Back on the Road to FROG
We are hitched up and ready to roll
Hooking up with the WeighSafe hitch
We are once again on our way to Indiana for the FROG rally. We are moving fast and skipping a lot of the fun, goofy stuff we usually pull off the highway to investigate.
No frivolous stopping
We are pretty much sticking to interstates and making time on this trip. As much as we loved when we could travel more slowly earlier this year, that just wasn’t in the cards for this trip. Tony has been putting a lot of miles on the gas pedal.
On the other hand, we have really been getting caught up on our podcast listening, with all these long days!
Making more miles
We usually make 300 miles our daily driving limit, even when we are making a beeline for our destination. I didn’t make any reservations this time, because we have made this trip enough times to have a good idea where we can stay depending on how far we decide to drive.
Into Texas
While 300 miles is normally our limit, we drove nearly 400 miles on the first day. We didn’t make any extra sight-seeing stops. We did of course stop for gas, potties, and coffee refills.
We took a break in Amarillo for dinner at the Big Texan Steak Ranch. Friends Bryan and Patrick had told us they like the steaks better at the Hofbrau in Amarillo. I did some research from the passenger seat, and discovered not only does the Hofbrau not have great parking, they also are just a steak house. Not an ounce of German food is on their menu. We decided to stick with what we know and went to the Beg Texan. Plus, there is always a good chance we’ll see someone attempt the 72-ounce steak dinner challenge. One of these days I hope we arrive at the end of a challenge; we never seem to see the end of an attempt!
This has become such.a common stop for us, that we didn’t even remember to take photos!
While we waited for our steaks, I called ahead to the Route 66 RV Park in Shamrock Texas. We have stayed there a few times before. The rates are really good, and the people are really friendly.
Shamrock Texas
Finishing our dinner, we bid good luck to the young man eating the steak dinner. We got back on I-40 east and made our way to Shamrock. We got settled in our site for the night and prepared for our first night of camping on this trip.
The cow that lives at the park had just had her baby the day before, so I was excited to see the baby. Well, the baby is as lazy as me, and every time we went to the pen for a photo, it way curled up in the shade. I was hoping to see it feeding but no such luck!
We like driving through the town of Shamrock and seeing remnants of the Route 66 heyday. Our favorite is the old Conoco gas station, and diner. Now, the diner is apparently still open for business, but it has never been open when we try to go there. We did not try on this trip; we got up, got packed, and headed east again. To see one of our photos of the gas station lit in neon click here.
Day one mileage: 392
A pop at Pops
Some time ago, we reported stopping at Pops 66 Soda Ranch just outside Oklahoma City. Our friend Lani asked if we had tried dill pickle soda. Well, we had to answer no! Ever since, Tony has been keen to trying it. In addition, even though we are buying up the miles, we do not like taking the toll road between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. We got burned by that route a couple times, and now we make sure to go around. I has thought we would stay on the south route, but Pops 66 is north of OKC, so north we went. And actually I think that kept us on more of the original Route 66 anyway, so all was well.
We stopped for a pop at Pops. Well, a pop, a pee, and filling the gas tank. That part was kind of a mistake; the gas price there is quite high!
Plus fixing the top
I also had to dig the step ladder out of the bed of the truck and reach through the windows of the Flated topper to tighten the straps. We think, with the elevation change, the topper lost some air pressure, and it was bouncing around on the bed of the truck. We use ratchet straps, so I reached in and gave each strap a few clicks. The topper has been holding steady ever since.
In-N-Out
We made one more stop for gas in Mannford Oklahoma, where I had a moment of excitement when I saw the In-N-Out sign. Unfortunately, that is just the name for the convenience store at the gas station. Oh well, I didn’t want bread and fries anyway. But my mouth watered for a burger, for a moment there!
Night number two
When we decided in the early afternoon how much further we could stand to sit - er, well, you know - I used the KOA app and found a campground in Claremore Oklahoma. I booked the reservation on the app, and we headed that way.
