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Home Tomorrow
February 26th (336 miles today)
We left Indio at 9am and traveled west on I-10 through the Palm Springs area, then north on I-15 and north on Hwy-395 to the Boron area, where we had lunch.
Traveled west on Hwy-58 through Bakersfield and north on I-5 to the E-Z Trip Truck Stop near Avenal.
We’ll be here near Avenal for one night and home tomorrow at about noon.
We’ll empty the trailer, do some minor maintenance and re-stock for another multi-week trip to Oklahoma / Missouri in less than a month.
TOTAL MILES DRIVEN THIS TRIP: 7,131
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Indio, California
February 25th (407 miles today)
Left Benson at 11am. We had a nice stay here at the Butterfield RV Park. Clean, modern, quiet and a must-stay next time in the area.
We traveled west on I-10 through Tucson and before traveling through busy Phoenix, we took the I-8 Phoenix Bypass through Gila Bend.
Popped back onto I-10 west of Phoenix and stopped at the I-10 Rest Area near Tonopah, AZ.
— We decided to continue on to Indio, California, instead of stopping in Tonopah, AZ for the night. That saved us a day and we’ll be arriving home on Saturday, instead of Sunday. —
Continued west on I-10 and stopped near Morgantown (just east of the California border for the last of cheap diesel fuel).
Arrived in Indio and at the Spotlight 29 Casino at 6pm, just before dark.
The large casino parking lot is RV friendly and is separated from gambler’s cars & big-rig trucks. We’ll be staying for one night.
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Bisbee, Arizona
February 24th (sunny & mid 70’s)
We left for Bisbee, Arizona at 9am. It’s about 50 miles south along state highway-80. Bisbee is the county seat for Cochise County. The town sits just 11 miles from the Mexican border.
Bisbee was founded as a silver, gold and copper mine in 1880. In 1929, the county seat was moved from Tombstone to Bisbee, where it remains today.
By 1910, the population swelled to over 9,000. In 1917, Bisbee was successful in mining copper from a nearby open-pit mine for the WWI war effort.
Up until 1957, the Bisbee High School gave their graduates diplomas stamped from sheets of copper.
We toured the city-owned Copper Queen Mine via an underground mine train that took us over 1,500ft into the old mine, and walked the shafts with a guide.
These were not toy train cars – these were the same train cars used by the miners to ‘get to work’ underground. The 75 minute miner led tour was fantastic!
We also visited the visitor’s center, walked the streets, took a guided cart ride through the Bisbee back streets and visited the current open-pit copper mine just out of town.
Tomorrow we’re off to a rest stop near Tonapah, AZ.
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Tombstone, AZ
February 23rd (sunny & high 70’s)
We left the trailer at the RV park at 10am and drove about 30 miles south to the wild west town of Tombstone, Arizona.
Founded in 1877, Tombstone produced up to $85 million dollars in silver billion from it’s many mines in the area.
The population also grew from 100 to 14,000 in less than seven years.
The rough & tumble town had a bowling alley, four churches, two banks, an ice house, three newspapers and an ice cream parlor. It also had 110 saloons, 14 gambling halls and many brothels.
A fire nearly destroyed the town in 1886 and the population dwindled to 646 in 1910.
We went on an underground tour of the 1878 Goodenough Silver Mine, visited the old 1882 courthouse & gallows, took an authentic stagecoach town tour and walked the town’s streets.
Tomorrow, we’re off to the western town of Bisbee.
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Benson, Arizona
February 22nd (110 miles today)
It was 18 degrees when we woke up this morning – but that’s to be expected at an elevation of 4,300ft.
We left the New Mexico Welcome Center at 10am, traveling west on I-10 into Arizona.
This area of Arizona was known as ‘Apache Country’ between the early 1500’s and the wild west 1880’s.
We had lunch at a I-10 rest area and even made friends with a Roadrunner, who greeted our lunchtime arrival.
We arrived in Benson, Arizona and the Butterfield RV Park at 1pm. The weather is in the mid 70’s.
Benson will be a jumping-off point for the Tombstone & Bisbee areas during the next two days.
We’ll be in Benson for three nights.
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Lordsburg, New Mexico
February 21st (286 miles today)
We pulled out of the Van Horn RV Park at 11am.
Traveled west on I-10 through El Paso, Las Cruces and into New Mexico. The temperatures were in the low 60’s today.
Continued the length of New Mexico along I-10, east to west, to the Lordsburg NM Welcome Center, just east of the Arizona border. The RV parking area is large and quiet.
Low tonight forecast to be 23 chilly degrees.
Tomorrow, we enter Arizona and to the Benson area.
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Van Horn, Texas
February 20th (227 miles today)
Last night in Ozona was in the low 20’s, but no snow or sleet. We left the truck stop at 9am and continued west on I-10.
We’re back in oil country. There’s thousands of ‘pump jacks’ pumping oil from the ground all over this part of Texas.
We stopped at the Fort Stockton Walmart for fuel, groceries and lunch.
Arrived at the Van Horn RV Park, in Van Horn just after 3pm.
We’ll be spending one night here and entering New Mexico tomorrow.
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On The Road Again !!!
February 19th (271 miles today)
Woke up to a brisk 20 degrees, but clear & sunny skies. Was above freezing by 9am.
We hooked up the trailer and left Luling at noon. We delayed our departure to allow the sun to melt any residual ice on the roads.
The news says 3.3 million Texans are still without power and up to $50 billion in losses / damage to Texas.
The road out of the RV park was slushy, but once getting onto the interstate, it was mostly dry.
We passed truck after truck that slid off the interstate during the past couple of storms, most likely hitting ice in the 20 degree temperatures. The tow companies were doing a brisk business today.
