2011 Travel Log

 

This page is our travel log for the year 2011. This way our family and friends can see where we visited and stayed at throughout the year. The oldest entry is at the top of the page and the most recent entry is at the bottom of the page. This page starts with June 22, 2011, which is the day we started traveling fulltime; we started living fulltime in our RV in May 2010 while we were preparing our home for sale and selling off most of our possessions. This is our 1st year of fulltime traveling and our 2nd year of living fulltime in our motor coach.

Here is a link to Our Visited Places; this is our page listing all of the places that we have been to together "as a couple" since 1996.

Date(s) Location Event/Resort and Travel Notes
06/22/11 - 06/23/11 Quartzite, AZ Dry camped at Pilot Truck Stop for one night.
06/23/11 - 06/24/11 Anthony, NM Dry camped at Flying J Truck Stop for one night.
06/24/11 - 07/01/11 Hunt, TX Stayed 1 week at Don's mother's home; she had water and 15 amp for the RV. Had a great time visiting with Mom and Herb. We loved the TX hill country.

Note 1: Went to several thrift stores in the area and bought some really nice and inexpensive clothing, we also had a great Texas barbeque dinner at Bill's Bar-B-Que.
07/01/11 - 07/02/11 Waco, TX Stayed one night at I-35 RV Park & Resort (Good Sam Club Campground). Quaint clean resort with a much appreciated pool. Recommended RV park.
07/02/11 - 07/03/11 Chandler, OK Stayed one night at Oak Glen RV Park. Quaint clean resort. Recommended RV park.
07/03/11 - 07/04/11 Sarcoxie, MO Stayed one night at Beagle Bay RV Haven & Campground. Very old resort with many electrical problems. Not recommended RV park.
07/05/11 - 07/11/11 Hollister, MO Stayed one week at Escapees Turkey Creek RV Village. Very nice resort on Lake Taneycomo and short drive to Branson, MO which we visited several times. Highly recommended Escapees RV Park!!!

Note 1: We made two full day trips in the SUV to Silver Dollar City Theme Park.

07/12/11 - 07/31/11 Pocahontas, IL Stayed 3 weeks at Don's step-sister's beautiful farm with a nice fishing pond; she has water and 50 amp for the RV (38°51'17.86"N 89°29'52.14"W). Attended Don's Dad & Step-mom's 40th Wedding Anniversary Party. Got to see many relatives while there. We love this part of the country where Don was born and raised.

Note 1: We made day trips in the SUV to visit the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial/Museum of Westward Expansion/Gateway Arch and the St. Louis Science Center/Planetarium in St. Louis, MO. Went boating and fishing several times with Don's uncle Bob Carter on Governor Bond Lake and Carlyle Lake.
08/01/11 - 08/08/11 Normal, IL Parked at Cummins Crosspoint, LLC with 50 amp service for seven nights (40°32'51.82"N 88°59'44.35"W). Cummins Coach Care performed RV annual maintenance, repair to Aqua-Hot, repair to dash air conditioning, and replaced turbo charger. Recommended Coach Care facility.

Note 1: We made a day trip in the SUV to visit the McLean County Fair and attended the Truck & Tractor Pull on Sun., 08/07/11 in Bloomington, IL.
08/08/11 - 08/09/11 Monona, WI Dry camped at parking lot of a closed shopping center (43° 2'47.19"N 89°21'0.71"W) for one night on our way to FMCA 86th International Convention. We met up with other FMCA Fulltimers Chapter members (Ice Cream Social Volunteers) and did a caravan into the rally.
08/09/11 - 08/14/11 Madison, WI Attended FMCA 2011 86th International Convention & Rally at the Alliant Energy Center (consisting of Exhibition Hall & Veterans Memorial Coliseum) in Madison, WI. Parked on grass with 30 amp service for 6 days/5 nights. We had a great time and made lots of new friendships. Best weather we have enjoyed all summer. Recommended as a very good place for RV rallies; 2,143 motor coaches attended this event.
08/14/11 - 08/16/11 Windsor, WI Dry camped at Southside Tire Company (43°11'42.64"N 89°19'41.89"W) for two nights to get a new complete set of eight (08) Michelin XZA1 size 315/80R22.5 tires installed on the RV on 08/15/11 and 08/16/11. We took advantage of the FMCA Michelin Advantage Tire Discount Program which is a benefit of membership in the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA).

