Now for the drive home

            We sped our way, at 60 MPH, to Minnesota’s Myre/Big Lake state campground in Albert Lea, our first night heading home. Our site, a gravel back-in, across the gravel road from the lake had electrical hook-up. The site was $29 a night plus a Minnesota campground license fee of $7. The dump station and potable water was located in a different area of the campground.

We broke camp and headed to our first stop in Papillion Nebraska at Walnut Creek campground. After a couple of hours, I was glad the sites were concrete slaps with electrical hook-up. The reason I was happy came with the severe thunderstorms and hail that pelted us for several hours, fortunately the hail was no larger than quarters, some areas around us received 2 ½ to 3” size hailstones. For $15 a night this was a great place to stay with a dump station on the way out.  Next stop, North Platte Nebraska.

Lake Maloney was our stop in North Platte. Lake Maloney was a state campground, only $15 a night. Following GPS didn’t put us in the section of the campground. The original coordinates put us at the dry camping/tent camping area. We drove the road around the lake to the other side, what a difference, sites with electrical. Most of the sites had shade in some form, and there was potable water available in a couple of locations throughout the campground, the dump station was located on the dry camp side. From here it was time to head for Colorado.

First stop in Colorado was the ELKS lodge in Northglenn. The lodge has six electrical hook-ups. The best time to show up is after 5 pm, the lodge rents the parking lot out to an auto repair shop who fills the spaces in front of the RV spaces. We pulled in around 2 pm while the cars were still parked there, and it was a bear to get settled into our space. We had a couple of drinks and socialized for a little while before we retired to the 5^th wheel, mainly because I was fighting a terrific cold since Minnesota.

Our second stop in Colorado was at the Grand Junction ELKS lodge. This lodge is located in the original building built in 1912. They have six electrical hook-ups, all on one power pole. We were one of three rigs circled around the pole, looked something like wagons circled up to protect against Indian attacks. One of the lodge members was kind enough to take us on a tour of the lodge, their meeting room was spectacular. We broke the circle in the morning on our way to Utah.

Sculpture in front of a Wells Fargo Bank

The drive into Utah was tough, the cross/head winds stayed constant 20+ MPH with gusts to 30 MPH the entire drive to our next stop at Beaver Campland in Beaver Utah. Beaver Campland was a little more expensive at $39. A night for full hook-up. Still fight my cold, we stayed in and ate leftovers. Next stop here we come.

We continued to fight winds, but, made it to Nellis AFB in Las Vegas area. Nellis was a nice campground with full hook-ups, unfortunately we could not use the 50-amp circuit, no power. There were a lot of shade trees for most of the sites. I think my hacking and coughing is driving Carol nuts, I know it is for me. Tomorrow we leave on the last stretch to home.

The wind on this leg was the worst yet, 25+ MPH crosswinds with gusts to 38 MPH until we reached Victorville/Hesperia. It was great to back into our driveway, now the real work began, taking everything from the trailer and putting in the house. We’re home, and I am still fighting my cold. Now to rest for the next journey.

We learned alot on this journey, one being we do not want to have a deadline on when to arrive at our next location. The drive, eat, sleep and repeat was very tiring. We did see alot of beautiful scenery and we have a wide variety of places to go back and visit when the FT RVing begins.

We arrived at Breezy Hill campground for the week. It was a very nice campground that is family oriented, with sites for all, from tent to motorhome. The older section sites of the campground were very shaded, the new section was less shady because all the trees were new growth, but still very nice.

 The first night we just relaxed, the following night our kids took us out to dinner at a restaurant called Libby Montana. Carol had their ribeye steak, I had walleye. While we were still eating, our grandson began skeeming on how to come back with us. His reasoning was the other students were going on a field trip, and he was not, so there was no real reason for him to go to school, so why not go to grandma’s house.

Once we got back to the campground our grandsons thoughts left fishing and went straight to playing on all the things that spun and jumping on the big blow up pillow.

 The rest of the family came up the next evening, went home, and decided to come back up a day earlier than originally planned. One afternoon we all spent part of the afternoon in the swimming pond, later we went swimming in the swimming pool.

 A trip to the family run Kelley Farms Ice Cream shop was in order after a walk through the Kristmas Kringle Shoppe.

The last evening there we all went on a hay ride that took us around the campground.

 It rained a little as we prepared to depart and begin our trip to San Diego. The views on the way home were breath taking.. 

Sitting on the Row in an air-conditioned building away from the muggy sunny outside world should never be attempted by the faint of heart, but I was willing to give it a good college try, and it was good. As a self-proclaimed “loner” I had fun talking with people, most of which were not very excited, or interested to hear about San Diego, mainly because it was located in California.

