Traveling Home to Warmer Weather - December 28-30, 2017

We got underway a little after 9am on Thursday (28) morning and headed south.  With temperatures in the teens and expected to drop even more we were anxious for warmer weather.  We traveled 377 miles to Florence, South Carolina (good ole Florence!) staying at Swamp Fox Campground.  It was cold but more tolerable.
Friday we drove to Brunswick, Georgia, 244 miles.  The motorhome needed a good washing and we had used Blue Beacon Truck Wash previously so we stopped to have that done.  We had hoped to go a little further but when we tried making reservations earler in the day at campgrounds there was no vacancies.  Golden Isles RV Park had 1 sight available when we called so we grabbed that up.  The truck wash and RV park are both at the same exit off I-95.  Traffic was heavy most of the way from Richmond, Virginia down.
Saturday (30), we continued on for another 212 miles to Alliance RV facility in Wildwood, Florida.  This facility is just outside The Villages and would be doing some further repair work on the motorhome after our incident in Florence, S.C.  This facility has a nice campground, water and electric with dump station, paved sites that we were assigned a site to park the motorhome.  After cleaning out and loading up the car we went home.  Temperatures here were in the upper 60's with beautiful bright sunny skies.  How nice to be home!

Christmas Togetherness December 19- December 28, 2017

Tuesday, 19th, we left Gettysburg traveling 118 miles to Stafford, Virginia, to our son, Todd, and his wife Beth's home.  We are able to park in their driveway which makes it very convenient.  The first several days were fairly pleasant with temps dropping into 40's or 30's at night.  We celebrated Beth's birthday on the 23rd and Christmas on the 24th as Todd had to work on Christmas day 24 hours.  Our youngest grandkids, Parker (8) and Gabi (6), spent some nights with us.  In fact Gabi was with us every night and Parker whenever he could be away from his video games.  Our oldest granddaughter, Maddi, (18) spent Christmas with her mother's family but then after Christmas she went with us for a day of shopping, this is how we deal with her birthday and Christmas to be sure she gets things that she will wear or use.  The night before leaving the whole family went out to a nearby Mexican restaurant for dinner, this included Maddi and her boyfriend and Anthony (18) and his girlfriend.  It was a nice time visiting but the temperatures had been steadily dropping throughout the week.  On Thursday morning (28) it was 15 degrees when we left.

Family and Friends-December 16-18, 2017

Christmas has always been a time for being with family and friends and this year was no exception to that.  On Saturday, 16th, we drove to Ellicott City, Md. to my niece's, Robin and her husband, Bob's house for a family get together.  We had a wonderful dinner of ham and steamed shrimp, salads, macaroni and cheese plus and then later homemade ice cream, coconut cake and cookies.  It was a very nice day of being with family.  Gifts were exchanged and kids played together.  Todd and his family were there and since Todd and Beth had another evening party to go to, Parker and Gabi came back to the motor home with us to spend the night.

Bree, Leah, Larry, Jack, Robin and Beth

Todd, Larry and Beth

Parker and Larry

Gabi and Jack

Brent, Jack and Bob

Robin, Jack and Bree

Bob, Gabi and Parker

Brent and Laura

Sunday, 17th, was almost nonstop from morning to night.  We met Todd and Beth near Frederick at a Wegman's grocery store at 8:30am to get the kids back to them to take home.  Tom and I then headed to Taneytown to get some air in the Jeeps tires.  We thought we had some time to kill so we stopped at a Dunkin Donuts to get a cup of coffee.  We were biding time until church time at our former church which was 10:30 when we had attended prior to moving to Florida.  While drinking our coffee I checked on the church's website and found that the service time was 10 am   and it was a few minutes before 10.   We hurriedly jumped in the car and drove the several miles to church arriving after the service had started.  It was so nice being at this church service and seeing our former church family.  In the afternoon we drove to Westminster to pick up my aunt Dotty Frock, my dad's 88 years old sister, to take her to Rock Salt Grille in Westminster where Larry, my brother, and Joanne met us for dinner together .  After dinner, Tom and I took aunt Dotty home and spent a little time visiting before moving on.  From Westminster we drove to Kingsdale area of Pennsylvania to visit Miny Cluck, a gal that worked with Tom in his working years, and her husband, Len.  We had a nice visit with coffee and desserts. Whee, were ever busy on this day!

Today, Monday 18th, we went to Emmitsburg, Md. where we met up with a longtime friend, Peggy Conrad and her daughter, Tammy, and Larry and Joanne for lunch at Carriage House Restaurant.

 Peggy, Larry and I grew up together and our families were together every year at Christmastime that we could ever remember.  Peggy's husband, Grover, had just passed away about a month ago.  We always enjoy bring together catching up and reminiscing.  After about 3 hours we said good bye and went our own ways hoping to be together next year. After these 3 busy days we will be leaving this campground tomorrow to go to Todd and Beth's .  The weather has gotten a little warmer each day, today temps were near 50 degrees and should not fall below freezing tonight but the skies have been gray and dreary most of the time.

