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| Date | Town | State | Campground | Price | Narrative | |
| 1/1/1991 | Laredo | TX | Casa Norte | $13.50 | This is really a trailer park with a few RV sites in the center, but it is the only campground in Laredo. When we drove down on the streets of Laredo, we spied lots of Mexicans Americans, but no cowboys. Long drive today. We will now start to slow down. It is starting to rain. | |
| 1/2/1991 | Falcon Heights | TX | Falcon State Park | $10.00 | Rained most of last night and today. We drove through lots of irrigated lands today. Finally finished the trip tape Part 2. Started making copies. | |
| 1/3/1991 | Falcon Heights | TX | $10.00 | Rained all night and all day. Finished copying trip tape and mailed 12 copies at Falcon Heights PO. Tom spent the day cooking and Frank put titles on Campgrounds Tape. Drove to Roma to shop. | ||
| 1/4/1991 | Mission | TX | Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley ST. Park | $10.00 | Still raining. We're getting closer to the coast. The trees are getting bigger and denser. Went to Camping World this afternoon. | |
| 1/5/1991 | Mission | TX | $10.00 | Foggy and misty. We drove around town a little and washed the truck at a car wash. Started walking again. Will try to keep it up. | ||
| 1/6/1991 | Sandia | TX | Lake Corpus Christi State Rec. Area | $10.00 | We are back here again. Nice campground. We were going to go toward South Padre Island, but decided we didn't want the traffic and crowds. The weather is finally breaking. Still cloudy, but no rain. | |
| 1/7/1991 | Sandia | TX | $10.00 | More rain. Our brains are getting soggy. Washed trailer and truck, even though they will get dirty again tomorrow. Mailed Christmas decorations to Charlie, and sent them a ham. Still cloudy but no rain. | ||
| 1/8/1991 | Port Aransas | TX | Mustang Island State Park | $9.00 | We are on the beach. The Gulf of Mexico is about 500 feet away. More rain and fog. Not too many people around us, and that makes this a nice campground. Got mail at Port Aransas this afternoon, then went to Radio Shack in Corpus Christi. More rain. Gas prices are around $1.319 around here. | |
| 1/9/1991 | Port Aransas | TX | $9.00 | More rain. Spent most of the day around the trailer listening to news of the failure of the last US effort for peace in the Middle East. Drove to the Naval Air Station and the BX. Walked on the beach. | ||
| 1/10/1991 | Edna | TX | Lake Texana State Park | $9.00 | More rain. Our brains are now getting rusty. We are right on a beautiful lake, nice spacing between sites. Would like to see this campground in March or September. There are several herds of mule deer around the trailer, one of which has at least 13 in it. Got a screwdriver bit set from Wall Mart. | |
| 1/11/1991 | San Felipe | TX | Stephen Austin State Park | $10.00 | Sun. Hooray! Finally. Blue sky. Whoopee! We are just outside Houston, and tomorrow we should see Tom's nephew Brad. This campground has lots of trees and open areas between them. | |
| 1/12/1991 | San Felipe | TX | $10.00 | It is now 3:00 pm CST and the Congress has just passed the authorization for war in the Persian Gulf. Later... we drove into Houston, and had dinner with Brad and Sarah. Nice visit. | ||
| 1/13/1991 | Livingston | TX | Lake Livingston State Park | $9.00 | Another nice campground. We are within 50 feet of a huge lake 15 miles across and 40 miles long. Wonderful sunset. Walked around the park some. The lake is about 2 feet above normal due to recent rains. That's a lot of water. | |
| 1/14/1991 | Sabine Pass | TX | Sea Rim State Park | $9.00 | Right on the Gulf again. Late this evening had severe thunder storms. Winds hit 53mph, 1.42 inches of rain, small hail, continuous lightning. Quite beautiful. This is going to be our last night in Texas, at least on this trip. | |
| 1/15/1991 | St. Martinville | LA | Lake Fausse Pointe State Park | $12.00 | We found out this morning, the storm left small dents all over our nice trailer. We are now in the middle of a bayou. Crickets are chirping, water is moving slowly. Other than that is very quiet. Only 2 people in campground. Nice park, but sites are kind of close together for a state park. About 50 feet apart. | |
| 1/16/1991 | Waveland | MS | Buccaneer State Park | $12.00 | Campground is cluttered, sites too close together, 1/10 mile to a railroad track. The United States, and United Nations are at war with Iraq. We attacked at 7:00 pm cst. tonight. | |
| 1/17/1991 | Gulf Islands Ntl. Seashor | FL | Fort Pickens Campground | $12.00 | We are back in Florida again. The weather is quite nice. We are watching the news of the Gulf war. Got mail at Gulf Breeze. | |
| 1/18/1991 | Gulf Islands Ntl. Seashor | FL | $12.00 | Spent a lazy day around the trailer. Drove down to Fort Pickens and walked around the fort on a concrete wall which was part of the WWI fortifications. Paid insurance bill today. Called Charlie and Rhonda. It is starting to rain again. | ||
| 1/19/1991 | Gulf Islands Ntl. Seashor | FL | $12.00 | Frank spent the day working on the computer, while Tom went shopping. It rained most of the day. 2.28 inches in the last 24 hours. | ||
