On the winding hilly roads of West Virginia.

The day’s song isn’t by Jimmy Hendrix . . . . it’s . . .

🎵Drivin’ My Life Away 🎤

🎶 Well, the midnight headlight blind you on a rainy night
Steep grade up ahead, slow me down, makin’ no time
But I gotta keep rollin’
Those windshield wipers slappin’ out a tempo
Keepin’ perfect rhythm with the song on the radio
But I gotta keep rollin’

[Chorus]
Ooh, I’m drivin’ my life away
Lookin’ for a better way for me
Ooh, I’m drivin’ my life away
Lookin’ for a sunny day

Well, the truck stop cutie comin on to me Tried to talk me into a ride, said I wouldn’t be sorry, But she was just a baby
Hey, waitress, pour me another cup of coffee
Pop it down, jack me up, shoot me out, flyin’ down the highway
Lookin’ for the mornin’

[Chorus]
Ooh, I’m drivin’ my life away
Lookin’ for a better way for me
Ooh, I’m drivin’ my life away
Lookin’ for a sunny day
Ooh, I’m drivin’ my life away
Lookin’ for a better way for me
Ooh, I’m drivin’ my life away
Lookin’ for a sunny day, yeah
Ooh, I’m drivin’ my life away
Lookin’ for a better way for me 🎵

Do you remember the song? You got it !!! It’s by Eddie Rabbit 🐰🥕

It’s Tuesday May 12th and we’re at Kingsport, TN at Warrior’s Path State Campground.

Our site is #161 in the Moody Bluff area. Our friends Beth & Fran moved to this area in Tennessee last June. We got together at the campground to chat and walk around the park. Andy the park host was telling us about his vintage 1960’s rv.

On Wednesday May 14th we visited the Tipton Museum.

We are visiting this historic site because Dave’s 6th Great Grandfather lived here along with his Tipton ancestors. It’s exciting to be here with the McCarraher’s, and learn where it all began when . . . . .

His 6th great grandfather and 5th great uncle, Col. John Tipton came to eastern Tn, from Maryland. Then it was pure wilderness, they built a cabin, and as time went on his 5th great uncle was very influencial in founding the state of Tn, which then people were trying to call it the state of Franklin. In fact a 3 day skirmish happened right at the Tipton cabin.

The Tipton-Haynes home had three major transformations between the late 1700s to the mid 1800s. Colonel John Tipton bought the property in 1784 and built a simple story and a half cabin with a basement kitchen.  After his father’s death, John Tipton Jr. sold his home in nearby Blountville, TN and moved his family here.  Sometime in the 1820s, he expanded on his father’s cabin.  The western cabin wall was removed and a two-story extension with a brick chimney turned the cabin into a Federal-style farmhouse. A shed roof was added to to the front and rear of the house and the half story second floor ceiling was raised.  Symmetrical windows were added to the first and second floors. 

The original house had an underground kitchen. The job of the cook, well was to cook, he even slept here as you can see by the 2nd picture there is the cot behind Dave.

After the law office was no more, it was used as a place to sell eggs.

Dave standing by Anna our knowledgeable tour guide with a definite southern twang.

It was really a fun and educational visit to the Tipton historical site. It’s a very picturesque property with everything you could have wanted back at that time. It even had a still, springhouse and a cave to explore. So glad we got to see it on our second time through Kingsport TN. I would like to go back there and take part in all the activities the association puts on. Dave also gave them his family history leading up his great grandfather Tipton so he can know be on “The Tipton Family Tree”

After we left there, we went to see how our friends new house is coming along.

It’s lookin good! With magnolia color bricks and linen siding, up yonder there in them Tennessee Hills.

Thursday May 15th, Another great day so we got together at our site for chatting and dinner by Chef Dave. It was wonderful spending time with are great friends, till we pass this way again or they come out west to see us.

“Though miles may lie between us, we are never far apart, for friendship doesn’t count miles, it’s measured by the heart.” – Anonymous

We left Kingsport on Friday morning and drove 237 miles to Summersville Lake Retreat and Lighthouse. It started raining when we were part way there. We got there about 2:30, set up camp in the rain and thankfully it cleared up by 4:30.

Our site #30. We stayed here Friday night and Saturday night and left Sunday morning. Dave picked a good campground to stay at.

The park has all kinds of house styles to choose from. . . Huge cabins with lofts, regular size cabins and how about tiny cabins. Or how about trying out a retro rv? Or maybe even a tiny home?

One of the huge cabins

A tiny Cabin

 Shirley the1964 Joy camper

Wilma the 1969 Holiday Rambler

Betty the 1963 Shasta, I thought these were great, especially for going retro for the night.

