December 29, 2012 (Sat) It's that time of year again - when we gather together the essentials of basic living and migrate south. We start out tomorrow if the weather is no worse than is predicted - 1"-3" of snow over night.
Q is sporting a new rear view camera (a Christmas gift from us) which will enable us to better see the traffic around Lamont. With only rear view mirrors we have been guessing (albeit educated) that there isn't a vehicle too close for us to change lanes.
If you would rather not read about our adventures, such as they may be, you can ignore the email, delete it or bite the bullet and ask us to take your name off our mailing list. We won't mind - honest.
As always, we can be reached by leaving a message on our land line (no guarantee that we will check for messages in a timely fashion), call our cell phone or send email.
Mark & Joy
QC31-00
QC21-11 Northbound and home
March 22, 2012 (Thu) Titusville, FL to Ocala National Forest (92/2131 miles) 72/91° - We said good-bye to Mike and Dorcas and made our way back out into the real world. It should been an easy, worry free trip, 92 miles isn't far, but Lamont's battery monitor was reading 9.2 volts. Not good! It has been reading 11.2 volts at least. We pulled into the Walmart parking lot after getting gas (Not all Murphy USA gas stations at Walmart stores are affiliated with Walmart! Is this new?) so that Mark could look for the problem. The result of that exercise was that now the meter was dead. Probably a loose or shorted wire.
Problem upon problem! At our campsite in Juniper Springs, when Mark started to remove the 6 wire umbilical cable socket from Q's bumper, all the wires popped out to hang loose. He had no idea where the wires went in the socket to properly activate Lamont's brake, tail, and directional lights! 2 1/2 hours later everything was back together and operating properly. Even Lamont's battery voltage reads 11.2. Why it was reading low earlier is still a mystery.
March 23, 2012 (Fri) Juniper Springs CG (2) - It's been a fairly quiet day. We went into Silver Springs to do a laundry and some shopping then came back to put our feet up. Our site has lots of sun, too much actually. After our daily limit of UV rays, we had to move every half hour of so to find shade. However, there is shade most of the day where Q sits. So the solar panel isn't getting much sun. In the late afternoon the weekend crowd began to come in. There are at least two widely separated sites with groups of 6 or so (spring break?) college or post college young people - males in a site on one side of us and females on the other. They parade constantly back and forth on the road out front.
March 24, 2012 (Sat) Juniper Springs CG (3) - Imagine what a large firecracker in a dumpster might sound like. Now imagine it going off just as you are going to sleep. It sounded to us like a bomb and we were sure the end was near. It took us a while to get back to sleep!
Someone, in the tenting area we think, has gotten hold of a diesel locomotive horn. Every once in a while all day there has been a loud blast that makes us think we're about to be hit by a train - not so good for the nerves! And there is another jerk, maybe among the spring break crowd, who occasionally blasts a boat horn-in-a-can to keep the rest of us awake and the wild life away - or to impress his/her peers.
Mark found a tick on his leg just before going to bed. This is the campground where they were so bad last year. Different site though.
March 25, 2012 (Sun) Juniper Springs CG (4) - We expected the night to be filled with the sounds of campfire revelry but it was relatively quiet. Even the locomotive and boat horns were mute from early evening on. Fire crackers, silent after the heart stopper the other night, became the noise of choice this morning. We were able to tell, from the puffs of smoke following each explosion, that they were coming from the group of young men to our east. No one seemed to care except a young mother who stopped a campground host to complain. He said they were looking into it but went on, not even looking at the offending campsite.
We spent the morning again chasing the shade around our campsite and watching the weekenders around us pack up and pull out. By evening the campground was quiet again and the wild life began to come back - even the ticks. Mark found 2 more.
084423 Juniper Springs CG, Ocala National Forest #33 dry $9.50 A (x4)
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March 26, 2012 (Mon) Ocala National Forest to Savannah, GA (336/2467 miles) 52/80° - Joy found a tick last night and Mark a fourth. Itch, itch,itch!! What with noisy neighbors and aggressive ticks, maybe we should not plan any early spring time camping in the forest next year!
We got up early this morning, took showers and after a leisurely breakfast (and a sanitary dump for Q) we got underway at 9:30. We went up SR326 and US441/301 to Waldo, FL where we got gas and ate lunch. Then on over to I-95 north. About 30 miles after crossing the Georgia border we were at a stand-still, 7 vehicles (3 cars and 4 18 wheelers) back from a bad accident. We were completely stopped on the highway for 45 minutes while a helicopter came for the victim (one victim we think). We were far enough back to not be able to see very well, even with binoculars, but when we were finally able to go by, it looked as if only one car was involved and it had rolled several times before coming to rest against a fence. We could only see the top of the car but it was very badly mangled.
Q084667 Camp Walmart, Savannah, GA
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March 27, 2012 (Tue) Savannah, GA to Mars Hill, NC (338/2805 miles) 60/70° - Woke this morning to a completely dead Lamont. We think it was because Mark left the ignition on when he put Lamont to bed last night but it could also be that his new IV isn't working as advertised. Whe we got to Mars Hill, the voltage was low but not bad. That could be because it was low when we left Savannah or, again, a non-functional IV. The jury is still out.
Our traffic accident for the day actually happen yesterday (or last night). An 18 wheeler loaded with what must have been something interesting had hit a bridge abutment. The truck was gone but what was left of the trailer and its cargo was still spread all over the road and median. Vehicles of various stripes were in the middle of cleaning the mess up so 3 lanes of the northbound traffic had to merge down to one. We never stopped but we probably could have walked faster for the couple miles of backup.
The roadsides have been nothing short of spectacular these last two days. The Dogwood, Red Bud, flowering fruit trees and Wisteria are in full bloom. Scattered through the multiple greens of newly budding tree were splashes of white, red, purple and violet. It looked like a miles long three dimensional pointillist pastel painting. So subtle and so brilliant! The green faded as we climbed into the mountains but the color remained supplemented with beautiful pinks, salmons and golds. In one area near I-26, exit 54 the grass was covered with little pale blue flowers so thick that no other color showed through. From a short distance away it looked like pale blue snow.
The Costco gas station in Spartanburg, SC sold us a fill-up each for both Q and Lamont at the best price we haven't seen in a long time, $3.44/gal. We also went into the store for some supplies. May as well as long as we're there, right?
March 28, 2012 (Wed) Mars Hill, NC (2) - This morning Bob helped Mark reconfigure the way the tow bar attaches to Lamont. It turned out to be a surprisingly easy and logical way to make the bar more level. As far as we can tell the integrity of the connection is not compromised in the least. Why the experts didn't suggest this solution is a mystery.
Bob has borrowed Robertjohn's fiddle for a few days while he is away so it was his instrument of choice when he and Mark played some mountain music together this afternoon. In the evening we all went up to Kaye's for a wonderful corned beef and cabbage dinner.
