chatted briefly and vowed to get together to swap stories, but regretfully we were not there long enough to make it happen.
Well, we got the carpet and hi-def issues resolved during this run to Red Bay. The diesel shop could not get us in for the dash light issue and Daniel tightened up some connections but it did not resolve the cable/air issues for TV. So it was back to the road, westward ho again. We had been watching weather and noticed the North and Northwest were starting to take on snow. That made the decision on routes easy, I-40 it was. A plus with this decision was there are numerous Freightliner shops along I-40 and I was intent on getting my dash light issue fixed once and for all. I settled on the Premier Truck Group Freightliner Service Center in Amarillo, TX. Last December I had been to the same company at their Dallas, TX shop for the same issue. The overall experience, especially this current one, has eroded any faith or trust in Freightliner as a company. Besides having to waste 3 full days, getting NO resolution, and having to pay out of my pocket for the issue which should have been fully covered under the original warranty, I got to listen to numerous truckers bad-mouth and complain about Freightliner’s terrible customer service practices. I was so full of piss and vinegar that I wrote a lengthy letter to Freightliner, with a copy to Bob Tiffin.
Anger set aside, breathing deeply, chanting in a meditative state, we continue our trek westbound, a couple of days out of California. And soon, well, take a look for yourself…
Our stay at Turkey Creek RV Park certainly did not go unpunished. One of the early nights we found ourselves smack-dab in the middle of “Tornado Central”. The town sirens were a-blarin’ and the thunder/lightning show was a-blastin’ and off we were, to the rock building shelter they had at the RV park. The Big Man upstairs was looking over us though, no touch down anywhere near us this time. But a meager 2 days later, here we were in the middle of a snowstorm, and we all know how much I love the cold weather…NOT!
“Bring it on, Mother Nature! We fear you not, for we are Jeepers!”The Bevins family guardian, Magnum, said, “I ain’t going out THERE! Try and make me… Go ahead. Make my day!”
During the week we got lots of family time with Jeanne’s sister, brother-in-law, and nephew (the Bevins clan; Denise, Don, and Cedric) and her niece’s family (the Pace clan; Savohna, Robert, Cooper, Brody, and Khloe). Robert kicked it off with a dinner of smoked bacon-wrapped meat loaf with smoked mac-n-cheese. Holy-moly was that tasty! Some people want to be buried at death. Some want to be cremated. I want to be smoked.
Oh my! Two smoked meat loaves, one wrapped in bacon! They should be classified as controlled substances!Smoked mac-n-cheese? Are you kidding me?!?!
One day Robert, Savohna, Jeanne and I ventured over to Springfield. Robert pointed out a place called “Hurts Donut”, and, well, solely based on what I did for a living (hint: #bluelivesmatter) we just HAD to go and sample their fare. Outstanding donuts! We later hit the lunchwagon at Springfield Brewing Co. and had to sample their fare. The beer was OK, not outstanding. I got a kick out of an old photo hanging on the wall. It depicted the 1906 State Normal School Women’s Rifle Drill Team. Nice to see the students of yesteryear wore uniforms and came to school fully armed!
Welcome to the Hurts Donut Co. in Springfield, MO.Oh yeah! That’s what I’m talking about! This photo should be of the “scratch-n-sniff” variety…No need for Daddy to be hiding around the corner with his trusty shotgun… Robert, Savohna, and Jeanne sampling the fare at Springfield Brewing Company…
Back in Branson, Don and Denise took us over to see a new baseball venue that is “in-progress”. It is an old strip mall taken over by “Ballparks of America” and looks to be 5 baseball fields for youth baseball. The fields are game ready and in fact they were due to have a small tournament that very weekend. The infrastructure buildings (old store fronts) are still being retrofitted and will soon be team rooms, shops, and possibly bowling alley and ice skating rink, among other things. The fields were absolutely awesome! Wall-to-wall artificial turf, even the “dirt” was artificial.
This should end up as an outstanding baseball venue for youth baseball clubs everywhere.Wall-to-wall artificial turf.Denise and Jeanne checking out a field from above.I can imagine the adrenaline rush the kids are gonna get once they step onto the fields…Lights, camera, “Play ball!”
