It was a short, easy drive from Tip Tam to the Alps Family cg just east of Albany. The owners, Ron & Sherry, are very friendly. Over the week I stayed, every time we saw each other they'd stop whatever they were doing and chat. The cg was small but had a quiet little lake with easy walking in the woods around it. On one day trip I explored south western VT. I took a road tour, driving over five covered bridges. It was a tight fit and I barely made the load limits, but it was fun & pretty. I also walked around Bennington, VT. It's a cute town. On a second road trip I explored north western MA. The tour of the Shaker Village was very interesting. This unique sect of the English Quakers were very industrious, hard working folks. They lived a commune type of life long before the hippies of the 1960's. Near as I could tell they had only one major flaw which eventually led to their demise. It's hard to grow a community either through future generations or new converts when a core value is celibacy! A third road trip took me into Albany. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed walking around the central capital mall area, exploring several museums and outdoor exhibits. Having just gone to the Vietnam Veterans memorial in DC with Alex & Zack, I somehow felt a need to see the one specifically for fallen NY'ers. It was the first time I ever looked directly at the names. There, staring at me was my best friend growing up. He was always "Howie" and it seemed strange to see his name spelled "Howard". I won't go into details here but it did bring back lots of memories and had me in an extreme introspective mood the rest of the day.
It was an easy, pretty drive through southern VT and into NH. Passed through a couple of small towns but mostly magnificent peaks of the southern Green & White Mountains, lots of little lakes and peaceful streams. The owner, Bob, helped guide me into a pretty little wooded site. He waited to make sure my sat. dish worked, which it did. He and his long time worker Jim are cleaning up for the cg opening next week. Bill, the wagon master for the NH Good Sam group arrived a few hours after me. He's kind of quiet, taking care of his elderly mom who was travelling with him. He did tell me that in addition to the groups usual pot luck dinner on Saturday they were also having a pot luck brunch and a brown bag raffle. For the raffle everyone puts something into a brown bag and we bid on the bags site unseen. The raffle raises funds for the chapter.
I took the half hour drive to Concord, NH, checked it out. I bought some food-stuff, picked up a neat little compass for the brown bag, and a few pounds of breakfast sausage for the brunch, along with fruit for my usual pot luck salad bowl. I didn't have high expectations for the Good Sam gtg based on the Samboree I had attended in FL. Wow, was I wrong! There were 15 rigs and all nice people. They were very welcoming of this wanderer visiting their chapter. I went out to dinner with two different groups and learned some new card games. One couple expressed interest in joining me on my 2014 Alaskan adventure. A 2nd couple, who live near the shore by Portsmouth, NH asked that I call them when I get nearby and they'll join me at one of my favorite restaurants in Kittery, ME, Warrens. A third couple had an almost identical rig to mine. We spent time in each others RV picking out all the little differences. They live in Concord and I joined them for dinner and drinks the day after the gtg broke up. It was a very enjoyable gtg.
Over the next couple of weeks I explored the area taking in several attractions. There is an interesting discovery center in Concord, mostly focused on astronomy, dedicated to Christa McAuliffe, the NH teacher who died in the space shuttle Challenger. I toured the museum and went to three planetarium shows. One was about the night sky and a second was about Black Holes, both interesting. The third show has me doing more research, it was about fractal equations and the graphics they produce, extremely interesting. On another trip I attended the NH Philharmonic Orchestra in Manchester, NH. It was an incredible evening. A 17 year old violinist, Sirena Huang, received three standing ovations. I was sitting in the front row, about 10 to 15 feet from her playing her on-loan Stradivarius. It seemed the entire audience stopped breathing during her performance. If you ever get a chance to see her play, do it! I also did some hiking in Bear Brook SP, billed as the largest in NH. The woods were really pretty after the brief rain and several waterfalls were flowing nice from the recent run off. I spent an enjoyable few hours at a local Indian museum. I've always had an interest in American Indians. I think it's left over from my Cub Scout days when we all received Indian names. I still remember mine, Spotted Deer ;=) lol! The museum had lots of artifacts from tribes throughout North America. They provided a self guided tour which included several video presentations. On their 10 acres of grounds they established a traditional Indian farm and herb gardens. I really enjoyed strolling through the wooded area with many flowers, shrubs, herbs, and trees named and explained. It was a delightful afternoon. Another interesting day trip which turned out to be a little expensive was to a buffalo farm. The owner Dave was friendly and talkative and I was the only one there that afternoon. Watching the "buffalo roam" was nice and I ended up buying a lot of fresh meat, cheese, and homemade marinades. The meats included a pork chop that's about an inch and a half thick with zero fat, some lamb, elk, and of course buffalo. I also took a drive up to Laconia, NH and Lake Winnipesaukee to attend the theater presentation of Man of La Mancha. It is definitely one of my favorite plays and I love the songs. I walked the cg almost everyday, strolling along the lake front and sitting in a swing by the lake reading and enjoying the view.
It was a short and easy drive to Shelburne Falls, MA. The cg is on the Mohawk Trail in the middle of ten quaint Berkshire Mountain towns. I had reserved a site with water & electric but no sewer. I asked to upgrade but was told the cg was booked solid over Memorial Day. For now I was the only rig on a field of about 100 sites. The field sloped and I had to buy four additional leveling blocks. Even with eight blocks my rig still wasn't completely level. During the next few days I explored several towns and events including:
The Bridge of Flowers - An original foot bridge connecting the villages of Shelburne and Buckland which after being replaced for road traffic has been planted from end to end with flowers and maintained by the local women's club.
Cunnington Fair - A typical local fair. Lots of music, food, & crafts. I had a free general checkup from a mobile health van; 20/20 vision, perfect hearing & blood pressure, and no glaucoma.
Film Festival - A quaint movie theater in Shelburne Falls had a "Three Stooge's" film festival. I arrived early and offered to help Fred, the caretaker setup. We chatted awhile. I enjoyed some popcorn, the guitarist before the films and the festival.
Butterfly Village - In a neighboring town of Greenfield I enjoyed a magnificent butterfly celebration. An airplane hanger sized building filled with butterfly's, soft music, and lots of man-made waterfalls. Very tranquil.
Two different candle & craft stores - Great smells, peaceful strolls thru the little towns and shops.
The Ledges - I took about a four hour hike, including about 1/2 mile of an uphill scramble I wasn't sure I was going to make. The Ledges is an animal sanctuary with fairly well marked trails. It was a beautiful afternoon.
The "Harmanics" - Three guys playing the most interesting harmonicas I've ever scene. They played in a local discovery center in Turners Falls. The town also had a lovely park which overlooked rushing falls, more quaint little shops.
Fine Arts Center at Amherst - The theater rivalled Lincoln Center in size and beauty. The evening performance was titled Peace and War. Several moving orchestra pieces including one called Belshazzar's Feast by William Walton. The piece was performed by two complete symphonic orchestra and a 200 person choral group, a total of 325 people on stage, incredible!
