APRIL 16 - APRIL 25 : NC to MI

Thursday, April 16:: For many months, we've had a problem with low-voltage on our chassis batteries. Hank checked everything he could as we continued to travel,  but the problem kept cropping up. Lately, it's been difficult getting the motor to start up. Near the end of our stay in NC, the motor started when tested. However, when it was time to leave The Matthews Campground,  the motor would not start, again due to low-voltage.  Thanks to the campground owner, we got a battery boost and were able to go on our way.

Thursday night, we stayed in the Cracker Barrel parking lot in Beckley, WV.


 Many Cracker Barrels have RVparking spots, but they aren't long enough for us to stay hooked up, so we don't overnight in them very often.  However, with the Coronavirus limiting their service to carry-out, now their parking lots are practically empty. This location welcomed us warmly and said to park wherever we needed to. We thanked the manager and staff by ordering dinner.

Friday, April 17: The RV motor  wouldn't start.  Hank fired up the generator and was able to start the motor during a power peak.   At that point, we decided to make a slight detour in our route and head to Celina, OH and Cruising America RV Service - our favorite repair facility.  The owner, Kevin Mallory, is a former engineer with Fleetwood and American Coach and has helped us several times in the past.  Kevin told us to come whenever we could get there, and he would  have a place for us   with electric hookup until he could work us in mid-week.  The 6-hour trip went well with one fuel stop as the  weather turned colder and rainy. We arrived in Celina shortly after 5 P.M., talked briefly with Kevin and settled into a spot for at least the next 5 days.

Wednesday April 22, Kevin's helpers (two grandsons) removed two decorative window valences so Hank could restring the day-night shade, a common problem with these shades. Hank had restrung at least one small one before.  The batteries were checked, and faulty connections were found, probably dating back to work we had done in Michigan last fall.  The connection repair was scheduled for Thursday.

Thursday,April 23: The repaired window shades with the valences were reinstalled.  The battery connection repair was completed, and the engine fired right up as it should. We decided to stay one more night to get ready to travel on Friday.

Friday, April 24: We left Celina, OH at 8:50 A.M. on Friday and traveled  in dense fog for the first hour or so. Again, traffic was light and our 6 hour journey to Michigan, including a lunch stop and fuel stop, was uneventful.

Now it is time to self-quarantine for the next 2 weeks other than doing drive-up grocery pickups. .  We're looking forward to warmer weather and an enjoyable summer.

March 19 - April 15: The Matthews Campground, Raleigh, NC

Sunday, March 19, we traveled from Concord, NC to The Matthews Campground in south Raleigh, NC for a month's stay. This campground has 11 full hook-up sites on gravel pads in a wooded setting, but no other amenities.  The Matthews are also owners of Capital City Customs, Inc. which does custom RV renovations.

We come back to Raleigh each spring for medical checkups, to help with the Raleigh hamfest, and to visit with the many friends we left behind when we started fulltiming.  The Coronavirus pandemic cancelled most of those plans shortly after we arrived, so the last month we have stayed to ourselves. Hank had an eye doctor visit right after we arrived, resulting in new eyeglass lenses, We used a drug store drive thru for RX service and ordered grocery items to be picked up with out having to go in the stores.  We decided to forego our medical checkups since we're not having any health issues. Our time was well spent  with our computer activities, TV and reading.

There was severe weather during our stay with an extended period of high winds, including a 63 MPH gust, and several tornado warnings in the surrounding area.  Listening to all the tree debris hitting the roof was not a comfortable situation, but luckily it appears we came through it okay.  There were some big branches down around  the campground but none fell on campers, and a large pine tree fell across the access road during the worst storm. The owner and his son promptly took care of cleaning up the campground when the rains stopped.

A couple of weeks ago, we found out we would have to leave here as scheduled on April 16 as our campsite had been previously reserved by someone else for that date.  Most campgrounds in this part of NC were full or closed, so we had to find somewhere to go until time for our summer campgournd job in Michigan in early May.

