OOPS !!! Forgot about this

I forgot I started  a blog...looks like I've got some catching up to do. I'll get it done soon!

We stayed in FL two extra days then needed to get on the road. So we got reservations at a park in Beaumont TX for Fri night and Winstar Casino for Sat/Sun nights so I could watch the NASCAR Las Vegas race on the Tailgater.

We rolled out of Eagle's Landing in Holt FL (45 mi. marker I 10) about 9:30AM...and got to Gulf Coast RV Resort on the west side of Beaumont TX (exit 847) at 6PM. A 475 mile run, our longest with the new Cardinal, and still felt fine. In the motor home it would have been a fight all the way and I would not have driven that far in a day...but this rig was a pleasure to drive. If we would have rolled out at 9AM sharp we would have been at 500 mi. even by 6PM, so that gives me a good bench mark for planning trips.

To call Gulf Coast an RV "Resort" is a stretch. It's a good, clean park...but I wouldn't call it a "Resort". It's about 90% full of people working in the area (according to the manager) and the other 10% are mostly travelers stopping for the night. It's easy off/on I 10 and good interior cement roads. Although it's a little tight in places because of all the cars and trucks from the long timers. All in all a good place to stay for a night or two...but call ahead as there are very few "overnight" spaces.

Then on to Winstar Casino in Thackerville OK. Going north on I 35 it's the first exit after crossing the Red River into OK. Very nice wide open campground with long pull through spots. They are long enough (and have double connections) to be used as a pull through or a double back in! If you are going to stay there (I think it's a great place) use this phone number for reservations 580-276-8900. It goes directly to the RV park, the other numbers go to the casino and hotel and they have no idea about the RV park. We stop there most every time we pass that area.

A pleasant 4hr run to our house in Tulsa on Mon. Now to get some things done and head back to Texas Speedway for NASCAR first weekend in April (21 days...but who's counting) and Big Hoss http://www.texasmotorspeedway.com/at-track/big-hoss-tv. We've got fantastic seats this year right at the start/finish line!

Better get busy so we'll be ready to go!

Well, it's about time to drop the flags and head out on the road.

We were going to head up to Kansas City for a granddaughter's birthday. But saw the weather and decided I didn't want to drive a new rig in ice and snow. So we thought we would go down to our favorite place on the beach...Port Aransas. When I called for a spot the lady said they were full for the next two weeks...Spring Break is starting! Scratch that idea. Then I thought we would go to Kerrville TX to meet a couple we talk with on the Cardinal RV Club forum. After two calls to the resort I gave up as they could not find a spot for more than one night. It seems no one wants to go home!

I managed to find a spot just west of Beaumont TX we could stop for one night. Then on to Winstar Casino for a couple of nights, then the roads should be clear to get home behind the bad weather. Did I forget to mention how bad I hate winter?

Next year we'll be south in warmer weather from around Thanksgiving to around first of April. Probably spend March in either Phoenix or central/south FL where the MLB spring training games are.

OK...I think it works

Well I think the page works...so far. I thought it would be cool to write about our travels and post photos of things and places we visit. Didn't want to put them in a forum environment because of the length so I thought I would try a "blog". I've never tried this so it may not be setup or work like most but that's OK...it'll get better with time.

I'm starting with our new Cardinal...because I don't know if/how you insert pages of prior stuff. Or if you can change the order of the pages. That's OK though, the Cardinal is a new chapter in our travels anyway.

So check back often if you like travel and photos as we intend to do plenty of each!

The new 5th wheel!

 

 

We bought a new 5th wheel and truck to travel the US!

 

 We had "upgraded" our '07 Georgetown 315 class A (F53 chassis with a V10) to a '14 Palazzo 36.1 (Freightliner Chassis with Cummins 300HP) but with all the problems it was a nightmare!

 

After a lot of research and discussion we decided to look at 5th wheels. At the Tulsa Boat and RV show we found this 2014 Cardinal 3850RL and fell in love with it.  All the "must haves" were in this unit. So we bought it!

 

First challenge was finding something to pull it with. We owned a loaded '11 F150 in a bronze color with an Undercover lid on the back...not big enough to pull the big bird. We also own a '13 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited in Rock Lobster (limited production color in 2013) that we got to pull behind our motor home...that would do us no good at all. So after looking at a Ford King Ranch F350 diesel dually and two Ram Longhorn 3500 diesel dually trucks we went with the Ram that already had the Gooseneck/5th wheel ready package.

Next was waiting for the RV show to end as it was on display, and we bought it the second day of the show. Then came "moving day"....how can you pack SO MUCH stuff in a motor home??? It was after dark when we got home with "Big Bird" so we spent all the next day getting settled into it and ready to hit the road.

Saturday 2/15 about noon we set out on the road for the first trip in the 5er. I44, Hwy 75, Hwy69,  Hwy 82 and I35. Slightly longer than I44, I35 but I wanted a route with less traffic than going through Okla City till I got the feel for it. We had a 20 mph side wind most of the day, don't know what the gusts were. It was SO MUCH better than driving the motor home! I could run 65 or 70 and probably 75 or 80. I settled on 65mph as we were not in a big hurry and the truck was new. I also varied the speed up and down 2-3 mph for the first 200-300 miles.

Spent the first night out in the Winstar Casino campground. It's a very nice, wide open place. We had tickets to see Rascal Flatts that night...but were too tired to mess with the crowd at the casino. So we just sat in our new bird in front of the fireplace with a beer. Not a bad evening!

The next day, Sunday 2/16, we stopped by Camping World in Denton to pick up the flag pole I had them hold for me. and went through Dallas. That was a trip...but the rig handled much better that times with the Palazzo. We stopped at Southern Living RV park on the west side of Shreveport LA.

 Monday 2/17 it was on to Cajun Palms right beside the great Atchafalaya Swamp. Really wished I had my boat as we have fished there many times when we lived in Baton Rouge LA. Stayed two nights there and had to go to Crawfish Town to stuff ourselves with the crawfish feast!

 Tuesday 2/18 was a pilgrimage to the home of Tobasco. Misty came away with several regular bottles of various flavors and a 1 gallon bottle of original Tobasco! It won't last a year. Then it was on to Baton Rouge to see a dear friend of ours that still works for the same company as we did.

Wednesday 2/19 we headed for the kid's place in Crestview FL. Other than a dense fog on the bridge over Mobile Bay the drive was very nice and comfortable. Wonder why we didn't get a fifth wheel sooner? Pulled into Eagle's Landing at Holt FL one exit before Crestview. It's a nice park and we've been here a week now. We'll stay another week, then head for Kansas City and our youngest granddaughter's second birthday.