LAZY DAYS RV

We arrived at Lazy Days about noon, got parked in their RV park, and then I went over to the service department, and checked in for our appointment today. The good news is that the new refrigerator is here, and the appointment first thing this morning could go as planned. They took our motor home to the back, where there are almost 300 service bays. As big as this business is, they had no provision for the storage of our food, while the swap is being made. So, we found the local Wal-Mart, and picked up a larger ice chest to go with the smaller one that we already have. We got all of the food transferred, and saw the new refrigerator sitting on a pallet in front of the motor home. There was some question as to whether this new one would have ice and water dispensers in the door, which is the way most of them are built. When we had our Camelot built, we ordered the refer without those dispensers in the door, and this one fortunately was the same as the old one. So far, so good. Now, if they can get the old one out, and the new one in, through the removed drivers side window, with no damage, we'll be happy campers. For now, it's the service customer lounge for the rest of the day.

LOVE BUGS

Florida has this small black bug that joins together with another of its' species, and the two fly around together, in what appears to be a perpetual state of wedded bliss. I'm no bug expert, but that's what it looks like, and I'm sure that's how the damn things got the name "Love Bug". What I do know is they are almost impossible to remove from the front of your vehicle. Once again, Patty and I spent way too long yesterday, scrubbing the little critters from the front of the motor home. I read somewhere, that this little bug was brought into Florida by one of the universities, because it ate the scale off the citrus fruit. As usual, when man intervenes with nature, he may solve one problem, but almost always creates another one. When we were finished, we were both soaking wet, and it was time for yet another shower. Have I mentioned that I dislike hot, humid weather?
There's a Wal-Mart in Wauchula, about 5 miles north of here, so we took our empty gallon water jugs, and picked up a few groceries. Today, we will drive to Lazy Days RV Supercenter, just outside of Tampa, and get checked into their RV Park. I found an offer on their website that gives the first time user of their RV Park, 2 free nights. There are a few big "ifs", but "if" our new refrigerator shows up today, and "if" the installation goes as planned, we might get back on the road by Oct 1st. I don't think I'll hold my breath.

BEWARE OF CRITTERS

Some of the RV Parks, and particularly the Thousand Trails Parks, have unique characteristics. This Thousand Trails, situated on the Peace River in central Florida, has the potential for some very unwanted critters. You don't see signs like this at very many RV Parks. On the other hand, there are lots and lots of other critters called squirrels, here at Peace River. So, from Sami's perspective, every venture out of the motor home is an opportunity to chase a squirrel up a tree. It's sometimes a bit problematic however, when the goal of the walk, is for her to take care of a certain business that normally occurs about twice a day. She gets so involved in the chase, or the search for more squirrels, that it sometimes becomes a lost cause, and has to be attempted a little bit later. If we spot the squirrels first, the strategy of changing directions sometimes seems to work. Yesterday being Sunday, I was parked in front of the tube for a good part of the day. I had recorded NHRA qualifying from Saturday, and after viewing that, went to the NASCAR race in Dover. When we traveled from the TT in Hershey, PA, to the TT in Virginia, we drove right past the track in Dover, Delaware. Even though it's hot & humid, today is the day for removing bugs from the front of the motor home. Florida has this little black insect called the love bug, and for some reason, it's incredibly difficult to get off. The last time we tackled this project in Orlando, Patty and I spent a couple of hours getting rid of the darn things.

THE DRIVE NORTH

Excluding the day we drove to Key West, our location for the last 4 days on Bahia Honda Key, is about as far south in the U.S., as you can get. After getting the motor home ready to go, stopping at the dump station, and hooking up the jeep, it was time for a dry t-shirt, as the one I was wearing was not exactly very comfortable. Have I mentioned that I'm not a big fan of hot, humid weather? The drive off the keys was pretty uneventful, except for dodging the occasional idiot who is more interested in his cell phone conversation, than in keeping his vehicle in the right lane. When we reached US Hwy 41, known as the Tamiami Trail, I headed west, through the everglades, towards Naples, and the west coast of Florida. We passed lots of Air Boat Tour businesses, that didn't seem to have much in the way of customers. We also passed through a Native American Reservation, (can't remember the name), almost smack dab in the middle of the Everglades. I commented to Patty that I might be able to live in the middle of the desert, but probably not in the middle of a swamp! When we reached Naples, we passed by the Naples Signature Motor Coach Resort, a remnant of the previous Monaco Corporation. When Monaco filed for bankruptcy, they owned several upscale resorts, and they all have now been sold. This one looked like it was almost empty. It was late afternoon when we arrived at the Peace River Thousand Trails, and got situated in a quarter full park. It was even hotter (mid 90's), and more humid than the keys, so, after getting everything plugged in, I was pretty much parked in my recliner. That is until about 8pm, when the TV went blank, and both air conditioners shut off. I'm thinking, OK, now what? We couldn't have tripped the 50 amp circuit breaker we're plugged into, but, armed with the flashlight, I went out to check. Nope, the circuit breaker was OK, but, there's several other folks with flashlights, doing the same thing I'm doing. It wasn't long when someone shouted "the entire park is out", and that they have called the power company. We fired up the generator for about an hour, and then when the power was restored, it was time to call it a day.

RR BRIDGE VIEWS

Both of these pictures were taken from the top of the old railroad bridge, looking back at Bahia Honda State Park. The other bridge that's visible in the photos, is the overseas highway that isn't too far from where we are parked. We've been here 4 nights, and despite my summer cold, we have both enjoyed this tropical setting. I'm still not a big fan of the humid, high temperatures, but this has been a significantly different experience from the typical places where we normally park the motor home. Today, we drive about 300 miles to the 2nd Thousand Trails (TT) Preserve here in Florida. The Peace River TT is about an hour from Lazy Days RV, where we have an appointment on the 30th, to have the new refrigerator installed. If the refer shows up on time, and the installation goes well, we should be heading for Arizona on the 2nd or 3rd of October. Our goal is to reach Tucson no later than the 10th, where we have made plans with Marc & Chandra, to pick up our granddaughter Laila, and take her on a motor home adventure for about a week. Her 4th birthday party is on the 17th, so we'll drive back to Tucson for the party before heading for home on the 18th. This last leg of the trip, across the southern states is 2,680 miles, and even though I haven't calculated the total mileage, this trip around the U.S. will be over 10,000 miles. It's been a great trip, but I'm starting to look forward to being home for awhile.

BAHIA HONDA STATE PARK

Today is our 4th day parked at Bahia Honda State Park, and sadly, we have to leave tomorrow. Yesterday, Patty drove the approx. 5 miles south to Big Pine Key, and did some shopping. Sam and I hung out most of the day, as I'm trying to kick a summer cold. The 3 of us did take a walk to the old railroad bridge, where a short portion of the old auto deck has been reconditioned as a viewing platform. In 1912, a railroad was completed from the main land to Key West. This was the main transportation along the keys until 1936, when a hurricane destroyed much of the railroad. The overseas highway was completed a few years later, using most of the old railroad bridges. The mile long Bahia Honda Channel bridge was the only one of the multiple bridges that was an iron truss bridge. When they built the highway, they had to add the auto deck to the top of the iron trusses, which is visible in the one photo I took. For most of the afternoon, Patty was snorkeling in front of the motor home, and near the beach where I took the other photo. Per your request Marc, here's a couple of pictures, looking out from the inside of the motor home.

KEY WEST

The distance from where we are parked, at Bahia Honda State Park, to Key West, is a little over 30 miles. At the end of the overseas highway, Key West is closer to Cuba, (90 miles) than it is to Miami, (150 miles). When we arrived a little before noon, we had lunch at TGI Fridays, then drove around to some of the familiar places that we remembered from our last visit to Key West, about 10 years ago. We both like historical sites, so we drove to Fort Zachary Taylor, one of many coastal forts that were built in the 1800's. We got a short tour and narrative about the fort, by one of the Florida State Parks volunteers. Even though Florida was one of the southern states that seceded from the union during the civil war, Fort Taylor was never occupied by the Confederate forces. Back then, the only transportation to Key West was by ship, and the North had the larger Navy, controlling much of the southern waterways. From Fort Taylor, we located the Little White House that Harry Truman used during his presidency. Our intent was to stop and check out the museum, but parking in Key West is sometimes almost impossible. After a brief search for a parking space, I gave up, and we headed over to the southern most monument, where I took the photo of Patty. When we returned to the motor home, we both changed and went for our second swim in the bay. The neat thing about salt water, is you can float, almost without any effort. Not sure what's on the agenda today, but I do know that the view out the windshield is pretty awesome.

PARADISE FOUND

Some things sound, and even look pretty good, when you're evaluating information about what may, or may not be a good destination. Well, this destination at Bahia Honda State Park, on Bahia Honda Key, has so far, exceeded our expectations. As the photo shows, if we were any closer to the water, the waves would be lapping onto the front of the motor home. It's often interesting how things happen, and in this case, we had not planned the Florida Keys as a destination, until a few weeks ago. Due to weather and schedules, we missed the outer banks of North Carolina, and due entirely to weather, we missed the Cape Cod area of Massachusetts. We thought that our stay at the Virginia Landing Thousand Trails would be a good stay on the Atlantic coast, but that turned out to NOT be a nice coastal location. So, I started looking at the keys, since we had been to Key West on 3 previous occasions, and knew that most of the keys are indeed a tropical paradise. During the initial investigation on the Internet, and after a few phone calls, the least expensive RV parks I could find were in the $70-90 range! It's not that we can't afford to pay that rate, it's just plain and simple, we're cheapskates, tightwads, scrooge like, when it comes to a place to park the motor home. After a few more hours of on line checking, I discovered a 4 day opening, for a water front site here at Bahia Honda, and the total was $172. When checking in, I was told that most people have to book many months ahead, for the very few sites that are right on the water. Whatever it is, Karma, good luck, perfect timing, we're here, and loving it. The other pictures were taken on the drive out to the keys. Couldn't resist the "Last Chance" sign!

