We took the motorhome up to the Newmar plant due to three issues we wanted to have repaired. The primary issue was with the Oasis system which is used to heat water and for heating in cold weather which we rarely needed to use. We have three heat pumps that we used for almost all of our heating needs since they work great unless its colder than the thirties. When we would travel on the road the Oasis system circulates water through the engine to heat water so you have hot water for washing dishes, clothes, or your hands or for taking a shower while running down the road. The problem is an aquastat was not shutting the system off when the water was hot enough which caused a problem starting the system on electricity or on diesel when you stopped at the end of the day in a campground. You had to wait until the system cooled off some for the electric or diesel systems to work. The system also had a small boiler fluid lead that was coming from the burner box. Newmar contact ITR the manufacturer of the system and they agreed to send a new unit at no charge to replace our burner box. The problem was it would take a couple of weeks for the unit to arrive at Newmar. The new unit is suppose to be at Newmar tomorrow. The other issues involved the black holding tank rinse system and the black tank valve was leaking a small amount. I expect to get the motorhome back from Newmar at the end of next week. I keep thinking this will be our last issue but I doubt it and I will just deal with the next problem when it rises.
We are in no hurry to get the motorhome back since we have no plans to use it until maybe mid June or so. We were thinking about taking a short trip to Chillicothe, Ohio for a few days in June to visit Janet's aunt Marilyn and cousin Steve and then plan to head out west for a few weeks starting the first part of August
We decided to start looking at houses at The Great Outdoors Resort a few weeks ago in the park we are staying at in Florida. We want a house with at least two bedrooms and two bathrooms with an rv port or an rv garage where we can park the motorhome at the house. These types of houses are very common in this resort. This will give us a lot more options when having guests visit us in Florida during the winter. Having guests stay in the motorhome is less than ideal with the tight quarters. It works great for the two of us but is not well suited for other guests. We really love the resort and the people we have met there. As I have mentioned before the resort has two pools, a golf course, two restaurants, a bar, exercise facilities, a post office and all kinds of other facilities like a church and wood shop and nature center. In fact the resort has so many things to do that you don't have to leave very often except for going to the grocery store. Inside the park we use a golf cart to travel to the various places and rarely use the car unless we are leaving the park. The town of Titusville is so so but we are close to Orlando which has anything you want. There is the national sea shore park not far away and other resort areas like Coco Beach a short drive from the park. The thing Titusville is known for is being in the middle of the space coast where NASA launches rockets on a fairly routine basis. Last year we were able to see three different launches from our campsite.
We have worked on a few projects around the house since we have been home and I am going to start making bird houses in the near future. We have a lot of birds that visit the feeders in the back yard so I thought I would put up a few houses for some of them to stay in. We have had two doves nest in our front porch for several years so we really enjoy watching the bird activity around the house. I have been playing golf three times a week or so and have been walking instead of renting a cart, That means me walking about 7.5 miles pulling my clubs each time I play. I also push my yard when I mow it twice a week instead of using the riding mower. I am trying to drop a few pounds over the summer. To this end I have almost given up drinking alcohol all together which reduces my daily calorie intake substantially. I'll be no fun at all if I keep this up. I am trying to live up to my nickname at The Great Outdoors which is "Tiny Jack". I am not sure how this nickname got started but it seems to have stuck since many people call me Tiny Jack.
A journal written about life, retirement and our journey throughout the United States in a 5th wheel, along with our two Shih Tzus, Tanner and Syndey. Written not for notoriety but for our sons, family and friends, so they know where we are at any given time. And particularly for ourselves. Finally, we get to slow down and smell the roses and we don't want to forget any of it. You are welcome to join us as we go 'Down the Road a Piece'.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
From Greenville SC to Warsaw in Two Days
We have spent the last three days in Piedmont SC with our oldest son Gabe and we have had a great time. We didn't do much other than watch the Masters Golf Tournament and go out to an awesome restaurant on Saturday night. We just had a super time being with him and hearing about his life and that he is so happy here just outside of Greenville SC. One thing about South Carolina is you kind of get the change of the four seasons without getting the extremes you experience in the north or the south. The three days we have been here have been absolutely perfect. Temperatures have been in the mid 70's with a slight breeze which for us is about as good as it gets. Yesterday Gabe brought his two dogs out to our rv park (I'm not sure where he gets his love for dogs, ha ha). He has a big Doberman Pincher who is the nice dog and another big dog of mixed breed who's name is Lilly who I affectionately named Meaney. The reason I named her Meaney is because she would eat my little Sydney if I let her out around her. So while Gabe's dogs were here my little perfect angel was not allowed outside around them. I was willing to see what happened but my son said it wouldn't be pretty and please don't let her out around Lilly aka Meaney. After hearing that I agreed I would leave her inside. While his dogs were here he and Huli took them down to the pond where they went swimming. The Doberman, who's name is Dutchess , doesn't like to swim but Lilly made up for it.
