My nephew passed away last night. We were able to visit with him yesterday evening. We will be here for a while to be with my family. I will not be updating our blog until we leave Kissimmee and start back on our trip to Canada.
Sue
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Lake City, FL to Kissimmee, FL
We slept in this morning - 7:00. We drove about 170 miles today and arrived at Mill Creek RV Resort about 1 p.m. We are in site #210 - it is a corner site, so there is no one parked on the driver's side of the RV. We will be here for at least 2 weeks. There is another Passport America campground (Ponderosa RV Park) here in Kissimmee that we can move to if we need to stay longer than 2 weeks. Mill Creek RV Resort is about 5 minutes away from my family and Ponderosa RV Park is a bit farther away.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Lenoir City, TN to Lake City, FL
We were up at 6 a.m. again this morning and headed south on I-75.
We stopped for gas at a Flying J near Jackson, GA and then went inside for the lunch buffet.
When we pulled into Oaks 'n Pines tonight we heard a metallic sound coming from the front tire on the driver's side. Mike got out and walked alongside the wheel while I drove. After taking off the hubcap, Mike found that a balance weight had come loose and was rolling around inside the hubcap and making the noise we heard.
We're in site #53 at Oaks 'N Pines RV Campground and it is long enough that we don't have to unhitch the Vue. I toyed with the idea of doing laundry tonight, but quickly squashed that thought. I'll just do it when we get to Kissimmee.
We drove about 480 miles today and I drove for about 150 of them (including driving through Atlanta on I-75). Thankfully, tomorrow will be a shorter driving day.
We stopped for gas at a Flying J near Jackson, GA and then went inside for the lunch buffet.
When we pulled into Oaks 'n Pines tonight we heard a metallic sound coming from the front tire on the driver's side. Mike got out and walked alongside the wheel while I drove. After taking off the hubcap, Mike found that a balance weight had come loose and was rolling around inside the hubcap and making the noise we heard.
We're in site #53 at Oaks 'N Pines RV Campground and it is long enough that we don't have to unhitch the Vue. I toyed with the idea of doing laundry tonight, but quickly squashed that thought. I'll just do it when we get to Kissimmee.
We drove about 480 miles today and I drove for about 150 of them (including driving through Atlanta on I-75). Thankfully, tomorrow will be a shorter driving day.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Ottawa Hills, OH to Lenoir City, TN
We were up at 6:00 this morning and packed up the Vue. We drove over to the Ottawa Hills Town Hall to get the RV. We were on the road by 7:30. Jamie had given us a better & quicker route to I-75 than the one we took to get here. We did get into the commuter traffic in Toledo, but it wasn't too bad.
We stopped at a Burger King south of Toledo near Perrysburg, OH. We stopped for lunch at a rest area near Walton, KY.
We stopped for the night at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Lenoir City, TN. There were quite a few restaurants within walking distance of the RV - Quizno's, Zaxby's, Subway (Wal-Mart) and Monterrey Mexican Restaurant. After a little discussion we decided on eating Mexican.
We drove about 475 miles today and have about the same to drive tomorrow. Not long after we got back in the RV from dinner there were 2 fifth-wheels and another motorhome spending the night here at Wal-Mart.
We stopped at a Burger King south of Toledo near Perrysburg, OH. We stopped for lunch at a rest area near Walton, KY.
We stopped for the night at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Lenoir City, TN. There were quite a few restaurants within walking distance of the RV - Quizno's, Zaxby's, Subway (Wal-Mart) and Monterrey Mexican Restaurant. After a little discussion we decided on eating Mexican.
We drove about 475 miles today and have about the same to drive tomorrow. Not long after we got back in the RV from dinner there were 2 fifth-wheels and another motorhome spending the night here at Wal-Mart.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Mother's Day
We've had a nice visit with Mike's niece and her family this weekend. The weather this weekend has been great (to us anyway). It's been cool enough to wear long-sleeve shirts. But I think everyone here is ready for spring and warmer weather.
Miles, Tricia & Jamie's son, spent Saturday night with friends at a cabin at Lakewood Village in Wapakoneta. After he got back home this afternoon, Jamie fixed hamburgers on the grill.