What an Adventure -December 11-15, 2017

On Monday, December 11, we had the motor home packed up and were on the road by 9am.  It was a cold morning with temps about 39 degrees, cold for Florida.  We drove to Brunswick, Georgia where we had the motor home serviced at a Speedco.  From there we drove over to Golden Isles RV Park, an hour a mile away, to spend the night.
The next morning, Tuesday, December 12, we were underway by 8:15am continuing our travels up I-95 toward the Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania area of our family for Christmas.  As we were motoring through South Carolina about 1:15pm in the Florence area Tom suddenly was seeing lights on the dashboard lighting up and flashing.  About the same time a passing trucker tooted his horn and motioned toward the back of the motor home.  Tom immediately pulled over on the shoulder of the road and got out to assess the problem- steam was pouring out the back.  He felt that it was a fan belt issue and we needed to call for road assistance.  Our service is through FMCA.    It was 4:15pm until a tow truck appeared and the driver after looking at our coach didn't feel he could tow us without frame damage.  He called someone else that he thought could do the tow.  When our road assistance called us saying the tow company said we declined their services we realized that nothing else was in the works to get us towed and we explained that we had not declined but the tow driver didn't think he could safely do the job and we did need a tow.  Finally, we were called saying there was a mobile mechanic that would be out.  Jamie, the mechanic showed up about 7pm and after assessing the problem felt the serpentine belt broke because the air conditioning pump seized up.  We had a belt that had come with the mh that was on the motor originally but Tiffin added the a.c. compressor needing another size belt.  This original belt should have worked by passing the a.c. compressor but it didn't.  Jamie, after a couple hours said he would return the next morning at 8am.  We spent the night in the motor home on the shoulder of busy, heavy truck trafficed 1 95.  Those trucks passing by caused the motor home to sway back and forth.  We were so uncomfortable along this busy road that we went to bed and slept as best as we could fully dressed.  A state trooper did show up around midnight wanting us to move further off the road which was not possible.
December 13, Wednesday, mechanic Jamie showed up about 9am.  Tiffin had been contacted about the serpentine belt and clarified that the belt that we had was the correct size according to their records but it definitely did not fit.  Finally about 10:30 we thanked Jamie for his service but we wanted to get the motor home towed to a safer place as we did not want to spend another night on this road.  Road assistance rounded up Sheppard towing that showed up about 1:30pm.  Albert, the driver, worked hard to get the motor home situated on the tow truck and about 2;30 was towing to Blanchard Machinary, a business that Tiffin said was an authorized power glide service center.  (Blanchard denies that is the case anymore but agreed to work on our motor home if we towed to them).  Blanchard was just a couple miles away.  Once the motor home arrived there mechanics were quickly checking out the problem.  Albert, the tow driver, noticed a couple of helper springs were broken in transit and said he would be replacing them as soon as he could get them, hopefully the next day.  We gathered a few things together- clothes, toiletries and our computers- and went to a Hampton Inn for the night.
Thursday, 14th, after a good night of sleep we had breakfast and ran a few errands and then waited.  We hoped we would be able to leave this day but reserved the possibility that we may need the room a second night.  We did not have to check out until 12noon.  At 11:20am we got the call saying the work was completed.  Tom called the tow company and was told the springs had come in and Albert would come over to Blanchard's to replace them.  By 1pm we had the repairs completed and we were on the road heading further north.  We travelled 204 miles to Roanoke Rapids and the RV Resort at Carolina Crossing.
Now we are up to today, Friday the 15th of December.  Early this morning Tom detected some problem with the heat pumps, furnace and the house batteries.  He located a service center in Ashland, Virginia.  So we found our way there and RV Services agreed to do diagnostic testing about 10:30.  So we waited in the waiting area feeling really low and discouraged about RVing.  A few minutes before noon the motor home was pulled out on the parking lot and the mechanic came in to say they found the problem which was a loose battery cable.  We were on the road by 12:30pm.  We continue on well until we came to the Leesburg area where there was an accident and we crept for quite sometime.  We hit snow and then sun was shining when we got north of Frederick.  We arrived at Artillery Ridge campground at 4:35pm, hooked up the electric and went to dinner at Montazuma's restaurant.  So glad to finally be here safely.  It is cold with temperature in the 20's but it is to get warmer the next several days, we sure hope so.

Tuesday, Shrimp Shack and Wednesday, Home- November 28 & 29, 2017

Yesterday, Tuesday, we didn't have any plans for anything.  We had seen a place that appeared to be a citrus processing plant with a some sort of sales center that we thought we would check out.  They do package fruit to be sent from Florida and have a gift shop.  We were able to look into the processing area through windows in the gift shop.  When first walking into the gift shop we saw some ladies standing by tables with chairs.  Both of us thought at first they were waiting on a group that might be coming there for a luncheon but we soon realized they were there to help customers fill out forms for fruit ordering.  We looked but didn't buy anything.  From there we decided lunch was in order so checking for restaurants in the area we came to one called Shrimp Shack and thought we would try it. Tom and I both got the cod stuffed with crab meat, said to be like Maryland crab.  We were not disappointed but not quite Maryland style crab, although not bad for Florida.  Before returning to the campground we drove out to the beach area and walked along an area of Fort Myers beach.  It was a beautiful day of bright sunshine and temperatures in the upper 70's/low 80's.

This morning we packed up the motorhome and by 9:20 am were on the road headed for home.  By 1:30 pm and 224 miles of travel we arrived back to the storage lot with the motorhome.  I had the car packed up with most of the things that needed to be taken to the house.  So quickly cleaning out the refrigerator, backing the motorhome into it's slot and disconnecting batteries we were ready to get home.
 

Sand Sculpture and Edison and Ford Winter Estates- November 26 & 27, 2017

Yesterday, Sunday, we made our way once again to Fort Myers beach for the Sand Sculpting Championship but this time we were earlier than the day before so traffic was not nearly as heavy.  These sand sculptures are so impressive.  We had been down this way last year and attended this event then.  So much work goes into these beautiful works of art it seems such a shame that immediately after this event the sand is leveled and the art is gone.  All that remains are photographs and memories.

Leaving this area we stopped for lunch at a Pinchers Seafood Restaurant where we both had softshell crabs, almost as good as in Maryland.

After lunch we walked to a dock next door to see what the Pelicans were going after.

  A charter fishing boat was cleaning the days catch and throwing the fish remains to them after filleting the Groper and Red Fish that were caught on the days trip.

Today we drove into the older area of Fort Myers to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates.  We choose a guided tour as oppose to an audio tour.  The tour was about an hour long and moved along at a nice pace.   Edison and Ford homes and caretaker's home were viewed from the outside looking into rooms from doorways.

  The buildings and grounds are well maintained.  A banyan tree planted in 1927 is reported to be the largest of its kind in the continental USA and is one of over 17,000 plants that was used for rubber research.

  Today we had lunch at Iguana Mia, a nice Mexican restaurant, followed with dessert at a Rita's which we don't have in the area at The Villages.  It was cooler today and mostly cloudy.

Sanibel, Captiva, Emergency Room and Six Mile Slough Preserve- November 24 & 25, 2017

Yesterday, Friday after Thanksgiving, and no we didn't go shopping.  We went to Sanibel as the were having an art festival.  There were some nice pieces of art work offered but we didn't buy anything, just looked.  From there we drove on to Captiva and found a little Mexican restaurant, Captiva Cantina, where we had lunch as we were surrounded by walls covered in dollar bills.