We loved seeing Gabe but hated to say goodbye. I thought when my kids were younger that once they got out of high school they would be on their own and I wouldn't worry about them anymore. Well Gabe will be forty later this year and I still see him as my little boy. When he hurts or has something bad going on in his life it hurts his mother and I but about a hundred times more. For us we would have like to tell him to tell us only the good things going on in his life and not the struggles that he might be experiencing but that wouldn't be right being his parents. We have always told our sons to come to us whenever they need to regardless of the circumstances. However, coming to us with the good news is much, much, much, better and hurts us less. When I was young and married at 18 I never told my parents any of the bad stuff that was happening in my life. I always asked myself if they could help with my problem if I told them and if the answer was no I didn't tell them. Consequently they didn't know shit about what was going on in my life until many years later when we all laughed about it.
Tomorrow we leave Greenville SC and head toward Warsaw. The current plan is to drive about six hours which should get us to Crittenden KY just below Cincinnati Oh. That would leave us about a four hour drive to get home in Warsaw.
We loved seeing Gabe but hated to say goodbye. I thought when my kids were younger that once they got out of high school they would be on their own and I wouldn't worry about them anymore. Well Gabe will be forty later this year and I still see him as my little boy. When he hurts or has something bad going on in his life it hurts his mother and I but about a hundred times more. For us we would have like to tell him to tell us only the good things going on in his life and not the struggles that he might be experiencing but that wouldn't be right being his parents. We have always told our sons to come to us whenever they need to regardless of the circumstances. However, coming to us with the good news is much, much, much, better and hurts us less. When I was young and married at 18 I never told my parents any of the bad stuff that was happening in my life. I always asked myself if they could help with my problem if I told them and if the answer was no I didn't tell them. Consequently they didn't know shit about what was going on in my life until many years later when we all laughed about it.
Tomorrow we leave Greenville SC and head toward Warsaw. The current plan is to drive about six hours which should get us to Crittenden KY just below Cincinnati Oh. That would leave us about a four hour drive to get home in Warsaw.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Myrtle Beach for a Week
Today we left Richmond Hill, GA at around 11:00 am and headed north to Myrtle Beach, SC. I loaded the GPS and had two choices of routes to get from Richmond Hill to Myrtle Beach. One route had us on route 95 for around 25 miles and then heading east and north on US 17 which routed us right through the middle of Charleston SC. The other alternate route had us stay on 95 until we were west of Myrtle Beach and then had us head east. Before we could choose a route we had to get out of the KOA which was a little precarious. We had neighbors and trees to avoid in order to pull forward to the street in front of us. At the end of the street we had a sharp turn that I knew would be an issue for us. I backed up out of our spot and then pulled over to the right and back into the spot so I could avoid taking off the mirror of our neighbor. Then I got through about three fourths of the turn at the end of the street before I needed to back up and and move over before completing the turn. After getting out of the park I pulled to the front entrance where Huli and I hooked the car up to the motorhome.
We headed out on route 17 and no more got out of the park and there was an accident that delayed traffic. We got through the accident and got on 95 where we found the traffic to be bumper to bumper. So we later decided to take US 17 through the middle of Charleston to Myrtle Beach. I enjoyed the drive and the traffic. I told myself that being retired meant you would like to sit outside your house and watch traffic go bye. I figured I had a much more comfortable seat and decided just to relax and watch the traffic that we happened to be a part of. Huli took Sydney and went to bed for a while but the roads were so bad that I don't think they got much sleep.
We got to the rv park in Myrtle Beach at about 3:30 pm. The last time we stayed at Myrtle Beach we stayed right on the ocean (within 50 feet). The problem with that was the sites were hardly big enough for your rv let alone your other vehicle. This time we are staying at a park a couple of miles from the ocean in a park where the sites are much larger. The downside is we will have to drive to the ocean to get into the water (which will probably be too cold). We are staying here for a week which may be too long but I don't want to go back to Indiana yet so I would rather be in Myrtle Beach.