March 29, 2012 (Thu) Mars Hill, NC (3) - Our big adventure for the day was a trip to a very good yarn shop south of Asheville, NC. In addition to examples for knitting projects, this shop was displaying examples of many ways their yarns can be used. They also sold looms of various types from 4 harness looms to small flat hook and tapestry type looms for wearable and decorative items. For lunch we went to Papa and Beer - a small California-Mexican style restaurant - a small chain in this area. Excellent! Then we were off to a huge discount shoe place where Joy was able to find a pair of Birkenstock sandals at a very good price.
March 30, 2012 (Fri) Mars Hill, NC (4) - While Bob and Mark were at Bob's weekly men's breakfast, Pat and Joy did some food shopping. Other than that it was just another day to hang out in the sun on the deck.
Q085005 Bob & Pat's driveway
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March 31, 2012 (Sat) Mars Hill, NC to Winchester, VA (400/3205 miles) 55/68° [] - Disaster!! The Q Chronicle we've been composing daily since March 21 is missing from the computer! so the entries above were written from our notes and memory.
It rained while Mark was hooking up Lamont this morning but it had stopped by the time we were under way at 9:00. The Blue Ridge Mountains, as we drove through the pass into Tennessee, were spectacular. The mist from the leftover rain and rising fog was gathered into clouds cloaking the valleys between the many hazy blue peaks. This with the subtle Spring coloring and light traffic made for a beautiful morning drive.
The new configuration for the tow bar has an unexpected benefit. The surging and porpoising on rough and less than flat roads that we have been feeling is all but gone. It's almost fun to be towing a car except. . . Lamont's battery keeps loosing its charge. Three hours after leaving Mars Hill, when we stopped in a rest area for lunch, it was dead. The jump-starter we bought for such emergencies, and thought we'd never have to use after installing the IV wire, came to the rescue again. Some testing revealed that there is no voltage in the IV wire. It's not supplying the power it should! Loose wire? A project for when we get home.
Q085405 Camp Walmart, Winchester, VA
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April 1, 2012 (Sun) Winchester, VA to Home (294/3499 miles) 49/50° [] - Walmart had lots of overnight guests last night. One fellow who came in late with his big diesel class A motor home towing a car parked so that he was taking up 12 parking spaces - not easy but he managed it. This morning at about 4:00 he started up his engine and let it idle for 15 to 20 minutes. When we were good and awake, he shut it off. Then just as we were finally able to get back to sleep, he started it up again, but this time he drove away - after a while. By this time we were so fully awake that we decided to get up.
We ran Lamont to make sure his battery was fully charged and headed out to the first rest area on I-81 where we ate breakfast. On the rest of the trip home we made several stops to recharge Lamont's battery and one in Carlisle, PA for gas and to clean out Q's sanitary system. We got home about 3:00 and began the exhausting job of unpacking. It's good to be home, the forsythia and tulips are blooming, and all is well in the house.
Q085699 Home
QC21-10 Campground hopping
March 15, 2012 (Thu) Big Cypress NP to Hobe Sound, FL (210/1956 miles) 64/77° - We got here just in time! We had heavy rain as we came south on I95 but it cleared and there was no water on the roads as we pulled into Johnathan Dickinson State Park. We found our site and unhooked Lamont without incident but as we were plugging in the electric, the sky opened up. And, of course, our power management system picked then to act up. Mark finally plugged in without it but got drenched in the process.
What might have been a 150 or so mile trip became 210 because we suspected (from being that way on Tuesday) that US41 East of Monument Lake would be closed for construction this morning. As far as we know there is no way to detour around that part of the road so we turned West adding 30 miles to the trip. Also Hildene, for some unknown reason, took us way North of the campground then directed us back South again - maybe another 40 miles out of our way.
We're in the "new" part of the campground. It looks to have been carved out of a flat field with only a few anemic looking palm trees here and there. US1 is a short way to the East with traffic sounds that promise to make us think we are in a Walmart parking lot. It will be darker here though and there well be no muffler challenged vehicles roaring past just outside our window - we hope. We'd prefer to be in the river section where we were last time. It's the older section and has a more state park atmosphere - more trees etc. There were no sites available down there.
March 16, 2012 (Fri) Johnathan Dickinson SP (2) 69/85° - Jack is an old high school friend of Mark's. (old meaning longtime, friends not necessarily age. He's younger than Mark and maybe even than Joy too.) In recent years we have tried successfully to see him when we are in the area. Last year we didn't. This year we did and we had lunch together in one of Jack's favorite restaurants. He'd lost his wife since we last saw him and we missed Olive being with us but it was good to see Jack and we really enjoyed the few hours we had catching up.
Q084039 Johnathan Dickinson SP w/e $26 A+ (x2 )
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March 17, 2012 (Sat) Hobe Sound, FL, to La Belle, FL (107/2063 Miles) 68/85° - We overruled Hildene and found a better route back to Belle Glade. We still have no idea why she sent us so far out of our way Thursday - and wanted to send us back the same way today! St Patrick's Day and many parades were scheduled for the area but we didn't encounter any. We did encounter high gas prices though. We paid $3.97/gal - $120 to fill the tank! Unlike NJ who requires that credit card prices be posted, FL does not. The posted price, the best we'd seen, was $3.89. We didn't figure out we were being ripped off until the tank was half full.
We are back in Ortona Locks - in another (and apparently noisier) part of the campground. It seems to be more social up here. everyone seems to know everyone else and the all talk loudly.
March 18, 2012 (Sun) Ortona Locks South CG (2) 60/82° - The folks next door have managed to secure permission stay here beyond the very strict 14 days/month limit in this park. In fact they have been told they can stay as long as they want, even beyond April 30 when they plan to leave. Their secret? They have worked here and at W P Franklin Lock campground (a few miles west of here). They have also agreed to do some fill-in maintenance work here later on. They are nice folks. He was born and grew up in northern England which left him with a very thick accent. (He jokes about not being understood.) She has an English accent too but we don't know (yet) from where. They have lived in the US most, if not all, of their adult lives. They are full-timing in a Revolution (a big class A motor home). They also own a home between Ft Lauderdale and Miami. They say folks can't understand that. Nor can we. (i.e. how can they be full-timing in a motor home and also have a non movable home?)
March 19, 2012 (Mon) Ortona Locks South CG (3) 63/85° - Moving day (another one) We had to move to site 36, where we were a couple of weeks ago. The boombox that drove us crazy last time has moved on - thank to the strict 2 week max rule - but today was lawn mowing day! At home they make money by mowing more lawns. They come and go so fast we hardly have time to become annoyed (almost!) Here they apparently have to put in an 8 hour day whether they need to or not. So instead of getting it over with the guys do a lot of wandering back and forth with the horrendous noise interspersed through out the day. It did quiet down in the late afternoon. This really is a great site overlooking the canal and all. There is shade in the afternoon too and that's good.
