On The Road Again

Today marked a milestone for our family adventure. We're all in the SAME vehicle!
Since we started our fulltime journey we have had my car along with us so I (Katie) have followed behind when we have moved from place to place.

There was good and "bad" when it came to this situation.

Good: had my own music or silence when driving along, extra car that was great on gas for zipping around town in, on drive day when following Keith I could get over first and make a gap for him to change lanes.
Bad: we weren't all together in same vehicle, miscommunication between drivers happened several times, not able fellowship during adventure time.

So what happened to the car you ask?

Well let me catch you up on our travel log and answer that question.

On December 23rd Keith said farewell to his Amazon Camperforce friends and we drove from Coffeyville, Kansas on down to Canadian, Oklahoma, where we stayed for the evening at Arrowhead State Park.
As we pulled into our site we discovered we had a serious fuel leak. We set up house and then inspected the problem to find it was not something Keith could handle on his own. (For those that are not aware my husband is a mechanic by trade.) He called our brother in law who is an expert diesel mechanic down in Texas for help in trouble shooting our situation. He told us what we needed and the only place we would find the part was at the Ford house. So...we had no choice but to take our truck, Larry, there on Christmas Eve morning.

Keith was there first thing, truck quickly repaired and we were on the road by mid-afternoon.
Ninety-five miles down the road Keith lost all power in the truck and we were on the side of the highway with people flying by in a very big hurry on their way Grandma's house.

The Ford house, in their rush to get us fixed & out of there so they could head to Grandma's house, failed to properly tighten the rubber boot between the exhaust manifold and turbo charger. I was very happy my hubby had his tools with us because he knew exactly what the problem was and had us back on the road in 45 minutes. We both decided we should send the Ford dealership in McAlester, OK a bill for our time and labor on the road side. :(

Christmas eve we stayed at Thousand Trails Texoma and Christmas Day found us at Thousand Trails Lake Whitney.

We arrived safely in Lampasas County the evening of December 26 and stayed at the Bent Tree RV Ranch.
The spaces were level, wide and long enough to fit any size RV.
There were several negatives about this park though...
The sewer hook up was not in a good location so a longer hose was needed, the ground is full of stickers and they allow smoking in the building where you shower and wash laundry.  I can put up with the sewer and stickers but NOT the smoking in the building that is for use by all campers.

We had a great visit with our boys and the rest of our family. Visits with my folks, my brothers and their families, Keith's brothers and families and a date night with our friends Kenny & Courtney Murray.

We had day trips to Killeen, Marble Falls, Liberty Hill and Fredericksburg. We saw a movie, did some shopping, ate lots of yummy food, ice skating, tons of fun fellowship with our favorite people.

So..what about the car???

Oh yeah!

Our youngest son took it back to San Angelo with him where he's currently stationed with the Air Force.  This was a good thing for us both. He'll have wheels again and I won't have to worry about storing my car some place while on the road.

Happy New Year friends!

We're on the road again.

Coffeyville, Kansas

Since September 13, 2014 we have called Coffeyville, Kansas our "home is where the RV is parked" base.

Keith accepted a workamper job with Amazon Camperforce for the busy season.

We thought it would be a cool experience (so far it has been) and it would give us a little extra money to buy a couple of big ticket items that were on our list of must haves for our full-time life on the road.

I'll have him write a little post about his experience and post it here later.

Y'all that know me, know that when I land somewhere I hit the ground running!

And I certainly did just that!!

I found a wonderful homeschool group at our local library.  They meet every Thursday during the school--Coffeyville Homeschool Connections. Their leader, Janie Hearson, has been such a welcoming new friend. There are so many wonderful families who attend and have kindly adopted into their homeschool family. We have loved being apart of their group and it will be a sad farewell when we have to depart.

While at my first group meeting I met my friend, Amy Castello. She is the one who invited us to our new church home, Bible Baptist Church.

There are so many wonderful things I could say about Bible Baptist!

Pastor Daniel Knight and his family are amazing and we are so happy to call them friends.

The congregation is kind and so hospitable. Following our first Sunday morning visit we were visited by Pastor and his family on Tuesday evening with a bag full of homemade chocolate chip cookies and some great fellowship.