The motorhome performed perfectly. I use the economy mode and it just rolls down the road at about 8.5 mpg. Our little Chevy Equinox follows behind and I really don't even know its there unless I look in the rear view camera setting. The only thing I need is a way for me to use the bathroom while driving down the road. Huli drove this thing for about five miles on route 80 in Nebraska a year or so ago and that won"t ever happen again. Some people stress over driving these motorhomes pulling cars but it doesn't bother me in the least. I just tell myself I am going to take it easy and get through whatever lies ahead of us. I have no deadlines and I don't have to be anywhere at any certain time so I really don't stress about it at all.
We headed out on route 17 and no more got out of the park and there was an accident that delayed traffic. We got through the accident and got on 95 where we found the traffic to be bumper to bumper. So we later decided to take US 17 through the middle of Charleston to Myrtle Beach. I enjoyed the drive and the traffic. I told myself that being retired meant you would like to sit outside your house and watch traffic go bye. I figured I had a much more comfortable seat and decided just to relax and watch the traffic that we happened to be a part of. Huli took Sydney and went to bed for a while but the roads were so bad that I don't think they got much sleep.
We got to the rv park in Myrtle Beach at about 3:30 pm. The last time we stayed at Myrtle Beach we stayed right on the ocean (within 50 feet). The problem with that was the sites were hardly big enough for your rv let alone your other vehicle. This time we are staying at a park a couple of miles from the ocean in a park where the sites are much larger. The downside is we will have to drive to the ocean to get into the water (which will probably be too cold). We are staying here for a week which may be too long but I don't want to go back to Indiana yet so I would rather be in Myrtle Beach.
The motorhome performed perfectly. I use the economy mode and it just rolls down the road at about 8.5 mpg. Our little Chevy Equinox follows behind and I really don't even know its there unless I look in the rear view camera setting. The only thing I need is a way for me to use the bathroom while driving down the road. Huli drove this thing for about five miles on route 80 in Nebraska a year or so ago and that won"t ever happen again. Some people stress over driving these motorhomes pulling cars but it doesn't bother me in the least. I just tell myself I am going to take it easy and get through whatever lies ahead of us. I have no deadlines and I don't have to be anywhere at any certain time so I really don't stress about it at all.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Tybee Island and Savannah Georgia
While we have been to Savannah many times we have never been to Tybee Island. Tybee is about 10 miles east of Savannah on what I believe is called a barrier island. There is one highway on and off the island and that is route 80. The island is fairly small with an area of 3.2 square miles and a population of around 2900 people. Other than a hand full of restaurants and some cheap beach wear shops the only thing I see the island has going for it is the beach and the climate. They say the temperature will be ten degrees cooler on Tybee than it is in Savannah in the summer due to the ocean breeze.
After getting a bite to eat for a light lunch on Tybee and checking out the beach and driving around the island we went back to Savannah and parked near the city market. After checking out some shops in the city market we walked down to River St. and went up to the open air bar on the ninth floor of the Bohemian Hotel where we looked out over the river and the street below. We walked the length of River St and stopped in a few stores and then walked back to the car to head back to the motorhome where Sydney was waiting for us.
Here are a few pictures we took today.
They like there green boiled peanuts in Georgia
These next few pictures are from nine floors up overlooking River St in Savannah
After getting a bite to eat for a light lunch on Tybee and checking out the beach and driving around the island we went back to Savannah and parked near the city market. After checking out some shops in the city market we walked down to River St. and went up to the open air bar on the ninth floor of the Bohemian Hotel where we looked out over the river and the street below. We walked the length of River St and stopped in a few stores and then walked back to the car to head back to the motorhome where Sydney was waiting for us.
Here are a few pictures we took today.
They like there green boiled peanuts in Georgia
These next few pictures are from nine floors up overlooking River St in Savannah
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Getting ready to head out
We are leaving Florida Wednesday April 1st which is probably a mistake. We don't have far to go, less than four hours, but route 95 will probably be a mess since the people like us who rent by the month will all be hitting the road that day to head north. Today we took down the visor, the lights and put up the awning. We cleaned the grill and the motor home tire covers, along with many other little things we needed to do to get ready to leave. The only thing we have to do is lubricate the hydraulic jacks and check the tire pressure in the motorhome tires.
After stopping in Richmond Hill, GA for a couple of nights we will hit Myrtle Beach for a week. Then we head over to Greenville, SC to see our oldest son and then head home to Warsaw with a night or two stay on the way between Greenville and Warsaw depending on how we feel.