I had a fortuitous call about someone wanting to purchase the last of my apartments in NJ. The LoW camping group won't arrive until Thursday so I have a few days to complete the sale. I took the almost 300 mile drive on Sunday without a single stop. I went immediately to my mini-storage facility and took all the papers needed for the sale and then to a local Marriott. After over a week of quick showers due to no sewer hookup it was great to take a really long, hot one. Monday morning I had breakfast with a friend and spent the rest of the day on the phone and email preparing and completing the sale details. Tuesday I had breakfast with another friend, picked up my mail, did a little shopping and spent the afternoon with Alex & Zack including dinner. Wednesday the sale was completed and I returned immediately to the cg. I was happy to be done with the apartments but totally exhausted.
The LoW group began to arrive Thursday afternoon with Maureen in her B+, Diane in her van, Joan and her mother Hazel in their individual B+'s, Barbara in her truck camper, and Marge in her A. Maureen, as wagon master, made coffee and had continental breakfast for us each morning. I helped her setup each day and we got to talk about her two trips to Alaska. She gave me lots of great suggestions as I shared my building plans and she shared her written daily notes from one of her trips. She's interested in joining my budding trip in 5/2014. Barbara is well over 80 and has travelled the country full time for many years in her Ford Ranger truck camper. I think I'd find it a tight fit for a weekend trip! Amazing! Hazel spent most of the time inside her B+ with two cute Chihuahua's. Marge was tired from a few long, unfortunately eventful days of RV troubles. Maureen, Joan, Barbara, and Diane piled in my truck and we went to the Bridge of Flowers one day, the discovery center in Turners Falls another day, and a Tri-County fair on yet a third day. Walking around Shelburne Falls, seeing the Bridge of Flowers, the Trolley Museum, the Glacial Potholes, and the town, we bumped in Fred!! He and I recognized each other, I introduced him to the ladies who couldn't believe I actually knew someone in this small village. At the discovery center we saw a film on Rachael Carson for her 100th birthday and a local show on Celtic Heals. The Celtic dancers were really good. We had lunch and dinner in Turners Falls, a thoroughly enjoyable day. The tri-county fair was another nice day. Mostly high end crafts which were interesting to look at. I spent two hot afternoons in the solar heated swimming pool. Delicious!
It was a long but easy drive to northern NH. At first I was a little concerned with the cg. It looked small, fairly empty, and was right on the main road with a bit of truck traffic. Janet, the owner is very friendly and we chatted awhile. She and her husband bought the cg 19 years ago and have been very happy raising their three children here. I have a full hook up site with a clear view for my sat. dish. With the full hook up I was able to catch up on my laundry and take long, hot showers. First day I drove to North Conway and walked the town. A cute, tourist town geared toward all the hikers and visitors to the Presidential Mountains. I finally rode the Cog Rail to the top of Mt. Washington, something I'd never done in my dozen or so previous trips to this area. I decided to hike down the mountain. It took about 2 1/2 hours and was a pretty easy hike. No way could I have made it up, too old and too fat (lol). Janet had suggested the Glen Falls hike. It was a very short hike, only about a mile, but really pretty waterfall. It's been raining night and day. I stayed in on Saturday and caught up on cleaning, reading, and a few other things. Sunday I walked in the rain at a local fair. It was at a park made to resemble a logging camp. Most of the exhibits were indoors but you had to walk outside from one house to another. I tried lots of the international food including a Norwegian goulash, Canadian meat pie, Polish Stew, and for dessert a potato candy (strange, sweet, and quite good). It continued to rain on Monday and Tuesday. I took some wet walks in nearby woods and packed up for my Wednesday drive into Maine. I'm looking forward to lots, and lots of lobster.
Parking in the Trees
Monday, June 4, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
New Jersey in February & March
There had been only three choices of a campground in New Jersey during the off season. Originally, I thought I'd stay in one of several pretty state parks. Unfortunately, the ones close to the area I needed are all closed during the off season. Zack and I drove to all three of the private campgrounds last August, checking them out. I settled on Tip Tam in Jackson. It's located about 10 minutes from the mini storage where I put all my tax records and personal belongings I hadn't given away. Jackson is also about the same distance from the Outterbridge Crossing as I was living in Bridgewater so my drives to most of my tax clients were not much more than it had been. Also, the drive to the Somerville area and the kids was very doable.
Tip Tam is owned by Joanne and her son Darin. They were very friendly and overly helpful in getting me set up. The day I pulled in it was below freezing and I didn't want to set up my water or sewer lines. When I returned from my first trip to the mini storage, Darin had set up a PVC line for a sewer and a heated water hose was left on the picnic bench. I spoke with him and let him know I didn't need these things and was okay with using my fresh water on board and only setting up the sewer every few weeks when needed. He let me know there was no charge and they wanted me to be comfortable staying with them over the next few months.
I pulled in mid-week and by the weekend I had met Charlie, Greg, Donnie, Bill & Gina. Dan, Mike, Eric, and of course Joanne & Darin. All were staying at Tip Tam for various reasons. All welcomed me and offered to help in any way needed. A very friendly group. Donnie turned out to be a bit of a nut who was asked to leave within a couple of weeks of my arrival. He did contract work for several local shore police units as a diver. Unfortunately, he also had several late night "guests" and seemed unable to keep the noise levels low. Dan, Mike, Bill & Gina, and Eric was always around for a cheerful hello and occasional conversations. Greg hung around a bit more than the others with Charlie and so we chatted a bit more also. Charlie and I hit it off pretty good. He's known as "Truck Stop Charlie" and even has a bit of an internet and local following. He and his blue Peterbuilt are occasionally featured on the "Speed" channel's trucker show. Charlie grew up in Spring Lake, NJ. His father owned a small trucking company and Charlie took to trucking at an early age. His father apparently lost a fortune in the Madoff scandal. Charlie owns a classic Peterbuilt truck and a low-boy trailer. Having grown up in the area and working with his father's trucking firm, he knows lots of people in the area. Charlie seems to have more truck work than he wants. He and I drove around the area a few times in his Peterbuilt. Wow, it's a truck-truck and makes my truck seem like a kids toy.
Over the couple of months I stayed at Tip Tam I managed to accomplish a few things. Among them; renewed my drivers license, got my truck & RV serviced, did all my tax work, got my annual physical and dental exams done, got my truck air horn repaired, added some modifications to my truck including a side step so I can reach the RV safety pin without climbing on the rear tire and a locking gas cap, had several breakfasts and lunches with friends, and went on more than a few road trips with Alex & Zack.
Alex, Zack, & I had two paintball weekends in Jim Thorpe, PA. Real nice weekend get aways. The hotel has a buffet breakfast, an indoor pool and even a jacuzzi. There's the cute town of Jim Thorpe, and several nice restaurants for dinner. I've come to enjoy paintball, running around in the woods from about 9am till 5pm. I'm amazed that I can still run around at my age, lol :=) On our second paintball weekend we even went to an indoor shooting range on our way back. Even with Alex & Zack both having rifle and shotgun merit badges, I think it was interesting for them to shoot hand guns. On another road trip we went to Howe Caverns riding the boat on the underground river, and spent another day in Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame. The kids stayed with me in the RV one weekend and we explored the shore area. It worked okay but was definitely a little crowded with three in the rig. The week prior to my heading out was also their spring break. We spent it walking around DC. I had to rent a car since the truck wouldn't fit in the hotel parking lot.
