We left Alabama and I was pretty excited for our next stop. From what I could see (or thought) we were staying in a place right across from a beach and the gulf. Not only that, the weather was suppose to be nice most of the time. Woo hoo. We already had a golf tee time for a day I took off, and we planned to watch the Super Bowl at a casino down the road from us.
Well, we got to the spot and driving in I’m like where’s the beach? It’s literally the road we are on, concrete wall, no sand, gulf. Dan did find me a spot later on to sit and watch the sun set down on the gulf and that was quite spectacular. Then we pull into our spot. It’s not a bad spot. We get set up and situated and I get back to work. It’s about 3:30/4 when we hear something … Dan says, is that a train? I look out and sure enough there are train tracks right behind the campground and we get to watch the train roll by. It’d be cool if I wasn’t awake at 4:30am the next morning after the SECOND train came by and had me up. Makes for one long day…
Later that morning I mentioned to Dan, maybe we should leave early. There was nothing really keeping us in Mississippi after our day of golf, and we could see a storm coming through Oklahoma early the next week when we were suppose to be driving. I called the KOA in OK to see if they had room for us to be there Saturday instead of Monday, and thankfully they did. With that in mind, we were grateful the train was going to be long gone soon.
We enjoyed the Mississippi camp spot regardless of the train – the state park was a nice area, and we were able to enjoy the sunset over the golf and a night by the fire before we golfed the next morning. Our round of golf was at 9am at a local casino that had it’s own course. The course was designed by Arnold Palmer, and overall it was a nice course. Of course, they had no food and no beverage cart, so that’s always a negative. We didn’t play our best round, but ya know what they say, a bad day of golf is better then a good days work.
I must say it was sad looking at the neighborhoods around us. It was still pretty beat up from whenever the last hurricane was that hit them. It was a poor area and the people looked pretty downtrodden. It’s a time for us to count our many blessings and maybe you will to. We’ve see a lot of great things and have enjoyed so much. However, it is sobering to see that others are not so fortunate. Just a little note to say lets help one another when we can.
The next morning we prepared to hit the road again. We were breaking up this drive with an overnight stay along the way – so we left Friday around lunch and headed out! Little did we know we were heading right for Winter Storm Uri …
We left Arkansas very early on December 1, and it was COLD. Freezing, actually. We departed the 20 degrees hoping we were headed for a warmer climate. So far this snowbird thing wasn’t panning out weather wise, as Arkansas was mostly cold and rainy while we were there.
Our halfway point on this long drive – the longest of our trip – was a place in Riverside, Alabama. It would take about 10 hours we figured to get there, so we left around 5:20am and planned to arrive before sunset (not making that mistake again!) We got there safe and sound around 4:45pm, with just enough sunlight to hook up necessities and get into the trailer and start the heat – and for Dan, time to relax!! I cooked up our dinner while he relaxed … and by relax, it meant a beer and a shot. Actually it meant MULTIPLE beer and shots. After 10 plus hours on the road, he was pretty fried and needed to just let loose.
Time to zone out!
Chasing the sun
Well, we needed to leave early the next morning again as the drive would be just about the same amount of time to get to N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. As it was once again in the 20’s, I was anxious to get out of there and get to some sunshine! I should also mention, the campground in Riverside … a big non recommendation from us. While the view was ok (a pretty lake) the campground was not and I was happy to stay one night and get out of dodge. Unfortunately, when I went to go wake my wonderful captain, he was not having it. I believe the words were, give me 30 more minutes I am TOO hungover! Being there before, and knowing he had a daunting task ahead of him, I let him sleep a little longer to try and help. Unfortunately when we woke the work began, and we had to unhook and put away the various things set up – which included the sewer. I think I heard “Oh I am going to throw up” a few times LOL. Slowly but surely we hit the road. Until the first of four diesels came roaring up on us, swaying us to and fro, and then the first thing we came to was a bridge. We took the first exit off of the bridge, and Dan had to get some cool air and take a quick break before we could hit the road again. He was shaky, but I had complete faith he would make it through. Eventually we got back on the road and we got to N. Myrtle Beach before the sunset. Suffice to say it was quite the long drive for Dan but the spirit of his Dad was with him.
On the road again!