We are coming back to Florida to the same park next year which is a first for us in the four years we have been retired. The town outside the park is so so but your not far from Orlando which is around 35 minutes away. We spend most of our time in the park and only go into town to buy groceries or eat out now and then. This place has so many advantages over other places we have been so we are coming back to our same lot since we like all of our neighbors in the site we are in.
Today I watched a $750,000 motorhome burn for about a half an hour. Apparently the electric toilet shorted out and caused a fire. The fire damage was limited to the bathroom but the smoke probably effected the entire motorhome. A cat inside the motorhome survived the fire by getting under the coach. The owners were out of town for the day. They fulltime in this so I am not sure where they will stay while the motorhome is being repaired. This particular couple has a great 1957 Corvette and a 1949 MG that are awesome cars. They store these two cars in garages away from the motorhome so they weren't damaged.
After stopping in Richmond Hill, GA for a couple of nights we will hit Myrtle Beach for a week. Then we head over to Greenville, SC to see our oldest son and then head home to Warsaw with a night or two stay on the way between Greenville and Warsaw depending on how we feel.
We are coming back to Florida to the same park next year which is a first for us in the four years we have been retired. The town outside the park is so so but your not far from Orlando which is around 35 minutes away. We spend most of our time in the park and only go into town to buy groceries or eat out now and then. This place has so many advantages over other places we have been so we are coming back to our same lot since we like all of our neighbors in the site we are in.
Today I watched a $750,000 motorhome burn for about a half an hour. Apparently the electric toilet shorted out and caused a fire. The fire damage was limited to the bathroom but the smoke probably effected the entire motorhome. A cat inside the motorhome survived the fire by getting under the coach. The owners were out of town for the day. They fulltime in this so I am not sure where they will stay while the motorhome is being repaired. This particular couple has a great 1957 Corvette and a 1949 MG that are awesome cars. They store these two cars in garages away from the motorhome so they weren't damaged.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Tuesday March 10th 2015 - Did Epcot today
Epcot is having a Flower and Garden Festival from March 4th to May 17 so Huli and I decided to spend the day taking in all Epcot had to offer. We pretty much timed it perfectly by arriving about five minutes before the gates opened. We then headed to what they call Future World West which is on the right after entering the park entrance. We went to The Sea, The Land, Imagination, and the Butter Fly exhibits after entering the park.
We then proceeded further into the park crossing the bridge to what is called the World Showcase. This part of the park is broken down into exhibits that are sorted by country. These exhibits are arranged in a circle around a large lake. Each country has buildings that replicate what you would find in that particular country and restaurants that serve food that is authentic to each country. In fact, we learned today that each manager of the restaurants come from that country and the staff comes from that country also. For example our waitress at the Italian Restaurant we ate lunch at was from Naples, Italy. The countries represented at the World Showcase include Canada, The United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Japan, America, Italy, Germany, China, Norway, and Mexico. After visiting each country and visiting the exhibits they had to offer and eating lunch at an Italian restaurant and having the best Margarita I have ever had from Mexico we went back across the bridge to Future World East.
At Future World East we went to a space ship exhibit that took you on a mission to Mars. This was one big, big, mistake. They loaded you into a space ship where there were four people with each having their own set of controls in this very little room. They put a harness down over your head which is locked onto your chest. I only brought mine down enough to allow the thing to lock but I could get out of it if I had to. After being locked in they shut the doors and then there was a delay in launching the space ship and they said they were having some technical difficulties and I then started to get claustrophobic feelings. I kept talking to myself, in my mind I played several holes of golf over again that I played a couple of days ago but that didn't work. I then relived taking Tanner to the vet to have him put down. I remembered him being on the table before his injection and me talking to him. Finally just before I was ready to rip my harness off and go through the locked door next to me (I looked it over pretty good and know it couldn't hold me if I wanted out) they launched that sucker and then I was fine. The whole space ride only lasted about ten minutes or so but that ride couldn't end soon enough for me. Just before entering the ride after about a twenty minute wait in line they warned you about being in a tight enclosed space. Huli asked me if I wanted to leave but I told her no I would suck it up and get through it. Won't ride that thing ever, ever, again.
We also went to a driver simulation exhibit put on by Chevy but this exhibit was down due to "technical difficulties". We were told this was a good one to see. Oh well this will give us something to see the next time we come here.
We spent seven hours at the park and didn't see everything. A couple of the best exhibits the Driver Simulation and the American Display were closed due to technical difficulties. These two were suppose to be the best two exhibits to see. We are planning on bringing the motorhome back for a week and parking it inside the Disney RV Park and then getting a package to all of the parks so we can spend the week seeing things again.