| 1/20/1991 | Tyndall AFB | FL | Tyndall AFB Famcamp | $8.00 | We advanced slowly eastward, today, stopping at Gulf Islands Nt. Seashore Visitor's Center. Nice facility, but not a very good slide show. They had Haselblad slide projectors. Very large slides and a 30 foot screen. We were at this campground last January. | |
| 1/21/1991 | Tyndall AFB | FL | $8.50 | Moved to another site today so we could get cable. This is still a very good campground. Tom got oil changed in the truck while Frank finished reading 20,000 Leages Under The Sea. Later we took a walk and saw a dolphin swimming in the bay. | ||
| 1/22/1991 | Eastport | FL | St. George Island State Park | $10.60 | We are on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico. Took a long walk on the beach this afternoon. Saw a racoon being fed at a nearby campsite. Had to cross a toll bridge to get here, $4.00, the most expensive toll bridge on the trip and it was only a couple of miles long. | |
| 1/23/1991 | Sopchoppy | FL | Ochlockonee River State Park | $12.84 | Saw more white squirrels. The ranger says there are 40 or 50 of them. Seems a farmer lived across the river years ago and had 2. When he died his wife brought the squirrels over here and set them free. We have seen several racoons today. Did some walking. Tried to walk the nature trail, but standing water stopped us. | |
| 1/24/1991 | Chiefland | FL | Manatee Springs State Park | $10.60 | It rained most of today. Heavy winds and rain this evening. Checked on mail at Chiefland, but not in yet. Saw many fish in the warm waters of the spring this afternoon, but no manatees. We also saw a wild turkey crossing the road, (Why did the turkey cross the road?) and tom saw a dolphin in the river. | |
| 1/25/1991 | Marineland | FL | Faver-Dykes State Park | $10.76 | Interesting park. The entrance is about 1 mile on a 1 lane sandy dirt road. Glad we didn't meet anyone. Got mail this morning. Rain most of the day again. We are only a couple of miles from the Atlantic Ocean again. This is our 550th day of the trip. | |
| 1/26/1991 | Marineland | FL | $10.76 | We drove to see Fort Matanzas Ntl. Historic Site this morning. A small fort built by the Spanish in 1742 to protect the southern inlet to St. Augustine. Later we went to St. Augustine and toured the Castillo de San Marcos. The primary fort, built between 1672 and 1695, within the city. Both forts were built of coquina, a soft sandstone, found in the ar | ||
| 1/27/1991 | Titusville | FL | The Great Outdoors RV Resort | $27.25 | Nice park, but an all time high price for us, at $27.25. This is a condo park, and the site we are on is for sale for $28,500. We stopped at a Circuit City in Datona Beach to buy a CD player for the truck, but decided not to, too expensive at $550, plus mounting bracket. | |
| 1/28/1991 | Melbourne Beach | FL | Sebastian Inlet State Park | $18.49 | Visited Canaveral National Seashore and Merritt Island Ntl. Wildlife Refuge this morning. Nice Visitor Center for the refuge, but bad signage for both parks. We walked on the beach only about 1 mile from the Space Shuttle Launch pad #B. This campground is on a barrier island, where many fishermen are dooing their thing. | |
| 1/29/1991 | Pahokee | FL | Pahokee Marina & Campground | $9.81 | Campground is not bad. Nice grass, right on the water, but management needs work, lots of trash on dock and in cans. Campground and overflow is full. The back end of the trailer is on Lake Okeechobee, the second largest fresh water lake in the US. We can't see the other side. Bought new grease gun and lubed rear levelers. It is hot, 91, humidity 90. | |
| 1/30/1991 | Homestead Air Force Base | FL | Mystic Lake Fam-Camp | $11.00 | This morning Tom was taking down the awning and found a frog inside the center bar. We let him out into some bushes. Nice campground. Paved sites, but no shade. We went to Biscayne Ntl. Park this afternoon. Saw a ranger who had just transfered from Mamoth Cave, where he had given us a tour about two months ago. Hot today, 95, humidity 95 percent. | |
| 1/31/1991 | Homestead Air Force Base | FL | $11.00 | We drove into Everglades Ntl. Park today. We were surprized, 90 percent of the park looks like the plains with water, not like a jungle. Saw aligators, lots of beautiful birds, dwarf cypress trees (just as old as the giants, but smaller from environmental starvation, no food). Hot again, around 90. Mail is not here yet. | ||
| 2/1/1991 | Estero | FL | Koreshan State Historic Site | $17.38 | Lots of trees and undergrowth. We crossed southern Florida this morning, on the Tamiami Trail, stopping at the Big Cypress Ntl. Preserve Visitor Center along the way. This park is the site of an 1890s settlement by a man who believed the earth was a hollow ball with the sun at the center and people lived on the inside surface. Postage goes up to 29 cents | |
| 2/2/1991 | Estero | FL | $15.20 | We started the day with a trip to Camping World. Then off to a mall to find some socks. Next was Morrisons where we met up with Ed and Vi, and then went to their home. Teddy their Shiz Tsius dog, has grown quite a bit since we saw him at the Country Waye in Luray. Later Frank repaired the gray water cleanout and installed a new water connection on the tra | ||
| 2/3/1991 | Bradenton | FL | Winter Quarters-Manatee | $19.80 | This morning we toured the historic part of the State Park. Interesting, but not much left, only about 5 buildings. This afternoon went to see De Soto Ntl. Memorial, which commemorates his landing in 1538 to conquer and loot the new continent. Later tried to find Frank's grandmother's old house. No luck. | |