We forgot to bring the tripod with us, so Mike is not in the picture.
After dinner we showed some photos of some of the places we've visited - Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Devil's Tower, and a couple of national parks in the west.
We have made a major change in our travel plans. We received word last night that there is a serious illness in my family (Sue) and we will be returning to Kissimmee, FL instead of continuing into Michigan and then into Canada.
Miles, Tricia & Jamie's son, spent Saturday night with friends at a cabin at Lakewood Village in Wapakoneta. After he got back home this afternoon, Jamie fixed hamburgers on the grill.
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| From Ohio, May 2009 |
We forgot to bring the tripod with us, so Mike is not in the picture.
After dinner we showed some photos of some of the places we've visited - Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Devil's Tower, and a couple of national parks in the west.
We have made a major change in our travel plans. We received word last night that there is a serious illness in my family (Sue) and we will be returning to Kissimmee, FL instead of continuing into Michigan and then into Canada.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH to Ottawa Hills, OH
Before we left Bass Lake Campground this morning we packed a bag and gathered what we would need for a 3 night stay at Mike's niece's house tonight in Ottawa Hills.
We left Bass Lake Campground this morning a little before 11:00. We exited the base through gate 26C which is close to the campground. It is only open on weekdays, but you don't have drive through the base and around the airfield to get to the campground like you do when you enter through gate 12 like we did yesterday. We checked with the campground office yesterday and we can use gate 26C to enter the base during the weekday hours that it's open.
We stopped at a Flying J at Beaverdam, OH a little before noon to get gas for the RV and to get propane in the on-board tank. Then we parked the RV and went in to pay for the gas and propane and to eat at the buffet (earning more toward our discount on gas purchases for next month). We put our suitcase and other items we would need for the weekend in the car while we were parked at Flying J. It was easier than trying to do that when we got to the Town Hall.
We left Flying J at 2:15 and arrived at the Ottawa Hills Town Hall a little after 3:30. Mike's niece, Tricia, had made arrangements with the Town Manager for us to park the RV at the Town Hall. We did the same thing 3 years ago when we were here. They let us park the RV in an area that is fenced in and locked when the Town Hall is closed.
We drove the over to Tricia's house and she was already home from work. She and Jamie and their son, Miles, have a lovely older home.
Ottawa Hills was started in 1915 by John North Willys of Willys-Overland auto; he wanted to create a strictly residential neighborhood with no commercial businesses. Since then Toledo has grown out and around Ottawa Hills.
We took Tricia, Jamie and Miles out to dinner to a restaurant that they suggested. We went to The Beirut Restaurant, a Lebanese restaurant. Tricia and Jamie told us that the portions were HUGE and they weren't kidding. We took their advise and split a dinner. We also tried the hummus dip - made mainly from pureed garbanzo beans (chick peas) and garlic. We also had the fresh pita bread. We had Beef Brachioli with rice and chilled green beans. This was our first time eating Lebanese (& hummus) and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
We left Bass Lake Campground this morning a little before 11:00. We exited the base through gate 26C which is close to the campground. It is only open on weekdays, but you don't have drive through the base and around the airfield to get to the campground like you do when you enter through gate 12 like we did yesterday. We checked with the campground office yesterday and we can use gate 26C to enter the base during the weekday hours that it's open.
We stopped at a Flying J at Beaverdam, OH a little before noon to get gas for the RV and to get propane in the on-board tank. Then we parked the RV and went in to pay for the gas and propane and to eat at the buffet (earning more toward our discount on gas purchases for next month). We put our suitcase and other items we would need for the weekend in the car while we were parked at Flying J. It was easier than trying to do that when we got to the Town Hall.
We left Flying J at 2:15 and arrived at the Ottawa Hills Town Hall a little after 3:30. Mike's niece, Tricia, had made arrangements with the Town Manager for us to park the RV at the Town Hall. We did the same thing 3 years ago when we were here. They let us park the RV in an area that is fenced in and locked when the Town Hall is closed.
