Day 91 of Our RV Journey to Canada & Alaska 8/11/14 - Travel from Amarillo TX to Elk City OK

This morning we got up and  headed to Elk City.  This is a exciting day for us, as we are picking up our new 2015 DRV Mobile Suite 38 RSSB3.

As we were traveling I took some pictures of sights along the way.

We drove in to Rolling Retreats RV Sales in Elk City around 9:30 a.m.  Slade Tennery, one of the owners, met us in the driveway and directed us where to park our RV.  He showed us our new unit and then left us so we could start making the move.  After he left, Bob and I looked it over ..... it was what we wanted.  I, now, have a kitchen with a lot more counter space & a residential refrigerator which is what I wanted and we were both happy with the extra space that we will have between the recliners.  The bathroom is pretty much the same as our 2011 RV. We decided to go from a king size bed to a queen size bed so hopefully we won't regret that choice.  Our bedroom closet is a walk in closet with more storage area. We both love the outside custom paint job...adding a maroon color so it would go good with our truck.

Our NEW Mobile Suite

Shortly afterwards, Bob & I were starting the move in process.  Alicia, (Slade's wife & our sales person), stopped by to see if we were pleased with the RV.  Bob soon had several totes of stuff brought in to the new camper for me to find a place to put it.  I wiped out and lined the cabinets as I put items in the cabinets.

Bob and I worked on moving stuff into the camper the rest of the day until we were ready to crash. Slade & Alicia are letting us stay overnight here until we have everything moved.  That is making our move much more convenient..

I will take some inside pictures in a few days after we get settled in.

Have a good day!!

jl

Day 90 of Our RV Journey to Canada & Alaska 8/10/14 - Day in Amarillo TX

This morning after I woke up and got dressed, we decided to eat breakfast out.  First, we stopped by Cadillac Ranch.  We have driven by it several times but have never stopped so we wanted to stop and put our touch on one of the cadillacs.  For those of you who do not know what Cadillac Ranch is, some old guy partially buried 10 cadillacs in the middle of a field along Hwy 40 on the west edge of Amarillo, TX.   The front end of the cars are buried and the remainder of the cars is sticking up out of the ground at a slant.  It is a tourist attraction as there seems to always be numerous vehicles parked along the outer road.  To enter the field you go through a narrow gate that leads you to a wide dirt path through the field to the site of the 10 caddies.  The cars all have been spray painted with graffiti numerous times and it is customary to bring a can or cans of spray paint to put your artistic touch on the cars.  The paint on the cars have become very thick as the paint changes daily.  The negative side to this site, is it has become very trashy…some people just throw their paint cans and other trash down among the partially buried cars, the pathway and the roadside where they pull over to park their vehicles.

After stopping by there, we went to eat breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  It was super busy.  I love their pancakes with blackberry topping; I always order the same thing.

After eating breakfast, Bob filled the truck up with diesel.  Then, we located a car wash and washed the truck.

Then, we went back to Oasis RV Park and worked the remainder of the day until we went to bed, getting ready for the big move tomorrow.

Bob was outside doing some chores when he noticed a Mobile Suite real similar to our new one we pick up tomorrow.  The couple was outside so Bob went over and visited with them.  The man was not familiar with the LevelUp System so Bob showed him how to work that.  They talked about different things with the Mobile Suite.  They invited him in to see it, so of course Bob went in and looked at it.  It was a different Model but was the same make and size.  They got talking about the wheel beearings and Bob told him that he knew a couple that lost their RV to a fire due to the bearings overheating.  Anyway, come to find out, the couple that Bob was talking about that lost his RV to fire (our friends Ed & Marilyn), that couple had met them at a park near San Antonio.  Small world!!!

                                                                                       

I finally went to bed around 12:30 a.m.  I have my alarm set for 5:50 a.m; hope I can sleep.  Bob wants to leave in the morning at 6:30 a.m.  to go to Rolling Retreats in Elk City OK  to pick up our new home-on-wheels.

Have a productive week!!

