Recreational Vehicle Living

Jim and lois bought their first RV in 1959, a Sierra Scotty Travel Trailer, which was 15 feet long and slept 4. It was an adventure but didn't take too long for them to decide there was a better way. However, their work got in the way and they were not able to buy another RV until 1969 when they bought the Brougham new in Houston and drove it 5 miles before the first problem. It was on a Dodge chassis and when we sold it at 68000 miles almost everything had been replaced or repaired.

They started doing volunteer work for the U.S. Forest Service in 1988 and the picture her shows them and the Brougham at Cedar Creek Picnic Grounds, Smokey Bear Ranger District, Lincoln National Forest, Ruidoso, New Mexico where they hosted the picnic area for 5 years - 1988 until 1991. They made many friends there and enjoyed the work but it got to be too dangerous to be at the camp site alone at night with not even an incandescent light in sight anywhere and no communications other than Ham Radio. The last two years at Ruidoso were spent in RV Parks.

The 27 Foot Itasca Sun Cruiser

In 1990 Jim and Lois sold the Brougham and found this Itasca which is built by Winnebago at Iowa Park, Texas in storage and for sale to pay off the indebtedness against it. They jumped at the chance and although it need some repairs and refurbishing, they went to work and got it in good shape. It is a 1982 model on a Chevrolet chassis with a 454 engine, sleeps 8 people and is quite comfortable. It has a new engine and transmisson installed in 1994 and is in excellent condition with 53000 miles on the odometer.

They enjoy going to places like Branson, Missouri and Utopia, Texas, Ruidoso, New Mexico and plan a long vacation trip in the summer of 1998 if health permits. An excellent hobby for their golden years.

The 31 Foot 1999 Damon Daybreak

Lois passed away on October 5, 1999 and Jimmy continued working at the Freestone/Navarro Bi-County Co-Op Special Education Department. He was taking care of the computers in 10 school districts in the two counties and the work was getting harder every day. He decided to sell his home, sell the Itasca Sundowner, purchase a new motorhome and go full time. In the mean time he had stayed in touch with Mary Jo Allison Shoemake whom he had know all his life. The two couples of us had traveled together in our RVs in the 1980s. Her husband, Tommy Shoemake, had passed away in 1998 and we began to keep company and decided to marry in 2000. Jimmy traded the Itasca in on the Damon Daybreak on February 2, 2000 and when we were married we took our honeymoon in the Daybreak. In the year 2000 we visited Branson, Missouri, Ruidoso, New Mexico, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, Mary Jo�s daughter and family in Bellevue, Nebraska, the House on the Rock and the EAA Air Show in Wisconsin. From there we went on to Mackinac Island, the Air Museum in Dayton, Ohio, Mary Jo�s niece and family in Jackson, Tennessee and back to Ivanhoe Lakes near Woodville, Texas where we make their home. In all we covered 17 states that first year with a goal of visiting all 49 continental states in the future.

A 34 Foot Itasca Suncruiser with a slide-out and more room

Because the Damon was a little crowded for the amount of traveling we were doing we started looking around for a larger RV and found an Itasca Suncruiser at Happy Trails RV Sales in Lumberton, Texas and purchased it on February 2, 2001. Our first trip was a Piney Woods Sams Campout at Park on the Lake near Conroe, Texas. It was followed by a celebration trip of our first anniversary to Pharr, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley and then on to San Antonio and Fredericksburg, Texas to another Piney Woods Sams Campout We still spend our summers in Ruidoso, New Mexico and usually make that the destination following visits to places we have always wanted to go. We have now visited all 49 continental states and crisscrossed Canada several times. At age 81 (in the year 2006) we still plan to continue traveling and enjoying the open road and new adventures in the life style to which we have become accustomed.

Links to other sites on the Web

Back to Jimmy's Home Page
Jim's Career and Hobbies
Model Airplanes and Hobbies
Piney Woods Sams Chapter Hemphill, Texas
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