It's a small congregation however it is growing and we invite you to come grow with us!  

The city of Coffeyville is a nice small town community. Everyone here has been so welcoming and friendly. Midwest hospitality has been extended to us everywhere we have been. I really love the people here!

Here are a few things/places we have been since arriving:

Riverside Park, Independence, KS-- is a 100 plus acre park that includes: Ralph Mitchell Zoo, playgrounds, aquatic center, miniature train, carousel, miniature golf, and a lighted fountain.

Ralph Mitchell Zoo exhibits a variety of native and exotic wildlife including: black bear, cougar, elk, deer, muntjac, bison, bobcat, ducks, monkeys, macaws, pythons, caiman, African spur tortoises, kinkajou, aoudads, llamas, wallabies, Opossum, Red Fox and coatis. Monkey Island is a favorite attraction. The admission is FREE!  

Depending on the time of year are the hours however it does open daily at 9 a.m. no matter the time of year.

Tulsa Zoo, Tulsa, OK--This was a wonderful zoo! We really enjoyed the day with our Coffeyville Homeschool Connections group. Our two favorite exhibits were the Topical American Rainforest and the Oceans and Islands.

Old Iron Days, Fredonia, KS--This yearly event takes place the last Thursday-Sunday of September. In addition to the heavy duty farm equipment one would expect to find at an Old Iron Show, the Wilson County Old Iron Club teaches young and old about the domestic ways of the past and how children contributed to the daily life of the family.  Visitors to our show have an opportunity to see old-time laundry methods, various methods for making butter, open-fire cooking as well as cooking on a wood burning stove, making apple butter, sewing on a treadle machine, quilting and tatting, apple cider pressing, and other facets of rural life as it was lived in the past.

Little House on the Prairie, Independence, KS-- In 1869, the Ingalls' family moved to this location, 12 miles southwest of Independence, Kansas. They stayed here about a year before returning to their earlier home in Pepin, Wisconsin. Laura Ingalls Wilder was only 3 when the family lived in Kansas, but when she started writing the "Little House" books, she based Little House on the Prairie on memories of her older family members:  Pa, Ma, and Mary.  They left the area when it was discovered their homestead was located just over in Indian territory. Pa Ingalls packed up his family and left before the government sent soldiers to evict them from the property. He said he wanted to leave the place on his on free will.

We had the pleasure of being part of Lamplight on the Prairie in late September. We walked the homestead with lanterns lit by candles and were greeted at each area on the property by actors in period dress telling us their point of view tale of the night before the Ingalls family left Kansas to head back to Wisconsin.

We loved it! If you're in the area please go by and visit there. It is closed during the winter months, November-April but you're still able to walk the grounds, look at the buildings and peer into the windows. Please be sure to leave a suggested donation of $3 for adults and $1 for children under 18 in the copper mailbox when you visit.

Dalton Defender Days, Coffeyville, KS--Dalton Defenders Days celebrates that fateful day of October 5, 1892 when the Dalton Gang was defeated in Coffeyville Kansas.  The Dalton Gang attempted to rob two banks in Coffeyville and all but one of them was shot and killed.  They celebrate the four towns people who gave their lives defending Coffeyville.  There's a re-enactment of the shoot out, food vendors, car show, craft booths and live music. Many fun activities for the whole family to enjoy like a cake walk, several different eating contest, and a few rodeo events out at the fairgrounds. The event is FREE but you'll need a little cash for food & craft vendors.

Stratford Peaches!!

Stratford, Oklahoma is the self-proclaimed Peach Capitol of Oklahoma.
As we drove through we spotted a little roadside stand open.

And boy! Were we glad we stopped in!

The peaches were sweet & juicy, the watermelons were HUGE. Once we were set up at the next campground the melon proved to be just as delish as the peaches.

So when in Oklahoma, buy yourself a bucket of Stratford Peaches!

Lake Murray State Park

The morning of August 15 we hitched up the house and said farewell to our Twin Fountain friends. 