SOUTH FLORIDA

The nice thing about being retired, is most everything occurs at your own pace. By the time we had our coffee, updated the blog, walked the dog, unhooked our utilities, and hooked up the jeep, it was about 10:30 am before we hit the road. I drove south on US 27, which is mostly in the center of the state until you get farther south, near the Miami area. It was a nice drive, passing a lot of cattle ranches, sugar cane fields, swamps, and a few small towns. The best thing that happened was after a couple of phone calls to/from Dometic, our refrigerator manufacturer stepped up to the plate, and are going to replace our troublesome refer. We agreed to have the new one shipped to, and replaced at Lazy Days RV, just outside of Tampa, probably around Oct 1st. This isn't an easy job, and part of the dialogue with Dometic was for them to do some research, and recommend a place that can handle the job. Lazy Days advertises themselves as the largest RV Dealer in the country. When we were working the drag race circuit, we stopped at Lazy Days once, and it is a huge facility. We're keeping our fingers crossed that this all goes smoothly, in a little over a week from now.
We spent the night at an RV park in Florida City, after topping off the fuel tank at $2.47 a gallon. That's 40 cents a gallon less than our last fill up at a Florida truck stop. Yesterday was a good day!

SUNDAY RACING

OK, I admit it, I'm a gear head. I guess it all started with my first car when I was 16, a 58 Chevy Impala, with a 348 cubic inch engine. It wasn't very long before that modest engine was a fire breathin 409, with twice carburetors, and lots of other go fast stuff. The only trouble was the car weighed a ton, actually, about 2 tons, and there was always someone with a little faster hot rod. Back in the early 60's, me and my buddies were either driving up to Fremont, CA on the weekend to watch the big boys race their fuelers and gassers, or, we were driving to Salinas, or Half Moon Bay, to drag race our own cars. Most formats of auto and motorcycle racing, stirs my competitive juices, so, on many Sundays, when the tube is filled with lots of the above, that's where you'll find me parked. Yesterday was one of those days. Both NASCAR and NHRA began their post season playoff races at Loudon, NH, and Charlotte, NC, respectively. It was an exciting day for me, but Patty isn't exactly a rabid race fan, so part of her day was filled with a trip to the local Wal-Mart. Today, we break camp, and head even farther south to what we hope is an awesome destination. Our arrival won't be until tomorrow, so we'll pull into an RV park tonight, and turn on both air conditioners. Have I mentioned that it's been hot and humid here in Florida?

STICKER SHOCK

Orlando is known for its' theme parks, with the Disney complex as the center piece. About 15 years ago, Patty and I were here in Orlando, and visited many of the parks, including Universal Studios, Sea World, and Disney. None were high on our list of things to do yesterday, but after sitting around at Cummins for 2 days, and with our love of animals, we knew Sea World would provide a few hours of entertainment. All through out the area, there are countless businesses that advertise discounted theme park tickets. As we were driving toward Sea World, we passed one discount ticket business that had a sign posted "Sea World 9.99". That peaked my curiosity enough to stop and investigate a little further. I walked up to the counter and said "I'll take 2 $9.99 tickets for Sea World". The very slick salesman started to explain that it wasn't quite that easy. The way these discount ticket outlets operate, is they steer you to some condo development for a "tour", and then you are eligible for the discount tickets. With the Sea World tickets, the $9.99 price was for the first member of the family, then everyone else paid the $84 per ticket price, after taking the tour. I told the dude, we didn't have time for a 2 hour tour, and thanked him for his time. Before we left the motor home, I told Patty that I wouldn't be surprised if $100 was about what we would pay for 2 tickets into Sea World. If we paid at the gate, I was about half right, and we both agreed that we would rather do something else. We ended up at a huge outlet mall, did some serious people watching, and actually made a couple of purchases that came to a whole lot less than the admission price for one person to Sea World!

THE HEAT

All of the 6 days that we have been in Florida, the ambient temperatures have been 90, or above. Now, for someone who has a home in Arizona, 90 degrees shouldn't be a big deal, right? Not exactly. Due to the very high humidity, it only takes a little activity outside the motor home, and you feel like you're in a sauna, not to mention the wet and sticky clothing. I remember back to my first experience with humid conditions at Fort Knox, KY, during the summer of 1966. Being from CA, I had never dealt with high temps and high humidity. I didn't get acclimated back then, and I'm quite sure that I won't during this visit to the south. The good news is that we are back at Orlando Thousand Trails, with new shocks on the motor house. Even though the 20 mile drive was on the freeway, I could tell that the ride and stability had improved. When we get on the rougher roads, I'll be in a much better position to evaluate how much the new shocks have helped. The other good news is that with some adjusting and lubrication, the slide is now working as it should. The bad news is that once again, the refrigerator tests were inconclusive, and in fact, the last one wasn't completed until about 9pm last night, after we returned to the T.T. I'll be on the phone with Dometic Monday morning, and we'll see where we go from there.
After sitting around at Cummins for 2 days, we have vowed to get out and do something today. Not sure what, but whatever it is, I'll be writing about it tomorrow.

MOVING SLOWLY

We're still here at Cummins Coach Care. The new shocks were installed by noon, then it was waiting for some direction from Monaco on the slide problem, and waiting for the same from Dometic, the refrigerator manufacturer. Mike, who is trying to coordinate with these 2 manufacturers, was waiting for call backs from both, as of about 4 pm yesterday. So, it was back into the rear of the facility, where at least they have 50 amp and water hookups, as do most, or all of the Coach Care service centers across the country. While all of this was taking place, I called Dometic, and insisted on speaking to someone who could authorize the replacement of our troublesome refrigerator. I was connected to Mark, Dometic's warranty service manager. We had a long conversation which was pleasant, and hopefully beneficial to our cause. He told me that if the Cummins folks can't find what is causing the erratic temperatures, that he was in favor of replacing the entire refer, because it's probably the cooling unit that has gone bad. We haven't quite gotten to that point yet, but it was refreshing to hear that Dometic was willing to stand behind their product. The only way that can happen, is for either the windshield, or the drivers side window to be removed, so that the old can come out, and the new can go in. We had this done with our last motor home, but it was at the Newmar Factory, where they had all the proper resources. The folks here don't feel comfortable removing windows, so if this does happen, we'll have to find a Dometic facility that can handle the job. Stay tuned.

ORLANDO CUMMINS COACH CARE

It's 6:15 am, as we wait for our 7:30 am appointment here at Coach Care, Orlando. The main purpose for this appointment, is to have the Bilstein Shocks installed, that I had shipped to Mike & Amy's house in Augusta. Of course, the refrigerator is always on the list of things to be checked, and I added a new one yesterday as we got ready to leave the Thousand Trails, and drive over to the Cummins facility. Our big slide out, behind the driver, stopped moving, as I was holding the switch to bring it in. This is a very heavy slide, and it has always slowed down, as it climbed the ramp at the beginning of the retraction cycle. This time, the motor just quit, and the slide stopped. I have suspected from day one, that this might be a possibility, due to the heavy pull on the electric motor. After I manually pushed a little, and played with the switch, it began to move, eventually retracting all the way back in. So, that problem got added to the list when we arrived yesterday afternoon. As RV'ers often say, "there's always something". We left the jeep at the T.T., so we'll be hanging here until they are done. Fortunately, every Cummins Coach Care facility has a lounge, that we can take Sami into. I thought about either towing the Jeep over here, or having Patty follow me, but, due to the heat, (in the low 90's), we really couldn't go anywhere and leave Sami in the Jeep. Hopefully, we'll make some progress today.

IN SEARCH OF SHARPS

I don't recommend acquiring a taste for a product that's hard to find. In my case, the acquired taste is for Sharps non-alcoholic beer, made by the Miller Brewing Co. When I gave up the leaded stuff, almost 20 years ago, Sharps was the substitute that made it easier for me to make the transition. Some people might say that my acquired taste for Sharps has become more of an addiction, but that's not really the case. Hey, I just like the taste of the stuff, and when I can find it, I like to drink one or two a day! Well, for the last 2 months, I haven't been able to find it. Fortunately, we left Arizona with a good supply, and when we were in the Pacific Northwest, I was able to replenish, and even add to the stock level. When we started across the country, there was no Sharps to be found, and believe me, we looked. As the supply started to become dangerously low, I found a beer store in Hershey, PA, that had a total of 5 six packs of Sharps in bottles. Even though I prefer the cans, I snatched them up, prolonging what seemed to be the inevitable. I had called our son Mike before our arrival, and asked him to find or order some Sharps in cans. After a few days, the answer was no cans available. Was this the end? Did Miller decide to stop production, even though they had at least one dedicated consumer? Not wanting to know the answer, I resisted the temptation to call Milwaukee, and began the process of mentally withdrawing from an almost 20 year friend. Then, out of the blue, yesterday I hit the jackpot! We ventured out to the post office, and then stopped at the local Wal-Mart for some groceries, where I spotted that distinctive cardboard 12 pack of Sharps, standing out like an oasis in the desert. I had to resist the urge to loudly shout out "YES", and quietly loaded the 4 twelve packs into the cart. I think before we leave Orlando, I'll have to visit this Wal-Mart again, in hopes that they will have restocked the shelves. This afternoon, we will drive the motor home over to Orlando Cummins Coach Care, for an appointment to have the shocks installed tomorrow morning. The refrigerator is still acting up, so, maybe if we have enough people look at it, someone will find the problem. I guess the good news is that it still works, sort of. The blog may be posted a little late tomorrow.

