2021/07/07 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 20 - Hitting Flagstaff

We left at 9 and headed west...

Next stop Flying J for Gas.

We stopped at KOA but they had no opening for the next two nights, so we got online to find a place and we finally found a place - Black Barts RV Park

Unloaded the 4Runner.

I lost the pins to my flag poll so we stopped at a Tractor Supply Co. to get some new pins and few other things.  Next stop was at Home Depot to get stuff that Tractor Supply did not have.

I went ahead and topped off the 4Runner of the necessary go go juice.

We did several stop in the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Wupatki National Monument. 

Back at the RV to check on the animals.  We had made some reservations.  I did not know that it was a dinner and show at the Black Bart's Steakhouse.

2021/07/06 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 19 - Monument - Free Night

 We left camp at 9 and headed west.

In town we stopped to fill the RV up and start the slow climb over Wolf Creek Pass

We stopped at Aztec Ruins National Monument and A got another JR Ranger badge.

Stopped at Sam's Club to get gas.

We stopped at USA RV Park and because E is with us and he is active military we stay for the night free.

Went to dinner at Anthony's A Taste Of The Southwest afterwards we stopped at Sonic for some ice cream / shakes.

2021/07/05 - Monday - Vacation - Day 18 - Off Road Trail

 We left the campground at 9 and headed into town to get some stuff for the adventure. 

We stopped at Smoothy's Juice Bar and had breakfast.

We stopped at the Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center again.

Before heading up the Medano Pass Primitive Road, we stopped at the base of the big sand dunes.  The sandy part was deep and the 4runner had no issues. We crossed the creek and it was not very deep.  There was a section that had deep nogales.  We stopped along the route to eat lunch, bugs were out also. There was one steep muddy climb and again the 4Runner did great.  Once at the top the down hill side was just a easy dirt road.

Back to the RV to check in on the animals

Went to dinner at St Ives A Pub & Eatery

2021/06/28 - Monday - Vacation - Day 11 - Natchez Trace Pkwy - On to Nashville

 We left shortly after 9.  our first stop was for gas just down the street at a Sam's Club.

We stopped at several pullouts along the way.  We did Cave Springs, Buzzard Roost Springs, Colbert Ferry Park, Rock Springs Trail, Grinders Stand reconstruction.

from that point forward we did not stop at any of the pullout because we will come back to do the last part of them.

We first stopped at KOA but they did not have anything open for the time we wanted, so we stopped next door and they had plenty of room.

We are staying at Nashville RV Resort and Cabins.

On the way to dinner, we stopped at a place where C can eat some good snacks. - Sunflower Bakehouse.

Dinner at The Grilled Cheeserie.

Back to the RV to relax.

2021/06/27 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 10 - Natchez Trace Pkwy - Another day on the Trace

 We left about 9:30 - Had to pull out of the spot and then load the 4Runner so that takes some time.

Our first stop was at Flying J's for the RV.

We drove 2 hours to get to the location were we left the trace the day before.  Once on the trace, pulled into any pullout that I could fit.  We even drove out to Davis Lake - they had were full!.

We stopped for the night at Campground At Barnes Crossing.

We unloaded the 4Runner and headed out onto the Trace for more driving.  We stopped a the Visitor Center, Old Trace and Confederate Gravesites, 

It was starting to get late and I needed gas for the car, so headed back.

We went grocery shopping and headed back to the RV.

Went out to dinner at Mugshots - it was as good as last time we where here.

Back at the RV to relax.

2021/06/24 - Thursday - Vacation - Day 07 - Made it to Mississippi

 We left close to 9:30 today.

Next stop is for the necessary gas.

We had time, so we stopped at Vicksburg National Military Park.  We drove most of the grounds with the RV and trailer.  We did not do all the grounds, we ran out of time and A needed to be able to turn her paperwork in to get her JR badge.

We made it to Lindeaire RV Park and setup camp under the trees.  But what a dump.  I would not recommend this park to anybody. My 30 amp connection was not grounded, and I had to park so I would not get stuck in the mud.  They had several modular homes that were totally run down falling apart with no windows or doors.