| 2/4/1991 | Keystone Heights | FL | Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park | $10.68 | Quite nice. 5 people in campground of 18 sites. Very clean restroom. Friendly office people. Bought Florida State Park T-shirts. We drove further than our plan called for, but we are glad we did. It is cooling off the further north we get. Near 90 yesterday, in the 60s today. The trailer turned 40,000 miles today. now at 40,139. | |
| 2/5/1991 | Fernandina Beach | FL | Fort Clinch State Park | $15.08 | Left early this morning. After setting up in this very nice campground, we drove down into Jacksonville, crossing a ferry, and visited Fort Caroline Ntl. Memorial. The site of the very first settlement in the North American continent. The French settlement lasted about 1 year before the Spanish overran them and forced them out. | |
| 2/6/1991 | Brunswick | GA | Blythe Island Regional Park Campground | $14.50 | We started the day with a visit to Fort Clinch. A very unusual design for a civil war era fort. Stopped by Cumberland Island Ntl. Seashore in St. Mary's Georgia. After setting up went to see Fort Frederica Ntl. Historic Site near Brunswick, but it started raining so we will go back tomorrow. Nice campground. Even has cable. | |
| 2/7/1991 | Brunswick | GA | $14.50 | Went back to Fort Frederica and toured. We rented a tape tour which was very good. This is one of the best displays in a Ntl. Park of this type we have seen. Later Tom called the McLeishes to set up a visit. | ||
| 2/8/1991 | Hilton Head Island | SC | Outdoor Resorts RV Resort & Yacht Club | $23.54 | We are right next to a marina with many expensive yachts. Had a nice afternoon with Jim McLeish. We went over to his house and then had him over to the trailer. Talked and watched videos for 5 hours. | |
| 2/9/1991 | Edisto Beach | SC | Edisto Beach State Park | $11.00 | We had breakfast with Jim and said "goodby". We're now back in Edisto. Walked on beach. Frank got another dose of artifical color from breakfast. | |
| 2/10/1991 | Edisto Beach | SC | $11.00 | Tom walked on the beach most of the day, while Frank played with video tapes and the computer. A vary layed back day. | ||
| 2/11/1991 | Edisto Beach | SC | $11.00 | Went into Charleston today, and visited Fort Sumter Ntl. Monument, where the civil war began. We had to take a ferry ride to get there. Today marks the 100th day since leaving Luray. We have finally brought daily average expenses down below the point before returning to Luray. The trip is now 567 days in & we have used the trailer a total of 653 nights | ||
| 2/12/1991 | Millen | GA | Magnolia Springs State Park | $10.00 | Very nice campground, right on a lake. This is the site of a civil war prison constructed to relieve overcrouding at Andersonville. It was only used for a short time then abandoned when Sherman marched to Atlanta. There is a spring in the park of over 9 million gallons a day. We are seeing lots of daffodills. Spring is coming to Georiga. | |
| 2/13/1991 | Warner Robins | GA | Robins AFB. Fam Camp | $6.00 | We're in a different site this time here. A pull through, but had lot of trouble getting in because of trees. Finally got mail, 3 shipments of it, at Bonaire GA. We are seeing more flowers and greening grass. | |
| 2/14/1991 | Warner Robins | GA | $6.00 | Started off the day with a visit to Ocmulgee Ntl. Monument, an ancient Indian city, in Macon. They have a very good display and a reconstructed Indian lodge. Next, off to a mall for lunch at Morrisons. Then Jiffy Lube for an oil and transmission change. It is supposed to get cold tonight. Bought a book "The Making of a Ranger" at the monument. | ||
| 2/15/1991 | Ninty Six | SC | Lake Greenwood State Park | $11.00 | It is cold. Several of the site's water hydrants had already frozen at 5 this afternoon. By 7 ours was also frozen. 27 degrees, wind gusting to 21. Wind chill reads -8. We have both electric heaters going and the furnace is also on. Otherwise nice campground, right on a lake. | |
| 2/16/1991 | Ninty Six | SC | Lake Greenwood State Park | $11.00 | Went to Ninty Six Ntl. Historic Site this morning. Site of several important Revolutionary War battles and major crossroads in upcountry South Carolina. The town was just finishing there Presidents Day Parade as we went through. Spent rest of day working on Tom's letter to SAIC. It got down to 16 degrees last night and some pipes froze in the trailer. | |
| 2/17/1991 | Cleveland | SC | Pleasant Ridge County Park | $8.00 | This is an old state park which was given to the county. Not bad but needs new electrical service. After setting up, we went to the Carl Sandburg Ntl Monument, the home where he lived the last 20 years of his life, and did most of his writing. Interesting house, lots of goats, and steep hills. | |
| 2/18/1991 | Blacksburg | SC | Kings Mountain State Park | $11.00 | Hilly country. On the way here we stopped at Cowpens Ntl. Battlefield, where a major victory for the patriots occured in 1780. This afternoon visited Kings Mountain battlefield, where another major battle was won by mountain men against loyalists, and was probally the turning point in the revolution. | |
