JEMISON, AL: Christmas Time is Here!

We arrived back at the Minooka Park campground in Jemison, AL last Thursday, surrounded by southern warm weather! 

Friday, Selene and daughter Debbie had a Christmas cookie baking day and we now have plenty of cookies to see us through the holidays. The next week will be a time for family as our 5 children, their spouses and significant others, our grandchildren, and extended family members gather to celebrate the season.  We look forward to this every year, and are very lucky that in most years we are all able to come together for at least a day or two.

We'll be staying in this area until January 5 and then we'll head even further south for the next couple of months.  Before then, we'll just celebrate as much as we can!

FRANKLIN, TN: Athens, Shepherdsville and Back South

Last Saturday, we had an uneventful drive from Athens, AL to Grandma's RV Park in Shepherdsville, KY.  We've stayed at Grandma's many times.....neat premises, level gravel sites although a little close together, and very near I-65.  During our 4 night stay, we had plenty of time to enjoy being with  Selene's brother - Joel and his wife - Jan, their daughter Carolyn and her daughter Sophie, Selene's sister - Mary Kay and her daughter - Colleen, Hank's cousin - Sister Marilyn, and neighbors-Maggie and Skeeter.  Family visits are always meaningful, but especially during the holidays. And it sure felt like Christmas with lows in the teens, a couple of days staying below 32 and even a few snowflakes.  When we were ready to leave today, there was a new challenge - ice on top of a slide under the slide topper preventing the slide from closing properly.  It took Hank about 15 minutes to break up the ice and remove it, and then everything worked as it should. 

Our planned trip today was just a little over 3 1/2 hours and we're now parked in the Sam's Club parking lot in Franklin, TN..... our first time to park at a Sam's Club,,,, another business that often allows RVs to stay on the lot overnight. The warmer temperatures we encountered today were very welcome!   Tomorrow, we'll travel to Minooka Park near Jemison, AL where we stayed last week.  The next 2 weeks will be spent visiting with our children and their families. Central Al  is the gathering point for our family's holiday gatherings. 

JEMISON, AL: Minooka Park

Yesterday morning, we fired up the Cummins engine and headed northwest from Colquitt, GA to central Alabama.  The 5 hour trip, with a fuel stop and lunch stop, was mostly on 4-lane US highways with little traffic and some light rain, but that changed once we got to Montgomery, I-85 and I-65 where the traffic picked up and the rain stopped.  We wanted to stay at Minooka Park near Jemison, AL to see if it would work for future visits to the area.  Our usual RV hangout in Hoover, AL is still closed for renovations and additions to the property, and there aren't a lot of other good options for us near I-65 and I-459.  Minooka Park is a quiet county park in the woods with a small campground with concrete sites and full hook-ups, a fishing lake,  and ATV trails.

During our 3 night stay, we plan to visit with our daughters Kathy and Debbie.  We'll leave here on Friday and travel to Athens, in northern Alabama for a visit with David, our oldest son before heading to Kentucky for a pre-Christmas visit with our Louisville family.  It's time to get some winter clothing moved from the storage bin in the car to inside Little House!

COLQUITT, GA: Brunswick and Beyond

First, here's an update on Hank's new HP laptop, which he purchased in Jacksonville on Dec. 2nd.  A problem with some of the video graphics showed up over last weekend shortly after the "Anniversary" update for Windows 10 was installed.  Hank used the Staples support function built into the laptop to investigate graphics problems and determined it was a graphics driver (software) problem, but none of the available drivers resolved the problem.  He wound up working with Staples free 30 day support twice on Tuesday after which they referred him to HP support.  After looking at the problem HP support provided him with a "Free MS Support" phone number and sent him on is way.  It took several attempts to get through the MS phone system without being disconnected or mis-directed, followed by a successful connection to the wait queue (with announced 30+ minute queue length) which also disconnected after a 15-20 minutes.  A later attempt stayed connected to the queue for 65 minutes followed by a 80 minute interactive support session.that eventually resolved the problem with a more recent, unlisted, graphics driver.  So far, everything is now working as it should and Hank is in the process of re-installing all the applications he uses and restoring data from backups.

We're a little behind on our posts.  From Dec. 5 - 9, we were at the Coastal Georgia RV Resort in Brunswick, GA.  The reason for our stay was the holiday gathering of the Metter Roadrunners,  Many of the members are also ham radio operators.  The group had the use of the mostly enclosed pavilion and there were daily happy hours as well as visits to nearby restaurants and attractions.  Thursday night, the club provided a Low Country Boil by chefs Don and Horace, with side dishes and desserts  provided by the members.  There was also a Chinese gift exchange.  We became members of the group several years ago after meeting some of the members  through ham radio. 

Coastal Georgia is a pristine campground with  level concrete pads, most of them pull-thrus,  a fishing lake, large clubhouse, smaller meeting room with kitchen, a pool, and free cable TV.  We've stayed here several times iin the past.

With the weather turning much colder, and our plans in place to head north to have Christmas visits with our family, we knew we'd have to leave the warmer confines of the deep  South, but decided to stay in southwestern Georgia for a few more days.  We're at the Emerald Lake RV Resort near Colquitt, GA.,  a small and more rustic campground located in a rural environment with a fishing lake, heated pool and level, grass sites.  The friendly owner, Bucky, lives on site overseeing the park as well as running the restaurant on the property.  The free WiFi works pretty well as does our Verizon Jet Pack, but we have no Sprint coverage.  We'll be here until Tuesday when we'll put on our long johns and head north into much colder weather.  The low temperature here this morning was 31, but that's much below what it should be this time of year for this area.  It's beginning to look, and feel, a lot like Christmas!

ATLANTIC BEACH, FL: Extended Stay

Our Thanksgiving celebration was fun, filling and festive.  Our son-in-law's father had a small family gathering at his place near the beach again this year and extended the invitation to us.  There were 13 of us at the table and the counter was overloaded with turkey and all the trimmings, topped off by 3 different pies!

After discovering that we needed more car repairs, we decided to extend our stay at Hanna Park until Monday, Dec. 5.  That turned out to be a good decision for several reasons.

Monday evening, we were able to meet up with Dee & Jim, old ham radio/RV friends, who were living in Raleigh when we moved there.  They became full-time RVers for 5 years, then decided to settle down in central Florida.  They were traveling through this area so we all met up for dinner and conversation.

Last week, we had turned the car over to a local Chevrolet dealer to fix leftover problems from the apparent vandalism in Raleigh.  Saturday we returned the rental car and picked up the HHR after extensive work on the front brakes, and repairs to the  electronic dash alarms We also had a switch installed  in the fuse box so Hank doesn't have to pull a fuse whenever we tow the car.  We soon realized the car still wasn't driving as it should with pulling to the right or left in different circumstances.  Tuesday, we returned to the dealer and got two new front tires along with balancing and alignment.  Things appear to be back to normal now.

 Thursday night, Hank's Toshiba laptop, that hasn't worked well over the last 18 months of use,  died a sudden death with a hard drive failure.  Friday, we went to several stores to compare new prices versus repair costs.  He now has a new HP 17.3 inch laptop with plenty of memory and a large hard drive with a keyboard that is comfortable for his large hands.

We'll spend some more time with Karen and family today and tomorrow.  On Monday, we'll head north to Brunswick, GA to meet up with several friends for a holiday celebration. 

