Winter in Arizona

Desert Gardens RV Oasis is a 55 + RV Park.  Some of the lots are owned by the residents.  I must say it was not a real enjoyable experience.  I had a lot of daily contact with the lot owners and the people that were on site for the winter.  I did not socialize much because I did not want to appear to take sides in the constant bickering between the different sections of the park.  I tried my best to stay neutral!  We also had 3 different managers while I was there.  All I could do was stay out of the politics of the park and do the best job possible in the office.  I was determined not to get in the middle of the ongoing disputes.  The park is beautiful, for a desert RV Park.  A lot of money had been spent in recent years to upgrade the sites and facilities.  I had a really good site with a concrete patio.

My site # was D32, a corner lot with a drive thru parking spot.  You just could not get much better than that.

I also had really good neighbors.  Every evening after work I would take Ellie for a walk and she had to go by Butch and Marlys's for her daily massage from Butch.  On days they were not home when I got off work she was disappointed.  There was a hiking trail all the way around the perimeter of the park and we enjoyed the part nearest our site.  Ellie was a little old to go for long hikes and the desert has a lot of stickers that were not kind to her paws.

We also had a great crew working at the park.  I really enjoyed all the other workampers. Even though it was a difficult park to work, I still have fond memories of my time there.  I made a lot of good friends and I was able to do a lot of sight seeing in the area.   Desert Gardens is near Florence Arizona which is a very small town with a lot of prisons as it's main source of revenue. There is a Wal Mart in Coolidge Arizona which was only 11 miles from the RV park. This is where I did most of my shopping.  I did go into Mesa Arizona a couple of times.  My friends Wanda and Robert from my days in Yellowstone live in Mesa.  It sure was good to get to visit with them.  Also while I was there my friends Rosalee and Larry from my Adventureland days came through for a visit.  They spend the winter in Tucson every year.  It is always nice to reconnect with workamper friends.  One of my new friends at Desert Gardens was another lady that was there alone.  She is married and I got to meet her husband who came to visit several times.  Betty spends the winter in Arizona because the weather where she is from is just too harsh in the winter.  We took a number of day trips together.  It is always more fun to have someone to run around with.  We visited the Sonora Desert Museum on one of our trips and Bisbee Arizona on another.  We also visited a copper mine near Superior Arizona as well as the Casa Grande Ruins.  I really enjoyed getting to know Betty and had planned to go back so we could take in some more of the sights together but that just did not work out.  By the time I was suppose to return the park had been returned to the the original owners and they do not pay workampers.  Johnny and Carol came to see me in February.  They had just purchased a new 5th wheel and I was excited to see it as well as them.

Here they come!  I was so excited!  I got them the site right next to mine so all I had to do while they were there is look out the window and there they were.  It is always a blessing to have family close.  That is the one down side to my lifestyle....I love my family and just do not get to see them often enough.  But I do appreciate our times together more because of the distance most of the time.  We were going to have an adventure packed few days to explore.  That afternoon we managed to go to Coolidge to see the Casa Grande Ruins. 

I had been there before and knew they would find it interesting.  It is amazing that anyone could live out in this desert years ago...and Casa Grande was a thriving community of Indians.   There was an owl nest in the rafters of the cover over the ruins.  I found that interesting too.  I never did get a picture of the nest but I managed to get a good one of the owl.  I tend to take lots of pictures of wildlife and scenery when I travel. 
While Johnny and Carol were there my friend Bo came for a visit and then joined us on a sight seeing tour of Hwy 88 and the Tortilla Flat Area.  We stopped at a ghost town on the way to Tortilla Flat. 

 It was interesting, but then I love all things old!  That is good since I am getting older by the minute!  It was a pretty drive up to Tortilla Flat.  I had been told by a number of people that the drive was spectacular.  So far I had found it pretty but nothing really special.  We stopped at Tortilla Flat and looked around a little then returned to the car.  Hmmm there was water over a low spot in the road just ahead.  What to do!  I am not much of a risk taker and was a little concerned about driving through the water.  After watching several cars go through we decided to go for it.  I eased into the water and across with no trouble.  Well, the road turned into a dirt road in short order.  I was prepared for this as I had been told it was dirt but well worth it.  What no one had told me was that it was a high road with lots of curves!  I enjoyed it(well as much as I could).  Carol was freaked out!  She does not like high roads and the fact that it was dirt just made it worse.  Bless her heart I would never have taken her there if I knew it was that high!  The views were wonderful but I did not stop to take pictures because I did not want to cause Carol any more distress!  After we got out of the canyon we stopped for a picnic lunch near the Roosevelt Dam.  The rest of the day was beautiful and Carol forgave me! 

We also took a trip down to Tucson to the Saguaro National Park and Davis Monthian AFB to the bone yard.  We managed to take in both parts of the National Park (East and West) and the Bone yard all in one day.  Wow, it is amazing the number and different kinds of aircraft that are parked out in the desert!  We took a very informative bus tour that began at the Pima Air and Space Museum. 

We all enjoyed the tour.  Johnny and Carol were also fascinated by the Saguaro in the National Park.  Well, I must admit I find them pretty myself! 

It had been another beautiful day in the desert and we enjoyed the trip to Tucson.  It is always fun seeing the sights where ever I am.  I appreciate God's handiwork the most!  I sure did enjoy Johnny and Carol's visit and look forward to them visiting me again!  It was sad to see them head out headed home.

I had another visitor before my time at Desert Gardens was over.  My cousin Janice came an spent a couple of days with me.  We also were able to do a little sight seeing.  I also had several friends I had made on the Internet visit. Susan and Waylon were at Desert Gardens for the winter.  They were really nice to include me in some of their sightseeing trips. 

All in all it was not a bad winter.  Arizona is not my favorite place but it was nice to see things I would never have seen just passing through!  I am still searching for the best place to spend my winters.

I was thrilled that before I left Arizona some of the Saguaro were beginning to bloom!  It was a little early for them so I enjoyed the few I got to see!

The sun was setting on my time at Desert Gardens but the memories go with me!



Arizona here I come!

