Kit and Jerry Bertelsen
Welcome to the Bertelsen Web Site
Our Goal is to keep this site very simple.
We hope you visit it often and enjoy our journey.
May the wind always be at your back.
Last Update:
Friday, July 03, 2009 09:26 PM
Where we are:
View 2009 Travels in a larger map
Send Mail to:
144 Rainbow Dr. #4412
Livingston, TX 77399-1044
Send email to:
Jerry's email:
jerry.bertelsen@hotmail.com
Kit's email
bertelsenk@gmail.com
Recent Posts:
07/03 Tennis, Friends and Family
07/02 Catching up With Old Friends
07/01 Back Home in Indiana
06/30 Almost There
06/29 Continuing our Trek to the Hoosier State
06/28 Long Hot Day
06/27 A Drive Through the Hill Country
06/26 Passing the Day in Fredericksburg
06/25 On the Road Again
06/24 Special Celebration for Jerry
06/23 Getting Ready to Leave
06/22 Inspection
06/21 Lazy Sunday
06/20 June Board Meeting and Golf Car Poker Run Fun
06/19 Finally RAIN
06/18 Sticky Hot
06/17 Del Rio Today
06/16 What Did You Do Today?
06/15 Where to Put that Stuff
06/14 Easy Sunday
06/13 Community Council Meeting and Dinner at the Wright's
06/12 Lunch in Leakey, TX
06/11 The Doc Says He's A-OK
06/10 No Break from the Heat
06/09 We Welcome Vicki Today
06/08 The Doctor is NOT in
06/07 Party Time
06/06 Dealing with the Warm Temps
06/05 Easy going Friday
06/04 A Hill Country Excursion with Friends
06/03 Del Rio
06/02 Making Connections
06/01 Tennis Couch Potato
05/31 He-e-er-r-r-e's JERRY
05/28 It's All About Jerry
05/27 Jerry has a Heart
05/26 Doctor Appointments and Haircuts
05/25 A Day of Remembrance
05/24 Race Day
05/23 Dedication of Historic Marker and Cooking for Friends
05/22 Cleaning Fools
05/21 Another Beautiful Day
05/20 Jerry's Night to Cook; so Dinner Out!
05/19 Picking Up Someone Else's Trash
05/18 Business in Uvalde
05/17 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KIT
05/16 Board of Directors Meeting and Just taking it Easy
05/15 Laundry and Movies
05/14 Kit Starts Her Birthday Celebration and Meeting Some Blog Readers
05/13 Jerry Reaches His Goal
05/12 New Mattress and Clean Car
05/11 Charlie's Secretary to the Rescue
05/10 Happy Mother's Day, Mom
05/09 Community Council and Jerry Gets a Job
05/08 Another Record Day
05/07 It's Still Hot
05/06 Record 107 Degrees in the Shade
05/05 Another Special Board Meeting 05/04 Work Continues on the Roof
05/03 Trying to Stay Cool
05/02 You Never Know What the Day Might Bring
05/01 RV Rofotop Work Begins 04/30 Just Another Thursday
04/29 A Run to Del Rio
04/28 Lunch in Concan, TX
04/27 Rainy Monday
04/26 A Quiet Sunday 04/25 A Farewell Party 04/24 Just Taking it Easy 04/23 Catching Up with a Few Pictures
04/22 The Warmest Day Yet This Season 04/21 Warm Day
04/20 See Ya' Later Breakfast with Friends 04/19 Uvalde Once and Back Again 04/18 Board Meeting and Prom Night in Brackett 04/17 Rain Last Night
04/16 Lazy Day
04/15 The Sweatshirt Made the Difference 04/14 We Almost have a Fan 04/13 Fish Fry and Friends
