Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 1

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 - Broken Wheel Campground, Petersburg, NY - 204.4 Miles for the day, 204.4 Miles for the trip

I carry a spare trailer hitch in one of my storage boxes just in case my regular one disappears for some reason. It has a longer shank, and I got to thinking (dangerous) that the longer shank would let me turn tighter when backing into a site before the truck taillight hits the trailer's front storage box, and expensive oops. Well it might have worked, but when I tried to attach the safety chains they were too short. So, back to the old hitch & if I'm going to carry a usable spare, I'd better get one with the same shank.

Other than that minor mishap, an uneventful trip. I did take the NY Thruway. Boring compared to the back roads and more expensive since it is a toll road, but the last time I took the backroads Matilda (my Garmin GPS) routed me through the center of Albany, NY's capital. And I do mean the center - I got to see all the buildings where my tax dollars are spent up close. It added over an hour to the trip so I decided to take the Thruway. Gas is running around $4.59 both on the Thruway & the various towns I drove through.

Not so uneventful for the Guidos. I got a text that their water pump broke & flooded the rear of the Scamp. They are drying things out & will be late arriving here.

I arrived at the Broken Wheel Campground around 4:00, and as usual, no one in the office or in charge of the place. We will mail them checks. I'm in site 26, a water & electric site on grass. Level side to side & I had to raise the tongue 1 1/2". $42.50 per night.

Site 26

I checked both AT&T & Verizon for data speed. AT&T shows 39.46Mbps down & 3.50Mbps up while Verizon shows 33.43Mbps down & .53Mbps up. As usual, I'll go with AT&T sine it is truly unlimited.

Dinner was an Amy's Enchilada with rice & beans bowl.

Until Next Time - 

Trip to the Spring Fling, Day 0

Monday, May 11, 2026 - Still in Oswego

Less work on the trailer then in previous Springs, not because it didn't need it, but because the weather has been cold & wet. The cherry tree is still in bloom, as well as the crab apple tree and some of the blueberries. In past years I would have been already picking some blueberries, and there would be green cherries & crab apples, but not this year. An old cherry tree in the back yard blew over. The only problem with cutting it up is it is covered with 1" thick poison ivy vines. I need to get rid of them before I hit it with the chain saw.

I did get the trailer brakes & bearings serviced, flushed the water system, and washed & waxed it, but I'll have to wait until I get back from the Spring Fling trip before a couple of projects.

As of this evening I have the trailer mostly packed. Some stuff needs to wait since I'll be using it tonight & tomorrow morning, plus we may get a freeze tonight. It is predicted for most of the county, but since I'm within 500' of Lake Ontario I suspect we will stay above freezing.

For anyone keeping track, I started the trip with a total trailer mileage of 71,761.9, and 1,591 nights in the trailer. 

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 180

Day 180, Thursday, April 16, 2026 - Home, Oswego, NY - 93.9 Miles, 7,676.8 Miles for the Trip.

58°F overnight, 71°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 73°F.

Since I only had 90 or so miles to go, I got a late start. I stopped on the way at the Syracuse Camping World it see if I could purchase a Ventline Roof Vent with light. They have hit me with ads for it on Facebook, but when I stopped in they couldn't find one. Typical for Camping World...

At home I unpacked the stuff that had to be unpacked. Since I'm heading to the Spring Fling on May 12th, I didn't unpack everything. I do plan to take the trailer in to get the brakes checked and the bearings repacked before the trip.

Some statistics for the trip:

180 days for the trip

Total miles driven - 8730.5
Total Towing Miles - 7676.8
Miles Per Gallon - 11.77 (12.39 according to the built in calculator)
Cheapest gas $2.34 at Circle K, , Holly Springs, MS
Most Expensive gas $4.10 at The Brown Bag, Barnsville, PA (Last stop)

Most expensive campground - Cherry Hill Park, College Park, MD $103.00 per night
Least expensive (a few free), least paid - $10.00 per night fat Sunny Flats, Portal, AZ
Campground average cost - $28.84

10.4 Gallons of propane for a total of $33.03

Total miles for the truck - 100707.6
Total miles for the trailer - 71,761.9
Total Nights in the Trailer - 1591 

As usual after a trip I headed to Rudy's, our lakeside fish & more restaurant for a Shrimp dinner to go. Made it home just before a heavy rain started.

Until the Next Trip - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 179

Day 179, Wednesday, April 15, 2026 - Country Hills Campground, Marathon, NY - 146.7 Miles, 7,582.9 Miles for the Trip.

54°F overnight, 63°F for my morning walk, 81°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 82°F.

More overnight rain with a short 10:00 burst. Bright sunshine for the morning.

I got a call from Anne that the Guidos were sick & I might want to skip a stop at their house. So, I looked for a campground in the area. Chenango State Park was full, so I booked a site at the Country Hills campground in Marathon, NY. While Trip Wizard says they are closed until May 5th, someone answered the phone (although she was in Florida) and as far as I know I'm booked for tonight. I could drive all the way to Oswego, but it is 250 miles, a bit more than I like to drive, particularly since I'll have to at least partially unload the trailer after I get home. Breaking it into 2 nights makes for a short drive tomorrow.

So, I dumped the tanks, packed up, then sat in the trailer until it was time to leave.

The traffic on I 81 wasn't too bad, at least on my side of the road. Those heading south had a 3 mile stopped traffic section; I didn't see the cause. We had some lane closures, but the traffic was light enough that they only caused slow downs. I arrived at Country Hills Campground around 2:00. 

I'm in site 23, a full hook up site needing 1 1/2" side to side & a 1" rise on the tongue. The site is on gravel, has a fire ring but no picnic table. I don't know if they tables when they are open since that won't be for another 3 weeks. $48.00 for one night., and it appears that so far I'm the only one in the place. They only have a few sites set aside for overnighters. There are bathrooms, but they are locked.

Site 23

I did a speed test for AT&T & Verizon. AT&T showed 22.78Mbps down & 1.14Mbps up. Verizon showed 55.71Mbps down & 5.57Mbps up. If you don't have either, this would be a good site for Starlink - very open with few trees.

After setting up I sat outside and read for a bit. I finished B. B. Griffith's Follow the Crow, and started the second book in the series, Beyond the Veil. While the first might be considered a bit of a Navajo cop story, the second is pretty much a SiFi book. OK, but not what I expected. 

Windy with 24MPH gusts. The shade kept blowing closed on my chair so I eventually moved inside even though I had to listen to the AC until the sun went down.

Dinner was a Chef Ramsay Chicken Marsala Pasta Bowl.

Until Tomorrow - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 178

Day 178, Tuesday, April 14, 2026 - Lakewood Park Campground, Barnesville, PA , Day 2 - 0 Miles, 7,436.2 Miles for the Trip.

51°F overnight, 65°F for my morning walk, 75°F at noon, and the high for the day was 82°F.

It rained off & on (mostly off) throughout last night. Woke up to clear skies. I sat outside for a bit after my morning walk.

