Sunny and 75

Judy and I woke up to very chilly 25’ Thursday morning and the prospects of an even colder 23’ Friday morning our scheduled travel day. Neither of us looked forward to that.  So after a short 30 second discussion we made the decision to head south after Thanksgiving Dinner with her sister and her family. After getting our morning routine out of the way we got the RV ready to travel.  Of course I had all of the outside task and Judy took care of getting the inside ready, in the warmth of the RV.  Once the Cardinal was hitched to the truck I stopped by the dump station and we left the park. I parked the truck and RV in a church parking lot near her sister’s home. We drove the CRV over to her sister’s home.

We enjoyed a very good Thanksgiving dinner with Sheila and her family and Mike, Judy’s brother and his son.  We were very grateful for being able to join them for the holiday. The meal was soo good.

That is Judy’s extremely full plate!!

Judy and I left at 2:15 PM. We knew we would not drive straight through and planned to stop along the way.  The traffic was very light on I75S. Judy and I pulled into a rest area just south of Gainesville, FL. at 7:45PM. It had a few RVs and big rigs already parked. We slept in the Cardinal until 3:00 AM and left for the remaining 180 miles of the 420 mile trip

.

I pulled into Adelaide Shores RV Park in Avon Park at 7:20. The office was closed so we went to our RV site and set-up. While we were getting settled some of out friends stopped by to see us and invite us to that evening’s card game. We just relaxed the rest of the day until it was time to play cards.  I think we are going to get use to this “Sunny and 75” weather.

First Card night at Adelaide Shores !

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: Wed.

Cleared for Travel

Judy and I had our last scheduled Doctor appointments Tuesday, our annual physicals and I also had to visit my urologist. I must give Dr. V. (that is what patients call him because we can’t pronounce his Russian name without great difficulty) a “shoutout” because he rescheduled my Dec, 4th appointment so I could keep my travel plans intact. I did feel a bit guilty when I arrived at his office and not one car was in the patient parking lot. In general I don’t use this blog for political speech but I must say that Obamacare is going to ruin the best health care system in the world. How do I know, some may ask.  I lived under National Health Care when I lived in England, and it is not pretty.  Sounds good but it is not good in reality. I love my Dr’s., and hope I do get to keep my doctors like the President said, I am sure he would not lie about that. That is all I have to say about that.

The weather is very wet and it is getting colder each day. By tonight the temps will be in the low 20’s and the rain will be clearing out. I have been surprised at the increase in campers here at the park. Two Rvs pulled in last night after 9:00PM and set up in the dark and rain. These are not just over nighters, must be here for the holidays. 
Judy and I are looking forward to having Thanksgiving with her sister and family. Sheila always has a “Thanksgiving” dinner to “write home about”! 
Judy and I thought about getting on the road Thurs. afternoon but we would only have a couple of hours of daylight and I don’t like to pull the Cardinal after dark.  So a cold and early departure Friday will most likely be the plan.  I will make an overnight stop possibly in Chiefland, FL. or maybe near Lake City.

Oh, I almost forgot, we received an email from a prospective workamper employer yesterday. The job will take us to the Madras, Oregon area. More on this if it firms up.

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.
Next Blog: After we arrive at Avon Park, FL.

Movie Day - " Catching Fire"

Judy and I are just marking time until we head south on Friday. We both have a couple of more doctor appointments over the next few days.  I have one in Macon and another one in Milledgeville on Tue. She only has one more on Tue.  We are looking forward to being with family for Thanksgiving. 

Friday we had a movie day with Judy's sister and John Mark our nephew.  We went to the early IMAX showing of "Catching Fire", the second movie of the Hunger Games trilogy. I enjoyed the first movie so much that I added the three books to my kindle so I could read them before the other movies came out, I think reading the books contributed in my enjoyment of the movie . I also recommend watching "The Hunger Games " movie again before seeing "Catching Fire". The movie was AWESOME.  I am ready for the final installment but I am going to have to wait until it is released.

Catching Fire Trailer    

Today we have been lazing around watching college football all day and have no plans for anything else.  Tonight winter temps are going to be creeping into the area. I am not a big fan of  temps in the thirties.

