Goreville, IL.
77 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 91F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
We left the Deer Run Campground near Troy, AL earlier than usual (8:30 am), on Friday morning. The reason being that Linda was up early and the weather forecast for later in the day was for thunderstorms with high winds and heavy rain.
From Troy, we continued NW on US 231 up to Montgomery, where we first got on Westbound I-85 and then turned North on I-65. 65 took us up through Birmingham where the road is still very rough, but at least the construction that we encountered on our last trip through Birmingham was finished. Continuing North on I-65 took us up to Cullman, AL and the Cullman RV Park.
The Cullman RV Park is off the beaten path, but we've been there many times in the past and knew that they had some nice shady, level pull-through sites where we could stay for 1 night.
It was right at 12:00 when we pulled into the park so we had traveled 192 miles in about 3 1/2 hours.
Oh, and the weather that was forecasted? Well, it rained hard in Cullman after we arrived, but there were severe storms in Birmingham where there were trees down and some road flooding.
Yesterday was an eventful day. We left Cullman about 9:00 and continued North on I-65 to Nashville. On the North side of Nashville, just before we were to turn off on I-24, the traffic came to a screeching halt!!! The problem was that they had 2 of the 3 lanes of I-65 closed down for construction and everyone was trying to funnel down to the one lane. :-(
I think it took us the better part of 1/2 hour to get through that mess!!! :-(
Once on I-24, heading NW, traffic once again moved along nicely.
Following 24 took us up to Clarksville where we had planned to stay at the Clarksville RV Park. But, guess what? The park was full!!!!!
Now what to do? We had already traveled about 190 miles and those of you that are familiar with the area, know that there are not any other decent campgrounds in the area!!! We also learned that evidently, the Father's Day weekend is a popular weekend to go camping, it was a good chance that all state parks and COE parks would be full-up also!!!
Well, Jim decided that he would call our next planned stop, which was about another 2 hours farther away and see if they had sites available. They did not answer the phone, but Jim left a message on their machine and we took off continuing NW on I-24.
After awhile, the CG called back and said that they had sites available and they would be sure to save one for us.
So, , , , , , here we are in Goreville, IL. at the Hilltop CG. It was 3:15 by the time we arrived and we had traveled 335 miles in 6 hours and 15 minutes!!!!
A long, long, long day for us!! In fact I can't remember the last time we traveled that many miles in a day!!!!
How did Jim hold up?? Well he was really beat by the time we arrived, but he took his time getting Nora set up and then took a nice long nap. By evening, he was feeling better and it seemed like he was pretty well rested.
We'll be here for 2 nights and then tomorrow, we'll head for Rantoul. We'll get there a couple days earlier than planned, but I'm sure Louise, (The CG host), will have a site for us.
Did you know that Davy Crockett was not born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, as the song
says? He was born on the banks of Limestone Creek near Greeneville,
where a replica of the Crockett's log cabin stands today.
Woof!!!
Showing posts with label Construction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Construction. Show all posts
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Hugs, Kisses, Handshakes And A Few Tears and Virginia Beach, VA To Moncure, NC
Moncure, NC.
47 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 66F. Winds light and variable.
Thursday, after hugs, kisses, handshakes and few tears, we left Joe and Nancy's house in Virginia Beach about 10 minutes after 10:00 and headed West on I-264. When we came to I-64, we turned South and followed it around to US 17, where we turned SW and followed it down into North Carolina. They're still building a new hi-rise bridge on 17 soon after you turn off of I-64, but we din't have much of a delay getting through the construction and soon we were tooling along on 17, which, in a few miles, turns into a 4 lane divided highway.
17 stays divided all the way down into North Carolina and all but a few small sections are like that all the way down to Williamson, where we pulled into the Pierce Mobile Home and RV Park. It was right at 12:30 and we had traveled 120 miles when Jim went up to the office to pay for our 1 night's stay.
In just a little while, Jim had Nora in her site and was hooking up her electric cable and running down the stabilizer jacks. (Didn't unhook from Big RED cause we're in a pull-though site and we would be leaving in the morning). Then, after that, he came inside, rested a bit had some liquid refreshments, went back out and dumped Nora's very full black and gray water tanks.
Friday morning we left Williamston at 9:45 and headed Wast towards Raleigh. In about an hour and 45 minutes we were going around the South side of the city on I-40/440. When we came to US 1, we turned SW on it and followed it here to Moncure, NC and the Goodwin's RV Park.
It was 12:05 when we pulled into the park, so it took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to travel the 137 miles over here.
We really like Goodwin/s. Marc, the owner is supper nice and will accommodate you in any way he can. It's a small RV Park with only a few sites available for short term use and they're usually full, so it requires a bit of luck to get a site here. Jim hasn't taken any photos of our site yet, but I'll be sure to post them when he does.
Mike, Gina and the kids were busy yesterday, but today, Big RED will be taking Jim and Linda over to their house. They're going for lunch, and will probably stay for a good part of the afternoon.
Did you know that Halloween is one of the oldest celebrations in the world, dating back over 2000 years to the time of the Celts who lived in Britain?
Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour tonight!!!
Woof!!!
47 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 66F. Winds light and variable.
Happy Halloween!!!
Thursday, after hugs, kisses, handshakes and few tears, we left Joe and Nancy's house in Virginia Beach about 10 minutes after 10:00 and headed West on I-264. When we came to I-64, we turned South and followed it around to US 17, where we turned SW and followed it down into North Carolina. They're still building a new hi-rise bridge on 17 soon after you turn off of I-64, but we din't have much of a delay getting through the construction and soon we were tooling along on 17, which, in a few miles, turns into a 4 lane divided highway.
17 stays divided all the way down into North Carolina and all but a few small sections are like that all the way down to Williamson, where we pulled into the Pierce Mobile Home and RV Park. It was right at 12:30 and we had traveled 120 miles when Jim went up to the office to pay for our 1 night's stay.
In just a little while, Jim had Nora in her site and was hooking up her electric cable and running down the stabilizer jacks. (Didn't unhook from Big RED cause we're in a pull-though site and we would be leaving in the morning). Then, after that, he came inside, rested a bit had some liquid refreshments, went back out and dumped Nora's very full black and gray water tanks.
Friday morning we left Williamston at 9:45 and headed Wast towards Raleigh. In about an hour and 45 minutes we were going around the South side of the city on I-40/440. When we came to US 1, we turned SW on it and followed it here to Moncure, NC and the Goodwin's RV Park.
It was 12:05 when we pulled into the park, so it took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to travel the 137 miles over here.
We really like Goodwin/s. Marc, the owner is supper nice and will accommodate you in any way he can. It's a small RV Park with only a few sites available for short term use and they're usually full, so it requires a bit of luck to get a site here. Jim hasn't taken any photos of our site yet, but I'll be sure to post them when he does.
Mike, Gina and the kids were busy yesterday, but today, Big RED will be taking Jim and Linda over to their house. They're going for lunch, and will probably stay for a good part of the afternoon.
Did you know that Halloween is one of the oldest celebrations in the world, dating back over 2000 years to the time of the Celts who lived in Britain?
Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour tonight!!!
Woof!!!
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Final Visit With Mike And His Family and Moncure To Forest City
Forest City, NC.
65 deg. fog, no wind.
Forecast = Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
After heading up to Pittsboro to get groceries in the afternoon, Jim and Linda had a nice visit with Mike and his family Friday evening. Saturday nothing much happened except that Jim and Linda did start getting some things put away in preparation for out departure Monday morning. Sunday, a little before 11:00 they headed over to Mike and Gina's house for their last visit with them.
After eating a light lunch, Jim got out his camera and was able to get everyone together to get this shot of Mike and his family.
From left to right, there's Savanna, Mike, Dillon, Gina and Brenna.
About 2:30, after lots of h and k, (hugs and kisses), Jim and Linda left Mike and Gina's and headed back to the CG. On the way, they stopped and bought Big RED a nice drink of that good old #2 diesel fuel. Once back at the CG they continued getting ready for our Monday morning departure,
Yesterday morning, (Monday), we left Goodwin's CG about 5 minutes before 10:00 and headed for Forest City. We took the Moncure - Pittsboro Road up to Pittsboro where we turned West on US 64. 64 took us through Asheboro and then up to the little town of Holly Grove where we turned SW on I-85. 85 then brought us down through Charlotte and Gastonia and to Kings Mountain, where we turned off of I-85 and onto westbound US 74, 74 Then brought us through Shelby and finally to Forest City and Roland and Louise's house which is just a little NW of the city.
It was about 20 minutes before 2:00 when we arrived, so it took us about 3 hours and 45 minutes to travel the 210 miles over here. Not too shabby considering that part of the roads over here were 2 lane and we had to go through quite a few small towns and cities.
For the most part, all the roads were good. There was a short section of I-85 through Charlotte that was kind of rough, but not too bad. There were a couple of construction zones, but none that delayed us for any length of time.
After getting Nora positioned, set up and plugged in so that the A/C could be turned on, Jim and Linda spent most of the afternoon inside of the house visiting with Roland and Louise.
For dinner, Louise made some great "Southern Style" BBQ pulled pork for sandwiches and then there was more visiting until around 9:30 when Jim and Linda came out here for the night.
Don't really know what the plans are for today. I do know that Roland has a dentist appointment this afternoon to have a tooth looked at that is giving him a lot of grief. :-( We're all hoping that the dentist can get it fixed without too much trouble or discomfort for Roland.
Did you know that Forest City was originally incorporated in 1877 as Burnt Chimney? The name changed to Forest City in 1887.
Woof!!!
65 deg. fog, no wind.
Forecast = Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
After heading up to Pittsboro to get groceries in the afternoon, Jim and Linda had a nice visit with Mike and his family Friday evening. Saturday nothing much happened except that Jim and Linda did start getting some things put away in preparation for out departure Monday morning. Sunday, a little before 11:00 they headed over to Mike and Gina's house for their last visit with them.
After eating a light lunch, Jim got out his camera and was able to get everyone together to get this shot of Mike and his family.
About 2:30, after lots of h and k, (hugs and kisses), Jim and Linda left Mike and Gina's and headed back to the CG. On the way, they stopped and bought Big RED a nice drink of that good old #2 diesel fuel. Once back at the CG they continued getting ready for our Monday morning departure,
Yesterday morning, (Monday), we left Goodwin's CG about 5 minutes before 10:00 and headed for Forest City. We took the Moncure - Pittsboro Road up to Pittsboro where we turned West on US 64. 64 took us through Asheboro and then up to the little town of Holly Grove where we turned SW on I-85. 85 then brought us down through Charlotte and Gastonia and to Kings Mountain, where we turned off of I-85 and onto westbound US 74, 74 Then brought us through Shelby and finally to Forest City and Roland and Louise's house which is just a little NW of the city.
It was about 20 minutes before 2:00 when we arrived, so it took us about 3 hours and 45 minutes to travel the 210 miles over here. Not too shabby considering that part of the roads over here were 2 lane and we had to go through quite a few small towns and cities.
For the most part, all the roads were good. There was a short section of I-85 through Charlotte that was kind of rough, but not too bad. There were a couple of construction zones, but none that delayed us for any length of time.
After getting Nora positioned, set up and plugged in so that the A/C could be turned on, Jim and Linda spent most of the afternoon inside of the house visiting with Roland and Louise.
For dinner, Louise made some great "Southern Style" BBQ pulled pork for sandwiches and then there was more visiting until around 9:30 when Jim and Linda came out here for the night.
Don't really know what the plans are for today. I do know that Roland has a dentist appointment this afternoon to have a tooth looked at that is giving him a lot of grief. :-( We're all hoping that the dentist can get it fixed without too much trouble or discomfort for Roland.
Did you know that Forest City was originally incorporated in 1877 as Burnt Chimney? The name changed to Forest City in 1887.
Woof!!!
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Happy Mother's Day and Virginia Beach, VA To Williamston, NC To Moncure, NC
Moncure, NC.
68 deg. Overcast, light rain at times, no wind.
Forecast = Showers and thunderstorms. High 79F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there, I sure wish I could call my mom and wish her a great day. :-(
I miss you, Mom!!!!
After lots of hugs, we left Virginia Beach Thursday morning at about 10:10 and retraced our route back to Pierce's RV Park in Williamston, It was 12:40 when we pulled into the park, but we did stop in town to buy Big RED a nice drink of that good old #2 diesel fuel before we arrived there. We traveled 121 miles.
The trip was un-eventful, the weather was good and we made fairly good time.
As soon as we pulled into our site and had the electric hooked up, the stabilizer jacks down and the slide out, Jim dumped the tanks that were very, very full. After putting away the sewer hose and connections, Jim came in, got cleaned up and took a nap. ;-)
For dinner, Jim cooked a couple burgers on the grill while Linda put together some salads. After eating the rest of the evening was spent watching TV.
Friday morning, the weather was still nice, (even though the weather guessers had been forecasting rain), so we got an early start on our travel day. It was only 9:15 when we pulled out of the CG in Williamston and started heading West on US 64. We crossed I-95 at Rocky Mount and then continued over to the Raleigh area where we took I-440 around the South side of the city and then turned SW in US 1. Following US 1 brought us down past Apex, (where Mike and Gina live) and to Moncure, NC where Goodwin's RV Campground is located.
It was just 11:35 when we pulled into the park so it took us about 2 hours and 20 minutes to travel the 136 miles over here. Not too bad considering the Raleigh traffic and construction on I-440.
Oh, and it never did rain on Friday as foretasted!!!!
We really like Goodwin's RV Campground. It's a small park and I'm not saying that you couldn't get a 40 foot MH or a large trailer in here, but It'd be pretty tight and you'd have to be a pretty good driver. Once you get into a site, they're quite large, but the trick would be getting to and into the site.
Marc Goodwin is a really friendly guy and usually helps everyone get into the sites, but when we arrived, Jim called him and he was busy elsewhere, so he asked Jim if he thought he could get into the site that we were in last time? Jim told him that he could, so he backed Nora into the site and after a little while Marc came by, welcomed us back to the park, talked with Jim for awhile and collected the rent for the 10 days that we'll be here.
Jim has already taken some photos of the park. Here's a couple of them. This first one is of the road coming into the park.
Our site viewed from out near the road
Looking across the road from the front of Big RED
Looking out from under the awning towards the front of the site.
As you can see by the photos, it's very hilly in this park. The first time you come into the park down the road shown in the 1st photo, (the photo only shows about 1/2 of the hill), you think, "What am I getting into here?", but there is some room to maneuver once you get a little farther in. Although it's very hilly, the sites are quite level and Jim only had to put one board under Nora's left side tires.
Oh, and you see those woods behind our site in the 2nd photo? We've already seen a fox back there and I know from the last time we were here, there's deer back there too!!!
Wildlife!!!!! I like Wildlife!!!!! ;-)
Woof!!! Woof!!! Woof!!!!
Did you know that Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia who started Mother's Day celebrations also filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop the over- commercialisation of Mother's Day? She lost her fight.
Woof!!!
68 deg. Overcast, light rain at times, no wind.
Forecast = Showers and thunderstorms. High 79F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there, I sure wish I could call my mom and wish her a great day. :-(
I miss you, Mom!!!!
After lots of hugs, we left Virginia Beach Thursday morning at about 10:10 and retraced our route back to Pierce's RV Park in Williamston, It was 12:40 when we pulled into the park, but we did stop in town to buy Big RED a nice drink of that good old #2 diesel fuel before we arrived there. We traveled 121 miles.
The trip was un-eventful, the weather was good and we made fairly good time.
As soon as we pulled into our site and had the electric hooked up, the stabilizer jacks down and the slide out, Jim dumped the tanks that were very, very full. After putting away the sewer hose and connections, Jim came in, got cleaned up and took a nap. ;-)
For dinner, Jim cooked a couple burgers on the grill while Linda put together some salads. After eating the rest of the evening was spent watching TV.
Friday morning, the weather was still nice, (even though the weather guessers had been forecasting rain), so we got an early start on our travel day. It was only 9:15 when we pulled out of the CG in Williamston and started heading West on US 64. We crossed I-95 at Rocky Mount and then continued over to the Raleigh area where we took I-440 around the South side of the city and then turned SW in US 1. Following US 1 brought us down past Apex, (where Mike and Gina live) and to Moncure, NC where Goodwin's RV Campground is located.
It was just 11:35 when we pulled into the park so it took us about 2 hours and 20 minutes to travel the 136 miles over here. Not too bad considering the Raleigh traffic and construction on I-440.
Oh, and it never did rain on Friday as foretasted!!!!
We really like Goodwin's RV Campground. It's a small park and I'm not saying that you couldn't get a 40 foot MH or a large trailer in here, but It'd be pretty tight and you'd have to be a pretty good driver. Once you get into a site, they're quite large, but the trick would be getting to and into the site.
Marc Goodwin is a really friendly guy and usually helps everyone get into the sites, but when we arrived, Jim called him and he was busy elsewhere, so he asked Jim if he thought he could get into the site that we were in last time? Jim told him that he could, so he backed Nora into the site and after a little while Marc came by, welcomed us back to the park, talked with Jim for awhile and collected the rent for the 10 days that we'll be here.
Jim has already taken some photos of the park. Here's a couple of them. This first one is of the road coming into the park.
Our site viewed from out near the road
Looking across the road from the front of Big RED
Looking out from under the awning towards the front of the site.
As you can see by the photos, it's very hilly in this park. The first time you come into the park down the road shown in the 1st photo, (the photo only shows about 1/2 of the hill), you think, "What am I getting into here?", but there is some room to maneuver once you get a little farther in. Although it's very hilly, the sites are quite level and Jim only had to put one board under Nora's left side tires.
Oh, and you see those woods behind our site in the 2nd photo? We've already seen a fox back there and I know from the last time we were here, there's deer back there too!!!
Wildlife!!!!! I like Wildlife!!!!! ;-)
Woof!!! Woof!!! Woof!!!!
Did you know that Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia who started Mother's Day celebrations also filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop the over- commercialisation of Mother's Day? She lost her fight.
Woof!!!
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Joe, Nancy And Amber, Back To North Carolina and A Shocking Report
Williamston, NC.
34 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny to partly cloudy. High 62F. Winds light and variable.
Wow!!! the coldest temperatures that we've seen yet!! I'm sure glad that we're heading South!!!!
Here's a couple Photos that Jim took our last evening at Joe and Nancy's in Virginia Beach.
This is Joe and Nancy at the kitchen table. Joe's holding Lu Lu.
This is Amber. She was just about to walk out of the door and go to basketball practice when Jim snapped the photo.
Yesterday, after a great 10 day stay and saying good-bye to Joe, (Nancy was already at work and Amber was at school), we pulled out Joe's driveway right at 10:00 and headed back to I-264. Taking 264 West, brought us to I-64 which we took around the SE side of the city and to US 17. Again we had the construction as soon as we turned onto 17, but it wasn't too bad and soon we were cruising South on 17 through the Great Dismal Swamp and down into North Carolina.
We followed 17 on down to Williamston where we went through town on Business 17 and then turned West on Garrett Rd. which brought us back here to Pierce's RV Park. It was 12:30 when we pulled in so it took us 2 1/2 hours to travel 121 miles.
As soon as Jim finished leveling Nora, got the stabilizer jacks down and ran out the slide, he hooked up the sewer hose and dumped Nora's very full tanks. Once that little chore was accomplished, he hooked up the rest of the utilities and then came in and had a "cold one". ;-)
This is just an overnight stop because today, we'll be heading for North Topsail Beach.
Oh!!! I almost forgot!!!! You remember about those shocks that Ray installed on Big RED??? Wow!!!! What a difference!!!! The ride is much better with much less bouncing as we go through dips in the road. (And there's quite a few on 17, going through the Great Dismal Swamp). Even when the road is fairly smooth, you can still tell that the shocks have made a big difference. :-)
Did you know that The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is the largest intact remnant of a vast habitat that once covered more than one million acres of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina?
Woof!!!
34 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny to partly cloudy. High 62F. Winds light and variable.
Wow!!! the coldest temperatures that we've seen yet!! I'm sure glad that we're heading South!!!!
Here's a couple Photos that Jim took our last evening at Joe and Nancy's in Virginia Beach.
Yesterday, after a great 10 day stay and saying good-bye to Joe, (Nancy was already at work and Amber was at school), we pulled out Joe's driveway right at 10:00 and headed back to I-264. Taking 264 West, brought us to I-64 which we took around the SE side of the city and to US 17. Again we had the construction as soon as we turned onto 17, but it wasn't too bad and soon we were cruising South on 17 through the Great Dismal Swamp and down into North Carolina.
We followed 17 on down to Williamston where we went through town on Business 17 and then turned West on Garrett Rd. which brought us back here to Pierce's RV Park. It was 12:30 when we pulled in so it took us 2 1/2 hours to travel 121 miles.
As soon as Jim finished leveling Nora, got the stabilizer jacks down and ran out the slide, he hooked up the sewer hose and dumped Nora's very full tanks. Once that little chore was accomplished, he hooked up the rest of the utilities and then came in and had a "cold one". ;-)
This is just an overnight stop because today, we'll be heading for North Topsail Beach.
Oh!!! I almost forgot!!!! You remember about those shocks that Ray installed on Big RED??? Wow!!!! What a difference!!!! The ride is much better with much less bouncing as we go through dips in the road. (And there's quite a few on 17, going through the Great Dismal Swamp). Even when the road is fairly smooth, you can still tell that the shocks have made a big difference. :-)
Did you know that The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is the largest intact remnant of a vast habitat that once covered more than one million acres of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina?
Woof!!!
Friday, October 17, 2014
A Great Visit and Forest City, NC To Moncure, NC
Moncure, NC.
47 deg. Mostly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. High 74F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
We didn't leave Roland and Louise's house on Wednesday as planned because of the heavy rain storms that were moving through the area. Tuesday night, we had around 2 inches of rain and very gusty winds and if we would have left in the morning, we would have driven right back into them. :-(
So, we enjoyed another day of visiting and helping Roland and Louise get ready for their trip down to Florida for the winter. :-)
Oh, Jim took some photos of Roland and Louise's place. (You can click on the photos to enlarge them.) Jim and other friends and family helped Roland build this house back in 2007 and just this year they've had a very nice addition added to the rear of the home, making it even more livable as a permanent residence for them some day.
Jim and Linda have really enjoyed spending some time with Roland and Louise, and they're hoping that they can get together down in Florida a few times this winter.
Thanks for everything!!!!!
Yesterday morning after H and H, we left Roland and Louise's house near Forest City about 9:45 and took some secondary roads to US 64, where we turned NE and followed it up to I-40. Turning East on 40, brought us through the Hickory, Statesville, Winston-Salem areas and to I-73, heading around the South side of Greensboro. 73 brought us to US 421 which took us SE to Sanford where we turned NE on US 1. US 1 then brought us up to Moncure and to the Dickens RV Park.
Over all, the roads were pretty decent. there were some rough areas, but they were fairly short. As expected, we had fairly heavy traffic around the larger cities, but it all moved along nicely, even through the few short construction areas we encountered.
When we pulled in, it was 1:50, so we had traveled 222 miles in 4 hours and 5 minutes. A fairly long travel day for us.
Jim and Linda have paid for 10 days here at the Dickens RV Park and Marty, (the CG manager) said that there wouldn't be a problem if we wanted to stay longer than that.
Did you know that the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is the oldest State University in the United States?
Woof!!!
47 deg. Mostly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. High 74F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
We didn't leave Roland and Louise's house on Wednesday as planned because of the heavy rain storms that were moving through the area. Tuesday night, we had around 2 inches of rain and very gusty winds and if we would have left in the morning, we would have driven right back into them. :-(
So, we enjoyed another day of visiting and helping Roland and Louise get ready for their trip down to Florida for the winter. :-)
Oh, Jim took some photos of Roland and Louise's place. (You can click on the photos to enlarge them.) Jim and other friends and family helped Roland build this house back in 2007 and just this year they've had a very nice addition added to the rear of the home, making it even more livable as a permanent residence for them some day.
Property viewed from out by the road.
The other side of the house. You can see "Big Herb" in his spot in the MH port.
The "boardwalk" leading to the rear of the house.
And finally, Roland and Louise in their newly enlarged home.
Jim and Linda have really enjoyed spending some time with Roland and Louise, and they're hoping that they can get together down in Florida a few times this winter.
Thanks for everything!!!!!
Yesterday morning after H and H, we left Roland and Louise's house near Forest City about 9:45 and took some secondary roads to US 64, where we turned NE and followed it up to I-40. Turning East on 40, brought us through the Hickory, Statesville, Winston-Salem areas and to I-73, heading around the South side of Greensboro. 73 brought us to US 421 which took us SE to Sanford where we turned NE on US 1. US 1 then brought us up to Moncure and to the Dickens RV Park.
Over all, the roads were pretty decent. there were some rough areas, but they were fairly short. As expected, we had fairly heavy traffic around the larger cities, but it all moved along nicely, even through the few short construction areas we encountered.
When we pulled in, it was 1:50, so we had traveled 222 miles in 4 hours and 5 minutes. A fairly long travel day for us.
Jim and Linda have paid for 10 days here at the Dickens RV Park and Marty, (the CG manager) said that there wouldn't be a problem if we wanted to stay longer than that.
Did you know that the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is the oldest State University in the United States?
Woof!!!
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Troy AL To Cullman AL and Rough Road And Traffic In Birmingham
Cullman, AL.
69 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 82°F. Heat index around 87°F. South southeast wind 5 to 10 MPH. Chance of rain, 70%.
Linda woke up earlier than usual yesterday morning, so we left the Deer Run RV park about an hour sooner than we normally would have. In fact it was just 8:50 when we pulled back onto US 231 and continued heading NW.
Just before we came to Montgomery, Jim pulled Big RED into a Marathon station and bought him a nice drink of #2 diesel fuel. Big RED wasn't too thirsty, but being that the rest of the trip would be on Interstate Highways and the skies were starting to look threatening, he though it was a good opportunity to stop.
Come to find out, that was a good decision because once we had taken Taylor Rd. to I-85, taken 85 West for a few miles, turned North on I-65 and had traveled just north of Montgomery, it started to sprinkle or rain off and on for the rest of the trip.
I-65 had a lot of traffic which moved along nicely, but it sure wasn't a road that a driver could relax on. Then, when we got up to Birmingham, the traffic got really heavy and the road surface deteriorated badly. :-( There was very little construction this time, (We had construction the whole way through the city when we came down here last August), but the road was very rough!! I know that those of you that have large motor homes might not think so, but I just about fell off of the seat a few times!! :-O
I don't know if there's another route we could take to by-pass Birmingham, but you can bet that Jim will be looking into it before we head down through this area again. Our experiences with traffic and roads through there throughout the years has not been good!!
Once North of Birmingham, I-65 smoothed out again and except for the heavy traffic and some fairly heavy rain at times the rest of the trip up here to Cullman went well.
It was right at 12:20 when we pulled up to the office of the Cullman Campground, so today it took us right at 3 1/2 hours to travel 193 miles and stop for fuel. Not too shabby!!!!
This Campground doesn't get very good reviews on RV Park Reviews but we've been coming here for a long time and have always had a good experience. (Jim didn't take any photos because it was raining.) Yes, it's not a destination park and the road coming from the main Hwy to the park leaves something to be desired, but if you take it slow, even though it's narrow and hilly, it's very do'able. We were at this park with both Myrddin and Emrys, (40' and 45' Motorhomes, both pulling a toad), and had no problems at all. The owner is supper friendly and escorts you to your site and we've never had a problem leveling. In fact, the site we're in right now, (#34), is almost perfectly level and no blocks or anything were needed.
I'm not sure if we'll be leaving here today or not. Right now, it's still raining up in Nashville, so we may stay another night. Jim's watching the radar though, and if it clears up, we'll probably head out.
Did you know that today is "National Hot Dog Day"?
Woof!!!
69 deg. overcast, no wind.
Forecast = Mostly cloudy with scattered storms. Highs around 82°F. Heat index around 87°F. South southeast wind 5 to 10 MPH. Chance of rain, 70%.
Linda woke up earlier than usual yesterday morning, so we left the Deer Run RV park about an hour sooner than we normally would have. In fact it was just 8:50 when we pulled back onto US 231 and continued heading NW.
Just before we came to Montgomery, Jim pulled Big RED into a Marathon station and bought him a nice drink of #2 diesel fuel. Big RED wasn't too thirsty, but being that the rest of the trip would be on Interstate Highways and the skies were starting to look threatening, he though it was a good opportunity to stop.
Come to find out, that was a good decision because once we had taken Taylor Rd. to I-85, taken 85 West for a few miles, turned North on I-65 and had traveled just north of Montgomery, it started to sprinkle or rain off and on for the rest of the trip.
I-65 had a lot of traffic which moved along nicely, but it sure wasn't a road that a driver could relax on. Then, when we got up to Birmingham, the traffic got really heavy and the road surface deteriorated badly. :-( There was very little construction this time, (We had construction the whole way through the city when we came down here last August), but the road was very rough!! I know that those of you that have large motor homes might not think so, but I just about fell off of the seat a few times!! :-O
I don't know if there's another route we could take to by-pass Birmingham, but you can bet that Jim will be looking into it before we head down through this area again. Our experiences with traffic and roads through there throughout the years has not been good!!
Once North of Birmingham, I-65 smoothed out again and except for the heavy traffic and some fairly heavy rain at times the rest of the trip up here to Cullman went well.
It was right at 12:20 when we pulled up to the office of the Cullman Campground, so today it took us right at 3 1/2 hours to travel 193 miles and stop for fuel. Not too shabby!!!!
This Campground doesn't get very good reviews on RV Park Reviews but we've been coming here for a long time and have always had a good experience. (Jim didn't take any photos because it was raining.) Yes, it's not a destination park and the road coming from the main Hwy to the park leaves something to be desired, but if you take it slow, even though it's narrow and hilly, it's very do'able. We were at this park with both Myrddin and Emrys, (40' and 45' Motorhomes, both pulling a toad), and had no problems at all. The owner is supper friendly and escorts you to your site and we've never had a problem leveling. In fact, the site we're in right now, (#34), is almost perfectly level and no blocks or anything were needed.
I'm not sure if we'll be leaving here today or not. Right now, it's still raining up in Nashville, so we may stay another night. Jim's watching the radar though, and if it clears up, we'll probably head out.
Did you know that today is "National Hot Dog Day"?
Woof!!!
Saturday, September 28, 2013
A Stream Runs Through It and A Some Non-News
DeBary, FL.
70 deg. light rain, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with rain showers. High of 88F. Breezy. Winds from the NE at 15 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20%.
We had a little excitement in the park yesterday.
You see, the gas company is in the community installing all new poly gas lines because the old ones are steel and they're pitting badley. Well, even though they have all kinds of paint marks in the grass and on the pavement, along with those little red, green, blue and yellow flags sticking up all over the place, they still managed to hit a water line and break it.
Needless to say, there was a geyser and we ended up with a stream running down the middle of the street in front of the house. The above photo is looking upstream,
and the photo below is looking downstream.
The water ran for about 1/2 an hour before they finally got it repaired. Of course there were a lot of residents out there supervising the repair. ;-)
The doctor who did all the tests about 2 weeks ago called yesterday and told Linda that even after sending the samples to Johns Hopkins, the test results were still inconclusive and they don't seem to be able to tell if there is cancer or not!!! He said that he would send all the information that he had to the other doctor and suggested that Linda set up an appointment with the doctor. When Linda told him that she already had an appointment this next Tuesday he was pleased that Linda had already done that.
So, basicly it was non-news. They sill don't know what the tumor is and Linda and Jim don't know what this next doctor will do. Linda says that it needs to come out, so lets do it and they can decide if it's cancerous or not, after it's out, and then determine if any further treatment is necessary. !!
So, it's wait!!! wait!!! wait!!! And, there's really nothing that can be done until Linda sees the doctor next Tuesday. Then, hopefully, a decision can be made and they can get this "show on the road"!!!!
To be honest, I'm a little worried about Linda. This waiting is really starting to get to her. :-(
Did you know that there are more plastic flamingos in the U.S, than real ones?
Woof!!!
70 deg. light rain, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with rain showers. High of 88F. Breezy. Winds from the NE at 15 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20%.
We had a little excitement in the park yesterday.
You see, the gas company is in the community installing all new poly gas lines because the old ones are steel and they're pitting badley. Well, even though they have all kinds of paint marks in the grass and on the pavement, along with those little red, green, blue and yellow flags sticking up all over the place, they still managed to hit a water line and break it.
and the photo below is looking downstream.
The water ran for about 1/2 an hour before they finally got it repaired. Of course there were a lot of residents out there supervising the repair. ;-)
The doctor who did all the tests about 2 weeks ago called yesterday and told Linda that even after sending the samples to Johns Hopkins, the test results were still inconclusive and they don't seem to be able to tell if there is cancer or not!!! He said that he would send all the information that he had to the other doctor and suggested that Linda set up an appointment with the doctor. When Linda told him that she already had an appointment this next Tuesday he was pleased that Linda had already done that.
So, basicly it was non-news. They sill don't know what the tumor is and Linda and Jim don't know what this next doctor will do. Linda says that it needs to come out, so lets do it and they can decide if it's cancerous or not, after it's out, and then determine if any further treatment is necessary. !!
So, it's wait!!! wait!!! wait!!! And, there's really nothing that can be done until Linda sees the doctor next Tuesday. Then, hopefully, a decision can be made and they can get this "show on the road"!!!!
To be honest, I'm a little worried about Linda. This waiting is really starting to get to her. :-(
Did you know that there are more plastic flamingos in the U.S, than real ones?
Woof!!!
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Hoffman Park Photos
River Falls, WI.
50 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 82F. Winds less than 5 mph.
Jim took a few photos of the CG here in River Falls so I thought I'd post them today.
This is the sign as you come into the park.
a
View of the road leading through the park. As you can see, it's paved and the park is very well maintained.
There are a few tenters here this time, but most of the sites are filled with RVs.
This is our site this time. It's site #14 and is on the East side of the road.
As I mentioned yesterday, this is normally a nice quiet park, but this time there is construction right behind us and across the road. Jim found out that the city is building a new baseball park over there that will have permanent seating and will be used by a semi-professional team at times.
If there are a lot of games there, it could definitely change the whole characteristic of this campground with lights, cars, people and noise.
I hope it won't because we've really enjoyed staying here in the past.
Not a whole lot to report. Jim and Linda have been visiting with Glenn and he came out for that cookout yesterday. (Jim didn't take any photos though). Today, Glenn and Jeanette are busy until this evening, so the plan is to go out to dinner with them around 5:00 or 6:00.
Tomorrow the plan is to leave here and head down to the Wisconsin Dells area. They're calling for rain though, so it could be interesting getting hooked up to get out of here.
Did you know that August is "National Catfish Month"?
Woof!!!
50 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 82F. Winds less than 5 mph.
Jim took a few photos of the CG here in River Falls so I thought I'd post them today.
This is the sign as you come into the park.
a
View of the road leading through the park. As you can see, it's paved and the park is very well maintained.
There are a few tenters here this time, but most of the sites are filled with RVs.
This is our site this time. It's site #14 and is on the East side of the road.
As I mentioned yesterday, this is normally a nice quiet park, but this time there is construction right behind us and across the road. Jim found out that the city is building a new baseball park over there that will have permanent seating and will be used by a semi-professional team at times.
If there are a lot of games there, it could definitely change the whole characteristic of this campground with lights, cars, people and noise.
I hope it won't because we've really enjoyed staying here in the past.
Not a whole lot to report. Jim and Linda have been visiting with Glenn and he came out for that cookout yesterday. (Jim didn't take any photos though). Today, Glenn and Jeanette are busy until this evening, so the plan is to go out to dinner with them around 5:00 or 6:00.
Tomorrow the plan is to leave here and head down to the Wisconsin Dells area. They're calling for rain though, so it could be interesting getting hooked up to get out of here.
Did you know that August is "National Catfish Month"?
Woof!!!
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Bumps And Construction But We Made It To River Falls
River Falls, WI.
50 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 81F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Being that we only had around 55 miles to go we didn't leave Turtle Lake until 10:50, expecting a nice easy drive down US 63 to I-95.
Well, that was the plan, but no one knew about the construction on almost the whole 40 mile length of it!!! :-( This was a major resurfacing project, with what looked like passing lanes being added in places. There were lots of signs that said "Bump" that you had better slow way down for, if you didn't want everything in the cabinets airborne, and there were quite a few places where the road was down to 1 lane, so you had to wait for traffic from the opposite direction.
Some of the road was very rough, some of it had been ground off so that there were serious groves, and some of it had already been repaved with new blacktop.
We finally made it down to I-95 where we turned West and took it for about 10 miles to Rt. 65. There, we turned South and followed 65 here to River Falls and Hoffman Park. It was 12:10 when we pulled into the park so it took us an hour and 20 minutes to travel 58 miles.
Hoffman Park is a nice little City Park with only 15 sites. Three of the sites have 50 amp electric and the others have 30 amp. There is no water or sewer at the sites, but there's a nice dump station and water is available at the corner of one of the buildings. All the sites are back-in and paved, with some medium sized trees giving a little shade a times.
Jim didn't get any photos yet, but I'll post them here as soon as he does.
We've been here quite a few times before to visit Linda's brother and his family. It's usually nice an quiet, but this time is different. I'll tell you more about that in tomorrow's post.
For dinner, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to Glenn and Jeanette's. Their daughter, Mary and her family were also there, so Jim and Linda got to see everyone the first night.
Today, Jeanette is going to be busy, watching Mary's 3 children so Glenn is planning on coming out here to the park for a cookout and to meet Bobbie T.
Did you know that the Hamburger hall of fame is located in Seymour, WI?
Woof!!!
50 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 81F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Being that we only had around 55 miles to go we didn't leave Turtle Lake until 10:50, expecting a nice easy drive down US 63 to I-95.
Well, that was the plan, but no one knew about the construction on almost the whole 40 mile length of it!!! :-( This was a major resurfacing project, with what looked like passing lanes being added in places. There were lots of signs that said "Bump" that you had better slow way down for, if you didn't want everything in the cabinets airborne, and there were quite a few places where the road was down to 1 lane, so you had to wait for traffic from the opposite direction.
Some of the road was very rough, some of it had been ground off so that there were serious groves, and some of it had already been repaved with new blacktop.
We finally made it down to I-95 where we turned West and took it for about 10 miles to Rt. 65. There, we turned South and followed 65 here to River Falls and Hoffman Park. It was 12:10 when we pulled into the park so it took us an hour and 20 minutes to travel 58 miles.
Hoffman Park is a nice little City Park with only 15 sites. Three of the sites have 50 amp electric and the others have 30 amp. There is no water or sewer at the sites, but there's a nice dump station and water is available at the corner of one of the buildings. All the sites are back-in and paved, with some medium sized trees giving a little shade a times.
Jim didn't get any photos yet, but I'll post them here as soon as he does.
We've been here quite a few times before to visit Linda's brother and his family. It's usually nice an quiet, but this time is different. I'll tell you more about that in tomorrow's post.
For dinner, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to Glenn and Jeanette's. Their daughter, Mary and her family were also there, so Jim and Linda got to see everyone the first night.
Today, Jeanette is going to be busy, watching Mary's 3 children so Glenn is planning on coming out here to the park for a cookout and to meet Bobbie T.
Did you know that the Hamburger hall of fame is located in Seymour, WI?
Woof!!!
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!!!
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