Zolfo Springs, FL - 12/27/21

Zolfo Springs, FL - 12/27/21

We arrive at Pioneer Park. This is one of our preferred campgrounds in central Florida. We will spend about two weeks here.

12/27/21 - Monday
Depart From: Fort McCoy, FL
Depart: 10:30 AM
Odometer: 142,310
Arrive: 1:30 PM
Odometer: 142,464
Trip Mileage: 154
Trip Time: 3 hr 0 min
Google Map: 157 miles - 2 hr 55 min

Destination: Pioneer Park
Address: US-17 & FL-64
City: Zolfo Springs
State: Florida
Website: https://www.hardeecountyfl.gov/departments/pioneer-park
Campsite: 19
Cost/Night: $20.00 + tax

Comments:
Pioneer Park is one of two campgrounds located within Hardy County, Florida.

We have camped at the Pioneer Park campground over the past years, Visit the following links for information about our past visits to this campground.

Pioneer visit on 01/25/2014.

Pioneer visit on 01/03/2017 with drone video.

Pioneer visit on 03/23/2017.

Fort McCoy, FL - 12/27/21

Fort McCoy, FL - 12/27/21

Heading to central Florida seeking warmer weather.

12/27/21 - Monday
Depart From: Gainesville, FL
Depart: 2:20 AM
Odometer: 142,254
Arrive: 4:00 AM
Odometer: 142,310
Trip Mileage: 56
Trip Time: 1 hr 40 min
Google Map: 54 miles - 1 hr 2 min

Destination:
Salt Springs Recreation Area
13851 FL-19
Fort McCoy, FL 32134
Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/florida/recarea/?recid=83647

Comments:
On 12/26 we had a late-afternoon conversation with a Salt Springs staff member. She informed us they would have 5 or 6 first-come-first-serve, full hookup, campsites available. We were told to arrive between 5 and 6 am to secure a site.

We wanted to ensure we arrived early in the morning at Salt Springs to secure a campsite, so we departed Ganiesville, FL at 2:30 am. Horrible decision! Visibility was terrible the entire trip due to a dense fog covering the region. During the 56 mile trip we probably averaged a speed of 40 mph.

We arrived at 4:00 am and parked in the entrance road. We were the first RV to arrive. The access gate to the campground was locked. A woman, driving a white pickup truck, arrived behind us at 4:15 am. She had an access code to the gate and let us in. We parked in one of the check-in lanes to wait for the office to open at 8:00 am. I sat in my camping chair by the office entrance to make sure I would be first in line. At about 5:00 am a 5th wheel arrived at the entrance behind the locked gate.

At 8:00 am the office opened. By this time 6 campers were waiting to register for a campsite. We were told to put our name and telephone number on their wait list. Our name was the first one on the list. The office staff informed all campers on the wait list they would have to vacate the property and await a call from a staff member when a campsite became available. Checkout time is 11:00 am, so we departed the property to await their call.

Camping has become quite expensive here compared to our last visit in April 2017. At that time our camping fee was $19.50 with our senior pass. Camping is now $50 per night without a senior pass and $30.50 with a senior pass. We decided Salt Springs RA has priced themselves out of the market for this senior couple. A Salt Springs staff member called us at 10:45 am. We told them we had changed our mind and to give the site to the next person on the list.

Fortunately, during our travels we generally always have a Plan B when traveling from one destination to another. This trip was no different, so off we go!

Gainesville, FL - 12/26/21

Gainesville, FL - 12/26/21

Another travel day. Heading to central Florida seeking warmer weather.

12/26/21 - Sunday
Depart From: Bainbridge, GA
Depart: 12:50 PM
Odometer: 142,047
Arrive: 5:00 PM
Odometer: 142,254
Trip Mileage: 207
Trip Time: 4 hr 10 min
Google Map: 191 miles - 2 hr 48 min

Destination:
Bass Pro Shops
2650 Bass Pro Blvd
Gainesville, FL
Website: https://tinyurl.com/2476ynm9
Campsite: Parking Lot
Cost/Night: Free

Comments:
We were looking for a place to spend the night, other than a Walmart, near Gainesville, FL. We discovered, on freecampsites.net, that the Bass Pro Shop in Gainesville allows RVs to park for free in their parking lot. We called them and they confirmed they allowed free overnight parking for RVs. There is a very nice dog park located adjacent to the parking lot along with a scenic forrested area and a pond. We saw numerous deer grazing during the evening and morning hours. Nice place to walk your dog or let your dog run loose in the dog park.

