Roadrunner Stops Along the Oregon Coast - 2016

After our July 2016 Warner Bros Reunion we made our way to:

• Arnold, CA over to Fairfield, CA 
• Travis AFB FamCamp  
• Willits CA  
• Harris Beach State Park  
• Bandon OR 
• Beverly Beach State Park  
• Devil's Lake State Park  
• (Pacific Shores RV Park  
• Netarts, OR.

A. We had a nice setup in Arnold CA for our 2016 Warner Bros Reunion.

 B. After 8 days at Marty's cabin in Arnold, we drove to Travis AFB Famcamp where we were in Overflow parking for two nites (thought I had a picture...)


C. Next it was on Willits CA and the Golden Rule RV Park

D. After that we had an overnight stay at Harris Beach State Park.  Loved the park even though it was a tight squeeze.

 E. We traveled up the coast and stopped next at Devils Lake State Park in Lincoln City.  This was our last stop at a State Park.  No matter what we hope for after reading the info about the site -- we concluded State Parks are not for us.  Just to hard to get into...

 F. From there we splurged and went to Newport OR and the very very nice Pacific Shores RV resort.  Great site and location.

 G. From there we have landed in Netarts, OR outside of Tillamook for a few days.  One extreme to the other.  The Big Spruce Campground offers $17/night for full hook ups and the internet is pretty good.  Cable can be connected but a bit of a hassle with their cable box with reprogramming the remote for the TV required.  Instead we watched a DVD in the evening which worked out great.

We are thoroughly enjoying our trip up the Oregon Coast.  The views and scenes I will save for another post.  But for the record I wanted to note where we have been staying during our time here.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Places We Camped - April 2016

In April, we got to see more of Florida and it's great County Campgrounds.  Here's a brief run down of where we stayed:

North Fort Myers Habitat for Humanity (HFH)

We led a Care-A-Vanner team build at North Fort Myers, FL and got to camp in their lot behind the warehouse.  The affiliate provided power, sewer and water.  It was tight quarters for a little while.  One of the RVers brought his rig and vehicles.  

This is the biggest set up we have ever seen at a build!  

Phipps County Campground, Jupiter, FL

 After the build in North Fort Myers, we went to this campsite near Stuart, FL.  It was right on the Inter coastal Waterway and we got to see a couple of boats go through the locks.

I liked the spacious area and 50 amp service.

Pelican Roost Campground, Mayport Naval Station

Our next stop was an old favorite.  We have been here many times and were happy to score a first row campsite.  It was a bit breezy (some say it always is windy there) but we thoroughly enjoyed it.  One on the best military campgrounds in the network -- they run it well and not any homesteading going on.  They also had great wifi and free laundry.

RVacation Campground, Selma, NC

RVacation is an old KOA that has undergone significant continuous improvement over the years.  It is a perfect overnight stop for us along I-95, they are very friendly and accommodating.  We got a sight for our front mounted DirecTV Winegard dish and were very comfortable there.  Despite being close to the freeway - noise was not a problem.

Sea Mist Campground, Dam Neck (Oceana NAS Annex), Virginia Beach VA

We love Virginia Beach.  The closest campsite to Kelly and Jon's place (and grandson Brooks) also happens to be one that is not very well run, so decided on this one again.  

 It is adjacent to the beach and another well kept and beautiful military campground.  I love hearing the Navy and Marine students marching in formation to class in the morning.

That's a quick look at the campgrounds where we stay during the month.  (And it provides us a quick reference when we try to remember where we were...)

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Roadrunner Camping Spots in January 2016

I find it hard to remember where we were at times.  If I had created this kind of a blog post the last 79 months we have been on the road as Full-Timers, I could have done a quick search to see where we were when.

Maybe I'll go back and create one like this for each month.  Then again that sounds like way to much work.  We'll see, but for now here's a look at where we camped during the month.

In January, we were in the following locations:

Anglers RV Campground, Cedar Keys FL:

It took a while to find this one but it turned out to be a pretty good spot.  The campground is a bit aged and there are plenty of long term people there, but we scored a level spot with lots of space from our neighbors.  Plus the price was right.  Price is always important to us.  We spent a lot of time inside the Roadrunner, so it is not like we have to have a great view of something at every campsite.

We like it here and even prefer it over the more pricey and newer Cedar Keys RV Resort probably because of both the price and the privacy.