Returning back to the motorhome, as evening progressed Tom started experiencing some breathing issues.  By 9pm we decided we better go to an emergency room so we drove over to Cape Coral ER.  These breathing issues are nothing new as he has been treated and continues treatment for this problem but when shortness of breath occurs he usually is in need of further treatment.  So we were in the emergency room from about 10 pm until 2:20 am.  He received some breathing treatments and medicated so was feeling much better when we left.  It was 3 am until we were able to be in our beds.   Long day!

Today, Saturday, we slept late and ate a banana only breakfast.  Our first order of business was to find a pharmacy to have prescriptions filled from last night.  A Publix was located and we soon had the prescriptions filled and returned to the motorhome with the medicines.  We left again to head to Fort Myers Sand Sculpture Championship festival on the beach.  We found ourselves in a long line of traffic headed the same direction and decided maybe not today.  Our sister-in-law had told us about a place in the area called Six Mile Cypress Preserve. So we turned around and headed in that direction.  We stopped at a Bahama Breeze restaurant for lunch which we enjoyed eating on the restaurant patio.  We did then go to the Preserve which was a really nice afternoon.  The Slough is a wetland preserve of over 3500 acres.  A variety of plants and animals are protected here.  A very nice 1.2 mile boardwalk allows visitors to walk through the preserve.  It was a beautiful afternoon for doing this as the temperature did not reach 80 degrees.  In the pond areas we saw an alligator and numerous turtles.  Cypress trees, ferns, some palms and airplants were in the vegetation areas.  This is a county facility and the only charge was for parking $1.00 per hour or $5.00 for the day.  An interpretive center with a small gift shop is also located on the grounds.

  Very nice place to visit.

Before returning to the motorhome we did stop at the Love Boat ice cream shop for ice cream cones, homemade ice cream of a huge variety of flavors and reasonably priced.  Tom's breathing issues seem to be resolved for now.

Thanksgiving 2017 at Fort Myers, Florida- November 23, 2017

Yesterday, by 9:20 am, we were loaded up and pulling out of the storage lot in the motorhome with the Jeep tagging along behind.  We traveled most of the way on I-75 which had lots of traffic that moved along well.  At 1:46 pm we were at Indian Creek RV park, Fort Myers, Florida where we plan to stay for a week.  After setting up and eating a late lunch we took a drive out along the Gulf coast where the opposite route of traffic was congested and  slow moving that we continued on in an more inland route back to the campground.

Today, Thanksgiving Day, I got a turkey breast into the crock pot first thing in the morning and by noon on high the turkey was ready to eat.  Dressing and twice baked sweet potatoes (potatoes baked and the insides scooped out, mashed with butter, salt and pepper, and little milk and then shells refilled with shredded cheese on top) were baked in the convection oven.  Gravy and broccoli were cooked on stovetop.  Cranberry sauce had been made at home.  An apple pie, a gift from our real estate agent, will be eaten later this evening.  A good meal cooked in the motorhome but we both ate too much.
It has been cloudy today and this afternoon the rain is here.  Good day for just relaxing after a big meal and pausing to think of all the things we are thankful for.  We did walk this morning before the rains.  Who knows what we may get into tomorrow- an art festival?  sand sculpture?- lots to see and do in this area.

A Good Day of Traveling Home - September 13, 2017

We were underway this morning, Wednesday,  a little before 8 am.  Leaving northern Florida we apparently were ahead of folks coming from farther north as we had a much easier driving day than yesterday.  We had a short stint on I 10 and then went south on SR 19 to Crystal River and then west SR 44 to Wildwood.  From there to Fruitland Park where the storage lot is located.  We did see some trees blown over, some wires down and branches broken off as we drove south.  There were more caravans of utility trucks also going south but not to the extent that we saw yesterday.  At the storage lot, the owners told us that there was no electric and no water in their shop and they were going to lock up after we left as we were the last one expected in today.  As we drove into The Villages we saw ponds that had expanded over the normal boundaries with trees standing in the water and there were ponds that normally are not ponds.  Debris from palm trees, the old dried lower fronds mostly,  was everywhere.  Spanish moss that hangs on the southern oak trees was scatter on the grass under the trees.  Landscaping crews were working everywhere raking up this debris into piles to be picked up.
When we got home we found everything to be in order and no problems.  Our area did not lose power but some areas still are without electricity so we are told.  It is good to be home.  We are so glad that we made the decision to go away from here during this hurricane.
Forgot to mention that numerous gas stations were out of gas and those that had gas had long lines of cars waiting to gas up.

Heading For Home- September 12, 2017

A little after 8am (CT) we were leaving Biloxi heading east toward home.  Travel through Mississippi and Alabama did not go too bad on I-10 but Florida was another story.  Almost every interchange caused a back-up along with a couple accidents.  It seemed we just went at a snail's pace.  Tom had tried calling a couple campgrounds last night without anyone answering and had left messages but no call backs.  We were going to a Corps of Engineers park in Chattahoochee but the streets had no name signs posted so we missed our turn and turning around was not possible for miles further down the road.  Another park in Quincy looked promising but our GPS had us making a turn into a gas station.  Finally a call to Tallahassee RV Park a campsite was located due to a cancellation.  After 338 miles and about 10 hours later at 7:30pm (ET) we arrived at the campground.  We did stop for a late lunch at a KFC restaurant.  A long day!

Irma Has Left the Area- September 11, 2017

Today, Monday, we woke up to start reading on facebook if there had been any problems in The Villages.  All the reports looked positive, minimal power outages but not in our area and very little destruction.  We hopeful that all will be fine when we get home. Other areas in Florida did not fair as well.  Here in Biloxi we have not had any rain but the wind has be blowing about 16mph,  Tom finished cleaning up the outside of the motorhome while I did vacuuming inside.  Did ride out for some ice cream this evening and then had a stroll on the beach.  We plan to leave in the morning.  Attempted to call campgrounds to make reservations for tomorrow night but couldn't get anyone to answer.  The area we hope to get to was probably having some tropical weather issues this evening.

Another Day in Biloxi - September 10, 2017

Today, Sunday, we started out the day taking a short walk to Waffle House for breakfast.  Returning back to the motorhome Tom and I puttered around doing some cleaning chores inside and out.  For lunch we drove to a restaurant called Baja Beach, a Mexican restaurant and had burritos that were super big but good.  The afternoon was spent reading and relaxing.  Of course, our attention was on the hurricane Irma that was slowly making way up the western side of Florida.  It was a category 4 this morning but this evening as it approaches Tampa it is expected to be a category 1.  This is good news.  We have added another day on our stay here that will take us until Tuesday and we are penciled in for a few days more if needed.