ATLANTIC BEACH, FL: Car Repairs and Family Time

Our weekend in St. Mary's,GA was a good stopover in our travels.  However, the car was still showing the effects from the apparent vandalism in Raleigh. Friday morning, the right front tire was showing a slow leak and some other things concerned us.  We visited a local Chevrolet dealer and discussed the problems and ordered two new wheel covers as well as a new passenger sun visor, and they put air in the tire.  No appointments were available until this week, however. Saturday morning, we returned to the dealership to pick up the ordered parts, got the tire aired up again and made an appointment for service on November 29.  Sunday night, there was a pot luck supper at the campground and we met some more nice people.

Monday morning, it was time to head further south to Atlantic Beach and Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park Campground in Atlantic Beach, only an hour's drive.  (  http://www.coj.net/departments/parks-and-recreation/recreation-and-community-programming/kathryn-abbey-hanna-park/camping-at-hanna-park.aspx)   This park will be filling up this week and we always reserve for the next year before we leave.  Hank called a Chevy dealer here and made arrangements for them to check out the car over the next couple of days as they had time.

 Our 2nd daughter, Karen, lives about 15 minutes away from Hanna Park, and we headed to her house for dinner that also included Karen's husband, Sean, granddaughter Samantha and grandson, Montgomery.  There was a nice surprise in store as our oldest daughter, Kathy, was also in town for a visit and will be here until tomorrow.

Today we took the HHR to the Chevy dealer, rented a car for the next couple of days and made a drug store run. Although this area took a hit from Hurricane Matthew, most damage has been cleared and the weather is now sunny and cool.

We'll probably be here until Wednesday, November 30.

ST MARY'S, GA: Alarms, Delays, and Destinations

Wednesday:  It was time make our way further south, and we pulled out of the Fairgrounds campground about 10:30 A.M.  We have a portable Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) that tracks the pressure and temperature of the coach tires, and the car tires while towing.  As were were nearing the I-40 ramp in southeast Raleigh, the TPMS alarm sounded showing the  car's  left front tire temperature was very high. We stayed on city street's until we could find a place to check things out.  The tire was almost flat, and it appeared that overnight someone had stolen two of our wheel covers, damaged the valve stem and removed two of the TPMS monitor covers while trying to do their mischief.  The TPMS definitely paid for itself today and without it the results could have been much worse. A call to AAA promised a wrecker with ETA of 45 min, and they would not be able to bring a tire, or make repairs, but would mount our "space saver" spare.  So while waiting on the wrecker,  Hank unloaded the back of the HHR and piled the contents on the side of the road - ladder, case of bottled water, bin of misc supplies, umbrellas, etc and removed the carpet covering the tire storage compartment, then removed the cover itself and removed the lug wrench, jumper cables, and small tools, then removed the cover allowing access to the bottom section so I could remove the tire.  The wrecker arrived just as he was finishing up. (A neighbor lady did stop and ask if we needed some help!)  Luckily there was a tire store nearby with access for the coach and car so we didn't have to unhook and we got a good used tire and new valve stem.  We finally got on I-40 about 1:30 P.M, only to be stopped 30 minutes later by a huge traffic tie-up due to a semi wreck several miles ahead of us. Another 30 minutes went by before we could get to an exit where we could get past the accident and get back on I-95 .

 About an hour later into our drive we heard another alarm beep, but saw no indication of a problem.  A few minutes later another beep sounded and this time there was a yellow alarm on the dash for the HEST (High Exhaust System Temperature).  We knew from experience that this was not unusual - it is a result of the diesel engine literally burning exhaust particulates by injecting fuel directly into the exhaust.  This process takes 20-30 minutes during which time the yellow alarm (yellow means informational) stays illuminated and you need to keep driving, but previously there was not any BEEP associated with the process.   After about 10 minutes of worrying, Hank was able to determine that the beep was actually coming from the TPMS because it was not getting any signal from the damaged TPMS sensor which was currently resting quietly in his pocket and not transmitting any status updates.  The HEST indicator went out about 25 minutes after it had started. 

 After that, the rest of the day's journey was carefree.  We made it to the  I-95 SC exit 57 and the Walterboro, SC Walmart about 6:30 P.M  for our overnight stay.  This Walmart is known in the RV world for allowing overnight parking, and by morning there were at least 10 other RV's and a couple of trucks keeping us company.

Thursday:  There was no need to hurry on our way, so Selene did some shopping before we headed south on I-95 once again.  After a lunch stop and a fuel fill-up, we arrived at A Big Wheel RV Park in St. Mary's, GA where we'll be until Monday.  The park is small (35 sites), and is set in a wooded area.  We parked in the tent area on the pond shore until our site became available today (Friday).

We always say each day is a new adventure!

RALEIGH, NC; Change in Plans

We changed our mind about leaving Raleigh last week. The post office lost our mail shipment after it reached the Fuquay Varina branch (investigation is ongoing). Extending our stay until tomorrow  gave us more time to visit with friends, attend another Saturday breakfast and a ham radio meeting.  Sunday morning, there was a  hard freeze, and Sunday afternoon, Little House got a much-needed bath on site thanks to a local mobile RV Wash business.  Today we're meeting Chuck and Mary Jo for lunch.

The wheels will get moving late tomorrow morning, and we're definitely ready to make our way toward Florida for Thanksgiving week, with a stop or two along the way.

RALEIGH, NC: Doctors and Friends

Our time in Raleigh is almost over.  It's been a busy 2 weeks and we've enjoyed the time spent with old friends.  Both of us had medical issues to take care of.

Selene had successful cataract surgery in March, but since then her vision was not as clear as it should be. A return visit to her regular eye doctor on Monday, Oct. 31 showed the most common complication of cataract surgery - clouding of the part of the lens covering (capsule) that remains after surgery, called posterior capsule opacification. The next morning, the surgeon  performed a Nd:YAG posterior capsulotomy in his office using a laser to cut a hole in the clouded back lining of the lens capsu) This provided a clear path for light to reach the retina. Her vision improved almost immediately. Tomorrow, she'll get new lenses for her glasses.

During their stay here, Selene and Hank both had checkup's with their regular doctors,  so other medical needs were  taken care of.

There's been visits with camping friends and ham radio friends, car repairs (brakes and wheel balancing), we  voted by absentee ballot, and took care of vehicle insurance for next year.   The weather has been beautiful with warm temperatures until the last few days when it's felt like fall. As soon as some mail catches up with us, we'll be getting the wheels rolling further south.

RALEIGH, NC: Feels Like Home

Yesterday, we made the 345 mile trip from Barboursville, WV to Raleigh, NC.  This trip through the mountains of WV and VA into NC was longer than we usually do in one day, but the beauty of the mountain fall colors helped to pass the time.  We did forget about the NC State home football game right across the street from the NC State Fairgrounds and the campground we were headed to.  The game had just ended and couple of state troopers helped us get through the traffic, and once inside the camping area, there was just a short wait for the road to clear up the hill to the campground.

The Raleigh area is as close to a home base that we have since we owned a house nearby for 14 years, and have been back here so many times.  We both have medical visits to take care of.  There will be meetings to attend, and friends to catch up with during our stay which may last a couple of weeks before we head further south.  Lucky for us, the weather here is still nice and warm!

