Where are Cheryl and Dennis?: April 2021

March 2021 – Heading Home

On Friday March 26^th we left Laughlin and began the trip back to Wisconsin. It was the beginning of spring break for Henry so we did not have to worry about school on the way home. We took highway 68 out of Laughlin and picked up I-40 at Kingman. It was a little rainy when we left. By the time we got in the upper elevations east of Kingman we ran into snow. It was heavy at times but the road remained clear. However the section of I-40 from Kingman to east of Flagstaff was in terrible shape with lots of large potholes. Between that and the snow it was the most stressful drive of the trip.

Our original destination for the day was Holbrook and Petrified Forest National Park. However we saw a sign for Meteor Crater Natural Site and decided to stop. We stayed at the Meteor Crater RV park that night and visited the crater the next day. Winslow was just a short drive down the road so we had to visit. Dennis had been there many years ago when he and a buddy drove out to Arizona to visit a friend. That was shortly after the Eagles song came out and it was not yet a tourist attraction. After visiting the crater Saturday morning we continued on to Holbrook.

Last time we visited the Petrified Forest we stayed at Crystal Forest Museum and Gifts at the south end of the park. This time we opted for an electric site across the street at the Petrified Forest Gift Shop. That afternoon we took a drive into the park to visit some of the sites on the south end of the park. On Sunday we toured the rest of the park then drove into Holbrook for a late lunch.

Monday morning we were up early but could not leave until 8:00. The shortest distance back to I-40 is through the park but the gates did not open until 8. We still had 1600 miles remaining to get home and wanted to be home by Friday. That meant we could not spend anymore time sight seeing and wanted to drive at least 350 miles per day. That day we made it to Tucumcari NM (400 miles). Stayed at Blaze-in-Saddles RV Park.

Tuesday we headed out early and stopped at Russel's Truck & Travel Center for breakfast. This place is a must stop if you are traveling on I-40. The food was good but the neatest thing is the free museum. The museum is an eclectic collection of items accumulated by the owners of the truck stop. Lots of new and old toys, several classic cars, lots of antiques and advertising memorabilia. Henry really enjoyed it. We could have spent more time there but needed to get moving. That night we stayed at Lucky Star Casino in El Reno, OK. Today we drove 345 mils.

Wednesday and Thursday we just drove. We did not get great fuel mileage as we bucked a head wind both days. Wednesday night we stayed at Rustic Trails RV Park near Phillipsburg, MO (356 miles). Thursday night we made it to Starved Rock State Park Campground near Oglesby, IL (392 miles). We arrived home on Friday around 1:00 after driving 207 miles.

How was our experience taking Henry with us? For the most part it was good. School was a challenge. Not from a technical aspect as we always had some form of WI-FI to stream his school videos. The problem was keeping him motivated and on task. At least once a day he would resist doing school. Eventually we told him he was in charge and he could do whatever he wanted. If he didn't get something finished we would turn it in uncompleted. That worked for the most part but it took us two months to figure it out. The other thing was we could not always do some of the things we wanted to do. Part of that was because of Covid but some of it was because of having Henry. Sometimes he resisted going somewhere but ended up enjoying the experience. We visited lots of cool places and hope he has good memories of the trip.

Where we are parked: Meteor Crater RV Park, Winslow, AZ - 71 sites, All Year, All ages, Tents Only sites: 4, 5390 ft elev, Accepts Big Rigs, 71 pull thrus, 27 full hookups, electric, 44 elec-water hookups, 30/50 amp, 38 50 amp sites, tables, grill, water, toilets, showers, dump, Clubs-ESC-GSC, RV Storage, laundry, internet, pet friendly, store

Where we are parked: Petrified Forest Gift Shop, Holbrook, AZ - 6 sites, All Year, Self-Contained Units-RVs Only, All ages, No tent, 45 ft max RV length, 5400 ft elev, Accepts Big Rigs, electric, 30 amp, tables, pet friendly, store, no res, Oct 2018: Must arrive at 30-amp campground before dark. check in gift shop. Gift shop is open 11 AM to 6:30 PM every day. Campground checkout is 11 AM. Arrive at free campground any time. Check-in not required for free campground. 18 free RV sites on East side (museum lot). 10 30-Amp RV sites on West side (gift shop lot).

Where we are parked: Blaze-in-Saddles RV Park, Tucumcari NM - 51 sites, All Year, All ages, Tents, 40 ft max RV length, 4020 ft elev, Accepts Big Rigs, pull thrus, 35 full hookups, electric, 16 elec-water hookups, 30/50 amp, water, toilets, showers, dump, Clubs-GSC-PA-AM, laundry, pet friendly, horses

Where we are parked: Lucky Star Casino, El Reno, OK - free, 10 sites, All Year, RVs only, All ages, No tent, 1391 ft elev, 10 full hookups, electric, 30/50 amp, tables, water, dump, no res, Casino, free up to four nights. They ask that you gamble a few times during stay. Pull in and get a spot then go to security desk inside front door to sign in. Some of the electric pedestals did not work.

Where we are parked: Rustic Trails RV Park, Phillipsburg, MO - 49 sites, All Year, All ages, Tents Only sites: 5, 65 ft max RV length, 1355 ft elev, Accepts Big Rigs, 35 pull thrus, 19 full hookups, 6 electric only sites, 16 elec-water hookups, 20/30/50 amp, 10 50 amp sites, tables, grill, water, dump, Clubs-PA-AM, laundry, firewood, internet, pet friendly extra rules, pool, playground. This used to be a KOA. New owners are making improvements.

Where we are parked: Starved Rock State Park Campground, Ogelsby, IL - 133 sites, All Year, All ages, Tents, 40 ft max RV length, 607 ft elev, Accepts Big Rigs, 133 electric only sites, 20/30/50 amp, 22 50 amp sites, tables, grill, water, toilets, showers, dump, firewood, pet friendly, playground, trail, hike