Note 1: On Mon., 08/15/11 we made a day trip in the SUV to Wisconsin Dells, WI which is a very beautiful area.
08/16/11 - 08/17/11 Dresbach, MN Dry camped at Dresbach Rest Area  for one night. It is located on I-90 at exit #275 (43°51'34.97"N 91°18'19.29"W). Nice big pull thru spot; the rest area borders the Mississippi River and has a beautiful view of the river, nearby dam/locks, and the surrounding hillsides. Highly recommended dry camping location!
08/17/11 - 08/18/11 St. James, MN Dry camped at Casey's General Store for one night.
08/18/11 - 08/21/11 St. James, MN Attended the Newmar Kountry Klub (NKK) 2011 Minnesota State Rally hosted by the MN Loons chapter. The rally goers boondocked with 15 amp service on LeRoy and Carolyn Leinenweber’s farm which is located 4 miles southwest of St. James, MN. This rally was 4 days/3 nights and was centered around the 45th Annual Butterfield, MN Threshing Bee. This rally included admittance to the Threshing Bee, a tractor pull, a parade of antique tractors and cars, a tour of the Episcopal Church, Museum and St. James Opera House restoration project, as well as a welcome dinner, a catered breakfast, a continental breakfast and so much more. The MN Loons only charged a $55.00 rally fee which covers one RV with 2 adults. A total of 13 Newmar motor coaches attended this very nice event.
08/21/11 - 08/22/11 Sioux Falls, SD Dry camped at Flying J Truck Stop for one night. Mon., 08/22/11 is our 15th (Crystal) Anniversary!
08/22/11 - 08/23/11 Mitchell, SD Dry camped at Cabella's in the RV parking lot (43°41'18.35"N 98° 0'57.72"W). Mon., 08/22/11 is our 15th (Crystal) Anniversary! Don went fishing at a local pond and caught one bass, one crappie, and 5 bluegills and cleaned them for dinner. Highly recommended dry camping location!

Note 1: We attended the first day of the yearly Corn Palace Festival on Tues., 08/23/11.
08/23/11 - 08/25/11 Ellsworth AFB, SD Stayed at Ellsworth Air Force Base (next to Box Elder, SD) for two nights in the Ellsworth AFB FamCamp overflow area with 30 amp service. This RV park has 30 FHU sites, 12 electric only overflow sites, and 20 dry camping overflow sites. I am retired military and hope to utilize this benefit as often as possible. Highly recommended Military Campground for active/retired military!

Note 1:  Made a day trip to Deadwood, SD (National Historic Landmark District), Sturgis, SD (including Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame), and Ft. Meade, SD (including Old Fort Meade Museum) on Weds., 08/24/11 and to the South Dakota Air & Space Museum (including a bus tour of Ellsworth AFB which includes a stop and tour of the base's Minuteman II missile silos!) on Thurs., 08/25/11.
08/25/11 - 08/26/11 Gillette, WY Dry camped at Wal-Mart Supercenter for one night.
08/26/11 - 09/04/11 Gillette, WY Attended Escapees 51st Annual Escapade in Gillette, WY at the CAM-PLEX. For the second half of the day on 08/26, all day on 08/27, and the first half of the day on 08/28 we attended the Escapees RVers' Boot Camp. This is an intense course offered as a pre-rally event that covered all of the systems in our RV as well as many other topics pertaining to maintaining, using, and fully understanding today's RVs and the RV lifestyle. The regular rally started on the afternoon of Sun., 08/28/11 and lasted for 4 1/2 days until 09/01/11. The rally consisted of numerous activities such as seminars, get-togethers, luncheons, dinners, live music, chapter meetings, RV show, and much more. We then attended post rally events for two full days of guided tours by commercial coach to Mount Rushmore Memorial, Crazy Horse Memorial (including a trip to The Vore Buffalo Jump), and Devil's Tower National Monument. Recommended as a very good place for RV rallies; 1,276 people with 679 RVs attended this event.

