Snowbird – Duncan Travels

Snowbird Travels – Stop 9

March 8, 2021March 8, 2021 by tduncan8214, posted in Golf, Snowbird

Days 90 – 118 – Sallisaw, OK

Ah, winter storms. So much fun! But wait, we were supposed to be out of them! Yeah, we definitely did this stretch wrong. We got to Oklahoma early, so we could make it to our appointment to get the kinks in the trailer resolved (our furnace was/is super finicky so heat was off and on), and beat the storm. The day we pulled in we battled wind and rain on the drive, which made it nail biting for sure. When we got to our spot, which is very nice, the rain had caused water to build up so many puddles our sewer was not even accessible, Dan had to wade through the ankle deep standing water to hook it up. Fun times (my phrase for the next 10 days). Once we finally got it all put together, we came in to warm up and dry out.

We were able to see Krista, Cory and Slade the following day (take note of this, as this is the reason we came) which also happened to be super bowl Sunday. We had wanted to watch the game at a casino, luckily Oklahoma had some for us to see too, so we didn’t miss the Mississippi one.

SuperBowl time! (don’t mind my mask for the wrong team)

Monday we took the trailer down to Poteau so it could get fixed Tuesday. We spent the night in a hotel (so grateful for the heat) and Dan made us get a 2 bed LOL so I could share my bed with the dogs and he had room (a major gripe for him in our little trailer bed). Anyways, the rain was quickly turning to ice and sleet so once we got the trailer fixed up we were eager to get back and settled before it all came in. By all came in, I mean all. We had below freezing temps right away, and rain, and ice and snow consistently. It felt never ending. We were grateful for our heater being fixed, and that we bought extra space heaters before it all really came in.

We had 3 times the water froze and we had to take turns with the blow dryer to get it unfrozen where the spicket was or where the water came into the rv. Finally Dan was a genius and wrapped the suckers up and we had water the rest of the time! Just had to make sure our pipes were always warm so they didn’t freeze up on us too. We were constantly checking the weather – ok, the worst will be the next 4 days, just gotta make it through…Uri came in with a bang and we got to experience full on winter camping. We even got to have the power turned off! Rolling blackouts came through and we were lucky enough to get hit with one! What was supposed to be an hour of blackouts turned out to be an hour and 45 minutes. Thankfully Dan had brought along our generator for times like this. Chilly to get it hooked up, but soon we had electricity again and all was well. Fun times!!!

Winter Camping! Just a light dusting…and highs for a few days in the teens!

Those days have passed and I am currently now looking at sunshine and the snow melt starting. We have officially been here for 11 days as I write this, and tomorrow will be the 2^nd time we get to see Krista, Cory and Slade.

Getting back to this as we have hit the road to head to our next spot. We were able to take Slade fishing a few times and enjoy many campfires with them while we were there. We enjoyed a Saturday with Grandma when she came down, and then the following weekend we went up to grandma’s to stay overnight and spend time together. After Uri hit and we watched the news about Texas, we called the campground we were suppose to stay and cancelled the time there. We were able to stay in Oklahoma with no issue.

Of course, this entire trip was planned around our week in Texas. We were right on a lake, and we were going to play a golf course that is the only NFL course (the Cowboys, of course) All for naught, as we cancelled and plan now to do it next time around. We were due to leave March 1, but as February ended and March began, in Oklahoma we sat. Thankfully we got in a round of golf in Oklahoma when the weather warmed up. On the last Saturday of February, I joined Anke virtually for our 5k – very grateful the KOA had a treadmill as I spent many a lunch hour in there running!

We were able to spend another campfire night with Cory Krista and Slade and they made delicious home made tacos for us. I also had taken a day off to golf in Texas, but since we weren’t there we decided to golf in Alma at a course that was recommended to us. It was a great day, with warm temperatures and great time together. Yesterday was Slade’s 4^th birthday, so we got to celebrate the big 4 with him, grandma and Mom – staying overnight with grandma again. Aunt Bev and Uncle Peter came by so we got to see them as well, and Dan enjoyed the time to kick back and talk hunting and as always says, Love ya Aunt Bev!

As we are heading towards our next 3 stops which is the tail end of the trip, I’ve been reflecting on the time we have had on the road, together, with friends, family and the people we’ve met along the way. We have many funny stories from campsites, golf courses, and time well spent. Overall, we are feeling thankful and grateful for this opportunity. I for one can’t thank Dan enough for the hours spent driving while I sit beside him working, and for being open to spending weeks near my grandma and sister, while also getting to see my brother, mom and Aunt and Uncle. We still have almost 60 days left, but as we are getting closer to home I just am overwhelmed with gratitude.

Off to New Mexico!

