HOME -SWEET-HOME
We arrived at the Six Flags campground yesterday afternoon. There is something to say about being familiar with the area....makes traveling so much easier.
After we checked in and set up had a great visit with my sister and brother-in-law (Ann & John). After showing them the coach and visiting for awhile we went out to dinner at an icon Italian (what else?) restaurant in downtown Eureka.
Food was very good and we had a nice homecoming visit.
This week will be very busy with a list of items we have to attend to while in town. Not to mention we have to unpack the 60+ boxes we have for the motorhome, sort through them (again) and repack the items we will not have room for. What made us think we would have more storage than we really have? If we can fit 1/3 of them in the coach we will be happy.
Hope all is well!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
HOME AGAIN..HOME AGAIN..
Well - almost. At least we made it to Missouri. Today is Saturday, Oct 24 and we drove from Dickson Tennesse to Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Clear blew skies...but a little nippy. One of the best things about driving a motorhome is always having the conveniences of home with you. Today we stopped at the Missouri Welcome Center, made lunch and kicked back for 45 minutes. Took a walk around the park and continued our journey.
Arrived at Cape Campground around 4pm, and asked for the simplest pull thru spot available for us newbees.
The office thought they had accommodated us, but it proved not to be so simply. The spot was tight, chat rock and bordered by narrow landscape ties. The Jeep got hung up on the edge of one of the ties which required us to ONCE AGAIN, un-hook the tow cables, lighting cables, break-away cable and braking system, remove the Brake Buddy from the car, put it in gear and move it out of the way.
The position of the car locked the pins on the tow bar in such a way that Joan had to gently reposition the car
to ease the tension on the pins.
After about 20 minutes of this frustration the Jeep was separated from the motorhome. Of course, there are always people milling around their camp sites watching your irritations and stupidity. We WILL get better with the tow bar or rent a car at every location.
Hope all is well!
Ron & Joan
Well - almost. At least we made it to Missouri. Today is Saturday, Oct 24 and we drove from Dickson Tennesse to Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Clear blew skies...but a little nippy. One of the best things about driving a motorhome is always having the conveniences of home with you. Today we stopped at the Missouri Welcome Center, made lunch and kicked back for 45 minutes. Took a walk around the park and continued our journey.
Arrived at Cape Campground around 4pm, and asked for the simplest pull thru spot available for us newbees.
The office thought they had accommodated us, but it proved not to be so simply. The spot was tight, chat rock and bordered by narrow landscape ties. The Jeep got hung up on the edge of one of the ties which required us to ONCE AGAIN, un-hook the tow cables, lighting cables, break-away cable and braking system, remove the Brake Buddy from the car, put it in gear and move it out of the way.
The position of the car locked the pins on the tow bar in such a way that Joan had to gently reposition the car
to ease the tension on the pins.
After about 20 minutes of this frustration the Jeep was separated from the motorhome. Of course, there are always people milling around their camp sites watching your irritations and stupidity. We WILL get better with the tow bar or rent a car at every location.
Hope all is well!
Ron & Joan
MOVING OUR WAY NORTH
MOVING OUR WAY NORTH
Friday, October 23....drove only 175 miles today to Tanbark Campground in Dickson, Tennessee. We stopped at a TA to switch drivers and re-fuel. I thought I was in line behind an 18 wheeler waiting to get diesel. Instead there was no one in the truck and it didn't look like it was going to move real soon. Ron ( the shy one) got out and approached another trucker to find out what was going on. We then found out that we were in a "waiting" area and not the area to get fuel. What do I know!
The number one rule in driving a motorhome with a car in tow is you NEVER back up. Soooo we had to unhook the Jeep, put it back in gear and move it to a parking area. While Ron backed up the motorhome, fueled up, then had to drive it around several trucks to the area where the Jeep was parked. We then re-hooked. Not only do we have to anchor the tow bar, we have to hook up the lighting system, braking system, and all of the break-away cables.
Then we have to set up the Brake Buddy in the Jeep and put it back into tow mode. Not an easy task for sales people like us.