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.
Next Blog: Wed

Week one at Lake Tobesofkee- Macon, Ga

Judy and I have been here at Claystone CG on Lake Tobesofkee near Macon, GA. for a week.  The park is located near I75 & I475 and is a good stop over for campers headed to or from Florida traveling I75.  Judy and I are using it as our base for two weeks as we get our annual Doctor appointments in and seeing family before heading to Adelaide Shores RV Resort the 29th of November. There are only three other RVs here. The facilities are adequate and include paved pads, seven or eight sites with sewer. 
Site # 12

I have made some friends, they follow me when I walk, glad they aren’t buzzards!

Truck repairs – replaced Fuel Pump (warranty), fuel filter and injector service ($435.00) 

 

I dropped by my favorite coffee hangout while in Milledgeville after a Doctor appointment. I was happy that the barista “still knows my name.”

 

This week we tried Steak N Shake based on Mike and Terry's recommendation, MMM.
 

 



Welcome new followers, Neil and Nancy, and Tex and Susan.

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.
Next Blog: Sunday

A Little Further South

Lake Tobesofkee, Claystone CG, Macon, Georgia

After a three days stay near Eatonton, GA. at my sister and brother In-law’s home we have moved 55 miles South to Lake Tobesofkee.  We had a great time visiting with them. On Thurs. night we had the kind ox excitement we could have done without. We were driving back to their home when a BIG Buck ran out in front of my Brother In-Laws car. Yep we hit it. We could have done without that.
It could have been worse!



Friday AM Judy and I went up to Wal-Mart and retrieved the truck and Cardinal from the parking lot where we had left it (with permission) for the past three nights. After checking all connections and pins to make sure nothing had been tampered with we headed to the CG in Macon.  We will be here until the day after Thanksgiving. Judy and I will be taking care of our scheduled annual doctors appointments during this time and visiting with family and friends.
Saturday we shared in our nephew, John Mark’s birthday celebration along with other family members. We all had a great time.

John Mark and Grand Mother
     
You never know what you will see out the window of an RV.  I looked out the window Sat. morning and saw these!

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.
Next Blog: Thurs

RV Service and a Travel Day

Eatonton, GA.

Judy and I arrived at RV World in Buford, Ga. at 8:15 AM Tuesday morning for a service appointment. It was a short fifteen mile drive from the campground. The drive was complicated by the workday traffic but we made it safely.

Once there we checked in with Cody, one of the service writers. He wrote up the work order and took the required info from me. The work included “running” another line from the roof mounted SAT dish to the rear TV dvr; replacing a faulty toilet flushing valve, repositioning the home entertainment receiver to the top of the cabinet from which the TV retracts into, and rerouting the associated tangle of component wires.

Once the Cardinal was moved into the service area, I met with Rodney the shop foreman to discuss the details of the work to be completed. The toilet job was a straight forward repair so there wasn’t much to discuss. I was interested in “the plan” for the routing of the DVR line from the SAT dish. We both agreed the line would best be run aft from the SAT dish to the end cap and down into the cabinets inside the rear of the RV and on down to the DVR on the entertainment cabinet.  I know a pic would be helpful here but I did not think to take any.

RV World Buford, GA.

       Judy and Rodney inspect the completed work

 

At 1:30 Judy and I was informed that the work was completed. Rodney escorted us back to the service area to the 5ver and he went over all the completed work. Judy and I were very pleased with the work.  This is the second time we have had service work at RV World. We went back in and Judy took care of the bill ($577.00).

We were surprised the work was completed so early. We decided to drive a short 100 miles to the WalMart in Eatonton, GA.  My sister lives nearby so we are going to stay at her home until Friday. I received permission from the Wal Mart manager to park the rig there for a couple of days. We are going to move to a campground on Lake Tobesofkee near Macon on Friday. We will be taking care of our annual medical appointments while in the area. Our families live in the area so we will not leave until the day after Thanksgiving.

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by

Next blog: Sat

Travel Day–ACOE Suwanee, Buford, GA.

ACOE Suwanee Campground on Lake Lanier
Buford, GA.

Travel days are always early days for us, even if we are only traveling a short distance.  I know short distance is a relative term. Any distance less than two hundred miles is a short distance for us. By 8:30 I had taken care of business so to speak at the dump station and we were on our way.

