Welcome to Texas!

We were really looking forward to traveling on Wednesday.  Craig worked in the morning and the plan was to leave Catherine's Landing by 2:00.  Well, you know what 'they' say about best laid plans. We ended up leaving at 2:45, which really wasn't that bad, but traffic was bad through Dallas, our GPS didn't warn us of an upcoming turn, and the directions to the campground were off by one stoplight.

Downtown Dallas

We stayed at Treetops Carefree RV in Arlington, TX (http://www.carefreeresorts.com/).  I had high hopes for this resort, but it didn't live up to my expectations.  Catherine's Landing was, by far, the best stay of the week. Sadly, we were at Treetops for three nights.  I really wanted to do laundry, and there were laundry facilities, but they didn't sell laundry detergent!  That surprised me because, whenever we'd tent camp, if there wasn't a store onsite, there would at least be a vending machine for laundry needs.

There were two wonderful things about staying in Arlington (I'm sure there are more, but these are my top two).  First, dinner at Rockfish Seafood Grill (http://www.rockfish.com/).  Absolutely amazing.  Rockfish is a family-owned restaurant, not a national chain.  If you're a fan of Bonefish Grill, you'd love Rockfish even more.

The second thing about Arlington -- it's the home of the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers.  The stadiums, AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Park, are right across the street from the other.

Home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Did you know that I'm a fan of the
New England Patriots . . .
and whoever's playing against the Cowboys?

Texas Rangers!

Now, admittedly, I am not a Cowboys fan, but I couldn't resist taking a picture of AT&T Stadium, located at One AT&T Way.

The photo to the left was taken while walking up the ramp to our seats in Globe Life Park -- directly across the street.  We had tickets to see the Rangers play the Kansas City Royals.  We had pretty good seats and skipped down several levels as the Royals kept scoring.  By the time the game ended (with the Rangers losing 6-3), we were on the second level right behind third base.

It was, as you will see in one of the photos, very hot!  Thanks to our friends at Republic Services, we could clearly see that the temperature was 99 degrees in the stadium.

Did I mention it was a night game?

99 degrees!  Good thing they sold very cold margaritas!

Saturday morning we were on our way to our temporary home in San Antonio, TX, but, first, the state's capital, Austin!

Texas's Capitol Building, Austin, TX

Downtown Austin

As with everything in the state of Texas, the Capitol Building is the largest in gross square footage of all state capitols and is second in total size only to the National Capitol in Washington, D.C.  It is situated on one of the highest points in Austin.

Everywhere we went, and I do mean everywhere, there was construction.  Whether it was road construction or building construction, there's a lot going on out there! Good to see.

In the not so distant future (I promise I won't wait as long):  checking into San Antonio.

Thanks for following us!

Here we are! Whew!

What a whirlwind!  We closed at 9:00 a.m., Monday, August 18, 2014, and were on the road by 11:30.

Saying goodbye to our house!

The best travel dogs in the world!

Our first stop was Knoxville, TN, where we stayed at the Bean Pot Campground (http://www.beanpotcampground.com/) in Crossville - about an hour west of Knoxville.  It was a cute little place and perfect for an overnight.  Dinner was at a busy Mexican restaurant and bedtime was early.  Tuesday was our long driving day.  We drove from Crossville, TN, to Hot Springs, AK.  It was about a ten-hour day (including pet stops, lunch, and a one-our traffic standstill).

The Pyramid Arena in Memphis, TN.
It's being converted into a Bass Pro Shops!

Crossing the mighty Mississippi River.

Welcome to Arkansas!

Catherine's Landing (http://www.rvcoutdoors.com/catherines-landing/) was that night's destination and it was awesome! While it was still light, we walked the dogs around the campground.  After dinner, we walked again. Catherine's Landing is located on Lake Catherine, where there are boat ramps, docks, and kayaks.  The nighttime walk was much different -- lots of white spiders spinning their webs on the docks.  And this . . .

The fog was just coming in and it was a beautiful sight.

Up next -- becoming a (temporary) Texan.

Who are MoBetta?

MoBetta are Nancy and Craig.  We recently sold our house and moved into a brand new, never-before-used, 2013 39' Keystone Montana fifth-wheel.  Our plan is to travel the United States and document our travels.  

Born with wanderlust, Nancy always wanted to know what was around the corner? What's at the next exit?  What if we drive down that street?  Nancy has a great sense of direction and makes a terrific navigator for Craig.

Craig's parents were full-time RVers for several years and Craig, as a young adult, would visit them during their adventure.  Craig has his mother's travel journals, in which she carefully documented their days, kept travel brochures, ticket stubs, and lots of photos.  

What is Simply MoBetta?  Life!  Life is Simply MoBetta when you're on the road, together.

Enjoy following us!

Welcome to our new (travel) blog!

If you've kept up with us through Gearing Up, then you know what's in store for us.  Yep, we sold the house (in eight days), bought an F350 BAT (Big A** Truck), and a 39' Keystone Montana (fifth wheel).  We're getting everything loaded up and hitting the road immediately following closing - August 18, 2014.

The biggest challenge we've faced is that it's easy to get rid of the big stuff.  Really, it is.  You give away/donate/sell furniture, dishes, linens, glasses, etc.  On the other hand, it can be very difficult to get rid of the small stuff -- like my collection of Hard Rock Cafe pins from all over the country and this little cutie:

The original Pebbles doll
(sans bone in what's left of her hair)

We're working through it, though! The trash and recycle cans are overflowing, there's 'free' stuff at the curb, and people are responding to our Craigslist ads. It's all good!

Our new home is a new, never-before-used 2013 Keystone Montana 3750FL.  It has five slides, three (yes, three) televisions, a king-sized bed, two air conditioners, and automatic six-point leveling -- which was a requirement.  We were very lucky to have found one in Middletown, Ohio, at Couch's Campers (http://www.couchscampers.com/index.php).  Jerry and his staff were waiting for us and were very patient as we went through our new home.  (He even let me tear the plastic off the mattress, leave it there, and put on a mattress pad and sheets for our ride home.)  It was a great experience.

Our new home!

The BAT and the BAR (Big A** Rig)

The sleeper sofa

The living room (fireplace and television)

The wrap-around sofa

The dining room

Convection microwave/oven

Bedroom closet and storage

We overnighted at a KOA in Milton, WV (http://koa.com/campgrounds/huntington/).  Great little place and perfect for our first night.

So what's next?  Well, after signing the papers, we'll head to Knoxville, TN, then Hot Springs, AR, then Dallas, TX, and set up in Boerne, TX, right outside of San Antonio. That will be home for a few months thanks to my sister-in-law and her husband.

Not only is it all good . . . it's Simply Mobetta!  Please follow with us on our adventure of a lifetime!