Cabela's Sydney Nebraska

The entrance to the store

The statues in the front garden

Trucks and RVs parked at the store

We got to Sydney WY. after the usual trip through the wilds, it was a lonely trip the roads were empty as it was Sunday. After we got checked in to the RV park at Cabela's we did a little shopping at Wally World to replenish our food supply. On the way back to camp we spied a wine tasting sign and stopped in to check it out and of course bought some wine.

We took a tour of the Cabela's store and checked out the merchandise. I thought some things looked fine but they weren't my size and or price. Actually I thought most of the clothing was way over priced for being made abroad by folks that are making less than a dollar an hour. Also the quality wasn't that good. Maybe that is just sour grapes because I didn't find anything that fit that I was willing to buy. As for the store, I guess I have been spoiled by the folks in Maine at the LL Bean store, and the Out Door World folks. I must say lots of folks like this store and buy lots of their merchandise.

The following day Samantha was having a problem with a tooth, this tooth has been giving her pain for a couple of days. So I went and found a dentist for her with the help of some ladies that ran a coffee shop across the street from the RV Park. The dentist fixed Samantha's problem tooth and now she is in fine shape.

So tomorrow we are on the road again this time to drive the I-80 until we find a spot to camp for the night and then on to Utah.

Still on the go in Kansas

The sign looks nice in the photo but it is worn out

The park is not maintained everything looks old and worn

The place has a worn out look rather sad



another rig

Camp manager's rig




Our camp

Our rig at North Star nice and clean well organized






Drippings Springs Shelter by the Lake



This is the site we finally got our rig into



Above photo is of the Dripping Springs Lake



We stopped for the night at Dripping Springs State Park. The Park has a route through town to get to it and you pick your own spot when you get there. The sites are narrow on narrow roads we had a heck of chore getting parked, very exasperating for this novice 5th wheel owner. The camp hosts were nice and friendly they came to us to collect the fee. We walked the dogs by the lake and I noticed that there was a lot of trash and worse broken glass around near the water and one of the shelters. In my opinion skip this S.P. and find another place less frustrating to park your vehicle and better maintained.




Last night we spent in an RV camp called North Star tonight we are in an RV camp Midland Camp Inn Goodland KS, not a posh place for sure. However we only need electricity, water and a good Internet connection, we have all those. Hopefully we will get a good night's sleep.

Today has been a long day and a frustrating one; this morning's fuel up gave us 8mpg, mid day fuel up gave us 6.25mpg and this evening's fuel up gave us 6.5mpg, not good especially at these prices. I checked the tires and the engine oil, tranny fluid and all are okay so what can be the problem? I hope nothing serious is going wrong with the truck.

Tomorrow we push on to Colorado and then Nebraska. Today's travel through Kansas was one hill, one huge farm, one little town. one after another-rather boring. I guess I like a little excitement now and then, well not with the traffic thank you. Some folks drive with their head firmly planted in their rectum. I just hope I am not as bad a driver as the bad ones I have seen.

The high point of the day was breakfast at Flying J steak, eggs, home fries and toast the steak was delicious.

Muddy Wet Dog

This is our last day at Tyler State Park. In the morning we took the dogs for a long walk following a bike trail that zigged and zagged through the woods up and down hills across steams for a couple of miles. We arrived at another campsite and after a short break we walked back to our camp using the paved forest road. This was a good work out for the dogs and me and we all were a bit tired after the walk.

Around noon we decided to go to town for lunch and to Wally World to return the inflatable boat. Lunch was at Petty's where we had breakfast earlier in the week. Returning the boat was no problem as we had a receipt. We also went to Lowe's and got some wood to fix a shelf that came lose and purchase child proof catches for the cabinet doors as some come loose when the trailer is being towed.

Later after a nice dinner we took the dogs for their evening walk along the lake. When we got down to the boat launch area Shelby the lab decided she wanted to check the water out and ended up rolling down an embankment into muddy water. I had never seen her so dirty, I tried to wash her off at the boat landing but the mud was just to much. I took her back to our camp and gave her a shampoo which she put up with but didn't like she wanted to get away and roll in the dirt, like the dog she is :) She is inside the trailer now still damp and a little disgusted about smelling like flowery shampoo.

We got the child locks on and have emptied our tanks and picked up a few things in preparation for breaking camp tomorrow morning when we will be off for Oklahoma.

Tyler State Park Texas

Our dogs Shelby the Lab and Spencer the Shitzu


Our camper at night



Julie AKA Granny Kay

Samantha

Petty's more than Steak & Catfish great breakfasts.

View from our site

Granny Kay drowning bait.

Wonderful pets waiting for the fisher folk to catch something

Granny loading little itty bitty hook to feed the fish

Samantha inflating Kayak

Last check befor launch

Off she goes; is that a leak?


