Five Stops on the Road Home

Eventually, all good things must come to an end, including our trip to the desert southwest and points in between. Reluctantly, we said goodbye to our friends in Colorado and pointed Butch eastward with Lucy in tow to begin a slow trip towards home. Initially, our plans called for a trip to Colorado Springs and visiting some friends there while camping at the Air Force Academy. Time was getting away from us however, and our granddaughters were coming to attend Vacation Bible School at our church. We wanted to arrive in plenty of time to get ready for their visit.

In the time since we began RVing, I have often thought about committing to it full-time.  I’m fairly certain that I would be happy as a full-timer because I love visiting new places and because there is so much to see in our country. Nevertheless, Helen and I both love our home and being near family, our friends, our church, as well as the lakes and mountains around Knoxville. Once home, we have the opportunity to regroup for a while, then begin to plan the next trip.  In this way we always have something to look forward to whereas, a full-time commitment might become routine after a while, but who knows, our thinking may change at some point. For now, homeward it is after an incredible three-month journey.

First Stop – Albuquerque, NM

From Cortez, we drove south along US 491 to Gallup, NM then traveled east on Interstate 40, a direct route to Knoxville, stopping first in Albuquerque, NM.  We hoped to stay for one night at the FamCamp on Kirtland, Air Force Base, but that can be tricky because this campground doesn’t take reservations. We called the camp office on the morning we left Cortez and were told that, for the moment, there were five spaces available. That was a risk worth taking.  We stayed at Kirtland once before in our first trip west in Sherman, a rented RV, and enjoyed our stay there greatly.  Above, is a picture from that trip taken from the top of Sandia Mountain. On this visit, we didn’t even unhook Lucy.  We opened the slide-outs and went to bed.

Amarillo, Texas

As is my usual practice, I try to stay under four hours driving time from one stop to the next, and Amarillo, Texas is almost exactly four hours from Kirtland AFB. We found Oasis RV Park through RV Trip Wizard and made a reservation for one night.  Oasis RV Park is about a half-mile from I-40 and had good ratings so, we jumped on it.  When we arrived, the sky was looking rather ominous which can be a daunting thing for RV owners in flat country, but thankfully this storm moved north and out of harm’s way for us—and for Lucy. For a second night, we slept well.

Lawton, Oklahoma and Ft. Sill

After a couple of one-nighters, it was time to to take a break from the road so we made reservations for two nights at Medicine Creek Campground on the Army base at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. The drive from Amarillo was three hours and we arrived rather early in the day.  I was looking forward to unhooking Lucy and settling in for a full day and a half of no driving.  When we arrived at the entry to Ft. Sill and asked for directions to the campground, the young soldier at the gate instructed us to drive to the Lake Elmer Lewis Campground, 12 miles from post, rather than Medicine Creek.  Not knowing the difference, we made the trip to Lake Elmer Thomas, a delightful campground open to both military and civilian campers. Unfortunately, a young camp hostess turned us away and redirected us back to Ft. Sill and Medicine Creek. Medicine Creek only has six campsites, but very nice.  We were one of only three campers in this very quiet setting.

Roland, Oklahoma

Two very restful nights later, we again returned to I-40 heading toward Ft. Smith, Arkansas. We received an email while at Ft. Sill canceling our reservation at a campground in Ft. Smith due to flooding along nearby Arkansas River. Helen did some research but could not locate another campground near Ft. Smith, but did find a Casino Hotel in Roland, Oklahoma just west of there (picture at top). We decided that we would park Lucy for the night and get a room in the hotel.  When making the reservation, Helen asked if there was ample parking for our RV.  The clerk replied that there was an RV campground adjacent to the hotel with full hookups—free of charge. Once again, luck was with us, but it didn’t carry into the night.  Eventually, the Casino gobbled the equivalent of a full night’s rent. The next morning, we discovered a Kildeer sitting on a nest behind Lucy.

Millington, TN Naval Support Activity

Midway RV Park, Millington, TN

We drove away from Roland, OK to witness thousands of acres of flooded farmland near Ft. Smith. We couldn’t help but feel for the farmers who probably lost a corn crop for this year. For this leg of the trip we pushed the envelope a bit and drove for over five hours to reach the Navy Support Activity at Millington, TN, just north of Memphis. Once again, we would stop for two nights to rest up a bit, and to spend an evening with some old friends from the University of Tennessee and fraternity brothers as well.  Becky, our hostess and a dear person really went all out to make us feel welcome. We had such a wonderful time, I forgot to take pictures.  The campground at Millington is very nice–even the deer love it.

Home

I broke with precedent once more and drove over seven hours to reach home.  Helen was anxious to unwind a bit and prepare for our granddaughters and I was eager to get Lucy unloaded and cleaned up. Our pace of life picked up immediately.  In addition to some time with our precious granddaughters, we had medical and dental visits that we postponed while we were gone. A leak in the water line to our refrigerator needed repair as did a faulty air conditioner. Our yard (as small as it is) awaited our attention. Mail needed sorting.

I suppose that an increase in activity is not unexpected after three months and over 8400 miles away from home. I admit that, more than once, the laid-back lifestyle of RV living came to mind. Maybe I’ll re-think that commitment to full-time RVing. Retirement does have its advantages.

I love our life…and just Easin’ Along.