After speaking with our summer boss about the situation, he assured us he still needed us for the summer, and after hearing of our situation, he invited us to come to Michigan whenever we needed to do so.  Tomorrow, April 16, we'll be leaving Raleigh to start our 4 day journey to Silver Lake, MI.

MARCH 10 - MARCH 18: Travel and Hamfest

Tuesday, March 10: We left Travelers Rest to start our journey north driving on I-75, Hwy. 301, and I-95 before arriving at the Walmart in Pooler, GA for the night.

Wednesday, March 11: The route we took was I-95 to I-26, then north on I-77 to the Cabela's store in Fort Mill, SC where we apent the night.

Thursday-Saturday: We finished our trek to the Cabarrus Arena in Concord, NC for a 4 night stay in the rear parking lot where there were RV hookups. Friday morning, we had a nice visit with our youngest son, Mike, in nearby Huntersville.  The Charlotte Hamfest was held on Friday and Saturday.  With the Coronavirus reports intensifying, the hamfest attendance was much smaller than normal, but those that came were in a buying mood, so vendors were happy overall. Friday night we enjoyed a nice dinner with Chuck and Alan, two good friends from Raleigh, NC.

January 4 - March 9: Travelers Rest Resort

After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it was time to head toward Florida on January 2.  We said good-by to Minooka Park near Jemison, AL, and made an overnight stop at Ingram's Marina on Lake Talquin near Quincy, FL It's a basic campground with the main attraction being the lake. They offer camping and cabin rental.

 

January 3, we finished our journey to Travelers Rest Resort, near Dade City, FL and settled in for our long stay.. (There's plenty of pictures on their website)  We were parked in the RV South area this year.



We wasted no time in making our reservatons for 2021, since sites  go quickly even a year in advance. We visited with friends, including the ham radio club, and enjoyed  the flea markets, Sunday night ice cream and  entertainment, on site Snack Shack, line dancing (Selene), the great library, and  post office service. Walking was our preferred mode of getting around.

We took a one-day trip to Orlando for Hamcation, the second largest hamfest in the USA, and saw even more friends there.  We made other excurstions to meet up with nearby friends as well - Kim & Randy, Dee & Ji,m and Charlotte and Dave.  We also took part in the TR blood drive and  attended a CPR class. The park is out in the country, so it was great to have fresh vegetables on site 3 days a week frm Glavish Produce, and several food trucks visited frequently.  These activities were only a few  of the many options available at TR!

Our ongoing water pump issues were solved with the purchase of a new pump, and having it installed by a mobile RV tech.

This was our longest stay in the 4 years we've been coming to TR and next year we plan to stay a little longer.  It's always too soon to say good-bye when we have to leave.

NOVEMBER 6, 2019 - JANUARY 2, 2020: Catching Up!

I haven't posted anythng new since early November so I thought it was time to at least show that we're still alive and kicking.

When our Farm Fun workamping job at Poppell Farms in Odum, GA ended on November 5, we were ready to start moving northwest for two months of family visits and relaxation.  Our jobs at the farm were enjoyable and we worked with good people.

November 6-7, we spent time at Southern Trails RV Resort in Unadilla, GA, where we've stayed many times. It's not a fancy place, but adequate for our needs. While there, we met up with Janice & George who live in nearby Warner Robbins (ham radio/RV club friends).

November 8, we drove to Opelika, AL to have lunch with Hal, another ham radio/RV club friend. Our lunchtime stay turned into an overnight one as we blew a rear tire when hitting the curb going into a shopping center.  Coach-Net, our roadside assistance plan, had a hard time finding the right size tire in the area,  but they succeeded and a mobile tech took care of that problem on Saturday morning, November 9.  (We had planned on replacing our rear tires when we got to Florida in 2020, but the blowout changed our plans on that item)

The rest of November 9 and November 10 was spent traveling to the Lewisburg, TN  Walmart for an overnight stay then on to  Grandma's RV Camping in  Shepherdsville, KY for a week's stay while visiting family in the Lousivlle area (our old home town).

