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"?

Finally Finished, Internet, Hugs and Ready

Moncure, NC

42 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast  = Overcast. High of 68F. Winds from the South at 5 to 10 mph.


Jim and Linda finally finished going through all those albums yesterday, to get photos and information for Linda to use in her Family Tree program. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it because they found photos and information of both of their ancestors and relatives. Now, some of the photos will have to be enhanced as much as possible, and others will need to be cropped, but all of that can be done at any time, even without Internet access.

Speaking of Internet access, Yesterday, I was looking back at this blog from about a year ago, and I found the posts from the time that we were in Virginia Beach. Well, unless things have changed, it looks like I won't have much of an Internet signal. : (  I did post a few times, but it sounds like much of the time I wasn't even able to connect. : (

So,  ,   ,  ,  for the next 2 weeks, while we're in Virginia Beach, you may not hear too much from me. I'll be sure to post when I can though.

Yesterday afternoon, Jim finished getting me ready to travel. You know, dumped my tanks and added some water to my fresh water tank, secured everything in my basement storage compartments, rolled up all my awnings, and put away all the hoses.

About 5:00 Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to Mike and Gina's. After eating, they visited for awhile, and then all too soon, it was time to say good-bye. : (  So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  after hugs, CLT brought them back here to the park, one last time.

After they returned, Jim and Linda were both talking about how great it was to see Mike, Gina, and the grand-kids again. Hopefully we'll be coming back through this way again in the spring.

Today, the plan is to leave here about 9:00 this morning because it's about 235 miles over there and we'll have to stop someplace along the way to get me a drink of that good old #2 diesel fuel.

Jim and I are both thinking that it'll take the best part of 5 hours to make the trip.

Did you know that the oldest town in the North Carolina is Bath, incorporated in 1705?

 

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.

New Lisbon to Kieler, WI

Kieler, WI.

73 deg. overcast, NE wind @ 10 mph

Forecast = Occasional showers and thunderstorms early in the morning...Then mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the late morning and afternoon. Highs in the upper 80s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100 percent. Highest heat index readings 95 to 100 in the afternoon.

By the time Jim got me pulled out of my site, had CLT hooked to the back of me and dumped my very full tanks, it was 9:55. A right turn out of the CG put us on WI 80, which took us to I-90 where we turned South and followed it to just South of Lake Delton. There, we turned off on US 12 and followed it down to Sauk City where we turned off of 12 and took WI 78 down to Mount Horeb.

Now, if any of you are planning on coming through this area, I strongly advise against taking WI 78!!!

It was one of the roughest roads I've been on in a long time, especially the southern part between Black Earth and Mount Horeb!!!

Form Mount Horeb, we took US 151 to the West and followed it here to the Rustic Barn Campground and RV Park in Kieler.

It was 12:35 when we pulled up in front of the barn, so it took us 2 hours and 40 minutes to travel 137 miles.

This CG is pretty nice. I have 50 Amp electric and water hook-ups at my pull-through site, there's supposed to be Wi Fi here, but I can't get connected to it, even though I have the password. They have quite a few pull-through sites that are long enough for me and CLT, and some of the sites are shaded.

Today, we'll head down to Moscow, IA and to the HWH factory where I have an appointment at 12:30. I have no idea how long I'll be there, it all depends on what they find wrong with my leaking jack.

Did you know that July is "National Doghouse Repairs Month"?

Laundry and Just Walked Away

Land O Lakes, WI

deg. 63 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Numerous showers and scattered thunderstorms. Highs 80 to 85. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.



As soon as Linda got up yesterday morning, she started doing laundry. There was quite a bit to do and being that we won't have a sewer hook-up at our next CG, she wanted to get caught up. She also has been getting some food ready to take to the reunion and has cooked some of it and put it in the freezer to be brought back out, probably Monday or Tuesday.

A little after lunch, a fifth wheel pulled up in the site next to me, and as Jim was outside, said "hi" and talked to the couple about their site for a minute.

At that time, he didn't think they were very friendly, but they were busy getting set up.

Later, Jim was outside again, and the man asked Jim if we were from South Dakota? Jim told him that we were full-timing and used SD as our state of residence.

The man looked at Jim and told him that he and his wife were full-timers also and that Texas and South Dakota were, "No d**n good"!!!

Huh???? Where did that come from????

He went on to say that when he registered his trailer and truck in Texas, the price for the plates was so high that he moved back to Wisconsin for his state of residency. 

When Jim asked him about taxes and insurance cost in WI. compared to Texas, the man said that he didn't mind paying taxes, as it helped the state.

Huh??????

Jim sensed that this was going to be a no-win situation, so he just walked away!!

This man did not seem happy at all. He evidently has a problem of some sort, but who knows what the real problem is? I don't know how long this couple have been full-timing, but I can't imagine them being out on the road for too long, as they won't have any friends with an attitude like that!!!

I'm glad we're leaving here this morning. I wouldn't want to spend much time parked next to them.

Later in the afternoon, Jim dumped my tanks and put all the hoses away. Then, he hooked CLT back to to me. They were forecasting possible rain showers for this morning, and he didn't want to have to do a bunch of stuff if it was raining.

I think this next CG that we will be staying at has wi-fi, but I'm not sure. It's also quite a way from any large cities, so I don't know if I'll be able to hook up with the air card either. So, if I don't post for awhile, keep checking, I'll post whenever I can.

Did you know that on this date in 1868 - Alvin J. Fellows patented the tape measure?

Back On The Road Today

Sprague, WA

41 deg. clear, N. wind @ 4 mph.

Forecast = Overcast with a chance of rain, then rain showers in the afternoon. High of 72F. Winds from the SSE at 5 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.

The weather here in Sprague had been really nasty with temperatures in the lower 50's, strong winds and rain. In fact, Tuesday, I think everyone in the CG stayed inside all day. : (

Yesterday, Jim went over to the office and paid for our 7 nights here, (Actually paid for 6 and got the 7th free), and talked to Scott for awhile. Then he and Linda went into town and mailed a couple of Birthday cards. Jim also dumped my tanks and put all the hoses away so we'd be ready to leave this morning.

This morning I think we're going to try to leave earlier than we normally do because they're forecasting more rain and wind to be coming into this area, late morning or early afternoon. From what I overheard, it sounds like we're going to try to get out of here by about 8:00.

We'll see how that goes. ; )

If everything goes according to plan, we'll stop for a drink for me when we get into Idaho, ( Diesel is about 22 cents a gallon cheaper than in Washington), and then stop for the night at a CG that Jim and Linda have been to before in St. Regis, MT.

Did you know that Starbucks, the biggest coffee chain in the world was founded in Seattle?

Wandering Farther North

Lathrop, CA.

47 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 73F. Winds from the West at 5 to 15 mph.

Being that I didn't have a sewer hookup at my site on the river, (none of the sites right along the river have sewer hookup), we had to stop at the dump station on our way out of the park.  So, by the time Jim was done with that, it was about 10:25 before we pulled out.

From the park, we headed back to CA 99 and then headed NW on it for about 35 miles where we turned West on Rt. 152. 152 is a 4 lane road that took us over to I-5, where we turned Northwest again and headed up to Lathrop, which is just South of Stockton, CA.

Now, it would have been shorter to just stay on CA 99, but there are some very congested areas up in the Merced / Turlock / Modesto area and some of 99 up there is not Interstate type road. So , , , , Jim made the decision to take the longer route, rather than deal with all of that.

Anyway, once we got to Lathrop, we turned off on exit 463, followed some narrow local roads for a few miles and arrived here at the Dos Reis Regional Park, which is a San Joaquin County Park.

This is the park I mentioned yesterday. Jim and Linda found this park many years ago and have stopped here every time they've been in the area since then. It's a nice quiet park away from the city, it's well maintained, and the camp hosts have always been friendly and helpful. It is a small park though, and it's really not designed for a MH as large as I am. In fact, there's only 4 or 5 sites that I'd be able to get into, and the turns are really tight for me to get around.

I'm sure Jim will take some photos today, so I'll try to get some posted here tomorrow.

It was 1:35 when we pulled into the park so we had traveled 157 miles in about 3 hours and 10 minutes.

We'll be staying here for 2 nights. Nothing planned in the area, but Linda wants to catch up on some laundry and since I have full hook-ups here, (with 30 amp electric), it's a good place to do it.

Did you know that there are more than 300,000 tons of grapes grown in California annually?

It Just Keeps Blowing

Fort Stockton, TX

58 deg. haze, N. wind @ 9 mph.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 72F. Winds from the West at 10-20 mph shifting to the North in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20%.
.

The wind blew hard all day again yesterday but I don't think quite as hard as the last 3 days.

Jim went over to the Cafe for breakfast in the morning and then in the early afternoon, he put some water in my fresh water tank, dumped my black and grey water tanks and checked my fluid levels to make sure I'm ready to go today.

Linda did some reading and then worked with her Family Tree program. She's finally getting most of the features figured out and is enjoying the results. : ) After Jim came in they both worked on their CG database where they keep track of all the CGs that they've stayed at and prices, features etc.

For dinner they headed back to the Road Runner Cafe. Jim had the Chicken fried steak this time and Linda had the jumbo shrimp. Again, both of them said their food was excellent.

The evening was spent finishing entering the CGs, reading and fooling around with the computers.

It's been a good stay here at the Fort Stockton RV Park. It's too bad they don't have cable TV or Satellite TV here. (Their WI-FI could use a little upgrading too). The folks running and working at this CG are supper friendly and will do their best to make your stay enjoyable. The park is well maintained and Jim and Linda think, the best in the Fort Stockton TX area.

Did you know that the Texas cattle population is estimated to be near 16 million?