I headed out on a Sunday morning for Arizona.  It was my first trip with the motor home and to say I faced it with a lot of prayer is putting it mildly!  It was a beautiful fall day!  Johnny and Carol were there to see me off.  They were dressed for church so I had to do the dirty work without help but I appreciated the moral support!  They checked to make sure all my lights were working properly after I hooked up the car! I eased away from the curb and off we went!  My little dog Ellie was not sure about this new home on wheels.  That was okay I was not too confident with it either!  I had planned my route to avoid any heavy traffic, until I at least had some serious practice behind me.  I had also planned to take a route that I was fairly familiar with.  I hoped to get beyond Abilene on my first day.  As it was Sunday traffic was pretty light.  I took highway 84 west out of Mexia.  When I got to Waco I took the loop around it and hit highway 6 heading north west!  So far so good!  It was a little windy but not too bad!  About 60 miles out of Waco an alarm started going off!  My heart nearly jumped out of my chest!  Whoa, what in the world was that?  Everything seemed to be running okay!  It turned out to be my jack alarm going off!  I had to pull over to the shoulder of the road, put the gear shift in Park, set the emergency brake and then turn on the Jacks.  All I had to do then was hit the store button and the alarm immediately went off.  Whew, nothing major but still scary!  I was back on the road in short order. I hit interstate 20 at Eastland.  Shortly after that Ellie and I stopped for a break at a roadside park.  She enjoyed the walk and I needed the down time! I took the loop north around Abilene.  Traffic was not too heavy and I was beginning to get a little more comfortable with the drive.  By keeping the car in the middle of the lane I knew I was keeping the motor home in the lane!  I love my rear view camera!  I was planning to look for a campground on the west side of Abilene.  I did not want to push too hard on my first day.  Besides when you get out into west Texas those RV parks get fewer and farther between.  I stopped at the Rolling Plains RV park in Sweetwater.  As I turned on my turn signal to get off the interstate I noticed that my indicator was not working!  Hmmm...if it is not working most likely my turn signal is not working either.  I went ahead and continued to the RV park.  This is not an RV park that I would recommend for Class A motor homes.  The trees make it a little hard to negotiate.  I found the person running it very friendly and helpful but I probably won't return because I don't want to risk scratching my motor home.  It is handy to the interstate and should be great for anything smaller than a Class A. After I pulled in to my site I checked and sure enough my turn signals were not working.  I raised the dash to get to the fuse panel and replaced the blown fuse.  I was glad I had those extra fuses!  Ellie and I had a good night after a busy day! 
The next morning I got ready early for another day of driving.  After I unhooked and got ready to go I checked my turn signals and they blew again!  I knew I could not continue with out some help fixing the problem.  I went up to the office and asked if there was a place nearby where I could get some assistance.  The lady suggested the RV dealer back down the interstate about a mile.  They had a nice big parking lot so it was easy to get in.  I asked them if they could help me and they said no that they did not work on Motor homes.  They suggested I try the Chevrolet dealer across the interstate.  I must say I was pleasantly surprised that the Chevrolet dealer was willing to work me in on a Monday morning.   They were great!  before 9 o'clock they had my RV pulled around to a back door and were working on tracing the problem.  After much head scratching and even checking the wiring on the car all the way back to the tail lights they discovered the short!  It was right where the wiring connector is on the back of the motor home!  At 11 o'clock I was back on the interstate headed west!  I felt the dealership in Sweetwater was more than fair.  They only charged me for one hour of service! 
Ellie and I had a delay in the start of our trip that day but things were looking up!  Not much traffic on interstate 20 west of Sweetwater!  I was pretty much able to put the cruise on and sit back and keep it between the lines!  I had almost 300 miles ahead of me and a late start!  Ellie and I pulled over once so she could have a short walk and I could grab a snack.  We managed to pull into the Van Horn KOA before dark.  I was tired after a long day but it was not too bad. I discovered that they have a little cafe on site!  I was thrilled to be able to get something to eat and not have to cook!  All was good in my world!  I was a little nervous about going through El Paso the next day but I was not going to let it ruin my evening!  I try to take things as they come and not borrow trouble!  Believe me if i was going to let worries of what could happen enter my mind and spirit I would never leave my brother's driveway! 
Tuesday morning dawned bright and clear!  A beautiful day for a new challenge. I was on interstate 10 and would be on it all the way to Tucson. I stopped and filled my gas tank just as i got into the edge of El Paso at a Flying  J I grabbed the lane next to the center and stayed there all the way through El Paso.  Traffic was heavy in El Paso, as it always is, but I stayed calm and set the cruise to the speed limit and let everyone go around me.  I was so proud to get through!  New Mexico here I am!  On this trip I got to add New Mexico and Arizona to my map!  Just south of Las Cruses my jack alarm went off again!  This time I was not as shocked!  I pulled over and went through the store route and it went off! Both times it did this on the trip I had gone over some really rough road.  Not a fun thing but it could be worse!  I made Lordsburg early in the afternoon.  It was a little over 300 miles and while it was not a difficult drive I was ready to stop.  This is a nice RV park in a very bad neighborhood!  The site I was assigned was very spacious and easy to get in and out of.  As a new class A owner towing a car I was thrilled!  My next stop would be Desert Gardens RV park near Florence Arizona my home for the winter. 
Traffic as I left Lordsburg was not bad.  The closer I got to Tucson the heavier it got.  I was concerned about going into Tucson because I knew there was construction in the area.  A lot of the exits were closed!  Oh dear!  Of course the exit I had planned to take was one of the closed ones!  I ended up taking Orange Grove over to highway 77.  North of town I turned left onto highway 79. It was a very pretty drive with lots of Saguaro cactus.  Wow, what a change of scenery.  I arrived at Desert Gardens and was welcomed with open arms.  Carolin, one of the ladies from the office went with me to help guide me into my back in site!  She was great and I was able to back into my winter home easily with her guidance.
Ellie and I had made our first trip with the motor home! 