It is only 7-8 miles from scenic and historic Cedar Keys so it is a good spot.  If we returned to this area, we wouldn't mind staying here again.

Racoon Creek FamCamp, MacDill AFB, FL

This is our first campsite at MacDill AFB.  We were told a lot of sites were getting upgraded to 50 amp and there were a lot of longer term seasonals that were displaced so it was going to be 10 or 11 days maybe at this site.
At $10 a night, it was not a problem.  We don't mind boon docking and the shower house and laundry are large and one of the better ones at Air Force campgrounds.

But the next day we were called and asked if we wanted to move to a site with full hookups.  Of course that is the preferred approach so we did and got a normal spot.  It was more crowded than our last place but a very typical campsite.

Another thing we liked was that we ended up being right across from friends Jim and Betty.

There is not much of a view but it is a short walk to a nice but small beach.  I liked the pickleball twice weekly at the base gym with other RVers from the campground.  It was rainy and windy and a bit cold most of our stay, so we didn't get out this time to play.

One of the detractors of this location is that it is on the back side of the base.  It takes 15 minutes from the campground to the front gate.

Even with that, this is a  it was a good campground for us and we likely will return again.

Sanlan RV Resort, Lakeland, FL

This was a decent place for us.  I liked the grass site.  It was level and we had easy access for our satellite TV.

The best thing about the campground it was where Bill and Marg were staying for the winter.  They snowbird at this resort from Ontario Canada.  We were able to spend a week there and lots of time with them.

The resort is in good shape, has a tidy feel to it with a good mix of long term park trailer models and seasonal campers.  And it has plenty of spaces for overnight and weekly renters.   I liked the location and Bill and I got out for a couple of rounds of golf which was nice.

About the only detractor to me was the issues in the front office (not sure exactly what all is going on there but they are definitely undergoing some stress...) and the higher rates we ended up paying ($41/night).

If Marg and Bill are here again, we likely will return.  If not, we probably would find a less expensive place.


Twelve Oaks RV Campground, Sanford, FL

As Pam just said to me, Florida is amazing!  We love exploring and learning all about this state.  It if full of history and some beautiful and warm places!  Obviously it can be crowded with a gazillion other snowbirds, but we try to stay away from high population areas.  At least on the weekends.

We love it here and are thinking about becoming Florida residents despite the higher costs than South Dakota and Texas.  But more on that on another blog.  We love Florida.  It has the best State Parks in the country, great major and minor highways and is very RV friendly.

That's a recap of where we were for the first month of the new year - thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Fort Walton Beach Time - Dec 2015

Last week after we got rear-ended, we found out it would take a week before we even got into the body shop for repairs.  There are worse things than being in Fort Walton Beach for a couple of weeks.

One great thing about the area is that our friend Karin lives here.  We let her know we'd be and town and went out to dinner at Lulu's Restaurant (Lulu is Jimmy Buffet's sister)

in Fort Walton Beach one evening.  This is our second time eating there and it was a little disappointing.  This time for some reason, the menu changed and we basically had bar food that was a little on the high side.

But it was great to see Karin again and we scheduled a 'Habitat for Karin'.  Basically, she needed a some more hands to mount a TV brace on a wall on the back porch

and put up a large mirror in the dining room.

 I forgot to take a picture of it after we hung it, but I did get a photo of Karin and Pam supervising while I drilled some holes through the brick for the anchors to the TV brace.

On another day, we went out to the Eglin AFB Golf Course and played 18 holes.

Pam thinks we played here a time or two long ago, but I don't remember it if we did.  I do remember that while we were stationed here in the late 1970's, Eglin was a championship golf course.

We had a lot of fun and it continues to be a very nice golf course.  Like most rounds of golf, there were a few good shots but nothing like days of old...

While here in the FWB area, we found a new fish market.  We stopped one afternoon to get a pound of shrimp and cooked them on the grill.

 Not too flashy and I think this place has been quite a few years.  It is tucked away back from the main road and right on one of the many inlets on Choctawhatchee Bay.  Kind of a 'mom and pop' store.

We cooked out on the grill that night.  The shrimp was good and it was fresh!

One of the sunny afternoons last week, Pam pulled out the sewing machine and set up shop in her outdoor 'sewing room'.

She had a pair of pants that needed to be shortened so she took up hemline.

This area is a special place for us because we met and were married here.  We had some extra time so we drove by our first home and looked around.  Our apartment was on the second story and the second window from the left end.