Snowbird Travels Stop 7 – Alabama

February 10, 2021 by tduncan8214, posted in Golf, Snowbird

Days 80 – 87 – Gulf Shores Alabama

Ya’ll may remember a few posts back we stayed overnight in Alabama on our way to North Myrtle Beach from Arkansas. I was in a hurry to get out of there quick, so this time going to Alabama I was excited, but also a little wary of where we were going. The drive from St. Augustine was a bit longer, so we made sure to have our things packed and ready and hit the road at 8:30am. I was pretty bummed leaving, I really enjoyed having a home base for 5 weeks – and looking at the weather ahead, it was certainly the warmest. But alas, we were off.

The drive wasn’t bad this time around (long for Dan, but he’s a champ at it) and we made it to the new site around 4. We got to unpacking and guess what! Ya know that little pond next to us in Florida? Well, it was full of frogs. So many that on the last night Dan mentioned “Wow the frogs are really out tonight!” I got to see firsthand when I went to grab a chair from the back room of the trailer. Poor lil frog travelled with us all the way to Alabama. He didn’t survive the chair crushing him, though. To hear Dan tell it, all he heard was my shriek of “DAN! Come help!” to get the sucker out of here.

We got in on a Monday, which meant there was nothing really planned all week as work calls. The spot we were in did have a nice view of the sunset, so when it wasn’t raining we did enjoy a few days sitting out and watching that. We made a lunch trip to the gulf so we could put our toes in the sand, it was a cloudy day but the beach and gulf water were still beautiful. Friday night we had big plans. The Big Earl show was playing at Flora-Bama and according to locals, he’s a can’t miss show. If you have never been to Flora-Bama it has been listed as the number one beach bar in the U.S. many times. We got there a bit early to get a good spot to take it in. The locals were definitely right, as he put on a great show! Full of fun music and lots of raunchy jokes, we had a great time. Saturday we played our Alabama round of golf. The course is tucked away in some farmland area, at first we were not sure what we were getting into. We were pleasantly surprised! The course was well maintained and the scenery was picture esque all the way around. It didn’t hurt that we also shot a great score.

If you know Dan and where he grew up in Arizona, his favorite hamburger place is Whataburger. Well we had one just down the road from the campground. In fact, Dan told me it was .7 miles exactly. He/we got our fill for sure and I have to admit that I am a fan. We also gained a ton of weight eating at Paula Deens restaurant. Good ole southern cooking but the portions we beyond huge! We got to add another state for a church service as well. It is really a joy to be able to visit all sizes of our church families congregations.

Overall the week was a nice one to relax after the hustle in Florida. We were suppose to head out Monday to get to Mississippi, but mother nature had other plans. The wind gusts were between 15 to 25, and after that drive through Kansas I don’t think we want to do that again. Since nothing was tying us down to get to our next stop in a hurry, we decided to play it safe and wait it out. Another day in Alabama wasn’t an issue – we thoroughly enjoyed the spot we were in.

Off to Mississippi!

Snowbird Travels – Stop 6, the finale in Florida

February 4, 2021 by tduncan8214, posted in Golf, NFL Stadiums, Snowbird

Days 55 – 79 – St Augustine, FL

The first weekend of January found us packing up the truck and heading south to Tampa. We were staying just for the weekend, as we got to catch a Tampa Bay game. I won’t go into much detail to save it for an NFL post … plus I am still sad they are going to the Super Bowl and knocked my team out. We enjoyed the time in Tampa, for the most part. This Covid era of things is definitely strange. Having to wear a mask the whole time suuuuuccckeed. After the game Sunday we were looking forward to a relaxing drive back to the trailer Monday morning. No rush, we just wanted to get back safe and take our time. That all changed when at 6am Dan woke with a start, as the hotel fire alarm was going off! Hurrying to grab the essentials needed we had brought (laptop, dogs, my wedding ring, gun LOL) we rushed out the door to the truck to wait it out. Thankfully the hotel was fine, just a kitchen fire, but we were quick to gather the rest of our belongings and get back to St. Augustine.

The remaining time in Florida was spent enjoying the company – Wes, Anke and Mike; lots of fun days of golf and delicious eats while we could get in the fresh seafood. A few highlights were playing at the LPGA golf course – the course was great to play and guess what it was COLD – AGAIN. Some of the coldest golf of our lives has been on this trip LOL. That time we brought a blanket, which was perfect for me and was put to good use all day! I was able to get in my January 5k – this time with Anke in person! (We’ve been doing virtual runs together since July 2020)

We also made sure to hit the Golf Hall of Fame, which was fun to see and take in the history of the game. One cool part was to see Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer play the King & Bear back in the day. It was a short video, but seeing them hit on a course Dan and I had just recently played was really cool. The course was incredible and is one of the best I’ve ever played. The HOF has a replica of the 17^th hole of the Players tournament and we each took our shot at this elusive hole … FYI Dan and Wes were much closer than I was and receive itty bitty buttons to prove it LOL. I’ll blame it on the clubs – without my own I just didn’t hit as well LOL.

