'23/#30 Busy, Busy, Busy

 We are now settled in our winter home in Zephyrhills, Florida. I thought this would be a good time to catch up. We would like to say that the trip from the Rio Grande Valley was uneventful but alas that is not the case. Like I've said in the past, life on the road is full of surprises.

We talked about the broken spring in Abuquerque and I may have mentioned that we are going to have some suspension upgrades done in the spring. There were springs that showed signs of fatigue and my hope was to make everything last until that work could be done. That did not happen. We made it to a campground in north Florida and as we were setting up, there was a "snap". One of the fatigued springs had twisted and let go as we leveled the rig. After many phone calls we got a mobile mechanic to come to the campground and I was able to find the correct springs. I figured while he was replacing the broken spring let's replace the other one also. This put us behind schedule, but only by one day. 

Two days later we were in Zephyrhills and started settling in. Mary was making phone calls to get the insurance to reimburse us for the repairs while getting the inside set up for the winter. I was hooking up hoses and emptying waste tanks and unloading things we would be using this season. We also had some grocery shopping to do and then there are the holidays to get ready for. 

We hope things slow down soon so that we can start getting together with family and friends. It has been a long six months and we look forward to connecting with our extended Florida family. 

It looks like the much needed rain will be gone for a while. We are both celebrating birthdays this week and you know what that means. Yep, it's time to do our annual trip to DMV for tag renewals and as the end of the month comes there will be bills to pay. I haven't figured out how much we spent on diesel over the last almost 5,000 miles and I'm not sure I want to know. 

It's time to start thinking about dinner so I will sign off from our home for the next several months here in Zephyrhills because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#29 Traveling Again

 Our stay in the valley was brief but productive. We saw the people we wanted to and took care of the business we had. It is time to get back on the road. 

This will be a trip to cover miles as opposed to exploring. Every day will be driving and each night will be in a different town. The rig is ready for quick set up and take down. When we stop we will only hook up to electricity and rely on our fresh water and waste water tanks instead of hooking up to water and sewer at each stop. We can easily go a week without those hook-ups.

While we are traveling the weather is changing. The daytime temperature has only reached 60 degrees and the overnight was 40 degrees. It was also windy so it felt like 38 degrees. Two days ago we were running around in shorts and sleeveless shirts! Also there was some rain. Not a lot but enough to make the cold get that raw feeling. We don't want the insane heat that the south has had all summer but a little bit warmer would be nice. We will try to bring a little of this cooler weather to Florida with us.

Well it is time to hit the road. With the wind we take it easy and give ourselves plenty of time to reach our next destination. I will sign off now from our home in....... (hey Mary where are we now?) oh yeah, in Houston Texas because ..........

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#28 Emotional Roller Coaster

 We made it the Rio Grande Valley safe and sound. The park we are staying in is the same one that we wintered in from 2018 through 2020. If you remember this was our winter job while we were exploring the western states. It was nice to pull into a familiar driveway and check in at a familar office. The office staff had only change a little so it was nice to see familiar faces. Then the bottom dropped out.

In a 55 and older community there is always the possibilty, and maybe probability, that the faces will change. Some get too old to travel and are not there any more and others are just not anywhere any more. It was a bit of a shock to hear the names of people who we just assumed would be there forever that had passed away. A lot of them were the core of the community and that changes the whole face of the park. 

We did catch up with some of the oldtimers, and they are doing OK. There are a lot of new faces, some of which we got to know, and they will be the driving force of the community going forward. Only being here short time did not allow us to get to know many or get involved but Texas Trails will go on.

Part of the reason for our trip to the valley was medically motivated. Dental work and prescriptions are much more reasonable in Mexico, and yes it is safe! We also bought a few other items just for the fun of it and found some reasonably priced spices and some miscellaneous stuff. It was fun walking the streets of Progresso and seeing the street vendors in a way that would never be seen in the U.S.

Everything we wanted to do is done and it is time for the wheels to start rolling again. Our trip and the stops we will be making are planned and we will be on the road soon. While we were glad to see some of our old friends it was also sad to know that we will never see others.

I will close by telling you to appreciate the people around you because one day they will be gone. We will keep living the good life for now in our home in Pharr because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#27 Fill In The Blanks

 I was so excited about the Balloon Fiesta there were things I forgot to mention. Let me fill in the blanks. We had a good trip all the way from Michigan through Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, and into New Mexico. Took advantage of a new fuel saving card and got to see an old friend.

During the last stretch into Alburquerque the trailer started tracking sideways. At the next rest stop we checked underneath and found we had broken a leaf spring and the axle was riding wonky. We were able to get a road service to us quickly, find the part, and get back on the road in just a few hours. Our arrival at the Fiesta Grounds was only about 3 hour later than we had planned and it was time to enjoy the balloons.

