Saturday, January 30, 2016

The final leg of our journey back to the old homestead took us 153.7 miles (76,714.1 miles total) to Twin Lakes campground in Cumming, GA.  Twin Lakes has no frills, in fact, there is really no draw to the park at all.  The only reason we chose the park was its proximity to our house (less than 2 miles).  Now the work begins!  We will be helping move our son, Jon, and his wife, Sara, into their new home, get the house move-in ready, dispose of a lifetime's collection of treasures and put the house on the market.  With nothing but hard work ahead of us and no sightseeing planned, there will, unfortunately, be a sizable gap in the blog.

We did not expect to see this white stuff falling from the sky!

I would like to think we can wrap everything up and get a FOR SALE sign in the front yard by mid-March.  Everyone says the market is hot right now, so maybe we can be back on the road by the end of May.  I know, that's probably a little optimistic, but I'm all about a positive attitude!

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Our trek home continued another 233.7 miles (76,560.4 miles total) with a stop at Twin Oaks RV park in Elko, GA. The park is conveniently located close to I-75 about 10 miles south of Perry, GA. It was a nice park and we enjoyed the whimsy that was evident in the dozens of birdhouses scattered between the sites.

Of course, the most important park feature was the jacuzzi.  The nights were too cold, so I enjoyed a hot soak during the much warmer afternoon hours.  I had the jets to myself except when Joani snapped the picture below.

At one point, as we were relaxing in the coach, we heard a loud bang and felt the coach rock.  I went outside to investigate - nothing had hit us.  I assumed it was a sonic boom from a jet based at Robbins AFB a few miles north of us.  A neighbor said there was a boom once or twice a week.  I think it was less than an hour before we heard another. Fortunately, that was the last we heard during our two-night stay. 

Sunday, January 24, 2016

We moved to a small, but nice park named Ocala North.  It was 130.0 miles (76,326.7 miles total), so it was another easy drive.  We were on our way back to the house where there was a lot of work waiting for us.  Getting the house ready to sell after nearly 23 years meant sorting through a lot of clutter, cleaning and painting, so we were not in a real hurry to get there.  We thought we could make a couple of stops and see a few interesting sites on the way back home.

Our campground choice allowed us to visit Ocala where there were a couple of museums and an old sinkhole we could investigate. The sinkhole had lots of stairs that would allow us to climb down inside. I was a little skeptical about going into a sinkhole - I mean, how can you be sure it's not going to sink any further?

The weather did not cooperate with our sightseeing plans.  There was a lot of rain for the first three days of our stay.  We added another day to wait out the rain and finally visited Ocala.  The two museums were on the Florida State University campus. Unfortunately, I did not like the parking situation.  Like most campus layouts there were color coded parking restrictions everywhere with the threat of towing and fines.  I can't say they made us feel welcome.  After maybe 15 minutes of circling to find the museum buildings, we decided to just have lunch and keep an eye on the weather.

There was a Golden Corral nearby and we were in a glutinous mood. That hardly ever happens! About mid-way through our meal, there was a power outage that lasted 20 minutes or more.  There was no way to get ice cream with no electricity so we nibbled on a few more choice entrees while we did another crossword puzzle at our tablet.  When the power returned, we decided we were too stuffed to be hiking to the bottom of a big hole in the ground and there was still the threat of more rain, so we just headed home.

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Following the ACA rally, we drove a short 15.2 miles (76,196.7 miles total) to Lithia Springs county park. It seemed very familiar and then we remembered it was the same thing we did three years ago following the regional rally at Lazy Days in 2013!

Attendance at the park picked up quite a bit in the past three years. Last time there were days when it was just us and the two hosts in the park. This time there were nights when they were nearly full.

For the last several months I had been threatening to clean up the old Dream. With time on my hands and a couple of days with no plans, I finally decided to try something new to spruce up the roof. I found straight bleach was pretty effective at removing oxidation. I also applied some 303 Protectant to hopefully protect the fiberglass from UV and maybe prevent (or at least, slow down) any more oxidizing.

