Currently in North Little Rock AR (Low 70 A Few Morning Showers Then Rain All Day High 80)
After we got setup this was the view out our back window.
At sunset we walked around the park taking these great pictures.
The "Rock Island Bridge" as seen from the campground.
As it got darker the "Rock Island Bridge" started a light show.
This is the view of the bridge light show from our front door.
We'll have more on the bridge later. With Tropical Storm Harvey bearing down on us and on northern Texas which is our next stop we added a couple days in North Little Rock.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in North Little Rock AR (Low 69 Possible Morning Shower then Times of Clouds and Sun High 84)
We departed Hollister Missouri yesterday and headed to North Little Rock Arkansas. We are staying at the Downtown Riverside RV Park.
This was our first night as full-timers in Arkansas so we added another state, this is what our "Visited States Map" looks like now.
It was approximately 170 miles, this was the route we took
We planned on 3 nights here but with Tropical Storm Harvey bearing down on our planned stop and also here we are considering staying longer here, waiting out the possible deluge of rain both here and in Texas.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Hollister MO (Low 60 Dense Fog Currently 64)
Heading to North Little Rock AR (Currently 71 Mostly Cloudy with Showers later in the day High 84)
Turkey Creek RV Village is an Escapees Rainbow park in Hollister Missouri. We had dueling GPS devices but ended up finding a pretty good way with minimal traffic that took us by the College of the Ozarks. We do like being in Hollister because you can do a lot of things you need to do on this side and go into Branson only when you need to, or feel the need for traffic.
For the most part this is an older park that is not too big rig friendly. The roads and sites are gravel. We had a concrete patio with picnic table. We are in a backin that is barely long enough for our 40' coach. We had to park in the unoccupied site just across from us as suggested by the office. There are a few pull-thrus which we will request the next time we are here.
We did have a good line of sight for our roof mounted satellite dish but there are a lot of trees and more sites don't have a good line of sight than do. The park does not have free wifi but they do have Tengo you can sign up for. Verizon cellphone and 4g signals were pretty good so we just used our jetpack.
Even though we were backed in about as far as we could go the sewer and water connections were behind us still so we need a sewer hose extension. Here is the Lifestyle from the front.
To the right.
To the left.
From the rear.
We wish we had more time in Branson but we stayed longer than we would have liked for the inverter repair in Belton and we have somewhere to be on Labor Day. Now that we have been here and Bob has walked the campground we would stay here again if we could get one of the pull-thrus that will work with our satellite dish.
We depart today for North Little Rock Arkansas after the dense fog clears.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Hollister MO (Low 63 Partly Sunny High 87)
Warning: this post contains what some may consider non-politically correct, and for that we do not apologize.
Jo's brother and his wife have seasons passes to Silver Dollar City, a 1880s theme park located near Branson Missouri. With season passes comes with 2 free 1 day passes so they let us use them.
We got there early in the morning in time for the flag raising ceremony.
We all stood and first said the 'Pledge of Allegiance' then we all sang the 'National Anthem'. Considering all the hoopla with the NFL and the Kansas City Chief's Marcus Peters and the 'National Anthem' it was so refreshing to see such patriotism. It has gotten so bad with the NFL that we are seriously considering canceling our NFL Sunday Ticket package and not watching any NFL games this week.
We then walked through shops and attended a couple of gospel music shows, it was the Southern Gospel Picnic while we were there. We then had a great buffet at the 'House of Chicken and Fixins'.
While we were exiting we of course had to walk through the gift shops. Jo found the neatest t-shirt
Pretty appropriate since Jo is a Christian and a happy camper as a full-time RVer.
We are not going to apologize for our belief in Christ and that we stand for the flag and kneel for the fallen and sit only when tired after climbing the hills in Silver Dollar City. After all the crap on the news it felt good to be among people of the same mindset.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Hollister MO (Low 62 Sunshine and Pleasant High 83)
Subtitled: Have you ever had one of those days?
After almost 6 weeks moochdocking in Belton Missouri we departed yesterday and headed to Hollister (basically Branson), also in Missouri. We are staying at Turkey Creek RV Village, an Escapees RV park.
It was approximately 190 miles, this is the route we took.
Part of the eventful day was we stopped at Smith's Restaurant in Bolivar Missouri. We split one of the best tenderloins that we have had in a while. Then we split a gooseberry cobbler that was also very good. If you are ever in Collins or Bolivar Missouri eating at one of the Smith's Restaurants is highly recommended.
Have you ever had one of those days? Well Bob had one of those yesterday. We probably shouldn't be telling you all this but hope it will be a lesson not to take things for granted. It started out with clipping a tree branch and knocking off one of the rain spouts. Then we lost a plastic bin from the truck bed that was too light. We had a crowd watching us at the RV park so you know the backing into the site wasn't the best. When disconnecting the truck Bob forgot to to disconnect the trailer wiring. Luckily Jo was alert and stopped Bob before any damage was done. No lives were lost and everything could be repaired but Bob needs to quit having days like this.
We will be here for three days after our stay in the Kansas City area trying to see everybody we wanted to see and getting everything repaired. We are going to Silver Dollar City today with Jo's brother and sister-in-law.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Belton MO (Low 58 Partly Sunny Currently 62)
Heading to Hollister MO (Currently 59 Partly Sunny High 83)
The mobile service worked with the extended warranty company and then the manufacturer to arrange shipment. They came out yesterday and installed the new inverter.
After testing all three functions, 110v pass through, 55amp charging of the 3 12v AGM batteries, and inverting (12v to 110v) when not connected to shore power, we now have a fully functioning inverter again. Our extended warranty ($100 deductible) covered the inverter and a couple other repairs that we had done saving us approximately $1900. Needless to say we are happy now that we bought the extended warranty.
While Bob stayed with the coach when the inverter was being installed Jo went with her friend Wilma to Butler Missouri and the 'Koehn Bakery'.
Since Mike from Phannie and Mae included 'A Taste of Denmark Bakery' in Colorado we thought we would share 'Koehn Bakery'. Jo went for lunch, incredible chicken salad sub sandwich and for a gooseberry pie. In all our travels we rarely can find a gooseberry pie so we always try to get at least one while in the area. If in Missouri south of Kansas City we recommend the 'Koehn Bakery' and the gooseberry pie and great sub sandwiches and other bakery items. We like both 'A Taste of Denmark' and 'Koehn Bakery'.
We depart today for Hollister Missouri near Branson.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Belton MO (Low 59 Mostly Sunny and Pleasant High 78)
There is a rush on of people trying to buy the National Parks Senior Pass before the prices goes from $10 to $80 on August 28th. Bob turned 62 on the 18th and called around the Kansas City area and found out that every site that sold them except for the Harry Truman National Historic Site on the Historic Independence Square were completely out.
Since we like to combine food with just about everything we do so going to the Historic Independence Square offered us the opportunity to eat at the Rheinland Restaurant, one of our all time favorites.
We both got the jagerschnitzel. You can see Bob didn't like his schnitzel with spaetzle.
The food was excellent as usual so we are glad we got to eat at one of our all time favs and get Bob's National Parks Senior Pass.
The inverter has arrived and we are on the schedule for today, just waiting for the phone call.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Belton MO (Low 56 Sunlit and Pleasant High 79)
We meant to blog about this yesterday but after heavy rains Monday night Bob had to wet vac the carpet. More on this later.
We have to admit we were a little conflicted with the upcoming eclipse since the total eclipse area was so close. But then we heard about the crowds and the towns reserving spots for you to park we decided we were going to keep our plans and head south the day before. In Branson we would have been at 95% eclipse and we thought that would have been good enough.
An advantage to staying a few extra days in Belton for the inverter replacement is that we will be at a 99% eclipse, which back in the day when they handed out grades was an A+. Although close to totality zone we decided to just step outside our coach at the appointed time, if we remember that is 😀
That was before we saw the morning news and the crowds were beginning to form at 8a. Here is a shot of the drop zone at an airport in St. Joseph Missouri smack dab in the middle of the totality zone.
We made the right call since we don't like crowds, especially since the weather was not cooperating. We had heavy rain in the morning which thankfully cleared off. We didn't take any photos since we weren't sure we could keep the eclipse glasses in front of the lens and didn't want to blow out the sensor. We went outside every few minutes to check on the progress. With sun and recent rain it was hot and humid and our necks couldn't stand looking straight up all the time. We had pretty close to perfect weather and this is what we saw.
We are so glad the skies cleared up.
The new inverter is supposed to arrive today and if it does we are on the schedule tomorrow to get it installed.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Belton MO (Low 64 Mostly Sunny High 89)
Bob turned 62 yesterday which is significant for a couple of reasons. He begins collecting Social Security in October and he is now eligible for the National Parks Senior Pass for a one time fee of $10. That fee will be raised to $80 on August 28th so Bob is planning on getting his pass this weekend.
One day a year Jo let's Bob be in charge and that is on his birthday 😉 Bob picked 'Mr. Gyros' in Overland Park Kansas, one of our all time favorites.
We've had gyros all over the country and these are the best we have had. The meat is a notch above and the pitas are also a notch above. It was a great meal. We then did some errands, one of which was getting some greek spaghetti sauce from 'Missouri Mud' in Raymore Missouri, another of our all time favorites. We freeze it and have a touch of home with us down the road.
We spent the evening with friends going to a show. A great day for Bob but Jo is a little sad. She says she really can't tease Bob much anymore as he is a tweener, too old for Social Security and too young for Medicare.
