2015 Trip – Tyler, TX to Dallas, TX

Sat. 6/27… (Tyler, TX)  I haven’t mentioned much about the weather on this blog.  We started out hitting rain on the eastbound part of the trip in the lower part of the US.  Once we turned north all we have been getting is the heat and humidity of the south!  But early this morning (about 2:30am) the skies opened up on us!  I think it was the hardest rain we’ve seen while on the trip. I was up pretty quickly and then Lydia woke up and we checked to make sure everything was closed.  I found no leaks so we sent back to sleep, or at least she did.  The thunder and lightning kept me up until around 5:00am when it finally let up. Of course the chairs are all soaked.  Hopefully they will dry out later. Lydia and Janie are being picked up this morning to go to ‘cowboy church’ with Judy.  More on that later.  I sat down at the computer to check out things in the Dallas/Ft Worth area and found that I needed to make reservations for the AT&T Park (Dallas Cowboy Stadium) Stadium tour.  We spoke to a girl at the pool at Graceland RV in Memphis who just came from there and booked the VIP tour and recommended it so that’s what I booked. Meanwhile Rick and I will go to Sam’s Club to pick up stuff for the dinner we have planned for tonight…..  We waited until noon so they could get the rotisserie chickens out. We have Bob and Judy, Betty Jean, and her grandkids and so we bought three chickens.  We all met up back at the rigs and Lydia said they really had a nice time at the church luncheon. They met some nice ladies and enjoyed the time with Judy! She then set up everything and finished putting together the potato salad and then started on her rhubarb dessert. Bob and Judy came over at 4:30pm.  Betty Jean was coming - just not sure when she could make it. We had set up at the picnic tables under the canopy just across from our rigs.  The meal was excellent and after we ate Betty came by with her two grandkids, David and Rose. They also ate and afterward we got a chance to sit around and visit a bit before they all went home. The day was so much fun for everyone sitting and talking and the kids playing in the bounce pen.  BUT, much later, when we were ready for bed, I realized we made one major blunder this day.  We were all so busy visiting that guess what – we forgot to take pictures!   Duuuhhh!  Judy, if you are reading this maybe you can email or text me some pictures of the family.  Just wish we had thought to do it when everyone was together!   I did take a picture of the way they designed the hookups (water, power, sewer) at the sites. Plus I had to have one of Bailey and Yogi!
  

 

Sun. 6/28…  (Mansfield, TX) We only had 110 miles to go today so we slept in a bit and then got up to prep and leave about 10:00am.  We arrived at Texan RV Ranch, in Mansfield TX. 

  

We originally were supposed to be in Carrolton, TX, just north of Dallas/Ft Worth but they were the ones who called and had to cancel our reservations due to flooding in their campground.  So we scrambled and found spots in Mansfield, which is about 20 miles south of Ft. Worth.  We did see some areas on the way that are still underwater so I guess this area is lucky they didn’t have any damage. The girls decided that we would have another leftover meal tonight so we combined things and ate at Rick & Janie’s.  Afterward we drove into town to look for a place for ice cream. We found Braun’s, which is pretty big in this area and was very good and reasonably priced.  We will look for them as we travel. Afterward we came home and walked Bailey and then sat out a bit before turning in for the night.    

 

Mon. 6/29… (Mansfield, TX) Today was a fun day for me!  I had ‘tour Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium’ on my bucket list to do on this trip.  And today was my day!  We left the campground around 8:00am with the plan of driving (the 15 miles) to the stadium and then looking for a place to have breakfast.  Luckily for us Cracker Barrel was close by and we managed to eat breakfast and then drive and park in plenty of time to hit will call for the tickets for the 10:00am tour.  As I mentioned before I chose the VIP tour because it was recommended to me.  It was perfect! 

Our tour guide took about 20 of us on a fantastic two hour tour!  We saw and learned so much.  This is the largest indoor stadium built to date, built with high grade everything and has 80,000 seats (in the football configuration) with about 90% of them nicely padded and 100% of them with a clear unobstructed view. 

 

 

 



 He had Mitsubishi design and construct the world's largest TV and it is crystal clear!

Owner Jerry Jones did his homework and made sure everything was top notch.  He worked with designers to plan out a stadium that could be used for many venues other than football.  They even have clubhouse areas (which are rather large lounge/reception areas) that you can book for weddings, parties, etc.

We saw Jerry’s viewing suite that he uses to watch the games.  He has an elevator which will take him up to his private suite or down to the field if he chooses. 

We also saw both the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader and the Cowboys locker rooms.  The men’s locker room was recently used by the Stones as a lounge when they performed there.

