Finally to Flower Mound

With the Birds

 

We got unhooked from Memphis on Sunday the 9th and hit the Interstate toward Texas. This was another 290 mile day and quite comfortable with a bit of a shower on and off but the temps in the lower 80s.

 

We landed at the Sunrise RV Park just before you get to Texarkana proper and it was a new place for us. Been through Texarkana many, many times but the timing for this evening was just right.

 

This is another nice en route park and the hosts are really super.

 



The park is a fairly new remake and laid out with wide drives and nicely compacted gravel, even with the recent rains.

Here's the Flying Scotsman as we packed up the next morning and got it ready to roll. Easy hook ups and parking. No trees or other stuff but for the big rig folks that want an easy stop on the way without mud and tight spaces this is it.

That was Monday the 10th and we rolled uneventfully toward home in Flower Mound just to the northwest of Dallas. We booked 4 nights at the Twin Coves RV park and our patio view was below with two of our old friends there to greet us after another 210 miles. At first they were content to fish ...

... then recognizing us and that we were back in Texas for the first time in over 5 months, they began a synchronized welcome dance.

Then they got a bit less synchronized or amorous eh.

And then tiring of all that they gave us a final wave and were off to the other side of Lake Grapevine to continue their greeting and mating dance in private.

Gorgeous animals and what a show that just we could see upon our arrival. Much more from our place here in Flower Mound now that we are back ... and the adventure doesn't stop!

Navy Time

 

On Friday the 7th we again freed the Flying Scotsman from its mooring and continued to head southwest toward Texas. But first we stopped at the Camping World near Cave City to get the final supplies including new sewer hoses.

 

This was a smaller store but now that Camping World bought out Gander Mountain this is the new look in a much larger and combination store ... really great idea.

 



After about 290 miles we arrived in Millington Tennessee and the Mid-South Naval Support Activity, a favorite oasis for us in the center of the country. The RV park and all the facilities there offer a really nice secure place to spend a couple of days and do the needed shopping and rest before the final run; at $21 a night a really great bargain for all Canadian and US military and government retirees.

Across from us was this really fascinating RV with a lot of apparent features in a really compact space for an off road experience. We looked at several of them on line yet couldn't find the make or manufacturer of the thing; but obviously it has a grey water outlet and power connections. The owner came by shortly and opened the rear which houses the kitchen area with fridge, stove, and sink.

 

Then a really neat visitor just beside our RV came to graze. We have spent many hours and miles in Canada looking for animal life and yet here on base were two of these small deer ... wow!

 

And it does rain a bit. The owner of the small rig across from us came home and spent the stormy night in the little mobile cabin ... you can just see the Jeep in front of it ... cozy I guess.

Off on the 9th for Texarkana as the final stop before getting to the Dallas area.

Smooth Rolling

On the 5th after a fairly good but short rest we broke camp in Westfield New York and headed toward the Columbus Ohio area. The temperature was still 95 and very high humidity so I had to watch the engine temp through that hilly part of Ohio.

 

We tried to keep the days under 300 miles so the 267 mile trip down I-71 toward Columbus was pretty smooth. We arrived at the Sunbury/ Columbus North KOA which is about 20 miles northeast of the city; rolling in about three in the afternoon. This is a nice KOA which used to be a private RV park and resort spa so a lot of facilities and excellent road structure for your $42 a night. The sites are long pull-thrus with compacted gravel and easy to use hookups. The staff was super and made sure our satellite system was working or they would let us go to another site.



 

From the RV the view of the camp office in the sunset was pretty spectacular.

As I said the road structure was nice and there is a pretty good sized lake and covered bridge to the right as you leave the park.

Of course I couldn't resist this dude in the camp store ....

 

On the morning of the 6th we did another 289 mile day still heading southwest toward Memphis but stopped halfway in Cave City at the Cave Country Campground where we've stopped before. This is your excellent enroute park with easy access, large level lots, well-placed utilities, and great management for your $50.

We still have our sights on Flower Mound Texas and hope to be in our apartment by the 11th if the RV gods are willing and happy!

Borders and Repairs

 

Our appointment in Hamburg for the Flying Scotsman was at 1PM on the 4th of September. The picture below is of the N.E.T. campground and the beginnings of a nice sunset as seen from the observation deck of the bus.

 



So on Tuesday we rolled out of that park down some nice two lane roads toward the border with the US. We've crossed over the Welland Canal on the QEW highway many times but this time we went under it. This is a major shipping canal between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and has several locks along the way ... really neat to go under the canal!

At the border we went through the Nexus line but noticed that every vehicle in every line was being inspected in detail ... every trunk open, etc. Our agent told us to park the bus and go into the building. Inside we waited a bit until called, went up to the counter, handed over the keys to the agent, and in about 10 minutes he came back and said, "Have a nice day." We think the original agent who had us park didn't know what to do because the inside agent just shrugged ... some confusion maybe.