ORLANDO

It was with a little sadness, that we pulled out of the campground at the lake, and pointed the motor home south for Florida. Our visit with Mike & Amy was way too short, but it was so good to see them. Rather than take the freeway, I drove almost due south from Augusta, on hwy 1 and 441. We passed through the small town of Harlem, GA, where the town entrance sign proclaimed it was the birthplace of Oliver Hardy. In the middle of town, with no place to park a rig like ours, was the Laurel and Hardy museum. I'm sure Patty was glad there wasn't any parking, but as a kid, Laurel & Hardy were right up there with the Little Rascals, and Abbott & Costello. It's amazing what you stumble across when you hit the back roads of this great country. I told Patty to remind me to get fuel before we left Georgia, because it's quite a bit cheaper than Florida. Well, by taking the back roads, I didn't pass any facilities that I could easily get into, so before I knew it, we passed a big sign that said "Welcome to Florida". Since we were only at a half tank, I kept going until we were on I75 headed south, and when the first truck stop appeared, I pulled in for fuel. If I could have physically done it, I would have kicked myself, because, we passed up as low as $2.38 a gallon for diesel, and I was now staring at $2.85 a gallon. As the old saying goes, "when you snooze, you lose", and in this case, the 70 gallons I put in the tank, ended up costing me about an extra $35. If I sound like I'm whining, well, I am. I am glad however, that fuel costs this summer are a lot lower than they would have been, if we had done this trip last summer. We pulled into the Thousand Trails Preserve just before dark, and after getting parked, it was time for a little TV, then off to bed. Judy C, if you read the blog again, our email is dchance4@gmail.com. Patty can't find your address, and would like to contact you.

ADIOS AUGUSTA

When the breakfast hour had come and gone, we hooked up the boat to Mike's pickup, the jet ski to the jeep, and drove back to Mike and Amy's. For most of the afternoon, Mike and I watched some football, while Patty went off to get her hair cut, and boy, did she get it cut. The above photo was taken before she left. After the first set of games were over, we gathered our things, and said our goodbyes. They are both back to work today. Mike and Amy are flying out to Arizona in November, so we'll see them in a couple of months. Our stay at the lake worked out to be an excellent venue, for a several day visit with the kids, and some of their friends. We were parked directly across the road from the rental trailer where they stayed for 3 nights, and it was just a great location. As I mentioned yesterday, Mike and Marc grew up around boats & water, and as a parent, it's so nice to see them both doing so well, and able to each afford their own boats and a few other toys. All 3 of our boys have successful careers, (Mike's on his second), and as parents, we are so proud of them and their accomplishments. It would be nice if everyone lived a little closer, but I guess you can't have everything. This morning, we will be packing up, and heading south toward Orlando, where we're booked at the Thousand Trails Park for about a week. We might venture over to Disney for a day or so, but we probably won't be running off to a different amusement park each day.

WATER TOYS

Saturday at the lake, almost perfect weather, warm water, family and friends, it doesn't get much better. Mike & Amy's friends, Scott, Julie and their son Carl, came by for the day. Cody, who works with Amy, also stopped by for awhile. The day started with a boat ride for Cody, who watched Amy wake board, then Mike barefooted, doing his usual deep water start. When Mike was done, Cody started putting on the gloves, and said "I can do that". When Mike asked how much experience he had, he replied that he had gotten up on 2 skis before. Never to deny someone the opportunity to try, Mike gave him a few pointers, and in the water he went. Six tries later, with half the lake up Codys nose, and in his ears, he commented, "that's a little harder than it looks". He did earn an A for effort however. I first met Scott, Julie & Carl last year, when I rode the Harley back to Georgia. Mike and Scott were stationed in Japan together, and go back quite a few years. It was nice to sit around and visit, mixed with watching everyone play with the jet ski. Mike and my other son Marc, spent several summers working for their grandfather, at the marina on Bass Lake, CA. To say that they got to water ski and play with jet ski's a lot, would probably be an understatement. Mike did a few tricks with the jet ski, then he and Amy both rode it, and at one point, they both stood up on it, as seen in the photo. Today, we pull the boat and jet ski out of the water, and take them back to Mike and Amy's. Probably a little NFL will fill the afternoon, then tomorrow, after the kids go back to work, we'll head south toward Orlando, FL, out next destination.

CRUISIN THE LAKE

After I cooked a mega breakfast, we started getting ready to put the boat in the water. The first thing Mike discovered, was that the boat battery was deader than a door nail! No problem. We had 2 battery chargers between us, so, we simply delayed the launch for an hour or so. Once we were on the water, I was amazed at how big this lake is. It is part of the Savanna River, and straddles the Georgia - South Carolina State Lines. It was an overcast day, but the temps were around 80 degrees, and the water was almost like a mirror. Most of the lake was so smooth, Mike put on his bare footin suit, and I was quickly pulling him at about 40 MPH. Patty took the picture of him skiing without skies, on almost glass like water. Every time I watch Mike bare foot, doing tumble turns, skiing on one foot, crossing the wake, it never ceases to amaze me. In my younger days, I tried to step off a ski, but every attempt ended in a spectacular crash. Watching Mike, it seems too easy. After he ran out of gas, and let go of the rope, Amy put on her wake board, and almost effortlessly, popped out of the water. We watched her jump the wake for the first time, but unfortunately, I didn't have the camera ready. It was fun watching the kids, including Tiga, jump off the swim platform to fetch the tennis ball. Later in the day, we BBQ'd some steaks, then sat around the campfire until well after dark. The contrast between what was a thoroughly enjoyable day with our kids, and what occurred 8 years ago on Sep 11th, was striking. I often found myself thinking that thousands of families would not be able to enjoy days like this, because of some whacked out extremists, who want to destroy our way of life. I'm not a fan of big government, but when it comes to protecting our freedoms, the bigger, the better!