Note 1: On Sun., 09/04/11, we had our motor coach and SUV weighed by Neil W. LeKander and the Escapees SmartWeigh as we were leaving the rally; SmartWeigh provides you with accurate individual wheel weights for your RV and toad.
09/04/11 - 09/06/11 Manderson, WY Stayed at Cottonwood RV Park for two nights (Labor Day weekend) in Manderson, WY (44°16'0.12"N 107°57'58.14"W). Quaint little private RV park with 12 spaces (only 1 pull thru site which we used) with 30 amp FHU service; the park is located in a cottonwood grove and across the street from the Big Horn River. Manderson is a quiet little town with a population of 104. Recommended FHU campground.

Note 1: On Tues., 09/06/12, while on our way to our next destination, we stopped at Cody, WY for several hours to visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. In fact, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, a huge complex consisting of four museums of over 200 thousand square feet of exhibits, will take you at least a full day to really absorb all it has to offer. (1) The Buffalo Bill Museum displays belongings of the scout and later showman; Annie Oakley’s personal effects; and artifacts of Western life. (2) The Cody Firearms Museum traces the development of firearms by displaying centuries-old projectile arms to modern sport rifles. (3) The Plains Indian Museum depicts the everyday existence of Plains tribes with an extensive collection of art, artifacts, ceremonial items, clothes, and weaponry. (4) Whitney Gallery of Western Art houses a collection of paintings, sculpture and prints depicting the West by famous Western artists Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Remington and Charles Russell.
09/06/11 - 09/08/11 West Yellowstone, MT Stayed at WorldMark West Yellowstone for two nights in one of our timeshares; we stayed in a 2 BR suite. We own WorldMark and Vacation Internationale points timeshares as a way to get time out of the motor coach while staying in top quality condo timeshares. We own enough annual timeshare points to stay up to 12 months per year in timeshares. We highly recommend if you are considering fulltime RVing as a lifestyle, that you also invest in one or more points timeshares. It is a way to own some real estate, in multiple locations, that will give you some time out of the RV while also enjoying a large/hot shower, hot tub, swimming pool, fireplace, etc. We love WorldMark and we love staying in timeshares!!!

Note 1: We drove through Yellowstone National Park with the RV on Tues, 09/06/11 to get to the timeshare, and also made a day trip all over the park in our SUV on Weds., 09/07/11.
09/08/11 - 09/09/11 Idaho Falls, ID Boondocked at South Tourist Park (43°28'17.54"N 112° 3'24.78"W). This park allows one day free RV parking. The park is equipped with 10 large pull thru spaces as well as 4 back-in spaces. The grounds are well manicured with green grass, lots of shade trees, picnic tables, BBQ pits, and the park is located right on the edge of the Snake River. Highly recommended boondocking location!

Note 1: We also spent a few hours in the absolutely beautiful Idaho Falls Greenbelt including numerous parks, waterfalls, and foot bridges.
09/09/11 - 09/12/11 Hill AFB, UT Stayed at Hill Air Force Base (next to Clearfield, UT) for three nights in the Hill AFB FamCamp. Very nice RV park with 28 FHU and 19 overflow spaces with water & electric only. Highly recommended Military Campground for active/retired military!

Note 1: While at this base, we attended a free military appreciation concert featuring country singer Neal McCoy live.

Note 2: Made a nice day trip on Sun., 09/11/11 to Antelope Island State Park and the Great Salt Lake.
09/12/11 - 09/15/11 Utah Lake State Park, UT Stayed at Lakeshore Campground inside Utah Lake State Park (next to Provo, UT) for three nights with 30 amp FHU service. Highly recommended campground! In all Utah State Parks, your campground fee includes your day use fee of the park, making UT State Parks a real bargain.
09/15/11 - 09/23/11 St. George, UT Stayed at WorldMark St. George for eight nights in one of our timeshares; we stayed in a 1 BR suite. We used the jacuzzi/pool 2 or 3 times per day each and every day we were there. We love WorldMark and we love staying in timeshares!!!