When we got close, we realized we had stayed here before. The campground is wedged between (and I think is part of) the Will Rogers Downs horse racing venue, and casino. Last time we were there, we walked over and ate dinner; then I promptly lost all my money. I mean promptly. Tony had headed back to the trailer, and I think I got in before he even really got settled. This time we stayed in our site, cooked our dinner, and did some work. We did at least pull out our camp chairs and sit outside, enjoying the evening.
Day two mileage: 340
Day Three - Missouri
We got a good start this morning, and again we only stopped to fill or empty tanks - both human and gasoline.
We even skipped our normal stop at Uranus Fudge Factory. Tony had bought a piece of fudge on the first day and it took us until the end of today to finish it off. We are both aware that we have to step on the scale tomorrow, and we are being better than usual about buying junk food at every stop. We even passed up donuts today!
We’ve been making good time, and decided not to push so hard today. While we didn’t make any nonsense stops, we also didn’t push for so many miles today.
We stopped for gas and coffee in Wyandotte Missouri, at a Turtle Stop - it’s a chain of gas stations/convenience stores.
We only like to fill our coffee cups if there is a machine that grinds and brews right into the cup. They are starting to pop up in more travel centers, which makes us very happy. Tony was waiting to make his coffee, and the nice lady employee gave him a tip on getting stronger coffee. She said she sets up the machine, and watches the coffee pour out. It starts off very strong, then gets weaker toward the end. She pulls her cup away for the weak part, then sets up the machine a second time. I showed Tony that there is also a stop button. He used her method, and got a nice strong cup of coffee to get him through the afternoon.
I snapped a photo of a giant bowling pin in Waynesville, Missouri. Then as we drove by we saw that the bowling alley was for sale. We almost bought a bowling alley once, but that's a story for another day.
Where to sleep
In Episode 45 of the StressLess Camping podcast, we interviewed the owner of RV Self-Park in Sullivan Missouri. As we drove today, I looked at where Sullivan is located, and we realized it was a good place to stop for the night. I made the reservation online as Tony drove. RV Self Park is a different kind of place - there is no office, there are no restrooms. The sites are very basic. I think some have picnic tables, but we didn’t need that option. I booked a basic site, and received information about how to check in.
A while back, we tried a Love’s RV Stop to see how the experience was. RV Self Park is similar in that everything is done online, and the facilities won’t turn on until the site is reserved and paid.
In Sullivan, there are 23 sites with full hook-ups. The basic sites are not only basic, but also closer to the interstate. We can hear the traffic pretty well from the dinette; hopefully that doesn’t keep me awake when I hit the sack in just a few minutes.
Where to drink - er - eat
We had not really made dinner plans. We have plenty of food in the fridge and would have figured something out. However, we did arrive early enough to be able to head in to town and go to Aldi for a few necessary groceries. I was pretty hungry, so I checked the map and found that there is a brewery in town. What luck! We decided to go ahead and eat before shopping. You should never go grocery shopping hungry, you know!
At Muddy Banks Brewing Company, we ordered beers and burgers. I was going to order my burger without a bun, but I decided to splurge and have a bun and a beer! I’m glad I did. I did opt for the side salad instead of fries. Tony said the fries were absolutely delicious. I wish I had stolen just one!
I had a pumpkin ale, and Tony had a dunkle. Our burgers were smashed paper-thin but really really tasty! The beer was really good too, and the service was fast and friendly.
Then we went shopping, and came back to the trailer to put away the groceries and get some work done.
And now that I’ve caught up, I’m beat and getting ready for bed. I’ll have to finish posting this in the morning.
Day three mileage: 313, not counting the trip to the brewery and Aldi (maybe another five or so miles).
Oh, before you ask
Why are we staying at campgrounds and not boondocking? One word: humidity. It’s unbearable without the air conditioner running. We will be making a big change in Elkhart in the next couple weeks and it should be an actual game changer. But for now, we need electricity.
Thanks for asking!