AUGUSTA, GA

Our arrival at Mike and Amy Chance's house was mid afternoon yesterday, and it was great to see both of them, plus my favorite German Shepherd, Tiga. Patty got her cat fix, with Harley and Sarah, before we loaded up, and headed out to the military recreation area at the lake. Mike lead the way, pulling their boat, I followed in the motor home, Patty followed me, towing the jet ski, and Amy was the tail gunner. We were a real caravan heading out of town. It was about 20 miles from their house, and upon arrival, I got the motor home parked in a full hook-up spot, which sits on a beautiful peninsula. Mike & Amy got situated across from us in a nice rental trailer, then it was time to grill some hamburgers for dinner. After dinner, we had a chance to visit for awhile, before catching part of the NFL opening game. Parked next to us is a young, brand new warrant officer with his family, who was just assigned to Fort Gordon outside of Augusta. I remember very clearly the day that Mike became a warrant officer, after graduating from school in Fort Rucker, Alabama. Amy and I flew in for the ceremony, and we had the honor of pinning his bars on for the first time. I had such a feeling of pride for this oldest kid, who made a career out of the army, and is still enjoying many benefits today. The use of this beautiful recreation area on the lake, is just one of several perks that Mike retains as a retired Army Officer. When I start talking about one of my kids being retired, I have to be sure and frame the conversation around retired military, so I don't start feeling like a real old person. Today, Mike will put their boat in the lake, and some of their friends will be here tomorrow. We'll be at the lake for the next 3 nights, then will be continuing south into Florida. The Sprint connection works here, but is rather slow. Will try some pictures tomorrow.

CHESAPEAKE BRIDGE/TUNNEL

I can now check off one more item on my bucket list, driving over/under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel. One would think, that as things are checked off a list, the list would get shorter.
Sounds logical, right? The problem I have with my list, is that I keep adding to it, and instead of getting shorter, it's getting longer! Driving over/under this longest bridge/tunnel in the world (over 17 miles long), has long been on my radar screen for quite some time, and yesterday, we had good weather, and the drive was spectacular. The only thing missing, was a Navy Warship, passing over one of the tunnels. We stopped at the southern most man made island, where there is a restaurant, gift shop and fishing pier. When I turned into the parking lot, I soon realized that there was not enough room to turn around without unhooking the jeep. Since we became motor home owners, over 20 years ago, this was the third time that I had to unhook our towed vehicle, in order to get turned around. Once that project was completed, we enjoyed the scenery from a water view booth in the restaurant, then continued south through Norfolk, and on into North Carolina. Our stop for the night was.....yep, you guessed it, a super Wal-Mart, next to I95 in Lumberton, N.C. Today, we will drive 3 or 4 hours to Augusta, GA, and will be spending several days with our son Mike, and his wife Amy.

LEAVING MOSQUITO LAND

We have enjoyed the solitude of Virginia Landing, but, there are a couple of things we'll be glad to put behind us. The first thing that we won't miss, are the mosquito's. We have lived in Alaska, and we never had to deal with the little ba@#%___, like we have here. Even with the generous use of Off, our legs and arms are covered with itchy, little bites. The second thing we won't miss, (as the picture shows), is having to wade through standing water whenever we step out of the motor home. This started 2 days ago, when the rain came in buckets, and didn't let up for about 36 hours. As I watch the sunrise this morning, the partly cloudy skies are a good sign that our drive south may not be as wet as I thought it was going to be.
Our plan yesterday was to not venture out, due to the weather. However, about mid morning, we decided that this was the only day we would have, to check out a couple of things in Norfolk. So, we quickly gathered a few things, loaded Sami in the Jeep, and made one stop at the little post office to mail a package to Lori East. When Patty came out, she said we may want to re-think the drive to Norfolk. The lady in the post office had just driven north across the Chesapeake Bridge, from Norfolk, and said that it was awful, bordering on very scary. It was still raining and ugly, so we decided that the scenery wouldn't be worth the drive, and that we would be taking the same route today. The only problem today, is that we won't have the time to stop in Norfolk. At the start of this trip, we both understood that we couldn't see or do everything, and that despite a few adversities, we would take advantage of all the opportunities we could. Now, if I can just move the motor home out of Lake Camelot, I'll be a happy camper!

RAIN !

And lots of it! I took this picture from inside the motor home, just a few minutes ago. Yesterday evening, when I took Sami out for the last time, the water in the photo was about 2 inches deeper, and I had to carry her to a place where she could, well, you know. I went to bed wondering if I would need a boat, to get Sami to higher ground this morning. The rain started yesterday afternoon, it continued through most of the night, and is still going strong this morning. The weather forecast was for up to 6 inches of rain, along the N. Carolina & Virginia Coasts. Today was the day we were going to drive the jeep across the Chesapeake Bridge, into Norfolk. We agreed last night, it might be better to stay put, at least as long as the potential for heavy rain and possible high wind exists. I don't think we'll have any trouble moving the motor home, as the RV space is fairly well packed ground, and the gravel road is only a few feet in front of us. This storm kind of caught me by surprise. I knew that rain was in the forecast, but didn't pay attention to the amount that was predicted. The good news is, other than temporary puddling, we're not in an area that might experience any kind of severe flooding. When we leave tomorrow, it looks like we'll be driving on some wet roads, as we head south toward Augusta, GA, and a visit with our son Mike, his wife Amy, and my favorite German Shepherd, the grand dog - Tiga.