Seafood Festival, September 9, 2017

Today, Saturday, started out with breakfast and then Tom cleaned off the love bug residue on the wind shield and motorhome front.  Those bugs create quite a mess on things as they splat on the vehicles going down a road.  Around noontime we went to the Biloxi Seafood Festival.  The usual tents with craft type wares were set up but then there was a food area- all outside dining mostly in a standing position.  We checked out the food and saw plates of food that cost $16- $45 and decided that we would rather eat somewhere else that would be an air-condition, sit down in comfort and less expensive.  Most of the food was fried and served with French fries, food that I try to avoid.  We drove over to Ocean Springs, a neighboring town and ate at McElroy's restaurant.  Tom had a meal of oysters and scallops, grilled along with cole slaw and baked potato.  I had Bayou Special which was a fillet of snapper with crab on top, grilled accompanied by cole slaw and broccoli.  Very good food and much less in cost than the festival fare and we were able to sit in an AC dining room.  We did walk around the shopping area of Ocean Springs and only bought some licorice.  It has been very windy today with bright sunshine.  Hurricane Irma is expected to hit the Florida Keys by tomorrow morning and looks to be leaning toward the western side of Florida and the Tampa area as it advances north but most of Florida will be effected.  We are feeling good about our decision to move away from the area and continue to hope and pray our house will not have any damage.

Nasty Irma is Coming and We Are Gittin' September 7 & 8, 2017

Hurricane Irma has been brewing in the Atlantic Ocean for quite a few days.  It was a very nasty storm with winds up to 190 mph marking it as a category 4 and 5 and the worst storm on record.  The path was uncertain but was going to involve Florida and most models had the storm going up through the center of the state and about 500 miles wide. Our family (son, Todd and my brother, Larry) were encouraging us to leave Florida for safety.  So yesterday, 9/7, after getting blood work done and postponing a yard irrigation appointment we left the house.  We had moved the outdoor furniture into the house and garage.  Important papers were gathered together and the freezer was emptied out.  The papers and freezer contents were taken along to the motorhome.  A little past noon we were on the road heading northwest.  We were aware that I-75 was congested and traffic was slowly moving so we avoided that road.  Taking SR 44 to SR 19 was much less congested and moving.  On SR 19 as we drove through the towns on this route we had congestion problems with traffic lights and schools letting out but otherwise moving.  When we reached I-10 east of Tallahassee the traffic was moving without any problems. There were utility trucks and military trucks traveling east to Florida peninsula.  We tried calling several campgrounds in the western panhandle of Florida that had no sites available but then a recommendation was made by a full campground for a neighboring campground in the Marianna area.  A call to Dove's Rest RV Park reserved a site for us.  After 280 miles and about 7 hours on the road we arrived at Dove's Rest and were assigned a site- 30 amp electric and water for $42.00, cash or check only, credit card machine not working so they said.  The first site we had an electric problem so we had to move to another site.  The workmen at the campground stated these sites had not been used for a long time.  We feel the campground took advantage of the situation charging the price of $42.00.  This in my opinion was a very poor business decision as this campground would have made a nice stop whenever travels westward occurs but we will not be stopping here again if at all possible.
Today (8th) we were on the road by 8:30 am continuing our travels on I-10 west after fueling up at a Pilot station.  Traffic moved well without any issues other than road construction at a few places We arrived at Cajun RV Park in Biloxi, Mississippi about 1:30 pm after 258 miles.  Yesterdays trip was only 22 miles longer but took 2 hours longer.  As we were setting up in our campsite a neighbor lady came over and offered us some chili that she had made for our lunch.  Very thoughtful and the chili was very good.  We will stay here for the weekend, at least, until Irma moves through Florida.  Irma will hit southern Florida Sunday morning and expected to move northerly probably hitting our area on Sunday/ Monday.

Solar Eclipse - August 17-23, 2017

Thursday, August 17th, we were still in Pigeon Forge catching up on laundry in preparation for our next move.
On Friday, the 18th, we pulled out of Pigeon Forge to make a 215 mile trip to Westmoreland, Tennessee.  This area was designated to be a totality viewing spot for the solar eclipse that would occur on the 21st.  We stopped in Cookville, Tn. to have lunch with Lois Howard, a longtime camping friend of ours that lives in that area,  We ate at a Cheddar's restaurant and had a nice visit with Lois.  We had forgotten about crossing into Central time on this jaunt.  Tom had found out about this venue for eclipse watching from something he saw on the internet so we weren't too sure of what we were going to.  Westmoreland is a small little town that has a sizable Expo Center that doesn't appear to have much use these days.  We had to wait on a parking lot until 3 pm when someone finally came, opened gates and showed us our parking spot.  We had water and electric (30amp) and were parked on grass.  Activities and solar viewing was to be at Wild Flower Farms about 8 miles away.
Saturday, August 19th,  we did ride down to the Wild Flowers farm to get our wrist bands and solar viewing glasses but nothing else seemed to be happening.  We drove about the area going to Hendersonville and driving along the Cumberland River and Old Hickory Lake, a pretty area.  We then drove through the town of Gallatin and had lunch.  In the evening we drove to the "Farm" as there was to be entertainment but really there was not much happening so we returned back to our camp site.
Throughout the weekend campers were moving onto the grounds of the Expo Center but I believe the most that were there was 12 units.  It was advertised to have food trucks and entertainment at the "Farm" but we only saw a little hot dog cart for food and the entertainment was nothing to speak of.
Sunday we did go out for dinner but spent most of the day reading and relaxing at the motorhome
Monday, August 21st, the solar eclipse day! We had decided that we would just stay at the Expo grounds rather than go down to the "Farm" for a ride up a hill to view. The eclipse began a little before noon in clear skies.  We would periodically put on our solar glasses and check the progress and ate lunch in between.  As the eclipse moved toward totality the temperature dropped, the sky became dark, and the birds and insects became quiet.  !:27 pm totality occurred when we could remove our glasses for about 2 minutes.  It was really something to see.  I was also amazed at the accurate time schedule available.  Tom had downloaded an App on his phone that announced every happening and when to remove glasses and when to put them back on.   Prior to the eclipse one of the gals from the "farm" came to the Expo Center to collect fees from any body wanting to park on the grounds for the eclipse.  Since she was sitting out in the direct sun Tom took a beach umbrella to her to have for shade.  After the eclipse we walked to the area she had been and found the she and the umbrella were gone.  So we went to the farm to retrieve the umbrella.  Traffic heading north was extremely heavy with people going out of the area to home.
Tuesday, August 22nd. we were on the road by 8:30 am heading south.  We hoped to get below Atlanta, Georgia.  It was a long drive 387 miles to Perry, Ga. with most interstate driving.  Fair Harbor RV park was our home for the night, a very nice campground.
Wednesday, 23rd, we continued our travels south for 293 miles to the motor home storage lot arriving about 2 pm.  We quickly gathered up our clothes and emptied the refrigerator and went home.  A good trip.