 It was a pretty nice place back then and they have done a good job of maintaining it for the last 36+ years.  The unit we were in was vacant so I peaked in the windows.

This was the view out of our front door.

Yesterday we dropped the car off at the Miracle Strip Body Shop and got picked up in an Enterprise van to get a car.

We ended up with a nice Chrysler 200.  Since we dropped it off early, we went out to breakfast at Joe and Eddie's which is a popular restaurant in town.

It's not the 33 Dinner (my all time favorite in Maynardville TN), but it's got the basics

Later we drove out to the Army's Fort Benning Rec Area in Destin and checked things out with a little drive through.  It continues to get attention with demo and rehab to one of their guest buildings.  It's one of the nicest military vacation stays in the area.  With suites and dorms and an RV campground on the same property, they use every square inch, but it is still a great spot to stay.  We've stayed there three times.

That's a brief rundown of some of the things we've been doing during our stay in the area.
Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Roadrunner Days - First Day in Fort Walton Beach Area

We were in no rush to leave Pensacola and got underway about 8:30.  Instead of taking a direct route to Fort Walton Beach on Highway 98, we opted to head north a few miles to catch I-10.  There was much less congestion this route.

We made it to Eglin AFB FamCamp about 11:00 and picked a spot on the water at Postal Point.  We have been here before and like it.  We laid out all our stuff and got set up and hit the Power Button the satellite controller box to get it set up.

Hmmm.  It tried to lock on for about 35 minutes and we closed it down, unplugged it and fired it up again.  Sadly, this is a recurring theme.  It has trouble locking on when we move locations.  After working with it for about an hour or so, it usually locks on.  It did not do so at Pensacola, but we had cable at the campground so we did worry about it.

The view at Postal Point is outstanding.  One of our favorite spots anywhere.  The only downside is there are no sewer hookups.  The dumpstation is 200 yards away so it is completely manageble.

Next, we drove over to the main campground where the office is located and dropped off our self registration forms.  Curiously, the office does not answer the phones.  Maybe we just don't catch them at the right time but we also did not find anyone here at the office over the Labor Day weekend.  Something is broken here...?

After we got that done, we drove out to Crestview which is about 30 minutes away.  Our goal was to find someone to talk to at MyRVmail.com.  We are still thinking about becoming FL residents even though it is a little more costly than being residents of SD.  I have an overdue action item in my mind to update my spreadsheet comparing costs for setting up domiciles in SD, TX and FL.

Right now we are thinking if we do that, it would not happen until next year around Sep/Oct since we have already registrered our vehicles in SD.  That reistration is good until next November.

We got the information we needed, talked to a friendly person and walked next door to Passport America.  We had no idea Passport America resided here in Crestview.  We have been members since we started out seven years ago.  And...

We found out the owner of Passport America started MyRVMail and this son now owns the mail business.  We had no idea they were related.  And to have two successful businesses - very interesting!

Our day got more interesting...
Next we went to a car wash, got that done, got back on the road, pulled up to a red light and waited. Then Whamo!  A couple of minutes later we got rear ended!  And we bumped the car in front of us. No one was hurt (although my neck was sore for a couple of days).  I called 911, three police cars showed up and moved us over to a parking lot.

We called USAA, gave information to the policeman and talked with the other two drivers.  The guy behind us pulled up to us, then thought the traffic moved and floored it! He said it was all his fault and we all agreed.  He was a in his early 20's, well mannered and apologetic.  Since no one was hurt, we were able to determine our car (which had the most damage) was drivable.  After an hour, we were back on our way.

That was how we started the weekend in the Fort Walton Beach area.  We have lots to do and we are going to enjoy it here as we work through this.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Roadrunner Campsites in April 2015

We left our JEB Little Creek MWR Campground in Virginia Beach VA Monday, April 6.  By April 30 we were at the Shady Creek RV Park Aubrey Texas.  Along the way we had stops at:

• High Rock Marina and Campground, Lexington, NC
• Freightliner Repair Facility, Gaffney, SC
• Camp Lake Jasper, Hardeeville, SC
• Pelican Roost Campground, Naval Station Mayport, FL
• MidBay Shores Recreation Area, Niceville, FL
• Fountainbleu State Park, Mandeville State Park, LA
• Bayou Wilderness Resort RV Park, Lafayette, LA
• Shallow Creek RV Park, Gladewater, TX
• Cowtown RV Campground, Aledo, TX
• Shady Creek RV Park and Storage, Aubrey, TX

Here's brief recap of some thoughts on each campground:

JEB Little Creek MWR Campground:  Cost - $22.00  Rating: - 5/10

The best thing about this campground is its proximity to Kelly and Jon.  It is literally 5 minutes away from them and our first grandchild.  It also had a concrete pad, good 50 amp service and good, free wifi at our campsite.  (I'm sure it helped that we were right next to the Campground Office.)