CELINA, OH: One More Repair

CELINA, OH:  One More Repair

October 23-27, 2016

REV  in Decatur  couldn't replace our faulty Navion R5000(AM/FM radio, Sirius Radio, CD player, camera monitors, motor readouts, alarms, etc) during our earlier visit because it's no longer made. This unit had a price tag of $1800.  Hank had called Kevin Mallory, who owns Cruising America RV Service in Celina, for advice and found out Kevin has some units at a much lower price.  So we went to Celina for our appointment on Thursday to get that  unit replaced.  We camped at the Mercer County Fairgrounds in Celina which has 250 campsites and was only 5 minutes from Kevin's shop.,  There were no other campers around until we left on Thursday, when campers started arriving for a big Halloween weekend. There was some activity around the horse (trotters) barns since the track is available for training.   Our site was in an area with some trees so we enjoyed the changing colors and shade. Kevin had a cancellation and asked us to come to the shop early on Wednesday. Besides replacing the R500, Kevin put LED lights in two of our flourescent fixtures, and repaired the entry door harness which was showing signs of wear.  Kevin worked for American Coach for over 20 years, and helped design the American Tradition line, so he's very familiar with the ACA products, and he also works on other brands. His hourly rate is a little less than most repair facilities charge and his prices on replacement items are very reasonable.  It's very nice to once again have music while we travel, and to see that the car is still following us down the road!


Lately, our Verizon Jet Pack has not been working as well as it should.  Hank opened the unit to reset it and noticed that the battery was a little swollen.  After a long phone call with Verizon, a new unit was ordered to arrive at the local Verizon store in Celina.  Thursday, we left the campground, parked Little House in a shopping center lot while we had a late breakfast, and then picked up the new Jet Pack.  After hooking up the car to Little House, it was time to get the wheels moving once again. 

DECATUR, IN; Change in Plans

 October 19 - 23, 2016

We originally planned to go from Branson, MO to Celina, OH. on Wednesday, October 19 and Thursday, October 20.  Wednesday night, we stayed in the parking lot of the Sullivan, IL Walmart.  While in Branson, and then while traveling on the 19th in the rain, we realized that there was a problem with some water dripping coming from the front rooftop A/C into the coach.  Thursday morning, we decided to head back to the REV facility in Decatur ( only 30 miles from Celina, OH) to have this problem looked at.  We arrived in Decatur on Thursday afternoon in time to check in as a "drop-in" and were told to be ready to move the coach inside at 6 A.M. on Friday.  We were skeptical about that really happening, but at 5:50 A.M on Friday morning, our service writer called to see if Little House was ready to roll!  The problem turned out to be the seal between the A/C and the roof.  The A/C unit had been removed during the previous service visit and had not been reinstalled properly.  The repairs were completed 5 hours later at no charge and with an apology for our inconvenience. We decided to stay in Decatur until Sunday to get some laundry done before heading to Celina.

REV's new Visitor Center is now open and is a very comfortable place to pass the time, and make new friends,  while waiting for repairs.  Downstairs is the Service Desk, along with a large seating area that is pet-friendly, rest rooms, refreshment area with free coffee,  and free laundry area with a big screen TV.  Upstairs are several seating areas, all with their own large screen TVs, a conference room, game tables, kitchen area and computer work stations.  There is good free Wi-Fi throughout the building.  Outside, there's a partially covered and shaded patio with comfortable chairs, tables and a 4 ft. patio wall fire-pit table to provide some heat and ambiance.  At check-in, customers are provided with a special guest tag that will provide access to the rest rooms and laundry after hours.  Pictures can be seen here:  http://www.revgroup.com/news/2016/09/rv-service-center-opening/. 

BRANSON, MO: Rally Wrap-up

October 10-19, 2016
Our time in Branson at America's Best Campground was very enjoyable as we spent the week celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary.  There were about 23 people attending the rally including 3 in a cabin and 4 in area hotels.   The Branson area is very scenic with hilly terrain,  and we enjoyed watching the fall colors starting to appear.  There's plenty of things to do and see in the area for the price of admission. Two of our outings were to the Showboat Branson Belle and the Branson Scenic Railroad.

The Showboat Branson Belle cruises on beautiful Table Rock Lake.     After being seated and greeted by our server,  meal service started  as the paddle wheeler pulled away from the dock.  Our lunch included salad and roll, "Fork Tender" Beef Pot Roast with Espagnole Sauce, Baked Chicken Breast with Honey Dijon Sauce, Garlic Mashed Potatoes.Buttered Sugar Snap Peas with Julienne Carrots, Apple Cinnamon Ice Cream Pie,  lemonade, tea or coffee with great service.  After our meal, there was time to explore the 4 levels of the boat.  The weather was cloudy, cool and windy so we didn't spend too much time outside on the decks.  The show that followed included:  "the multi-talented Janice Martin, making a musical mark with awe-inspiring vocals, piano arrangements and her one-of-a-kind, world-renown aerial violin act! Funny man and world-traveled ventriloquist Phil Hughes, alongside a live band, vocalist Jason Yeager and magician and emcee Aaron Radatz." Overall, this was an attraction that was definitely worth the price of admission and the trip was so smooth that you didn't even realize you were moving on water unless you looked out the window.


The Branson Scenic Railroad travels from downtown Branson north or south depending on freight rail traffic which shares the tracks.  Our trip went north into the mountains near Branson.  There were some scenic views, and more fall color as we entered the higher elevations through a tunnel.   The train cars included some dome cars and that was where we chose to sit.  Passengers can move through the train as it travels along.  There were periodic announcements about the area's history and the areas we were passing through.  The trip lasted almost two hours.

We extended our stay in Branson by two days to have some down time before moving to our next location.

BRANSON, MO: Rally Time With Friends

Sunday morning  after dumping the tanks, we pointed Little House south and west for our journey to Branson, MO.  After 7 hours on the road, we spent the night in the Walmart parking lot in Cahokia, IL just south of St. Louis.  Monday, we drove another 4  1/2 hours to our home for the next week - America's Best Campground, on the north side of Branson, MO. The RV Radio Network will hold its fall rally at this location.  The campground is a large one in a hilly setting.  Campsites are close together and some are not very level, but it seems to be well run and there is a large, enclosed pavilion for our gatherings.

One of our friends was already on site, two more rigs arrived yesterday, and the rest of the rally attendees should arrive today with some staying in hotels or cabins. There is a lot to do in this area with many types of shows and attractions.  Branson is in the Ozark Plateau,  a very scenic part of Missouri.

We have a couple of  activities booked as we continue our 50th wedding anniversary celebration.  There's sure to be some group plans coming up as well.  The weather has been fine since our arrival, with some rain this morning.  Fall colors are starting to appear in some of the trees which only adds to the pleasant surroundings.

DECATUR, IN: Time to Celebrate

Over the last week or so, we have worked through several issues, each with its own share of ups and downs, stress and relief.

Monday, Hank received word that the sleep study definitely showed he still has sleep apnea and clearly needs a CPAP machine. The local hospital's equipment provider couldn't help him because of Medicare requiring the purchase to be made in the 'zone'  covering our legal residence (Florida).  They recommended a national company (Lincare) with HQ in Clearwater FL, and offices all over the country including one in Ft. Wayne, about 30 miles from Decatur. 

On Tuesday Lincare agreed to work with him, but Medicare had a number of additional requirements including an office visit with his care provider during the 90 days preceding the sleep study, and a follow up visit with the care provider between 30 and 90 days after the CPAP device is provided.  Hank had seen his doctor while we were in Raleigh in July and we agreed to have a follow up with him in early November.  They also needed a copy of an order/prescription with some diagnostic information from a care provider. A call to Hank's doctor in NC provided that after some delay because the doctor doesn't write call in prescription requests until after the day's office visits are over. 
On Wednesday, Lincare called and said that Medicare requires a copy of the doctors notes from our July "face to face" appointment - notes to include a discussion of what sleep apnea is and how it is treated with CPAP.  (They didn't care that Hank has been on CPAP for over 22 years!).  In order to meet this requirement, Hank had to find some care provider to fill that requirement, and Lincare needed that info from the care provider no later than Thursday afternoon in order for them to get their order and paperwork done in time for us to get the new machine on Friday.  After some arm twisting, Hank got a couple of suggestions of doctors in the Fort Wayne area that might be willing to give a quick  appointment.  Luckily one agreed to set us up with an appointment on Thursday morning.

Thursday morning, we went to the doctors office in Fort Wayne to meet with a PA who did an hour long respiratory / cardio physical and consultation of what sleep apnea is and how it is treated (CPAP).  We returned to Decatur and that afternoon got word from Lincare that they had the needed report from the appointment earlier today, but now they were having trouble getting it through their system because we were "out of zone" (back to that again).  Their system was not accepting the orders and they were having to contact their headquarters to see if/how they could fill the order.  In the mean time they gave us a tentative appointment for noon on Friday.

At 8:30 Friday morning we got a call from Lincare that they were still trying to get the order placed but so far had not been successful, and in the mean time they needed yet one more piece of information.  They need the NPI (National Provider Identifier) number of either my doctor in Raleigh or the one who saw us Thursday morning.   Hank suggested they call the doctor directly, but they may not get word back from Raleigh until late afternoon.  Lincare said they would call the Fort Wayne office we had visited Thursday morning.  They subsequently called back and said that doctor was out of the office and would not be back until Monday.  They then called the doctor in NC and Hank followed up with a personal call to the office explaining the situation and asking them to expedite the information.  Lincare soon called back and told us they now had all that was needed but were still struggling with the order,and we shouldn't make the 50 minute trip to their office until we heard from them.  At about 11:45 we got a call that they were able to fill the order by assigning us to their Fort Walton Beach office but filling the order in Fort Wayne, so everything was finally in order and we could high tail it up there for our noon appointment.  We were out the door in 5 minutes and arrived there at about 12:18 where the receptionist informed us that we were late!, but the tech knew the situation and was much more friendly.  We got back to Decatur at about 2:30.

After well over 100 emails and phone calls, numerous delays, and  nervous waiting periods in between each step, we finally have the new CPAP machine and it appears to be a very good one (about 3 times the $500+ cost of the one proposed by the hospital).  Last night Hank had his first good sleep in a long time!

In the meantime, Little House has been waiting for its turn in the repair bays to get needed repairs (listed below).  Monday, we got word that the warranty claim had been approved but an inspector's visit would be necessary, which we expected.  We also found out that the most important and most expensive items on the list was no longer available. Tuesday afternoon, the inspection took place, and a final approval for the work arrived on Wednesday.   Thursday afternoon, the work began. Friday morning, at 6 A.M., the RV returned to the work bay and all was completed by 2:15 P.M.... or so we thought.  Through an oversight on REV's part, they didn't install the new awning motor, so that had to be done this morning. 

The items taken care of over the last 12 days included:

• 29 point inspection
• chassis lube
• replace 2 diesel fuel filters
• manufacturer recall - replace/relocate exhaust clamp
• steering components lube
• leak sealed around patio awning and exterior slide out moldings
• locate/replace fuses for patio light and exterior lighted grab bar
• replacement of Electrical Management System control board.
• Toilet flush ball seal replaced
• Wiper seal on rear of driver's side slide out re-secured
• Front roof A/C unit's control unit replaced  (this also was the source of a Aqua-Hot problem)
• Patio awning motor replaced
• R-5000 dash unit is no longer available  (we've since found a replacement source at much lower cost)

Our extended service agreement covered $1800 of the bill.  And, we're now free to continue on to our next stop - Branson, MO.

Today is also an important day because it's our 50th wedding anniversary. Tonight we celebrated with a delicious buffet dinner at the Back 40 Junction Restaurant with our friends, Carmen and Jim, who are also here for repairs.

 



  Our life together has been blessed in so many ways, and we are grateful for each and every one.

DECATUR, IN; Playing the Waiting Game

It's been a quiet time for us as the process continues to get our repair & maintenance jobs taken care of here at the REV Visitors Center in Decatur, IN.  After doing the diagnostics on Tuesday, they had to send a claim to the extended service company, with prices of parts and hours of service needed for each item. Yesterday,  we were told the claim has been sent and received and the claim is being reviewed.  This facility does not work on weekends, so it will be Monday before we hear anything else, but then we expected these kind of delays when we got here.  The major parts needed have been ordered since the work will be done even if the warranty doesn't cover everything.

Hank has used a CPAP machine for over 20 years, and this week it died.  He's had several nights with little sleep and he's spent several hours on the phone with his doctor's office, Medicare, home test sources and durable medical equipment providers. Yesterday he received a home test kit which he used last night.  Now he waits to hear the results before his purchase of a replacement machine can be covered by Medicare.

REV is closed on weekends, so it's very quiet in the RV lot now.  There's beetween 16 and 20 motor homes here waiting for work but the lot will start filling up tomorrow with rigs coming in for appointments on Monday.  The weather has remained cool, with occasional rain during  the last 3 days. 

DECATUR, IN; Birthplace of Little House

Sunday we said farewell to Elkhart, IN after a very nice two-week stay.  We drove southeast  through Indiana farmland to Decatur, IN, about 22 miles south of Ft. Wayne.  Decatur, IN is home to one of the larger RV companies in the world - Fleetwood - as well as other RV-related industries.  Decatur is also the place where Little House was made.  We are camped at the REV Factory Service Center in the newly redone RV parking area with electric hookups. Our appointment was originally  just for some routine maintenance work and a possible recall item, but since we made the appointment several months ago, a few other needed repairs have been added to the list.  There will be more details on those in subsequent posts.

Our day started very early. We had to have Little House ready to roll by 6 A.M. and then we had to meet with the service writer and techs about our needed service.  The non-warranty work will be done as soon as possible, and the warranty items will have to be submitted to the warranty company for approval before repairs can be made.  We expect to be here at least a week as the process continues. 

We spent most of the day in the lounge where there's almost always someone to visit with.  Today we had the pleasure of meeting Bill, who is also a ham  and someone we have met through the amateur radio airwaves  but never met in person.  What a small world!  There is also a couple here from another group we belong to (Diane and John).  Friendly conversation definitely makes the hours go by faster.

Tomorrow we'll get to sleep in a little later as we wait for the next call to the work bay.

ELKHART, IN: Another Rally Ends and Life Goes On

The IRV2 Rally  officially ended last Friday evening.  There were 3 more breakfasts with coffee and donuts and one with fruit, and assorted muffins and pastries,. Daytime activities included many seminars, and tours of nearby RV plants, and there was plenty of time for daytime socialization and evening campfires.

