The Decision Is Made and Tomorrow's The Big Day

DeBary, FL.

67 deg. cloudy, WSW wind @ 16 mph.

Forecast = Today: Mostly sunny. Highs around 64°F. West northwest wind to 21 MPH, gusting to 29 MPH.
Tonight: Clear. Lows around 41°F. Wind chill around 34°F. West northwest wind 7 to 16 MPH, gusting to 23 MPH.

Jim and Linda have been busy trying to figure out what to take to the house and what to keep in me to transfer to their new (to them), Motorhome. They've probably taken more to the house than they should have, but until they actually get the Motorhome, they really won't know just how much will fit into the smaller cabinet space and storage compartments.

The other day, (I think it was Monday), Laura brought Anna to the house to see it. If you remember, Anna lives up in Jacksonville and was down here to visit.

Anyway, both Jim and Linda said that it seems like Anna really liked the house and she and Laura even helped Linda make some changes to the curtains in the Florida Room which runs across the front of the house.

Thanks Anna!!! : )

OK, it's time to announce who's going to take over this blog.

After much persuading, Blaine, (Jim and Linda's pet), has agreed to give it a try. He's really hesitant, but I've assured him that all of my followers have been very understanding when I made mistakes and that I was sure that you would be tolerant with him too.  

So,  ,  ,  ,  why Blaine??? Well to be honest, he probably knows more about Jim and Linda than most anyone else. He's been with them since before they went full-timing, he's traveled to all the places that they have gone during the last 12+ years, and he will be in the RV when they're traveling and in the house when they're not.

He could even ride along when Jim and Linda take CLT (Cute Little Truck), someplace! ; )

I don't know just yet how we'll make the transfer, but in the next couple days, he and I will get it figured out. I've helped him start a new main page, so there will be a new URL. There's no post on it yet, but I'm sure he'll post in the next few days. As soon as he gets the page set up and makes his first post, there will be a link to it here.

Tomorrow is the big day!!!! Jim and Linda will take me to the dealer in the morning and then, after the inspection of the new MH and the papers are signed, the new MH and myself will be taken to a CG in the area where Jim and Linda will transfer the rest of their belongings.

After that, Jim and Linda will bring the new MH back here to Highbanks and someone from the dealership will come an take me to the dealer's lot.

A little about my time with Jim and Linda.

I've had a great time, and it's been fun taking them to the places they wanted to go. I'm really sorry that I'm just too big to go to some of the parks that they want to go to though. Jim says that he really likes how I handle the Interstates, and both of them seemed to have really enjoyed my spacious interior, but they both like to get "off the beaten path" when they travel, and, as Jim found out, I'm really too large to do that comfortably. (At least for him).

I also understand that since they've decided to buy the house that I'm just too big for their needs. There's really no sense putting a 45' MH in storage for at leas 1/2 of the year and in fact, it would be very hard on me.

So, hopefully I'll find someone who wants to travel long distances and stay in larger RV parks. I'm sure I will. I'm really in pretty good shape for my age.

All in all, I've had a great time and have enjoyed writing this blog. I'll miss Jim and Linda, their family and all of their friends that I've met, but things change and I'm used to that. After all, I am a house that has wheels, and I never know where I'll be on any given day.

Who knows, buy this time next year, I could be on my way to Alaska!!! ; )

Did you know that today is "Oreo Cookie Day"?

Just one last thing.

I would like to thank all of you who have followed this blog. It has really meant a lot to know that so many of you were interested in my ramblings. Thank You!!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!!!!

Please follow Blaine's Blog when he starts posting.

Storms and All Presents Shipped

DeBary, FL.

68 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with thunderstorms and rain showers. High of 84F. Winds from the South at 5 to 10 mph shifting to the WNW in the afternoon. Chance of rain 80%.


So far, the storms down here in Florida have missed the area I'm in. A couple days ago there was a tornado touchdown about 25 miles from here with about 30 homes being damaged, but nothing here but a lot of rain.

I think I told you that Linda had finished wrapping all the presents. Well yesterday, Jim and Linda got them all boxed up in those "if it fits it ships" boxes. Then it was off to the Post Office to get them sent on their way!!  Both Jim and Linda said that it was a big relief to have that project finished. ; ) 

Now, Linda can concentrate on baking cookies, making TV mix and getting things ready for Christmas.

They're still putting up more Christmas Decorations here in the park. They've decorated the office and the clubhouse, the bridge going over the spill-way between the pond and the river, and have put up other decorations throughout the park.

Very nice!!! : )

Laura and Lindsey were out and about so they stopped by for while yesterday, Jeff called from Portland OR to let Jim and Linda know that they had received their first package and Joe also called from Virginia Beach for the same reason. Both seemed to be doing well and are really busy getting ready for the holidays.

Don't have much else to write about, so I'll let you go. If anything of any importance happens, I'll be sure to let you know right away. ; )

A Point to Ponder : You can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, making a wrong turn with an RV, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

Shopping, A New Friend and Highbanks

DeBary, FL.

42 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Clear. High of 70F. Winds from the NNW at 10 to 15 mph shifting to the East in the afternoon.


As soon as Linda got up and had her breakfast Tuesday morning, Jim and Linda took CLT (Cute Little Truck), and headed for Jacksonville. You see, by accident, quite a few years ago, they had found a shoe store in a shopping center on the North side of Jacksonville.  It's called Rack Room Shoes and they sell all kinds of shoes.

And, they carry shoes in Jim's size, (14). : )

The soles of one of Jim's pair of shoes had split.  So being that we were in the area, they headed over there and ended up buying Jim 2 pair, since the second pair was 1/2 price.  : )

By about 12:30 they were back to the CG.

Oh, I want you to see my new little buddy that came into Kelly's Monday evening.

He's brand new and lives up in the central part of Pennsylvania. His owners brought him  down to Florida to visit family and friends and now he's on his way back home. I wished him a safe journey as he pulled out of the campground yesterday morning.

Speaking of yesterday morning,  it was about 9:50 when we pulled out of Kelly's. Once back on US 301, we retraced our route back to Callahan and then followed US 1 down to I-295. 295 took us around the west side of Jacksonville and joined back up with I-95 on the South side of the city. Once back on 95 we took it South to exit 329 where Jim pulled me into a T/A Truck Stop and topped off my tank with some of that good old #2 diesel fuel.

You see, since I'll be setting in a RV Park for at least 2 months, Jim wanted to get my tank as full as possible so there's not so much chance of condensation. My furnace also uses diesel fuel when it gets colder, so that was another reason to stop and fill up.

From the Truck Stop, we continued South on 95 and followed it down to Daytona Beach, where we turned SW on I-4. I-4 then brought us down here to DeBary and the Highbanks Marina & Camp Resort, where I'll be spending the next 2 or 3 months.

It was 12:50 when we pulled up in front of the office, so it took us exactly 3 hours to stop to top off my tank and travel the 147 miles down here.

After going into the office and talking to the nice ladies inside, Jim came out and unhooked CLT from the back of me and parked him across the road in a parking area. Then, the park manager led me into the park and to my site. By about 1:15 I was backed into my site, (the same site I was in last year, #198), and Jim was getting a ride in one of the workers golf carts, back up to the office area, to retrieve CLT and pay for my site.

I've only been here once before, but Jim and Linda have been here often enough that many of the folks in the park wave and welcome them back, as was the case as we drove through the park to get to my site. In fact, Jim and Linda both made the comment that it was good to be back in this park and this year especially, it kind of felt like they were coming back home.

Much of the afternoon was spent getting me set up for the long term. Extra attention was paid to getting me real level and getting all the utilities hooked up and looking as neat as possible. Then, because they were both tired and didn't want to cook, they headed over to the Steak & Shake Restaurant for dinner.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  this is where I'll be for quite awhile. There'll be many days where there's nothing to post about, so I won't be posting near as often. But, you can be assured that I'll let you know when there's anything new happening.

Did you know that DeBary Hall Historic Site is the restored winter home of Samuel Frederick de Bary, the first settler in this region? Built in 1871, the 8,000 sq. ft. Italianate architectural style mansion is open to the public with artists. displays, multimedia programs, and docent-led tours. DeBary Hall Historic Site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1972.

SC To FL and Kelly's

Callahan, FL.

54 deg. cloudy, light rain showers, no wind.

Forecast = Overcast with a chance of a thunderstorm and rain showers. High of 68F. Winds from the NNE at 5 to 10 mph shifting to the East in the afternoon.


We got an early start yesterday morning, so it was only 9:10 when we pulled out of the New Green Acres Park. Being that we knew of a gas station/truck stop in Walterboro, we headed to it to buy me a nice big drink of that good old #2 diesel fuel. After filling me up, at the lowest price I've seen for diesel in a long time,  ($3.77 per gallon), we headed to southbound I-95 and followed it all the way down here to Florida, with only a quick "pit stop", at a rest area in Georgia. After traveling a short distance into Florida, we turned West onto Rt A1A and followed it over to Callahan. In Callahan, we turned North on US 301 and followed it up here to Kelly's Countryside RV Park.

It was 12:45 when we pulled into Kelly's so it took us 3 hours and 35 minutes to travel 190 miles and get my drink.

Jim and Linda have been stopping at Kelly's for years. In fact, one year they even spent a month here. It's a nice park with friendly people staying here, and very friendly people running the park. They have a few nice long pull-through, full hook-up sites that they save for people who are staying just a night or two, and both shaded and open back-in sites for the folks who decide to stay longer.

We'll be here one more night before heading to our destination in DeBary on Wednesday.

After getting me hooked up to the utilities, Jim took a little nap while Linda took advantage of the free wi-fi here at the park. Then for dinner, they took CLT and headed into Callahan and to the Cedar River Seafood  Restaurant,

Cedar River is a restaurant that Mr. Kelly told Jim about years ago, and Jim and Linda have been going there every time they've stayed here at Kelly's since then. They've always had very good seafood, good service and it's become kind of a tradition to go there. ; )

Did you know that on this date in 1923, Jacob Schick was granted a patent for the electric shaver?

NC To SC and Plan R

Walterboro, SC.

48 deg. Mostly cloudy, NE wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 66F. Winds from the NNE at 5 to 10 mph.


Yesterday, with the time change, Jim was up earlier than normal, so it wasn't too surprising that he was ready to leave earlier than normal. He also knew by this time, that he wanted to get well down into South Carolina and that meant a fairly long travel day, so he woke Linda up earlier than normal. ; )

So, by 9:15, CLT was hooked up behind me and we were pulling out of the Campers Lodge Campground and heading South on US 301. 301 took us down to Kenly, NC. where we got back on I-95 and followed it down into South Carolina and here to Walterboro.

The only stop we made was at the SC Welcome Center for a "pit stop" and to check tires and CLT's tow bar. Traffic wasn't too bad and for the most part, the roads were in good condition, so we moved right along. In fact, the trip went so well, that, including the "pit stop", we drove the 265 miles down here in only 4 1/2 hours!!!

Hey!!! What can I say??? I don't mess around when you turn me loose on an Interstate Highway!!!! ; )

I'm now parked in the New Green Acres RV Park here in Walterboro, where Jim and Linda have stopped many times in the past. It's kind of a neat park with very tall pine trees and almost all pull-through sites. In fact, they advertise as having "The longest and widest pull thrus east of the Mississippi"!!

The plan is to leave here this morning and head down into Florida, and that brings us to "Plan R"!!!!

Yep, you read that right!!! "Plan R"!!!!!

You see, when Jim called and made reservations for me at the Highbanks Marina and Camp Resort in DeBary for the winter, he told the lady at the park that we would be arriving on the 14th of November. Well, we seem to be ahead of schedule so yesterday, after we arrived here in Walterboro, he called the park and asked if it would be OK if we came in a week early!! The lady checked and said that they had a site avilable and to come on in!!!

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , now the plan is to get to Highbanks on the 7th of November and stay for at least 2 months and probably 3.

Did you know that before being known as the Palmetto State, South Carolina was known as, and had emblazoned on their license plates, the Iodine State?

Change Q?

Wilson, NC

34 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Clear. High of 57F. Winds from the WNW at 5 to 10 mph.


I give up!!!!!! Not 2 hours after I posted yesterday's blog, Jim and Linda decided to stay here at the Kampers Lodge Campground for 2 more nights!!!!! Since we've left Rantoul back in September, there's been so many changes to this trip that I've lost count, so I'm calling this change, change Q!!!!!

It may actually be change J or change R, but who really knows?  I don't think even Jim or Linda know!!

So,  ,  ,  ,  , why did this change take place? Well, as far as I can tell, it was decided because the rates here in this park are very good, (Passport America, remember?), it's nice and quiet here, all amenities work very well, and the people running the park are supper nice.

Besides, we have some days to "kill" before we're scheduled to get to our winter destination, down in Florida. : )

So, what did Jim and Linda do yesterday?  Not much.

Jim walked to the office and paid for 2 more nights, surfed the Internet, took a nap, watched some TV and cooked a steak on the grill for him and Linda to sharel.

Linda worked most of the day on her Family Tree program. Online, she has found a whole bunch of information on Jim's side of the family that she didn't have. She also watched some TV, cooked some cauliflower and got out bread and other things to have with the steak.

I don't think that there's any big plans for today, probably just more of the same. Then tomorrow we should be heading farther South, but who knows? We may have change "R" !!!!!!

Did you know that today is Sadie Hawkins Day?

OH, Don't forget to turn all your clocks back tonight!!!!

A Kick-Back Day and CG Photos

Wilson, NC

34 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 57F. Winds from the West at 5 to 15 mph.

Not a whole lot to write about. Jim dumped my tanks, put some additional water in my fresh water tank and checked me over in the afternoon yesterday. Then for dinner, he cooked a couple burgers on the grill.

Meanwhile, Linda was doing laundry, taking advantage of the free wi-fi here at the park and putting together the rest of the dinner.

Jim did take his camera and get some photos of this CG, so I thought I'd post a few.


This is the CG sign out by the road.

Just a few of the great Halloween decorations by the office.

Looking into the park from a little past the office area.

My site. # H4.

Yesterday the weather was quite nice, but as you can see above, it's now 34 degrees and they're forecasting more cold temps for this area again tonight.

But, we won't be here tonight. Today, we'll head farther South and hopefully it'll be a little warmer. : )  I don't know just how far we'll get, Jim has 3 different parks picked out along our planned route, so it'll just depend on how far he feels like driving.

Oh, a little more about the Kampers Lodge Park here in Wilson. For the money, (Passport America rate), it's a great park with great folks running it. The new owners are working hard to make improvements, and from talking to some of the other people here in the park, Jim says that it sounds like they're doing a fine job.

So,  ,  ,  ,  , if you're traveling through the area and need a friendly, quiet place for the night, or even longer, stop by. These folks are trying hard to make your stay as pleasant as possible.

Did you know that November is "National Peanut Butter Lovers Month"?

VA To NC and A Run-A-Way Fan

Wilson, NC.

38 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 57F. Winds from the West at 5 to 10 mph.


Most of Tuesday was spent getting me ready to travel, at least until about 4:30 when Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to Joe and Nancy's house. Again, Nancy put together a great meal that everyone thoroughly enjoyed.

Of course the main reason for going there was to see Joe, Nancy, Sami and Amber one last time before we left the area.

So, after a very nice evening of visiting there were h and h (hugs and handshakes), and final good-bye's before Jim and Linda headed back to the RV Park, about 9:00.

Yesterday morning, everything went smoothly and by 9:45 we were pulling out of the Holiday Trav-L-Park and making our way back to I-264. 264 brought us back to I-64, which we followed around  to the South and then picked up US 58, and headed West on it. 58 brought us back to I-95 where we turned South and followed it down into North Carolina.

By this time it was time for a "pit stop", so Jim pulled me into the NC welcome center rest area. It was at this time that Jim discovered that my vent fan in the "little room", (the room with the toilet), was open and running full blast!!! The problem was that all of the switches that control the fan were turned off and there was no reason for the fan to be open and running.

So, being that we were in the rest area and not out on the road someplace, Jim got some tools and proceeded to dismantle the fan from the inside. I still don't know what happened, but the little gears that raise and lower the fan were broken and wouldn't let Jim manually lower the lid, so that part had to be removed and the lid fastened down with mini bungee cords to stop it from flopping around as we traveled.

I still don't know why the fan was open in the first place, because like I said, all the switches were turned off. This may be a problem best solved by my mechanic down in Florida.

It took about 1/2 hour for Jim to take the fan apart and get everything secured. After he was finished we continued South on I-95, down to US 64 at Rocky Mount. Turning East on 64 for a few miles brought us to US 301 where we turned South and followed 301 for about 17 miles to the Kampers Lodge RV Park.  Jim had heard good things about this park and being that it's also a Passport America park, he had decided to try it.

It was about 1:45 when we pulled up to the office, so it took us almost exactly 4 hours to travel 173 miles and work on my vent fan.

Well, we're not disappointed with this Campground. I have a pull-through, full hook-up site with 50 amp electric and cable TV, all for $20 per night. The site is long enough for both myself and CLT , but being that Jim parked me more in the center of the site, CLT is parked along side of me. The people in the office were great and the lady led me to my site with a golf cart. The cable TV hasn't been installed on my site yet, so a man brought a long length of TV cable and ran it from a site up the row to my site.

He then waited until Jim tuned on the TV to make sure everything was working before he left.

After getting me set up, Jim took a nap and Linda worked on her Family Tree program, using the free and very strong wi-fi, here in the park. Then, about 5:30 Jim and Linda took CLT and, after stopping at the office to ask for suggestions, headed into Wilson and to Parkers Restaurant for dinner.

Parkers is mainly a barbecue place but they have chicken and seafood also. Linda had the chicken, which was very good, and Jim had a fish dinner, which he said, wasn't the greatest.

After dinner, they came back here and watched TV, worked/played with the computers until bedtime.

Jim and Linda have paid for 2 nights at this CG. Then, the plan is to leave here tomorrow and continue wandering South. We'll stop at one more CG before we get down to the Jacksonville area, where Linda and Jim are hoping to be able to stop and see Linda's grand daughter, Anna.

I hope all of you had a good Halloween. They've got all kinds of decorations here in and around the CG office, but not many RVs have decorations.

I also hope that any of you who were in Hurricane Sandy's path are OK and you don't have too much damage. This far inland, we haven't seen any effects of the storm.

Did you know that Halloween is one of the oldest celebrations in the world, dating back over 2000 years to the time of the Celts who lived in Britain?

North Carolina To Virginia

Virginia Beach, VA.

52 deg. scattered clouds, no wind.

Forecasts = Partly cloudy. High of 75F. Winds from the SSE at 10 to 15 mph.


Everything went well and by 8:50 we were pulling out of the Dickens RV Park and heading the 3 or 4 miles back to US 1. Once on 1, we took it NE and up to the Raleigh area, where it joined up with US 64. We then took US 64/I-440 around the city until 64 headed East from the city. Then we followed 64 over to Rocky Mount, where we tuned North on I-95. 95 took us up into Virginia where we stopped at a Love's Truck Stop near Skippers, VA. to get me a drink of that good old #2 diesel fuel. : )

Again, everything went well at the station and soon we were back out on I-95 and heading to Emporia, where we turned East on US 58. 58 took us to Portsmouth where we turned South on I-64 and took it around the South side of the City. After 64 took us around to Virginia Beach, we turned East on I-264 and took it East towards downtown Virginia Beach. When we came to 1st Colonial, (exit 21), we turned South on it and followed it down to the Holiday Trav-L-Park.

It was 1:15 when we pulled up in front of the office, so it took us 4 hours and 25 minutes to travel 230 miles and stop for my drink.

Not too shabby!!! ; )

The Holiday Trav-L-Park is a huge park. When we were here a year ago, I was in site # 107 and this time I'm in site 255, but they actually have over 800 RV sites in the park!!

An RV could get lost in this place!!! : O

After getting me set up in my full hook-up site with 50 amp electric and after relaxing a little, Jim took a little nap. Then, about 4:00, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to Joe and Nancy's. After all the h and h, (hugs and handshakes), and some visiting, everyone enjoyed a great spaghetti and meatball dinner that Nancy made.

After dinner, it was more visiting before CLT brought them back here to the Park.

Today, Joe, Nancy and the girls are going to be busy so Jim and Linda will not be going over there. It's time for Linda to get her prescriptions refilled again, so she and Jim are planning on getting that accomplished. Jim still needs to get me hooked up to the sewer connection, so I imagine he'll do that today.

As of this morning, I have a very weak signal on the AT&T air card here at the park. So far it has held the signal while I've been typing this post. We're in a different area of the park than we were a year ago, so maybe I'll be able to post regularly.

I hope so.

Did you know that the first peanuts grown in the United States were grown in Virginia?

Moncure, NC

40 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Clear in the morning, then overcast. High of 72F. Winds from the SSW at 5 to 10 mph.


Almost the whole day, Friday, was spent going through old picture albums. I didn't know that there were so many photos of Jim, Linda, their kids, grand kids, parents and ancestors!! Altogether, there are 5 large boxes of albums with probably, on an average of 12 to 15 albums per box!!!  Some of them are very large with many pages and some are smaller with fewer pages. Most of the photos are from the 1940's to present but there are some with photos going way back to the time of Jim and Linda's great grandparents!!!

Of course, not all the photos are labeled, so then they have to try to figure out who the people in the photos are. This is especially hard with the very old photos, and there's really no way to find out because there's no one left who could identify them. : (

So far, Jim and Linda have gone through 4 of the boxes and have just the one more to do.

So what do Jim and Linda do with the photos when they find some that they want to use?  Well, first they tried scanning them, but that was taking forever and was almost impossible to do without destroying some of the older albums. Then Jim got the idea of taking digital photos of the photos with his camera. This seems to work pretty well. They are laid on the kitchen table where there is natural light coming in through the window, and then as long as he can rest his arms/hands on something to steady the camera, the digital photos come out quite well.

Of course if they don't turn out well, he can quickly delete them and try again.

Once he gets the photos, he downloads them  onto the computer using Picasa, crops and edits the photos if necessary, and then saves them in a file for Linda to use later in her Family Tree program.

Yesterday, Mike and Dillon came out here to the RV Park to see me. Jim forgot to take pictures again, so these photos are from earlier in the week and taken at Mike and Gina's house.

Friday, was Dillon's birthday, so Jim and Linda gave him the "Batmobile" that they had bought and a book.

He seemed to really enjoy both presents and even had Mike read the book to him while they were here. ; ) They also walked over to the little playground that they have here at the park so that Dillon could swing on the swings and bang the tether ball around. ; )  

Today, the weather is supposed to be nice, so Jim is planning on doing some things outside. He needs to check me out to make sure I'm ready to leave here on Wednesday, check the air pressure in CLT's (Cute Little Truck's), tires and check on a leak up at my front clearance lights.

Then, this evening, the plan is to meet Mike and his family at the Perkins Restaurant in Apex for dinner.

Did you know that on this date in 1926, the book "Winnie-the-Pooh," by A.A. Milne, made its debut?

Old Photo Albums, Change Coming and A Close Call

Moncure, NC

54 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny, high temp. 82 deg. SW wind @ 5 to 10 mph.


Not a whole lot to report on this morning, but I thought I'd check in.

The main thing that happened was that Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to Mike and Gina's yesterday evening. Linda had asked Mike if he could dig out the old family photo albums and he had brought them out of storage for Linda to look at.

You see, the Family Tree Maker program that Linda is using, allows you to insert photos into the program so that you have a record of what people looked like. And, buried in those boxes of albums are the photos that Linda would like to use.

After having a very nice meal of Polish Sausage, baked beans and salad, some of the boxes were opened and most of the rest of the evening was spent looking through some of the albums.

Jim and Linda brought 2 boxes of albums back here, and today I'm sure Linda and Jim will spend some time going through them and trying to decide on which photos need to be scanned onto the computers hard drive. Then, in the next few days, they'll take these boxes back to Mike's and bring some more back here.

Today, Mike and his family will be busy. The kids have some activities that they need to go to and Mike has some chores that need his attention at the house.

Mike and Gina were planning out coming out here to the RV Park on Sunday, but all the weather reports are saying that we're in for a big change in the weather. The current forecast is for rain, falling temperatures with highs in the lower 60's and fairly strong winds. : (  So, they will probably wait until next weekend and Jim and Linda will go to their house instead.

Oh, and just one more thing.

CLT had a real close call on the way back here to the RV Park last night. 2 deer rain across the road right in front of him!!!!   He said that it surprised him so much that his oil pressure went up a few pounds and his temperature rose a little before he finally calmed back down.

I think Jim will let him go a little slower on the way back here to the CG from now on. There's lots of deer out and about this time of the year.

Did you know that North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the nation?

Plan "B" and A Few Photos

Moncure, NC

58 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Sunny, high temp. 79 deg. W. wind @ 5 mph.


It rained most of the morning yesterday and while Jim was sitting outside under my awning and enjoying a cup of coffee, the phone rang.

It was Mike, calling from work, and he was wondering if it would be OK if Jim and Linda did not come over to his house for dinner. You see, he needed to go to some kind of business meeting at a restaurant and wouldn't be home until late.

Of course, Jim told him that would be fine, and he and Linda would see him and his family Friday night.

So, that meant that Jim and Linda would have to come up with a "Plan B".

While Jim was talking to Mike on the phone, the rain let up so he decided he'd try to get a few photos of the RV Park. This first one is of the entrance to the park.

This is a shot from near the entrance looking into one of the sections of the park. As you can see, there's not much vegetation in the area where the sites are located.

This is a photo of me in my site. That's a light pole right next to me, so I'm really lit up at night. ; )

By noon, the rain quit and it ended up being a very nice day. It was pretty warm though and the humidity was quite high, so other than hooking up the rest of my utilities, Jim didn't spend a whole lot of time outside.

Linda had gotten way behind with the laundry, so she spent much of the day trying to catch up.

Sometime during the afternoon, it was decided that for "plan B", they would go out for dinner instead of cooking here, so about 5:00, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to Sanford, NC, and to the Brass Kettle Family Restaurant. They found this restaurant last year when we were here and the food and service were very good, so they decided to try it again.

And, again, they weren't disappointed. : )

It was about 7:00 by the time they returned, and soon after that, this is what they saw out of my windshield.

/Today, Linda wants to do more laundry and Jim says he has a few things he wants to do outside. And then of course, they'll head over to Mike and Gina's for dinner, and to visit some more.

Did you know that on this date in 1921 - The World Series was broadcast on the radio for the first time? The game was between the New York Giants and the New York Yankees.

Forest City To Apex and Visiting With Mike And Gina

Moncure, NC

68 deg, mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy, high temp. 80 deg. W. wind @ 5 mph. 50% chance of rain


It was 10:10 by the time left Forest City yesterday morning and headed North on US 64. We followed 64 up to I-40 near Morganton. Then we followed 40 all the way over to Greensboro, where we turned off on I-73, took it down to I-85 and then took 85 east to US 421, where we turned SE on it and took it down to Sanford. At Sanford, we turned NE on US 1 and followed it up here to Moncure and the Dickens RV Park.

It was right at 2:00 when we pulled in, so it took us 3 hours and 50 minutes to travel 212 miles.

The Dickens RV Park is nothing special. Most of the sites are out in the open and there's no grass or trees anywhere near. I do, however, have full hook-ups with 50 amp electric and it's only costing about $15 per night with the Passport America discount. : )

For Jim and Linda, it's the best park to stay at while visiting Mike and his family.

It was really hot and muggy when we arrived yesterday, so after getting me positioned in my site, Jim just hooked me up to electric. Today, he'll hook up the rest of the utilities.

About 5:00 CLT (Cute Little Truck), took Jim and Linda over to Mike and Gina's house. Both Jim and Linda said that it was really good to see them and the grand kids again. It's been a year since we've been here and they both said that all 3 of the kids have really grown. : )

After a very nice meal, everyone visited for awhile and then about 8:00 CLT brought Jim and Linda back here to the park.

Both Jim and Linda were tired, so after watching some of the news, they headed to bed.

This evening, they'll be heading back over to Mike and Gina's again.

Did you know that Moncure once served ast the western-most inland port in North Carolina, linked all the way to the coast by steamships? 

KY, TN, NC and The Creekwood Farm RV Park

Waynesville, NC

52 deg. foggy, no wind.

Forecast = Day: Mostly sunny this morning...Then becoming mostly cloudy. Patchy fog this morning. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Visibility one quarter mile or less at Times this morning. Highs around 70. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.


We left Berea, KY right at 9:30 and continued heading South on I-75. When we got into Tennessee, Jim pulled me into a Pilot Truck Stop and bought me another drink of that good old #2 diesel fuel. After my drink, we continued South on 75, down to Knoxville, where we turned East on I-640. 640 took us around the North side of the city and brought us out on I-40, heading East. Following 40 then brought us down into North Carolina and to the Creekwood Farm RV Park.

It was 1:40 when we pulled into the CG so it had taken us 4 hours and 10 minutes to travel 219 miles and stop for my drink.

The Creekwood Farm RV Park is a nice park. The 2 ladies in the office were supper nice and one of them led me to my site with a golf cart. The park is very well maintained, the gravel roads are in very good condition and it's a Passport America Park, so I'm staying here for for only $18 a night. : )

But,  ,  ,  ,  , who ever laid out this park, was not an RVer.  Almost all the sites are at a right angle to the road, the gravel parking area is very narrow, so you must drive across the grass to get into the site, and there are also utilities at some of the sites that are positioned so that you can't make the swing into the site.

Jim got me into site #80, which is a pull-through site, without unhooking CLT from the back of me, but I really don't see how I'm going to get out of this site without having to back up and jockey around a post on my side of the street and a sign on the other side. : (

It wasn't long after Jim had me hooked up to the utilities the phone rang. It was Roland and Louise, and they were wondering when we would be getting to their house. Linda talked to Louise first, and then Jim talked to Roland and went over the best way to get to their house.

Roland said that it should take us somewhere between 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get to their house from here, so if we leave about 10:00, we should get there around noon, which is a good time for them.

I'm really looking forward to going to Roland and Louise's house to see Big Herb again. He's probably lonesome and down in the dumps because he's been sitting in his RV port almost all summer and hasn't been out on the road hardly at all. : ( 

We'll be staying there for 4 or 5 days, so maybe I can raise his spirits a little.

Did you know that today is "Ask a Stupid Question Day"?

Hmmmmm!!! That shouldn't be too hard!!! ; )

IL To IN and Dinner With Mike And Sandy

Indianapolis, IN.

56 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Overcast with a chance of a thunderstorm and rain showers. High of 68F. Winds from the SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%

After saying a final good-bye to Louise, we left the Prairie Pines Campground about 9:40 yesterday morning. In a way, I would have liked to stay longer, but the road was calling, and once we pulled out of the CG, it sure felt good to be moving once again. 

Our first stop was the F/S gas station so that Jim could get me a drink of good old #2 diesel fuel. Then, we headed south on US 45 and followed it down to Urbana, where we turned East on I-74. 74 brought us into Indiana and to Indianapolis, where we turned south on I-465 and followed it around to the South side of the city.

Once on the South side and heading East again, we turned off on Rt. 37 and took it South for just a short distance to the Lake Haven Retreat Campground.

It was 12:20 CDT when we pulled up in front of the office, so it took us about 2 hours and 40 minutes to get my drink and travel 135 miles.

The Lake Haven CG is OK. the sites are narrow and you share utilities with the RV next to you. The park is well maintained and the gal in the office is friendly and helpful. We are here in Indianapolis to see Linda's cousin and his wife and this is the most convenient park to stay at.

The do have a pretty nice little lake.

Once Jim got me positioned on the site and hooked up the electric, he came inside and re-set all the clocks to Eastern time so that there wouldn't be any confusion as to what time it was. Then after relaxing for a little while, he took a little nap. : )

After Jim woke up, Linda called her cousin Mike. He said to come on over so Jim and Linda took CG and headed  to his house.

After visiting for awhile, they everyone decided that they were getting hungry, so Mike, Sandy, Jim and Linda took Mike's car and headed over to a Chinese Restaurant for dinner. While they were at the restaurant, Jim snapped a photo of Mike.

And Sandy.

After they finished eating, they headed back to Mike and Sandy's to visit some more.

About 8:30 everyone started getting tired, so after hugs and handshakes, CLT brought Jim and Linda back here to the CG.

Both Jim and Linda said that it was really good to see Mike and Sandy again. I'm sure we'll stop by to see them again the next time we're in the Indy area.

Today, the plan is to head down into Kentucky to see another of Linda's cousins, Rick. It's about a 4 hour drive down there normally, but the weather forecast isn't looking too good, so it may take us longer.

Did you know that Marcella Gruelle of Indianapolis created the Raggedy Ann doll in 1914?

Final Preparations For Travel and Visiting

Rantoul, IL.

36 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Clear. High of 70F. Breezy. Winds from the SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20%.


Being that it was quite chilly yesterday morning, Jim and Linda decided to go to the grocery store in the morning so that it would be a little warmer when Jim started doing things outside.

By the time they returned and had the groceries put away, it had warmed up some.

One of the first things he did was to clean my windshield and some of my side windows. They had gotten really yucky over the 2 months that we have been here and really needed cleaning. While he was doing that, Russ and Debby came by to dump some garbage, (the dumpster is right across the street from my site), and to say good-bye and thank Jim and Linda for talking to them and giving them information about full-timing.

After finishing the windows, Jim dumped my tanks and put all the sewer and water hoses away.

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching the Bears game on TV, checking all the basement compartments for unsecured items and visiting with Denny, (one of the "Illinois Bunch"), when he stopped by on his way home from taking a motorcycle trip on his big Honda Gold Wing. : )  He couldn't stay long because he was wanting to get home, but he was here for about 1/2 hour or so.

Oh, Good News!!!!  I did learn that he and Bev are planning on going down to Florida this winter, so we'll be able to meet up with them and their Winnebago Brave sometime in February. : )

After Denny left, Jim and Linda walked over to the office and talked with Louise for awhile and paid for my stay here. While they were there, Paul came in, so they were able to talk to him for a little while too.

The evening was spent watching TV and getting a few more things put away inside of me.

This morning, about all that's left to do outside is to hook CLT to the back of me and disconnect my electric cord. Linda has most of the inside stuff put away, so there's not much to do there either.

The plan is to leave here sometime between 9:30 and 10:00. I'm thirsty, so we'll need to stop for fuel someplace and then head over to Indianapolis to see Linda's cousin, Mike and his wife, Sandy.

It's been a good stay here in Rantoul. I really like this campground and am looking forward to coming back here again next summer. But, I'm also looking forward to getting back out on the road and seeing Jim and Linda's families and friends in IN, KY, NC, VA and FL. ; )

A Point to Ponder : You never see a hearse with a luggage rack.

Prescriptions, Shopping and Should Be Interesting

Rantoul, IL.

64 deg. clear, SE wind @ 4 mph.

Forecast = Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 90s. South winds 10 to 15 mph.


Not much been happening around here. Thursday was just a kick-back day and I'm having trouble thinking of anything at all worth mentioning.

Yesterday, Jim and Linda first went to Walgreen's to get Jim's prescriptions refilled. While they were waiting, Jim bought a new coffee pot that was on sale. The old one has been acting up lately and he was considering buying a new one anyway.

After getting one of the 2 prescriptions filled, (they were out of the one type of eye drops), they headed over to Wally World. One of my day/night shades in the bedroom has broken and being that neither Jim or Linda like those things, Linda is going to make some curtains for all 3 of the windows and get rid of all of those shades in the bedroom.

So, they needed a few things like curtain rods and material.

They found most of what will be needed, but will have to go down to Champaign one of these days to get a few more items.

I overheard Linda telling Jim how she was planning to make the new curtains and I think they should be pretty neat. ; ) 

Oh, and Jim bought a new electric shaver while they were at Wally World. He was just going to get some new shaver heads for his old one, but they didn't have them in stock. He did find out that the new heads would be quite expensive and being that his shaver is getting pretty old, he and Linda decided that it would probably be best to just buy a whole new shaver.

By the time they left Wally World, it was noon, so they headed to the Red Wheel Restaurant for lunch.

Once back here, Jim unpacked the new shaver and coffee pot. He plugged the shaver in to charge up the battery and ran a couple pots of water through the new coffee pot. (As per the instructions).

Then he took a nap. ; )

Well, I hope I didn't bore you too much with this post, but that's about all that happened.

This weekend should be pretty quiet here at Prairie Pines, but the next 2 weekends will be hectic. The first one, of course is the Labor Day weekend and Louise says that all of the sites are sold out. The weekend after Labor Day, there are 4 groups/clubs coming, and again, the CG will be almost full.

Should be interesting.

Did you know that today is "Kiss and Make Up Day"?    ; )

Michigan To Wisconsin

This post was written Friday, 7-13-2012 and will be posted to Blogger when I have an Internet connection.

Land O Lakes, WI.

59 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = High temp 87 deg. isolated T-Storms possible in the afternoon.

After some jockeying around in the Campground to get me pointed in the right direction, Jim hooked CLT to the back of me and by 9:45 we were pulling out of the Sunset Bay CG and heading back down US 41 to Haughton, where we picked up Rt.26. We stayed on 26 until we came to US 45. Following 45 South brought us down into Wisconsin and to the Borderline RV Park near the little community of Land O Lakes. (A total of 107 miles.)

This park is only about 2 miles into Wisconsin, and is just off of 45, so it’s easy to get in and out of.

Jim and Linda had been to this park 2 years ago, so they knew the park. Many of the RVs in this park are seasonal folks that come back here every year, but they have some sites for travelers. When we arrived here at 12:00 there were 4 long pull-through sites available and a few  back-in sites. (All full hook-up and I think all have 50 amp electric).

We’re staying here for 2 nights so that Linda can get caught up on some laundry before heading to New Lisbon, where again, I’ll only have 30 amp electric and water hook-ups. : (

This is a fairly nice park. Most of the people here seem to be very friendly, the park is fairly well maintained, there’s lots of trees, (which Jim and Linda like), the sites are quite large and the interior roads in the CG, although gravel, are smooth and well maintained.

I could stay here for awhile. : )

Jim is planning on taking some photos of the park today, and I’ll try to include them as soon as I have an Internet connection.

____________________________

It's afternoon here now and Jim just found out the code for the CG's wi-fi, so I'm posting now. Here are those photos. You can click on them to enlarge them if you'd like.

Did you know that today is "National French Fries Day"?

Staying Another Day and New Plans

Bozeman, MT.

39 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of rain in the afternoon. High of 68F. Winds from the West at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20%.

Yesterday was a very nasty weather day here in Bozeman. We didn't have any snow like we had the day before, but it rained all day and was very windy with 20 to 30 MPH gusts!!! : (

Jim took the above photo on Saturday, if you click on it to enlarge it, you can see that there's a pick-up truck off to the right that's almost completely covered with snow.

Being that the weather was so nasty, neither Jim or Linda stepped outside until later in the evening when the rain stopped. Then, it was just Jim, who walked over to the office and payed for another day here at the Bear Canyon Campground.

You see, he and Linda decided that they would like to stay another day to do some shopping and enjoy this nice CG. So, being that the weather is supposed to be much better, we're not in a big hurry and we don't have any place we need to be in the next week or so, it was decided to stay here one more day. ; )

Oh, Linda called Bruce, (her cousin who lives NE of Bemidji Minnesota), yesterday to see if there was a time when we could stop by to see them. He and Jodi were very excited that we were coming and it was decided that we would get there on June 21st, (a Thursday), and stay through the weekend.

They live near the little town of Black Duck, MN and Jim and Linda say that there is a small city CG a little way out of town. Jim and Linda stayed there when they had Myrddin, but Jim is concerned if he can get me into the campground, so Bruce and Jodi are going to try to find out if it's possible to get a 45' MH in there.

Jim says that they may have to park me in town and take CLT out there to check it out themselves to make sure I'll be able to get in.

Did you know that on this date in 1919 - Sir Barton became the first horse to capture the Triple Crown when he won the Belmont Stakes in New York City?

Sprague WA to St. Regis MT

Saint Regis, MT

48 deg. cloudy, no wind.

Forecast today = Mostly cloudy with rain showers. High of 59F. Winds from the West at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.


Believe it or not, but we left Sprague and 8:05 yesterday morning!!!! I really didn't think we get out of there until 9 or so. : ) 

Once back on I-90, we simply followed it all the way here to Saint Regis, MT. and to Campground St. Regis. It was 11:45 when we pulled up to the office, so we made fairly good time, traveling 168 miles in 3 hours and 40 minutes, much of that in the mountains.

Oh, and we did stop just after we crossed into Idaho to get me a drink of good old #2 diesel fuel. ; ) 

Speaking of diesel fuel, it sure was good to get some good tasting fuel for a change. That Bio-diesel stuff that they put in me out in Portland, was funny tasting. It may have been my imagination, but I thought at times I detected a slight taste of french fries. : O

Anyway, back to yesterday's trip.

It all really went pretty smooth. We zipped right through Spokane and into Idaho, got my drink, crossed over the "4th of July Summit at 3081' without any problems and before long, we were crossing Lookout Pass, at 4725', on the Idaho/Montana state line.

This pass isn't too bad. I had to climb up a 5 mile 5% to 6% grade to get up to the top, and then come down a 2 mile 6% grade which then eased into a 5% grade for another mile. There was some construction in the area, but we just took it slow and with the help of my Jake Brake during the descent, made it safe and sound to the bottom.

Parts of I-90 in Montana have been kind of rough but for the most part, the rest of the road that we traveled on yesterday was in very good condition.

Jim and Linda have been to Campground St. Regis twice before and were not disappointed this time. If anything, the park is in better shape now than it was in the past. The owners are supper friendly, welcomed us to the park, picked out a nice pull-through site where CLT could stay hooked up behind me, and was easy to get into and out of.

I wouldn't mind coming back here some day and staying for awhile. : )

For dinner last night, Jim unhooked CLT from the back of me and then he and Linda went into town to Jasper's Restaurant. Both of them said that the food was good, but was a little on the "pricey" side.

Oh, one draw-back to this park is that there's no cable TV and no stations available on an antenna either. Of course if you have satellite, that's not a problem.

So, being that Jim and Linda couldn't watch TV, they worked / played around with the computers and read until bedtime.

Did you know that Seven Devils' Peaks, one of the highest mountain ranges in Idaho, Includes Heaven's Gate Lookout, where sightseers can look into four states?

Sorry Jenny, no photos. : (