We drove the over to Tricia's house and she was already home from work. She and Jamie and their son, Miles, have a lovely older home.
Ottawa Hills was started in 1915 by John North Willys of Willys-Overland auto; he wanted to create a strictly residential neighborhood with no commercial businesses. Since then Toledo has grown out and around Ottawa Hills.
We took Tricia, Jamie and Miles out to dinner to a restaurant that they suggested. We went to The Beirut Restaurant, a Lebanese restaurant. Tricia and Jamie told us that the portions were HUGE and they weren't kidding. We took their advise and split a dinner. We also tried the hummus dip - made mainly from pureed garbanzo beans (chick peas) and garlic. We also had the fresh pita bread. We had Beef Brachioli with rice and chilled green beans. This was our first time eating Lebanese (& hummus) and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Richmond, KY to Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH
Last night the rain continued and there was quite a lightning storm. I was sitting up reading after Mike went to bed and there was a lightning strike nearby (it looked and sounded like it was in the parking lot) - I decided then it was time to go to bed!
We got up earlier than usual so we could leave Wal-Mart by 8 a.m. to go over to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Last night I looked on Google Earth to check on the parking for Cracker Barrel and we found a place alongside the road that we could pull off and park the RV. When we got there it was just like I had seen on Google Earth and we were able to park there easily. There wasn't room in the parking lot in the back of Cracker Barrel for us to park the RV.
We were back on I-75 a little after 9:00. I used our Next Exit book to locate a Saturn dealer and a Petsmart store along I-75 in Florence, KY that were close together. We stopped at the Saturn dealer to buy an extra fuse for the Vue (this is the fuse we remove when we're towing the Vue); we've wanted to have an extra on hand just in case we lose or something happens to the one we have.
We then drove over to Petsmart to buy a bag of dog food for Tinker. I had used our Verizon modem this morning to check Petsmart's sale ad and they had $5 off a bag of Tinker's food! Usually we go into Petsmart to buy something and what we buy isn't on sale, so our Pet Perks card doesn't help us.
So we're back on the road by 11:45. We arrived here at Bass Lake Campground at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base at 1:30. I had already entered the route through the base to the campground, but the guard at the gate told us a more direct (and less winding) way around the flight line to the campground.
After getting the RV setup I walked over to the laundry to check it out. They have 3 washer and 3 dryers (1 dryer was out of service). The washers are $1 for a load and the dryers are $.50 a load. That was the same price as when we were here 3 years ago. I went back to the RV and gathered up a couple of loads of laundry and did them this afternoon.
We're on site 13 with full hookups (50 amp). Since we're only staying the night here, we didn't unhitch the car.
Mike put out the awning to let it dry from all the rain we've been in and discovered that the latch that locks or releases the awning was not locked. Fortunately the bracket that we have on the awning to keep it from opening worked. Several stretches of I-75 were extremely rough and we think that the latch may have been "jiggled" loose.
Today Streets & Trips "lost" the gps after about 2 hours; I rebooted and it was okay for about 2 hours. Then it "lost" the gps just as we exited I-75 north of Dayton. I didn't reboot the laptop then because I needed to refer Streets & Trips for the route we needed to take to get to Bass Lake Campground.
We got up earlier than usual so we could leave Wal-Mart by 8 a.m. to go over to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Last night I looked on Google Earth to check on the parking for Cracker Barrel and we found a place alongside the road that we could pull off and park the RV. When we got there it was just like I had seen on Google Earth and we were able to park there easily. There wasn't room in the parking lot in the back of Cracker Barrel for us to park the RV.
We were back on I-75 a little after 9:00. I used our Next Exit book to locate a Saturn dealer and a Petsmart store along I-75 in Florence, KY that were close together. We stopped at the Saturn dealer to buy an extra fuse for the Vue (this is the fuse we remove when we're towing the Vue); we've wanted to have an extra on hand just in case we lose or something happens to the one we have.
We then drove over to Petsmart to buy a bag of dog food for Tinker. I had used our Verizon modem this morning to check Petsmart's sale ad and they had $5 off a bag of Tinker's food! Usually we go into Petsmart to buy something and what we buy isn't on sale, so our Pet Perks card doesn't help us.