After the tour, you are free to go on the field

or back to any of the areas you choose.


Now I’m not a Cowboys fan (GO BRONCOS!!), but I do appreciate something that is done right and this is that place.  This was an excellent adventure, well worth the $22.50 (senior) price. Do this if you’re in the area.  Afterward, we drove back to the rigs and rested before deciding to go out to dinner.  We chose Steven’s Gardens in Mansfield (recommended by our campground) but they must not open until 5:00 so we moved on to the Texas Roadhouse (why don’t they just call it Roadhouse in Texas?) and had a nice light meal!  Later, back at camp, we sat out a bit and planned tomorrow’s schedule.  We will go to the Bush Library.  

 

Tues. 6/30… (Mansfield, TX) The plan today was to leave at 9:00am and go find the SMU Campus in Dallas, where the George W. Bush Library and Museum is located.  Once we got there through the construction zones on the nearby streets, we had to pay ($7) to park and walk across a street just to get to the entrance.  This particular library charges more than any others we have been to ($13.00 for seniors), but it was a nice exhibit, and well laid out (once we found the right entrance!).  President Bush had a tough term and has 9/11 in his history.  But there were gains in Social Security, Medicare, and Immigration laws made under his term.

This library makes nine that we have toured to date (not all on this trip). I think once we get home, I will start a log, rating each of these, which will be difficult because all are unique in their own ways, and all are very interesting.  Right now the Lincoln Library and Museum (Springfield IL) is our favorite so far. Afterward, we returned and walked the dog, had lunch, then went to Walmart for stuff for dinner. Janie fixed spaghetti which was very good. Tomorrow (our last day here) we are going to go to the Texas Book Depository at Dealey Plaza.   

 

2015 Trip – Little Rock, AR to Tyler, TX

Tues. 6/23… (Little Rock, AR)  Our last day here in Little Rock.  We had no plans today so we started some laundry in the rig.  The campground laundry room is just across the way so we did towels and sheets there to save time. Meanwhile Rick is still trying to get a prescription sent from home and filled on the base so he has been working on that. Those chores completed we headed out again, this time to Target and to Sam’s Club. Rick hasn’t made contact with any relations here yet so on the way we decided on dinner plans. Lydia had planned dinner tonight but yesterday I was looking through some Little Rock brochures and found restaurants in the downtown area.  I thought Damgoode Pies sounded interesting.  They posted the best pizza in Little Rock 9 years running.  So we headed there and easily found parking since we went early on a Tuesday evening.  The food and the microbrewery beer were both excellent!  We will go back here again!  We stopped at a little place boasting fried pies so we had to check it out since our experience with these little pies (much like the little individual hostess half moon pies) in Ohio Amish country was very positive.  We each bought one and have brought them home to eat later since we were still stuffed from dinner. More on that to come…..  Once we got back we were in the rig making the bed and Rick and Janie came over to say that he got hold of his Aunt Billie and were going to visit her.  Problem was Janie had just put a load in the campground laundry so Lydia volunteered and took on that job and they took off.  We finished up the evening watching tv and getting the rig ready for our trip tomorrow.     

 

Wed. 6/24…  (Texarkana, TX) The drive today was 145 miles.  We are now at Texarkana RV Music RV Park, in Texarkana, TX.  We stayed at Sterling Crest RV Park while in this area back in 2012 but would NOT go back to that park so we chose this one instead. It is a few miles out of town but that is not a bad thing.  The place is quiet and the people are real nice. We found out from the manager, Reed, that the place gets it's name from a bluegrass festival they host each year.  The place is definitely set up for it!  We rested a bit and cooled down as well then took off to go to the grocery store in town.  We needed some corn to go with the dinner Lydia was fixing. We returned and Lydia got the dinner ready.  She made stuffed salmon with corn on the cob and Janie brought over the salad.  We had ice cream drumsticks for dessert.  Oh, yeah, I ate my apple fried pie.  It was pretty good but didn’t come close to those we had from Amish country! We walked Bailey a bit before dark and then retired to watch tv and work on the blog.  One note – when I am not in an area to get a wireless signal the posts don’t come as timely as I would like. I have activated my hotspot on my phone so will use that and see how it works.   