Traveled west on I-10 and into San Antonio. The interstate goes through town, but due to icy ramps and bridges, the state troopers directed all traffic onto city streets – what a mess!
Took us an hour to find our way back onto I-10 beyond the closed ramps (thanks highway department for no detour signs).
We stopped at the Circle Bar Truck Stop near Ozona, TX at 5pm. It’s an old truck stop, but there’s not much in the area before dark, to stop for the night.
We’ll be here for one night and traveling to Van Horn, Texas tomorrow.
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Winter Arctic Storm – Day 5
February 18th (29 – heavy snow)
Our cellular service came back on late last night – so we were able to make a couple of calls and update the blog. We’re hoping it stays on today, so we can keep updated on the weather today & tomorrow.
Was 19 degrees wind chill last night and woke up to ice on the ground. The area is once again in a Winter Storm Warning with a forecast of snow & sleet.
Due to roadway conditions, we decided to stay “another” night here in Luling. The storms have made our Luling stay from one night, to six nights.
Our power, water and television reception is still on here at the RV park. As far as we know, Luling down the road is still without power.
We had sleet during breakfast, then snow (heavy at times) into the afternoon. The snow stopped at 3pm.
Tomorrow will be warming into the low 40’s and we’ll be pulling out of Luling and heading west to the Ozona, TX area.
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Winter Arctic Storm – Day 4
February 17th (36 and overcast)
About 8pm last night, the area cellular service and the park’s WiFi went out.
Most likely a result of nearby Luling’s loss of power for the past three days and the cellular tower backup batteries draining.
We still have power here at the park, water and television reception. Our RV neighbors are all in good spirits.
We woke up to temperatures of 34 degrees and rain. Melted some of the snow & ice, but made a muddy mess in parts of the park.
We’re eyeing another strong snow storm, due this evening. We are once again staying here in Luling Thursday night due to heavy snow, winds & ice due forecast to be on the interstate by morning.
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Winter Arctic Storm – Day 3
February 16th (33 and sunny – then overcast)
Had another cold night last at 10 degrees (not counting the wind chill). Even some of the horses in the pasture across the road are wearing blankets.
Because of the extremely cold temperatures, we’ve had to keep the outside park hose spigot (hose bib) dribbling water 24hrs a day. The hose that’s normally connected between the spigot and the trailer, is kept in our heated storage area, until needed.
Others didn’t put their hoses away, and were frozen solid.
Was sunny in the morning and the temperatures rose to a balmy 33 degrees today…. Almost t-shirt weather. Became cloudy in the afternoon and temperatures dropped quickly by 4pm.
After chores and since it was warmer today, we drove into downtown Luling (a short 2 miles away).
We were going to have an early dinner at our favorite Texas rib-joint, but soon found that 99% of the town has been without power for a couple of days and everything was closed (unknown why we still have power in the RV park).
We drove around for a few minutes and spotted a Mexican restaurant open & crowded (must have a generator?). The dinner was delicious.
Made it back to the trailer by 4pm, before the roads started to freeze again.
There’s a new freezing rain storm due tonight, so we delayed our departure again, until Thursday after noon.
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Winter Arctic Storm – Day 2
February 15th (24 and clear skies)
Another cold windy night last night, with a windchill of -5 below zero! Texas declared a State of Emergency due to the storm just before dark.
Snow started about 9pm and on & off through the night. This was a first real snow storm we’ve had in 5 years of traveling in our trailer.
We were warned about power outages, but we haven’t had any power interruptions so far.
Woke up to 2″-3″ of snow on the ground this morning.
Today, the roads are mostly closed due to ice on the pavement. There’s a few crazy Texans out there with their pick-ups tear’n up the cold!
We’ve been warm & dry in the RV. We’ve ventured out for chores, walks and of course — a complex snowman construction.
The snow has finished falling, and we have bright clear skies, but forecast to be 10 tonight (-9 below zero).
It looks warm outside with the sun shining, but it’s only a blustery 24 degrees and it’s hard to make a snowman with dry powdery snow. At least the sunshine melted some of the ice.
Tomorrow is another day in camp.
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Winter Arctic Storm – Day 1
February 14th (25 and light sleet)
We had a cold night last night in the 20’s. Stayed warm with the electric fireplace running in the living room.
Since we were staying in camp today, we slept in and had a leisurely breakfast.
When we went outside for a walk, it looked like water all over the side of the trailer and truck. Upon a closer look, it was all ice, from freezing rains. The interstate and local roads are all but closed due to ice.
“Warmed” to 25 by noon, with the wind chill down to 15, then the temperature fell by dinner.
Freezing rain & snow expected overnight, with lows down to 14 (-5 wind chill).
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Luling, Texas
February 13th (104 miles today)
We left Katy, Texas at 10am and traveled west on I-10. We saw other RV’s with ice hanging from the sides. They were probably coming from the west, where we were suppose to go, but decided to stay in Luling.
Arrived at the Riverbend RV Park at noon. It was 30 degrees when we arrived, and light sleet started at 3pm.
Due to the cold weather, we filled up our fresh water tank, then put the hose away. We’ll use the tanks (they are heated) during our stay and re-fill the water as needed.
Keeping the hose connected (what we usually do), would freeze solid in 5 degree weather. We also wrapped the hose spigot in a towel and left it dripping.
We’ll be here for three nights, to hunker-down during a strong arctic storm due on Sunday & Monday.
Tomorrow’s low is forecast to be 12 degrees and snow.
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Katy, Texas
February 12th (97 miles today)
Had heavy rain, 45mph+ winds and lightening last night.
We left Galveston at 11am and traveled north-west along I-45, through the Houston area, then west to Katy.