Needles to say were again exhausted and glad our trip was a short one.
Next time I'll let Ron pull the motorhome in when we need to re-fuel. It's still an adventure and exciting.
Hope all is well!
Joan & Ron
Friday, October 23....drove only 175 miles today to Tanbark Campground in Dickson, Tennessee. We stopped at a TA to switch drivers and re-fuel. I thought I was in line behind an 18 wheeler waiting to get diesel. Instead there was no one in the truck and it didn't look like it was going to move real soon. Ron ( the shy one) got out and approached another trucker to find out what was going on. We then found out that we were in a "waiting" area and not the area to get fuel. What do I know!
The number one rule in driving a motorhome with a car in tow is you NEVER back up. Soooo we had to unhook the Jeep, put it back in gear and move it to a parking area. While Ron backed up the motorhome, fueled up, then had to drive it around several trucks to the area where the Jeep was parked. We then re-hooked. Not only do we have to anchor the tow bar, we have to hook up the lighting system, braking system, and all of the break-away cables.
Then we have to set up the Brake Buddy in the Jeep and put it back into tow mode. Not an easy task for sales people like us.
Needles to say were again exhausted and glad our trip was a short one.
Next time I'll let Ron pull the motorhome in when we need to re-fuel. It's still an adventure and exciting.
Hope all is well!
Joan & Ron
Thursday, October 22
Arrived in Cullman in northern Alabama. Ron went into the office to check in and I thought I lost him he took so long. It seemed that he was away a long time. When he came back he relayed his conversation with the owner about his 100 year old cash register that he took such pride in. You know Ron...always chatting them up.
There were threats of severe thunderstorms that night and the owner invited us to come to his house located at the campground if we felt unsafe. Guess making friends never hurts. The night went along uneventfully and we pulled out with several others the next morning.
Once again the site was very basic....I look forward to the day when we can stay in one place for several days or even weeks and really see the area.
The setting up and breaking down everyday has been exhausting.
Hope all is well!
Joan & Ron
Arrived in Cullman in northern Alabama. Ron went into the office to check in and I thought I lost him he took so long. It seemed that he was away a long time. When he came back he relayed his conversation with the owner about his 100 year old cash register that he took such pride in. You know Ron...always chatting them up.
There were threats of severe thunderstorms that night and the owner invited us to come to his house located at the campground if we felt unsafe. Guess making friends never hurts. The night went along uneventfully and we pulled out with several others the next morning.
Once again the site was very basic....I look forward to the day when we can stay in one place for several days or even weeks and really see the area.
The setting up and breaking down everyday has been exhausting.
Hope all is well!
Joan & Ron
ON THE ROAD....
On Wednesday (Oct 21st) we left Ocala for our journey back to St. Louis to see family and load the coach with the 68 boxes in storage. Ha Ha. I actually thought we would be able to fit all of the items we had identified for the motorhome....Ron wasn't too sure. I hate when he is right.....there will never be enough space for everything.
Currently we have gone through exercise of paring it down to ONLY 32 boxes. We'll see.
Spent the night in Dothan, Alabama at the Pecan Pointe RV park. When you tell these people you are new..they are very helpful. A very basic site but fairly crowded due to all of the "snow birds" coming down
for the winter.
Hope all is well!
Joan & Ron
On Wednesday (Oct 21st) we left Ocala for our journey back to St. Louis to see family and load the coach with the 68 boxes in storage. Ha Ha. I actually thought we would be able to fit all of the items we had identified for the motorhome....Ron wasn't too sure. I hate when he is right.....there will never be enough space for everything.
Currently we have gone through exercise of paring it down to ONLY 32 boxes. We'll see.
Spent the night in Dothan, Alabama at the Pecan Pointe RV park. When you tell these people you are new..they are very helpful. A very basic site but fairly crowded due to all of the "snow birds" coming down
for the winter.
Hope all is well!
Joan & Ron
DRIVERS ED HERE WE COME!
