Tip - Perfect Trash Bag for RVs

With the full-timing RV lifestyle of being on the go a lot and eating out a lot we certainly generate a lot less trash than we used to in our old sticks and bricks. But with cleaning the litter boxes for three cats that join us on our adventure one thing you do not want is a trash bag that breaks or leaks.

We have found the perfect trash bag that fits the small trash container found in most RVs. A bag that is thick and stretchable, the Glad ForceFlex Medium Garbage Bags (8 Gallon). The unique diamond structure in the bag stretches around objects to prevent rips and tears. This is good because some days are just big trash days, usually the day the mail arrives. We have jammed things into these bags and been amazed that they never rip.

We occasionally have found these bags at a Wal-Mart but have consistently found them at Target. This is one of the rare items that we have a small stockpile in storage in case we are in areas that we might not be able to get them so you know how much we like them. We ran out once and used a different brand and you guessed it we had a rip but thankfully it was outside. So now we keep a few in storage just in case.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Tip - We have new portable chairs

When we were in Arizona our friends, Paws and Friends, showed us their new chairs, the Strongback Chair. The timing was pretty good as one of the rockers that we bought from Camping World the fabric had started to rip. The problem with most Camping World chairs is that the fabric is sewn around the frame so you need to find a good reupholstering place, or do as we did for a short term fix, duct tape. Or should I say Gorilla Tape, which is duct tape on steroids and our new favorite tape.

The timing on seeing these chairs was not so good as we were about to leave Arizona so we couldn't order them right away like we wanted to. We waited until we got to the KC area and ordered them and they recently arrived.

These chairs fold up nicely and fit into a canvas bag for easy storage when traveling. But the best part of these chairs are that they are SOOOOO comfortable. A great day for us is to just sit outside and read. While the Camping World chairs are nice you got a little sore after a while and had to get up and stretch. With these chairs the back is supported, hence the name strongback, and we don't get the stiffness and soreness that we did with the old chairs, which are now our guest chairs, so sorry guests :-)

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

eggtc in Kansas City

We have a new favorite breakfast place in the Kansas City area, eggtc.

We discovered eggtc during our last visit to the KC area and were very impressed. We made a point to visit there again when we came back into town. Everything that we have had has been of very high quality, the eggs taste farm fresh and the sausage patties may be the best we have ever had, but there is one thing there that is so good it has bumped an item from 'Our Favorite Things! (Food)' list for the first time ever. Our new favorite specialty pancake is the sweet potato pancakes from eggtc. We like everything else there we usually just get a regular menu item and then upgrade the bread to a single sweet potato pancake.

There are two locations in the greater KC area; 51st and Main (original) in KCMO and 71st and Renner Road in Shawnee KS. If you live in the area or are visiting you owe it to yourself to try eggtc, you will not be disappointed.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Tidbits from our trip from Phoenix area to KC area - Wichita KS

We confess that we are creatures of habit and if you travel the same roads from one place to another you are likely to stop at the same places. So we stopped in Amarillo again this time. There is not too much to blog about here as we just ate at places we have before, Rudy's Country BBQ, Famous Dave's, and Red Lobster. The weather cleared so we were able to stay three nights and take advantage of the free night offer at Oasis RV Resort where you stay two nights and the third night is free. We like this park as has been mentioned before.

While in Wichita KS we at at the Egg Crate Cafe. While researching a place to eat breakfast Bob found this tidbit that the owners of the Egg Crate Cafe were looking for a good place to eat breakfast in Wichita and could not find one so they started one.  Bob had the ham steak, eggs, hashbrowns and a side of gravy while Jo had pancakes and eggs. This is a good, but not great place, for breakfast.

We then went to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita which we were surprised to find out is the 18th largest Zoo in the Country that is looking to expand and their plans look great. They have recently added the tiger trek and penguin areas and of course we had to see the gorillas and lions. It is also the state's most popular tourist attraction.

We were able to use our Zoo membership to get a discount since this is a reciprocal zoo which is always nice. The weather was perfect in the low 70's although there were about a dozen bus loads of kids to deal with but for the most part it was OK. We did not take either one of these but there is a free Tram Tour and a Boat Tour that you have to pay for but it was reasonably priced at $3 per person.