Fd $20.74 Cab/$13.74 Csh/

Diesel ($3.699/gal x  47.310 gal = $175.00 Ch)

jl

Day 89 of Our RV Journey to Canada & Alaska 8/09/14 - Oasis RV Resort in Amarilllo, TX

This morning I got up and started getting the kitchen ready for a more organized move.  I bagged the contents of the drawers & cabinets and took the old lining out, and wiped the bottoms of the drawers and cabinets.

We paid a guy that has a Mobile RV Wash to wash our rig ($2.00/foot x 36 feet = $72.00 Csh).    He came at 9:35 a.m. and was probably here 1 1/2 hrs. or so.  He had 2 big tanks of soft water, and 3 pumps on his truck.   Even though we washed our rigs a few times on our trip in Canada and Alaska, it hadn't been washed since we got back to the states so it was dirty.

A lot of campgrounds in Alaska have a RV Power Wash, which I think is such a great idea.  We don't see many campgrounds in the US that have those.

Some campgrounds have made arrangements with an outside person(s) or mobile RV wash that they have approved and allow you to call and come to the campground and wash/wax your rig for a fee, but those campgrounds will not permit you to wash your rig.

Very few campgrounds allow you to wash your own rig in the campground (probably due to the amount of water used doing it).   We have been to some campgrounds that will charge a fee (like $10), and they allow you to wash your own rig; I like that because we can wash/wax it instead of hire it done.  It also gives you something to do when you're outside.

In the Valley (south Texas), the resorts we have stayed at in the winter, allow pre-approved Mobile Wash companies or people,  come in to the resorts and wash/wax the rigs.  We have been very pleased with their service & they usually charge $100-$125 for our 36 foot 5th Wheel RV; and that is normally a hand wash & wax.

After the guy left that washed our rig, Bob & I went to Sams Club to get a few things we needed.  We purchased a queen-size memory foam topper for the bed in our new RV that we move into Monday.  One side of it has a cool touch layer, and the other side is just the memory foam.  It is made to flip, so that you can have the cool side up, or flip it to the other side that does't have the cool touch layer.  We have a memory foam topper on our present bed, and it makes a big difference if you can't get comfortable on your mattress.

When we got back from Sams, I got back to work on bagging stuff & cleaning.

Around 5:30, we went to Saltgrass Steak House to eat dinner.  We had never been to a Saltgrass Steak House, but two of our daughters ate at one when they were in Dallas TX and raved about how good the food was.  Well, we definitely agree with them; the food was excellent.  Bob doesn't order steak very often because he has problems digesting it, but he wanted to try it & ordered prime rib and he was able to eat it ...he said it was probably the best and most tender steak he has ever eaten.  I ordered a ribeye topped with   their Smothered Steak Topping (garlic butter & sauteed mushrooms & onions) and it was very good & tender also...maybe not quite as tender as the prime rib, but close to it.  They serve a very tasty & soft, warm Shiner Bock Beer Bread that I really thought was very good.  I could make a meal on the bread.  Of course, we did not have room for dessert but Bob said he saw some being served at other tables and it looked like they had some good desserts.

I'm going to be looking online for a copy cat recipe for that beer bread.  The waitress said that the recipe has Shiner Bock Beer (flat) in it.

After we got back after eating dinner, I changed clothes and got back to work.  My goal today was to get the kitchen/dining area bagged up & cleaned; at least everything that I can do beforehand.

Well, that about sums up our day today.

Hope you are having a good weekend!!!

jl

    

Day 88 of Our RV Journey to Canada & Alaska 8/08/14 - Left Mountaindale RV Resort in Colorado, Traveled to Amarillo TX

This morning we left Mountaindale RV Resort at 8:55 (mountain time) after visiting and saying goodbyes to Ed & Marilyn and Jesse & Ginger.  We will see Ed & Marilyn again in September, and Jesse & Ginger the end of October.

Bob & I traveled 381 miles today.  We traveled in the states of Colorado, New Mexico & Texas today. Bob drove it all today; I offered to drive some but he didn't take me up on it.

Colorado was greener this year than when we were there last, and New Mexico and this area of Texas is green...so they must be getting moisture.   It rained on us in Texas.

