December 1-15,2022 Colorado to Florida RV Rescue

Our flight to Denver was fine. We flew on Frontier Airlines. We sat in the way back of the plane just because if you want to sit anywhere else you have to pay an extra 40 bucks. They even charge for carryons. So we each just brought a small personal bag that fit under the seat. Good thing we are minimalists.

When we arrived at the Denver airport, we checked Lyft and Uber to see what it would cost to drive the 90 minutes to the automotive shop where Lisa and John’s RV was being fixed and stored. I had also reserved a rent a car as well but really didn’t want to have to drive back to Denver to return it after picking up the RV. The lyft was $150 dollars, the rental car would have been close to that so we went with the lyft. Our driver was great, the car was clean and roomy, a Honda CRV. And the best part was that he spoke no English so we didn’t have to make small talk with him for the 90 minute drive.

We arrived at the automotive place in Sterling, Colorado at 4 pm and the sun was setting at 4:30 so we didn’t want travel to far with the RV being it was 28 feet long, way bigger than the van and also more to it for setting up for the night. We found a community park campground that was open. We were the only ones there and they offered electric. There was a parking meter type machine where you paid the $25 for the night but lucky for us, the machine was broken and there wasn’t another human being around anywhere for us to pay. It was 16° out which explains why we were the only ones camping. We plugged in the RV and turned on the lights, the propane, and the furnace for some heat. The heat came on but then turned off. Oh Boy!! That was not good. We played around with it, turned it on, turned it off, fan only then auto then off and on again. We finally got it working and had heat for the night!!

Woke up to a beautiful Sunrise and hit the road early in search of 72°.

We wanted to put in a long day of driving. We drove a full SIX hours which for us is a super long day of driving. We made it to just outside of Amarillo Texas at another county park. This one was free for 24 hours. They offer these free 24 hour campgrounds in Texas in a lot of the smaller towns in the hopes of drawing in tourists who will spend money in their town. That’s exactly what we did. Enjoyed a nice meal in walking distance of the campground.

Got another early start in the hopes of finding 72°. It was extremely windy on todays drive. The RV was difficult to drive. We put in another 6 hour day and found a nice Ranch to camp at for the night. This place is one of our Harvest Host locations so it was free to us with our membership. Greg bought a pair of sandals at the store. This store was like a giant Cabelas for Cowboys. It was so cool.

Freezing cold when we woke up this morning. Need to continue driving south. Greg found a nice State Park about 4 hours south of here so hopefully a little warmer there. We stopped at a nice rest stop along the way. Texas knows how to do Rest Stops.

We continued on and got gas at a Buc-ees. If you are ever passing through Texas be sure to stop in.

Headed on to the Huntsville State Park. We were unable to make a reservation but went anyway in the hopes that there would be a spot for us. We got lucky and got the last spot and it was a pull through so we didn’t have to back up this monster RV. We decided to hook up the water and septic for the first time which was a little tricky. We had a few issues. I think the pipe may have burst under the kitchen faucet when it was stored in Colorado cause there’s a big leak there. We didn’t really need to use the kitchen sink anyway. There’s definitely a learning curve to connecting all the things that need to be connected to an RV. This experience has definitely made us both grateful for the simpleness of van living.

From Huntsville we continued South and then East on the I10. I stopped about an hour into the trip to go to Mass. A very small church with maybe 30 people. It was really nice though, all songs were sung accopella. Oh come, Oh come Emmanuel sounded really beautiful. From there we headed to Bolivar Peninsula. So so foggy down by the water but we made it onto the beach and had a pleasant night. A huge RV next to us got stuck in the sand but did manage to get out after several back and forth. We had no issues at all getting on the beach and turned the RV to face out to make it easier in the morning. No issues getting off the beach either.

Left the beach and headed west. Decided to stop at Dover Downs Racetrack and Casino. The slots were loose and we both walked out of there a WINNER!!

We continued on another 2 hours or so and arrived at the Loves Truck Stop just after dark for a pretty decent nights sleep. This Loves was extremely busy and loud. But since we lived on Sunrise Highway all those years, we find it quite comforting to sleep with highway and truck noise all night.

