This is a special day for us, our fourteenth wedding anniversary. And I can tell you that we are even more in love today than we were when Terry and I said “I do.” Being married to your best friend in the world is a wonderful thing. Thanks for all you do, and for all you are, Terry. I love you with all my heart.
A while back, somebody said that the two of us seem almost codependent, because we like to spend all of our time together. Hey, call it whatever you choose, it works for us, and we still feel like we’re on our first date.
This is also our last day before we start our westward trek. We plan to go back over to Tarpon Springs, one of our favorite towns, and wander around for a while, checking out the shops along the waterfront and playing tourist. Then we’ll find someplace over in that area to have a nice dinner, before we come back to the campground and finish up our last minute packing to leave here tomorrow.
Terry was feeling a little better yesterday, but not in top form yet, so we stayed home all day, and got some chores done. I was getting pretty shaggy, so Terry gave me a haircut and trimmed my beard. Then I spent some time flushing our black water tank, something I try to do a couple of times a year. I have had people tell me that I really don’t need to do that, especially if I buy the latest and greatest holding tank additive, which they usually just happen to be selling. But it’s not that much work, and it keeps us from having problems.
I’ve been planning our trip west, and here is the tentative schedule, which is always subject to change on a moment’s notice: Tuesday we’ll go back to Ocala to have Cummins Coach Care install the new heater core in our motorhome. Since it will be sometime in the afternoon by the time they are done, we’ll probably spend the night there, since they have RV parking with electric.
We had hoped to get to Cedar Key for a couple of days, but the RV park there never got back to me when I e-mailed, or returned my phone call, so we’ve scratched that off the list. Instead, Wednesday we’ll drive to Mexico Beach, and probably spend the night at Rustic Sands Campground, a nice Passport America affiliate we stopped at last year, when we were having problems with a bad fuel filter. The folks there went out of their way to help us out, calling around to locate a shop that would open up on Saturday morning to get us in. That’s a distance of 260 miles, and will set the pace for much of our trip.
Our next stop will be Summerdale, Alabama, about 200 miles further west. I’m not sure if we’ll stay at the Escapees Rainbow Plantation, or an RPI park in the area. We’ll hang around there two or three days, before we hit the road again. Our next stop will be somewhere around Breaux Bridge, Louisiana (275 miles) or, if we’re making good time, Lake Charles (360 miles). That will be just a quick over night stop, and then we’ll go to Dickinson, Texas (230 or 145 miles, depending on where we stop the night before).
Our friends Greg and Jan White are spending some time there visiting with their kids and grandkids, and we’ll visit them for a few days. Greg hasn’t fixed anything for me in three months now, and I know he’s probably going through withdrawal. And there are a couple of great restaurants in that area that Greg and Jan have been telling us about for years that we’re eager to check out.
When we leave Greg and Jan, we’ll have a 210 mile day to Rockport, where we plan to stay at Bay View RV Resort, an RPI park that used to be a Western Horizons. We love that area of the Texas Coastal Bend, so we could be there anywhere from a few days to a week. We spent five weeks in that area a few years ago, and I know where all the good restaurants are there! 🙂
As much as I dislike the place, when we leave Rockport, we’ll drive about 200 miles to Mission, in the Rio Grande Valley. We wouldn’t go there, except that our friends Ron and Brenda Speidel are hanging out there, and it’s been way too long since we’ve seen them.
From Mission, we plan to drive 265 miles to the Escapee park in Hondo, Texas to touch base with good friends Mike and Elaine Loscher. We’ve only been to Hondo once, in our first year on the road, so we’re looking forward to getting back there, and to seeing Mike and Elaine again.
By the time we leave Hondo, we’ll have hitch itch to get on to Arizona, so we’ll probably make a long day of it and drive to Balmorhea, where there is a nice little Passport America park called Saddleback Mountain just off the highway for $10 a night. If we do that, it will be a long day, 350 miles. Another day of driving will take us to the Escapees park in Deming, New Mexico, 290 miles.
Friends keep asking us to stop on Benson, Arizona, but I suspect that being so close, we’ll make a beeline for Tucson, another 215 miles. We’ll stop in Tucson for a day or two to see my cousin Beverly, and for me to check in with the VA hospital, and then it’s about two hours to Apache Junction, where Terry’s parents will be anxious to see her.
Most of those travel days are shorter than the norm for us, and who knows, we may cover more miles in a day as we go. The closer we get to where we’re going, the more excited we are to get there. Our wheels have not done enough turning in the last few months,and I’m looking forward to putting some miles behind us.