A huge barge, it looked too wide for the locks, came up the canal pushed by a tug boat. We ran (well walked fast) over to the locks to watch it go through. It just fit! A deck hand said it was equipment for a power plant. We'll take his word for it because it was completely covered with tarps. Watching it go through the lock was an interesting experience,
Tomorrow we're off to The Great Outdoors Gulf and RV Resort.
Q084146 Ortona Locks South Campground #7&36 w/e $12 A+
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March 20, 2012 (Tue) La Belle, FL to Titusville, FL (185/2131 miles) 63/83° - The price was right - well maybe not exactly right but the best in the area - so we pulled into a USA Murphy (Walmart) to get some gas. The space to maneuver a motor home with a car in tow was very tight but we pretty much had our choice of pumps. For good reason. They were all blocked off with traffic cones. No gas was being pumped there at all. All the lights were on, there was activity (maintenance vehicles it turned out), and there were no signs announcing the station was closed. We got around and out without having to unhook the car - a real possibility since we didn't have the space between pumps to use. As we pulled out a pickup pulling a huge fifth wheel RV pulled in. He discovered the problem before we could warn him but not in time. He too had to squeeze his way around and out. A closed sign would have been a great help!
We left Ortona Locks at about 9:30am and except for the the adventure at Walmart we had an uneventful drive up through Florida cattle country to The Great Outdoors. Dorcas was able to make arrangements for us to use one of the unoccupied (for sale) sites in the resort so we hunted it up and pulled in. Although not as close to them as in the past, it is a nice site with plenty of greenery out our windows. We spent the afternoon and evening with Mike and Dorcas catching up on family news and making plans for tomorrow.
March 21, 2012 (Wed) TGO, Titusville, FL (2) 69/85° - While in Ortona Locks CG, Mark made a third attempt to locate where water is getting into the junction between Q and his awning. Ordinarily this would not be any more than a curiosity but the water was being released not to run harmlessly down the outside of the motor home but to drip inside through the window, if it was open. It rained this morning as we got up. No drip through the window!
The Quilt Place (a quilt shop in Rockledge, FL has over 10,000 bolts of fabric, maybe as many as 12,000. Dorcas and Joy spent an hour there, looking at everything and doing some shopping. A huge place, it was almost over whelming, but fun.
On the way home we stopped in Coco village to visit Knit and Stitch (a yarn shop). Joy bought yarn, of course, and a book she has been looking for. Lunch in Ossorio (flat bread sandwiches is their specialty) was excellent.
Back into the forest tomorrow.
Q084331 The Great Outdoors #209 e/w $30 A+
QC21-09 In the swamp
March 8, 2012 (Thu) La Belle, FL to Big Cypress NP (90/1746 miles) 64/82° - We found one of the parking lots for the La Belle post office was big enough for our small motor home with a car in tow to loop around and park (read wait) - as long as there were very few cars already there and they were out of the way. It helped that the post office wasn't yet open (by a few minutes). Fewer cars. We took advantage, only inconveniencing one delivery truck, and picked up our mail. Then it was south on SR27.
Signs along the road warned of panther crossings (several through the Florida Panther Wildlife Preserve (bisected by SR29) and wild fires. We saw neither. Although we did see smoke off to the SE.
Our neighbor here at Monument Lake camp ground is a large Mercedes Benz truck from Germany (foreign registration plates anyway) that has been converted into a camper/motor home. Since homemade truck conversions often have very loud generators (no electric hook-ups here), we asked the host if this was the case with this one. He said he hadn't heard one and thought the folks had said something about solar panels when they came in. Not sure if that's comforting either. Now we'll have to be careful about running our generator! At least we have a quiet one now.
As I was writing that, said neighbors packed up and moved to another site! We tried not to take it personally. When we took our evening walk around the lake later, we passed their new site. Their generator was running and it was loud. They are several sites away from their closest neighbor up there as they were here before we came. Our guess: They moved so as not to bother us. (Or maybe they just don't like close neighbors.)
March 9, 2012 (Fri) Monument Lake CG (2) 65/77° - What a beautiful morning it was! The sun came up giving the billowing white clouds a brilliant outline. The lake was near mirror smooth due to the lack of wind (for a change). One of the resident campground alligators swam slowly around waiting for unsuspecting prey.
Since we are alone here Mark got our new generator out and started it up. We'll try running it an hour or so each day and see if it keeps the batteries charged.
It rained off and on all day. Usually only just enough to get us to fold the chairs up and move inside for a few minutes because the wind was blowing it in under the awning. Then it would stop and the sun would come out. Finally around 4:00 it began to rain as if it meant it
March 10, 2012 (Sat) Monument Lake CG (3) 64/80° - Last week we were in a quasi-resort campground complete with concrete pads, manicured landscape and guests (all who seem to be old friends) stopping at each others sites to "socialize". There were no club house, golf course or swimming pool but the cost didn't reflect such amenities (whether we wanted to use them or not) either. Here the pads are gravel losing its battle with grass, the landscape is au natural and the guests are strangers who stop by only to comment on the weather. No club house, golf course or swimming pool here either. Nor hot showers for that matter or even cold showers. But there is atmosphere and plenty of wild life - an alligator walked through our site a little while ago.
The rain stopped just before we went to bed last night and today dawned, as it did yesterday, with the sun lighting up the clouds. And it's been a beautiful day. Rigs have been coming in all day, as they usually do on weekends, but this year they go around the lake and go right back out again. We speculate that they didn't want to camp where there are no electric hook-ups, and gas prices being what they are have caused less demand for the full hook-up campground down the road.
March 11, 2012 (Sun) Monument Lake CG (4) 65/83° - The story is that Loop Road was originally an overgrown access to Al Capone's whiskey stills deep in the marshes of the Everglades. (The gas pumps are still there, we've seen them, and apparently a short (unpleasant?) hike will take you to the old stills.) When the National Park Service took over the area, the road was improved to some extent and maintained for a while. Neglect in recent years caused the road to deteriorate to the point where it became little more than a 26 mile single lane pot hole infested track deep into the Everglades. Last year the going was so rough in places that it might have been a challenge for even dedicated off road vehicles. Well maybe not quite that bad but it sure put our poor little CRV to the test. There were places where we'd have bottomed out if we weren't been careful and speeds over 5 MPH invited a broken suspension This year it's a super highway by comparison. It's still a gravel road but we could have easily exceeded the posted 25MPH speed limit - if our intent was not to see the wildlife. Passing on-coming vehicles was no longer a test of wills as it has been widened to two lanes. Unfortunately the wildlife, prevalent last year, was scarce today. Probably because half of south was out there scaring it away. It was a fun excursion though.
