We arrived home last night around 8pm. The Ti is parked out in the street but it is raining this morning so we will catch up on other things – like laundry.
We did have a good trip home. Took us eight days and we did find some really neat campgrounds along the way. Although the further north you get the harder it is to find open campgrounds.
We stayed one night in Morry's yard - along with four other couples!! Kind of a mini rally wouldn't you say?
Anyhow I got a fix to my roof - had a screw starting to work its way through the roof liner. Had both my tip-outs (Slides) adjusted, cause they started to come in and out in an uneven / crooked way. Wanted my trailer raised, but they couldn't get that done. I would have had to wait till Monday to get it done by a trailer repair shop that Eric uses - Jane and I didn't want to spend four more days in Hanover, so we opted to come back at a later date.
I did purchase a new set of Hi-Spec zero offset rims. This is the offset that Dexter axles specify are needed to match their axles. For some reason Glendale went with a +10 offset, and Titanium trailers are experiencing a higher axle breakdown than other trailers. Too bad Glendale is bankrupt, so there is no recourse for this repair. So I rode home on my shiny new rims, but a bit poorer. Hopefully this is now one less thing to worry about.
If the sun comes out tomorrow, maybe I can wash the bugs off the front nose of the trailer. Our return trip was 2,580 miles – so I do have quite a collection of splats.
Once it is cleaned and emptied, I will take it back to its summer home at McGowan Lake.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Northern Bound
Monday was another beautiful day in the Ozark mountains. We started the day at the factory discount outlet mall then we moved to Branson Landing – a newly developed area by the lake. It is several blocks long with shops on the lower level, and either condos or hotels on the upper levels. A nice place to stroll, take a free trolley shuttle and enjoy a lunch of Ben & Jerry’s in the sunshine.
Diana Lynn did manage to get us tickets to the Clay Cooper show – a mixture of country, dancing, comedy, rock & roll, rope tricks and acoustic drums. An enjoyable evening.
Tuesday we pulled out of Branson around 8:30 am and made it to a suburb of Indianapolis for the night. We spied a sign for a Camping World right off the interstate in Missouri so we stopped for a few last minute trailer supplies. Jane found us a pull-through site at the Heartland Resort in Greenfield, Indiana. We pulled in around 9:00pm and setup for the night. The next morning we realized what a nice campground it was!! It even had a par 3 golf course, a private fishing lake, an indoor pool, etc. Too bad we couldn’t use the facilities.
Wednesday we left Indianapolis and arrived at Port Huron, Michigan where we found a spot at the Lakeport State Park. Using the self check-in system, we choose a site and set up for the night. We were surprised that most of the private campgrounds in Michigan do not open until later in the month – lucky for us the state parks are open. Mind you there is only one other RV in this section of the park. Just us and the wildlife!!
We headed to town for supper, then we sat outside the local McDonalds using their free WiFi.
See our pictures at : http://picasaweb.google.com/pjkralik/
Thursday morning we headed to Morry’s for some trailer maintenance. As usual, Morry’s is an interesting place. We are camping here in his yard with four other couples. What a great place to meet other Titanium owners. Hopefully we will be on our way home tomorrow.
Diana Lynn did manage to get us tickets to the Clay Cooper show – a mixture of country, dancing, comedy, rock & roll, rope tricks and acoustic drums. An enjoyable evening.
Tuesday we pulled out of Branson around 8:30 am and made it to a suburb of Indianapolis for the night. We spied a sign for a Camping World right off the interstate in Missouri so we stopped for a few last minute trailer supplies. Jane found us a pull-through site at the Heartland Resort in Greenfield, Indiana. We pulled in around 9:00pm and setup for the night. The next morning we realized what a nice campground it was!! It even had a par 3 golf course, a private fishing lake, an indoor pool, etc. Too bad we couldn’t use the facilities.
Wednesday we left Indianapolis and arrived at Port Huron, Michigan where we found a spot at the Lakeport State Park. Using the self check-in system, we choose a site and set up for the night. We were surprised that most of the private campgrounds in Michigan do not open until later in the month – lucky for us the state parks are open. Mind you there is only one other RV in this section of the park. Just us and the wildlife!!
We headed to town for supper, then we sat outside the local McDonalds using their free WiFi.
See our pictures at : http://picasaweb.google.com/pjkralik/
Thursday morning we headed to Morry’s for some trailer maintenance. As usual, Morry’s is an interesting place. We are camping here in his yard with four other couples. What a great place to meet other Titanium owners. Hopefully we will be on our way home tomorrow.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Ozark Country
We arrived Saturday at the Ozark Country Campground in Branson, Missouri about mid afternoon. It is a newer campground with nice sites, so we settled in and Paul had no trouble unhitching. It is a Passport America campground that we would definitely recommend.