Our last weekend the weather was much nicer, and we finally got to enjoy a dinner on the water. The views and the company were perfect. We also got our last round of Florida golf in, playing a course really close to the beach. Which of course meant we got that wind off the water and though it was sunny, you know the story, it was cold. That night we soaked up more time around a campfire and shared laughs as we said “See ya soon” to our dear friends. The following day was spent getting ready to leave and crying into my wine as I watched the Packers lose. (joking of course, but I was/still clearly am sad over that loss)

On to Gulf Shores Alabama!

Snowbird Travels – Stop 6 Part 1

January 7, 2021 by tduncan8214, posted in Golf, Snowbird

Days 39 – 55 First weeks in Florida, Christmas & New Years

We arrived to Sunny Florida … only, it was cloudy and when we got to our spot it started to rain, like down pour rain. So much for that sunshine state thing! We were pleased when we got to this spot – 5 weeks in a corner spot that is right on a little lake. Perfect. Dan’s been able to spend some time fishing (again), catching multiple blue gill from the lake beside us. Still hoping for that monster bass! Of course, the host got us in and we started to get things situated and I realized he had us pretty much in the middle of our concrete pad when the stairs came out, taking up much of the space. I asked Dan, can we move it maybe a foot or so? He looks at me incredulously, but gives in. Multiple attempts eventually got us where I was pleased with the space.

I was 100% certain we were level, so we got all unhooked from the truck, started to unpack, put the slides out and … hm. We are slanted it seems. In fact, our slide is tilted enough the level says it’s all the way unlevel. Turns out, actually, we have a slight issue with said slide and get to spend our last day here at the shop to try and get it fixed. Ah well, life on the road.Our first couple of weeks here have been a whirlwind to say the least. Our first full day, we got to golf (another cold round) and that night we went to watch Wes and Mike at their bowling league, which ended in a night at a cigar bar that lasted entirely too long. We golfed again that weekend, and hosted a chili bar and campfire one night, which was a blast. Sunday we were able to go to Calvary Reach Jacksonville, where Pastor Eric Souza is actually great friends with our home Pastor Ed, which was great.

The next week was Christmas – and on Christmas Eve we enjoyed a beautiful day in the 60’s on the golf course. Christmas day … well, it was the coldest Florida has seen in a while. There’s that weather we keep bringing wherever we go LOL. We spent our first Christmas in the trailer, opening gifts together and got to Facetime with Chanse and Dane while they opened their gifts from us. That evening, we were thankful to be able to go over to Mike’s to enjoy a prime rib dinner – and the dogs got to enjoy a big backyard! That weekend, Sunday evening, part of my gift to Dan was a private carriage ride around downtown St. Augustine. They have “Night of Lights” going on right now, so we got to see the lights and also got some fun historical facts while enjoying a romantic ride for 2.

One of the best rounds of golf was played the Monday after Christmas, when we played the King & Bear, the only golf course designed by both Jack Niklaus and Arnold Palmer. That was a lot of fun and a great course (I got a birdie!) That was the only course and place so far that we finally saw an alligator! We played it low key that week, working and taking it easy in preparation for NYE. We got to golf again on NYE, playing a fun tournament style game with 6 others – where I placed 2^nd with my partner … Dan was partners with Mike, his game wasn’t quite as good that day.

We celebrated NYE at Mike’s place with Mike, Wes and Anke. They whipped up some great food, and we all enjoyed some laughs and drinks while waiting for the ball to drop. It was a long night, so the next day was low key as Dan and I got ready to take the weekend and head to Tampa Bay! More to come…

Snowbird Travels – Stop 5

December 21, 2020 by tduncan8214, posted in Golf, Snowbird

Days 33 – 39

After we left North Myrtle Beach (begrudgingly) we were headed to Savannah, Georgia. Location wise it was close to friends Wes and Anke, so we would be able to spend time with them, and we could cross Georgia off the list for golf.

We pulled into our spot, and once again felt like we did a great job on picking the location. We were on the end – always a plus to have extra room for the pups – and we were right across from their private lake. Dan was able to spend time fishing and I always enjoy a good view while I am working.

Wes and Anke came up to visit on Friday night, we enjoyed campfire quesadillas, the campfire, and lots of laughs. Saturday we went out for a fun round of golf, where the weather was warm and we were able to bask in the sun a little. After golf we got to meet Anke’s parents, who were so nice and welcoming.