I ran out of steam before I ran out of roof so only one side got cleaned. I guess I should also mention a thunderstorm rolled in and Joani pulled me off of the ladder when the lightning started.

One nice day we headed back to one of our previous haunts - Lettuce Lakes Park. I don't know if it was the time of day or the weather, but there were very few birds this time, so I didn't include any of our pictures.

Another day, we drove over to Lake Ashton where our ACA friends, Brian and Pat, lived. They talked about it and were very happy there, so we decided to see what it was all about. I don't think Joani was really interested, but after the sales pitch, we were both thinking it was worth some serious consideration. Our friends live in an RV port home with a huge garage for the RV. It had a nice layout with 1,700 sq ft of living space and a two car garage. The neighborhood amenities were outstanding! They had everything you could possibly imagine and a few you wouldn't. At least I was surprised by the bowling alley. Needless to say, the visit had us re-evaluating our priorities and will be something to think about when our home in Georgia is finally sold.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016, Lazy Days ACA Rally

The trip from Sumter Oaks SKP park to Lazy Days in Tampa, FL was only 48.7 miles (76,181.5 miles total).  We followed Loren and Sharon and chose to travel the back roads instead of Interstate 75 which made it a little longer, but I suspect it was far more interesting.  My navigator, however, was not happy about the traffic and tight streets through several of the small towns along our route.  There were no issues and I maintain the delay helped bridge the gap between check-out time and check-in times between the two parks.

We arrived at Lazy Days with everyone else - at least it felt that way. There were so many coaches pulling in at the same time we blocked traffic on the main road.  Through a lucky break, we got checked in quickly, but we found there was a coach parked in our space.  More than an hour later, a couple of Lazy Days guys apologized profusely and moved it out of our way.

We picked up our rally package and re-acquainted ourselves with the expansive Lazy Days complex.  It was a lot of fun meeting our new neighbors and finding that old friends were close to our site.  Dinners were planned for most nights and there was entertainment mixed in as well.  Beer and wine were included every evening and, mostly, I exercised restraint.  I have to admit, however, I was feeling pretty good by the time I slipped into the hot tub several nights. 

Days were spent exploring the Tampa RV Supershow.  I had a short list of things to find and managed to find them all.  Of course, we found a few extra things that were not on the list.  There was a heated water hose at Camping World marked down to half price that Joani talked me into buying.  It was something I wanted, but it made me think I would really rather not be anywhere we would need it. 

American Coach brought back the American Dream model and it really looked good!  Maybe someday we will have to replace our Dream and it would certainly be a fine candidate.  There were several park models (or manufactured homes) we toured, but they just re-enforced our desire to continue our full-timing adventure.

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Loren and Sharon invited us out to lunch at River Ratz Cafe in nearby Nobleton, FL.  I know, how can you expect much with a name like River Ratz, but it was really good!  We hit the place for a late lunch and it was quiet, but I suspect the place might be hoppin' late on a Friday or Saturday night.

Our waitress asked if we had been there before.  Since we said "no" she brought out a complimentary fried appetizer platter - yum!  Would it be awful to tell them "no" the next time we visit?

Heading home we decided to explore a back road to Hog Island deep in the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge. There was a small, rather rustic campground a few miles down that road that felt like it was in the middle of nowhere.  It appeared to be more of a tent or small camper type of park - I can't see taking our coach in there. Next, we followed signs to the Iron Bridge landing further into the refuge.  There was not enough remaining iron to even hint that there was once a bridge there.

It seemed like we drove an hour down some very narrow road getting there, so it was good that the Withlacoochee River at least provided some peaceful, serene scenery for our pictures.  We talked with some folks fishing who said we were actually pretty close to the main highway if we just went a little further. That was some highly appreciated info that saved us a lot of backtracking!

