Wild, Wonderful West Viginia

The lake at ACE

The family on horseback

We've had a great time with the family here in West Viginia.  Ace Outdoor Adventures is a fabulous place to visit....with every activity you could ever imagine.  Thanks to the wooded mountains, cell phone and internet service is absolutely lousy, but we managed to coordinate our activities.  The McCurdys especially had some great moments.  On Tuesday Tom and Reid went off to play golf at a beautiful resort while the rest of us tested our horseback riding skills.  Later that evening, the McCurdys went zip-lining through the forest on a "canopy tour."  Wednesday morning we awoke to lots of rain, but the rafters (Ann and Matt) were going to get wet anyway - so off they went!  (Matt won the prize for the most "swims" on the rafting trip!) Grandma and Grandpa took the girls to the National Park Visitor Center at the New River Gorge Bridge and learned a little about the area and took a look at the Western Hemisphere's highest arch bridge.  Luckily, the sun came out and we spent the afternoon at ACE's spring fed lake filled with giant inflatable water toys, a huge water slide and a zip-line into the water.   Uncle Reid treated us to dinner at "Pies and Pints" before the McCurdys had to leave...with three girls begging to stay longer!

What do you mean, no Internet???

We've had a great weekend but had to go without Internet service...but we can live with that on occasion.  We had a fun Saturday in Stanardsville, Virginia with Beth and Geoff...touring part of the Monticello Wine Trail, hitting just three of the 21 wineries on the tour.  We didn't know that Virginia is the 8th producer of wine in the US.  The countryside is beautiful with lots of history as well.  Geoff fixed us his famous enchiladas for dinner and our visit extended into the evening.  We got back to the RV just before the lightning, thunder and rain took out our electricity for the night. 

On Sunday we made a five hour drive up to West Virginia and parked at our favorite campground in Fayetteville...WallyWorld.  We drove out to visit the campground we will move to later today...it will be a challenge to get parked!  We also found where Ann, Matt and the girls will be staying and that, too, is an adventure in driving, but the facilities are going to be fun once they get there.    Reid had been kayaking all afternoon and we met him for dinner at a great restaurant, Diogi's, that we had eaten at last year.  We enjoyed catching up on what Reid ahs been up to and hearing about the challenges ahead in his work.

We're looking forward to the McCurdy's arrival this evening and the adventures ahead for all of us.  Not sure when we'll be able to post again as we'll have to come to McDonald's or to Reid's house to get a connection.

Please, don't feed the bears!

Cousin Beth had called last night around 11:00 to say she had returned from North Carolina and we agreed to meet at her house around 10 this morning.  We spent several hours just visiting and touring their new house.  It's quite a place in a beautiful wooded setting.  Tom, Beth and I went to lunch at the Main Street Cafe in Stanardsville and then took a drive over to the Shenandoah National Park.  Beth and Geoff live just 8 miles from an entrance station to the Skyline Drive.  We drove 15 miles on the drive to the Byrd Visitor Station making several stops at overlooks along the way.  At the Visitor Center we watched a couple films and toured the exhibits, then made the return drive back to Beth and Geoff's house just in time to greet Geoff as he returned from a week's business trip to Florida.  Along the Skyline Drive we noticed something moving in the green growth along the road.  Whoa!!!  That's a bear!  We stopped and backed up to where we thought we'd seen him and he had wandered down to the edge of the road.  If we had opened the window, we could have pet him!  No wonder the sign in the office at the campground says "Please, don't feed the bears!"  Beth and Geoff have also had a bear in their yard as evidenced by the demolished bird feeder at the top of a tall pole.

Green, Green!

It was a shorter day today...driving from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina to Stanardsville, Virginia.  The rolling countryside, highways lines with green trees and very few signs of commercial life anywhere, were quite pleasant.  We arrived at the Heavenly Acres Campground around 2:30 and were greeted by the very friendly owner.  The campground is more of a real "campground" than a resort or RV park as the sites are carved out of the woods and the place is very "rustic."  But, we have full hookups, minus WiFi so we're happy.  The temperature is much more bearable and we even were able to get the car washed...a month of road grime had changed it from tan to black.  We're looking forward to time with Beth and Geoff and doing a little sightseeing before we leave on Sunday.

Breaker, One, Nine!

All we've done the last two days is just drive!  We left Kingsland, Georgia on Tuesday morning and made it on to South Carolina (Florence) and North Carolina (Roanoke Rapids) just short of Virginia on Wednesday night.  We stopped at a few rest areas and after seeing the many, many billboards for "South of the Border" at the South/North Carolina border we stopped to see what was there...a large collection of gift shops, miniature golf, restaurants, gas stations, carnival rides, and big bright signs.  Later, our entertainment was listening to the CB radio as we inched along in several traffic jams...one for a bad accident and another for construction.  The truckers were checking out the female drivers and telling admittedly bad jokes to entertain us all and they kept tabs on all the vehicles trying to buck the line. It was fun listening to them and watching them go into action from our seats higher off the road and knowing that the cars weren't listening to the CB. The heat and humidity have lowered a degree or two :-)

Movin' on up!

Sunday we spent a second busy day at the Kennedy Space Center.  It's just amazing how many people are involved and how much work goes into getting spacecraft and astronauts into space.  We watched two IMAX 3-D movies, toured a model of the International Space Station and other exhibits and presentations.  We also made a stop at the Astronauts Hall of Fame.

Monday morning we made a stop at an RV repair facility in Titusville hoping to get our shower door back into its proper place, but they did not have the proper parts.  Moving on to Palm Coast, Florida at an Ace Hardware we were able to find a collection of small parts which Tom was able to put together and re-hang the door.  In Palm Coast we went on a search for the house where we lived 32 years ago.  We managed to find it in spite of the changes that have occured.  When we lived there the area was mostly swamp land.  We drove 25 miles to Ormond Beach to go to a grocery and other shopping.  Now, Palm Coast is a thriving city of almost 80,000 people covering 60 square miles with plenty of shopping and traffic.  We managed to find a place for the rig in a Kohl's parking lot.

Our overnight stop in Kingsland, Georgia is just that...an overnight stop...certainly nothing fancy or exciting about the rv park operated at the Econo Lodge Motel :-)

Three, Two, One, and we have liftoff!

Launchpad B at the Kennedy Space Center

We didn't get very far north on today's drive.  From Sebastian we got about 75 miles before we were near the Kennedy Space Center.  We decided that we hadn't been there in 25 or 30 years so we drove about 10 miles off I-95 to check it out.  There wasn't very much traffic or many people considering the size of their parking lot.  We parked the Dutch Star towing the car across a whole line of spaces in a big open lot.  We bought the cheapest admission package at $38 each and discovered several hours later that there was no way we could see everything in one day.  The admission tickets are good for 2 days, so around 3:30 we decided to leave and see if we could find a campground for two nights and come back again on Sunday.  We found a Brevard County Campground, Manatee Hammock, just a few miles away and managed to get the rig into one of only a few sites that aren't completely closed in by large trees.  We do like our satellite TV :-)  So tomorrow we'll back to KSC.

Headin' north!

We reversed direction today, going back up Route 27, stopping for "brunch" at the Miccosukee Casino to take advantage of the 2-for-1 buffet voucher we got the other day on our way south.  Then it was on up towards Lake Okeechobee and aorund it on the east this time.  We can't believe the number of plant and tree nurseries we passed.  We continued over to I-95 and to Sebastian where we are parked behind a McDonalds, but actually in the "overnight pull-throughs" of an RV park.  We can just barely pick up the free WiFi signal.  :-)   Not sure where we'll head on Saturday...just north.

Swamps!

Wednesday found us in the Everglades National Park.  We arrived just in time to participate in the Ranger Led Hike along a half-mile boardwalk into the swamps of the Everglades.  It was a great hike with a great ranger (we've had some pretty lousy ones in the past, on occasion).  It took us about an hour-and-a-half for the tour and that was plenty in the heat and humidity and of course out in the sun!  Apparently, the best time to see all the alligators is in winter dry season.  We saw only one large one and a group of 4 babies at another place.  We did see quite a few different birds, butterflies, bugs and plants.  After the hike, we drove to the very end of the park road and checked out another visitor center and the campgounds where there were just a few brave souls' tents set up.  We hadn't even tried to go there as there are no hookups of any kind.  This section of the park had a great deal of damage in 2005 from Katrina and especially Wilma and they are just beginning to replace buildings and facilities.  On the drive back to the entrance of the park, we stopped at overlooks and boardwalks and walked in the Mahogany and Mangrove forests.