Ocean to Mountains, August 4, 2017 Through August 16, 2017

So much time has passed since we started this trip without blogging that I am now just going to recap each day.  Internet connection has been the problem.
Friday, August 4th we left our Fruitland Park storage yard with our 2 youngest grandchildren along.  They had been staying with us for about a month and it was time to get them back home.  Traveling a short 77 miles to Port Orange, Florida we checked in to Rose Bay RV Park.  We planned to stay here for 2 nights in order to go to Daytona Beach with the kids.  Needless to say we had a great time going to the beach.  We gave the kids the choice of a third day of going to the beach with 2 long days of travels or forget the third beach day just get on the road and travel 3 days.  The third beach day won out.  It was wonderful seeing these 2, Parker (8 on 8/12) and Gabi (5) enjoying playing in the waves fearlessly.
On Monday, August 7th, we began our trek north going 403 miles to Florence, South Carolina.  We stayed at Swamp Fox RV park.  It was a long day for all.
Tuesday 8th, we continued our travels to South 40 Resort near Petersburg, Virginia, 269 miles.  This would be our last night of the kids being with us.  We did stop in Skippers, Virginia at a peanut factory where we all sampled a variety of peanuts (salted, spiced, and chocolate coated and other concoctions and nuts).
August 9th, Wednesday, Todd came to the campground after getting off work at 8am to get Parker and Gabi.  We all ate breakfast at a restaurant next to the campground and then said our good-byes as Todd and kids headed home to Stafford, Virginia as we headed off unsure just where we were going.  We did go southwest to Graham, North Carolina located between Durham and Winston-Salem, 221 miles.  We stayed here for 2 nights at Hidden Lake Park.  On Thursday we went to Old Salem, a Moravian community that was settled many years ago.  Interesting old town with people dressed in period costumes talking about past life in this community.
August 11th, Friday, we drove on for 186 miles to Hendersonville, N.C.  Being a weekend we couldn't find a campground in the Boone, N.C.area so we settled for Park Place in the Flat Rock/ Hendersonville area.  This area is the mountainous area of western North Carolina.  Chimney Rock is a state park that we drove to but did not go into the park.  It costs $13.00 per person and there was many steps to climb to get to the top.  There is an elevator which was not working - the price of $15.00 per person had been reduced because of this problem.
Monday, August 14th, another 128 miles and we were in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee at Creekside RV Park where we are staying until Friday 18th.   On Tuesday we drove to Gatlinburg and walked around the stores.  Wednesday (today) we went to Dollywood for the day, had a nice day of enjoying rides (our first ride of the day was on a raft ride which we both got soaked and did not get dried out until afternoon) and seeing shows.  One show featured Dolly Pardon's brother, Randy, as well as a couple nieces and cousins and other non relatives, nice show.
The goal for this trip is to be in an area to see the August 21st solar eclipse.  Somewhere along our way Tom learned of a gathering in Tennessee north of Nashville for seeing this event.  We will be at this gathering Friday through Monday.

Maryland to Florida with Stops in Between- May 19- June 1, 2017

I really got behind in my blogging due to lack of decent wifi hook-ups.  In fact we never got our computers out of the cases.  So I will attempt to play catch-up.
May 19th, Friday,  this was the day of the wedding of my nephew, Brent, and his bride, Laura.  The Bay, a venue that was along the Chesapeake Bay was the setting.  The weather was not totally cooperative as it rained before the ceremony, then stopped for the ceremony but resumed shortly afterwards.  But all in all, it was a lovely wedding and a fun filled reception.  It was so nice to see so many of the family.  Disappointingly, Todd's family were sick and unable to attend.  Consequently, we did not see them this trip north.
May 20th, Saturday, Tom left the campground early to drive to Union Bridge for the Carroll County Fire ans EMS convention.  As a past president of the county firemen he had been invited to the past president's breakfast held prior to the other activities of the day.  It was a dreary cool day so I just did some cleaning and such in the motorhome.
May 21st, Sunday,  we had a leisurely morning getting ready to depart from the campground.  It was a little past 11am when we finally got underway.  We only went 129 miles to Deal Island, Maryland to the island house of Larry and Joanne.  After the wedding on Friday evening Larry and Joanne spent the night at a hotel then Saturday returned to their home in Pennsylvania, pick up their dog and on Sunday drive down to Deal Island.  We arrived about 3:15pm just a short time after they had gotten there.
Monday 22nd of May,  we traveled around the area and had a nice lunch.  We spent time just talking and visiting.
Tuesday 23rd of May, for the second day Joanne made a nice breakfast for all of us.  Larry had arranged with a local crabber to get some crabs which Larry steamed and we all chowed out on.  Nothing like Maryland steamed crabs and there is none any fresher than these were.
Wednesday, May 24th, we left Larry and Joanne about 8:30am heading south across the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel and Bridge and finally getting on I-95.  We stopped for the night about 8:30pm in Selma, N.C. at RVacation campground.  Had a stormy evening.

May 25th, Thursday, we arrived in Myrtle Beach, S.C. about 12:45pm at Pirateland Campground.  We had a great site right along the beach.  We stayed here for a week enjoying the beach and the area restaurants.  Our transfer switch on the motorhome went bad causing us to not have electric coming into the coach only battery. No air conditioning, thankfully it was not sweltering.  Of course this occurred on a holiday weekend but RV Rescue did respond on Saturday and did the necessary repairs and we were back on electric power.
One day we met a high school classmate of mine that lives in this area for lunch at the Noizy Oyster restaurant.  Great catching up.

June 1st, Thursday, we left the beach behind moving farther south.  We stopped for the night in St. Augustine, Florida staying at Stagecoach Campground.
June 2nd, Friday, we drove 100 miles to Fruitland Park where we store our motorhome.  After cleaning out the refrigerator and clothes we were in our house by noon.
A nice trip.

Destination- Maryland, May 15 - 18, 2017

Monday morning (15th) we left our home for the storage lot with a loaded Jeep.  At the storage lot we emptied the Jeep and stowed the cargo into the motorhome.  At 9:10am we were on the road headed north.  Tom had found a different route for our travels through Florida to I-95 that was through fewer towns and through parts of Ocala National Forest.  We stopped for the night in Brunswick, Georgia, 194 miles, at the Golden Isles RV Park.

Tuesday morning at 8:55am we were back on the road going north on I-95.  We traveled 278 miles to Dillon, S.C. and Bass Lake RV Park.  The weather was hot, 90's.

Wednesday we left Bass Lake at 8:40am continuing north.   We did stopped for lunch on this day in Roanoke Rapids at a Mexican restaurant, San Jose.  The previous days we had eaten lunch at a rest stop in the motorhome.  After 286 miles we stopped for the night in Ashland, Va. at Americamps RV park.

Today, Thursday (18th), we traveled another 127 miles leaving I-95 continuing on route 301 across the Potomac River into southern Maryland.  We had left at 9:25am and got to Capitol KOA in Millersville, Md. at 12:55pm.  This will be where we be staying for the next 3 nights.  We are here to attend a nephew's wedding tomorrow evening.  This campground is not the most desirable but it is the closest to the wedding venue that we found.  Being very hot, again 90, we only have 30 amp electric which we were made aware of when reservations were made several weeks ago.  There seems to be very few 50 amp sites and the campground is far from being full.  After setting up we jumped into the Jeep getting lunch at South of the Border restaurant, a well needed car wash and then frosties from Wendy's.

The Longest Day- February 19, 2017

This day would definitely have more than 24 hours as we were going home.  We were up at 4 am and ready to be picked up from the hotel at 4:30 am for our transport to the Christchurch airport.  There were 3 couples leaving at this time.  A bagged breakfast of yogurt, juice, fruit and some small pastries had been prepared for us since the hotel breakfast was not open.  At the airport we had to process through as international flyers as we would be flying to Australia.  At 7 am we were on the plane for Sydney which was about a 3 hours long.  Landing in Sydney, we found the clock was turned back 2 hours and our next flight did not load up until 1:50 pm so we had about 5 hours of layover time.
We loaded into the plane about 2 pm and the plane took off about 2:30 pm for Dallas/ Fort Worth, Texas.  We would be on this large Air Bus 380 plane for about 15 hours.  Tom and I again lucked out with having the third seat vacant that allowed more room to get comfortable. The flight was uneventful, had a meal, the lights were turned off and window shades pulled down to encourage sleeping, snacks distributed to those awake, then breakfast served with lights turned on and landing in Texas at little past 1 pm (central time) and still the same day.  Again being international travelers we had to go through customs and immigration, collect luggage and then get luggage rechecked. This huge airport had porters with large golf cart vehicles that we utilized to move us from area to area.  Our plane was not scheduled to load until nearly 5 pm so we had time to get something to eat which we did.  The plane loaded fairly promptly and we were on our last leg of this trip to Orlando.  Finally, about 8:30 pm (eastern time) we had landed in Orlando.  When we went to claim our luggage our luggage was not on the conveyor belt. As we proceeded to the desk to make a claim Tom spied our luggage in a roped off area with an attendant.  Our luggage had come in on a earlier flight.  Tom had arranged for a pick-up to take us back to The Villages so Tom had been in contact with him when we landed and we were picked up in a few minutes time after getting our luggage.  We arrived home about 10:30 pm the same day that we had left New Zealand.  With the numerous time zones we passed through we estimate our travels were at least 30 hours from start to home.
The trip was wonderful.  Trafalgar, the tour company, had arranged a tour that gave us an overview of both countries.  We had very little idle time.  Both tour directors, Dave Overton (Australia) and Katie Hunter (New Zealand) were knowledgeable and extremely helpful.  It was a great way to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary!

Back to Christchurch- February 18,2017

Leaving Queenstown by bus at 7:45 am we drove a fairly short stint to a little town of Arrowtown, a historic gold mining village.  It was so early that nothing but restrooms were open but we walked around for few minutes before getting back on the bus and moving on.
We were riding through the central part of the country where it was much drier and the vegetation was golden brown, a change from the green forested coastal area.  We stopped at Lake Tekapo, an alpine lake, and had a look in the tiny little Church of the Good Shepherd that had a front window with the lake in view.  There was also a statue nearby honoring the sheep dog.  All through this area there were big flocks of sheep in the hills and fields.
For lunch we went to Morelea Farm with Angie and Stan Taylor hosting.  We had a wonderful meal of beef, lamb, salad, carrot salad, peas, potatoes and then pavlova for dessert prepared by Angie and her helpers.  We ate in the home and on the porch.  Stan and Angie raise beef cattle, about 180 head, and sheep, about 4000 head.  After eating lunch Stan talked about his farm and that the animals live off the grass that is grown as no grain is used for feed.  Interesting lunchtime.
We arrived in Christchurch a little past 5pm and quickly made our ways to our rooms.  We all met together at 7:30pm for our farewell dinner at the hotel.  Pictures were taken, good byes were given.  Katie, our tour director, gave Tom and I a figurine honoring our 50th anniversary.  Another nice meal with a nice group of folks.  Tom and I didn't tarry too long as we had a 4:30am pick-up time from the hotel to go to the airport for a 7am departure to Sydney, Australia in the morning to begin our trek home.

Queenstown Day-February 17, 2017

Today we had the luxury of not needing to do or be anywhere until 3:15pm and it was very much welcomed by us.  On this segment of the trip here in New Zealand we have been tightly scheduled with activities.   We were later than usual getting up and getting down for breakfast so we thought the dining room would be less crowded but we were wrong.   It was almost impossible to find someplace to sit but finally I found a table with a couple sitting at and asked if we could share the table and they agreed.
After breakfast we walked to the downtown of Queenstown.  Along the wharf there were tables set up with people selling their crafts and wares. And then we walked about the shops in the town.  For lunch we ate at a Mexican restaurant, Sombrero, which was an okay place but not the greatest.
We returned to the hotel but soon started to get ready to go out for the evening.  We were to be ready by 3:15pm to board the bus for a short drive to Queenstown wharf.  We then boarded a steam engined boat that took us across the harbor to Walter Peak Station (ranch).  We were seated on the patio and then had a barbeque- huge shrimp, mussels, smoked salmon, salad, beef, lamb, chicken,potatoes, corn on the cob, and an assortment of desserts.  Food was very good and plentiful.  After dinner, a demonstration of sheep dogs working the sheep and sheep shearing was given before boarding the boat to return to Queenstown.  It was an absolutely beautiful evening.  As we returned on the boat the on-board pianist played familiar tunes and a group of us sat around singing.  Fun times to end the day.

Milford Sound -February 16,2017:

This morning at 7:30 am we were loaded up on the bus traveling west to Milford Sound.  Travel time was about 4 hours as there was not roads that went directly to this area.  We had a couple stops for restrooms and coffee and then when we entered Fiordlands National Park we made several stops for picture taking.  This was a very pretty scenic area with mountains, lakes and waterfalls.  When we arrived at Milford Sound we boarded a boat for a one and half hour tour.  Buffet lunch was served which was very nice- sesame chicken, lamb chops, venison ribs, lo mein dish, salad and ice cream cup for dessert.  The weather was perfect sunny skies and a little coolness.  This Milford Sound is really not a sound but a fjord as this channel was carved out by glacier not by flowing water.  The walls of the mountains were flowing with waterfalls from the melting snow.  A group of playful dolphins entertained us.  Fur seals were sunning themselves on a rock.  We traveled out to the Tasman Sea and then back to the pier.
On our return to Queenstown travels we had a traffic jam of sorts as a huge flock of sheep were being herded down the road.  This trip passed through mostly farm lands.  Large flocks of sheep seemed to be the predominate farm animal.  There were some cattle, dairy and beef.  It is surprising to see herds of deer in fenced in pastures.

Returning to Queenstown and our hotel, Tom and I walked to the downtown area for a bite to eat.  The streets and park areas were teeming with teenagers and young adults.  Tomorrow we have nothing scheduled until 3:30pm and we are looking forward to that down time.

To Queenstown- February 15,2017

At 8 am we were back on the bus and leaving Franz Josef and going to Queenstown.  We continued our travels in the Southern Alps.  Peaks of several mountains were snow covered.  Tom and I had opted for an optional tour of taking a jet boat for an hour long ride on the Haast River along with about 20 others in our tour group.  It was a cool morning  with heavy clouds but the boat was enclosed.  The boat driver did stop a few times to talk about the river and surrounding area.  Toward the end of the boat ride the driver thrilled us with spinning the boat 360 degrees for 5 times.  When we arrived at the final docking point the bus was already there for us to board.  So we continued on through Haast Pass seeing many waterfalls on the mountains and opaque blue watered rivers. Moving on we saw several beautiful blue lakes.
We stopped for lunch at Makarora, a little community.  It was a short stop that allowed us to get a sandwich or bowl of soup before getting back on the road.  We then began seeing vineyards, wineries and cherry orchards.  A stop was made at a fruit market which also had ice cream.  About 5pm we finally got to the Millenium Hotel in Queenstown after a tour of the city.   We checked into our room but then at 5:45 pm we were back on the bus for a ride to The Boatshed for dinner.  The Boatshed apparently serves private parties as we were the only folks there.  We selected from the menu an appetizer, entree and dessert from a choice of 3 is each category. We also had some wine served to us.  The meal was very good.  Tom had an antipasto, steak and a chocolate dessert.  I had a salad along with the steak and chocolate dessert.
We will be in Queenstown for 3 nights which will be good.  Tomorrow will be another full day so we plan to get to bed before too late.

Franz Josef- February 14, 2017

What a great morning, we did not leave the hotel until 8:45 am.  Our luggage needs to be outside our room 1 hour before departure whenever we move from one hotel to another. And this morning we were moving once again .  The travels today were westward across the Southern Alps to a little town of Franz Josef.  The sparsely populated area we were driven through was beautiful mountains, some sheep and dairy cattle farms and rivers with glacial silt.  We stopped in Arthur Pass for coffee and bathroom break and then in Hokitika for lunch and a visit to a jade factory.. Continuing on we finally about 4 pm arrived in Franz Josef and the Te Waonui Forest Retreat, our hotel for tonight.  This hotel is the nicest hotel we have been in .  And this is in a little town of about 400 people.  We were greeted with a kiwi drink and a cool wash cloth by a native warrior.  After getting in our rooms and receiving our luggage we again boarded the bus to ride a short  distance to the area of the Franz Josef glacier.  Very often this glacier cannot be seen due to clouds but after some rain and clouds this morning the sun was shining when we got to the path leading to the glacier.  Our tour director, Katie, said that she had not seen the glacier for most of the year and was excited that the glacier was visible.  The glacier was a good distance away but we were able to walk a pathway to get a closer view.  After a day of riding it was good to be out for a walk.  Returning to the hotel we had dinner at the hotel which was a gorgeous meal.  Hot pumpkin soup, a salmon appetizer, then roasted lamb, venison ribs, salad greens, potatoes and for dessert cheeses, pate, fresh and dried fruits and a small tiramisu and wine.  A great way to end the day.
Later note:  the hotel had nice furry decorative pillows on the beds which our tour director said were possum fur.  This fur was very fluffy and soft not at all like what the coarse bristly covering on the animal that we know as opossums.  I later came across a fur store that had pictures of these New Zealand possums which are rather cute furry little creatures related to the koala.  These animals are not well liked in New Zealand as they are not native and have been hard on the native birds as kiwis.