04/12 Happy Easter
04/11 Breezy Day in Brackettville 04/10 Flowers on the Patio
04/09 It's Hot
04/08 Beautiful Day for Del Rio 04/07 RV Chores
04/06 San Antonio 04/05 Saying So Long to Good Friends 04/04 Warm Day at the Fort 04/03 Sightseeing in Uvalde 04/02 Just a Day to Enjoy 04/01 A Trip to Del Rio and a Tour of the Fort 03/31 Ed and Marilyn Arrive from the Valley
03/30 Enjoying the Day
03/29 Grocery Shopping in Uvalde
03/28 Fort Clark Springs Assoc. 38th Annual Meeting
03/27 A Windy Day
03/26 A Trip to Eagle Pass 03/25 Del Rio Day
03/24 Working on TAXES
03/23 It's Monday Again
03/22 A Surprise Find as we Explore a Trail
03/21 Board of Directors Meeting
03/20 Looking for a Refrigerator
03/19 March Madness and MORE
03/18 We Have A T & T High Speed Internet
03/17 Day Trip to San Antonio
03/16 Another Trail Ride
03/15 Beautiful Sunday Weather
03/14 Finally We See the Sun Again
03/13 DVD and Orange Tree
03/12 Clouds and Cold Temps 03/11 And Then the Rains Came 03/10 Moving the Storage Shed
03/09 Quiet Day with Not Much Happening 03/08 Photo Story of Fort Clark Days 2009
03/07 Fort Clark Days
03/06 Fort Clark School Days is a Success 03/05 Saying So Long to Jesse and Ginger
03/04 Del Rio for Breakfast 03/03 Remember the Alamo and a Little Pizza Party 03/02 Invasion of the Bees 03/01 Jesse and Ginger are Here
02/28 Museum Volunteers
02/27 Record Temps Today
02/26 Del Rio for the Third Time
02/25 Del Rio Again
02/24 Doctor Visit and the New Wii Outside 02/23 More Wiring Work and New Grill Gets Fired Up
02/22 Organizing Again
02/21 Board Meeting and New Grill
02/20 Rummage Sale, Movie, and BINGO
02/19 A Busy Day at Tennis and Rummage Sale Set-up
02/18 Blue Sky Day
02/17 No Pipeline
02/16 What is That Stuff Falling From the Sky
02/15 Cool and Cloudy Day
02/14 Finding Treasures 02/13 Just a Perfect Day
02/12 Just Enjoying the Day
02/11 We Survived the Wind Again
02/10 Great Day Windy Night
02/09 More Songbirds Arrive
02/08 Let the Wind Blow 02/07 Raffle Tickets, Candidate Speeches, and Removal of Storage Shed 02/06 Another Great Day 02/05 Free Concert
02/04 Cool Start to Leisure Day
02/03 Good News from Doc
02/02 Buy a Chance on a Golf Cart
02/01 Super Bowl Sunday
01/31 Workshop and Dinner Theater 01/30 Another Beautiful Day
01/29 Beautiful Day for Trash Pick-Up
01/28 We Make Plans for the RV Dreams Gathering
01/27 No Electric
01/26 Carving and Signing up the Classes
01/25 A Drive to Uvalde 01/24 Volunteering at the Museum
01/23 Stickers for the Vehicles 01/22 Another Relaxing Day
01/21 Great Day for a Trip to Del Rio 01/20 Inauguration Day 01/19 Getting in a Routine
01/18 Home Again
01/17 Homeward Bound, Day 2
01/16 Last Minute Good-byes and Homeward Bound
01/15 The Coldest Ever!
01/14 Cold Day
01/13 Busy Day And No Electricity
01/12 A Better Day 01/11 Time for Family and Time for Friends
01/10 Resting in Peace
01/09 Meeting OLD Friends
01/08 Back Home Again in Indiana!