Don and Denise live on the outskirts of town and they have a little bit of real estate behind their house (OK, thick trees and no neighbors as far as the eye can see). Don has enjoyed his hobby of shooting and reloading for quite some time. And he has quite the arsenal on hand. I got the opportunity to cap a few rounds through a couple of “mini-cannons” he owns; a S&W 460 Magnum and a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan 454 Casull-45 Colt. Rock and roll, hootchie koo!!! My nose is still numb from the repercussion! After stopping the nose bleed, I got to watch “Deadeye Cooper” display his prowess with his .22 pistol. Fun times.
The Beast, a Smith & Wesson 460 Magnum. Note the ammunition used as it dwarfs the standard .22 round.Here’s the Ruger Alaskan in comparison to the 460.
With a break in the weather, Jeanne and I took Woodrow Wilson on a hike at the Lakeside Forest Wildlife Area above Lake Taneycomo in downtown Branson. It was a short hike, maybe a couple of miles tops, but the 300-some rock stair-steps was a ham-burner. Pity it was not during or immediately following a rain storm, there would have been a nice little waterfall along the route. But alas, it was dry. A couple of small grotto areas were drip drip dripping on us like a natural mister and there were a couple of caves off the trail. Unfortunately, as seems to be more common every day, good things cannot go unspoiled. Our homeless fellow humanoids see fit to take up residence in every nook and cranny, leaving piles of their earthly belongings, garbage, and drug paraphernalia to ruin it for normal nature enthusiasts. Sometimes you do not need the nighttime hours to “see stars”.
Gotta take the gratuitous selfie, just in case we do not survive the physical exertion…Woody leads the excursion… Jeanne looks thrilled, don’t she?!?She sure is happy having to climb all those stairs…Several caves are located along the trail. Jeanne getting a little dripped on at one of the grotto type areas.
A week in Branson, family medical emergency stabilized for now, it was time to move on. But where to? We were still playing the weather, waiting “like a coiled spring” to head northward. The northeast is still digging out of the last late-season blizzard and temps here in the south are just starting to get away from freezing. So we decided to head back south to Little Rock just to visit Clinton’s Presidential Library. A couple of nights at the Downtown Riverside RV Park was the perfect place for the library visit. It is just across the Arkansas River from the library with a nice walking bridge to access it without having to drive anywhere. We hit here at the right time too, the library had a temporary display honoring The Beatles, so we got a “two-fer”.
Looking across the Arkansas River from the Downtown Riverside RV Park. That would be the foot bridge over to Clinton’s Presidential Library.Not a lot of elbow room here at the RV park. At least we had room to keep the Jeep in front of our site.It is a nice foot bridge…A peek through the girders of the foot bridge at Clinton’s Library.The library with a nice reflection of the flags…A recreation of the Cabinet meeting room.It looks like some of the State dinners hosted by the Clintons were not what anyone would consider “roughing it”…Jeanne checking out some of the Gifts of State received from foreign leaders. Couldn’t resist…Nice hat!It certainly looked like the State meals were geared toward some very thirsty folks.Clinton’s recreated Oval Office.
Our next destination stop was the Tannehill Ironworks State Park in McCalla, Alabama. We broke the drive up in two and overnighted at the Tupelo Walmart again, then into the state park. We just happened to arrive for the opening weekend of the “Trade Show” they put on here inside the park every 3rd weekend from March through November. The “Trade Show” is actually a large flea market with a bit of farmer’s market thrown in the mix. It is interesting as a full time RVer to walk around a flea market, sometimes you see something that makes you think about owning a house again, but then reality strikes and you remember there is no way you would want to buy some of this stuff due to lack of storage space in your current living quarters.
Trade show tents set up in the trees.Just an old fashioned flea market.
This particular state park is a civil war historical landmark. The Tannehill Ironworks was the Confederacy’s second largest ironworks and the site of a major offensive by the Union. On site there are many log cabins from the civil war era that have been relocated here from their original locations and some are even available as cabin rentals. The original ironworks, left in ruins by the Union, has been restored and there are many hiking trails throughout the park. We took one such trail up to a slaves cemetery, where the gravesites are marked only by large rocks and several show the telltale depression in the dirt where the bodies are located.
Home sweet home at Tannehill Ironworks Quaint little country store.Some of the history lessons to be learned on site.They have a number of Civil War-era cabins restored in the park, some actually for rent. The ironworks buildings. All that marks the graves at the slave cemetery are unmarked stones and every now and then the depression in the soil with a stone marker.I guess this is how to fly fish in Alabama. Fishing on Roupe’s Creek. I found some of my friends here too. Here is the telltale sign of fire ants. Nice, sleepy little village, heck, looks abandoned… But when some knucklehead disturbs the nest, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! (Yeah, I’m the knucklehead)
On site there is also the Alabama Iron and Steel Museum which has displays related to the early goings on of the ironworks, as well as some Civil War items and memorabilia.