The Adventure of buying a used Motor home

I had been looking at purchasing a different RV for over a year and doing lots of research.  I had also asked questions of everyone I know.  Decisions decisions decisions.  Nearly everyone I talked to said "Joy you need a class A motor home".  Well, after much thought, prayer and troubles with the Travel trailer I decided it was time to do some serious looking. It was late September and because I only had a few weeks before I had to travel out to my winter job in Arizona I had to either find something quick or forget it for another year.  I had stopped for a night near Lori and Brad on my way to Mexia and they took me to look at the Tyler RV dealers.  I did not fall in love with any of the RVs we saw there.  So I made a trip up to Lisa's house in the Fort Worth area!  Lots and lots of RV dealers up there.  We looked at a bunch but the only one I found that I really liked sold before I could get back to Mexia to talk to the loan officer at my bank.  That was just as well because I would not have been able to trade my travel trailer in there and would have had to sell it myself!  I had been doing online research and had found several down at PPL in Houston I thought might work. Johnny and Carol decided to take me down there to look.  It was an interesting trip as it had only been a short time since Ike had hit the area!  We saw lots of Hurricane damage.  The RV dealership did not even have full power.  They were running off of generators. We had a good time looking but nothing there was up to my standards!  It is not that I am that picky but I don't want my home to stink or have serious damage to the sidewall!  I don't expect perfection in a used RV but no major repair problems either!  When we were traveling back from PPL we stopped at several other RV dealers along the way but still nothing.  I mentioned to Johnny that I had seen a motor home sitting on a used auto dealership lot in Fairfield on my way to Mexia from Lori's house.  Johnny and Carol said they did not mind going a little out of the way to check it out.  When we arrived the dealership was closed for the day.  We walked all around it and other than a few scratches and small dents it looked good.  Of course we tried the door and found it locked.  We discovered that the driver's door was not locked.  So we hauled ourselves up and walked through.  It had possibilities.  Carol told me she would be happy to return on Monday with me. So that is what we did!  We did another walk through with the dealer then went on a test drive!  I was nervous because I had never driven a Class A before.  We took a left out of the dealership with the dealer driving.  A few miles out of town he pulled over and said it was my turn.  I must admit I was scared but it was not as hard as I feared!  We traveled the 8 miles or so to Teague then turned around and I drove back to the dealership.  I could do this!  I got the dealer to work up the details so I could take it to the bank loan officer.  The price was right and he was willing to give me what I had hoped for my travel trailer. Well in a few days I found myself the owner of a 2003 Itasca Motor Home!

Bless her heart Carol helped me make the move! It was not easy and the motor home just does not have the storage my travel trailer did!  So I had to do some clearing out!  I would take stuff to the motor home and Carol would put it away.  She did a great job!

The next step was to find a towable car!  One problem solved but I could not tow my F250!  Once again I was a little ahead of the game as I had been doing research on which cars could be flat towed. Alas no Ford could be flat towed easily. No way was I going to add towing a dolly to my learning curve!  After talking to Johnny and Carol they decided to buy my F250 and that we would trade their truck in on my car. Well it turned out that Johnny had to buy my car then we did a swap after the title came in!  I got online and looked at cars that could be towed in the area.  It was not fun searching for a car!  I don't like dealing with car dealers!  Some are pushy and some won't give a woman any serious attention!  Maybe the fact that I don't look like I have a bag full of money has something to do with it!  After diligently looking and making several trips to Waco I finally found a 2007 Chevy Malibu. We made the deal and Johnny paid the difference between the value of my truck and his. I ended up only having to pay $250 for my car!
My next problem was getting a base plate installed on the car and a tow bar for the motor home!  I found an RV dealership in Waco that could do the job. Once again Carol helped me out.  I drove the motor home over and Carol followed me with the car.  It took about 5 hours for the base plate to be installed! We hung out at the dealership and walked down to the nearby Dairy Queen for lunch!  It was not a fun way to spend the day but we got through it together.  They matched the wiring up with the wiring on the motor home so the lights would work on the car while in tow.  I did not tow the car back to Mexia.  Carol drove it home and I drove the motor home. I wanted to stop and get my propane tank filled. So when we got to Mexia I took a little side trip to get propane.  I wanted to have a full tank when I headed out to Arizona. I also stopped and filled up the gas tank!  Finally after several weeks I was ready for my next trip!

Wow, what a change in my life!  I would later decide whether it was better or not.  Sometimes you just don't know until you live with your decisions for awhile.



Home from New York

On the 6th of September I pulled out of the Niagara Falls Grand Island KOA!  It was bitter sweet.  I sure hated to leave those beautiful water falls behind!  Maybe some day I will get back there!  I planned my first day to be short because I wanted to go through Cleveland on a Sunday!  I only drove about 136 miles that day.  I always prefer my first day on the road to be short!  I spent the night at the Evergreen Lake Park.  I discovered after I arrived that most of the sites were permanent. It was an okay park but the entrance was narrow and I had to take a tour down some narrow streets to get to my site which was near the office.  The main reason for the tour was it was too tight a turn to make from the office area. 

This was our site!  Ellie and enjoyed a good walk after I set up!  It was a pretty level site so I did not have to put the jacks down!  It is always nice when I don't have to do all that work for just one night!

The next morning Ellie and I got up and headed out early because I was worried about driving through Cleveland.  I was really shocked at how easy the drive was!  I got on Interstate 90 and followed it all the way to the Elkhart Co/Middlebury KOA in Indiana.  I drove a large part of the way on the toll road.  It was nice because the traffic was not too heavy on a Sunday!  I went around 300 miles that day.  I got into the KOA early in the afternoon.  It was nice to get settled in for a few days.  Uncle Elmer and Aunt Betty live near Sturgis Michigan which was only a few miles up the road.  The next day I drove over to visit with them and they took me on a tour around the area and out to eat.  It sure was nice to see them.  One of the good things about my on the move lifestyle is that eventually my travels will take me near people I really want to see.  While I was in the area I also was able to go to the Shipshewana flea market.  There are a lot of Amish in the area and it was neat seeing some of the unique items at the flea market.  I could also hear the clip clop of the horses passing near the campground.  It is such a neat area and I loved visiting.  I will have to return one of these days.  One evening while I was there Uncle Elmer, Aunt Betty and Shirley came over and took me out to eat at Essenhaus a well known Amish restaurant in the area. The food was great and the atmosphere was wonderful.  I am so glad I got to spend a few days in the area.

I had planned to take Highway 13 down to Highway 24 however because of construction I ended up going over to highway 15 and taking it down to highway 24.  It was a little congested going through Goshen but after that these roads were pretty much mine to enjoy!  I hit Interstate 57 in Illinois.  I spent the night at a little private campground on a small lake just off of the interstate.  It had been a long day of pretty slow driving but I did not have any troubles so it was a good day!  It was interesting when I stopped for gas and pulled in behind a Fleetwood Motorhome.  The gas cap was in the very back of the motorhome!  Hmm...interesting placement I thought! 
The next day I took Interstate 57 down to Decatur where I hit Interstate 72. From there I hit Us 54 and headed into Missouri.  I made it through Osage Beach Missouri and stopped for the night at The Ozark Trails Family Campground.  It was really nice and right off of the Highway! I was on my way to Branson.  After several days of travel I was looking forward to spending a few days  in Branson.  I took Highway 54 down to US 65 which took me all the way to Branson.  Of course I planned to stay at ABC.  It felt like coming home when I pulled in!  It was great to see everyone again.  While I was in Branson Hurricane Ike decided to make landfall.  I stayed a few extra days so I would not hit it while on the road!  The night Ike came through Branson was pretty wild.  There were several tress knocked down in the park!  Including a small one in my site.

