Westward in GR84RED: Chasing Roads, Family and Friends

There’s always that moment before a big trip—the one where the maps are set, the gear is packed (mostly), and you’re standing there looking at GR84RED thinking, “Alright… let’s see where this goes.”

This one started simply enough: head west to Texas for a family wedding, make a big figure eight, see some friends, and create another SkyDog adventure.

Easing Into the Trip

The early miles are always about finding the rhythm.

A couple of practical stops. Twin Bridge Campground, a night at a Love’s. Nothing glamorous, but part of the deal. These are the stretches where we remember how everything fits, figure out what we forgot, and travel on familiar sections of interstate.

By the time we roll into The Ridge Outdoor Resort, Sevierville Tennessee, we’ll have our “you know what” together. This is where the trip really begins. A chance to slow down, breathe a little, and enjoy the Smokies before the longer push west.

Heading West to Celebrate Alyssa and Blake

From Tennessee, the road stretches out and the landscape begins to shift.

We settle into the cadence, drive, arrive, set up, relax. Stops like Little Rock North / Jct. I-40 KOA Journey and Shreveport / Bossier City KOA Journey become more than just overnight stays. They’re markers. Proof that we’re moving, that the map is unfolding exactly how we hoped it would.

North Dallas is the destination for another Jenkins family wedding. Our home for the wonderful weekend is The Retreat at Shady Creek in Aubrey Texas. Alyssa and Blake tie the knot on May 2nd. It’s the 3rd Jenkins wedding in as many years, and it’s certain to be an epic party like all the others.

After the wedding weekend it’s Austin, then Fredericksburg/Luckenbach and a stay with friends in Horseshoe Bay. Why Luckenbach? Click here for the answer to that question.

Into the Big Sky of West Texas

Then comes the stretch. You know the one, the long, quiet push into west Texas and scenes from “Landman”. A stop at Fort Stockton RV Park breaks it up, but only for a night, as our goal is Big Bend National Park. It’s hard to describe Big Bend without sounding a little dramatic, but it earns it. The silence, the scale, the Rio Grande cutting through the landscape… it’s the kind of place that makes you slow down whether you planned to or not. Nights feel bigger. Days feel simpler. It’s the far edge of the journey, and exactly where we wanted to be. Hot and dusty… yeah, but we’re sure it will be worth it.

Turning Back

Every trip has that turning point. Not the end, just the moment where the compass shifts.

Heading east, we trade desert for city energy with a stop at San Antonio / Alamo KOA Holiday. A little history, a little culture, and a reminder that no two stops on this trip are going to feel the same.

From there, it’s on to the Gulf Coast, and then Louisiana. Baton Rouge is our next stop to visit friends we haven’t seen in 41 years, then on to NOLA. That’s right! It’s been that long since we left New Orleans for San Diego, and Terri has never been back to the Big Easy. We’re staying at New Orleans RV Resort & Marina which puts us close enough to the action, but with just enough distance to enjoy it on our terms. The French Quarter, Audubon Zoo and Frenchmen Street await us. It will be the tail end (pun intended) of Crawfish season, but I’m sure I’ll find some.

The Heart of the Trip

Some stops are about the destination. Others are about the people.

Boaz, Alabama is one of those places, and Daniel and Andrea Hite will welcome us again to their beautiful farm.

Then it’s north to Indiana and the 2026 Renegade Sprinters Rally at Elkhart Campground. This will be our 5th rally in as many years, and we’re now fully entrenched in our roles as rally ambassadors for some of the newbies to the group. The rally never disappoints and the agenda looks amazing. We’ll be close to Mother Ship (Renegade Factory) with factory tours, themed dinners, happy hours, and more.

The Long Way Home

The final leg east will take us to familiar and favorite places. Sauder Village Campground in Archbold Ohio, gives us that classic Americana feel, a wonderful comfort food restaurant, and a pond filled with Largemouth Bass.

A pause at Grand River Cellars Winery east of Cleveland, is a Harvest Host we have visited before. It is one of the nicest wineries we’ve been to with a good tasting selection, a restaurant, and live music.

And then, one last highlight: Watkins Glen / Corning KOA Resort. Another of our favorites, and yes a pond with bass for me to catch.

Why We Go

By the time GR84RED rolls back into Connecticut, it won’t just be about the miles (though there will be plenty of those).

It’ll be about:

The friends we caught up with

The places that surprised us

The stretches of road that gave us time to think and to expand our Spotify algorithm

Trips like this don’t really have a single highlight. They’re a collection of moments—some planned, some not—that somehow come together into something bigger.

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