When we got back we found that we are no longer along in our little corner of the campground. A class B Roadtrek camper had moved in next door and a short time later a medium sized box truck "XIS AllSafe Medical, Inc." towing a small pickup pulled in across the way.
March 12, 2012 (Mon) Monument Lake CG (5) 67/82° - The owner, the female half of the ownership, of the laundromat in Kendall (West Miami) shared with us how she and her husband had enjoyed their tour to Alaska a few years ago. It was on a cruise ship. She said that they are in the process of trying to sell the laundromat now so they can buy a motor home, a small one, and go back. We talked about how much we enjoyed our trip to Alaska.
March 13, 2012 (Tue) Monument Lake CG (6) 61/80° - When we planned this part of our trip, Mark had a brain malfunction in the geography lobe. He put Ft Myers where Naples is. So we came to Big Cypress so we could easily get over to see Jackie play softball. By the time we discovered that we were too far south, it was too late to do much about it. So our excursion to watch the ball games was over 100 miles further than necessary. But the thrill of being able to see our granddaughter in action was well worth the extra time and miles. Unfortunately the scores favored the wrong teams. But the girls (women?) put up a good fight and seemed to be having fun. We had hoped to take her out for a burger after the games but the coach is keeping them pretty busy. It's really a team building event and it is "spring break" after all.
March 14, 2012 (Wed) Monument Lake CG (7) 60/82° - Today seemed a bit cooler than yesterday although the temperature was higher. It may be that there have been more clouds to block the heat of the sun or that it's been breezier. Or maybe it was just knowing that we could find shade when we needed to. At any rate it has been a pleasant day and we took advantage by doing nothing - nothing, that is, but sit and watch the birds, alligators and curious passers-by. Reading and napping got their share of time too.
We're not ready to leave this beautiful place but leave tomorrow we must. Jonathan Dickinson State Park on the east coast is our next port of call.
Q083829 Monument Lake CG, Big Cypress National Preserve #4 dry $8 B (7)
QC21-08 On the canal front.
March 3, 2012 (Sat) Lakeland, FL to La Belle, FL 71/95° - 95 degrees. Would you believe it? Well they say a cold front is coming, temperature to drop into the low 80s in these parts. We got off from Ed and Kathy's at about 8:20 just as they were leaving for choir practice. Thanks guys for a great time and the use of your yard. We'll be back (like bad pennies). Mark drove Q over to Lakeland Carefree RV Resort and waited for them to open so he could get propane - we think the tank wasn't completely filled before we started south. Joy took Lamont to Publix for food supplies. We hooked up in the Publix parking lot and started south at about 9:45.
Azaleas are in brilliant bloom and the orange crop harvest is well under way. There were long gondola trucks loaded with oranges passing us going north along US27 as we traveled south, passing orchard after orchard lining the road for miles. Some of the trees were heavy with fruit and some picked clean. In other orchards we could see ladders up against the trees with men (and probably women too) leaning into the foliage. Every mile or two there were groupings of bee hives (pollinator housing). The scent of orange blossoms filled the air. It was a beautiful drive.
Ortona South Campground is one of our favorites.
March 4, 2012 (Sun) Ortona South CG (2) 62/75° - It was somewhat clear and 75° when we got up but the skies darkened and the rain came, dropping the temperature during the morning. A small black otter ran across our campsite as we ate breakfast and there were black cattle in the field across the road in front. Doves, mocking birds and starlings wandered around our yard. Wild life at Ortona. The fellow next door was leaning into the crowded back seat of his car when a wall of rain hit. He jumped in and closed the door. His wife was marooned in the rest room. There was a couple camping in their wooden fishing boat set up on a trailer across the way. The wind rocked our motor home making us feel as if we are on a boat ourselves. Life at Ortona.
March 5, 2012 (Mon) Ortona South CG (3) 45/79° - We've never been here when it's gotten this chilly. 45° mornings are probably not unusual but it's a little disappointing for us - especially after all the wind yesterday. It makes sitting out by the canal a bit unpleasant. It did warm up nicely though. The wind made it feel chilly in the shade but we spent the afternoon on our terrace overlooking the canal anyway. Of the several boats that passed was the Capt. P, a river boat replica complete with rear paddle wheel. It was the largest boat we've ever seen go through the locks. It looked almost too big to fit. We wished we'd had time to go over to the locks to watch it go through.
March 6, 2012 (Tue) Ortona South CG (4) 51/80° - Moving day - from #36 to #34. The folks in #34 waited till exactly 11:00, the mandatory checkout time, before they pulled out of their site. Which meant that we had to wait in #36 past checkout time. Which meant that the folks waiting to move into #36 had to wait even longer past checkout time. Dominoes! It could have gotten serious if many more had wanted to move.
The Capt P. came back down the canal this afternoon. This time we hoofed it over to the lock, it was closer because of our move, and watched the activity up close. It was interesting to note that the paddle wheel was suspended a foot or so above the water. We concluded that it wasn't being used to power the boat, although it did go around.
March 7, 2012 (Wed) Ortona South CG (5) 59/82° - There is no room for a motor home, much less one with a car in tow, to park near the La Belle post office. So we went in to pick up our mail this morning in stead of doing it on our way to Big Cypress tomorrow. It wasn't there yet! We also had to do some food shopping so it wasn't a complete waste of time. But we may have to block traffic on the street in front of the post office tomorrow or unhook in a distant parking lot and drive Lamont over like we did last year.
It's going to be good to get away from our neighbors (from NJ no less) - they have been here the whole 5 days we've been here - who play their boombox out side all day whether they are there or not - and sometimes they are gone long periods of time. It's not particularly loud but it's constant and inconsiderate.
Just got back from a gorgeous walk - to the dumpster!! And the length of the campground, and back. The moon is full, clouds are drifting across it. The temperature is perfect, the cattle looked across the fence at the crazy people walking along. Not too many people out, it was fun to look into the various RVs and see the folks, having dinner, playing games and watching TV. But the best part was the lovely feel of the evening around us, the stars, clouds and moon over us. We'll be back!! What a lovely place!!
Q083607 Ortona South CG #36 &34 w/e $12 A+ (x5)
QC21-07 A week in Civilization
February 26, 2012 (Sun) Alexander Springs CG to Lakeland, FL (83/1524 miles) 49/68° - We wanted to get propane in Umatilla as we drove south on SR17 and it was beginning to look as if the rain would get here sooner than predicted. The fellow at ACE hardware there doesn't like what he has to go through to get it into Q's tank and we didn't want to add to his misery by his having to do it in the rain. So we rushed our departure routine - to no avail. The sky opened up as we drove into Umatilla. We didn't stop.
Other than the rain, which lasted until we got to Eustis 3 miles on down the road, the drive to Lakeland was uneventful. The sun lightened the skies and the early blooming azaleas brightened the landscape here and there along the way making for a beautiful morning.
We got to Ed and Kathy's about 1:00 and moved Q into a new spot in their yard. They have put in a beautiful patio and walkway near where we usually park and we didn't want to spoil the ambiance.
February 27, 2012 (Mon) Lakeland, FL (2) 63/80° - Mark installed the new "Jack" digital TV antenna on Q. It is supposed to be a little less directional that the regular bat wing antenna that comes with all RVs and more sensitive especially in the UHF range. We are in a strong signal area so we don't know if it does what it is supposed to yet, but it does at least as well as the old bat wing - a good start.
We went to Ling's Buffet (the best Chinese buffet we know of) with Ed and Kathy. On the way back we shopped for miscellaneous supplies at various stores. The rest of the day was sitting around chatting.
February 28, 2012 (Tue) Lakeland, FL (to Plant City, FL) 65/83° - We left Q in Ed and Kathy's yard and went over to Plant City today. On the way we stopped at Book Bazaar to exchange 7 bags of books for two. They deemed the books in 3 of the bags unacceptable for one reason or another so we had a bill for $22 for our "new" books. We found Gordy and Ruth in good health and at least as glad to see us as we were to see them.
February 29, 2012 (Wed) Plant City, FL ??/??° - We never looked at a thermometer today so there's no record of the temperature, but it was about like yesterday. Alderman Ford was our destination in the late morning. It's a park with a 1.8 mile trail with periodic exercise stations along the way. We've been there before and it was just as pretty today as then. We didn't partake of the stops along the way (except the rest rooms).
March 1, 2012 (Thur) Plant City, FL to Lakeland, FL 70/85° - After a wonderful couple of days of good food and thought provoking conversation we packed up Lamont and came back to Lakeland and Q. It was so good to be with Gordy and Ruth, as it always is, and we left wondering at how fast the time passes.
After some research on line and in person to find the best price for the small Honda generator (the EU1000i) we ordered one from a company in Wisconsin - saving nearly half the MSRP. It was waiting for us when we got back to Lakeland. We wasted no time in setting it up to run and giving it a try. It really is amazing how quiet it is. In the afternoon we went over to Winter Haven to The Yarn Basket (a yarn shop) with Ed and Kathy. It was a nice shop with a good selection. Joy now has more sock making raw material. (Mark picked up a bag of tiny beads that happened to be torn, and they all dumped out on the floor of the store!! Can't take him anywhere!! -J)
Joy helped Kathy pull weeks in her flower garden when we got back. One of the weeds turned out to be a stinging nettle!! Applications of Caladryl, Benadryl and Aloe don't seem to help much.
March 2, 2012 (Fri) Lakeland, FL (6) 64/85° - We had lunch at Harry's in downtown Lakeland. It was a nice place with good service. And, of course, we ate too much. From an eating stand point it will be good to get back out into the wilderness. Ortona Lock South is our destination tomorrow. It's not exactly wilderness, we have electric and water hook-ups, but it's away from the calorie factories.
Q083607 Ed & Kathy's yard (6)
QC21-06 More from Alexander Springs
February 20, 2012 (Mon) Alexander Springs (7) 55/67° - As we walked around "A" loop, this morning, we heard a large vehicle coming from behind. It turned out to be a very large, very old school bus painted (mostly) various odd shades of dark green, almost olive green. Some of the windows were decorated like stained glass windows. It sported a safari type roof rack (maybe two) piled high with all kinds of stuff, including spare tires. It pulled a long utility trailer also loaded down with odd stuff. We guessed it was from the Rainbow encampment down the road. Others who saw it agreed that that's what it was.
The Rainbow people as they are called (by themselves?. By locals?) are an odd assortment of Viet Nam (Iraq?) war veterans, homeless people, junkies, modern day hippies, etc. and hangers-on. (maybe a 1000 or more of them) that have sought and obtained permission to congregate in the forest about a mile East of our campground entrance road. Their access to the campground is severely limited (though the bus had apparently come in to use the dump station) and there is an almost constant police presence near where they are camped according to people who go out in that direction.
February 21, 2012 (Tue) Alexander Springs (7) 47/71° - Cold start - we even pulled out our feather bed last night) but it warmed up nicely during the day. We went into Ocala and met Joy's cousin Bill & his wife Gail for lunch. It was really good seeing them after 35(?) years. Catching up in so short a time after so many years resulted in little lag in conversation and much laughter .
February 22, 2012 (Wed) Alexander Springs (9) 53/75° - Over all the years we have been camping we have railed against people who disturb the quiet with generators, often trying to conjure up spells on them. We have avoided using our own generator except in extreme need situations and given much thought to adding panels to our solar power generation. But we camp mostly in forests where direct sun exposure for them is rare, meaning a big expense for probably little gain. In recent years we have been impressed by the near silence of the small Honda generators. Often they can't be heard unless you're right next to them, especially the real small ones. Right now, after nearly 4 weeks without hook-ups and a lot of cloudy skies, our house batteries are near exhausted and neither running Q's generator nor his engine is enough to put a decent charge back on them. Conclusion? It may be time to think seriously about getting a little Honda generator - inviting the wrath of extremists like we once were.
February 23, 2012 (Thu) Alexander Springs (10) 67/81° - We went into Orlando to meet Joy's sister Fran who is there to participate in an outing of her high school class. President Obama was also in Orlando today but we didn't see him - though we'd hoped to see Air Force One come in to Orlando International Airport. Reality check: Not really much chance of that either because the airport was on the other side of the city from where we were. We had a wonderful visit with Frannie.
February 24, 2012 (Fri) Alexander Springs (11) 66/86° - Another quiet day in the forest but the weekend influx has begun. All the sites around us are occupied. Unlike last weekend most seem to be of the quiet persuasion. Although there is one group a few sites down that seemed to be just getting started when we came back from Bill and Margret's campfire but they weren't boisterous. Dennis, in a tent across from them, may be slow in getting to sleep though.
February 25, 2012 (Sat) Alexander Springs (12) 60/66° - Apparently the noise got pretty bad over on D loop last night. Bill and Margret told us that they finally got up and walked up to ask security to do something about the "party" going on in the site across from them (next door to Dora). The large group had apparently come in late, after 10, and immediately begun chopping and splitting wood for their camp fire - not a soothing sound to sleep to - and the noise level went up from there.
We are off to Lakeland tomorrow for a week in civilization.
Q083523 Alexander Springs CG, Ocala National Forest. #42 $10.50 dry B (x12)
QC21-05 A week at Alexander Springs
February 14, 2012 (Tue) Juniper Springs to Alexander Springs (105/1441 miles) 40/77° - It was only 10 miles here from Juniper Springs.We racked up 95 miles getting Lamont's IV drip last week and getting gas this morning. Our favorite site is occupied again, as it usually is. Apparently other people like it there too. Oh well this is a good one. It's sunny, visually secluded and reasonably near the rest rooms.
