Our amazing country!

Our final month of summer travel treated us to a variety of special views of our country. After a few delays for service items, we finally made it into the Badlands of South Dakota. Still trying to catch up to our original schedule, we only had a day there, but still managed to drive the scenic loop, see some animals and, most importantly, purchase some eclipse glasses at the visitor's center! The city of Wall was also interesting if mainly for the famous Wall Drugstore. Jeffrey's favorite part was the ice cream shop where he enjoyed a chocolate shake.

Great view in the Badlands, South Dakota

Another of our favorite Badlands views

Two average tourists in the Badlands

Finally getting back on track, we made it to Piedmont, SD, which is just a few miles away from Sturgis. For those of you not motorcycle-savvy, Sturgis hosts a giant rally every summer and half a million (at least) motorcyclists descend on it as well as all the towns within a 100-mile radius. Luckily, our time in Piedmont was over before the official rally kickoff date! While in Piedmont, we took day trips to visit Rapid City, Sturgis, Deadwood, and Devils Tower in Wyoming. The Tower was our country's first national monument and it really is an amazing rock (as well as a cool centerpiece to the "Close Encounter's of the Third Kind" movie made in the 1970s). We did the 1.5 mile walk/hike around it's base and took way too many pictures.

Two Gators at Devils Tower

We then moved Max down to near Hill City, SD, putting him in the heart of the Black Hills and near the Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments. By this time the motorcycles had arrived and were our constant companions as we explored the area by car. Except for the low rumble of their engines early in the morning, they were all very nice and although it did make for larger crowds in the touristy areas and EVERY store in EVERY town was full of bike rally merchandise.

Every picture we took of Rushmore could be a postcard

Still lots to carve on Crazy Horse, but even his head is impressive

In the southern areas of the Black Hills we enjoyed multiple Bison/Buffalo sightings, a lone coyote, and way too many prairie dogs to count. We also visited the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD -- basically a sinkhole that managed to snag an impressive quantity of mammoths over many years because it was too slippery to get out of. It is being escavated "in situ", so you really get to appreciate the "dig" efforts. Dad and Sheila actually worked at this site a few years back as part of a Road Scholar trip.

Herd of Bison/Buffalo

Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota

Our next stop was at Chimney Rock in Nebraska. Our RV park was very close it and we had a perfect view right out of the front windsheild -- VERY cool in the evening when they lit it up! Chimney Rock and other various rock structures in this area were part of the gateway used by settlers going west in the mid-1800s. Nearby city, Scottsbluff, offered even more information about this hard and dangerous trek along the Oregon Trail. Many americans didn't survive the journey.

Chimney Rock when the lights went on one evening

Chimney Rock from our RV site

Our final major destination of the travel season was to get ourselves positioned in the 100% totality zone for the solar eclipse. We picked York, Nebraska, and even had an Austin friend drive up to join us for the event. On the big day, we unfortunately had light clouds, but were lucky to get a decent view of the totality and "diamond ring" at the very end of it. At that point the heavy clouds came through, so we got Max on the road south -- day 1 of a 4-day trek back to Austin, Texas.

Upon arriving and getting settled, we were greeted by hurricane Harvey and as I type this, are cooling our heels in Max while it rains rains rains on top of us. The winds so far aren't an issue -- and I must say the cooler temperature is a surprise -- but hopefully we won't be stuck inside for too many days!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you aren't notified by email when we post new blog updates but would like to be in the future, please click this link:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Nfel34nwmpCGfpXeJxCqZoy6_uJOCru7KTk01pDMicI/viewform

Up, down, and all around

I told Jeffrey the other day that, even when there are "down times" in this lifestyle, there is still nothing I'd rather be doing as the "up times" are so worth it. He gave me a big smile at this statement and admitted he felt the same way.