It felt good getting on the road after two months. I was comfortable at Tip Tam but was definitely itching to move on to new places. I'll definitely stay here again next tax season.
Tip Tam is owned by Joanne and her son Darin. They were very friendly and overly helpful in getting me set up. The day I pulled in it was below freezing and I didn't want to set up my water or sewer lines. When I returned from my first trip to the mini storage, Darin had set up a PVC line for a sewer and a heated water hose was left on the picnic bench. I spoke with him and let him know I didn't need these things and was okay with using my fresh water on board and only setting up the sewer every few weeks when needed. He let me know there was no charge and they wanted me to be comfortable staying with them over the next few months.
I pulled in mid-week and by the weekend I had met Charlie, Greg, Donnie, Bill & Gina. Dan, Mike, Eric, and of course Joanne & Darin. All were staying at Tip Tam for various reasons. All welcomed me and offered to help in any way needed. A very friendly group. Donnie turned out to be a bit of a nut who was asked to leave within a couple of weeks of my arrival. He did contract work for several local shore police units as a diver. Unfortunately, he also had several late night "guests" and seemed unable to keep the noise levels low. Dan, Mike, Bill & Gina, and Eric was always around for a cheerful hello and occasional conversations. Greg hung around a bit more than the others with Charlie and so we chatted a bit more also. Charlie and I hit it off pretty good. He's known as "Truck Stop Charlie" and even has a bit of an internet and local following. He and his blue Peterbuilt are occasionally featured on the "Speed" channel's trucker show. Charlie grew up in Spring Lake, NJ. His father owned a small trucking company and Charlie took to trucking at an early age. His father apparently lost a fortune in the Madoff scandal. Charlie owns a classic Peterbuilt truck and a low-boy trailer. Having grown up in the area and working with his father's trucking firm, he knows lots of people in the area. Charlie seems to have more truck work than he wants. He and I drove around the area a few times in his Peterbuilt. Wow, it's a truck-truck and makes my truck seem like a kids toy.
Over the couple of months I stayed at Tip Tam I managed to accomplish a few things. Among them; renewed my drivers license, got my truck & RV serviced, did all my tax work, got my annual physical and dental exams done, got my truck air horn repaired, added some modifications to my truck including a side step so I can reach the RV safety pin without climbing on the rear tire and a locking gas cap, had several breakfasts and lunches with friends, and went on more than a few road trips with Alex & Zack.
Alex, Zack, & I had two paintball weekends in Jim Thorpe, PA. Real nice weekend get aways. The hotel has a buffet breakfast, an indoor pool and even a jacuzzi. There's the cute town of Jim Thorpe, and several nice restaurants for dinner. I've come to enjoy paintball, running around in the woods from about 9am till 5pm. I'm amazed that I can still run around at my age, lol :=) On our second paintball weekend we even went to an indoor shooting range on our way back. Even with Alex & Zack both having rifle and shotgun merit badges, I think it was interesting for them to shoot hand guns. On another road trip we went to Howe Caverns riding the boat on the underground river, and spent another day in Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame. The kids stayed with me in the RV one weekend and we explored the shore area. It worked okay but was definitely a little crowded with three in the rig. The week prior to my heading out was also their spring break. We spent it walking around DC. I had to rent a car since the truck wouldn't fit in the hotel parking lot.
It felt good getting on the road after two months. I was comfortable at Tip Tam but was definitely itching to move on to new places. I'll definitely stay here again next tax season.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Heading North to NJ
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.
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.
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!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Bradenton, FL
Real easy ride to Bradenton from Lake Worth, no hurries, no worries. Lots of things planned for my stay in this area. This will be my longest stay since on the road, a whole 18 days. I knew nothing of this park. Asking several campers, no one had ever heard of Tropical Gardens. The cg review site I've been using didn't have them listed. I selected the park because it was the only one close to the tax seminar location also in Bradenton. The park was on a main Bradenton road, 53rd Avenue. Lots of long termers give the cg a bit of a trailer park feel. My site is a full hook up pull through on a concrete pad, but a little tight. I hooked up the water and electric but didn't bother with the sewer since I'll be taking the rig out both tomorrow and Wednesday for my driving lessons. Rita, the cg manager indicated that she and her husband Dale were only in the office a few hours each morning and afternoon so mail receipt may be problematic. Oh well, there's a UPS store down the road, I'll have my packet sent to.
George from the RV Driving School showed up promptly at 9am. I had the RV already hooked up and ready to go. He was very professional having me complete a form that included my license and insurance info. We spent about 30 minutes in general discussion and going over my 5th wheel and truck. He was pleased that both are 2012's and in new condition. He related how he's showed up to give classes, took a look at the condition of the rig and/or tow vehicle and refused to get in them. He was pleased with my proactive approach in getting lessons before I had a problem and my even having installed my tire pressure system on the RV and truck. His wife dropped him off, he got in my truck and we headed out. He couldn't find the nearby area he said he scouted a few weeks ago so we headed down route 75 about 10 miles to a place he knew. It was a parking lot of a commercial building that was for sale and so an empty lot. He placed a series of orange cones in a line and had me backing up, trying to stay as close as possible without hitting them. I learned to go slooow and picked up a few reference markers on the side of the RV I hadn't previously noticed. Driving a 5th wheel in reverse, staying on a straight line isn't as easy as it sounds but I did okay. George then had me doing broken "U" turns and backing into parking spots on my left and right sides. His compliments of my driving helped build confidence and the practice was great. His wife was waiting when we returned. I did get into my site a little easier than yesterday. I was more tired than I thought. Early dinner and to bed. Wednesday I got up early again and had my rig hooked up and ready for George. He came by with his new employee, Bo, and asked if it was okay if Bo came along. The more the merrier, no problem. Bo retired from driving trucks for over 30 years. Both he and George are rather large. Both are about 6'5" and well over 300lbs. It was almost comical watching Bo fold into the back seat of my truck. We went back to the same lot. George began having me do some more broken "U" turns and reverse left and right turns. He quickly let Bo take over. By the end of the day Bo had me going in reverse all over the parking lot. I treated George and Bo to an end of class luncheon where they gave me a certificate and debrief. I'll remember to look at my reference points and go slooow. The class was well worth it.
Up early on Thursday, shower and quick breakfast and off to my tax class. I found the Marriott easy, thank you GPS. I thought I was arriving almost an hour early but lots of people were already there. Near 200 attendees. I had some coffee and a newspaper but passed on the doughnuts. I've been doing okay with my weight, no reason to backtrack now. On my right, a husband and wife from CT down to visit their son. On my left a guy who traces his ancestry through the Mayflower, to European royalty and back to the 12th century. He and I had lunch in the hotel and chatted about motorcycles, cars, and ancestry. The seminar was very well done. The first day presenter had such a strong Cajun accent I had a little trouble understanding but he covered the material in the 10 lb book very well. Way more tax changes this year than I thought. Friday was a repeat except the presenters Cajun accent was much easier. I had lunch with the same guy. We chatted lots for two days and never introduced ourselves. A little strange.