01/07 Indiana Bound Day 2
01/06 Indiana Bound Day 1
01/05 A Day Full of Anxiety 01/04 Bicycle Adventure, then News from Family
01/03 A Beautiful Day for Fleas
01/02 Time to Relax 01/01 A Day at the Beach 12/31 Back to Mexico
12/30 Rest and Relax 12/29 Hidalgo Lights 12/28 Mass at the Basilica and A New Burger 12/27 Halibut Fish Fry
12/26 Just Hanging Around 12/25 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! 12/24 Christmas Eve
12/23 The Sun Shines Again 12/22 Game Time
12/21 Not much Happening Here 12/20 Anniversary Number 29 for The Bertelsens 12/19 Blogger Leads us to Orange Grove
12/18 Now That's More Like It
12/17 Market Day and Haircuts
12/16 Chilled to the Bone
12/15 A change of pace 12/14 Happy Birthday Jerry 12/13 Birding at the State Park 12/12 Bike Ride in Mexico
12/11 A Beautiful Day for the Arrival of Dan and Pat
12/10 And the Wind Continues to Blow 12/09 The Arrival of Jesse and Ginger
12/08 A New Router and "Blowin in the Wind" 12/07 Basilica, BJ's BrewHouse, and a Grocery Store.
12/06 Weather Improves
12/05 Weather shut-ins
12/04 Lazy Day 12/03 Jerry Finally Goes to Mexico!
12/02 Finding Our Way Around
12/01 Down in the Valley Where the Green Grass Grows. . .
11/30 Jell-O Plans?
11/29 Craft Show and We are Almost Ready to Go
11/28 Preparing to Leave for the Valley
11/27 Happy Thanksgiving
11/26 Dan and Pat Came to Visit
11/25 Jerry to the Doc and Haircut for Kit
11/24 Carving, Haircuts, and Routine Cleaning
11/23 Easy Sunday
11/22 We Volunteer at the Museum
11/21 More School Visits and "Throat Singing?"
11/20 Organizing to Move SOUTH!
11/19 Taking care of Medical Business
11/18 Teachers and More Teachers 11/17 We Celebrate Howard and Marty's NEW PAD
11/16 Cold Start to Day 11/15 November Board of Directors Meeting 11/14 Eagle Pass and A New Home for Friends 11/13 Rock Project Complete and Flu Shots 11/12 Moving Rocks and More 11/11 Veteran's Day 11/10 Visiting with Good Friends
11/09 Breezy, Easy Day 11/08 Community Council and Del Rio 11/07 Still Moving Rocks
11-06 Local Election Results
11/05 Gunn Honda11/04 Election Day
11/03 It's Monday!
11/02 Quiet Sunday 11/01 New Steps for Our Entry
10/31 New Project 10/30 Lights, Camera, Pictures, and Concrete Action
10/29 Del Rio Wednesday 10/28 A Cool Breezy Day 10/27 Water Line Work
10/26 Chicken Dinner and Church Conference 10/25 The Big Dig
10/24 Heavy Labor and Dinner with Friends
10/23 Back to Del Rio
10/22 Del Rio Day
10/21 Just another DAY! 10/20 Early Voting
10/19 Relaxing Sunday 10/18 Board Meeting and Barbeque 10/17 John & Libby Arrive and Another Snake 10/16 Tennis, a Walk, and a Snake
10/15 A Day in Del Rio 10/14 The Sign Tells it All 10/13 A Trip to Eagle Pass, TX
10/12 Not Much Going On 10/11 We're Under Cover
10/10 Getting Settled 10/09 They Rolled Out the Red Carpet
10/08 We're NOT in Kansas Anymore! 10/07 Looking for Wind at Our Backs
10/06 We're in Kansas, Toto!
10/05 Last Day at Ray Behrens Camp 10/04 Another Great Day with Friends 10/03 A Day to Relax
10/02 A Visit with Good Friends 10/01 Back to Missouri
09/30 On The Road Again
09/29 Saying Good-bye
09/28 Another Good Day
09/27 Visit With Family and Friends
09/26 A Busy Day
09/25 A Better Day
09/24 Catching Up
09/23 Being with Family and Friends
09/22 In His Hands
09/21 First Day of Fall? Where did Summer GO?
09/20 Moving to Martinsville
09/19 Going Home
09/18 Another Hard Day
09/17 We're Here in Indy
09/16 Back Towards Indiana
09/15 Finally the Sun and good bye to a special friend
09/14 And then the Winds Came 09/13 The Rains Continue 09/12 Visiting with Bev
09/11 A Day of Rain
09/10 Hello Kansas!