I got out and pretended I still worked there and helped clean up the mess!  It was great working with the gang again even if it was cleaning up all the debris. I was amazed at how fast we managed to get things back to normal.  Other than a few trees down there was no other major damage and no one was hurt in the park so things were great! I also managed to go to my favorite places to eat and shop while I was in Branson.  I went to one show Clay Coopers Country Music Express.  I don't think I could go to Branson without seeing that show!  Clay and his family are really neat people and the show is great.  It was kind of sad to leave Branson but I was looking forward to seeing my family. So on to Texas I went.  I headed south out of Branson on 65 and followed it all the way to Interstate 40 where I headed into Little Rock.  From there I took Interstate 30. I stopped for the night at the Arkadelphia Campground.  It was a nice park and had easy access to the Interstate.  I enjoyed the night and then the next day hit the interstate again.  The next night I spent in Texas!  It is always nice to get back "home"! 

Next will be adventure of buying a used motorhome!

Niagara Falls Grand Island KOA

I was really excited to get to the Niagara Falls  Grand Island KOA.  I had never worked at a KOA even though I have stayed at plenty of them over the years.  I found the KOA computer system a little bit of a challenge to learn but Ginny was very patient with my questions.  Ellie really seemed to enjoy her walks there.  It is a really big RV park and until we got really busy we enjoyed some great walks!  For a few weeks we were the only ones in the RV park at night.  Ginny the manager lived off site.  We opened on April 1st but there were not many campers yet. Since I arrived early I got to help get things ready for the season.  We cleaned cabins, the laundry, game room, store and a couple of the restrooms.  We also moved canoes out of the laundry room where they were stored for the winter.  We also checked in a lot of new inventory for the store. 

It sure was neat to be somewhere I had never been before for the season.  I was able to visit Niagara Falls before everything totally thawed out!  When I crossed the river going to Niagara Falls I noticed that there were big chunks of ice floating in it.  It was a beautiful day and as it was early April I almost had the place to myself!  I love seeing the sights in the off season!  This was just the first of many times I would visit the falls.

Sometimes work was challenging but that is the way I prefer it.  I never got bored while working at the Niagara falls Grand Island KOA.  This KOA is located on Grand Island which is between Buffalo New York and Niagara Falls.  You have to cross a bridge and pay a toll whenever you return to the island.  The island itself is very pretty and has some shopping so I did not have to leave the island often. 

We really had a good staff that year.  Everyone worked hard to make sure the guest had a wonderful experience. 

My cousin Nancy flew in to visit me for about 10 days in late June.  We had a wonderful time doing all the tourist things!  It took us two days to "do" Niagara Falls one on the US side and the other on the Canadian side.  Both have their appeal.  The US side is much more natural however the Canadian side has the best views of the falls. 

Nancy took this picture of me the morning we visited the US side.  The rainbow is right over the horseshoe falls.  It was a beautiful day and we made a full day of it.  After this we did the Cave of the winds.  They even give you disposable shoes!  We had to take an elevator down to the river then walk along a trail to the base of the American Falls.  We were glad to have the disposable shoes and ponchos!

Bridal Veil falls is the falls on the right. The American Falls is on the left.  You really appreciate the power of the falls when you see them from this view point.  I would say that Nancy and I saw the falls from just about any view point other than going over them in a barrel!  You really have to be a nut case to do that.  A few have done it and lived to tell the tale but not many. 

After doing the Cave of the winds we had lunch there in the park then hopped the trolley over to the visitors center. There we watched a movie about the falls and then we took the Maid of the Mist tour!  Wow talk about fun and wet!

The Maid of the Mist goes right to the base of the Horseshoe falls where it sits until just about everyone has had a chance to get good and wet. It also passes right in front of the American Falls.  It is well worth the time!  I think everyone needs to do it at least once. 

The next day we pulled out our passports and went over to Canada.  We walked across the bridge and walked down to the first visitor center and bought ourselves a pass that included the people mover.  Then we hopped a bus down to the Horseshoe Falls and the Journey behind the falls.  Wow, we had to schedule the time to go behind the falls.  Once again we were given ponchos to wear.   You know when you are given a poncho that you are going to get wet!  Nancy behind the Falls!  Gee, look at that view and we walked all the way down there for this!

 This is my drowned rat look!  We were on the deck right beside the Horseshoe Falls!  From here we took the people mover and went up to see the flower clock.  We had to stop at the botanical gardens first and catch a different people mover to get up to the clock.  There was only us and a couple on the bus so when we got off the driver told us he would wait for us if all we wanted to do was take a few pictures!  That way we did not have to wait for another bus to come along!

The clock was interesting but we enjoyed the views from the people movers and the people movers themselves just as much!

We ate at a little cafe with a beautiful view of the Falls.  It was neat to sit out on the patio and watch the falls. The food was good too!  We even managed to stay late enough to see the falls at night. 

Nancy planned her trip around my days off so we were able to take advantage of as many as possible. 

Our next trip was to take a cruise on the Erie Canal.  We went over to Lockport and took an interesting cruise on the Erie.  Wow, how great was that!

This was taken from the top deck of our boat as we were in the lock.  It was amazing how fast the lock filled!  The gates are operated by gravity! 

From the boat we saw a couple of interesting bridges. This was a road bridge.  It raised straight up so the boats could pass under it!  It was not very big.

This is an upside train bridge.  It was built this way so the taller boats could not go under it.  The trains were losing business to the boats on the Erie Canal and this was their way of fighting back!

After the Cruise we ate lunch at a picnic table near the river and watched the boats.  Then we took what they called the cave tour.  We ended up walking along the path that you see on the right side of the picture.  The "cave" was actually a conduit that was built to divert water to make power for the factories that stood above the river.  We were told that in the hay days of the canal that there was a seven story building at street level.  It was an interesting tour but you better be in pretty good shape to make the walk down to river level!

From there we went up to see lake Ontario!  It was the last of the five great lakes for me to see!  We went to Olcott  to the end of the road where we discovered a neat little light house and shopping area. 

From there we traveled on to Fort Niagara.  We were happy to find that it was still open and not very busy.  This was a very impressive fort!  I am glad we were able to see it on such a beautiful day. 

Other than dodging a red coat here we had a great visit to the fort! The fort is in a great location and we enjoyed walking the grounds and looking out over the water!

I wish I could share all of the pictures Nancy and I took.  We had a great visit and a wonderful time seeing some of the sights in the area.  One day we even went down to Jamestown and visited the Lucille Ball museums.  While it rained a lot that day we still had a good day.  I look forward to cousin Nancy visiting with me again one of these days.  We can have fun doing nothing and if you throw in a little sight seeing we have a great time.  I appreciate her family letting me borrow her for a few days!  I hated to see her leave. 