| 2/19/1991 | High Point | NC | Oak Hollow Family Campground City Park | $12.00 | Nice campground, paved sites full hookups and cable TV. Drove to see Gilford Courthouse Ntl. Military site. Nice park in the middle of Greenville, but poor interpertation. | |
| 2/20/1991 | High Point | NC | $12.00 | It was still raining so we decided to stay here another night while we have a paved site and cable. Drove to Winston-Salem and walked a large mall. Not bad. Installed a wooden dowel in closet to keep tapes from falling out each time door is opened. | ||
| 2/21/1991 | Henderson | NC | C.J. Cooper; Kerr Lake State Park | $7.00 | We are back here in the same site. This time we are the only ones in the campground. The rain has stopped and it is sunny and nice. No one has come to collect campground fees. | |
| 2/22/1991 | Weldon | NC | Interstate Motel & Campground | $10.50 | This morning we took a long walk and met the park ranger who collected the campground fee. Got to Roanoke Rapids and went over to Frank's Aunt Lib's for a nice long talk and dinner. Delicious. | |
| 2/23/1991 | Weldon | NC | $10.50 | Went over to Aunt Lib's this morning after looking around some stores. Had a nice talk and lunch. Then drove to Rocky Mount and looked around, stopping at Bob Melton's for take-out bar-b-que. Returning to camp we went to Sears and bought Aunt Lib a new refrigerator. She was quite supprised and happy. We both feel quite good. She needed a new one. | ||
| 2/24/1991 | Virginia Beach | VA | Holiday Trav-l-park | $22.56 | This morning we had breakfast at Aunt Lib's and moved her old refrigerator outside. She will have someone pick it up later. It is raining now that we are back in Virginia. The first site we got had no electricty, so we had to move. Expencive campground at $22.56 for off season, what would it be in season? | |
| 2/25/1991 | Williamsburg | VA | Cheatham Annex Family Campground | $9.00 | We decided to leave today, the weather is not nice, and go to Willamsburg. This is a nice campground. This should be our last campground before technically returning to Northern Virginia. They are building a system to help them work on trans-Atlantic cables here at the base. Interesting. | |
| 2/26/1991 | Williamsburg | VA | $9.00 | It was snowing when we got up this morning. Not sticking but definetely snowing. We went to Williamsburg and had a wonderful lunch at The King's Arms Tavern. Tom had Chicken Pot Pie and Frank had Yorkshire Pie. We were stuffed. Then we walked around the historic aera. Bought the movie Story Of A Patroit and a CD. | ||
| 2/27/1991 | Williamsburg | VA | $9.00 | We went to Yorktown this morning. They have a new movie. Better than the old one. Later in the day we visited Jamestown. Then walked around Williamsburg, and had dinner at Morrisons. | ||
| 2/28/1991 | Bowling Green | VA | A.P. Hill Army Base | $10.00 | Well we are back. Technically our trip is over. The trailer has gone 37,130 miles and the truck has gone 65,292 miles on the trip. It has been fun, but it is time to go back to work and find a house. This is a nice campground. We picked up the car from Charlies this afternoon, then went over to say "Hi" to Rhonda this evening. | |
| 3/1/1991 | Bowling Green | VA | $10.00 | Drove to Reston to pick up a couple of house listings. Then paul's Video and approved VCR repair. Next Frank walked around Tysons Mall while Tom went to check on taxes. Later Frank went over to Charlies to work on his phone and computer. | ||
| 3/2/1991 | Bowling Green | VA | $10.00 | Frank went over to Rhonda's and worked on her computer while Tom went to Northern Virginia to make phone calls. Later we had the family over for dinner and movies. | ||
| 3/3/1991 | Bowling Green | VA | $10.00 | Drove into Northern Virginia and worked on the computer at the real estate office. Got some info, but most of the time was spent learning their system. Looked at several condos at Waterford Square and 2 houses in Reston. One condo looks great. Mabe. | ||
| 3/4/1991 | Bowling Green | VA | $10.00 | Went and looked at 2 houses this morning, but neather were exceptable. Then to Reston to run the computer again. Went back to 307 in Waterford Square to shoot pictures, then saw 2 nice houses in Clifton. Will return to see insides tomorrow. | ||
| 3/5/1991 | Quantico | VA | Lunga Park | $9.00 | Beautiful lake campsite. Today we went back to see the inside of the houses we looked at yesterday. We like one very much; we call it "Mountain Top" We will make an offer Thursday. It is in Clifton. We are all alone in this campground. | |
| 3/6/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | Frank spent most of the day installing the celluar phone in the trailer while Tom drove to Northern Va. and made phone calls. Tom's job prospect looks good at this point. He will call back tomorrow to talk with his boss. | ||
| 3/7/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | We went into Reston this morning. Tom had a dental appointment and Frank pulled comps from the computer. We wrote a contract on "Mountain Top" and later went over there to look at the house again. Our contract has been accepted. We now have a house. | ||
| 3/8/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | We had some second thoughts about the house when we found out the power company was preparing to build a substation behind it, but after a lot of phone calls and going back to look at the site, we bought the house. Closing should be about May 1. We think we have made a good investment. | ||