If we had checked the topological maps, we would have realized that Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The whole village is on rather steep hills – think I should trade my truck for a mountain goat while I’m here! Getting here on US 65 through Arkansas was a test of our GMC diesel’s capabilities – it never missed a beat going uphill, and the engine really held it back on the steep downhills. The road was too curvy for Jane to read so she slept and enjoyed the scenery.
After a dinner of ribs & catfish at Shorty Small’s restaurant, we headed to the Caravelle Theater to see the Rankin Brothers perform. A super high-energy performance of songs from the 50’s to the 80’s. See our pictures at : http://picasaweb.google.com/pjkralik/
On Sunday we found the one Catholic Church in Branson and were surprised to learn that only 5% of the population in this area is Catholic. After church we drove to Table Rock Dam and Table Rock State Park and Marina. The state park has full hook-ups for RV’s complete with concrete pads for the rig plus a small patio – a very nice facility. Late in the afternoon, we headed over to Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede dinner show. It was great fun – especially eating with no utensils!!
We learned today that we won’t be seeing the Denny Yeary show – the free tickets we won at the Neil Diamond Tribute in Harlingen. Denny’s show doesn’t start until April 19 and Diana Lynn was unable to substitute other tickets for us since we are only here until Tuesday morning. So tomorrow we will hit the outlet mall for our last U.S. shopping trip and then we will find a show for tomorrow night. There are plenty of choices – it just depends what type of show we would like to see.
If we had checked the topological maps, we would have realized that Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The whole village is on rather steep hills – think I should trade my truck for a mountain goat while I’m here! Getting here on US 65 through Arkansas was a test of our GMC diesel’s capabilities – it never missed a beat going uphill, and the engine really held it back on the steep downhills. The road was too curvy for Jane to read so she slept and enjoyed the scenery.
After a dinner of ribs & catfish at Shorty Small’s restaurant, we headed to the Caravelle Theater to see the Rankin Brothers perform. A super high-energy performance of songs from the 50’s to the 80’s. See our pictures at : http://picasaweb.google.com/pjkralik/
On Sunday we found the one Catholic Church in Branson and were surprised to learn that only 5% of the population in this area is Catholic. After church we drove to Table Rock Dam and Table Rock State Park and Marina. The state park has full hook-ups for RV’s complete with concrete pads for the rig plus a small patio – a very nice facility. Late in the afternoon, we headed over to Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede dinner show. It was great fun – especially eating with no utensils!!
We learned today that we won’t be seeing the Denny Yeary show – the free tickets we won at the Neil Diamond Tribute in Harlingen. Denny’s show doesn’t start until April 19 and Diana Lynn was unable to substitute other tickets for us since we are only here until Tuesday morning. So tomorrow we will hit the outlet mall for our last U.S. shopping trip and then we will find a show for tomorrow night. There are plenty of choices – it just depends what type of show we would like to see.
Friday, April 9, 2010
On the Road Home.
Thursday after numerous goodbyes from our neighbors, we pulled out of Fun N Sun and pointed the Kralik-Mobile north. We had to fight strong head winds which meant more stops for diesel which has risen in price – but at least we are paying with a dollar that is at par or better some days. Our plan is to arrive in Branson Missouri by Saturday – so this means taking a new route north. We headed north on US 77 then US 79 thereby bypassing Houston. We made it all the way to Franklin, Texas (population 2,000) – but they did have an RV park (42 sites) and after 400 miles we were glad to rest in a safe place. Since there was nothing to see in the area, we didn’t bother to unhitch. Fortunately we had food that we could cook for dinner – since there was no local restaurant.
Today we hit the road early and crossed into Arkansas at a place named Texarkana – kind of a fitting name for the border town. We found a really nice rest area around noon to stop and picnic in the sunshine. The terrain in northern Texas is rolling hills, lots of trees and farms. Quite different from the windy, dusty Rio Grande Valley.
We arrived in Little Rock Arkansas around 6:30 pm and drove to the Downtown Riverside RV Park. This is a small park right on the bank of the Arkansas River with a beautiful view of the Little Rock skyline and the Clinton Presidential library. We had planned to unhitch and venture out for dinner. Jane had picked up a library shelf of tour books at the Arkansas welcome center – so she had lots of exploring to do. Unfortunately Murphy was at work, and Paul couldn’t release the hitch due to the pitch of the campsite, so we resigned ourselves to viewing Little Rock from our campground. Here’s a picture of the skyline at night : http://picasaweb.google.com/pjkralik/
Tomorrow we are off to Branson, Missouri. Let’s hope Paul has better luck with the hitch at the next RV park.
Today we hit the road early and crossed into Arkansas at a place named Texarkana – kind of a fitting name for the border town. We found a really nice rest area around noon to stop and picnic in the sunshine. The terrain in northern Texas is rolling hills, lots of trees and farms. Quite different from the windy, dusty Rio Grande Valley.
