I left Marvin's about 7:30am on 1/2/2012, before breakfast. What a great party the past three days have been. Very easy driving for about an hour and a half. I pulled off for gas and a great breakfast. Hey John and Ernie, if you're reading this, I found a Georgia diner and am practicing for our February get together. Drove real easy for another hour and a half and saw a Camping World. Pulled in and finally found the desks I've been wanting. Easy ride to SC cg.
Very friendly family owned cg called Jolly Acres. The cg seems very clean and well maintained. The site was level with a clear view of the southern sky for my satellite dish. It's forecasted to be in the teens the next few nights so I didn't hook up the water or sewer. I also put a cup of anti freeze in the gray and black tanks and left a slow drip on the fresh water. All went well, no frozen pipes and nice cold water to wash my face in the morning.
Hung out, rested, and explored a couple of small towns in the area. The town of Summerville has a TD Bank, Post Office, and most important, a Walmart (yes Alex, a Walmart). Took a few great trips into Charleston. I hadn't been here in over 30 years and remembered it as a really neat small city. There's a new bridge connecting Charleston with Mount Pleasant, a really cool looking suspension bridge. I went to a new park on the Mount Pleasant side called Patriots Point. I toured the aircraft carrier Yorktown and took the ferry to Ft. Sumter. Both were very moving and even brought tears to my eyes. The market area of Old Charleston was charming. Strolling the area, peeking into lots of little shops and the open market. I found a little restaurant with an open veranda and sat facing the market area. Lots of "people watching" as I enjoyed a fantastic catfish dinner with one too many beers. On another trip, a different, bit more fancy restaurant in the French quarter. A few local beers with fried green tomatoes and crab cakes. Yum! On my second trip into Charleston it was very crowded. A beautiful, clear day in the mid 60's and the cruise ship Caravel Fantasy docked downtown.
The Fire & American LaFrance museum was a real find. They had about 50 fully restored fire vehicles, some from the 1880's. They had all been restored to showroom condition. The Hunley submarine was also very interesting. Built in 1863, it was the first submarine to sink an enemy ship, the Housatonic. The Hunley was powered by the muscle of her 8-man crew, no other power whatsoever. They used a candle for light. The hatch the crew entered thru was about two feet across and the inside height was only 4'3". Amazing. I also toured the only American tea plantation, located just outside Charleston on one of the many barrier islands. Did you know that there is actually only one type of tea plant? I never knew it. All the different types of tea (i.e., black, grey, oolang, green, etc.) are made by varying the drying time of the tea leaves.
The local chamber of commerce had a small museum. I was the only person looking around and the lady docent and I chatted for about two hours. It turns out she's a cousin to the cg owners. Her family owns one of the 100 "tents' in the Indian Campground. If you look this up you'll get a lot more info but basically it's a Methodist prayer meeting place in the middle of the woods. There are 100 old wooden cabins built in a circle around the prayer field. One week a year its packed with families cooking, eating , and in prayer. The other 51 weeks it's a weird place, totally deserted.
I wanted to stay at this cg in North Carolina near Asheville. It turned out to be little more than a road side rest area with barely roam for me to turn my rig around. I didn't even unhook, stayed the night and left in the morning for Virginia. Pulling my rig through the Shenandoah mountains was "interesting" to say the least. It was just as fun going downhill as going up. It took 3rd gear to pull up some of the steeper and I needed to leave the truck in 3rd when going down to avoid "running away". The cg was rustic but did have full hook ups. In three days I explored Natural Bridge, the national D-Day Memorial, Lynchburg, Virginia, and a few nearby towns in the these beautiful mountains.
Luray Caverns were almost exactly half way from Virginia to Gettysburg. The 90 minute tour was a nice diversion from four hours of mountain driving. The caverns are beautiful. The Gettysburg cg was an easy drive. It's way to cold to leave the sewer and fresh water hoses out. I filled the fresh water and left all hoses in. Good thing 'cause it stayed in the teens with 3" of snow overnight. The RV is doing fine in the cold weather, nice and comfy inside. Drove around the Gettysburg area. Sure wish it was a little warmer, it would be nice to walk the battlefield and town. I sat thru the cg's 3 hour presentation in return for three free nights immediately and a certificate for 30 more. The young guy giving the presentation was easy to say "no" to. He built his presentation on the cost savings and there were no cost savings for me. He tried to switch his approach near the end to the "unquantifiable" amenities. It was too little too late. It may be a good deal for someone who will camp at the cg's owned by this group, but not for someone who travels around full time like me. The snow came and it stayed below freezing. I stayed an extra day hoping the rain and warmer temperature will melt the snow and ice on the slides. I'll need to clean them of all ice in order to avoid damage to the weather seals.