While we were in Alburquerque we noticed some excessive wear on the tires from the wonky axle. It was time to replace them anyway so we found a tire dealer in town who could take care of us right away. Not every tire shop can deal with a 40' trailer but these guys were not fazed. This added an extra day to our itinerary but such is life on the road. 

New tires, new spring, and we were ready for the three day trek accross Texas. Yes, Texas is that big. But just to put it in perspective, and Texans don't want to hear it, Alaska is almost three times the size! We are in San Antonio now and will be leaving soon for the Rio Grande Valley.

If you follow us you know we did three winters down here and made many friends. It is time to drop in and see them. We will spend about a week there and continue the adventure. I will sign off now from our home in San Antonio because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23#26 Balloons Inflate and Deflate

 There is black and white, good and bad, and as they say everything that goes up must come down. Today is the last mass ascension at the Balloon Fiesta. The balloons go up and then the balloons go down. Excitement level was way up when we arrived and our excitement is starting to ebb. This our last day in Albuquerque. Tommorrow we hit the road and move on to the next adventure.

We have seen balloons of every shape, size, and color. They stayed on the ground and flew right over our heads. We also saw them up close and lit up at night. We came to see balloons and balloons we saw! Just got the wind update and the morning ascension has been delayed because the winds are too unpredictable to fly. We will wait and see. 

Later today the group we are with will run shuttles into Old Town Albuquerque. It will be fun to explore and check out some of the stores, restaurants, and history in the area. When we get back in the afternoon we will start preparing to leave Monday morning. 

As you can see there are a lot of RVs here at Fiesta Park and all of them will be leaving in the morning, except for those that stay to tear down tents, canopys, signs, and everything else that was put up for all to enjoy the Balloon Fiesta. We are in no hurry and will leave  as the traffic and time allows.                                                                                                            

 

I am going to sign off now, have some breakfast, and we will start our day in our home in Albuquerque New mexico because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary                                                                                        

                                                                                             

        

                                                                                          

'23/#25 Gooood Morning Albuquerque!

 I was going to have coffee and blog about last night at the Balloon Glow but woke up to the mass ascension flying right over our RV! Just had to post this right now. 

Now it is time for coffee and a shower. Today we will see the annular eclipse, go to a group social, and head over to the launch area for another Balloon Glow. I will also blog later about last night.  

Getting ready for another busy day in our home in Albuquerque because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#24 BALLOONS!

 We are in Albuqerque NM for the Balloon Fiesta. It is supposed to be the largest single gathering of hot air ballons in the world. This year 618 balloons are registered. One year they had over 1000 ballons and decided it was too much to handle. Our group checked in on Thursday, had orientation, and then dinner. The next three days will be all about the ballons.

The balloon glow and mass ascension start at 7am so it is imperative to get there early. We decided 4:30 am was the time to wake and start our adventure. A short bus ride from the RV area and we were right in the middle of the activity. We watched balloons inflate before the sunrise and walked among them gaping and taking pictures. As the sun started to rise so did the balloons.

First there were a few then maybe a dozen then twenty or so and soon there were more balloons in the sky than we could count. There will be lots of pictures and some videos here and on Facebook from Mary and myself. We counted and between the two of us we took almost 500 pictores before 10am! There is not much more to say than we saw balloons, more ballons and lots of balloons of every shape, size, color, and theme.

We were back in the RV about 10:30 am tired but too excited to sleep. Played with the pictures, ate a little lunch, and blogged. Now we are tired and will take a nap to be back at the launch field for the Special Shape Glowdeo tonight. More pictures to follow.

It's nap time in our home in New Mexico because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

O23/#23 Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'......

 And the wheels keep rolling as we get closer to Albquerque NM. Overnight stays are easy and don't take too much time to set up and tear down. 15 to 30 minutes and we are off the road and set up for the night and usually a little less to get back on the road in the morning. Tonight we are in Amarillo Texas with one more stop before we get to the balloon festival.

Our next stop we will prepare the rig for "off grid living" while we are at the festival grounds. The details are not important but it will let us enjoy our time there without worrying about RV living.

On another note, I do watch the responses to the blog and look forward to each and every comment. I know it is easier to post as anonymous, and that is ok, but if you could mention who you are or give me a clue in the comment it would be great. I like to to put a face to the comment. 

A short trip so a short blog. Until the next blog I''m gone. From our home in Amarillo Texas because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#22 Life Back On The Road

 I know I pointed it out before that we have been very busy. Well we finished our work commitment in St Ignace and got the rig ready for travel, all in time for our planned departure. Our little KOA family got together for dinner and dessert one last time before we left. We got very close to these people and will keep in touch. Some we will get together with once back in Florida. Another season and our workcamping family keeps growing.