Anyway we were across the border about noon and arrived at the Camping World about 20 minutes later. Our first plan was to leave the RV there for two days and explore Buffalo but it was 95 degrees and 80% humidity so we asked the repair place if they could hustle up our job and we could leave that evening. The big boss agreed and by 6 pm we were on our way with two new tires and a new slide topper awning. Below is the copilot finding us a place to rest for the evening and Bandit is chilling by her feet.

Finally we came to rest in the Westfield KOA which is right on lake Erie about 50 miles to the west of the Hamburg-Buffalo area.

This was a typical KOA and had some really friendly folks that took us to our site and the big diesel came to rest at about 7PM ... late happy hour!

Last Days in the Northland

 

As it happens every year we pack up the Flying Scotsman, say goodbye to friends and relatives and rumble our way back to Texas for the winter. We had our final dinner with Jo's dad and brother and then began the cleaning and stowage for the bus. Most of the patio stuff like the umbrella and flower pots will stay and be tied up in the deck box in the background. Only Jo-Anne and the chairs will get into the bus.

Here's the obligatory flamingo shot with the chief pilot aiming the pink birds toward the south.

And a bit of planning on the GPS ... looks pretty straight to the southwest this year, yup. Actually there will be a slight delay in Buffalo as we get new tires and a new slide topper awning at the Camping World there; right under the #1 in the view below.

 

And a final, hopefully not, aurevoir to our next door neighbors from Timmons. They were off the third of September as we were; they were heading straight north for 7 hours and we blasted south toward the Niagara region.

Monday the 3rd was Labor Day and we didn't know what to expect as we had to go through Toronto toward Niagara. Wow! Look at this picture below. I don't think we have ever seen so few cars for the journey through this huge city; what a relief!

So we whizzed happily around the end of Lake Erie and ended up at the N.E.T campground just outside the little town of Vineland (of course) Ontario. We didn't know how long the cross Toronto trek would be so made this 142 mile trip the first of our adventure and still stay in Canada for one last night.

It was $42CDN and a narrow but level parking lot where we scraped along that pine tree to the rear for a couple of new scratches but otherwise uneventful evening. This is primarily a mobile home and permanent RV kind of park with about 8 of these transient pull-thrus. If you have a few days here there are many outstanding wineries within a short distance; so well worth the stop.

Pub Grub

 

After a shopping trip up to Gravenhurst on a pretty sunny day, on the way back to the KOA we got hungry and stopped in the neat little waterfront town of Orillia. We hadn't eaten there before so while driving down a main street we spotted this place with convenient parking across the street.

 

This is the Brewery Bay Food Co. and as pub stuff is usually pretty good we decided to try.

 

We ordered a Creemore Lager to share and then looked at the really interesting menu bound in leather.

After ordering the meal I shot a bunch of pictures of the inside of the place. Really historic looking and jammed with many old pictures and artifacts. The exposed brick harks to a hundred years or so ago and the wine rack was awesome. Wonder if they ever used all the glasses in a single night ... lots of washing, eh.

I ordered their Stinky Cheeseburger which was a great burger with caramelized onions and a great chunk of blue cheese and it was wonderful. The hit of the meal though was Jo-Anne's Sweet Orleans Chicken Sandwich which was advertised as the "staff favorite."

This was a chicken breast barbequed in their sweet sauce, caramelized onions, bacon, and three cheeses. It was so gooey that a knife and fork was required but it lived up to its reputation; this was absolute comfort food at its best.

Prompt friendly service, super atmosphere, right-on pricing, and a wonderfully different menu all made for the perfect lunch experience.

Camera Fun

 

Here's a collection of some of the memorable shots with the Olympus over the last couple of weeks. The first is this sign on the way from Barrie northward toward Gravenhurst ... can't get much more Canadian than that, eh?

 

Almost at the same location is this RV park which we have never checked out ... wonder why ...

Then a nice bright shot on our patio of the thirsty yellow jacket.

 

And one of the new jays this year. This family has been on our patio for several years and now the new generation has learned from their parents and is taking advantage of the many pounds of peanuts offered every week at our site.

This picture below is really unique. We have the picture of the iconic tower on the wall of the RV over the dinette ... been there for several years, ok. The picture was taken by our daughter while on a wedding shoot in Paris and actually is a nice grey and black presentation.

Well, the other night we looked up and the thing looked like this below. The sunset through our window shined on the photo and almost made it look like a sunset by the tower in Paris ... honest, no Photoshop here ... this is a grey and black picture ... yet for a few moments the sun through the window made it come to life.

 

Then testing the range and focus of the Olympus.

 

A nice fall moon on a clear evening in Barrie Ontario with a 20x zoom and a bit of patience.