The Iron and Steel museumHow-to, in case you want to make your own… Lots of equipment on display.Products for war. Implements of war…
Tannehill Ironworks State Park is an excellent family campground. For $30 per night for full hookups, they have plenty of activities available for the whole family, all outdoor related and nothing to do with video games or cell phones. (Internet service is extremely poor here in these hills). Besides the living history lessons, they have hiking, biking, a playground along the creek, and fishing. There is a Pioneer Farm where it looks like they do demonstrations of things like blacksmithing. Some of the restored cabins looked like they do crafts such as quilting. We stayed here for 4 days, kinda out in the sticks. The beauty of it was, a short 20 minute drive and we were loading up on supplies at Costco in the town of Hoover (suburb of Birmingham).
The spring is still tightly coiled, we’re not quite ready to pull the trigger and barrel our way north, not sure of our next destination yet, but moving day is tomorrow and to quote that famous (or infamous, depending on your perspective) River Sub-Station Sgt. Dave Anderson, “Just do it!” OK, Dave, we’re gonna do it…
The Florida Keys behind us, it was back to the mainland and points north for us. We did a short drive to an overnight stay at the Miccosukee Casino/Resort on the west end of Miami. This was another fairly nice Indian casino with a very large outback parking area and the price was exactly right – zilch. Just had to check in with security and let them know how many days we would be there. And Jeanne, of course, had to earn our keep at the slots. This particular casino offered no card games except for a poker room. The only drawback for us was during the night a black Escalade pulled in within 3-4’ of the back of our Jeep (still hooked up to the bus), headlights glaring into our bedroom window, with engine running, and remained like that for about 10 minutes. Initially I thought someone had just pulled over to play on their phone, but after 10 minutes of no change, I stuck my little Mustang into my shorts pocket and went out to investigate. I found the driver passed out behind her wheel, a young gal of the local tribe, and unresponsive to my pounding on her door/window. Just the kinda stuff I have been running from for the past 6 years of retirement! A quick phone call to security got their local tribal police to respond and clean up the mess. Onward and upward…
Our home at Miccosukee Casino/Resort.
Still wandering around without reservations anywhere in particular, we found a 2 day slot at the Midway Campground in the middle of the Big Cypress Nat’l Preserve (a swamp surrounded by the Everglades). It was a very nice campground circled around a small pond right off Hwy. 41.
Home at Midway Campground. Looking out across the pond.
Our first day we took off on the bicycles, following Hwy. 41 which also followed a narrow creek-like piece of the swamp. We got to see a whole bunch of gators, babies to adults, scattered along the water.
Meet Al Gator. He’s an easy going guy…Not much irritates him. This is Sneaky Pete. He could be problematic for those desiring to get their feet wet…Looks comfy. If your interested, contact Mike Lindell, inventor of My Pillow. Ask for the stone version…You’ll get a better night’s sleep… Hank Heron just watching over the “herd”…“C’mon, dude. You gotta do better than that if you wanna sneak up on me!”Awwwwwwww! Look at the wittow baby!
Day 2 we decided to go to Shark Valley and take a tram tour through some of the Everglades. It was raining on us most of the tour but we got a narrated tour of the area, saw a couple of gators and native birds, and the tour guide was entertaining as well.
“Hey, driver. You may not wanna stop to change a flat right about now!” “Keep your hands and feet inside the tram at all times!”He looks really pissed! Don’t ask. Lots o’ birds. I don’t know birds. Ditto…Ditto twice…
One problem that is not uncommon for us is we basically had no internet during this stay. That makes it rough on moving day, with no way to research for a next location. So we packed up and headed west aiming for the Naples area. Not long into the drive, internet came available, so Jeanne found a week’s stay for us at the Pine Island Resort in St. James City, FL. It is a typical snowbird park with lots of sites jam-packed on top of each other, and is a KOA/Encore/Thousand Trails combination park. Although not the most scenic of parks, Pine Island Resort does have plenty of activities for all ages such as pool/spa, playground, shuffleboard, horseshoes, basketball, tennis, pickleball, dog run, and a clubhouse for group gatherings.
