Conclusion

Wow, what an adventure, so much fun, awesome sights and of course a little stress. I feel so blessed that we had this opportunity to experience all we have these past 80 days. Here are our totals, we were on the road 80 days, camped in 15 states, and logged a whopping 8468 miles. We crossed the Mississippi River, the Colorado River and the Rio Grande as well as numerous others. We visited several National Parks: Joshua tree, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon and Great Smoky Mtns and numerous National lands and historic places. We also had great times with family.  Glad to be home but ready for the next journey!  What a beautiful country we have.

Ps. Apologies for typos and bad grammar. Tough writing on a 2x3 in screen with limited internet service.  

Til next time.....

Day 80 Final day

We headed for home, weather looks great and anxious to get home. Due to road closure coming into Ky we headed for an alternate route. We came thru Morristown Tn, then thru Cumberland Gap into Middlesboro before final leg of trip thru Corbin and London. Traffic was heavy due to all trucks routing thru these smaller road, but fortunately we had a great last day on road (this trip).

Day 78 to 80

Just were not ready to go home, so we decided we had one more stop in us, Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, one of my favorite places. We just decided to take a few days and relax before getting back to  unloading and all the normal work things you seem to always have at home.  We found a nice place to take a little hike in the Smoky Mtn Nat Park. I can't believe as many times as we have been there we hadn't been to this awesome place. Cannot wait to go back and hit the other trails. A rain threat slowed us down from venturing too far. Luckily the weather cooperated during most of our stay.

Day 77

Its always tough to leave, but know its time to head home.  Coming thru those old southern towns the peach trees were gorgeous with there pink blooms. What a drive!

I couldn't resist stopping by one of those little country stores and getting my favorite drink. They just taste better down south. 

We headed on to North Carolina to our next stop for the night. We have a cg we seem to always stop at as we travel I-40, it is in Waynesville, right off the interstate, so we planned to stay there for the night.

Day 70 thru 77

Been a great week with family especially these two precious babies. No need to say anymore ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Day 69 & 70

We left Alabama headed to South Carolina to spend time with my son and his family, getting this close I am really getting anxious. Having pulled the camper thru Atlanta before I swore never again, unless no other way, so we (should say me) decided on alternate route around Atl. We made good time and traveled thru some beautiful old southern towns, which I love. We decided to stay the night on the southeast side of suburban Atl. The cg was in Forsyth, a nice cg to overnight a little off the beaten path but convenient for our route. We headed the next morning on to SC a day ahead of plans!  The roads were great and we got to Aiken early, which was a good thing since we decided to try to park the camper in the yard. Wish us luck!

Day 67 & 68

The drive thru Mississippi convinced me they certainly need to work on their roads especially bridges, wow what a rough drive.  We made it into the state of Alabama and decided to try to get around Tuscaloosa before stopping. We decided on a campground at a archealogical site a few miles off interstate. It was a nice small park and wished the weather would have been better to looked around.  We got up the next morning to a day of rain and cold weather. We headed toward Talladega to visit Uncle Bobby and Aunt Helen.  We struggled finding a decent campground that wasn't just in a grass field.  We knew with all the rain we would surely get stuck. We did find a site at Desota Caverns about 15 miles from Talladega. We got parked and headed to see Uncle Bobby. It had been over 8 yrs since we had seen each other, so I was excited to see them. Time sure can get away from you. We had a great visit and i hated to leave, sure hope can get back sooner next time. Here are a few pics of last couple days. 

Day 66

Left Shreveport heading into Mississippi. It has been a cloudy but warm day.  Luckily the storms stayed just north of us. We got into MIssissippi pretty quick, enjoyed a visitors center right inside the state that had great overlooks of the mighty Mississippi River. We decided to find a stop for the night on the eastern side of Vicksburg. I really want to plan another trip to this area and do all the civil war historical sights. So much great history here. Found a campground on a historical plantation, just couldn't pass it up, it is named Askew Landing. 

I cannot believe I was walking distance of a casino and didn't go. 

A pond at the campground. 

Day 65

Left Dallas area heading toward Louisiana. Don't really have plans on stopping anywhere other than a stop in Alabama to see some family, so we can make SC by Sunday.  I just can't go thru Alabama without reminiscing about spending so much of my childhood there visiting my mother's parents and other extended family.  It will be bittersweet seeing the area again.  After a full day of driving we stopped on the out skirts of Shreveport to spend the night.  

Day 63 & 64

Found a great county park in Grand Prairie, just a bit southwest of Dallas. Its on a lake with lots of paved roads to ride bike on. Its also a great place to kayak but once again the winds were high and water choppy. We decided to co to the Dallas Super RV Show and stay an extra day to enjoy the park. 

Just realized I hadn't taken many pics of Loyd Park. It was really pretty and very convienant to anything in the Dallas Ft Worth area. Hopefully I will do better and maybe Carvel got more on his camera. 

Day 61& 62

After a full day of driving on a two lane road thru parts of NM and Texas that was very rural but scenic, especially for someone who loves seeing farms, farm equipment and animals, i was ready for a nice place to rest. Well as i said this was rural Tx, not alot of campgrounds were around. Luckily found a ranch that had hookups. The Wagon Wheel Guest Ranch was a welcome sight. A working ranch that was also set up to host parties  with RV sites on the property. We were the only campers there and loved being out of the way.  It was a great place to get a good night sleep. We were up and on the road again the next day. Decided we would try to get near Dallas before stopping again. 

Day 60

Found a nice quiet spot down the road from Billy the Kid's grave site so overnighted there so we could get a early start back on the road. Here are todays pic, on to Texas!