Wednesday, October 22, 2014

New state and moving on again

Yesterday we traveled about 285 miles from Ladybug RV park in Cuba, MO to the Tulsa NE/Will Rogers Downs KOA in Claremore, OK. The KOA is part of both a casino and a horse race track. We pulled in about 3:00pm and once we got set up we took a walk around the park. There were the usual seasonal sites in the back of the park and some back in and pull through sites near the race track. We scored a decent pull through near the track. (Click on the photos to enlarge)


 
The sites are close together like a typical KOA but this was just for overnight. Not a place we would stay to enjoy the outdoors and some privacy. We headed over to a nearby gas station for some fuel. Prices are good here in Oklahoma at $3.35/gal for diesel. They had a Subway there too so we picked up some dinner. We decided to take a look at the Casino and walked over. It was still pretty early so there weren't too many folks inside. We played a slot machine and gave the Casino $10.00 of our money...Big spenders we are. :-) We headed back home and I had gotten the satellite TV set up so we watched some TV until bedtime. We've been getting to bed a little earlier and getting up earlier to get on the road. I broke up the travel by only going about 250 to 290 miles each day. That way we get in and set up by 2-3 pm. This morning before we left, we saw some horses being exercised for the weekend races there at Will Rogers Downs. These horses are much more energetic than what you would find on a trail ride where they poke along on the same trail day in and day out.
 




 
 
Today we covered about 240 miles and are at the Elk City/Clinton KOA right off I-40. The traffic noise is not too bad since the park is located behind the office building and sits down a little from the Interstate. The sites again are narrow and we had too many trees to set up the satellite. The good thing was, they had free cable. Enough stations to pass the evening with mindless TV watching. Another good thing is....they have a laundry. We needed to do laundry. We able to get set up before it started raining about an hour later. This is a very old park and it is situated right on historic Route 66 which actually parallels the Interstate.
 


Old washer and dryers
 
We headed out to get some fuel and an earlier dinner and ended up at The Rib Crib in Elk City right off I-40. Great BBQ, friendly waitress and fast service. Once we got back home we got the laundry done and we are settled in for the night. Ready for a longer drive tomorrow of about 265 miles across the panhandle of Texas and into New Mexico. Tucumcari KOA for one night and then on to Elephant Butte, NM for the weekend. Not a fan of this fast pace but it's getting us closer to where we can slow down and do some exploring. Elephant Butte RV Resort will be a start. Each day so far we get to add to our map of "States We Have Stayed In". We decided we had to stay at least one night to qualify for "staying in the state" not just driving through it. So we are getting that done. Well time to get ready for bed. New state tomorrow. This is getting fun.


6 comments:

  1. Glad you're having a good time. So are the states starting to look different?

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    1. Yes we are....looking more scenic and desert like. Warming up too...back to summer.

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  2. Glad you are finally starting to enjoy your travels.
    You mention staying at KOA quite a bit. Kathy and I have their members card and it saves you each time you use it plus it adds up to free nights stays. We use it so much we haven't had to pay our yearly fee in years. It could save you money through your travels.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. Hi Rick, we have some gift certificates to use so the KOAs don't cost us much. We typically don't stay at KOAs but that is a thought for the future. Thanks

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  3. Wow you're sure making tracks, we stayed at Elephant Butte State Park right on the lake, lots of biking there. Glad you're having fun and things are going smoothly, enjoy the time in NM.

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    1. Moving fast now is a means to an end. Slowing down soon...we will cHeck out the biking trails....thanks. So far, so good.

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