Rolling through the Midwest

We left Lakeway, TX on Sun, June 30^th and headed north on I-35. We planned to overnight at the WinStar World Casino RV park, Thackerville, OK, and weren’t disappointed. It was on I-35, Oklahoma Exit 1. The RV pads were spacious with level concrete pads. Our site looked out on the swimming pool.

 

When we checked in at the office, the clerk asked us if we’d like a free “Players Card” for the casino. We asked what the benefits would be and she said we’d get our first night of camping free. That sounded good to us, since we were only staying one night.

We rode the shuttle to the Casino, enjoyed cocktails and dinner and rode the shuttle back to the RV park.   It was a beautiful evening so we used the hot tub and pool before calling it a night.

The next morning, we headed up U.S. 69, passing through Muskogee, and sang “I’m an Okie from …” to each other.  We crossed the Arkansas River in Muskogee…yes, the same Arkansas River that flows from the Colorado Rockies through Colorado and Kansas.

We spent two nights at the Water’s Edge RV & Cabin Resort on Grand Lake o’ the Cherokee. We had a lakeside site that was one of the best RV sites we’ve ever had. Each RV site came with a small deck over the water’s edge. The weather was perfect, in the low-80s, and sunshine.

On Tues, we went into Vinita and had lunch at Clanton's Café, right on Historic Route 66. Clanton’s has been recognized with many awards and even a visit from Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Wed, July 3^rd, we headed out for West St. Louis where we overnighted at a KOA.  On July 4^th we made our way to Terre Haute, IN for another one night stay. On Fri, July 6^th we drove through Kokomo and South Bend on our way to Elkhart, IN, stopping at a White Castle for lunch. They’ve been around since 1921 and serve cheeseburger sliders by the bag.

We stayed at the Elkhart Campground and it was very nice with long, grassy, level sites. We visited the RV/Motorhome Museum in Elkhart (on our bucket list) and it was well worth the stop to see over 50 vintage RVs.

 

On Sun, July 7^th we headed up the Interstate towards Tawas Point State Park for a 3-night stay. I-75 was clear sailing northbound, but jammed up on the southbound side after the long weekend.

 

The state park, right on Lake Huron, was pretty full with many families on vacation. It’s flat there and we enjoyed several rides on our bicycles.

Julie’s Dad was stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, near Oscoda, Michigan. We took a trip down memory lane today, going by the high school Julie attended and the base house she and her family lived in on Wurtsmith AFB. We also scattered some of her Dad’s ashes next to the main runway on Wurtsmith AFB where he took off and landed many times in his B-52 bomber.