My friend Bo also visited one day while I was in New York.  She had traveled across the country to go to a Hi-Low rally in New York.  We visited the Power Vista.  It is a great display that explains how the power of the river is harnessed to make electricity.  The view of the river from up there is great.

I really enjoyed Bo's visit. She wanted to eat at the Anchor Bar in downtown Buffalo.  Home of the buffalo wings.  So I said sure if she could find it.  I know everyone who knows me is gasping right now!  Me in a bar!  Well, hey it was on her bucket list!  Besides we did not eat in the bar itself we passed through it into the dining area. I must say I was pretty disappointed the wings were not as good as I had at a local place on Grand Island.  It was an interesting trip driving to the Anchor Bar.  We went through what looked like a ghetto.  The GPS got us there but we were a little uncomfortable for awhile. We took another route home!  I enjoyed Bo's visit even though it was brief.  She was able to park her trailer right next to mine in the Workamper area of the KOA.   I appreciated Ginny letting her stay there. 

I made a lot of friends working at the KOA in New York state.  I must say I still miss them.  I have made a lot of great friends workamping and plan to continue as long as the good Lord lets me keep traveling. 

My next blog will be about my trip to Mexia from New York. 

Trip to New York 2008

I was hired to work at the Niagara Falls Grand Island KOA in 2008.  I was pretty excited to be going there as I had never been to New York State before or worked at a KOA.  I was to be the first workamper to arrive.  When I left Mexia on March 24th I traveled Hwy 84 over to Hwy 79.  I was only going about 100 miles as I planned to visit with Lori, Brad and Garrett and spend the night with them.  I was able to park my rig in front of their home in Whitehouse.  Ellie and I had a nice visit with them.  Ellie always loved visiting Lori as she lived with Lori for awhile when Lori was in College!  Lori spoiled Ellie!  The next morning I was able to get an early start and took the loop around Tyler then I took 271 up to Mt Pleasant.  From there I got on Interstate 30.  I would spend most of the day on I 30.  I decided to get beyond Little Rock before stopping for the night.  So I took I 40 out of Little Rock I spent the night at T Ricks RV Park at Hazen Arkansas.  It is a very small RV park just off the interstate.  You register at the T Ricks convenience store. The sites are pull thrus and easy in and out. 

After a long day of driving I was happy to stop for the night.  Ellie and I were almost alone when I checked in but by night fall the park was pretty full.  The next day I took I 40 all the way to Jackson Tennessee.  From there I took 45W up to Humboldt then on 79 to Clarksville  Somewhere along 79 I saw the pink elephant!  I can't remember for sure which small town it was in.  No I had not been drinking ( I don't drink anything stronger than a Dr Pepper).  There really was a large statue of a pink elephant.  Sorry now that I did not get a picture!  From Clarksville  I headed to Russellville still on 79. From there I took 68 toward Bowling Green.  I spent the night at the Bowling Green KOA. It is really nice.  I don't always stay at KOA's when I travel as they are a little too pricey for me.  However when you travel early in the year you have to take what is available.  I had a nice campsite and the doggie run was great.  It even had an outdoor chess set.

It is a good thing that when I left Bowling Green I did not know what the day would bring.  I would have stayed in bed and pulled the covers over my head!  Well maybe not but it would have been tempting! This day would find me driving on the interstate.  I took I 65 up to Louisville and then I 71 up to I 75 then I 75 through most of Ohio.  The interstate in Kentucky left a lot to be desired.  Lots of big holes!  It was a bumpy ride.  I took the loops around the big cities! I am not a City gal and I don't like city traffic!  I had planned to stop at a campground for the night but alas the one I planned to stay at gave me the creeps!  So I drove right back out of it and headed on up the interstate.  Sometimes you just get that feeling that you shouldn't be there!

I was really tired so I stopped at the next roadside park to look for another open campground.  I could not find one in Trailer Life or the Passport book.  So decided to keep driving and look for one that was not listed or even a WalMart!  A little before 7 p.m. my niece Lori called and said where are you Aunt Joy?  I always check in with family when I get off the road and they were beginning to worry as I had not called.  I told her I was still driving as I had not been able to find a place to park for the night.  She called Lisa who got on the Internet to search for a campsite for me!  Lisa had no luck finding anything either.  By this time I was nearing Akron and I told Lori I was going to pull into a Cracker Barrel that I had seen a sign for.  Well I was really glad to see that Cracker Barrel sign!  I exited and was able to pull into the back parking lot.  I went in the store and asked them if they knew of any campgrounds that were open in the area.  They said no but if I wanted to stay on their back parking lot for the night all I had to do was ask the manager!  Yea, I said bring him on please.  He was really nice and said it would be fine as long as I did not block the drive.  They also told me that they had just received a truck and that the truck driver was staying too.  So I would not be alone on the parking lot.  I went out and repositioned the trailer and called my nieces to let them know I was set for the night.  Then I went back in the Cracker Barrel and had a mighty fine pork chop supper!  I did not have the most restful night but it sure was nice to be off the road. 

The next day I took hwy 44 up to Interstate 90.  Then interstate 90 all the way to Buffalo New York.  It was a fairly easy drive.  I enjoyed driving slowly and going through the little towns on Hwy 44.  Then after I crossed over into Pennsylvania it started  snowing!  It was a pretty dry snow!  It would just bounce right off the truck.  I called Ginny at the Niagara Falls Grand Island KOA to see if I needed to get Propane before I arrived and to give her a heads up that I was on my way.  I had stopped at a Flying J to fill up the truck with gas and there was a propane fill station right there!  So I got both gasoline for the truck and propane for the trailer!   I was really excited to be getting to near my destination. I took the east loop around Buffalo then took 190 to Grand Island.  It was really easy to follow the signs right to the KOA.  I was thrilled to meet my new boss Ginny.  She helped me fill my fresh water holding tank as the water was not turned on yet in the employee section of

the park. 

The employee section of the park was a large area behind a wooden fence. It had been set aside to have the sites up graded however the work had not been done yet.  The up grades were set for a future time.  So it made a really neat area for the workampers to have their own space.  For a good while I was the only one there! Ellie loved it as it was like having her own private yard.  There was still some snow on the ground when I arrived. However, that night we got bunches of snow!  This is what it looked like the next morning!

It was about 10 days before I could hook up to water. Then I had to run water hoses across the road to the sites along the fence!  Water was turned on in stages in the park. I was just happy to have a home for the season!