09/09 Last Day With Good Friends 09/08 A Tour of the Cities 09/07 Who's Ready for the Cave? 09/06 Out for a Drive 09/05 The Sun Shines Again
09/04 Rain Rain Rain
09/03 On the Move 09/02 Last Day at Double J
09/01 Campground is Ours Again 08/31 Time to Read and A Drive
08/30 Football
08/29 RV Park is Full
08/28 A Mouse in the House
08/27 Moving on to the Springfield Area
08/26 One More Day
08/25 New Glasses for Kit
08/24 Easy Sunday
08/23 Hot Day
08/22 Rain and Reading 08/21 Good Stuff from our Computers 08/20 A Walk in the Park
08/19 Water Everywhere 08/18 Move to Thousand Trails Horseshoe Lakes 08/17 Saying More Good-byes 08/16 Family, Friends, What a Day! 08/15 Great Day 08/14 Not Much Going On 08/13 Packing it Away 08/12 A Trip to Indianapolis
08/11 Trying to "Git er Done"
08/10 Moving Back to Martinsville, IN 08/09 RV Museum and Fish Fry 08/08 New Table and a look at the All Star RV
08/07 Another Early Start
08/06 Home Sweet Home 08/05 A Meeting with Family and Friends 08/04 Newmar Service Begins Working on our New Floor
08/03 A Day of Rest? 08/02 Amish Acres Art 08/01 Newmar in Nappanee, IN
07/31 Getting Ready to Move
07/30 Only Two Left 07/29 Keeping Lake Freeman Healthy
07/28 Another Monday 07/27 Sunshine and a Walk in the Woods 07/26 The Spirit of Monticello 07/25 There's More than Corn in Indiana.
07/24 More Sun and More Computer Time
07/23 Sun Time and Computers
07/22 A Long Drive to the Mailbox
07/21 Another Storm and Verizon Woes 07/20 A Tour of Western Horizon's White Oaks on the Lake 07/19 Some Rain and a Tour of the Resort
07/18 On the Road Again
07/17 Getting Ready to Leave
07/16 A Busy Day
07/15 Summer Produce and Big Brother
07/14 Taking Care of Business
07/13 Enjoying the Day
07/12 Heavy Rains
07/11 A Day With Friends
07/10 . . . And Another Day
07/09 Just Another Day
07/08 A Talk with Miller Insurance and Newmar Service
07/07 Attempting to Tie Up Loose Ends
07/06 A Busy Sunday
07/05 Visiting with Family
07/04 Happy 4th of July
07/03 Dental Emergency
07/02 Hanging Around the RV
07/01 Just Doing Our Thing 06/30 A Bad Guy - Good Guy Day 06/29 New Computer and Dinner with Family 06/28 Blog Readers to the Rescue
06/27 Service Work at Camping World 06/26 A Great Day With Friends and Family
06/25 Visits with Friends and Car Detailing
06/24 New Fire Extinguishers and Pressure Pro
06/23 Knocking Off the "To Do" List
06/22 Slow and Relaxed 06/21 Visits with Friends and a New Camera
06/20 A Trip to Paragon 06/19 We're Home in Martinsville 06/18 Early Start to the Hoosier State
06/17 Northeast Across Missouri
06/16 Saying So Long to Friends
06/15 Happy Father's Day 06/14 Great Seminars and Good Eats
06/13 Rally Day 3 06/12 Seminars and RV Fashion 06/11 Let the RV-Dreams Rally Begin
06/10 Another Show in Branson
06/09 Branson Show, Rain, and Meeting New Full-Timers
06/08 Finally, Branson
06/07 We Make it to Little Rock
06/06 Easy Travel Day
06/05 Fighting the Wind
06/04 On the Road Again...
06/03 We're Still Here 06/02 Preparing to move is Hard Work 06/01 Still Trying to Pack it Up
05/31 Countdown to the MOVE
05/30 Spelling Bee Winner from Indiana 05/29 Del Rio, Doc, and Birds
05/28 Just Another Fine Day 05/27 Eckersly Anniversary 05/26 A DAY of Remembrance
05/25 Race Day
05/24 Trying to Stay Cool 05/23 Nuf Said!