A look at the dog run and tennis/pickleball court at Pine Island Resort.The playground and shuffleboard in the background.The pool/spa area at Pine Island.Shuffleboard and Horseshoes.This is not a bad view across one of the ponds.A little more representative of the sites at the Pine Island Resort.Our home at Pine Island.
Our first excursion was to check out Sanibel Island and the beach there. The big drawback to Pine Island is it takes a long drive to go ANYWHERE! Even the 2 closest civilized cities, Cape Coral and Ft. Myers, are a half hour away minimum. To make matters worse in the case of getting to Sanibel Island, the bridge over has a $6 toll, $2 to get back, and parking at the beach over there is $4 per hour. Ridiculous costs, considering the beach is a big nothing on my scale-of-wow.
Sanibel Island BeachSanibel Island Beach, looking the other way.
The bicycles got more work in when we took off for St James City (the far end of Pine Island). We found no beach areas to lollygag at, but did find a couple of potential eating & drinking establishments that we would visit soon. One, the Ragged Ass Saloon, was the local biker bar. We went there with our newfound Canadian friends Paul and Dianne (neighbors at the RV park) and had a nice dinner and a beer or four. Jeanne and I not being the typical bar-hopper types, it has been quite a while since I was in a bar surrounded by a bunch of drunks, especially hard core drunk bikers, but, surprisingly, I got a kick out of it. Some people are so easily amused…The second place we scoped out was Woody’s where Jeanne took me out to lunch and we had a lovely date. Of course I had to take advantage of a photo op while at Woody’s. They had a satirical duplicate land marker in their parking lot area to that marker in Key West designated as the Southernmost Point in the continental U.S.A. Only Woody’s marker is designated the Drunkenmost Point in the continental U.S.A. Good times with my hot babe!
I think Jeanne got a little homesick for the desert…Leave it to Woody…Dinner on the water at Ragged Ass Saloon with our Canadian friends Paul and Diane.The band playing in the back of Ragged Ass Saloon.
Jeanne wanted to make a road trip to the Sarasota area and Siesta Keys, so we did. She heard that Siesta Beach was one of the top beach locations in the country, so we tripped on up and promptly discovered two things. 1-It is a very large, very white sand, very beautiful beach. 2-Our usual lack of paying attention to things around us guarantees a bite in the butt. We arrived to find we were smack dab in the middle of their Spring Break. Kids EVERYWHERE! Wall to wall bodies. Parking lot full (at least they don’t charge for parking). Needless to say, we kept on going and I got zero pictures of beach.
During our stay here in Florida we encountered a family medical emergency for one of Jeanne’s kin in Branson, MO. So, our motto comes true again, “plans change every day and twice on Sundays…” We decided to make a warp drive detour up to Branson. We made it in 3 stops. First was the SKP park in Bushnell, FL. Not anything to write home about. Second stop was overnighter at a Cracker Barrel near Peachtree City, where we at least got to poke our heads in and say howdy to my cousin Dave, his wife Kim, and daughter Dana. We had not seen them for years. Stop #3 was an overnight at the Walmart RV Resort in Tupelo, MS. (No, I am being a smart donkey, there is no such thing as a “Walmart RV Resort”). Then we landed at the SKP park known as Turkey Creek RV Park outside of Branson, MO.
Home at Sumter Oaks.The back of the clubhouse at Sumter Oaks.Cousin Dave and Kim, aren’t they just the cutest couple?!?!?!?! Happy to see Dave could not evade the gray-hair-demon either… The park at Turkey Creek RV Park.Namesake Turkey Creek to Lake Taneycomo.Our home at Turkey Creek.
So there you have it, a full accounting of our shortened stay in the great state of Forida. And now we are back to our “no plan” mode, taking life as it comes. Still aiming for the northeast parts of our country. We’ll see…
Yeah, I know, it’s been a while since my last post. Unfortunately, we are starting a return trip to CA from here on, so I won’t have a lot of touristy pictures to share or a lot of adventuresome stories to tell. At least not until we hit Disneyland. So maybe I’ll try to create a sense of impending apprehension which will build & expand inside of you until it reaches a crescendo of overwhelming excitement…(or not, just another boring road trip).
So we finally got all of our fix-it stuff done in Red Bay. We actually had a great time sitting in the Allegro Service Center, a place where some Tiffin owners dread because of unknown wait times. It helps immensely to be a full time RV-er when having to be there, time does not matter. And we met a lot of good people who were our neighbors. We traded “war stories” (re: life on the road), had some block-party style happy hours (on the QT of course, Red Bay is within a dry county after all!), and we found Jim and Stacy Camara at the Service Center getting work done on their rig as well (they were co-workers of mine back in Sonoma County when I actually worked for a living).