We began our day at 9 AM with the instructor from Dick Reed Driving School. We had actually met the owner of the school last year when we attending "Life on Wheels" in Bowling Green Kentucky. We knew at that time that getting driving lessons were going to be one of the first items on our agenda.
Spent the first 3 hours getting an intense and intimidating overview of the coach. Then the later part of the day making nine million turns, radius rights & lefts, straight rights & lefts and then again and again.
The driving was fun and very helpful.....but the overview of the coach was way toooooo much!! And somewhat frightening. The instructor thought we should be able to take the coach apart and put it back together. Any of you who really know us....know we use to hire an electrician to change our light bulbs!
We both woke up about 1:30 am wondering if we knew what we were doing. The guy terrorized us.
The second day was much better. We spent a little more time on turn, a lot more time on 2 lane and highway driving. Plus, quite a bit of time on backing up and parking. Overall very beneficial and confidence building.
Still have a lot to learn but do feel we can move it down the road.
Hope all is well.
Ron & Joan
We began our day at 9 AM with the instructor from Dick Reed Driving School. We had actually met the owner of the school last year when we attending "Life on Wheels" in Bowling Green Kentucky. We knew at that time that getting driving lessons were going to be one of the first items on our agenda.
Spent the first 3 hours getting an intense and intimidating overview of the coach. Then the later part of the day making nine million turns, radius rights & lefts, straight rights & lefts and then again and again.
The driving was fun and very helpful.....but the overview of the coach was way toooooo much!! And somewhat frightening. The instructor thought we should be able to take the coach apart and put it back together. Any of you who really know us....know we use to hire an electrician to change our light bulbs!
We both woke up about 1:30 am wondering if we knew what we were doing. The guy terrorized us.
The second day was much better. We spent a little more time on turn, a lot more time on 2 lane and highway driving. Plus, quite a bit of time on backing up and parking. Overall very beneficial and confidence building.
Still have a lot to learn but do feel we can move it down the road.
Hope all is well.
Ron & Joan
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Sunday - October 18
I thought Florida was suppose to be the "Sunshine State" with blue skies and warm, pleasant weather. Boy, was I wrong. Last week it was 95 plus everyday and all of the Floridians were complaining how un-seasonably hot it was. We like hot weather but it was also humid. We did not get one round of golf in...but did get some pool time. As it turned out, we were too busy with the motorhome stuff to play golf anyway.
Then last night I thought I was back in Missouri. The motorhome got really cold and we weren't sure how to use the furnace. We dressed in anything we could find to keep us warm. Our PJ's were sweatshirts & socks and we threw our bath towels over us for for extra coverage.
Today we found a mall and bought a blanket. Of course, we have 3 of them packed away in St. Louis but never once thought to bring them.
One of the things we enjoy when we travel is attending Mass at different Churches. We attended Queen of Peace this morning, It is a huge church that looks like a mission from the outside and beautiful, almost breathtaking stained glass and oil paintings throughout the church.
We stayed after Mass to view the artwork and architecture.
I had never been in so many Catholic Churches that don't have kneelers. Though we enjoyed the sitting option something seemed to be lost in the service. This church also did not offer the "blood of Christ" and were very sensitive to the "hand shake of peace". The Swine Flu is obviously the invention of the devil.
Hope all is well!
Joan & Ron
I thought Florida was suppose to be the "Sunshine State" with blue skies and warm, pleasant weather. Boy, was I wrong. Last week it was 95 plus everyday and all of the Floridians were complaining how un-seasonably hot it was. We like hot weather but it was also humid. We did not get one round of golf in...but did get some pool time. As it turned out, we were too busy with the motorhome stuff to play golf anyway.
Then last night I thought I was back in Missouri. The motorhome got really cold and we weren't sure how to use the furnace. We dressed in anything we could find to keep us warm. Our PJ's were sweatshirts & socks and we threw our bath towels over us for for extra coverage.
Today we found a mall and bought a blanket. Of course, we have 3 of them packed away in St. Louis but never once thought to bring them.
