Roadrunner Summer Travel Plans

We started our summer travels and left Virginia Beach on Monday. We were going to overnight at the Fort Criswell RV Campground which is about halfway to Maynardville, TN.  We left early and got through the Elizabeth River Tunnel without incident and on our way to Charlottesville to Interstate 81.

We got to the Criswell area about noon and decided to keep going since we only had about  four hours of driving left.  I started out driving but Pam ended up putting in most of the time behind the wheel which worked out great.

I love being on the road again.  The Roadrunner rides smoothly, has comfortable seats and a big front window and it is a joy to be still living the dream.

We are about to wrap up seven years on the road the end of the month and it has been one great adventure!

After driving all day long, we were a little below half full on the diesel tank so we pulled into a gas station in Tazewell TN.  It cost us $174 to fill up.  I still remember not too long ago and it was twice that to fill up.  While filling up I did a walk around and to my surprise noticed we had dropped a PS rear hub cap somewhere.

 I have no idea how that happened but sadly now have to chase down another one and get that done.

We are going to the Tiffin factory in Red Bay next week so we'll get one there.

We had a nice day driving with some clouds and 60 degree weather.  In the afternoon it cleared up and it was bright and shiny when we rolled into to our camp spot at Mike and Joan's about 4 PM.  Long day but we got a good night's sleep and an extra day here.

While Joan and Pam went out to see their dad, Mike and I tried to hunt down a hub cap.  We came up empty handed but had a good day hanging out together.

Pam and I had a few minutes so we firmed up some reservations along our next couple legs of our summer travels.  We haven't finalized all our plans but we do have the following places on the schedule:

• Roadrunner RV Resort and Campground (Private), Maynardville TN
• Tiffin Factory, Red Bay AL
• Kirk and Susan, Oklahoma City, OK
• Reid and Amy/Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque NM
• Paul and Bobbi, Tehachapi, CA
• Bob and Sue, Yucaipa Regional Park, Redlands CA
• Sequoia National Park, CA
• Yosemite National Park, CA
• Brothers and Wives Reunion at Marty's Cabin, Arnold CA
• Oregon Coast, OR
• Olympia National Park, WA
• Glacier National Park, ID/MT
• Care-A-Vanner Habitat for Humanity Build, Sheridan WY
• Sioux Falls, SD
• Omaha NE
• Elkhart IN
• Philiadelphia PA
• Virginia Beach VA

That translates to something like this:

I am still learning Google Maps and overlaid a number of maps to create this one and got duplicate letters for the destinations.  Something to work on at a later date...but the main point is to create some semblance of a route for our travels the next four months.

That's all for now - Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Maybe we'll see you all the way somewhere?

Roadrunner Financials - October 2012

Roadrunner Recap
In December, we visited the following locations along the Florida Gulf Coast and into Central Florida:

• Roadrunner RV Resort and Campground (private), Maynardville TN
• Racoon Valley Escapees Campground, Heiskell TN
• Freightliner Facility, Gaffney SC
• Pointes West Army Resort, Appling GA
• Macon Area Habitat for Humanity, Macon GA

We started the month in Maynardville seeing family and friends in Maynardville and built the Roadrunner RV Resort and Campground which basically is our name for a parking spot at Joan and Mikes.  At the site, we dug a trench, hired an electrician and bought some gravel to level the site.  All told - it was about $750.
We also went to an educational seminar at 'Camp Freightliner' in SC and then on to volunteer with friends in Henryville IN and Macon GA for Habitat for Humanity.

Here is an interactive map of where we camped during the month.    

Or if you prefer, a static map of our travel route in October:

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget
Here's a snapshot of our spending for the month:

We had a very good month budget-wise.  We drove a lot and therefore paid for a lot of gasoline.  We also ate too much and spent too much for Christmas.

Biggest Expenses
Our biggest expense was yearly maintenance we had done on the Roadrunner while at the Camp Freightliner class.  Cost was $646.52.

Large One Time Cost Item
We spent $225 on the seminar at Camp Freightliner in Gaffney SC.

Monthly Average

Another great month budget wise. And the monthly average is significantly under the target of $3925.

As always, if you think this spreadsheet might be useful I'd be glad to pass it along at no cost.  Just let me know.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Roadrunner Financials - September 2012

Roadrunner Recap
In September 2012 we had been on the road about 3 years.  In that month we visited the following locations along the Florida Gulf Coast and into Central Florida:  

• Roadrunner RV Resort and Campground (Joan and Mike's), Maynardville TN
• Raccoon Valley Escapee's Campground, Heiskel, TN
• Camp Carlson Recreational Area,  Fort Knox KY
• Country Lake Christian Retreat, Henryville IN

The highlight of the month was volunteering at the Country Lake Christian Campground with Paul and Bobbi, Tom and Cathy and about 10 others from Paul's high school class.  Henryville was recovering from a tornado that had hit the town a year earlier.  

FYI - Henryville is also the hometown of one of America's food icons:  Colonel Sanders of KFC fame!

Here's an interactive map of our travels in September:

Here's a static map in case you don't like the one above that can move around a bit:

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget

Here's a snapshot of our spending for the month:

Biggest Expenses
Gladly, we did not have any large expenses which is unusual.  We did over spent in our

Large One Time Cost Item
Pretty good in most areas including a 'big one' which we did not purchase in September.

Monthly Average

We are in a good place still with our average monthly spending for the last four months has been under budget.

As always, if you think this spreadsheet might be useful I'd be glad to pass it along at no cost.  Just let me know.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!