Home again. October 4-10, 2014

October 4, 2014

We recycle.  

We left Cortez this morning and traveled across the Rocky Mountains before spending the night in Las Vegas, NM at a KOA.  The people there were very nice, but the park was not up to the usual KOA standards.  However, the owners run a small restaurant (Cafe del Guapo)  on the property where we ate very good hamburgers and visited with other campers.  Somehow we lost our tailpipe on the way here, but Steve was able to install a makeshift one using an empty bean can provided by the guy from the Cafe.   Way to go, Steve!

October 5, 2014

Today we made it to Amarillo, TX and stopped at the Overnite RV Park.  We met some Floridians from Bradenton and enjoyed happy hour with them before going to The Big Texan for dinner.  The food there is good, and we were serenaded by 3 cowboys at our table. We also got to watch 2 guys each attempt to eat a 72 oz. steak, 3 shrimp, baked potato, salad, rolls and dessert in 1 hour or less.   One definitely did not make it, and we left before the other one was done but he looked as if he just might be able to eat it all.

At thee Big Texan.

He is NOT going to be able to eat all this.  

Being serenaded with Bradenton RVers.  

Groom, TX beside I-40.
Nineteen stories tall.

October 6, 2014

Corky enjoying Lake Eufaula. 

After leaving Amarillo, we made it to Checotah, OK where we stayed at another (much nicer) KOA.   It is located an the shores of Lake Eufaula, and Corky had a lovely time splashing in the water and chasing the ball.  Precious, in the meantime ran around wildly and then rolled over and over in the mud requiring a bath before she could come back into the RV.  This KOA also had a small, family run restaurant, but we had enjoyed a big lunch on the road and decided on having a light supper in the rigs.

Who are you and what have you done with my Precious???

October 7, 2014

We traveled from Checotah to Pine Bluff, AR today, and found very few campgrounds in the area.  We finally settled on Deam's RV Park just south of Pine Bluff.  This is a very small park that was built mostly to house workers from nearby industry.  It is on the property of Wayne Deam, who proved to be a very nice and accommodating host.   He met us at the site (we were in the only pull through), made sure the sites were groomed, and helped with hook-ups.  The cost for the night for each of our rigs was $20.    We cooked dinner in our rig (Larry did a pork roast) and just as we were  finishing, Wayne dropped by.  Of course we asked him to share our dinner and we enjoyed conversing with him and learning more about the area. He is such a nice guy, and we recommend his  place to anyone who needs a campsite in that area.

October 8, 2014

We left bright and early this morning for the trip from Pine Bluff to Hattisburg, MS, where we are staying at the Okatoma River RVResort for $13 (Passport America).  The road coming in was a bit of a hassle, but the price is right and the park is very nice.  We ate dinner at Rayner's Seafood which has very little ambiance, but the food (fried everything) was very good.  It is good to be east of the Mississippi River for a change.

The od and new Mississippi River Bridges in Vicksburg, MS

October 9, 2014

We were sad to say goodbye  to our excellent travel companions, Larry and Bonnie, this morning.  They are heading for Pensacola to visit their daughter and to drop off some things at SMART headquarters.  Steve's homing instinct is very strong now, so we will drive as far as possible today so that we will have a short trip home tomorrow.  

The Shields and Colts have covered about 6000 miles  together on this two month long journey, and we have shared some awesome experiences.  We have weathered a broken air conditioner, a warm refrigerator, a bad satellite, a lost tail pipe, a bum electronic control valve,  a dead IPhone, and a check engine light, but all is well now as we travel the last leg of our adventure.  We have laughed and cried, felt patriotic, hiked, climbed, floated, and learned much we didn't know about this great land of ours.   I have crossed 3 huge items off my bucket list (R & R Hall of Fame, live TV show, and Mesa Verde).  We have made new friends across the country and visited with some old friends (Annarumas, Pinettes, Dianne, Fred and Joel) and attended a SMART National Muster.  We mourned the loss of our dear friend, Barb Hunter and my cousin, Sonny.  We have gambled and lost, gambled and won, enjoyed many happy hours and boxes of wine, played numerous games of dominos and back alley bridge, and eaten our way across country.  Every day we saw something beautiful and unusual and made wonderful memories.  It was an honor and a pleasure to share our travels with these wonderful friends.    Love you Bonnie and Larry and miss you already.

        <This is how we roll!>




October 10, 2014

We left the KOA in Monticello, FL  about 9 this morning and should be home around noon.   I want to thank all of you who have shared this adventure with us by reading and commenting on this blog.
See you next trip!