When I got back a class "C" had pulled in behind me on a spot that I didn't even think was a site. An elderly couple, not very chatty, but nice enough. There was a note pinned to my RV door about a Christmas party tomorrow evening, including a $10 gift exchange. I drove to my favorite place, Walmart. Picked up some fruits and vegetables, a couple bottles of champagne, along with gift warp. Also bought four boxes of various holiday cards to send out with a tax newsletter. Stopped at the post office to get several rolls of stamps also for the newsletter.
Saturday morning I slept a little late, tired from two days of driving lessons and two days of tax seminar (lol). I wrote and printed a one page newsletter, addressed, and stamped all the envelopes. I'll need to go to the UPS store to make this many copies and ask them about receiving my mail later in the week. The Christmas party was nice. A very good DJ and enough food. I received a multi-use camping knife, very nice. Everyone at the party was coupled up. There was one whole table of Canadians speaking French. I did meet a few people and chatted with the couple sitting next to me, Stuart & Karen from Vermont. Stuart is very into politics and religion, two great topics and two that can be problematic when discussing with "fanatics".
Sunday morning Tom knocked on my door. He was passing around his copy of an RV magazine. It was one that I get but hadn't gotten my mail yet. We ended up chatting for several hours at my picnic table. He drove tanker trucks for almost 40 years. He's in his mid to late 70's and just this year gave up driving. He and his wife live full time in their 37 ft 5th wheel. He still drives an F350, long bed, crew cab, duallies, and turbo diesel, but he doesn't move his rig anymore. He had me walking around my rig, giving me lots of suggestions, good ones. His wife finally called him for something or I don't think he'd ever have left. Pleasant conversation.
I walked to the garbage area hoping to see Stuart & Karen but they were out all day. Had one other short, pleasant conversation with Frank who had been sitting outside the recreation/swimming pool building. Restful Sunday. Monday I had lots of visitors. Tom stopped by again and this time had me walking around my truck, giving me pointers. He's a nice, if a little strange guy, good pointers. Frank also stopped by and we sat at my picnic table talking about nothing for about a half hour. Stuart gave me a pile of books and a dvd on the life of Jesus. Most of his books dealt with the constitution with a couple on religion. He's an interesting guy. He ran for state congress a few times in Vermont and even in his early 70's remains active in his state politics. Two of the books he gave me dealt with the second amendment (right to bear arms) and states rights issues. One of the books was way to radical for me. The other made some interesting points about states rights and the changing views over the past 200 years. A court case New York won against the federal government and another won by a coalition of law enforcement officers from several states, also against the federal government has me thinking that Obama-care will be overturned. About 35 states are currently suing the federal government, claiming federal law can not require states to implement a federal health care mandate. There are definitely arguments on both sides. I'll hang onto the pocket bible he gave me, along with the pocket constitution, but I'll return all the rest.
Tuesday I decided to take a long drive. I drove over the St. Petersburg Key Span bridge. A very interesting drive. While the bridge is pretty, the right side guard rail is way to low. Sitting in the truck it seemed I could accidentally drive right into the bay. I stayed in the middle lane. Zack called when I was about mid-span. We chatted as I drove to Passe Au Grille beach, parked, and walked barefoot along the beach. Really pretty area. Great morning walking along the beach. My only regret is no one to have lunch with as there are so many cute little seafood restaurants. From the beach I drove into Tampa and to an Ikea. I really want to get a small desk for the RV. Parking at Ikea was easy. Walking around the store was not. For a midweek, mid day, the store was crowded. I didn't see anything I liked and so drove a little further to a camping world. Still no desk I liked but a bought lots of stuff. The most expensive was a 30 amp surge protector I'd been wanting to get for some time.
I had a bit of an embarrassing experience at the camping world checkout. I'm one of those people who rarely loses or forgets stuff. Yet in the past three months I've lost three different credit cards. Senility is definitely setting in (lol). The last card I lost was replaced with a new one that had the same number. I thought it a little strange but signed and kept it. I'd been using it for several weeks and now it was rejected at the camping world. I finally paid with a different card (good thing I carry back ups). When I got back to the RV I called the automated number and was put through to Chase's fraud department. Apparently, someone at a Walmart found my original card and turned it in. It generated an automatic stop on the card. Fortunately all the charges were mine and so just an interesting experience.
Wednesday I drove over the the Ringling Museum. A nice, interesting place but not by myself. It would have been much better to see with the kids or going to the Ringling theater with a date. Oh well, it's now crossed off my "to do" list. Thursday I met Carolyn from Loners on Wheels at a local public golf course. The course added a third to our tee time, a guy named Billy. Billy is a project manager for a large boiler manufacturer. He's traveled all over on projects for the past 10 years or so. Nice guy who gave Carolyn and I some gentle pointers and was very patient with our golfing. I finally saw my first gator. A little one looking at us as we approached a water hazard. It would have been a real hazard if we reached in to retrieve a ball. After my lessons a few weeks ago and some tips from Billy, I shot 95. I had some good shots but still haven't shot my goal of 89. Carolyn was having lunch with her son. We'll get together in a few days and maybe play some more golf. On my way back I stopped and picked up my mail, hooray, I like getting my mail (lol). I met Carolyn again Friday morning at Anna Maria Beach. She had lived here with her husband, Jim. They owned a convenience store. We walked along the beach and had a great lunch in the restaurant at the end of the long town pier watching lots of kids and adults fishing. Maybe we'll play some golf next week before I leave. Stuart & Karen were out walking in the early evening and stopped by my RV we sat around chatting for awhile. I'll join them tomorrow for Christmas services at their church.
Stuart stopped by to let me know he wasn't feeling well and didn't want to stray far from home this evening, so no services. He invited me to Sunday services which I at first declined. He continued to ask and I finally accepted. Stuart, his wife Karen, Leroy, his wife Marge, and I all piled into Stuart's little Honda and off we drove to church. He's a member of the Evangelic Free Church, the congregation was about 20 minutes away in a fairly new, sort of modern building. Everyone seems to have a perpetual smile and greeted everyone, including me, very warmly. We hung out, chatting and sharing coffee, fruit, and munchies in what they referred to as Fellowship time. They gave me a packet of information and a loaf of homemade nut bread. The deacon was a little round guy about 5'4 and 300 lbs, with a really great baritone voice. The congregation was only about 40 people, most of whom were rather vocal with lots of hallelujahs, amens, and other like rejoicing. The service was comprised of singing Christmas Carols, accompanied by people on; piano, guitar, flute, clarinet, recorder, and tambourine. Singing carols was great. I knew almost all of them and they brought back great memories of my grade school years. Those were the days when singing carols in public school was not only okay but expected as part of the festive time of year. No one complained that it wasn't their religion. Everyone enjoyed singing.
