Roadrunner Reflections: One Month of Roadrunner Travels Dec 2017-Jan 2018

Its feels like we have been on the road for at least six months.  Christmas with Kelly and Jon and the grandkids seems like ages ago.  Time with Adam and Melissa even seems longer.

But now, we are in the middle of our winter travels.  We look at the map and it seems as if we have been racing across the country.  But not really.  We wanted to see friends and family first before we settle in for a few weeks at a couple of different places.

When seeing friends and family, its not unlike other visits in that we don't want to overstay our time.  Most people are working and we are not.  At least not full time. A few days is usually enough time to catch up and check in with folks.

And we've had plenty of adventures and time for pondering the future and the past.  In three months we will have completed nine years on the road.  We have a ton of memories and recollections from a thousand corners of the country.  It's been quite a ride.  We have no idea how long we are going to be able to do this but the over-riding feeling from it all is:  thankfulness.

We are so thankful to be doing this.  A gentlemen echoed those thoughts a few years ago as when he said, "We are lucky to be doing this".  True words.  We are truly glad we navigated through all the uncertainty and took the risk to jump into this life style.

It has been rewarding and growing time for both of us and we have loved it.  If we were to step away from this life, we'd miss it for sure.  Gladly, there is no end in sight for us and we are happy to work through timing and our feelings of how much time to spend with family and friends.

We're off to a great start in our first month of traveling for the 2017-2018 season.

Thanks for joining us on our 2018 Roadrunner Travels!~

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.

Roadrunner Financials - April 2015

Roadrunner Recap

We traveled from Virginia to Texas through Louisiana and stayed at a great State Park near New Orleans.

• JEB Little Creek MWR Campground, Virginia Beach VA
• High Rock Marina and Campground, Lexington NC
• Freightliner Repair Facility, Gaffney SC
• Camp Lake Jasper, Hardeeville SC
• Pelican Roost Campground, Mayport Naval Station, Mayport FL
• Mid-Bay Shores Campground, Niceville FL
• Fountainbleu State Park, Mandeville LA
• Bayou Wilderness RV Resort, Layfayette LA
• Shallow Creek RV, Gladewater TX
• Cowtown RV Park, Aledo TX

Here's an interactive map of our travels:

Or, if you prefer and find this easier to navigate, here is a static map:

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget

Biggest Expenses
Our biggest expenses for the month were in the areas of:

• Diesel fuel
• Maintenance
• Food and 
• Misc spending which included a lot of golf and clothes

Large One Time Cost Item
Our biggest expense for the month was in Gaffney SC at the Freightliner Repair Facility where we had general maintenance done and new tie rods put on.  It all cost us $2492 which went way over our budgeted amount for RV and Car Maintenance. 

Monthly Average

For April, we were considerably over budget which accounted for our rise in the monthly average from $3700+ / month to almost $4000.  But at this stage of the year, we were very happy to be under our goal of $4100.

That's a snapshot of how we're feeling about the cost of things on this Full-Time Journey.  We are in month 63 of doing it.

Hopefully, some of the thoughts and figures are of some interest/value/curiosity.  If you'd like a blank spreadsheet of what I use I'd be glad to send you it at no charge to do with what you wish.  

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Festival Internationale in Layfayette

Our reason for going through Lafayette, Louisiana was to stop and see LaJuana and Dan.  We met them four years ago in Galveston at a NOMADS Disaster Recovery volunteer effort.

We did some research and found a good campground for an overnight stay at Bayou Wilderness RV Resort.

 It was a little bit of a drive off the freeway to get there, but it was a nice campground with big pull through sites and a good laundry.

Things worked out and we met them for dinner at PerJeans Cajun Seafood Restaurant. 

Oh my!  That was a home run! Pam and I split a Shrimp Festival Platter.

Then I got out my selfie stick and took a picture.  After I looked at it a minute I saw that there were six of us in the photo and we had no idea who the couple was behind us. :)  Have you done that recently?

After a little while, I retook the photo that included just us...

We had some sweet biscuits to start with, then shrimp gumbo (Wow! that was good!), shrimp salad, blackened shrimp with cocktail sauce and some Cajun (dirty) rice and shrimp ettoufee.

And as it happened, we hit town at the start of the Festival International in downtown Lafayette.  It is a music festival, money raiser for the town and only comes along once a year.  We went downtown and parked in their church parking lot and walked over to the happenings.  It was the first evening with the festival and they only had one stage set up.  By the end of the second day in the downtown area there would be 4-5 stages with music going on each one of them.

We wandered over to the stage and listened for a little while.  We had never heard Zydeco music so this was a first.

We hung around for about an hour or so, went through a couple of booths and then went back to the car.  Their church is in the downtown area and Dan and LaJuana offered to take us inside for a tour of the historic building.

It was a very beautiful church built in 1924.

We love to see historical places and local festivals.  And the seafood was really good.  It was a memorable experience and great time seeing Dan and LaJuana.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Our First Stay in Louisiana State Parks

It was an easy drive over to the campsite.  One of the caretakers had us wait a couple of minutes while he mowed the area which I appreciated.

