Another early rise and hitting the road.  This routine is working, and no one getting cranky from being woken up too early.  This is good.  The goal for this day had originally been to get to Russellville, AR, but we’ve got a 1.5 hour jump by staying in Shamrock instead of Amarillo.  It’s a tad more windy today, and once we got to late afternoon, I used the apps to check on sunset, and RV stops on the route.  Memphis had plenty of parks too offer, but we weren’t going to get there till it was pretty dark.  Given all the bambi carcasses on the road, I didn’t want to do much night time driving.  Based on all of that, it looked like a place called Heritage Inn and RV park in Brinkley, AR was going to fit the bill.  I called, and they had plenty of spaces.  This is where technology went wrong.

First, the All Stays app “pin” for the location was north of 40, but the directions they gave on the site indicated it was south.  Ok, no biggie.  I punched in the address on the GPS, and off we went.  It took us off the right exit (I think) but then sent us even further south.  Once we got to our “destination” we were out among some fields, where all the roads were dirt and uncertain for the RV.  We saw another major highway 2 more miles down the road, and fortunately, it was a wide enough intersection with no traffic so we could get turned around.

Next, I used the GPS and searched for the POI for the “Inn”, and that got us there correctly.  It was south of the highway, and at the next exit.  Ok, so GPS/Operator fail, and now it’s dark.

Second “trouble”.  This place was rough.  The “RV Park” had about 30 spots.  All empty but one small trailer in a dark corner.  It was $20, but I could just park wherever I wanted, according to the clerk.  Several of the “guests” (more like residents) were out and about, cooking out on the walkway of the second floor of the Inn.  I had some concerns about the security of our stuff, but it was an hour after dark, and the next place that had spots was at least another hour down the road.  So, we found a spot, and hoped for the best.  The next bit of trouble was the shock I got from the electrical hook up.  Fortunately, since no one else there, i used another one that my cord could reach, and everything worked.

I went to bed early, and Diane and Molly stayed up late.  They were still on CA time.  All is secure and ready, and its time to hit the road…

Another easy day.  Up early for me, prepped and pulled out while the girls kept sleeping.  Diane gets woken up a bit, and helps with some odds and ends, finding things like headphones, etc., and then back to bed.

We seem to be ahead of the bad weather getting to CA now, and the winds aren’t too bad.  Driving still pretty easy.  Todays target had been Amarillo, but we made it all the way to Shamrock, TX.  Cool Gas Station here, used as the model for a gas station in Cars.

Another perfect stop, as we pulled in right at sunset, and got all hooked up.  The iPhone apps are still coming through just fine.

Well, it’s been pretty easy actually.  I got up, disconnected everything outside, got the cat secured, fired up the engine and pulled in the sides, lifted the levelers, pulled out, hooked up the CRV, and headed on down the road.  Diane and Molly still resting comfortably in their beds.  Made it to Barstow for gas and breakfast, then hit 40 and kept on going.

I’m not sure where we were when Diane and Molly got up, but so far so good.  We stopped for some lunch on the way.  Using my iPhone, The Weather Channel app (for sunrise/sunset times), and the GPS (which was set to “Winslow, AZ”), I could see early on that we would be able to get past Winslow.  I then used the “All Stays – Camp & RV” app to see what was available up the road.  Found a KOA that was in Holbrook, AZ.  Called them and found they had spots, so we decided to stop there for the night.  I worked out well as we pulled in there just after the sun went down.  Molly and I headed over to the Pizza Hut to grab some dinner, and it ended as a nice comfortable day for all.  Here’s hoping for similar outcomes in the days ahead.

All the moving and sorting that can be done in the time we have, has been done.  The RV has a little bit of extra stuff, but we’ll be organizing that, off loading via mail, trash can, or friends, along the way.  It’s been sad for Molly and Diane saying good bye to friends and such.  Sharon, Carissa, and Cheryl really came through the last couple days with some excellent help and support.

We leave in the  morning, super early, and begin heading east.  First major destination is Nashville, TN.  Hoping to make it to at least Winslow, AZ tonight.  Plan is to stop at truck stops or rest areas along the way for some zzzz’s and dinner.  Overall, expecting to make three stops on the say, and get to Nashville by Sunday.

Oh, and Happy Birthday Kim!

Well, I’m not going to try to count the days necessarily, but this one is important.  It’s Sunday, October 30, and we’ve parked the RV at Canyon RV Park, just off the 91 between Yorba Linda and Corona.  We’d stayed here a few months back with the Komfort Kruisers, and felt it would be good to use as a local base as we moved out of the condo, and into the RV.