We found Alexander Springs unchanged from last year. Joy ran into Bill and Margaret while she was out on her bicycle and they invited us to spend the afternoon with them on their patio (the driveway in front of their motor home). Dora (the elderly widow we see here every year) joined us later. Sitting out by the road like we were, we met many interesting people passing by - some stopped to chat. David from NJ (a dirt motorcyclist) and April (an enthusiastic young campground host (hostess?) among them. We joined Bill and Margaret at their campfire in the evening along with Dennis (a lone camper two spaces down from us) and Dora.
February 15, 2012 (Wed) Alexander Springs (2) 60/81° - A day in the big city of Umatilla - well, not the whole day and it's not a very big city but we got some laundry done and picked up supplies. The fish at the Fish N Chix place was good but not super and the fries, though hot, were soggy. We'll probably find another place next time. It's been a nice warm sunny day.
February 16, 2012 (Thu) Alexander Springs (3) 62/82° - There is a black bear in the campground. We haven't seen him yet but other campers have. Park law enforcement is being very strict about not leaving any form of food laying around. Apparently he (the bear) has even been seen going after an empty soda can sitting on the picnic table. A few days ago Dennis found a candle he'd left out one night molested beyond usefulness in the morning.
February 17, 2012 (Fri) Alexander Springs (4) 66/73° - Last year when we were in this site there was a small vine hanging down in and across the path through the woods leading to the restrooms. Being mindful of the law not to cut anything down in a national forest, we pushed it out of the way the best we could so we wouldn't get tangled up in it in the dark. It was still there this year - strange that people who think nothing of littering the woods with soda cans and water bottles or cutting living trees for fire wood would avoid cutting down a potentially dangerous vine. We decided to go on and cut it down this time instead of just pushing it out of the way to fall back in the slightest breeze. Joy pulled down as Mark reached up with his pocketknife - and the vine fell out of the tree branches above, without even needing to be cut! It had been hanging there for over a year and all someone had to do pull on it a little.
February 18, 2012 (Sat) Alexander Springs (5) 66/74° - Our quiet campground with only a few residents has turned into bustling community of kids, dogs, cars and campfires - and the requisite delinquents/vandals. We woke last night to the sound of (probably) the teen boys from the site across the road running up and down the access road making far too much noise for 11:00 at night. This morning Mark found the men's room littered with piles (yes piles) of toilet paper. This and the amount of mud on the floors and in the shower stalls in both the men's and ladies restrooms reflects not only on those creating the mess but also on the management's lack of adequate personnel to police and maintain the park. It's a sad situation and makes us appreciate how well run the Juniper Springs campground was.
February 19, 2012 (Sun) Alexander Springs (6) 67/74° - We woke last night about 2:00 when the light of the security patrol (a golf cart) stopped up the road a couple of sites where teenaged boys were camping. There was a huge fire in the site that looked like it was burning outside the fire ring. The cart left after 5 minutes or so but the fire continued to burn as before. There was much laughter from the teenagers and apparent efforts to put it out producing great displays of sparks. The fire eventually died down to a reasonable level but later it was back to scary. We lay in bed making plans about how we would get out of here should it begin to ignite the trees. Long weekends in a national forest are to be endured with the anticipation of everyone going home soon.
The wind has come up and we're hearing trees creak. Not too long ago we heard a loud crack and crashing that could have not been anything other than a tree coming down a little way off. Others in the campground heard it too. There is a dead tree near us here. It doesn't seem to be swaying in the wind so doesn't seem dangerous but we may find another site when we re-up on Tuesday. Good grief, that sounds dangerous, doesn't it? but right now it is relatively quiet and cooling off!!
Q083523 Alexander Springs CG, Ocala National Forest. #42 $9.50 dry B
QC21-04 Q gets an IV drip
February 7, 2012 (Tue) Juniper Springs (8) 58/78° - We spent the day in Ocala primarily working on the problem with Lamont's battery discharging while being towed. The Hitching Post, experts with the SMI supplementary braking system, said the system should not be using enough amperage to draw down the battery so quickly but could find nothing wrong that might be causing it to do so. They suggested that it was probably the battery itself needing to be replaced. Two independent shops (Pep Boys and Hurricane Battery) both said the battery is fine. A discussion back at The Hitching Post led us to the conclusion that while there must be something somewhere causing the battery to go dead, the best solution for now is to run a live wire from Q to Lamont to keep it charged. They have done this for other rigs, they said. We'll be getting that done over the next week or so.
While in the Ocala area we picked up supplies, did a laundry and found an excellent Mexican restaurant.
February 8, 2012 (Wed) Juniper Springs (9) 55/76° - Just another day in the park.
February 9, 2012 (Thu) Juniper Springs (10) 46/66° - Temperatures are on a down trend. TV weather said that it was 52° in Orlando this morning but our thermometer read 46° when we got up. Hot showers felt good. It's hard to get excited about doing things when it's cold (though those at home probably wouldn't think 66° is all that cold) so we didn't do much.
February 10, 2012 (Fri) Juniper Springs (11) 54/83° - We've been forced to watch something other than the NBC Today show in the mornings while we have been here and find that CBS This morning is what a morning news show should be. Charlie Rose is doing a really good job with it.
We spent the day in Ocala again. This time it was to have a wire run from Q to Lamont's battery to keep it from discharging while being towed. We also looked into hitch modifications to level the tow bar. There doesn't seem to be any practical way to do it though. The welder says no to the tow specialist's solution, the tow specialists say no to the welder's solution. We were hearing costs of over $300 to do anything. Probably the only solution (and the most expensive by far) is a new motor home (without a rear step). HA!
February 11, 2012 (Sat) Juniper Springs (12) 55/68° - The sun was warm but the breeze makes sitting out uncomfortable. Mark rigged a volt meter into Q's cab so we can monitor the voltage level in Lamont. It shouldn't be necessary to do that now but it will be good knowing that his "IV drip" is working.
Forecasts are that it will be getting cold tonight. It seems to be already headed in that direction.
February 12, 2012 (Sun) Juniper Springs (13) 35/56° - 31° over night in Orlando 50 miles (or so) to the south of us. We registered a 35° here, maybe because of the trees. Either way it's cold for Florida. We turned the furnace on and warmed the inside up to 50° before we got up and dressed fast.
TD Bank offered us 5% cash reward for 6 months if we got and used their VISA card. We did and have been using it for everything we buy ever since. Today we learned that there was a problem and to call them. Why? We could envision all kinds of unpleasant reasons. It being Sunday the offices were closed until 4:00 so we had to wait and worry. Then it was explaining the problem over and over again to various people who "weren't authorized" to help us before we found someone who was. Apparently our credit card statement was returned to them because we are having our mail forwarded and that made them nervous.
