Beaumont, KS lunch

We arrived in Chanute Thursday afternoon and Friday morning we went to the Grain Bin with Jeff and Susan for breakfast before they pulled out for Montana.  We all stopped at Kansas RV Center (formerly NuWa) to each get a part and I talked with Mike Mitchell about the possibility of buying or selling our HitchHiker after we settle in Foley later this year.  Judy and I talked more and are leaning toward keeping the truck and our home for the last 11 years.  We can store it at The Grove where we will live and use it for summer travel.  We shall see what happens.
On Saturday we met Roy & Carol and Mel & Dee in Beaumont for lunch.  Roy found this place between us and it is a gem.  It took a little over an hour to get there and it's a tiny (REAL tiny) place in the middle of nowhere.

 

The hotel and restaurant were the only place we saw that was still in operation.

Yep, sure enough.  While we were outside exploring a small plane taxied down Main Street from the grass landing strip.

 

 

 

Next stop......Tahlequah, OK

We haven't been to Tahlequah, OK for a couple years although we met Wes & Tonia two years ago in Branson.  Jeff & Susan were also in Tahlequah visiting Wes & Tonia so we got to spend time with both couples.  Our first stop after setting up was Sam & Ella's Chicken Palace for a Big Sloppy.

Big Sloppy = double cheese, double pepperoni, and black olives.  We ate one small and took one home.

The second day we were there another HitchHiker couple, Tom & Charlie, came over for a visit so we all went to Fish's Restaurant for BBQ. 

Do  you think food plays a big part in this lifestyle?

We were watching the weather as we are in tornado alley and a thunderstorm blew in Wednesday with a fair amount of rain.  We didn't get out of Tahlequah until 1:30 when the rain was starting to let up.

Met Dan in Whichitaw Falls, TX

Our next stop was in Wichita Falls, Texas as to see Dan, he's in the USAF and in training for fighter maintenance.  Dan and Devyn have been together for 3 years and make a good couple.  He'll be here 3 more weeks before going to NC to continue his training.  He drove over from the base and we had a nice visit before going out for a BBQ lunch.

Here's a couple pictures from the campground.

 

 

Opa's Schnitzel Hut

We spent three nights at Union Grove COE (Corp of Engineers) campground on Stillhouse Hollow Lake near Salado, TX.  It was interesting listening to Foot Hood's artillery booming and echoing Thursday afternoon and into the wee hours Friday morning.

We have been here a few times and we return to have schnitzel at Opa's.  On Thursday we met RV friends John & Glynda there for lunch and spent 2 or 3 hours catching up.  I forgot to get a picture.  On Friday we returned for more schnitzel with my niece Haleigh and husband Dallas who live nearby.

HitchHiker Hill Country Hideaway Rally

This is the seventh TX hill country rally we have attended, we missed only one in 2013 when Judy had her hips replaced.  Your not going to see or read very much as this rally has been documented in the past.  We really enjoy it due to the weather, location and friends.  There were 23 rigs here this year.  We did next to no sight seeing as we have been there done that.  We do go out to eat though.  Here we have just arrived and Connie and Dixie have stopped by to welcome us.  The rally doesn't start for another week but several of our friends are here already.  When we left 25 days later the trees had there leaves and were green, I should have taken another picture.

One afternoon we had a campfire and weenie roast down by Johnson Creek.

Another evening we had a potluck.

 

Another day some of us went to an old well known burger joint, the Alamo Café.  It was REALLY out in the boonies.  We have been here before, the atmosphere is good and so are the burgers.  We arrived when they opened at 11am and before noon people were lined up waiting for a place to sit.

 

One picture I didn't get was from Classic Burger in Kerrville, we went there thee times.  That should tell you something!

We also went to Llano to Coopers for their BBQ.  They have about eight BBQ pits cooking and then bring some meat to one pit at the restaurant entrance where you select what and how much you want.

We all buy extra to take home.  Some, Like Harry buy a lot more!  That's Harry on the left and Stan on the right.  Lee photo bombed the picture in the middle.

We really enjoyed our stay here, I got to play lots of poker with some of the guys.  The weather was great and there were lots of happy hours.  We made plans to attend next years rally but probably will be in a cabin.

Kinder, LA and Luling, TX

After the Silver Slipper we went to Coushatta Casino in Kinder, LA.  Little did we know we took some uninvited pests with us.  We both discovered we had LOTS of small bug bites on our arms and legs.  Neither of us had any idea when it happened but it had to be from the Silver Slipper's sandy campground on the gulf.  That's our first time and last time going there. 
We have been at the Coushatta Casino several times and it's a very nice campground.  We were planning on two nights but spent three due to the weather.  The day we were going to leave had some bad storms coming through so we stayed put.  And the storm was a good one that night.  We rocked and rolled more that we have ever before and lost power bout 3am.  We were both awakened but stayed put.  In the morning when we left the motel next to the campground lost it's roof.  It was on the ground and on both sides of the 4 lane road.  There were lots of trees and limbs down in the area but the campground had no damage.  We pulled out later that morning and there still was no power.

 

 

We spent the last night on the road in Luling, TX so we could go to Blake's restaurant for chicken fried steak and chicken.  We have had it here before and really liked it.......but not so much this time, bummer.

 

Off to Texas

After signing papers to buy a new home in Alabama Friday we pulled out Saturday for Texas and our 2018 travels.  They will be a little shorter than the past and not include summer in Michigan.  We are anxious to see how well we travel considering Judy's new knee and the slow recuperation from her bone fracture last year.  I am getting so slow that turtles and snails routinely outrace me.  We plan on April at the Texas hill country HitchHiker rally, traveling north to Kansas and making three stops to visit friends and family, stopping in Chanute, KS to see if NuWa is interested in purchasing or selling our rig, attending a small Kansas HitchHiker rally, going to the big Escapee RV rally in Sedalia, MO then the summer in Cleveland GA in the mountains north of Jody and family.  We'll swing through Florida to see Clayton and Pat and my sister Bev before ending back in Gulf Shores in September or October in time to watch he final construction of our new manufactured home in The Grove.  That's todays plan and as always subject to change.  Here we are in Waveland, MS at the Silver Slipper casino campground on the gulf.

 

Silver Slipper Casino on Bay of St Louis