October 3rd the wheels officially started rolling. First stop was Elkhart IN. We have passed through the area many times and always try to spend a couple of days. It is after all the epicenter of RV manufacturing. And don't forget all the gooood Amish food! As a bonus a friend from the Post Office lives just down the road from where stayed. We had a 2 plus hour lunch just laughing and telling stories over good food. But it was time to move on down the road.

Our next stop was just an overnighter. We stayed at the Illinois State Fairgrounds for $20. What a deal! On the road early the next morning and into Ozark Missouri. Another cheap parking lot campground with a special feature. It was the proximity to a close friend that Mary worked with in Forsyth about 5 years ago. We spent a couple of days catching up, seeing how big her boys have grown, saw her new house, and met her new husband. it was a great visit but once again the road was calling.

Today we are in Choctaw OK. Another one night stay but it was time to catch up on some chores. In another day I was going to have to go commando if we didn't do some laundry. We also needed a few groceries to get us to our ultimate destination....Albeuquerque New  Mexico and the Balloon Festival.

The washers are done and things are starting to come out of the dryers. And since clothes don't fold themselves I will end this blog.Until the next blog we are home in Oklahoma because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#21 Busy, Busy, Busy

 It's been a couple of weeks since the last blog but things are happening quickly. With the season winding down we have preparations to take care of before we hit the road and there are things we want to do before we leave, oh... and there is work. Our prep work involved moving the rig to a full hook-up site to have continuous access to sewer. This will let me get the waste water system ready for the road. If you RV you know and if you don't there isn't enough room here to explain. Just know that it is a necessary evil in the RV world. We also spent at least three days just cleaning around our home. We like to arrive at our destination all clean and ready to hit the ground running for our next adventure. And we had to work sometime in there.

We also participated in the Michigan tradition that is called the Annual Labor Day Mackinac Bridge Walk.  The Mighty Mac, as it is know, is shut down to vehicular traffic for six hours and opened to pedestrians. Our group of workcampers all went with our manager's blessing leaving only one person on site until we got back. The five mile bridge would mean ten miles to walk back and forth the whole length since there was no return transportation available. We opted to walk to the halfway point and turn around as many do. Fun and interesting. The center of the bridge sways pretty good and requires decent balance. Enough balance needed that there were some who turned at the expansion joints when you first feel the sway. Fortunately it wasn't too windy. We have heard that on windy days it is hard to stay on your feet! Another thing on our list to do. Oh and again there was work.

Tie dye Chuck and Mary

Here we are on the steel deck

Just last week we finally made it over to Mackinac Island. That is the big draw to this area. With only 300 year round residents and thousands more during the summer it is like most northern summer destinations. It is a quaint little town with shops, hotels, and nature trails like many other small town destinations. There is one difference. Mackinac Island allows NO motorized vehicles. The island transportation is either foot, bicycle, or horse. That is the novelty of Mackinac island. Getting around can be challenging for those with moblity issues but is doable. We had a great time bicycling and taking a horse drawn tour of the island. We came, we saw, we checked another item off our to-do list. Oh, and again there was work.

Gotta find the Post Office

One of the many horse drawn tours

At the Mackinac Island dock

Well I will sign off now because we have to run into town for a few things. Oh and this is our final week of work! Until the next blog from our home in Michigan because......

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#20 Holiday At The KOA

 Labor Day weelend is a sign that the summer is coming to an end. This is the last hurrah for locals and tourists to go camping and enjoy the outdoors before winter sets in. Winter in the U.P. is not for the faint of heart. Temperatures that will freeze the Great Lakes and storms that will sink large ships can come from any one of the lakes that surround Michigan.

This is also a time for us to brace for the last busy weekend of the season. In the pictures you can see how busy we got and how empty we became once everyone left. From now until the time we leave here things should be much slower and work will be at an easier pace. 

Now that things will be slowing down it is also time for us to make preparations to get back on the road. We have already started cleaning and purging the inside of the RV of all the stuff we have gathered while sitting still. Next will be checking all the working components on the trailer and truck to make everything road worthy. We will also move to a different site with full hook-ups. That means a real sewer connection and no more portable waste tank to empty at the dump site. Think "honey wagon" but 30 gallons at a time. Not horrible but time consuming and a bit of a pain in the ass. 

Well we have to go to work since the crew is now down to the managers, two sets of workcampers, and one local. The work will be easier but we will all be spread thinner around the campground. The seven of us all work well together so it shouldn't be an issue. 

So I will sign off from our home in St Ignace because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#19 End Of Season Signs

 We are almost three quarters of the way through our workcamping gig. The season is showing signs of the end getting near. There are the weather changes, subtle as they are, but soon to force us to crack out some warmer clothes. The trees are just barely showing the change in the colors of the leaves, and we are looking forward to that. Maine's leaves were beautiful and I am sure Mary will be posting Michingan fall colors soon.