Today's journey was to the Biscayne National Park along Biscayne Bay east of Homestead, FL.  Most of the park is out in the water, but we visited the Museum and marina and again walked a boardwalk trail. (We passed on the $65 boat tour)  After a lunch and shopping break at an outlet mall, we drove Route 1 down into "the Keys" as far as Islamorada, catching glimpses of beautiful homes and big boats along the coast and the Intercoastal waterway.  We found an overlook to park and have a picnic supper.   

The weather these two days was rain-free except for a few drops, but the heat and humidty remain quite high.  (We just carry our "dew rags" with us at all times)  We enjoyed visiting on the phone this evening with friends who are at the other "end of the road" in RVs camped on "The Spit" in Homer, Alaska....a few miles between us all!  We plan to head north once again on Thursday.

Drip, Drip, Drip!

There have been several sources, but we've been dripping constantly the last couple of days.  For starters, there's always the morning shower.  Second, the heat and humidity here in Florida are terrible.  The temperature is always above 90* and the humidity is about the same.  Once we step outside, our whole body begins to "glow," and our clothes are stuck to our body.  And then there's the rain.  Accompanied by lots of thunder and lightning, we've had lots and lots and lots of rain.  The streets flooded, the ground is a big puddle and getting in and out of the stores and car was like taking a heavy shower all over.  Then there's the bugs!  I just love Florida!      

Our campground last night was empty.  Tonight we are in Homestead, Florida sandwiched in to The Boardwalk "manufactured home and RV park."  We drove right past it the first time because there was a big iron gate closing off the entrance and the road was very narrow and lined with tall trees.  As we drove around the block, I called the office on the phone and they said "Oh, yes, that's the place."  So we came back around and were able to drive in on the tail of another vehile without blocking traffic while we tried to enter an access code.  The manager is a big OSU fan (was even wearing an OSU shirt) and was very friendly and helpful.

We stopped at the Miccosukee Casino about an hour north of here around noon today, guessing that we might get some benefits by joining their "player's club."  It was a good move...we each got a 2-for-1 buffet voucher and $25 each in free slot play.  We turned the slot-play vouchers into $22 total, paid $11.50 for two tasty buffet lunches and can use the other voucher (and the other half of our profits) when we leave and head back up north, and I didn't have to cook dinner tonight!

Hoping to get into the Everglades National Park on Wednesday, if the thunderstorms aren't too bad...we know the heat and humidity will be there :-)

Movin’ on south

Sunday was an "at home" day…pretty quiet. We got some laundry and reading done and did some trip planning. For the first time in several weeks, we saw no rain!

Early Monday morning we drove to the Power-Tech facility in Leesburg. It took the tech about an hour to do routine maintenance on the generator…oil change, check the belts and filters, etc. They told us they built the generator right there in that shop. The $101 we paid was less than we have paid other places for less service J . We were on the road again by 9:30, heading south on Route 27. It's a divided highway but does go through several towns, wo we had traffic and stoplights on occasion. We were also able to stop for breaks at several different Walmarts along the way. The M RV Park near Moore Haven in a good size but very empty. We had to make a phone call to get someone to come to the office to register and park us. Thanks to the 90+ temperature and humidity we were soaked before the rains started! We plan to get to the Everglades on Tuesday.

It still rains every day!

On Friday we drove from Quincy on east on I-10 and then south on I-75 to the south side of Ocala.  We drove in and out of rain the whole way.  Luckily we had a break in the showers while we checked in and got hooked up at the Ocala Sun RV Resort on Hwy. 484.  Its a nice enough place and must be pretty busy in the winter with a full list of activities.  We're parked on sand and grass, which is a real nuisance for us.

Our big Saturday adventure was a trip to "The Villages."  We've heard a lot about this place over the years, and have checked out the website.  We spent several hours with a great tour guide/sales rep and had an impressive tour of the many villages that make up the community of about 70,000 people on Route 441.  The list of activities is endless and the facilities are superb.  There are 24 9-hole golf courses you can play for free if you are a resident, and 9 championship courses to choose from if you want to pay greens fees.  Then there is tennis, pickleball and everything else...whew!  You can drive your golf car every place in town, including all kinds of great shopping and restaurants.  Nobody turned off the humidity, though!