After breakfast I paid some bills, read some journals & forums, then did some reading on the Kindle. Current book is B. B. Griffith's Follow the Crow. This is the first in a Native American series "Vanished". I enjoy Native American stories, and this is the first of 7 in the series, all available for free with Kindle Unlimited. I don't think anyone can beat Tony Hillerman, but in addition to some of my favorites such as Kathleen O'Neal Gear; W. Michael Gear, Jean Auel & James Doss, I'm sure there are many others; I keep looking.

Around 2:00 the inside oft the trailer hit 80°F so i closed the windows, shut off the MAXX fan & fired up the AC. I sat outside in the shade of the trailer reading. B. B. Griffith's Follow the Crow is different from the James Doss & Tony Hillerman Navajo cop stories, but so far I've enjoyed it.

Dinner was an Amy's Enchilada with Black Beans. Not the usual bowl - I picked up a double enchilada without the fixings by mistake.

Until Tomorrow - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 177

Day 177, Monday, April 13, 2026 - Lakewood Park Campground, Barnesville, PA - 156 Miles, 7,436.2 Miles for the Trip.

54°F overnight, 58°F for my morning walk, 66°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 74°F.

Another reason for doing some of your hook up the evening before - it might be raining when it is time to go. A light rain started around 10:00 this morning and continued for the first quarter of the drive to Lakewood Park. A stalled truck in the right lane created a 15 minute stop & go on I 81. Saw a Escape 19 heading south around mile marker 34 in PA.

I arrived at Lakewood Park Campground around 1:30. A bit confusing since there is also a State Park with the same name 4 miles away but the coordinates from Trip Wizard got me to the right place. They have a camp cafe that has sandwiches & snacks.

Site 12 & the Bathrooms & Laundry

I'm in site 12, a full hookup site on a concrete pad level side to side with a picnic table and combined grill/fire ring. I had to drop the tongue 1". Close to the bathroom & showers (individual rooms) and the laundry. After setting up I started two loads. $2.75 to wash in large front loaders (an additional $.50 for heavy loads) and $1.75 to dry.

While the clothes were in the dryers, I headed for a shower. There are 3 bathrooms in the building, one without a shower, and 2 with showers, one disabled. I used the non disabled room. A sink, toilet & shower. 2 double hooks and a bench near the shower. A large shower with a shelf & a shower head hanging basket. A medium flow 3" shower head with adjustable water. While the floor is flat between the shower & drying area, a cloth shower curtain & good slope keeps the drying area floor dry. The only fault I could find was it was a bit too cold in the room. A solid A.

I checked Verizon & AT&T - Verizon shows 319.38Mbps down & 10.93Mbps up. AT&T shows 123.49Mbps down & 15.06Mbps up.

Yesterday I finished Nick Jones's The Quantum Chain and started The Whisper of Stars. It is Nick Jones first book, and it shows. My favorite oops is where the main character of the book gets bullet holes & gas leaks in the gas tank of her electric motorcycle. Still, an interesting story line.

A little before 5:00 I headed to the Cafe for a Yuengling battered Haddock sandwich on a Ciabatta bun. Alas, it wasn't to be. Seems the cafe is only a cafe Thursday through Sunday. They do have a few snacks available, but nothing that would make a dinner. To top it off, on the walk back to the trailer it started to pour. As soon as I got into the trailer it stopped, but it did start again 10 minutes later. So, it will be a damp microwaved dinner. Well, the dinner wasn't damp, just me.

Dinner was a Saffron Road Chicken Tikka Masala Bowl.

Until Tomorrow - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 176

Day 176, Sunday, April 12, 2026 - Greenbriar State Park, Boonsboro, MD, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 7,280.2 Miles for the Trip.

47°F overnight, 50°F for my morning walk, 59°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 70°F.

Other than some dogs on the other end of the loop, a quiet night & morning. Since there doesn't seem to be any heat in the bathroom, I'll be putting off a shower until tomorrow. 

Still cool at noon so I'm sitting inside. I probably should walk over to the ALiner in the next site and let her know I'm alive. Yesterday I got back from a walk and the campground hosts & a neighbor were standing outside my trailer. She had not seen me outside the trailer all morning and decided I must have died inside. Maybe folks in ALiners spend more time outside, but yesterday was cool enough that I spent most of the morning inside reading and listening to bluegrass music on WNCW on internet radio. In any case, we had a good laugh, and talked about camping in Arizona.

It did warm up enough by 2:00 to sit outside. I finished The Observer Effect and started the last in the series, The Quantum Chain. Around 4:00 I hooked up the trailer to save a little time in the morning. Not a long drive at 155 miles, but I won't have to rush. After hooking up I trimmed my beard, then headed in for dinner.

Dinner was a Scott & Jon's Shrimp Alfredo bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 175

Day 175, Saturday, April 11, 2026 - Greenbriar State Park, Boonsboro, MD, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 7,280.2 Miles for the Trip.

52°F overnight, 54°F for my morning walk, 57°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 63°F.

Walking the campground loop is one mile, half of it uphill. I never found any dumpsters, at least in the loop. 

Back at the trailer I checked internet speeds - AT&T 285.34Mbps down & 21.68 Mbps up. Verizon was 69.20Mbps down & 22.18Mbps up.

It is not quite nice enough to sit outside so I'm in the trailer reading.

Eventually it warmed up enough to sit outside. 

Dinner was a Healthy Choice Sweet & Sour Chicken Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 174

Day 174, Friday, April 10, 2026 - Greenbriar State Park, Boonsboro, MD - 68 Miles, 7,280.2 Miles for the Trip.

44°F overnight, 54°F for my morning walk, 60°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 71°F.

I waited as long as possible since I only had 68 miles to drive to Greenbriar State Park. I left the site at 11:00, and stopped at the air station next to the cabins. Set all the tires at 51PSI although they went up to 56PSI or so on the drive. I arrived at the park around 12:30, checked in and headed to my site. I'm in site 69, an electric only back in site on fine gravel. I needed 1 1/2" side to side & 1" drop on the tongue to level. $31.25 per night for 3 nights. The bathroom is a long walk if you follow the road, but there is a path that makes a shortcut starting from a few sites up the road.

Site 69

After setting up I headed to the nearest grocery store, a Weis about 7 miles from the campground. Fairly narrow 30 & 25 MPH roads for most of the trip. I got gas at Weis for $3.89 per gallon.

Back at the trailer i started today's journal, then sat outside enjoying the warmer weather. I finished he Shadows of London by Nick Jones and started #3 in the series, The Observer Effect.

Dinner was an Amy's Chile Relleno Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 173

Day 173, Thursday, April 9, 2026 - Cherry Hill Park, College Park, MD, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 7,212.2 Miles for the Trip.

34°F overnight, 39°F for my morning walk, 49°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 57°F.

Another cool morning for my walk, but the skies cleared so even though it is only 57°F on my outside thermometer, it feels warm. Karin came over and we chatted for the morning, then she headed out to pick up Asher from school. I did some reading after that - current book is The Shadows of London by Nick Jones, # 2 in the Joseph Bridgeman series. Libby notified me that a long awaited audio book Black House by Stephen King & Peter Straub was available, so I will start that on my drive to Greenbriar State Park tomorrow.

Here is a photo of us taken at the park after our miniature golf game:

Brian, Noah, Me & Karin

Around 2:00 I headed to Karin's. Hardly any traffic on the way. We worked on a jigsaw puzzle for much of the afternoon, then had dinner from a Salvadoran restaurant. I had shrimp tacos. They were OK, but quite a bit different from the Mexican or American ones I've had.

After that Noah opened the card & birthday presents I sent; Noah's birthday is actually Saturday but I'll be gone by then.

Asher & Noah

Karin Checking out the 2000 Piece Puzzle

After that I headed back to the trailer. Much busier at 6:00 than it was at 2:00. We even came to a stop a couple of times on 495.

Dinner was the shrimp tacos at Karin's.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 172

Day 172, Wednesday, April 8, 2026 - Cherry Hill Park, College Park, MD, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 7,212.2 Miles for the Trip.

33°F overnight, 38°F for my morning walk, 49°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 60°F.

Another cool night. After breakfast I called Karin & we will wait until around noon for a trip to Brookside Park, hoping it warms up a bit. It did and while we were still wearing jackets, walking around the gardens was nice. I took lots of photos:

More photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

We left around 2:00 & they dropped me off at Cherry Hill. Karin had meetings & a doctor appointment so I'm back at the trailer for the day. On the way back from Visitor's parking I stopped in the office and made my reservations for next spring's visit.

By the way, Cherry Hill Park does meet my definition of a Resort. Here is a photo outside the office:

I tried sitting outside, but the sun was too bright to make reading on the iPhone possible, so I moved back inside. 

Around 3:30 I headed Building #3 for a shower. 5 shower stalls, one disabled. Fair sized drying area & shower. A bench & 5 hooks in the drying area, a shelf in the shower & a small shelf in between the shower & drying area. A 4" lip between the shower & drying area, a medium flow shower head with plenty of adjustable hot water. Overall, an A. Minor complaint - the lights went off while I was drying. If it had been night, I'd need a flashlight to find my shampoo & soap dish, etc because it shut off all the lights in the men's side of the building. They came on when I exited the drying area, but waving my hand over the door didn't work. 

Since I had ham left over from Easter, rather than my usual grilled cheese & peanut butter sandwich (an old Vermilye favorite) dinner was a grilled ham & cheese sandwich & creamed spinach.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 171

Day 171, Tuesday, April 7, 2026 - Cherry Hill Park, College Park, MD, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 7,212.2 Miles for the Trip.

44°F overnight, 47°F for my morning walk, 55°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 61°F.

While one of the nice things about Cherry Hill Park is it is only 4 1/2 miles from Karin's (a 25 minute drive on a good day) it has a lot of traffic noise from near by interstates & loops. It dies down late at night, but in some sites is loud enough during the day that talking outside is difficult. Site 1401 is about as far as you can get from the noise and is reasonably close to one of the bathroom buildings (#3) but a long walk to the Cafe. 

I finished listening to The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and started The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell. I'm reading And Then She Vanished by Nick Jones using the Libby app on my phone; it isn't available as a Kindle book. I booked a couple of campgrounds for my trip next winter. Only 2 more to go. So far I've been able to get the dates & sites I wanted. I was a little worried about the Florida State Park I wanted (3 Rivers) because Florida residents can book two months before non residents. Today was the first day I could book & most of the park was empty.

A little cool to sit outside - it is 50°F at 11:00AM. 

Around 11:00 Karin stopped by. A friend and former Oswego Technical Director Ken stopped by a little after 1:00. We sat in the trailer and chatted until 3:00 or so, then I drove to Karin's house. Typical busy roads, but traffic didn't come to a stop until I got close to the turn off for Carroll Ave

I left a little before 5:00 and headed back to the trailer. Again heavy traffic, but not as bad as it was on the way. 

Dinner was a Healthy Choice Pineapple Chicken Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 170

Day 170, Monday, April 6, 2026 - Cherry Hill Park, College Park, MD - 216.2 Miles, 7,212.2 Miles for the Trip.

34°F overnight, 45°F for my morning walk, 5t4°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 66°F.

An interesting start to the trip to Cherry Hill. First, it was hand numbing cold hooking up the chains, etc. When I finally hit the road at 10:00 I noticed that there was a Loves & a Pilot at the entrance to I 81. Since I prefer Loves, I drove by Pilot Drive, then, following my GPS for directions to Loves went on a 20 mile drive through some of the narrowest paved roads of the trip. Lots of cows, farms and, thankfully, little traffic. At the end I discovered that Loves is on Pilot Drive. Anyhow, I got gas for $3.69 per gallon.

Traffic was good until I hit the DC area where it was its usual stop & go, although better than many of my visits; we never stopped for more than a couple of seconds. I made it to the park around 2:30. I'm in sit 1401, a full hook up back in site on fine gravel with a fire ring & picnic table. I needed 1" side to side & the tongue was level although I unhooked anyway since I expect to use the truck over the next 4 days. $103.00 per night. The most expensive of the trip, but close to Brain & Karin and the grandkids. 

Site 1401

Karin, Brian & Noah came over & we played a round of miniature golf, then went to the cafe for dinner. I had a grilled chicken sandwich.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 169

Day 169, Sunday, April 5, 2026 - Stoney Creek Resort Campground, Greenville, VA, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 6,996 Miles for the Trip.

66°F overnight, 60°F for my morning walk, 58°F at noon, and the high for the day was 65°F.

Happy Easter!

A warm night that got cooler as the day went on. A light rain started around 6:00AM and continued throughout the morning that stopped around 2:00. I read sitting in the trailer. I finished William G. Tapply's Bradly Coyne #3 Follow the Sharks, and started #4 in the series, The Marine Corpse. I'm currently listening to The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho during my walks, and on the drive tomorrow.

Around 2:00 I made my usual Sunday phone calls.

At 3:00 I headed for a shower. One stall with a small drying area and a larger shower. The shower floor was 3"higher than the drying area floor with just a shower curtain between them, but the slope of the shower area was steep enough that the drying area floor stayed dry. A medium flow shower head with 3 different spray settings. Adjustable hot water. No shelf in the shower, and a bench & shelf in the drying area; no hooks. A oil filled electric heater kept the room warm. Overall, and A.

Dinner was ham, cauliflower & cheese, and a pasta & rice side.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 168

Day 168, Saturday, April 4, 2026 - Stoney Creek Resort Campground, Greenville, VA, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 6,996 Miles for the Trip.

56°F overnight, 67°F for my morning walk, 77°F at noon, and the high for the day was 79°F.