But there are other changes that are unique to workcamping. Hitch-itch, the urge to get the wheels rolling, grows the longer we sit in one place. Looking forward to the next adventure is exciting also. But there is a bitter sweet part to the end of the workcamping season. Celebrating our time with our new friends and having to say goodbye. 

Tracy, one of the workcampers, organized a pot luck campfire at her site. We ate and talked and laughed and shared our plans well into the dark, even knowing we had to work in the morning. Alan would be the first to leave to get his kids back home for school. There was no shortage of interim grandparent/grandkid interactions with his family around. Tracey will be leaving next and little by little the group will disperse to all points of the compass. 

The next day Lynette, the manager, had a mandatory attendance phot-op that none of us would have missed anyway. Again we talked about plans after St Ignace and how we all became a tight knit group, almost like a family. Some talked about meeting up elsewhere in the future while others promised to keep in touch. It was a sign that things were winding down.

Just like any family it takes all kinds and we wouldn't change a single one of them at all.

Well, it is raining so this will be a good day to run errands and get some shopping done . Real stores are at least 45 minutes away so we will make the most of this excursion. I will sign off now from our home in the U.P. because.....

Home is where we park itt,

Frank and Mary

'23/#18 Part II

 In the past I have said that sometimes there just isn't much to blog about. That is when I vanish from the blogging world. Then things get interesting and I'm back. So now that we have caught up with the boring stuff that is part of everyone's lifestyle, even on the road, let's get back to the adventure.

The other day we planned to head up to Sault St Marie and check out the locks connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Coincidentally a young couple, April and Kait, said they were going also and would we like to spend the day together. Boat tickets were bought on line and we all met at the dock the next morning. 

Most of the passengers went to the front of the tour boat but we migrated to the stern and had the whole area to ourselves. We were introduced to their friend Luke and the tour began. This was one of those days where everything was just perfect. The weather we ideal, the company was outstanding, and even when lock traffic forced us out of line for through passage all that happened was the tour was extended and we go to see more of the whole US/Canadian lock system. We had a rare sighting of the railroad bridge lowering over the lock. No train, just a work truck but still pretty cool.

The locks raise and lower boats of up to 1000' the 25' difference between lake Superior and Lake Huron. This helped create a shipping channel from Duluth Minnesta all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. While we passed through the locks there was a 1000' freighter in the next lock over. 

After the boat ride we walked into town and had a great lunch at Zorbas Greek restaurant. The whole time we are talking and sharing and laughing like a group of old friends. We walked back to the dock and took a walking tour on the Museum Ship Valley Camp. The Valley Camp is 550' long so was about half the size of the largest freighters on the Great Lakes and still it was huge. We learned about life on the ships of the Lakes and of the the ships and sailors that perished on the Lakes. The Edmund Fitzgerald may be the most famous of the many wrecks in the Great Lakes and was also featured in the museum. 

We parted ways with our friends at that point to do some grocery shopping in Sault St Marie before heading home. Good weather, great exploring, new experiences, and great friends with whom to share it all. Who could ask for a better day?

Today we get back to work and start making plans for next week? So I will sign off from our home in St Ignace because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#17 Two Part Catch Up

 It has been a while so either one really long blog or two shorter ones are in order. I choose to spread it out. So here goes.

The last month or so has been less than blog worthy. Eventful? Yes. Shareable? Maybe. Mary had to have cataract surgery so that has curtailed a lot of what we would have liked to be doing in the U.P. Surgeries, follow-ups, and post surgery care took up most of our days off. The manager here has been awesome about schedules to accommodate us as have the rest of the crew. It is a good crew and we all try to help each other out whenever we can. 

During this time we also had to work. July and August is peak season here in the Upper Peninsula so it has been very busy. Most of our work is indoors so it was easier keeping dust and smoke out of Mary's eyes. The eye drop regimen was my responsiblity. Multiple drops, multiple times a day, and different schedules due to staggered surgeries kept me on my toes. After all Mary has been through I didn't want anything to get screwed up, especially because I might mess up her eye drops. One eye is done and two more weeks of drops for the other and Mary will be good to go.

Now that the eye thing is just about done we will get back to our adventure. We have some things to take care of today so I will continue blogging later. We are headed back to Sault St Marie next.  This will be more of what this blog is about. So until later from our home in Michigan because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#16 International Travelers

 Friday was a blast with all the old cars. Over 900 entries in St Ignace's 47th annual car show, a local event that everyone looks forward to and we see why. Saturday we headed farther north for another local event. 

Saturday we participated in the Sault Ste Marie International Bridge walk. This was the return of an annual event that had been cancelled since 2020 due to the Covid epidemic. People were excited to have it back. Representatives of both Sault Ste Maries, Michigan and Canada, were there to welcome back the event as well as all the supporters and participants. After a few speeches the crowd of at least 500 set off to walk accross the bridge that was closed for the event. Overviews of the Soo Locks and a warm welcome by Canadian officials and we were international travelers again. Water and snacks were provides and buses were available to drive everyone back to the U.S. 