SCENERY

Maybe, it's because I got up earlier this morning, that my internet connection seems to be quite a bit faster than it was yesterday. Whatever the reason, I took advantage, and loaded a couple of pictures. The beach scene is from Cape Charles, taken 2 days ago, and if you look toward the end of the ramp, you'll see Patty heading for the water. That was when she got her feet in Chesapeake Bay. The other photo was taken yesterday, looking out of the motor home toward the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, the picture doesn't show the water just beyond the green vegetation. Due to it's remote location, this is a great place for peace and quiet, and the scenery right out our window is pretty awesome. In fact, this entire trip has been mostly about new to us scenery. We started the trip on May 10th, and the first chapter was about 6 weeks along the Oregon & Washington Coast. Then, it was a journey across the northern states, with Yellowstone National Park as one of the highlights. When we experienced Niagara Falls for the first time, we were both awestruck at the incredible amount of water flowing over the cliff. Then, it was the beauty of New England, and the Canadian Maritime Provinces that grabbed our attention for the first time. Most of the trip has been about firsts for us, and it ain't over yet!

VIRGINIA'S EASTERN SHORE

We drove the jeep south toward the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel, and stopped at a few places like Cape Charles, located on the Chesapeake Bay side of the peninsula. This is an old seaport, that still shows some signs of life, but I'm sure the better days have come and gone. Back in the day, a railroad was built, that runs south all the way to Cape Charles, and it looks like the tracks are still in use. We found a nice sandy beach, so, of course, Patty had to put her feet in the water. I took some pictures, but for some reason this morning, my Sprint Card is fading in and out, and because it takes so long to load photos, it hasn't worked. Our drive back north was on a secondary road, (600), and we passed by some beautiful properties, some on the scale of the typical southern plantation, with huge farmhouses. This part of Virginia is called the "Eastern Shore", and only includes the southern part of the peninsula, south of Delaware and Maryland. It is very rural, with only a few small towns. The closest grocery store to this Thousand Trails, is approx. 15 miles, and the nearest house is about 5 miles from here. Patty waded out into the clam beds (thick mud), and soon discovered that digging for clams with any success, was probably not going to be a sure thing. In fact, all she brought back was a lot of mud, that took some work to get washed off. Darn, I wish I could load some pictures.

JUST DRIVING

Yesterday was an "on the road" day. During our drive south out of Pennsylvania, we drove through portions of 4 states, PA, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Two of the states we drove through, are amongst the smallest, so a multiple state drive was not a big deal. We arrived at Virginia Landing Thousand Trails, which sits at the end of a small Peninsula, right on the Atlantic Ocean. We got here late in the afternoon, so haven't had time to check out the beach and what are supposed to be, some excellent clam beds. In fact, when we checked in, a clam shovel was part of the process. Since I'm not a huge seafood fan, me thinks that Miss Patty will be the one walking in the mud, searching for whatever lurks below the surface. We have discovered very quickly, that there are an abundance of mosquito's and no see ums here. This morning, I forgot to use the bug spray while Sami and I took our morning walk, and we both were the recipients of more than a few mosquito bites. I guess with any good, there's always going to be a little bad. I was pleasantly surprised to find that our Sprint Card works fine here, and we really are kind of isolated. This being the Labor Day weekend, I expected most places to be full of people. That's certainly not the case here, which is one of those good things. We'll be here (about 45 miles north of Norfolk, across the Chesapeake Bridge/Tunnel), 4 more nights, then, we will be traveling south to Augusta, GA, for a visit with our son Mike, and his wife Amy.

LEAVING PENNSYLVANIA

Our two weeks are up. Today we leave the Hershey Thousand Trails (TT) in Pennsylvania, and will be driving to the next Thousand Trails Park, which is on the Atlantic coast in Virginia. There are lots of variations to a Thousand Trails membership, but most only allow a maximum of 2 weeks in any particular park. The normal membership is 2 weeks in, then 1 week out of the system. Our contract allows us to go from one park, directly to the next park, and we don't ever have to be out of the system, if we don't want to be. This is the first time we have stayed in any TT park for the full 2 weeks, and it seems as if the time has just flown by. We were able to explore lots of different places in the surrounding area, like Gettysburg, the H-D plant in York, Hersheys chocolate world, Amish country, a surprise visit with Bob & Vivian, and on some days, just hang out in the park. As TT parks go, this is one of the nicer ones in the system. The only negative is a lot of Canadian Geese that leave deposits everywhere. They're fun to watch, and Sami sort of likes to chase them, but we have had to watch carefully where we walk. Yesterday, I washed the motor home, which takes me about 4 hours. Before arriving here, we drove through a few thunderstorms, so it was time to get our house shined up a bit. Except for the 2 early morning trips to Cummins, this has been a thoroughly enjoyable 2 weeks, that has left some lasting memories. Almost forgot......We're told that the next TT park in Virginia, is in a very remote location, so, even though our Sprint card has worked almost flawlessly, the blog may die for a few days.