We arrived at the Katy Lake RV Park at 1pm. It was a chilly 26 degrees when we arrived. This is our first time staying at this modern full service park.
Katy is a medium sized town in the shadow of Houston. The town was settled in the 1890’s as a railroad stop.
Katy was also known for their small rice farms, until I-10 was built nearby in 1966. Katy still has a small town feel.
While here, we met up with a retired school teacher (Miss Cressida) who used to teach our children when they were small, and is now living in Katy. We had a great visit.
A cold arctic storm (snow & sleet) is due to hit Texas this weekend. We changed our plans a bit, instead of staying in Luling for one night tomorrow, we have increased it to three nights, so we don’t have to drive the interstate.
Tomorrow we’re off to Luling, Texas.
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Ship Ashore
February 11th (47 and wind & rain)
Had a stormy night last night with fog, winds, and rain.
After breakfast, we did a few chores, got fuel, grocery shopping, then drove out to the far east end of Galveston Island.
The end of the seawall looks out on Galveston Bay, where ocean going ships travel between the Gulf of Mexico and Texas City. Most of the ships are oil / gas carrying ships and arrive empty. They fill up at the Texas City refineries and head back out to the gulf, to destinations unknown.
We had a picnic lunch in the truck while watching the ships. We even watched a couple of “Trash Pandas” (thanks Sue for the new raccoon name) play by the water.
Rained on & off all day with 30mph+ winds, with an occasional thunder storm.
Tomorrow we leave the Galveston area for Katy, Texas (west of Houston) for a one night stay.
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In looking at next week’s weather forecast, looks like a little snow / freezing rain might be in our future. Ice / snow is the only thing that can slow our travels.
When we leave the Houston area, we’ll be full of propane for cooking & heating, water and we’ll have plenty of fuel for our generator for added electricity & additional heat.
If the interstate is icy, we’ll stay at a rest area or truck stop until the roads are clear…. even if that’s a day or two.
We contacted our Benson, Arizona RV park where we’ll be staying next week. They have agreed to adjust our days forward a couple of days, due to a delay, if needed. Glad our RV is a ‘four-season’ trailer.
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Pleasure Pier
February 10th (73 and sunny)
We had a nice dinner at the Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant last night.
The restaurant overlooks Galveston Harbor where large ships and oil rigs being repaired, are moored. There were also local fisherman in a boat just outside our window for entertainment while dining.
Today’s morning fog burned off to sunny skies and a warm breeze. Had a nice walk along the beach after breakfast.
We took the bikes back out on the seawall bike trail in the afternoon. Rode the eastern end near the Galveston Pleasure Pier.
The Pleasure Pier was originally built in 1943, but was destroyed in 1961 by Hurricane Carla. It was rebuilt, but again destroyed in 2008 by Hurricane Ike.
This current pier, with all of it’s new rides, was completed in 2012. It’s closed for the winter.
Tomorrow’s forecast is for wind, rain and thunderstorms.
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Seawall Bike Ride
February 9th (64 and overcast)
Woke up to heavy fog this morning and had a nice breakfast in camp + did a few chores.
Loaded the bikes into the truck and drove towards town a couple of miles away- where the Seawall walking / bicycle trail begins.
The “Galveston Seawall” was built after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 for protection from future hurricanes. Construction began in September 1902, and the initial segment was completed in July, 1904. From 1904 to 1963, the seawall was extended from 3 miles, to over 10 miles.
We rode the trail about seven miles towards town. It was fun riding along the gulf beach and reading the city history information plaques along the way. The fog looks cold, but it was warm riding our bikes.
Along the way, we stopped at the mobster owned, old Balinese Ballroom Pier. Built in the 40’s, entertainers such as Bob Hope, George Burns, the Marx Brothers and Frank Sinatra played there. The Margarita drink was also invented there in 1943 and it was known as the finest club and casino in the southwest.
The Texas Rangers closed the Balinese in a raid in 1957, after years of trying. It continued as a restaurant until Hurricane Ike completely destroyed the 600′ pier in 2008. Only the seawall canopy framed entrance (see photo) remains.
After lunch, we walked the Gulf of Mexico beach behind our trailer. Of course, Donna robbed the beach of almost all of it’s sea shells.
Tonight we’ll go to the downtown area for a nice seafood dinner.
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Galveston, Texas
February 8th (miles today: 274)
We left the Louisiana Welcome Center at 8am and continued west on I-10.
We traveled through Lafayette and Lake Charles and entered Texas. We had a quick lunch at the Texas Welcome Center.
Once we got near Houston, we took south Highway 146 through Bayside and into Galveston.
We arrived at the Dellanera RV Park at 1pm. It was sunny and 70 degrees.
The quiet 64 site park has full hook-ups and our site backs right up to the Gulf of Mexico beach.
We’ll be staying here for four nights.
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Atchafalaya / Louisiana Welcome Center
February 7th (173 miles today)
We left Gulfport at 11am and headed west along I-10.
Within a few miles, we were in Louisiana and had lunch at the Louisiana Welcome Center.
Continued west into the Baton Rouge area and over the Mississippi River.
Traveling into the Louisiana swamp area, we stopped at one of our favorite rest areas, at the Atchafalaya Welcome Center.
Since it’s Mardi Gras here in Louisiana, our ‘travel puppy’ got decked out in his party beads.
We’ll be staying here for one night and into Texas tomorrow.
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Gulfport Area
February 6th (55 & Showers)
It rained on & off most of the night and we were able to sleep in this morning,
Drove along the Mississippi Sound west from Bay St. Louis, not far from our camp. The cold winds were howling and light rain, with white caps in the bay.
Visited the local beach and had a picnic lunch (in the truck).
Like most of the coast along the gulf, many homes and businesses didn’t make it through the 2005 Hurricane Katrina. At least 1/3 of all lots are still vacant, many with only foundations remaining.
The homes that remain, are mostly built on pilings 10-20’+ in the air. Some of the more expensive homes, have elevators from the ground up to the home. Even the air conditioners are raised at least 10′ in the air.
The last hurricane (Zeta in Oct 2020) had a storm surge of 10′. Almost every home and business still has damage from that storm three months ago. All the city and private piers were all damaged and unusable.
The RV’rs in camp are getting ready for the Superbowl tomorrow. That, plus Mardi Gras, and it will be a big party for sure.
We leave tomorrow morning for the Louisiana swamp I-10 rest area for a one night stay.
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New Orleans, Louisiana
February 5th (52 & Sprinkles)
Last night we went to the nearby casino buffet restaurant for some down-home southern cook’n.
We had catfish, lobster, shrimp, dirty rice, jambalaya, frog legs, hush puppies, crab and bread pudding…. I’m now an official southern boy!
We left Gulfport at 10am this morning and drove into New Orleans (about an hour’s drive).
Founded in 1718 by French colonists, New Orleans was once the territorial capital of French Louisiana before being traded to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803
New Orleans in 1840 was the third-most populous city in the United States, and it was the largest city in the American South from the Antebellum era until after World War II. The city has historically been very vulnerable to flooding, due to such factors as high rainfall, low lying elevation, poor natural drainage, and location next to multiple bodies of water.
We walked the downtown French Quarter and the shops along Bourbon Street. What a mix of the strange, different and unusual – one can only imagine what it’s like after dark when the alcohol flows.
With the recommendation from our daughter Susan and friends, we stopped at a local french bakery and had a couple of Beignets… Yuummmm….
At 2pm, we walked down to the Mississippi River to the dock area. There, we boarded the riverboat “City of New Orleans”.
We had brunch on the boat during a two hour tour of the Mississippi River.
Tomorrow we’ll return to the nearby Gulfport beach area for the day.
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Oak Alley Slave Plantation
February 4th (73 & Sunny)
We left Gulfport, traveling west on I-10, through New Orleans and west to Vacherie, Louisiana.
We arrived at the Oak Alley Slave Plantation at 9am. Oak Alley Plantation is a historic plantation located on the west bank of the Mississippi River.
The farm was built in 1837, slaves were brought in (120+ slaves at any one time on the plantation) and sugar cane was planted in the rich river bottom soil.
The plantation was not physically damaged during the Civil War, but the economic dislocations of the war and the end of slavery made it no longer economically viable.
Successive owners could not afford the cost of upkeep and by the 1920s, the buildings had fallen into disrepair. In 1925 the property was acquired by Andrew Stewart as a gift to his wife, Josephine, who modernize the house.
As a virus had wiped out the sugarcane industry in the early 1900s, the Stewarts ran Oak Alley Plantation as a “Texas style” cattle ranch.
Sugarcane cultivation was reintroduced at the plantation in the 1960s and it was opened to the public in 1972. The surrounding lands still grow vast acreage of sugar cane to this day.
We toured the main house, slave buildings and grounds and had a picnic lunch at the plantation. We also walked along the Mississippi River levee.
Tomorrow we return to the New Orleans area, to explore the French Quarter and take a riverboat cruise.
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Jefferson Davis Presidential Library
February 3rd (63 & Sunny)
We left camp at 10am and traveled east on Highway 90, that travels along the Gulf of Mexico.
Traveled through Pass Christian, Long Beach and Gulfport, to Biloxi.
In 1699 French colonists formed the first permanent European settlement in French Louisiana, at Fort Maurepas (“Old Biloxi”).
Due to fears of tides and hurricanes, colonial governor Bienville moved the capital of French Louisiana in 1722 from Biloxi, to a new inland harbor town named La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans).
In 1811, the US traded with Spain to take over Biloxi and related areas, making it part of their Mississippi Territory. Mississippi, and Biloxi with it, was admitted as a state to the union in 1817.
We stopped at the Jefferson Davis Presidential (Confederate) Library. The Beauvoir estate, built in Biloxi, along the Gulf of Mexico, was the post-war home (1876-1889) of Davis.
The Davis home was sold it in 1902 to the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans with the stipulation that it be used as a Confederate state veterans home.
Barracks were built nearby and the property was used as such a home until 1953, with the death of the last veteran of the Confederate States Army in Mississippi. The old confederate cemetery is still behind the main house.
At that time, the main house was adapted as a museum. In 1998, a library was completed and opened on site. The home was almost totally destroyed in 2005 by hurricane Katrina.
After a tours of the home, grounds and a picnic lunch, we went to the Biloxi Visitor’s Center.
The large visitor’s center showed the history of Biloxi and how hurricanes Camille & Katrina decimated the area.
Tomorrow, we’ll be going west of the New Orleans area.
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Gulfport, Mississippi
February 2nd (162 miles today)
It was a cold windy night last night, with a morning chill of 32 degrees.
We left the Milton Florida area at 9:30am.
Continued west on I-10 from Florida, through Alabama and into Mississippi.
We arrived at the Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis (Gulfport) at 1pm.
The casino has a large secluded 100-site RV park, that backs up to the local bayou.
Though we don’t gamble, the location will give us easy access to Biloxi, Gulfport, New Orleans, etc. attractions.
After setting-up camp, we went into nearby Gulfport to get fuel and groceries at Sam’s Club.
The drive into Gulfport found dozens of old southern mansions along the Gulf.
Some of the things we’ll be doing during our stay here in Gulfport, are taking a paddle-wheel boat tour in New Orleans, visiting the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library, the LSU History Museum, the Oak Alley Plantation and many other sites. We’ll be staying here for five nights.