Having spent time in south Texas and now in the U.P. of Michigan we can say that we have walked from Mexico to the U.S and from the U.S. to Canada...... just not in one trek.

Once again customs in Canada was a simple I.D. check and "welcome to Canada" while the return through U.S. was just short of a cavity search. I understand post 9-11 cautions but these were buses designated for bridge-walk participants. "Why are you in Canada?", "where are you from?" ( my license is in your hand!), "where did you work?", and "you're done,"! No thank you or welcome back. U.S. customs agents need to get personality lessons from our much friendlier Candian neighbors that man the customs check points headed north.

Anyway that was our weekend and this is the end of this blog. Back to work. The Fourth of July crowd will replace the car show crowd in the campground next week. Back to back busy weeks and then just the steady summer tourists and campers that keep this campground going.

So having retuned from our world travels (wink, wink) I will sign off from our home in St Ignace because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#15 Touristng And Localing

 We are getting out and about more now that we are familiarizing ourselves with the area. This weekend all kinds of things were going on so we decided to join in. There was also some chores around the rig because, like I've said before, this is not a vacation. It is a lifedtyle.

As always, chores come first. I had wanted to do some construction in the basement and after the battery/charging issues that project moved up the priority list. Friday morning we went  to town to drop off some mail and pick up a prescription.  That was first because the Annual St Ignace Car Show started that afternoon. When we got back home the tools came out and the work started. A couple of hours later my modifications were done and looked pretty good if I do say so. 

The work was done. Now it was time to play. We loaded the E-bikes in the truck and drove into town. The bikes worked out just as we had hoped. We were able to ride up and down the main street in town and check out all the cars. With the cars cruising at slow speeds as most in town car shows do we could ride along with them while we checked them out. Two and a half miles up and two and a half miles back and we had seen most of the cars in town. Ooohing and aaahing and lots of pictures made for a great time.

Birthday Present?

Saturday would be another day so I will sign off and continue this blog tommorrow. Goodbye from our home in St Ignace because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#14 Adaptability Is An RVer's Best Tool

 We have been here in Michigan for three and a half weeks and things have been going non-stop. We are settled into our site and have been working for the past three weeks. The job is not that big a deal, it just takes a while to get into a routine. We are getting to that point. The people we are working with are great and easy to get along with which is always nice.

When we got here the batteries in the RV were giving me some trouble. I suspected that they would need replacing but my multimeter wasn't working. I borrowed one and sure enough the charger was fine but the batteries would not take a charge. A trip down to Cheboygan and a toasty credit card had everything working just fine. We were OK plugged into the utility pedestal but lots of thing in an RV work on 12volt so it needed to be dealt with.

The site we are on is a water and electric site with no sewer hook up. That means alternate ways of disposing the waste water. We have a "blue boy" that is a portable waste water tank. When things get full we dump it into the "blue boy" and dispose of it at the dump station. There will inevitably be some spillage (yuk) so I decided to get a macerator pump. This will move things along more efficiently and keep all the nastiness contained. I needed some hose and fittings so we took a trip to the nearest Home Depot in Petosky. Once everything was assembled it worked like charm.

One way or another we will find our way around Michigan. Today was a miserable day weather wise. The high was only 58 degrees and drizzle all day long. It was a good day to stay in and stay warm. Mary made some chilli and there is bean soup in the near future. All the foods that warm ones cockles, whatever a cockle is. Something to do with the latin language. 

Well I am going to sit in front of the electric fireplace and warm everything that isn't a cockle. That's the scoop from our home in St Ignace because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#14 Settling In

 Work has started and like any new job there is a learning curve. Not that cleaning is foreign to us but there is the way we do it and the way the boss wants it done. Also finding all the supplies and using the products that they supply will take time. It takes time to  get into work mode also.  As old people we have to ease into the physical activity needed on the job. Can't over do right out of the gate.

Mary and I have to get into a routine then everything will be easier. We will make this job our own like we do everywhere we go. For example, housekeeping has the key ring from hell. Everything is in order but the markings are hard to read and all the keys are on one big ring. I took the keys and separated them into three groups, put them on separate rings, and put them on one clip. Now I don't spend half my day sorting through keys to get into the cabins.

Like I said in the last blog the people here are very nice. The manager makes a point of having a little social gathering for special occasions. One of the girls has a birthday coming up so we will all get together for treats and just socialize and get to know each other better. Workcamping is more than travel, it is about the people you meet. Over the years we have made friends from all over the country and around the world that we still keep in touch with.Occasionally we meet up  out on the road. We've been told we are living the dream and there are no arguments from us.