We headed out to dinner - Aladdin Mediterranean Grill.  We stopped at Joann Fabrics to do some shopping.

Back to the RV to relax.

2021/06/23 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 06 - Yep, Texas is Big

 We got moving about 9:30 - so a little late...

Well of course we need gas.  I had used one of the tanks for airing up tires, so we found a welding gas supply location to exchange a tank. 

Another stop of gas.

We stopped shortly before 6pm at Fernbrook Park (rv park).

Unloaded the 4Runner and headed into town.  Best Buy, Dinner at Cracker Barrel, and then Walmart to stock up on things.

Back to the RV to relax.

2020/06/29 - Monday - Vacation - Day 18 - No data

We left camp spot at 9, but we stopped to dump the tanks.

We stopped for gas for the RV.

We made it to our destination, and they did have availability for us for the two nights.  I did unhook the tow-dolly so I could be closer to the utilities.

Before leaving we had lunch.  We went into Lassen National Park and look at the campground and went to the highest point along the route.  Almost near the top, we did see a bear and its cub down in a meadow.

Back at the RV Cheryl made dinner. 

We played two rounds of 5 Crowns.

2020/06/28 - Sunday - Vacation - Day 17 - Exploring

We left shortly after 9.

We got gas for the RV about an hour later.

Stopped in Eugene at one of the places that Cheryl like for tea stuff and got a few things.

We stopped at a rest area for lunch

We made it to KOA in Central Point for the day

We went for a drive to find out any information or a visitor center for the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.  At the top of the pass on SR66 we found a very small building that was open but nobody inside, but it did have information regarding the Monument.

We had dinner Ashland and then went back to the RV to relax.

2020/06/27 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 16 - Full and Exploring

We got moving at 9, so right on time.  For some reason Turquoise would not setting down, so the next town (Ilwaco) we stopped to let him out.

We head south over the Astoria - Megler Bridge and headed in land on US26.  I could not believe the amount of vehicles heading to the beach, almost a constant stream with very little breaks between the very large groups.

We stopped early so we could do some more water falls.  When we finally made it to the Silver Falls State Park, but when we tried the different parking lots, they were all full and we tried to circle some of them but nobody was leaving when we were passing through.  We were able to stop at an overlook and see one of the falls.

So we went exploring.  We headed to Detroit Lake.  We noticed that people were allowed to drive over the dam, so we drove about 7 miles up the road until it turned to gravel.  We found a couple of water falls.

We went back into town to have dinner and picked up our order of items from Walmart.

Back at the RV we put things away and I did laundry.

2020/06/26 - Friday - Vacation - Day 15 - Tire, Long Drive, and Family

We got moving about 8:50.  Our first stop was at Discount Tires to get the van tire replaced.  While we were there we also got all the tires air pressure checked.  The time at the place was only an hour so not bad.

Our next stop was for gas.

We went ahead and did drive to the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center.  The drive is very bouncy and one of the wheel straps on the van came off, so I had to redo that.  We ate lunch in the parking lot after we did our walk/hike.

Our next stop was for gas again.

The passenger front tire is very slowly loosing air and the Smarttire sensor is going off because of it.

We finally made a decision on where to stay for the night near Long Beach, WA.

We headed out for dinner and then finally went and visited family in the area.

2020/06/22 - Monday - Vacation - Day 11 - One the Move

We got moving a little later then normal.

We said our goodbyes and finally got on the road a little after 10. 

We took the Edmonds to Kingston ferry.

We made it to the KOA and they did have an open spot for us for the next 4 nights.  Unloaded the van and we headed out to do a little exploring for the day.

The tip of Washington is closed but we went about halfway to visit a co-op but it was disappointing, very small and it had a lot of commercial items we can find in other stores.

On the way back we stopped for dinner and a place that is far from any town.  It was very good and big portions.

Back at the RV we get things organized and ready for the next few days.

2020/06/16 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 05 - Wet and Water

We got moving a little head of time.  But as soon as we got moving the SmartTire system squawked at me saying a tire was low. So I finally found a spot to pull into and checked the tires.  What my gauge says and what the system says is off by 10 lbs.  So I guess I will have to deal with the alarm for now.  That only delayed us about 15 minutes.  So this does not count as a flat!!!