Note 1: We had a great day trip in our SUV to Zion National Park on Tues, 09/20/11.
09/23/11 - 09/25/11 Nellis AFB, NV Stayed at Nellis Air Force Base (next to North Las Vegas, NV) for two nights in the Desert Eagle RV FamCamp. Very nice RV park with 148 FHU sites; also has 50 dry camping overflow sites. Highly recommended Military Campground for active/retired military!

Note 1: While at this base, we attended a Military Retiree Appreciation Day on Sat., 09/24/11 at the Thunderbird Hangar and received free health screenings with flu shots, and a free lunch; this entire event was great. The live entertainment included Paul Bowman Band as well as C. Leon Gilliam (formerly of The Platters). We also took a tour of the Thunderbird Museum (Home of the US Air Force Thunderbird's).
09/25/11 - 09/26/11 Camp Navajo, AZ Stayed at Camp Navajo Arizona Army National Guard Depot (next to Bellemont, AZ) for one night in the Pine View RV Park. Very nice RV park with 14 spaces with 50 amp FHU service. Highly recommended Military Campground for active/retired military!
09/26/11 - 09/27/11 Casa Blanca, NM Stayed at Dancing Eagle Casino RV Park for one night. This RV Park is owned and operated by the Dancing Eagle Casino. Very nice RV park with 35 spaces with 50 amp FHU service. Highly recommended!
09/27/11 - 09/28/11 Sierra Blanca, TX Dry camped at abandoned truck stop at west end of town near I-10, exit 105 (31°10'43.92"N 105°22'20.39"W).
09/28/11 - 09/29/11 Junction, TX Dry camped at Schrier Park (aka Junction City Park) located at (30°29'20.55"N 99°45'37.67"W) for one night on the shores of Lake Junction (which is part of the South Llano River). The park has public restrooms (no showers), picnic tables, public trash receptacles, BBQ grills, walking/biking trails, basket ball, baseball, Frisbee golf, public swimming pool (seasonal), covered pavilion, and children's playgrounds. Throughout the park are numerous water spigots with potable water for filling your RV fresh water tanks. There are also numerous public 15 amp electrical outlets at the pavilion with parking alongside. This park has numerous places where you can park RVs for a 2 to 3 night stay, and even longer with permission. Highly recommended boondocking location when traveling the I-10 through western Texas!
09/29/11 - 10/03/11 Kerrville, TX Attended Newmar Kountry Klub Fulltimers Oktoberfest Rally in Kerrville, TX at the Buckhorn Lake RV Resort for 5 days/4 nights. A total of 10 Newmar coaches and 20 people attended this event. Recommended as a very good place for small rallies of about 20 coaches or less.

Note 1: All attendees to the rally made one or two day trips to the 31st Annual Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg, TX. During this rally we also made a day trip to the National Museum of the Pacific War, which included the Admiral Nimitz Museum, and the Pacific Combat Zone in Fredericksburg.
10/03/11 - 10/07/11 New Braunfels, TX Stayed at WorldMark New Braunfels for four nights in one of our timeshares; we stayed in a 2 BR suite. We used the jacuzzi several times while staying here. We love WorldMark and we love staying in timeshares!!!

Note 1: On Weds., 10/05/11 we made a day trip to San Antonio and visited The Alamo and The River Walk.
10/07/11 - 10/14/11
10/14/11 - 10/21/11		 Pottsboro, TX Stayed at Tanglewood Vacation Villas for fourteen nights in a timeshare exchange; we stayed in a 2 BR villa. Our room had a beautiful view of Lake Texoma.  This is an Interval International premiere resort that we acquired by exchanging two weeks with one of the timeshares we already own (WorldMark & Vacation Internationale). We love timesharing and we love exchanging timeshares with Interval International!!!

