Well, we had to leave sometime and unfortunately, now was the time. This year we have to renew/update both our Military ID cards and our Drivers Licenses. So we packed up and bid a temporary farewell to our friends in Depoe Bay at Sea and Sand RV Park. We have agreed to return next summer to the same park for another round of touring the Oregon coast and enjoying all the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
We headed south as we had to make a quick stop in San Diego. We took four days but made it safe and sound. We then headed East, back to Casa Grande, AZ. We had some work that needed to be done on the coach and the dealer in Tucson could take care of it for us. We also had some sun shades custom made for the front and side windows (drivers side pictured above). These shades are great as they block the heat and sun BEFORE it gets into the coach. This keeps things cooler and eases the load on our AC units (which haven't been used since we got to Oregon last June!). They are easy to put on and take off and they roll up for convenient storage.
We stayed at a fantastic RV Resort in Casa Grande called Palm Creek RV and Golf Resort. This is a massive development with paved streets, gravel RV sites with concrete patio and full hook-ups, park models of all varieties, and some custom built homesites. Several swimming pools are scattered around the property. There is a huge clubhouse with side meeting rooms, woodworking shop, jewelry making shop, quilting and sewing rooms, a large library, tennis and pickle ball courts just to name a few. As the name implies, there is an 18 hole golf course that meanders through the property. Since temperatures are still touching the low 100's, there are not many residents, but I can assure you, this is a hopping place over the winter! The management found us a site between two park models that was great. The one park model blocked the morning sun until about 11:00, then the other park model blocked the afternoon sun from about 3:00 on. Really helped to keep the coach cool and comfortable even in the heat of the day. It was from here that Barb packed up and we flew her back to Kansas in order to help take care of the grandkids. Misty and I stayed in southern Arizona until we got the repairs completed. Then we packed up and headed towards Texas.
Since it was just Misty and I, and we were in a bit of a rush, we travelled across I-10 staying in Flying J truck stop parking lots at night. The night before arriving in Houston, we decided to stay at a Texas roadside Rest Stop. I have to say, Texas does a fine job on their Rest Areas. They are spacious, clean, and quite comfortable for staying overnight. Above was the view out of our front window as the sun came up that morning. We drove through San Antonio and Houston and finally arrived early in the afternoon at our place at The Preserve in Cleveland.
We parked the coach and spent a couple of days getting things unpacked and picking up things that Barb needed to have brought to her in Kansas. So, Misty and I left the coach buttoned up in Texas and hopped in the car and drove up to Kansas to get our errands done and to visit with friends and family.
We met with our good friends and former neighbors and had a bonfire/hot dog roast and caught up with all of the things that had happened to us and them since we last got together. The girls and I did some fishing in their pond and both girls caught a couple of catfish. A good time was had by all!!
Leading up to the girls' combined birthday party, I had a project assignment to engineer and build a table for them to play with their multitude of Lego playsets. Their mom had seen something like this on Pinterest, so I planned it out, bought the materials, and built it just in time for their party. They love it and I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that they are having such great fun using it.
Coming up next week we take a quick drive up to South Dakota to update the drivers licenses, back through Kansas City to visit with friends and family there, then back to Derby. The youngest granddaughter will take the road trip with us so it should be fun!