After Carol and I finished for the day we headed out to Walmart for some exciting shopping and people watching, and later, a trip to Bandana’s BBQ. We both ordered our own full slabs of ribs which included two sides and garlic bread. The ribs had a very good smoke on them, and very tender. They put some type of sauce on them and offered six more on the table, ranging from a sweet to spicy. We had enough left over for several meals.

Each night before the entertainment they draw names and give out door prizes, I won a collapsible cooler from Camco.

 Entertainment for the night was provided by Reza, an excellent illusionist. Reza mainly performs in Branson, MO, but does travel around the country. He definitely likes audience participation, and that includes children. He did one illusion where he was confined in some type of metal contraption that had a triangular area that exposed his chest and abdomen. They put a screen cover over the opening, and his assistant climbed through it as though she was climbing through his chest and abdomen. He brought a young boy and did tricks with three rings, using the boy as his assistant.

Not a lot of excitement in The ROW today, but there was some good conversation. We were asked to pick up popcorn for movie night. They were anticipating a large crowd so we picked up 80 pounds of popcorn from different stores, wiped two stores out. Carol and I did not go, we just relaxed for the evening. 

The only selling point I had for coming to San Diego was less humidity than here. Those ribs we bought a couple of days ago, we just finished them for lunch. It was talent show night, acts ranged from singing to comedy, everybody did a good job.

The ROW ended yesterday, we were able to sleep in this morning, ha ha. Remember the 80 pounds of popcorn we picked up, we were asked to return some of it since it was not all used. Only needed to take back 80 pounds to both stores, apparently there was a small turn out for the movie.

Today was the street fair, mostly food, closing ceremony, and fireworks. The lines were long for food, but worth it. There were craft beers and wine at reasonable prices, Carol tried several of the beers. We had a pizza from one f the vendors, who also catered most of the dinner functions. The fireworks started late, I believe it was due to the night not quite dark enough to make them enjoyable.

Tomorrow we are on our way to Wisconsin to see the grand kids.

They keep Comin’, 150+ rig today. No rain since yesterday and several motorhomes still needed to be pulled out of the mud; we done pretty good with only five rigs needing tow assistance. Fortunately, the rest of the rally will be sunny and around a beautiful 92 degrees, with a possible gently breeze to blow the sweat away.

Back to today. It was kind of like an extremely large family reunion with cousin Billy John who likes to get his tongue stuck in soda bottles, and the niece who tears off all her dolls clothes claiming its some kind of government plot to sexually discriminate. And don’t forget Uncle Eddie who is worried that his pet rabbit will be roasted in the RV if he can’t get full hook up to keep it cool. (yes, I do like animals). It’s great to see people you haven’t seen for a while and meet new ones for the future.

Carol left me … only to go and set up the Shanty Shaker booth in the Row. She showed me a picture, she did a phenomenal job. Brian and Debbie will be there tomorrow for us while we finish Customer Service.

We made it to Sunday, the final day for Customer Service. It was supposed to be a record temperature day up in the 90s, it felt like it, the saving grace was an occasional gentle breeze. A lot of folks were not planning for the heat and wanted to upgrade their stay from boondocking to full hook up. (after registration closed we contacted the fair office and told them they could turn the heat down, we had enough rigs upgrade.)

Today was opening ceremony. Shawn the CEO of Escapees asked how many folks were “first timers”, almost half of the crowd raised their hands. After the opening ceremony we all ran (like a herd of turtles) out to ice cream. There are two things that motivate a bunch people this week, air conditioning, and food.

The entertainment was fantastic. They brought in a gentleman, Bill Lepp that is a storyteller who won the Virginia’s Liars Storytelling competition five times. People were still laughing after the show was over. I won’t try to relate any of the stories, I wouldn’t due them justice.

It’s off to bed in anticipation of a slower day tomorrow, its ROW TIME, I know ha ha.

Now that we are home I am back on track in posting..

 We volunteered to do Customer Service we got a golf cart, the world is in trouble now. I was thinking of putting a “CAUTION MATT DRIVER AT THE WHEEL” sign on the back. After I went to the morning parking meeting, Carol and I zoomed over to the Customer Service table located on the other side of the ESCAPADES world. 

There was only one outpost farther away, they were the flag waving direction greeters at the entrance. One of their missions was to get even with us (we had a pop-up for shade) by sending the rigs that needed additional assistance in registration. Today was a fairly slow day, arrivals were primarily staff and boot camp RVs. It was tough working/sitting for four hours, all in preparation for the next two days, which will be busy days.

