Dave and Dee Dee's Annual Fish Fry and A Visit With Donna

DeBary, FL.

62 deg. clear, no wind

Forecast today = A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 83F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.

Well, another month has gone by and I really didn't have anything to post about.

Quite a few people have been asking me why I haven't posted, but I can't imagine any of you wanting to read about Lina and I going to the grocery store or even going to a restaurant once in awhile. In fact, this past whole month has been just day-to-day living.

Now, this month started out with a few things to post about!!!

Dave and Dee Dee decided to have their annual "Fish Fry" on Sunday, the 4th of February, but that got changed to Saturday the 3rd because of a weather forecast of anywhere from 50 to 80% chance of rain, depending on which "weather guesser" you watched.

Once the date for the Fish Fry was set, Linda called Donna, (a long time RVing friend), who lives in Wildwood to see if she would be home on Sunday. You see, the plan was to go to Thonotosassa for the "Fish Fry" which was to take place at 3:00 pm on Saturday, stay overnight someplace Saturday night and then go see Donna on Sunday, getting back home late afternoon.

Donna said that she'd be home and would love for us to come for a visit, so then, I called a Hotel in Brooksville and made reservations for Saturday night.

As you can see in these 2 photos, they had very good turn-out for the Fish Fry

Everyone brought food, so there were lots of other things to eat with the great fish that they fried. ;-)

After a great meal and a lot of catching up with old acquaintances, we left Dave and Dee Dee's and headed North on (Ugh) I-75. Actually 75 was not near as bad as (Ugh), I-4 through Orlando with all It's construction through the city.

It didn't take us too long to get to Brooksville where we stopped at a Microtel. It was pretty nice, but the people at the desk weren't too friendly and about 10:00 pm a wedding party came back from a reception somewhere and continued partying in the hotel until about midnight!! :-(

It was quiet for the rest of the night though and after a pretty good night's sleep, we left Brooksville and headed a little further North to Wildwood where we stopped at the Russel Stover Candy factory store, on Rt. 44. After Linda bought a bunch of sugar free candy we went to a Waffle House for lunch, before heading to Donna's house.

Donna seems to be doing well, but I'm sure she misses Monte. We had a very nice visit and talked for a couple hours before heading back here to  DeBary on Rt's 44, 441 and 46.

While we were at Donna's it started to rain and we had heavy to moderate rain all the way home.

Monday evening, Ashley called and said that she and Chris would like to come over for awhile if we weren't busy.  In about 1/2 hour they arrived, and gave us the news that they would be getting married on the 18th of March!!!!! :-)  They've been engaged for quite awhile now, so we were kind of expecting them to set a date pretty soon. 

They're planning a very small wedding with just brothers, sisters, parents and grandparents attending.

Well, that's about it for now. I'll post again when I have something interesting to post about.

Did you know that There are 20,275  people in the U.S. listed on whitepages.com with the last name 'Fish'?

We miss you Blaine!!!

Bye!!!

South Carolina To Florida.

Callahan, FL.

75 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Plentiful sunshine. Near record high temperatures. High 87F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.


We left the New Green Acres RV Park about  9:35, hopped on I-95 and took it all the way down to just South of Savannah, GA where we turned off on US 17. As usual 95 was very crowded, but the traffic moved smoothly and we made good time.

US 17 took us to GA 196, (a short-cut) which took us over to US 84.  84 then took us in a Southwesterly direction which brought us to Jesup, GA where we turned South on US 301. 301 then brought us all the way down to Florida and to Hilliard, FL., where we pulled into the Winn-Dixie Grocery Store parking lot, so that Jim could go in and purchase some bread, hamburger buns and paper plates. It didn't take Jim long and soon we were back on 301. In just a few miles, we pilled into Kelly's Countryside RV Park, which is just a few miles North of Callahan..

It was 1:30 when we pulled up to the office, so it took us right at 3 hours and 55 minutes to travel the 199 mile down here and buy those few groceries.

We've stayed at Kelly's many times before, and in fact spent a whole month here one year while we were full-timing. It's a nice friendly CG, well maintained, but it has become very popular with monthly RVers  so that now it's almost always full and you need to call ahead to make sure they have a site available.

We're staying here for 2 nights and so tomorrow, we'll travel the final leg of our summer travels. :-(  It's about 3 hours from here to the DeBary area so we won't have to start too early in the morning to get there at a reasonable time.


Did you know that in Georgia, the Okefenokee Swamp encompasses over 400,000 acres of canals; moss draped cypress trees, and lily pad prairies providing sanctuaries for hundreds of species of birds and wildlife including several endangered species?

Woof!!!

Myrtle Beach, SC to Walterboro, SC and Hurricane Matthew Storm Damage.

Walterboro, SC

68 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast tomorrow - Abundant sunshine. Record high temperatures expected. High 86F. Winds light and variable.

As promised, here's a few more photos that Jim took at Apache Family CG in Myrtle Beach, SC

 Jim took this photo, standing in Nora's doorway.

View of beach from the top of the small dune

Looking back towards our site from dune.

Road between our site and dune.

The Apache CG is nice and the view is great if you can get a water-front site, but they do pack the RVs in here and you don't have much room on either side.

Because we had a 2:00 pm check in time at our next stop, we didn't leave the Apache CG until about 10:35 this morning. We returned to US 17, following it South down to Charleston where we took I-526 around the North side of the City, connecting with 17 again on the West side of the city. We then followed 17 to Jacksonboro, SC where we turned NE on SC 64, 64 took us up to Walterboro and to the New Green Acres RV Park. It was 2:20 when we pulled into the park, so it took us about 3 hours and 45 minutes to travel the 167 miles down here and stop to fill Big RED's fuel tank in Walterboro.

Not too bad when you consider the very heavy traffic in Myrtle Beach and Charleston.

Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, we haven't seen much damage from hurricane Matthew, all the way down the coast from Virginia Beach to the Apache CG which is on the Northern edge of Myrtle Beach. Today, however was another story. We saw many, many trees down along side of US 17 in the center part of Myrtle Beach, down to Murrells Inlet and a lot of trees down all the way to Charleston. We also saw some areas that were evidently flooded as the people had moved furniture and other belongings to the curb for pick-up. There were also a few homes that had tarps over their roofs, so I'm surmising that they have roof damage.

I feel so sorry for some of those people. They have lost everything.

We're only staying here at New Green Acres for one night. Tomorrow, we'll be heading further South.


Did you know that Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States?

Woof!!!

Moncure, NC to Roanoke Rapids, NC

Roanoke Rapids, NC

50 deg. foggy, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy skies. High around 75F. Winds light and variable.


Yesterday morning, (Wednesday), we left Goodwin's RV Park at about 10:25 in the morning. We took our time because we had decided that we'd only go as far as Roanoke Rapids and stay at a CG there for a couple days and see what's happening with the power outages in Virginia Beach.

From Moncure, we took US 1 up to Raleigh where we turned off on I-40. 40 took us around to the East side of the city where we turned East on US 264 and followed it to US 64 which brought us to I-95 at Rocky Mount. Following 95 North then brought us up here to Roanoke Rapids and The RV Resort at Carolina Crossroads .  Jim had called the CG to make sure they had a spot for us, so when we pulled in at 12:25, they had a site waiting for us.

So, it took us almost exactly 2 hours to travel the 117 miles over here. A nice short day. ;-)

We had never been to this park before but some good friends of Jim and Linda's (Gin and Syl),  had stayed here many times and really liked it.

Speaking of Gin and Syl, you can imagine our surprise when they pulled up along side of Big RED while Jim was checking in at the office!!! And, another surprise was that our site ended up being right next to their site!!!! What luck!!!!

We pulled into our site and Jim and Linda got Nora set up. Then they headed next door to visit with Gin and Syl for awhile.  The visit ended all too soon as they had to leave because Gin's mother was ill and they had to head over there to help out.  In fact they will probably be staying there for a few days, so it's doubtful that we'll be seeing them again before we leave here. :-(

It sure was nice to see them again and we're hopeful that we'll meet up again sometime in our travels.


Today, Jim is planning on calling a few parks over in Virginia Beach to see if they have electricity and have a site for us. If they do, we'll be leaving here tomorrow and heading over there. I hope they do. Linda is getting real anxious to see Joe and his family.


Did you know that the word “hurricane” comes from Hurican, a name for the god of evil on some islands in the Caribbean?

Woof!!!

We're OK and Thanks For Inquireing

Moncure, NC.

50 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast tonight = Clear skies. Low 43F. Winds light and variable.  Brrrrrrr!!!!!


Last Friday, the rain started and it didn't quit until early Sunday morning. Saturday, it rained really hard all day and along with the rain, we had some pretty strong winds in the 30 to 40 mph range with gusts into the mid 50 mph range. How much did it rain, you ask? Well I really don't know cause Jim's rain gauge only goes up to 4 inches and it started running over, sometime during the day on Saturday. :-O   We kept electric power the whole time, except for a few blinks, but much of the area around us lost power, and in fact some are still without electricity.  

There's flooding everywhere from here to the coast and many cities are completely swamped and underwater. Many roads are closed, including I-95 and I-40 in the SE part of N. Carolina.

Wednesday, we're scheduled to leave here and head for Virginia Beach, but we talked to Linda's son, Joe, and they don't have any electricity, so we're going to head up to Roanoke Rapids and stay at an RV Park there for a few days. Then, we'll see where we go from there. Hopefully power will be restored in VA Beach and we can continue with our plans.

Jim and Linda want to thank all of you who commented, called or e-mailed them in the last few days and asked about our welfare. We're fine, and weathered the storm without any problems. It got a little scary a few time, but Nora did very well.

I don't know what we'll be doing after we go to Joe's.  Myrtle Beach, SC., (where we have reservations at a CG), was also hit really hard and as of now, we don't even know if the CG is in operation or not, or if we can even get to Myrtle Beach or not.

So, again, it's good that all of our plans are written in pencil and that Jim still has that big eraser!! ;-)


Did you know that the deadliest weather disaster in U.S. history was an unnamed hurricane that struck Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 8, 1900, as a powerful Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of more than 130 mph (209 kph)?  It killed an estimated 8,000 people.


Woof!!!

Visiting Friends and Travel To Moncure, NC

Moncure, NC

71 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms possible. High 79F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.


When I last posted, we were at the Creekwood Farm CG near Waynesville, NC. We left there about 10:40, after a 1 nights stay and continued Southeast on I-40.  Since we had already gone over the Smoky Mountains the day before, the driving became easier the farther we went. When we got to Asheville, we turned South and then East on I-26 to Columbus, NC where it again turned South and we continued East on US 74. 74 took us to Forest City, NC where we turned off on local roads and headed to Roland and Louise's house just outside of the city.

It was about 12:25 when we pulled into their driveway, so it took us just about an hour and 45 minutes to travel the 90 miles over there.

The next 4 days were spent visiting, eating, visiting, going to get fuel for Big RED, visiting, eating and just enjoying each others company. :-)

It was sure good to see Roland and Louise again and we're hoping we can see them some more, down in Florida this winter.

On Wednesday, the 28th, after hugs and handshakes, we left Roland and Louise's in Forest City at about 9:50 and headed North on US 64. 64 took us up to I-40 where we turned East and followed it over to Greensboro, NC where we turned off on I-73 and then I-85 until we came to US 421 where we turned SE. 421 brought us down to Siler City where we turned East on US 64 and followed it over to Pittsboro where we turned off on local roads which brought us here to Goodwin's RV Park near Moncure, NC.

Goodwin's is a small park and they now only rent sites to RVers who have reservations, so you can't just arrive and expect to get a site. They've been completely filled up every time we've been here.

Anyway, it was about 1:30 when we arrived, so it took us right at 3 hours and 40 minutes to travel the 211 miles over here.

Marc Goodwin, (the owner of the park), helped Jim get backed into the site, (which required a bit of maneuvering), and even helped Jim level Nora, (side to side), with boards that he had available. He's a really nice guy and it's one of the main reasons we continue to come back to this park. There is another park close to here that we've used, but it's nothing more than a gravel parking lot with hook-ups. Here, we have nice shady sites and quite a bit of space between most of them.

We like this park much better even though it is a little more expensive. ;-)

We'll be staying here for 2 weeks. Most days we'll be here during the daytime and will go to visit Mike and his family in the evenings. Of course on the weekends, we'll see more of them. :-)

Did you know that on this date in 1939 - "Captain Midnight" was heard for the first time on the Mutual Radio Network?


Woof!!!

A Day Trip, Getting Ready To Travel and Rantou, IL To Utica, IL

Utica, IL.

79 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast tonight = Some passing clouds. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.

Forecast tomorrow =  Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing during the afternoon. High 84F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.


This past week has been spent pretty much getting ready to leave Rantoul and head up to Wisconsin to Linda's family's reunion. On Wednesday, they took Big RED and headed up to Wilmington, IL to talk to their financial advisor in the morning, and then went to Manteno, IL to see Jim's cousin, Adeline.   Other than that, they've done some grocery shopping and went out to eat a couple nights.

Of course, Jim checked out Big RED and Nora to make sure both of them were ready for the trip. :-)

Then, this morning, about 10:45, we pulled out of our site at the Prairie Pines CG and started our journey West and North. We took US 136, west out of Rantoul for about 11 miles to IL. 47 where we turned North and followed 47 up to the little town of Forest, IL. There, we turned West again on US 24 and followed it all the way over to I-39. 39 then brought us up to I-80 where we turned East for a few miles and to the Hickoory Hollow Campground  near Utica, IL.

It was 1:20 when we pulled up to the office, so it took us right at 2 hours and 35 minutes to stop for fuel for Big RED and travel the  130 miles up here.

Hickory Hollow is a Passport America Park, so we can stay here for 1/2 price, as long as it's not on a Friday or Saturday night. If it wasn't a PPA park, I don't think we'd stay here cause they've raised their rates to $38 or $40 per night, depending on hook-ups. In fact, Jim has already been looking at other parks for our return trip because we'd be getting here on Saturday evening.

Tomorrow morning, we'll be leaving here and head up into Wisconsin. There'll be no need to hurry though cause check in time at the CG where Jim has made reservations up there, isn't until 2:00, and, we only have about 180 miles to go.

So far, it's been a good trip and both Jim and  Linda seem to be enjoying being on the road again. ;-) They're both, (especially Linda), looking forward to seeing family again and catching up on what's been happening.

Did you know that on this date in  1971 - Men rode in a vehicle on the moon for the first time in a lunar rover vehicle (LRV)?

Woof!!!

Chiefland FL. To Thomsaville GA. to Troy, AL.

Troy, AL.

77 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast tonight = Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.

Forecast tomorrow = Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. High 94F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.


We left the Chiefland RV Park about 9:25 and headed Northwest on US 19. After traveling through places like Fannng Springs, Old Town, Perry and Capps, 19 turned North. It then crossed I-10 and the Georgia State Line and took us up to Thomasville, GA. and the City of Roses RV Park, which is another Passport America park.

It was 11:55 when we pulled up along side of the office, so we traveled the  130 miles up here in about 2 and 1/2 hours.

The City of Roses RV Park is an old park, but lately there have been some changes made. The same man is running the park but some of the permanent RVs that were there are gone. The grass was freshly cut and I think the place has been "cleaned up" a lot. There's still quite a few long term RVs around the outside of the park, but they seem like a friendly bunch of folks if you just say "Hi" to them and start up a short conversation.

We've been coming here for years and have never had a problem. And for $15 a night it's quite a deal for a full hook-up site.

This morning, about 9:25 ET, we left Thomasville and headed West on US 84. 84 took us to Cario and to Bainbridge where we drove into a reall "gully washer" which caused us to slow down to about 30 mph because of such poor visibility. After Bainbridge the weather cleared somewhat and we just had sprinkles the rest of the way to Dothan, AL. After taking 84 around the NE side of Dothan, we turned NW on US 231 and followed it up here to Troy, AL and the Deer Run RV Park.

It was 12:40 ET when we arrived, so we traveled  166 miles in about 3 hours and 15 minutes.

We crossed into the Central Time Zone as we crossed into Alabama, so it was actually 11:40 when we arrived here near Troy, AL.

We'll be staying here at Deer Run for 2 nights so that Jim can recoup a little. Besides that, they're forecasting a lot of rain for this area tomorrow.

Speaking of Jim. He's been able to do everything that needs to be done in the mornings and afternoons. He does get quite tired though and sometimes has to quit what he's doing and sit down for awhile. Then, he goes back at whatever he was doing and finishes it up.Not the way he likes to do things, but it's working. He also seems to get tired driving, so we probably don't want to travel more than 150 to 170 miles or so a day.

If everything goes according to plan, we should be getting up to Rantoul during the first half of next week. I should be able to be more precise in a couple days.

Did you know that Georgia was named for King George II of England?

Woof!!!

Catching Up On The Last Week

DeBary, FL.

85 deg. 70% humidity, NW wind @ 4 mph.

Forecast tonight = Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.

Forecast tomorrow =  Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 94F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.


It's been almost another week since I've last posted and I thought I'd better catch up on what's been happening.  We stayed out at the Campground until Tuesday. Jim got a few things done on the trailer but not near as much as he had hoped for. So, today he went back out there at about 7:00 AM this morning and got most of the items done. :-)  Even going out that early, it was really hot and humid by the time he came back here (about 9:30), and he was really exhausted.

This weekend, it looks like we're going to have a "tropical depression/storm", coming across the state, from the Gulf of Mexico. They're forecasting heavy rain beginning Sunday and lasting all the way through Tuesday, bringing with it 4 or 5 inches of rain and possibly very windy conditions.

Not looking forward to a storm, but there's not much we can do about it.

If the weather isn't too bad the last half of next week, we're still thinking that we may be able to leave here by Monday, the 13th.  I hope so, I'm really tired of sitting around here, waiting to get back on the road again.


Did you know that June is "National Camping Month?"

Woof!!!

Guess Where We Are? and Please Take A Few Moments

Deltona, FL.

77 deg. partly cloudy, no wind

Forecast tonight = Partly cloudy. Low 68F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.


Guess where we are?????

Not a whole lot has happened since I last posted, that is until this past Wednesday when Jim asked Linda what she thought about going camping the upcoming holiday weekend? Linda asked "What do you mean by going camping?" and Jim said that he was thinking about heading over to Paradise Lake CG where Nora is parked and just camp there. He said that he figured that while we were there, they could check out all of the systems real well and also enjoy, "getting out of the house for a few days". :-)

So, they started gathering "stuff" up and packing up the truck. By This morning, they had everything packed up for a 3 to 4 night stay, so they loaded the last of the "stuff" (mostly refrigerator "stuff") into the back seat and we headed over here to Paradise Lakes.

 We're in site #118.

 There's nothing fancy about this park, but they do have full hook-up sites.

  Probably over half the the sites are seasonal and most of those folks have left for parts of the U.S. or Canada that have cooler temperatures. They'll be back again in the fall.

It sure feels good to get away from the house for awhile. Jim has already done a few small jobs on Nora. He doesn't have much stamina though and gets tired easily and has to sit down and rest for awhile before finishing the job or starting something else.

Oh! One thing that he got accomplished was to cook something on his grill. (Some Brats). Would you believe that it was sometime last fall since he had enough energy to cook out?

As of now, it sure looks like we'll be leaving Florida on or about the 13th of June. Jim can get projects done. He just has to take it easy and rest a lot, making the project take a lot longer than it usually does, and that "bugs" Jim a lot!!!!


A Quote to Ponder :  “Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers;
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours.”
–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Please take a few minutes this weekend to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can be free.

Woof!!! 

Last Radiation Treatment and A Fish Fry?

DeBary, FL.

39 deg. clear,, no wind.

Forecast = Abundant sunshine. High 68F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday Night = A clear sky. Low 39F. Winds light and variable.


Nothing special happened since I last posted except, yesterday, Jim had his last Radiation treatment!! :-)  That means that he won't have to be getting up and leaving here by 8;15 every weekday morning and hopefully, some of the side effects such as the fatigue Jim has been experiencing, will start to fade away.

He also had his last weekly Chemo treatment yesterday. The next treatment will be in about 21 days, although, he will still have to go in to get a blood test every week, in-between the treatments. The Chemo treatments Jim has been receiving, have lasted about 3 hours, but these last 2 treatments will last about 5 hours, so it will be a longer day and who knows what the side effects will be from the heavier dose of the medications.

To celebrate Jim's last Radiation Treatment, He and Linda went to Gram's Kitchen for dinner last night. Jim ordered the Prime Rib Special that they have every weekend and Linda ordered meatloaf. As usual both dinners were very good.

Oh, speaking of food!!! The other day, Jim received an e-mail from Dave, (one of the Illinois bunch), and they are having their annual "fish fry" over at their home at the Southern Aire RV Park in Thonotosassa, FL tomorrow.

If you are a long time reader of this blog, you may remember that the whole Illinois Bunch used to spend the winter at that RV Park and we used to spend a couple weeks each winter camping over there and visiting with them.  Well, we lost Gordy a couple years ago and Dorthy sold their Motorhome. Denny and Bev have not been coming down to Florida for the last couple years, so that just leaves Dave and Dee Dee who have bought a Park Model Home over there.

Anyway, every summer, Dave does a lot of fishing up in Illinois. He and Dee Dee freeze the fish and bring them down here for a "fish fry" for their friends. Most everyone brings food along, so they end up having a Pot Luck Dinner with the fish as the main dish. If I remember right, there were about 50 people there for the last fish fry that Jim and Linda were able to attend, 2 years ago.

If Jim is still feeling well, Lila will take them over there tomorrow. They're  planning on eating around 3:00 but if they can, Jim and Linda will head over there earlier so that they can spend tome time visiting with Dave and Dee Dee, before they get too busy with meal set-up, preparation and cooking.

Should be a fun day, and it will be a good excuse for Jim and Linda to get out of here for a day. ;-)


Did you know that today is  International Sword Swallowers Day?

Woof!!!

Continuing To Improve

DeBary, FL.

67 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing this afternoon. High 83F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%


Not a whole lot to report. Jim's breathing seems to be improving as time passes and so far, he hasn't had any serious side effects from the chemo treatments.

He continues to go for radiation treatments every morning, (Monday through Friday) and to chemo treatments, every Monday, after the radiation treatment. He's now about 1/2 way through the radiation treatments and is looking forward to not getting up every morning and having to be over there by 8:45.

The other day, Jim and Linda took Big RED and headed over to Paradise Lakes RV Park to check on Nora. When they returned, they said that everything looked good and that she was nice and dry with no leaks, even though we've had some serious rain storms lately. There was also some talk about putting Nora in storage to save some $$. There is a possibility that they may be able to leave her "on site" and still save quite a bit, but not quite as much as moving her to the storage area.

They'll be heading over to the Park and talk to Kelly to see just what their options are, sometime before the 13th when the current lot rent runs out.

Yesterday, Lila took Jim and Linda to Walgreen's to pick up some prescriptions and other necessities and then in the evening, over to Gram's Kitchen for dinner. Linda had a chef's salad and Jim had the Country Fried Steak. Both of them said that their meals were excellent. :-)

No big plans for the near future. The radiation treatments every morning kind of limit what can be done each day.


A Quote to Ponder : “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”
William James

Woof!!!

GA To FL and Back Home To DeBary

DeBary, FL

 60 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. High 78F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph.


We left the Parkwood  RV Park in Statesboro, GA about 9:45 Thursday morning and headed South, down into Florida on US 301. The roads were good and by 12:30 we sitting in front of the office at Kelly's Countryside RV park which is just North of Callahan, FL. We had traveled  142 miles and it took us right at 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Our main reason for staying here was so that Jim and Linda could meet grand daughters, Ashley and Anna, (and Ashley's friend, Chris), for dinner at the Cedar River Seafood Restaurant in Callahan for dinner.

Phone calls were made, plans were made and by 6:30 pm, they were all enjoying nice meals and lots of good conversation. ;-)

Friday morning, we left Kelly's at 9:25 and continued Southeast on US 23 down to I-295, which took us around the West side of Jacksonville. When we got down to the South side of the city, we turned South on US 17 and brought it all the way down to Orange City, where we turned off of 17 on local roads and took them to the Paradise Lakes Travel Trailer Park in Deltona, FL.

It was 12;35 when we pulled into the park and we had traveled  154 miles in 3 hours and 10 minutes.

Once Nora was parked, leveled and hooked up to the electric, Linda called Laura and Lindsey to tell them we were on our way over to the double wide house. We met them there and they helped un-pack Big RED and then followed us back to the RV Park, where Laura, Lindsey, Linda and Jim, (and Anna who had driven down to DeBary for the weekend), started unloading most of the "stuff" out of Nora and packing it into Big RED and Laura's car.

By about 5:00 most everything had been brought into  the house and a pizza was ordered. After eating, Laura, Lindsey and Anna headed home and Jim and Linda just kind of collapsed after a long day.

Yesterday was spent putting things away and resting. Jim took a long nap in the afternoon and Linda worked on some of her "Family Tree" stuff to relax. Today Jim and Linda need to go back to the RV Park to get some more "stuff" out of Nora. There's not a real lot over there that they'll be bringing back here to the house, but some of it is important for daily use.

All in all, we had a very good trip this summer. If I get a chance, I'm going to figure out how many miles we traveled and some other statistics and post them here. I don't know when that will be though as from now on, there won't be a whole lot to post about as we all go about our daily lives, living in a house.

Did you know that today is "National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day"?


Woof!!!!

NC To GA On A Nearly Perfect Travel Day

Statesboro, GA.

51 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 79F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.


By 9:00 AM, the fog had lifted yesterday, and the day turned out to be just about perfect for travel with temperatures in the low 70's, no wind and beautiful clear blue skies. It was right at 10:00 when we pulled out of the Columbia / Camden RV Park and it was just a short drive to US 601 where we turned South and followed it all the way down to Orangeburg, SC. where we picked up US 301.

On the East side of Orangeburg, we stopped at Henry's Travel Plaza where Jim filled Big RED's tank up with that good old #2 diesel fuel. Following 301 then brought us down into Georgia and to Statesboro. We took the by-pass around to the East and then turned South on 301 again for about a mile, where we turned into the Parkwood RV Park.

If you remember, we stayed at Parkwood on our way North this spring. It's a little on the expensive side, but it's a nice clean and well maintained park with level, fairly large, full hook-up sites and the folks in the office are always friendly and helpful.

It was 1:25 when we pulled into the park so, including the fuel stop, we traveled 164 miles in 3 hours and 25 minutes yesterday.

US 601 and US 301 were both very good roads. There were a few rough sections on both highways, but they were very short sections and didn't cause any problems at all. Most of both routes were 2 lane with a  few 4 lane sections. There was a lot of traffic in Orangeburg, but it moved along nicely and really didn't cause much of a delay.

Today, the plan is to head down into Florida  where we'll stop North of Jacksonville so Jim and Linda can meet Ashley, Anna, (Granddaughters, who live in Jacksonville), and possibly Ashley's friend Chris, for dinner.


Did you know that November is "National Georgia Pecan Month"?

Woof!!!

North Carolina To South Carolina and Remembering Those Who Served

Lugoff, SC.

48 deg. fog, no wind.

Forecast = Foggy early, becoming sunny this afternoon. High 69F. Winds light and variable.

It did rain all day on Monday, so I'm glad that we waited until yesterday to leave Moncure. It was raining early in the morning, but by about 7:00, it stopped and the sun even started to peek through the clouds by the time we left at 10:05.

It was just a short drive to US 1 where we turned South and followed it all the way down into South Carolina and to Camden, where we pulled into the Columbia / Camden RV Park. Except for a few sections US 1 was in good condition all the way and even with a pit stop along the way, we traveled the 159 miles down here in 3 hours and 15 minutes, arriving at 1:20 PM.

Not bad considering all the small towns along the way and the fact that Rt 1 is mostly a 2 lane road.

We've been to the Columbia / Camden RV Park before. It's an OK park for an overnight stay. Our site, (#22) is not real level so Jim had to put a couple boards under the right-side tires, but it is a full hook-up pull-thru site that was easy to get into and will be easy to get out of. And, the lady in the office was very friendly and helpful, answering Jim's inquiry about the local road conditions in the area.

Today, the plan is to head down into Georgia.  Not sure yet which roads we'll be taking, but it will be a US route and not the Interstate. :-)

Please take a moment to remember all the Veterans, past and present who have given so much for our Country. Many have given the ultimate sacrifice so that we could remain free.  


Did You Know that In 1921, the United States began honoring it's war dead. However, November 11th did not become a legal federal holiday until 17 years later in 1938?

Woof!!!

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.

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!!!

West Virginia To Virginia And On To Virginia Beach and More Problems

Virginia Beach, VA.

55 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny, High 68F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.


We left the Summer Wind CG at 9:50 Tuesday morning and continued East on I-64 until we came to Exit 169 (US 219) at Lewisburg. Following 219 South for about 2 1/2 miles brought us to Loudermilk Trailer & RV Sales, where Chris is the general manager. It was about 10:15 when we arrived.

Chris was waiting for us and directed us around to the rear of the business and into a spot where there was an electric hook-up to plug Nora in so that he could check the A/C as well as the furnace operation with the new Thermostat. Everything went well and everything worked with the new thermostat so by about 10:55 we were heading North on US 219.

Once back to I-64 we again turned East and followed it into Virginia and to US 220 at Cliftondale  Park, where we turned South. US 220 brought us down to Roanoke, VA. where we again turned East on US 460. Following 460 brought us to Appomattox, VA and the Parkview RV Park.

It was right at 2:00 when we arrived, so it took us 4 hours and 10 minutes to get Nora's thermostat installed, stop at a station in Virginia to get Big RED a drink of that good old #2 diesel fuel and travel 178 miles.

We've been to the Parkview RV Park before and I don't remember all the noisy traffic on US 460 as well as Rt. 24 at all times of the day and night. I also don't think that the park was as well maintained as it used to be, but still is OK for an overnight stay. Kind of expensive though at $35.10, (after the Good Sam discount), for a full hook-up site with absolutely no other amenities.

It got pretty chilly Tuesday evening, so Jim turned the furnace on. Everything went well for about an hour and a half or so, with the furnace cycling on and off like it should, but then, it quit!!!!!!  Yep, blew a fuse in the new thermostat!!!!!

Wednesday morning before we left Appomattox, Jim called Chris and told him that the new thermostat had also blown the fuse and to ask him if he had any other ideas of what might be causing it to happen. Chris said that he would call the manufacturer and see if they had any ideas and call Jim back. Jim said that we'd be on the road, traveling, so that he would call him back when we got to our destination instead.

So, we left the Parkview RV Park at 9:55 and continued East on US 460. 460 took us over to Suffolk and then to the Norfolk / Chesapeake area where we turned off on I-64 which took us around to Virginia Beach where we turned East on I-264. At exit #20, we turned off of 264 and then took local roads for about 2 miles to Joe and Nancy's house, arriving about 1:40 after traveling a total of 195 miles in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

The plan is to stay here in VB for about a week before heading to North Carolina to see Mike and Gina, in the Raleigh area. However, a lot will depend on the weather and the furnace as to when we'll need to head further South to stay warm.

Oh, speaking of the furnace, Jim called Chris back and he said that the only thing that he and the tech,  that he spoke to, could come up with was a possible short in the wire that goes, first up to the Air Conditioner, and then down to the furnace. :-(

Did you know that on this date in 1930 - J.K. Scott won the first miniature golf tournament? The event was held in Chattanooga, TN.

Woof!!!

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

Meadow Bridge, WV

deg.

Forecast = Sunny to partly cloudy. Hard freeze expected. High 48F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Sunday night = Clear skies. Widespread frost likely. Low 28F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.


I guess it's true that every cloud has a silver lining. And, especially, if you're an RVer, you'd better believe that statement is true.
.

The above photo was taken from the Summer Wind RV Park on our arrival day. (Saturday)

You see, when you're an RVer and travel a lot, you're bound to have problems somewhere along the way. This time, for us, it was Nora's furnace. :-(

While we were at that State Park in Ohio, Nora's furnace all of a sudden stopped working. But, with a little checking, Jim determined that the Thermostat was most likely at fault because it wouldn't turn on the furnace or the A/C. He then found that there was a small fuse in the thermostat that was blown,.So, after heading to an auto parts store came back and replaced the fuse, which blew about 10 seconds after he turned on the furnace.

The Cloud!!!

Jim and Linda carry an electric space heater with them for times when it's not too cold and you really don't need to run the furnace and burn up propane, but since the weather forecast was calling for below freezing temperatures, Jim decided to purchase another one.

He figured that by turning off almost all other electric loads in Nora, and with the 2 heaters running, he could keep the inside of Nora livable. That worked and for Thursday and Friday nights, we stayed nice and toasty with the 2 heater set-up.

Yesterday morning, we left the City Park in Point Pleasant, WV at about 9:50 and continued South on US 35. When we got down to I-64, we turned East on it and followed it through Charleston, WV and then SE down to Beckley where I-64 turned more Easterly again. We followed it East to exit 150 where we turned off and drove just a short distance to the Summer Winds RV Park, arriving at 12:45 after traveling 153 miles.

Jim and Linda found this park years ago and every time we come through this area, we stop here for at least 1 night. There's nothing fancy about this park at all. There's no pool or playground but the surrounding scenery is beautiful. And you couldn't find a better CG host than Russ Phillips who keeps the CG in very nice shape and will do anything in his power to make you feel at home and help in any way he can. Oh, and they also added wi-fi to the park since we were last here.

Such was the case while registering, when Jim mentioned that we were having problems with the furnace. Russ said that there was a very good Mobile RV Tech near by, and that the tech had repaired many RVs that were traveling through the area over the years.

The Silver Lining.

 So, being that Jim trusts Russ's recommendation, he asked Russ to give him a call. Russ gave Chris a call and he said that he could come and look at the furnace in an hour or so.

Jim and Linda set up Nora and in about an hour and a half, Chris pulled up into the site next to us with his pick-up and cargo trailer. With his volt-ohm meter, he determined that the furnace was OK and the problem was in the thermostat, so he went out to his trailer to try to find a thermostat that would work with Nora's system. He found one that would run the furnace, but not the A/C, so temporarily  installed it so we'd have heat for the forecasted  very low temperatures.

Of course, being Saturday, Chris wouldn't be able to order the correct thermostat until Monday and get it on Tuesday, but that's OK. Throughout the years, we've become very flexible and Jim always allows extra days for travel or problems. Besides we really like this park and it's not very expensive, so a few extra days may be kind of nice. ;-)

Now, I know this blog post has gotten quite long, but there's just one more thing. Jim and Linda are really glad that Chris was able to come and get the furnace running, because as I write this, at about 7:30 AM Eastern time, Jim's outside thermometer is showing 23 degrees!!!!!

Brrrrrr!!!!!

It's nice and toasty inside of Nora though!!!!! :-)


Did you know that The origin of the phrase, "Every cloud has a solver lining" is most likely traced to John Milton's "Comus" (1634) with the lines,

Was I deceiv'd, or did a sable cloud
Turn forth her silver lining on the night?

Woof!!!!

Catching Up

Baraboo, WI.

70 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High around 90F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.


First of all, let me explain why I haven’t posted for awhile.  When we got up to Warrens, WI for the reunion, Jim and Linda found out that although they did have a weak AT&T cell phone signal, there was no data signal for their Hot Spot. So, posting was pretty much out of the question. So, I decided to write the blog on a word processor and then paste it to Blogspot when we had a signal again. That way, I wouldn't have to try to remember all that happened for the 4 days that we were up there.

8-27-2015 Warrens, WI.
We left the Fox Hill CG near Baraboo, WI. About 11:40 Thursday morning and headed North on US 12 until we came to I-90 / 94. We then followed 90/94 NW to Toma, WI., where 90 split off and headed to La Crosse. We stayed on 94 and followed it for about another 12 miles up to Warrens and the Jellystone RV Park.

It was 12:50 when we pulled up in front of the office, so it took us an hour and10 minutes to travel the 63 miles up here.

I-90/94 wasn’t as rough on this section as it had been down near Madison, so the ride wasn’t too bad and everything seemed to stay pretty much in place inside of Nora.

This Jellystone Park is a huge place with hundreds of sites covering everything from very long pull-throughs for Big Rigs to tent camping sites. Some of the sites are paved or gravel and some are on grass. Ours is on grass.

When Jim went into the office, and because he had called and made a reservation, they had everything in an envelope with his name on it. After asking him a few things, telling him about the park regulations and showing him how to get to our site on the map that they gave him, we were on our way to our site.

Our site, K-12, turned out to be a site off of a very narrow 1 lane, 1 way, blacktop road and our site was on the right side of the road. As you RVers who are reading this know, that means backing into the site from the right or “blind side”. To top it off, there were posts with site numbers right alongside of the road on both sides and a tree and fire pit that Jim had to back around of, in our site.
Linda helped guide Jim in and watched so he didn’t bash anything, Jim got out and looked 4 or 5 times to see how things were going, discussed how he wanted to position Nora and after about 5 or 10 minutes of jockeying around, we finally made it.  Whew!!!!!

About 4:00, Big RED took Jim and Linda over to the 3 Bears Lodge area and to the "Villa" that Linda's brother, Glenn had rented for their 4 day stay. The "Villa" was built like a  log home and this one had a fully equipped kitchen, a large living room area and 5 bedrooms to accommodate Glenn and Jeanette's son Ed and grandson Thomas, their daughter Mary and husband, Jeff and grand children Addy, Beckette, Charlotte and Callum.

After H and H, (hugs and handshakes), they ordered some pizzas for dinner and then visited for the rest of the evening.

There really isn't much to post about for the next few days as they were mainly spent visiting and eating meals that the different families put together each evening. From what I can determine, everyone had a great time visiting and catching up on what has been happening for the last couple years. The "kids" spent quite a bit of time over at the water park at the 3 Bears Lodge and one day Mary and Jeff took their 4 kids down to the Wisconsin Dells to do some shopping.

Yesterday morning, after more h and h, everyone said their good-bye's and headed for home. Jim and Linda came back to the CG, hooked up Nora to the back of Big RED and by about 11:15 we were pulling out of the Jellystone Park and heading South on I-94, retracing our route back here to the Fox Hill CG near Baraboo.

It was about 12:20 when we got here, traveling the 63 miles in about an hour and 5 minutes.

We're only staying here for the 1 night and Jim didn't even un-hook Nora from the back of Big RED. Today the plan is to head back down to Utica and stay at the Hickory Hollow CG again. Then, tomorrow, head back down to Rantoul, getting there before the Labor Day Holiday Traffic begins.

  Did you know that on this date in 1878 - Emma M. Nutt became the first female telephone operator in the U.S? The company was the Telephone Dispatch Company of Boston.

Woof!!!

Getting Ready To Travel and A Response To A Comment

Rantoul, IL

63 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. High near 80F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.


We're almost ready to leave here tomorrow morning. Jim and Linda have been working on getting everything put in it's proper place for travel and checking everything out. The weather guessers are forecasting rain off and on for today, so yesterday, Jim dumped the tanks, re-organized the basement compartment, re-organized the back of Big RED and stored all unnecessary hoses and outdoor items.

Inside, Linda worked on getting all cabinets, drawers and closets organized for travel and put away all the things that she and Jim have gotten out during our 2 month +  stay here.

The plan is to leave here around 9:30 tomorrow morning, head up to Ashkum, IL to get that tire on Nora replaced and then head up to Utica, IL were there's an RV Park that we'll stay at for the night. Then on Tuesday, we'll head up into Wisconsin and probably stay at a park in the Wisconsin Dells area for a couple nights before heading further North for the reunion on Thursday.

Oh, while I happen to think of it, I received a comment the other day from Dione. She was wanting information on the CG where Nora was parked this last winter. She and her husband  stay in that area at times during the winter and said that she was having problems finding any info on the CG and wasn't sure just where it was. So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  I did some research and even though the CG doesn't have a web site of it's own, I did find this Link to a web site that tells about the Paradise Lakes Travel Trailer Park. It also includes their phone number, directions, a map and the address, so hopefully it'll help.

Paradise lakes is an old park. Many of the RVs are permanent but we found the folks staying in the park very friendly and the prices were about the best in the area for a monthly rate. The roads are sand and not real smooth but this keeps the speed down. The electric was good as were the water and sewer. There's no pool and they don't have a lot of amenities, but they do have holiday meals and potlucks in the pavilion.  It is a gated park and you have to have a code to get in, so there aren't strangers just driving around in the park.

Basically, we like the park and will probably end up there again this winter. Hopefully we'll be able to spend more time "camping" this winter, than we did last winter. Maybe we'll even get to meet Dione and her husband!!  :-)

Did you know that Milk chocolate was invented by Daniel Peter, who sold the concept to his neighbor Henri Nestlé?

Woof!!!