Tomorrow we’re off to explore the Biloxi area.
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I-10 Rest Area, Milton, FL
February 1st (279 miles today)
About 10pm last night, a storm rolled into northern Florida, with heavy downpours, winds, lightening and thunder. We opened the blinds and watched Nature’s show.
We left Lake City at 10:30am and traveled west on I-10.
Soon after getting onto I-10, we saw the remains of a big-rig truck fire along the interstate. We heard the sirens last night, but didn’t know what was going on.
Stopped at a rest area near Tallahassee for lunch.
We arrived at the I-10 rest area, near Milton at 3pm for the night. The large rest area was mostly vacant of trucks, but will fill-up at sundown.
It’s expected to be in the low 30’s tonight – what a change from the warm central Florida weather over the past two weeks.
Tomorrow we travel to Gulfport, Mississippi for a five night stay.
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Jacksonville, Florida
January 31st (weather today: 77 and sunny)
After breakfast, we drove about an hour east along I-10 to the Jacksonville area.
We visited the St. George Island and the Kingsley Cotton Plantation north-east of town, along the Fort George River.
Under British rule in 1765, a plantation was established that cycled through several owners while Florida was transferred back to Spain and then the United States.
Slaves, then freed slaves lived on the property with their owners. The 32,000 acre property was transferred to the State of Florida in 1955 and was acquired by the National Park Service in 1991.
This plantation was unique, in that each slave family had separate homes, small gardens and could earn a small salary, to eventually try and buy their freedom.
The slaves worked on a “task system”. After a task (cotton picking, building maintenance, cooking, etc) was completed, they had the remainder of the day to do as they pleased – Most other slave plantations were run under the “gang system” (you worked sun up to sun down).
We walked the grounds and visited the main house, attached cook house, dock area, barn / carriage building, slave-driver quarters and slave quarters.
We then drove into the Jacksonville Beach area and walked along the Atlantic Ocean beach.
The forecast is for rain and a lightening storm tonight, then clear tomorrow.
Tomorrow, we continue west on I-10 towards far western Florida.
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Lake City, Florida
January 30th (weather today: 68 and sunny)
Last night, we took one last walk around the Fort Wilderness Campground and boat dock areas. Had a great time at Disney World.
We left WDW at 10am and traveled west on the Florida Turnpike then north on I-75.
Had lunch at an interstate rest area and continued to Lake City, Florida.
We’ll be staying two nights at the Lake City RV Park.
Tomorrow, we’ll be visiting the Jacksonville, Florida area for the day.
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Rest Day in Camp
January 29th (weather today: 62 and sunny)
Slept in today and had a nice home-cooked breakfast.
After breakfast, went for a bike ride all around the campground and Donna did some last minute Disney souvenir shopping.
Most guests in the Fort Wilderness Campground, are here for a few days or a week. Some stay a couple of weeks.
There are some campers we’ve met that are here for several winter months at a time (“Snow Birds”) to avoid cold northern temperatures.
Then there’s Norma…. She been here about EIGHT YEARS straight! Her husband passed away and she decided to stay in her large RV in Fort Wilderness.
Due to Disney rules, she can’t claim to be a resident, so she pays for her site every month, month after month.
Disney let’s her stay in the same site, but when a hurricane came through a few years ago, she had to leave for a couple of weeks, but Norma returned.
Her site is full of Disney caricatures and is covered in lights at night. When she passes, I hope she knows that Disney doesn’t have a cemetery.
After lunch, did some RV housekeeping chores, to get ready for tomorrow’s departure from Disney World
Tomorrow we drive north back to Lake City, Florida for a two day stay.
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Magic Kingdom
January 28th (weather today: 60 and sunny)
We had a nice thunderstorm roll through Disney World at 9pm last night. Just enough sprinkles to wet the roads & paths.
Much cooler today. This is our last day visiting the parks, so of course we made our last day at the Magic Kingdom.
We leave Saturday – Tomorrow is a camp rest day, hanging around the campground.
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Epcot & Animal Kingdom
January 27th (weather today: 81 and sunny)
We left camp at 10am and took a Disney bus to Epcot.
Walked the paths through the different countries and rode a few of the rides.
We then took a bus over to Animal Kingdom and rode an action ride and took the animal safari tour.
We got stuck for about 20 minutes during the safari, due to rhinos on the road.
Tomorrow we’ll be going back to the Magic Kingdom for our last day visiting the parks.
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Magic Kingdom
January 26th (weather today: 82 and sunny)
It was rather humid yesterday and last night. Woke up to heavy fog and temperatures in the 70’s (very humid). It was so foggy, that the boats that travel between our campground and the Magic Kingdom had to be suspended.
We were picked up by a special bus, that took us over to the park.
With overcast, as soon as the fog burned off, it was a nice day in the low 80’s. Expected to cool off into the 60’s by Thursday.
We explored the Magic Kingdom today and rode some of our favorite rides (Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc).
Due to Covid precautions, there is 6-8ft distancing in lines, face masks at all times, 100’s of hand sanitizer stations throughout the parks and limited gathering spots. It’s safer here, than in a public grocery store at home.
One ride change we noticed, is when entering the Haunted Mansion, there’s an elevator everyone normally gathers in. That is now just a walk through room where close contact of strangers is discouraged.
Stayed late until closing at 7pm. We were one of the last boats on the Jungle Cruise — Always best at night!
After getting on the transport boat, it’s just a short walk from the campground boat dock to our campsite.
Tomorrow we’re starting our day at Epcot then park-hop to another yet to be determined park.
