Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge and Judy January 30, 2011

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Saturday is moving day for many and we said good bye to NOMADS Eldon and Linda.

 We interrupted their departure long enough to talk a minute and snap a photo.

They are headed for a month in Florida before they go back home to Illinois.

Yesterday was a beautiful day and we decided to go take a look at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Natural Wildlife Refuge run by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).  It is in Gautier, MS which is about 10 miles from where we are staying.

This was our first time to see a USFWS Refuge.  It is free, has a small visitor center and is on property that is very well maintained.

Inside the Visitor’s Center, we looked at the displays and watched a short 14 minute video about the refuge.

The Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1975 and the first refuge to be authorized in the U.S. by the Endangered Species Act of 1973.  The Mississippi Sandhill crane thrives in a semi-open wet habitat that are on acidic-water logged soil known as savannas.  

By the mid-1950’s this area was purchased and large savanna tracts were converted into pine tree plantation logging forests.  This created havoc with the savannas and the eco system of the sandhill cranes who were on the verge of extinction.  By the 1960’s only 30-35 birds could be found.

After the creation of the refuge and restoring the environment to its previous savanna state, the area now is home to over 100 of the rare birds.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard from Judy who writes Travels with Emma.  She indicated she was going to be a volunteer here and wondered if we could get together.  We talked with Fonda at the Visitor Center and Judy had arrived a few days earlier.  She was waiting for us after we watched the short video.

It is always great to meet new blog friends.

She invited us over to her campsite which was about 100 yards away.

Both she and Pam are getting over some illnesses so we didn’t stay long.  As you might suppose, she mentioned our visit on her blog just as I am doing here…

We didn’t want to overdo it so after we stopped by WalMart we headed back to the Roadrunner.  Pam is feeling better but not at 100% yet and I am fighting off what ever she had.  So far so good but it was a nice afternoon chill out.  I opened the windows and doors and let the mid-60 degree breeze blow through the coach while we watched my man Phil play some good golf.

That’s it for the Roadrunner Chronicles today.  Thanks for viewing!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Hanging Out With the NOMADS January 29, 2011

We have been here three weeks and are almost getting ‘hitch itch’.  After a while we get the itch to move on down the road.  We pulled out the map and have made some reservations for the next couple of weeks after we leave here.

But the last three weeks here have been good ones.  We have enjoyed our time here at Caswell Springs UMC.

This is one of those big beautiful churches in the South that catches your eye.

Inside on Wednesday nights they open the kitchen and feed about 100 people including us.  (On Mondays some ladies in the church cook a lot of food and take it to the homeless in the area.  They make enough for the rest of us on Wednesday night for a donation.)

Then after church every Sunday we all go out for lunch.  Here is the group at a catfish restaurant not far from where we are staying.

We haven’t done this enough but, last Saturday night Patty got us all together for a game night.  Usually we are all pretty tired for games, but we decided to give it a try and it worked out great.

Roger and Donna are setting some of the munchies on the food table.

Linda, Lil, Chic, Kyoko and Dawn are chatting.

Don is showing Bob and Eldon pictures of the train that got weighed down with too much coal which burned up the wheels and cause it to come off the tracks.

 Lil is showing Chic and Patty her afghan while Jim, Bob, Don and Larry are in the background.

 I sat down at this table and played ‘Sequence’ with Jean, Larry and Eldon.  Jerry was explaining the finer details of Mexican Train to Donna, Linda, Kyoko, Patty and Chic.

It was a fun couple of hours except Pam came down with the bug.  In fact she was down with it all last week and stayed in the Roadrunner to recuperate.

We also get together to say goodbye.  Each week we have someone leaving and others coming to take their place.  Here Jean, Jane, Chic, Jim and Ricci took a quick photo as we said good bye to Jane and Ricci.

And after our dinner at the Pizza Place last week it was good bye to Patty and Bob.

The night before they left, they called for some propane to be delivered so a lot of us jumped on that and took our turn getting filled up.  We waited for the delivery and another get together broke out.

 Eldon, Don, Larry, Marley, Hank, Jim, Dawn, Chic, Patty, Jean (hidden) Pam and Nancy were there.  It was the first time Pam had been outside in four days.  She is getting a little better each day.

 Patty, Nancy, Jean, Pam, Chic, Dawn, Jim, Marley, Hank, Larry, Bob, Eldon (hidden) and Don from another angle wait for the truck.

The propane truck stayed for about thirty minutes which was enough time to fill two motor homes and three bottles.  It was very convenient and worked out great.

This week we tried a different restaurant for our Thursday ‘Night on the Town’.  We went to nearby Hurley and ate at El Capesino Mexican Restaurant.

Everyone is studying their menus intently.

It was a very pleasant surprise but I really enjoyed my enchilada, chalupa, tamale, beans and rice.  Who would guess you can get excellent Mexican food in Hurley, Mississippi?

As I have said we have met a lot of folks we hope will become life long friends.  We like to work with these guys and we like to get  together with them and have had quite a few opportunities to do that while we have been here.

That’s a quick look at some of the ways we get together.  Hope you all have a great week end.  And thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Visit with Al January 26, 2011

I met Al when I started running in Fairfax with Gil.

Gil was an inspiration to me because he is 10+ years older than me and in great shape.  He encouraged me to come out with him and his buddies at Burke Lake a couple of years ago and ‘he would get me into my high school running shape’.  That sounded good to me since I was a runner at one time but when I hit ‘middle age’, I had a number of injuries every time I tried to get back into shape.

I didn’t know if it was my head, my heart or ‘degenerative bone disease’ (that I was once diagnosed with) that caused my joints to ache and my calf muscles to give out with a pull of some type long about the two week period of my ‘comebacks’.  My goal for many years has been to get back to the point where I could run five miles daily.

I figured my running days were over until I met Gil.  Gil had me take it slow and basically get into a very easy stretching mode.  The main difference in my running approach was the he had me and run a few minutes, walk a few minutes, run a few minutes.  I also bought some new running shoes and gave it a try.  I did not get to the point where I was running five miles a day but I ran many ‘long runs’ around Burke Lake which is 4.6 miles.

That is where I met Al.  Al is a runner and biker (road bike not motorcycle).  He is over six feet tall and lost over 100 pounds a couple of years ago by eating right and working out.  He regularly ran or biked with Gil.  A few times when Gil couldn’t meet us, Al and I would bike.  We did that a couple of times on the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) bike trail in Reston to Leesburg.

So I got to know Al in Fairfax before we started full-timing.  We both talked of the day when we would sell our homes and get on with our lives.  He was running the HR department for the Exxon office in Fairfax before he retired.  He retired in July, sold his condo and moved to Mississippi to be with his aging parents.

A year ago, Pam and I were motoring through Mississippi on our way to Red Bay, AL and were not able to stop in Laurel, MS to see Al.  But a couple of weeks ago he contacted me and suggested we get together in Gulfport MS since he had an errand to run at the NIKE store there.

We met last Saturday and it was good to see him.  He continues to run regularly, while I have not kept it up since Thanksgiving.  Knee problems this time.  (Where is Gil when you need him??)  Al has adjusted well to retirement and taking care of his mom.  His 95 year old dad passed away at Thanksgiving.

Al’s future plans included moving to Ecuador to live in an adobe house he had built a couple of years ago.  For now, he is near family and enjoying life.

We met for lunch at the Nike store and then went into Gulfport where we had lunch at Port City Cafe.

I had chicken gumbo, Pam had red beans and rice, and Al had gumbo and a catfish dish.  It was great to catch up and see him!  That is one thing we love about this life style:  seeing friends.

That is one of our highlights on Saturday in nearby Gulfport.  We got home later in the afternoon and Pam battled the onslaught of a nasty cold that is going around our NOMAD group.  She is presently down for the count but vows to get over it in seven days or a week, depending on if she goes to the doctor or not.

Thanks for visiting this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!  We are very glad you stopped by!  And a special thanks to those readers who leave comments and/or become followers.  Hope you are having a great week.

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Beauvoir – Last Home of Jefferson Davis January 23, 2011

After we did the wash and had lunch on Friday, we made the 20 mile drive over to Biloxi to see
Jefferson Davis House.  The home is right on Beach Boulevard, 50 yards from the water, which took a lot of Katrina damage in 2005.

It was a surprise it didn’t have more damage.  Our guide said the floor level of the home stands at 23 feet above sea level (and known as a raised cottage standing on pillars) while the water crested at 24 feet during the storm.  Quite a bit of the contents and furniture in the home survived.

The Beavoir (French for Beautiful View) house was originally constructed in 1848-1852 by wealthy businessman James Brown who built it as a summer home.  In 1873 Sarah Dorsey bought it an lived there with her brother.  Jefferson Davis had been to Biloxi and liked the area and was invited to stay on the grounds to write his memoirs.  Davis arranged to buy the property in 1879.  Dorsey died after Davis made the first of three payments toward the $5500 purchase price.  Dorsey left Davis the property in her will.

Jefferson Davis, wife Varina and their daughter Winnie moved into the house and stayed their until his death in 1889.  Varina and her daughter moved to New York in 1891.  Beavoir became the property of the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans when Varina died in 1898.  From 1903 until 1957 over 2500 veterans and their families lived on the grounds where dozens of buildings housed them.

Public tours of the main home began in 1941 and the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library was constructed in 1998.  It damaged in Katrina so badly it was torn down and is being rebuilt.

We bought our tickets in the gift shop and walked along the path past a statute and historical marker before we made it to the front porch.

Katrina left the beaches filled with debris and trash that has all been cleaned up and restored so the view off the front porch is a beautiful.

Our guide opened the front door at 1:30 PM and nine of us entered the main room of the home for the tour.  Beauvoir reminded me of the Robert E. Lee home on the grounds of Arlington cemetery.  Though the Lee home was a considerable bigger and two stories, it had the same basic layout as this home.

Beavoir has very tall ceilings and the main portion of the house is the largest room going from the front to the back porch.  It is a very wide hallway/room about 20 feet across.

This was the primary room where guests were entertained and social events were held.  For additional room to entertain, furniture could be moved around or placed on the large porch outside during the summer if the weather permitted.

Their daughter Winnie was 17 when the moved in.  This was her bedroom, immediately off to the right as you enter the home.

Opposite Winnie’s bedroom on the left was the Reception room.  Notice the large painting of Jefferson Davis on the wall and the beautiful harp.

Adjacent to the reception room was the library where Jefferson Davis did a lot of reading and writing.

He had bookcases made that were modeled after those in the Library of Congress.

In the back were his and Varina’s bedrooms.

Davis and his wife had separate, adjoining bedrooms ~ as was the custom of the day.

Out the back door you could see where an orange grove once stood.  This was also the area where the many buildings once stood as part of the the Soldier’s Retirement home.

Off to the side house on the right about 100 yards away, you could see the construction progressing for the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum.

The tickets were well worth the $7.50 ($9 without an AARP or Military card).  I learned a lot and now am interested in learning more about the confederacy.  ‘The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government’ by Jefferson Davis seems like a good place to start.

Thanks for joining on the Roadrunner Chronicles today.  Hope you are warm where you are.

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Some Tools of the Trade January 21, 2011

Welcome! to Joe and Nancy who just signed up to Follow the Roadrunner Chronicles.

We finished up our second week here in Moss Point, Mississippi working with NOMADS.  There are 9 couples on our team and we are divided up into groups to work on four houses in the Pascagoula area.  The house we are working on is about 17 miles from where we have our RVs parked.

 Moss Point/Pascagoula are between Pensacola and New Orleans on the Gulf Coast.

The primary task at our house is to get the sheet rock up on the ceiling and walls.  We have been at it for two weeks so far and it will probably take us another week to finish it.  Then we will have to do the mudding.

Steve and Jerry are unloading this stack that was delivered while I take the pictures…

We have been working with four types and sizes of sheet sheet rock.

The two stacks of sheet rock are 4′ x 8′ sheets of 1/2″ regular wall boards and  ‘greenboard‘ which goes in the bathrooms and around sinks in the kitchen and the laundry room.

In the garage, we had a stack of 4′ x 12′ sheets of 1/2″ sheet rock that we started with to put up on the walls.  After that ran out we went with the 8′ sheets.

Another size,  the 5/8″ sheets of 4′ x 8′ lengths went up on the ceiling.

And this brings me to the Tools of the Trade.

The lift for the sheet rock is one of those Tools that is a back saver.  We hoist the sheet on that guy and crank it up to the ceiling and can maneuver it into place so that all we need to do is get the ‘drill guns’ (drills with Philips head on the end for the screws) and we are all set.

The drills are indispensable.

Pam and I have a Ryobi and Kawasaki drill.

I think Roger’s is a Craftsman.  Though none are what I would consider to be construction ‘name brands’
they seem to be doing the job well.  We keep one battery charged while we use the other and have had no problems.

Another tool we use is our beloved tool belts.  In mine today I have sheet rock screws, a quik square, a tape measure, band aids, screw drivers, a putting knife, pencils, a utility/razor knife, and gloves.

My work gloves keep me from busting up my fingers.  After the second time I tried to drill my finger, I decided it was time to try the gloves.  My bloodied and bruised finger is much happier.

Knee pads ~ very useful for as much time we have been spending putting the screws in the bottom part of walls.  And we usually are on the ground cutting pieces to fit in lots of places.

And the ladders.  We couldn’t do this with out lots of ladders.  I prefer the shorter one which works great.  We climb up the ladder, find the studs (most of the time) and screw in the top of the wallboards.  Good exercise.

In fact, we find ourselves getting stronger and stronger.  That is not to say that we are not tired and sore each day, but it is good exercise and we are enjoying it.

Working of the sheet rock has been good  and we estimate another week before we will start the mudding.  My goal every day is to get a little better and these tasks and learn something new.

And we love learning how to use different tools.  Next week no doubt we will expand our skill list on that.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Hope you have had a great week.

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Roadrunner Reflections – Where To Next? January 16, 2011

I have often been asked, “How do you decide where you will go after your stay here?”  Interesting question and I would say ~ “It depends”.

There are a lot of factors in deciding including:

• How Long We Have Been Full-Timing
• How Long We Have Been at the Present Location
• Friends
• Family
• Projects We Have Signed up for (NOMADS and Habitat for Humanity ‘Care-A-Vanners’)
• Interesting Places
• Locations on our ‘Must See’ List

During our first few months on the road we were eager to see as much as we could, so we were not inclined to stay in a place for a long time.  Our first trip out of the blocks we went from Virginia to Tennessee (and see Pam’s sister and family [Joan & Mike]) After about 4 or 5 days in one place, we were ready to move on.

That was the same kind of feeling when we got to Ft Worth, Texas.  We got to see my brother (Brad & Sue) and we liked being there, but after about a week, it was time to move on.  We stayed a couple of days in Oklahoma City to see friends but then drove on to our first NOMAD project in Pontiac, IL.

Our first ‘long’ stay was at a NOMADS project in Pontiac.  We also spent a month last year in Galveston, TX at a NOMADS project and will be here in Moss Point, MS for a month.

We spent a couple weeks in Albuquerque seeing my brother (Reid & Amy) before we went to Santa Fe because we signed up for a Habitat for Humanity RV ‘Care-A-Vanners’ project.  We stayed there three weeks.

Other times, we stay at a location because we it is something we wanted to see.  We spent about three weeks in South Dakota seeing friends in Sioux Falls and then making our way out to the Black Hills and Mt Rushmore.  It is a great place to see and we liked being there in the Mid-West.

We made it a point to go out to San Diego last Christmas to see family and spend the holiday on the beach.  We were there about 10 days before we moved on and headed back to Quartzsite, AZ.  It was on our ‘Must See’ list and we were out in the boondocks for about 10 days.  We loved it and stayed in Arizona another month, holing up in Tucson for almost all of February.

Then last spring, we headed to Michigan to be with Adam and Meghan as she went through her final days with breast cancer.  We ended up spending three months there and also another month in Canada with Meghan’s folks (Marg & Bill) and also a week at Tiffany and Jeff’s cabin.

Then in late summer, Kelly landed a job in Virginia Beach and we beat feet back to Dallas to help her move, and decided to spend October – December in Virginia Beach.  

You can see there are a variety of reasons for moving on.   We find ourselves staying in locations longer than we did when we first started Full-Timing.  We have slowed down a bit and no longer feel the need to ‘hit the road and see things’ like used to.  

From here, we plan to head west, see friends near Austin and San Antonio before going to Bracketville, TX.  We will probably stay there for a week or so and we want to see Big Bend National Park which is not too far from there.

Our plans for the Spring and Summer include time in Tucson, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and the Northwest.   

~ Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

We’re NOMADs in Mississippi January 15, 2011

We finished up our first week of work here in Moss Point, Mississippi.   Our rigs are parked at Caswell Springs United Methodist Church where they have 8 hookups for water and electricity and a dump station around behind the church.

We joined the team for Sunday school and church.  Here is a photo before everyone had filed into the sanctuary for church.

After church we all went out to Sassy’s Restaurant in nearby Hurley.  Sunday evening we were on our own.   

We were ready for our NOMADS meeting and devotions which began at 7:30 AM on Monday.  We each sign up for a day and lead devotions.  During our daily meetings Marley talks about the work and assignments and we discuss the situation at each house where we are all working.

Right how we have a total of nine couples and are working on four homes.  The home we are working on is in Pascagoula which is about 17 miles away.  In the past five years since Katrina this home has had some work done on it but it was never completed.  Since Katrina, NOMADS and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has completed 256 homes.

Our first task at our house in Pascagoula was to replace the back door.  Don and I tackled that.

With some negotiation and cajoling, along with six long screws, we were able to put it in.  And it even swings freely, with no catches.  We also installed the deadbolt and door handle.

The major task before us in the next few weeks is to get the sheet rock up in the house.  We were glad we had a lift for the ceiling pieces.  It saved us a lot of time and allowed us to get most of the ceiling done in the converted garage in a day.

Then we spent the next three days working on the rest of the ceilings and started on the walls.

One thing we like about the schedule is that we have two 30 minute breaks and an hour lunch each day.  We look forward to 10:00 AM, noon and 2:30 PM.  Believe it or not, we get tired doing this stuff.  The breaks help a lot.

We start the clean up around 3:45 PM and head finish up by 4:00 PM.

The end of our workweek is Thursday so that is the day we all go out to dinner and have some fellowship.  

We found a pizza place not far away that works great for our get-together.  Thursday night also serves as a time when we get a group photo.

 And we say good by to those that are leaving.  Ricci and Jean were here two weeks and are going to another project in Florida after they leave here.

We are glad to be here and have a great group of folks to be working with.  The sheet rock work is good and it allows us to get better at the hanging it and making good measurements.  One of the benefits of doing this type of work is that we always learn something and we enjoy that.

This weekend we intend to recharge and to visit the surrounding areas.

Hope you have a great weekend and we appreciate you joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles, this time signing in from Moss Point, MS ~ not far from Pascagoula MS and about halfway between Mobile, AL and Gulfport MS.

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Roadrunner Financials – December 2010

Roadrunner Recap
We spent almost the whole month at one of our favorite campsites:  Dam Neck ‘Sea Mist’ military campground in Virginia Beach.  The biggest event was the snow storm there and our first experience in really cold temperatures in the Roadrunner.  I got down in the 20’s a few nights and we learned how to keep our water lines from freezing.  And there was 8 inches of snow on the ground.  We were going to head south after Christmas but had to delay a couple of days for the snow and ice to melt off the roads.

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget
Three items look pretty good in the budget for this month:  we were under by $168 in diesel fuel, spent $0 in RV maintenance and were $226 under in campground fees.  We budget $25 a night for a campground stay.

Biggest Expenses
Eating out is one of those things we don’t quite have a handle on.  I budget a modest $100 but we overran that by about $20.  

Large One Time Cost Item
No big cost items again this month.

Monthly Average
We are running over budget here in the second year of our journey.  Our budget year begins in June, so this would be sixth month of Year 2.  Our monthly average is a little over $4,300. We had a big month in September when we had new day/night shades put in and got some woodwork/remodeling done removing the gas oven.  We also had a new storage drawer and cabinets put in under the gas stove top and a new cabinet put in the bedroom where the old deep TV was.  That was over a $9,000 month which accounts largely for our continued months of being over budget.

Thanks for joining us on another look at the budget.  One of the areas of freedom we gain is insight in where our money is going.  It gives us confidence to know where we stand.  We can plan and adjust.  

Until next time…

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Megan and Mark’s Wedding in Houston January 9, 2011

First, a big thank you to our newest Followers for joining us:

Beth

Jeff and Sheryl

Kevin and Ruth

Trailercamper

Eldy and Jeannie

You might want to take a minute and click on their names to view their blogs…

We drove to Houston for Mark and Megan’s wedding.  While Kelly and Megan and the girls were getting together we were able to spend dinner with a couple of our favorite nephews along with Darrick:

Pam, Mark, and Drew and Darrick

We enjoyed a great meal at Papacito’s.

Next, we had a lunch date with the bride and maid of honor at Ninfa’s on Navigation at it’s original location near downtown Houston.

The area of town is not the best but the lunch crowd showed up early and it was full.  We grabbed a table on the outside patio had tacos and could see why it is such a popular place.

Megan’s grandmother had lunch for Megan and the bride’s maids the day before the wedding at ‘My Cup of Tea’.  What a unique idea.

I had never heard of a tea party but it was a great time for all the ladies!

Later in the evening, we made it over to Carmelo’s which was absolutely an excellent venue.  The Italian food and service was terrific.

It was fun to get to know some of the Stuckey and Zeiler families.  It was a interesting to hear the toasts and stories and all the well wishes.  The slide show was well done and provided plenty of entertaining anecdotes of Megan and Mark growing up.

It was a fairly large group and many had flown in from all over the country to be party of the happy event.

After a late night we got up the next morning and helped out by loading up cartons and crates of beverages (beer, wine, soft drinks) to take over to the reception location later in the day.

 They had an evening wedding at the Chapelwood United Methodist Church in Houston.  Pam was able to take a few photos of the ladies getting ready.

 The entrance of the wedding party started exactly on time and it was a beautiful ceremony.  The music, the setting, the beautiful brides maids and maid of honor, the guys…it was really a memorable event for all.

 After the ceremony, it was time for pictures and we stayed a little while before heading over to the reception.

 The Gallery was another nice setting and there must have been a couple of hundred people at the reception.  The fajitas were a perfect choice and lots of folks sat and talked and celebrated the happy event.

I was able to get one last photo of Megan, Kelly and Rachel.  Megan and Mark are now honeymooning in Hawaii and will be living in Austin, TX.

It was fun to see Kelly and to see her as the Maid of Honor.  We had to leave the reception before the end of the festivities and got up on Saturday morning to take Kelly and Marion to the airport.

After we said our goodbyes, we went back to the campground and headed east on I-10 for Moss Point MS.  We didn’t have to refuel and only stopped to switch drivers a couple of times on the 425 mile trek.

We arrived at Caswell Springs United Methodist Church, Moss Point before sun down.  There are RV hookups on the property and we joined six other couples.  We are looking forward to NOMADS Disaster Relief work here the next few weeks.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Hope you are staying warm and that you have a great week.

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Georgia to Houston in 2 Days January 6, 2011

We stayed an extra day at King’s Bay Submarine Base Campground and left early on Monday morning.  We could have left on Sunday, but we decided we wanted to stay and enjoy the campground another day.  We wanted to rest up for our 2 day dash down I-10.

We got up and got ready to leave early.  The sun was barely up when we pulled the coach out of our site and hitched up the Honda.

One we got on the road, it was a bright and gorgeous day to travel.

The first couple of hours I was at the wheel, then Pam took over the driving at the first rest stop.

It is a lot different being the passenger, but quite enjoyable.  I took the opportunity to fire up my laptop and do some work on our finances.  I also hooked up my iPhone4 and we listened to a couple of hours of the audiobook:  Decision Points.  Pam drove for about 5 hours – her longest stint yet.

I finished up by driving into Gulfport, MS and we stayed at the Naval Construction Battalion facility.  The RV campground was open and level and it had concrete pads.  The scenery was nothing special but it was fine for our overnight stay.

While there one of life’s mysteries was solved:  Naval Construction BattalionsCBs are also know as the “SeaBees”.  All these years we have heard of the SeaBees and we had no idea what they do or where they were located.  Now we do!  The things we learn as full-timers!

We used to stay overnight at WalMart when we are traveling but we like the idea of finding military campgrounds along the way and checking them out.  For the most part, the Navy has the best campgrounds and sadly, we have seen quite a few USAF campgrounds that need some attention.  It seems the shape of the campground depends on the local base commander ~ if they are supportive, the campgrounds usually are pretty good.

The next day we again got out of the campground early and made it to the Texas border Visitor Center by about noon.

As we were looking for Exit 787 east of Houston for RV Resort Campground, we did a double take… the eastern border of Texas on I-10 begins with Exit 870!!  That is a lot of exits and miles to travel to  get from the east state to the last exit on the western border….

We arrived about 2:00 PM at Houston Leisure RV Resort in Highlands, Texas.  From here we are not too far from the events and festivities during the next few days.  We are here to celebrate Mark and Megan’s wedding.

Thanks for joining us on this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Hope your week is going well!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com