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Morning walks with Sam around Sumter Oaks SKP park included several bird sightings.  Below was a "Lesser Blue Heron" - one day when it grows up it will be a "Great Blue Heron".

The egret was being followed by the lesser blue making the fishing more difficult.  I suspect he had to fly off to lose the youngster and find some privacy.

We sighted a "Wood Stork" one morning.  Actually, I sighted it and Sam just ignored it.  While I was caught up following the bird taking pictures, Sam was taking care of his early morning business behind me.  All of a sudden a little golf cart came screaming up to me to tell me I had to "pick up" after my dog (something I always do when I am aware).  He motored back to the scene of the crime and pointed at the offending pile until I picked it up.

Obviously, the folks below had an artistic side.  They took the time to uniquely decorate their campsite.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Just a few miles from the Sumter Oaks SKP park was the Flea market in Webster.  Of course, we had to check it out even though I really could not think of anything I needed (that I might find at a flea market). Sharon and Loren had been before, so they were our guides as we ambled through the many rows of vendors peddling their junk.

I was struck by how much junk I already had that would have fit nicely on many of the tables.  It was very disappointing how little my junk was worth.  We walked around for almost 3 hours without buying anything except some lunch.  I take that back, Loren found a nice pair of used slip joint pliers to replace the pair he left behind at another campground.

When we returned home, the neighbor's donkeys were grazing near the park's "Donkey Lane".  We stopped to say "Hi" and snap a few pictures.  When they saw the car they all came over expecting something to eat.  Apparently, some of the park's campers feed them an occasional carrot or two.  They were happy to ham it up for Joani and her camera.

Saturday, January 2, 2016

How fitting was it that these two Sand Hill Cranes would be wandering through the grounds near our site, number 76 along Sand Hill Crane Lane in the Sumter Oaks Escapee RV park?

They certainly had no fear of people.  I got within five feet of them and they just casually wandered away.  Even when I was walking with Sam they didn't seem too concerned.

More serendipitous timing, as we found there was a re-enactment of the second Seminole war at the Dade Battlefield State Park in nearby Bushnell, FL that coincided with our stay in the area.  Sharon and Loren and Joani and I loaded up comfortable chairs and set out to learn something of that fateful day, December 28, 1835.

Several vendors lent an authenticity to the day's festivities selling rustic souvenirs.

Some of the officers paraded around on their horses checking the troops before the battle.

Several of the re-enactment participants mentioned just how ridiculous the period hats were. They were leather, heavy and with no ventilation they were terribly hot.

The battle took place only a few dozen yards from the audience. The rifles and cannon were loaded with the appropriate amount of powder, so it was loud as the battle progressed.

The battle did not go well for the U.S. troops that day.

Only one of these last two soldiers survived to tell the tale of the battle that day.  Of course, the Indians were ultimately overwhelmed and relocated to a reservation in Oklahoma.  Sometimes, history is just depressing.

Friday, January 1, 2016

With all of the new year reservations at Rockcrusher Canyon RV Resort, we were forced to leave.  We really wanted to stay in the area to attend the ACA rally in Tampa in less than 2 weeks.  Fortunately, the Sumter Oaks Escapee park was a short 48.3 miles (76,132.8 miles total) away, allowing us to stay close.

They had propane at Sumter Oaks, so I filled up first.  When I went to record the fill-up, I found that the last time we got propane was January 1, 2015, exactly one year ago.  The record showed we bought 22.9 gallons a year ago.  Strangely enough, it took 22.9 gallons to fill the tank again.  I guess that means we don't really use a lot of propane.

The park was adjacent to some wetlands where a small group of Ibis was wading.  They were obviously accustomed to people since they were not bothered in the least when Sam and I sat on a nearby bench to watch them.

The afternoon sky struck me as a bit unusual with the blue and white clouds contrasting with the pastel pink background.  I would like a chance to see the same thing again when I can do more to capture it than snap a picture from a moving car.