It was a nice slow drive down to southern Oklahoma on I-35 then onto OK Hwy 70 to the park entrance. We stayed at Elephant Rock campground during our 3 day stay here. 

Did you know that Lake Murray State Park is Oklahoma's first and largest state park consisting of 12,500 acres?

It was beautiful! The campground is clean and spacious. In our area we had public restrooms, showers (both paid & free) and a laundry facility. 

Our site was a level concrete slab with full hook ups. Since Keith has a DAV card he was given a $6/day discount on the $23/night rate, making it $17/night for 50amp full hook up. Outstanding!!

We always appreciate it when folks show their appreciation for his 24 year service to our country by doing kind things like discounts for our family. Thank you Lake Murray State Park** for doing that! 

While in the park Chloe fished from Elephant Rock daily. 

We went down to the swimming beach to swim and float with our oldest daughter Lauren.

We had a smores night.

Bike rides in the evenings when the sun was going down and the area was cooling down.
Hikes on the trails around the lake are beautiful!

We highly recommend staying at this state park. The lake is beautiful, clean and the park is amazing!

**Most Oklahoma State Parks give the DAV discount of $6 off per night when you show your DAV Lifetime Hunting & Fishing license. 

July & August Updates

Okay...it's been a long time since last I posted. Here is what we've been up to:

July--
The weekend of the fourth found us at Lake Eufaula with Keith's family. We stayed at Lakeview Landing Motel & RV Park closer into town. It was a nice quiet park & very clean. We highly recommend staying there if you're in the area. It was very affordable at $25 per night for a pull through with full hook ups for 50 amp service. It was shady and our lot was pretty level. The only downside was none of the pads were paved.
Here's the direct link to the campground:  http://www.lakeviewlanding.com/rvpark.htm

Now, while we were driving around we found the VFW Post #8798 on Hwy 9 that had full hook up pads on the clean grassy area just beyond the gravel parking lot. They only charge $20 per night to stay and it is open to the public.

July 10 found us heading south without our RV home to Lampasas, Texas. It was Spring Ho Festival weekend and this was the year for our 25th high school reunion. We had a great time visiting with family and friends! Thursday night of our arrival we relaxed with Keith's brother Brian, his wife Joy and our nieces and nephew. Friday was a fun day! We went into Copperas Cove with my parents and nieces for Chickfila's Dress Like a Cow event. If you come in to the store dressed like a cow you can pick any meal on the menu for FREE!!

After our bellies were full we walked across the parking lot to the new H.E.B. Plus! It was amazing!! We were so full from our Chickfila but managed some room for samples of sushi, fruit, chips with salsa and various fresh baked breads. The store is HUGE with a friendly staff and very clean facilities. We scored a deal on bags of shrimp for the shrimp boil that evening. 

Keith's brother, Brian, is a great cook. He hosted a shrimp boil and we were able to invite a few friends over as well. One of the couples we invited were able to come and we had a nice time catching up with them. After boil time we loaded up and headed over to the Murray home for some visiting time. It was a blast. 

 Classmates: Kenny Murray, Jon Watson, Keith Graham, Katie Muckleroy Graham

Katie, Keith, Courtney & Kenny

On Saturday we took our girls & our nieces down to the creek for some shopping down at the arts & craft area on the creek. It was HOT. It is every year...you just have to keep that in mind before going. Sadly, it wasn't as great of a venue as it has been in years past. We were told the Spring Ho committee has raised the fees for space rentals that many of the vendors have decided it wasn't for the effort to set up in the heat to sell their goods. I was saddened by that. I left without spending a dime on myself or my girls. Not because I was pinching pennies but because I found nothing down there I/we couldn't live without. My kids didn't ask me to buy a thing, well except for shaved ice cups. (Remember, it was HOT. LoL)

After our look around on the creek the kids were ready for some air conditioning and so were we. We dropped the girls by my brother's house while Keith and I headed out to Fiesta Winery for a tasting with our friends Kenny & Courtney.

Fiesta Winery is out at Bend, Texas on The Baxter Ranch. The wine was delish! After a tasting session we had a private tour given by Stephanie Baxter. It was fascinating! We loved the wine so much we left with seven bottles purchased. 