February 13, 2012 (Mon) Juniper Springs (14) 29/63° - 29° outside this morning, 35° inside, and no warm house/home to retreat to! A mid-morning hike on the Florida Trail warmed us up some which made things tolerable but not completely pleasant.
More problems with TD Bank. We got an e-mail saying we'd be getting no more electronic statements! We need electronic statements because mail forwarding may cause paper statements to get to us after the due date! Another call to customer service. We can start getting them again if we sign up for them in April. "America's most convenient bank" my foot.
We're off to Alexander Springs tomorrow. We'll be there 12 days or so.
Q083418 Juniper Springs CG, Ocala National Forest. #9 $9.50 dry A
QC21-03 Ocala National Forest
February 1, 2012 (Wed) Juniper Springs (2) 56/77° - Ah, it's good to be able to get up and not freeze as we dress. It was 56° this morning. So inspired were we that we even walked up to the unheated bathhouse and took showers before breakfast. And speaking of breakfast there were 6 wild turkeys wandering around our campsite as we ate.
We had a quiet day hanging out enjoying the sunshine.
February 2, 2012 (Thu) Juniper Springs (3) 58/78° - The Hitching Post, the outfit that created a video for SMI to demonstrate the installation of its supplementary braking system in towed cars, is located in Ocala. Since we are still having trouble with ours draining Lamont's battery, we decided to look them up for some advice while we were in Ocala today. Hildene found two "Hitching Post"s for us. One was the campground where we tried and failed to get propane last year - a less than desirable place to camp in our opinion - so we thought it must be the other one. Off we went 30 miles out of our way (it turned out) to the address on US301 that was about 500 yards beyond where we'd turned off Tuesday on our way here. The sign said "The Hitching Post" but it was faded and half gone. The building itself was a strip mall with a couple of vacant stores, neither of which could have ever supported an RV or trailer business - no large vehicle doors. When we got back to Q, after laundering our cold weather gear and picking up some supplies, we did an internet search, which we should have done in the first place, and found the right one. Next trip.
February 3, 2012 (Fri) Juniper Springs (4) 56/77° - A relaxing day in camp. We did take a walk through the campground and the nature trail down at the springs. They have taken the waterwheel at the old mill out and are repairing it. Interesting.
February 4, 2012 (Sat) Juniper Springs (5) 58/75° - Joy woke up feeling ill during the night and spent most of the morning in bed (on the sofa actually) and was under the weather the rest of the day. It is doubtful that it was something she ate since Mark feels fine. A bug maybe. But Mark has been fighting a cold the last few days so resting was the order for the whole day for both of us. We didn't take our walk.
February 5, 2012 (Sun) Juniper Springs (6) 57/78° - What passes for Sunday morning news in these parts is 5 minutes of "The stories we'll be covering this morning" (local headlines with video clips and a weather tease followed by 10 minutes of commercials. When they finally get to the actual news it's an almost exact repeat of the "headlines". Then there is another 10 minutes of commercials. Fools that we are, we leave the TV on through it all hoping to hear more. The more turns out to be some movie star's divorce - reported in great detail. Arrrgh!!
Mark's cold seems to about gone but Joy's stomach virus, if that's what it is, lingers. It's much improved but not gone.
The weekend was hopping with almost every campsite full - kids yelling and running around, campfires here and there through the trees, radios blasting all manner of music and generators droning. This afternoon things have quieted down. The sounds we hear are the birds, the occasional chatter of a squirrel, an accordion somewhere in the distance and Mark on his guitar. (Oh and the obligatory generator next door.) Running around are squirrels and two feral cats who run through the campsite now and then. The light we see through the trees is the moon. We have our campground back.
February 6, 2012 (Mon) Juniper Springs (7) 63/81° - We couldn't watch the Superbowl last night because we couldn't get an NBC TV station but the outcome was the first thing we saw when we turned the TV on this morning. It must have been a great game. The quiet today has been almost overpowering but not so disturbing as to make us want the weekenders back. In fact it wasn't disturbing at all.
When we went up to the gate to re-up for a week, the gate keepers were discussing how the pool (at the springs) was going to be drained so that some work could be done tomorrow. "Have you ever seen them do that?" one asked another, "It's spectacular - and floods out, down the canoe run". We thought that should be interesting so we raced down to watch. It turned out to be less than spectacular - as we should have figured. They took a couple of boards off the dam which increased the flow over the spillway but that was it! When we questioned the lady in the gift shop, she said, "Heavens no. They're just lowering the water level a couple of inches so they can do some work." She didn't seem to know what they were going to do. As we were about to go back this afternoon to see what was happening, it began to rain. Right now our yard is flooded.
Q083418 Juniper Springs CG, Ocala National Forest. #9 $8.50 dry A
QC21-02 Mountains to Forest
January 25, 2012 (Wed) Mars Hill, NC (6) 33/57° - Yummi Yarns is a wonderful shop in Burnsville. Pat, Joy and Kaye had planned to check it out this morning but Pat had to fill in for Bob delivering the Meals-on-Wheels so Joy and Kaye went by themselves and had a great time. They even found time to shop at a nearby quilt shop.
Robertjohn and Claire live deep in the mountains at the end of a very long barely maintained single lane dirt road which ends at a ford crossing a small brook that defines the beginning of their driveway. Their house is somewhat modern (very modern compared to most of their sparsely situated neighbors) and is filled with wonderful art. Calling their location remote, borders on understatement. That's where we went this evening with Bob, Pat and Kaye for a delicious dinner, lively jamming (Roberjohn plays the fiddle) and stimulating conversation. A great time.
January 26, 2012 (Thu) Mars Hill, NC (7) 43/61° - A slow relaxing day
January 27, 2012 (Fri) Mars Hill, NC (8) 53/49° - The old high school building in Marshall, NC, which is on an island in the river, has been converted into artist studios. Pat and then Bob were going to take us over there to see their friend Libby's quilting studio but things came up for both, so we went by ourselves. We had a very nice talk with Libby as she showed us around where she and her daughter Jennifer work at their quilting and weaving. Libby's specialty is landscape scenes and the works-in-progress hanging on the walls were wonderful. While there we stopped in and had a chat with the artist in the room next door, a weaver. The other studios in the building, which included a pottery, graphic artists and others, were closed - not surprising as the building housed work areas not shops.
The highest temperature we saw on the thermometer today was 53° when we got up. Other than getting colder all day the weather was drizzly miserable until mid afternoon when the sun finally appeared for a few minutes.
January 28, 2012 (Sat) Mars Hill, NC (9) 32/49° - Woke up this morning to an outside temperature of 33° and an inside temperature of 32°. It had either already begun to warm up or we need to find a new location for our thermometer's outside probe. There was a heavy frost on everything exposed to the damp outside air so it had obviously been colder than 33° out there at some time during the night.