Monday I hung out in the RV. I spent the day researching the 2012 gtg's of the four camping groups I now belong to; LoW's, Escapees, Good Sam, and SMART. I found a couple dozen gtg's but most of the chapters didn't have their gtg's posted yet. I sent off about a dozen emails to the various groups asking about when and where their gtg's will be. A few emails were answered shortly after sending. I'll probably end up with a couple dozen gtg's throughout New England between April and September. Lots of lobster seems to be in my future (lol). I also did a little financial research. Even with the market down, several stocks are at or near the sell points I established for them. I'll probably sell a little when the market opens tomorrow and need to find a few decent dividend paying stocks to buy with the proceeds. Carolyn called and we'll play some more golf tomorrow.
The sky looks a little threatening this morning but hopefully it'll pass. As soon as the market opened I sold a little and bought a little. Like most people, I'm not happy with the down market but I'm very optimistic going forward. As long as the portfolio continues to earn dividends, I remain positive about future capital gains and am okay with the time it seems to be taking for the turn around.
I stopped at a post office to mail a few items and still got to the golf course about an hour early. The sky is really getting dark. Chatted a little with a guy who had an army golf bag. He recently retired and is getting into civilian life. He let me take over his bucket of pitch practice balls. I practiced for about an hour, till Carolyn arrived. I'm sort of getting the hang of this worst port of my game. Who knows, maybe I have a shot at my goal of 89. Carolyn and I got through three holes when it started to rain. We got rain checks and will try again on Thursday. Before we left we did see a rather large gator, half in and half out of a pond. The gator was guarding something it caught from a bunch of turkey vultures. The birds were definitely closer to the gator then I'd ever want to be. Hung out on Wednesday, chatting with Stuart & Karen and just chilling. Back at the golf course on Thursday, bought a bucket of practice balls and worked a little on my pitching until Carolyn arrived. We got teamed with a couple of guys who said they had lots of patience when I asked them. My short game was considerable improved but my woods went to pot. Shot another 95. Oh well, 89 is still a goal. Went food shopping for the pot luck, dessert, and appetizers requested for the New Year's party over the next three days; wings, fruit salad, and a delicious pistachio, pineapple, & whipped cream dip. Said my goodbyes to Stuart & Karen & Tom and closed up the rig. Headed out at 9:30am.
George from the RV Driving School showed up promptly at 9am. I had the RV already hooked up and ready to go. He was very professional having me complete a form that included my license and insurance info. We spent about 30 minutes in general discussion and going over my 5th wheel and truck. He was pleased that both are 2012's and in new condition. He related how he's showed up to give classes, took a look at the condition of the rig and/or tow vehicle and refused to get in them. He was pleased with my proactive approach in getting lessons before I had a problem and my even having installed my tire pressure system on the RV and truck. His wife dropped him off, he got in my truck and we headed out. He couldn't find the nearby area he said he scouted a few weeks ago so we headed down route 75 about 10 miles to a place he knew. It was a parking lot of a commercial building that was for sale and so an empty lot. He placed a series of orange cones in a line and had me backing up, trying to stay as close as possible without hitting them. I learned to go slooow and picked up a few reference markers on the side of the RV I hadn't previously noticed. Driving a 5th wheel in reverse, staying on a straight line isn't as easy as it sounds but I did okay. George then had me doing broken "U" turns and backing into parking spots on my left and right sides. His compliments of my driving helped build confidence and the practice was great. His wife was waiting when we returned. I did get into my site a little easier than yesterday. I was more tired than I thought. Early dinner and to bed. Wednesday I got up early again and had my rig hooked up and ready for George. He came by with his new employee, Bo, and asked if it was okay if Bo came along. The more the merrier, no problem. Bo retired from driving trucks for over 30 years. Both he and George are rather large. Both are about 6'5" and well over 300lbs. It was almost comical watching Bo fold into the back seat of my truck. We went back to the same lot. George began having me do some more broken "U" turns and reverse left and right turns. He quickly let Bo take over. By the end of the day Bo had me going in reverse all over the parking lot. I treated George and Bo to an end of class luncheon where they gave me a certificate and debrief. I'll remember to look at my reference points and go slooow. The class was well worth it.
Up early on Thursday, shower and quick breakfast and off to my tax class. I found the Marriott easy, thank you GPS. I thought I was arriving almost an hour early but lots of people were already there. Near 200 attendees. I had some coffee and a newspaper but passed on the doughnuts. I've been doing okay with my weight, no reason to backtrack now. On my right, a husband and wife from CT down to visit their son. On my left a guy who traces his ancestry through the Mayflower, to European royalty and back to the 12th century. He and I had lunch in the hotel and chatted about motorcycles, cars, and ancestry. The seminar was very well done. The first day presenter had such a strong Cajun accent I had a little trouble understanding but he covered the material in the 10 lb book very well. Way more tax changes this year than I thought. Friday was a repeat except the presenters Cajun accent was much easier. I had lunch with the same guy. We chatted lots for two days and never introduced ourselves. A little strange.
When I got back a class "C" had pulled in behind me on a spot that I didn't even think was a site. An elderly couple, not very chatty, but nice enough. There was a note pinned to my RV door about a Christmas party tomorrow evening, including a $10 gift exchange. I drove to my favorite place, Walmart. Picked up some fruits and vegetables, a couple bottles of champagne, along with gift warp. Also bought four boxes of various holiday cards to send out with a tax newsletter. Stopped at the post office to get several rolls of stamps also for the newsletter.
Saturday morning I slept a little late, tired from two days of driving lessons and two days of tax seminar (lol). I wrote and printed a one page newsletter, addressed, and stamped all the envelopes. I'll need to go to the UPS store to make this many copies and ask them about receiving my mail later in the week. The Christmas party was nice. A very good DJ and enough food. I received a multi-use camping knife, very nice. Everyone at the party was coupled up. There was one whole table of Canadians speaking French. I did meet a few people and chatted with the couple sitting next to me, Stuart & Karen from Vermont. Stuart is very into politics and religion, two great topics and two that can be problematic when discussing with "fanatics".
Sunday morning Tom knocked on my door. He was passing around his copy of an RV magazine. It was one that I get but hadn't gotten my mail yet. We ended up chatting for several hours at my picnic table. He drove tanker trucks for almost 40 years. He's in his mid to late 70's and just this year gave up driving. He and his wife live full time in their 37 ft 5th wheel. He still drives an F350, long bed, crew cab, duallies, and turbo diesel, but he doesn't move his rig anymore. He had me walking around my rig, giving me lots of suggestions, good ones. His wife finally called him for something or I don't think he'd ever have left. Pleasant conversation.