05/22 Another HOT one today! 05/21 Touring the Back Country
05/20 Del Rio Morning
05/19 Two Ways to Clean
05/18 Sorting and Packing
05/17 Happy Birthday to Kit 05/16 RV Roof Work 05/15 STILL Watching the Concrete Cure
05/14 Watching the Concrete Cure 05/13 It's Done! 5/12 Tennis
5/11 Happy Mother's Day 05/10 Working in the Sizzling 100's
05/09 Sooo HOT!
05/08 Dentist in Del Rio
05/07 The Price for Concrete
05/06 Nails in Del Rio 05/05 The Bird Nest Saga Continues
05/04 Clouds, Birds, and a Rain Shower
05/03 Another Peaceful Day
05/02 Home Sweet Home
05/01 Trip to San Antonio 04/30 A Bicycle Ride and Fajitas 04/29 Beautiful Day 04/28 Sunny and Much Warmer
04/27 Cool Temps Today 04/26 Golf Ball Sized Hail 
? 04/25 Fitness Trail is Complete 04/24 Prickly Pear Pics out in the Desert
04/23 No Tennis Today 04/22 Del Rio Times Two
04/21 The New Dryer Gets a Workout! 04/20 The Dryer Works! 04/19 Board Meeting, Finished Eyebrow, and Dinner with Friends
04/18 Tennis, New Refrigerator, and Moth Balls
04/17 Del Rio Dentist 04/16 Festival Meeting, Tennis, and Gardening 04/15 Enjoying the Day 04/14 Tennis, Trails, Cookout, and Movie 04/13 A Day at the Fort
04/12 San Antonio, Community Council, and Premiere Movies
04/11 Jerry goes to San Antonio 04/10 Lazy Day!
04/09 Del Rio, Tennis, and Sun Screens 04/08 Jerry Works on Screens
04/07 Kit Returns to School 04/06 Sunday Visits and Looking for Rocks
04/05 Breakfast, Birds, and Basketball 04/04 A Trip to Uvalde for Kit 04/03 Drizzle Today
04/02 The Golf Car Goes
04/01 A Full Day in Del Rio 03/31 Power Washing Concrete 03/30 The Eyebrow Work Continues 03/29 Work Begins on our Eyebrow
03/28 Return to Uvalde, TX
03/27 A Day of Ups and Downs
03/26 Searching for Thistle Seed 03/25 Breezy but NICE 03/24 Clearing Out the Shed
03/23 Celebrating Easter
03/22 Easy Day 03/21 The Hummers are HERE! 03/20 Great Sunshine & Assembling Patio Furniture 03/19 Mexico Trip for Kit & RV Inspection for Jerry
03/18 Ah! Breakfast at McDonald's
03/17 Happy St. Patrick's Day
03/16 Breezy
03/15 Board Meeting, Laundry, & Just Relaxing
03/14 ☼HOT☼ 03/13 A Quick Tour of Del Rio 03/12 We Remember the Alamo
03/11 Arrival of Good Friends
03/10 Rain 03/09 Spring Forward 03/08 More Fort Clark Days 03/07 Fort Clark Festival Day One
03/06 We're Back 03/02 We Journey Back to the Fort 03/01 Remembering the Cowboy 02/29 Spinnin' Yarns 02/28 We move to Alpine, TX for Cowboy Poetry 02/27 Big Bend One More Time 02/26 A Backcountry Dirt Road in Big Bend National Park 02/25 Big Bend Chisos Basin 02/24 We Move to Terlingua Through Big Bend National Park 02/23 Langtry and Marathon
02/22 We're Ready to Roll 02/21 It's Almost Done 02/20 Packing for Big Bend
02/19 Errands in Del Rio 02/18 President's Day Barbeque
02/17 Beautiful Day
02/16 February Board Meeting
02/15 It Works
02/14 Happy Valentine's Day
02/13 An Easy Day
02/12 Final Tax Touches
02/11 Carving and Taxes 02/10 A Day of Travel: 360 miles
02/09 Community Council
02/08 Uvalde and Theater Dinner
02/07 Kit Goes Back to School
02/06 Oh, the Aching Back!