Despite the very good Office Manager, a great couple for Camp Hosts, the campground suffers from no attention from the MWR Department and leadership.  The campground is in a great location and has a lot of use, but laundry room, roads, painting and general maintenance is lacking. Snow removal was non-existent.

High Rock Marina and Campground, Lexington NC:  Cost - $37.00 Rating - 8/10

We were looking for something different and pleasant and not too far out of the way as we were heading to Gaffney SC.  The High Rock Marina was a fine overnight stay and a place that was perfect for our first overnight in quite a while.  We got a decent site with full hookups and it was 'almost' on the lake for an enjoyable evening.  We had dinner outside and built a campfire and wen to bed fairly early.  

Freightliner Repair Facility Gaffney SC: Cost - $0.00  Rating - 7/10

Not a destination but a decent place for repair work.  Sites are level, no tree obstructions so satellite TV work fine.  Wifi at campsite and at customer lounge area are both excellent. Dump station is good and very convenient.

Camp Lake Jasper, Hardeeville SC:  Cost - $39.33  Rating - 7/10

New facility with lots of nice amenities.  Fire pits at each site, fishing, outdoor community area, large sites.  Nice little lake for fishing and canoeing.  Great stopover for a few days in the Hilton Head/Savannah area.

Pelican Roost Campground, Naval Station Mayport FL: Cost $21.00  Rating - 9/10

All in all, the best military campground we have stayed at.  It has free laundry, is well run, sites are level with lots of mowed grass.  The staff is excellent and the view is excellent --right on the water of the St. John's River.  New base gym and swimming pool is 400 yards away and the big beach is within walking distance.  We loved watching the ships go by right in front of us!  Definitely will make it to stay here again.

MidBay Shores Recreation Area, Niceville FL:  Cost - $17.00 Rating - 7/10

Though this is an older campground, the price was right and we were on the water of Choctahatchee Bay.  The trees blocked our satellite dish but cable was fine.  Needs a little TLC but it was a good stop in the Fort Walton Beach area.

Fountainebleu State Park, Mandeville LA:  Cost - $25.00  Rating - 7/10

Glad we finally got to stay in a Louisiana State Park!  Nice big campsites with campfire rings and trash cans nearby which are emptied daily.  The park offered a number of hiking trails, is close to a great bike trail and even has a small beach not far away on the property.  It was a very pleasant couple of days here.

Bayou Wilderness RV Resort, Lafayette LA:  Cost - $39.83  Rating - 7/10

A little out of the way and higher than we like to pay.  The road getting there was not the best but it was a very nice campground. Site was level with plenty of gravel. Grass was freshly mowed and the laundry facilities were in good shape.  A good place for an overnight stay to see our friends in Lafayette.

Shallow Creek RV Campground, Gladewater TX:  Cost - $29.70 Rating - 8/10

This was great!  Love the concrete slabs throughout with some grass.  Plenty of parking at campsite. Office manager and grounds person were very friendly and helpful.  Was a real nice overnight stay and we'd do it again!

Cowtown RV Campground, Aledo TX: Cost -  $39.83  Rating - 8/10

Another very convenient campground.  Right off I-20 and near my brother and sister-in-laws place.  Campground has lots of pull through sites.  The front office is very helpful and friendly and the laundry is good.  We stayed about a week and would do so again.

Shady Creek RV Park and Storage, Aubrey TX: Cost - $31.50  Rating -  7/10

(forgot to get a photo)

Nice place for an overnight stay.  Campsites have ample parking and our site had new gravel.  It was level and the who place is well maintained.  Fairly new park with large pool and nice laundry facilities.  It was a very beautiful and well-maintained campground.  The grass was freshly mowed which is a big plus with me.  It was a little out of the way but it was a good stop for us with our friends in Frisco, TX.  

There's a recap of our campsites from Virginia to Texas during the month of April.  I also make it a point to provide campground reviews on rvparkreviews.com and militarycampgrounds.us Its been fun to be on the road again!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles.