Not Much Happening

There has not been much going on, but have been going strong.

We left Carrabelle and headed toward Summerdale, AL.  We were going to the Rainbow Plantation (Escapees Park), but ended up going to Emmaus RV Park.  It is relatively new with nice sized sites.  We did the usual thing and drove around the area looking at different RV parks and for the price, $15 per night with a vet discount, we didn't find anything closer to the beach area that we liked.  You could be to any area desired in about 30 minutes.  The only drawback was I thought the street was narrow.  The pads and the roads were concrete and it was out in the country, but was only about 5 miles to Camping World.

After a week there we headed to Calera, AL.  We are getting doctor appointments out of the way this week and will head out next week for a Red Bay adventure.  By reading everyone's experiences it should be interesting.  Nothing major just getting some Seelevel gauges put on and a few items checked out and mayber service.

After Red Bay may go up and spend some time with the family before we head north and west.  Right now no where specific just go.

Like I said nothing happening much, but my adoring fans were getting restless for some kind of information.

Been all I could be, got all I could get, now its time for me (us)



The Forgotten Coast

OK, OK.  Here it is.

On our last evening at Cedar Key we went to dinner with Mike & Janna from Montana.  It was very enjoyable and ended all to soon. We know we will see them somewhere again.

The next morning found us headed to Ho Hum RV Park in Carrabelle, FL.  Mike and Janna had stayed there one night on their was south. We had both seen Laurie and Odell's post about this park. We made the trip without any problems, except if you don't count me looking back and seeing the DS bedroom slide out about 5 or 6 inches.  Thought I had better stop and fix that.  Not sure how that happened, but we proceeded without further problems.

Ho Hum is a different kind of park than we have been in (number 4) and was entirely sand and gravel. The hosts keep it raked and clean. Only 40 - 50 yards from the Gulf (we couldn't get one of the waterfront lots) it was very nice. Our view was not bad at all.

Several days were spent in the area walking on the beaches and finding a few shells. Below is Alligator Point.

We took two trips to St George State Park and walked on the beautiful beach.  The last day we walked for 4 hours.  We were tired when we got back, but only one person passed us and coming back we met two ladies walking.  Other than that not a soul for probably 4 to 6 miles. Found a few shells too.

They even had restrooms with a view of the beach.

I know why it is called, "The Forgotten Coast".  I sent pictures from my phone by email and received the a day and a half later.  GPS had to really hunt to pick up also  So now you know why this is so late.



Our last night found Rick and Elaine from Canada arriving.  We spent a little time with them and had a delightful time.  We were both leaving the next morning so we had to cut it short.  We were having to much fun and quiet time was approaching, :)  Sorry forgot pictures.

We are currently in Summerdale, AL at Emmaus Motor Coach & RV Resort.  More on the next post.

Been all I can be, got all I can get, now time for me (us)

Getting better every day



Off To Find A LIFE.

This past week has been nice and slow.  We have seen some of the local sights and been to town a couple of times.

This past weekend Barry and family (we just left them a week ago) called to say that since we were still so close they would like to come and see us before we got to the other side of the country.  We said come on up as it was only a little over 2 hours.  They got here about 5 PM so we loaded up and went to Cedar Key to see the sunset and have a bite to eat.  We arrived about 6 for a 6:24 sunset.  Below is family awaiting the grand finale.

I didn't notice until later that one, Granddaughter Madison was hiding behind her parents.  It was a nice sunset although not as nice as before. 

Grandson Christian was a little bored, but stayed busy watching people fish and then watching the local pelican getting handouts.  Didn't catch them in time, but you can see a bulge in his mouth.

Granddaughter Madison commented that she (12 yrs old) was bored.  I said, "Don't you want to see the sunset?  It will only be a few more minutes."  She then said, "This is what people do that don't have a life!!!"  That one took me by surprise.  I suppose that staying in tune with her Ipod playing games and texting, still going to school, she should know, right?  I don't think so.

We have packed this afternoon to pull out tomorrow AM to head to Carrabelle, FL.  Have met some nice folks, Mike and Janna, I've previously mentioned.  We are heading to a local restaurant this evening with them to have a good time this evening.

So tomorrow we are off seeking that, "New Life".

 Been all I can be, got all I can get, now it's time for me (us).

Life is real good.

An Enjoyable Week In Cedar Key

After only two days here, we extended our stay a week.  Large sites, quiet park, and only 7 miles from town make it inviting.  The downtown area is only about 1/2 mile square.  There are no traffic lights and the boardwalk street is only about 1 block long.  Below is a picture of the waterfront restaurants and hotels.

There are several places to go walk and hike, but it is the sunsets that are nice.

These shots were one afternoon, usually we left the camera or it was to cloudy, but still a pleasant walk and view.

We have met many nice people that are on this journey with us.  There is an instant connection that can turn into long discussions of places to go and things to see.  Very cool.

We did have a crisis situation that took a lot of my time. 5 - 10 minutes a day, mostly thinking.  We had lost or misplaced the TV remote for the bedroom Dish Receiver.  Now we still had the main box, but it did cause great anxiety as that is the one that Carolyn watches her shows on.  If we didn't locate it she was going to be invading my turf so it was top priority to find it.  It couldn't have gone far in only 400 sq ft and most of that packed to the gills.  (got to work on that)  Low and behold, the nightstand drawer pulls out about 2 ft and it was in the very back of that drawer, almost like someone put it there.  The only thing we could think of was that during travel the drawer came open and the remote slide into it.  Note to self, lock remotes up during relocation.

Below are a few pictures of surrounding neighbors in the park.  Note it is less crowded than the previous place.

Been all I can be, got all I can get, now it's time to be me (us)

Life is real good...

An Easy Week

Well a lot has happened in the last week and then not much.

Last Friday, on the second trip, we finally got the light installed on our truck to let us know if the AF1 is working or not.  They (Creative Coach, Lakeland) did not install it back on the 9th of January.  After reading other blogs where people were having difficulties seeing the light, I got to looking for mine.  Looked under the hood, the dash, the seat, behind the grill and no light or anything resembling one.  Hmm!  Looked in the literature and all of the parts they gave me back and there wasn't one there.  The packing slip showed they sent one.

Called Creative Coach and they indicated that my vehicle didn't need one as it had a negative switch, at least that is what I heard, and they had given me back all of the parts.  I advised them I had looked through everything and didn't have any light kit.  Just didn't sound right so I called SMI and talked with Pete.  Good ole Pete said well they (CC) were supposed to do something different in my case.  A pressure switch that could be obtained locally at any NAPA could be installed and then the light would work as designed.

Long story short, after two weeks of scratching their head, we had it installed last Friday. I feel better whether I can see it or not.  If not maybe I can get Carolyn to ride back there with a radio and she can tell me when it goes off. :)

New story, when we were ready to leave CC I called Cedar Key Resort in Cedar Key to ensure we had a spot.  After all it was our first real trip other than to go and see family.  Whoa!  To my surprise they were full. (Fellow blogger Janna and Mike of Tin TeePee-Log Cabin) had talked them up, and the way I read it they would have openings.  Well, with great urgency I dug out the books we had bought and had received from the Clubs.  I called Sunset Isle, Cedar Key.  They had one site that we could fit into, I jumped on it.

When we arrived I filled up the pull up, went and signed in and proceeded to unhook the truck.  Then the truck would not come out of  Neutral.  Panic Time.  We finally pushed it to the side and I went to the site (remember I was blocking the entrance).  I had to drive the whole park to get to my site and then barely fit.  I missed picnic tables, vehicles, and power poles by mere inches.  As you know I've only been in two parks before this.  Set up, I went back to the truck to work on it.  (had printed a sheet word for word out of the manual to go by).  Contrary to what the book said, when it was running, it went into gear.  Okay, life is back to normal.  Below are pictures out of the coach of how close it was.

Before going to dinner, we went to Cedar Key Resort to try and beg our way in.  They were full. :(  After saying that some people we knew Mike and Janna (not really Pink MH) had been here and they really liked it, well the pearly gates opened.  If your friends with Mike and Janna let me see. (I had commented on their blog and they had responded to mine.  That kind of makes us buddies:) )

So here we sit in Cedar Key RV Resort, Cedar Key, FL

Been All I Can Be, Got All I Can Get, Now It's Time For Me (US)

Life is real good!

What Have I Done?

We probably have 10 or so people that check the blog, evidently on a regular basis.  They are mostly family.  I have been severely chastised for NOT posting.  Thinking of putting this post up, it dawned me that the more I post, the more people will read, and therefore more complaints when I lag behind in my
posting.  I have created a monster, similar to the cookie monster.

We are currently in Clermont, FL and have been since late December.  We had a second Christmas upon our arrival.  Carolyn prepared a little poem that went with our new lifestyle.  I know it's late, but read first paragraph.

Santa Didn't Come

(Our First RV Christmas)

Twas the  night before Christmas

and all through the coach,

Not a creature was stirring

not even a roach.

Our stockings were flung

on the floor by a chair,

In the hope that St Nicholas

would soon be there.

But, he didn't come...

he didn't show...

Why he didn't come,

we don't know.

We thought he had gotten

our change of address,

And would be able to find us

with his GPS.

So, next year it's going

to be our goal,

To camp a little closer

to the North Pole!!

It has been nice to spend this past month is central Florida.  With temps in the 70's and 80's shorts has been the norm.  Also, being here with no place to go or get back to has allowed for a laid back daily routine with the kids and grandkids.  Involving ourselves with their daily lives and activities had been different for me.  I always had to get back or be thinking of what was going on back at work.  Very relaxing.

We had an AF1 braking system and Blue Ox base plate installed at Creative Coach in Lakeland.  They did a great job and treated us well.  After that we made it by Howard and Linda Payne of RV-Dreams to get weighed.  They perform weighing of RV's for RVSEF.  They were down for the Tampa Super Show and were just 20 miles down the road.  I had wanted to get weighed to give the data I needed for life on the road.

Well little did I know I was operating unsafe.  Our weights on the front axle and tires were over the rating and we were operating at to low an air pressure.  On their recommendation we had the tires inspected at a Michelin dealer and found them OK and inflated to the correct pressures.  At the show I talked with the Spartan rep and found Tiffin reps at the Lazy Days area.  It appears there may be to much pressure being placed on the Tag axle putting pressure on the front axle.  I will get this checked out, more when I find out.

As I said earlier, we have been just hanging out and learning more about the MH and getting together with family.  We cooked Oysters three times with all getting their fill each time.



One of my goals is to eat my way across the country.  We are on our way.

We will be leaving in a week or two to start our wandering trip to Sioux Falls, SD to obtain a driver's license and finalize our residency transfer.  Maybe more will be happening in the future to prompt me to post more.  Got to keep the fans happy.

Life is pretty good.





Jumping the TOC to head South

Last Wednesday we loaded up to head south to the Orlando area.  We felt like real fulltimers/RV'rs.  Well, it wasn't long before I was faced with a newby problem.  Although it hadn't rained, the moisture in the air had pooled on the slide covers.  There was about 1/4" of ice on some of the covers.  We had brought the covers in with two of the slides on the driver's side.  I knew that would not fly, so out they went ever so slowly so as to watch and ensure I wasn't going to rip them off.  With the sun and a little time, and sliding them in a little at a time, we had success.

We finally got underway with no visible damage.  Our travels had several stops and about 9 PM we stopped at one of the Florida Rest Areas.  Got to turn on the generator to get heat. 

We made on down to Clermont, FL to Barry's driveway about noon.  The boys and a couple of friends had cleared the road in front of his house of the neighbors low hanging limbs.  There were a lot, but with the clearing of the road I was able to pull up and back straight in with no pull-ups.  Note here, Barry is a lot better at directing than Carolyn, but she is learning.  It helps when she stays in the mirror. We got some radios and that helps alot. 

Barry had installed a 50 amp plug in, but we needed an extension.  A trip to Home Depot got that done (and no I wasn't in charge of that).  We are going to put in a sewer hookup to his clean out.  It is nice to be here and just be around all of the kids coming and going.  The small ones Landon and Christian got In-Line skates (with pads) and with the 75 deg days it was all hands outside.  I even got on a pair (didn't get a picture of that).  I didn't go far, ran out of Motorhome to hold onto.  I was thinking what would happen if I fell and broke something, don't think Carolyn could do this by herself with me laid up.

Things are going to get a little cool down here the next two nights.  Unlike other parts of the country, when the weather gets below freezing for more than 1.5 hours it damages the citrus crop.  It becomes a major endeavor to keep the groves above freezing.  Tomorrow night they are looking at between 6 to 9 hours below freezing.

That is about it for now.

Life is pretty good.