Some pictures I took today:

Colorado

New Mexico

Texas

Destination:  Amarillo, TX 

We arrived at 4:45 p.m. (central time) at Oasis RV Park in Amarillo TX where we will stay 3 nights. ($32.85 x 3 nights = $98.65 Cab w/ Good Sam Disc - 50 amp/F HU/Cable TV/WiFi ).  We have been to this RV Park at least twice before.  It is a nice clean RV Park but not a camping-type park.

We got our WHATABURGER Patty Melt fix tonight for dinner... hadn't had one since March. (A burger & fries in Alaska was $15.95 plus. A patty melt double burger, fries & drink at Whataburger in Texas is $7.39 plus tax.  Alaska is expensive!!)

After we got back, we spent the evening chillin/relaxing &watching TV.

Have a Good Weekend!!!

Fd 4.54 Csh/$13.83 Cab/

jl

Day 87 of Our RV Journey to Canada & Alaska 8/07/14 - Enjoying Mountaindale RV Resort for the Last Day

Today is our last full day at Mountaindale RV Resort....another peaceful day.  I mustered up some energy to bag up some more stuff for our move.  Bob also got some things accomplished.

We made reservations to be here at Mountaindale for July & August 2015 to escape the heat and humidity. Bob and I plan to take our two grandchildren to Disney World as soon as their school gets out in May 2015 and take our time getting them back home.

It is kind of nice to have plans made for the next year and know where we are going to be.  Of course, we never know when plans will need to be changed.

This afternoon at 4:00, the gang met at Pizza Madness in Canon City to eat early dinner together and visit. It was a busy place and the food is good.

When we got back to the campground after having pizza, there was a doe directly across from our site grazing on the green grass & weeds.

Bob filled up truck with diesel ( $3.669/gal x 35.432 gal = $130.00 Ch)

Have a good day!!!

Fd $27.84 Cab/

Groc $31.20 Cab/

jl 

Day 85 of Our RV Journey to Canada & Alaska 8/05/14 - Travel Day to Mountaindale Cabins & RV Resort Outside of Colorado Springs

This morning we left Rawlins, Wyoming at 8:30 a.m. with our destination being Mountaindale Cabins & RV Resort in rural Colorado Springs.

We arrived at Mountaindale at approx. 2:22 p.m. and only took one 10-15 minute break.  We went in the office and the desk clerk was on the phone with a customer so we went ahead and went to our site and parked & set up the RV.  After we were finished, Bob & I walked up to the office and paid for the three nights we are going to stay here. ($23.38 w/ Passport America x 3 nights = $69.11 Cab)

We stayed here a couple of years ago for a several weeks of the summer and love it here.  So we are familiar with the campground and the area.  We love this place.

our nice, roomy site at Mountaindale

nicely landscaped & peaceful 

Then, we walked to Ed & Marilyn's site to say hi and visit with them.  They were there and we greeted each other and exchanged hugs.  Ed & Marilyn mentored us on this full time RV'ing lifestyle.  They graciously took us under their wings over three years ago and we have become very close friends.  They have been full-time RV'ers since end of Sept 2006 (8 years next month).  We have traveled together and they have introduced us to many of their RV friends, including Jesse & Ginger that traveled alongside us on this trip.  They know the good RV parks, the good restaurants, the best highways to travel, neat places to go & see...you name it, they are full of great knowledge. They opted not to make the Alaska trip as they have been on a cruise to Alaska.  It was so good to see Ed & Marilyn again.  Bob & I both enjoy their company; they are a lot of fun with lots of stories to tell. They, too, will be wintering in the same area as Jesse & Ginger, and Bob & I this coming winter...it will be nice having everyone so near  to each other this winter.  The more, the merrier.

We sat outside and visited and Eddie stopped over to say hello. We met Eddie & Jan (his wife) this past spring in the Hill Country of Texas.  He visited with the four of us.  Jesse & Ginger walked to Ed & Marilyn's site and sat and visited.  Eddie left after a while to help his wife fix dinner.  Ed & Marilyn invited Bob & I and Jesse & Ginger for dinner.  They had BBQ beef sandwiches, slaw, potato salad, and chips; everything was very good.  Thanks Ed & Marilyn!!!