We attempted to put some air in the tires at the Loves Truck stop but had no luck. Went a little further down the highway and tried another truck stop that had “truck air.” Not sure the difference between truck air and car air but the truck air worked. It also costs twice as much as car air. it still boggles my mind that I have to pay money for air. I’m totally charging Lisa and John for the air. Lol

We hit the road and stopped at a Bass Pro Shop to do some fake shopping. Santa was there so that was fun. plus some ducks got out of their enclosure and were wandering all around the store.

From there we went to a Chinese Buffet for lunch. This place had crawfish on the buffet and that’s my favorite. We had to park the RV like half a mile away in a hotel parking lot. Another reminder for us about why we prefer vanlife over RV life.

We headed about another 90 minutes and found a great State Park in Mississippi. Hooked up the RV and enjoyed a nice night of GLAMPING. Watched Netflix on the big screen. Took showers and turned on the air conditioning. All things we don’t have in the van, but still I’d choose the van over RVing.

Stopped at another Buc-ees in I think it was Mississippi, might have been Alabama. It was just like all the others. This time we decided to buy a pound of their Briskets. $24 dollars a pound but worth every penny. It’s so good.

We crossed over back into Florida and stayed the night at a Rest Stop on I10. Another pretty loud night. The place was filled with loud trucks all around us. From there we headed further east on I 20 and found a nice spot in the parking lot of a Bass Pro Shops. We also found out that you can get a free picture with Santa as long as you have been good. And since Greg and I have been very good, we now have a great Photo and a great memory of our conversation with Santa. And yes, I still believe.

We had a really good dinner at Dave and Busters and then we’re able to see the launching of the SpaceX rocket from right outside Dave and Busters. That was pretty cool.

We have another three and a half hours to go to get this RV back to Lisa and John in Port St. Lucie. it took us 10 days to drive from Sterling, Colorado back to Florida. It was a good trip but I really do miss the Van and we are both looking forward to more Van Travel.

We made it safely and in one piece from Colorado to Florida and then as we are pulling into the backyard, we rub the back fence gate and tear off the side light on the rv and the hinge of the gate and a lock on one of the storage doors. Thankfully we were pulling into the yard at a snails pace so those three things can be repaired. We all went to the Port St Lucie arcade and played Bingo that night. Lisa won but she won with three others so the cash was not that big but still fun to win.

Said goodbye to Lisa and John and the four dogs and headed back towards central Florida. We arrived at Edward Medard County Park for a nice 18 dollar campsite. Beautiful park with Live Oak, a nice lake and even a disc golf course.

This place has a weird rule like that other park we stayed at recently where you have to set up a tent. They only allow RV camping if your registration says RV and ours does not say that. Ours says Van. And at this place, vans are considered cars and you are not allowed to sleep in your car at this park, you must have a tent. So I told him we have a tent. I didn’t tell him we would be setting it up or sleeping in it, just that we have one. I’m pretty sure they will leave us alone since we are only just staying the one night. Plus it’s so dark here now, they would have a hard time seeing if we even have a tent set up. If they knock on the van in the middle of the night, I’m not answering. I doubt they will.

Our bike cover sort of looks like a tent so we didn’t get the dreaded KNOCK.

We headed back to Marilyn and Ron’s, (Greg’s parents) in Palm Harbor. On the way, we stopped at Home Depot and picked up a kitchen cabinet. We have been wanting to install one in the van for a while to get rid of some of the clutter that we have hanging about. It’s difficult to install something that is square into something that is curved but we figured out a way and I think it looks great.

We have been having a lot of fun with our new virtual reality games. I’ve been killing zombies, Rons been dancing and Greg’s been sight seeing. Marilyn is not too interested in putting on the head gear but has been enjoying watching us.

In the last blog, I forgot to include the calendar of expenses. I went back and updated that if you are interested in taking a look.

I can’t believe how quick this month is going by. Just a couple more weeks till Christmas. Hope all is well with everyone and you have a great Christmas.