Author Archives: Sparky
STE3 Hop 1: Brownsville TX to Aransas Pass TX
183 miles via TX 511, I-69E, US 77, TX 44, TX 358, I-37 and TX 35. Cumulative tow miles: 183. Truck miles: 298. Cumulative truck miles: 298. This was a truly boring ride. At least coming south, via US 281, there was some farm activity. Going north on US 77 there was nothing to see … Continue reading
STE3 preview
Our 10,000 mile journey is nearing its end. Our winter home – Naples FL – is just down the road, one segment away. This final segment is planned to take 16 days with 9 hops covering about 1700 miles. That is 2 nights per hop. The only planned 3 night stay will be near New … Continue reading
STE2 wrapup
Our arrival in Brownsville TX concluded the second segment of the Second Trip East (STE2). The segment by the numbers: 9 hops 19 nights 1912 tow miles 2390 truck miles $719.07 in campground fees ($37.85 per night) The actual route differed from the planned route only in minor ways, mostly due to missed turns or, … Continue reading
STE2 Hop 9: Rockport TX to Brownsville TX
247 miles via TX 35, US 181, I-37, US 77, I-2, US 83, FM 511 and local roads at each end and to find a gas station in San Jose TX. Cumulative tow miles: 1912. Truck miles: 460. Cumulative truck miles: 2390. This was the worst hop of the trip. Why? Let me count the … Continue reading
Rockport TX after Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey roared ashore at Rockport TX the evening of Aug 25, then raked the area for over a week with torrential rains and strong winds. Recovery is underway but even now, more than 2 months later, parts of Rockport look like the hurricane roared through last night. The most stunning example of total devastation … Continue reading
STE2 Hop 8: Austin TX to Rockport TX
212 miles via TX 620, TX 71, TX 210, US 183, TX 188 and some local roads, with a refueling stop. Cumulative tow miles: 1665. Truck miles: 367. Cumulative truck miles: 1930. The refueling stop was unplanned and was due to remembering, too late – I was already hitched up – that I hadn’t taken … Continue reading
STE2 Hop 7: Corsicana TX to Austin TX
156 miles via TX 31, I-35 and TX 620. Cumulative tow miles: 1453. Truck miles: 165. Cumulative truck miles: 1563. Texas is boring. There is no notable scenery. It really is a matter of putting in the time to get where you are going. Fortunately, this hop required only 3 hours of driving and they … Continue reading
STE2 Hop 6: Durant OK to Corsicana TX
157 miles via US 75, I-635, I-45 and TX 31 with a brief stop to figure out how we screwed up. Cumulative tow miles: 1297. Truck miles: 173. Cumulative truck miles: 1398. This was another hop that didn’t exactly go as planned. I intended to take a route that used US 69 instead of US … Continue reading
STE2 Hop 5: Bartlesville OK to Durant OK
222 miles via US 75, with a refueling stop and an unexpected detour in Tulsa. Cumulative tow miles: 1140. Truck miles: 285. Cumulative truck miles: 1225. This was probably the longest hop we have ever traveled on a single US route. US 75 travels basically due south all the way, so it was a logical … Continue reading
Pawhuska OK
We used our free day in Bartlesville OK to travel 20 miles to Pawhuska, in the Osage Reservation, and capital of Osage Nation. We visited the Osage Nation Museum, which is a nice little museum chronicling the history of the Osage tribe – including the period in the 1920’s when white men married Osage women, … Continue reading