So we're back on the road by 11:45. We arrived here at Bass Lake Campground at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base at 1:30. I had already entered the route through the base to the campground, but the guard at the gate told us a more direct (and less winding) way around the flight line to the campground.
After getting the RV setup I walked over to the laundry to check it out. They have 3 washer and 3 dryers (1 dryer was out of service). The washers are $1 for a load and the dryers are $.50 a load. That was the same price as when we were here 3 years ago. I went back to the RV and gathered up a couple of loads of laundry and did them this afternoon.
We're on site 13 with full hookups (50 amp). Since we're only staying the night here, we didn't unhitch the car.
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| From Ohio, May 2009 |
Mike put out the awning to let it dry from all the rain we've been in and discovered that the latch that locks or releases the awning was not locked. Fortunately the bracket that we have on the awning to keep it from opening worked. Several stretches of I-75 were extremely rough and we think that the latch may have been "jiggled" loose.
Today Streets & Trips "lost" the gps after about 2 hours; I rebooted and it was okay for about 2 hours. Then it "lost" the gps just as we exited I-75 north of Dayton. I didn't reboot the laptop then because I needed to refer Streets & Trips for the route we needed to take to get to Bass Lake Campground.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Chattanooga, TN to Richmond, KY
We woke up this morning to more rain. We left Shipp's RV Campground this morning at 10:15. We stopped at the Flying J southwest of Knoxville around noon to fill the tank in the RV. We went in to the restaurant to have the buffet while we were there.
We were back on the road a little after 1 p.m. About 20 miles north of Knoxville near Lake City traffic came to a halt. We crept along for about 30 minutes until we came to a place on I-75 where there was only 1 lane open. We stopped at a rest area near Fairview, KY just north of the Tennessee state line for about 30 minutes to walk Tinker.
We arrived here at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Richmond, KY at 5 p.m. Since it had stopped raining, I went into Wal-Mart to buy a few groceries that we needed.
We had seen a Bob Evans at the I-75 exit here at Richmond and would like to have breakfast there tomorrow. But since they don't have very large parking lots, we're going to stop at the Cracker Barrel at the next exit north of here for breakfast tomorrow.
I'm continuing to have problems with Streets and Trips and my Delorme gps. Streets & Trips "lost" the gps after running for about 1 hour this morning. The only way I could get it to recognize the gps was to reboot my laptop. Then this afternoon it quit again after running for 2 hours; another reboot and everything was fine all the way to Wal-Mart.
We were back on the road a little after 1 p.m. About 20 miles north of Knoxville near Lake City traffic came to a halt. We crept along for about 30 minutes until we came to a place on I-75 where there was only 1 lane open. We stopped at a rest area near Fairview, KY just north of the Tennessee state line for about 30 minutes to walk Tinker.
We arrived here at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Richmond, KY at 5 p.m. Since it had stopped raining, I went into Wal-Mart to buy a few groceries that we needed.
We had seen a Bob Evans at the I-75 exit here at Richmond and would like to have breakfast there tomorrow. But since they don't have very large parking lots, we're going to stop at the Cracker Barrel at the next exit north of here for breakfast tomorrow.
I'm continuing to have problems with Streets and Trips and my Delorme gps. Streets & Trips "lost" the gps after running for about 1 hour this morning. The only way I could get it to recognize the gps was to reboot my laptop. Then this afternoon it quit again after running for 2 hours; another reboot and everything was fine all the way to Wal-Mart.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Unadilla, GA to Chattanooga, TN
We left Southern Trails RV Resort this morning at 10:00. We had some rain this morning north of Perry, but nothing really heavy.
I connected my old Delorme gps to the laptop and used it today to see if I had the same problems that I had with the new Delorme gps when we were driving up to Southern Trails. After about an hour and a half, Microsoft Streets and Trips "lost" the gps. The only way I could get Streets & Trips to "find" the gps was to reboot my laptop. Delorme Street Atlas, which I was running at the same time, never had a problem with the gps. It's not a big problem right now, since we're on I-75 and we know the locations of many of our stops along the way. But once we get into Canada we'll be depending on the gps more.