It was a little scary on top of the RV cleaning the slides off of the remaining snow and ice but it went fine. Slow and easy ride to Jackson, NJ. Over the next few weeks, I need to get the client tax records from storage, schedule and do the tax work, renew my drivers license, fill the propane, get the truck serviced, and spend some time with my sons. I'm camped until the end of March.
Parking in the Trees
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
New Years Party!
Mostly easy drive from Bradenton to Daytona Beach, except the Orlando area. The traffic through the area of I-4 where I'd been this past July with Alex and Zack was bumper to bumper. It was kinda fun to know the area a little. Driving a 5th wheel through this kind of traffic is definitely not fun and I had almost an hour of it.
I'm heading to Pancho's Rancho. Marvin Panch has a ranch in Port Orange, just outside of Daytona Beach. He's a member of the LoW camping group, I met him in St. Marys, GA this past October and I've been invited to his annual New Years Eve party. Apparently, He's been having these bashes for about 20 years. Marvin is a great guy and very interesting. He won the Daytona 500 in 1961 and still races. He raced in a senior division earlier this year to celebrate his 85th birthday! Incredible!
I recognized the rig pulling into the ranch in front of me. It's Bob Lynch from TN. He and I camped in three other locations, twice ending up next to each other. He's had some health issues, gave me the password to his rig, and asked me to check in on him if he doesn't show up for an event. He's also given me tips and help with setting up my rig. As we pulled in we saw lots of familiar folks. It seemed like old home week. They have it very well organized. Bobby and Linda are checking the rigs in and assigning spaces. Members of Marvins race pit crew are helping to park the rigs. One large class "A" got stuck and had to be pulled out with a tractor. I helped Bob back in and I backed in next to him. Lots of hugs from people who felt like old friends. It's hard to believe I just met them a couple of months ago.
There are 53 rigs and about 75 people ready to party. We set our lawn chairs in a huge circle for happy hour. Everyone in a festive mood. I seem to know about half the folks. Many from LoW and Escapees who I know. Some from other groups called Wandering Individuals on Wheels (WIN), Singles International (SI), and Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA). FMCA is almost all couples. WIN and SI are mostly singles but allow couples. Escapees (SKP) are mostly couples. There are also friends of Marvins, his family, and several long time members of his pit crew. Everyone stood up, said a few words, and introduced themselves. Lots of toasting to Marvin and general good times. Dinner was barbecued chicken and ribs with all the fixings. Dave Irons then led the whole group in karaoke and played country songs on his guitar until late. Breakfast was incredible, an Amish casserole (delicious) and a French toast blueberry casserole (also great), along with homemade biscuits, homemade jams & jelly's, fruit, juice, hot chocolate..., I'm going to gain back the whole 10 pounds I've lost!
Mid morning we took a short trip to Blue Springs State Park to see the manatees. The park counted 322 wild manatees by the springs today. The park rangers have a book that lists over 400 manatees which have been identified and individually named. A few of us helped the rangers pick out specific manatees. They are such gentle creatures. As they frolic and play they caress each other. You can't help but smile as you watch them. Bob drove some of us to the springs, but was obviously driving erratic. He said he wasn't feeling well and asked me to drive his truck back.
We had an early dinner of hamburgers, hot dogs, and tons of appetizers and side dishes. We then had time to clean up and change for New Years. The party started at 8pm and went till around 1am. The DJ had us up and dancing all night. I tried to go light on the appetizers but they were soooo good. No hard liqueur for me but lots of wine and of course champagne at midnight. Lots of hugs and kisses all around. A really great party.
Breakfast was interesting. They had several large pots of boiling water. We put two eggs in a heavy plastic bag and added whatever fixings we wanted to the bag; cheese, ham, bacon, sausage, broccoli, mushrooms, etc. We put our name on the bag and dropped it into the pot for about 12 minutes. It was delicious! In Boy Scouts we had the scouts put some bacon on the bottom of a paper bag then place an egg and cheese on top. They had to keep the bag close enough to cook the egg but not so close that the bag caught fire. Only a few scouts actually got their eggs cooked. This approach worked for everyone.
Mid day we had what I was told was a traditional southern good luck meal of black eyed peas, collard greens, and homemade cornbread. I can't describe how delicious it was. We then went to the Daytona Speedway with Marvin leading our tour. The speedway provided a tour tram and driver/guide. Marvin was treated like royalty. I had come to know him as simply "Marvin". His picture is all over the speedway. I'd never been to a race track and couldn't believe how big the place was. On race day they have over 260,000 people and it becomes one of the largest cities in FL. It is an amazing place. I'd hate to be on the roads in the area when this place let's out (lol).