I took a break during my morning walk to do breakfast at the cafe. OK, but not as good as the dinner meals. The "home fries" were cubes of potatoes deep fried. While plentiful, not as good as real home fires or hash browns. And, the coffee was via Keurig. I've never had a good cup of coffee from a Keurig machine. I suspect that they put a mix of instant coffee & real ground coffee in the cups, but even if it is all real coffee it always seems to be watery even if you push the strong button.

After that I finished my walk, made a mug of real coffee & sat outside enjoying the comfortable morning reading. Current book is William G. Tapply's The Dutch Blue Error, book 2 in the Brady Coyne series. By late afternoon I finished The Dutch Blue Error, and started Bradly Coyne #3 Follow the Sharks.

I was hoping to get through the day with just the MAXX fan, but around 3:30 the med's thermometer hit 79°F so I fired up the AC. Lots of early spring flowers around the site:

Violet

Dandelion

Dinner was a personal vegetarian pizza.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 167

Day 167, Friday, April 3, 2026 - Stoney Creek Resort Campground, Greenville, VA, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 6,996 Miles for the Trip.

53°F overnight, 61°F for my morning walk, 73°F at noon, and the high for the day was 82°F.

I walked around a couple of loops on my morning walk, and I really don't know where the term "resort" comes from with this campground. It is large with almost 400 sites, but almost all are mixed dirt & grass with a little gravel thrown down. The roads are either gravel or deteriorated asphalt. Not that it is all that different from most of the places I've stayed (although the bathrooms are pretty small with one each sink, toilet & shower, and scattered far between). I guess I'm more bothered by the term Resort when compared to a place like Cherry Hill. Anyhow, it is fine for a couple of nights and they do have a restaurant.

After breakfast I sat outside and read.

Around 2:00 I headed to the Food Lion 15 minutes away. It actually was more than that because my GPS took me past it and into a housing development. I found it on the way back. By the time I got back to the trailer it was 79°F outside & 81°F in the trailer so I shut off the MAXX fan, closed the windows and fired up the AC.

I got a grilled chicken salad at the campground cafe. Excellent! Maybe the resort name refers to the food. So far it has been limited in choice, but very good.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 166

Day 166, Thursday, April 2, 2026 - Stoney Creek Resort Campground, Greenville, VA - 138 Miles, 6,996 Miles for the Trip.

52°F overnight, 54°F for my morning walk, 79°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 81°F.

The rain started back up after I posted yesterday's journal. Off & on, even brief bursts of sun until dark. My weather app shows bursts of heavy rain off & on until 9:00. At least two RVs arrived during the rain. Glad I'm set up & don't need to take down until tomorrow morning; I hate working in the rain. It stopped around 10:00.

I woke up to heavy fog this morning. I couldn't see the row behind me, let alone the cows on the hill. It started to clear around 9:30. 

Most of the drive was on I 81 with a couple of traffic slow downs, but no stop & go. 

I'm at the Stoney Creek Resort Campground in site 74, a pull through on mostly dirt & some gravel with water & electric for $55.49 per night for 4 nights. Needed 5 1/2" side to side (could only get 4 1/2" with the levelers) and 1" drop on the tongue. A fire ring & picnic table (on a steep slant). Hard to call this place a resort other than the prices (although I have to admit that many other parks, both private & state run are getting close to their price). The bath house is a medium walk away with 1 shower stall. There is a laundry with $!.00 dry & $1.50 wash with lots of machines. It is next to a large club house & a campground store. In any case I'm here. 15 minutes to the nearest grocery store (a Food Lion) or 25 minutes to a Krogers.

Site 74

I checked internet speeds. AT&T shows 57Mbps down & 6.72Mbps up while Verizon clocks in at 334.23Mbps down & 4.85Mbps up. Since I'm starting a new cycle on Verizon, even though it is faster, I'll go with AT&T unless it stalls a lot.

After setting up I sat outside reading. Current book is Anthony Horowitz's Hawthorn #2, The Sentence is Death. During the afternoon I finished The Sentence is Death and started #3 in the series, A Line to Kill.

There is a cafe at the campground store that opened April 1st so I went there for dinner. I had a fried cod basket, 2 large pieces of fish, excellent French fries & coleslaw as well as pretty good tartar sauce for $12.00.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 165

Day 165, Wednesday, April 1, 2026 - Fort Chiswell RV Park, Max Meadows, VA, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 6,858 Miles for the Trip.

48°F overnight, 65°F for my morning walk, 72°F at noon, and the high for the day was 77°F.

I need to remember that the Goya Chiles Relleno have some definite heat. It didn't upset my stomach, but my nose & eyes were watering!

Lots of new arrivals over the evening. While the park is still less than half full, it is a big park and the sites that are left don't look like they are often used. 

After breakfast I sat outside and read. After lunch I hooked up the thank drain and dumped the tanks. 

More sitting outside and reading, and watching the carpenter bees buzzing around:

4:45 a couple of thunder claps and, for a short time, rain. It, for the most part, stopped by 5:00.

Dinner was a Yellowstone Chicken & Dumplings bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 164

Day 164, Tuesday, March 31, 2026 - Fort Chiswell RV Park, Max Meadows, VA, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 6,858 Miles for the Trip.

46°F overnight, 52°F for my morning walk, 69°F at noon, and the high for the day was 73°F.

The cows are all lying down in the field behind me. On the hill in front is a herd of sheep and a few more cows:

The Hill in Front of the Trailer

I spent the rest of the morning reading. It is nice enough to sit outside. While there was a bit of a breeze, as long as the sun peaked around the clouds it was comfortable. Unfortunately, before too long there were more clouds than sun & I moved back inside.

When I went to try for an oil change at Speedco Truck Lube & Tires I passed a building that had a sign stating Haircuts, Walk ins OK. So, after lunch I headed over & discovered the place was closed. I don't know if it was forever or just the day, but I decided to head to Wytheville Walgreens to pick up my prescriptions. Both were ready and I picked them up with no problems. Slightly cheaper co pays than in NY, but not as good as New Mexico.

As long as I was in town I checked for barber shops. The Wythe Faded Barbershop was just down main st. I called & they had no problem taking me as a walk in as long as I arrived around 2:30. I did & got my usual #3 buzz for $20.00 + a $5.00 tip. They do something that is handy if you are going to spend the day without heading to a shower. They do a shampoo after your haircut to wash out the cut hairs. I skipped it since I was planning to head to the showers when I got back to the campground.

There are 3 shower stalls in the men's bathroom, 2 with adjustable fine/course spray medium flow shower heads & 1 with a handheld shower head. I used the center one which had a large drying area, a bench, and 1 hook. Plenty of hot water once it warms up and a large shower stall. No soap dish or shelf in the shower. A cloth shower curtain & 4" lip that keeps the drying area floor dry. Overall, an A- that would be a solid A if there was another hook in the drying area and a shelf in the shower.

After my shower I sat around and read.

Dinner was a Goya Chiles Relleno.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 163

Day 163, Monday, March 30, 2026 - Fort Chiswell RV Park, Max Meadows, VA, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 6,858 Miles for the Trip.

44°F overnight, 50°F for my morning walk, 55°F at noon, and the high for the day was 64°F.

