Still in Hershey—April 26th

The last weekend in April is always the fishing rodeo at Thousand Trails here in Hershey.  We had friends coming for the weekend so decided to stay longer. The weather Friday and Saturday was nice but the rain moved in during the night Saturday and Sunday was cold and damp.  

Here are Tom, Harry, Steve (sitting on log), Amber and Christy at the lake fishing. The lake is stocked with Trout before the weekend but this year the fishing wasn't good. However, the little Sunfish were biting and Amber, 6 years old, won the prize for the most fish caught in her age bracket.

Amber with one of total 13 fish! Way to go Amber.

Tom is always the “fire master” when we are together. We have had some great times and laughs sitting around the fire. We also eat well—and a lot. Thanks Tom & Loraine for a good—and long overdue visit.

Happy Birthday Carlton

Friday we spent time doing some much needed work. After dinner we planned to spend time catching up and talking about our trip west with friends Carlton & Dawn. They have been a great inspiration to us and our travels. Many of the places we went and things we saw they have recommended. We learned it was Carlton’s birthday today so we bought a small cake to celebrate. Little did we know that Dawn had cake too!

Two cakes are better than one—right?

         Happy Birthday Carlton!

Thanks for letting us help you celebrate---and thanks for all the great travel advise.

Heading North—April 14th

On Wednesday morning we took the tour at the Freightliner Chassis Factory and it was so interesting. What a production!  After the tour it was time to leave and drive north. It was a sunny warm day and a very nice drive with all the trees in bloom.

We stopped overnight at Natural Bridge, Va.

Thursday  we drove the remainder of the way north and into Pa.

Kate always watches to see if we are going the right way!

These purple blooming trees were just so beautiful and they seemed to line both sides of the road from North Carolina to Pa.

Our plan was to stop in Hershey for a night or two to relax and flush our tanks well before going home. We were able to get a very nice free 50 amp site—and close to Carlton & Dawn.  We just may have to extend our visit!

Freightliner Chassis—April 11-14

On Sunday we left Carolina landing and drove 90 miles north on I-85 to Gaffney, South Carolina home of the Freightliner Custom Chassis Service Center. While at the Freightliner Rally Harry learned that there is some maintenance needed on our chassis so we decided to make a stop and see if they could fit us in. There is also a class called Camp Freightliner that lasts two days and you learn all you ever need to know about Freightliner Chassis’. The classes were full so we planned to be here Monday and then head north. When we checked in early Monday morning the receptionist said they could fit us in and we would be second on the list. Then she told Harry that there was a no-show for the classes and if he wanted to he could do the two day class. Everything seemed to be falling into place!

Here at the service center they have 20 RV hook-ups with 50 amp service. There is easy access to water and dump on the property. RVs can stay free when getting service or attending the class.

Here we are in our site.

Monday afternoon the camper went in for service. All the mechanics are factory trained and certified. They are all so pleasant and take great care not to soil the couch. I would highly recommend this place to anyone needing service.  The class is all day Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday morning there is a tour of the factory where we will get to see the Freightliner chassis’ being made. Then it will be time to head further north. 

Moving East—April 8 to 11

Thursday April 8th we left Lake Tawakoni to head east for home.

We rolled out of Texas……….

Into Louisiana…………..

Crossed the mighty Mississippi River……..

Into Mississippi…….actually when you cross the river you are already in Mississippi but the sign is after the river.

We spent Thursday night at Ameristar Casino & RV Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi.  

The sites were all nice paved pull-thru with 50 amp and cable all for $24. It also included the breakfast buffet at the casino the next morning. We took the shuttle to the buffet and started to talk to a very nice couple who were also going to the buffet. Thinking we were together the hostess sat us at the same table so we introduced ourselves and had a great breakfast and found new friends at the same time. We exchanged information and sure do hope we see them again in our camping travels.

Next it was into Alabama………..

We stopped for the night Friday at Cropwell, Alabama at this Good Sam park.

Again the sites were all pull-thru and full hook-ups.

The campground had a beautiful lake and boating area.

We drove through Georgia and into…………….

At exit #4 off I-85 we headed for Carolina Landing where we will sit for the night. 

This park has lots of amenities and a very large lake but we are not fond of the sites. Many are very unlevel and not always so easy to get into or out of.

We picked a good end site with easy out in the morning. Only a short drive tomorrow to our next spot.

Lake Tawakoni TT

We stayed at Bay Landing for two nights. The plan was to leave Friday but the weather prediction was for some severe weather so we decided to sit at the campground rather than chance driving in bad weather. It rained in the morning and then later cleared—thank goodness no severe storms.               We left Saturday and drove east to Lake Tawakoni in Point, Texas. We thought we were rural in Bay Landing but that was city compared to here. The closest Wall-Mart is over 30 miles away. This is the biggest TT park we have ever been to. We like it but the park needs much work. The sites have been left go and there needs to be a lot of clean-up. We are pretty much here by ourselves. A few campers here for the weekend but most have left. There are lots of nice amenities but unfortunately not many people use this park---probably due to it’s location. Because of the huge lake I think this would be a boaters paradise.

Notice the sign at the bottom says “Public RV Sites”. Guess this is what is happening to our Thousand Trails system.

The GPS could not find this address---I had to put in coordinates to get here.

We have a very long, large site. There is nobody around us. The camper in the back is still closed up for the winter.

We even have some spring flowers to look at—I believe they are flags.

This is the family center with a very nice pool (still closed) and play area.

This is the adult lounge and adult pool and spa area.

There is a nice marina area with lake access.

The lake is beautiful and is up about 6 feet from normal due to all their snow and rain they have had.

Many of the several hundred sites are at the water and are also sewered. With some man power this could be one of the best TT parks.

We have enjoyed visiting some of the TT parks here in Texas---I think we are spoiled by Hershey, Orlando, and Chesapeake. I will admit that Verde Valley was one of our favorites.

We will sit here for a few days and then be heading east for home.

Bay Landing Naco

On Thursday we moved from Amarillo to Bay Landing in Bridgeport, Texas. It was a nice drive through rolling hills.

It was a pretty day and we past lots of trees in bloom—which set off the allergies.                                    

Then we arrived at Bay Landing.

After registering we drove to the full hook-up sites and it was a long drive.

Almost 2 miles to the sites. We were assigned a 50 amp hook-up overlooking the lake and we were so happy. But when we got there it was already taken. Too bad---it was a very pretty site.

So we picked this site instead—not overlooking the lake but a good site. We set up and went for a walk to look things over. Never having been here we wanted to see what they had to offer.

There was a very large lake with a fishing area and boat ramp.

Adult lounge with Wi-Fi.

A very nice pool and spa area—not yet open for the season.

A large fishing pond.

There was also what they called a sports court which had a basket ball court, 2 shuffleboard courts, and a pickle ball court. There was the normal TT large family center with a pavilion and cafeteria area. We liked this park even though it was out in a very rural area. Nice and quiet and dark at night!

Palo Duro Canyon—March 31

While in Amarillo there was one thing we didn’t want to miss—Palo Duro Canyon. We extended our stay one night so we would have a full day to do this highly recommended canyon. It turned out to be a warm sunny day with bright blue sky which only contributed to the beautiful scenery. Since there were so many good pictures I am going to only post a few and then when I have good internet connection I will practice inserting a video. That way I can show more of the beautiful pictures I took.

The rock structure in the back is called the lighthouse.

The stripes in the rock really amazed me. It looks like a stripped skirt.