On Monday, November 18, we had 3 more new rear tires put on Little House before hitting the road once again, this time southbound.  We overnighted again at the Lewisburg, TN Walmart, then drove to Minooka Park near Jemison, AL, where we were to stay until Jan. 2, 2020.

We've stayed at the Minooka Park campground many times while we visit the family we left behind when we left Alabama in 2000. This visit was to be quite different. There are major improvements and additions being made to the campground, and our site was next to the new sewer lines that were being installed.. This made for an interesting couple of days as the very large bulldozers, excavators, compactors and rock removing equipment worked within 5 feet of us. We chose to stay in that site, and although it was noisy at times, it was also entertaining!  The closest work only lasted a few days, so most of our stay was much quieter.

Two of our daughters live near Minooka. Thanksgiving found us with 4 of our 5 children, including the ones from Athens, AL and Neptune Beach, FL. The Christmas/New Year period had all 5 of our chidren togther for a short time which doesn't happen very often. With our five children, their spouses and children, in-laws and friends, our end-of-year holidays are full of hugs, laughter and food while a good time is had by all!



However, holiday visits always come to an end, and so January 2, 2020 found us once again pulling up the jacks and getting the wheels on Little House moving south for the rest of the winter. 2019 was another intesting year in the fulltime RV lifestyle as we had new experiences and met many memorable people.

SEPTEMBER 24 - NOVEMBER 2: Poppell Farms, Odam, GA

We arrived at Poppell Farms on the afternoon of September 24 after a 2-day drive from Huntsville, AL for our 3rd workamping job.  Although we hate driving near Atlanta, saving time was important and going by Atlanta was the quickest way to get to Odum, GA. We took the I-285 bypass around the west side about 4 P.M. and luck was on our side as  we only had a short slowdown near I- 75 and again when we started on to I-75 southbound.

Poppell Farms is  a family-owned working farm in southeast Georgia, just outside of Odum, and about  75 miles southwest of Savannah.  In the spring and summer, vegetables of all kinds are grown and sold.  On August 1, set-up began for the 19th annual Fun Farm, which started on September 28,  2019.



Fun Farm is an Agri-Tourism event with a lot of family activities including the following -
 a corn maze
 hayrides to the pumpkin patch
 a large playground with jumping pillows
 a petting farm that included a very large cow, several ponies, 2 donkeys, rabbits, a llama,  and many goats, chickens and  pheasants
basketball
cornhole
a cow train
a fish pond
duck races
hay maze
pumpkins of all sizes for sale

There are 10 very large tents with tables and benches to provide seating in the shade, and  a place to enjoy lunch or a snack.

Lots photos here: https://www.poppellfarms.com/

Our arrival at Poppell Farms was memorable to say the least. When we arrived, the only place we could find to get off the road was in a large parking area across the road from the farm center.  Unknown to us, it was freshly graded sandy soil that had lots of moisture on it, so we quickly became bogged down.  After meeting Mr. Poppell, he said he'd have no trouble getting us back on the road using one of his large tractors to tow us backwards and that is what he did. He then took us to our parking area with full hookups in a grove of trees, where 3 of the  other workampers were set up.  (The backward tractor tow resulted in a bent drop hitch adapter, so we got a replacement during our stay)

The next 3 days, we helped with final preparations for the Farm Fun event   Daytime highs were near 100 degrees with high humidity, and we soon found out the importance of drinking lots of water and taking frequent breaks, which the owners  encouraged us to do. The farm workers had started setting up for this event on August 1st, but now it was crunch time to get everything done for the opening.  Hank's work started on Wednesday, which included moving lots of large bales of hay and various other heavy items.  I didn't start working until Thursday afternoon, helping to sort and fold hundreds of t-shirts, and that job was in the A/C cooled gift shop.  Friday, the ladies were assigned  to various clean-up tasks on the grounds. With the heat, we  were both worn out by the end of those work days.