I called Aschenbach Ford after getting dressed to see if I could get the truck in for an oil change, but they were booking into next week and couldn't fit me in. I tried Speedco Truck Lube and Tire and discovered that they were part of Loves, and only did large trucks. The next on the list was Walmart, which I skipped. I went to Economy Quick Lube & Tire, an old fashion garage & got a while-I-wait change - $78.50 + 2% for using a card for synthetic oil.

After that it was off to Walgreens to pick up a couple of prescriptions. I don't know if it is just the Walgreen's system or all drug stores, but the on line ordering sucks. When talking with their pleasant AI she insisted that she could place my order for me rather than bother the pharmacy department at Wytheville Walgreens. I should have known better, but listened to her read the names of all my prescriptions, saying "skip" of "fill" after each one. Some of them were prescriptions I haven't filled in years so it too quite awhile to get through them all. She told me they would be ready by 1:00 Sunday. That was Saturday. 

Sunday I decided to check to see if they were ready and insisted to the AI that I had to talk to someone at the pharmacy. Walgreens in Wytheville never got the order. I put the order in and mentioned that one of the eye drops was one most stores don't stock so could she check that they have it. The clerk at the pharmacy said they have it and all would be ready by 4:00 Sunday. Stopped by today at 11:00AM and at the window they said they were just filling my order & it would be ready in 20 minutes. 20 minutes later they handed me only one of the two prescriptions. Guess what? The one that I asked about was not in stock & they would have to order it. So, I'll be going back to Walgreens tomorrow, maybe.

I stopped at Walmart and picked up a couple of items since I was already in town. It is only about 8 miles from the RV park so no big deal going back & forth, but I probably should check before heading in to get my prescriptions. Of course checking doesn't work all that well although when I got back to the trailer the automated system did call, text & email me that one prescription was delayed & the other was ready...

Back at the trailer I read both on line pages & my Kindle. I started a new audio book - S. J. Bennett's The Windsor Knot.

Dinner was a Healthy choice Sweet & Sour Chicken Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 162

Day 162, Sunday, March 29, 2026 - Fort Chiswell RV Park, Max Meadows, VA - 160.4 Miles, 6,858 Miles for the Trip.

33°F overnight, 40°F for my morning walk, 56°F on the road at noon, and the high for the day was 67°F.

A cold morning packing up the trailer. Glad I did the water yesterday afternoon, it was hard enough rolling up the power cord.

Most of the drive was on I 81. Busy, but no stopped traffic. I arrived at Fort Chiswell RV Park around 1:30. I'm in site 10, just big enough for the truck & trailer. 1/2" off side to side & I had to lower the tongue 2". The site is a pull through full hookup on gravel with a picnic table. I'm here for 4 nights at $60.00 per night with a Good Sam's discount. Lots of cows on the hill behind me.

Site 10

The Cows

After setting up I checked the internet speeds. Both are very good here - AT&T is 119.5Mbps down & 8.84Mbps up, while Verizon is 225.04 down & 62.10Mbps up. Since I still have lots of gigabytes left on Verizon before the end of the month, I'm using them.

I made a couple of Sunday phone calls, then sat in the trailer and read. I finished The Twist of a Knife by Anthony Horowitz and liked it so I went to Libby to see if any others in the series were available as library books. I found & downloaded #1, The Word is Murder. Probably should have read them in order, but I started with #4. Another popular author that I haven't read all that much. I only have 3 of his books in my database - 65 books & 45 audio books are available using the Libby library app. This one is from the Boward County Library in Florida. Although I'm not a resident, they allow membership for $35.00 per year, and seem to have lots of the books that I like to read. The New York Public Library has many more books & audio books, but in the case of The Word is Murder, NYPL has a 12 week waiting list.

Dinner was Barber Foods Chicken & Broccoli & a baked potato.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 161

Day 161, Saturday, March 28, 2026 - Panther Creek State Park, Morristown, TN, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 6,697.6 Miles for the Trip.

36°F overnight, 39°F for my morning walk, 46°F at noon, & and the high for the day was 58°F.

Definitely a cool night, although a bit above the predicted 34°F. Last night the rain started up again around 6:30 and fell until 8:00. My neighbors are true campers - they sat around their campfire in the rain until it got hard enough to drive them inside. As soon as it let up a little they were back out. 

Clear skies but it hasn't warmed up all that much. I changed the sheets on the bed & got together a laundry run. 

After my walk & breakfast I read on line for a bit, then did a load of laundry. One each washer & one dryer at $2.00 each, with an additional $.50 for a heavy duty wash load. Since the building is just across the street and there is no chair (or folding table, just a small, low bench), I went back to the trailer wait for the washer to finish. The clothes were still damp after one run on high in the dryer so I did a second 40 minute run, and after that found some items still wet - a third run so drying cost was a total of $6.00 & 120 minutes. By the way, I have a good example of the inflation that has taken place for camping. I stayed here in 2015 and the site was $17.21 per night. The washer & dryer was $.75 each, but the dryer was just as bad. I noted that folks were going through multiple cycles to get their clothes dry.

I finished reading The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin, and started The Twist of a Knife by Anthony Horowitz. During my walks & while driving, I'm listening to Slow Horses by Mike Herron. Here in the east the roads are busier than out west so I don't follow the stories as well when driving.

I didn't use the shower, but there are 4 individual family bathrooms, all disabled. There is a multiple mini split that is set at 73°F in each bathroom. Each has a shower, toilet & sink. Large shower with 2 1" fine spray, low volume shower heads, adjustable water temperature. All on the same level with a shower curtain between the shower and the rest of the bathroom. Can't rate it because I didn't use it, but it looks OK.

Dinner was an Amy's Enchilada with Spanish Rice & Beans Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 159

Day 159, Thursday, March 26, 2026 - Cloudland Canyon State Park, Rising Fawn, GA, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 6,523.6 Miles for the Trip.

55°F overnight, 62°F for my late morning hike, 71 °F at noon, & and the high for the day was 74°F.

I skipped my morning walk and after breakfast went for a walk on one of the trails along the canyon. 

The Canyon

Back at the campground I read for a bit. I finished Faithful by Alice Hoffman, and started The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin. My neighbor has an interesting camp chair, or should I say chairs. Eight chairs in one package. Lots of kids & family, so they fill them sitting around the campfire in the evening.

I spent part of the afternoon making campground changes. I made the changes to Locust Lake Park yesterday, and when making the change there & in Trip Wizard, I decided that another of my stops could be shortened by changing parks. I canceled Candy Hill and replaced it with Greenbriar State Park in MD. Saves some driving and back tracking. I hope everything is set for the rest of the trip.

The Chairs

Around 3:00 I headed to the showers. 2 in the men's bathroom, one disabled. The standard shower has a small dressing area with a bench & 3 hooks. There is a shower curtain between the dressing area & the shower that keeps about half the floor dry. A 3" low volume fine spray fixed shower head mounted a bit too low for me - I had to duck to hit my face or hair. Plenty of hot water but not much of it. They also don't waste money heating the bathroom; much cooler than it was outside. Still, OK, I'll give it a B-.