We made it through the grueling customer service morning, now I can go finish the table center pieces.

  Carol continued to get the props ready for the photo booth, which will be in the Hospitality building

 With center pieces and props completed it is time to stuff welcome bags, oh, and eat pizza. Stuffing welcome bags was like playing “Ring Around the Rosy”, fortunately nobody fell down. There were three tables set up in a “U” shape. 30+ people stood in the inner area filling the plastic bags of the people racing around the outside of the tables. I’m not sure which was harder, stuffing the bags (sore backs from being bet over), or getting dizzy from racing around the tables. Forgot to mention it was a slow race around the table, that’s because there were 60+ people with the bags. Did I mention we ate pizza afterwards? There were six choices ranging from cheese to Canadian bacon and pineapple. Time to go and relax/prep for tomorrow.

 The race begins, 185 RVs rigs are expected to arrive today. The morning started with a rainbow out our rig door, first sign of an interesting day. 190+ rigs arrived today despite medium to heavy constant rain most of the morning, we’re not talking that piddly California drizzle. We had front row seats to some of the craziest stuff which made it worth working Customer Service; one large motorhome drives of the road into mud, one RV buries themselves to the axles, and one didn’t listen to directions and gets stuck in mud; only thing missing was the popcorn and beer.

Whew, parking is done for today, now time for meeting, happy hour, and staff dinner. 

The dinner was catered by a local restaurant, they served pork roast with a fantastic pineapple bourbon sauce. There was also a green salad, potatoes, dry chicken, and a roll. A free meal is still good in any form, and a drawing for prizes. Today was a great day.

Trip to Sedalia

Day 5: Last night was a quiet night. The day started a little earlier than normal, we needed to go to Flying J and dump before we march smartly on to Pratt KS.

Dumping first thing in the morning sure builds an appetite, we headed in to get, and enjoy breakfast before scurrying down the highway. You can scratch “scurry”. Within the first 2 miles out the gate, traffic was stopped for road construction on a two-lane highway. Kind of reminded me of the anticipation of moving through Los Angeles on I-5 during rush hour. Now that we made it through that, we can begin to enjoy our whirlwind drive through four states, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, stopping in Kansas. Another thing I noticed, the designer for 54 must have been left handed or missing one side of their brain, all the rest areas on my side of the highway, I always have to turn left into them.

The weather started out over cast and later sunny. Cross winds wreaked havoc from Dalhart TX to Pratt KS, but the rig handled very nicely. Route 54 was in pretty good condition for the most part, there was some other road construction/repairs going on, but it only slowed, not stopped. I will admit that there were a few areas in Texas and Kansas that were less that exciting … zzzzzzzz. If you wish to get off 54 from time to time there are sites to see, such as the Dalton Gang hide out. Carol was excited when she thought she saw some very large white sheep grazing together in the distance, as we got closer it became obvious they were … rolled hay bales (lol).Before we got to Haviland we saw what looked like huge yellow caterpillars, they were actually raw cotton rolled banded in yellow fabric.

           Other than the high from six hours of cross winds, there was a (only) gas station in Haviland KS., they were almost full service, pumping fuel and cleaning windshields. Finding the hook-ups was and adventure at the ELKS lodge. We drove around the lodge several times without finding the hook-ups. We spoke with a member who was not sure, so we decided to go to Walmart and shop. We returned and another rig showed up and together we figured out where the 30amp receptacles were. Total victory for Escapees, both of us are heading for Escapades. It appears tomorrows adventure is going to start in a different direction.

Day 6: The drive and weather were pretty good. We did have a couple of delays due to road work. We are adapting to what retired life can be, we chose to stay the night at the Blue Springs ELKS lodge and enjoy Taco Tuesday.

The biggest thrill on the drive this afternoon was seeing a train cutting through what seemed like five hundred million acres of corn, grass, and turned under fields. Unlike California, there was a lot of greenery. We arrived at the ELKS lodge in time for tacos. We hooked up in the first site, closest to the building so we didn’t have to walk far for food, drink, and entertainment. They are a two-story lodge built 12 years ago, and the members are a friendly lot willing to share their time with visitors.

Day 7: Final leg to Sedalia MO and the ESCAPADES rally. The ELKS were kind enough to wash our rig, well part of the rig before we left. They decided to do this while I was unhooking electrical, water, and raise the jacks. If you have not guessed, the sprinklers came on. After the first round of showers, I asked Carol to protect me with an umbrella so I could finish without further soaking. Before hitting the highway, we stopped at Walmart to pick-up some groceries and water. There was no problem with finding space parking (we were there around 8:00am). The Walmart in Blue Springs must be an exception, they didn’t have a low clearance metal arch to keep RVs out.

