2016 Trip - 4) Amarillo TX to Branson MO

Sun. 6/12… (Amarillo, TX) Second day in Amarillo. We lost another hour once we hit Texas yesterday so it was nice to sleep in this morning.  It has been in the 90’s most of this trip, with little breeze but yesterday the wind really picked up (so bad we put in all of our awnings). But we left the windows open and the air cooled down and it was just right for a nice night’s sleep. Once up and moving, we ate a light breakfast and I took Bailey on a long walk.  We found the dog walk (little tiny area) and she got to run a bit.  We had nothing on the agenda today so we decided to catch up on laundry.  We have a washer/dryer in the rig but their laundry was only about 75 feet away and the washers / dryers were only $1.00 each so we got that started. Rick called with a water leak and I found that it was only a leaky water hose.  So after we got the laundry done and folded and the bed remade we headed back to Walmart for that.  We stopped by the Cadillac Ranch for a couple of photos.  These cars sit back about 200 yards from the highway and must have a ton of paint on them as everyone is allowed to walk right up and paint on them.  There has been a steady stream of cars parked on the road each time we go by!

 

 

We got Walmart done and also found a Sam’s Club for a few more items. We had decided to go out to dinner and there was a ton of places to choose from. Guess what we picked? In steak country!  Chinese……  We found a place (China Star) and it was fantastic.  Best Chinese we have had in a long time! We came back home and hit the spa for a while, talking with a few different couples and sharing travel stories.  That is always fun. Later, I watched my races and then Lydia and I caught up on some of our shared shows before going to bed. Tomorrow we head out again on the road.     

 

Mon. 6/13… (Clinton, OK) This morning we got up and had a light breakfast and headed out around 9:00am and met up on I40 with Rick & Janie (after they stopped at the Flying J).  They led us out for the 183 mile drive to Hargus RV Park in Clinton, OK.  The weather was nicer today – overcast a bit but that helped keep the heat down.  The roads were kinda wet but we didn’t hit any rain.  Another new park for us. When we got into the campground we were told our pull thru sites were not available.  Apparently the oil workers have too much water at their next job so they stayed on here.  They put us in back-in sites which was ok for me except my water spigot is underground in a tube filled with water!  I was able to hook into Rick and Janie’s water line so we’re good to go.  Rick is in a spot where his jacks are buried.  But after some work and moving the rig forward, he got things stabilized. Not a great park but ok for an overnighter. 

 

Once we got set up I called the next campground which is a no reservation park. They asked we call them the day before arriving. I left a message but haven’t heard back yet.  We decided to go explore the town and the office told us that most of the town’s restaurants were only open weekends but there was a really good Mexican restaurant called Palacio’s so we went there for ‘linner’ (late lunch-early dinner).  The food was excellent and the price was right! After the meal we drove around the town a bit then headed home to relax and watch tv. Here is Bailey really relaxing!

 

R&J came over and we watched ‘The Sandlot’. Afterward I walked Bailey and then turned in early.   

 

Tues. 6/14… (Checotah, OK)  Last one-nighter for us!  Except for a light rain, the drive was uneventful as we led the way on a 202 mile drive this morning and are now at Terra Star RV Park in Checotah, OK (pa $12.00)(actually we are closer to Eufaula, right on the lake). We decided to drive as much on I40 as we could and then head north and up to Branson rather than to Springfield and down to Branson.  So that put us in Checotah.  The hometown of Carrie Underwood, Checotah (sounds like Dakota) is a ways away from the campground. It turns out the park is a ways off of I40 but once we got here we felt it was worth the drive.  The price was sure right! We had a light lunch and rested a bit. We drove into Eufaula to check out the area.  Later, we had dinner which Janie made.  It was beef stroganoff which was yummy! We walked Bailey down to the lake.   

 

Wed. 6/15… (Branson, MO)  We knew the drive today was off the main Interstate so we left earlier than usual and drove the 225 miles north and followed Dolly’s instructions (Dolly is our gps) through various route(s) to arrive at Branson’s Ozark Country Campground around 2:00pm. We have always liked this campground and stay here when we visit.  We chose the premium pull-through sites which are a little more costly but are newer and clear of the trees (and the mosquitoes!). 

 

 

We are here for 11 days with plans to see shows and of course fish on Lake Taneycomo.  More on that later…. We have had problems with the front ac.  When we got hooked up the front air wouldn’t come on.  I think that my coach batteries don’t charge well when we drive.  After a while it got up to full charge and it did come on but by then the coach was super hot!  Lydia called a mobile rv guy who is coming out tomorrow.  I’m thinking we need new batteries but we’ll see….  We took off to scout a few things.  First Cooper Creek where we rented a boat for fishing tomorrow.  That set we drove thru town and then went out to Danna’s for bbq.  It’s just down from the campground and it is really good and inexpensive. Since it was still hot we went into the pool for a awhile and then I got my fishing stuff out and loaded in Rick’s car.  We went in and watched tv for a while before going to bed.