Three Years Full Timing, A Review - New Orleans, LA…

Today is March 3rd and it was this day three years ago we left our home of over 30 years to hit the road in our first ever owned RV. We sold everything we owned with the exception of the few items our kids claimed and whatever we could fit into our RV. We hadn’t even sold our house yet as we drove off to the east without a care in the world…It does seem a little crazy when you think about it...
Our first year found us traveling all along the eastern USA where followed our daughter's last year of college fastpitch softball. After softball and her graduation we ended up seeing every state on the eastern shore and spent our first winter down in Florida exploring the Keys enjoying all of Florida’s grandeur. Yes we had a wonderful first year!
Our second year was our western tour as we went out and explored every coastal western state from the Wineries of Washington State to the beauty of Oregon and the diversity that California had to offer. Winter took us to Arizona and Texas. By the end of our second year we had visited over half of the USA.
This past year was different in that we didn’t visit states along the ocean during the spring and summer. Funny that we started out our third year in the same place we started our first one as we were in our original home town of College Station, Texas. We may have moved from there but we still love to visit it and see our old friends as we move east to west or west to east across our great country.
From Texas we headed east where we stayed at Betty’s RV Park,a real treat and a place we plan to revisit very soon. A short visit in the Big Easy (where we are now) and then we went to the Camp Freightliner class in Gaffney, SC. The class was fantastic and reinforced much of what we had learned yet it also offered us some new valuable tips and insights.
We stayed a month during spring in North Carolina a state we have grown to enjoy and where we are also able to visit our daughter who resides there. As spring gripped control of the weather we headed north and visited with a great friend we met during our first year on the road where I once again stopped by to help him hay his farm in Virginia.
From Virginia we made our way north to our first stop in Canada where we checked off a bucket list item for us, Niagara Falls. We visited with more friends from the road in Toronto, Canada and then headed west into Michigan where we visited with Sharon’s cousin and his wife.
This began what we call our Great Lakes tour  where we wanted to dip our toes in each of the Great Lakes. We had many memorable highlights on this trip but Wisconsin stood out as the real star as we really enjoyed our stays in Ashland, Green Bay and Madison. Next we cut through the nation's mid section and visited more RV friends in Illinois as well as some old softball friends in Indiana. The highlight here was visiting small Midwestern towns and one of our friends graciously taking us for a flight in is airplane.
Finally we ended up wintering in the same location (but a different park) as we did the first year in Bonita Springs Florida. After a few months wintering where it was much warmer than most of the rest of the USA we made our way back north along the Emerald Coast of Florida and eventually to where we are now, in New Orleans.
The beautiful sights as well as the fun we have had visiting the many new and old friends along the way makes us glad in retrospect that we dared to shed our things to trade them in for these priceless experiences the past three years.
The facts… 6820.8 miles across 17 states and one Canadian Province. Another very successful year. I will post a follow up blog to this one with more financial details.

Driving an RV can be exciting…

We left the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and said a fond farewell to our very good friends Jerry and Kathleen knowing full well we will cross paths with them again some day soon. We stayed one more day than we should have since the day we left the forecast was rain, rain, and more rain… I hate driving in the rain…

We left around 9:30 and at least we were lucky that the rain didn’t get heavy for more than half the trip. This was good since we seemed to have several issues that forced us to find places to pull over. It began as we were heading north on Interstate 81 where upon turning on the wipers the one  on the passenger side came loose (which it has also done several times in the past). I am not sure why the part that supposedly clasps onto the wiper arm just simply doesn’t hold. Since the expectation was for a lot more rain I decided to stop, get a bread twist tie and tie it around the wiper arm to secure it. Thankfully it worked.

Then as we approached Winchester, Virginia we received an error on our Break Buddy which caused us to pull over again. This time it seems that it had just come “un-synced” since I simply recalibrated it and it was happy… or was it? We hadn’t gotten very far down state route 522 when it error coded again. This time I looked over the unit more closely and figured out that a leg had stripped and wouldn’t screw out to make it longer thus causing it to be off balance. So I simply screwed in the other leg thereby making it stable and once again all was well, or was it? Just before we turned on to state route 127 heading into the mountains it coded a 4 which is the indicator for a low battery. We never have had a low battery issue in the past so I started up the toad and ran it a bit while trying to figure out what caused the low battery. Turns out it was a turn signal that we inadvertently left on apparently when we initially put the break buddy on… sigh…

Well other than rain, steep 9-10 percent grades, and lots of winding roads the rest of the trip was uneventful! We drove through parts of West Virginia, Maryland and finally Pennsylvania. We came down the mountains and took route 51 into more mountains and rain until we got onto Interstate 68, then to PA 40 back into more mountains until we got to our site at Tub Run Recreation Area.  It is neat little COE park on Youghiogheny Lake that is very primitive (only electricity). A rough 4 miles of road into the park brought us to this little gem for our one night stay. Don’t expect any cell service or TV off the antenna here but for $21 per night it a neat spot to explore this area from.

  

Once we were set up at around 2:30 we drove around to sightsee a little and discovered that Frank Lloyd Wright has two building here called Kentucky Knob and Falling Waters. We hoped to tour them but with the charge of 20 bucks per person and our limited time frame we opted instead to stroll around the grounds and view the sculpture gardens instead. We also visited nearby Ohiopyle State Park where we originally had planned to stay until I had read about the steep entry road. I was sure glad we chose not to stay there as the park isn’t anything special for RV’s and the road was really not good at all for large motorhomes.

A last stop to see was Cucumber Falls in the state park and we were back to the RV for supper and some sleep. Tomorrow we will go to Fox Den Acres Campground near Pittsburgh where we will stay a week to explore in and around the city… sigh more rain tomorrow is predicted so we hope it passes through before we leave…

Traveling to Tri-Cities Washington…

We left Cove Palisades State Park by 10:00 am and snaked our way out of the canyon over to the town of Metolius, Oregon where we filled up with diesel. Why Metolius? Because my gas buddy applet on my droid said it would be the cheapest diesel on our entire 220 mile drive. I love Oregon since it is one of two states we have traveled where they will fill your tank for you.

In Metolius we picked up state route 97 and headed north through the rolling high desert hills of northeastern Oregon. Nary a tree in sight during much of our drive  as the hills there get less than 10 inches of rain on average. Not enough for trees but good enough for a healthy crop of sage brush. It was pretty much the same landscape until we got near Green Valley where agriculture spread into the lowlands. As we approached the Columbia River near The Dales we noticed Cherry and Apple orchards as well as one of my favorite crops – grapes! Wine Country!

Into a new state we went but we decided to avoid Interstate 84 and opted for Washington’s State Road 14. Great choice as there was little traffic and the scenery was wonderful. Add the fact there were no truckers buzzing by at 75 mph, it made the drive was very peaceful until we hit Interstate 82. North on I-82 and eventually we were in the Tri-Cities of Richland, Pasco, and Kennewick. We headed for Hood Park on Lake Sacajawea, a COE park.

Eleven dollars per night for 50 amp service… no water no sewer hookups however. Hard to find something in the area as there are two big festivals in town this weekend. We also found out it is cherry picking season and the migrant population of cherry pickers are taking up many of the campsites available including many here at Hood Park.

So why we did we come to the Tri-Cities? Not for the festivals… we came to visit two dear friends that we have known since high school. We have had a lot of fun with Marshall and Debbie although we hadn’t seen them for a long, long time. We had gone to college together where we were neighbors in a mobile home park. We often joke about the fact that we have come full circle from living in a trailer house then to now living in a motorhome… but times are much, much different. So we are off to spend more time with our friends…

Natchez Trace Parkway to Natchez, MS…

We left the campground in Mississippi called Lake Tiak-O'Khata early yesterday morning. I am going to miss their cable TV with March Madness in full swing but it is time to move on. The 207 mile planned route was to take the Natchez Trace Parkway all the way down to Natchez. A long day of driving but it would be along the scenic Natchez Trace.

The drive went well as we traveled about 45 miles to get on the Natchez Trace. The road is narrow and the speed limit is only 50 mph, so why would we want to take the RV on this road? Because it is very scenic and we are NOT in a hurry – We love this life… That is until we got to milepost 98.4 – and the road was CLOSED! When I researched this route earlier there was no notice of this so apparently this happened after I did my research… next time I will check the web site again before we enter another scenic highway.

Having to get off the Natchez Trace Parkway with no signage to enable us to get back on it after this detour we let “Alice” (our GPS) reroute us and then had to trust her to get us through Jackson MS. Blindly we went on and even though Alice disagreed with Sharon’s GPS about a turn in the route we made it just fine to the Mississippi river and found our camp River View RV Park just across the river in Vidalia, Louisiana.

The campground is right on the Mississippi and is a Passport America park but you can only use that rate for one night. We are staying an additional night where they let us use our Escapees Discount as well. Nice location on the river but there is not a whole lot of wow factor at this park. Without the discounts it is way overpriced but it is very close to Natchez, MS which appears to be a neat little town that we plan to checkout today…

Tomorrow we head to a state park near the Toledo Bend Reservoir on the border of LA and TX. Then it is onward towards College Station where we will stop in and visit friends for a couple of weeks, but we are in scramble mode right now since the two parks we wanted to stay at are booked up. I am sure we will find something in College Station though…

Pine Island, Florida…

We are finally getting settled in here in North Fort Myers and I have even become reacquainted with the toilet pedal in order to flush – why is there no handle in an RV toilet? We are slowly getting used to being back in an RV park and not in a neighborhood in a sticks and bricks house…. We are glad to be back in our home even though we miss the house with the pool in Key West.

Weather here has been grand and as a result we headed out in the CRV towards the ocean and found a new place to explore called Pine Island. There is no real reason for one to drive there since they pretty much deter visitors from coming to the island since there is no beach access or anywhere you can park to just check things out. We haven't seen so many “no trespassing” and “no parking” signs since we left the Florida Keys!

Nonetheless Pine Island has something to offer the visitor who is willing to drive around and take in the sights that you are allowed to trespass on… Not really sure what they are hiding here on this island but it has its own beauty and points of interest. At the north end of the island is Bocilla Island Seaport.

You are not really allowed to park anywhere there but there is a restaurant with parking that we borrowed for a short walk around the north end of the island… It reminded us a bit of the Keys with the water’s shallowness and its blue/green hues. Throw in a few no trespassing signs and a few no parking signs and we almost felt like we hadn’t even left the keys.

Nonetheless our walk on the north end was very rewarding as we watched the fishermen try their best to catch a wily sheepshead fish or the brown pelicans taking their best shot at spearing an  unsuspecting fish There were also other tourists checking out the area, vacationers looking for their best sunning spots and locals checking us out and wondering what we were up to…

 

 

 

 

 

 

SO if in the area you might enjoy the drive to the north end of the island… the south end has less to offer, other than some interesting dining spots and one intriguing bar and grill.  There is also a Florida Preserve stretching from north to south that may offer an interesting hiking/biking opportunity through the “real Florida”. We feel like you may only need to go to Pine Island once as perhaps that is enough. There is however, a small town when you first enter Pine Island called Matlacha. While driving through it, it looks like a place that has promise for shopping for a few knickknacks and there might even be a hidden gem eatery there…

Massachusetts…

We left the campground at Camden,Maine around 10:30 as we were not in any really hurry to complete the 160 miles drive south to Salisbury, Massachusetts. It was drizzling most of the morning but we somehow avoided the rain as we headed south.

We rode on highway 1 most of the way through Maine but got on the turnpike for about 20 miles in Maine and the short distance it took to get through New Hampshire. Total toll costs were $15.50 which I find a bit steep and heard that the tolls north of Boston were not too bad compared to those south of Boston. I think we will choose our route carefully going south to avoid tolls where possible.

We got to Beach Rose RV Park around 1:30 pm at Salisbury, Massachusetts and got a nice back in site with concrete pad for the off season rate of 37.00 per night. Still pricey in my opinion but when you compare this camp to those nearby it is by far the better deal to be had if we wanted to visit Boston.

We just checked out the immediate area the remainder of the day we arrived. Then the rains began and didn’t let up through the night. The next morning it was still raining so we decided to wait till Friday to catch the train into Boston. But  we thought it would be a good day to drive around the area…

Man what fun it is to drive around in downtown Boston… narrow lanes, “pentasections”, one ways, no ways, honking horns, jaywalkers, sign language, and a higher than normal percentage of idiots on the roads. On the bright side we drove through Harvard, by the Boston Common, through Chinatown, in the Financial District, beside Beacon Hill, along Boston harbor and into the adjacent town of Charleston.

We saw a total of two parking spots so this verified how we plan to take our next trip into Beantown… Commuter train and subways…

Also, on the way way back to our RV park we stopped in the town of Salem… you know the one where they hung witches including one named Sarah Good. With a name like that I am sure she shouldn’t have been hung in Salem. Along with the witches were many other dead notables in the colonial cemetery. Here there was even a grave marker for the only person who moved from Plymouth after sailing to America on the Mayflower… Man the history here is just crazy!!!

The trek to Georgia…

Yesterdays travel was 238 miles after leave early afternoon the day before but the next day was the 419 mile Trek to Georgia… After leaving the Southern Living RV (no web site) park just east of Shreveport (which was perfect for a one night stay with wifi, laundry room and a bath house despite its bad reviews) we headed east through the state of Mississippi where we stayed at Avalon RV park just inside the border of Alabama which was only slightly better than boondocking but worked as an overnight stay and is a Passport America park.

This was the longest haul I hope we ever do in an RV but the goal was to get to Athens in time for the first pitch of the softball tournament at the University of Georgia. So this left us a more manageable 275 mile drive to Athens the next day. We will try to stay around a maximum of 250 miles per day in the future.

The last days drive began early in the day so we would miss the morning rush hour of Birmingham, Alabama and after timing this nearly perfectly it could only be more of the same when we went through Atlanta – Right??? Wrrrrooonnnng!!! After 50 non-stop miles of six lane traffic through congested lanes and construction I was ready to swear on a large stack of bibles that I would never – ever – ever, drive an RV through Atlanta again. The most bizarre event was when the GPS told me to get off the highway onto a narrow single laned tightly turning cloverleaf that basically put back on the highway going the opposite direction. Before going off it was verified by Microsoft Streets and Trips 2011. There has got to be a better way to get to the next turn it was taking me too…

So after driving through the town square of Crocket Texas, through downtown Atlanta, around the cloverleaf, and sandwiched between semi-trucks on a six lane highway I now proclaim myself as a novice RV driver having graduated from rookie status…

That calls for a glass of wine…

ps. as soon as I find the camera I will include some pictures