So lets start with the latest "ups"!  We had a terrific visit with our Raleigh family and friends and were thrilled to witness the high school graduation of nephew, Isaac. He'll be joining his two siblings at NC State this fall and we are so proud of all of them. Though we are in the area for over a month each spring, we rarely do the tourist sightseeing thing, so it was fun to go with niece Anna and her boyfriend, Trevor, to the NC Zoo. It boasts of being one of the "largest" zoos and, based on sore legs and feet the next day, I believe it! It was beautiful but quite sprawled -- felt like I'd hiked 10 miles!

Graduation Day!

Happy Giraffe

We then did a fairly quick transit to Mackinaw City, Michigan (very top of the "hand" right before you cross the big bridge to the "Upper Peninsula") to spend a week with my Dad and Sheila who flew over from their home in Washington state. The four of us had a wonderful time exploring the city, Mackinac Island, and the Soo locks. One highlight was my Dad doing a tandem skydive on his 81rst birthday -- quite a change from his critical hospitalization during his 80th just a year ago. None of us were brave enough to join him (and frankly I was not pleased with his desire to test fate by flinging himself out of a perfectly good airplane), but nothing could erase his joy at the accomplishment.

My daredevil daddy

Lunch at the Mackinac Island Grand Hotel

Adjusting our schedule a day to race incoming weather across the Mackinac Bridge (they won't let tall vehicles across if high winds), we slipped along the south edge of the "UP", down the east edge of Wisconsin, and west over to Iowa. Enroute were were able to detour with the car to Friendship, Wisconsin, to have lunch with former Austin neighbors, Dave and Cheryl Quillman. They are also now RV full-timing and have relatives nearby.  Once we got to Iowa, we again detoured in the car over to Rochester, Minnesota for a great (but too short) visit with Jeffrey's uncle Merlyn (also a former IBMer), aunts Margaret and Louise, plus cousin Mike.

Meeting the Quillmans halfway for lunch

Once back in Iowa we took Max for a "spa" visit. This equaled a few days of getting old ugly decals replaced, the front "bug" mask replaced, and some minor paint "ouches" addressed. He even got a full body "buff" which really shined up his full-body paint, but requires us to re-apply a coat of wax since it was removed in the process (sigh). Since this was done, we've had several RVers ask if the coach was new because it looks so spiffy, so I'm not complaining (much).

Now for "all around" #1. We had a pesky but intermittent "leveling jack" issue and had decided over the winter to have HWH in Moscow, Iowa, take a look at it since we would be nearby.  So east we go. Well, just like the magic recovery that often happens when you finally make an appointment to see your doctor, the jack issue stopped happening and of course refused to show itself at HWH. They gave us a free "check up" anyhow and had us back on the road in a few hours.  The trip was far from a waste though as we got to spend a great weekend with RV friends, the Marlins. In fact, his name is Jeff Marlin, so we always giggle at how close it is to my own Jeff Martin. Anyhow, they were workcamping less than an hour away and we really enjoyed seeing some of the local hot spots with them.

Marlins, Martin, and Nelson at the General Store Pub in Anamosa, Iowa

"All around" #2 took us back west to Forest City for Winnebago's Grand National Rally, held annually near their large manufacturing plant. They have a huge rally grounds area and it easily held the 1000 Winnebagos that arrived for the fun. Many take the opportunity to get some service items taken care of at the same time (including us). Ours were all minor things except for a concern about "low coolant" alarms we had been getting since leaving Raleigh. The 24-hour Freightliner hotline had us adding coolant, looking for leaks, and watching the reservoir tank level closely. We actually had 3 of these alarms on our jaunt to Moscow, so we realized the leak was getting worse. Nobody seemed too concerned so we tried to stay calm and methodical about it.

The rally itself was just as great as it was when we attended 3 years ago.  Lots of educational seminars, visiting with other RVers, items to spend money on, and system experts to talk to. They even have roaming technicians who will come to your RV to help with issues -- and we got a new door awning motor installed free because ours chose to sieze up that day. The Cummins engine experts were also on hand and helped us get some extra coolant and arrange for an appointment in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after the rally was over.

Us posing in the "Fabulous Winnebago" chapel (note Jeffrey's ball and chain)

Getting ready to leave the Grand National Rally

Before leaving Forest City, we took the car halfway to Des Moines to have dinner with fellow UF grad and friend, Ware Lynch.  He recently moved from south Florida to start an exciting new job near Des Moines. We like to tell people that they can try to move away from us but we will track them down wherever they go!

Time for the "downs" now. The next stop was handing Max over to Cummins in Sioux Falls and it took them less than 2 hours to discover the coolant leak location. The bad news is we had to replace the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculator - part of the emissions system). The good news is they had all the parts they would need and could do it in a day. The really bad news is that emissions systems are excluded from our extended warranty. Ouch. However, looking at the bright side, the issue was caught before the engine was damaged (sigh of relief!). The only mystery now is why our 3-month old serpentine belt is splitting. New belt installed and belt path inspected with nothing visibly amiss. We'll have to watch it and see if this one starts to split as well -- which will clearly require deeper investigation.

"Down" #2 and another "all around". We can see that one of the fiberglass/paint repairs done in Forest City at the "spa" did not stay fixed, so back east we go. This blows up our schedule a little and reduces time we'll have visiting friends and sights in South Dakota, but we feel the need to deal with it now. They take another crack at it and things still aren't perfect. Got a rain check to try again in a few years when we will likely want to come back for the rally again anyhow. This beats losing two more days in our schedule. The defect is high on the front cap so not noticeable to anyone but us probably.

Tomorrow we drive west into South Dakota once again. Time for more "ups" we hope!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you aren't notified by email when we post new blog updates but would like to be in the future, please click this link:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Nfel34nwmpCGfpXeJxCqZoy6_uJOCru7KTk01pDMicI/viewform

Virginia is for Lovers - of U.S. History!

Not sure if Virginia really has an edge over the other states regarding its claim about "lovers", but it sure seems to have the edge in "leaders". Our recent whirlwind 3-week tour had our history heads spinning after just first stop -- central VA to see Jefferson's Monticello, Monroe's Montpelier, and Madison's Highland (US. Presidents #3, 4, & 5). Makes you want to name your house too, huh? 

Us at Monticello

We then moved closer to Washington D.C. to see the National Air & Space museum next to Washington Dulles airport -- and it was so big and extensive that it was tough to do in just a single day. 

Air and Space Museum (look at the center and you can see the nose of the Space Shuttle Discovery in the back room)

My aunt Helen also flew up from FL and the 3 of us visited my uncle Charlie's Columbarium resting place in Arlington National Cemetery as well as the graves of my maternal great-grandparents (unfortunately gone before I was born). 

My beloved uncle, Charlie Lavery

From there we drove to Mount Vernon, the home and burial place of General George Washington (U.S. President #1). My aunt and I are descendants of George's half-brother, so the museum about George's life and family was especially interesting. Unfortunately it wasn't until after Helen left that we decided to swing by George's birthplace. Forget George! This was the homestead of his great grandfather, John Washington -- the first Washington who immigrated to America in ~1656 and he is also my great great great great great great great great great great grandfather! The original home is gone but the National Park Service maintains a small museum and home built to represent the period. The family cemetery is still there and has John's grave and the graves of 3 additional generations that my aunt and I hail directly from, including that half-brother of George. Sadly, a recent storm toppled some trees and we weren't able to get to the cemetery itself in this visit. Oddly enough, while leaving the area, we stumbled on the locations of both Madison's and Monroe's birthplaces too. Quite fertile ground for U.S. Presidents!

Mount Vernon

As we started to trek further south of D.C. we made day trips to the Fredericksburg battleground, James Madison's Museum, and Richmond's Museum of Civil War & White House (confederate). Our final RV stop was down in Hampton, VA near Newport News and Norfolk. Turns out the RV park was right next to Fort Monroe, a decommissioned army base. When I say "fort", I mean FORT -- tall rock walls, a moat, and the largest coastal artillery cannons the military ever made. It is now being slowly converted to offices and homes/condos, but they still maintain a great museum within one the casement walls where you can actually stand in the cell where Confederate President Jefferson Davis was imprisoned after the Civil War. Goosebumps!

