Things Went Wacky

Once we got behind in blogging, it just seemed like a daunting task to get caught up but we have to start somewhere and this moment seems like a good time.

The original plan was to just hang out through the New Year resting and relaxing once we completed the PepWear wild ride but as usual with us, a phone call changed everything. The call came from the Fountain of Youth RV Resort in Niland, California and they asked us how soon we could get there to begin work and we loaded up and we are now there for a few months.

It was a place we had interviewed with and accepted the position but the timing was off for us since we were going to give the PepWear adventure a try and we are sure glad we did but we also hoped that FOY would still need us in December instead of November as first discussed. Things have been going like that for us in 2015 and we have had the best year ever and we are praying that the feeling of being connected continues well into 2016.

We are working in the Café 4 nights a week, so we will have 3 days off to have some fun, soaking in the hot springs, having a few play days in Palm Springs and just enjoying ourselves since we will only be working about 20 hours per week. We usually work many more hours but we thought since we were not taking the time off that it would all sort of work out since we also made a load of cash in the past few months we could now have the best of it all. Keep a little cash flow coming in and also have plenty of time to rest and check out some exciting spots.

Our feelings about the PepWear adventure are mixed, we miss the fun we were having working with them but honestly we missed Maggie and the lifestyle that comes with her. Hotel living and eating out every day is nice for a few months but to do it continuously would not be our choice for a lifestyle, but to do it again next year…absolutely!

We will try to catch you all up on our fun activities for the past weeks including our reviews of all the places we stayed, the great places we were able to visit, the fantastic food we ate and how the heck I landed in a wheelchair for a few weeks, not the best ending to that adventure but we made the best of an unfortunate situation.

The Finale of the BOA Adventure

Once we completed Atlanta we only had the Grand Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana left to conquer, but we had a week off in between for some rest and playtime. Originally we added Monday night so we could visit Atlanta Motor Speedway but due to the torrential downpours we decided against going to the Speedway, instead we did our laundry and some errands.

We left on Tuesday it was still raining, we drove only 230 miles to London, Kentucky and stayed at the Country Inn & Suites for one night. We headed out in the morning to our next destination and it had finally stopped raining. We arrived at the Belterra Casino Resort in Florence, Indiana, the hotel was nothing special and they charged double what we had been spending on our stays everywhere else so we would not recommend and we will not be back.

Our main purpose for staying there 2 nights was first a play night which thank goodness we won a few jackpots and most importantly to visit the Kentucky Speedway. 

They were having a great promotion and we were going to take advantage of it, for every $40 we spent on tickets or in the Gift Shop we would receive 3 laps around the track driving our vehicle.

What a rush…Traveling around 70mph on the track with the high banks is almost a third of what the racers do and I was feeling the G-Forces and could not imagine how they do it for hundreds of laps but it was a lot of fun! Too bad we didn’t have Maggie with us since she would have loved to put a few laps under her wheels!

Our next stop was in Elizabeth, Indiana at the HorseshoeSouthern Indiana Casino Resort where we stayed for 2 nights in an appropriately charged, very welcoming and clean King Bed room that we were allowed to check in early. Had some fun gaming and had a great dinner at Smoke & Rye.

To begin our meal, I had the Chili Verde which had a kick that was not overly spicy but just enough to make me want more and more…

Jerry had the regular Chili which had the right amount of spices that sent his taste buds to another place entirely and had a wonderful finish…

For our entrée we shared the best Smoked Rubbed Ribs we have tasted and an absolutely delicious Brisket Sandwich…

From there we headed back to the LaQuinta Inn & Suites in Indianapolis, Indiana where we once again worked at Lucas Oil Stadium, but this time we worked 4 long days for the Grand Nationals. We were so tired at the end but at the same time so proud of what a great job we had done throughout the prior weeks of events.

We are happy to say that we loved working for PepWear and would return anytime if they get more work like this again and we do plan on working again next September when the BOA starts up again.