We didn't stop for lunch until after driving through Atlanta. We took I-75 straight through Atlanta about noon and the traffic was moving along nicely - no serious slow-downs even with the construction that was going on in some sections.
We stopped at a rest area at MM 308 about 40 miles north of Kennesaw for lunch. We arrived here at Shipp's RV Campground about 2:30 - it was about 230 miles up here from Unadilla.
Campground registration is now at Camping World; the last time we were here registration was at the office and service center. There has been a lot of rain here and we noticed that the water level of the ponds by Camping World was really high. A few of the 50 amp sites were closed off because the ground was soft after all of the rain.
Our President's Club membership got us a 10% discount on the campsite; so it cost us $22.50 for tonight. We drove through the campground and found site #48. We have full hookups (30 amp) and free cable. We walked over to Camping World after we had set up the RV.
I connected my old Delorme gps to the laptop and used it today to see if I had the same problems that I had with the new Delorme gps when we were driving up to Southern Trails. After about an hour and a half, Microsoft Streets and Trips "lost" the gps. The only way I could get Streets & Trips to "find" the gps was to reboot my laptop. Delorme Street Atlas, which I was running at the same time, never had a problem with the gps. It's not a big problem right now, since we're on I-75 and we know the locations of many of our stops along the way. But once we get into Canada we'll be depending on the gps more.
We didn't stop for lunch until after driving through Atlanta. We took I-75 straight through Atlanta about noon and the traffic was moving along nicely - no serious slow-downs even with the construction that was going on in some sections.
We stopped at a rest area at MM 308 about 40 miles north of Kennesaw for lunch. We arrived here at Shipp's RV Campground about 2:30 - it was about 230 miles up here from Unadilla.
Campground registration is now at Camping World; the last time we were here registration was at the office and service center. There has been a lot of rain here and we noticed that the water level of the ponds by Camping World was really high. A few of the 50 amp sites were closed off because the ground was soft after all of the rain.
Our President's Club membership got us a 10% discount on the campsite; so it cost us $22.50 for tonight. We drove through the campground and found site #48. We have full hookups (30 amp) and free cable. We walked over to Camping World after we had set up the RV.
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| From Shipp's RV Campground, Chattanooga, TN |
Monday, May 4, 2009
May 4
While I was up at the laundry today I ran into our neighbor Rosemary. We were talking about the horses that are stabled next to the campground and I mentioned that we had stayed at the Kentucky Horse Park last year. Rosemary said she had always wanted to stop there and wanted to know how much it cost for the campground and museum. I told her I would look it up and give her the information this afternoon.
After looking up the information for Rosemary, I went over to her RV to give her my notes. While we were talking I noticed that the weather was getting darker and the wind was picking up. As I was leaving Mike said he had just put on a pot of coffee and we invited Rosemary over. After we got inside it started to rain, so we sat inside drinking coffee and talking about our RVing experiences. You never ask a lady her age, but I would guess that Rosemary is in her mid-70's and still traveling solo in her motor home. How great is that!!
After Rosemary left it was time for us to get busy finishing up our preparations for leaving tomorrow.
After looking up the information for Rosemary, I went over to her RV to give her my notes. While we were talking I noticed that the weather was getting darker and the wind was picking up. As I was leaving Mike said he had just put on a pot of coffee and we invited Rosemary over. After we got inside it started to rain, so we sat inside drinking coffee and talking about our RVing experiences. You never ask a lady her age, but I would guess that Rosemary is in her mid-70's and still traveling solo in her motor home. How great is that!!
After Rosemary left it was time for us to get busy finishing up our preparations for leaving tomorrow.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Robins AFB Air Show & Aviation Museum
We got up early this morning (6 a.m.) and left the campground at 8 a.m. to drive up to Robins AFB to attend the Air Show there. We were able to park on the base in one of the designated parking lots and then boarded a school bus (with 2 folding chairs we had brought) to be taken over to the air field.