I walked to the garbage area hoping to see Stuart & Karen but they were out all day. Had one other short, pleasant conversation with Frank who had been sitting outside the recreation/swimming pool building. Restful Sunday. Monday I had lots of visitors. Tom stopped by again and this time had me walking around my truck, giving me pointers. He's a nice, if a little strange guy, good pointers. Frank also stopped by and we sat at my picnic table talking about nothing for about a half hour. Stuart gave me a pile of books and a dvd on the life of Jesus. Most of his books dealt with the constitution with a couple on religion. He's an interesting guy. He ran for state congress a few times in Vermont and even in his early 70's remains active in his state politics. Two of the books he gave me dealt with the second amendment (right to bear arms) and states rights issues. One of the books was way to radical for me. The other made some interesting points about states rights and the changing views over the past 200 years. A court case New York won against the federal government and another won by a coalition of law enforcement officers from several states, also against the federal government has me thinking that Obama-care will be overturned. About 35 states are currently suing the federal government, claiming federal law can not require states to implement a federal health care mandate. There are definitely arguments on both sides. I'll hang onto the pocket bible he gave me, along with the pocket constitution, but I'll return all the rest.
Tuesday I decided to take a long drive. I drove over the St. Petersburg Key Span bridge. A very interesting drive. While the bridge is pretty, the right side guard rail is way to low. Sitting in the truck it seemed I could accidentally drive right into the bay. I stayed in the middle lane. Zack called when I was about mid-span. We chatted as I drove to Passe Au Grille beach, parked, and walked barefoot along the beach. Really pretty area. Great morning walking along the beach. My only regret is no one to have lunch with as there are so many cute little seafood restaurants. From the beach I drove into Tampa and to an Ikea. I really want to get a small desk for the RV. Parking at Ikea was easy. Walking around the store was not. For a midweek, mid day, the store was crowded. I didn't see anything I liked and so drove a little further to a camping world. Still no desk I liked but a bought lots of stuff. The most expensive was a 30 amp surge protector I'd been wanting to get for some time.
I had a bit of an embarrassing experience at the camping world checkout. I'm one of those people who rarely loses or forgets stuff. Yet in the past three months I've lost three different credit cards. Senility is definitely setting in (lol). The last card I lost was replaced with a new one that had the same number. I thought it a little strange but signed and kept it. I'd been using it for several weeks and now it was rejected at the camping world. I finally paid with a different card (good thing I carry back ups). When I got back to the RV I called the automated number and was put through to Chase's fraud department. Apparently, someone at a Walmart found my original card and turned it in. It generated an automatic stop on the card. Fortunately all the charges were mine and so just an interesting experience.
Wednesday I drove over the the Ringling Museum. A nice, interesting place but not by myself. It would have been much better to see with the kids or going to the Ringling theater with a date. Oh well, it's now crossed off my "to do" list. Thursday I met Carolyn from Loners on Wheels at a local public golf course. The course added a third to our tee time, a guy named Billy. Billy is a project manager for a large boiler manufacturer. He's traveled all over on projects for the past 10 years or so. Nice guy who gave Carolyn and I some gentle pointers and was very patient with our golfing. I finally saw my first gator. A little one looking at us as we approached a water hazard. It would have been a real hazard if we reached in to retrieve a ball. After my lessons a few weeks ago and some tips from Billy, I shot 95. I had some good shots but still haven't shot my goal of 89. Carolyn was having lunch with her son. We'll get together in a few days and maybe play some more golf. On my way back I stopped and picked up my mail, hooray, I like getting my mail (lol). I met Carolyn again Friday morning at Anna Maria Beach. She had lived here with her husband, Jim. They owned a convenience store. We walked along the beach and had a great lunch in the restaurant at the end of the long town pier watching lots of kids and adults fishing. Maybe we'll play some golf next week before I leave. Stuart & Karen were out walking in the early evening and stopped by my RV we sat around chatting for awhile. I'll join them tomorrow for Christmas services at their church.
Stuart stopped by to let me know he wasn't feeling well and didn't want to stray far from home this evening, so no services. He invited me to Sunday services which I at first declined. He continued to ask and I finally accepted. Stuart, his wife Karen, Leroy, his wife Marge, and I all piled into Stuart's little Honda and off we drove to church. He's a member of the Evangelic Free Church, the congregation was about 20 minutes away in a fairly new, sort of modern building. Everyone seems to have a perpetual smile and greeted everyone, including me, very warmly. We hung out, chatting and sharing coffee, fruit, and munchies in what they referred to as Fellowship time. They gave me a packet of information and a loaf of homemade nut bread. The deacon was a little round guy about 5'4 and 300 lbs, with a really great baritone voice. The congregation was only about 40 people, most of whom were rather vocal with lots of hallelujahs, amens, and other like rejoicing. The service was comprised of singing Christmas Carols, accompanied by people on; piano, guitar, flute, clarinet, recorder, and tambourine. Singing carols was great. I knew almost all of them and they brought back great memories of my grade school years. Those were the days when singing carols in public school was not only okay but expected as part of the festive time of year. No one complained that it wasn't their religion. Everyone enjoyed singing.
Monday I hung out in the RV. I spent the day researching the 2012 gtg's of the four camping groups I now belong to; LoW's, Escapees, Good Sam, and SMART. I found a couple dozen gtg's but most of the chapters didn't have their gtg's posted yet. I sent off about a dozen emails to the various groups asking about when and where their gtg's will be. A few emails were answered shortly after sending. I'll probably end up with a couple dozen gtg's throughout New England between April and September. Lots of lobster seems to be in my future (lol). I also did a little financial research. Even with the market down, several stocks are at or near the sell points I established for them. I'll probably sell a little when the market opens tomorrow and need to find a few decent dividend paying stocks to buy with the proceeds. Carolyn called and we'll play some more golf tomorrow.
The sky looks a little threatening this morning but hopefully it'll pass. As soon as the market opened I sold a little and bought a little. Like most people, I'm not happy with the down market but I'm very optimistic going forward. As long as the portfolio continues to earn dividends, I remain positive about future capital gains and am okay with the time it seems to be taking for the turn around.
I stopped at a post office to mail a few items and still got to the golf course about an hour early. The sky is really getting dark. Chatted a little with a guy who had an army golf bag. He recently retired and is getting into civilian life. He let me take over his bucket of pitch practice balls. I practiced for about an hour, till Carolyn arrived. I'm sort of getting the hang of this worst port of my game. Who knows, maybe I have a shot at my goal of 89. Carolyn and I got through three holes when it started to rain. We got rain checks and will try again on Thursday. Before we left we did see a rather large gator, half in and half out of a pond. The gator was guarding something it caught from a bunch of turkey vultures. The birds were definitely closer to the gator then I'd ever want to be. Hung out on Wednesday, chatting with Stuart & Karen and just chilling. Back at the golf course on Thursday, bought a bucket of practice balls and worked a little on my pitching until Carolyn arrived. We got teamed with a couple of guys who said they had lots of patience when I asked them. My short game was considerable improved but my woods went to pot. Shot another 95. Oh well, 89 is still a goal. Went food shopping for the pot luck, dessert, and appetizers requested for the New Year's party over the next three days; wings, fruit salad, and a delicious pistachio, pineapple, & whipped cream dip. Said my goodbyes to Stuart & Karen & Tom and closed up the rig. Headed out at 9:30am.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
My Farthest Point South
The good and the bad of the ride south. The good was the road that started out as traffic lights every couple of hundred yards turned out to be rather scenic. The bad was a $21.60 toll for a few miles on the FL Turnpike. All the construction on the turnpike also caused some interesting effects on the GPS. At several points the GPS seemed to think I was off on dirt roads. I'm glad the GPS was wrong (lol)! The John Prince cg had an interesting address. It was the only odd numbered address on the even side of the street. The GPS wanted me to turn right when the park was clearly on the left. I love my GPS but refuse to let it drive by itself till it grows up a bit more. I think I'll stay at the wheel.
John Prince cg is a really pretty county park. I got a very pretty spot backing up to Lake Osborne. Lots of birds around; cranes, osprey, ducks, hawks, vultures, egrets. Some of the birds would walk within a few feet of me while I was sitting outside. I guess some people feed them. I was careful to look around before stepping out of my rig each morning but no alligators. Ahh shucks!
Ira & Elaine with NY plates and about an 18 ft B+ were camped directly across from me. He had wires strung across the tops of two palm trees well over 30 ft in the air. Turns out he's a ham radio buff who daily talks with others as close as northern FL and as far as the Antarctic. They keep their house in NY but are in FL for about 10 mths a year. He grew up in the same Brooklyn neighborhood that my grandmother lived and couldn't believe a fellow camper knew such streets as Pitkin, Sutter, Livonia. He brought back such great memories of visiting my grandma. She lived in the same second floor apartment from about 1920 until she passed away in 1962. No phone, TV, or air conditioner. We called the shoe store on the first floor and he yelled up to her. It's near 50 years since she's gone and I can still hear her soft voice.
The cg has a great golf learning center. They offered a special class for campers and I was the only one so I got a private lesson. It was so good I stayed for an extra private class. They only had a three hole course so I went around three times. The classes definitely helped. I didn't do great but was very consistent with no really bad shots. Maybe I have a shot at breaking 90 one of these days.
Bill from the South LoW chapter showed up on Wednesday. He had a very long drive from the Ft. Lauderdale area, maybe 40 minutes away (lol). We walked around the park a little and sat around my rig in pleasant conversation. Thursday we had lunch at a place Ira suggested. It looked like a dump on the outside and even after parking we almost left. I had faith in Ira and so we went in. It was a little family restaurant with friendly service, excellent food, at great prices. Bill and I shopped a little at Harbor Freight, an Army/Navy store and a Dollar Store. He got a few tools and I bought some army decals for the truck and RV and an army hat for the mock Eagle Scout board of review I was invited to sit in on this Sunday. Friday morning Bill and I went to a flea market and the Lake Worth pier, apparently a minor tourist attraction. It was kind of funny when neither he nor I could figure out how to work the parking meters. Was it age, senility, or screwy meters? Probably a little of all three. I bought some new sneakers at the flea market to replace my almost 20 year old ones which I junked. It was fun describing them to Alex & Zack. My old ones had been on sale at K-Mart for $5 and lasted 20 years. These new ones, with inflation, cost $15. I am a big spender!
Friday evening was dinner at the Calienes. I must share with those reading my blog that I met Armando when I worked at Unisys in the mid-1990's. I enjoyed my time at Unisys but the best thing that came from those years was my friendship with Armando and his extended family. These are fantastic people who I cherish knowing. Dinner was great and seeing Armando, Madeline, and Eric was fantastic. You guys are great! Saturday, the Calienes, along with Madelines parents, came by the cg to see the RV. Madelines dad is funny taking lots of pictures. Sunday I went back to the Calienes home for the Eagle Scout review. Armando & Eric asked me to play a gruff military guy and give the Eagle candidate a little bit of a hard time. Armando had a camo jacket with bird colonel insignia. I wore my scout pants and army hat and tried to speak a little gruff. It was fun and a great honor for me. I am truly honored to meet Eagle Scouts. They are the future leaders of our society. For those maybe not as familiar with the Eagle rank, it is only about 1% of those who enter Boy Scouts who ever achieve this exulted level. I left scouting as a Life Scout. As the Sinatra song goes, ".. regrets, I have a few, but then again too few to mention", not achieving Eagle is one of my few regrets!
In the evening the Calienes invited me to join them at Eric's High Schools athletics end of semester celebration. For a relatively small High School, it seemed almost all the students were involved in one sport or another. As a whole, the school seemed to rank very high in most sports. What I really enjoyed hearing as the coach's introduced their teams was the point they made about the average GPA of their team. As I remember, all the teams were in a 3.6 GPA range.
Up early and a leisurely hook up for the rig. Saying goodbye to Ira & Elaine was melancholy. We barely know each other yet we had a bit of a connection. I'll definitely try to stay in touch with them. Heading north from here. Onward. Life is good!
John Prince cg is a really pretty county park. I got a very pretty spot backing up to Lake Osborne. Lots of birds around; cranes, osprey, ducks, hawks, vultures, egrets. Some of the birds would walk within a few feet of me while I was sitting outside. I guess some people feed them. I was careful to look around before stepping out of my rig each morning but no alligators. Ahh shucks!
Ira & Elaine with NY plates and about an 18 ft B+ were camped directly across from me. He had wires strung across the tops of two palm trees well over 30 ft in the air. Turns out he's a ham radio buff who daily talks with others as close as northern FL and as far as the Antarctic. They keep their house in NY but are in FL for about 10 mths a year. He grew up in the same Brooklyn neighborhood that my grandmother lived and couldn't believe a fellow camper knew such streets as Pitkin, Sutter, Livonia. He brought back such great memories of visiting my grandma. She lived in the same second floor apartment from about 1920 until she passed away in 1962. No phone, TV, or air conditioner. We called the shoe store on the first floor and he yelled up to her. It's near 50 years since she's gone and I can still hear her soft voice.
The cg has a great golf learning center. They offered a special class for campers and I was the only one so I got a private lesson. It was so good I stayed for an extra private class. They only had a three hole course so I went around three times. The classes definitely helped. I didn't do great but was very consistent with no really bad shots. Maybe I have a shot at breaking 90 one of these days.
Bill from the South LoW chapter showed up on Wednesday. He had a very long drive from the Ft. Lauderdale area, maybe 40 minutes away (lol). We walked around the park a little and sat around my rig in pleasant conversation. Thursday we had lunch at a place Ira suggested. It looked like a dump on the outside and even after parking we almost left. I had faith in Ira and so we went in. It was a little family restaurant with friendly service, excellent food, at great prices. Bill and I shopped a little at Harbor Freight, an Army/Navy store and a Dollar Store. He got a few tools and I bought some army decals for the truck and RV and an army hat for the mock Eagle Scout board of review I was invited to sit in on this Sunday. Friday morning Bill and I went to a flea market and the Lake Worth pier, apparently a minor tourist attraction. It was kind of funny when neither he nor I could figure out how to work the parking meters. Was it age, senility, or screwy meters? Probably a little of all three. I bought some new sneakers at the flea market to replace my almost 20 year old ones which I junked. It was fun describing them to Alex & Zack. My old ones had been on sale at K-Mart for $5 and lasted 20 years. These new ones, with inflation, cost $15. I am a big spender!
Friday evening was dinner at the Calienes. I must share with those reading my blog that I met Armando when I worked at Unisys in the mid-1990's. I enjoyed my time at Unisys but the best thing that came from those years was my friendship with Armando and his extended family. These are fantastic people who I cherish knowing. Dinner was great and seeing Armando, Madeline, and Eric was fantastic. You guys are great! Saturday, the Calienes, along with Madelines parents, came by the cg to see the RV. Madelines dad is funny taking lots of pictures. Sunday I went back to the Calienes home for the Eagle Scout review. Armando & Eric asked me to play a gruff military guy and give the Eagle candidate a little bit of a hard time. Armando had a camo jacket with bird colonel insignia. I wore my scout pants and army hat and tried to speak a little gruff. It was fun and a great honor for me. I am truly honored to meet Eagle Scouts. They are the future leaders of our society. For those maybe not as familiar with the Eagle rank, it is only about 1% of those who enter Boy Scouts who ever achieve this exulted level. I left scouting as a Life Scout. As the Sinatra song goes, ".. regrets, I have a few, but then again too few to mention", not achieving Eagle is one of my few regrets!
In the evening the Calienes invited me to join them at Eric's High Schools athletics end of semester celebration. For a relatively small High School, it seemed almost all the students were involved in one sport or another. As a whole, the school seemed to rank very high in most sports. What I really enjoyed hearing as the coach's introduced their teams was the point they made about the average GPA of their team. As I remember, all the teams were in a 3.6 GPA range.
Up early and a leisurely hook up for the rig. Saying goodbye to Ira & Elaine was melancholy. We barely know each other yet we had a bit of a connection. I'll definitely try to stay in touch with them. Heading north from here. Onward. Life is good!
Heading South to Winter Haven
It actually feels good getting on the road again. No one to say good by to from the Samboree. The drive to Winter Haven was easy and relaxing. The Cypress cg seems to have lots of long term'ers and a little of a trailer park look & feel. The woman at the check in was new and directed me to my site from the wrong side, the hook ups were on the other side. I joked with my site neighbor Al that the office must be providing free driving experience. No problem making a "U" turn and getting back in (well, maybe a little frustrating). The park has a very nice swimming pool, a local fruit and vegetable vendor, and a Walmart adjacent to the rear road.
My Alex doesn't want to even walk into a Walmart. Walmarts seem to be taking over the country. I walked to the store and around it without buying anything. I'll bet it was near a 2 mile stroll. I have a soft spot for Walmarts ever since they donated $500 to the Boy Scout troop. All I did was fill out a few online forms and the check showed up.
Some of the Gulf & Mid-LoW folks began showing up a day early. Wow, what a great chili dinner. For $1 they provided dinner and breakfast the next day. For another $5 we had dinner for three more nights and three more breakfasts.
Lots of trips. I didn't really want to go to Bok Tower and Gardens but they needed another driver. I took four people and am very glad I went. What a beautiful and tranquil place. I hung out a bit with Ron Henderson, the 91 year old full timer. He is a sharp, interesting guy. Bok Tower is about 200+ feet high, made of several colors of granite, mostly shades pink. It has 60 bells ranging in size from 16 lbs to 11 tons. A person plays them on a keyboard. This was a great time to stop by, listening to Christmas music played on those wonderful bells. We were encouraged to pick the many citrus fruits growing in the gardens. What a great day!
We drove to a street called "spook hill". If you put your car in neutral at a certain point in the road, you're supposed to roll uphill. It worked for the other cars. I guess my truck with five people in it was just too much for the spooks to push. Oh well! From Spook Hill we drove around Lake Wales and went to the Railroad Museum. Lake Wales seemed a little distressed but the museum was a great surprise. There was some railroad memorabilia but lots of other artifacts also. They had hundreds of hand sewn quilts, some 200 years old. Beautiful! They also had a Seminole dugout canoe dated as over 4,000 years old. There were hundreds of dolls in the image of famous people. Incredible!
Winter Haven and a sister city Aubendale join in a Christmas parade they bill as the largest outside of Disney. I had a full truck, six of us, and managed to find parking. I treated everyone to noise horns. You had to see us six "old foogies" blowing these horns and acting like little kids. We had a great time.
After the LoWs gtg ended and they left I took a class from Verizon on my new I-Phone. You'd have to be near my age to appreciate why I've been laughing about this. When I was a kid my parents had what was called a "party line". This was where several families shared the same telephone number. You had to listen to the ring to know if the call was for you or one of your neighbors. It was very common to pick up the phone to make a call and hear your neighbors already on a call. Sometimes you said sorry and hung up, sometimes you joined in the conversation. Now I needed a class to learn how to use a phone. Technology is going too fast for me.
My Alex doesn't want to even walk into a Walmart. Walmarts seem to be taking over the country. I walked to the store and around it without buying anything. I'll bet it was near a 2 mile stroll. I have a soft spot for Walmarts ever since they donated $500 to the Boy Scout troop. All I did was fill out a few online forms and the check showed up.
Some of the Gulf & Mid-LoW folks began showing up a day early. Wow, what a great chili dinner. For $1 they provided dinner and breakfast the next day. For another $5 we had dinner for three more nights and three more breakfasts.
Lots of trips. I didn't really want to go to Bok Tower and Gardens but they needed another driver. I took four people and am very glad I went. What a beautiful and tranquil place. I hung out a bit with Ron Henderson, the 91 year old full timer. He is a sharp, interesting guy. Bok Tower is about 200+ feet high, made of several colors of granite, mostly shades pink. It has 60 bells ranging in size from 16 lbs to 11 tons. A person plays them on a keyboard. This was a great time to stop by, listening to Christmas music played on those wonderful bells. We were encouraged to pick the many citrus fruits growing in the gardens. What a great day!
We drove to a street called "spook hill". If you put your car in neutral at a certain point in the road, you're supposed to roll uphill. It worked for the other cars. I guess my truck with five people in it was just too much for the spooks to push. Oh well! From Spook Hill we drove around Lake Wales and went to the Railroad Museum. Lake Wales seemed a little distressed but the museum was a great surprise. There was some railroad memorabilia but lots of other artifacts also. They had hundreds of hand sewn quilts, some 200 years old. Beautiful! They also had a Seminole dugout canoe dated as over 4,000 years old. There were hundreds of dolls in the image of famous people. Incredible!
Winter Haven and a sister city Aubendale join in a Christmas parade they bill as the largest outside of Disney. I had a full truck, six of us, and managed to find parking. I treated everyone to noise horns. You had to see us six "old foogies" blowing these horns and acting like little kids. We had a great time.
After the LoWs gtg ended and they left I took a class from Verizon on my new I-Phone. You'd have to be near my age to appreciate why I've been laughing about this. When I was a kid my parents had what was called a "party line". This was where several families shared the same telephone number. You had to listen to the ring to know if the call was for you or one of your neighbors. It was very common to pick up the phone to make a call and hear your neighbors already on a call. Sometimes you said sorry and hung up, sometimes you joined in the conversation. Now I needed a class to learn how to use a phone. Technology is going too fast for me.
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