| 3/9/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | Frank drove to Alexandria and picked up his mother, brought her to the trailer for the afternoon and lunch. A nice visit. Later we talked about how we want to remodel in the new house. | ||
| 3/10/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | Charlie and Rhonda and the kids came over this afternoon for lunch. Nice visit. The kids sat on the bed and watched movies while the adults talked in the living room. Paid Home Base mail service. | ||
| 3/11/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | This morning we delivered Frank's mother's birthday present then went appliance window shopping. Saw lots of different types. Also looked at bathroom fixtures. We believe we will replace all the appliances in "Mountain Top". | ||
| 3/12/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | Had the engineering inspection for "Mountain Top" this morning. At the same time, had Custom Carpets over to measure. Addendum to contract to have sellers clean chimney and fix kitchen sink leak. Finally got mail 8 days late at Dumfries and went to commisary. supposed to snow tonight. | ||
| 3/13/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | We spent most of the day at the trailer. It was supposed to snow, but it has not started yet. Went to Aquia Harbor and joined a video club to rent some movies. | ||
| 3/14/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | Tom went into Northern Va. to take care of the loan application and visit with people at SAIC. Frank stayed in the trailer and copied video tapes. | ||
| 3/15/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | Drove into Northern Va. again to get propane and take care of more loan business. Stopped by USGS in Reston and bought a quadrangle map of Clifton. | ||
| 3/16/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | Tom went to PRIMUS this morning, then stopped by Tower Records for a couple of CDs, while Frank worked on the 600 day letter. Yes today is number 600. Later Frank went to Charlies and fixed their TV antenna. | ||
| 3/17/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | We spent the entire day shopping for the best prices on appliances and furniture. Fair Oaks Mall, Tysons Corner, Water Beds and Fort Belviour PX. The PX will proably get most of our busniess. | ||
| 3/18/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | First we went to This Ends Up and bought rec room furniture, then to real estate agent to deliver final papers and finally visited with the Eckhardtes in Reston. Useful and productive day. | ||
| 3/19/1991 | Bowling Green | VA | A.P. Hill Army Base | $10.00 | Moved south to Bowling Green this morning. Everything seems to be on line with the house closing. This evening we went over to Charlies and took dinner. Everything was great. Left the car at Charlies again. | |
| 3/20/1991 | Natrual Bridge | VA | KOA Natural Bridge | $16.30 | Well, we're on the road again. We are headed west over some roads we haven't been on before. | |
| 3/21/1991 | Bruin | KY | Grayson Lake State Park | $10.00 | Nice park. Drove a long way today 281 miles. Rain most of the morning, but cleared in the afternoon. | |
| 3/22/1991 | Mammoth Cave Ntl. Park | KY | Headquarters Campground | $6.00 | Decided to pick a different site this time. This morning we saw a woodpecker who liked making noise on a trash can. Tom drove all day today. This evening we had a severe storm warning and a nearby tornado. We didn't see any damage, but lots of rain and lightning. | |
| 3/23/1991 | Mammoth Cave Ntl. Park | KY | $6.00 | We started to take two tours today. We began with the Gothic at 10:00 AM. It lasted two hours. Then we went into town to get gas. We read and worked on the trailer until the 4:00PM tour. When we got there, we decided to cancel out. It was full with 120 people. Had dinner in the park restaurant, then attended a ranger program. | ||
| 3/24/1991 | Mammoth Cave Ntl. Park | KY | $6.00 | Drove into Bowling Green this morning. Stopped at Camping World, Sears, and wanted to get the oil changed, but service station was not open. Later went to the Visitor's Center to buy tickets for the Monday half day tour, but it was sold out. Bought Historic tour tickest instead. Mabe we will go on the long tour on Tuesday. | ||
| 3/25/1991 | Mammoth Cave Ntl. Park | KY | $6.00 | Took the Historic tour this morning. Had the same Ranger Guide we had last year, Tennesee hillbilly type, very good and funny tour. Got oil changed in the afternoon. The new battery on the trailer is doing very will. | ||
| 3/26/1991 | Mammoth Cave Ntl. Park | KY | $6.00 | The mail has not come yet, this makes 8 days. We took the half day tour today. 4 miles, 4 1/2 hours. We took our own lunch. Roast beef sandwiches. Much better idea than using the lunch line in the snowball dining room. We are tired. One year ago today we were climbing the Mist Trail in Yosemite. Quite a difference, but both were tiring. | ||
| 3/27/1991 | Poplar Bluff | MO | Lake Wappapello State Park | $7.00 | Nice park on top of a hill overlooking a large lake. Long drive today. Finally got mail this morning 9 days after ordering. Tried to get more mail sent by UPS, but were too late calling. | |