Back at the trailer I sat outside reading. 

Dinner was a Lean Cuisine Sesame Chicken bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 158

Day 158, Wednesday, March 25, 2026 - Cloudland Canyon State Park, Rising Fawn, GA, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 6,523.6 Miles for the Trip.

49°F overnight, 50°F for my morning walk, 56°F at noon, & and the high for the day was 65°F.

Good sleeping weather, and no trains, horns or other road noise. A cloudy morning for my walk, but while the sun broke through a couple of times throughout the day, it is still fairly cool. I probably should get used to it; the warm southwest is long behind me. I did check on the Parker, AZ weather- 90°F at 11:00 and heading to 99°F this afternoon. I'd rather have what we have here; 61°F at 2:00 although I'd prefer 75°F if I had my choice.

After breakfast I read on line. Although both Verizon & AT&T look good speed wise, they are both slow in actual use, particularly on the first connection to a site. Verizon does seem to be faster, and AT&T dropped a cell phone over WiFi call I made. Both work OK for internet radio, which is good because there isn't much in the way of FM that I'm interested in listening to.

There are a pair of washers & dryers in the bathroom, but at $3.75 per load in each, I'm glad I don't need to due laundry. They are run by a concession, not the state. 

Still a bit cool to sit outside so I'm reading on the Kindle inside the trailer. I finished The Runaway by Nick Petrie, and am currently reading Faithful by Alice Hoffman, an excellent author. 

I just got a call from Locust Lake State Park in PA informing me that the site I reserved in April will not be available. After a very long phone call I've been moved to a dry site that appears to fit my trailer, although she didn't seem sure. They don't have a map view of the park that shows the sites, so I everything works out. I can do a dry site for a couple of days without problems. 

I found the map for the campground that the reservation center assistant couldn't find and my site was a long way from the showers and ptetty short. I decided to cancel the reservation, and will be staying at Lakewood Park a commercial park couple miles away. More expensive, but with hookups. Since it is my last stop before hitting the Guidos & home, I want to be able to dump, and if it is still cold, electric would be nice.

Dinner was a Chef Ramsay's Chicken Marsala Pasta Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 157

Day 157, Tuesday, March 24, 2026 - Cloudland Canyon State Park, Rising Fawn, GA - 257.3 Miles, 6,523.6 Miles for the Trip.

51°F overnight, 55°F for my morning walk, 68 °F at noon on the road & and the high for the day was 70°F.

I left the campground at 9:30 and spent most of the drive on interstates. The last 8 miles into Cloudland Canyon was a narrow, twisty steep climb, but with a center line. In the park they are rebuilding the visitor center so they have a temporary one set up at the other end of the campground. I registered, got a 20% senior discount, and found my way back to the West Rim Campground back near where I entered. The construction made it a bit difficult but I didn't scrape the trailer! I arrived around 3:00 including the loss of an hour due to arriving in the eastern time zone.

I'm in site 40, a back in site in gravel with trees on each side and a 2' drop off on the driver's side. A neighbor helped guide me in. Water & electric with a picnic table, hanger, fire pit & charcoal grill. I needed 2 1/2" side to side & a 1" drop on the tongue to level. With the senior discount, taxes, etc it works out to $32.53 per night for 3 nights.

Site 40

After setting up I checked the internet - Verizon is at 67.65Mbps down & 10Mbps up while AT&T shows 67.73Mbps down & 3.38Mbps up. Too many trees for a good Starlink connection.

I took a short walk around the loop, after which it was time for dinner.

Dinner was a Healthy Choice Sweet Sesame Chicken Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 156

Day 156, Monday, March 23, 2026 - Foscue Creek Campground, Demopolis, AL, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 6,266.3 Miles for the Trip.

62°F overnight, 65°F for my morning walk, 72 °F at noon, & and the high for the day was 75°F.

A very warm night, still in the 70's at 11:00. It finally cooled to 62°F outside but still 71°F in the trailer by 6:00AM.

After my walk I did some on line reading, then sat outside reading on my Kindle. Current book is The Runaway by Nick Petrie. I finished listening to Larry McMurtry's By Sorrows River, and started listening to the last book in the series Folly and Glory.

Around 2:00 the sun heated up the trailer enough that I needed to start the AC. Even though it was only 75°F outside, it was 82°F in the trailer. 

Around 3:00 I headed for a shower. 2 stalls, one disabled. The smaller one has a small drying room, larger shower with a standard 2" shower head, dual faucets for hot & cold water, a soap dish and a flat floor between it & the drying area. The drying area floor gets wet even with a shower curtain. One double hook and a bench in the drying area. The weirdest thing is it is the first shower I've been in that was loud. Call it a high pitched hum or a low whistle, it almost hurts your ears. Soft water so you need extra rinse time, but plenty of hot water. Overall, a B+.

After the shower I sat outside and read, put away the grill & hummingbird feeder (no takers) and rolled up the water hose. It won't be all that cold at a predicted 50°F in the morning, but since I have a long way to go, saving some time in the morning is worth it.

Dinner was a Scott & Jon's Shrimp Alfredo Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 155

Day 155, Sunday, March 22, 2026 - Foscue Creek Campground, Demopolis, AL - 155.7 Miles, 6,266.3 Miles for the Trip.

62°F overnight, 64°F for my morning walk, 82 °F at noon on the road , & and the high for the day was 85°F.

Since today was a relatively short drive, I didn't get out of the park until 10:00. Not quite as short as expected - on the I 10 causeway which I was only on for 6.3 miles, an accident closed one lane causing a long back up. Most of the trip was on US 43. I arrived at Foscue Creek around 1:30.

I'm in site 6, a back in site on concrete with a deck, fire ring, charcoal grill, picnic table and a double hanger as well as a fish cleaning table. Needed 1" side to side adjustment. Full hookup for $16.00 per night, half price with the National Senior Card discount. Since I'm only here for 2 nights and the tongue is level without unhooking, I left the truck connected.

Site 6

I checked AT&T & Verizon, AT&T shows 6.73Mbps down & .42Mbps up while Verizon sohws 122.60Mbpsw down & 11.32Mbps up. I'm going with Verizon.

I spent the afternoon sitting outside in the shade of the trailer reading. 

Dinner was a chicken cheeseburger and Bush beans.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 154

Day 154, Saturday, March 21, 2026 - Meaher State Park, Spanish Fort, AL, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 6,110.6 Miles for the Trip.

56°F overnight, 61°F for my morning walk, 70 °F at noon, & and the high for the day was 73°F.

During my walk I stopped by the entrance station and asked if I had been given the veteran's 15% discount when I made the on line reservation. I wasn't, so he added it (well, it subtracted) to my reservation. He also did it for my February 2027 2 week reservation so I will see a nice refund on my credit card. Evidently there is a check box that I didn't see that lets you do it on line.

After breakfast I sat outside and read. The noise from I 10 isn't all that bad once you get used to it. 