The end of 2007

I wish I could say that I enjoyed working for Sees Candies in 2007.  Alas that just was not so.  I had to leave Branson about 10 days before I had planned in order to take the job with Sees in Baton Rouge Louisiana.  Leaving all my friends in Branson was tough.  Bless their hearts they threw me a going away party!  I hated that I had to leave early. 
I took hwy 65 south into Arkansas and followed it all day. I spent the night at The Pine Grove RV Park in Lake Village. 

I really liked this RV park.  Not only was it in a pecan grove it was across the street from a lake. It also had nice long pull thrus!  Before I got there I had to stop and use some duct tape on my trailer.  I noticed in my drivers side mirror that one of the fenders was flapping.  I was afraid that the wind would rip it off.  Got to love that duct tape!  Other than that the day was pretty uneventful which is how I like my driving to be! 

The next day I followed 65 down to Natchez Mississippi.  From there I took 61 to Baton Rouge.  As I got to Baton Rouge I had to use one of those loopy turns to get on US 190/Airline Hwy.  Well my GPS did not like that turn and lost it's mind!  After that I was praying for stop lights!  It took me a few stops before I was able to get it back on track!  I managed to make it to the KOA in Denham Springs with no more problems.  It was more expensive than I usually had to pay at the KOA but I just did not have any other options.  I was also not real happy to be 13 miles from the mall I would be working in.  But sometimes you just have to take what you can get and pray for the best.  My campsite was ok but under the trees so my satellite did not work!

There was an elementary school right next door.  I did not have to worry about sleeping in as the school bell would wake me.  It was kind of fun watching the

little kids play!  Ellie wanted to play with them. 

Right after I got set up I went inside and turned on the microwave to fix a fast meal.  Well smoke started coming out of the breaker box under the refrigerator!  Uh Oh!  NOT GOOD!  I went up to the office and they recommended a mobile repair guy.  He came out and had to replace a section of burned wire behind the breaker box.  

I was really excited about another season with Sees, even though from experience I knew it would be hard work.  Unfortunately I was the assistant team leader and the team leader and I did not communicate very well.  I managed to hang in there and kept my commitment but it was hard.  I did the best job I could do but it never seemed to be good enough.  As it got close to Christmas it got really hard to find a parking place!  I usually had the late shift which was okay with me but that meant I had to take any parking place I could find.  Usually I was way out in the far reaches of the lot.  At closing it was a trip out to the truck! 

One good thing about being in Denham Springs was I was close to a friend from my time in Yellowstone.  Mary Core lived just one more exit down the interstate.  It was so good to see her and meet her family.  I even went over and had Christmas Dinner with Mary, her  husband and some of their friends. 

I worked late the day we closed the kiosk because we wanted everything ready to be shipped back the next day.  I was suppose to stay until after it was all picked up but my cousin Margaret Ann had died and I wanted to get home in time to go to the service. 

I decided not to take the interstate.  So I took US190 over to US171 to DeRidder.  This is really a neat way to go across Louisiana!  I enjoyed seeing the small towns.  I was so excited to finally get back to Texas!  I could have stopped and kissed the ground when I crossed the Sabine River!  I stopped at the Whispering Creek RV Park for the night.  It was nice and the lady who checked me in was helpful.  I asked her where I could get my truck inspected as the inspection sticker was way out of date.  She recommended a repair shop and off I went.  They were really nice there and in less than 30 minutes I was legal again!  I went on into Newton and stopped at the Dairy Queen and bought myself a meal.  After driving most of the day I don't want to cook!

The next day it was on to Mexia.  I took US 190 to Woodville then US 287 into Crockett!  I felt like I was almost home because this is where my Grandmother use to live.  I decided to take Hwy 7 to Centerville and then Interstate 45 up to Buffalo.  Then 164 to Personville and hwy 39 into Mexia!  I was "home" at last.  I got there in plenty of time to make my cousin's funeral.  It was great to see everyone but I wish we had been meeting for another reason.  I was glad I was able to be there.  With my lifestyle I seem to miss a lot of things I would like to attend.  Most times I just can't get there in time!

I spent the rest of the winter sitting in Johnny and Carol's driveway.  I was bored so I wrote my book!

Branson 2007

I was thrilled in 2007 to go to Branson to work at America's Best Campground. I was a little apprehensive as this would be my first time to work at a campground. While I had visited Branson a few times over the years I had not had the chance to spend more than a few days there.


On my way to Branson I spent my first night at Lori & Brad's house in Whitehouse. It is always nice to be able to spend time with my family. There is not room in their driveway for my RV so I have to park in the street. Thankfully they live on a pretty quite street. I left Whitehouse early in the morning. I took US271 up to Mt Pleasant and then I-30 Out of Texas. I spent the night at the Hot Springs KOA. Then I took Hwy 7 up to Harrison Arkansas. This highway is very very twisty turny! I loved driving it! It is very beautiful country. I stopped at a roadside park and took a few pictures of the redbuds in bloom.

Most likely I will not travel this road again as there are other roads through the area that are not as challenging. However on this beautiful spring day I really enjoyed it.

I made Branson by the middle of the afternoon. The sign out in front of the America's Best Campground park said welcome Joy Ethridge. I was excited to be at my new home for the season. When I walked in the door I said " I am Home". Michelle and Ruthie were at the front desk. They welcomed me with open arms! I had stayed at this RV park once before on my trip home from Adventureland. It was nice coming to a place I was somewhat familiar with. Ruthie called Dennis to come and help me get into my site. I was glad he offered to park my rig as it had to be backed down a road. He did an excellent job getting it in. Well after he almost put it in the wrong site the first time!  Bless his heart I gave him a hard time about that but he took it well.

My home in Branson.

While he was parking the RV I had a chance to meet Judy and David.  I would be working in the office with Judy for the season.  She was great at teaching me everything I needed to know working an RV park front desk. Between her and Ruthie I picked up on the computer system fairly quickly. 

 All of the people working at America's Best will always have a special place in my heart.  They still feel like family and any time I can get to the area I will stop in to stay a few days.  This is a very busy park and holds a lot of RV rallies.  Michelle is the rally co-ordinator.  She does a great job!  There is a lot to do in Branson and Michelle makes sure all the rally people have the opportunity to see and do the best.  They also hold pancake breakfasts and have hillbilly parties. 

Jim working hard!

Sue (no she is not really that big!)

Ruthie, guest & Michelle

Aren't they cute?                            