Fort Monroe (photo stolen from the internet)

Norfolk was loaded with attractions too -- the Nauticus museum, the Wisconsin (Iowa-class battleship), and General McArthur's Memorial/Museum. We even did a boat cruise that covered the huge naval base and shipyard. In Newport News we explored the Mariners Museum and found ourselves enveloped in the history of the Monitor (one if the first "ironclads"). It was sunk in a storm off of Cape Hatteras in 1862 and wasn't found until 1973. As it is rusting away quickly, a big operation was undertaken to recover it's odd looking turret and that now resides at this museum.
So much history in this area and so little time to see everything! We tackled the highlights and will just have to come back!

Three nuclear aircraft carriers being serviced at Norfolk naval base

Now to divert to "life on the road" experiences! Oddly enough, we are members of Costco. You'd think people who live in such a small space wouldn't find much use (or space) for purchases from a warehouse store like this, but we actually look for them as we travel.  They are always good for a car fill-up, a shrimp ring, and a huge cooked chicken, but Costco is also great for a few "Kirkland" staples that we use consistently. Conversations in our household are often something like: "Do we have enough chewy bars to get to the Costco near Detroit?".

Regarding Max, 'tis the season to be filthy with pollen no matter how hard we try to keep him looking spiffy. Certain outdoor maintenance items just have to wait until it lets up. Worse is to be under trees in a rainstorm. Unfortunately instead of washing off the pollen we just get more tree gunk glued to us! Tough lives, huh?  Another priority is keeping a close eye on the weather this time of year as it is often unpredictable. We'll choose to keep our slides "in" and live in a smaller space so that we have less noise from awnings flapping in the wind.

But our biggest challenge this month when we traveled from Florida to Virginia. We had a great annual service stop in Gaffney, SC to get oil changed, etc.  Technician even replaced our serpentine belt and fixed a small leak he heard in Max's air system (used to operate his air suspension and brakes when we are underway). Those are nice things to get fixed before they become bigger problems. Anyway, I digress!  While we were at Freightliner for this service, Jeffrey broke a tooth. Luckily, we were only a4-hour drive to Raleigh where we have dentist #2, so we modified our drive to VA to go through Raleigh and get it addressed.  We've been lucky to have medical issues happen at convenient times when we are near doctors we know -- and sure hope that trend continues!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you aren't notified by email when we post new blog updates but would like to be in the future, please click this link:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Nfel34nwmpCGfpXeJxCqZoy6_uJOCru7KTk01pDMicI/viewform

Wrapping up Winter 2017

February kicked off with attendance at our first Family Motor Coach Association rally in Lakeland, FL with 600 other "rigs".  Fair to say we were the youngest couple there by a few years at least, but we had a good time and it was both educational and entertaining. It was capped with a Super Bowl party on the last night with an amazing buffet of "bring a snack to share" that took up 40 feet of serving tables. Nobody left hungry!

We also enjoyed our last visit at Jonathan Dickinson (Jupiter) and Lake Louisa (Clermont) State Parks. Both are conveniently located near family and friends and we try to fill up our schedule with visits to see everyone. We took the opportunity to get a little maintenance done when we found ourselves on a nice flat paved parking space in Jupiter. One in particular involves me up on a ladder for hours at a time while I replace sealant along the roof edge -- hard to dig out old stuff -- easy to squeeze in new stuff. Being the caulk queen that I am, I finally convinced Jeffrey a year ago that I can do a better job than the $125/hr service technicians. Here is a picture of the heavens rewarding me for my efforts!