I missed a Pilot, so when we got to Redmond I pulled in to get gas.  And then pulled behind the location to have lunch.

We pulled into a very small campground in Grass Valley this was about halfway between last night stop and getting to L&G.

I did jump on to work and took care of a few things.

We did go for a drive and stopped at White River Falls State Park.  We continued on and headed toward the Columbia River.  We crossed it and headed east before crossing back over and stopping for dinner.

Back at the RV, I did more work and next thing it was time for bed.

2020/06/12 - Friday - Vacation - Day 01 - Full, had to find a different location

We left the house shortly after 9 almost on time.  First stop was at a pet store to get some necessary can food for the dog and cats.

The next stop was at Camping World in Bakersfield to get Cheryl some new pots/pans that all stack neatly together and takes up less space and the cupboard will be neater.  While leaving the parking lot the new tow dolly made some clunking noises.

We stopped at the Flying J's outside of Bakersfield to get the necessary go go juice for the RV.  After filling up the RV, I pulled over in the parking area and had my fill for lunch.

The plan was to stop at the KOA in Visalia, but they could not accommodate use for two nights, so A.M. made several phone calls and finally found a place about an hour further up the 99.

We made it to the Arena RV Park and they only had accommodation in the overflow area (along side a building), but it does have full hoockups.

I have been noticing that the bathroom faucet would only trickle out the water, so I took the head off and cleaned the restricter and now it flow good.  While doing the cleaning, I did get A.M. good when the head was not on correctly and when I turned the water on it squirted hear.

I unloaded the van and we headed to a Black Bear Dinner that we have not eaten at before.  They had opened up inside seating and of course with social distancing.

Back at the RV, we organized the pot and pan cupboard and put the new set in and got ride of some of the old ones.

I did forget the power cord for my work computer, so A.M. is ordering it and it will be delivered to L.M. place so I can still do my necessary work.  So between now and getting to L.M., hopefully I can do what I need quickly without running out of power before getting there.

The train track are just across the street from the RV park and it sounds like they are going to go right trough us.

I noticed that there was water around the kitchen faucet, so I cleaned that up, but I wanted to make sure it was not a leak and sure enough it is, so now we have to stop and get a new RV faucet for the kitchen sink.

I was hoping that E.M. would join us for the weekend, but he decided not to drive down and join us.  We will see him on Sunday.

2019/07/10 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 20 - HOT - Tire Temp

We left at our normal time a little after 9.  I did stop by the office to make sure I was all squared away.

The drive through San Antonio was ok.  The construction heading out of town was tight and slow.

We stopped for lunch at a rest area.

Gas stop at a Pilot

A little past 4:15 the Smartire sensor was going off about a tire being at 177 degrees, so I found the next exit and stopped for about 45 to get the tires to cool down.  Drove about 45 minutes and had to stop again. for another 30 minute stop.  Drove again about an hour and stopped for another 35 minutes.

We finally pulled into Fort Stockton RV Park a little after 8.

I unloaded the van and C.M. worked on laundry, while J.M., Mom M, and E.M. went in to town to get fast food dinner.

2019/07/09 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 19 - Major Issue - Tow Dolly

We finally got moving a little after 9.

Our first stop was to drop off Mom D at the airport.  I panic at one moment because I say a sign that said 10 foot clearance, so I had to quickly go to the outside lane.

We have been on the road for about an hour and half a passing motorist made a motion like I had a problem, so I quickly pulled over and sure enough the driver side of the tow dolly bearings/hub was smoking.  So I proceeded to move further down the road so I could unload the van.  C.M. and E.M. proceeded to follow me until we made it to the next exit.  I pulled into Cabela's so we can figure out what to do next.

After several phone calls we headed over to a trailer repair place.  The guy said it might take anywhere to 2 to 5 days to repair.  Well that is not an option. 

We headed to a recycling place.  They wanted a title for the dolly but in CA we don't have one.  We finally found somebody that would take it.  So the tow dolly is now with somebody else to deal with.