All that was left of our adventure was to drive 1,000 miles back to Cedar Hill, Texas to drop off the trailer and pick up Maggie. We decided to take it slow and make sure while traveling we would also rest our aching bones.  My knee was just getting back to normal from when I had hurt it a few weeks prior when we were loading the trailer in Delaware so we wanted to just nurse our bodies back to health and since the weather was wet for most of our driving days, we just puddled jumped our way south to Texas.

Ate at a few marvelous places along our way...One of our favorites was 17th Street Barbecue in Marion, Illinois where we enjoyed not only the best service but also the tastiest appetizers...

the yummiest Moonshine drinks...

the most scrumptious sauces and sides...

and the absolute most flavorful and tenderest ribs and brisket ever...

we even took some of the Magic Dust home for us to use in our own cooking!

Another of our stops was in Bossier City, Louisiana where we stayed at Margaritaville Resort Casino and we had a blast. The room was a fantastic deal with a perfect shower and a marvelous King Size bed with these huge pillows and…we soon found out that with the exception of Nevada Casinos, usually all others do not offer free alcoholic drinks but they did and of course while at Margaritaville what better drink then to enjoy…Margarita’s! We hit a huge jackpot and left with much more than we came with which is always a great thing!

Our next step on our journey was to tour Texas MotorSpeedway but my knee had other ideas. We arrived at the speedway and paid for the tour, there was just the two of us so the driver did not bring out the step to get into the van and it being such a simple task I didn’t give it a second thought but then I put the wrong leg in first and while attempting to hoist myself into the van there was this crunching sound and excruciating pain, like nothing I had ever felt before. I then realized I could not put any weight on it at all…not at all! Jerry just about carried me back to the truck and I insisted he go on the tour without me and I would just rest my knee in the truck.

Thinking that it would just ache for a little while as it has done many times in the past few years but this time was so very different. A doctor or an emergency room was needed but since I do not believe in them I decided it just needed rest. So for the next few weeks I used crutches and/or a wheelchair to keep the weight off of it. Neither were too appealing and soon realized how inconsiderate many people are when it comes to getting out of the way…thank goodness I had Jerry! It ached a lot but the excruciating pain only happened when I tried to walk on it so I rested as much as possible but as the days past it began to feel better if I took a few steps every once in a while instead of being totally dormant as I had been for the past few weeks. Currently my knee constantly aches and at times a shooting pain runs through the knee but I can finally put some weight on it and stand for extensive periods of time, also the soakings in the springs are helping a lot.

We dropped off the truck and trailer and picked up Maggie…as usual she was a champ! After sitting for over 2 months, she started right up and gave us absolutely flawless travel days out of Texas. We had no plans and since we had most of our pay from PepWear and a few jackpots we were not concerned and actually thought it would be nice to just take the next few months off to relax and heal my knee. But then as usual our plans changed.

Long before we left Bryce Canyon, we interviewed with the Fountain of Youth in Niland, California but when PepWear got confirmed we opted out of FOY and thought we might have burnt a bridge but lo and behold out of the blue we received a call asking us if we were available and how soon we could arrive. My knee was beginning to feel better and I was attempting to walk more often but we still had a plan to go to Laughlin for some more play time and that is what we did…but in a little different way that we plan to do in all of our future visits.

We parked Maggie in the boondocking area behind the Tropicana where we got a room for 2 nights…free of charge due to our extensive travels with Hotel.com that we plan to continue to take advantage of the even more nights we still have left to use.

The room was old and worn without any extras…no coffee pot or microwave or fridge and they were even very skimpy with toiletries…we had 1 small bottle of shampoo which we had to use to wash our hands, bodies and hair since that was the only toiletry to be found. In our many visits to Laughlin this was our first stay at Tropicana and will definitely not happen again.

Also, we found the best way to get around in Laughlin…SCOOTERS! Of course our first call was to Sue at Scootaround but they do not have any in Laughlin so since it was so hard for me to walk and on the first day Jerry pushed me in the wheelchair was a real pain we found GR Scooter Rentals and Gary Kuchta delivered us 2 scooters for $60 for 24 hours…he dropped them off, we paid him cash and off we were exploring the area and we had a blast without hurting my already painful knee. From now on this will be the only way we travel while we are in Laughlin. 