It was a great day at the Zoo after which we headed back to the park to do our departure tasks for our early morning departure the next morning.

Photos from the Zoo are located here.

Till next time

Bob and Jo

Tidbits from our trip from Phoenix area to KC area - New Mexico

Here are some tidbits from our recent trip from Goodyear AZ to Peculiar MO that we did not blog about. We blogged on our stay in Winslow and then we headed to Grants NM which turned out to just be a stopover for us. We got out of Winslow before the winds got too bad, rode out the winds in Grants, and then left before the winds got to bad again staying two nights. We visited the Kiva Cafe which was pretty good, filled our tanks with diesel and went to Mass which was the extent of our time in Grants. If we ever go there again we will visit the mining museum and the ice caves and volcano caldera nearby so there are things to see there we just did not have the time this trip.

Our next stop was Santa Rosa NM and we got some really good food at the Silver Moon Cafe and the Santa Fe Grill. The breakfast burrito and green chile at the Silver Moon Cafe are as good as any we have had. The Silver Moon Cafe also had pina colada coconut cake that has the potential to be our favorite cake it was so good. We were able to get in some sightseeing as we stopped at the Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa. It is a small museum but it is jammed with neat stuff from a cash register made from the front of a car to a 1957 Chevy that you could buy for $150,000. We also liked the Route 66 map that they had. Frank and Mike from 'American Pickers' would love this place with pedal cars, antique visible gas pumps, signs and oil cans. We enjoyed this museum. Photos from Santa Rosa are located here

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Moving Day (sorta)

When we called Peculiar Park Place RV Park in Peculiar Missouri a couple of weeks ago we were surprised to be put on a waiting list. Turns out there was a lot of hail damage in the area thankfully before we got in the area and the park was loaded with insurance adjusters and contractors, at one time there were 18 rigs in line for check-in. Since we were 7th on the waiting list we began to make other arrangements. So we were surprised when a couple of days later we got a call from the Park saying they would make room for us since we are regular customers.

We ended up in a pull thru site close to 71 Highway and it was a lot of road noise but when a back-in site became available we would be first in line. Well a back-in site became available today so we changed sites. Funny thing is that you have pretty much the same routine for 200 miles or for 1/10th of a mile. We are all settled in now and will be here for at least 3 more weeks. We are on a cul-de-sac shaped area with some open ground behind us right up to the edge of some woods. It already has been great for the bird feeders with chickadees, cardinals, titmouse, red headed woodpecker and a hummingbird already visiting. The cats love this spot, the girls are all tuckered out from bird watching and are taking naps so JJ has the birds all to himself right now.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

Dubious Milestone Reached (Diesel)

On our trip from the Phoenix area to the Kansas City area we reached a dubious milestone as we paid over $4 for Diesel for the first time. Our last fill up before we left was $3.95 in Goodyear AZ. We knew it was coming but it was still a shock to pay $4.17 in Winslow AZ and then $4.09 in Grants NM and $4.23 in Santa Rosa NM. But as we journeyed further the prices came down a bit to $3.95 in TX and OK and $3.99 in Wichita KS. We just got our first fill up in the KC area and paid $3.92.

High diesel prices won't scare us, we figure as long as we are having fun we will continue to full-time.We may stay longer at places but we were starting to feel this way before the recent price hikes. But as big government becomes more and more communistic we may reach a time where we are told how much we can drive but until then we will live our lives as we see fit.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo

We made it to the KC area

We got to Peculiar Missouri on Friday April 29th. It was a windy day forecast so we left earlier by getting up earlier and by having breakfast in the rig along with our usual lunch. There was a wide variety of the forecasts for the wind gusts all the way up to 70 mph but they all agreed that it would not start until about 11:00 a.m. With our early start we were on the road two hours before the high winds hit Wichita.

It was one of our better travel days again with 216 miles per Google Maps. We were at the tail end of rush hour in Wichita and it was not bad at all. I-435 in Kansas and Missouri had more traffic than we have seen for awhile but we moved at a good pace. As we travel more we find we want to have shorter travel days and stay longer once we get there. We plan to be in the KC area about a month seeing friends, family, Doctors, and of course eating at some of our favorite places.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo