Tuesday July 25, 2023
It’s 5 a.m…. rise and shine campers… time to head toward Oklahoma!
I took some time to enjoy the most gorgeous sunrise from my perfect parking spot while sipping coffee, then a quick walk around the park with Clyde, and it was wheels rolling at 6:30 a.m. Well, kinda… The Geese slept in… no problem… We rolled out onto I-40 and they were caught up in no time!
Here is where I screwed up with the planning. We should have found a place to stop after 6 hours of driving. One reason, it was HOT. Yes, we have air conditioning, but it’s hard on the bus and my bus driver to run over 9 hours a day. Second reason, we are supposed to be on vacation and hauling ass at the start of the adventure just shouldn’t happen.
I scheduled the long drive because we have to make it to Sturgis for our reservation and wanted to enjoy a bit of Colorado and Wyoming before kicking off the bike rally week. Note to self: break up the trip!
Skinner even suggested the next time we head west to sleep in at the Nashville stop, and maybe even take in some lake time, chillin’ and kayaking. Then, depart in the afternoon and get down the road four or so hours and find a rest area or park. Note taken. I like that idea!
We arrived in Sallisaw, Oklahoma around 4pm. The Sallisaw/Fort Smith KOA West RV Park is located conveniently off I-40 and is big rig friendly, as well as the staff in the office. We were blessed with a nice patio lot that offered its own fenced dog pad, rockers and fire pit. It was 100 degrees—in the shade—so we didn’t enjoy those pad perks!
My cousin came to pick us up since a family gathering had been planned. Goose and Emma joined the clan, and we enjoyed some famous Wildhorse Mountain BBQ and pickin’ and grinnin’ music by my talented cousins. It was just the soul feeding I needed of family love and laughter.
When we got back to the bus, we had a “team meeting” to discuss the morning’s travel plans. Originally, we had planned to drive to Dodge City, Kansas for the night, but Skinner and Goose felt staying on I-40 and heading toward Dumas, TX looked like a better and more convenient route. Our first adaption to the plan was made. This is why you RV! You can change direction anytime the wind blows.
Watch for the upcoming Skinner & Geese Fly West Adventures on RV Round-Up... coming this fall! Click here to subscribe here!