We stopped at a U-Haul place and rented a tow dolly for the rest of the trip home.

Gas stop.

The drive through Houston was interesting, at one point I did have to lock up the tires trying not to hit some idiot that was weaving through the traffic.

Gas stop.

We finally made it to camp at about 8:00, not the original location, we stopped about 45 minutes sooner.  But with us dealing with the dolly and all it was getting late.

I unloaded the van and we headed over to Denny's for dinner.

Back at the RV (van loaded back up) and now time to sleep.

2019/07/06 - Saturday - Vacation - Day 16 - Wet

We got moving a little late, but we were saying our goodby's to the family.

Our fist stop just down the freeway was at a Flying J's I was below a quarter tank left...

The next stop was at a rest area (drank to much of my tea that C.M. made while we were stopped at Flying J)

For part of the day it was raining.  During our lunch stop that we made it was also raining...

Next stop was at a Pilot for the necessary gas.

We stopped for the night and Mom M and I went and did the laundry.

C.M. made dinner.

C.M., A.M., E.M, & J.M. then did our Ark of Osiris battle before heading to bed.  But the lag/connection issue made it a very difficult and frustrating battle.  But we did win even with all of our connection issues.

2019/07/03 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 13 - Boat Ride

Before leaving Both Moms and I headed over to get a quick breakfast (free - two small round waffles).  We were still able to leave on time a little after 9.

We attempted several stops along the way, but each of the parking lots were to small or to many cars in the parking lot so we just moved on.

Our next stop was in Ormond Beach FL at a Jersey Mike's Subs for lunch.

Our stop for the next two nights is at Titusville/Kennedy Space Center KOA.

I decided to lets go over to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and get our tickets.  Mom D stayed back at the RV to relax.  A.M. found a place to have some fun after getting our tickets, so we headed over to Airboat Rides at Midway. 

The tour was about an hour long.  We say alligators, birds, and cows.  We all had a very good time out on the water ways.

Afterward we stopped to get the van the necessary go go juice and now dinner.  Our first location when we pulled in had LOTS of people waiting so we searched for another location.  We had a good dinner at Shiloh's Steak and Seafood place with a great view looking across the water towards Kennedy Space Complex.

Back at the RV relaxing befor a long day tomorrow.

2019/06/26 - Wednesday - Vacation - Day 06 - We Made It Here

We got going a little late, but that is ok, we knew this was going to be a short day.

We stopped at the visitor center so A.M. could turn in her Jr Ranger booklet.


We stopped at a Love's Travel Stop and had lunch

We drove through some rain and seen some lighting. 

Gas as close to our destination at a Pilot.

We made it to the camp ground and setup camp at about 5:30.

We went to Verizon to replace our mifi that had the batteries expanded.  And stopped at Bed Bath to get a seat cushion for me to see it would help - so far it has not.  I am still hurt a lot!.

Back at the RV, A.M. made dinner and Mom M and I started laundry, I could not sit there any longer and went back to the RV and Mom M finished it.

2019/06/25 - Tuesday - Vacation - Day 05 - Oops - Natches Trace Parkway

So we did sleep in a little bit.  We did not leave until almost 10:00.  Waze had me head out a gate that was not open, so we had to drive around a block to head out towards the main gate.

I made a incorrect turn/exit, but before getting off and back on heading in the correct direction, we stopped at a truck parking area to have lunch.

Before crossing into Memphis we passed a MAJOR car fire (it was totally engulfed!), we could feel the heat as we passed by.

Before stopping for the day we stopped at a Pilot to get the necessary gas...

We stopped for the night early so we could do some exploring.  Once we setup camp we headed out to the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center so A.M. can get her JR Ranger book.  We will have to go back tomorrow and turn it in so she can get her badge.  We did explored the area for the next three hours.

Back in town (Tupelo) we had dinner at Mugshots, very good food and service (even with trivia night happening)

I know this is a reoccurring issues, but I really hate having this back pain.  I am not able to go exploring/walking like I did in the past and this is very frustrating!

Back at the RV we relaxed and headed off to bed.