Sunday evening we had a pulled pork dinner with all the trimmings. After dinner there was a British comedian who was hilarious! He did everything from tell jokes, to play about five different musical instruments, tease several of us (not me, thank you, thank you). He did some magic, told some great stories and generally had us in stitches. I said my good byes as we all went to our rigs since I was leaving early. I can't believe how great RV'ers are. They are super friendly and welcoming. 75 people with mostly the only thing in common is a love for RV'ing and the outdoors. Not a single problem. Everyone helping everyone else and just enjoying themselves. What a great life!
I'm heading to Pancho's Rancho. Marvin Panch has a ranch in Port Orange, just outside of Daytona Beach. He's a member of the LoW camping group, I met him in St. Marys, GA this past October and I've been invited to his annual New Years Eve party. Apparently, He's been having these bashes for about 20 years. Marvin is a great guy and very interesting. He won the Daytona 500 in 1961 and still races. He raced in a senior division earlier this year to celebrate his 85th birthday! Incredible!
I recognized the rig pulling into the ranch in front of me. It's Bob Lynch from TN. He and I camped in three other locations, twice ending up next to each other. He's had some health issues, gave me the password to his rig, and asked me to check in on him if he doesn't show up for an event. He's also given me tips and help with setting up my rig. As we pulled in we saw lots of familiar folks. It seemed like old home week. They have it very well organized. Bobby and Linda are checking the rigs in and assigning spaces. Members of Marvins race pit crew are helping to park the rigs. One large class "A" got stuck and had to be pulled out with a tractor. I helped Bob back in and I backed in next to him. Lots of hugs from people who felt like old friends. It's hard to believe I just met them a couple of months ago.
There are 53 rigs and about 75 people ready to party. We set our lawn chairs in a huge circle for happy hour. Everyone in a festive mood. I seem to know about half the folks. Many from LoW and Escapees who I know. Some from other groups called Wandering Individuals on Wheels (WIN), Singles International (SI), and Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA). FMCA is almost all couples. WIN and SI are mostly singles but allow couples. Escapees (SKP) are mostly couples. There are also friends of Marvins, his family, and several long time members of his pit crew. Everyone stood up, said a few words, and introduced themselves. Lots of toasting to Marvin and general good times. Dinner was barbecued chicken and ribs with all the fixings. Dave Irons then led the whole group in karaoke and played country songs on his guitar until late. Breakfast was incredible, an Amish casserole (delicious) and a French toast blueberry casserole (also great), along with homemade biscuits, homemade jams & jelly's, fruit, juice, hot chocolate..., I'm going to gain back the whole 10 pounds I've lost!
Mid morning we took a short trip to Blue Springs State Park to see the manatees. The park counted 322 wild manatees by the springs today. The park rangers have a book that lists over 400 manatees which have been identified and individually named. A few of us helped the rangers pick out specific manatees. They are such gentle creatures. As they frolic and play they caress each other. You can't help but smile as you watch them. Bob drove some of us to the springs, but was obviously driving erratic. He said he wasn't feeling well and asked me to drive his truck back.
We had an early dinner of hamburgers, hot dogs, and tons of appetizers and side dishes. We then had time to clean up and change for New Years. The party started at 8pm and went till around 1am. The DJ had us up and dancing all night. I tried to go light on the appetizers but they were soooo good. No hard liqueur for me but lots of wine and of course champagne at midnight. Lots of hugs and kisses all around. A really great party.
Breakfast was interesting. They had several large pots of boiling water. We put two eggs in a heavy plastic bag and added whatever fixings we wanted to the bag; cheese, ham, bacon, sausage, broccoli, mushrooms, etc. We put our name on the bag and dropped it into the pot for about 12 minutes. It was delicious! In Boy Scouts we had the scouts put some bacon on the bottom of a paper bag then place an egg and cheese on top. They had to keep the bag close enough to cook the egg but not so close that the bag caught fire. Only a few scouts actually got their eggs cooked. This approach worked for everyone.
Mid day we had what I was told was a traditional southern good luck meal of black eyed peas, collard greens, and homemade cornbread. I can't describe how delicious it was. We then went to the Daytona Speedway with Marvin leading our tour. The speedway provided a tour tram and driver/guide. Marvin was treated like royalty. I had come to know him as simply "Marvin". His picture is all over the speedway. I'd never been to a race track and couldn't believe how big the place was. On race day they have over 260,000 people and it becomes one of the largest cities in FL. It is an amazing place. I'd hate to be on the roads in the area when this place let's out (lol).
Sunday evening we had a pulled pork dinner with all the trimmings. After dinner there was a British comedian who was hilarious! He did everything from tell jokes, to play about five different musical instruments, tease several of us (not me, thank you, thank you). He did some magic, told some great stories and generally had us in stitches. I said my good byes as we all went to our rigs since I was leaving early. I can't believe how great RV'ers are. They are super friendly and welcoming. 75 people with mostly the only thing in common is a love for RV'ing and the outdoors. Not a single problem. Everyone helping everyone else and just enjoying themselves. What a great life!
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