Stopping in Denver CO to Visit Family

June 2^nd, 2014

(Cherry Creek State Park, Denver, CO)

Our third day of traveling to Yellowstone National Park found us back again on I-70 heading west.  We got on the road and headed toward the Rocky Mountains and Denver, CO. 

We finally caught sight of the Rocky Mountains and continued onward. 






While we were driving we tried to make a reservation at Cherry Creek State Park in Denver.  They only accepted reservations two days in advance.  Since we were arriving the same day we would need to reserve a site at the park on a first-come first-serve basis.

After fighting traffic and construction in Denver we arrived at Cherry Creek State Park at a little after 2 pm.  We were able to get a very nice site and we started setting up for the night.  Cherry Creek is a very nice state park with a large lake, walking/hiking trails and various other outdoor amenities.  We would definitely stay here again and highly recommend it to anyone else wanting to stay in Denver.

After finishing our set up we texted our nephew and his wife to let them know we were at the campground.  We had already made tentative plans to get together before we started the trip out here.

We heard from our nephew’s wife and she let us know she would be home at 5 pm.  We chilled out for a little while then headed to their townhouse.  When she got home she gave us a tour of their place.  It’s very nice and only a year or two old.

We then decided to go to The Berkshire Restaurant.  It’s a cool place with a Pig theme.  The

weather was perfect and we decided to sit outside.  Our nephew showed up a short while later and we ordered a bacon sampler appetizer.

Here is the menu description: “Heritage Breed Bacon Flight: Premium bacon four ways: garlic, curried, balsamic and candied maple served with the perfect accompaniments.” 

 

It was really good.

We were having such a good time sampling different beers, eating, and catching up that I forgot to take any more pictures other than the restaurant sign.

We went back to their townhouse and visited for a while longer.  Both of them had to work the next day so we didn’t stay late.  It was great to see and visit with them and we hope to meet up with them when we leave Yellowstone in the fall.

Well, that’s it for today.

Thanks for following along.

Day 2 of our Drive to Yellowstone National Park

June 2, 2014

(Lake Paradise Resort, Lone Jack, MO)

We left early this morning to head further west on I-70.  It didn’t take long to get ready to leave since our truck was still connected to the 5^th wheel.  The drive through Kansas City
and then Kansas was uneventful.  We did run into some rain in western Kansas but it didn’t slow us down much.
We crossed into Colorado and stopped for the night at Shady Grove WiFi Campground in Siebert, CO.  Again, we stayed connected to the truck in order to be able to leave early in the morning.  It was a small park but it is a well maintained campground.  We did have an issue with the electrical power.

We have an autotransformer that I install between the 50 amp outlet at the campsite



pedestal and the cord from the RV.  It senses the incoming voltage on both legs of the 50



amp service.  If the voltage on either leg is low it will boost the voltage up to an acceptable level.  Appliances and electronics do not tolerate low voltage well at all.  Low voltage can lessen their life span; especially for motors like the AC, refrigerator, fans, etc. The autotransformer has lights that indicate whether or not the system is working correctly.  Other lights indicate when it’s boosting either input.

When I connected the electrical, I noticed that the lights indicated that the autotransformer was boosting one of the inputs.  Also our surge suppressor was making a loud clicking noise similar to when it switches over to the generator.  The electrical circuits inside the RV weren’t working correctly either.

After checking some things I eventually removed the autotransformer from the system and everything seemed to work correctly.  I’m not sure why the autotransformer seemed to be the culprit but I’ll keep an eye on things as we move from campground to campground.  I suspect the problem was with the park power.

We’re approximately 130 miles from Denver, CO so we should arrive fairly early in the day.

Thanks for following along!

First Day of Travel to Yellowstone National Park

(Diamond Lake RV Resort, Owensboro, KY)
June 1, 2014

We left this morning and started heading west to Yellowstone National Park.  It’s about a 26 hour drive or so to make the trip to Canyon Village from Owensboro, KY. However, we decided to drive through Denver, CO and stop overnight to visit our nephew and his wife.  He’s finishing his third year of residency in the ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) program and his wife is a registered nurse working at a children’s hospital there.

We had four days of travel before we needed to check in at Canyon Village General Store for our summer jobs as Sales Associates.

We traveled from Owensboro and picked up I-64 West just north of Evansville, IN and drove

through Indiana and Illinois. At St Louis, MO we got on I-70 and travelled through Missouri. 

We stopped for the night just before we reached Kansas City at Lake Paradise Resort in Lone Jack, MO.  We were only there for the night so we didn’t get to see much of the campground.  We didn’t unhook so we could leave first thing in the morning.