It was a long day and dinner will be ready soon so I will sign off from our home in St Ignace because......

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#13 The Summer Adventure Begins

 Sunday we arrived at the campground in St Ignace that will be our home for the summer. It was an easy trip up from the casino and we we weren't tired from travel. The plan worked!

We met the manager and found a site that will be our home for a few days before we move to our regular site for the season. The campground is very nice and all the people we have met so far seem nice. It feels like it is going to be another good experience for us. We don't start work for a couple of days so we are driving around and getting the "lay of the land" so to speak. Grocery stores, post office, restaurants, and any thing else we might need while we are here. 

Tomorrow we will take a ride to Sault Ste Marie and see what is there that will be of interest to us. It's a bigger town with more shopping and major chain stores for the things that we can't find locally. It is about an hour or so away so it won't be a weeky trip but close enough if we need something. 

We just had dinner at a local bar. Food was great and the prices were better. They also invited us to participate in their triva night. We said why not? If full bellys and an entertaining night weren't enough we also won the trivia contest and came away with a gift card to come back! A great way to end the day.

I am going to sign off now and call it a night. So good night from our home in the Upper Peninsula because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#12 Right State, Wrong Town

 When I left off in the last blog we had made it to Michigan. We are staying at the casino RV park on the indian reservation. The last two legs of our journey are short ones. This was planned so we could arrive at our summer destination earlier in the day and a little less tired. 

The two days we planned on staying on the "res" turned into three. We enjoyed relaxing and the break from just trying to put miles behind us. The only chore we did was the laundry that we had accumulated on the road. Other than that we checked out some of the cheese shops in the area and spent our complimentary credits in the casino. It's not Las Vegas or even the Hard Rock in Tampa but it seems like a nice place if gambling is your thing. It's not something I care to do but we support the places that we stay at in our travels.

One more night here in Standish and in the morning we are St Ignace bound. Looking forward to settling in for a few months and exploring the U.P. of Michigan. I will sign off now from our home on the reservation (the RV,not a teepee) because ....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#11 Almost There

 It doesn't seem like only six days since we left Zephyrhills. With a couple of long days, some very early mornings, amd a mapping miscue or two the days have flown by so fast that our concept of time is completely thrown off. Five days in a row of travel has earned us a rest. We are at an indian casino campground near Standish Michigan. It is only twenty-one dollars a night and they give us free credits to use in the casino. Can't beat that.

Now let me recap the last two non-blog days. Let's see, after the giant skillet we stayed in Columbia TN and were able to get together with Mary's friends from high school. This was my first time meeting them and they were very nice people. It was fun to watch Mary and Alanna reminisce while Rick and I talked about life in general. I learned about their family and Rick had questions about our RV lifestyle. It was a good night with good food and even better people.

Tuesday was a shorter travel day so we didn't have to leave at the crack of dawn. Next stop was Berea Kentucky. There was a little confusion between Google Maps and outdated Garmin but we made it to OH Kentucky campground. The place looked familiar and we agreed we had stayed here before but couldn't remember when or where we were going at the time. It was raining off and on and sirens were going off but nobody seemed too concerned. Apparently there is one siren for severe thunder storms and another for tornados. We found out which building was for storm shelter and went to our site to set up since the rain had stopped for the moment. We got some rain but the winds had died down. All was good.

 By morning the rain was gone but was replaced by fog. A short trip down the highway and we stopped at another Bucees for fuel and breakfast. 320 miles that day turned out to be just about the ideal amount of travel for us these days. Still trying to catch up on sleep from the graduation whirlwind but doing fine. As much as Google screwed up the day before it redeemed itself this day. Google notified us of a road closure ahead and automatically routed us around it. It was a good day for Google Maps. The KOA in Perrysburg would be our last stop before entering Michigan.

I'm going to stop here and see what we have planned for the day, whatever day it is. I will continue later from our home near Saginaw because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#10 It's All About Timing

 The second leg of our journey is now in the books. It was a shorter trip but still needed adjustments along the way.I'm not as young as I once was so it takes me a bit longer to bounce back from a two day whirlwind than it used to. Then there is traffic to consider and all that comes with traveling over the road.

We left Atlanta/South RV Park by 5am so we could get through Atlanta before Monday morning rush hour. By 6:30 we were at our second Bucees of this adventure. If you've never been to a Bucees it is something to see. Fuel pumps as far as the eye can see, a convenience store with everything you need (and don't need) for your trip down the road, and don't forget the cleanest bathrooms on the highway. How many pumps could there be? Well I used pump #201 this morning and this is not the bigest Bucees we have seen.