After looking at some of the planes on exhibit we found a spot to put our chairs and waited for the air show to begin. It started with the Golden Knights parachuting in,
followed by Ed Hamill in a small bi-plane doing aerobatics, F-15 demonstration, commemorative reenactment of the Battle of Midway.
We were sitting close to some of the food vendors and did it ever smell good! Of all the food we saw people carrying, the funnel cakes looked the best. We decided to split a funnel cake and it was piping hot and very good.
Mike thought he recognized a couple of the Army pilots with the Sky Soldiers Cobra Precision Demonstration Team. Mike went down to talk with the pilots when they were standing along the fence before their act. Mike had worked with two of the pilots, CW5 (Ret) Gary Kilker was in Mike's flight with the flight training contractor in the primary division at Ft. Rucker and CW3 (Ret) Patty Meek was a Blackhawk pilot in the same reserve unit where Mike flew Blackhawks.
The Sky Soldiers was an impressive show, but then Mike is partial to helicopters. The pilots are an elite group of military veterans flying the AH-1F Cobra Attack helicopters. They perform intricate, precision tactical maneuvers. I'm including a link to their promotional video.
We didn't stay to watch the Thunderbirds since we wanted to visit the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB. We saw the new Thunderbirds and D-Day exhibits. They had exhibits for World War II (Flying Tigers, Tuskegee Airmen and air invasion of Normandy), Korean War and Vietnam War and lots of aircraft.
The Victory Café is on the third floor of the museum and we got a roast beef sub and split it (the roast beef was really good). It was a nice break and there is an area on the third floor where you can look down on the aircraft on the first floor.
Before heading back to the RV, we stopped at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Warner Robins to buy some groceries. We got back home about 5 p.m. in plenty of time to watch the Kentucky Derby. What a race!
Oh yes, I forgot to mention that Mike put out our portable satellite dish a couple of days ago because the cable reception never cleared up. So we were able to watch the Kentucky Derby without any "snow".
After looking at some of the planes on exhibit we found a spot to put our chairs and waited for the air show to begin. It started with the Golden Knights parachuting in,
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| From Air Show, Robins AFB, GA |
followed by Ed Hamill in a small bi-plane doing aerobatics, F-15 demonstration, commemorative reenactment of the Battle of Midway.
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| From Air Show, Robins AFB, GA |
We were sitting close to some of the food vendors and did it ever smell good! Of all the food we saw people carrying, the funnel cakes looked the best. We decided to split a funnel cake and it was piping hot and very good.
Mike thought he recognized a couple of the Army pilots with the Sky Soldiers Cobra Precision Demonstration Team. Mike went down to talk with the pilots when they were standing along the fence before their act. Mike had worked with two of the pilots, CW5 (Ret) Gary Kilker was in Mike's flight with the flight training contractor in the primary division at Ft. Rucker and CW3 (Ret) Patty Meek was a Blackhawk pilot in the same reserve unit where Mike flew Blackhawks.
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| From Air Show, Robins AFB, GA |
The Sky Soldiers was an impressive show, but then Mike is partial to helicopters. The pilots are an elite group of military veterans flying the AH-1F Cobra Attack helicopters. They perform intricate, precision tactical maneuvers. I'm including a link to their promotional video.
We didn't stay to watch the Thunderbirds since we wanted to visit the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB. We saw the new Thunderbirds and D-Day exhibits. They had exhibits for World War II (Flying Tigers, Tuskegee Airmen and air invasion of Normandy), Korean War and Vietnam War and lots of aircraft.
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| From Aviation Museum, Robins AFB, GA |
The Victory Café is on the third floor of the museum and we got a roast beef sub and split it (the roast beef was really good). It was a nice break and there is an area on the third floor where you can look down on the aircraft on the first floor.
Before heading back to the RV, we stopped at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Warner Robins to buy some groceries. We got back home about 5 p.m. in plenty of time to watch the Kentucky Derby. What a race!
Oh yes, I forgot to mention that Mike put out our portable satellite dish a couple of days ago because the cable reception never cleared up. So we were able to watch the Kentucky Derby without any "snow".
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