Sunday, February 3, 2009 (DAY 38) Departing Marshall, TX, at 6:30 AM, we arrived home, in Norfork, at 2 PM, stopping to dump the tanks at Quarry Park. It was a good drive, with controlled access, 4-lane highway all the way to Batesville, AR. We averaged an amazing 11.7 MPG, driving a relatively constant 60 MPH. We found things in Norfork much like we left them, with some residual snow in shaded areas and on the side of the road. The house was warm, thanks to my dear friend, Wayne Bodenhamer, and exactly like we left it with Christmas stocking stuffers still on the bar. The cars and truck started fine, with no mice damage.

Our trip to the RGV was good, as we met new friends and saw a different way of retirement. One more item checked off the bucket list. God has truly blessed us! And now, Alaska awaits…

Saturday, February 2, 2008 (DAY 37) Departure day! I didn’t sleep well in anticipation of the trip home and had difficulty getting up; however, Kay was up about 6:45 AM and ready to go. After a quick shower, we brought the slides in, unhooked the electrical "umbilical" cord, removed the leveling blocks, and were ready to go at 7:30 AM. We stopped in Victoria for gasoline, food, and sodas, and averaged 9.8 MPG. We drove all the way to Marshall, TX, for our next and last stop of the day where we filled DunnGone with gasoline and ourselves with a Subway sandwich; DunnGone averaged 10 MPG from Victoria to Marshall. It sure is nice for Kay to have a bathroom on board. We boondocked at Wal-Mart for the evening. Tomorrow, we plan to be home in time for the Super Bowl.

Friday, February 1, 2008 (DAY 36) We’re leaving tomorrow, for sure! The Twin Lakes area received 7 inches of snow yesterday and last night, so we wanted to give it an extra day to melt before venturing up there. We will depart early tomorrow AM, and hope to arrive immediately prior to the Super Bowl game on Sunday. Having made that decision, we enjoyed our last day in the lower RGV by walking around the park, and playing a last game of shuffleboard. The weather was very nice, with clear skies and 70 degrees. After our walk and shuffleboard, we relaxed, then readied DunnGone for the trip home. I worked on an itinerary for our hopeful Alaska trip this summer, and after a quiet evening, we headed to bed.

Thursday, January 31, 2008 (DAY 35) This was our rescheduled departure day, BUT snow at home has delayed us for at least a day, and neither of us seemed to mind too much. Kay had previously purchased a ticket to the fashion show luncheon at the park, had given it away when we planned to depart today, but was able to obtain another. I continued reading about Alaska camping by Church and Church in preparation for our planned trip this summer. Larry and Vicky invited Lynnette, Kay, and me out for Italian food, and it may have been the best food of our trip to the RGV. Upon returning to the coach, we watched television before turning in for the evening. A cool front had moved through during the day, so it was going to be great sleeping!