The route I selected included no interstate HWY miles and very little traffic except for the last twenty miles. Buford, Ga is twenty miles or so east and south of Atlanta. The campground is part of the ACOE’s Project on Lake Lanier. We arrived at 1:45 PM.

This campground is operating at reduced staffing until next April.  The gate shack is unmanned so campsites are first come first served. Payment is on the honor system. I thought things would be a little confusing but the directions posted were very clear. A site map displays all sites and each are color coded to indicate the price. The site we chose was color coded RED  (50 Amp Elec/water) so the price was $32.00 per night. However, using our Senior Pass # the price was reduced by 50%. We selected our site and then went back and deposited our fees (Check or Cash only). 

After driving through the park we chose site 36. It was easy to back into and it is deep enough that we could park the truck and the CRV in-line The site is paved and level. It was covered in leaves but I blew them off once we got set-up.

Site 36 before I took care of the leaves!

 

We moved over to this park to be close to RV World RV Center for a service appointment scheduled for Tue.  I am having a second SAT TV coax cable “run” from the roof mounted SAT dish so we can watch TV and record another channel at the same time. Presently with the one cable we can use the DVR to record but are limited to that channel during the recording period.  We are also having a minor problem with the toilet but minor could become major at anytime and that would not be good.

That’s all for now. Thanks for stopping by.
Next blog: Thurs.

Petersburg Campground Wrap-Up

Judy and I have used much of today (Sat.) to prepare for our departure from here Sunday morning.  Everything is ready to go except unplugging from shore power and hitching-up.

We stopped by the J. Strom Thurmond visitor center  just across the dam and got acquainted with the history of the project. The center was very informative and the staff were friendly. We even were present when a Ranger poured minnows into the fish tank. Let us just say we were witnesses to quite a feeding frenzy. 

View from Visitors Center                           Lots to see in the center

       

       

We met with Mike and Terry, who were also up at Huntington Beach SP last week with the group and who are volunteers in nearby Modoc, SC. They have been workampers at the J Strom Thurmond project before and will be here through Jan. unless they extend.  They suggested a local Mexican restaurant and it sure was good, but the conversation and visit were better. Judy and I look forward to seeing them in future travels

We even ran across the Wiener Mobile

One bit of sad news, Merle and Keith reported that Bridgette, the stray dog from Blanton Creek Park, they took in has passed.  She had heart worms and was just too weak to survive the treatment.  Merle and Keith certainly made her final couple of months  comfortable and gave her a loving environment. Here is the Link to my original blog about Bridgette.

That is all for now. Thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: Wed

Technology Updates

Judy and I have been nestled in at ACOE Blacksburg CG for three days now just relaxing for the most part. Very few campers are here but the park host has informed us that the CG will be almost full for the weekend.

Monday I took the Dodge Ram into the local (Augusta, GA) dealership to have the “Check Engine” light investigated. It illuminated as I was driving down from Huntington Beach SP Sunday. It turned out to be a “false alert” so it was reset. 

Wed we took a short trip into town to visit Wally World and grab a bite to each. For lunch we tried a small mom and pop barbecue diner/café. I am amazed at the many different was barbecue is prepared and presented from region to region and sometimes within a state.  The barbecue was served with a pork hash over rice. The owner could see a little hesitation on our faces as we looked at the menu so she brought us over a small sample of the hash. To our surprise, it was very tasty. I took some pics but I am not able to access them now – more on that later.

After lunch I ask Judy to stop by the Verizon store I had seen on our way in.  I have been reluctant to consider doing anything that would alter my plan because I have an unlimited data for my 3.5 year old Droid. Over the past few days I took a look at my  data usage for my phone and saw it was minimal so I had been thinking about upgrading Judy’s worn out Envy 3, even older than my Droid.  She had been talking about getting a “tablet”( l I Pad Air) lately also. We both ended up with new phones, Droid Ultras, and an I Pad Air tablet. Judy renewed our two year contract which enabled her to purchase her phone for $99.00. I only had to pay $30.00 for mine because Verizon had a smartphone  upgrade promotion going on. I did have to turn my old phone over to them instead of putting it into the pile of old cell phones that I have collected over the years.  The Ipad Air cost $429 after the $100.00 rebate.  We opted for the 10Gig shared plan between devices. In the end my monthly bill increased by twenty dollars, I think.  Once home, I set up Judy’s Gmail and FB accounts and added a few other apps.  Judy was most happy with was the fact that she was able to download a “Harry Potter” ringtone.  I was disappointed that all the pics I had on my old phone could not be transferred to the new phone. I was given the small card but I don’t know how to transfer the pics on it to another device.  If you can offer any advice I would greatly appreciate it.