Our site at NMB RV Resort was a concrete pull through, which always makes it nice when unhooking and staying for a bit. You are almost always 100% level, not needing to try and maneuver to level is a plus. We got a site that had a cabana type structure over the table, and the sites were really spacious with nice grass, a big area for sitting, the cabana and a fire pit. Our first night after getting set up, we were both all about getting some seafood so off we went to a place called The Flying Fish. Dan picked the perfect fish and accompaniments, mine was good but I was regretting my choice after I tried some of Dan’s. I have no idea how he does it but he has a knack for ordering something and having it prepared special. We also went for some fried green tomatoes as an appetizer– I had never had them and they supposedly were a staple of the south! When in Rome do as the Romans. They were pretty good. I am not sure I would order again, lol.
Thursday I had taken a half day off, so around lunch we went to a place called Wild Wing Café. We were suppose to be there for lunch, hit a winery for a mid day happy hour, and then we were going to go back to camp for dinner and a fire. That was the plan, until Dan decided he thought it would be fun to teach me Golden Tee Golf (which I kept calling Golden Wheel, for some reason it sounds better to me!). We enjoyed the game for so long, making friends with a few locals and enjoying laughs with them, and we wound up getting back to camp and not doing anything we had planned on.
The next day we golfed in S. Carolina! Checking it off the bucket list! I will make another post on the golf, but we enjoyed the round immensely.We finished pretty early, so we grabbed some lunch and headed out to get groceries. A little survival tip to readers, during the toilet paper crisis people rarely look in the RV section of the store. Thankfully they had plenty for us to stock up on! I had been begging to see the beach, so after the grocery store we headed to Cherry Grove to check out what the beach looked like. It was overcast as some rain was coming through, but we still got our toes in the sand and I decided I couldn’t wait to bring the pups back with us. That afternoon we spent some time relaxing at camp – playing Mexican Train Dominos and then getting the fire going to enjoy campfire quesadillas for dinner. All in all, Dan and I both agreed that was one of the best days we’ve had.
Cherry Grove Beach
Stocking up on essentials
The weekend brought us more enjoyable weather – the sun was shining and the temperatures were much warmer then we’d been experiencing. We went to a cute “local” place called Boardwalk Billy’s Saturday afternoon before having an amazing dinner at SeaBlue – where Dan had a delicious grouper and I got a plate with a scallop, lobster tail and 2 shrimp. We were in seafood heaven as the food was decadent and well worth the price. Sunday, after service with Calvary Chapel Myrtle Beach, we took the dogs to the beach, which was no easy feat. Leo, our water loving Lab, seemed awed by the vastness of the ocean. To date he had only seen a small lake and I wish there was a way to show you the expression when he saw all that water. He would walk out into the low tide, and as a wave rolled in he would bolt away towards the beach again. It was so much fun to watch. Poor Tines though was not a happy camper. Any time that water rolled up to him he would prance away in agony. Leo and I eventually had some fun running into the water together – and while the water was cold, it was too much fun to chase waves with him.
Grouper
Scallop, Lobster & Shrimp
Delicious Port
Of course this trip isn’t all play, so Monday we were stuck working and we laid low. Tuesday was a bitter cold day, but I had taken the time off so that we could golf again, this time in N. Carolina – so off we went. Dan and I both agree it was the coldest round of golf we have ever played. We layered up and thankfully had a blanket I could throw over my legs, but let’s just say I hope we never play in those conditions again! That night after dinner we decided to drive through a Christmas light show we had seen advertised. It was so cute, and fun to see. They had a special section that was linked up to music, which was cool. It was like the Denver Zoo of lights, just a drive through. We enjoyed it.
We had one last day in this beautiful spot on Wednesday, and we spent it once again laying low (working) and then finally hit the winery I had asked we not forget about. The tasting was fun and the wine was great! Afterwards we went to an authentic Tex-Mex Cantina, Nacho Hippo. It was actually really good, we enjoyed it. Overall, we both really enjoyed the time in South Carolina and agree it’s a place we would for sure want to come back to if we do this again.
We decided a while ago to take this trip, and our date to go has always been November 9. We spent months planning the trip down to the wire – from gas stops along the way to churches we would want to hit up. Well, Colorado and Covid 19 changed our minds as Covid started to run rampant and it was clear that soon we’d all be on lockdown. (At the time of this, the CO governor has issued a state wide curfew) On top of it, Colorado decided to have a snow storm blow through on November 9, so we hit the road on November 8.
Packed up & ready to go!