Jim & Sue own the park and they are very  hands on with the breakfast and parties.  Jim heads up the cooking.  This park does not have a huge staff and everyone helps out where needed.  Ruth and Dennis live on site and wow do they go above and beyond in providing service to the guest.  This park has won the Welcome mat award from Good Sam every year.  There is a good reason for that!  Making sure the guest have a great stay in Branson is job 1 for all the staff.  We sold show tickets at the front desk as well as regular RV park duties.  Most of the tickets were discounted and selling the tickets on site was a great benefit for the guest.  One of the perks of working there was we got to go to most shows for free!  We usually were able to take one guest with us for free also.  Ruthie & Dennis's daughter Denise started working at the park in May.  While there was a big generation gap, Denise and I really enjoyed going to shows and working together.  Sometimes Denise's husband Trevor was able to join us but most times it was just the 2 of us.  We had some fun times visiting shows....most we really enjoyed however a few we left at intermission.  I will always have fond memories of the times I spent with Denise. 

One of the good things about being in Branson is some of my family came to visit me!  Johnny & Carol came several times and I managed to get them in all but a few of the shows totally free. They planned their visits so they were there on my days off and we managed to get 3 shows in per day most days they were there.  Add a little shopping to the visit and some good eating and we had grand times together!

Lori, Brad & Garrett also came to visit.  They rented one of the cabins in the RV park.  It was just perfect for the 3 of them. 

They were a little concerned that Garrett would not behave in the shows.  But he was great I never saw him sit so still before.  People around us even said he was the best behaved little guy.  He was a little ansy before the show started but once it started he said as still as a statue!  It was great having them visit.  I love it when my family comes to see me!

I will always have fond memories of Branson and my time there.  My favorite show was Clay Cooper's Country Music Express.  Hmmm that was strange as I am not that great a country fan.  I must say Clay and Tina Cooper have good hearts and it shows!  Any time I am in Branson I will return to see their show again.  Bob, Vicki, Rosalie and Larry (Adventureland friends) visited me at different times and I took them to the show and they all loved it.  It was also one of the shows I took Johnny and Carol to see.  Everyone was delighted.  Bob and Vicki had never been to a show in Branson and they weren't sure they wanted to go.  I insisited they had to see it and they were glad they went. Here is a link to the website www.claycooper.biz/

There are lots of other great shows in Branson that one was just my favorite.  There are also great places to eat.  One of my favorites was Mel's Hard Luck Diner.  All of the wait staff sings!  It is one of those places everyone should go.  The food is good and you get entertained while you eat.  They opened the Titanic exhibit the year I was there.  While I did not expect to enjoy it I did!  It was very interesting.  Of course no stay in Branson is complete without a trip out to Silver Dollar City.  It is a very unique park.  Nothing like your typical amusement park.  This is the only place I have ever been on a rollercoaster and rode sitting backwards!  Lisa made me do it!  It was fun!

I had such a good time working and living in Branson you might ask why did I leave.  Well, the answer is there are still new places and faces to see!  Someday I might go back to work in Branson but for now there are just too many new adventures to have.  God is still leading my travels and when he says it is time to return to Branson I will be ready! Until then I will keep traveling where he leads!

Until next time God Bless!

End of 2006

I spent the last couple of months in 2006 working for See's once again. This time I worked at the Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville, Texas.  I stayed at the Sandy Lake RV park in Carrollton.  I planned my trip up to Carrollton for a Saturday thinking the traffic would not be so bad.  I did not take the direct route on I45 to I35.  I used  I20 over to 12 and then hit I35 north of Dallas.
I had no problems with heavy traffic until I hit I35.  I don't know where all those people came from but as I made the merge I was surrounded!  I only had to go a couple of miles before my exit and believe me I had a death grip on the wheel. The Sandy Lake RV park is in a fairly quite area.  About have of the park is mobile homes and the other half RV's.  While it was nothing fancy it served the purpose.  I was happy to be only 4 miles from the mall and the trip was an easy one on back streets.  One thing I really enjoyed about being at Sandy Lake is I got to visit a lot with Lisa's family.  I even got to keep the girls while Lisa and Butchie had a night out to go Christmas shopping.  Several times I met Lisa and the girls at the Grapevine mall which was almost half way between her house and my rv park.  They even met me and took me to Chuckie Cheese to celebrate my birthday.  We had a wonderful time....I really have not had to many chances to celebrate birthdays.  Well, I have had plenty of Birthdays just no celebrations.

I worked with Lois and Carroll that year.  A wonderful couple.  I had met Carroll at Adventureland but don't remember ever meeting Lois.  It was a pleasure working with them.  We had a really good kiosk location right in the middle of the mall.  The only downside to our location was that your store room was a good distance from the Kiosk. I discovered Panera Bread near our Kiosk.  I had a lot of wonderful Potato soup there!  All and all it was a wonderful season. 
We had Christmas at Lisa's house that year so I did not have to go far to be with my family.  It sure is nice to spend Christmas with everyone.
I planned my trip out of the Dallas area for New Years day.  One of the best days of the year to travel.  There was no one on the roads early on New Years day!  I spent the next couple of months sitting in Johnny & Carol's driveway.
Then it was on to Branson!

Vacation! Yellowstone to Texas

I consider myself on vacation when I am between workamper jobs.  The beauty of it is my "vacations" can last a lot longer than the typical persons vacation. 
As I left my season at Yellowstone it was a beautiful fall day, September 25, 2006.  I could not have asked for better weather to travel.  I was leaving the the same way as I had arrived by the south entrance.  I wanted to see the Tetons one more time!  I don't think I would ever get tired of looking at them.  I pulled off at the first pull off I could find to enjoy the sight one more time! 

The Aspen had turned a beautiful gold and the lake had a low hanging cloud over it. There was hardly any traffic on the road so I had plenty of time to meander and enjoy the trip.  When I reached Moran Junction I took a left toward my destination for the day of Riverton, Wyoming.  I was a little concerned as I would be going over Togwotee Pass a high of 9658 ft. It was a beautiful drive and the pass was easy!  I was in the Wind River range of the Rocky Mountains. After I went down the other side of the pass the road began to level off.  By the time I reached Dubois I was out of the mountains....it was kind of sad to leave them behind.  I had decided to stay a the Wind River RV park in Riverton.  This RV park is only 38 spaces but they are all pull thrus.  There are also storage units on the grounds.  When I told the man checking me in that I was coming from a season of working in Yellowstone he would not let me pay for my site!  He said if it were not for the tourist going and coming from Yellowstone and the Tetons he would not have any business.  It was his way of saying thanks by not charging workers going and coming from there!  Wow!  How blessed I was...I stayed 2 nights and he would not take any payment from me.  I made sure he knew how much I appreciated his generosity!  I did my laundry while I was there just to make sure I put at least a little something in his pocket!  It was a nice clean quite park and I would stay there again even if I had to pay! 