The traffic today in the Denver area was very busy.  I thought I was gonna have to pry Bob's hands off the steering wheel; he doesn't like busy city traffic, especially while pulling the RV...too much lane changing and crazy drivers.

Some pictures I took while traveling today:

This marks the 84th day and end of our journey with our friends, Jesse & Ginger.  They left out from Mountaindale RV Resort and this afternoon have returned to Mountaindale RV Resort. They have family in this area.   Bob and I can both honestly say that we are glad that they went along on the journey with us. We all got along very well considering we were together for close to 3 months. It was great, fun-filled time, a once in a lifetime trip, and we'll definitely cherish all the memories.  

Bob and I still have a few days of travel left before we get to the point where we started our journey from (Indian Creek Campground in Northeast Missouri).   On the way there, we will be taking possession of our new home on wheels... 2015 DRV Mobile Suite 38 RSSB3.  We are very excited to get our new home...for me I am anxious to get more counter space in the kitchen area, a residential refrigerator, and more closet and storage space.

We are both very excited to be going back to family.  I know, personally, I have my limits of how long I can be away from family...and we have exceeded that time.  We have been full time RV'ers for over 3 years and I still get homesick...highly doubt that will ever change.  I love traveling and seeing new places but I get teary eyed when I leave and I beam with joy when I get home.

Have a wonderful day!!!

jl

Day 86 of Our RV Journey to Canada & Alaska 8/06/14 - Peaceful Day at Mountaindale RV Resort (Colorado)

This morning it was so nice to not have to set an alarm to get up to travel.  I didn't sleep that late, in fact, I got up quite a bit earlier than what I set my alarm.  Bob was already gone when I opened the door to the living area of our RV.  I figured he probably took a walk, as there is usually wildlife to be seen in this resort and area.

I started to bag up the contents in the drawers in our bedroom in preparation for hopefully a organized move when we move out of  this RV into our "new" RV.  Next Monday is the big move.

Bob came back from his walk and changed into different clothes to go work on a water hose leak at Ed & Marilyn's RV.  He was fairly certain of the problem, so he offered to take a look at it and fix it if he could. Surely enough, it was what he thought was wrong, and soon Marilyn could use her washer again.

He came back just as I was starting to cook some lunch, (or maybe I should say "the meal of the day").  I tried again to accomplish something on my blog, and for a while the WiFi cooperated.  I was able to upload quite a few pictures, before it acted up and wouldn't let me do anything....hate it when that happens...and it seems like the WiFi and I haven't been getting along well lately...or should I say the past 3 months.

Since there is a Camping World nearby (in Fountain, CO), Bob and I went there for a while this afternoon. We purchased some step covers for our new RV, and I got some collapsible bowls & shelf liners for the cabinets.  I was going to get some folding tables for outside that were on sale but those were smaller than what I want, so I will wait till the size I want go on sale, since I want to get four of them.

We got back to the RV and soon it was time for 'happy hour'.  We met Ginger & Jesse outside and all walked up the hill to Ed & Marilyn's.  Soon, we had a group of 10 people, sitting around with adult beverages in hand,....chatting, laughing & having a good time.

While we were all sitting around visiting, Bob spotted a turkey on the bushy hillside.  Soon came another turkey, and another, and another, and another,....not sure, but there was at least 20 or more, all walking along the side of the hill in a line.  Marilyn went close to where they were to try to get some pictures, but it was too shady.  She said that the turkeys turned and walked up the hill.  Not every day do you see that!!

That is one of the reasons that Bob and I like this resort.  Mule deer, bears, turkeys, and foxes are sighted here....mule deer almost daily.

Last night, there was a bear sighted in the resort, and had been in the trash dumpster that someone had not shut properly.

Bob saw a little fawn running and frolicking around this morning on his walk.  He took this not-too-good of a picture with his cell phone.

Another good day in 'Paradise'!!

Until tomorrow....have a happy, smiley day!!

jl