One of the things we enjoy when we travel is attending Mass at different Churches. We attended Queen of Peace this morning, It is a huge church that looks like a mission from the outside and beautiful, almost breathtaking stained glass and oil paintings throughout the church.
We stayed after Mass to view the artwork and architecture.
I had never been in so many Catholic Churches that don't have kneelers. Though we enjoyed the sitting option something seemed to be lost in the service. This church also did not offer the "blood of Christ" and were very sensitive to the "hand shake of peace". The Swine Flu is obviously the invention of the devil.
Hope all is well!
Joan & Ron
Saturday - October 17
Our plans were to leave LazyDays (were we purchased the motorhome) by late morning, for a slow, leisurely first trip to Ocala, Florida. Our destination in Ocala was Ocala Sun RV Resort. Their definition of a "resort" is much different than mine!
The technicians ran into some difficulties while hooking up the Jeep, so instead of late morning we left around 4 pm. It was only a 1.5 hour drive, but since this was our first trip we took it slower so arrived around 6 pm.
Couldn't find the entrance to the campground so we had to go 7 miles our of our way to find someplace to turn around. You just don't turn one of these things around like you do a car.
On our return trip we found the entrance!!! Luckily it is a "pull-through" slot since backing up is still new to us.
We will be in Ocala until Wednesday. The purpose of our visit is to attend the Dick Reed RV driving school. I feel like I'm back in summer school taking drivers ed.
It consist of 2 - 6 hour days shared between the two of us. Ron will be the primary driver, but I guess it's not a bad idea for me to learn too, just in case.....
It should be interesting!
Our plans were to leave LazyDays (were we purchased the motorhome) by late morning, for a slow, leisurely first trip to Ocala, Florida. Our destination in Ocala was Ocala Sun RV Resort. Their definition of a "resort" is much different than mine!
The technicians ran into some difficulties while hooking up the Jeep, so instead of late morning we left around 4 pm. It was only a 1.5 hour drive, but since this was our first trip we took it slower so arrived around 6 pm.
Couldn't find the entrance to the campground so we had to go 7 miles our of our way to find someplace to turn around. You just don't turn one of these things around like you do a car.
On our return trip we found the entrance!!! Luckily it is a "pull-through" slot since backing up is still new to us.
We will be in Ocala until Wednesday. The purpose of our visit is to attend the Dick Reed RV driving school. I feel like I'm back in summer school taking drivers ed.
It consist of 2 - 6 hour days shared between the two of us. Ron will be the primary driver, but I guess it's not a bad idea for me to learn too, just in case.....
It should be interesting!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
A Week In Florida....Finally
The day had finally arrived. We left St. Louis on September 30th for our second trip to LazyDays RV Center in Seffner, Florida. (Our first trip was in May of 2008) Our purpose, as many of you know, was to enter an entirely new chapter in our lives...seeing
America in a new motorhome.
We talked and planned for almost 5 years discussing the sale of our home in St. Louis, the coach we wanted to live in, the price we'd pay, where we'd go to buy it and any other things two people could think of to worry about.
We predetermined our negotiation strategies, checked our assets and on October 3nd we merged all of our years sales experience and put on our best presentation faces ..... and went to battle.
America in a new motorhome.
We talked and planned for almost 5 years discussing the sale of our home in St. Louis, the coach we wanted to live in, the price we'd pay, where we'd go to buy it and any other things two people could think of to worry about.
We predetermined our negotiation strategies, checked our assets and on October 3nd we merged all of our years sales experience and put on our best presentation faces ..... and went to battle.
After 2 hours of perusing the sales lot, choosing and driving the coach that suited all of our needs, we entered into approximately 6 more hours of negotiations. At the end of this time the deal was struck and we bought the coach of our dreams.
It is a 2010 Tiffin Phaeton. Even though we have to consult the manual from how to flush the toilet to cooking in a microwave/convection oven, it has many luxuries we did not have in our house. It is equipped with a central vacuum system & 4 flat screen TV's etc.
We will be making our first journey Saturday to Ocala, Florida....just 90 miles North. We'll let you know how that goes.
Hope all is well with everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)