Betty and Gordon's RV Odyssey

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 began our RV Odyssey. Our RV (Retirement Villa) is an Excel (Peterson Industries) Fifth Wheel travel trailer model 30RSO towed by our Ford F350 Powerstroke Diesel crew cab. We invite you to join our travel journal over the next few years and share your experiences and site-seeing suggestions with us.

Friday, June 16, 2006

Back in Colorado (for a short time)

Even though my intention is to post each Friday or Saturday, we have really been out of the "internet loop" for a long time. We are in an RV park south of Colorado Springs and they have FREE WiFi, so I am going to make hay while I can.

The Excel Home Coming in Smith Center was lots of fun, and just like summer camp. The days were all planned and all we had to do was to participate. Seminars on the systems of our rigs, walking tour of Smith Center with prizes at the end, city-wide garage sale, breakfast and dinner every day along with most lunches furnished by the factory, games, blue rock shooting competition, 7AM wake up every morning with a loud speaker system that could be heard all over Smith Center, and capped off by a music concert, fireworks and an 11PM, 100 vehicle parade up and down the streets of town banging on pots and pans from the backs of the trucks. Even the city folks participated by standing on their front porches banging pots and pans back at the parade. Really silly, but what a hoot.

After leaving Smith Center, three couples of our group went to Glen Elder State Park (KS) for a few days. We needed to rest after the stress of the Excel home coming. While there, we went to Cawker City to see the world's largest ball of twine and then to Lebanon KS to see the point of geographical center of the 48 states. Otherwise, we rested and relaxed. Well Betty relaxed. I was busy fighting off the nasty little black flies who really had a feast on me. DEET may be fine, but it seemed to be short lived as the little buggers really dove in for a bite.

From Glen Elder SP, we drove back by Smith Center to pick up a special order and then drove US 24 through central Kansas to north of Burlington CO to Bonny Lake SP. Here we relaxed, sorted the cargo bay, arranged the inside of the living area and generally adjusted our Villa to our desires and style of living. Bonny Lake is pretty dry as eastern CO drought is taking its toll.

From Bonny, we drove a short distance to Flagler CO to visit new friends Jim and Verna (also Excel owners). We parked our Excel in their driveway for the night and had a thoroughly enjoyable visit with a drive around their town, visit with some of their friends, great hamburgers for dinner, and played a new and fun board game until 11PM. After a lazy morning, we left Flagler about 2PM for Colorado Springs in a head-wind that just would not stop. Our diesel did just fine, but just maintaining 55 MPH kept the truck working hard. I would not doubt if our air speed was 85-90 MPH with the head wind. Fuel consumption dropped to 6.2 MPG...Oh my.

Now, we are about 35 minutes south of Colorado Springs in a private RV Park. It is very quiet and peaceful here. Tall pines, mild temperatures, partly sunny skies, 61 degrees. Even though the afternoon breezes are still here, the sound of the wind in the pines tugs on us...it is home.

And speaking of home, we will be home in a few days to visit family and take care of a few doctor appointments, while making plans for the next leg of our adventure.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Smith Center Kansas 6/2/2006

Betty and I are in Smith Center Kansas where Excel Fifth Wheel trailers are made. We arrived on Wednesday after one night in Prairie Dog State Park (Norton KS) and two previous nights at Scott Lake State Park (Scott City KS). We have had quite a bit of rain and our camping in the vacant lots around Smith Center has provided us with some new "lake-side" camp sites. The factory has taken very good care of us (an estimated 650 rigs): food, entertainment, seminars, factory tours, walking tours of town, and lots of new friends in the Colorado and New Mexico Excel Clubs.

I have not been able to log onto the wireless internet service provided here, so I am in the high school computer lab. Also not able to get onto my full email system, only the web-based version which has no files. If I owe you a message, sorry. Will see what I can do later.

We leave Smith Center first of the week and then we go to...uh, I guess we are retired so who knows. Maybe somewhere to just relax and read a while. I hope to post next week, Friday or Saturday, depending upon the availability of internet service.

Thanks for listening and posting.

CHEERS!