Inside the service center, looking down the aisle of bays.We waited 2 weeks for this view…
It was then off to Tennessee to take care of some of Charlie’s medical stuff at his primary physician in Murfreesboro. Finding a place to stay was a bit frustrating, the COE’s we wanted to stay at were full and there is basically nothing in the Murfreesboro area. We tried to stay at the Camper RV Park in Columbia, but that lasted all of one night, that place resembled a good ol’ crankster heaven what with all the permanent “residents” in their broke down and otherwise thrashed trailers.
Which one looks out of place?
One of our neighbors in the Allegro Campground in Red Bay told us about the Grand Ole RV Resort in Goodlettsville just outside of Nashville. We headed up there and found space for a week. This was a nice find, since most of the Nashville RV parks run in the $60+ per night range and this one was $30. Once the medical stuff was finished, we took some time to recon the area. Just NE of Goodlettsville we found the city of Gallatin. This is a very nice area and we found some very nice custom homes at the Fairview Plantation which ran anywhere from the $300’s into the multi-millions. Not a bad location either, between a golf course and the lake. Jeanne heard a radio spot as we drove around Nashville that advertised a free concert “Street Party” downtown put on by Sam Hunt. She seems to have taken a fancy to that performer, he sings her favorite song “House Party”. I had no clue who he was and I am the furthest from a new age country/western fan, but we went to see the concert. Jeanne was in hog heaven, I however still do not fancy the new age country-rap genre. And the young-ish fans who packed the concert area were rude and pushy, but at least I did not have to put up with “the big blue cloud of smoke” usually present with the young California concert-going crowds of Cannabinoids.
Just one of a zillion Civil War monuments scattered about the south, this one in old town Franklin, TNJeanne checking out the Nashville Farmer’s Market.This cool ride was cruising near Music City, vrrrooom, vrrrooom!Sam Hunt performs… More Sam…Oh boy! She was just all a-twitter getting gussied up for Sam Hunt!Just someone’s “vacation cabin” being built at Fairview Plantation!Just someone’s “vacation cabin” being built at Fairview Plantation!
Next stop was an overnighter at a Walmart in Sikeston, Mo., then on to Branson. We had a good 2-day visit with Jeanne’s sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, and their respective families (Denise & Don; Savohna, Robert, Cooper, Brody, & Khloe; Cedric & Angie; and Magnum the wonder dog).
Home at Turkey Creek Escapee RV Park in Branson, MOAngie tempts fate whilst Cedric slays some turkey, and Robert looks on ready to perform EMT duties when Cedric slices into Angie’s fingers… Khloe says, “What’s with you and the pictures?”Cooper says, “Get out of my face, you bore me!”
Westbound and down we stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe & Hotel & Casino outside of Tulsa, OK. This was just an overnighter, but the camp fees were right ($0) and we learned to like another card game. Hard Rock did not have any Pai Gow tables, but we learned the magic of 3-card Poker. (Next stop-Gamblers Anonymous!)
Hard Rock Cafe/Hotel/Casino
From Tulsa we stayed on Hwy. 412 along the north edge of the state and away from the trucker-laden Hwy. 40. This route was a very pleasant alternative to I-40, winding its way through several small town areas and generally low traffic volume, definitely low semi-truck volume. Another Walmart in Guymon, OK, then reconnect with Hwy. 40 into Albuquerque, NM. As usual, the wind was a pretty big factor through this area, we got tossed around pretty good at a steady 60 mph. In Albuquerque we stayed at the Enchanted Trails RV Park for a couple of days while we caught our breath and picked up our mail. Even though we are not rushing ourselves TOO bad to get back to CA, 4 hour drive days can still get a bit old quickly. From Albuquerque it was on into Williams, AZ and a couple of days stay at the Grand Canyon Railroad RV Park and Hotel. A bit windy still, some minor snow on the ground, but clear weather as we passed through.
They had a small display of classic cars/campers at the Enchanted Trails RV Park.One of the other displays at Railway Enchanted Trails. Snow! at the Grand Canyon RV Park and Hotel in Williams, AZ.