 The weather was sunny, warm/hot, and humid, I felt a better understanding for clams being steamed. We made it. Getting to the fairgrounds and parked went well. While setting up the RV I went from feeling like a steamed clam to a boiled lobster, I forgot how humid the mid-west can get. Alas, the RV is set up (50amps no less), and Carol has both ACs running on high to cool the RV.

Now let’s talk registration. What sounds easy, can seem a challenge to someone tired and sweaty. We needed to walk somewhere around 12 miles to get to the registration office (not really, just seemed that long), the reward was worth it … AIR CONDITIONING. You see, we needed to arrive early because we volunteered to be on staff this year with the ESCAPADES as part of the Customer Service team. The rest of the day was meetings, familiarization, and happy hour. For those not Escapee members, we are like a large Italian family, we love to socialize. Enough said, off to bed, tomorrow is showtime.

Finally on the Road

We decided early on that we would only drive about 300 miles a day. We mapped out a route that will takes us through Scottsdale AZ, Gallup NM, Tucumcari NM, Pratt KS, and finally Sedalia MO. We decided to stay at ELKS lodges until we reached Sedalia. We originally planned to leave on Friday, but changed our minds, and left Thursday.

Day 1: The journey began on a cooler than normal May morning for El Cajon California. Carol and I were excited to finally begin a trip that took us outside California. The drive east on highway 8 is a beautiful in the morning once past the Alpine area. The hills are strewn with boulders and rocks that take on different formations, and during one part of the of the drive the boulders have an assorted array of colors, predominately pink. Driving through the pass the elevation reaches 4,000 feet several times before descending onto the desert floor. Our first break was at the rest area near Seeley CA. We stopped one more time before we arrived at the ELKS lodge in Scottsdale.

The folks were very friendly, especially a gentleman named Sid, who informed us that it was STEAK night. Steak is Carols favorite carnivorous meals. One had the choice of either a Filet Mignon, Ribeye, or New York. For another $2 bucks each we added salads. We didn’t order dessert, but that was only $2 bucks per person. Our two Ribeyes and salad only cost us $40.00. Where can you do that elsewhere?

Day 2: We spent the day in Scottsdale just relaxing, and, waiting for the FISH FRY Friday night. We did some eatin’ drinking, and socializing. After the fun it was off to bed in preparation our drive to Gallup NM.

Day3: A lot of wind and hills today on the way to Gallup NM. Driving up 87 was a nice drive with fantastic scenery. Our first break was at a pull out, where we enjoyed our lunch and an opportunity to stretch. It was just amazing how the land changed how its looks almost 180 degrees, to see saguaro cactus on side of the hills, and Ponderosa pines on the other side.

We were adventurous and fueled up at the “big truck” pumps at TA before we arrived at the ELKS lodge. While pumping diesel I looked at the semi-truck next to me and thought… you’re not that big, you only have to worry about clearing 13’6”, I have to worry about 13’8” … made me feel big for a few seconds.

We arrived at the lodge, it was an experience. I wish GARMIN had an option for the “easiest route” to a location, not just “fastest route”. To get to this lodge you need to maneuver residential streets. One of the streets they thought it was necessary put in an island. I do love a challenge getting 35 feet of trailer and 22 feet of truck down streets designed for Mini Coopers and Volkswagens. The lodge itself has one (first come, first serve) hook up. (a 100-foot extension cord plugged into a receptacle). Oh, by the way, we were not the first person there this night, we experimented with boondocking, and ran our new portable generator for a couple of hours.

The people were friendly, but no food available. They did recommend a place that would deliver. We did meet a neat couple … that did beat us to the extension cord … they are Escapee members also. We were lucky enough to arrive the night they had a booked high school graduation dinner function. The dinner was not the problem, it was the kids in the pool yelling and screaming after midnight. Sleep did finally come to the Arctic Fox. Having left the rigged together it was a quick good bye/getaway, and off to Tucumcari NM.

Day 4: Great drive, some gusty winds and grades, no problems. Awesome seeing how one area is volcanic rock, another is sand stone, still another look prairie. Traveling I-40 from Gallup to Tucumcari was pretty smooth, there has been a lot of road work done. We stopped at Flying J for fuel. The diesel pumps for RVs here in Tucumcari are located away from the pumps with the overhang. At these pumps RVs can dump, for a fee.

We arrived at the ELKS lodge which has four 30 amp and four 50 amp pull through sites. There is no dump station. There is food within walking distance of the lodge if one chooses not to un-hook the truck or “toad”.