They even have tiny houses. This one is a double and the red single is next to it.

A really nice roomy campground. If your ever in West Virginia checking out The New River Gorge National Park, check this place out too.

Our Rolling on the highway song for this drive is . .

It’s a newer song about driving down a Highway.

🎶Pearls and swine bereft of me
Long and weary my road has been
I was lost in the cities
Alone in the hills
No sorrow or pity for leaving, I feel, yeah

I am not your rolling wheels
I am the highway
I am not your carpet ride
I am the sky

Friends and liars don’t wait for me
‘Cause I’ll get on all by myself
I put millions of miles
Under my heels
And still too close to you, I feel, yeah🎵

On Sunday May 18th, we left and headed out to Mercer PA, a 248 mile jounry for a one night stay at this KOA.

When we got here it was damp and cold, something we haven’t experienced in awhile. I didn’t take pictures of our site and we stayed inside and waited till Monday morning to leave. 😄

The Hit the Highway Song for the Day ?? . . .

Driving all the way across country from Tucson AZ to Newfane NY, our last bit of driving the song that stuck in my head was Love Shack. I was thinking of all the awesome people we have met on our travels thru the years and the great people we left at our 2nd home at Voyager in AZ. Now driving to our first home in NY to see all our awesome family and friends. So Love Shack? What the Hey..

We’re Headed down the Highway with The B-52s! Who doesn’t love to sing and dance to this song?

🎶If you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says
“15 miles to the love shack”
Love shack, yeah, yeah
I’m headin’ down the Atlanta highway
Lookin’ for the love getaway
Heading for the love getaway

I got me a car, it’s as big as a whale
And we’re headin’ on down to the love shack
I got me a Chrysler, it seats about 20
So hurry up and bring your jukebox money

The love shack is a little old place where
We can get together

Love shack, baby (a love shack, baby)
Love shack, baby, love shack
Love shack, baby, love shack
Love shack, baby, love shack (love, baby, that’s where it’s at)
Love shack, baby, love shack (love, baby, that’s where it’s at)

Sign says (woo) “Stay away fools”
‘Cause love rules at the love shack
Well, it’s set way back in the middle of a field
Just a funky old shack and I gotta get back

Glitter on the mattress
Glitter on the highway
Glitter on the front porch
Glitter on the highway 🎵

After driving 195 miles, this is Our spot for the Summer of 2025. We have a lot going on and we know you do too! So have a Fun, Happy, Awesome and Safe Summer!

We’re driving down highway 40 once again, headed to Crossville Tennessee. This song y’all know keeps going thru my head.

🎵Wish that I was on ol’ Rocky Top
Down in the Tennessee hills
Ain’t no smoggy smoke on Rocky Top
Ain’t no telephone bills

Once I had a girl on Rocky Top
Half bear, other half cat
Wild as a mink, but sweet as soda pop
I still dream about that

Rocky Top, you’ll always be
Home sweet home to me
Good ol’ Rocky Top
Rocky Top, Tennessee
Rocky Top, Tennessee🎵

I couldn’t tell y’all who was the first to sing it but a lot of people have.

I got you singing it now, don’t I ? 🎵🎶🎵

We drove 217 miles to Our site #7.

The park is just 3 years old so it’s still nice and new. They are making it for a family to be able to stay for awhile if they want. They do have a lot of permanent RVs here. Very nice place.

Anyway, Hit the Hay” or “Cash out for the Night” Have a good one!

♪ In My Pink Cadillac ♪

It’s gotta be nice going down the freeway, highway, street or road in a Pink Cadillac

Pink isn’t my color but I wouldn’t care.

♪♪ Knew you’d be a vision in white
How’d you get your pants so tight?
Don’t know what you’re doin’
But you must be livin’ right
Yeah

We’re goin’ ridin’ on the freeway of love
Wind’s against our backs
We’re goin’ ridin’ on the freeway of love
In my pink Cadillac
We’re goin’ ridin’ on the freeway of love
Wind’s against our backs
Ain’t we ridin’ on the freeway of love
In my pink Cadillac ♪♪

I Always liked “Freeway of Love” by Aretha. But Bruce’s Pink Cadillac song isn’t bad,

We got to Cross Parkers Crossroads RV Park yesterday May 9th and we’re leaving tomorrow May 11th. Dave drove 163 miles to get here.

We were at this campground in August 2022 and liked it so we came to spend two nights.

Our site is #15

We took a few walks around the campground and pond. Gotta get out and exercise.

Saturday we went to the battlefield for a nice walk.

Today is May 8th and the driving song is:

I know you know who sings this, just think about it for a bit.

Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin’ go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

Born to be wild
Born to be wild,

We drove 238 miles from Alma, Arkansas to Forrest City, Arkansas. We’ve been through different areas in Arkansas that we really liked and would go back to, but there really isn’t anything to see here other than hiking and such, which we can’t do right now. Actually Forrest City was named after Nathan Bedford Forrest, a famous confederate general in the Civil War. He later became a head guy of the KKK, nothing to be proud of that’s for sure.

We’re staying at Delta RV Park

Our site for the night is #21

To get into the RV park was a bit different. We took Cooper for a walk and took pictures of the way in. We turned off the highway made a right and went through a parking lot of was once a big store or even a mall, kept going straight and came a sign that said No Trucks. Went further down and came to a sign that said STOP, Call For A Site and their phone #. We never saw anyone they just told us our site # and that was it. There is a lot of RVs here, the place is kept up and clean and that’s always a plus.

🎶RV sites to rent, Simple for me to own, no map, no laundry, no picnic table, ain’t got no TV cable.

To the tune of King Of The Road

Trailers for sale or rent
Rooms to let, 50 cents
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain’t got no cigarettes 🎶

But…there was a main attraction right by us called The Ole Sawmill Cafe.

It is listed as an attraction but all kidding aside the food was Delicious. If your ever in the area you gotta come here.

Is today’s traveling song

No Not by Willie Nelson

we’re in town of Alma, Arkansas at Pathfinder RV Resort.

Our site #45.

It’s a new nice RV Park with all cement sites a pond and even a cement pond. Our 5th wheel is above the mushroom.

We drove 223 miles and got here about 2:30, set up and went to get some needed supplies. When we got back I checked things of interest in the area, a lot of hiking and fishing trails and such. We didn’t want to do that, so the only thing about 4 miles away was a bronze statue of your favorite sailor Popeye! I figured if that was the only thing near by we could skip it. Tomorrow we’re headed to Forrest City, AR.

We are at Mustang Run RV Park on Mustang Run Road in Yukon, Oklahoma. We came here on May 5th and we’re leaving tomorrow May 7th.

And now for the song . . . since it’s our third time staying here at Mustang Run, the song has to be

🎼Mustang Sally, huh, huh, guess you better slow your mustang down
Oh Lord, what I said now?
Mustang Sally, now baby, oh Lord, guess you better slow your mustang down
Huh oh yeaah
You been running all over the town now
Oh! I guess I’ll have to put your flat feet on the ground
Huh, what I said now?
Listen
All you want to do is ride around Sally, ride, Sally, ride
All you want to do is ride around Sally, ride, Sally, ride
All you want to do is ride around Sally, ride, Sally, ride. Huh
All you want to do is ride around Sally, ride, Sally, ride 🎵

I don’t know if Wilson Pickett sang it first but it’s my favorite version. I definitely like this song and it’s fun to dance to. If somebody bought me a 65 Mustang I would be be riding it all over town too!

Our site #45.

We didn’t go and check anything out, we relaxed on the 5th and on the 6th went grocery shopping and they have one of Dave’s favorite places to eat here so we went to Canes.

We want to say a special “Hello” to Bill and Sandy, a great couple we met on our first trip to Florida at Cypress Trails. That seems so so long ago. So glad we met, your both are so courageous and kind-hearted folks.

♪ It’s a highway song
You sing it on and on
On and on . . . .

Do you know who sang this? It’s a bit tough, it’s Black. . . .

Everything is bigger in Texas, so they say.

On May 4th – 5th we traveled to Shamrock, TX. Dave drove 209 miles with the wind blowing steady against the right front of the RV. But we haven’t hit rain yet so that’s a plus.

Our site #6

We have a lot of nice neighbors around us.

We drove into the City of Shamrock to check it out.

Shamrock, TX. is on Interstate Highway 40 (here formerly U.S. Highway 66) in south central Wheeler County, was in the 1980s the largest town in the county. The name Shamrock was first suggested, for good luck and courage, by Irish immigrant sheep rancher George Nickel, when he applied in 1890 to open a post office. But it wasn’t until the railroad named the stop Shamrock in 1903, and the post office was finally named Shamrock, and in 1911 the name Shamrock finally stuck.

Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Cafe on Route 66 in Shamrock

If you look close you can see that there are old gas tanks on the left side of the building as well as in front.

The historic Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Café was built in 1936 to serve travelers along Route 66. The location of U.S. Highway 66 made the main avenue of Shamrock boom with garages, filling stations, restaurants, and tourist courts. The Conoco station provided fuel for those early travelers, while the adjacent cafe provided food and drink. The third area was envisioned as a retail store, but became an overflow seating area for the cafe. Restored in 2004, today the iconic art deco building of green glazed tile and brick serves as a Visitor Information Center and also houses the Chamber of Commerce and in 2021 they began offering restaurant service in the building for the first time in decades. The center has an expanded gift shop and offers free coffee & tea along with free internet and encourages everyone to “sit a spell” and enjoy the ambiance of this historic icon along the “Mother Road”.