After breakfast in the truck we got back on the road. Apparently six hours of sleep wasn't enough to recharge after the Saturday and Sunday I described in the last blog. Also, because we left so early we would get to our destination by 10am, well before check in. So we found a rest area and stopped for another roadside siesta to recharge. Two hours later we were back on the road. We checked the mapping software, Google maps, the GPS and realized we were in a different time zone.We would arrive way too early. This set our timing was off a bit. So what could we do to kill some time. Nope, not another nap but a little unplanned side trip. 

What screams American road trip more than a visit to the Worldest Largest (fill-in-the-blank). We were passing Pittsburg, TN the home of Lodge cast iron cookware and the Worlds Largest Cast Iron Skillet, factory, and museum. Most people have used a cast iron skillet or griddle or camp pot, and in the USA when you say cast iron you think Lodge, a company that has been in business since 1896. We checked out the history of the company and the manufacturing process. We also saw the record breaking skillet that weighs in at 14360 pounds and 18 feet from handle to handle!

We also checked out their store and saw tons of thing we would have if we didn't live in an RV. Cast iron is too heavy when you have to watch the weight you carry in an RV. We do have two skillets, by Lodge of course, and that is our limit.

I call this "Ham-n-Egg"

By the time we finished in Pittsburg we had killed enough time to reach our next RV park at check in time. We ran in and out of ran but it stopped long enough for us to set everything up for our overnight stay. We will have dinner tonight with Mary's high school friend and be back on the road tommorrow. We can sleep in and take our time since it will be a short trip to Kentucky. The rest of our days will be short jaunts so we can arrive at our summer destination reasonably rested.

I will sign off now so we can get ready for dinner near our home in Columbia Tennessee because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#9 Plans In Jello, HAHAHA

 Well we are just south of Atlanta after a few crazy days. Things worked out, just not as well as we had planned. Graduation, drop off a car, hook up the truck, get some sleep, and get on the road early. Yeah, right. It all happened but we are paying for it now.

Graduation was awesome. We are so proud of our grandson and wouldn't have missed it for the world. Graduation was at 7pm on Saturday. Five hundred graduates, at least fifty staff, and guests I am guessing around three thousand or more all migrating around Trpicana Field. It was as organized as that many people can be but the ceremony started around 7:30. We got out around 9pm and couldn't find the graduate in the sea of humanity until 10pm. Then we headed home around 10:30. Got back to Zephyrhills close to 11pm and dropped off a friends car we had been using. Then back to our rig to hook-up the truck and get some sleep. Sleep didn't come until after midnight and the alarm was set for 3am.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! It's 3am and we are up and moving. We pulled out of Zephyrhills before 4am. We wanted nothing to do with I-75 around Tampa once the world started to wake up. We made good time and stopped at a rest area in Georgia and napped for a couple of hours. Then it was back on the road. We had to stop at the Bucees near Perry Georgia. With the truck full of diesel and a couple of brisket sandwiches for dinner it was back on the road for the last stretch. 

We arrived in McDonough aroud 4pm. That put 420 miles behind us and that much closer to Michigan. We normally don't drive more than 350 mile a day but do make an exception on the first day. Our reasoning is we are so hyped about our new adventure that the adrenaline will cover the difference. That would have worked out fine but for Saturday's insanity and the lack of sleep that ensued. Oh well, we will sleep good tonight.

Tommorrow we will be in Tennessee to see one of Mary's high school friends. So I will say good night from our home in McDonough because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#8 And The Seasons Change

 It has been a while since the last blog so I will do some catching up. The winter in Florida or Snow Bird season is over and it is time for us to hit the road. We have been very busy this winter. We did lots of work in the park for our rent and electric. Lot numbers were painted for the 400+ sites as well as intersection "STOP" lines. That took most of the time in the park. There was the March Rally, routine maintenance on the rig, and a trip to the shop for a suspension upgrade. The last few weeks was getting the rig ready for travel and getting together with friends for the last time until our return.

We are just about ready to hit the road. A few last day tasks and and early night should get us headed toward our new adventure. The trip north will be all about the travel and putting miles behind us. We will make one stop to see one of Mary's high school friends, but that will not add any time to our travels.

The only other thing we have to do before we leave is make one more trip to Pinellas county. We are still in Florida for one reason and that is to be at our grandson's graduation. That will be tonight and we will say our last goodbyes to family and get back to Zephyrhills. We will try to ge to bed early and get some sleep before we head out early in the morning. With the excitement of a new adventure and rerunning all our check lists in our heads sleep may be elusive but adrenaline will be the fuel for day one on the road.

So this is the last good bye this season from our home in Zephyrhills because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#7 Back Home? In Florida

 Florida is as close to having a home base as we get. This is where the kids, grandkids, and lots of our friends are, so there is a good chance this is where we will winter for the foreseeable future.   

Our trip to the FMCA Rally in Perry Georgia was a success on several levels. The first thing was the rally itself. We met a lot of like minded people and made some friends. The second part were seminars that, even though we are seasoned RVers, still gave us a few ideas to keep in our mental tool box. We also were able to share some of the things we have learned over the last 17 years on the road. 

