Texas to Minnesota, April 2018. The road home.

Sooner or later it is time to head back to the barn. We delayed almost a week in Fredericksburg because Minnesota was getting slammed with a snow storm. 16 inches at the airport! 14 inches or so at Hastings. So we enjoyed our last few days in Fredericksburg with a final lunch at Nury’s right next to the RV Park.

Mike and Jackie. Dave, John and Stacey, Norm and Shirl joined us. What a wonderful bunch of folks we got to share our time with while we were there.

Our first stop on the way home was a free city park in Haskell, TX. We drove all day into a headwind through Abilene and then sort of northeast and still didn’t get out of Texas. Haskell is a small town past its prime but they had an adequate overnight stop with electric hookups. The small city park next to the campground had a first class ball park and what seemed like a semipro ball team. They were out practicing soon after we arrived and set out on a walk. Pretty scruffy place, no pictures.

Then next day we set off for Oklahoma. Very windy. North to Wichita Falls and into Oklahoma. Then on to Oklahoma City and further on to Tulsa and just a bit further to Claremore and the Hawthorn Bluff COE Campground an Lake Oologah. This was a long day.

An hour or two after we left Haskell the wind was very strong and our patio awning came loose. We pulled off to the side of the road and did our best to get it wound back up. A nice young fellow stopped and gave us a hand. With his help we got it rolled back up. We tied it up so it could not come loose again. Two parts are broken and new parts have been ordered.

We went this way partly to see what it would be like to go this way in the winter on the way to Arizona compared to going south from Minnesota to east Texas and then west. The east Texas route gets us to moderate weather quicker but it is longer. Going the Oklahoma route has more two lane roads but can get us down to Georgetown or Fredericksburg. Lots of trade offs. Maybe we should just leave right after Thanksgiving.

The weather for the next couple days looked like rain and nothing but rain. More than an inch was in the forecast. Driving in the rain is OK but it is more tiring. Lots more things that need your attention. So we stayed for two nights.

There was quite a few people here. It rained almost all day, we got out for a couple short walks in between the downpours. The coach was nice and warm which makes sitting still in the rain easier. Our site was not very level but the coach levels itself by adjusting the airbags. Works well.

Some people have to make do with things at hand.

Oklahoma has tolls on all of the interstates we drove on. Five or six toll booths took about $40 for the privilege of driving on OK roads. One might have expected them to be perfect for that amount but they were not, not even close. It makes us wonder if it is worth it.

The next day we had a more normal driving day to the Crow’s Creek Campground at Clay County Park on Smithville Lake just north of Kansas City. It is a big campground with 415 sites. Another county campground also on the lake had 365 sites. This is one of the biggest county park campgrounds we have seen.

It was a damp day until just south of KC. Not enough to have the wipers on all the time. Just enough to arrive virtually bug free and pretty clean. Most days when we stop for the day one of the first tasks is to debug the front end of the coach. Once those splattered bugs have a chance to petrify they are harder to get off.

Nice level camp sites. This one had electric, some also had water and some had a sewer connection. The campsites were mostly on small peninsulas in the dammed up lake.

There was a 7 mile long great bike path the circled the entire campground. We got in a bunch of riding in before dinner. No leaves on the trees here!

The next day we drove to Cherry Glen COE Campground on Saylorville Lake just north of Des Moines. We have been to this park before, quite nice. Last time it was out in the country, today it seems like the housing development is right up to the edge of the park.

A great spot to stop to make the last day towards home a fairly short one.

It was very clear as we headed north that we were way ahead of spring.

The next morning we left for Hastings. About 200 miles. We were stopped to unhook the Jeep by 3. Backed the coach into the driveway and stopped to unload. There were piles of snow still on the side of the driveway.

By 5:30 we had most everything out of the coach that we had to get out. There was still some more to do but it could wait. The thermostats were set up to the mid 60’s. The water heater was back on. There were piles of mail on the dining room table.

Like most times after being gone we were back where there was lots to do, lots to catch up on. Things seem to be moving faster.

It is OK. Nice to be back with some elbow room. It takes a couple days to feel warm in this larger space, to remember where all the stuff in the kitchen is, to quit reaching for the water pump switch when you turn on the water and to find each other when we are in different rooms.

And to start talking about not where we are going next, or the time after that but three or four adventures out. We are lucky to be able to share this together.

And thanks for coming along with us,

More later,

Roger and Susan