| 3/28/1991 | Springfield | MO | Springfield KOA | $15.97 | This campground is next to a busy railroad track, under an airport landing pattern, and close to an interstate highway. Went to a Lowes and bought some parts to try a sample driveway light for "Mountain Top". Looked at a military suplus store that was quite good. | |
| 3/29/1991 | Oologah | OK | Hawthorn Bluff | $ | Finally got mail and left the campground about 12:30. We are back in this campground again. This time right on the water. This afternoon Frank built a trial driveway light for "Mountain Top". Works quite well. The campground is free until Monday. They just opened today. Went to Wilson's Creek Ntl. Battlefield and bought Park Pins. | |
| 3/30/1991 | Oologah | OK | $ | Drove into Tulsa this morning. Walked several malls and bought a new Allstate Campground Book. Later drove by Oral Roberts University and Church. Beautiful buildings. Tonight makes the 700th night we have spent in the trailer. | ||
| 3/31/1991 | Oklahoma City | OK | Tinker AFB Fam Camp | $10.00 | We have plotted our trip for the next 18 days. I think we will be back in Virginia about the first of May. Tom washed the truck and trailer this evening. Found a very good packaged browny in the Base Quick Shop. | |
| 4/1/1991 | Foss | OK | Foss Lake State Park | $10.00 | We are heading further west. Just over the hill from this campground is a large lake formed behind a dam about 2 miles long. Nice day, high around 70, but windy. We paid phone bills and bought a role of new stamps with a rose on them. Those stamps go quite nicely on our envelopes. | |
| 4/2/1991 | Amarillo | TX | Amarillo KOA | $15.30 | Heavy winds today. Central Oklahoma and north eastern Texas had tornados and large hale. We went back to the truck stop where we bought Frank's cowboy hat back in December to try to get another one, but they have changed their styles. Got a 4x4 post from a Home Center and built another driveway light for "Mountain Top". We like this one better. | |
| 4/3/1991 | Amarillo | TX | $15.30 | This morning took the trailer to Family Camping Center south of Amarillo to have the wheel bearrings repacked and brakes adjusted. Also had left brake magnets replaced. Trailer has 43,610 miles left brake magnets had 21,071 miles packing has 22,252. Later Tom went to a clinic to have a checkup. Frank started sidewalk lamp and got belt. | ||
| 4/4/1991 | Santa Rosa | NM | Santa Rosa Lake State Park | $11.00 | Beautiful scenery and campground. They have built concrete picknic tables and shelters that look like adobi. Couldn't use their shower, too hot. Frank finished the sidewalk light, looks good. No TV reception at all here. We found a box of tools and trash upon leaving the KOA this morning. It had fallen off the back of an RV. | |
| 4/5/1991 | Santa Fe | NM | Hyde Memorial State Park | $11.00 | Busy day. Arrived about 12:00 to find the only water is a hand pump. Got tank filled with several hoses, a down hill slope and a lot of pumping. Went to look at Santa Fe. Very nice town. We might someday like to live here. Bought hats for Leah and Josiah. Steep hill getting to campground. Almost didn't make it into site. Quite an interesting day. | |
| 4/6/1991 | Las Vegas | NM | Storrie Lake State Park | $11.00 | Not a good day. Started off by running over a rock trying to get out of the campground and badly damaging one of the rear levelers, not to mention throwing all the books and CDs into the floor. Later we stopped by Pecos Ntl. Historic Site. Nice. Great Visitor Center built by Greer Garson. Interesting ruines of a 17th centruy Indian Town and Church. | |
| 4/7/1991 | Raton | NM | HI-LOW Campground & RV Park | $13.20 | Started this morning with a stop at Fort Union Ntl. Monument. The ruines of a very large military fort along the Santa Fe Trail. Very well done audio tour, and fascinating adoby remains. After setting up at this awful campground we drove to Capulin (ca-poo-leen) Volcano Ntl. Monument. A cinder cone volcano crater with a trail arouned the top into the ca | |
| 4/8/1991 | La Junta | CO | La Junta KOA | $14.07 | After ariving we went to Bent's Old Fort Ntl. Historical Site. A restoration of an early trading post which was located on the Mexico/US border back in the 1840s. It is now in south eastern Colorado. Presently it is raining with gusty winds. | |
| 4/9/1991 | Garden City | KS | Garden City KOA | $14.50 | Pleasent day. Slightly windy. Tom drove all day today. This town closes down at 5:00 pm. Almost nothing is open. This is a meat packing town. Lots of large corralls packed with cows. | |
| 4/10/1991 | Wakeeney | KS | Wakeeney KOA | $15.45 | Very windy today. Toured Fort Larned today. A stone fort to guard the Santa Fe trail. We have now turned northwest to head toward Nebraska. | |
| 4/11/1991 | North Platt | NE | Holiday Trav-L-Park | $14.42 | Nice day, but still windy and dusty. Frank has a cold. | |
| 4/12/1991 | North Platt | NE | $14.42 | We called ahead at Frank's suggestion to Scottsbluff. They have four inches of snow and slush, so we decided to stay here another day. Frank's cold is now in his nose too and worsening. He is feeling quite badly and drinking all of the OJ and aspirin that he can stand. We paid phone bills today, ordered new adress labels. Tom paid federal taxes. Ugh, what | ||