 

Thurs. 6/25… (Tyler, TX) We left the park about 9:30am and although we only had about 120 miles or so to drive today I noticed that we were heading down rural roads but it turned out they were not too bad.  Rick and Janie led out.  I mention this because on the way we witnessed a woman run a red light and if Rick hadn’t swerved away they would have gotten tagged by the lady. She was even in the intersection when I went through. The good part (besides no accident) was that a trooper was just past us and saw it in his rear view mirror.  He whipped a u-turn and quickly lit her up.  Aaahhh, it feels good to see justice once in a while.  We are now at Jellystone Park at Whispering Pines, Tyler TX.  We have been here before when we visited Bob and Judy in 2012 and we liked this park.  Plus, its only about 1.5 miles from their place.  We got checked in and parked and set up and Lydia cleaned up a bit and then we drove into downtown Tyler.  We wanted to find a place for linner plus stop at Office Depot for rubber bands and at Verizon to get some assistance.  The rubber bands were to hold an inside cabinet door that R&J tore off when they put out their slide. The hard braking opened the door and they didn’t notice it till it was too late.  Rick needed help at Verizon for his tablet and Lydia had a question about her email accounts.  On the way home she called her sister Judy and they came over to see the rig and to visit for a while.  They made plans for the next couple of days. Oh, they have a lake here and Bailey wasted no time in jumping in.   

 

Fri. 6/26… (Tyler, TX)  Plans today included meeting up with Bob and Judy for breakfast at Petty’s, a local place in Lindale, just down the road from their house.  Bob was working on getting his smoker going. He would pass on breakfast. He was smoking a pork butt for our dinner tonight.  So Judy went there in her car and we followed in Rick’s.  The meal was excellent as we remembered from when we were there back in 2012.  Afterward, Judy went home and we went on to Walmart to pick up some things for us and some hickory chips which we dropped off at Bob’s.  Then we went home to rest and enjoy the pool here.  This place is like a KOA park and is set up with tons of things for the kids to do, including a nice pool.  BUT, they also have an adults only pool which we enjoyed for a few hours.  After we took Bailey down to the lake for a quick cooling off, we changed and headed over to have dinner.  Rick & Janie brought wine to compliment the pork butt, rice, beans, and salad and apple pie for dessert.  It was a delicious meal and we enjoyed the company as well.  We brought Bailey who made herself at home and liked Bob’s cooking too!  We headed back home and Lydia started preparing potatoes for potato salad. We are having them over tomorrow for dinner at our place.    

 

2015 Trip – Memphis, TN to Little Rock, AR

Fri. 6/19… (Memphis, MS) Today was scheduled for the Graceland Mansion Tour.  We ate in and just walked across the parking lot to the ticket pavilion. We decided to take the Platinum Tour ($36.45 ea w/senior+AAA discounts) and waited for our tour hr/no to pop up.  It was about an hour wait till we boarded the bus for the ride across the street to the mansion.  They give you Ipads w/headsets and John Stamos does the audio. We took pictures in front and then went through the various downstairs rooms (no one is allowed upstairs since the mansion opened).  Everything in the house is period correct of the day Elvis died. The tour then takes you outside to the offices, the grounds, the carport, and then back into the racquetball room.  In this room they now have records, outfits and awards.  You end the tour in the meditation garden where Elvis is buried. The Platinum pkg. included the car museum, sincerely Elvis museum, the airplanes and the archives. So we boarded the shuttle and were taken to an archives bldg on the rear of the property where everything in the collection is catalogued and filed away. You see a video of his concerts and then board the bus to return to the visitor’s center.  We went to the auto museum and decided we needed to eat so we returned to the campground.  We would go back after dinner.  We left and went down the road to Marlowe’s, another bbq joint.  It was very good.  While close, we went to Walmart and then headed home.  Turns out we were too late as they close everything at 5:00pm.  We will try to go tomorrow before we head out to Little Rock.   

 

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 Sat. 6/20…  (Little Rock, AR) We got up kind of early and got most of the coach ready as we were headed out this morning.  But we wanted to go back to finish the tour of Graceland.  We still wanted to see the airplanes and the Sincerely Elvis Museum.  We timed it so we were there a little before they opened at 9:00am.  Turns out they didn’t send anyone to the planes until almost 9:30.  So we waited a half hour to take the ten minute tour of both the Lisa Marie and Hound Dog II.  The Convair 880 was old when Elvis purchased it from the Tucson boneyard but he put bucks into refurbishing it and used it up until his death.  They told us that it was fueled and ready to go to his next concert the day Elvis died. That done, we headed over to Sincerely Elvis. This was a small but interesting exhibit of things Elvis wore and accumulated plus photos taken with those items by various photographers. As I said it was interesting to see the items in photos and then see them right there.

 

Once we had done those two things we were officially ‘Elvis’ed out’ and ready to leave Memphis.  Our trip today was 140 miles to Little Rock AFB (actually in Jacksonville AR). Lydia and I took a few pictures on the way.