The cafe has limited hours so we didn’t get to go in. We heard and from reading reviews this is a must and the food at the cafe is said to be delicious Plus it is known for having the original booth where Elvis Presley once sat. Definitely a neat unique building.

Also in Shamrock is part of the Blarney Stone in Ireland, so legend has it. Being I’m a bit Irish we went to check it out.

A fragment of the original Blarney Stone is immured within a concrete monument at Blarney Stone Plaza on Main St. This genuine chunk from the ruins of Blarney Castle was accidentally knocked off of the original Stone — at least according to the Shamrock official who brought it here in 1959. The chunk’s arrival was so important that Shamrock’s mayor called out the Texas Highway Patrol and the Texas National Guard, who reportedly stationed a sub-machine gunner atop the drug store as the Stone was wheeled into town.

Also in the Blarney Stone Plaza

Down the street from the plaza, we came upon this old gas station that looked like someone from the 1960s just left the building and left the note at the bottom right circle.

Our one night stay at Shamrock was fun, I didn’t get a chance to finish the blog last night, to busy talking with our nice neighbors. We are now in Yukon, Oklahoma for a 2 night stay.

It’s time to put the chairs in the wagon.

It’s time to swap spit and hit the road.

🎵🎶🎵

♪ If you ever plan to motor west
Travel my way, take the highway that’s the best
Get your kicks on Route 66 ♪

We were traveling today from Albuquerque NM to Tucumcari NM, a total of 151 miles.

Our site # 40 at the Tucumcari KOA.

We got set up and checked out a small section of Route 66.

We checked out a couple of the murals.

We saw this neat looking motel from the road and had to check it out.

What we found out about the motel was really impressive. The Blue Swallow Court Motel is a 12-unit L-shaped motel that is  listed on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico and part of the U.S. Historic Route 66. I talked with the couple in the picture and they said they were really enjoying their stay. They said it is awesome inside with authentic items from the 1960s, as well as very clean.

Original architectural features included a façade with pink stucco walls decorated with shell designs and a stepped parapet, on-site office and manager’s residence, and garages located between the sleeping units for travelers to park their motorcars. It is one of the longest continuously operated motels along New Mexico’s slice of Route 66. The Swallow from the sign can be seen in the movie Back to the Future Part II,  and inspired the creators of Pixar’s movie Cars to create the “Cozy Cone Motel ^“ 

One of the best neon displays on Route 66! Come spend a memorable night and experience the home-style hospitality of a bygone era at the Blue Swallow Motel!

It was a fun afternoon and we decided to come back thru when we head back west. We have to check out the rest of the 44+ murals and other places on Route 66.

We’re on our way to Shamrock, TX tomorrow morning.

No stop signs, Speed limit, Nobody’s gonna slow me down, Like a wheel
Gonna spin it.

Everyone should know who sings this song.

Dave drove 183 miles today against the wind, not fun. But we made it to Albuquerque, NM.

Traveling on I-25 North we got t see scenic sites on the way.

New Mexico always has covered picnic areas in their state parks and rest stops. I took a picture of this one when we stopped because they are connected.

Our Site #54

Albuquerque is known as the ” Hot Air Ballooning Capital of the World.” The annual city hosts the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, a major event that attracts visitors and enthusiasts from all over the world. If we come back this way I would love to take a balloon ride, my brother-in-law and sister-in-both did it and thought it was an awesome experience.

Tomorrow morning we drive to Tucumcari, NM

♪ I wanna ride it all night long, If you’re goin’ my way Well, I wanna drive it all night long ♪

OK who remembers this song ?

It’s called Elephant Butte, both the butte (a hill with a steep slope) and the surrounding area, is named for a volcanic core that when viewed from the right angle that when viewed from the right angle resembles the shape of an elephant lying down. I can kinda see the elephant. 🦏

It’s also New Mexico’s Largest State Park and it is truly a beautiful park. We stayed here in 2022 going West and now we are here heading back East.

We arrived here on April 30th and are leaving May 2nd.

We’re at site 41 in Quail Run Circle.

A fun day frolicing at the beach.

We had dinner at the Big Foot Restaurant in town.

We sat in the patio outside, had a delicious dinner with a wonderful atmosphere!

Pictures that were taken driving back to our site.

If we ever get back to this area we’ll stop again to Elephant Butte State Park and eat at The Big Foot Restaurant. Tomorrow morning we’ll be on our way to Albuquerque.