DeBary, FL.
75 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm and a chance of rain in the afternoon. High of 95F. Winds less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Wednesday was a day to catch up on laundry, organize more "stuff" and try to stay busy to keep their minds off of the upcoming doctor appointment on Thursday. Jim and Linda both took naps in the afternoon and then for dinner, they headed to Gram's Kitchen.
On their way back from Gram's, they stopped and bought CLT a drink of 87 octane so that they'd have enough gas to make it over to Daytona Beach for the Dr. appointment. Then, after returning, they read and "computed" until bedtime.
Yesterday, Thursday, was the day for the first doctor's appointment since we've been down here in Florida, so about 9:00 CLT took Linda and Jim over to Daytona beach for the appointment. Linda said that she had "ton's" of paperwork to fill out, but by about 11:00 they called her in to see the doctor.
A biopsy was taken and some other test done, and by about 11:30 or so, Linda and Jim were back in CLT and heading back here.
There is a growth and the doctor is pretty sure it is cancerous, but of course can't be sure until the tests come back. They should be back by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, and when they are, the doctor's office will call with the results. The results will also be sent to the original doctor/surgeon, (that Laura found for Linda), and a procedure to take care of the problem will be decided on.
Believe it or not, Linda is relieved. At least now she knows what she's dealing with and hopefully, it can be dealt with soon.
Linda is doing well and she feels fine, so for the next 5 or 6 days, Linda and Jim will continue getting everything in the house taken care of. That will include some more shopping for things that they still need, and of course finding and trying to put all of their possessions in places where they can find them when needed.
Also, Bobbie T needs to have her gas tank topped off and the Stable Gas Treatment put in the tank. She also needs to be cleaned up inside and out, the generator needs to be exercised and everything checked out so that she's ready for long term storage. All of this will take quite awhile, but it's not urgent to get it all done right away.
I doubt if I'll be posting here every day, but you can be sure that if anything besides normal everyday living happens, I'll tell you about it. Also, you can be assured that as soon as there's any news or changes concerning Linda, you will be the first to know.
So, check back often. You never know when something exciting may happen!!! ;-)
Did you know that Key West, FL, has the highest average temperature in the United States?
Woof!!!
Showing posts with label 87 Octane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 87 Octane. Show all posts
Friday, September 6, 2013
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Chiefland, FL To DeBary, FL and We're Living In The House
DeBary, FL.
75 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm and a chance of rain. High of 95F. Winds from the SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
After dumping and flushing the black and grey water tanks a much as possible, we pulled out of the Chiefland RV Park about 9:40 yesterday morning. Once back on US 19, we followed it South for a few blocks and then turned off on Alt US 27 which took us over towards Ocala. A little Williston, we turned off on FL 326 which took us around the North side of Ocala and to Rt. 40. 40 then brought us East to Barberville where we turned South on US 17/92, which brought us down to DeBary and the Highland Country Estates where the house is located.
It was 12:30 when we pulled up in front of the house so it took us 2 hours and 50 minutes to travel 120 miles and stop near Ocala and get Bobbie T a drink of 87 octane.
Yes, Jim and Linda did decide to head straight to the house instead of going to Laura and Lindsey's. There really wasn't any reason not to even though Bobbie T. was parked on the street in front of the house for awhile. The streets are wide enough for cars or even trucks to get past.
Jim and Linda had called Laura and Lindsey and told them of our change in plans, so a little after we arrived at the house, they came and everyone went to work, moving food and "stuff" out of Bobbie T. and into the house.
Jim and Lindsey were outside in Bobbie T.. Jim packed things into tote boxes and Lindsey would carry them into the house. Meanwhile, Linda and Laura were busy trying to get everything put away inside as Lindsey brought things in.
Jim and Lindsey took breaks every once in awhile as the temperature was up in the mid 90's, but by about 3:00, most everything was inside the house and Jim was driving Bobbie T over to the storage lot and backing her into site #2.
Lindsey followed Jim to the lot and helped Jim get backed in, and soon they were back here at the house, enjoying a cold drink. ;-)
Laura invited Jim and Linda over to their house for a spaghetti dinner, so about 5:30, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over there, stopping at Winn Dixie to pick up some bread to bring back here and some Italian Bread and a Banana Cream Pie to take to Laura and Lindsey's to have with the meal.
About 8:00 CLT brought Jim and Linda back here to the house where they relaxed until about 10:00, and then went to bed, very tired.
Again, Laura and Lindsey came through when Linda and Jim needed help. Thank you so much, all your help will be remembered. ;-)
So, , , , , , that officially ends our time as Full-timers. It's been 12 years and 3 months since we pulled out of the driveway up in Illinois and it's been a blast!!!! Oh, there's been times when things haven't been too good, but the good times far outweigh the bad times. After things settle down around here a little, I'll try to do a recap of those 12+ years on the road in a few posts.
In the next few days, Jim and Linda will try to get things organized here in the house. They also need to buy a TV and a few other items, so they'll be busy, busy, busy. Then, on Thursday, Linda will have her first doctor's appointment that will determine what medical procedures need to be done.
Keep your fingers crossed!!!!
Would you believe that it's been 12 years and 3 months since Jim, Linda or I have slept in a house?
Woof!!!
75 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm and a chance of rain. High of 95F. Winds from the SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
After dumping and flushing the black and grey water tanks a much as possible, we pulled out of the Chiefland RV Park about 9:40 yesterday morning. Once back on US 19, we followed it South for a few blocks and then turned off on Alt US 27 which took us over towards Ocala. A little Williston, we turned off on FL 326 which took us around the North side of Ocala and to Rt. 40. 40 then brought us East to Barberville where we turned South on US 17/92, which brought us down to DeBary and the Highland Country Estates where the house is located.
It was 12:30 when we pulled up in front of the house so it took us 2 hours and 50 minutes to travel 120 miles and stop near Ocala and get Bobbie T a drink of 87 octane.
Yes, Jim and Linda did decide to head straight to the house instead of going to Laura and Lindsey's. There really wasn't any reason not to even though Bobbie T. was parked on the street in front of the house for awhile. The streets are wide enough for cars or even trucks to get past.
Jim and Linda had called Laura and Lindsey and told them of our change in plans, so a little after we arrived at the house, they came and everyone went to work, moving food and "stuff" out of Bobbie T. and into the house.
Jim and Lindsey were outside in Bobbie T.. Jim packed things into tote boxes and Lindsey would carry them into the house. Meanwhile, Linda and Laura were busy trying to get everything put away inside as Lindsey brought things in.
Jim and Lindsey took breaks every once in awhile as the temperature was up in the mid 90's, but by about 3:00, most everything was inside the house and Jim was driving Bobbie T over to the storage lot and backing her into site #2.
Lindsey followed Jim to the lot and helped Jim get backed in, and soon they were back here at the house, enjoying a cold drink. ;-)
Laura invited Jim and Linda over to their house for a spaghetti dinner, so about 5:30, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over there, stopping at Winn Dixie to pick up some bread to bring back here and some Italian Bread and a Banana Cream Pie to take to Laura and Lindsey's to have with the meal.
About 8:00 CLT brought Jim and Linda back here to the house where they relaxed until about 10:00, and then went to bed, very tired.
Again, Laura and Lindsey came through when Linda and Jim needed help. Thank you so much, all your help will be remembered. ;-)
So, , , , , , that officially ends our time as Full-timers. It's been 12 years and 3 months since we pulled out of the driveway up in Illinois and it's been a blast!!!! Oh, there's been times when things haven't been too good, but the good times far outweigh the bad times. After things settle down around here a little, I'll try to do a recap of those 12+ years on the road in a few posts.
In the next few days, Jim and Linda will try to get things organized here in the house. They also need to buy a TV and a few other items, so they'll be busy, busy, busy. Then, on Thursday, Linda will have her first doctor's appointment that will determine what medical procedures need to be done.
Keep your fingers crossed!!!!
Would you believe that it's been 12 years and 3 months since Jim, Linda or I have slept in a house?
Woof!!!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Alabama To Georgia, Doctors and A Plan
Thomasville, GA
69 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm and a chance of rain. High of 88F with a heat index of 93F. Winds less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
After a pleasant stay at the Deer Run RV Park near Troy, AL, we continued heading SE on US 231. Just before getting to Dothan, AL, Jim pulled Bobbie T into another Gas station and topped her tank off with 87 octane. (Priced at $3.29 per gallon). Taking the belt route around Dothan, brought us to US 84 where we turned East and followed it into Georgia. When we got to Thomasville, we turned South on US 19 and followed it here to the City Of Roses RV Park.
We've been coming to this park for a long time. It's an older park, with a bunch of permanent RVs around the edge of the park. Some people don't feel comfortable with the people who are living in these older RVs, but we've always found them to be friendly and have never caused us any concern. It's a Passport America Park, so for a full hookup site with 30/50 amp service and free cable TV, we're only paying $15.00.
It was 9:00 when we left the park in AL, and 12:30 when we arrived here in GA. so it took us 3 hours and 30 minutes to travel 160 miles and stop for Bobbie T's drink.
Linda has been talking to doctor offices, trying to set up appointments. It's starting to look like it will be awhile before she can get in to see anyone. So far, the earliest appointment that she has found would be about 3 weeks from now. :-(
Jim and Linda have also been talking to Laura. She's going to do some inquiring and see what she can come up with.
Speaking of Laura, it's been decided that we take Bobbie T to Laura and Lindsey's house on Friday and park her in or along side of their driveway. Then, the plan is to take most of Jim and Linda's "stuff" over to the house from there, hopefully getting all the essentials moved by Friday night, so that we can stay in the house.
You know, I've been thinking. When we move into the house, it'll be the first time we've lived in a house for over 12 years!!! It's going to be quite a change for me, and I'm sure it'll be a big change for Jim and Linda too. I think one of the things that I'll have to get used to is the amount of room that I'll have to roam around in. That house is so much bigger than any RV!!
Oh well, I've lived in 4 different RVs in the past 12 years, I'm sure I can get used to living in a house again. ;-)
Did you know that in Atlanta, GA, it's against the law to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp?
Woof!!!
69 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm and a chance of rain. High of 88F with a heat index of 93F. Winds less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
After a pleasant stay at the Deer Run RV Park near Troy, AL, we continued heading SE on US 231. Just before getting to Dothan, AL, Jim pulled Bobbie T into another Gas station and topped her tank off with 87 octane. (Priced at $3.29 per gallon). Taking the belt route around Dothan, brought us to US 84 where we turned East and followed it into Georgia. When we got to Thomasville, we turned South on US 19 and followed it here to the City Of Roses RV Park.