Ipad Air                                                Droid Ultra (X2)

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Next blog: Sat.

Travel Day–ACOE Petersburg Campground

Petersburg Campground

J. Strom Thurmond Lake, Appling, Georgia

 

Sunday it was time to move on, so we packed-up and moved two hundred fifty three miles to Petersburg Campground. We are about fifteen miles from Augusta, GA. We arrived at the park at 3:50 PM and selected site # 45 from the available sites. With the time shift we only had about an hour of daylight remaining. The site is a typical Army Corp of Engineer (ACOE) park – lots of trees,  I don’t think SAT TV is going to workout but we did pick up 27 channels on the crank-up antennae. Judy said she could live with it since we can get the network that her favorite TV show (The Blacklist) is on. 

Judy and I were happy that fellow full-timers and bloggers, Pam and Vic (Travelin' the Big EZ ) were here at the park. We were sad though when we found out they would be leaving Monday AM. Judy and I did get to visit with them around their campfire for an hour or so. I am sure we will have a chance to “see them down the road” as they are going to be traveling around FL for the next few months.

We had our rig and truck weighed before getting on the road from Huntington Beach SP. Linda and Howard (RV-Dreams.Com), representatives of Recreation Vehicle Safety & Education Foundation (RVSEF) did the weighing. Weight is a critical RV safety factor. Once the weighing was completed, Linda explained the results to us and gave us a preliminary report with initial weight numbers, a formal report will be mailed to us from RVSEF.

Special scales are placed under each tire (Trk & RV)

     

Results

Truck w/out trailer                                             Truck w/ 5ver                                        

Driver’s Side         Passenger side            Driver’s side          passenger side

Front:  2500         2500  = 5000               2400                   2500  = 4900

Rear   1900          1800  = 3700               3400                   3300  =  6700 

                           Total        8700                                                      11,600 

Pin Wt. = 2900

5th Wheel

Driver’s side         Passenger’s side

Front   3450        2750  = 6200

Rear    3000        2950  = 5950

Pin WT.                            2900

                         Total       15,050 

It was a fun week meeting with fellow full-time RVers and we look forward to seeing them in future travels. It was very special having so many come out to see us off!

That is all for now. Thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: Thurs

The Last Campfire, Until Next Time!

Huntington Beach SP, Murrells Inlet, SC.

The Carolina Clan full-timers had its last campfire Sat. evening ending a week of fun and RVer camaraderie. Judy and I certainly enjoyed meeting everyone and look forward to meeting down the road .  Many of us will be spending the winter months in Florida before scattering throughout the lower forty eight states next spring. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out Alaska is on a travel plan.

Each evening we sure had some GOOD food

The Campfire Was a Great Conversation Piece!

Thanks to George and Jim for the Direct TV Dish Tech Support!

    

Judy and I will be traveling 250 miles south Sunday to the ACOE Petersburg campground near Appling, GA.  Before we leave though, we are going to have the truck and Cardinal weighed by Howard and Linda. I’ll post the results in the next post.

That’s all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Carolina Clan–Thursday

Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
There is never a dull moment here with the gathered group of RVing fulltimers.  During the day everyone seems to be going in many directions. While some are enjoying a day floating down the intercoastal waterway,  others may be taking in the beauty of the beach and looking at the abundance of the wildlife. No matter where everyone scatters to during the day, everyone can be found at the nightly campfire each evening. I am sure the superb fellowship and nightly dinners are just to hard to resist.
Here is a snap shot of my day. ( I ignored my-self imposed 5 photo limit) Click pic to enlarge.
    

Three Guys at Lunch at Five Guys   

 

                  Pier at Garden City Beach

 

Linda and Howard proclaim the Low Country Boil is ready!

 

 

Nothing but smiling faces


Welcome to new followers:  Tex & Susan and Randy
That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.
Next Blog: Sunday