Keep Up With The Joneses – Adventure Awaits: Retirement On The Road

Amarillo, TX

October 22, 2024 Jerry Comments 0 Comment

Park Review – Fort Amarillo RV Resort

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Location: Amarillo, TX
Type: Commercial Park
Check-in/Check-out times: 1:00/12:00
Site Quality / Amenities: Roads and pads are gravel with some asphalt below. There is a picnic table and concrete patio on each site and there *might* be enough space to park a dually truck in the back of the site next to the trailer. Additional amenities include a heated indoor pool, a rec hall with exercise room, a large playground, a fenced dog park, and pickleball and basketball courts. There is a large pond and stream (both man made) in the middle of the park with some nice outdoor seating areas. Part of the office includes a large store.
Access: Easy access from the new Loop 335 W on West Amarillo Blvd just north of Interstate 40.
Staff: Office staff were friendly and check in was quick and easy.
Cellular/WiFi: There is WiFi at the park but we didn’t use it. We had a strong Verizon signal but I didn’t check speed, T-Mobile was 5 bars and achieved about 500 Mbps download and 12 Mbps upload. Although there are some trees around the park, our Starlink was unobstructed.
Restaurants: Hook & Reel Cajun Seafood & Bar – We weren’t thrilled and will try somewhere else next time.
Nearby parks: We have stayed at the Oasis RV Resort nearby several times. It is a newer park but a bit farther out of town and the last time we stayed there the roads in the park were in need of some maintenance. In addition, connections are in an awkward place. Overall, Fort Amarillo will likely become our go to place when staying in Amarillo.
What we liked: Although there were some buildings on site that needed some major TLC, the park generally seemed to be well maintained.
What we didn’t like: We’d prefer asphalt or concrete roads and pads but the gravel here was in good shape and was not a problem.
Verdict: We will stay here again when in Amarillo.

Caldwell, ID

September 20, 2024 Jerry Comments 0 Comment

Park Review – Ambassador RV Resort

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Location: Caldwell, ID
Type: Commercial Park
Check-in/Check-out times: 1:00/11:00
Site Quality / Amenities: Roads are asphalt and sites are gravel. Unlike many parks the gravel pads are very well maintained. There is a concrete patio the whole length of each site and each site has a picnic table. Most sites have a very nice grass strip between it and the adjacent site(s). There are two shower/restroom buildings with private rooms that others report are very clean although we didn’t use them. There is also a rec room, an exercise room, and a playground and two BBQ areas plus a couple of dog walk areas and a dog park. Finally, there is a pool, a kids pool and a hot tub.
Access: From I-84 take exit 29 and go east on US-20/US-26 to Smeed Parkway. Go north on Smeed Parkway and the park is on the right about 500′.
Staff: Check-in was easy and the staff were fast and efficient.
Cellular/WiFi: WiFi was available but we didn’t use it. Verizon 5GLte was great at 180Mbps download and 33Mbps upload. Starlink was unobstructed although there are some smaller trees around the park.
Restaurants: Casa Mexico – Very good Mexican food in Hyde Park a historic part of Boise, ID. Goody’s Soda Fountain – Excellent Ice Cream and other treats also in Hyde Park.
Nearby parks: We didn’t look at any other parks nearby.
What we liked: I think most of the park is occupied by long term residents but the sites are kept clean and uncluttered. Many people have decks, storage buildings and small landscaped areas. Each short term site is 85′ long and 30′ wide, enough to park a truck or toad beside the RV with full hookups and 50/30/20 Amp service. Long term pull-thru sites are 85′ x 35′ and back-ins are 60′ x 45′. No tents are allowed.
What we didn’t like: There was construction on US-20/US-26 which caused some traffic issues as well as night time noise but overall it wasn’t too bad. It looks like that will be completed around October 2024.
Verdict: We definitely would stay here again if travelling through and this could even be a good place for a long term summer site for several months except for us it’s a bit far from our “home base”.

La Grande, OR

September 16, 2024 Jerry Comments 0 Comment

Park Review – Grande Hot Springs

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Location: La Grande, OR
Type: Commercial Park
Check-in/Check-out times: 1:00/12:00
Site Quality / Amenities: Sites and roads are gravel/dirt. There was grass/weeds between each site and each site had a picnic table. There were tent sites and a couple of Yurts for those who don’t have an RV. The main attraction is that the park has two thermal soaking pools using hot water from the nearby Hot Lake.
Access: From I-84 take exit 265 (exit 268 is closer but requires driving several miles on a dirt road). Go southeast on OR-203 to Hot Lake Ln. and turn right. The park is on the left a short way down.
Staff: Check-in was easy and the staff were fast and efficient.
Cellular/WiFi: WiFi was available but we didn’t use it. Verizon 4GLte was good at 50Mbps download and 3Mbps upload. Starlink was unobstructed although there are some smaller trees around the park.
Restaurants: La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant – Acceptable Mexican although as expected it wasn’t Tex-Mex.
Nearby parks: We didn’t look at any other parks nearby.
What we liked: The hot tub was large and provided water from a nearby mineral hot spring. Unfortunately it and the larger warm pool were also chlorinated so you didn’t get the full experience of a mineral bath. There was a train track nearby but we hardly ever heard the trains.
What we didn’t like: We had planned to visit The Oregon Trail Interpretive Park at Blue Mountain Crossing but it closed after Labor Day. Another museum called Union County Museum would have also been interesting but it was closed on the days we were in town.
Verdict: Good stop for a few nights to swim in the mineral bath hot tub.

Missoula, MT

August 29, 2024 Jerry Comments 2 comments

We spent a few days in Missoula in early August so that we could visit Anna’s nephew Brian and his wife Liisa who live south of Missoula. We enjoyed our visit with them and finally met their sweet little girls, toured their nice new house, saw the trailer for their bakery business, Expressions of Sugar, and forgot to take any pictures!

We also were near Darby where the Chief Joseph Ranch is located. This ranch is used for filming the TV series “Yellowstone” so we had to drive by since we were so close. Unfortunately for us, they were filming the day we drove by so we were unable to get very close. We also found out about the Smokejumper Base at the Missoula airport and decided to go to the museum and tour since you don’t have access to something like that every day!

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Great Falls, MT

August 26, 2024 Jerry Comments 2 comments

Located along the Missouri River, Great Falls is known for its scenic beauty, outdoor recreation opportunities, and cultural attractions. As we have traced much of the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition over several different trips north, we specifically wanted to go to Great Falls since this was along their route to the Pacific coast and the series of five waterfalls on the Missouri River that is the city’s namesake were a major obstacle for the explorers, although many of the falls have dams and/or power plants built on top of them today. We also found an overlook area for the final campground where they stayed after portaging around these falls.

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