We stayed at Oklahoma City East KOA Holiday in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A last-minute change to get us back on track with our scheduled stops after the brake issue.

Dates:

• Check in: 2023-10-21
• Check out: 2023-10-22
• 1 night

Weather:

• Cloudy
• High temp 86°F, low 58°F
• Negligible wind

Noise:

• Distant freeway noise
• No train noise
• Negligible neighbor noise

Site:

• #B24, pull through, gravel
• Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t
• Fairly level; used air leveling
• Gravel driveway about 85 feet long by about 13 feet wide
• Garden between sites about 20 feet wide
• Big trees
• Stamped concrete patio about 30 by 12 feet
• Fire pit, Adirondack chairs, patio table and chairs, propane grill on patio
• Clean site

Utilities:

• 50 amp power, conveniently located
• 40 PSI water, conveniently located
• Didn’t use sewer, since just one night, but was fairly conveniently located

Internet (in usage priority order):

• T-Mobile: 39 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
• Verizon: 20 Mbps down, 6-9 Mbps up, 100 ms ping
• AT&T: 83-95 Mbps down, 7-10 Mbps up, 160 ms ping
• Starlink: not used
• Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

• Garbage dumpster by entrance
• Closed pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Nice wooded campground close to I-40

This was a last-minute change of plans along our travel on I-40, and we were happy to get a patio site for our one night. We could relax and have dinner outside without all the fuss of unpacking everything. Very nice patio on terraced sites, which is needed to accommodate the very hilly terrain of the park. Check-in was quick and easy, and they guided us to our site. Some of the interior roads could use a little TLC, and there are some tight turns for a big rig, but we managed. It’s convenient to I-40 but far enough away that there is minimal road noise. We enjoyed the park-like atmosphere and would happily stay here again. We camped at Oklahoma City East KOA Holiday in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

An interactive map:

Our site:

A nice patio:

We actually used the propane grill:

Our downhill neighbor had an interesting setup, with a big rig to tow their fiver, and a smart car on the back:

Other sites:

Closed pool:

Cabin:

Bath House:

Mmm, a sewage lagoon:

Dog park:

Quite a nice campground; I’d be happy to stay longer in the future.

We stayed at Oasis RV Resort & Cottages in Amarillo, Texas. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A couple of nights in Texas on our journey east.

Dates:

• Check in: 2023-10-19
• Check out: 2023-10-21
• 2 nights

Weather:

• Sunny
• High temps ranging between 83-88°F, lows around 53-59°F
• Negligible wind

Noise:

• Some freeway noise
• No train noise
• Negligible neighbor noise

Site:

• #17, pull through, concrete
• Didn’t need to disconnect toad; parked behind coach
• Fairly level
• Asphalt driveway with concrete pad, about 80 feet long by about 20 feet wide
• Gravel between sites about 15 feet wide
• Some trees
• Picnic table on small concrete patio, about 13 feet by 6 feet
• No fire pit
• Clean site

Utilities:

• 50 amp power, conveniently located
• 55 PSI water, conveniently located
• Good sewer connection, inconveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

• T-Mobile: 30-36 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up, 55 ms ping
• Verizon: 6 Mbps down, 7-12 Mbps up, 155 ms ping
• AT&T: 58-80 Mbps down, 9 Mbps up, 90 ms ping
• Starlink: not used
• Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

• Garbage dumpsters (no garbage pickup, so not really a resort in my book)
• Closed pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Convenient stop off I-40 in Amarillo

We needed a short stay while traveling through the Texas panhandle, and this place was perfect for that. It’s a large park with long, wide (mostly) pull-through sites. There are concrete pads perfectly placed if you’re a motorhome with tow, but not quite right if you pull a fifth wheel or trailer. So many places have it the other way around, so it was a nice change for us to be able to park in the optimal spot. Close to I-40, but not much noise. Disappointing that they close the pool seasonally regardless of what the actual weather is doing, and also that they are a “resort” and don’t offer trash pickup, which is the bare minimum to be a “resort,” IMHO. We camped at Oasis RV Resort & Cottages Amarillo in a Motorhome.

The map:

Interactive map:

Our site:

Other sites:

Outdoor cat:

Cabins:

Bathrooms and tornado shelters:

Office:

RV in the style of Cadillac Ranch:

We stayed (again) at Tucumcari / Route 66 KOA Journey in Tucumcari, New Mexico. (Campground Reviews listing.)

We still hate buddy sites, but needed to stop here to pick up a package that was delivered after we left, so figured we might as well stay one night.

