RV Ranch of Keene, TX

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Rachel Gillen

I think we got lucky with this spot. We would normally stay at Trader’s Village in Grand Prairie. This time we wanted to try somewhere new because we have a different, bigger camper and Trader’s Village can be really tight depending on where they put you. I started calling around to different parks when we were in Oklahoma City on Friday. We started with parks between Cedar Hill (the shop) and downtown Dallas (the new job site). I called about 6 different campgrounds (with pools because it’s ridiculously hot and I just need a pool), and everywhere was full! That’s never happened to us here. So we had to keep going further out and finally found this place, the RV Ranch. It’s an hour from the job site and 40min from the shop. So that sucks. Luckily Allen will probably be able to ride the bike most days.

Anyhow, we headed down I-35 and got here Sunday afternoon to 90+degree sunny weather! We got an easy pull through spot with a nice little half moon shaped patio and a little arbor type things so Charlie has some shade. Our spot is long enough to open the hatch and leave it as a back porch but I can’t really see that happening with how hot it is. I don’t think our AC’s will shut off during the day!

We are right across from the showers and laundry in the adult (21+) section. And the pool is one row over behind the office. The office is also a tanning salon and a movie rental store and a pizza place… Charlie and I went exploring this morning and I think we are in the fancy section. The other half of the park is mostly filled with mobile homes and long term residents. Overall, I think we are going to like it here. I can’t wait til my sunburn from OKC fades so I can use the pool!

Doggy Paddlin’

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Rachel Gillen

Charlie can swim! She was so cute! I think she loved it. Allen thinks she was just surviving. But her little tail was wagging all day long and she seemed like a happy puppy.

We had a great time with Karen and Bob and their friend Kathy yesterday. It was a much needed relaxing Saturday. Allen doesn’t get many of those!

This morning we took the truck and camper to the truck wash next door to Abe’s RV Park. The guys at the 5 Star Travel Plaza did an awesome job. It’s a new truck wash, just opened in March, so it wasn’t crazy busy like most of them are. It was $45 for the camper and truck. I don’t think that was bad at all.

One thing Allen noticed was that since we had the DEF Sytem removed, we are going to have to watch the front of the camper and keep it clean because now the exhaust pipe blows a little black smoke.

Now we are on our way to Dallas for a couple of weeks…

OKC? OK!

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Rachel Gillen

We made it Thursday night and checked into Abe’s RV Park off I-35.

Spot Y-17

Friday We got the tires balanced and rotated and a nail removed from one of them then had the oil changed. Here’s the truck next to a nice corvette…

I also won another small victory!

Allen didn’t want to get a map. I did. Look what we have! Isn’t he such a sweetie! I decided to only mark the states where we’ve stayed the night with THIS camper, not the old one too. So we are starting fresh.

After all our errands we hung out for a while until Karen and Bob were done working. It was then Friday night drinking time! Finally! We met up at Old Chicago’s for pizza and drinks and made plans to swim at their house on Saturday. Finally I get to find out if little Charlie knows how to swim! Update to come! I think we are going to try and hit this neighborhood garage sale I saw a sign for yesterday first…

Stop in Sparta

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Rachel Gillen

We left Frontier Campground at around 10:30am on Wednesday and headed down the road to our friends Brandi’s and Tommy’s place in Sparta, KY. It’s only about an hour and a half drive. We got there and set up in their yard (they have about 7 acres total).

We let Charlie run around with Paisley (some kind of herd dog), and Storm (the wolf, yes, a real full blooded wolf who acts like a puppy), and Milo (the cat and Charlie’s arch nemesis).

Once she discovered the chickens and pigs, she terrorized them for a while.

Then we grilled some hot dogs and metts followed by a nice, refreshing nap. Brandi got home from work around 4 and we went to the neighborhood bar/liquor store for a game of pool. Once Tommy got home from work we went to the Sunset Grill on the Ohio River and had dinner with them and Brandi’s two little girls. We always have a good time with them, and so does little Charlie!

Brandi got these two framed Budweiser pictures for Allen also. We will probably have to wait until we get our Texas Ranch or Florida Beach Shack to actually hang them though… I’ll post pictures when we stop..

We were back on the road this morning a little before 7am.

We just stopped at the last Missouri rest stop on I-44, which is about 100 miles from the Oklahoma state line. But it was a cute little stop. They had a “Route 66” walkway.

Don’t let it fool you when you pull in, it looks tiny with limited parking, but there’s a huge lot in the back.

We should be at Abe’s RV Park in Oklahoma City by around 9 tonight. Yay!

Super thrifty and tiny DIY

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Rachel Gillen

I needed a trash can for our half bath in the garage/living room area. Everything I could find in the store was way too big. Then, we ran out of tissues… I realized the tissue box was the perfect size! So I duct taped it so it’s “waterproof” (maybe) and called it good.

I mean, it kinda matches the stainless steel of the sink, right??

Hello world!

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Rachel Gillen

Hi, my name is Rachel and I love moving around. My boyfriend and I travel and live in our camper with a nine pound puppy named Charlie (Charles when she’s in trouble). Over the past couple of years I’ve learned a lot about living on the road, gotten to know some very interesting people, and discovered some neat places. I’ve been toying with the idea of a blog for a few months now, so here it finally is!

HomeSweetHomeOnWheels is a place for me to talk about my random musings of things on the road. We like good food, trying different local cuisines, craft beer and playing trivia. We like to watch NASCAR and go to races when we can. I love to cook and go to flea markets. I also like to draw and paint and make puppy clothes. Yes, puppy clothes. Charlie likes her outfits.

We log a lot of highway miles and stay a lot of different places. So I wanted a place to share all these experiences, with our friends and family, but also with other RVers… You’ll find RV park reviews, recipes, issues we’ve had with the camper and things we’ve done to improve it, little gems we’ve found on the highway, artsy crafty stuff, and I’m sure a lot more.

Cheers to today! Nothing more, nothing less…