Travels With Dick and Judy

Follow us in our trials, triumphs and tribulations, while on the road in our motor home "The Liberty Belle". We chose to forsake the conventional lifestyle in our 3,000+ square-foot home to move into a 40-foot Winnebago Ultimate Freedom. Travel with us as we take you on the road with us in our new lifestyle.
I may grow older, but I'll never grow up!

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

RV vacation continued - Final 10 days - August 2-11, 2014!

On Saturday, August 2nd, we headed farther south, with the Mississippi Gulf Coast being our next stop, but too far for driving in 1 day with the motor home (“MH”), We thought we would be staying at a Walmart parking lot. However, I started researching online and found a campground with vacancies – Choctaw Lake Recreation Area in the Tombigbee National Forest near Ackerman, Mississippi (Choctaw Lake Recreation Area) – and we made a reservation for the night. Since this campground was located in a national forest, we were able to use our Federal Senior Pass and saved dollars, too!

Since we found a shady site by the lake, once we were set up, Logan got ready and went fishing – not catching, but fishing! That evening, he and Dick took a few moments to enjoy the view. By this time, we had decided to stay another night, as this was a great spot for relaxing.

08-02 - Logan - fishing_resize08-02 - Logan and Grampa_resize

The next morning, Logan was able to enjoy the campfire and ride his bike, so it was a great 2 days of R&R.

08-03 - Logan with fire_resize

After a very relaxing weekend, we were on the road again for an overnight stay at the Walmart parking lot in Wiggins, Mississippi.

On Tuesday, August 5th, we pulled into Buccaneer State Park in Waveland, Mississippi for an afternoon and overnight on the Gulf of Mexico. I want to make a return trip along the Gulf to Biloxi, since we did not have time on this trip. So much had changed since the last time we were here – especially after Hurricane Katrina. The beach was pretty and clean, and there were lots of places to park and walk to the beach, with benches along the way, too. Logan and I took a short drive and he got to play in the water (and was somewhere in the picture below, I thought) – but, again, never enough time.

photo (23)_resizeClip_2_resize

Lots of history, too!

Clip_resize

After returning to the park, Dick, Logan and I went for a dip (or cool down) in the wave pool, which is another must do at this park. We will definitely return to this park and encourage you to visit when in the area - Buccaneer State Park! According to the website: “The area now encompassed by the park was frequented by pirates in the 1700s, and figures prominently in mysterious tales of smuggling and buried treasure.” I am fascinated by stories of Jean Lafitte so, one day, I would like to explore more of the area.

Time to get on the road again on the morning of Wednesday, August 6th. We left Mississippi, entered Louisiana, crossed the Atchafalaya River Basin and set up at Quiet Oaks RV Park near Kinder for the next 2 nights. We stayed at Quiet Oaks 3 years ago when our niece Natalie and nephew-in-law Scott had their wedding reception in Iowa, Louisiana. It was still as nice and quiet this time, plus reasonable, and an Escapees and Good Sam park. We received a bigger discount with Escapees, but realized our membership had expired. Since this is a family-owned campground, we were told they would still honor our Escapees card and give us the discount. How ‘bout that?! We liked this park because it was very quiet, had trees, plus 50 AMP electric, water and sewer hookups, away from the city, but a short drive west on I-10 to Lake Charles to visit family and friends. Check it out when you are going to be in the area: http://www.quietoaks.com/.

There was so much we wanted to do in Louisiana, but it was time to get back to Texas so Logan could get ready for school to start in 2-1/2 weeks. We made a trip to Lake Charles on Thursday to visit our sister-in-law Stephanie and nephew Bill and, then, to visit my brother Jim, sister-in-law Sharon and niece Virginia. I guess that we had made trips as often as possible to visit family that I forgot to take any pictures. Imagine that! Again, there is never enough time to visit everyone.

On the road again on Friday, August 8th, heading northwest to Magnolia Ridge COE Park near Woodville, Texas – where the price was right at $9 per night (with our Federal Senior Pass) – to stay for 3 nights (through the weekend). We had stayed at this park before so, again, I took no pictures while there, except upon our arrival.

Logan told Grampa that he could unhook the car without help because, after a month on the road, he really knew how to get everything set up and broken down. We knew we would miss him after this trip, but I knew I would certainly miss the extra help – since he took over some of my jobs.

Clip_resize

On Saturday, August 9th, we were able to drive just over an hour to my brother David’s house in Beaumont for our great nephew Dominic’s first birthday. It was great to see some family and friends, and we had great food and a great visit. I love that cousins Chelsea, Logan, Brandon and Cassie were able to get together, and I wish we had more of these opportunities. For family and friends who want to see more photos of Dominic’s party, check out the album below.

Chelsea, Logan, Brandon and Cassie_resizeCake_resize

Dominic_resize


On Sunday, Dick and Logan did make an attempt to go fishing and, as soon as they got to the pond, it started thundering and lightning. Oh, well, they tried!

On Monday, August 11th, we began the last leg of our RV vacation with Logan and headed to Spring Creek Park near Tomball, Texas. We remembered seeing this park when we visited our son and his family when they lived in the Tomball area. There were 8 RV sites with full hookups, including 50 AMP electric service, and it was FREE. This park was run by Harris County Precinct 4, and a reservation can be made each month for a stay of 1-7 days. You must be at your RV from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., because they lock the gates, but that was not a problem for us.

Our month-long RV vacation with Logan had come to an end, and we knew we would miss our travels together, but it was time for all of us to move on to other things. We definitely made memories!

While on this trip, we bought hiking stick pins for the hiking sticks that Dick had made for Logan and us (an inexpensive souvenir to collect).

Logan_resize

Judy_resizeDick_resize

I also bought pins for my Teddy bear, which a friend suggested as a great way to remember our travels (and, again, not too expensive to collect). With the pins I bought on this trip, Logan made me pants for Teddy to go with the vest his Mom made 3 summers ago.

Teddy_resize

By this time, we had been in contact with the service rep of the gate guard company we had worked for periodically over the last year to, hopefully, obtain a gate for approximately 6 weeks – after the long trip and with the MH slide and jack repair facing us. At this time, nothing was available, but we had learned that openings change from moment to moment. In the meantime, we planned to spend time with family and friends and determine where we would head next if a gate did not become available.

Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for our next adventure, which will be coming soon!

~judy~

5 comments:

  1. I love that Logan learned the set up procedures. . .yaaa. . .and that he made pants for your bear. . .that is priceless!

    You covered a lot of ground in a months time, and as you say. . .never enough time to see it all!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, Janice, Logan is now ready to assist anyone with an RV! Some days were challenging if he was tired but, the majority of days, Logan was an awesome help at getting us on the road and set up at our new location. It was his idea to make the pants, so that we did not poke the bear in the legs. LOL!

    We covered too much ground in a month and, when we make another trip, we will stay longer in each location and drive to points of interest within a few hours. We also hope to have more time to enjoy the parks where we stay, which we did not have time to do on this trip. Live and learn, right?!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I really enjoy reading you Blog... I love the Orange vest too. :)

    ReplyDelete