Below are some pictures we took today of our visit to the park. For those curious of what things cost here are some facts. First of all we have heard stories from people about how expensive things are so we were expecting things to be expensive and were somewhat surprised things didn't cost more. You be the judge.
Entry to the park for the two of us was $206.62
Pork BBQ sandwich snack and water at the American Smoke House for Jack $10.00
Lunch - medium pizza and one Bud Light Beer and tip $49.00
Two Lime Margaritas $21.62 These were a bargain. Best I ever had.
Magnet for the frig $7.50
Tolls to get to and from Epcot on the roads they call the Orlando turnpike $22.00
Baby sitter to have Sydney taken out three times while we were gone $30
What a deal. Less than $350 not counting what we spent at Costco on the way home. I expected to drop $500 on the day. Remember everything in my mind is in $ and cents. No matter how much money I have this is how I think and process things and I can't turn it off. Don't get me wrong I don't have any problem spending money but I still think about it. I project it and then analyze it comparing it to what my earlier mental projections were to see how close I came. I don't even consciously do this it just happens. I know I am weird and wired differently.
Here are the pictures.
We then proceeded further into the park crossing the bridge to what is called the World Showcase. This part of the park is broken down into exhibits that are sorted by country. These exhibits are arranged in a circle around a large lake. Each country has buildings that replicate what you would find in that particular country and restaurants that serve food that is authentic to each country. In fact, we learned today that each manager of the restaurants come from that country and the staff comes from that country also. For example our waitress at the Italian Restaurant we ate lunch at was from Naples, Italy. The countries represented at the World Showcase include Canada, The United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Japan, America, Italy, Germany, China, Norway, and Mexico. After visiting each country and visiting the exhibits they had to offer and eating lunch at an Italian restaurant and having the best Margarita I have ever had from Mexico we went back across the bridge to Future World East.
At Future World East we went to a space ship exhibit that took you on a mission to Mars. This was one big, big, mistake. They loaded you into a space ship where there were four people with each having their own set of controls in this very little room. They put a harness down over your head which is locked onto your chest. I only brought mine down enough to allow the thing to lock but I could get out of it if I had to. After being locked in they shut the doors and then there was a delay in launching the space ship and they said they were having some technical difficulties and I then started to get claustrophobic feelings. I kept talking to myself, in my mind I played several holes of golf over again that I played a couple of days ago but that didn't work. I then relived taking Tanner to the vet to have him put down. I remembered him being on the table before his injection and me talking to him. Finally just before I was ready to rip my harness off and go through the locked door next to me (I looked it over pretty good and know it couldn't hold me if I wanted out) they launched that sucker and then I was fine. The whole space ride only lasted about ten minutes or so but that ride couldn't end soon enough for me. Just before entering the ride after about a twenty minute wait in line they warned you about being in a tight enclosed space. Huli asked me if I wanted to leave but I told her no I would suck it up and get through it. Won't ride that thing ever, ever, again.
We also went to a driver simulation exhibit put on by Chevy but this exhibit was down due to "technical difficulties". We were told this was a good one to see. Oh well this will give us something to see the next time we come here.
We spent seven hours at the park and didn't see everything. A couple of the best exhibits the Driver Simulation and the American Display were closed due to technical difficulties. These two were suppose to be the best two exhibits to see. We are planning on bringing the motorhome back for a week and parking it inside the Disney RV Park and then getting a package to all of the parks so we can spend the week seeing things again.
Below are some pictures we took today of our visit to the park. For those curious of what things cost here are some facts. First of all we have heard stories from people about how expensive things are so we were expecting things to be expensive and were somewhat surprised things didn't cost more. You be the judge.
Entry to the park for the two of us was $206.62
Pork BBQ sandwich snack and water at the American Smoke House for Jack $10.00
Lunch - medium pizza and one Bud Light Beer and tip $49.00
Two Lime Margaritas $21.62 These were a bargain. Best I ever had.
Magnet for the frig $7.50
Tolls to get to and from Epcot on the roads they call the Orlando turnpike $22.00
Baby sitter to have Sydney taken out three times while we were gone $30
What a deal. Less than $350 not counting what we spent at Costco on the way home. I expected to drop $500 on the day. Remember everything in my mind is in $ and cents. No matter how much money I have this is how I think and process things and I can't turn it off. Don't get me wrong I don't have any problem spending money but I still think about it. I project it and then analyze it comparing it to what my earlier mental projections were to see how close I came. I don't even consciously do this it just happens. I know I am weird and wired differently.
Here are the pictures.