Wednesday, we paired up with Sally and Ken. Our first stop was in Pigeon Creek, MI at Bontrager's RV Surplus to check out any parts that might tempt us, then it was on to  Shipshewana to shop at the Flea Market.  This event is held every Tuesday and Wednesday and it's huge!  We only walked through a small part of it, but found a few bargains to bring home.  We ate lunch at the 5&20 Country Kitchen, stopped at the Rise 'n Roll Bakery to enjoy samples and look longingly at the many temptations, and we explored some of the Amish farming areas as we returned to Elkhart.  That evening,  the rally provided an Elkhart County Cookout with burgers, brats, baked beans, potato salad, mac 'n cheese, chips, and cake.  The evening's entertainment was bingo with cash prizes.

Thursday, there were corn hole and Gotcha (a board game) tournaments. We didn't participate in those. The rally organized  a group dinner at the Das Duchman Essenhaus in nearby Middlebury.  There was a Classic Car Drive-In on the premises as well as Amish shops to visit, followed by a family style dinner. The delicious meal included salad, bread and apple butter, fried chicken, roast beef, dressing, noodles, gravy, corn, drinks and pie.

Friday, we visited the RV/Mobile Home Hall of Fame nearby and spent two hours looking at the assortment of vehicles from times gone by up to the present.  Friday evening, there was an an ice cream social and time for many to say farewell.

Saturday, there was a small breakfast gathering to finish up the leftover donuts and close out another great rally.  Our Raleigh friends were staying until Sunday, so Saturday evening we all went to a Perkins Restaurant along with a few of the other rally attendees.

Most of this country's RV's are manufactured in this area, as well as many of the RV components.  This week is the annual Elkhart Dealer Open House where dealers from all over can look at the new models and place their orders for next year.  RV parking areas have sprung up all over the area as each manufacturer wines and dines the dealers in hope of getting their business.  This event is not open to the general public, but it's interesting to see so many RV's in one city..

We'll be here at the Elkhart Campground until Sunday.  We're getting chores done as well as visiting some of the surrounding towns for business and pleasure. The weather has been great except for one rainy day, and now daytime highs are in the mid-80's.  Cooler weather is promised over the coming weekend.

ELKHART, IN: IRV2 International Rally

Sunday morning, we left Hopkins, MI, headed south on US 131 and ended  up at the Elkhart Campground in Elkhart, IN.  This large, full-service park has about 350 sites and they are very close to being full.  We are here for the week-long IRV2 International Rally with over 100 RV's in attendance. There will be group gatherings, large and small, daily seminars, and several meals provided.

 Sunday night was the opening and we an appetizer buffet with meatballs in barbeque sauce, mini cheese quiches, chicken sliders with condiments, cheese/tomato skewers, amd crackers and cheese. 

Monday morning there was a catered hot breafast with scrambled eggs (plain or cheesy), sausage patties, hash brown casserole, biscuits, bagels, spread, coffee and juice. Door prizes were given out and we received a $10 Walmart gift card. 

This morning there was coffee and donuts provided, and this will be the same for the next 3 mornings.  We had a free Subway lunch from one of the vendors for attending their seminar during the lunch hour. Tonight we have a catered dinner.....and the list goes on.

This is a special gathering for us as 5 of our Raleigh friends are here: Sally and Ken, Bob and Sue, and Jim.  A ham/RV acquaintance, John from New York, is here as well.  And of course, we've met lots of other people and exchanged stories.

The rest of the week promises to be fun and interesting.

Hopkins, MI: Hidden Ridge RV Resort

Thursday we drove 5 hours from St. Ignace, MI to near Hopkins, MI via I-75, US 27, MI 55, and US 131.  Our destination was the Hidden Ridge RV Resort, ,a large campground with 322 sites.  There are special areas by the pond and the lake with pull-in motor home sites, so you can enjoy the nice view.  Other back-in sites cater to fifth-wheels or trailers with rear windows.  Everything looks to be in pristine condition, and there are apparently many RV's parked here all season. We needed somewhere with a sewer and water connection to get caught up on laundry and one of our RV membership groups gave us a good discount here so this will be home for 3 days.  There is free cable and free WiFi, paved roads and concrete pads.

Tomorrow we'll finish our journey south to Elkhart, IN for the International IRV2 Rally.

ST. IGNACE, MI: We're Heading South

The past 8 days in St. Ignace has been very enjoyable.  We've explored some more areas of this part of the upper peninsula of Michigan,  as we found out how much unsettled land there is here and we've seen many beautiful  views of the Great Lakes .  The weather has been comfortably cool for the most part with only 2 days of occasional rain, and fall color is starting to appear in some of the trees.  The casino across the parking lot has enticed us to spend a few dollars while we entertained ourselves for several hours.  We've enjoyed meals with our friends, Dave and Charlotte, and spent some more time at their summer home on Lake Michigan, and we've met several interesting people here in the RV parking area.  Ham radio has kept us in touch with many friends around the USA, and we've had plenty of time to spend with our computers.

Today we'll cross the Mackinac Bridge and drive 275 miles southwest to Hopkins, MI.

ST. IGNACE, MI: Back in Familiar Territory

Today we made the short drive from Brimley, MI on the shore of Lake Superior to the Kewadin St. Igance Casino on the shore of Lake Huron.  It's time to start heading south for some scheduled rallies later in September and October, and we decided to come back here where the overnight rate is inexpensive ($15 for water and electric) and to stay here past the Labor Day Weekend road madness.  An added benefit at this location is being near our friends, Dave and Charlotte, and we'll get to spend some time with them, as well as depositing a few dollars in the casino's slot machines.  The weather forecast promises that the nice cool weather will continue as well.

When we arrived today, there were only 5 other RV's in the 15 hookup spots, but we expect that there will be a full parking lot over the holiday weekend.  A big event in this area is the annual Labor Day Walk across the Mackinac Bridge with thousands participating in the 5+ mile walk, so there will be added visitors to the area for that reason also.  We'll probably stay here until Sept. 7th or 8th.

BRIMLEY, MI: Bay Mills Casino

Last Friday, we drove 17 miles west from Sault Ste Marie to the Bay Mills Casino in Brimley, MI on Lake Superior.

 


The casino campground is across the street from the casino and has 117 sites with full hookups, free WiFi and cable TV. Although Verizon and Sprint's coverage maps showed data coverage  for the address, there is no data service from either provider there.  Verizon cell service is good.  Luckily, the campground's WiFI is better than most RV parks, with only the occasional dropout, so we didn't have to go through internet withdrawal.  We bought a package for our first night that included 2 dinner buffets, 2  breakfast buffets and $20 free play and we both received $5 free play as first time FunClub members.  The Friday night buffet included crab legs, prime rib, barbequed riibs, shrimp boil and the breakfast buffet included the usual morning items along with made to order waffles and omelets.  Both meals were very good. This casino provides free alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to gamers.

Friday night, Hank played in a Texas Hold 'Em poiker tournament and almost made it to the last table....not bad for his first casino poker experience.  We've spent our time here getting a lot of computer work done, and exploring some of the wilderness in the area as well as some casino time.  Fall colors are already appearing in some of the trees in the area. The weather has been mostly cool and sunny with a rainy day on Saturday.  Brimley is a very small town and the main attractions are the casino,  a state park and a lighthouse.