A little after lunch I took a small load to the laundry. 3 washers at $1.50 and 3 dryers at $1.00. While there were a couple of folks doing wash, I was able to get a machine, and when the washer was done, a dryer. No folding table, but by the time my clothes came out of the dryer it wasn't busy so I folded my stuff on top on one of the dryers.

After putting the clothes away I did some more reading & called Karin in Takoma Park & the Guidos in Binghamton. I usually make the calls on Sunday, but I'll be on the road tomorrow. Since I'm leaving in the morning I dumped the tanks at the sewer connection here on my site.

Dinner was an Amy's Chile Relleno Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 153

Day 153, Friday, March 20, 2026 - Meaher State Park, Spanish Fort, AL, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 6,110.6 Miles for the Trip.

52°F overnight, 58°F for my morning walk, 71 °F at noon, & and the high for the day was 72°F.

I thought about changing my reservation for site 29 next February to somewhere in the middle of the campground to avoid the I 10 noise, but during my walk is wasn't any quieter anywhere else in the campground. As you move away from I 10 you get closer to US 90, both heavy traffic roads.

After my morning walk and breakfast I had a visit from Mike, another Escape 21 owner. We sat around talking for much of the morning. Around lunch time I headed to Publix for milk and other stuff. A bit more expensive than most of the other grocery stores I've been to lately, but well stocked. I even found Thomas's Corn-Toaster-Cakes, something I've been missing since early in the trip.

The wind wasn't too bad so I spent most of the afternoon outside reading. This was one of the times I wish my awning was working. Too much sun so I sat in my chair that has a built in sunshade and turned it as the day progressed. I finished Dana Stabenow's Restless in the Grave, and am currently reading The Black Bird Oracle, #5 in the All Souls series by Deborah Harkness, an interesting series that take witches & werewolves as normal everyday parts of modern day life.

Around 4:00 I headed to the bathroom for a shower. I rated them a C the last time I was here stating they had plenty of hot water, but a cold room. This time the room was OK, but the water (a non adjustable push button) was cold enough to shock you. After the 15th 20 second push it warmed enough to be able to stand in it to rinse, but overall it was terrible. If there is anything I hate more than a cold room it is a cold shower. As to the description, three showers, one disabled, a small drying area with a towel rack & bench, a shower curtain between it & the shower and a 4" lip that doesn't quite keep the drying area floor dry. Overall it drops down to a D.

Back at the trailer I read for a bit, then made dinner.

I had a large lunch so dinner was just snacks.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 152

Day 152, Thursday, March 19, 2026 - Meaher State Park, Spanish Fort, AL - 185.8 Miles, 6,110.6 Miles for the Trip.

42°F overnight, 72°F for my Afternoon walk, 68 °F at noon, & and the high for the day was 72°F.

Other than the first couple on miles which were on narrow Louisiana parish roads, the trip was on I 12 & I 10. The traffic was heavy around Biloxi and Mobile. I stopped for gas at Loves #846 ($3.34) & a Berryland Camper store where I paid way too much for a Camco LP adapter hose. I arrived at the park at 2:10.

I'm in site 25, a full hookup back in site looking out over the bay. The site is on asphalt, with a picnic table & charcoal grill and is close to the bathrooms. I'm here for 3 nights with a base charge of $46.00 per night. With reservation fee & taxes it comes to $51.55 per night. While there are some pine trees on the north side of the site, little shade. There is traffic noise from the I 10 causeway to the south and if you are on the northern side of the park, traffic noise from US 90. When sitting outside at site 25 the noise from I 10, even though it is all the way across the bay, is loud. There is something to be said about the fact that sound travels easier over water. It is louder than the traffic noise along side I 10 out west where it is a 10th of the distance away. 

The I 10 Causway

Site 25

After setting up I walked around the park checking out the new section. It was just being finished the last time I was here. The new bathrooms are 10 individual rooms with disabled showers, a toilet & sink. The entire building is raised on 10' pilings.

I checked out both Verizon & AT&T. Verizon is 33.84Mbps down & 35.18Mbps up, while AT&T is 24.24Mbps down & 3.71Mbps up. 

After setting up I sat outside for a bit reading.

Dinner was Chef Ramsay's Lemon Caper Chicken.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 151

Day 151, Wednesday, March 18, 2026 - Tickfaw State Park, Springfield, LA, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 5,924.8 Miles for the Trip.

42°F overnight, 50°F for my morning walk, 58 °F at noon, & and the high for the day was 65°F.

Not quite as cold last night, but there is little sun this morning. 

The water level in the tent loop has gone down enough that they reopened the road. Some sites are still pretty wet, but many are usable, They have a bunch of prefab tents on platforms that are well above the ground. 

I sat out for a couple of minutes after my walk (still in my quilted jacket) then gave up and went into the trailer for breakfast. I am currently listening to Larry McMurtry's By Sorrow's River, the second of the Barrybander series. I read the first but the second was only available at the NYPL as an audio book. While there are a few books that are better in the audio version, this, like most is better read. In any case I have 10 and 1/2 hours to go. I'll listen on my way to Meaher State Park tomorrow.

After breakfast I read on line for a bit, did an update to the Fiberglass Rally Map, and read Dana Stabenow's Restless in the Grave (Shugak #19). I know I said I was done with the series, but an unread one appeared in Book Bub for $1.99 and I couldn't pass it by.

Still only 58°F at noon & gloomy, so I'm reading in the trailer. I made a bag of microwave popcorn as an afternoon snack. While I didn't burn it, it still set off the smoke alarm.

The sun poked through a couple of times during the afternoon, but for the most part is was heavy clouds. 

Dinner was a Healthy Choice Sweet & Sour Chicken Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 150

Day 150, Tuesday, March 17, 2026 - Tickfaw State Park, Springfield, LA, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 5,924.8 Miles for the Trip.

36°F overnight, 41°F for my morning walk, 51 °F at noon, & and the high for the day was56°F.

Almost like home with almost freezing night time temperatures. Actually, I looked up Oswego and it is 21°F and snowing with wind chill in the teens.

During my walk I discovered a older Class A parked in the road. I don't know if something broke or what, but there are wheel chocks set & the steps are out. Some cones set up from both directions. There is still a way out of the park since the water is down below the road at the other end of the electric loop. In fact Site 27, which was completely flooded is still wet around the pavement, but at least the asphalt is dry. I walked around the non electric tent sites and many of them have pads and tables still in the water. 

On a later walk the Bounder was in a site next to where it was parked in the road. Maybe the owner didn't want to back in in the dark. Many of the sites (including mine) have a fairly steep drop off if you leave the asphalt. I also took a photo of the 2016 flood high water mark at the bathrooms.

A Tent Site

The Class A in the Road

The High Water Mark

Site 27

After breakfast I did some reading on line, but at only 52°F at 12:30 and a light wind, it was cool enough that I stayed inside to read. If it makes it to 60°F and the wind goes away, I might try sitting on the deck since it is one of the few of the trip.