We then headed to the Fountain of Youth to spend some time working part time in the Café. By the time we leave here we will be spoiled by only working 20 hours each per week and having 3 days off to enjoy ourselves soaking and checking out all the area has to offer, we have already met a bunch of nice folks.

This post has a lot of information and we did not want to include all of our reviews so look for them in the upcoming weeks and we will try to keep you all updated on a more regular basis. In the meantime, we hope you all enjoy your holidays and for the first time in a very long time we are not looking forward to ending this year but we will be welcoming the next one with open arms and hope that it comes close in comparison with our 2015 which has been the best ever!

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Lost Creek RV Park

Lost Creek RV Park

1962 US Hwy 281 South

Stephenville, TX 76401

254-965-6223

11/23/2015

While on our way back west and trying to beat an incoming storm and me in a wheelchair due to my knee blowout we did not take any photos.

We paid $30 for a pull through, flat corner site on gravel with a patio, water, electric and sewer. It is a small quiet park and we got the last site available.

Due to my injuries we did not check out the facilities but they advertise new laundry facilities but we did not see any type of pool or activity area.

We would probably not stay here again since it is off the beaten path and we would absolutely suggest reservations if you plan to stay.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Mariachi Grill

Mariachi Grill

45 Fannie Lane, #107

Lonoke, AR 72086

501-676-6555

11/18/2015

While spending a night at the Best Western Plus Lonoke Hotel we walked over to Mariachi Grill and our only complaint was we were hoping to have a Margarita but they do not serve any alcohol.

Service was excellent, the atmosphere was so quirky and the food was authentically fantastic.

What a great place that we would highly recommend and if we pass through the area again we will make it a stop for lunch.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Newark, Delaware to Indianapolis to Atlanta

The one day event in Newark was on the coldest day of the year thus far and we were outdoors, the only good thing we had going for us was NO precipitation. I use the word precipitation instead of rain because as cold as it was it would have been snow…ugh!

We had more issues with our helpers at this show and it took a real toll on us. There were several times throughout the day when there was only Jerry and myself to do it all and we were busy but when it came to loading up the truck we had plenty of helpers which was fantastic since I had done something to my knee and it was hurting bad.

We were beaten when we got done, we thought we would never feel normal again and we even wondered what the hell was normal anyway? We loved working with this company, the traveling was great, the assistance from management was outstanding but the onsite helper issue was weighing heavy on us but we continued on.

This was going to be a shorter travel week since we were heading to Indianapolis for the Super Regionals which is a two day show, so we needed to arrive a day earlier. We only had a little over 600 miles to travel but we were so exhausted from working so hard at the last show that we honestly thought we would not be able to do it.

It was tough since the Super Regionals were much busier and having that extra work day was intense but we nailed it…we topped our goal by lots and it was the push we needed to get us through it and on to Atlanta, another Super Regional, but once that event was done we had a week off in between traveling back to Indianapolis for the Grand Nationals which would be the finale to this entire ride.

We were both sad and happy to see it coming to an end…

We traveled to Atlanta in a daze, a little over 600 miles in 3 days which wasn’t too bad and even though we had some rain the weather was still on our side.

Our hotel, Hyatt Place Atlanta/Cobb Galleria that was located far enough from Atlanta but close enough for an easy drive in to the event was a gem…one of the best hotels we had stayed in our entire adventure. We were happy!

We celebrated my birthday by having a very nice linner at Carrabba’s Italian Grill with a few new tastes of some different wines.

We tasted the Rosatello Moscato from Italy and the Saint M Riesling from Germany and were quite pleased with them both. They each had a sweet but clean taste that did not leave any aftertaste but a desire for more.

The Three Cheese & Sausage Stuffed Mushroom Appetizer with all the right spices combined with the cheeses and sausage was so tasty.

Our main courses were scrumptious as well…Seafood done Italian Style makes it so much better than we ever imagined seafood to be prepared.

Again, we worked hard at this event but once completed we had an extra week for play time and we certainly took advantage of it all.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.