Our favorites were: Texas Summer Nights, Home Sweet Home, Skinny Dippin', Savannah Rose, and Texas Well Water Wine. 

Here's a link to their page for more information on how you can find a tasting room near you or how you can have a bottle or two shipped directly to you: http://www.fiestawinery.com/

Now, for the reason we were in town...our 25th high school class reunion!  It was a nice time held at The Hostess House at Hancock Springs Park. We enjoyed catching up with friends that were able to join us & hope that at the 30th more will come. 

Returning from our trip to Texas we parked our RV home at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds for a couple of weeks. They decided to get rid of the monthly rental rate and go with just a daily or weekly rate. It was just a parking lot (with full hook ups) but no public restrooms, shower house, laundry facilities, grass or SHADE trees. Once they did that we knew it was time to find a new location for our home on wheels.

We decided to move up to Adventure District in the Northwest OKC area to Twin Fountains RV Resort. We had some friends already living there and it was perfect for a monthly rate of $615. It was a little more than what we really wanted to pay however it had wonderful amenities! The girls were thrilled with having a pool, hot tub, fishing pond, clubhouse with pool tables, ping pong and foosball as well as 2 parks with loads of kids to play with.

I enjoyed the 2 laundry rooms and taking the dogs to the onsite fenced in dog parks.  

We really loved being in the park and were sad to have to say farewell on August 15. I'm sure we'll be returning when in the area though. 

http://www.twinfountainsrvpark.com/index.html

Our home parked at lot E9

My favorite laundry room at the park.

 Our last day at the park our youngest daughter became a local celebrity with her big catch!

Always fun with full time friends!

RV Day!

Let the adventure begin

Sidenote: Pick-up of RV was April 7-9

We had a busy weekend so it was a tough order to fill when Keith said he wanted us to be on the road by 0400. I told him it was impossible but we could manage an 0800 departure. We met that deadline and was on our way to Chanute, KS!

We arrived a little later than Kansas RV Center was expecting us however it turned out to be no problem at all. We unloaded all our gear quickly so the truck could be taken for the install of the hitch. While it was gone, Keith & I had our "RV 101" lecture from several technicians. It was a lot to take in so I had the handycam rolling the whole time. Thought that way if we couldn't remember what they said about something we could watch the video for a quick refresher. 

The hitch was done in record time! After a lesson on how to hook it up, unhook it and how to release the hitch from the bed rails we were loaded up and ready to go.

We didn't go too far though! Our first RV adventure would be done less than a mile down the road for a couple of nights so that if there were any issues with the RV we could have service techs come out to help.

The campground was a nice little place. There were 30 paved stalls with electric and water hookups, with a dump station located south of the public restrooms and shower facility.  There is no charge for the first 48 hours and $10 per day afterwards, with a limited 10-day stay in any given 30-day period. The honor system is used for collection with a fee box located just south of the restroom/shower house. It was a very clean park and close to Wal-mart and a few other fast food places. 

After our 48 hour stay we had our first experience with the infamous...

This is where Keith takes over...

His first experience wasn't too bad really...

Looking at our RV, we have 2 non-drinkable water inputs not labeled.  
We think there are 4 holding tanks, but only 2 T-handles at the control panel.  
All unlabeled of course.  
There are also 2 T-handles under the RV, one for each discharge port.....

Keith sadly and quickly learned that you NEVER pull the T-handle at the discharge port until the hose is hooked up and routed to the dump station.  Only a small amount of POO leaked out when he took the cap off and with his Jedi reflexes, connected the sewage hose with the protection of his PURPLE kitchen lady gloves.

He hooked up the garden hose and filled one or more of the tanks and played with the T-handles until all of them were flowing clear water out of the sewage hose.   

Remember all of this is being done, not at an educational learning pace.  With three kids and a dog in the truck wondering, “WHEN ARE WE GETTING ON THE ROAD BACK TO NORMAN??”, there was no time for note taking or playing with controls.