Saturday, September 28 was the official beginning of Farm Fun and the work week included all 7 days.  Hank was assigned to one of the concession stands as a grill and fryer cook in a screened kitchen area. There were 3 large fans for air movement, but with the very high temperatures, it was a hot, although not too strenuous, job.  My job on weekends was to drive a golf cart in the parking lot to transport those who might need some help on getting to the ticket office - elderly, disabled, moms-to be, or families without strollers who had young children.  During the week, I worked in the gift shop handling sales, answering phone calls, and keeping things neat. Compared to the set-up work, our jobs were easily learned and easy to handle.

Monday through Friday, we were open for pre-arranged field trips from schools, day care facilities and special needs programs from 9 A.M. to 1:30 P.M with reduced admission charges. Often there were over 300 children scheduled to attend, and many were accompanied by parents, young siblings,  and grandparents. Each group was assigned to a large tent and many brought lunches with them for the children. The concession stand and gift shop was usually busy.

 Fun Farm was open to the public on Saturdays from 10 to 5, and on Sundays from 12 - 5. The weekend events attracted thousands of people, many driving several hours to get there.  On a few weekends there were also nighttime activities including a Haunted Trail that was run by a youth group as a fund-raiser, but we never worked at the evening events.

The weather remained very warm until the last week.  We had to cancel  events on two weekdays and one Saturday due to heavy rainfall, but we were spared any damage from Tropical Storm Nestor. (The owner said 2 years ago, they had to dismantle the big tents 4 times because of predicted hurricanes). Fall temperatures have finally come to our location, and we like that instead of  the extreme heat . There's even a little bit of fall color showing in some of the hardwoods.

Besides our daily work details during our stay, Hank corrected a water bay leak problem with the help of another workamper, and replaced our tow hitch and two of the Tire Pressure Monitoring System sensors. We made weekly trips to Jesup, GA about 10 miles from the farm, to get groceries and enjoy a dinner out.  Odum only has about 500 residents with one gas station, a small restaurant, liquor store a very small laundromat, post office, city hall, and volunteer fire department.

Our last work day is Tuesday, November 5, and we plan to leave here on Wednesday, November 6 to start our journey to the Louisville, KY area to visit with family and friends.  Overall, we enjoyed our latest workamping adventure.  We were treated well by the owners, and our fellow workampers quickly became friends as well as co-workers.  Our work situation included hourly wages and a free camping spot with full hookups.  This past week, the Poppells treated us to a delicious farewll dinner at Reedy Creek Restaurant, near Odum, as a thank-you for our efforts.

SEPTEMBER 22 - 24: Celebration Time, Then On the Road Again

Sunday, September 24 found us with our 5 children for the celebration of our oldest son's marriage.  Hank's brother and his wife were also there from Virginia. It's rare that we're all in the same place at the same time, and our family time is always special whether for a few days or a few hours.

David and Heather were married in a beautiful setting at Chapel on the Mountain in Huntsville, AL. The ceremony was outdoors by a waterfall.


Our son, David, and our new daughter-in-law.

A reception followed indoors, then 18 of us went out to eat a late dinner at Carrabba's.  Too soon it was time to for hugs and good-byes  until the next time we could be together.


During the summer, we had applied for a workamping position in Odum, GA for the month of October.  We were notified that we didn't get the job, but were asked to be kept on the "interested" list, which we agreed to.  As we were driving from Wisconsin to Huntsville, we got a call from Odum informing us that a couple had to withdraw due to illness and asking us to fill in.. Because we were already going to be in the south, we agreed to head to Odum after leaving Huntsville.  So the plans we had originally made for after the wedding were changed and new plans were made, which meant arriving in Odum on Sept. 24. (Our travel plans are always written in pencil!).  It was going to be nice putting a few more dollars in the bank, while facing the challenges of working at a farm festival in the southern summer heat that was lasting well into fall. Life had new adventures in store for us once again!