| 4/13/1991 | Scotts Bluff | NE | Scotts Bluff KOA | $15.30 | Frank spent most of the day sleeping. His cold is beginning to break. We moved to Scotts Bluff today. Most of their snow has melted, but still a lot on the hillsides. | |
| 4/14/1991 | Scottsbluff | NE | $15.30 | This morning we drove 45 miles north to visit Agate Fossil Beds Ntl. Monument. Interesting displays of fossils. Later went to Scotts Bluff Ntl. Monument. An 800 foot set of cliffs which served as a major landmark along the Orgeon trail. We decided not to go to Chimney Rock Ntl. Historic Site because we can see it from the road and there are no facilites ther | ||
| 4/15/1991 | Thedford | NB | Thedford City Park | $ | Not a bad campground. It is free. Quaint City Park with 4 campsites on one side. We are travelling through the sandhills of Central Nebraska. Grass covered sand dunes. No trees except around the occasional village. As much as 25 miles between houses. This town has a population of 360. Got oil changed this morning and added antifreeze to truck. | |
| 4/16/1991 | Grand Isle | NE | Mormon Island State Rec Area | $7.00 | Very nice campground. All paved, sites well spaced, nice grass and trees. This afternoon we drove to Hastings to visit with the Kleagers, who we met in Big Bend. Nice visit. We had to buy a new roof cover for the fridgerator the old one blew off. Tomn seems to be catching a cold now. The railroad is going to build a new line through the Kleager's yar | |
| 4/17/1991 | Anita | IA | Lake Anita State Park | $8.00 | Pretty park, but sites a little close together for a State Park. Had violent thunder storms this evening, lightning all around us. We called Peggy this evening. | |
| 4/18/1991 | Prairie du Chien | WI | Sports Unlimited Campground | $14.77 | It rained all day today. We were going to stay at Pikes Peak State Park in Iowa, but they were rebuilding the bath house and there was no water, so we crossed the Mississippi River and stayed here in Wisconsin. Almost all of their sites are occupied wigh seasonals, but not bad looking. The truck turned 90,000 miles today. Frank calls this town Prairie Chicken. | |
| 4/19/1991 | Zion | IL | Illinois Beach State Park | $9.00 | We are back here again. In fact in the same site again. The rain stopped about midday, but then the wind started. Cold and windy tonight. There are more people in the campground than last time, but this end is deserted. This morning we visited Effigy Mounds Ntl Historic site, where ancient Indians built burial mounds in the shape of animals. | |
| 4/20/1991 | Zion | IL | $9.00 | This evening we went to visit with Peggy & Allen. They took us to see a very good musical play called "The American Song", a story about Woodie Guthrie. Later we had dinner at Leona's Restraunt. Good food but slow kitchen. They served you drinks and pizza squares while you wait for a table. | ||
| 4/21/1991 | Davenport | IA | West Lake County Park Campground | $8.00 | Tom's cold is much worse today. Sorry!! | |
| 4/22/1991 | Davenport | IA | $8.00 | We had lunch with Marylou at Harlands restraunt. Later in the day Tom made a chocolate pie in a frying pan (we had no disposable pan) and we went over to Marilou & Frank's for dinner. | ||
| 4/23/1991 | Davenport | IA | $8.00 | Frank washed the trailer while Tom did the laundry. Later we took chicken, and chips over to Marilou's and ordered pizza's for dinner. | ||
| 4/24/1991 | Peru | IN | Miami/Mississinewa Lake State Rec. Area | $ | Nice campground. We drove much further than we intended today, 299 miles. We were so early, we decided to go further. There is apparently no one to collect campground fees. For the third time on the trip, we didn't unhook the trailer from the truck. | |
| 4/25/1991 | Manchester | OH | Baughman Family Campground | $ | We set up on a section of the concrete drivway this time to avoid damaging the yard. Pat had made a great supper of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and corn. | |
| 4/26/1991 | Manchester | OH | $ | This morning Tom called around and found an appliance dealer who was willing to install today, so we bought Pat a new maytag dishwasher. Frank repaired Lee's TV and later Ron came over and we all had a steak dinner. | ||
| 4/27/1991 | Manchester | OH | $ | Well, maybe someone is trying to tell us to finish up the trip. This morning we went to a Waterbed Store and bought rails for home. When we tried to start the truck, the starter was bad again. A jump and hammer from AAA, and $76 at Firestone later we started OK. Had Belgrade's chicken for dinner. | ||
| 4/28/1991 | Manchester | OH | $ | Today we drove around Akron to see how the town has changed. We had lunch at Swensons where the waiters run to your car, and bought a box of cable for driveway lights at "Mountain Top". Ron came over again for a dinner of hamburgers. | ||
| 4/29/1991 | Berkeley Springs | WV | Tri-Lake Park | $15.90 | We looked at this campground several years ago and forgot about it. Poor campground, but a long drive today and we don't want to go further. Some rain and fog today. We came over the mountains on a different road, lots of hills, but traffic not bad. Today's run was our 3rd highest single day distance on the trailer. | |