Sunday through Wednesday will be super busy with packing, moving into storage, and getting stuff into the RV.  Oh, and some trick or treating for Molly, and various other activities and good byes.

It’s Friday, October 28, 2011.  All the travel for Roadshows and stuff at work is done.   Today, the DirecTV goes back on, a small dumpster shows up out front, and it’s my last day here at this home office.  We’ll be packing from now till Sunday, and officially move into the RV on Sunday.  Movers are coming Tuesday to get the furniture and boxes, and get all of that over to the storage unit.  There are lots of emotions running around as we get closer.  Hopefully we can all keep it together in these final days, and then start enjoying the new fun and excitement.

We’ve got reservations and locations lined up for our longer stays from now till December.  Working on getting something for about a week in AZ/NM area, then we’ll be in SoCal the second half of December and into January.  Also trying to find/buy a Thousand Trails membership.  I see them on Craigslist and Ebay, and will likely make the purchase sometime after we sell the FJ.  That will just make things easier.  Having the ability to stay 3 weeks and go park-to-park will be awesome.  Given the number of locations they have across California, it will fit in with our late winter/spring plans to try and visit all of the California Missions.

Should start seeing posts from Diane on here soon.  We’ve got the blog linked up to our new Twitter account, @KnightBusAdvntr, and will soon link it to our FB page, Adventures in the Knight Bus.  She was hoping to be able to write up stuff, then have it go out to everyone (that wanted it), and we’ll get that all linked up soon.

Busy times!

We’re heading out three weeks from today.  I have no idea how we are all going to actually get all of our things packed, stored, loaded, etc., let alone deal with all the emotional aspects of what we are doing.  It’s been a trying time for each one of us at different times along this journey.  I’m very proud of all the girls for not letting the sad aspects get in the way of the certain adventure.

We’ve got a storage place lined up, Diane and Molly are packing and picking out what goes in the RV.  98% of all the updates for the RV are done.  We’ve even got movers planned.

It’s almost here.  I for one will be happy to get past that initial departure, and to get to our first destination, Nashville.

We had looked around at several RV parks/resorts in the local Orange County area over the past few months.  We know that we’ll be here for various holidays and to help support Megan when she is not in school.  One of them that had caught our eye was the Canyon RV Park which is right next to the 241/91 interchange.  Earlier this summer Diane and I decided we’d give it a try and check it out as a possible place to park for those holiday and support occasions.  As we looked at the schedule, we also were contacted by Jeff at the Komfort Kruisers.  They are a local Southern California Motorhome club that is affiliated with FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association).  We joined the FMCA, and Jeff had received info on a new local member, so he contacted us to let us know about the club.  The timing of their outing at Canyon RV was perfect for our schedule, so we decided to check out the park AND the Komfort Kruisers.

To be brief, both are FANTASTIC.  The members of the club are VERY friendly and presented us with a warm welcome.  We got to spend time with most of the members that were on this outing, and there’s not a bad apple in the bunch.  Even Molly was having a great time without there being other kids around.  The park spaces are big, and plenty of open space.  The freeway noise is constantly reminding you it is there, but it can be ignored, more or less.  If you want walking or bike riding, this park is about a mile long, so just one “lap” and you’ve done 2 miles.  There are plenty of nice clean bathrooms and showers, as well as a pool and camp store.  The store hours are also really good, and they stay open later than most.  We didn’t check out the laundry, but if it’s as good as everything else we saw it’ll be just fine.

Great food, great company, great times.  Such a good weekend, Molly has almost stopped giving me a hard time about shutting the door on her thumb.

We got in yesterday afternoon, after 8 nights of RV style vacation and roadtrip.  Everyone (except maybe Francie) reported they had a good time, but were glad to be home and settled in.  We had over 1000 miles logged, and 4 different RV parks checked out.  We even used a Blue Beacon truck wash location before going over the grapevine.

Now, we settle back into the house routine, but look forward to our next trip out in September to a local RV park.

Not sure if the tree’s are actually Almond tree’s.  We’ll have to take a closer look tomorrow.

We’ve stopped here as a planned overnight for our trip home.  Originally, the thought was that Diane and Molly would spend most of today at the Homeschool conference, but they were just too tuckered out this morning.  We were able to get on the road by 11, and made good time coming down the 5 to here.  It’s a nice place, with a couple pools, one which is a “family” pool that Molly has already spent some time.  The spaces are a good size, and there are tree’s all over, but still clearance for the satellite dish.  We’re nice and level, so an easy night sleep (hopefully) and we’ll head out tomorrow in the morning and head south to home.