That night we went to River Street at downtown Savannah, to get there we drove around to see the beautiful southern mansions, old cathedral and walk on the cobblestone to get to a spot to eat (where we had to grab some gator bites). The rain percentage was a 14% chance, of course we were there so that changed and soon it was a rainy evening for us to sit on a rooftop patio and enjoy the views. Luckily, we happened to have an umbrella … though it was broken. LOL. Eventually it did die down for us to sit comfortably, but so far these snowbirds have brought rain everywhere we go, lol.

The remainder of the trip we spent hanging at the campsite. It was pretty rainy Monday and Tuesday, so staying in was ok for us. There was a cool trail around the lake that we took the dogs out on which was fun. We went over to the Black Rifle Coffee Company per recommendations, which was a cool shop we got to buy some gifts from. Our last night there we enjoyed some more seafood – a great crab dinner and of course, Georgia peach cobbler!

Off to St. Augustine Florida!

Snowbird Travels – Stop 3

December 7, 2020December 7, 2020 by tduncan8214, posted in Golf, Snowbird

Days 3 – 23 – Thanksgiving(s) 2020

The night we arrived in Arkansas was frustrating. From trying to back in in the dark, to a litany of issues we had trying to configure it all. One of the things that we had done before we left Colorado was to get the rig winterized. The temps had dropped in the teens briefly before we left, and to be safe we thought it best. For some reason when they winterized it, our black tank lever went missing. For those who don’t know, the black tank is the one linked to the toilet. Anyway, when we had left Kansas I thought I had shut the black tank all the way – because of no lever, I wasn’t 100% sure on that one. Turns out, I didn’t. So when we got to Arkansas and were setting up, Dan had asked me to go over and connect the sewer hose. Typically he does it because I can’t ever get the thing open. This time was no different. He comes over to put the hose on, opens the hose connection, and gets covered. When I say covered, I mean covered in what I can only call fermented black tank gunk. Topping it off, we didn’t have the water heater on to get hot water through the trailer, so not only is he covered, he can’t even wash it off. OOPS. We were able to get him mostly cleaned, and tried to spray down the area to get the smell somewhat away, but that made for a long night. Off to get pizza and beer, we decided wait til the morning to get everything else taken care of. Yes, Dan did get cleaned. And a great friend suggested Dan smell coffee grinds to get the smell out of his nose (thanks Dave). To say Dan was ready to turn around and head back was an understatement!!!

The next day was better, as the sun came up and we were able to see the views around us and realize, this spot was pretty nice. Although Dan had his truck in the shop two days with some computer issues and felt stranded, even he enjoyed being fully surrounded by woods. There were a lot of hiking trails we enjoyed with the dogs and my view from my “desk” while working was the trees surrounding us. The best part about this spot though, was the proximity to my Grandma’s house. It was a short 2 mile drive away – and spending the time close to her was well worth it. Not only did we get to spend time with her, it allowed for more family to visit – starting with my Uncle Jack & Aunt Julie from Wisconsin. We enjoyed time with them, getting to play games, sit and catch up, and of course hit a casino to try our luck there!

After they left, my mom came in to spend almost a week. She was gracious enough to get an Air B&B for my brother and his family to stay in as well. With all of them arriving, we got to celebrate Thanksgiving early – with all of my siblings, the kids, and of course the grandmas. It was a wonderful celebration and there were so many laughs shared. Josh and Dan were able to go fishing together and of course they hit the casino as well. Now Dan had some funny things to say about fishing with Josh but that aside he said he really enjoyed just getting away and chatting with him; even if Josh tried to hook Dan a few times, had him tie a swivel on and lost a good lure lol. Josh was the only one to land anything; which turned out to be a 6 foot foam platform of some kind. Dan and I got to enjoy a sleep over with Eloisa – she enjoyed spending the night with us in “her room” (the bunk room) of the trailer.

Once they all took off, we were able to enjoy more quiet time with grandma – from sewing lessons (she gave to Dan), golf, walks with the dogs, and the official Thanksgiving – with NO turkey! LOL. We had our third Thanksgiving that week, when Joe (D3) came out and we went down to my sisters to celebrate with them as well. We gave Slade an early Christmas gift that day, a fishing pole for him to learn on for when we come back around and Uncle Dan can take him out for real. The food was great and the company was also. We will see them again in February.

Some of the other things we enjoyed was a visit to the Cooper Memorial Chapel, a breathtaking chapel located right in Bella Vista. We also popped into a Calvary Chapel service – which was a delight to be able to visit and worship with them. I also made sure to get in my November 5k – this time with Leo along for the fun!