Today we're moving back south to the St. Ignace Casino RV lot  about an hour away,  and we'll stay there through the Labor Day weekend.

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI: Another Casino Campground

Monday morning, we did our departure chores in a leisurely fashion, took care of duties at the dump station, and headed north on I-75 for 40 miles to Sault Ste. Marie, MI.  We had driven through this area last year, but this time we were going to stay at the Kewadin Sault Ste. Marie Convention Center and Casino Campground (try to say that fast!) about 3 miles from the famous Soo Locks.

The campground here is larger than the one at the St. Ignace casino with 64 grassy sites of varying sizes, 30 amp power, bathhouse, dump station, free use of hotel pool and weight room for $20 per night, and is located at the rear of the casino property in a very quiet area. There's also dry camping allowed in the casino parking lot.  There are two other campgrounds in this city right on the St. Mary's River, but they also only have 30 amp power and no sewer hookups, for a higher cost due to the great views of the freighters on the river (most of the U P campgrounds do not have sewer hookups, only dump stations).  The Soo Locks are on the route that vessels travel from Lake Superior to Lake Huron, so ships of all sizes pass through this area.  Our campground site is across from the walkway to the casino and we have easy access to the main building.  The hotel/convention center/ casino building itself is a lot larger than the St. Ignace facility, with an American Indian theme throughout.

Tuesday morning, we took advantage of the 1/2 price breakfast buffet in the casino - very good.  We strolled through the casino, checking out which kind of slot machines might entice us to spend some money, and decided to put that activity off for awhile.  We wanted to see at least one Great Lakes freighter on the river, so we headed out to the riverside. You can find out which vessels are scheduled through the locks via a recorded phone message, which is updated throughout the day, emphasizing that lock times are approximate. There's also internet webcams to check on the activity. There were two big ships downboound scheduled for the 1 P.M. time frame, so we found a place to park at a boat launch area on the river to wait for the first ship to appear.  There was nice park bench under a large tree at the water's edge, with a steady breeze blowing, so it was a pleasant place to pass some time watching smaller boats and water fowl.  Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario is across the river.

 


. After two hours of waiting for the freighters, we drove the short distance to the lock area itself, and there the two ships were, waiting their turn.  The road past the locks area was close enough that we could have had a conversation with the workers on one of the boats!  We drove back east to a city park on the river to await their passing.  After waiting another hour, the first one, the American Century, was sighted.

 She's one of the larger great lake ships at 1000 feet in length and 105 wide, usually carrying iron ore pellets or coal to the Duluth, MN port and was built in 1981.

 

 As we were getting ready to leave the area, the second ship appeared.  This was the Spruceglen, a Canadian ship, 730 feet long, launched in 1983, She carries a variety of cargoes. So back to the riverside we went to get a closer look.

Our goal for the day was met and we headed back to the campground.

Yesterday it rained for several hours and we made an afternoon trip to Walmart to stock up on supplies.  Grocery stores are not on every corner in the U P, and there are very few large cities  so shopping is definitely a planned activity.

We decided to stay a 4th night so today we stopped by the hotel desk to pay the extra night's fee, and then ate at the casino's lunchtime half- price soup, salad and dessert buffet, before trying our luck in the casino.  But Lady Luck was not on our side today, and we left after donating $8.  As previously stated, we not big-time gamblers!

The cool weather continues.  Tomorrow, we're heading west to yet another casino in Brimley, MI . 

ST. IGNACE, MI: Our Stay is Over

We have thoroughly enjoyed the last 11 days in St. Ignace, MI, which is just north of the Mackinac Bridge, along the shore of Lake Huron.  Since we spent time here last year, and did a lot of the tourist activities then, this has just been a time to relax.  We found the cooler weather, at least for most of our stay.  The highlight of our time here has been the many opportunities we've had to visit with Dave and Charlotte, (ham radio/RV friends) who live about 20 miles to the west on the shore of Lake Michigan.  We shared 4 dinners in various restaurants and also enjoyed a day at their home.  Many computer chores have been done and the Olympics have provided background entertainment during the days and evenings. There were several visits to the casino and we came out about $13 ahead.

Tomorrow, we're moving north to the Sault Ste. Marie area, about an hour away. Our next stop will probably be another casino parking lot and we'll decide where we want to go from there.

ST. IGNACE, MI: Casino Camping

We're at the Kewadin St. Ignace Casino RV Park.  This is our second time to stay at a casino campground.  The first was at Little River Casino in Manistee, MI last year. (picture below)

 






That was a more formal campground with full hookups, concrete sites, WiFi, camping host, cable TV, bath house,  etc and a higher price.  Our current location is a little less glamorous, but very functional.  There are 21 water/electric sites around two side of a parking lot, with the RV's parked on gravel and fairly close together. There's a dump station and potable water available, and security makes rounds but there's no bath house. The cost is only $15 per night, and there's plenty of room to boondock if the sites are full, or you just want to park free. At St. Ignace, you pick your site when you arrive then go to the hotel to pay' Both experiences have been good with plenty of in and out traffic to provide entertainment, and still within walking distance to the casino.  Most casinos with paid RV parking also allow you to use the hotel pool.

When we arrived, the 50 amp leg was not working on our pedestal. With the cool weather, we can easily get buy with 30 amp, but we reported the problem and the maintenance crew was pretty quick to respond.  Unfortunately, the pedestal needs a new breaker so it won't be fixed until at least Monday, but it's not big issue.

If you've been to more than one casino in places other than Las Vegas or Atlantic City, you know they are very similar once you get into the gaming area. There are usually several different eating venues on the exterior walls,  and most have one buffet option.  A few even have non-smoking sections now, and the inside temperature is usually on the cool side.  Many provide free non-alcoholic drinks in the gaming area and some have frequent live entertainment (extra cost).  We are not big gamblers, but we enjoy playing the penny slots for as long as a couple of dollars will last - anywhere from 5 minutes to a few hours!

The weather has been a little damp the last couple of days, but sunshine is trying to make a comeback.  Most important is the fact that the daytime temperatures should be staying at 80 or below for the next couple of weeks in this area, and they will be a little cooler further north.  We still haven't decided when we're leaving here, but we still plan to head north at some point  to enjoy that cooler environment.

ST. IGNACE, MI: Our Cool Weather Search Continues

We enjoyed our week at Whispering Pines RV Resort in Mancelona, MI, but the hot weather returned after our two days of relief.   On Monday, we drove to Traverse City for a drug store run and enjoyed lunch at Chili's.  Traverse City was full of summer visitors enjoying many water activities in and along Lake Michigan, and they were very happy to have the hot weather return.

Today, we were up early and got Little House ready to move in fairly short order.  We headed east to I-75 and then north toward St. Ignace and the upper peninsula of Michigan. It always seems to be a slow trip over the Mackinac Bridge because there's always construction and mostly one lane traffic in each direction.  That just gives you more time to enjoy the views  of Lake Michigan on one side and Lake Huron on the other. You must pay the toll on the northern end which slows traffic as well. Our toll was $14. We arrived at the Kewadin Casino on the shore of Lake Huron about 11:30, and selected our space in the  RV parking area (15 hookup sites and extra room for boondockers).  For $15 per night, we get  water and electric hookups on a gravel site.   After paying our fee in the hotel, we met Dave and Charlotte, ham radio/RV friends for lunch at the 1/2 price soup, salad and dessert buffet in the casino (Thursday is Seniors Day). Dave and Charlotte have a summer home about 10 miles from St. Ignace.  It's always a good day when you meet up with friends on the road.

We'll be here at least 5 nights, but haven't decided where we might go after that,  except we aren't going back south for a while. This evening, some much needed rain is falling.  We've found the cooler weather once again, , and we should be able to enjoy it for at least the next two weeks....maybe longer.

MANCELONA, MI: Finally, Cool Weather

Thursday, we left Celina, OH about 8 A.M for the 8 hour trip to Whispering Pines RV Resort in Mancelona, MI.  Last summer, we spent a week at Whispering Pines and knew it was a great campground.  It's a full-service park just outside of town, on  24 acres of rolling grassy areas with full hookups, free WiFi, and many available activites, yet Here are pictures -  http://www.wprvresort.com/photo%20gallery.htm
It was 92 when we arrived, but the cool air arrived by Friday morning, and today (Saturday) we have the A/C off and the windows open to let the cool breeze blow through.  So we'll get a few days of respite from the heat and by the time it starts warming up, we'll be ready to move further north.

Mancelona is a small town with no big box stores, so yesterday we drove to Gaylord, about 20 miles to the northeast, for a Walmart stock up visit.  We'll do some more exploring while we're here, including a return visit to the Traverse City area, the largest producer of tart cherries in the USA. Most of our time will be spent relaxing and enjoying the beauty, and cooler temperatures, of our quiet surroundings.

CELINA, OHIO: Hot Weather Woes

Our stay at the FMCA campground in Cincinnati was enjoyable except for one outcome of the hot weather.  On Friday, the heavy load on the available power  was so high that our site's voltage kept dropping below the safe limits.  This meant our systems were going off as they were meant to in order to prevent damage which resulted in no air conditioning among other things.  Another call was made to the FMCA office with no promise of a fix.  We moved to the overflow section where we were the first one on the power grid where there would be less loss in the wiring, and voila!....all was well.  This meant no water or sewer hookup but that wouldn't be a problem for a few more days.

Saturday, the front A/C unit starting making unusual sounds.  After two trips to the roof and other testing, Hank determined that the bearings in the unit's fan motor were binding and screeching.  He tried to lube the shaft but it did not help.  He the searched the internet for a replacement motor, but could not find one and decided that in any event dismantling the unit to replace the motor was so complex that it would be better to leave the repair to a professional.    He also remembered that a top-notch repair facility was northwest of us in Celina, OH - Cruising America RV Service, not far off our planned route north. Even though it was after the posted business hours, he placed a call intending to leave a message, but the owner, Kevin Mallory, answered, asked for information, and said to arrive on Tuesday (yesterday).

Sunday evening,we met Hank's cousin, John Mueller, and his wife, Jane for dinner at Red Lobster.  After dinner, we had a nice visit inside Little House.  They had never seen the inside of an RV and were curious about our lifestyle.

Yesterday, we arrived in Celina at 11 A.M., Kevin checked out the situation, and ordered the motor.  We plugged into a 50 amp circuit and spent the night in relative comfort.   This morning, the motor arrived, and Little House was moved inside a work bay for the repairs which were finished around noon. We decided to stay here another night and get an early start tomorrow.  Hank also bought some LED lights and replaced many of the hotter-burning bulbs inside the coach.

 Next stop - Mancelona, Michigan.

SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY TO CINCINNATI, OH

We arrived at the South Louisville KOA in Shepherdsville, Ky on Friday, July 22.  Selene's nephew, Scott, passed away on July 21 after a long battle with cancer, and we wanted to be with the family.  The funeral home visitation was on Saturday.  As usual, this type of occasion also included seeing family members and acquaintances that we hadn't seen in a long time.  

Yesterday, we pointed Little House northeast and drove to the FMCA Campground in Cincinnati, OH.  Members receive two free nights of camping and  up to 5 additional nights are available for $20 per night. We've decided to stay here until August 2nd.  After yesterday's heavy thunderstorms, the weather has cooled down a little so the temperatures will be in the 80's over the next week.....not as cool as we'd like, but okay for now.  When we leave here, we plan to head to Michigan for the rest of the summer.

GRAYSON, KY: Change in Plans

We had a great time in Raleigh, NC over the last couple of weeks seeing many old friends and getting various chores taken care of.  Our plan was to go to the NC Mountains yesterday to escape some of the heat and humidity.
However, on Wednesday we received word that Selene's nephew had passed away after battling cancer for several years.  So yesterday morning we hit the highway about 10 A.M. headed for Kentucky to be with the family.  After 8 hours on the road, we made it to Grayson, Ky and the Valley Breeze  Campground..  This is a very small park in the rear of a home, but it had just what we needed - a  long and level pull-thru site with full hookups - where we could rest up before continuing our journey. 

Yesterday's journey was all interstate driving as we traveled through the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia.  Today's trek should easier as we make our way to Shepherdsville, Ky where we'll park Little House over the weekend. Our search for cooler weather will just have to wait a little while longer.

FLORIDA TO NORTH CAROLINA

It's been a busy week and a half.  Our last post was from east of Jacksonville, FL.  On Friday, July 1, we celebrated our grandson's wedding (he's the son of our oldest daughter, Kathy, from Alabama).  The bride's family is from the Jacksonville area. What a great day!  There was brunch in the morning at the home of daughter, Karen, then we went to  the church for the nuptials, followed by a reception, followed by an after-wedding party at a local bistro.  Here's a picture of the happy couple, Matthew and Hope.




Since it was a holiday weekend, our family stayed around to spend time in and around Karen's pool and just enjoy being together. The group included  4 of our 5 children, and  8 of 11 grandchildren as well as a niece and her daughter from Louisville, Ky.  Some left on Monday and the rest of us headed north on Tuesday, July 5.

We traveled northeast to the Norman Lake area of North Carolina, since we were giving our son, Mike, and his girl friend, Hailee, a ride back to Cornelius, NC.  After 8 hours, we arrived in Sherrills Ford, NC and got Little House set up at the Cross Country Campground. This large campground is on the west side of Lake Norman, and we had a pull-thru in the front of the park.  Then it was time for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant before taking the young people to Cornelius on the east side of Lake Norman.  We returned to Little House for a welcome night's sleep.

Wednesday, July 6, was a day to catch our breath and enjoy the companionship of another ham radio/RV couple - Bill and Nancy, who lived close by.  We spent the day visiting, doing some sightseeing, then going to their house for a delicious dinner. Meeting up with friends on the road is always a good time.

After a leisurely morning on Thursday, we got the big rig moving once again for the 2 1/2 hour drive to Raleigh and the NC State Fairgrounds campground behind the Hunt Horse Complex.  The next week or so will be spent taking care of various chores and visiting with the many friends in the area that we left behind when we started our full time RV lifestyle. 

JACKSONVILLE, FL: Celebration Time!!

Yesterday, we had a relaxing drive from Milledgeville, GA to Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park just south of Mayport, Fl, mostly on non-interstate roads.  We've stayed at this park many times since it's a short drive from our daughter's house in Neptune Beach.   The park includes a very large,  gated campground set in a tropical forest, so care is needed to move around on the narrow roads and to back into some of the sites.  We love the natural state of this park and it's always  a quiet refuge from the busy world around it. 