From there I took US 26 to Casper.  The weather was not as pretty on this day.  I ran into rain before I reached Casper.  I had no complaints about the road.  It was a good wide two lane for the most part with very little traffic.  I stopped and got gas in Casper.  At Casper I got onto I 25 the traffic was really heavy for awhile.  One of the reasons I don't like interstates is heavy traffic!  Once I got out of Casper the traffic thinned some.  I left the interstate at exit 92 and headed toward Scottsbluff on US 26 again.  The weather was still overcast and windy.  I decided to stop for the night at a Passport America park between Fort Laramie and Lingle.  It was the Pony Soldier RV park. Well, after talking to the lady who checked me in I decided to spend another night there so I could go see Ft Laramie!  I had not even realized there was an actual Fort in the area until I passed through town.  This was turning into a really neat trip!  Wow Ft Laramie is worth going to see!  I was amazed to learn how large it wasback in the day!

 

The enlisted mens barracks!

Officers quarters.

Jail cell!  I wouldn't want to spend time here!

In my opinion Ft Laramie is one of the best of the forts I have seen....maybe I will have to try to see all the rest one of these days!  It is certainly worth a vist.  I was blessed with really beautiful weather on the day I visited the Fort.  I love traveling in the "off" season when the kids are back in school.  Most of the attractions are usually pretty quite!

The main reason I had decided to take this route home to Texas was I wanted to see Scottsbluff.  While I passed within 50 miles of it on my way to Yellowstone I did not think I had time to go there.  I had always wanted to see Scottsbluff.  It was one of the landmarks pioneers looked for as they traveled west.  I was a little concerned when I turned off Hwy 26 unto the road leading to the National Monument as there was road construction.  Pulling a trailer through road construction is not always easy and when it is on a fairly narrow 2 lane road it can be an adventure!  I was borrowing trouble as I turned before the road really narrowed down for the construction.  Wow Scottsbluff is really something to behold.  I could not get it all into one picture!

Okay this is still not all of it but I think you get the idea!  I wanted to go to the top but alas I was pulling the trailer and you can't go to the top with a tow.  I still had over a hundred miles to go so I decided not to take the time to drop the trailer and go to the top.  Hey you have to save something to see next time, right?  I got back on Hwy 26 and followed it all the way to North Platte.  I could have gotten on the Interstate at Ogallala but decided not to.  I enjoyed the drive through the little towns that you don't see from an interstate.  Once again I stayed at the Holiday RV Park in North Platte.  I called Dot and she and Katie decided to come up to see me the next day.  We enjoyed the visit once again.  So I ended up staying 2 nights in North Platte also. 

When I was breaking camp in North Platte I noticed an older couple in a class B motorhome getting ready to leave also.  Later that day I saw them pass me.  I pulled over at a roadside park but was not able to stop and noticed them again.  Between Kearney and Gibbon I ran across the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument.  Okay now this is just plain odd!

Never could figure out what the purpose was!

I tried for another roadside park as Ellie and I really needed a break. Well when we pulled in the only spot we could find was to parallel between a couple of eighteen wheelers!  Well there was no on there to tell me I couldn't do it so I put it in there between them!  Whew, we needed that break.

Shortly after getting back on the interstate that little Class B passed again.

I had planned to spend the night at the Double Nickel Campground, a Passport America park, near Waco, Nebraska. As I pulled in I discovered the little Class B there.  When I got in line behind the older couple at the desk the man turned to me and said "weren't you in the RV park we stayed in last night?"  I told him yes I was.  Well, it seems I really impressed him!  He went on an on about how well I handled my rig!  He wife finally pulled him out of the office.  This is a neat little park right off of a golf course!  I ended up spending 2 nights here also.  It sure is nice not to have a set schedule!  I was heading to Omaha to visit with a friend of mine from Adventureland days.  I was not enjoying Intestate 80 it very bumpy.  Well at least it seemed that way with my rig.  I went through road construction in Lincoln and after that some people pulled up next to me on the interstate and said I had a pipe hanging down on the rear of my trailer.  UH OH!  Well I don't usually stop on the side of the interstate but I could not see an exit in sight so I pulled over to the edge.  Well, when I got out and looked I discovered that the end cap to my sewer hose storage in the bumper had come off and my hose had dropped out and came loose as I stopped.  I had to walk back to get it...can't litter!  Kind of scary out there on the side of the interstate but I was glad it was just a hose and not really a pipe!  My destination on this day was Offut AFB famcamp.  As the ex spouse of a retired Air Force reservist I am entitled to use these.  Well I got to the camp ok but then I needed to go pay the fees on base....I could not go in the back gate because I did not have a sticker on my truck.  So I was told to go to the main gate on the other side of the base.  When I got there I was told I needed to go to a gate I had passed on the way to the main gate!  I was able to get a pass there and get to the Rec building to pay my camp fees!  Finally I was all set.  I asked if there was a short way back to the Famcamp and was told yes, take a right out of the parking lot.  Well, low and behold the back gate was only about 1/2 a mile away!  Gee, if I had known I could have walked that far! 

I stayed there several days and Margaret and I had a good time catching up!  Then it was back on the road heading to Texas.  I took US 75 out of Omaha and headed south.  I spent the night at the Crossroads RV park near Lyndon, Kansas.  It also was a Passport America park. When I checked in the man asked me if I was going to a womens rally as he had several other single ladies come through in the past week headed to a rally.  I discovered that my cell phone did not work in the area.  A little bit of a problem since I call one of my family members every evening to let them know I have arrived at my destination for the night.  I had Wifi service and was able to get in touch with Lisa so all was well!  It was really a nice campground if a little off the beaten path!  Ahhh the joys of traveling the back roads of America!  The next day was overcast and I ran into rain in Tulsa Oklahoma!  I managed to get lost there too!  There had been an accident and a truck was hanging off one of the bridges!  It was near where I needed to exit so I missed my turn.  I had a GPS on my computer and it was able to get me back on route.  For awhile I thought I was going to end up going to Oklahoma City!  Not where I wanted to go! I spent the night at McAlester, Oklahoma that the Super 8 & Valley Inn RV Park.  It is a nice enough park but I won't stay there again as there was a cattle barn right behind it!  Those cows bellowed all night!  The Indian Nation Turnpike is a great road if a little pricey!  I took it to Hugo and then 271 to Paris Texas.  Back in Texas at last!  From Paris I took Hwy 19 down to Athens then 31 to Corsicana and 35 down to Richland where I took 14 down to Mexia!  Then Back "home" to Johnny & Carol's driveway.  I had most of a month to visit before I had to be in Lewisville, Texas for my See's candy job.

More Later!