We also scouted out the place we'll be taking the RV for service on Monday.  We're not sure what other adventures we'll get into tomorrow or next week.

It’s all about the numbers!

Humidity 95% -- Temperature 87* -- mileage 60,000 -- Eastern Daylight time 9:00pm

That's the story of our day. We woke up at Rainbow Plantation to the usual high humidity as the temperatures were rising. We got hooked up and on the road just in time as the skies turned black and the rains came once again as we were exiting the park. We headed east into Florida and were in and out of rain all day. We didn't tackle too many miles today and stopped near Quincy, FL for the night. We turned over 60,000 miles on the Dutch Star along the way. And, as we neared the campground we lost another hour so we're now in the Eastern Time Zone. I finally reset my watch, so now I don't have to add or subtract hours, but we have to stay up an hour later to watch the news! This campground is nothing more than a big grassy field behind a gas station with some hookups, so it hasn't been an exciting day. We hope to move on to the central portion of the state tomorrow.

Rain, rain and more rain!

We do get to see the sun every once in a while, but it seems to rain every day...usually along with some thunder and lightning.  We had planned on a trip to the beach in Gulf Shores today...but it never happened.  The weather was just too awful.  So, we stayed home and Tom tackled re-stringing the day/night shade over the sofa.  He had started it the other night and replaced only one of the four strings.  When we re-hung the blind and pulled it up and down, a second string broke.  So, today he was back at work on it.  It's quite a complex project of connectors and strings criss-crossing over and inside the pleated shades.  For the time being, its up and working.  Meanwhile I got out the dust rag and vacuum cleaner and tried to get a step or two ahead of all the stuff we seem to be tracking inside now that we are back in the part of the country that has trees, grass and mud in the campgrounds.  In between storms we did manage to get outside for a short walk and also made a trip over to our friends' house to say a final good-by and to give them a new water pump which they are going to deliver to another friend when they get together in Tennessee.  Looks like we'll be heading to Florida on Thursday.

Trouble always comes in threes

That's what we've heard, anyway…and we hope that's true. If so, we're done! It's all been electrical. First, it was the chassis batteries. Second, it was the cable connection from the RV to the car. And our third bit of trouble had appeared when we unhooked the car in Long Beach, Mississippi and was still with us when we arrived at Rainbow Plantation here in Alabama. After driving for just a short distance, the "idiot lights" on the dash would light up saying "check engine" and "trac off." We'd had the same messages in Arizona several months back and it cost us close to $600 to have the left wheel bearing and sensor replaced. So, this morning we drove the car to the Chevy dealer in Foley, Alabama and they checked it out. Supposedly, the wiring harness attached to our recently replaced parts was faulty and once the problem was diagnosed, it took only a few minutes and $100 to repair.

We hadn't driven any place on Memorial Day as we didn't want to drive the car any further than necessary. But, we did have a great visit with our friends Norm and Linda Payne who live here at Rainbow Plantation. We went to their house mid-afternoon and had a tour of their place. It's about 1600 sq. ft. and very simple, but a beautiful place. They designed it and had it custom built with a great room/kitchen, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a laundry room, a screened in porch and a garage. They use the second bedroom for their den/TV room. They park their Dutch Star next to the house and it has full hook-ups so can be used when they have company. They also have hookups for a second RV. They are leaving tomorrow for the summer, so have been busy getting ready to hit the road. They took us to a good Chinese place for dinner last night, and we stopped by tonight to say good-by and let them know they had steered us in the right direction for auto repair today. They had taken their Dutch Star out for a test drive and they are ready to roll.

Besides getting the car repaired today, we went to visit an RV Resort that has been sending us e-mails for about a year. It's one where you buy the lots. The lots are very nice…but very expensive and the park is still under construction and it doesn't look like it will really have very many amenities when its finished. We also spent several hours at an outlet mall…always have to check to make sure I'm not missing any big bargains.

We're thinking that tomorrow we'll go to the beach (we got within two miles or so of it today) and see what's going on in Gulf Shores and then head out on the road again on Thursday.