They don’t take reservations so we were a little leery about getting in.  Rick checked the day before and they said there were spaces but they fill quickly.  We did the ‘wife swap’ again so we could get on the base but we were told they needed 100% id check and any visitor needed to register at the visitor’s center.  No problem except where to park two 40’ rigs in their parking lot.  We maneuvered in and found spots and they were very nice and we got in with no problems (after they made traffic wait so we could enter the gate!).  They are still on high alert as it was only 5 days ago that a wacko nutjob who must have gone off his meds went berserk and tried to crash the gates with his vehicle.  The guards opened fire and stopped him before he could get in (he died later from his wounds). The base went into lockdown for several hours so needless to say they were a little on edge and packing full automatic rifles. Once we got in we found our way to the campground and luckily there were four spaces open and there were only two that we could have fit in so we were happy.  Later, Janie fixed a casserole (potato, hamburger, veggie recipe Lydia has made before) and it was yummy!  We hung around outside for a while and gave the dogs a chance to play a bit in the grass.before we headed in for the night. But before we went in  I took a picture of a vw towing a trailer.  Something you don't see everyday!   

 

Sun. 6/21… (Little Rock, AR)  Happy Father’s Day! We found out the Clinton Presidential Library was open on Sundays (website says 12:00 noon) so we decided to sleep in, go out to breakfast, then work our way there for the tour.  Breakfast was at the local Waffle House (still very good!) and then we went into downtown area to locate the library.  Found it no problem but we still had some time to kill so we drove around the area.  Rick was born here but the family moved when he was very young so he doesn’t remember too much.  We thought he had family to visit but we learned he had no plans to do any of that while here.  Tomorrow or the next day we will go looking for his grandfather’s burial site (in a confederate cemetery) if he can piece things together enough to help us locate it. We’ll see.  We got back to the library only to learn that they don’t open until 1:00pm!  We needed to find a restroom so we set out and finally settled on the Marriott Hotel down by the recently renovated riverfront street adjacent to the Arkansas River. That done we finally got back to the library and finally got in.  Since it was a Sunday, plus it was Father’s Day, plus they have a new temporary ‘Living Dinosaurs’ exhibition in the same building, it was kind of crowded.  But not so bad we didn’t go in.  The Clinton Presidential Library (admission for seniors was $5.ea) is very interesting.  It’s not the biggest or best we have seen but I ranked it up with those I liked. Love him or hate him, President Clinton can take credit for many positive things that happened during his two terms in office.  But he will always be remembered for a couple of rough times that he dealt with (Lewinsky scandal plus income earned while in office).  I especially made a point of taking pictures of his desk in the Oval Office replica.  Nope, didn’t see anything unusual!!!  We did like the fact that everything on the two floors is well laid out and you could take your time and see as much or as little as you wanted.  Afterward we walked through the dinosaur exhibit.  They have large (probably half scale) dinosaurs that are animated.  Lydia especially liked teasing the t-rex to bite her. 

 

After that, we left and drove back to the base to walk the dogs and rest a bit before going back out to dinner.  We decided on Chuey’s for Mexican food.  We had noticed when driving by that the parking lot was always full so we gave it a try.  I think it was the best Mexican food we have had on this trip! Very good!  On the way home we stopped at Sam’s Club so Janie could get some things and then went to Lowe’s for a water filter for their refrigerator before heading home for the night.         

 

Mon. 6/22… (Little Rock, AR)  Happy Anniversary to us! 47 years! We didn’t have any plans today as this was Rick’s time for family. He had found a confederate cemetery in Pine Bluff and wanted to check it out.  He was looking for his grandfather’s gravesite.  He had been here with his aunt several years ago but couldn’t remember where it was.  He also found an interesting train museum in Pine Bluff but before we left he went off to the base pharmacy to try to get a prescription filled. That in work, off we went.  We drove the 30 some miles to Pine Bluff and found the address. The museum was really cool.  It was actually a manufacturing facility that built trains as early as the late 1800’s. They had examples of all of the types of equipment used in the day and they were all open to go into!  We met the docent who (besides being a redneck bigot) was very interesting and knowledgeable and took me behind the scenes to show me how they moved all of the equipment around in the plant.  The tour was free with a donation which we gladly made.  After that we drove to the cemetery just outside of town. Turned out it was not the one.  Since it was getting past 2:00pm we decided to try to find a place for linner.  We searched the gps but found when we got to a place it would be closed or shut down.  So we headed back to Little Rock and went to Red Lobster and had a great meal.  After coming back and resting a bit we went to Walmart and picked up a few things then sat out a bit before coming in to watch TV.