We arrived in Little Rock Arkansas around 6:30 pm and drove to the Downtown Riverside RV Park. This is a small park right on the bank of the Arkansas River with a beautiful view of the Little Rock skyline and the Clinton Presidential library. We had planned to unhitch and venture out for dinner. Jane had picked up a library shelf of tour books at the Arkansas welcome center – so she had lots of exploring to do. Unfortunately Murphy was at work, and Paul couldn’t release the hitch due to the pitch of the campsite, so we resigned ourselves to viewing Little Rock from our campground. Here’s a picture of the skyline at night : http://picasaweb.google.com/pjkralik/
Tomorrow we are off to Branson, Missouri. Let’s hope Paul has better luck with the hitch at the next RV park.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Easter at Fun N Sun
Easter Sunday started out cloudy but the sun came out by mid-afternoon – in time for our Easter Happy hour with our friends Doug , Leo and Jeannine. Snacks were followed by a BBQ dinner of Tony Roma Ribs and Chicken. Jeannine supplied a rice dish and a delicious cheese cake. Doug provided the wine (since he had to drink it before heading home across the border!). In all it was a great feast – none of us even went to the Sunday evening ice cream social!
Monday we made our last trip to Nuevo Progresso, Mexico with our friends Patty and Tall Paul. Last call for Tequila and shopping. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed lunch at the Arizona Restaurant – perched high above the Mexican border crossing.
This year Jane decided to photograph the plants in our park – at least the plants don’t move or run away like last year’s bird photos. Click here to see the Easter, Mexico and plant pictures : http://picasaweb.google.com/pjkralik/
The rest of the week was spent soaking up the rays, enjoying the pool and saying goodbye to our friends. Interspersed with these activities was Jane’s last shopping trip and Paul’s magician trick of packing up the trailer for travel. It is amazing how much extra stuff we accumulated in three months. All is ready for departure.
Monday we made our last trip to Nuevo Progresso, Mexico with our friends Patty and Tall Paul. Last call for Tequila and shopping. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed lunch at the Arizona Restaurant – perched high above the Mexican border crossing.
This year Jane decided to photograph the plants in our park – at least the plants don’t move or run away like last year’s bird photos. Click here to see the Easter, Mexico and plant pictures : http://picasaweb.google.com/pjkralik/
The rest of the week was spent soaking up the rays, enjoying the pool and saying goodbye to our friends. Interspersed with these activities was Jane’s last shopping trip and Paul’s magician trick of packing up the trailer for travel. It is amazing how much extra stuff we accumulated in three months. All is ready for departure.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Things are really getting quiet around here!
Last Saturday we did go to the beach at South Padre Island. It was an absolutely beautiful beach day so we set up our chairs and umbrella next to the truck. It was really interesting to see the beach fill up with mainly Mexican American extended families. They arrived in small convoys of vehicles, and set up mini tent cities complete with lawn equipment and all sorts of BBQ gear. This is the beginning of ‘Semena Santa,’ or Holy Week which is really a big holiday week for Mexicans on both sides of the border. To see our beach pictures click here : http://picasaweb.google.com/pjkralik/
Sunday we went to church for Palm Sunday service. There is a whole new meaning for fresh palms here, when they just stripped them off the trees in the church yard and proceeded to bless them!! The service was also filled with a surprise! Fr. Isaac has two parishes, both are housed in small church buildings which are located about a mile apart in San Benito. So, guess what! The Palm Sunday service started at our usual church – then instead of walking into the church to continue the service – the entire congregation, flanked by the Knights of Columbus and the police department vehicles – walked the mile down the highway to the second parish. Needless to say, it was almost noon by the time we got to sit down for breakfast at our favorite restaurant… LOL.
Paul washed the trailer on Monday. It was a perfect day for that activity and the pool was always nearby. We were late planning dinner, so we opted for Bayou Pappy’s Louisiana cooking - nice spicy Cajun cuisine.
Tuesday Paul started waxing the trailer. This usually reminds us how big this RV really is!! After lunch, we headed for our last trip to the Outlet Mall which was filled with people on break for Semana Santa. As usual there were deals to be had especially since Tuesday is Seniors Day. On the way home, we stopped at Big John’s BBQ for pulled pork and hamburgers.
Wednesday morning we headed for an info fair for those wanting to become permanent residents. Since that does not apply for us, it was a short visit. Jane went back to her Toys for Tots volunteer activity and Paul went to Brownsville to get a copy of Microsoft Streets & Trips – which he is using to plan the return trip home.