With clear water drained from all tanks and clean up of the SMALL mess around the dump station Keith was excited about his first successful visit to the dump station. But wait....we still had one that registered 2/3 full indicating that there was still “matter” disrupting the sensors on the tank level gauge.

But since we knew they were all empty there was no need to worry about that mess.  The other tanks were registering empty on the panel so that was good enough for us!  Now it was time to put away the hoses and get on the road for the long haul home.

I realize this is probably not fascinating to the rest of the world but I was so impressed with the hose storage in the bumper of the RV. No space is wasted space! So cool.

Now that everything is flushed away, we're on the road!

Road Trip!

One Planned, the other not planned....

Part 2

We had a great time at the RV Show.

I didn't know if I would or not since we had so many questions to ask and a bunch of kids to herd around but, I did and I look forward to returning in the future to see what else they'll have for us to dream about. 

As I mentioned in my previous post we met some really nice folks who were there from two different RV Centers in the OKC area.

Our first visit was with Lewis RV Center ( http://www.lewisrvcenter.com/ ) and the sales team they had in place was wonderful. We really enjoyed seeing the models they had there and the one on one time was very helpful. We even went back late in the afternoon to take one last look at the 2014 Heartland Gateway 3650BH fifth wheel.  It was pretty much the only fifth wheel we had seen that day that had everything on our check list. The only obstacle; it was out of our price range...but, maybe we could find a nice used model!

Our next lengthy visit was with Ray Robinson from Oklahoma RV Center ( http://www.okrvs.com/ ). We fell in love with the Bay Hill model they had at the show however it was not a bunk house model. It was one for a couple who might have company sometime. 

Ray did tell us that he had the Bay Hill 385BH on order but delivery had been stalled due to the snow up north. He took our information and said he would call us as soon as it rolled onto the lot. 

Now..he knew it had everything on our check list but what he wasn't sure about was our budget. We still wanted to see it though just to get a feel for what we could look for in a used Bay Hill model.

We came home and looked online at the Bay Hill 385BH by Evergreen. It was indeed beautiful, exactly what we wanted. BUT...that price tag of $90,000+ made our heads spin. There was NO way we would be able to afford this luxury RV right now but maybe in a few years we could get a gently used one! 

So after rest for the weary, we were up bright & early for the road trip to Broken Arrow for the truck.

On the way there Keith told me that he woke up at 4:30a.m. and started looking at fifth wheels in other states that were well below our budget range but we needed to compromise on a couple of items.

He asked me to get out the list so we could discuss the must haves, would like to haves and bonus features on it. 

I was really stuck on wanting the extra couch the Gateway offered AND the bathtub. I compromised on those two items by saying the little couch wouldn't be missed if it was a small table with chairs and just a shower would be doable as well. The king size bed in the master was the one thing I couldn't trade though and he agreed.

Keith said he really wanted the outdoor kitchen but would trade that and the fifth slide in the bunk house but he did not want to get a kitchen without the island sink/bar area (and I agreed!).

By the time we got our list all trimmed up we were about halfway to Broken Arrow. Keith's cell phone rings. It's a number he doesn't recognize. I tell him it's probably some RV show drawing I signed us up for calling to tell us we won! LoL
Well, it was Ray from OK RV Center. He was very excited because he had a deal for us! His buddy at KS RV Center had just called him about an RV he had gotten the day before on a trade in, knew Ray was at the RV Show & wanted to let him know that if anyone was interested in a 2014 Bay Hill 385BH he had one he would sale for $48, 900.

WHAT!?!?!

Are you kidding me? My hands were shaking. I could not believe it. I took down the number and called right away. I asked for Ray's friend and told him we were on our way to purchase our tow rig but would be able to come to Chanute as soon as we were done at the bank. We made plans to meet around 4:00p.m.

Low & behold...we got there and it was exactly what we wanted AND it had every option available on it that we wanted and more. We settled the deal for less than he was asking for and left with a pick up date in three weeks. We were in shock. We just bought our dream fifth wheel for half the price!

Wow...God is good to us!

Now for some pictures right?

Here's a picture of my hubby in his 2002 F-350 Lariat 7.3L Powerstroke Diesel.

And here's a picture of me in front of our new home!