BACK TO CUMMINS COACH CARE

Once again, we were up at 5am, and on the road back to Coach Care in Harrisburg at 6am, for a 7am appointment. Having completed the maintenance issues at last weeks appointment, the purpose for this visit, was to have the refrigerator part installed, that came in two days ago. I also had a set of 8 shocks shipped from Michigan, that were waiting to be installed. Just after we settled into the customer lounge, the tech comes into the room and says, "these shocks won't fit your coach". My surprise was a bit animated, since I had previously spent a good part of last Friday, on the phone, with several shock retailers, and the sales manager of Bilstein, the shock manufacturer. Everyone was in agreement, that the shock I ordered, was the right one for our Monaco Camelot. Well, everyone was wrong, the 8 shocks sitting at Cummins Coach Care, were the part number everyone agreed on, but the tech was right, they would not fit our motor home. After the dust settled, the company who next day aired the shocks, sent a call tag to Cummins for the shocks to be returned. Later in the day, I finally talked to the Bilstein RV guru, and he gave me the right part number for the shock that fits our coach. I then called the company where I ordered the shocks, which had 8 of the right shocks in stock, and asked them to ship them to our son Mike, in Augusta, GA. We'll be there in about a week, and I'll either install them myself, or find a shop in Augusta. The good news is, I'm not out anything for shipping, and the shocks that will fit, were less expensive to the tune of about $3 each. The other good news, is that so far, when switched to propane, the refrigerator seems to working normally. Hopefully, when we leave here tomorrow, that will still be the case.

A SURPRISE ENCOUNTER

Yesterday morning, we learned via email, from Louise Hawkins, that our former Alaska neighbors were working at an RV park near Hershey. She gave us the name of the park, we punched the address into the jeep GPS, and 20 minutes later, we surprised Bob & Vivian Borgsmiller, who were our next door neighbors for a couple of years in Skagway, Alaska. It was about lunch time, so we piled into the jeep and drove to a local restaurant, where we were able to visit with Bob & Vivian for about an hour. When we arrived back at the campground, they gave us the tour, and showed us where their 5th wheel was parked. (I love Bob's sign on the back) 2007 was the last year we both worked in Alaska, and Bob drove one of the city's transit buses. Vivian and Patty worked for the same company, but at different stores. It was great to see old friends, catch up on our travels, and reminisce about the good times in Alaska. Bob & Vivian are close to the end of their commitment in Hershey, and will be heading back to Illinois for a short break, before starting their seasonal jobs at Amazon. After leaving Hershey, we drove into Harrisburg where we stopped at a Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World. Those stores, along with Cabellas, are just totally amazing. With the waterfalls, fish tanks, stuffed animals, and incredible inventory, it's hard not to spend money when you go in there. Of course, I found a few things that I couldn't live without. From there, we GPS'd our way across town to what was supposed to be a Camping World. It turned out to be an RV dealer with a small parts room and virtually no inventory. When Camping World went into the RV sales business, they added their name to many existing RV Dealers, and often, like yesterday, the Camping World part is an after thought. In the future, if we're driving to one of these stores, I'll call ahead to make sure they are indeed the real thing. By the time we got back to the motor home, it was late afternoon, and time to B B Q some chicken. I'll discuss today's adventure and frustrations in tomorrows blog.

H-D FACTORY TOUR

We learned from our previous experience of taking Sami in the Jeep, on a hot day, and left her in the motor home. We drove about an hour to York, PA, where Harley-Davidson's final assembly plant is located. This is where all of the Harley's were assembled from the early 70's, through the mid 90's, then a second assembly plant was opened in Kansas City. It is now where they build the touring, softail, and custom motorcycles. I had toured some of the H-D facilities in Milwaukee, such as the engine and transmission plant, but had never been to York. The tour lasted about an hour, and we were taken through the building that makes some of the parts, such as fenders, and assembles the touring models. From start to finish, an entire motorcycle is built in 2 hours. It was a great tour, and even though it was free, the factory store was the recipient of a few of our dollars. From York, we drove back to Gettysburg, and spent some time in the visitors center. After watching the movie, we went up an escalator to what is called the cyclorama. There's a viewing platform in the middle of a huge painting that circles the viewing area. I don't remember the exact dimensions, but this painting is about 45' tall, and over 300 feet long. When wrapped around the viewing area, you get a 360 degree view of the Gettysburg Battlefield. When the program begins, special lighting and sound effects make you feel like you are right in the middle of the civil war. Truly spectacular, and well worth the price of admission. The visitors center book store was huge, and I commented to Patty, that if you were a civil war historian, this is the place to find a lot of reading material. It was getting late, and our little dog does have her limits, so, we drove the hour or so back to the campground.