And that leads to the present. We are a couple of days out from CA, hopefully the weather and I-40 will hold out for us as we inch closer, and closer, and closer to meet up with…
So Hardeeville RV Park was our next stay, still burning time until Jenn & Max arrive. This place is severely over-priced for what it offers, $50 normal night fee (even the $25 Passport America price is high, no frills just a parking spot with hookups). We traversed into the Hilton Head area, a very nice hoity-toity vacation/tourist spot. And we took several trips into Savannah, GA from here, checked out the River Walk and historical district again. Temps were still high and lots of humidity, the puppies were having a hard time, not to mention the Misses who REALLY hates humidity. 9 days of this and time to get set up for the grandchild.
The beach at Hilton HeadPretty nice walkway to the beach at Hilton HeadThe historical squares in Savannah have lots of statuary.There’s something around 24 historical squares in Savannah, all from Civil War history.
We found Lake Aire Campground just outside of Charleston, SC. Small campground with lots of long term local residents. Real quality folks, the epitome of which was a 6-8 year old young man who screamed out, “You Bitch!” at his much younger sister as he chased her through the park. Wow…We stayed here just long enough to pick up Jenn & Max at the airport, make a quick spin through downtown Charleston, then leave at first light.
Pirate Land RV Resort was our choice for a 5 day stay with Max. It is right on the ocean, Pirate themed, and just south of downtown Myrtle Beach. This is a pricey place to stay, but was worth it for Max. They have a really cool splash pool, normal swimming pool, and a “Lazy River” for tube floating. Max & Jenn had a blast here. We went walking the Boardwalk in Myrtle Beach, walked the downtown area and Max took in some of the rides at the amusement park there, and we took in a local dinner/show called Pirate’s Voyage, put on by Dolly Parton’s conglomerate corporation. Max immediately turned into a pirate for the rest of their stay.
Sunset at the beach at Pirateland RV Park.Max and Oma funnin’ at the splash pool at Pirateland.More of the splash pool… The beach at Myrtle Beach from the pier.Max trying to figure out how he is going to get on THAT ferris wheel. Max, Oma and Opa at Moe Moon’s, the boardwalk at Myrtle Beach.Max doing his thing at one of the Myrtle Beach arcadesC’mon, Max, we gotta git you a cool pair of board shorts! Sunset at Myrtle Beach. Mr. Moon came out early…One night at Dolly Parton’s Pirate’s Voyage and Max is a full fledged pirate.
Next stop on the tour was Stone Mountain, GA. I could not figure out what Stone Mountain Park was all about, it is not an amusement park, but it is a busy tourist spot. There is a plantation there to tour, the old quarry area of the mountain where they cut lots of granite blocks, a laser light show area where they do some type of laser show on the mountain, and some memorial areas related to the Civil War.
Skipping rocks at Stone Mountain campground.Life is GOOD!The carving in the side of Stone Mountain.
The campground here at Stone Mountain was OK, if not a bit pricey. There is a lake for fishing, a store and a pool, and the bath/showers are very nice. We still had some high temps, and the usual short term thunder/lightening storms, but the mosquito population was noticeably absent.
Killing time while doing laundry.Max and Opa at Stone Mountain campground. Who picked your wardrobe?
Atlanta, GA has a very nice aquarium that we took Max to. He had a good time checking out the sharks and enjoyed the dolphin show they put on.
Max trying to scoot out of the shot. Sorry kid, you’re not fast enough!Look at all these cool fishes!
From Atlanta it was on to Nashville, TN. With Max in tow, there is no other choice but to stay at the Jellystone Park just down the street from the Opry. The park was kinda a drag this time around, being the “off season”; the pool was only open on weekends, the “hey rides” were over, and the visiting Yogi Bear characters were done for the season. But we made the best of it, Max still got his kicks taking the dogs for their multiple walks around the park. We took Jenn & Max into downtown Nashville and walked around the Broadway area. It was a Saturday and it was PACKED! Lots of drunks and tattoos on parade. We also ventured into the Murfreesboro area to show Jenn the area for her possible relocation. We even made it to Rock Island to visit the good folks still at the state park there. They did some good work on the park campground since we were there as campground hosts a year ago. Paved sites, upgraded electrical, added dump station, and revamped bathrooms just a few of the improvements. Good folks there, we miss them.
Max going to town at the playground at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone park in Nashville.Max cruising Gaylord’s Opryland Hotel and Convention center.Jenn’s having fun at Gaylords Opryland.