While at lunch Jo asked Bob about how he felt on his 62nd birthday. Bob said he was where he wanted to be, with whom he would want to be with, and doing what he wanted to do, so that he felt great. It never is great to be bogged down with problems with our coach but while troublesome when they are happening they are a small minority of the time we have been full-timing, almost 8 years now.
Inverter Update: approval for the work has been received and the new inverter is on order. We hope to get it installed sometime next week so we are extending our stay in Belton Missouri.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Belton MO (Low 64 Humid with Clouds and Sun High 84)
From time to time we like to share tips that make our RV lifestyle more enjoyable. This time we want to share quick connectors. A lot of the water connections are plastic that can become worn after repeated usage. With quick connectors you thread onto the plastic only once. After trying a few different ones we like the brass quick connectors from Ace Hardware.
We tried the cheaper ones from Walmart and they just didn't last. We started out with the connection for city water since we were concerned about stripping the plastic threads if we disconnected once a week for travel.
It then slowly expanded from there to include all possible connections including our water filtering system.
Water softener
Pressure regulator. When not in use we bought more quick connectors and used them when stowing the filters, water softener and pressure regulator for travel.
All hoses
The advantages are that setup and tear down are a little easier and that if we don't need the water softener for example we can easily leave it out. We are also connecting the hoses to keep the connections cleaner. By slowly expanding the number of quick connectors we didn't have the expense all at the same time.
We didn't hear from the mobile service this past week. Bob called and last we heard they were still waiting approval from the extended warranty company. Hopefully we can get it resolved this week as we "plan" on leaving the 20th.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Belton MO (Low 61 Humid with Clouds and Sun High 79)
Note: this blog entry may only be of interest to RVers.
While in Colorado the plastic flange that our toilet is attached to broke on one side so we had a serious lean. Here is a flange like we have that is not broke.
At first Bob tried to repair it himself by buying a new flange. The RV parts guys at both Camping World and RV Four Seasons told Bob that it was either glued or screwed on so Bob brought both to be safe. Bob was also told that the pipe from the toilet to the holding tank was straight down and could be lifted up and the new flange attached. All good info in theory but this is the RV lifestyle where nothing is at it seems.
The pipe from our flange did not go straight down but had a bend in it. When Bob tried to lift the pipe so he could unscrew the broken flange it would not budge. We have the screw on type and it would not easily screw off. Since brute forcing anything to do with the black tank system is not advisable Bob decided the job was above his pay grade so he started calling mobile repair places. Turns out all the mobile techs were scheduling 4 weeks out or would not work on anything black tank related. One of the mobile techs thought about it and called back with a tip to try Home Depot and a flange repair ring.
Bob was a little worried that the rubber seal at the bottom of the toilet would not seal properly so he put them together, first the metal ring on top of the plastic flange.
We had a toilet seal as part of the flapper seal replacement kit so Bob then made sure it would seal before he started the job.
First the good news: The metal ring fit over the plastic flange on the floor. Bob was able to use 4 screws in the plastic one on the floor and 4 longer ones that went through the steel plate through the plastic flange and into the floor. The rubber closet flange on the bottom of the toilet that rests in the plastic flange on the floor was inside the metal ring so we got a good seal.
Now the bad news: the metal ring interfered with the toilet housing so it was a little bit above the floor. Bob shimmed and we were good for awhile.
Bob then had the idea to see if a toilet riser would seat better, i.e. it would rest on the floor without shimming and the toilet would sit on the riser.
Bob returned the two plastic flanges and checked out if the riser would work. He brought along a metal ring and plastic flange and checked out the spacing and it looked like it would work so he bought the riser. When we got the riser home we realized we were going to lose some valuable floor space in the bathroom so we abandoned that idea.
The replacement of the toilet flange was then added to our mobile service visit for the inverter and was successfully changed. The inverter was removed and they will do some shop testing on it before they call our extended warranty company. One advantage of this is that they hardwired the connections so now we have power on all the outlets so no more extension cords. We should find out soon about the inverter and the extended warranty.
This was a G-Rated black tank repair as no actual black tank was harmed, or displayed, in the making of this blog entry.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Belton MO (Low 56 Mostly Sunny and not as Warm High 76)
We've heard a lot about Scheel's Sporting Goods and finally got to recently visit one, this one is in Overland Park Kansas.
It is huge and has a ferris wheel inside.
Here it is up close.
There also is an aquarium.
Here it is up close.
We walked around and found just about everything sports related. We were looking for a particular Yeti cup and they did not have it. But it was a pretty cool place to tour, and free to boot.
The mobile service is coming today, we can't wait to get things back to normal.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Belton MO (Low 64 Nice with periods of Sun High 85)
This blog entry is our 1000th post. We cannot believe that we have had that many or that we have been fulltiming for almost 8 years. We started out with detailing the remodeling of our home for sale.
Although we weren't daily bloggers we did create a great record of our travels which we will reminiscence about when we come off the road. Here are some of our favorite photos.
We're hoping for another 1000 entries and 8 more years.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