But the third, and to us the most important part, was we got out on the road again. Sitting in one spot for any length of time makes us rusty to the travel routine. We brushed off our RV skills for breaking and making camp. Stowing things for travel, unhooking utilities, hooking up the truck, and just getting the wheels rolling again. Two rounds of breaking camp and two rounds of setting up, plus 700 miles of travel and we are ready for our next adventure.

This summer we will be in Upper Peninsular of Michigan. Our seasonal jobs are all lined up and we are researching the area. Tentative plans are being made for day trips and other excursions  to explore a part of the country that we haven't been to yet. But that is about six weeks in the future.

That time will fly by. I am looking at the calendar and see that it is pretty full until we leave. There are things to do, people to see, doctors visits, and also our jobs here in Zephyrhills. Add to that the most important reason for staying this late in the season. Our grandson is graduating and we will not miss that milestone. 

Well the calendar isn't going to clear itself so I will sign off now from our home in Zephrhills because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#6 Rally Over

 Six days of rally is all we can handle. It is time to go back to Zephyrhills. We had a lot of fun, met some really nice people, and got some good information. On top of that we were entertained by several music groups.

Breakfast is done and it is time to hook up and hit the road, so I will sign off from our home in Perry Georgia for the last time because...

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary 

'23/#5 Got A Few Minutes

 At another seminar, this time with Mary. Been doing some shopping and gathering information. Rallys are a great place to do this with other RVers, AKA our peeps 

So long from our home in Perry Georgia because....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary 

'23/#4 Rally Time

 A short blog waiting for a seminar to start. We are here in Georgia freezing our butts off! Wake up temps right around freezing each morning. 

On the plus side we're meeting lots of great people. Gotta go, the seminar is about to start. Talk later from our home here in Georgia because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary 

'23/#2 Back On The Road...Briefly

 It seems like forever since we have actually been on the road with the rig. This winter, as late as it started for us, has felt like it has gone on and on. We will be taking our home from Zephyrhills for a week to a rally in Perry Georgia. This is a new, to us, RV group we have signed on with that in the past was only for driveable units like class A and C motorhomes. 

For the past week we have been trying to get everything ready for travel but as usual there are always things that don't get done until the last minute. It being Sunday and with our departure day of Monday this will be a short blog because there is still a list that needs to be taken care of. Add the time change from standard to daylight saving and today will be a drag. Just set the clocks and be done with it once and for all!

Well it is time to have some  breakfast and  get moving. The list won't take care of itself. So I will sign off from our home in Zephyrhills because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'23/#1 I AM Still Alive!

 It has been almost three months since my last blog. WOW! That almost sounds like I am going to confession. Anyway, I just haven't felt like blogging. Nobody is happy and giddy all the time. Sometimes things just don't feel so upbeat. Not that anything is wrong. No melt down, no mental health issues, nothing to worry about, just down time for the sake of having down time. I am getting older (who isn't) and have been thinking more about the future. Introspection is a solo and personal endeavour and that describes my last few months. On to the blog.

Let's see, the last blog was Thanksgiving and our holiday was nice and quiet as usual. Christmas was very much the same. We have seen family when we can. The grandkids are growing up and are sooo busy! New Years Eve was celebrated as a lot of us seniors celebrate the holiday. EARLY! Stayed up to watch the Times Square ball drop and then to bed.

We have also been getting together with friends from Zephyrhills, our RV travels, and our postal retiree group. Drove to Sanford for a Japanese latern festival, saw the brother-in-laws, and also went to Orlando for a show at the Improv. During that time the RV show was in town and we never miss that! Didn't see any RVs we needed and didn't buy much in the way of acessories or gadgets. It seems we have finally got this RVing thing down pat. We did sign up for an RV caravan at the RV show. Calgary, Banff, and Glacier National Park have been on our bucket list for years and we are finally doing it, but not until the summer of 2024.

Summer of 2023 is rapidly approaching and we have to get our travel plans set. After a couple of interviews we have accepted summer positions in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, also known as the U.P. This is a part of the country wanted to see and will now  get crossed off the list. At the end of our commitment in the U.P. we will head south and be in Abequerque N.M. in October for the Hot Air Balloon Festival. This is another bucket list item.

For now we are keeping busy here in Zephyrhills. At our age doctor appointments become part of the regular routine so that takes up some of our time. That and our workcamping jobs and working on getting the rig ready for the next adventure is filling up the calendar. Next month we will leave here for a week to go to a rally in Georgia and return for the rest of the winter Snow Bird season.

I think I am caught up and I will try to blog on a more regular basis. Now that I have crawled out from under this rock I will sign off from our home in Zephyrhills Florida because.......

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary