Florida To Illinois

Champaign, IL

68 deg. Overcast, no wind.

Forecast tonight = Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable.


By the time Jim and Linda got all of the remaining things packed into Lily, most of the electric in the house shut off, and the water turned off, we pulled out of the car port at home about 10:45 AM on Sunday, 7-31-17. We really weren't in much of a hurry as the Motel that Jim had called, had a 3:00 Check-in time and Jim figured out that it would be about a 4 hour drive up to Monticello, FL. where it was located.

The route we took was US 17 up to Barberville, Rt. 40 over to near Ocala, Rt. 326 around the north side of Ocala and over to US 27A which took us to Chiefland and then US 19 up to  Monticello.

We hit some heavy rain on the  way, but by the time, (3:45, and 221 miles), we arrived at the Econo Lodge, it had cleared up nicely.

The Motel was very nice. It had a medium sized room with a bath, a king bed and a small refrigerator to put food, out of our cooler, into.

Jim seemed to do pretty well driving up there, but by the time he and Linda brought all the necessary items into the room, he was pretty tired.

But, after a good night's sleep, Jim was ready to go again in the morning, and after loading up the car, we left the motel at about 10;35 and headed further North, on US 19 first up into Georgia and to Albainy, Then, US 82 up to Columbus, and then I-185 and US 80 around Columbus and into Alabama. and then US 280 over to Opelike, AL.

After stopping for gas in Georgia, and a Cracker Barrel for lunch, near Columbus, it was right at 2:10, central time, when we pulled up in front of another Econo Lodge. So it had taken us about 4 hours and 35 minutes to travel the 208 miles over there.

This Econo lodge wasn't so nice. Jim had trouble with the door lock up arrival and the inside of the room wasn't very well maintained. It was clean though and it had a small fridge like the first one, so we stayed overnight, being sure to deadbolt the door.

Tuesday, Jim and Linda decided to do a short day, so we left about 9:35 and only drove up to Albertville on US 431, stopping again for gas, which brought us to the King's Inn after 148 miles and at about 12:45 in the afternoon.

A nice short 3 hour and 10 minuted drive. ;-)

The King's Inn was very nice. A nice big clean room with a King bed and a nice big bathroom. After we were settled in, and Jim took a nap, he and Linda headed over to a Shoney's Restaurant for a nice  dinner.

Wednesday morning, we left Albertville right at 10:00 and continued Northwest on 431, taking it up to Huntsville where we turned North on US 231. 231 took us up into Tennessee and to Murfreesboro, where we turned NW on I-24 and then North on I-840 and I-40 East back to 231 to miss city traffic and small roads. Once back on 231, we followed it up into Kentucky and to Scottsville where we pulled into a Executive Inn just outside of town.

It was 3:10 when we pulled up in front of the office, so it took us 5 hours and 10 minutes to travel the 198 miles up there and that included a very severe rain storm near Murfreesboro, where we were driving as slow as 30mph on I-24!!!

The Executive Inn was very nice. a large room, spotlessly clean and very friendly people in the office.

Thursday morning we left Scottsville about 10:25 and followed US 231 up to near Bowling Green, where we turned off on the William H. Natcher Parkway which took us up to Owensboro and across the Ohio River on Rt 161 into Indiana. When we came to the little town of Reo, we turned West on Indiana Rt. 66 and took it over to the I-164 belt route that goes around the East side of Evansville, IN. 164 took us up to I- 64 which took us West over to US 41.

Just south of 64 on 41 we went to a and Amish Restaurant where Jim and Linda had great Buffet. Then we crossed 41 and checked into the Super 8 Motel. It was 3:10 by the time we arrived, so it took us about 3 hours and 45 minutes to travel 145 miles and have dinner.

The Super 8 was very nice but at that Motel, you have to go in through the front entrance and then down the hall to your room. Luckily the room wasn't very far down the long hall so that Jim and Linda didn't have to carry their luggage too far.

As far as the room goes, it was also very nice with a king bed and a large room.

Friday morning, just before 11:00 we left the Super 8 and headed North on US 41. Following 41 up to Vincennes where we turned West on US 50. 50 took us to IL Rt 1 that we took North for a ways and then took some side roads over to Rt. 49. 49 took us up to I-74 where we turned West again and followed it to the Urbana Gardens Restaurant, where Jim and Linda had coffee and pie.

From there, it was just a short drive over here to the Woodsprings Suites Hotel, where we'll spend about a month.

 It was 3:10 when we pulled up to the main entrance, so it took us about 3 hours and 10 minutes to travel 176 miles and stop for coffee and pie.

So,  ,  ,  ,  we traveled 1097 miles to get here in 6 days.

All in all, it was a very good trip. Jim is real happy with Lily and really likes the way she drives. She gets great gas mileage, (over 30mpg on each tank of gas), and hasn't given even the least bit of trouble.

This Blog post is way too long already, so I'll tell you more about Woodsprings in my next post.

Did you know that there is an old law in Indiana that states that "Hotel sheets must be exactly 99 inches long and 81 inches wide"?


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!!!

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!!!

Hurricane Matthew

Moncure, NC

62 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast today : Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 68F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.



Just a quick post to let y'all know that we're still in NC and it doesn't look like the hurricane will have much effect this far North and inland. Jim and Linda did take Big RED to Walgreen's yesterday to pick up a couple prescriptions and buy a few items.

Needless to say, it doesn't look too good for our house down in Florida though. Talked to Laura and she is going to be working at the hospital for the next 3 days. She will stay there the whole time and not return home until the hurricane has passed. She and Lindsey checked our house and everything looked good, so all that can be done has been done and we'll just have to hope for the best.

Hope all of you are taking precautions if you're in the effected area.

I'll be posting as soon as the storm is over and I have some info to pass on to you.

Did you know that a hurricane can reach 40,000 to 50,000 feet up into the sky?


Woof!!!

Yes, We Did Make It To Rantoul

Rantoul, IL.

65 deg. clear, N. wind @ 8 mph.

Forecast = Sun and clouds mixed. High 87F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.


Sorry it took so long for me to write this post, but it's been quite busy since the last time I've posted.

We left the Hilltop CG in Goreville Monday morning after a nice restful day on Sunday. It was about 8:30 when we pulled out of our site and headed North on I-57. 57 took us all the way up here to Rantoul where we turned off on US 136. 136 took us into town and to Rt. 45/Century Blvd. where we turned South. If you keep heading South on Century Blvd instead of following US 45 as it turns West, Century will take you to within a block of the Prairie Pines CG. All you have to do is turn East on the S. Perimeter Rd at the stop sign and take it 1 block to the CG. (You'll be able to see the CG as you drive South on Century.)

It was right at 12:15 when we pulled up in front of the office, so we traveled the  220 miles up here in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Our site is right across from the office this year. I'm still trying to decide if I like as well as the site we've had previously. It has shade at many times of the day, but in the evening, (around dinner time), there's no shade at all on our awning side, and the sun is low enough that the awing doesn't help either. Now, later in the evening, the sun goes behind some trees to the west and shades our site nicely.

I guess it's like anything else, it'll just takes some time to get used to the new site.

Jim got Nora partially set up when we arrived Monday and then Monday night, we had a strong storm go through the Rantoul area. Just a few blocks North of here, there was quite a bit of damage at the airport and there were many trees and branches blown down in the area. We lucked out here at the CG though, only small branches and a few things blown around. There was one MH on the East side of the CG that lost it's awning though. As for us, the big thing was that Nora developed a leak where the front cap connects to the roof and water leaked into the cabinets over the bed and then down onto the bed!!! :-(

Needless to say, Jim and Linda spent much of the night, soaking up water and trying to prevent the bed from getting too wet.

Tuesday, Jim went over to ACE Hardware and bought some silicone sealer for the roof/cap joint. Then In the afternoon, Paul's son, David, (who was visiting Paul and Louise and lives in California), came over with a tall ladder and ran sealant all along the joint, while looking for any small cracks or places of possible leaks along the seam. David evidently did a good job because Tuesday night we had another heavy downpour, which lasted most of the night, and there were no leaks. Jim didn't get much sleep though because he was constantly checking inside the overhead cabinets for water.

Thanks so much, David!!!! Jim just doesn't feel safe getting up on a ladder at this time and he really appreciated the help.

Wednesday, Jim was very tired and really worn out, so he rested and napped most of the day.

By yesterday morning, (Thursday), he was feeling much better though and even felt good enough to re-organize some of the "basement" compartment. Then, for dinner, he and Linda took Big RED and headed over to Fisher, IL and to the Blue Start Restaurant where they both had very nice meals.


A Quote to Ponder ;  “The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.”
John E. Southard


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!!!

It's Been Awhile, Planning A Visit and Keeping An Eye On The East Coast Weather

Rantoul, IL.

49 deg. cloudy, light rain, NE wind @ 14 mph.

Forecast = Generally cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 60F. Winds NE at 15 to 25 mph.


Again, it's been quite awhile since I've posted on this blog. Hasn't been too much happening, in fact, I guess the weather has been the the main item of conversation around here lately. You see, we went from really nice weather with light winds, highs in the mid-70's to very windy weather, (15 to 25 mph with up to 30 mph gusts), with highs in the low 60's and lows at night getting down to the mid 40's.

As many of you long time readers may remember, Jim is not a big fan of wind. In fact, if he can help it, he won't go out at all when it starts blowing over about 20 mph.

But wait!!!! The weather guesser are saying that there's a change coming and the wind will die down somewhat tomorrow and by Monday, they're guessing that the winds will only be in the 5 to 10 mph range!!! ;-)

Not much else happening. Jim and Linda went out to eat at the Blue Star Restaurant over in Fisher, IL Monday evening, went grocery shopping at the big Meijer's store down in Champaign on Thursday and then went to Arby's for a sandwich last night.  It's been pretty quiet here in the CG. Some RVs came in yesterday, but I think they may be part of a "group" that's having a gathering here.

Monday, Big RED is going to take Jim and Linda up to Manteno, IL. (Just a little North of Kankakee), to see Jim's cousin, Adeline. She's had some major medical problems lately, so the plan is to stay for only a couple hours, so she doesn't get too tired.

We're keeping a close eye on the weather along the East Coast, since that's where we'll be heading when we leave here in just over a week. It looks like the storm is going to stay well out to sea, but those things are very unpredictable, so we'll keep watching. Hopefully, for everyone along the coast, it'll stay out there.

A Quote to ponder :

“A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.”

Hugh Downs

Woof!!!
 

Rockin' And Rollin'

Rantoul, IL.

68 deg. light rain, SW wind @ 10 mph.

Forecast = Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then partly cloudy during the afternoon hours. High 77F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.


The eye doctor's appointments yesterday morning went well. Linda got the injection and Jim got the scan. It took awhile though as the doctor's office was backed up. ;-(   By the time they left the doctor's office it was getting close to lunch time, so they stopped at the Urbana Gardens Restaurant in Urbana to eat before coming back here to the park.

Being that it rained in the morning, the humidity was very high yesterday. That, along with a high temp of around 87 made things down right uncomfortable. Then, around 8:00 PM a thunderstorm came through the area and we started Rockin' and Rollin'!!!!

I don't know for sure how strong the wind gusts were, but it sure made Nora move around a lot, and things got pretty scary for a little while!!!! That's one thing that I liked about the big Motor Homes we used to have, (Myrddin and Emrys), they didn't move around much at all in a storm.

We're OK though, and I don't think that there was any damage in the park. Just a few very small branches down.

This morning, Linda has to go to her primary care doctor over in Fisher, IL for her annual check-up and to get new prescriptions for her meds. She'll also be getting a blood test, so she won't be able to eat anything before she and Jim go. That means that they'll be stopping at the Blue Star Restaurant when they leave the doctor's office. ;-)

The weather guessers are saying that we should have very nice weather for the rest of this week. They're saying that it shouldn't rain or even be very humid until Sunday. I hope their forecasts are right as that will give Jim and Linda decent weather to get some shopping done and get everything ready to travel next Monday.


A Point to Ponder : A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.

Woof!!!

Winesburg, OH To Middle Point, OH and Lots Of Rain And Wind

Middle Point, OH.

67 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 86F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.


Because we had been at the Amish Country Campsites park near Windsburg for a whole week, Jim and Linda had more to do to get ready to leave. So, Jim went out early and disconnected the utilities and Linda started putting everything away inside.

Looking at the radar of areas to the East of Winesburg showed that we would probably run into some rain and possible storms before we arrived at out planned destination near Van Wert, OH. Still, even with the earlier start, by the time Big RED pulled Nora out of the site and to the dump station so that Jim could  dump her tanks, it was 9:45 when we pulled out on US 62 and headed NE to Wilmot.

In Wilmot, we turned NW on US 250 and followed it up to Wooster, where we turned West on US 30. Following 30 west took us through Mansfield, up around Upper Sandusky, to the North of Lima and finally to Middle Point, just to the East of Van Wert.

The roads were all in pretty good condition and we made good time arriving at the Huggy Bear Campground right at 12:50, traveling 171 miles in 3 hours and 5 minutes.

Just before we arrived at the CG, the skies started getting very dark and when we were about 3 miles from the park, the wind started blowing very hard, the skies opened up and it rained and rained. We pulled up to the office, but Jim didn't go in for about 15 minutes or he would have gotten soaked. Even then, after registering and waiting for the rain to let up some,we still had to back into our site, (# 26), in the rain! :-(  Finally, after awhile, the rain let up enough so that Jim could get Nora set up and hooked up to the Electric.

Later, someone told Jim that the storm had dropped close to an inch of rain!!! :-O

After it finally quit raining completely, Jim grabbed his camera and took some photos of the park.

The entrance sign out by the road 

I'm glad out site wasn't down this street.

Looking down the street at Big RED and Nora in site #26

It's a little wet  here.

I was pretty sure we weren't going to have a campfire.  ;-) 

About 7:30 last night, the skies opened up again and dropped still more rain on the area, and it rained off and on most of the night. This morning, there's still lots and lots of water standing and it looks like it's going be be a challenge getting Nora ready and out of the site. :-( 

Today we're heading to Indianapolis, IN to see Linda's cousin, Mike, and his wife Sandy. Mike and Sandy have had some health problems and it's been awhile since Linda and Jim have seen them, so we're going to stop by on this trip.

A Point to Ponder : When I erase a word with a pencil, where does it go?

Woof!!!

SC To FL and Dinner With Anna

Callahan, FL.

38 deg. partly cloudy, NW wind @ 10 mph.
Forecast = Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 51F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph.

We left "The Oaks" in Yemassee, SC about 10:05 and headed back to US 17. Right across the highway was a gas station that sold diesel, so Jim pulled Big RED and Nora up to the pumps and filled Big RED's tank. Once that little chore was done, we took 17 for just a little way and then turned South on I-95.

95 took us down to Georgia, where we turned off on US 17 again, just South of Savannah. We took 17 to GA 196 and then took 196 to Macintosh where we turned NW on US 84. Following 84 brought us to Jesup, GA. where we turned South on US 301. 301 brought us down into Florida and to Kelly's Countryside RV Park, which is about 6 miles North of Callahan.

It was 1:50 when we pulled up in front of the office. We had traveled 180 miles, stopped for diesel and then stopped to pick up a few groceries at the Winn Dixie Grocery Store in Hilliard FL. (about 4 miles North of the Park), in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

 Not too shabby! ;-)

There was no one in the office when we arrived, but a very nice young lady, who I found out was the owner's grand daughter, told Jim about some pull-through sites that were available towards the rear of the park. She said that we could pay for the site later. :-)

Following her instructions, we headed down the road.

Soon Jim had Big RED and Nora parked in a nice level site.

The sites back here aren't very wide, but they're plenty long for even the longest trailer.

Kelly's is a family owned and operated RV Park and they're supper nice people. We've been coming here for years and always feel welcome every time we come. The park is very well maintained and I can't ever remember being here when the grass needed mowing or the bushes needed trimming.

Once Nora was set up and Jim and Linda had relaxed a little, Linda called their grand daughter, Anna, who lives in Jacksonville to ask her if she'd like to come to Callahan and go out to eat? She said that she would and arrangements were made to meet her at the Cedar River Seafood Restaurant.

Jim and Linda met Anna at the restaurant at about 5:30 and it sounds like everyone had a good time visiting and eating some delicious seafood and chicken. (Anna doesn't like seafood).

Both Linda and Jim said that it was really good to see Anna again and they're looking forward to seeing her again Thanksgiving Day in DeBary. :-)

Yesterday morning, Jim dumped Nora's tanks and then took Big RED up to Hilliard and bought him another drink of good old #2 diesel fuel. Then, in the afternoon, we had some serious storms go through the area. There were reports of tornadoes SW of here and there was quite a bit of damage in Jacksonville, which is about 15 or 20 miles South of here. We had some wind and lots of heavy rain, but no damage in this area that I know of.

Yesterday, the temperatures were in the upper 70's but today, they're saying that it'll only be getting up to about 50.  That's OK though because today we'll be heading down to DeBary where it'll be a little warmer with forecasts in the mid to upper 50's.

I've got real mixed feelings about getting back to DeBary. I've kind of missed the house and all the room I have to roam around. I've missed Laura and Lindsey and it'll be kind of nice not having to get ready to move almost every day. But, I'll really miss being out on the road, seeing new sites, experiencing new places and meeting new people. And I never get bored when we're traveling, because there's always something happening.

Oh well, maybe a little R and R will do me good. And then, there is that cute little white dog with the pink collar that comes past the house just about every day. ;-)  

Did you know that on this date in 1956 - Fats Domino appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and performed his hit "Blueberry Hill?"

Woof!!!

Wind, Rain And More Wind

Virginia Beach, VA.

38 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = sunshine. High 62F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.

This weekend has been a real "bust" as far as getting anything outside done. It was only in the lower 50's and has been real windy with winds in the 13 to 37 mph range with gusts to 53 mph!! :-(  At times the trailer was rocking pretty good and the slide-out awning was making a lot of noise. We didn't have a whole lot of rain, but when it was raining, it was hitting the side of Nora with quite a bit of force.

Jim and Linda spent much of the weekend inside the house visiting with Joe, Nancy and Amber, but quite a bit of time was spent out here in the trailer while Joe and Nancy did their chores inside.

This morning, the wind seems to have calmed down and the weather guessers on TV are saying that it should be much warmer today than it was yesterday.

That wouldn't take much!!!!

Well, how about it?  Did you get all your clocks set back one hour Saturday night?  I don't know which would be the best, but I wish they'd pick either savings or standard time and then leave it alone. It takes me a week to get used to the new time every time Jim has to change it.

This evening, Jim and Linda are planning on taking Joe, Nancy and Amber out to dinner. Joe and Nancy know of some good restaurants in the area, so they're letting them pick the one they'll go to.

Well, don't know too much else. If it's as nice out today as the weather guessers are guessing, I'm sure Jim will want to do a few things outside.

Did you know that eight United States Presidents were born in Virginia? George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson.

Woof!!!

Driveway Camping, Pretty Flowers and The Weather

Virginia Beach, VA.

deg. 54 deg. cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Today, overcast with showers. Becoming windy for the afternoon. High 57F. Winds NNW at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
                  Tonight, Showers early then continued cloudy and windy overnight. Low 44F. Winds NNW at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Higher wind gusts possible.

As you can see by the forecast above, we're in for a stormy period here in Virginia Beach. Besides the 25 to 35 mph winds, they're forecasting gusts in the 40 to 45 mph range. This continues on through Sunday with even cooler temperatures!!!

Brrrrrr!!!!!

Jim took a few photos of Nora and Big RED in Joe's driveway. Nora is hooked up to a 20 Amp electric circuit and city water.

Just outside of Nora's rear window is this very pretty Camellia bush.

It has some very pretty blossoms right now, but they'll not last much longer. :-(

As far as I could tell, there wasn't much Halloween activity in this area. There were a few kids trick or treating, but that's all.

No plans for today or tomorrow. I'm sure that Jim and Linda will spend some time in the house visiting. By Monday, the weather is supposed to get better, so maybe they'll be able to do something.

Oh!! Yesterday, Jim called a couple RV parks that he and Linda have decided to stay at on our way down the coast and made reservations. At one of the parks, he just wanted to make sure they had a site for us and at the park that we'll be staying at in Myrtle beach, he was able to get one of their best sites right next to the beach, so that should be neat. ;-)

Did you know that Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America?

Woof!!!

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.

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!!!

Indiana To Kentucky and The Oak Creek Campground

Walton, KY.

45 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 69F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.


When Jim woke up about 6:00 EDT yesterday morning. it was raining and it sure didn't look good for preforming the outside tasks to get Nora ready to travel. Jim hadn't unhooked Big RED from Nora, but there was still the water, electric and cable TV cord to deal with. And of course, the stabilizer jacks and the front tongue jack had to be retracted.

So, Jim drank some coffee, watched some news and weather on TV, had something to eat, and then about 8:30 woke Linda up.

I guess Linda has a "magic touch" because almost as soon and she got up, the rain slacked off and in about 1/2 hour it stopped almost completely!!! ;-) Well, by 9:30 we were pulling out of the CG and were heading back to I-465 under partly sunny skies. 465 took us around the South side of Indy and over to I-74, heading SE towards Cincinnati.

We made good time on 74, with only a few small construction zones. Once we crossed into Ohio, we turned South on I-275 which took us down to the South side of the Cincinnati and to I-75. Heading South on 75 brought us down into Kentucky and to the Oak Creek Campground near Walton.

It was 11:50 when we pulled up in front of the office, so it took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to travel the 136 miles over here.

The Oak Creek CG is much more to our liking.

There's lots of trees and good paved or gravel roads throughout the CG.

There's a cute playground for the kids,

Open pull-through sites

Shady back-in sites like site #17, that we're in.

Some have a nice wooden decks with picnic tables, (with a friendly kitty included).

And, of course, there's Oak Creek. ;-)

We had some heavy rain most of the afternoon, but it and the storms that passed just to the south of us moved on by about 4:00. That gave Jim and Linda a chance to take Big RED for a nice drink of #2 diesel fuel and stop at a Waffle House Restaurant to have breakfast for dinner.

Today, we'll be heading down I-74 to Berea, KY. to see Rick, (another of Linda's cousins). Berea is only about an hour and a half South of here, so I don't expect we'll be leaving here very early. In fact, Jim and Linda thought about heading on down there yesterday, but the weather wasn't looking good and we're not pressed for time.

Did you know that the first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant owned and operated by Colonel Sanders is located in Corbin, KY?

Woof!!!

Finished With Doctor Appointments and The Weather

Rantoul, IL.

38 deg. clear, Wind SSW 13 MPH Gusts 20 MPH.
Forecast = A mix of clouds and sun. Gusty winds diminishing during the afternoon. High 52F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph.

That cold front came through this area with a vengeance! The wind picked up, (25 to 30 mph), it rained very hard at times, (bringing us around 2" of rain), and the temperature dropped like a rock!!!

What a change, going from the mid 80's a few days ago to the upper 30's this morning!!! Brrrrr!!!!

Linda's last eye doctor appointment with the cataract surgery doctor went very well and she gave Linda the OK to head out. :-) She said that everything looked good and that she'd like to see Linda again when we return next summer.

While Linda and Jim were at the doctor's office, the weather front that would eventually bring these cold temps started moving though with heavy rain. In fact, it rained so hard that Big RED said that on his way back here, he had to slow way down so that Jim could see where they were going. Since then, it has been very windy with off and on rain.

So, as far as getting ready to travel, not much got done around here. Today, they're forecasting more windy conditions, so it looks like cleaning the awning before we leave is out. Jim also has a patio mat out that will definitely need some cleaning before it can be folded up and put into the back of Big RED, and there are sewer hose supports, sewer hoses and water hoses that will need to be cleaned and put away before we leave.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a pretty decent day though, so although Jim doesn't like waiting until the last day to get ready, some of the outside preparations to leave may have to wait till then.

Did you know that on this date in 1915 - The Dinosaur National Monument was established? The area covered part of Utah and Colorado.

Woof!!!

Shopping, Weather and Cataract Surgery Today

Rantoul, IL.

55 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. Highs around 79°F. East wind to 7 MPH.

Haven't posted because there's not been much happening around here.

Friday morning, Big RED took Jim and Linda down to a Menards store in Champaign so that Jim could buy some hooks to put on the walls here in Nora. He also wasn't happy with the way the bottom of the sliding door on the bedroom was held in place when latched open in the travel position, so he bought some hardware to remedy that situation too.

After shopping at Menards, Jim and Linda had breakfast for lunch at a Denny's Restaurant. (because it was right there). The food was good, but it took a long time for the food to come, after it was ordered.

When they returned back here to the campground, Jim put up a couple hooks in the bedroom to hang clothes on and then put up 2 small hooks on the end of the kitchen cabinet, (next to the outside door), so he had someplace to hang his baseball type caps.

Friday evening, we had a storm come through the area. It got real windy for awhile and we ended up getting just over 1/2 inch of rain.

The sky really looked nasty for awhile. 

Saturday was a much cooler day. Jim went to the County Market Grocery Store in the morning and then he and Linda enjoyed the nice weather sitting outside under Nora's awning. Oh, and he did install the hardware that he purchased on the bedroom door. Now it'll stay in place better when we travel. 

Yesterday, Jim and Linda went over and talked to Paul and Louise for awhile. Again the weather was so nice that they sat outside to visit. 

Today, Linda is scheduled for Cataract Surgery on her left eye. She and Jim are supposed to be at Carl Hospital in Urbana at 12:45. I don't know just what time the surgery will be, but that's the time she needs to be there to register.  

Did you know that on this date in 1945 - In Washington, DC, a bus equipped with a two-way radio was put into service for the first time?

Woof!!!

Dishes, Clouds and Butterflies

DeBary, FL.

74 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with thunderstorms and rain showers. High of 97F. Winds less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Long time readers will remember when Jim and Linda went up to Naperville, IL. to see Linda's sister, Nancy, and to pick up some dishes that Linda had left with her for safe keeping. Nancy e-mailed the other day and wondered if they had survived the trip down here in one piece?  Well, in the photo below, you can see that they all made it without even a chip, and that's something, taking in consideration that they had to have bounced around some in the back of CLT on some of those really rough roads that we traveled on the way down here.

Linda's dishes on display, on the shelves and in the cabinets. (metal tray in the middle is not part of the set).

Yesterday morning, as Jim was having his coffee out in the Florida Room, the sun was coming up and he noticed how it was illuminating some storm clouds up to the North of here, so he got out his camera and took this photo.

Morning sun illuminating storm clouds

The last few days, there has been a lot of activity around one of the bushes out in front of our house. It seems like every time I look out of the window, I see these butterflies flitting around the bush. Jim saw them too, so again, he grabbed the camera and took a few photos.

There's one in the photo below, (you can click on the photos to enlarge them) can you spot it?

Here's a close-up of the butterfly on one of the flowers.

Linda did some laundry yesterday, and both she and Jim have been working on getting more things put away and organized. 

Oh, and Jim called "The Antenna Guys" who put up one of the neighbor's TV antenna, across the street, when we were here in the spring. He's going to be here early Thursday morning, (before Linda has to go to the doctor), and talk to Jim, and then, if Jim agrees, he'll probably put up the antenna that same day, even though Jim and Linda won't be here. 

Then, he'll come back another day, and finish the installation. (Any inside stuff that needs to be done). 

Speaking of the doctor, Linda is getting very nervous about going on Thursday. Again, it's the fear of the unknown. Not knowing what the diagnosis will be and what will actually have to be done to fix her problem. :-(  I know that she wants to get all of this taken care of as soon as possible, but at the same time she's worrying about getting the house ready before she has any procedures. 

Hopefully, soon, questions will be answered and everything will get taken care of.

Did you know that there are about 24,000 species of butterflies?

Woof!!!

Clean-up Day

St. Ignace, MI.

64 deg. overcast, NW wind @ 7 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then clear. High of 73F. Winds from the NW at 10 to 15 mph.

Yesterday was clean-up day here at the park. They brought this equipment the night before, to clear the trees that were on the wires, (knocking out the power for about 12 hours), and by daylight, the crew was back here again and proceeded to remove all the downed tree limbs and most of the damaged trees.

In the above photo, they've already removed and chopped up the tree that had landed on that 5th wheel, as well as the ones that had fallen on the wires.

In the afternoon, they got down to our end of the park and started working on those trees that had fallen. As you can see, many of the RVs had to move to different sites so that they could get in with their equipment to remove the trees.

This chipped pile of wood is all that's left of the above tree and about 3 smaller ones,

including the branches from the tree right in front of us.

They'll be back Monday morning to finish up removing the last trees and trunks.

This storm has sure changed the personality of this park. There was a beautiful row of trees along the front of the park where you could sit in the shade and enjoy the great view of Lake Michigan and feel the cool breezes off of the lake. Now, there's hardly any shade at all, and I doubt if many people will want to sit out there in the hot sun. :-(

Today, we'll be heading over to a park in Thompson, MI. It's only about 90 miles over there so it should be a nice short travel day.

Did you know that Michigan has 116 lighthouses and navigational lights?

Woof!!!