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Hollywood Studios
January 25th (weather today: 84 and sunny)
To try and get the highly coveted ‘Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance’ ride tickets (entry is only available to on-line ticket holders – no line waits are allowed). Donna logged onto the Disney website at 6:55am to be on-line at 7am, for a chance for today’s ticket allocation.
Sure enough, we were lucky enough to score two tickets to the new Disney ride! Thousands of park guests will be disappointed, not being on-line this morning and getting advance ride tickets. Normal wait time before on-line tickets: 8 hours!
Got an early start out the door and arrived at the Disney Hollywood Studios at 8:00am, after a short bus ride.
The park doesn’t open until 9am, but we’ve been finding that most of the parks have been opening before their scheduled times.
Most of the wait times for rides today were between 5-15 minutes.
Rode the ‘Rise of the Resistance’ and visited all the other Hollywood Studios attractions and shows. I think we saw everything the park had to offer in 11 hours.
Tomorrow were spending the day at the Magic Kingdom.
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Campground Rest Day #2
January 24th (weather today: 82 and sunny)
Last night after dinner, we strolled through the campground paths and walkways. Some campers have been coming here for decades and decorate their campsites with Disney themed decorations – some over-the-top.
We walked down to the lake and watched the nightly Electrical Water Pageant float by, with it’s music, boats and barges covered in lights.
This morning, we had another leisurely breakfast in camp.
Walked to the nearby Meadow Trading Post, which has most grocery necessities such as milk, cereals, charcoal, lunch items, etc. For a larger selection and meats / fruits & vegetables, etc, one has to travel 10-15 minutes outside the Disney property, to a grocery store in town.
We also took one of the transportation boats from our campground to the Magic Kingdom Monorail station.
From there, we went to the Polynesian Hotel and walked over to the Grand Floridian Hotel. From there, we took a small water taxi boat back to our campground dock.
The monorail, skyliner and boats are all free, to Disney guests staying on the property.
Tomorrow we’re off to Disney’s Hollywood Studios park.
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Campground Rest Day #1
January 23rd (weather today: 60’s & cloudy)
After several fun-packed Disney park days, we slept in and had a leisurely breakfast. Sprinkles this morning and early in the afternoon, also much cooler.
The light rain didn’t stop kayakers from paddling down the campground stream, behind our site.
After lunch, we took our bicycles out and roamed the campground & cabin areas. There are miles & miles of quiet roadways, bike paths and trails to walk and ride.
We learned long ago, not having a couple of rest days during a long Disney visit, makes for exhaustion by the end of a 1-2 week stay.
We had a nice home-cooked spaghetti dinner this evening and walked the campground after dark.
Tomorrow is also a ‘rest day’ in camp.
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Magic Kingdom
January 22nd (weather today: 83 & sunny)
Today’s adventure is the Magic Kingdom. The only transportation between our campground and the Magic Kingdom, is by boat (10 minute ride) across Bay Lake.
The Kingdom can most be compared to Disneyland, but larger & with many differences.
The first time we came to the Magic Kingdom, we thought it would just be a larger Disneyland, but the rides, restaurants, etc. are in different locations in the park and more spread out.
We walked the entire park today and had lots of fun riding all the rides. It’s sometimes hard to keep up with the Disney-Nut (Donna), but I do my best.
The next two days are ‘rest days’, where we won’t be entering a park, but doing different local campground activities. It’s suppose to drop to 70 degrees tomorrow.
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Animal Kingdom
January 21st (weather today: 76 & sunny)
We arrived at the Animal Kingdom at 8am. The kingdom is only a short 10 minute bus ride from our campground.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a zoological theme park. It is the largest theme park in the world, covering 580 acres. Animal Kingdom opened on Earth Day, April 22, 1998, and was the fourth theme park built at the resort.
The park is dedicated and themed entirely around the natural environment and animal conservation, a philosophy once pioneered by Walt Disney himself.
We visited the animals on a safari truck and rode the rides (even the intense Expedition Everest backwards roller-coaster & Avatar).
We’ve noticed the Disney photographers aren’t doing too good of a business – maybe it’s because they all have signs that say “masks must be worn during photos”?
Like yesterday, crowds were light and lines were almost non-existent. We also took a free animation drawing class in the park.
Tomorrow we visit the Magic Kingdom.
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Epcot Center
January 20th (weather today: 72 & sunny)
Last night, took a bike ride through several campground loops just before dark, then played Bingo at the outdoor movie complex.
After breakfast this morning, we took the Disney bus from our campground, to Epcot.
Epcot (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) opened on October 1, 1982 and was the second of four theme parks built at Walt Disney World, after the Magic Kingdom. Spanning 305 acres, more than twice the size of the Magic Kingdom park.
Epcot is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely technological innovation and international culture, and is often referred to as a “permanent world’s fair”.
We walked the park and explored the rides and areas made to resemble different countries of the world.
The park looked almost deserted, with wait times for rides about 3-4 minutes, with most with no wait. Mask wearing was mandatory inside buildings and outside.
We kept seeing three birds following us throughout the park. Couldn’t decide if they were Egrets, Seagulls or Old Crows. We named them Joanne, Carol and Rose.
We got to ride the new SkyLiner between Epcot and several hotels. It’s just like the old Disneyland ‘Skyway’, but faster and more modern.
Made it back to camp at 7pm.
Tomorrow we visit Animal Kingdom.
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Fort Wilderness Resort- Walt Disney World
January 19th (160 miles today)
We Left Lake City, Florida at 10am.
Traveled south on I-75 into the Wildwood area, then south-east on the Florida Turnpike, into the Orlando area.
We arrived at the Disney Fort Wilderness RV Campground Resort (72 degrees and sunny) at 1pm. We had both reservations for the resort campground (a must!) and reserved entry passes into the Disney parks.
Fort Wilderness is a premium RV resort with large full hook-up sites, strong WiFi and close to all the Disney amenities. The park has 799 campsites for RV’s & tents, and 409 wilderness cabins, all surrounded by pine and cypress trees.
The reason we always pick this time of the year between the holidays & Mardi Gras, is for low crowds, comfortable temperatures, and no humidity / thunder storms.
There are local buses that run throughout the park (we brought our bikes), larger buses that run from Fort Wilderness to the nearby parks and boats that run between the campground, other Disney hotels and the Magic Kingdom via Bay Lake.
Even though Disneyworld is currently at 30% capacity daily, staying on the Disney property guarantees us entry into the parks. If not at 30% after guests enter, then season pass holders can enter, then the general public, until the 30% capacity is reached.
We’ll be staying at Fort Wilderness for 11 days.
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Lake City, Florida
January 17th (274 miles today)
We left the Santa Rosa Rest Area at 9am.
The area is known for the nearby Naval Air Station – Whiting Field, where many many many years ago, a young US Navy Cadet, “Flower”, allowed the Florida soil to bang into the bottom of his T-28 trainer. No one was hurt per the Naval folklore.
We traveled through the Tallahassee area and into the far north-central area of Florida.
Arrived at the Lake City RV Park in Lake City, Florida at 3pm. Lake City is known as the “Gateway to Florida”.
We stayed here two years ago and found it clean, quiet and with full hook-ups. Checked the pond for gators – none seen yet.
This stop allows us to do laundry, fuel-up and stock up on groceries, before heading south to the Orlando area.
We’ll be in Lake City for two days, then off to Walt Disney World on Tuesday morning.
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Milton, Florida
January 16th (304 miles today)
We left the Atchafalaya Rest Area at 7:30am and continued east on I-10 towards Mississippi.
We passed through Lafayette and Baton Rouge, over the Mississippi River, then took the I-12 bypass, north of the downtown New Orleans area, before driving over the Pearl River and into Mississippi.
We had lunch at the Mississippi Welcome Center along I-10.
We continued driving through Mississippi, Alabama and into the panhandle of Florida. That’s traveling four states in one day!
We arrived at the Milton / Santa Rose Rest Area (east of Pensacola) at 2pm. We were met by a fellow Arctic Fox owner (Norman & his dog Cooper) who lives nearby, for a visit.
This large modern rest area is busy during the day, but quiets after dark.
Tomorrow, we arrive in Lake City, Florida for a two night stay.
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Atchafalaya Swamp, Louisiana
January 15th (172 miles today)
Since we had a short drive today, we didn’t leave the Beaumont area until 11am.
We traveled only about an hour east on I-10, until we crossed the Sabine River and into Louisiana….”Gator Country”.
We arrived at the Atchafalaya Rest Area near Henderson, LA at 2pm. The surrounding swamp is the largest wetland and swamp in the United States.
Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area, where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge.
The large, modern well lit rest area has separate parking for cars, RV’s and large trucks. There’s 24hr security at the facility & free 24hr WiFi for the parking areas.
We even visited the two facility mascot gators – “Bud” & “Lois” in the back swamp area.
Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have some of the nicest rest areas & welcome centers we’ve ever visited.
Tomorrow, we enter the western Florida Panhandle.
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It’s a Gusher… OIL !!!
January 14th
After a leisurely breakfast, we drove into town and our first stop was the Texas Fire Museum – Home of the ‘world’s largest working fire hydrant’.
Housed in an old 1927 fire station, several of the trucks are from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The bottom floor still showed where the horses were housed, that pulled the old equipment. The second floor, still houses the current Beaumont Fire Department command offices.
Next we did some banking, filled one of our propane tanks and topped off our fuel tanks. We also stopped to see the downtown Saint Anthony Cathedral Basilica.
We then drove to the Spindletop Museum just outside Beaumont. The weather was a nice sunny 71 degrees.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Southeast Texas economy, like that of most of the South, relied on subsistence agriculture, but cattle ranching and the lumber business were also important.
Southeast Texas had another resource – oil – but the amount underground remained a mystery. There was some limited drilling for oil in the late 1800’s…. until the “Lucas Gusher” at Spindltop in 1901. The discovery of the Spindletop oilfield had an almost incalculable effect on world history, as well as Texas history.
The site of the original Lucas oil well (see photograph below) at Spindletop, is on the grounds of the Lamar University. We walked through the old early 1900’s buildings at Spindletop, including the barbershop, livery stable, dry goods store, saloon and post office and many others.
Tomorrow we are off to the middle of the Atchafalaya Swamp, to a rest area in Louisiana
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Beaumont, Texas
January 13th (227 miles today)
After a beautiful sunrise, we left Luling, Texas at 9am and started today’s continued journey on east-bound I-10. We were in cattle country, with small ranches and farms.
Some viewers have asked how many miles do we travel per day?
We average +/- 300 miles per day @ 60mph. Since we’re retired, there’s no need to speed between our destinations.
We also avoid driving after dark and stop every 90 minutes or so, to stretch our legs. This all makes for a much more enjoyable driving experience.
Half way during today’s drive, we traveled through the Houston area. We diverted from I-10 to the north of the downtown area on the I-610 Loop, to avoid downtown traffic.
Traveling east, we can tell it’s starting to get warmer and the nighttime freezing temperatures should be a thing of the past….at least for a few weeks until we’re on the way home.
Arrived at the Gulf Coast RV Resort at 1pm to a sunny 60 degree temperatures. This large RV park is modern and has full hook-ups.
We will be staying two days here in Beaumont.
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Luling, Texas BBQ
January 12th (234 miles today)
It was down to about 22 degrees last night, but we had a warm and quiet night. We left at 7:30am to get an early start.
Continued east-bound on I-10 through Kerrville, San Antonio and Seguin. Traffic has been light through Texas – just trucks and few RV’s.
Arrived at the River Bend RV Park in Luling, Texas at 12pm. The quiet family-owned RV park is right along the San Marcos River.
After unhooking our truck, we drove a short distance into town.
We walked through the small town, of course stopped at the local quilt shop, then picking up dinner at the City Market BBQ.
The old fashioned BBQ joint (where all the locals eat) was suggested to us two years ago and we LOVED IT!. Got our meats & ribs to take back to our RV to eat.
Tomorrow we arrive in Beaumont, Texas for a two night stay.
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Sonora, Texas Rest Area
January 11th (257 miles today)
We left Van Horn at 9:30am after topping off our fresh water tank. Weather today was in the 30’s all day. There was snow along the interstate in the higher passes, from yesterday’s snow storm.
Continued east on I-10 and stopped at the Fort Stockton Walmart for groceries and lunch.
Arrived at the Sonora Rest Area (250 miles west of San Antonio) at 3:30pm for the night. Sonora and this part of Texas in the next couple of days, is rich in oil history and active oil & gas production. There are thousands of wells all along the local countryside.
Near our rest area, on the night of April 2, 1901, William Carver, a member of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch, was shot and killed in Jack Owen’s Bakery by Sheriff E.S. Briant and his deputies. Hopefully there’s no gun play tonight.
Tomorrow we’re off to Luling, Texas for a night’s stay and some great BBQ.
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Yeeee Haaaw…… Texas !!!
January 10th (283 miles today)
After a cold night outside (we were warm in the trailer), we continued east-bound on I-10 at 8am.
We traveled through Deming (re-fueled) and had lunch at the Las Cruces Rest Area. Their 25 foot high Road Runner can be seen for miles.
We soon entered Texas and through the El Paso area where I-10 straddles the border with Mexico, sometimes only a hundred feet away. We also stopped at the Border Patrol check-point east of town. No hitchhikers found.
Arrived at the Van Horn RV Park (temperature 33 degrees) at 2pm, in Van Horn, TX. It’s a large quiet RV park we frequent when in the area. This overnight stop will allow us to dump our waste tanks and fill-up with fresh drinking water. Tonight’s forecast is 22 degrees.
Van Horn (elevation 4,012) began in the 1850’s as a stage / mail route and later a train stop. Today it’s a small town with a hotel, fuel stations and a few restaurants.
Tomorrow we are off to the Sonora, Texas area.
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Lordsburg, New Mexico
January 9th (210 miles)
We left the Phoenix TA Truck Stop at 10am, for a short drive continuing through the Sonoran Desert along I-10.
Except for larger cities like Phoenix and Tucson, there’s not much out here except fuel stations, rest areas and truck stops.
We drove through Tucson and had lunch at a I-10 rest area near Dragoon, AZ. The rest area was at a 5,000′ elevation surrounded by large boulders. This is the area where Cochise led the Apaches between 1861 to 1872.
We entered New Mexico and at 2pm, stopped at the New Mexico Welcome Center in Lordsburg.
We’ve stayed here in the past. The quiet lot is away from the highway, but close to a Border Patrol station down the street & a large truck stop across the highway.
For the next three days in New Mexico and western Texas, we’ll be in colder weather, but hopefully no snow showers.
Tonight’s forecast is 23 degrees … That’s -5 below zero with the wind chill !!!
Tomorrow we continue into western Texas.
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Phoenix, Arizona
January 8th (320 miles today)
We left the Indio area at 8am and traveled east on I-10 towards Phoenix.
The Colorado River is the border into Arizona and afforded us with our first diesel fuel fill-up since leaving home.
Our truck’s two tanks (85gals total) allows us to travel 850+ miles before refueling. The price difference between expensive California and Arizona was 70 cents per gallon, which was well worth the wait.
We had lunch at a I-10 rest area in the middle of the Sonoran Desert.
Before we got to Phoenix, we diverted to I-8 (truck bypass route) as to not have to travel through the downtown area.
We arrived at the TA Truck Stop about 55 miles south of Phoenix at 3pm. The parking lot is gigantic and is off the freeway. We can also grab a bite to eat at the nearby A&W.
Tomorrow we’re off to New Mexico.
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Indio, California
January 7th (263 miles today)
We left Bakersfield at 10am to fog and temperatures in the 40’s. Traveled east on Highway 58 over the Tehachapi Pass and into the Mojave Desert.
We stopped for lunch at the rest stop in Boron (home to the Borax company). We took this route today, to bypass the crazy Los Angeles freeways & traffic to our south-west.
After lunch, we continued south on Highway 395, through the Redlands area and onto I-10. We’ll be staying on I-10 all the way east to Florida.
We arrived at the Spotlight 29 Casino at 3pm to 75 sunny degrees! Even though we won’t go inside the casino, the RV parking lot is large and away from the truckers parking area.
Tomorrow, we’re off to the Phoenix area.
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Bakersfield, California
January 6th (307 miles today)
We left home at 9am and traveled south on I-5 through Sacramento and into the central California Valley.
No rain today, but light fog and temperatures in the high 50’s. We stopped near Tracy at a rest area for lunch and continued into mid afternoon to Bakersfield.
We arrived at the Flying J Truck Stop, just north of Bakersfield, at 3pm. The trick to staying overnight at a truck stop, is to arrive before dark to get the prime parking spots in the far back lots, away from the restaurant & fuel pumps (noisy all night).
Tomorrow we head to the Palm Desert area along I-10.
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Rocklin Roamers 