There are sites for any size RV...just choose carefully. This is a typical RV site in the park.



There are also cabins for rent. Because of the wooded environment, satellite TV is usually not an option, but many TV stations are available with the rooftop antenna. 

We're in this area to attend our grandson's wedding on Friday, and then we'll enjoy family time over the holiday weekend before heading north on July 5th. 

MILLEDGEVILLE, GA: Time to Head Further South

The weather has continued to be hot and humid in central Georgia over the last week.  During the last few afternoons, there's been thunderstorms with heavy rain, so at least that has helped to cool things down a little for a short time.

Tomorrow, we'll get the wheels turning again and drive to Kathryn Hanna Park in Atlantic Beach, Fl.  Our family will be gathering for our grandson's wedding on July 1st,  so we'll have even more reasons to celebrate over the holiday weekend.

MILLEDGEVILLE, GA: Nice Place to Visit

Milledgeville, GA is an interesting place to be, but summers are definitely hot here!

After a 4 hours trip from Hiawassee, GA in the mountains, we arrived at the Scenic Mountain RV Park in central Georgia on Wednesday, June 15. We're about 35 miles northeast of Macon just south of Lake Sinclair.  Milledgeville has played an important role in Georgia's history, and has been the location of the state capital twice.  There are still many beautiful antebellum buildings throughout the town..  Georgia College takes up a large part of the center of town and the Georgia Military School is also there.   http://www.visitmilledgeville.org/

Scenic Mountain RV Park is in a nice hillside setting just outside of town, with good hookups, mostly level sites (some shaded), a pool, clubhouse, 6 fishing ponds, free TV hookup, iffy free Wi-Fi and friendly personnel. 

With daytime temperatures nearing 100,  we're spending most of our time indoors, with a few trips out to explore the surrounding area.  We'll be here until June 29, when we'll travel further south to northeastern Florida.

HIAWASSEE, GA: A Wonderful Stay

Our stay in the mountains was wonderful although the weather was not as cool as we hoped.  The first 5 days, there were afternoon showers, but the next 8 days were very warm and dry with temperatures rising to near 90.  But there was often a breeze which helped keep us a little cooler.

Seven other couples from either the Metter  Roadrunners or the RV Radio Network joined us, most for at least 5 days, some stayed longer.  Another couple joined the group for dinner one night.  Most days, we had Happy Hour at 4 P.M.  We had a group dinner last Thursday with fried catfish and hush puppies provided by the campground, and side dishes and desserts provided by the group. With no other group activities planned, there was plenty of time for socializing or seeing the 'sights'.


These pictures were taken the on June 2nd, before the group arrived. We were on site H3 with the Hiawassee River behind us.

The view to our right

The view to our left.

The Hiawassee River, very shallow, but full of bass, catfish and trout.  Also used for tubing.

The back of Little House with the ham antenna extended

On June 9th, we took new friends, Mike and Darcy, with us and drove about 12 miles to Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia - 4784 ft.  Our Senior National Park Pass covered our admission. The road to the parking lot was very steep.  There was a General Store and Gift Shop at that point.  To get to the top of the mountain, you can either hike a paved, very steep path through the woods, or take a shuttle for $2 per person.  We took the shuttle up  another very steep road to the summit where there's a 360 degree observation tower, a visitor center and ranger station. Needless to say, the views were awesome!

Down below is where we parked the car.

The shuttle brought us to the bottom of this ramp.

Lake Chatuge has many coves and miles of lake shore.

On top of the world with Mike & Darcy

The ranger station is on the top of the observation point - no public access.

 Today, the afternoon showers have returned. Hank has already done most of the outside departure chores since there is more rain possible in the morning.  Tomorrow we'll pull up the jacks, and get Little House moving once again as we travel further south in Georgia to Milledgeville, the eleventh and thirteenth capital of Georgia. (Atlanta is the 14th).

HIAWASSEE, GA: Back in the Mountains

On Tuesday, May 31, we drove from Jemison, AL to Riverbend Campground near Hiawassee, GA in the northern Georgia mountains.  The trip was uneventful other than the usual stop and go getting through downtown Atlanta on I-85/I-75 and the usual heavy traffic in the Atlanta area.  North of  Atlanta, the terrain quickly turned hilly and soon we were winding our way up and down the Blue Ridge foothills.  Riverbend Campground is in a beautiful setting about 15 miles north of Helen, GA and just south of the southwestern North Carolina state line.  Our site backs up to the Hiawassee River which has plenty of trout, bass and other fish in it..

The campground offers level gravel sites, full hookups, free cable TV and decent WiFi.  The facilities are well-kept and the workers are friendly.  The town of Hiawassee is about 10 minutes  away and the area is surrounded by parts of scenic Lake Chatuge.

During our stay we'll be joined here by other members of the Metter Road Runners and the RV Radio Network.  We'll be here until at least June 15 enjoying our friends and exploring the area.

JEMISON, AL: May 26-31

After a great time visiting with family in the Louisville area last week from May 23-25. we enjoyed more family time in central Alabama over the Memorial Day weekend.  Our family gathered to celebrate our grandchildren's accomplishments  - 2 college graduates, 1 high school graduate and 2 8th-grade graduates and there were several birthdays to celebrate among the group. Included in our festivities were 4 our of 5 children including those from Athens, AL and Neptune Beach, FL, 10 of our grandchildren, and some extended family members from the area as well. 

Sunday afternoon, we were entertained at the Margarita Grill in nearby Hoover, AL by grandson Steven.

He was joined on stage by Hank's brother, Rick. from time to time.

A few other family members also took their turn on stage, and it goes without saying that a good time was had by all!

Memorial Day was a quiet one as the out-of-town family members returned to their homes.  We enjoyed lunch with daughter Debbie and her husband, Robert, Joining us was a co-worker of Debbie's, Kim and her husband Randy, who are just starting their full-time RV lifestyle.  That was followed by a good supper visit with daughter Kathy and her husband, John.

Today we're getting the wheels on Little House moving once again and  traveling to Hiawassee, Georgia.

SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY: Family Time

Yesterday, we moved from Brookville, OH to Grandma's RV Park in Shepherdsville, KY. This is a convenient place to stay while we visit with family and maybe an old friend or two.  Louisville is our home town where we lived until 1983. and we'll be here until Thursday morning when we'll head further south for another family gathering in central Alabama.

BROOKVILLE, OH: A Look Back at 2016 Hamvention

We arrived in Brookville on Thursday evening.  Part of the next 3 days were spent at the 2016 Hamvention at Hara Arena - the largest ham radio event in the world.  Around 25,000 people attend, some all 3 days, to see almost anything that has to do with the amateur radio hobby, sit in on seminars, take license tests, and meet up with old and new friends.  The Hara facility including the arena, attached buildings and meeting rooms is old and showing it's age, but the people keep coming from all over the world. Last year 57 countries were represented..  Outside there is a 2500 space flea market where you can find almost anything you can think of.  Your admission ticket gives you the opportunity to win a prize - over $65,000 in prizes are given away.  We've been attending this event for at least 10 out of the last 11 years and look forward to returning in 2017.