Several times throughout the day family members attending the graduation barbeque/party for our niece sent us texts with pictures or videos attached.  It sure looked like everyone was having a great time – and the food looked amazing!

Many thanks to all who were thinking of us and allowed us to at least be involved in the celebration.

Thanks for following along!

Preparing for a Big Move and a Graduation

Tuesday, May 28^th – Friday, May 30^th

(Diamond Lake RV Resort, Owensboro, KY)

We spent a few days preparing to move to Yellowstone National Park.  We visited with some family members and some other general stuff.

On Thursday and Friday (May 29^th and 30^th) we spent most of our time packing up to leave early in the morning on the 31^st.

Our niece graduated from high school on the evening of May 30^th and we went to the

ceremony.  Afterward the graduation, family and friends went out to eat at Cheddar’s Casual Café. Tomorrow (Saturday) there was a large graduation barbeque/party for her.  We really missed not being able to attend but we really needed to start heading west so we wouldn’t be in such a rush.  We asked folks that will be at the barbeque to send us some texts with pictures so we could at least participate vicariously. 

Our niece will be attending the University of Louisville (KY) in the fall.  She received many scholarships and awards and her parents and the rest of us are all very proud of her.  She is a great young woman with a good head on her shoulders and we’re sure she’ll be successful in whatever she attempts in life.

A Stay at Rough River State Resort Park, Falls of Rough, KY

(Rough River State Resort Park, Falls of Rough, KY)

On Thursday, May 22^nd we moved from Diamond Lake RV Resort in Owensboro, KY to Rough River State Resort Park in Falls of Rough, KY. 

In past years we have camped many times here while our kids were growing up.  We used to take vacation around July 4^th each year and camp for a week or longer with family and friends.  The state park always has a great fireworks show.  We camped here many other times throughout the years as well, but we haven’t been here in several years.  They used to be first-come-first-serve but eventually went to an on-line state park reservations system through Reserve America.

When we drove into the campground after checking in, it brought back many memories of camping with our kids, other family members, and friends.  It was great to be back again although they have only water and electric (50 amp) hook-ups.  They do have a dump station though.

After we set up at our site we drove for a little over an hour to Bowling Green, KY, met up with our son, his girlfriend and our niece.  Then all five of us attended the Bowling Green Hot Rods AAA baseball game.  They have a very nice ballpark and we had great seats right behind home plate.  We had a great time at the ballpark.  After the game we went next door to a sports-related restaurant/bar to get something to eat and had a couple of beers.


They all had to work the next day so we didn’t stay very late.

Lisa’s sister Pam and her husband Rob (who live in Nashville, TN) own a cabin at Rough River Lake in McDaniels, KY and it's only a few miles from Rough River State Resort Park. 

On Friday, May 23^rd we travelled those few miles to their cabin for the Memorial Day weekend.  Several other family members also joined us at different times throughout the weekend.  We had a great time although it did rain part of the time.  Pam and Rob own a pontoon boat and we went out on it one day.

On May 27^th we moved the RV back to Diamond Lake Resort Park in Owensboro, KY to make final preparations for our move to Canyon Village in Yellowstone National Park.

A Summary of April and May, 2014

We left Tupelo, Mississippi on April 17^th via the Natchez Parkway, followed it for a few miles across Alabama and we stopped in Lawrenceburg, TN for a couple of nights.

Then we moved on to Nashville, TN.

We picked up the water filter system order and our mail at Lisa’s sister house in Nashville.  We also spent some time with her and her husband before we moved on.

 

 

 

 

After we left Nashville we traveled on I-40 through Knoxville, TN and eventually to Sevierville, TN and checked into River Plantation RV Resort on April 25^th.   It is a very nice, large, well maintained RV resort located on US 441.  The sites are spacious with good hook-ups and we would definitely stay at this RV resort again.

We were at the resort to attend the 2014 RV-Dreams Spring Rally to be held here.  Howard

and Linda Payne own the full-timers RV website RV-Dreams and put on two or three rallies per year. We have been following them on their full-timers blog for several years.

 They are from Louisville, KY and Howard and I have exchanged emails throughout the years and I wanted to meet them and attend one of their rallies.  We attended from April 29^th – May 2^nd.

The rally had many seminars with good information on various topics.  Each night there were dinners, fun games, etc. 

A local RV dealer, RV’s For Less, brought three RVs to the rally for display and while we were there we walked through them to a look at anything new being installed.  We also wanted to go through them just because we love RVs.

In 2012 we bought our Heartland Landmark Grand Canyon from RV’s For Less which is located in Knoxville.  We actually bought our RV at a show in Louisville, KY and we picked it up in Knoxville.

Butch and Karen Burson are the owners of RV’s For Less and Butch was on hand to answer questions.  While I was talking to him he told me about a new electric furnace they were starting to install in their RVs as an after-market item.  It is reportedly super efficient and saves money, versus LP gas furnaces, on heating in the cold winter months.  We are considering upgrading our furnace because the current LP gas furnace in our RV is not very efficient.  At times during the past winter I estimate that we were spending $10 per day for LP gas.

Howard and Linda Payne had their inflatable boats on hand during the rally for display



during one evening.  I’ve been trying to talk to Lisa to purchasing one so we could do some canoeing at times.  The Payne’s demonstrated the inflation and setup of their boats and it looked quick and easy.  They deflate and pack into bags that are about four feet by two feet so they are small enough for RVs.
They are partners with InflatableBoatsForLess and have at least three of their boats.

On Friday, May 2^nd we left Sevierville, TN and headed West on I-40 to Center Hill Lake, TN and checked into Long Branch Corps of Engineers (COE) Campground.  Lisa’s sister Pam, and her husband Rob, who live in Nashville, TN, had bought a new Jayco Seneca class-C RV and wanted to get together for some camping.

Long Branch Campground is one of the nicest COE campgrounds in which we’ve camped.  Nice, large sites with very good hookups.  There is a boat ramp to the river there also.  The only possible negative is the fact that it is located at the base of Center Hill Lake dam and cell phone service is very spotty; although that aspect may be an incentive for some folks. I’ll let you be the judge.

We had a good time with them, grilling and just hanging out.  It was over too soon and we headed out on May 4^th and drove to Bowling Green, KY and stayed at for a couple of nights.  We hung out with our son and his girlfriend and had a good time.

On May 6^th we packed up and headed to Diamond Lake RV Resort in Owensboro, KY. We stayed there for a few days and prepared for a trip to visit our niece in Prairie View, Wisconsin.

On May 9^th we drove to Pleasant ,Prairie Wisconsin to our niece’s house. She is married to a Marine who is stationed in California.  He will be transferring to Great Lakes Naval Station in Great Lakes, Illinois toward the end of this year.  She moved back to the northern Illinois/southern Wisconsin area to accept a position at a pharmaceutical company and buy a house in anticipation of his transfer.

Initially we planned to pull the RV to Wisconsin and stay at a campground.  We had researched several campgrounds within a decent driving distance of her house but they were all closed until May 1^st.  We narrowed the short list down to one possibility.  We called in April to try to make a reservation but the call went to an answering machine that said their office was closed until May 1^st and to leave a voice mail.  Their voice mailbox was full and we couldn’t leave a message.  So in the end our niece invited us to stay in one of her extra bedrooms.

We went up there to visit with her and help with several projects that they wanted to complete.  Our brother-in-law, who lives in Nashville, TN, also went there at the same time.  Some of the projects we completed were:

• Clean out and clean up a sunroom.
• Remove old backsplash and install new in the kitchen.
• Install a light/switch over the kitchen sink.
• Install an exhaust vent over the kitchen stove.
• Install wiring/switch for a garbage disposal.
• Install screen/storm doors at the front door and kitchen door.
• Work on the Koi pond and stream.
• Install wainscoting in the master bedroom.

 



While we were there we toured the Jelly Belly candy factory in Wisconsin.  It was a free, interesting tour of the history of the company and of their products.  We couldn’t take any pictures inside the facilities.

 

 

 

We left May 19^th and headed back to Diamond Lakes RV Resort in Owensboro, KY.  We stayed there for a few days until May 22^nd then moved to Rough River State Resort Park, Falls of Rough, KY.

Touring Tupelo and the Elvis Presley Birthplace

April 13^th – 16^th

We went to the Elvis Presley Birthplace while we were in Tupelo.  We watched a movie of influential scenes in Elvis’ life; from his birth to the time his family left Tupelo when he was 12 years old.  An interesting fact we learned was that Elvis also had a twin brother who was stillborn.

The two-room house where he was born and the Elvis childhood church have been moved to the area that also contains the museum, statues, and other interesting historical items.

It was all very interesting and after we left there we went downtown to view the “Homecoming Statue”.  When Elvis was 10 years old he placed 5^th at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, held in Tupelo.  Later, when he was a superstar he returned to the fairgrounds to perform a concert.  A very famous picture was taken as he reached out to the crowd and later that picture was made into a statue.

Since we liked the campground and area so much we decided to stay another night.  Besides, we aren’t in a hurry to be anywhere. This lifestyle is great!

We also checked out a couple of other civil war historical sites.  Tupelo was the site of the final major Civil War conflict in Mississippi.

During the time we were in Tupelo we ordered a water filtration system from RVWaterFilterStore.com.  It is a three-part system that consists of a 1-micron, 5-micron and finally a carbon filter.  The first two are sediment filters and the carbon filter is to eliminate bad tastes.

That’s all.

Thanks for following along!

Traveling to Elvis’ Birthplace – Tupelo, MS

Saturday, April 12^th

(Tupelo, MS by way of Natchez Trace Parkway) Hi 81° F, Low 60° F

This morning we packed up and headed north on the Natchez Trace Parkway to Tupelo, MS.  Tupelo is the birthplace of Elvis Presley.  We’re big fans of Elvis and we plan on visiting several Elvis-related landmarks.  After another leisurely drive along the Natchez Trace Parkway we checked into The Campground at Barnes Crossing.

The Parkway passes very close to Tupelo and the campground is about a half mile from the Parkway.  It’s a very nice campground that is beautifully landscaped and terraced.  We’re planning on staying for three nights and checking out the area around Tupelo.

After checking in at the office, we followed one of the employees to our site and he helped us back into the site.  It was a little tricky but I was able to back it in on the first try.  We then started our setup routine.  There was only one location that might work for the satellite dish to have a clear sight to the satellites.  Luckily, we were able to aim it just over the RV and under some tree branches and we were able to get it working.

The rest of the evening we just relaxed and took it easy.

I know this isn’t a very long entry but some days are like this.

Thanks for following along!

Visiting Historical Vicksburg, MS

Friday, April 11^th

(Riverview RV Park, Vicksburg, MS) Hi 78° F, Low 53° F

Note: At this time I'm unable to upload any photos.  I'll try later to edit and add the pictures. Sorry!

Today we visited the Vicksburg National Military Park.  At the entrance gate we were able to get an America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass for free because I am a member of the Armed Forces (US Navy Reserves).  It would have cost $80 for the annual pass if we had to purchase it outright.

We first went to the Visitor’s Center and obtained some information and a map.  We watched a 20-minute film on the historical battle.  It was very interesting, probably more for me as I am a history buff (especially Civil War history).  It was a good way to start traveling along the self-guided tour of the battlefield.

At the Visitor’s Center they also had a small exhibit with a diorama that used lights to follow the progress of the battle and subsequent siege from beginning to end.

After we left the Visitor Center we started the driving tour.  There are over 1,000

informational markers and places of historical significance along the 16-mile tour.  It was amazing to see the remnants of the battle and try to imagine what it may have been like to have lived in those times and participated in the battle.

 

The state of Kentucky had several regiments in the Union as well as the Confederacy.

Traveling Natchez Trace Parkway

Thursday, April 10^th

(From Vidalia, LA to Riverview RV Park, Vicksburg, MS)

We left Vidalia, LA this morning and crossed the Mississippi River to Natchez, MS and started north from the southern terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway. 

The Parkway is strictly for residential vehicles and vehicles towing recreational vehicles.  No commercial vehicles whatsoever are allowed on the Parkway.  The maximum speed limit is 50 mph and with the smooth two-lane road it is a very easy, relaxing drive on the historical trace. There are turn-outs fairly often at historical locations which allow nice and easy traffic flow.

We stopped a couple of times at historical sites.  One of those times was to eat a little lunch.  On travel days we like to have easy things like chicken or tuna salad and crackers.  Today was chicken salad.

The drive was very easy going and we traveled about 85 miles of the Parkway today and really enjoyed it.  Originally we had planned to stay a couple of nights near Jackson, MS at a campground very close to the Trace.  But we were looking at the map and realized that Vicksburg was closer than we originally thought. 

I had wanted to sometime stay in Vicksburg and visit some Civil War historical sites.  So we changed our plan and decided to stay at River Town Campground for a couple of nights.  That’s one of the beautiful things about this lifestyle.  We can change plans at any time to do whatever strikes our fancy.

Tomorrow we’re planning to visit the Vicksburg National Military Park.

Well, that’s about it for tonight.

Swamp Tour, Basketball, Traveling and Touring

Wednesday, April 9^th

(Riverview RV Park, Vidalia, LA) Hi 71° F Low 46° F

Today we drove across the Mississippi River and went to the Mississippi Visitor’s Center to get some information on the Natchez Trace. We walked around the center and viewed their historical exhibits. It was interesting learning about the history of Natchez.

We then drove down to the historic section of Natchez, parked in a lot on the river, and did a walking tour of historic Natchez, MS. It was beautiful, sunny, mild weather today. We had a map that guided us around the area. We viewed many historic homes and read several of the historical markers associated with them.











View of the Mississippi River and a couple of steam boats.

 

We stopped for lunch at Fat Mama’s for lunch, home of the "knock-you-naked" Margarita. I tried a local craft beer called Juke Joint. It was an IPA (India Pale Ale) and it was good. Lisa ordered a salad and I had a ham and cheese Po’ Boy sandwich and they were both good as well.

After lunch we walked some more and stopped again for something to drink at the Pig Out Inn. They didn’t have any craft beer so we had a Miller Light. The place smelled great but unfortunately we weren’t hungry.

After we left the historical section we went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things before we leave tomorrow. We’ll start the Natchez Trace Parkway tomorrow. We’re not sure where we’ll stop each night or for how long. We hope to have internet access so we can keep everyone updated but we’ll have to see.

Well, that’s about it for today.

Thanks for following along.

Tuesday, April 8^th

(Riverview RV Park, Vidalia, LA) Hi 66° F Low 43° F

Today was a travel day for us. We wanted to try to leave by 10 am because the weather forecast called for rain to start between 10 and 11 in the morning. Kathy from California who travels by herself, and Louie and Sherrie from Iowa, also left this morning.

Many of the campers came by to wish us safe travels and say their goodbyes. We’d come to know several of them fairly well during the time we’ve been here at Betty’s.

It sprinkled on us as we were getting ready to leave but by the time we started on the road, the sun had come out and it was getting warm. We pulled out at around 10:30 am and headed toward Vidalia, LA , which is across the Mississippi River from Natchez, MS.

 

View of the Mississippi River from our campsite

It was an easy 3 ½ hour drive and we arrived at the Riverview RV Park at 2 pm. It was threatening rain when we arrived and just after we got parked and set up, a torrential downpour started. We had wind, hail, and lots of rain.

After it stopped raining we drove across the bridge to Natchez, MS and ate dinner at Ruby Tuesday. 

While we were eating it started raining again and the temperature was very cool.

Well, that’s about it for today.

Monday, April 7^th

(Betty’s RV Park, Abbeville, LA)

Today we went to Champagne’s Cajun Swamp Tours in Breaux Bridge, LA to take their
 swamp tour.  It was only us and another couple on the tour.  The other couple was from France and spoke only a little English.

 

It cost $20 per person and lasted two hours.  We boarded an aluminum flat-bottomed boat and left just after 11 am.  It was misting and the temperature was cool when we started out.  The guide said that he thought the sun would be coming out soon after we started. 


Cypress Trees with Spanish Moss

When the sun is out the alligators are more likely to be lying in the open to absorb the heat. If it’s cool they bury themselves in the mud.

He showed us many birds, turtles, and alligators.  Sure enough, the sun came out and so did the alligators.  He would glide very close to them so we could take pictures and watch them. Often they would slip back into the water if we got too close for their comfort. 

 

 



Turtles on a log

The largest alligator we saw was about 12 feet long.

Alligator staring contest

 



One of hundreds of birds we saw

He also took us to a duck blind.  It was built into a U-shape and he pulled the boat right up into it.  The hunters can step out onto narrow platforms and hunt from there.  Sorry I didn’t get a picture of the blind.  I guess I was too busy checking it out.

 

After we returned from the tour we went on down the road to the bird sanctuary.  There were hundreds of different birds nesting there.  We didn’t stay very long but we did take a few pictures.

 

On the way back to Betty’s RV Park we stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few things.  We went ahead and bought more sausage to put into the freezer.

Back at the campground we put things away and prepared for Happy Hour.  It would be our last one here and we wanted to grill some sausages to try them.  We made some red beans and rice and sautéed some onions, green peppers, and mushrooms to go along with the sausage.

Other campers brought Cajun seasoned chicken wings, sausages, and boudin.  Boudin is a combination of cooked rice, pork, onions, green peppers, and seasonings.  I liked all of the food we grilled.  Lisa thought the wings were too spicy and the boudin was ‘OK”.

Afterwards we went over to our RV and watched the NCAA finals on the outside TV. One of the couples, Ron and Beth from San Diego, brought their lawn chairs and settled in with us for the Kentucky/Connecticut game. Ron and I drank some cognac that they had brought.  I thought it was pretty good and would drink it again.

In the first half Connecticut went ahead by 15 points at one time but Kentucky came back to cut their lead to four points at halftime.  In the second half the game stayed much closer but Connecticut hit a couple of timely 3-pointers and all their free throws to eventually win by six points.

That’s all I have to say about that.