02/05 Del Rio, then Uvalde
02/04 Spring Cleaning
2006 Blogs
Friday, July 3, 2009
Martinsville, IN
We still have not quite acclimated ourselves to the Eastern Time Zone. It is just one hour difference, but that hour has messed up our body clocks. We were up and about early again today.
Jerry had plans to watch Wimbledon tennis, so after breakfast, Kit took the car and headed to Paragon to visit with her Mom.
Later in the day we drove out say hello to our very good friends, Bud and Pat, and ended up staying a couple of hours. There was a lot of information to cover. Pat was Kit's team teacher at Poston Road Elementary. We also assisted them in the summer selling fireworks. They have retired from the business. It was really strange to be sitting in their living room today instead of working the cash registers selling the bottle rockets and other explosives.
Before returning to the RV, we stopped at the grocery to pick up a few supplies. We spent the rest of the evening running channels and probably wearing out the remote. We both need a good book to read.
Life is G☺☺D!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Martinsville, IN
We had another night of sleeping with the windows open. This morning temps started out in the low 60's. The whole day was a very pleasant one, even with the cloud cover.
As we were finishing showers, we received a call from our good friends Connie and Lou. They wanted to meet us at Forkey's for breakfast. Well, alrighty then! That was music to our ears. We hopped in the car and headed downtown to our favorite hangout. It didn't take long to get back into our old breakfast routine. We covered a lot of conversation and tried to get caught up on all that we have missed out on, but realized that was not possible. Besides, we have the whole month to find out what is going on.
Our next task was to get Kit's laptop fixed. For the past few days, it has been doing strange things. Jerry thought it might be the hard drive. We drove to Bloomington, IN, to Best Buy to have them take a look at it. Fortunately, they were not busy and could spend some time with us. As it turns out, Jerry was right and we had the tech put in a new hard drive.
On our return trip, we took the back roads over the hills and through the woods to Paragon, IN, to visit with Kit's Mom. She was so glad to see us. Kit plans to spend the majority of our stay in this area helping her Mom do some long overdue Spring cleaning. They took time today to kind of outline the jobs that need to be done.
We called Steve Bastin when we returned to the RV. Steve is a general handyman, and we have had him do some interior cabinet work for us in the RV. He stopped by after his work so that we could explain the new projects we had in mind for him to do. He felt he could get started next week and hopefully complete the work before we have to leave in August. Kit wants a door on the big open space in the bedroom where the old TV once was. Steve is also going to install some shelves in the space for shoes and "stuff". She also wants a level surface to go over the front dash when we are parked in Texas. Right now we have a steering wheel cover that we purchased at Camping World, but it just doesn't give us the space we need for the things we want to display. The third item we'd like to have is a shelf under the cabinets that run down the passenger side of the coach.
For dinner tonight, we met our old Thursday night crowd at the newly opened Texas Corral. The atmosphere was very similar to Texas Roadhouse Restaurants. We shared a delicious entree of honey baked chicken with steak fries and salad. Then, Kit ordered a second side salad. It was plenty for us to eat. Again, it was a time to get caught up on the lives of our friends.
We finished our evening relaxing in the RV. Jerry used the recovery disks to get Kit's laptop up and running. It took about two hours, and Kit is happy that her computer is working again.
Life is G☺☺D!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Martinsville, IN
We knew we would arrive in Indiana today, so we decided to find a local restaurant and enjoy a leisure breakfast. The Cozy Kitchen seemed to fit the bill. Sure enough, we weren't disappointed. From the number of cars in the parking lot, we knew we were in a popular spot.
Back at the campground, we prepared the coach for travel and were out of the park by 10:00 sharp headed to Effingham, Illinois. Jerry decided to wait and get fuel in Indianapolis, so once we picked up I 70 at Effingham, we were about three hours from the Flying J in Indy. Of all the highway concrete and asphalt we have covered, Indiana and I 70 have to be up there with the worst roads in the U.S. There was one point where we were concerned that our paper plates would be crumpled dust! Highway out of Terre Haute to about Cloverdale seemed to be the absolute worst. You can bet we will find another route to travel when we leave this area in September.
Before leaving the Indianapolis area, we stopped at the Indy RV Service Center to have them look at our exit step. The step push arm broke away our first day out and we have been hopping in and out of the door. It is very inconvenient getting in or out. Indy RV promised to order the part tomorrow and we should have our step fixed sometime next week. Kit will be happy, as she is not a very good hopper.
When we reached Martinsville, IN, we pulled into the Walmart parking lot to disconnect the Honda CRV. Kit then drove right over to the Splash n Dash to run the car through the car wash. Jerry headed to our site on the Bastin rental property to get set up and plugged in. We have 50 amp electric. We have fresh water from our tanks using the water pump. When we need to empty the holding tanks, we will use the RV dump at our old home. The new owners have been gracious to allow us to do that.
Tomorrow begins the crazy rat race to get to all of our commitments while here for the month of July. It should be fun!
Life is G☺☺D!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Whittington, IL
We slept with the windows open last evening, something we haven't done for a long while. And, because of that, we were up with the birds this morning. We were the very last rig to leave the roadside RV Park. Obviously everyone had somewhere to go and in a hurry to get there. We pulled out at 9:00, which is early for us. Generally, we like to let the work traffic get out of our way and the sun to be up high in the sky if we are traveling east.
Our route continued on I 40 to the west side of Memphis and then we turned north to catch I 55. We made a fuel stop in Mathews, MO, at the Flying J. This time we took on 45 gallons at $2.43 per gallon. Shortly after getting back on the interstate, we veered toward the east to catch I 57. Our next stop was just up the road at a rest area. Kit fixed a half sandwich for each of us, while Jerry turned on the generator and got the AC going.
We discussed traveling all the way to Effingham, Illinois, to our next fuel stop, and spend the night at the campground there. However, in calculating the distance, we readjusted our thoughts and pulled in to a very nice campground near Whittington, Illinois. The Good Sam Park , Whittington Woods, is under new ownership. We must say it is one of the nicer roadside campgrounds we have stayed in. The landscaping and first impressions at the entrance to the campground led us to believe we had hit the jackpot. Even the name suggests elegance. (Can you say elegance and camping in the same sentence?) Our site is clean, level, roomy, has a clear view to the south for satellite, and we have excellent 50 amp electric. All that for a mere $28.80.
Once we were set up, Kit decided to do laundry and have that chore out of the way before our arrival in Indiana tomorrow. Jerry spent a little time on the finances and got the checkbook up to date. After dinner, we headed into the town of Whittington to check it out and maybe find a fountain diet coke.
We'll relax for a while tonight and probably have the windows open again. Temps are definitely cooler here.
Life is G☺☺D!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Hazen, AR
Continuing our Trek to the Hoosier State
We woke up to the distant rumble of thunder and then a gentle rain. Checking the weather on the internet, we could see that it could possibly last most of the day. Just to the northeast toward Arkansas we could see clear radar.
It didn't take long to get the coach ready for travel. We pulled out of the Shady Lake RV Park shortly after 10:00 and worked our way toward Texarkana. Our first stop was the Flying J in Texarkana, AR. The RV lanes were packed. We sat for almost 40 minutes waiting our turn for fuel and propane. Wow, was propane expensive! ($2.79 a gallon) As luck would have it, we were almost empty. We took on 40 gallons of fuel at $2.56 a gallon.
Our next stop was just one mile further up the road at the Welcome Center. Kit needed a new Arkansas map. While we were parked, we prepared lunch, enjoying the comforts of our own AC provided by the generator.
As we worked our way toward Little Rock, we decided to try and find an overnight spot before Memphis. It was approaching 5:00 when we pulled in to Rick's RV Park in Hazen, AR. The 30 site park is convenient for one-nighters. It is located just behind a Citgo Gas Station owned by the same "Rick".
Jerry is happy. The station has a fountain coke dispenser. So-o-o-o-o convenient! Kit is happy, too. She has an open southern sky for the satellite dish and has her eye on the Bachelorette tonight. The only problem was the 50 amp electric had one phase low, so Jerry hooked up to the 30 amp and everything seems to be working.
Life is G☺☺D!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sulphur Springs, TX
We woke up to an alarm this morning. We didn't want to miss the 8:00 a.m. start time for the service at the Fredericksburg United Methodist Church. As soon as the service was over, we high-tailed it back to the RV to prepare for departure. It was our hope to get an early start and try to beat the heat. Well, that was a dream. By 10:00, the temps were already in the upper 90's.
We pulled out of the RV Park and headed east toward Austin. From there, our travels took us north around Waco and Dallas to catch I 30. We finally pulled in to a little Good Sam park just outside Sulphur Springs. We are thankful for good electric, as the AC has not shut off since our arrival at 5:45 p.m.
Normally we do not drive seven hour days. Jerry was determined to get as close to Texarkana as he could, and he figured as long as he felt good, he would continue to drive. Since it was a Sunday, we assumed the traffic would be lighter, especially around Austin and Dallas. Evidently everyone is on vacation and out driving. We experienced several little jams, but kept moving along.
We made one fuel stop just south of Waco on I 35 at a new Flying J. It was so new, that the overflow truck lot had not been paved yet. We paid $2.61 a gallon and took on 35 gallons of fuel. Our only complaint about this new station is the positioning of the propane tank. We chose not to fill ours due to the difficulty of getting our rig in the proper position for the service.
We plan to get a good night's rest. Our family and friends in the Hoosier state say a cool front is approaching with night temps in the 50's. Oh, does that sound ever so good!
Life is G☺☺D!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Fredericksburg, TX
A Drive Through the Hill Country
We decided last night that we had had enough shopping in the town of Fredericksburg. First of all, it is actually mostly "looking" since we have no room for any stuff we would buy. The sun was making it unbearably hot again today and staying in the rig was not an option for us. We did watch a little tennis while eating our breakfast.
We gathered up the camera, an extra jug of water, and a Texas road map and made the decision to head northwest toward the little town of Mason. Our Brackettville church pastor is from Mason and talks about her town with great pride. Wouldn't you know we didn't even make it out of Fredericksburg without stopping at a "Rusty Store" as Jerry would say. Kit spotted it a block away and Jerry turned around for her. The store was huge! Numerous displays of rusty iron animals and flowers adorned the lawn. Many painted pots for plants, as well as frogs, and dishes, waterfalls, and artwork filled three large rooms inside. It was actually overwhelming! Luckily, we were just looking.
Once back in the car, we continued our trip through the beautiful hill country and ranch land. When we arrived at the edge of Mason, a little City Park caught our eye and we drove in to check it out. The city has prepared about 30 full hook up RV sites for $20.00 per night. The gravel sites and roads are well maintained. Most are under large shade trees with plenty of grassy space between sites. There were only about 10 occupied today. The RV Park is connected to a golf driving range, soccer complex, baseball diamond, and horse arena.
We moved on northwest only to stop at the first restaurant we saw for a bite to eat. The Cantina was packed, which is always a good sign. We ordered a chicken quesadilla to split, as well as a couple of diet drinks. We were there only enough time to work the newspaper puzzle and enjoy our meal. We would probably return to this place again.
From the center of town, we turned east and headed for Llano and then south on Highway 16 back into Fredericksburg. Our plan was to stop for gas, a diet coke, and make a restroom pit stop at the RV. Then, drive down to Kerrville and check out the scenic Highway 16 route in the car. However, we made the mistake of turning on the TV to catch the tennis progress and ended up watching the match between Roddick and Melzer. We chose to go to Walmart to cruise the aisles when that match was over.
Once the sun went down, it was pretty comfortable in the RV. We spent some time looking at possible routes for tomorrow's journey. It is our hope to get east of Dallas before we stop for the night.
Life is G☺☺D!