Max at the end of the rainbow

Date night on a lovely FL sunset cruise

As is our typical winter schedule, we moved Max up to near Gainesville at the beginning of March. It is getting harder and harder to get an RV spot in that area -- not that many RV parks and most are catering to RVers who spend 4-5 months in town, not just 5 weeks.  We are low man on the totem pole for sure. While there, we got to spend lots of time with Jeffrey's Dad and he fit us into his very busy schedule most days. Seriously, the guy rarely slows down! The three of us managed to get to Gator basketball, gymnastics, and softball home games and even the "spring" football debut and a regional track meet before it was time for us to drive north.

Track Meet

Gator Spring Football game

We did divert in the car for a week down to Orlando to see my parents (who love escaping the chilly NW this time of year). When they said they wanted to visit 5 theme parks in 5 days we actually thought they were joking! Thank goodness for "Fast Passes" and good tennis shoes -- we survived! Maybe visiting these parks during Spring Break wasn't the best plan, but we all had a good time and got to do most of the rides.

Jeffrey's favorite theme park picture

At the end of the week, they were supposed to peel off and visit friends who winter in SW Florida, but a big snowstorm in the US NE delayed their friends from arriving in time. Lucky for them, we "know a guy", so they joined Jeffrey's Dad in Gainesville for a few days.  It was very nice having all of our parents together with us -- something that hasn't happened since our wedding in 1988!

Parents and Offspring

As I write this, we are spending Easter in Gaffney, SC preparing to have our annual Max 8-gallon "oil change" tomorrow morning. Then on to Virgina for some history lessons!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you aren't notified by email when we post new blog updates but would like to be in the future, please click this link:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Nfel34nwmpCGfpXeJxCqZoy6_uJOCru7KTk01pDMicI/viewform

On the go go go!

On the go go go!

2016 went out with a bang -- or more accurately, the annual fireworks that we see from the campground at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound, Florida. We enjoy being in this park when the year changes as we not only have family nearby, but also several RV friends that swing through at the same time, giving us a chance to catch up on the past year's travel "happenings".  In this lifestyle, that is always a mix of "where have you traveled" and "what had to be fixed"!

Speaking of having to be fixed, the "bang" this year also included the sad demise of our RV refridgerator cooling unit. Lucky for us it didn't really "bang", but just quietly quit keeping things cold. We had to wait over the holidays for the new cooling unit to be shipped, but did okay living with a little dorm fridge we picked up at Target (and then promptly sold from our RV site for only $10 less).

As we can only stay in the Florida state parks for 2 weeks at a time, we crossed to the Florida west coast to stay at Myakka River State Park.  This is our second year here and, though it is a bit tight for our motorhome, it is a lovely place. Unlike Jonathan Dickinson, it has a lot of natural high growth and trees. The good part about this trip was seeing dear friends who live nearby.  We also had good enough weather to install our new window awning fabric ourselves. This park will definitely stay on the annual FL "swing". It is a good thing that Lazydays was only an hour away because we had to make day trips up there twice -- once to get the new cooling unit installed and AGAIN to have the toilet repaired. Jeffrey was not amused at all by the toilet as we had just replaced it but the new one had some sort of defect.

Max hiding in Myakka River State Park

Now for the BIG news! We were employed for a week! We were asked by the Escapees RV Club to help man their booth at the huge Tampa RV Supershow. They not only provided an RV spot for Max at the fairgrounds where the show was being held, but also gave us a daily stipend -- which we immediately spent on new LED lights we bought for Max along with other must-have items we couldn't pass up. We also had a chance to make new full-timer "Escapee" friends and, no surprise, learned some great tips from them! Jeffrey was happy to have LOTS of time to peruse the latest RV models, but thankfully didn't see anything he liked better than Max.

Us with fellow Escapees on the first day of the Tampa RV Show

As I write this post, we are back in Jonathan Dickinson State Park for just a week and then travel to Lakeland, Forida, for our first FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) rally. No doubt we'll have some interesting stories to tell from that!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you aren't notified by email when we post new blog updates but would like to be in the future, please click this link:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Nfel34nwmpCGfpXeJxCqZoy6_uJOCru7KTk01pDMicI/viewform