January 29, 2012 (Sun) Mars Hill, NC (10) 27/51° - Our original plans were to be here only a few days but Bob was going to give the sermon this Sunday and wanted us to stay. So we did. And we were glad on several levels. We have always enjoyed hearing Bob's sermons and it's been a long time since we have been around when he is in the pulpit. Today's was particularly interesting, some would say poignant. Also staying gave Mark another opportunity to jam with music group here in the afternoon. We are off tomorrow, headed for the Ocala National Forest in Florida
Q082872 Bob and Pat's Yard (x10)
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January 30, 2012 (Mon) Mars Hill, NC to Savannah, GA (340/1033 miles) 28/67° - It was a clear crisp morning - the last of the cold for a while we hope. We said good-bye to our hosts and got under way about 9:30. Thank you Bob and Pat and all your delightful, talented friends for a great stay. We hope we didn't over-stay our welcome! It wasn't a particularly exciting trip south. We made the usual pit stops to do what one does at pit stops, exercise Lamont, and eat lunch. We watched the price of gas go from $3.53 in NC to a low of $3.25 in SC (we missed that and paid $3.43 later) and back up to $3.42 in GA (We paid $3.32 at Walmart). Isn't that exciting?
Q083212 Camp Walmart Savannah, GA
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January 31, 2012 (Tue) Savannah, GA to Ocala NF (203/1236 miles) 36/77° - Our question last night was: will the price of gas go up or down if it changes. Prices have been going up of late so the chances are if it changes, it will go up. Wrong!! It went down 6¢. We could have saved $1.30 if we'd waited until today. It was good we only needed a half tank.
The ambiance in a rest stop is usually marginally better than in a Walmart parking lot. So after making some traveling coffee we broke camp and headed south on I-95. 50 miles later we were parked with the big-rigs for breakfast listening to their engines and viewing their trailers on both sides. Diesel fumes filled air. Oh well! At least it was warmer, 63°.
Going through Starke is always interesting (read sarcasm). Traffic is always beyond heavy and today an ambulance, siren blaring, worked its way through the the stopped vehicles on US301. It turned north on US17 and had to wait for an elderly lady in her small slow moving electric wheelchair/scooter finish her transit across the 4 busy lanes. She turned at the corner and was waiting to cross much heavier traffic on US301 as we continued on south.
It's warm here in Juniper Springs (76°) but we are still cold from all that we've had getting here. We look forward to some shorts and sandal time. We will be here a week, maybe more.
Q083418 Juniper Springs CG, Ocala National Forest. #9 $8.50 dry A
QC21-01 Out of the cold
January 19, 2012 (Thur) Home to Winchester, VA (296/296 miles) 20/40° - We heard that they are being very strict about toll cheaters on the Garden State Parkway - vigilance, steep fines etc. There is no toll taker in the booth where we normally get on northbound (only EZ Pass and exact change baskets) and we have no idea what the new tolls are for a motor home, much less a motor home with a car in tow. So we drove up NJ35 to Cliffwood separately, hooked up and got on the GSP up there - probably saving $3 to $5 in the process. Then of all times, we missed a turn (or rather got ourselves in the wrong lane to get on I-278) and wound up wandering around Raritan Center, making our way back to the parkway.
The temperature climbed through the 20s and 30s as we drove south on I-81 through PA, MD, WV, into VA. It was 40° when we got to Winchester. After an early supper at Chipotle (delicious) and poking around a Books-a-Million book store for a while we found the Walmart, made up our bed and retired early - 7:30pm
Q082475 Camp Walmart Winchester, VA
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January 20, 2012 (Fri) Winchester, VA to Mars Hill, NC (397/693 miles) 28/58° - The area of the parking lot we called home last night was completely empty when we pulled in around 5:00. An hour or so later a big class A motor home pulled in and parked right beside us and turned on his generator. It was still running when we finally got to sleep sometime after 11:00 (we'd gone to bed at 7:30!). We noticed it was quiet around 12:00 but at 3am the drone started up again waking us both from a sound sleep. Why, if the guy was going to run his generator all night (to power his electric blanket?), did he choose to park next to us? We were up early and off by 6:20 hoping we'd made enough noise to disturb their sleep.
The sunrise over the Shenandoah Mountains, though not spectacular, was beautiful as we drove south on I-81. But sunrises are almost always beautiful - one of the reasons we like traveling in the early morning. At 7:40 we stopped in a rest area to fix and eat our breakfast.
After lunch in another rest area and again southbound on I-81 we were passed by a flat bed truck carrying a huge sign consisting of the just the letters K and S - 10 foot tall letters!. They were obviously only part of a larger word so we speculated for a while on what the whole word might be (some thoughts more risque than others). Finally curiosity overtook common sense and we sped up to catch and pass the truck so that we could see the other side where we assumed the rest of the sign was. There we saw "DIC" in equally huge letters. Apparently Dicks Sporting Goods would be getting a new sign somewhere.
Spritzing rain accompanied us as we crossed over the Blue Ridge Mountains from TN into NC. We pulled into Bob and Pat's driveway at 4:03.
January 21, 2012 (Sat) Mars Hill, NC (2) 44/58° - A quiet unremarkable day mostly visiting and reading - oh, and the obligatory game of dominoes.
January 22, 2012 (Sun) Mars Hill, NC (3) 43/59° - The annual meeting for Bob and Pat's church was held immediately after the service. We didn't stay but of interest was that the priest integrated his "rector's report" into the sermon. This not only shortened the annual meeting, as was his stated intent, but gave him the opportunity illustrate spiritual points with relatable events and activities but also to publicly praise his flock for all their good work over the year - which was extensive. A good sermon.
Bob's music friends came over in the afternoon and Mark had a great time jamming with them. Pat and Joy retreated to the front room to knit and talk. In the evening we all went up to Kaye's house for soup and dominoes. And lemon meringue pie - Mark's favorite. He got an extra big piece. John and Marti were also there.
January 23, 2012 (Mon) Mars Hill, NC (4) 42/57° - It's been overcast and rather miserable since we got here. The sun has shown now and then but for the most part spritzing rain was much more likely. This afternoon the sun began to come out with a lot more purpose and promise of better things to come.
January 24, 2012 (Tue) Mars Hill, NC (5) 38/58° - Joy and Pat went into Marshall early to work at My Sister's Place, a second hand shop that benefits abused women, while Mark and Bob hung out at home doing odd jobs. We all lunched together at Zuma's in Marshall. In the evening we watched the president's State of the Union speech.
Q082872 Bob and Pat's Yard
QC21-00 On the road again
January 18, 2012 (Wed) After a delay for Mark to get some dental work taken care of we are about ready to head south again for the rest of the Winter. Our first stop will be in the North Carolina mountains then it's on down to warm sunny (we hope) Florida. As always, we can be reached by cell phone, email and now even via Facebook