>Bainbridge, GA - 12/21/21

Bainbridge, GA - 12/21/21

Finally getting to an area with warmer weather. We will spend two nights here.

12/21/21 - Tuesday
Depart From: Montgomery, AL
Depart: 9:15 AM
Odometer: 141,819
Arrive: 1:30 PM
Odometer: 141,998
Trip Mileage: 179
Trip Time: 4 hr 15 min
Google Map: 171 miles - 3 hr 21 min

Destination: Eastbank Campground
Address: 153 E Bank Rd
City: Bainbridge
State: GA
Website: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232580
Campsite: C35
Cost/Night:

Comments:
Eastbank Campground is a COE campground, located on Lake Seminole on the Georgia-Florida state line. The lake has a surface area of 37,500 acres of water and 376 miles of shoreline.

The campground has 65 campsites with electric and water hookups and many with 50 amp service. Most campsites have views of the lake. All the roads are paved and the campsites are either crushed gravel or paved concrete.There’s two nice restroom facilities with private, individual showers and a laundry facility. A dump station is located on the way out of the campground. There is a boat ramp and several picnic sites.

Montgomery, AL - 12/19/22

Montgomery, AL - 12/19/21

We have arrived at one of our favorite campgrounds in Alabama. This is a well maintained COE campground. We will spend two nights here.

12/19/21 - Sunday
Depart From: Lewisburg, TN
Depart: 8:20 AM
Odometer: 141,572
Arrive: 1:00 PM
Odometer: 141,819
Trip Mileage: 247
Trip Time: 4 hr 40 min
Google Map: 241 miles - 3 hr 46 min

Destination:
Gunterhill Hill Park
561 Booth Rd
Montgomery, AL
Website: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232593
Campsite:
Cost/Night:

Comments:

Lewisburg, TN - 12/18/21

Lewisburg, TN - 12/18/21

After a full day of travel, we will spend the night at Walmat.

12/18/21 - Saturday
Depart From: Watson, IL
Depart: 9:00 AM
Odometer: 141,221
Arrive: 5:00 PM
Odometer: 141,572
Trip Mileage: 351
Trip Time: 8 hr 0 min
Google Map: 348 miles - 5 hr 12 min

Destination:
Walmart Store #737
1334 N Ellington  Pkwy
Lewisburg, TN
Website: https://www.walmart.com/store/737-lewisburg-tn?cn=Tracking_local_pack_1
Campsite: Parking Lot
Cost/Night: Free

Comments:

Watson, IL - 12/17/21

Watson, IL - 12/17/21

We're finally able to head south for the winter. Dental and medical appointments have delayed our departure. So happy to be on the road again. We will spend this winter season in Florida.

12/17/21 - Friday
Depart From: Chicago, IL
Depart: 12:30 PM
Odometer: 140,986
Arrive: 4:30 PM
Odometer: 141,221
Trip Mileage: 235
Trip Time: 4 hr 0 min
Google Map: 231 miles - 3 hr 40 min

Destination:
Percival Springs Airport & RV Campground
6900 US -45
Watson, IL
Website: https://www.percivalsprings.com
Campsite: #3
Cost: $21.00

Comments:
Nice spot to spend the night.
24 site campground with 30/50 amp service and water hookups on gravel parking surface.
Overnight pull-through sites can accommodate the longest rig.
Large area with grass areas to walk dogs and get exercise.

There were only three campsites available during our visit. All of the other campsites were occupied by long-term residents or transient workers. The camp-host occupies site #1 and collects the camping fee. It rained the night were were there and the water pooled up quite a bit on our site, but the gravel pad area remained firm, so it was no problem departing the campsite the next morning.

The Mobile Lifestyle - 10-05-21

During our travels over the past 30 years we have met so many interesting and wonderful people from all walks of life. The one thing we all had in common was our love for travel and the desire to experience new adventures.

Everyone had their our preferred mode of mobile living accommodations; be it motorhomes, travel trailers, pickup trucks with camper tops, van conversions, school buses, cargo trailers, 6-wheel box trucks, former Fed-Ex, UPS-style trucks, ambulances, fire trucks and camping tents.

Recently, I discovered a YouTube video documentary that perfectly captures one perspective of those who choose the freedom and independance of the mobile lifestyle.

The title of the documentary is: Without Bound - Perspectives on Mobile Living.
The documentary was made by:
Michael Tubbs - http://michaeltubbs.com
Aaron Harlan - http://aaronharlan.com

To watch this video on YouTube with a full screen display on your device, start playing the video, then click on the YouTube text on the lower right of the player. This action will take you to the video now playing on YouTube. At the bottom-right of the video player, click on the full screen icon: [ ].

Covid-19 Vaccinations - 05/12/21

Covid-19 Vaccinations - 05/12/21
Chicago, IL

After arriving home in Chicago one of our first objectives was to get a Covid-19 vaccination. While we were spending the winter season in Yuma, AZ, Covid-19 vaccinations were only available, at the time, for residents of Arizona.

We scheduled our vaccinations through our county health department and received our first Pfizer vaccination on 04/21/21 and our second Pfizer vaccination on 05/12/21. We were so relieved to have finally received our vaccinations. To our way of thinking, it was a no-brainer, compared to the very real alternative that without the vaccination, at our age and health issues, should we get Covid-19 it would most likely not end well for us.

We look forward to a future when the Covid-19 pandemic is behind us, life is back to normal, the economy is thriving and our fellow Americans are not sitting in judgement of one another.

Weather - Yuma, AZ - Apr 2021

Daily Weather Observations for April 2021
Yuma, Arizona

Click here to see more details of the weather.

Chicago, IL - 04/14/21

Chicago, is the third most populous city in the United States, following New York City and Los Angeles. With a population of 2,746,388 in the 2020 census, it is also the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the fifth most populous city in North America.

Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837.

Famed for its bold architecture, Chicago has a skyline punctuated by skyscrapers such as the iconic John Hancock Center, 1,451-ft. Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) and the neo-Gothic Tribune Tower. The city is also renowned for its museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago with its noted Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works.

After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed several square miles and left more than 100,000 homeless, the city rebuilt. The construction boom accelerated population growth throughout the following decades, and by 1900, less than 30 years after the great fire, Chicago was the fifth-largest city in the world.

Chicago is an international hub for finance, culture, commerce, industry, education, technology, telecommunications, and transportation.

The economy of Chicago is diverse, with no single industry employing more than 14% of the workforce. It is home to several Fortune 500 companies, including Allstate, Boeing, Caterpillar, Exelon, JLL, Kraft Heinz, McDonald's, Mondelez International, Sears, United Airlines Holdings, US Foods, and Walgreens.

Landmarks in the city include Millennium Park, Navy Pier, the Magnificent Mile, the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum Campus, the Willis (Sears) Tower, Grant Park, the Museum of Science and Industry, and Lincoln Park Zoo. Chicago is also home to the Barack Obama Presidential Center being built in Hyde Park on the city's South Side.

Chicago's culture includes the visual arts, literature, film, theatre, comedy (especially improvisational comedy), food, and music, particularly jazz, blues, soul, hip-hop, gospel, and electronic dance music including house music.

Of the area's many colleges and universities, the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago are classified as "highest research" doctoral universities.

Chicago has professional sports teams in each of the major professional leagues, including two Major League Baseball teams.

Travel Itinerary:
04/14/21 - Wednesday
Depart From: Quapaw, OK
Depart: 10:10 am
Odometer: 140,080
Arrive: 11:15 pm
Odometer: 140,696
Trip Mileage: 616
Trip Time: 13 hr 5 min

Destination:
Chicago, IL
Google Maps: 600 miles - 8 hr 59 min

Comments:
Nice to be back home!!!
We should have made an overnight stop in southern Illinois. That was just way too many miles to drive in one day.

Downstream Casino, OK - 04/13/21

Downstream Casino Resort is owned and operated by the Quapaw Nation of Oklahoma. The Quapaw Leadership's decision to build a truly upscale state-of-the-art Casino Resort in 2008 has proven to be the gem of the four states to this date.

Quapaw is a town in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. The population was 906 at the 2010 census.

The word "O-Gah-Pah" was chosen to represent how the Quapaw People say "Quapaw" in the Quapaw language, and can be translated to mean "Downstream People."

In 1891 Kansas farmer Isaac Bingham moved his family south into Ottawa County. The family established a community and opened several businesses. Quapaw Chief John Quapaw donated land for a community school. The Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railroad established a railroad stop and siding at the community location. This established access to markets for hay and agricultural products of the area. A post office was opened in the community grocery store in 1897.

The community leaders platted "New Town Quapaw," on land to the east purchased from native Harry Whitebird. This "new" town was incorporated in 1917 as Quapaw. Discovery of lead and zinc ores in the area resulted in this area being part of the Tri-State mining district, and resulted in a population boom as thousands of miners moved into the larger area. Native Americans were generally excluded from mining, although the county had a significant proportion from several federally recognized tribes. With the population and economic boom, new businesses were developed. The 1920 census listed 1,394 residents. In the 1920s U. S. Route 66 was developed through Quapaw and was paved through Ottawa County by 1933. This event was celebrated with Quapaw Chief Victor Griffin laying a zinc tablet in the center of Main Street.

Quapaw began to lose residents as the local mining operations began to decline. The population declined to 1,054 by 1940 and as mining activity in the area declined, the population dropped to 850 in 1960.

 

Travel Itinerary:
04/13/21 - Tuesday
Depart From: Amarillo, TX
Depart: 10:30 am
Odometer: 139,617
Arrive: 8:00 pm
Odometer: 140,080
Trip Mileage: 463
Trip Time: 9 hr 30 min

Destination:
Downstream Casino Resort
69300 East New Rd
Quapaw, OK
GPS: 36.92100, -94.83570
Google Maps: 459 miles - 6 hr 34 min
Campsite: RV parking site
Cost: Free

Gas Expense:
None

Comments:
Very nice place to spend the night.
RV parking separate from truck parking.
Free shuttlebus service to casino.
Nice area for walk with your dog.
No Toll fees on I-40 from Amarillo, TX to Oklahoma City, OK.

Amarillo, TX - 04/12/21

Amarillo is a city in the Texas Panhandle and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. The estimated population of Amarillo was 199,371 as of 2019.

The city takes its name from the Spanish word for yellow, thus, the city is also known as "The Yellow Rose of Texas."

Amarillo is a gateway to the vast, trail-lined Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The Cadillac Ranch is an installation of graffiti-decorated cars, partly buried in a field. With art deco and Spanish Revival buildings, the U.S. Route 66–Sixth Street Historic District is a hub for dining and antiques. The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum is dedicated to the famous horse breed.

Travel Itinerary:
04/12/21 - Monday
Depart From: Sky City Casino RV Park
Depart: 10:20 am
Odometer: 139,258
Arrive: 6:00 pm
Odometer: 139,617
Trip Mileage: 359
Trip Time: 7 hr 40 min

Destination:
Texas Travel Information Center
I-40, Exit 76
GPS: 35.19166, -101.72590
Amarillo, TX
Google Maps: 348 miles - 5 hr 9 min
Campsite: RV parking site
Cost: Free

Gas Expense: None
Flying J at Exit 76

Comments:
Very nice place to spend the night.
RV parking separate from truck parking.
24-hr restrooms.
Nice area for walk with your dog.

Sky City Casino, NM - 04/11/21

A favorite among Route 66 travelers, Sky City RV Park offers gorgeous views of Mt. Taylor all within walking distance to the Sky City Casino, nearby Sky City Travel Center, hotel seasonal pool and more.

Travel Itinerary:
04/11/21 - Sunday
Depart From: Cordes Lake, AZ
Depart: 10:00 am
Odometer: 138,913
Arrive: 6:00 pm
Odometer: 139,258
Trip Mileage: 345
Trip Time: 8 hr 00 min

Destination:
Sky City Casino RV Park
7 Sky City Rd Drive
I-40, Exit 102
GPS: 35.07948, -107.55738
Acomo Pueblo, NM
Google Maps: 344 miles - 5 hr 30 min
Campsite:
Cost: Free

Gas Expense:
Flying J
Jamestown, NM
Price/Gal: $2.819
Gallons: 22.464
Amount: $63.33
Odometer: 139,195

Comments:
Very nice place to spend one or more nights.
Register at Casino gift shop, with casino card, for free camping.
There are 2 campounds here with free shuttlebus service to the casino.