Saying good-bye to Max and Jenn is always a downer. Max had a blast this visit, we played pirates and LOTS of baseball, not to mention all the quality beach time and pool time. He is going to follow in his Uncle Bubba’s (Chad’s) footsteps and become a quality baseball player, that being my crystal ball prediction. But for now, back to California it was for Max and his mom. And after a quick, yearly physical exam from my primary physician good ol’ Dr. Cobb in Murfreesboro, it was sayonara to Tennessee for now.
The sun sets on Jenn and Max’s visit in Nashville, TN. We’ll see you again soon, little warrior!
Thanks to our inept Fearless Leader (B. Obama), Jeanne got her health insurance cancelled, effective after December. And unfortunately, South Dakota has severely limited choices for individual health care (that would be reasonable and affordable). Jeanne did some checking and found much better options available out of the state of Texas. So we decided we are going to change our domicile location from Sioux Falls SD (Alternative Resources, soon changing to Dakotapost) to Livingston TX (Escapees, we are already members). That being decided, it was off toward the great state of Texas.
Being in this part of the world, we would be remiss if we did not stop in and say howdy to our family members living in Branson, MO. We drove to the big city of Mayfield, KY for an overnight stay at the Walmart, then westbound through southern Missouri. I would like to take this opportunity to warn anybody driving in this area of Hw. 60 and Hw. 62 going W/B, you will encounter 2 bridges as you cross into Illinois (all of several hundred yards worth) and then into Missouri, crossing the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. These are heavily used trucking routes and the lanes on these 2-lane roads are about 18” wide (a bit exaggerated, really probably at the bare minimum allowed by law). It was an EXTREME white knuckle drive over them, passing an unending string of truckers, and surprising myself that we did not tear off some side mirrors in the urban “joust” we were in. I will NEVER return to that route again, I would drive 3 states north just to avoid it if I had to…
We stopped for a couple of days at the Ozarks Mountain Springs RV Park in Mountain View, MO, a Passport America park. This was a short rest stop seeing it was out in the middle of nowhere with nothing really to see. Then it was on into Branson, where we stayed at the SKP/Rainbow park on Turkey Creek. We had a great visit with Denise & Don, Savohna & Robert, Cedric, Cooper the rock and roll drummer, Brody, and Khloe. Thanks to all for the good eats and quality family time. Sorry, Denise, I think the boys raided all of your printer paper for our paper airplane extravaganza…
Another Walmart stop in Conway, Arkansas, then we hit Hot Springs Nat’l Park in Hot Springs, AR. We stayed at the park campground for 4 days. There were some very cool thunder/lightning displays while we were here, but in between it was still a bit warm and steamy. We busied ourselves with several of the park walking trails which gave some nice mountain top views of the area and toured one of the bathhouses in the historic district. There are several that are still open to the public for baths, massages, hot packs, etc. The area seems to have been a big stopover for visiting baseball teams and gangsters during the 20’s/30’s.
Jeanne at one of the natural springs.More of the springs around town.And the water…it’s REAL hot!View from the mountaintop trails at Hot Springs, AR.Jeanne doing her Indiana Jones thing on the hike.Woody, our guide dog for the hiking trails.The music room inside the Fordyce bathhouse.A tub used for non-ambulatory clients at Fordyce.The exercise room at the Fordyce.Downtown in front of the Ohio Club.This guy and his cronies used to hang here as well.
We decided to drive all the way to Livingston from Hot Springs. Not a bad drive, only about 7 hours or so. We set up at the SKP headquarters campground. Then it was just a matter of lining up our ducks for the domicile switcheroo. Signed up for the mail service, got the bus and Jeep “safety inspected” (a Texas requirement for registering vehicles), registered and paid the fees for both at the county tax office, then got our Texas drivers licenses at the Dept. of Public Safety office. Well, sort of. Jeanne took care of hers, as a standard drivers license. Texas is one of the states that requires RV drivers driving motorhomes over 26,000 lbs. to have a non-commercial Class B drivers license endorsement. So I began that process. I got the Texas commercial drivers license (CDL) handbook and they told me I needed to study section 14 for the 20 question written test for the endorsement. Well, I looked over section 14. It was all about tech stuff for commercial drivers, truckers, farm equipment, and a whole lot more that, in my infinite wisdom, I could not see having to be tested on such stuff for driving a stupid motorhome. So, when we went in to do the licenses, I just took the computerized written test willy-nilly. HOLY SHEEP DIP! I don’t know how I did it, but I squeaked by by the skin of my teeth! I guess I shoulda listened to them when they said to study section 14, all questions were straight from section 14 and all were very technical trucker questions that will have little bearing on my being able to drive a bus. Oh well, pass is a pass. Now it is on to the road test, I guess I will try to memorize the youtube video demonstrating the Texas school bus air brake test.
Well, now you are caught up to our present time. Another week here, hopefully a pass on the drive test, then onward and downward toward the Gulf coast…
Sing with me – “And, the wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round, ‘round and ‘round, ‘round and ‘round…”
We made it to Branson! Jenn and Max made it! Let the fun begin! We started off with the Rainbow/SKP park, Turkey Creek RV Village in Hollister. It is a small park right on Turkey Creek near where it connects to Taneycomo Lake. The Landing, a popular outdoor mall, is nearby and all is just outside the mess of downtown Branson. We picked Jenn and Max up from the Branson airport and got them situated in the trailer (“Pack ‘em in!”). During the week while we waited for the plane, Oklahoma City area got nailed by the tornado and Jeanne heard a tornado had touched down at the Lake Thunderbird State Park, which we had left about a week ago. Topping that off, the tornado warnings and alerts got intense in the Hollister/Branson area while we were there. Luckily, all we got was some thunder and lightning shows and a little bit of rain. We got some visiting in with family (the Bevins clan and the Pace clan), then we relocated to the Compton Ridge Campground where the Bevins’ had a permanent campsite and we spent the Memorial Day weekend there with them. We’ve still been fighting the ticks, and the women got a thrill (read “scare”) when word came out a camper got bit by a copperhead snake while we were there. Max had fun with his cousins and swimming in the pool. And what visit to Branson would be complete without a visit to Lambert’s, “Home of the Throwed Rolls”.
Compton Ridge Campground in Branson.“Now, THIS is a vacation!”Hay rides at Compton Ridge. “Yee Hawwww!”
From Branson it was off to Loretta Lynn’s Ranch at Hurricane Mills, TN, a campground with concert facility, rodeo facilities, and a motocross type track area for M/C’s and ATV’s. We did not get a chance encounter with Loretta Lynn, but had a fun time touring the ranch/facilities in a rented golf cart. I think it was the highlight of Jenn’s visit, driving the cart… We got to take Max swimming in Hurricane Creek and the pool on the ranch, he had a fun time. They put on a “campfire songfest” with some pretty good musicians playing guitar. No snakes encountered here, but Max did get a close look at a fair sized turtle.
Chillin’ in Hurricane Creek…Max, hangin’ with Oma and Opa in Hurricane Mills.Just cruisin’ in my cool ride. “Look, Ma, no hands! “
The Jellystone Campground in Cosby, TN was our next destination. This was a great family park, they do a lot of activities for the kids, and the owner is a big kid himself. While we were there a church kids choir from Georgia came and gave a concert on the grounds. We were also in the area of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, so we tried to do a day at Dollywood. The weather was not real cooperative during our whole stay here, we got some serious rain/thunder/lightning. The day we tried to go to Dollywood, the rain came down so hard you could not see while driving. There was just enough let-up in the rain so Max could enjoy a couple of “Hey Rides” with Yogi Bear through the park grounds. We did manage to drive into the Smoky Mountain National Park, but it was in that driving rain and we made it to the top of Clingman’s Dome, but the fog/mist was so thick we could not see past the parking area. We did get some spectacular views from other vantage points.
Ma and me and Yogi…Hey Rides at Jellystone.Oma and Opa in the Smoky Mountains. “How come they call them the Smoky Mountains?”
Next stop we drove to the Rainbow/SKP park, Raccoon Valley C.G. in Heiskell just outside of Knoxville. From there we managed to make it to Dollywood during clear weather and we had a good time until about 3:00 in the afternoon when the skies opened up again on us. We terminated our stay there at that time, since Dollywood closes all outdoor rides when lightning activity gets within 6 miles or so of the park, and it did. We made a trip to downtown Knoxville to the area of Market Square and the World Fair Park. We did some shopping in town and found a great dog park to take the doggies to, part of the Pet Safe business complex there in town.
“This is how I fly at Dollywood!”Let the fun begin…“Lightning storm! Run for your life!”Me and Opa in the fountains at the World Fair park in Knoxville.
Our next stop is the Jellystone Campground in Nashville, just up the street from the Grand Ol’ Opry. Stay tuned…