Nothing like a nice mowed grassy area to have for a campsite.

We went exploring our first day there and over to the 'beach' and Restroom area.  As we passed the parking lot, we were told that it was closed off for the day because 'NCIS New Orleans" with Scott Bakula.  We missed him and the actors and instead go to chat with the catering clean up crew.

We also took a hike along one of the many trails.

It was a good walk and had a couple of puddles we needed to negotiate which was fine.

Later in the day, I took a bike ride along the flat and well maintained Tammany Trace Bike Trail.

I really enjoyed  it with the new trail and all the sights along the way.

Fun to get back on the bike and get some exercise.

And at the campground we grilled a couple of meals and got enough wood for a couple of nice campfires.  Glad spring is finally here.  We are enjoying this camping!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Roadrunner Financials - May 2014

Roadrunner Recap
We spent a few weeks in Albuquerque visiting Reid and Amy before driving east to Lubbock TX where we spent some time with friends Jojit and Kimberly and their kids.  Then it was on to Fort Worth for a 'Warner Bros Reunion'.  Brad and Sue hosted Reid and Amy, Marty and Elena and Pam and I for a great week together.  Next we ended up in Red Bay at the Tiffin Service Center to get some yearly maintenance and some upgrades on the Roadrunner.

• Kirtland AFB FamCamp - Albuquerque, NM
• Loop 289 RV Park - Lubbock, TX
• Cowtown RV Park - Aledo, TX
• Ameristar RV Park - Vicksburg, MS
• Allegro Campground - Red Bay, AL

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget

Biggest Expenses
Our biggest expense was probably the regular maintenance on the Roadrunner.  While we were in Red Bay we took it into Bay Diesel and paid the $1200 bill.

Large One Time Cost Item
Paint job at Bruce Deaton's Custom Paint and Body shop: $380.  Driving through Louisiana we had an old 5th wheel pass us and as it did, the rear PS window worked itself loose and flew off hit us between the headlights.  Yikes!  It impacted at the rubber seal piping around the corner of the window and shattered into a 1000 pieces.  

Monthly Average

Our monthly expenses were well above ($1680) the monthly budget.  On average our monthly number increased yet again.  Ugh.  So for the last 12 months, we were $1237 over budget each month.  Looks like I need to adjust the budget to reflect our spending a little better.

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!

Dodging Windows En Route to Red Bay

We left Fort Worth on Monday morning and we took two days to Red Bay where we will be for a few days to get some work done.

Our first day we drove from Fort Worth to a great overnight stop in Vicksburg, MS.

We had a pretty uneventful ride up to that point.  I drove a couple of hours then Pam drove for a while.  The roads got quite bumpy along I-20 east of Shreveport but what can you do.  We travel about 62 mph to get our 7.4 -8.2 miles per gallon and I was watching a 5th wheel pass us going about 65 mph.

I always watch people pass us and marvel at the 5-8 feet of separation between our motor home and their vehicle.  My eyes were traveling along the side of the 5th wheel and I notice the passenger side awning appeared to be ripped off the side it.  

Then as I was making my way down the rest of the 5th wheel as it passed, the back window with frame and casing loosened itself and came flying toward us.  In about 2.5 seconds it was airborne, came sailing into our lane and hit our motorhome squarely in the middle of the front before it shattered!

What??? Boom!! Like that and it was over.  We couldn't slam on the brakes, swerve or react at all.  He never slowed a bit and my mind raced through a couple of thoughts? -- do we have a flat, big dents? can we catch him?--but then what?  Pam did a great job of keeping it straight and steady and we slowed down and stopped in a couple hundred yards.

The damage was small compared to what could have been a very scary deal.  A little higher and that sailing window could have caught us at eye level and taken out the windshield.  Bizarre.  Very strange.  What are the chances of every seeing that again.  Not high I'm glad to say.

You can see where the rubber sealer around the window frame made the smudge mark above the license plate on the right.  To the left we have lots of paint nicks and chips from the shattering glass.  

We already have an appointment at Bruce Deaton's Paint Shop in Red Bay so we will add this to the list.

We continued on to Vicksburg, MS and looked around and underneath for more damage after we settled in for an overnight stop but everything looked OK.

We have stopped before at the Ameristar Casino RV Campground and find it to be a very good place for an over night stay.

We were up early yesterday, took quick showers, got a bite to eat, dumped the tanks and packed up and we're ready to go.  We always pray and ask God for His protection, safe travels, alert driving and good decisions while driving.  After the previous day, we included a big mention of thankfulness.  A little past 6:30 AM we were off on the last leg to Red Bay.

I think we found our favorite route.  We have been through Meridan, MS a time or two but I prefer the way we went yesterday. It was four lane highway almost the whole way and we had an uneventful drive.  

It was another 280 miles and took us about 5 hours.  We arrived about lunch time and checked it.  We chose site #91 that is perpendicular to the main rows down on the opposite end of the campground from the laundry and front office.  We have more room and can see people come and go out of the bays.

The service center is pretty busy so it may be a couple of days we get into a bay to get some things done on our list.  

Thanks for joining us today on The Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...