| 4/30/1991 | Quantico | VA | Lunga Park | $9.00 | We are back in Quantico in the exact same site. Spent most of the afternoon sorting our schedules. Drove to Charlies to pick up the car, and gave the children their cowboy hats. Tomorrow we start working toward the move into "Mountain Top". This is the last move for the trailer until "Mountain Top" for this trip. | |
| 5/1/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | We drove to Belvior today to make phone calls. Ordered cable, telephones, electrical hookup and checked on some problems with the house survay. We met a nice elderly lady who was having problems geting a taxi, so we took her to Becan Mall. Then stopped to see Frank's Mother. A full day, and a bit frustrating. Bought power drill at PX. | ||
| 5/2/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | We went back up Route 1 to make phone calls, and look for a Builders Square home center. Had Bar-b-que lunch at Dixie Pig, not good, then stopped at Clifton and walked around town. Quaint. Put in a mail hold at the Post Office in case we get anything before we move in. Found a gas fireplace log for about $300 at Campbell's Propane. | ||
| 5/3/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | This afternoon we drove To Fredricksburg to look for Maytag appliances dealer. The phone book listed several, but when called none of them actually had any Maytags. We will try Northern Va. on Monday. Later in the evening Frank went to Charlie's to help him with a new dryer he bought. We are getting ready for a picnic tomorrow. | ||
| 5/4/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | We had Frank's family over for a picnic lunch. Everyone had a good time and a good lunch. Bar-b-qued chicken, potatoes, coleslaw, roles, and chocolate pie. | ||
| 5/5/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | Tom went to Northern Va. to make phone calls while Frank stayed in the trailer and was bored. We are having some difficulty, the house was marketed to us as perking at 4 bedrooms, but the County says it only perks for 3. We will try to get the selling agent to give us a buyer's insurance policy. | ||
| 5/6/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | Back to Northern Va. to look at appliances. We started in Manassas then to Reston to close out several problems with Evelyn, then to Fairfax and another Maytag dealer, finally to Springfield to deliever some papers to Interstate Van Lines. Overall a very successful day. | ||
| 5/7/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | Drove to Herndon, got oil changed in car, delievered directions to "Mountain Top" to Evelyn, picked up letter from Va Power, and delievered it to Novec, looked at appliances again, and finaly picked up 3 movies from the video store in Stafford. | ||
| 5/8/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | We went back to Manassas and put a deposit on the appliances. Also moved up their delivery date to the 16th. Then went to Fair Oaks and bought 4 telephones from the AT&T store. We had Bar-b-qued ribs and chicken with corn on the cob cooked on the campgrounds grill for dinner. Quite good. | ||
| 5/9/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | We drove to Luray to visit with Ellie and Curt, but Ellie had gone to Harrisonburg. Nice visit anyway. Tom did laundry later on while Frank played with the new phones. This may be our last laundry before we get our own washer and dryer again. | ||
| 5/10/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | This morning we drove to Clifton and on to Centreville to look at stores and see what there was to see. Later we took a drive around the Quantico Marine Base, almost 40 miles and we only went around about 1/2 of it. | ||
| 5/11/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | This morning tom went to the Commissary to shop. Then we were both bored stiff, so we finally decided to take a drive. Rode around Fauquare County and into the Clifton and Manassas areas. 125 miles total. Most of it was quite nice. | ||
| 5/12/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | We were quite bored today so we called Gene Ford and he came over for lunch. Nice visit. | ||
| 5/13/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | Closing is getting close. Checked with banks today to make sure we can get down payment out tomorrow. Bought a new waterbed at Manassas, then ordered fixtures for nightlights. The Canadian Goose families with their goslings are all around the trailer this evening. We had a picnic lunch at Manassas Battelfield. | ||
| 5/14/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | Different banks were on tap today as we got together the down payment for Mountain Top. Picked up outlet covers for night lights. Another productive day. | ||
| 5/15/1991 | Quantico | VA | $9.00 | Well, this is it. The last day of our 2 year trip. Yes, I really mean it this time. We had the walkthrough at 10:00 then closing at 1:00; finally back to "Mountan Top" to look over wiring and remodeling possibilities. I think we are going to be happy in our new home. | ||
| 5/16/1991 | Clifton | VA | Lott-Harrell Family Campground | $ | We moved the trailer to Clifton this morning and spent the entire day working on the house and getting things delivered. We did pick up the new waterbed but, at 9:00 pm decided it was too late to put it together, so we spent the night in the trailer. |