Well, it didn't warm up all that much but the wind died down so I sat outside wearing my photo vest and read. 

Dinner was a Boston Market Chicken Pot Pie cooked in the toaster oven.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 149

Day 149, Monday, March 16, 2026 - Tickfaw State Park, Springfield, LA - 239.8 Miles, 5,924.8 Miles for the Trip.

47°F overnight, 52 °F at noon on the road, 63°F for my afternoon walk & and the high for the day was 64°F.

Another thunderstorm along with a tornado watch just after dark. A narrow band that was perpendicular to us so it went through quickly. No hail, but short bursts of heavy rain.

It cooled off overnight, down to 47°F as I packed up the trailer at 9:00AM. 

With a short hop at the beginning and a longer one at the end, most of the drive was on I 10. It has been a long time since I drove I 10 through Louisiana, and I have to say it has improved. Still sections with construction & narrow barriers, but the buckboard bouncing is mostly gone. Gas was running around $3.49 on most of the trip, but when my tank reached one half I found a Loves in Port Allen, LA that was only $2.89 with the member discount of $.10 per gallon. A very busy station. 

I reached Tickfaw State Park at 2:15, and was assigned site 8. I walked around the electric loop and some of the sites were underwater. The pavement at my original site (29) was dry, but looked like an island. Some were worse:

Site 8

Enjoying ther Flood

Site 27

Site 29

Site 8 has a deck, pole with hook, picnic table, charcoal grill & fire pit. I raised the driver's side of the trailer 3/4" and the tongue 1/4". A full hook up site although the sewer connection was so far behind the trailer that it is useless. The site is on asphalt at $23.90 per night with taxes. The 30 amp receptacle was badly burned so I used me 50 to 30 amp adapter to connect the power cord. I stayed hooked up even though I am here for 3 days since I don't need anything in the way of supplies.

The bathrooms & laundry are on pilings about 10' above the ground. Along the building bottom (at the top of the pilings) is a sign noting the high water mark of the 2016 flood.

After a walk around the loop I sat inside the trailer. It is a bit cool at 65°F on my deck and would be fine in the sun without the wind, but it is still windy so sitting out is out. Tomorrow morning doesn't look good; 33°F the predicted morning temperature. It won't get into the 70's until after I leave on Thursday.

Dinner was a Saffron Road Chicken Tikka Masala Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 148

Day 148, Sunday, March 15, 2026 - Village Creek State Park, Lumberton, TX, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 5,685 Miles for the Trip.

65°F overnight, 66°F for my morning walk, 73°F at noon, and the high for the day was 76°F.

While the train noise was pretty much limited to their horns, they did run throughout the night. I heard the horns at 4:00AM & 5:00AM both nights. Far enough away that they didn't bother me, but noticeable.

After my walk & breakfast I sat outside and read. For the first time in a long while the humidity was over 60%. I got a call from Tickfaw State Park (my next stop) asking if I minded them changing my site due to flooding of roads & sites. Of course I said go ahead. Can't wait to see what the place looks like. Here the park was about 3/4 full for the weekend with a few leaving today. 

Around 2:00 I headed to HEB. Different from all the other HEB's I've been to. They have always been bigger than Walmart with a mix of groceries & stuff. This one is a grocery store only. I picked up a few things, but was not able to get a grill adapter hose to go to my 5 pound tank. My old hose started to leak. I still have my double hose, but I prefer a single one unless I want to use both the grill & the stove.

Back at the trailer it was more reading. I finished The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter Straub. Not bad; I put a hold at the NYPL for the second part. I started The Wandering Hill by Larry McMurtry.

Dinner was a griller chicken cheeseburger & a salad.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 147

Day 147, Saturday, March 14, 2026 - Village Creek State Park, Lumberton, TX, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 5,685 Miles for the Trip.

55°F overnight, 61°F for my morning walk, 70°F at noon, and the high for the day was 76°F.

I checked the internet speed for AT&T & Verizon. AT&T shows 61.93Mbps down & 3.64Mbps up while Verizon is at 53.62Mbps down & .39Mbps up. As usual, when I have AT&T available I use it.

After breakfast I headed to the Fast Laundromat. $3.75 to wash in a 3X front loader & $.25 per 6 minutes to dry. Not too busy, a couple of folding tables & carts, and a well worn bathroom. 

Back at the trailer I read some more, then headed for a shower. 2 stalls, 1 disabled. Both have the 3" solid ball type shower head that produces a large, fine spray. The showerhead aims at the drying area and soaks most of the floor. A bench in the drying area & 1 hook. No shower curtain and no soap dish. Plenty of adjustable hot, soft water. Overall, a C.

Back at the trailer it was more sitting outside reading until dinner. Had a visitor:

Dinner was a pork chop & creamed spinach. The pork chops were from Walmart, and I should have known better - the toughest ones I've had in a long time.

After putting the clothes away I sat outside and read. 

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 146

Day 146, Friday, March 13, 2026 - Village Creek State Park, Lumberton, TX, - 241.3 Miles, 5,685 Miles for the Trip.

44°F overnight, 68°F at noon on the road, and the high for the day was 74°F.

Well, I survived driving through Houston. I've seen photos of "the largest number of lanes in the US" at Katy, just before Houston, and while I drove through it I only counted 7 on my side of I 10. Fairly heavy traffic at noon, but only one actual stop in lane. Lots of slow downs.

I arrived at the park around 2:30, signed in and found site 20. A back in, water & electric site on asphalt with a tent pad, grill/fire ring with benches, general purpose hook, and a picnic table. $20.00 per night including a $4.00 per night individual person charge. I'm here for 3 nights. The park is within horn distance of a railroad with lots of crossings, so lots of tooting. Otherwise, other than the typical kid noise, the park is quiet. Bathrooms are a short walk away.

Site 20

By the way, it was interesting making the reservation for this park. There is also a Village Creek State Park in Wynne, Arkansas. I've stayed there a bunch of times and when I looked it up to make the reservation for the one here in Texas my browser sent me there. I didn't pay attention, and made the reservation there. The problem is it is 700 miles from Palmetto State Park where I was last night to Village Creek State Park in Arkansas, far more than I'm willing to drive in a day. Eventually, I figured out what I did & fixed it well before the trip.

After setting up I headed to Walmart which is a little over 6 miles from the campground. Still lots of traffic, but I did manage to buy everything I needed plus lots of stuff I probably didn't really need. There is an advantage of traveling in a small trailer with a relatively small refrigerator - you do have to limit yourself. In any case I was back at the trailer at 4:30 and tossed a Better Goods Mushroom & Truffle pizza in the oven. I really like this pizza. The first one I had was a Safeway brand made in Italy but Walmart has copied it well, The only problem is the truffle part is mostly oil which makes it a bit too greasy for me. My solution is to blot the thing with a paper towel before cooking. 

Dinner was half of the pizza (although I cooked the whole thing). It made it back from Walmart still half frozen so I cooked it for a little less time than normal.

Until Next Time -