Note 1: The town of Pottsboro was founded by a relative of the "Potts" family tree named James A. Potts in 1879.

10/21/11 - 11/11/11 Fulton, TX Stayed at Sandollar RV Park as our 2011 wintering location which is in Fulton, TX; this gives us a home base in which to leave the RV while we travel in our Ford Explorer. Our coach has actually been parked at this location from 10/03/11 until 01/01/12, even though we also make trips in our SUV to several of our timeshares and a couple of cruises. This RV park is located next to Aransas Bay and very close to Copano Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The park has its own Marina, 700 ft private fishing pier, Alice-Faye restaurant, as well as two swimming pools, a club house, a large sun deck overlooking the bay, and numerous BBQ and picnic areas. The resort is very beautiful and is nicely shaded by old, moss covered, oak trees. The RV park has 103 FHU sites and is conveniently located close to restaurants, shopping (Wal-Mart as well as others), and numerous great fishing spots. Highly recommended RV park!!!
11/11/11 - 11/20/11 Western Caribbean Cruise
  1. Galveston, TX
  2. Roatan, Honduras
  3. Belize City, Belize
  4. Cozumel, Mexico
  5. George Town, Grand Cayman
 Attended Escapees Western Caribbean Cruise HOP (Head Out Program) for nine days out of Galveston, TX on Royal Caribbean International (RCI). The itinerary for this cruise included:  Galveston, TX; Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; Cozumel, Mexico; and George Town, Grand Cayman. The cruise ship for this cruise was the  Mariner of the Seas. For much more information as well as ship/room photos and itinerary, click on our Western Caribbean Cruise (Nov. 2011) page.
11/20/11 - 11/25/11 Fulton, TX Stayed at Sandollar RV Park as our 2011 wintering location which is in Fulton, TX.
11/25/11 - 12/02/11 South Padre Island, TX Stayed at Royal Beach & Tennis Club for seven nights in a timeshare exchange; we stayed in a 2 BR condominium. Our room had a beautiful view of the beach and the Gulf of Mexico. This is an Interval International resort that we acquired by exchanging one week with one of the timeshares we already own (WorldMark & Vacation Internationale). The resort is located on South Padre Island on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico and Laguna Madre Bay. We love timesharing and we love exchanging timeshares with Interval International!!!
12/02/11 - 12/04/11 South Padre Island, TX Stayed at Ramada Limited for two nights in a hotel room. We decided we wanted to stay at South Padre Island during the two night gap between timeshare stays, rather than make a roundtrip drive back to Fulton, TX.
12/04/11 - 12/11/11 South Padre Island, TX Stayed at Peninsula Island Resort & Spa for seven nights in a timeshare exchange; we stayed in a 3 BR suite. Our room had a beautiful view of the beach and the Gulf of Mexico. This is an Interval International premiere resort that we acquired by exchanging one week with one of the timeshares we already own (WorldMark & Vacation Internationale). The resort is located on South Padre Island on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico and Laguna Madre Bay. We love timesharing and we love exchanging timeshares with Interval International!!!
12/11/11 - 12/18/11 Eastern Caribbean Cruise
  1. Galveston, TX
  2. Key West, Florida
  3. Freeport (Port Lucaya), The Bahamas
  4. Nassau, The Bahamas
 Attended Eastern Caribbean Cruise for seven days out of Galveston, TX on Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL). The itinerary for this cruise included:  Galveston, TX; Key West, Florida; Freeport (Port Lucaya), The Bahamas; and Nassau, The Bahamas. The cruise ship for this cruise was the Carnival Magic. For much more information as well as ship/room photos and itinerary, click on our Eastern Caribbean Cruise (Dec. 2011) page.
12/18/11 - 01/01/12 Fulton, TX Stayed at Sandollar RV Park as our 2011 wintering location which is in Fulton, TX.

Here is a link to Our Visited Places; this is our page listing all of the places that we have been to together "as a couple" since 1996.

Travel Log 2012
Travel Log Index
 D & D World Travel