Rotorua to Christchurch->February 13, 2017

Leaving the hotel at 7:45 am we had our luggage stowed in the motorcoach as we were driven a short distance to Rainbow Springs Nature Park.  We had a guide that led us about the park.  Rainbow Springs is a natural spring with rainbow trout.  This area is a green forested area with the sounds of birds throughout. Sequoias trees that were brought from US back in the 1930's are thriving here although the wood is not as dense as the US Sequoias.  Kiwi, native birds of New Zealand have been decreasing in numbers due to unnatural predators, as stoats and opossums, being brought to this country.  This park is working to increase the kiwis by taking eggs incubating, hatching and raising the chicks until mostly full grown then released into the wild.  Programs to eradicate the predators are also being done.
Back on the bus for another short ride in the town of Rotorua.  The Te Puia Thermal Reserve was our next stop.  Again we had a guide that walked with us talking about this Geo-thermal area that was very much like a small version of Yellowstone National Park in the US.  There were geysers, mud pots and very hot pools.  New Zealand has numerous inactive volcanoes throughout the entire country.
Once again we were on the bus but this time we were taken to the Rotorua airport where we caught a plane for Christchurch, a town on the southern island.  The flight was a little more than one and a half hours long.  A bus was waiting for us when we landed so we loaded up in that bus. The tour director, Katie, and bus driver, Ron, gave us a tour of the city of Christchurch.  In 2011 there was an earthquake that did quite a bit of destruction in the city and there has been ongoing reconstruction which was evident.  A memorial of 186 chairs all painted white depicts the lives lost during that earthquake.  A cathedral across the street from the hotel, Novotel, where are staying tonight, appears to have a lot of destruction.
We had an evening to do whatever, so we went out and found a small restaurant for an evening meal.  We had only had a half sandwich each before boarding the plane so we were getting hungry.

Rotorua, N. Z.- February 12, 2017

Another day with an early start as we were on the bus at 7:30 am leaving the city of Auckland on the motorcoach to our next destination.  After a couple hours of travel through dairy farming territory we made a stop at Waitomo Glow Worm Grotto.  We had a tour guide that took us through a limestone cave until we came to a river running through the cave at which that time we boarded boats and quietly without any lights or noise the guide propelled the boat by pulling along overhead lines.  Glow worms with their lights illuminated the cave ceiling like stars in the sky.  These "worms" are really larva of a type of fly and not really worms.
Continuing on we stopped in a small town to get a quick lunch, half an hour.  And then we were back on the bus to the Agrodome Sheep Show.  This show started by displaying  18 sheep each one a different breed on a stage.  Two sheep dogs were brought on stage to demonstrate their obedience to commands.  The show ended with an outside sheep herding demonstration with sheep dogs.  Then we were back on the bus for a short ride to Rotorua and the Millenium Hotel where we will stay tonight.  Our luggage had been dropped off and placed in our rooms while we were at the sheep show.  We barely had time to catch our breath when we again loaded onto a bus to a native village, Tamaki Family Marae, for a show and a traditional Maori Hangi dinner.  The food was cooked in a pit in the ground.  Good meal- chicken, fish, lamb, carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes and salad and dessert.  Nice evening but a long day.

Auckland, N.Z.- February 11, 2017

This morning after breakfast we boarded a bus for a tour of the city of Auckland guided by our tour director, Katie and bus driver, Eric.  We then took a harbor cruise tour.  Beautiful day with bright sunshine, temperatures in the 70's and wind.  The bus brought us back to the hotel from the boat ride and then we were free to do whatever.  Tom and I walked about the city looking for someplace to get lunch.  There are many places to get sushi as Chinese are probably the largest group of tourists to come down here.  We did find a place to get burgers which were pretty good.  Returned to the hotel and felt a real need to get some rest in the afternoon.  A group of Indian men apparently came to the hotel and many have moved into rooms on our floor.  A knock came to the door and when I answered the door one of these men dressed in a bathrobe was at the door.  He apologized and moved on.
Early evening we went out in search of toothpaste since Tom's was confiscated at the airport.  After obtaining the toothpaste we noticed a street closed off and large groups of people walking through the closed off street so we decided to investigate what was going on.  There is a city parklike area where there was a Chinese Lantern Festival happening.  No charge for admission.  There was lots of displays of large lanterns depicting all kinds of scenes.  Reminded me of our Christmas displays set up in various towns. We have been in the midst of Chinese New Year's celebrations throughout our travels in Australia and, now, New Zealand.   There was also music entertainment Chinese style and Chinese food vendors.
We didn't eat at the festival but came back toward the hotel and ate at a restaurant that our tour director had pointed out, Betsia restaurant.    Food was good with kebabs and salads.

New Zealand- February 10, 2017

Up early again this morning as we had had our breakfast and was on our way to the airport about 7:20 am.  We were flying to Auckland, New Zealand about a 3 hour flight.

 Since we were leaving Australia we had all the hoops to jump through of going from one country to another..  Our carry on bags had to be opened.  Tom's toothpaste and shave cream was taken out and discarded and I had a tube of Fluoride dental gel that was just about depleted that they took out because the weight on the tube stated above the limit.  This was the 8th time we had gone through these security checks  carrying these items in our bags and the first time it was a problem.  Go figure. We flew Emirates airlines under the umbrella of Qantas.  Like the plane from Dallas to Sydney, this plane was the very big A380-800 plane with 2 levels.  We were almost an hour late in leaving but we did have a nice hot lunch of beef, mashed potatoes,peas and carrots, a salad with chick peas and chicken and raspberry cheesecake.  There was 5 of us from the Australian tour that was traveling together.  After landing in Auckland and going through customs and immigration we found our shuttle that transported us to the Langham hotel.  There is a 2 hour time difference between Sydney and Aukland so it was not 4:20pm but 6:20 pm when we arrived at the hotel.  A meeting was already underway with the tour director, Katie Hunter, so we quickly made our way to the meeting.  Dinner this evening was here in the hotel and was a grand meal in buffet style with different seafood, steaks cooked to order, nice salad bar and beautiful desserts.  After eating we came back to our room as we were feeling really tired.

Blue Mountains -February 9, 2017

Our last day in Australia was an optional tour to the Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney.  We left at 7:30am in a small tour bus as there were 21 of us on this tour.  We stopped in a little town,Leura, for hot beverages and toast or brownies.  Moving on we came to the Blue mountains so called because of the blue coloring due to the oil in the eucalyptus trees.

We took a cable tram across the deep valley.

 Then we took an inclined railroad down the side of the mountain.

 And finally we took another cable car back up the mountain.

For lunch we stopped at the Conservation Hut for a nice lunch.
Afterward, we traveled to Featherdale Wild Life park where we finally saw some kangaroos and wallabies among many other animals native to Australia.


It was a beautiful day up until afternoon when the temperature seemed to really soar along with humidity.
We had a dinner with the entire group this evening as a farewell meal at Buck's restaurant in Darling Harbor.  Dave Overton, tour director, gave us each a copy of the group picture that had been taken yesterday.  Tomorrow we will be going to New Zealand.