Dates:

• Check in: 2023-10-18
• Check out: 2023-10-19
• 1 night

Weather:

• Sunny
• High temp 76°F, low 47°F
• Negligible wind

Noise:

• Nearby freeway noise
• No train noise
• Negligible neighbor noise

Site:

• #37, pull through, gravel
• Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t
• Fairly level; used air leveling
• Gravel driveway about 65 feet long by about 10 feet wide
• Buddy grass about 20 feet wide
• Grass between sites about 7 feet wide
• Some trees
• Picnic table on grass
• No fire pit
• Did I mention buddy site! Do not like.
• Clean site

Utilities:

• 50 amp power didn’t work; used 30 amp instead, conveniently located
• We notified the office in the morning, and they promptly came to investigate the power issue
• 65 PSI water, fairly conveniently located
• Good sewer connection, inconveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

• T-Mobile: 38-43 Mbps down, 3-8 Mbps up, 96-134 ms ping
• Verizon: 0.05-0.3 Mbps down, 0.5-5 Mbps up, 100 ms ping
• AT&T: 83-95 Mbps down, 7-10 Mbps up, 32-61 ms ping
• Starlink: not used
• Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

• Garbage dumpster by entrance
• Package delivery to site
• Cooked breakfast delivery to site (didn’t use this time)

Our review on Campground Reviews (from our previous visit):

Buddy sites, nuff said

This is an older KOA with new owners who are working on improvements. I see a lot of potential and will stay here again because it’s just so convenient to I-40, but the rates are a bit much for what it is currently. The staff here are all fantastic. Friendly, helpful, and on the ball when you report an issue. And who could argue with cooked breakfast brought right to your door? However, the biggest drawback is that most of the sites are buddy sites. They have nice, new concrete “patio” sites at the back of the park but ruined it by having them all be buddies. I cannot overstate how much I dislike buddy sites. We camped at Tucumcari KOA Journey in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Kix on 66 was very tasty and has that whole Route 66 retro vibe going on.

An interactive map:

Our site, facing another site:

We usually make sure we arrive before dark, but this was an exception; we decided to travel at night rather than stay at the truck service center another night, mainly to help catch up with our scheduled travels. Our coach on arrival:

Our site in the morning:

Utilities:

This was the first time we’d had a sewer hookup since we were here the previous time, before the Balloon Fiesta — 11 days. We did get a water top-up at the truck center, which was good as it was down to about 20%. After all that time, our gray tank was up to 67% and black to 83%, not too bad:

(We have since purchased a water bladder and sewer tote tank, and accessories, which will alleviate concerns about dry camping in the future.)

Other sites; the place was pretty full when we arrived, but emptied out early in the morning:

We unexpectedly stayed a couple of nights in the Anton Chico Rest Area, west of Santa Rosa, New Mexico, when the front passenger-side brake got stuck on the way from the Balloon Fiesta.

Dates:

• Check in: 2023-10-14
• Check out: 2023-10-16
• 2 nights

Weather:

• Drizzle, partly cloudy
• High temps ranging between 73-75°F, lows around 39°F
• Negligible wind, gusts up to 20 MPH

Noise:

• Loud freeway noise
• No train noise
• Loud trucks arriving, departing, idling

Site:

• Pull through, asphalt
• Didn’t need to disconnect toad; parked behind coach
• Very unlevel side-to-side and front-to-back, but air leveling coped well
• Rest area truck parking about 70 feet long by about 15 feet wide
• Some trash

Utilities:

• None
• We used our generator and solar each day

Internet (in usage priority order):

• T-Mobile: 14-27 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 100 ms ping
• Verizon: 16-26 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
• AT&T: 35-104 Mbps down, 9 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
• Starlink: not used
• Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

• Garbage bins
• Rest area

An interactive map:

Our coach in the rest area truck parking:

We used air leveling, since the site was very unlevel, and put out only the bedroom slides, so we could sleep:

This picture shows our coach level, compared to the slope of the other vehicles:

Several motorhomes, probably mostly also on their way from the Fiesta:

Trucks and coaches:

There was a taco truck, though it was closing when we explored the rest area on the first evening, and was closed the next day (Sunday):

Bathrooms:

We felt bad for taking one of the truck parking spaces, though we wouldn’t have been here by choice. Unlike this rude car parked in the truck parking; there’s plenty of car parking spaces, plus they’d be more quiet:

This was our first time sleeping in a rest area. Not something we’d want to repeat any time soon, though we actually slept surprisingly well. Perhaps still catching up from the early starts during the Fiesta.

We stayed at Corral Drive-In RV Park in Guymon, Oklahoma. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A nice RV park, other than the highway and train noise.

Dates:

• Check in: 2023-10-01
• Check out: 2023-10-06
• 5 nights

Weather:

• Rain, thunderstorm, partly cloudy
• High temps ranging between 70-81°F, lows around 49-62°F
• Lots of wind, gusts up to 32 MPH most days

Noise:

• Nearby highway noise
• Nearby train noise (with lots of horns)
• Negligible neighbor noise

Site:

• #36, pull through, gravel
• Didn’t need to disconnect toad; parked behind coach
• Somewhat level, a little side-to-side slope
• Gravel driveway about 70 feet long by about 20 feet wide
• Grass between sites about 30 feet wide
• This was an end site, with horseshoe pits next to it
• Medium-sized trees
• No picnic table (but available upon request)
• No fire pit
• A few bottlecap-sized bits of trash in the site

Utilities:

• 50 amp power, conveniently located
• 42 PSI water, conveniently located
• Good sewer connection, inconveniently located (2 10-foot pipe and a 2-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

• T-Mobile: 237-282 Mbps down, 35-60 Mbps up, 67-260 ms ping
• Verizon: 2-4 Mbps down, 10-14 Mbps up, 115 ms ping
• AT&T: 95 Mbps down, 52 Mbps up, 49 ms ping
• Starlink: not used
• Campground Wi-Fi: 10-13 Mbps down, 3 Mbps up, 4 ms ping

Amenities:

• Garbage dumpster by entrance
• Package delivery to office
• An old (discontinued) drive-in movie screen

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Beautiful campground with a retro vibe

This campground was a great place to stop while traveling the Oklahoma panhandle. The sites are long and well-spaced, the utilities are in good working order, and everything is lovingly cared for. The vintage playground (and movie screen) from its previous life as a drive-in is a great touch we really enjoyed. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. The only drawback is the road and train noise at all hours, so be prepared with earplugs or white noise if you’re a light sleeper. We camped at Corral Drive-In RV Park in a Motorhome.

The map:

I don’t usually post the RV park rules, but these were amusingly worded:

An interactive map:

Our site:

Horseshoe pits next to our site:

Another new state, so after our first night we could add another sticker to our coach, completing a column. It looks like we’ve visited over half the country geographically, but only 17 of 50 states; the east coast has much smaller states:

Inside, the board for stickers and pins is also filling up:

There were several days of thunderstorms during the first half of our stay here:

An unpleasant midnight wakeup:

The entrance:

Bowling ball garden:

Office:

Vintage movie projector:

Projection house:

Movie screen and ancient playground:

Behind the screen:

Car shell:

Old truck:

Horse statue:

Other sites:

A weird one: a truck with hay bales and an Airstream trailer. Taking their hay on vacation?

The movie screen again:

We’d be happy to stay here again, but best suited for a couple of nights, due to the road and train noise.

We stayed at Ogallala Tri-Trails KOA Journey in Ogallala, Nebraska. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A campground that recently became a KOA. A Journey, i.e. high turnover of people passing through. We were in a new section without any landscaping.

Dates:

• Check in: 2023-09-24
• Check out: 2023-09-26
• 2 nights

Weather:

• Sunny
• High temps ranging between 77-82°F, lows around 45-49°F
• Negligible wind

Noise:

• Somewhat distant highway noise
• Train noise with horns
• Negligible neighbor noise

Site:

• #46, pull-through, gravel
• Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t
• Somewhat level, slight side-to-side slope
• Gravel site about 70 feet long by about 30 feet wide
• No grass or trees on these sites, some on other sites
• Picnic table
• Mostly clean site; a couple of minor bits of trash

Utilities:

• 50 amp power, somewhat conveniently located at the rear of the site
• 40 PSI water, conveniently located
• Good sewer connection, very conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

• T-Mobile: 40-77 Mbps down, 1-5 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
• AT&T: 20-30 Mbps down, 3 Mbps up, 90 ms ping
• Verizon: 1 Mbps down, 3 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
• Starlink: not used
• Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

• Closed pool
• Garbage dumpsters

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Convenient stop along I-80

We stayed two nights; the $40 rate is after using $50 in KOA rewards. $65/night would have been a bit much for what it is. The newer section of the park is pretty much a gravel parking lot, which is fine for a short stay. If staying longer, I’d look at the patio sites in the front part of the park. The staff were very friendly and helpful and escorted us to our site, which is always a nice touch. Close enough to I-80 to be convenient, but it’s far enough away that you don’t get a lot of noise. We camped at Ogallala Tri-Trails KOA in a Motorhome.

The campground map:

An interactive map (our section is not in the satellite image as of this writing):

Our site:

Utilities:

Jenn has started taking a photo of the leveling panel as the coach starts lowering the jacks; this shows that the site was level front-to-back, but unlevel side-to-side:

After our first night in Nebraska, we could add another sticker to the states map on the side of our coach:

The entrance:

Office:

They have several decorations like this old cart:

Dog park:

Playground:

Bathrooms:

Laundry:

The pool was closed for the season (despite highs in the 80’s; arbitrary season closures are stupid):

A very nice skoolie (school bus conversion); fancier than most skoolies:

Other sites; when I walked around, there were only two short-term guests in the campground, two long-term stays, and two staff RVs; later, many of the sites filled up; typical for a Journey park, with high turnover:

Solar panels behind the campground:

A spaceship water tower across highway from campground:

A basic KOA; fine for a couple of days stay.