We left the Escapees Park in Livingston Texas and drove to Tyler Texas this drive gave us a better understanding of East Texas. About three quarters of the way to the park the air conditioner stopped cooling and we had to drive in the heat with windows open and between the wind and heat we got dehydrated, by the time we arrived at the State Park we were tired. We got parked fine and turned the air conditioner on in the trailer and while the trailer was cooling off we took the dogs for a walk and upon returning to the trailer we enjoyed a nice cool rest.


We checked out the park store and the day use areas and inquired about renting a kayak and or canoe. We also check the prices for fishing gear. We decided to defer to Wall World for our purchases. We had ask the staff at the park out getting our AC repaired and they recommended Hank's on route 69 so we decided to find Hank's even though it was Sunday so we wouldn't be trying to find it Monday in traffic. After locating Hank's we picked up some goodies at a dollar store and went to Cracker Barrel for dinner where we found out that Cracker Barrel has a breakfast menu but does not make omelets even though they have eggs cooked other ways but no omelets.

We later found Petty's and had a great breakfast with wonderful service and Samantha got her omelet and I got had french toast with sausage, and great coffee.


When we got back to the campsite we walked the dogs again and decided we had enough for one day and called it a night.


Monday we took the truck to Hank's but they were over loaded with work so we decided to bring it in the following day Tuesday (today). While in town we went on a shopping spree at Wally World and got fishing gear and a blow up Kayak. When we got back to camp we blew up the Kayak and Samantha took it out on the Lake, later we went fishing but got skunked the minnows eat my bait.



Update; Tuesday I took the truck in to have the AC looked at and it seems the controller head on the dash needed to be replaced there goes another $366.00, another camp another repair shop. So far repairs have totaled $1300.00 and who knows what is next? What the heck I just mind the money it really isn't mine.

Also the inflatable kayak has a defect so we are going to take it back to Wally World and get our money back.


Pet Peeves; people who cut through your campsite, people who walk past at night next to your bedroom talking loud enough to understand their words, campsites located to close to the restrooms. There I got that off my chest :)

Life is still good :))

Lake Livingston State Park

Samantha returned from her ship and we have plans to visit the Tyler Texas State Park so we went to the local State Park here in Livingston and got our annual pass and a look at the park.

The pass cost us $75, for the both of us plus we bought a book about Texas State Parks so we will be better able to make choices of parks to visit. We took a drive around the park and checked out the campsites and the store. At the store there was a tower made of logs that gave a good view of the park and Samantha went up to the top of it to take some pictures, while at the top of the tower we experienced a very local rain shower. The shower made the log steps slippery and Samantha slipped on the steps and fell hard hitting her elbow and back, she was hurting for days and still has a big bruise on her back from the fall.

We have discussed where we would go when our time is up at Tyler State Park at first we thought about visiting Louisiana, but have changed our mind and now plan to head North to Idaho.

So our next post will be when we are in Tyler State Park.

I took a trip to Nocadoches Texas, as usual I didn't plan anything I just loaded the dogs up in the truck and took off for Nocadoches. I didn't know how long I would be gone so I didn't want to leave the dogs in the trailer, I didn't think that would be fair even though the trailer is big enough and cool enough. The dogs settled in quickly they love to ride in the truck and both try to get a piece of my lap and somehow they manage it. I don't mind being covered in dog fur, it is okay by me and being adored by two well mannered dogs is soothing to my soul. So off we went.

We took state highway 59 north out of Livingston, 59 is a good road for the most part.
The ride was a lot further than I thought not that I care that much to how far or how long a trip is, the trip its self is the main thing. Texas is doing a lot of road repair and improvements and we passed through quite a bit of construction on the way to Nocadoches.

When we got there we went to the old part of town and took some photos and enjoyed looking at some old photos of what the town looked like way back in the 1800's it was quite a place with a thriving business district and social life. I found a shop that sold souvenirs and ice cream; one of my weaknesses is icecream, I see it I want it. I found that they had some unusual flavors of milkshakes and indulge my ice cream desires in a tasty pecan milkshake. I browsed the store and marveled at all the things being sold that had to do with Texas. I could have spent a fortune there but living in an RV makes one think first before bringing home one more gee-gaw.

After looking the center of old town over we headed to the town park so I could give the dogs a chance to get a drink and take a pee on tree. The town has a nice park and band stand and looks well cared for must be humming with activity on the 4th of July.

Repairs

I just got the truck repaired. The situation was that when I was backing up or going up hill the engine would over heat. When I was going straight and level the engine stayed in the normal temperature range. It turns out that the the fan clutch in this vehicle was not the correct one for his model truck it should have been in a much smaller engine. I had it replaced with the correct size fan clutch, hopefully this will cure the overheating problem.

What fun to deal with repair shops and repair technicians.