Thought For The Day – Our best decisions, the ones that we never regret, come from listening to ourselves.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Congratulations on your anniversary!
Enjoy the journey.
Happy Anniversary my friends, and Nick, you’re a better man because of Terry!
Butch
Happy Anniversary, Nick and Terry! I’ve enjoyed reading about your stay here in Florida and look forward to your adventures traveling out West!
Congratulations on your 14th anniversary!! Today is also my brother’s and his wife’s 47th. Hope you guys make it that far!!!
Terry and Nick – Happy 14th Anniversary and many more to come. Safe travels.
Lu & Larry
Don’t you always wonder about people who make those kind of comments, “you must be codependent??” Mike and I are like you guys, married 17 years after two previous marriages each. We enjoy each other and spend all our time together, a so called friend said one time, “don’t you feel smothered??” Nope, I feel loved. Sorry you guys aren’t coming to Cedar Key–what park did you contact–we would be interested in knowing if it was the one we are in as it is in foreclosure and needs all the help it can get, a very nice park.
Happy Anniversary. I am also married to my best friend (38 years) and we prefer each others company over anyone else. Nothing wrong with that.
Congratulations you guys.Hope when you get to rockport we can hook up,mybe at China A.
Happy, happy anniversary! And if being codependent is wrong, we don’t wanna be right! 😉 We just celebrated 26 years of marriage and 7.5 years on the road – spending 24/7 together is a good thing.
Enjoy celebrating and safe travels to you.
Congradulations Nick and Terry on your Anniversary and We’re sure you’ll have many more.
Happy Anniversary to two wonderful people! Our day is not complete without reading about your adventures, whether you’re out and about or just hanging around your motorhome. We’re coming up on 10 years together, and there’s no one I’d rather spend my time with than my honey. I can’t imagine being married to someone you don’t want to spend time with! Many happy returns, and a safe journey out west.
Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary, Nick and Terry. Lynn and I are looking forward to seeing you in Yuma. We are also best friends and enjoy being together 7/24 for the past nearly 17 years, over 5 full timing.
A little smile broke out on my face when I read the co dependant comments.
Gee,if one can’t depend on your chosen partner in life,there’s something wrong.
I love to see those couples who are in their 60’s and 70′ andbeyond still walking around holding hands.Try to convince them to do otherwise.
Happy anniversary you guys!
Happy Anniversary, looking forward to seeing you guys when/if you make it to Hondo. Yes even after 45 years together Eliane and I are still best friends and even still like each other 🙂
Happy anniversary and many more. We just celebrated 41 and yes it’s a wonderful life. One favor we ask is…….please do not bring cold weather with you when heading west. Safe travels and we’ll see you in Yuma.
Happy Anniversary, being a co-dependent is a great thing, I cannot imagine not having someone you love not being there, even after 45 years. I hope Terry feels better soon. I am also looking forward to seeing the two of you. Be safe in your travels.
Happy Anniversary to both of you! And many more. Hope to see you in Yuma.
Happy anniversary to you and the lovely Miss Terry. May you have many more… and keep being codependent!! It’s worked for us for almost 39 years.
Happy Anniversary and many many more to come. Yup, we are pretty co-dependent too; what’s wrong with that?! Only after 49 years we are starting to look alike. It has been an E-ride-exciting, scary, and fun beyond words. See you soon.
As you go west on I 10 at Gautier (goshay) exit 57 look for the sign THE SHEAD!!!!!!! Best B-B-Q you will ever eat period!!!! It’s about 1/4 mile north.
Don’t let the looks fool you. I always get the big pulled pork sanwitch .
Happy Trails. It’s just a little past the Alabama line. D on’t stop on a sunday.
Oilcan knows where the good eats are!!!
Happy Anniversary Nick & Terry. We are one of those couples still holding
hands and we will be married 60 yrs. come September. We too enjoy each
others company over others.
Safe travels.
Congratulations and many more. We’ll hookup with you one of these days. Maybe this summer if you will be in Michigan or Indiana the same time we are.
Please wave “Hi!” to Sierra Vista for us when you pass exit 302. Lots of construction at that Benson exit …they are anticipating huge growth I guess.
Enjoy the ride.
Congrats on that anniversary – David and I had our 15th today 🙂 We are also at Hondo…hope we’re here when you come through!!!
Congratulations on your 14th, and we hope you have many more!