The last dance of the season was Wednesday night. The Cruisers provided the music and most of our park friends who like to dance attended. We left when they turned out the lights – which is early in these parts! You’ve got to remember we are in a senior’s park, so 10:35pm is lights out at the dance. :-)
March 29th was a full moon here in Texas and they call it the windy moon because of the strong March winds. Well March certainly went out like a lion here with gusts of wind over 40 mph. We really thought we were going to loose our awning despite all the straps and braces that Paul has used to protect it. Fortunately it is still attached to the trailer but Paul plans to retract it soon in preparation of the trip north.
On Thursday, Paul finished waxing the trailer while Jane chatted with a neighbor. Again we enjoyed cooling off in the pool. After supper, we then headed off to Holy Thursday church service. No more surprises by Fr. Issac.
On Friday, we planned another trip back to South Padre Island but the clouds never broke until late afternoon. Instead we cleaned the trailer in preparation for Easter weekend and our trip home. After a late afternoon swim, we headed to Brownsville to shop. We were amazed how crowded the mall was – mainly with Mexicans who had come across the border to shop. It really felt like shopping in the malls at home during the weekend before Christmas. We bought what we needed as quickly as possible and headed back to the RV.
Saturday was another cloudy day so we made our last trip to the Don Wes flea market. Less than half of the usual vendors were present. Even the bathing suit lady was packing up to return home to the south shore of Montreal so Jane had to come home empty-handed. Fortunately the fruit and veggie vendors were still there so we bought 25 pounds of 1015 onions to bring home. More onions for McGowan summer BBQ's.
Our New Brunswick friends, Harold and Marilyn joined us for a BBQ dinner – and guess what, we finally got to test out our air conditioner. It got really hot and muggy, so after happy hour, we got comfortable inside the RV for dinner.
Next week is our last week here, so we have to start thinking about packing up... YUK!
Sunday we went to church for Palm Sunday service. There is a whole new meaning for fresh palms here, when they just stripped them off the trees in the church yard and proceeded to bless them!! The service was also filled with a surprise! Fr. Isaac has two parishes, both are housed in small church buildings which are located about a mile apart in San Benito. So, guess what! The Palm Sunday service started at our usual church – then instead of walking into the church to continue the service – the entire congregation, flanked by the Knights of Columbus and the police department vehicles – walked the mile down the highway to the second parish. Needless to say, it was almost noon by the time we got to sit down for breakfast at our favorite restaurant… LOL.
Paul washed the trailer on Monday. It was a perfect day for that activity and the pool was always nearby. We were late planning dinner, so we opted for Bayou Pappy’s Louisiana cooking - nice spicy Cajun cuisine.
Tuesday Paul started waxing the trailer. This usually reminds us how big this RV really is!! After lunch, we headed for our last trip to the Outlet Mall which was filled with people on break for Semana Santa. As usual there were deals to be had especially since Tuesday is Seniors Day. On the way home, we stopped at Big John’s BBQ for pulled pork and hamburgers.
Wednesday morning we headed for an info fair for those wanting to become permanent residents. Since that does not apply for us, it was a short visit. Jane went back to her Toys for Tots volunteer activity and Paul went to Brownsville to get a copy of Microsoft Streets & Trips – which he is using to plan the return trip home.
The last dance of the season was Wednesday night. The Cruisers provided the music and most of our park friends who like to dance attended. We left when they turned out the lights – which is early in these parts! You’ve got to remember we are in a senior’s park, so 10:35pm is lights out at the dance. :-)
March 29th was a full moon here in Texas and they call it the windy moon because of the strong March winds. Well March certainly went out like a lion here with gusts of wind over 40 mph. We really thought we were going to loose our awning despite all the straps and braces that Paul has used to protect it. Fortunately it is still attached to the trailer but Paul plans to retract it soon in preparation of the trip north.
On Thursday, Paul finished waxing the trailer while Jane chatted with a neighbor. Again we enjoyed cooling off in the pool. After supper, we then headed off to Holy Thursday church service. No more surprises by Fr. Issac.
On Friday, we planned another trip back to South Padre Island but the clouds never broke until late afternoon. Instead we cleaned the trailer in preparation for Easter weekend and our trip home. After a late afternoon swim, we headed to Brownsville to shop. We were amazed how crowded the mall was – mainly with Mexicans who had come across the border to shop. It really felt like shopping in the malls at home during the weekend before Christmas. We bought what we needed as quickly as possible and headed back to the RV.
Saturday was another cloudy day so we made our last trip to the Don Wes flea market. Less than half of the usual vendors were present. Even the bathing suit lady was packing up to return home to the south shore of Montreal so Jane had to come home empty-handed. Fortunately the fruit and veggie vendors were still there so we bought 25 pounds of 1015 onions to bring home. More onions for McGowan summer BBQ's.
Our New Brunswick friends, Harold and Marilyn joined us for a BBQ dinner – and guess what, we finally got to test out our air conditioner. It got really hot and muggy, so after happy hour, we got comfortable inside the RV for dinner.
Next week is our last week here, so we have to start thinking about packing up... YUK!
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