Lucky us, the snow storm was being blown through with wind gusts of almost 40mph sometimes. It was a nail biting drive for sure, but Dan did a great job of getting us to our first stop (Hays, KS) safe and sound. We arrived in the dark and felt uncomfortable leaving the slides out with the wind, so all of us curled up in bed for a sound night of sleep – just to hit the road and chase the wind again!
Sunset view in the rearview mirror during the looooooong drive through Kansas
Day 2 – Off to Arkansas
We woke early in Kansas to try and get a head start.
The Morning view from our site as I took the dogs out
Sadly we woke to more wind, this time accompanied by rain as well. We tried to get out some of the kinks we couldn’t care for in the dark when we had arrived the night before, which wound up getting us on the road around 9am. Off to Arkansas! Windy conditions made for a treacherous drive again (poor Dan!) – this time I was distracted by work but boy the wind whipping our RV is not a fun experience!
Because of the wind, the drive was somewhat slower, so once again we arrived in the dark. This is something we are going to definitely remedy on the next round. Setting up in the dark makes for an unhappy couple, as Dan backed in the RV, and we used just flashlights on our phone and a headlamp to try to figure out where and how to get everything set up. So far, from what we had seen last night, we aren’t thrilled with the location we are in camp site wise, but we are going to make the best of it! Settling in and here to stay to enjoy time & Thanksgiving with family!
Yesterday was the 146th Kentucky Derby. Like most of the world, we watched from the comforts of our house. Obviously the world today is full of unknowns and trips are almost obsolete, but our trip last year was one for the books. Record books, actually, since that was the first time in Derby history that the winner was disqualified.
Derby ready!
We went to Kentucky to celebrate Dan turning 50, go to the Derby and tie it all in a bow with a round of golf there as well. I was able to get us tickets not only for the Derby, but for the Oaks as well. So we got to enjoy the Twin Spires 2 days in a row – and boy did we enjoy it! From lillies to juleps, and a few spires in between, we braved the heat one day and the rain the next. We were thankful I went for a big hat on Derby day, that’s for sure!
A couple of days after the race, we went to golf at Nevel Meade, a course I had found when I made the reservation. Of course as usual I made sure to have a few little gifts on the course for Dan to open, and pimped his ride with birthday streamers and the like. The course was a nice one, nothing to write home about though. And when we got there we were informed it was a dry course – no food, no drinks. Um…what?! LOL.
Happy Birthday!
We had a great time, watching the races and golfing, and we got to even take a day trip to Noah’s Ark, which was really cool to see and take in.
2013 was a big stadium year for us – we went to three others outside of our hometown Broncos. For New Year’s Eve 2013 into 2014, we decided to go visit Dan’s family in Arizona. We surprised his dad, Marvin, with tickets to the Arizona Cardinal’s vs San Francisco 49er’s game.
Surprising him first with a jersey
Pure Joy
The Cardinal’s stadium is a dome, and they are actually the only field that rolls their grass outside to get sunlight. Their dome has a retractable roof as well which allows some natural light in during the game. It also allows the warmer Arizona temps in. We had really good seats in a section of the endzone, and beforehand we were able to walk around the stadium a bit for our Arizona fans to soak it all in.
Enjoying some eats after walking around
Watching Pre Game warm ups
A few days later we rang in the New Year with Marvin and the boys. In between, we got to visit Dan’s Uncles, Dan took me on a tour of where he grew up, and we just enjoyed the time spent with Marvin. It was a great trip – and we checked Arizona off of the NFL list!
Dan and I have done quite a bit of travelling and we decided to start this blog as a way to document our
travels and our journey to check off our bucket list. This will be a
compilation of past travels and experiences as well as future excursions. We
invite you to join us on our journey!
We’ve now been married almost 5 years. One thing we talked about year 1 of marriage, was what we really wanted to do together. We both thought travelling to other states to golf would be a great way to visit multiple states, and celebrate our marriage. Section 1 of the Duncan bucket list; golf in every state. Another conversation brought us to Section 2 of the Duncan bucket list; see every NFL stadium. If you’re reading this and don’t know us, here’s a snippet: We both love football. Dan was a quarterback in high school in Arizona and I grew up a loyal fan of the Green Bay Packers, while Dan is a diehard Cowboys fan.
Please join us on our journey as we explore
our country and set out on a mission to explore some of the great golf courses
around the USA and visit every NFL stadium. Our life has been full
of great memories made with each other and we are happy to share with you the
many more that will follow.
Duncan Travels 