We've been coming to this park for a long time. It's an older park, with a bunch of permanent RVs around the edge of the park. Some people don't feel comfortable with the people who are living in these older RVs, but we've always found them to be friendly and have never caused us any concern. It's a Passport America Park, so for a full hookup site with 30/50 amp service and free cable TV, we're only paying $15.00.
It was 9:00 when we left the park in AL, and 12:30 when we arrived here in GA. so it took us 3 hours and 30 minutes to travel 160 miles and stop for Bobbie T's drink.
Linda has been talking to doctor offices, trying to set up appointments. It's starting to look like it will be awhile before she can get in to see anyone. So far, the earliest appointment that she has found would be about 3 weeks from now. :-(
Jim and Linda have also been talking to Laura. She's going to do some inquiring and see what she can come up with.
Speaking of Laura, it's been decided that we take Bobbie T to Laura and Lindsey's house on Friday and park her in or along side of their driveway. Then, the plan is to take most of Jim and Linda's "stuff" over to the house from there, hopefully getting all the essentials moved by Friday night, so that we can stay in the house.
You know, I've been thinking. When we move into the house, it'll be the first time we've lived in a house for over 12 years!!! It's going to be quite a change for me, and I'm sure it'll be a big change for Jim and Linda too. I think one of the things that I'll have to get used to is the amount of room that I'll have to roam around in. That house is so much bigger than any RV!!
Oh well, I've lived in 4 different RVs in the past 12 years, I'm sure I can get used to living in a house again. ;-)
Did you know that in Atlanta, GA, it's against the law to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp?
Woof!!!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Poor Internet Connection and Still In Alabama
Troy, AL.
64 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 91F. Winds less than 5 mph.
My Internet connection is not good here at the Deer Run RV Park near Troy, so this will be a short post.
Before we left the Cullman RV Park, Jim drove Bobbie T over to the Propane filling tank and had the men from the park fill Bobbie T's propane tank up. By the time this was done and the propane paid for, it was 9:15 when we pulled out of the park.
Once back on I-65, it was a straight shot down to Montgomery, where we turned East on I-85 for a few miles to Exit #9. There, we turned back South on Taylor Rd and followed it until it dead-ended at US 231. Then, we just followed 231 down here to Troy and the Deer Run park.
Along the way, we stopped and got Bobbie T another drink of 87 octane and pulled into the Alabama Welcome Center for a "pit stop".
It was right 1:00 when we arrived so yesterday, we traveled 187 miles in 3 hours and 45 minutes.
All of the roads yesterday were pretty good except coming through Birmingham. There, the road was terrible!! It was cement, and it should have been resurfaced about 5 years ago. There was also a lot of construction, so maybe they're trying remedy the problem.
We've been to the Deer Run RV Park before. It's easy to get to, has nice sites and the lady in the office is friendly.
Today, we'll head into Georgia where Jim has a Passport America Park picked out.
Did you know that today is "Race your Mouse around the Icons Day"?
64 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 91F. Winds less than 5 mph.
My Internet connection is not good here at the Deer Run RV Park near Troy, so this will be a short post.
Before we left the Cullman RV Park, Jim drove Bobbie T over to the Propane filling tank and had the men from the park fill Bobbie T's propane tank up. By the time this was done and the propane paid for, it was 9:15 when we pulled out of the park.
Once back on I-65, it was a straight shot down to Montgomery, where we turned East on I-85 for a few miles to Exit #9. There, we turned back South on Taylor Rd and followed it until it dead-ended at US 231. Then, we just followed 231 down here to Troy and the Deer Run park.
Along the way, we stopped and got Bobbie T another drink of 87 octane and pulled into the Alabama Welcome Center for a "pit stop".
It was right 1:00 when we arrived so yesterday, we traveled 187 miles in 3 hours and 45 minutes.
All of the roads yesterday were pretty good except coming through Birmingham. There, the road was terrible!! It was cement, and it should have been resurfaced about 5 years ago. There was also a lot of construction, so maybe they're trying remedy the problem.
We've been to the Deer Run RV Park before. It's easy to get to, has nice sites and the lady in the office is friendly.
Today, we'll head into Georgia where Jim has a Passport America Park picked out.
Did you know that today is "Race your Mouse around the Icons Day"?
Monday, August 26, 2013
Goreville, IL to Clarksville, TN
Clarksville, TN.
65 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. Fog early. High of 90F. Winds from the SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Because Jim "tweaked" the trip plan, yesterday was scheduled to be a shorter travel day, so there was no hurry to get on the road. Because of that, we didn't leave the Hilltop CG in Goreville, IL until 10:25.
Once back on I-57, we headed North for 4 miles and then turned SE in I-24 and headed for Kentucky. 24 took us through Kentucky and into Tennessee where we turned off on Exit 1. The first stop we made was to buy Bobbie T a nice big drink of 87 octane, (at $3.29 versus about $3.54 per gallon in IL and KY), then went on to the Clarksville CG which is just down the road from the gas station.
It was 1:10 when we pulled into the CG, so it took us 2 hours and 40 minutes to travel 137 miles, buy Bobbie T's drink and make a pit stop along the way. Oh, and we had a lot of construction areas on I-24 in Kentucky, so that slowed us down some too.
We've been to the Clarksville CG before, and just like before, both Jim and Linda think that the sites are overpriced, but there's really not many choices to choose from in this area. It's a nice CG with a pool and all the amenities, it's well maintained and the folks in the office are quite friendly.
Today, we'll head down into Alabama. It'll be a longer travel day than yesterday, probably around 4 hours. We have to go through Nashville though, so who knows. :-(
Linda's doing fine. She's been able to sleep better the last few nights, so she's not so tired during the day. I think that she may be thinking about moving into the house, and not quite so much about her medical situation.
Did you know that the name "Tennessee" originated from the old Yuchi Indian word, "Tana-see," meaning "The Meeting Place?"
Woof!!!
65 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. Fog early. High of 90F. Winds from the SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Because Jim "tweaked" the trip plan, yesterday was scheduled to be a shorter travel day, so there was no hurry to get on the road. Because of that, we didn't leave the Hilltop CG in Goreville, IL until 10:25.
Once back on I-57, we headed North for 4 miles and then turned SE in I-24 and headed for Kentucky. 24 took us through Kentucky and into Tennessee where we turned off on Exit 1. The first stop we made was to buy Bobbie T a nice big drink of 87 octane, (at $3.29 versus about $3.54 per gallon in IL and KY), then went on to the Clarksville CG which is just down the road from the gas station.
It was 1:10 when we pulled into the CG, so it took us 2 hours and 40 minutes to travel 137 miles, buy Bobbie T's drink and make a pit stop along the way. Oh, and we had a lot of construction areas on I-24 in Kentucky, so that slowed us down some too.
We've been to the Clarksville CG before, and just like before, both Jim and Linda think that the sites are overpriced, but there's really not many choices to choose from in this area. It's a nice CG with a pool and all the amenities, it's well maintained and the folks in the office are quite friendly.
Today, we'll head down into Alabama. It'll be a longer travel day than yesterday, probably around 4 hours. We have to go through Nashville though, so who knows. :-(
Linda's doing fine. She's been able to sleep better the last few nights, so she's not so tired during the day. I think that she may be thinking about moving into the house, and not quite so much about her medical situation.
Did you know that the name "Tennessee" originated from the old Yuchi Indian word, "Tana-see," meaning "The Meeting Place?"
Woof!!!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
A Nice Visit With Nancy And David (Fred) But A Long Day
Rantoul, IL.
61 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 88F. Winds from the SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Jim and Linda took CLT (Cute Little Truck), and headed to Naperville, about 8:30 yesterday morning. If you read my last post, you already know that they were heading up there to see Linda's sister, Nancy and her son, David.
CLT said that the traffic wasn't too bad and they actually made pretty good time, but being that it was right at 120 miles up there it took them almost exactly 3 hours to get up there. That meant that it was about 10:30 when they arrived.
After visiting for awhile and eating a very nice lunch, they all headed over to Nancy's son's house to pick up some dishes and a few large pictures that Linda had left with Nancy way back in 2001 when we went full-timing. There were also some paperback books, but Aaron, (Nancy's other son), couldn't locate them up in the attic, so if they're still up there, they'll be picked up next year.
After loading up the dishes and pictures in the back of CLT, they headed back over to Nancy's for desert and to visit some more.
Nancy actually lives in an apartment now. (She used to live in the house where Aaron is living now). From the photos that Jim brought back, it seems really nice and both Jim and Linda said that Nancy seems happy with it.
Linda said that she had a great time visiting with Nancy. It had been a whole year since she's seen her and they had a lot to catch up on. But, because of the long drive back here to Rantoul, they left Nancy's at about 3:45 and headed back down here.
CLT said that they had a lot more traffic returning than they did in the morning. (getting into rush-hour traffic), and it took them even longer to return. When they got down to Gibson City, (a town about 25 miles from Rantoul), they stopped and bought CLT a drink of 87 octane and then stopped at a restaurant to get a sandwich for them.
It was after 7:00 by the time they pulled up in front of Bobbie T, so it ended up being a pretty long day.
While they were gone, many, many RVs came into the park. Many of the sites already have 2 RVs on them, there's a whole bunch of RVs dry camping on the street behind of us and today, there'll be a lot more RVs coming into the park because the show starts tomorrow.
This morning, Linda has that doctor's appointment, so they'll be leaving here around 8:30 so that they can get over to Fisher, IL, by 9:00. After the appointment, they'll stop at a restaurant in Fisher to get some breakfast and then come back here and watch all the RVs come into the park.
There should be some great "campground entertainment" this afternoon. ;-)
A Point to Ponder : One should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.
Woof!!!
61 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 88F. Winds from the SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Jim and Linda took CLT (Cute Little Truck), and headed to Naperville, about 8:30 yesterday morning. If you read my last post, you already know that they were heading up there to see Linda's sister, Nancy and her son, David.
CLT said that the traffic wasn't too bad and they actually made pretty good time, but being that it was right at 120 miles up there it took them almost exactly 3 hours to get up there. That meant that it was about 10:30 when they arrived.
After visiting for awhile and eating a very nice lunch, they all headed over to Nancy's son's house to pick up some dishes and a few large pictures that Linda had left with Nancy way back in 2001 when we went full-timing. There were also some paperback books, but Aaron, (Nancy's other son), couldn't locate them up in the attic, so if they're still up there, they'll be picked up next year.
After loading up the dishes and pictures in the back of CLT, they headed back over to Nancy's for desert and to visit some more.
Nancy actually lives in an apartment now. (She used to live in the house where Aaron is living now). From the photos that Jim brought back, it seems really nice and both Jim and Linda said that Nancy seems happy with it.
Nancy's living room area.
Looking back from the living room into the kitchen. (Linda on left, Nancy on the right).
Linda said that she had a great time visiting with Nancy. It had been a whole year since she's seen her and they had a lot to catch up on. But, because of the long drive back here to Rantoul, they left Nancy's at about 3:45 and headed back down here.
CLT said that they had a lot more traffic returning than they did in the morning. (getting into rush-hour traffic), and it took them even longer to return. When they got down to Gibson City, (a town about 25 miles from Rantoul), they stopped and bought CLT a drink of 87 octane and then stopped at a restaurant to get a sandwich for them.
It was after 7:00 by the time they pulled up in front of Bobbie T, so it ended up being a pretty long day.
While they were gone, many, many RVs came into the park. Many of the sites already have 2 RVs on them, there's a whole bunch of RVs dry camping on the street behind of us and today, there'll be a lot more RVs coming into the park because the show starts tomorrow.
This morning, Linda has that doctor's appointment, so they'll be leaving here around 8:30 so that they can get over to Fisher, IL, by 9:00. After the appointment, they'll stop at a restaurant in Fisher to get some breakfast and then come back here and watch all the RVs come into the park.
There should be some great "campground entertainment" this afternoon. ;-)
A Point to Ponder : One should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.
Woof!!!
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Utica to Rantoul and A Different Site
Rantoul, IL.
67 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 81F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
We actually left the Hickory Hollow CG a little earlier than planned, (about 9:40), and headed back to I-39. Following 39 South brought us to the Bloomington/Normal area where I-39 ended and we picked up I-74. I-74 took us in a Southeasterly direction until we came to exit #152, (just a little past Le Roy, IL), where we turned East on US 136. 136 then brought us back here to Rantoul.
Once in town, Jim pulled Bobbie T into a Casey's Gas Station and bought her a drink of 87 octane to top off her tank, and then we proceeded to the South side of Rantoul and here to the Prairie Pines CG.
When we got back to the CG, I wasn't surprised that we didn't pull back into site #7, even though it was empty. You see, I knew before we left here that Jim and Louise had talked about us moving to a different site when we returned and that he and Linda had looked at a site more towards the rear of the CG.
So, when we pulled up to the stop sign in front of the office Jim went inside to talk to Louise and Paul. Soon, Paul and Jim came out and then Paul got on his ATV and led us to site #33 which will be our site for the next month or so.
I think I'm going to like site 33. It's towards the rear of the park so you don't hear the noise from the traffic on the road going past the CG, it has a couple nice trees for shade and while we were gone, Louise had some crushed blacktop material brought into the site, so that it won't be muddy when it rains.
Thanks Louise!!! :-)
I'm hoping that today, Jim will take some photos of our new site so that I can post them here.
Oh!!! By the way, it was 12:05 when we arrived here at Prairie Pines, so we were on the road for 2 hours and 25 minutes and traveled 121 miles.
For dinner, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to the Family Table restaurant and then came back here and watched TV until bedtime.
Did you know that today is skyscraper appreciation day?
Woof!!!
67 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 81F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
We actually left the Hickory Hollow CG a little earlier than planned, (about 9:40), and headed back to I-39. Following 39 South brought us to the Bloomington/Normal area where I-39 ended and we picked up I-74. I-74 took us in a Southeasterly direction until we came to exit #152, (just a little past Le Roy, IL), where we turned East on US 136. 136 then brought us back here to Rantoul.
Once in town, Jim pulled Bobbie T into a Casey's Gas Station and bought her a drink of 87 octane to top off her tank, and then we proceeded to the South side of Rantoul and here to the Prairie Pines CG.
When we got back to the CG, I wasn't surprised that we didn't pull back into site #7, even though it was empty. You see, I knew before we left here that Jim and Louise had talked about us moving to a different site when we returned and that he and Linda had looked at a site more towards the rear of the CG.
So, when we pulled up to the stop sign in front of the office Jim went inside to talk to Louise and Paul. Soon, Paul and Jim came out and then Paul got on his ATV and led us to site #33 which will be our site for the next month or so.
I think I'm going to like site 33. It's towards the rear of the park so you don't hear the noise from the traffic on the road going past the CG, it has a couple nice trees for shade and while we were gone, Louise had some crushed blacktop material brought into the site, so that it won't be muddy when it rains.
Thanks Louise!!! :-)
I'm hoping that today, Jim will take some photos of our new site so that I can post them here.
Oh!!! By the way, it was 12:05 when we arrived here at Prairie Pines, so we were on the road for 2 hours and 25 minutes and traveled 121 miles.
For dinner, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to the Family Table restaurant and then came back here and watched TV until bedtime.
Did you know that today is skyscraper appreciation day?
Woof!!!
Friday, August 9, 2013
Wanta-do List Completed and Baraboo To Utica, IL
This is the 3rd and final post from the period of time that we were at a campground near Baraboo, WI. as well as today's post.
Hope you enjoy.
Baraboo, WI. 08-08-13
53 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 79F. Winds less than 5 mph.
After Linda woke up and finished her breakfast, she and Jim took CLT and headed back down to Baraboo to do a little banking at the Wells Fargo bank. Then, after taking care of that little chore, they headed to Reedsburg, WI.
The reason for going to Reedsburg was to go to the Liberty Flag Company to purchase some decent small American flags to use in the flag holder that Jim sticks on Bobbie T. But, when they got over to where the store/factory used to be, it was gone!!! :-O
After thinking that they had just missed it, and backtracking, Jim pulled into an auto parts store and asked if they knew what had happened to the store. Come to find out, they had moved to a new location in downtown Reedsburg, so they gave Jim instructions to the new location. :-)
Liberty Flag has just about everything you could ever want in the way of flags, banners and accessories and they also carry a large selection of decorative and LED lights.
The nice lady at the store helped Jim find what he was looking for and while he was there, he also found a really neat adjustable flag mount to put on the house in Florida, so that he can fly his large flag when we’re down there.
From Reedsburg, CLT took them to Lake Delton, and to the Market Square Cheese Store where they bought quite a bit of cheese and a couple hand dipped ice cream cones to enjoy while sitting at the little tables outside of the store. ;-)
From Lake Delton, they headed back here and rested for awhile.
For dinner, Jim cooked a small ham steak on the grill and Linda cooked some sweet corn-on-the-cob that they had purchased at Mark’s Produce the day before.
We've had a very nice stay here in the Wisconsin Dells area. The weather co-operated nicely and Jim and Linda finished their “Wanta-do list”. ;-)
Today, we’ll head down to Utica IL., where there’s another Passport America Park that we’ll stay at tonight. Then, on Friday, we’ll head back to Rantoul.
Did you know that from 1935 to 1937 state law in Wisconsin required restaurants to serve 2/3 ounce of Wisconsin butter and 2/3 ounce of Wisconsin cheese with every meal served?
Woof
Utica, IL.
57 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy, high temperature of 84F. Winds less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Yesterday, 8-8-13, we left the Fox Hill RV Park and CG near Baraboo, about 9:55 and headed towards I-90/94/39. Once on the Interstate, we headed South and followed it all the way down to Beloit, WI where Jim pulled Bobbie T into a gas station and filled her up with 87 octane.
You see, gasoline is quite a bit cheaper in Wisconsin than it is in Illinois, so by getting fuel just before we crossed into Illinois, Jim and Linda were able to save the most.
At Rockford, IL. I-39 headed West for a short distance before turning back South and bringing us down here to Utica, IL and the Hickory Hollow Campground. This is also a Passport America Park and they will only give the discount for 2 days and not on the weekends, but if you're just traveling though the area, and you're here at the right time of the week, it's a good deal.
It was 1:30 when we pulled up in front of the office, so we traveled 185 miles in 3 hours and 35 minutes, and that includes the stop for Bobbie T's drink.
The park is OK, nothing fancy. They do have a nice swimming pool and a playground that the kids seem to enjoy, and in some areas, there's quite a bit of shade. Most of the sites are pretty level and I think that all sites have 50 amp electric.
As you can see, the roads and sites are gravel and everything in the park seems to be very well maintained. At the Passport America rate of $18.50, it's worth a short stop if traveling on I-39 or I-80.
Today we'll head down to Rantoul, where we'll stay until sometime in September. (probably around the 20th or 25th), before starting our way back towards the East Coast again. This next month should be really fun. There's the Half Century of Progress Farm Show in 12 days, (starting on the 22nd and ending on the 25th of August), then, on the 25th, long time RVing friends, Roland and Louise, will be arriving and will spend the next 9 days, including the Labor Day weekend, at Prairie Pines with Jim and Linda.
Then, after Labor day, we're hoping some of the "Illinois Bunch" will be able to come to Rantoul for a visit, but no dates have been set for that yet. Besides all of that, both Jim and Linda have eye doctor appointments and Linda has her regular doctor appointment!!!!
Whew!!!!
A Point to Ponder : Making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."
Woof!!!
Hope you enjoy.
Baraboo, WI. 08-08-13
53 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 79F. Winds less than 5 mph.
After Linda woke up and finished her breakfast, she and Jim took CLT and headed back down to Baraboo to do a little banking at the Wells Fargo bank. Then, after taking care of that little chore, they headed to Reedsburg, WI.
The reason for going to Reedsburg was to go to the Liberty Flag Company to purchase some decent small American flags to use in the flag holder that Jim sticks on Bobbie T. But, when they got over to where the store/factory used to be, it was gone!!! :-O
After thinking that they had just missed it, and backtracking, Jim pulled into an auto parts store and asked if they knew what had happened to the store. Come to find out, they had moved to a new location in downtown Reedsburg, so they gave Jim instructions to the new location. :-)
Liberty Flag has just about everything you could ever want in the way of flags, banners and accessories and they also carry a large selection of decorative and LED lights.
The nice lady at the store helped Jim find what he was looking for and while he was there, he also found a really neat adjustable flag mount to put on the house in Florida, so that he can fly his large flag when we’re down there.
From Reedsburg, CLT took them to Lake Delton, and to the Market Square Cheese Store where they bought quite a bit of cheese and a couple hand dipped ice cream cones to enjoy while sitting at the little tables outside of the store. ;-)
From Lake Delton, they headed back here and rested for awhile.
For dinner, Jim cooked a small ham steak on the grill and Linda cooked some sweet corn-on-the-cob that they had purchased at Mark’s Produce the day before.
We've had a very nice stay here in the Wisconsin Dells area. The weather co-operated nicely and Jim and Linda finished their “Wanta-do list”. ;-)
Today, we’ll head down to Utica IL., where there’s another Passport America Park that we’ll stay at tonight. Then, on Friday, we’ll head back to Rantoul.
Did you know that from 1935 to 1937 state law in Wisconsin required restaurants to serve 2/3 ounce of Wisconsin butter and 2/3 ounce of Wisconsin cheese with every meal served?
Woof
Utica, IL.
57 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy, high temperature of 84F. Winds less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Yesterday, 8-8-13, we left the Fox Hill RV Park and CG near Baraboo, about 9:55 and headed towards I-90/94/39. Once on the Interstate, we headed South and followed it all the way down to Beloit, WI where Jim pulled Bobbie T into a gas station and filled her up with 87 octane.
You see, gasoline is quite a bit cheaper in Wisconsin than it is in Illinois, so by getting fuel just before we crossed into Illinois, Jim and Linda were able to save the most.
At Rockford, IL. I-39 headed West for a short distance before turning back South and bringing us down here to Utica, IL and the Hickory Hollow Campground. This is also a Passport America Park and they will only give the discount for 2 days and not on the weekends, but if you're just traveling though the area, and you're here at the right time of the week, it's a good deal.
It was 1:30 when we pulled up in front of the office, so we traveled 185 miles in 3 hours and 35 minutes, and that includes the stop for Bobbie T's drink.
The park is OK, nothing fancy. They do have a nice swimming pool and a playground that the kids seem to enjoy, and in some areas, there's quite a bit of shade. Most of the sites are pretty level and I think that all sites have 50 amp electric.
Today we'll head down to Rantoul, where we'll stay until sometime in September. (probably around the 20th or 25th), before starting our way back towards the East Coast again. This next month should be really fun. There's the Half Century of Progress Farm Show in 12 days, (starting on the 22nd and ending on the 25th of August), then, on the 25th, long time RVing friends, Roland and Louise, will be arriving and will spend the next 9 days, including the Labor Day weekend, at Prairie Pines with Jim and Linda.
Then, after Labor day, we're hoping some of the "Illinois Bunch" will be able to come to Rantoul for a visit, but no dates have been set for that yet. Besides all of that, both Jim and Linda have eye doctor appointments and Linda has her regular doctor appointment!!!!
Whew!!!!
A Point to Ponder : Making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."
Woof!!!
Friday, August 2, 2013
Crandon To Turtle Lake, WI and A Not So Great RV Park
Turtle Lake, WI.
54 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Clear in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 73F. Winds from the NW at 5 to 10 mph.
We left the County Park near Crandon right at 9:30 yesterday morning and once back to US 8, continued our journey West. About an hour into our trip, we pulled into a gas station and got Bobbie T a nice big drink of 87 octane, before continuing on to the Turtle Lake RV Park.
It was 1:05 by the time we pulled into the park, so we traveled 173 miles stopped for fuel and a quick pit stop in 3 hours and 35 minutes.
We didn't see a sign for this park on US 8, but both Jim and Linda saw the park off to the left just before we came to the US 8 / Rt 63 interchange. It was about a block off of the road and when we came to the entrance, this is the sign we saw.
So, where was the "Blue Building"? About a block away back the way we came, off of US 8!!!!
Jim said that the lady in the Liquor Store was pleasant, but the only information she gave was to "Just go and find a site" and "Make sure that you put the garbage in the barrels provided".
There are no large trees in the RV Park so there's no shade. The sites are actually back-in but you can pull through from the site behind the one you chose. All the sites are full hook-up, with 30 amp electric but the boxes are not placed well, and you have to be careful not to pull too far forward or your cord won't reach.
The above photo is the site Jim finally picked. Actually one is as good as the other.
This is the view from the front of Bobbie T. Not very scenic.
Oh well, it's OK for just a 1 night stay. I really don't think that it's worth $27.47 though. :-(
Oh, one other thing. US 8 became rougher the farther West we came. It never did get too bad, but it sure wasn't nice and smooth like it was yesterday.
Today, we'll head to River Falls, WI. That's where Linda's brother lives. We only have about 55 miles to travel, so it should be a real easy travel day. ;-)
Did you know that Wisconsin has 7,446 streams and rivers? End-to-end they'd stretch 26,767 miles. That is more than enough to circle the globe at the equator.
Woof!!!
54 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Clear in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 73F. Winds from the NW at 5 to 10 mph.
We left the County Park near Crandon right at 9:30 yesterday morning and once back to US 8, continued our journey West. About an hour into our trip, we pulled into a gas station and got Bobbie T a nice big drink of 87 octane, before continuing on to the Turtle Lake RV Park.
It was 1:05 by the time we pulled into the park, so we traveled 173 miles stopped for fuel and a quick pit stop in 3 hours and 35 minutes.
We didn't see a sign for this park on US 8, but both Jim and Linda saw the park off to the left just before we came to the US 8 / Rt 63 interchange. It was about a block off of the road and when we came to the entrance, this is the sign we saw.
So, where was the "Blue Building"? About a block away back the way we came, off of US 8!!!!
Jim said that the lady in the Liquor Store was pleasant, but the only information she gave was to "Just go and find a site" and "Make sure that you put the garbage in the barrels provided".
There are no large trees in the RV Park so there's no shade. The sites are actually back-in but you can pull through from the site behind the one you chose. All the sites are full hook-up, with 30 amp electric but the boxes are not placed well, and you have to be careful not to pull too far forward or your cord won't reach.
Oh well, it's OK for just a 1 night stay. I really don't think that it's worth $27.47 though. :-(
Oh, one other thing. US 8 became rougher the farther West we came. It never did get too bad, but it sure wasn't nice and smooth like it was yesterday.
Today, we'll head to River Falls, WI. That's where Linda's brother lives. We only have about 55 miles to travel, so it should be a real easy travel day. ;-)
Did you know that Wisconsin has 7,446 streams and rivers? End-to-end they'd stretch 26,767 miles. That is more than enough to circle the globe at the equator.
Woof!!!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
St. Ignace to Thompson and The Driftwood Shores Resort
Thompson, MI.
44 deg. clear, NW wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Clear in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 68F. Winds from the SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Brrrrr!!!!! Cool this morning!!!!!!
Jim and Linda knew that yesterday was going to be a short travel day, so they didn't even start getting things ready to travel until around 10:00. Even taking their time getting everything put away, the slides pulled in and CLT hooked to the back of Bobbie T, we still pulled out of the CG in St. Ignace at 10:55.
Once back on US 2, we continued in a Westerly direction all the way here to Thompson. The only stop we made was to get Bobbie T a drink of 87 octane and to buy some milk and bread at the convenience store at the station.
Even with the stop for Bobbie T's drink and 87 miles of road, it was only 12:55 when we pulled up to the office.
We are now at the Driftwood Shores Resort.
I really wouldn't call it a "resort" because it doesn't have anywhere near the amenities I think a resort needs, but we were here in October of 2001, and Jim and Linda really liked the atmosphere and the fact that most of the sites are quite close to the water. It's a quiet little park with only about 15 sites and some cabins for those without RVs.
The last time we were here, we had a site right next to the water, but the lake seems low, and you now are a little ways away at any of the sites.
Being that none of the sites are now real near the water, Jim and Linda decided to take site #1 which is actually quite secluded and apart from the rest of the sites.
There's a nice bench to sit on if you want to,
a small picnic table and a fire ring,
and a pretty decent view of Lake Michigan. ;-)
We'll be staying here for at least a week and possibly longer. This site is available for up to 11 days if Jim and Linda decide that they want to stay that long.
Oh, and we did have a pretty nice sunrise this morning. Jim took this photo, standing in front of the seawall on the above photo and looking off just to the left, but I could also see it out of the windshield and the window over the dinette.
A Point to Ponder : Everyone experiences fear! It's what you do despite that fear that defines you!
Woof!!!
44 deg. clear, NW wind @ 4 mph.
Forecast = Clear in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 68F. Winds from the SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Brrrrr!!!!! Cool this morning!!!!!!
Jim and Linda knew that yesterday was going to be a short travel day, so they didn't even start getting things ready to travel until around 10:00. Even taking their time getting everything put away, the slides pulled in and CLT hooked to the back of Bobbie T, we still pulled out of the CG in St. Ignace at 10:55.
Once back on US 2, we continued in a Westerly direction all the way here to Thompson. The only stop we made was to get Bobbie T a drink of 87 octane and to buy some milk and bread at the convenience store at the station.
Even with the stop for Bobbie T's drink and 87 miles of road, it was only 12:55 when we pulled up to the office.
We are now at the Driftwood Shores Resort.
I really wouldn't call it a "resort" because it doesn't have anywhere near the amenities I think a resort needs, but we were here in October of 2001, and Jim and Linda really liked the atmosphere and the fact that most of the sites are quite close to the water. It's a quiet little park with only about 15 sites and some cabins for those without RVs.
The last time we were here, we had a site right next to the water, but the lake seems low, and you now are a little ways away at any of the sites.
Being that none of the sites are now real near the water, Jim and Linda decided to take site #1 which is actually quite secluded and apart from the rest of the sites.
There's a nice bench to sit on if you want to,
a small picnic table and a fire ring,
and a pretty decent view of Lake Michigan. ;-)
We'll be staying here for at least a week and possibly longer. This site is available for up to 11 days if Jim and Linda decide that they want to stay that long.
Oh, and we did have a pretty nice sunrise this morning. Jim took this photo, standing in front of the seawall on the above photo and looking off just to the left, but I could also see it out of the windshield and the window over the dinette.
A Point to Ponder : Everyone experiences fear! It's what you do despite that fear that defines you!
Woof!!!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Heading Further North, Crossing "The Bridge", and A Neat CG
St. Ignace, MI.
68 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 82F. Winds from the SW at 5 to 10 mph.
By 10:10 we were pulling out of the Everflowing Water CG near Williamsburg and heading West on Bracket Road. When we came to US 31 we turned North and followed it all the way up to just South of Mackinaw City, where it ended when it joined up with I-75.
Along the way, we stopped to get Bobbie T a drink of 87 octane in Elk Rapids. The highway wasn't too bad until we got up to around the Charlevoix area and then it got really rough!!! :-( At times Jim slowed Bobbie T down to 45 mph, to try to make the ride better. I really don''t think it helped much though and we bounced along almost all the way to the Interstate.
Once on the Interstate, it was only a few miles before we came to "The Bridge"!!!! I'm usually pretty brave and I usually don't have a problem crossing bridges, but I just couldn't make myself look out of the window as we were going across this one cause it's so high!!! So, I covered my eyes. :-{
At least this time, it wasn't windy, and there was some construction on the bridge so the speed was down to less than 45 mph and sometimes almost stopped.
Oh, anyone heading up this way that wants to cross the bridge, , , , they charge you $5 per axle for the Motorhome and $2 per axle for your vehicle that you're towing. For us that meant $14.00!!!!!
Once across the bridge and into the U.P. we took exit 344B to US 2. We followed 2 for a couple miles until we came to Pte. LeBarbe Road where we turned left and followed it for another mile or so, until we came to the Lakeshore Park Campground.
It was 12:40 when pulled up next to the office,
so it took us 2 hours and 30 minutes to stop and get Bobbie T her drink and travel 103 miles.
Jim, Linda and I think this is a really neat campground. When Jim called up here the other day to make sure that they had a site available, he asked if they had a site with a view of Lake Michigan. Well, they did, and here's the pull-in site they gave us. ;-)
This is the view, from in front of Bobbie T, looking slightly off to the right.
Jim walked down to the other side of the road and took this photo looking back at our site.
From the road, there's a pathway going down to the shoreline. From there, Jim took this shot of "The Bridge" that we had come across. Do you see why I had to cover my eyes?????
Brrrrr!!!! I get the shakes, just thinking about it!!!!!!! :-{
I don't know if it's going to be the same every day, but when we got here yesterday, Jim and Linda just opened all the windows and vents and just let the cool lake breeze blow through Bobbie T. Jim and Linda talked to the couple in the site next to us for a little while, and I heard them say that it's like that most days, and that they hadn't run their AC in the last week or so, since they came here.
Don't know of any big plans for today. Jim and Linda are about out of some grocery items again, so they'll probably go find a grocery store. And, I'm sure they'll both be outside, enjoying the cool lake breeze and the great view.
Did you know that the height of the roadway of the Mackinac Bridge at mid-span is approximately 200 feet above water level?
Brrrrr!!!!!! There's those shakes again!!!!!!!!!!!
Woof!!!
68 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 82F. Winds from the SW at 5 to 10 mph.
By 10:10 we were pulling out of the Everflowing Water CG near Williamsburg and heading West on Bracket Road. When we came to US 31 we turned North and followed it all the way up to just South of Mackinaw City, where it ended when it joined up with I-75.
Along the way, we stopped to get Bobbie T a drink of 87 octane in Elk Rapids. The highway wasn't too bad until we got up to around the Charlevoix area and then it got really rough!!! :-( At times Jim slowed Bobbie T down to 45 mph, to try to make the ride better. I really don''t think it helped much though and we bounced along almost all the way to the Interstate.
Once on the Interstate, it was only a few miles before we came to "The Bridge"!!!! I'm usually pretty brave and I usually don't have a problem crossing bridges, but I just couldn't make myself look out of the window as we were going across this one cause it's so high!!! So, I covered my eyes. :-{
At least this time, it wasn't windy, and there was some construction on the bridge so the speed was down to less than 45 mph and sometimes almost stopped.
Oh, anyone heading up this way that wants to cross the bridge, , , , they charge you $5 per axle for the Motorhome and $2 per axle for your vehicle that you're towing. For us that meant $14.00!!!!!
Once across the bridge and into the U.P. we took exit 344B to US 2. We followed 2 for a couple miles until we came to Pte. LeBarbe Road where we turned left and followed it for another mile or so, until we came to the Lakeshore Park Campground.
It was 12:40 when pulled up next to the office,
so it took us 2 hours and 30 minutes to stop and get Bobbie T her drink and travel 103 miles.
Jim, Linda and I think this is a really neat campground. When Jim called up here the other day to make sure that they had a site available, he asked if they had a site with a view of Lake Michigan. Well, they did, and here's the pull-in site they gave us. ;-)
This is the view, from in front of Bobbie T, looking slightly off to the right.
Jim walked down to the other side of the road and took this photo looking back at our site.
From the road, there's a pathway going down to the shoreline. From there, Jim took this shot of "The Bridge" that we had come across. Do you see why I had to cover my eyes?????
I don't know if it's going to be the same every day, but when we got here yesterday, Jim and Linda just opened all the windows and vents and just let the cool lake breeze blow through Bobbie T. Jim and Linda talked to the couple in the site next to us for a little while, and I heard them say that it's like that most days, and that they hadn't run their AC in the last week or so, since they came here.
Don't know of any big plans for today. Jim and Linda are about out of some grocery items again, so they'll probably go find a grocery store. And, I'm sure they'll both be outside, enjoying the cool lake breeze and the great view.
Did you know that the height of the roadway of the Mackinac Bridge at mid-span is approximately 200 feet above water level?
Brrrrr!!!!!! There's those shakes again!!!!!!!!!!!
Woof!!!
Friday, June 21, 2013
Catching Up On The Trip To Kankakee
Rantoul, IL.
66 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = High temp. 91 deg. clear, S. wind @ 10 to 15 mph.
We're back from our little jaunt up to Kankakee. We didn't have an Internet signal that was unusable at the State Park up there, so today, I'll try to get you caught up.
Monday, after dumping the tanks and getting a few last minute things done, we pulled out of the Prairie Pines CG about 10:20 and headed North on US 45. 45 parallels I-57 and was a major highway back before Interstate Highways. We followed 45 up to Ashkum where detour signs directed us over to I-57. 57 then brought us up and around Kankakee and to IL Rt. 50. Rt. 50 took us South to Armor Rd, which took us west to IL Rt. 102, which took us along the Kankakee River and to the Kankakee River State Park.
It was 12:05 and we had traveled 76 miles when we pulled into the Potawatomi Campground section. Then, after registering, we drove to the Oak loop section where Jim backed Bobbie T into site #6.
66 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = High temp. 91 deg. clear, S. wind @ 10 to 15 mph.
We're back from our little jaunt up to Kankakee. We didn't have an Internet signal that was unusable at the State Park up there, so today, I'll try to get you caught up.
Monday, after dumping the tanks and getting a few last minute things done, we pulled out of the Prairie Pines CG about 10:20 and headed North on US 45. 45 parallels I-57 and was a major highway back before Interstate Highways. We followed 45 up to Ashkum where detour signs directed us over to I-57. 57 then brought us up and around Kankakee and to IL Rt. 50. Rt. 50 took us South to Armor Rd, which took us west to IL Rt. 102, which took us along the Kankakee River and to the Kankakee River State Park.
It was 12:05 and we had traveled 76 miles when we pulled into the Potawatomi Campground section. Then, after registering, we drove to the Oak loop section where Jim backed Bobbie T into site #6.
Site #6 was nice and level, had 50 amp electric, some shade, and like all the sites, a picnic table and a fire ring.
To be honest, neither Jim or Linda really cared too much what the site was like because they knew that they weren't going to be spending much time there, as this trip was to take care of some business and to visit with family and friends.
Tuesday morning, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed to Wilmington, IL, where they had a meeting with their financial advisor. After discussing some options and making a few small changes to their investments, they drove over to the Chick A Dee Restaurant and had breakfast for lunch.
After lunch, they drove to Peotone, Il, (the town where Jim and Linda used to live), and went to the cemetery, East of town, where Jim's parents are buried as well as many of his ancestors.
After spending almost 2 hours, driving/walking around in the cemetery and finding and taking photos of almost all of the graves, they headed over to Denny and Bev's house in town.
As many of you know, Denny and Bev are 1/3 of the "Illinois Bunch" that Jim and Linda usually go to visit in Tampa, FL every winter, and, who usually come here to the Prairie Pines CG in Rantoul, when we're here in the summer.
Jim and Denny lived about a block apart when they were kids, so have been friends for many, many years. They always seem to enjoy each other's company and always enjoy visiting.
Bev ordered a Pizza for dinner and after eating, visiting some more and h and h, (hugs and handshakes), Jim and Linda returned to the State Park.
Wednesday Jim and Linda took CLT and headed to Monee, IL to see Jim's cousin, Adeline. She lost her husband a couple years ago, and really enjoys seeing, "Jimmy" and Linda. ; ) After having lunch with Adeline and visiting for awhile, they headed over to Momence, IL. to visit with Barb.
Barb is a long time friend of both Jim and Linda's. She lived down in Florida for awhile, and some of you long time readers may remember Jim and Linda going to visit her at her house down there. After visiting for awhile, they all took Barb's car and headed to a family style restaurant in Momence and enjoyed a nice dinner and more visiting.
After eating, there were more hugs and then Jim and Linda came back to the State Park.
Yesterday morning, we left the Kankakee State Park about 10:00, retraced our route to I-57 and then brought 57 all the way down here to Rantoul. When we got into Rantoul, Jim pulled Bobbie T into a Casey's Gas Station and filled her up with 87 octane before returning here to Prairie Pines.
It was 11:55 when we pulled back into site #7 and we had traveled 77 miles. and stopped for gas.
All in all, it was a very good trip. Everything was accomplished that Jim and Linda wanted to do, and they got to see and visit with some very good friends and family.
Did you know that Martha Washington was born on this date in 1731?
Woof!!!
Monday, June 3, 2013
Nice Weather For A Change?
Rantoul, IL.
52 deg. sunny, NE wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast = Today: Mostly sunny. Highs around 77°F. East wind to 10 MPH.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows around 59°F. East southeast wind to 9 MPH.
It looks like we're finally going to have some nice weather for a change, here in Rantoul. : ) They're not forecasting any high winds or storms, so maybe all that tornado warning stuff is over for awhile.
Not a whole lot to report, but I didn't want to skip too many days of posting.
Yesterday was a rainy, drizzly day, but Jim and Linda were just about out of bread, so about 4:30 they took CLT and headed over to the Casey's gas station here in Rantoul. Since CLT was getting kind of thirsty, (he hadn't had a drink since May 2nd when we were in Moncure, NC), they bought him a drink of 87 octane as well.
Then, instead of coming back here, they took a ride down to Urbana and went to the Steak & Shake Restaurant for dinner.
No big plans for today, but I'm sure that Jim will be outside doing things. He's been getting really itchy, having to be inside so much lately. One of the things he wants to do is to get back to riding his bike. He unloaded it out of the back of CLT shortly after we arrived here in Rantoul, and because of the weather and wind, hasn't ridden it yet!
I think the last time he rode it was when we were in DeBary!!
Did you know that Europe is the only continent without a desert?
Woof!!!
52 deg. sunny, NE wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast = Today: Mostly sunny. Highs around 77°F. East wind to 10 MPH.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows around 59°F. East southeast wind to 9 MPH.
It looks like we're finally going to have some nice weather for a change, here in Rantoul. : ) They're not forecasting any high winds or storms, so maybe all that tornado warning stuff is over for awhile.
Not a whole lot to report, but I didn't want to skip too many days of posting.
Yesterday was a rainy, drizzly day, but Jim and Linda were just about out of bread, so about 4:30 they took CLT and headed over to the Casey's gas station here in Rantoul. Since CLT was getting kind of thirsty, (he hadn't had a drink since May 2nd when we were in Moncure, NC), they bought him a drink of 87 octane as well.
Then, instead of coming back here, they took a ride down to Urbana and went to the Steak & Shake Restaurant for dinner.
No big plans for today, but I'm sure that Jim will be outside doing things. He's been getting really itchy, having to be inside so much lately. One of the things he wants to do is to get back to riding his bike. He unloaded it out of the back of CLT shortly after we arrived here in Rantoul, and because of the weather and wind, hasn't ridden it yet!
I think the last time he rode it was when we were in DeBary!!
Did you know that Europe is the only continent without a desert?
Woof!!!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
SMI and Henderson, KY to Rantoul, IL
Rantoul, IL.
67 deg. partly cloudy, N. wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 81°F. Northeast wind to 5 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Lows around 61°F. South southwest wind to 6 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%.
Wow!!! I didn't think we'd end up in Rantoul yesterday, but here we are!!!!! But, let me tell you what all happened.
We left the John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, KY about 8:25 and drove the 12 or so miles up to Evansville, IN and to SMI Mfg., arriving there just before our scheduled appointment at 9:00. Once there, Jim went in and told Jason that we were there and then came back out and unhooked CLT from the back of Bobbie T.
Soon, Jason came out, checked out the wires on the back of Bobbie T, made a little modification to the wires and then took CLT into the building to install the new brake kit. By about 11:30, Jason brought CLT back outside and pulled him up behind Bobbie T.
After some testing to make sure everything worked, Jim went inside, paid the bill, came back outside and hooked CLT back up to Bobbie T, and by 12:05 we were pulling out of SMI's lot.
While Jason was working on CLT, Jim and Linda were discussing what they wanted to do when we left SMI. They both decided that depending on when Jason finished would determine how far they wanted to travel. Well, when everything was done by noon, they decided that we'd at least head part way towards Rantoul and then decide if they wanted to stop for the night, or continue all the way to Rantoul.
So, from Evansville, we headed North on US 41 and up to just South of Terre Haute where we pulled into a gas station to get Bobbie T another drink of 87 octane. While there, the decision was made to continue on up here to Rantoul. While at the station, Jim called Louise here at the CG and told her that because of our change of plans, we'd be coming in yesterday, instead of Saturday, if that was OK. She told Jim to come on in, and she'd be waiting for us. : )
When we got up to Terre Haute, we turned West on I-70 and followed it into Illinois and to Rt. 1 where we turned North. Rt. 1 brought us up to Danville where we turned West on I-74. 74 then brought us over to the Champaign / Urbana area where we turned North on US 45 and took it up here to Rantoul.
Being that we would be staying in Rantoul for quite awhile, Jim wanted to have Bobbie T's gas tank full, so we went into town, to a Casey's gas station, before heading back to the South edge of town and to the Prairie Pines Campground.
It was 5:00 when we pulled into the CG, so from Henderson, KY we had traveled 239 miles, got the brake kit installed and stopped for fuel twice in 8 hours and 35 minutes. A very long day for Jim and Linda!!!
But, we're here and today both Jim and Linda can just kick back and relax.
Oh, by the way, the new brake kit worked very well and even I could tell that CLT was helping to stop us when we had to stop quickly a few times. : )
Did you know that the city of Rantoul was named after Robert Rantoul, Jr., a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, and a director of the Illinois Central Railroad?
Woof!!!
67 deg. partly cloudy, N. wind @ 8 mph.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 81°F. Northeast wind to 5 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with scattered storms. Lows around 61°F. South southwest wind to 6 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 45%.
Wow!!! I didn't think we'd end up in Rantoul yesterday, but here we are!!!!! But, let me tell you what all happened.
We left the John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, KY about 8:25 and drove the 12 or so miles up to Evansville, IN and to SMI Mfg., arriving there just before our scheduled appointment at 9:00. Once there, Jim went in and told Jason that we were there and then came back out and unhooked CLT from the back of Bobbie T.
Soon, Jason came out, checked out the wires on the back of Bobbie T, made a little modification to the wires and then took CLT into the building to install the new brake kit. By about 11:30, Jason brought CLT back outside and pulled him up behind Bobbie T.
After some testing to make sure everything worked, Jim went inside, paid the bill, came back outside and hooked CLT back up to Bobbie T, and by 12:05 we were pulling out of SMI's lot.
While Jason was working on CLT, Jim and Linda were discussing what they wanted to do when we left SMI. They both decided that depending on when Jason finished would determine how far they wanted to travel. Well, when everything was done by noon, they decided that we'd at least head part way towards Rantoul and then decide if they wanted to stop for the night, or continue all the way to Rantoul.
So, from Evansville, we headed North on US 41 and up to just South of Terre Haute where we pulled into a gas station to get Bobbie T another drink of 87 octane. While there, the decision was made to continue on up here to Rantoul. While at the station, Jim called Louise here at the CG and told her that because of our change of plans, we'd be coming in yesterday, instead of Saturday, if that was OK. She told Jim to come on in, and she'd be waiting for us. : )
When we got up to Terre Haute, we turned West on I-70 and followed it into Illinois and to Rt. 1 where we turned North. Rt. 1 brought us up to Danville where we turned West on I-74. 74 then brought us over to the Champaign / Urbana area where we turned North on US 45 and took it up here to Rantoul.
Being that we would be staying in Rantoul for quite awhile, Jim wanted to have Bobbie T's gas tank full, so we went into town, to a Casey's gas station, before heading back to the South edge of town and to the Prairie Pines Campground.
It was 5:00 when we pulled into the CG, so from Henderson, KY we had traveled 239 miles, got the brake kit installed and stopped for fuel twice in 8 hours and 35 minutes. A very long day for Jim and Linda!!!
But, we're here and today both Jim and Linda can just kick back and relax.
Oh, by the way, the new brake kit worked very well and even I could tell that CLT was helping to stop us when we had to stop quickly a few times. : )
Did you know that the city of Rantoul was named after Robert Rantoul, Jr., a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, and a director of the Illinois Central Railroad?
Woof!!!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Lenoir, TN To Lebanon, TN, A Resort? and It Made Her Day
Lebanon, TN.
39 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Mostly sunny with areas of frost. Highs around 70°F. Northeast wind 2 to 10 MPH.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows around 46°F. North wind 1 to 6 MPH.
Can you believe the temperature here in Lebanon? We've just set a new record low!!!!
After a very nice kick-back Saturday at the TVA Park in Lenoir, we left there yesterday morning and continued heading West on I-40. We didn't have real far to go, so we didn't pull out of the park until about 10:20.
Once on 40, it was easy going with a medium amount of traffic all along the way here to Lebanon, which is just a little East of Nashville. Because Bobbie T's gas tank was just about down to 1/2, when we pulled off of 40 at the exit leading to the CG, Jim pulled her into a gas station and filled her tank up with 87 octane. (8.6 mph again on this fill-up).
After getting Bobbie T her drink, we continued on to the Countryside Resort which is just about 2 miles from the exit. It was 1:10 when we pulled up to the office, so it took us 2 hours and 50 minutes to travel 137 miles and get Bobbie T her drink.
The Countryside Resort is nice, but it's not what I think of when I hear the word, "Resort". The sites are fairly level and they have both pull-through or back in full hook-up sites, some with 50 amp electric. Jim took a few photos of the CG area so you can see what I mean. This first photo is of Bobbie T in our site.
This is looking back towards the office which is the far building in the center of photo and the pavilion off to the left.
This is the bath house / laundry.
To their credit, the folks in the office are very nice and the man that led us to our site was very friendly and helpful.
Being that yesterday was Mother's Day, Jim wanted to do a little something for Linda, so he cooked a nice big steak out on the grill while Linda prepared some vegetables inside. It sure smelled good, but again, I didn't get to taste any of it. : (
In the evening, Mike called to wish Linda a Happy Mother's Day, and then a little later Laura and Ashley called and then Joe called.
It made Linda's day!!! ; )
Jim and Linda have decided to stay here another day. Again, they're out of some essentials, so today, they're planning on going to a grocery store to restock.
Did you know that many of the sweaters worn by Mr. Rogers on the popular television show, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, were actually knitted by his real mother?
39 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Mostly sunny with areas of frost. Highs around 70°F. Northeast wind 2 to 10 MPH.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows around 46°F. North wind 1 to 6 MPH.
Can you believe the temperature here in Lebanon? We've just set a new record low!!!!
After a very nice kick-back Saturday at the TVA Park in Lenoir, we left there yesterday morning and continued heading West on I-40. We didn't have real far to go, so we didn't pull out of the park until about 10:20.
Once on 40, it was easy going with a medium amount of traffic all along the way here to Lebanon, which is just a little East of Nashville. Because Bobbie T's gas tank was just about down to 1/2, when we pulled off of 40 at the exit leading to the CG, Jim pulled her into a gas station and filled her tank up with 87 octane. (8.6 mph again on this fill-up).
After getting Bobbie T her drink, we continued on to the Countryside Resort which is just about 2 miles from the exit. It was 1:10 when we pulled up to the office, so it took us 2 hours and 50 minutes to travel 137 miles and get Bobbie T her drink.
The Countryside Resort is nice, but it's not what I think of when I hear the word, "Resort". The sites are fairly level and they have both pull-through or back in full hook-up sites, some with 50 amp electric. Jim took a few photos of the CG area so you can see what I mean. This first photo is of Bobbie T in our site.
This is looking back towards the office which is the far building in the center of photo and the pavilion off to the left.
To their credit, the folks in the office are very nice and the man that led us to our site was very friendly and helpful.
Being that yesterday was Mother's Day, Jim wanted to do a little something for Linda, so he cooked a nice big steak out on the grill while Linda prepared some vegetables inside. It sure smelled good, but again, I didn't get to taste any of it. : (
In the evening, Mike called to wish Linda a Happy Mother's Day, and then a little later Laura and Ashley called and then Joe called.
It made Linda's day!!! ; )
Jim and Linda have decided to stay here another day. Again, they're out of some essentials, so today, they're planning on going to a grocery store to restock.
Did you know that many of the sweaters worn by Mr. Rogers on the popular television show, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, were actually knitted by his real mother?
Friday, May 10, 2013
North Carolina To Tennessee and The TVA Melton Hill Dam Recreation Area
Lenoir City, TN.
59 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Highs around 75°F. South southwest wind 4 to 18 MPH, gusting to 28 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 70%.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with thunderstorms likely. Lows around 63°F. Southwest wind 7 to 15 MPH, gusting to 23 MPH.
After a nice one night stay at the Miles Motors RV Park. we left Swannanoa at 9:45 and continued West on I-40. A little past Asheville, the road swung towards the NW, up into the Smokys and then into Tennessee where it turned West again. Just after turning West, we pulled into a Pilot gas station and filled up Bobbie T's tank with 87 octane gas.
This time there were no credit card issues and except for having to wait for a pump to open up, everything went smoothly. ; )
Once back on I-40 and heading West, the question came up as weather to continue on I-40 right through Knoxville or to go around to the North on I-640. Well, Jim decided to right through the center of the city on 40, so when we came to the split, we stayed on 40.
40 through Knoxville, was OK, but boy, was it ever crowded!! For most of the way, we were running bumper to bumper at 55 to 60 mph!!! Way too fast and too close for me!!! : O
We made it through without any problems though and soon we were West of the city and turning off on exit 364 and heading North on Route 321. In just a short way, we were turning off at the signs that pointed the way here to the TVA Melton Hill Dam Recreation Area Camp Ground.
It was 1:10 when we pulled up in front of the registration kiosk so we traveled for 3 hours and 25 minutes, got gas for Bobbie T and traveled 150 miles.
This is a nice park. It reminds me a lot of some of the COE parks that we've stayed at through the years. There's lots of trees, so if you have satellite, you just may be out of luck. Most of the sites seem to be fairly level and medium in size, but the as we found when we drove back into the CG, the roads were narrow with some very sharp curves and corners. They have a few sites that are full hook-up but the site we're in only has water and electric. (30 / 50 amp),
I do, however, have a great view from out under Bobbie T's awning. ; )
This is the view looking more toward the rear of our site.
And, this is the view looking from the road back up to our site.
The site is well equipped with a large cement picnic table, fire ring, grill and a post to hang a lantern on.
Jim and Linda like this park and the site we're in, so they signed up for 3 nights.
Oh!!! And the best part? They honored Jim's Golden Age Passport, so we're staying here for $11 per night!!! ; )
Did you know that today is "National Doodle Day"?
59 deg. light fog, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Highs around 75°F. South southwest wind 4 to 18 MPH, gusting to 28 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 70%.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with thunderstorms likely. Lows around 63°F. Southwest wind 7 to 15 MPH, gusting to 23 MPH.
After a nice one night stay at the Miles Motors RV Park. we left Swannanoa at 9:45 and continued West on I-40. A little past Asheville, the road swung towards the NW, up into the Smokys and then into Tennessee where it turned West again. Just after turning West, we pulled into a Pilot gas station and filled up Bobbie T's tank with 87 octane gas.
This time there were no credit card issues and except for having to wait for a pump to open up, everything went smoothly. ; )
Once back on I-40 and heading West, the question came up as weather to continue on I-40 right through Knoxville or to go around to the North on I-640. Well, Jim decided to right through the center of the city on 40, so when we came to the split, we stayed on 40.
40 through Knoxville, was OK, but boy, was it ever crowded!! For most of the way, we were running bumper to bumper at 55 to 60 mph!!! Way too fast and too close for me!!! : O
We made it through without any problems though and soon we were West of the city and turning off on exit 364 and heading North on Route 321. In just a short way, we were turning off at the signs that pointed the way here to the TVA Melton Hill Dam Recreation Area Camp Ground.
It was 1:10 when we pulled up in front of the registration kiosk so we traveled for 3 hours and 25 minutes, got gas for Bobbie T and traveled 150 miles.
This is a nice park. It reminds me a lot of some of the COE parks that we've stayed at through the years. There's lots of trees, so if you have satellite, you just may be out of luck. Most of the sites seem to be fairly level and medium in size, but the as we found when we drove back into the CG, the roads were narrow with some very sharp curves and corners. They have a few sites that are full hook-up but the site we're in only has water and electric. (30 / 50 amp),
I do, however, have a great view from out under Bobbie T's awning. ; )
This is the view looking more toward the rear of our site.
And, this is the view looking from the road back up to our site.
The site is well equipped with a large cement picnic table, fire ring, grill and a post to hang a lantern on.
Jim and Linda like this park and the site we're in, so they signed up for 3 nights.
Oh!!! And the best part? They honored Jim's Golden Age Passport, so we're staying here for $11 per night!!! ; )
Did you know that today is "National Doodle Day"?
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Moncure To Swannanoa
Swannanoa, NC
54 deg. foggy, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with patchy fog. Highs around 77°F. West northwest wind to 8 MPH.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Lows around 52°F. West northwest wind 1 to 6 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 25%.
We left Moncure about 10:30 yesterday morning and headed up to Pittsboro on hilly winding 2 lane roads. Once in Pittsboro, we stopped at a gas station to get Bobbie T a drink of 87 octane.
I don't know what happened, but there was some kind of mix-up with Jim and Linda's credit card because they ended up calling the bank from the gas station before they could get it to work!! : ( By the time we left the gas station, it was already a little past 10:30.
From Pittsboro, we headed West on US 64 until we came to Siler City, where we turned NW on US 421. 421 then took us up to Greensboro where we turned West on I-40. Following 40 brought us past Winston-Salem, Hickory and Morganton and here to Swannanoa where we pulled into the Miles Motors RV Center and Campground, which is just a few blocks off of the Interstate.
We had been to this CG before, but not for quite awhile. In fact, I'm pretty sure that we still had Myrddin the last time we were here. It's a decent CG. They have a handful of pull-through sites which is nice if you don't want to unhook, the sites are quite level and there's shade if you want it. There's full hook-ups with 50 amp electric, free cable TV and free wi-fi that doesn't seem to be working right now, all for $27.00 a night.
It was 2:25 when we pulled up in front of the office, and we had traveled 215 miles. The roads were pretty good, we had lots of traffic around the biggest cities and we would have made pretty good time if it hadn't been for that Credit Card fiasco. : (
Today, the plan is to take I-40 up into Tennessee and then follow it West for a ways. Jim has a couple parks spotted just past Knoxville, so we'll probably stay there. One of the parks is a TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority), park on a lake that sounds pretty interesting.
But, we'll have to see what Jim and Linda feel like when we get up there.
Did you know that the longest time spent standing on one foot is 76 hours and 40 minutes?
54 deg. foggy, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with patchy fog. Highs around 77°F. West northwest wind to 8 MPH.
Tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Lows around 52°F. West northwest wind 1 to 6 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 25%.
We left Moncure about 10:30 yesterday morning and headed up to Pittsboro on hilly winding 2 lane roads. Once in Pittsboro, we stopped at a gas station to get Bobbie T a drink of 87 octane.
I don't know what happened, but there was some kind of mix-up with Jim and Linda's credit card because they ended up calling the bank from the gas station before they could get it to work!! : ( By the time we left the gas station, it was already a little past 10:30.
From Pittsboro, we headed West on US 64 until we came to Siler City, where we turned NW on US 421. 421 then took us up to Greensboro where we turned West on I-40. Following 40 brought us past Winston-Salem, Hickory and Morganton and here to Swannanoa where we pulled into the Miles Motors RV Center and Campground, which is just a few blocks off of the Interstate.
We had been to this CG before, but not for quite awhile. In fact, I'm pretty sure that we still had Myrddin the last time we were here. It's a decent CG. They have a handful of pull-through sites which is nice if you don't want to unhook, the sites are quite level and there's shade if you want it. There's full hook-ups with 50 amp electric, free cable TV and free wi-fi that doesn't seem to be working right now, all for $27.00 a night.
It was 2:25 when we pulled up in front of the office, and we had traveled 215 miles. The roads were pretty good, we had lots of traffic around the biggest cities and we would have made pretty good time if it hadn't been for that Credit Card fiasco. : (
Today, the plan is to take I-40 up into Tennessee and then follow it West for a ways. Jim has a couple parks spotted just past Knoxville, so we'll probably stay there. One of the parks is a TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority), park on a lake that sounds pretty interesting.
But, we'll have to see what Jim and Linda feel like when we get up there.
Did you know that the longest time spent standing on one foot is 76 hours and 40 minutes?
Thursday, April 18, 2013
North Carolina to Virginia
Virginia Beach, VA.
61 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy. Highs around 66°F. Southeast wind to 16 MPH.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows around 59°F. South southeast wind to 16 MPH.
We left Williamston NC right at 10:00, eager to get on the road. This day would mark the end to the first leg of our journey with Bobbie T, and put us in Virginia Beach at Joe and Nancy's house.
Again, Bobbie T performed very well as we headed, first NE towards Elizabeth City and then North into Virginia on US 17. On this whole leg of our journey, "from Florida all the way up into Virginia", US 17 has been a very good road. Oh, there were a few small construction areas and a few rough spots, but I know for a fact, that the Interstate roads from FL to NC are nothing to write home about. ; o
As we neared Virginia Beach on 17 we had to go through a construction area, (about 2 miles long), where they are widening 17 into a 4 lane road. That slowed us down some, but not too bad. When we got onto I-64, the traffic really got heavy and it was bumper to bumper, at 65 MPH, all the way to I-264, where the traffic thinned out just a little. 264 took us into Virginia Beach where we finally turned off of the Interstate, onto local road and to Joe and Nancy's house.
Just after we turned off of the Interstate, Jim pulled Bobbie T into a gas station and filled her up with 87 octane. It had been about 350 miles since her last fill-up and she was getting pretty thirsty.
It was 12:45 when we pulled up in front of Joe and Nancy's, so it took us 2 hours and 45 minutes to drive 111 miles and get Bobbie T her drink.
After h and h, (Joe and Sami were home), Jim unhooked CLT and pulled Bobbie T into the driveway. She's now hooked up to water and very limited electric, so Jim and Linda will have to be careful of how many electrical things they use at one time and also very careful with waste water, as there's no sewer connection.
Did you know that Virginia Beach is the most populous city in Virginia?
Woof!!!
61 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy. Highs around 66°F. Southeast wind to 16 MPH.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows around 59°F. South southeast wind to 16 MPH.
We left Williamston NC right at 10:00, eager to get on the road. This day would mark the end to the first leg of our journey with Bobbie T, and put us in Virginia Beach at Joe and Nancy's house.
Again, Bobbie T performed very well as we headed, first NE towards Elizabeth City and then North into Virginia on US 17. On this whole leg of our journey, "from Florida all the way up into Virginia", US 17 has been a very good road. Oh, there were a few small construction areas and a few rough spots, but I know for a fact, that the Interstate roads from FL to NC are nothing to write home about. ; o
As we neared Virginia Beach on 17 we had to go through a construction area, (about 2 miles long), where they are widening 17 into a 4 lane road. That slowed us down some, but not too bad. When we got onto I-64, the traffic really got heavy and it was bumper to bumper, at 65 MPH, all the way to I-264, where the traffic thinned out just a little. 264 took us into Virginia Beach where we finally turned off of the Interstate, onto local road and to Joe and Nancy's house.
Just after we turned off of the Interstate, Jim pulled Bobbie T into a gas station and filled her up with 87 octane. It had been about 350 miles since her last fill-up and she was getting pretty thirsty.
It was 12:45 when we pulled up in front of Joe and Nancy's, so it took us 2 hours and 45 minutes to drive 111 miles and get Bobbie T her drink.
After h and h, (Joe and Sami were home), Jim unhooked CLT and pulled Bobbie T into the driveway. She's now hooked up to water and very limited electric, so Jim and Linda will have to be careful of how many electrical things they use at one time and also very careful with waste water, as there's no sewer connection.
Did you know that Virginia Beach is the most populous city in Virginia?
Woof!!!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
South Carolina to North Carolina and A Great Beach
North Topsail Beach, NC
59 deg clear, NE wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy. Highs around 70°F. East wind to 10 MPH.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows around 61°F. East wind to 7 MPH.
Had a lot of rain yesterday morning. Wind too. In fact the wind was blowing so hard that Jim brought in Bobbie T's front slide so the awning over it would quit flapping and shaking the whole RV!!!
But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Sunday morning, by around 10:00 everything was packed up and we were pulling out of the beachfront site at the Apache Family CG. On the way out of the park, we stopped at the "Trading Post" in the CG and got Bobbie T's propane tank topped off so we'd have plenty of propane when we got to Joe and Nancy's in Virginia Beach. (We'll be parked in their driveway for 8 to 10 days).
Then, just down the street from the CG, we pulled into a gas station where Jim filled Bobbie T's tank with 87 octane gas, @ $3.31 per gallon. ; ) By the time we pulled out of the station it was already 10:40, so we were really getting a late start.
In just another few blocks we came to US 17 again, where we turned NE and continued our journey North. The traffic was fairly heavy through North Myrtle Beach and around Wilmington, NC. but we made good time and soon we were turning off on NC 210, which brought us over here to the coast and to the Surf City Family CG.
It was 12:50 when we pulled up in front of the office and we had traveled just 99 miles. Yeah, it did take us 2 hours and 50 minutes, but around 40 minutes was spent stopping for propane and gas, so it actually wasn't too bad.
Yesterday, I mentioned that we had been to this CG 3 years ago when we came through here. I'd like to try to explain to you what the draw to the CG is.
First of all, I'll tell you what it isn't!!! It isn't fancy, most of the sites are quite narrow and crowded together, some of the sites aren't level, (but are not too far off), some do not have sewer connections, and you can't see the ocean from the sites.
But, as you drive into the CG, you see the large dunes that protect the CG from storms, and you see this walkway heading over them.
After registering at the office and talking to the very nice lady, (the owner), you park your RV in it's assigned site. Then, after getting set up, (or not),
it's time to take a look at what's on the other side of the dunes, so you head up the stairs/ramp.
Once to the top, this is your reward!!!
View from bottom of the steps, looking off to the right.
View to the left.
As you can see, it's a beautiful, wide beach. This is not the "tourist season" yet , but from talking to the owner in the office, and others here in the park, they all say that this beach never gets very crowded. The CG does however, fill up during the summer months, so if you decide to come here then, be sure to call ahead.
After getting Bobbie T set up in our site, Jim and Linda walked to the top of the dune and sat on the bench, just watching the ocean, for at least 1/2 hour.
Linda's a "happy camper" ; )
While Jim was registering us Sunday, he asked the owner if she could recommend a good place to go to eat, She told Jim that if he and Linda would wait to Monday, there was a Restaurant not too far from here, called Madison's that had a great buffet, and on Monday, the price for senior's was only $5.95!! She also recommended that they not go right at lunch or dinner time as the place was very popular and they would probably have to wait quite a long time.
So, about 1:30, Jim and Linda took CLG and headed over there.
Both Jim and Linda said that for a buffet, the food was very good and they really enjoyed their meals. Not long after Jim and Linda returned there was news of the tragedy up in Boston.
What a shame that people have to injure innocent people to make a point.
The rest of the day was spent getting Bobbie T ready to travel and watching TV.
While Jim and Linda were watching TV, I published a short post about my views of the Tragedy. I hope you'll take the time to read it.
Did you know that on this date in 1922 - Annie Oakley shot 100 clay targets in a row, to set a women's record?
Woof!!!
59 deg clear, NE wind @ 6 mph.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy. Highs around 70°F. East wind to 10 MPH.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows around 61°F. East wind to 7 MPH.
Had a lot of rain yesterday morning. Wind too. In fact the wind was blowing so hard that Jim brought in Bobbie T's front slide so the awning over it would quit flapping and shaking the whole RV!!!
But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Sunday morning, by around 10:00 everything was packed up and we were pulling out of the beachfront site at the Apache Family CG. On the way out of the park, we stopped at the "Trading Post" in the CG and got Bobbie T's propane tank topped off so we'd have plenty of propane when we got to Joe and Nancy's in Virginia Beach. (We'll be parked in their driveway for 8 to 10 days).
Then, just down the street from the CG, we pulled into a gas station where Jim filled Bobbie T's tank with 87 octane gas, @ $3.31 per gallon. ; ) By the time we pulled out of the station it was already 10:40, so we were really getting a late start.
In just another few blocks we came to US 17 again, where we turned NE and continued our journey North. The traffic was fairly heavy through North Myrtle Beach and around Wilmington, NC. but we made good time and soon we were turning off on NC 210, which brought us over here to the coast and to the Surf City Family CG.
It was 12:50 when we pulled up in front of the office and we had traveled just 99 miles. Yeah, it did take us 2 hours and 50 minutes, but around 40 minutes was spent stopping for propane and gas, so it actually wasn't too bad.
Yesterday, I mentioned that we had been to this CG 3 years ago when we came through here. I'd like to try to explain to you what the draw to the CG is.
First of all, I'll tell you what it isn't!!! It isn't fancy, most of the sites are quite narrow and crowded together, some of the sites aren't level, (but are not too far off), some do not have sewer connections, and you can't see the ocean from the sites.
But, as you drive into the CG, you see the large dunes that protect the CG from storms, and you see this walkway heading over them.
After registering at the office and talking to the very nice lady, (the owner), you park your RV in it's assigned site. Then, after getting set up, (or not),
it's time to take a look at what's on the other side of the dunes, so you head up the stairs/ramp.
Once to the top, this is your reward!!!
View from bottom of the steps, looking off to the right.
View to the left.
As you can see, it's a beautiful, wide beach. This is not the "tourist season" yet , but from talking to the owner in the office, and others here in the park, they all say that this beach never gets very crowded. The CG does however, fill up during the summer months, so if you decide to come here then, be sure to call ahead.
After getting Bobbie T set up in our site, Jim and Linda walked to the top of the dune and sat on the bench, just watching the ocean, for at least 1/2 hour.
Linda's a "happy camper" ; )
While Jim was registering us Sunday, he asked the owner if she could recommend a good place to go to eat, She told Jim that if he and Linda would wait to Monday, there was a Restaurant not too far from here, called Madison's that had a great buffet, and on Monday, the price for senior's was only $5.95!! She also recommended that they not go right at lunch or dinner time as the place was very popular and they would probably have to wait quite a long time.
So, about 1:30, Jim and Linda took CLG and headed over there.
Both Jim and Linda said that for a buffet, the food was very good and they really enjoyed their meals. Not long after Jim and Linda returned there was news of the tragedy up in Boston.
What a shame that people have to injure innocent people to make a point.
The rest of the day was spent getting Bobbie T ready to travel and watching TV.
While Jim and Linda were watching TV, I published a short post about my views of the Tragedy. I hope you'll take the time to read it.
Did you know that on this date in 1922 - Annie Oakley shot 100 clay targets in a row, to set a women's record?
Woof!!!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Not A Spectacular Sunrise
Myrtle Beach, SC.
53 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with patchy fog. Highs around 72°F. East wind 2 to 14 MPH, gusting to 18 MPH.
Tonight: Cloudy with slight chance of light showers. Lows around 61°F. East southeast wind 9 to 14 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 85%.
Right after I finished yesterday's post, I got Jim to go out and take some photos of the sunrise. It wasn't a spectacular sunrise, but with the sun coming up over the pier, I think it made a nice photo.
This is the first shot he got. The sun was just coming out from behind the bank of clouds.
This was taken just a short while later.
I like this one because of the neat cloud formations.
As Jim came in, he caught me looking out of the window at the sunrise. ; )
The day turned out to be one of the best we've had since we've been here. The temperatures were in the mid to upper 70's and there was a nice ocean breeze blowing.
Not much happened worth reporting though. Jim went and filled CLT up with $3.31, 87 octane at a station just a few blocks from here. He also picked up some of his favorite adult beverage before coming back here.
The rest of the day was spent taking naps, enjoying the sights and sounds of the ocean and the beautiful weather. ; )
Oh, for dinner, Jim did fire up his grill and cooked a nice big steak for himself and Linda to share, while Linda made some green beans on the stove.
That steak sure smelled good but of course I didn't get to eat any of it. : (
Today, we'll continue heading in a Northerly direction. Yesterday, Jim called a campground up by North Topsail Beach that we stayed at 3 years ago, to find out if they had plenty of sites available. The very nice lady said that there would not be a problem and to come on in, and she'd be waiting for us. : )
Did you know that there are more than 7,000 camping sites in the Myrtle Beach area?
53 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Today: Partly cloudy with patchy fog. Highs around 72°F. East wind 2 to 14 MPH, gusting to 18 MPH.
Tonight: Cloudy with slight chance of light showers. Lows around 61°F. East southeast wind 9 to 14 MPH. Chance of precipitation near 85%.
Right after I finished yesterday's post, I got Jim to go out and take some photos of the sunrise. It wasn't a spectacular sunrise, but with the sun coming up over the pier, I think it made a nice photo.
This is the first shot he got. The sun was just coming out from behind the bank of clouds.
This was taken just a short while later.
I like this one because of the neat cloud formations.
As Jim came in, he caught me looking out of the window at the sunrise. ; )
The day turned out to be one of the best we've had since we've been here. The temperatures were in the mid to upper 70's and there was a nice ocean breeze blowing.
Not much happened worth reporting though. Jim went and filled CLT up with $3.31, 87 octane at a station just a few blocks from here. He also picked up some of his favorite adult beverage before coming back here.
The rest of the day was spent taking naps, enjoying the sights and sounds of the ocean and the beautiful weather. ; )
Oh, for dinner, Jim did fire up his grill and cooked a nice big steak for himself and Linda to share, while Linda made some green beans on the stove.
That steak sure smelled good but of course I didn't get to eat any of it. : (
Today, we'll continue heading in a Northerly direction. Yesterday, Jim called a campground up by North Topsail Beach that we stayed at 3 years ago, to find out if they had plenty of sites available. The very nice lady said that there would not be a problem and to come on in, and she'd be waiting for us. : )
Did you know that there are more than 7,000 camping sites in the Myrtle Beach area?
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