April 6, 2019. We left Cypress Camping in Myrtle Beach and headed north to Newport, North Carolina. I picked an Encore park, but it turned out not to be a quality Encore park. Some of their parks are good, but not this one. It is about 90% full time people with a row for the temporary stays. Roads are narrow, lots of dirt/grass and with all the rain there are ruts all over. When we tried getting into our site, we had to put the Excursion in four wheel drive just to get out of the rut.
We went to the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, where they had a great display on Blackbeard.
Yesterday it rained most of the day, so we went to a place called Muttigans on the island where the owner has a coffee shop combined with a pet store, with a small supply of dog food, dog toys, cups and other souvenir things. We were able to bring Hayley & Lucy into the store where she gave them a treat. Then we stopped at a bar where they just sell craft beers from around the country. Then we went to a distillery where they make their own alcohol. And of course, Jim talked to the people at both places trying to get their opinion of the state of the US. Everyone he talks to agrees with our point of view.
April 16, 2019. Arrived on the Outer Banks at Camp Hatteras on April 11 for the week. It’s a huge Coast to Coast park with paved sites and a picnic table and direct access to the beach. Dogs are allowed on the beach and I let the girls loose if there is nobody on the beach. I was able to get one good sunrise picture so far and then it rained and was cloudy for a couple of days. Sunday morning a huge storm came through with lots of rain and wind. We took the awning in and put things up, and I am glad we did as it really blew hard. It still was very windy all day Monday so I still did not put the awning back out.
Tuesday it is still windy but not as much and very sunny, though a bit chillier. There are no clouds in the sky and I slept through the sunrise.
Friday we drove south to visit the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and then the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. Saturday we just sat here all day and I wish we would have gone to see one thing as it was closed on Sunday when we went to Pea Island Wildlife Refuge.
Monday was our shopping day but we also went to the Monument to a Century of Flight and the Wright Brothers National Memorial before heading to Walmart. The dogs were allowed outside at the Memorial as it was a huge field where the Wright Brothers flew their plane.
On the 16th we went to the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in Monteo. They had a great exhibit on the Lost Colony, which I address in my Blog.
April 21, 2019. Our TV Antenna base on the roof has become very loose and so we were wondering what was happening. Jim called Winegard to see if they could enlighten us and the lady we talked to said there is a bolt up inside where the inside handle is that is coming loose. We had to order an antenna tool which was basically a long 15/16 socket that we need to put up the hole to tighten it. We have been afraid to put the antenna up because the base is so loose, we have been watching TV with the antenna still flat on the roof. Some of the stations have been OK and some don’t come in at all. But the tool will be sent to Carolina Landing arriving the same day we do. We do hope this fixes the situation.
We left the Outer Banks on Thursday, April 18 and traveled to Twin Lakes, an Encore park. We ended up spending two nights there as a huge storm was coming through the whole east coast and we did not want to travel in the rain. So by Saturday the system was out in the Atlantic and we had nice weather for traveling.
We spent another night in Dillon, South Carolina, and tonight in Irmo, South Carolina before heading to Carolina Landing.
April 24, 2019. Got to Carolina Landing on Monday after going to Walmart to shop and pick up some prescriptions. The girl who checked us in crossed out Section A, and said we had to go to the site she assigned. We were told that if we could find a better site, let her know. C section is hilly and the sites are really small. We could just fit the picnic table on the site and the awning tie downs were on our neighbor’s site. On Wednesday, our electric went out about 7:30 am. I called at 8am to let the office know and were told they were aware of the problem. I went and did our laundry and then we sat around the trailer waiting to see if the problem was resolved. We waited and waited and Jim even went up and talked to them but nothing was resolved.
Our neighbor Alan got fed up with waiting and moved to another site. We waited until about 2pm to see if the problem was fixed, and it was not. They even had to call in an outside electrician, and he was having a hard time figuring it out. So we decided to move to another site. We moved to a site which I think is in the full time section, but it’s a nice site with azaleas and a nice picnic table, grass for the dogs (there was no grass at the other site), and more room.
We did get to Clemson University where they had a beautiful botanical garden where we were able to walk around with the dogs as well. At the same place they have a Geology Museum, which had a great display on rocks and dinosaur bones.
May 3, 2019. Decided to leave Carolina Landing on April 28 even though we had a nice site once we moved, but with so many hills, it was impossible for us to ride our bikes or Jim to walk anywhere. I canceled our reservations at Bald Ridge COE and just kept the site at Old Federal from May 4-10. I then made a reservation at Unicoi Springs RV Park in Helen, GA, a Coast to Coast Park for April 28 to May 5. We got in a level section of the park, but still did not take the bikes off and Jim did not do any riding. He has gone to play billiards a few nights as a lot of the men go there in the evening to play.
We went to visit Anna Ruby Falls one day and went into Helen to check it out. Other than that, we just stayed here in the campground, which is OK. Weather is starting to roll in and I hope there is not too much rain tomorrow when we are scheduled to leave.
This is a nice park and I enjoyed our stay here. There are some hills but not too bad. All the sites are FHU, concrete and level with a picnic table. There is a huge lake with a few geese, small dog park, mini golf, playground, shuffleboard courts that are in need of work as they have mold growing up out of the plastic holes. I found a grassy field through the woods where I let the dogs loose. It may be part of the septic field because there are big concrete plates placed here and there, but there is no smell or anything else, so it works out for us.
May 16, 2019. From Unicoi Springs we spent a week at Old Federal COE on Lake Lanier. We had a nice pull through site with a wonderful view of the lake. On Sunday May 5 we met up with Ed & Kathy Vasquez (after not seeing them for about 25 years!) on their house boat on Lake Lanier. Jack & Tam’ra also joined us, Ed’s sister & her husband, and a few of their friends. We had a great day and it was real good catching up with Kathy again. Even though we have not spoken for these many years, there was nothing awkward and it was all very easy. Even had a good time with their friends; we all got along really well. Ed took the boat out onto the lake and beached on an island and then cooked corn on the cob and hamburgers.
I had invited Linda & Mike Grogan to join us on the lake, but at the last moment said they had stuff to do at home and could not make it. I was sorry to hear that, but oh well.
Monday we went shopping then met up with Tom & Jenanne for lunch; it was really great meeting up with them again. I really enjoy their company. After lunch they came over to the trailer and we talked for the afternoon before they decided to drive back to Chattanooga, where they are workamping.
Tuesday we had lunch with Dustin, Kathie, Randy, and Jack. We drove to Jack’s house and he drove us to a Greek restaurant. That was a very enjoyable afternoon as well, and we all had a great conversation. We all liked Randy a lot and think Kathie made a great choice with him.
Thursday night we had dinner with Jack & Tam’ra, then Friday night had dinner at their house. They sold their house and are in the middle of packing everything up. They bought a smaller house in a Dell Webb community with lots of activities. I think they will be much happier. Jennifer is living with them at the moment, and her drive to work is over an hour and in the new place will be longer. She seems to be doing much better since she is out of jail now.
It had rained while we were there and there was a threat of rain the weekend we were supposed to leave, but luckily Saturday dawned clear and we had a dry day. Saturday May 10 we headed out and drove to Pride RV Resort in Waynesville, NC. It is close to Smoky Mountain National Park and some museums.
We visited the Wheels Through Time Museum, which was a history of American make motorcycles. It was very interesting, and we even made a friend with one of the guides, Andy Norris. He called a couple of time as Jim invited him over to the trailer, but he called again saying he could not make it, but would watch our travels.
Monday we went to visit Barb Mars which was absolutely wonderful. We talked a lot all afternoon and the day went fast. We even went to visit her Mom, surprising her. I think she was very happy to see us. She lives in a wonderful retirement center and seems to really enjoy it. She is 91 years old now but gets along good. Barb sees her on Wednesday where they go to lunch and spend time together.
Wednesday we drove the Blue Ridge Parkway and went to visit the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and took a short walk on the trail along the river. Instead of driving into the park, we went to see Mingo Falls, a 183 foot falls not that far from the park.
Thursday night cooking dinner on the grill I discovered that the propane was leaking out where the hose connects to the grill. I smelled propane so decided to test the grill and clicked my lighter by the connection and it erupted in flames. Yikes.
Thursday we stayed at home and I discovered that the light inside the refrigerator was not going out when the door was shut. I looked at the thermometer and it showed 65 degrees, so I played with the switch and the light would not go out so I had to take the bulb out. Jim talked with someone at Dometic and it sounded like we had to take the whole piece off inside (not the case), and I was trying to get the clips off and used metal, which caused a spark and then we discovered it also blew the fuse that was responsible for the refrigerator turning. Looking at the manual I figured out that the 3amp fuse in the outside compartment blew, so we took a drive to ACE Hardware to buy a new washer for the grill and fuses.
Back home I made a new washer for the grill and put in the 3 amp fuse and luckily that was the problem with the refrigerator and now it is working. Yeah!
I did not check if the new washer will fix the problem with the grill, but I guess at our next stop I will.
May 18, 2019. Follow up to my last sentence from the above: I took out the make shift washer I made and put in a hose washer, which I think worked, but I ran out of propane in the small tank so I could not determine if that fixed the problem. I am using a cylinder now. This time we are at Forest Lake Thousand Trails in Advance, North Carolina. We visited one museum – the Doll & Toy Museum in Spencer. We also went to visit my oldest friend from Hill Street, Karen Katula and her husband Boots. We went on Tuesday the 21st for dinner. We had not seen each other since a trip to Maine back in the 1990s. Her brother George just died suddenly while Karen and Boots were on vacation with no cell service and George’s wife out of town. I really feel for Karen – her older brother committed suicide back in the 1960’s; her mother and father are both gone; and now her only other brother is gone. At least she still has her husband and children, and will soon be a grandmother.
May 23, 2019. Drove to Lynchburg Thousand Trails on Wednesday and found a good level spot. The trails in this place are not worth walking. The main trail goes around the lake and there is a large grassy area near the baseball field. Half of it is not mowed but the girls liked running through it.
We have been talking about getting new tires for the Excursion as they are getting real close to needing replacement. Thursday afternoon we started talking to NTB and another company to get a discount through FMCA but ended up going to NTB. They guy wondered why wanted to buy new tires as he thought we did not need them yet, but after talking with Michelin and getting a discount from them, we decided to get them anyway. Got another problem fixed and an alignment, so these should wear better.
May 30, 2019. While at Lynchburg we took a trip to Appomattox, Virginia where the Civil War Museum was and the Appomattox Court House where Lee surrendered to Grant ending the Civil War. That was the only thing we did while there, besides getting new tires for the Excursion and going to Walmart for shopping and an oil change. The roads around the area are very narrow and a bit nerving when cars come the other way.
We were supposed to leave on Tuesday but I was able to extend our stay until the 30th so we just drove straight to Shenandoah Crossing in Gordonsville, VA, which is one of the Coast to Coast resorts that some of our friends told us was a must visit. We are going to listen to a resort spiel Friday morning in order to get some Master Card gifts.
June 5, 2019. Shenandoah Crossing is a Bluegreen Resort, a time share system of hotels and such all over the world. We had a nice shady site with FHU. Took the “tour” one morning and got $150 in benefits for taking the tour. They have teamed up with Coast to Coast so they really did not have anything to offer us since we already have Coast to Coast.
Saturday we went to visit Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, which was real nice; we spent about 5 hours there total. Bill showed up Sunday to visit with us but never made a reservation like I told him to do. So because of that, Jim and he had a rough time getting Bill in. One of the men in the Preview Center but a bad taste in Bill’s mouth because he was not very nice when they were trying to make a reservation. They eventually went down to the main office to finalize the reservation, and they still had a hard time as no one there knew how to handle a walk up.
It was real nice seeing Bill there; Monday afternoon we went to James Madison’s Montpelier and then we all left on Tuesday. Bill went toward Gettysburg and Jim and I made our way to Front Royal. Wednesday we are heading to Champion, PA for the week. I have a dentist appointment on Friday to get my tooth looked at, and then take the dogs to Tractor Supply on Saturday for their annual shots.
June 9, 2019. Arrived at Roaring Run, a Coast to Coast park, on Wednesday. Only W/E so I have a hose hooked up to drain the gray water tank. I was using vinegar to clean the tank and now our sensors show empty! Went to visit the Flight 93 National Memorial, where the last plane crashed into a field on September 11, 2001. Very moving with all the mementos and story of that day.
Friday I went to Donegal Dental Center to get my broken tooth fixed. The dentist was very nice and we talked (mostly about RVing) for a while before he even looked at my tooth to see what he could do. His decision was to remove the remaining amalgam filling and fix it with a composite form. He did the beginning work and his assistant, a woman from Russia, did the forming and filling with the composite material. The composite is like JB Weld – very hard and strong. I am very pleased with the results.
Saturday we drove to Tractor Supply to get the dogs their annual rabies shots. I also bought some 9-Way to administer myself. Also bought them some Simparica, which is similar to Nexgard to get rid of the fleas and ticks. Spent a little too much on it but at least we got rid of those bugs. I did some research and found Nexgard Spectra from Equine Mega Store that takes care of fleas, ticks, and heartworm. So that will probably be my next purchase.
The only sightseeing we did while there was to the Flight 93 National Memorial and Fort Necessity National Battlefield.
June 13, 2019. Our drive from Roaring Run to Circle M in Lancaster took almost four hours, and most of that was on the PA Turnpike, which cost us $34 to travel. There was a lot of traffic from our exit from the Turnpike down through Lancaster. Some of it was from construction and other I think just a lot of cars. Jim did not like the drive; there were a lot of trucks on the turnpike, hills, and tunnels. He did not like being behind the wheel for so long.
There are some museums to see in the area as well as Gettysburg National Battlefield, Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, and the Hershey Chocolate Museum.
Circle M is pretty jam packed with sites close together to make use of all space. We squeezed in our site and there is barely enough room for our truck. Glad we won’t be here long.
June 16, 2019. Yesterday afternoon we went to the Toy Train Museum in Ronks, PA. That was great. They had so many toy trains on display and also a few train villages set up so we could run the trains. They even had two villages made of just Legos – even the train! I did a Marco Polo video for Ellie & Jason so they could see the trains. They enjoyed that a lot.
As we were leaving there we heard a train whistle in the background so Jim went back in to ask what it was and we discovered that the Strasburg Railroad has train rides around the area. So we booked a train ride for Father’s Day at noon in the Dining Car where we will also have lunch. After that we will go see the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
A few days ago we went to the National Watch & Clock Museum, which was really fascinating as it highlighted time from before Christ to present. We also went to the Haines Shoe House where Mr. Haines build a huge boot to advertise his shoe business. He had rooms inside the boot where he had guests come and stay.
June 21, 2019. After leaving Circle M in Lancaster, we went to Robin Hill, an Encore park in Lenhartsville, PA. We found a mine and museum to view and did that Saturday. We also stayed an extra day as Jim wanted to watch the women’s World Cup since they had cable. We also discovered that a couple we met while at the TT in Orlando was also at Robin Hill. Jim talked on the phone with them a couple of times but we never met up with them. They are young with 4 kids and that always takes time.
From there we drove to Rondout Valley TT in Accord, New York. We picked a W/E site. We were going to stay 2 days but after discovering there is nothing to do in the area and cannot get ANY OTA TV stations, we decided to stay one night and move on to our next park in Sturbridge, MA. There are more things to do in that area, and it’s closer to Boston, so I hope there are some museums close to there we can go see.
June 28, 2019. Sturbridge TT was OK; they offered cable TV at no charge, which we liked having. There were a lot of Hispanics camping there while we were there all around the lake and in the pool. They had taken over the patio as well. The only thing we did was visit the Springfield Armory NHS. Driving into Boston area was a nightmare on I-90 (toll road) because of so much traffic, so we did not drive into town to see anything. The campground had a nice trail into the woods which went for miles. There was even an abandoned RV storage area and up another trail RVs that were abandoned and consumed by nature. It was a real nice trail in the woods and very peaceful.
We met a nice couple who camped next to us but unfortunately they came the day before we left. They call themselves the RV Nomads – Larry & BarBara Crawford.
From Sturbridge we made it through New Hampshire and into Maine to stay at Moody Beach TT for a few days before we head inland. We were going to head out to lunch one day to the Perkins Cove area, which also showed a nice paved walkway along the ocean side. But when we got there it was so crowded and saw one parking area at $15 and the other was pay parking with a three hour limit. So we just turned around and left.
Still looking for a place for lunch we stopped at one restaurant and even though it was a place your order yourself, it was quite expensive, especially for the lobster. There was another place Jim wanted to go but they cost a lot as well. We ended up at a Thai Restaurant for lunch, which was OK but at least not too expensive.
Friday, June 28 I will be getting cable for a day as the women’s World Cup is playing today – USA v. France. This is a determining game because if the US does not win, they do not continue.
Moody Beach TT is an Outdoor World campground, which means it is not as big as normal Thousand Trails. They have some land around for games, etc. but no dog park and no trails to speak of. So I let the dogs loose in the tent area and then walked through the woods a little to the basketball court and then walked to the back where there was a trail into the woods coming out at a subdivision, where we walked around the loop and then back.
Back to Daily Journal 2019
We went to the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, where they had a great display on Blackbeard.
Yesterday it rained most of the day, so we went to a place called Muttigans on the island where the owner has a coffee shop combined with a pet store, with a small supply of dog food, dog toys, cups and other souvenir things. We were able to bring Hayley & Lucy into the store where she gave them a treat. Then we stopped at a bar where they just sell craft beers from around the country. Then we went to a distillery where they make their own alcohol. And of course, Jim talked to the people at both places trying to get their opinion of the state of the US. Everyone he talks to agrees with our point of view.
April 16, 2019. Arrived on the Outer Banks at Camp Hatteras on April 11 for the week. It’s a huge Coast to Coast park with paved sites and a picnic table and direct access to the beach. Dogs are allowed on the beach and I let the girls loose if there is nobody on the beach. I was able to get one good sunrise picture so far and then it rained and was cloudy for a couple of days. Sunday morning a huge storm came through with lots of rain and wind. We took the awning in and put things up, and I am glad we did as it really blew hard. It still was very windy all day Monday so I still did not put the awning back out.
Tuesday it is still windy but not as much and very sunny, though a bit chillier. There are no clouds in the sky and I slept through the sunrise.
Friday we drove south to visit the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and then the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. Saturday we just sat here all day and I wish we would have gone to see one thing as it was closed on Sunday when we went to Pea Island Wildlife Refuge.
Monday was our shopping day but we also went to the Monument to a Century of Flight and the Wright Brothers National Memorial before heading to Walmart. The dogs were allowed outside at the Memorial as it was a huge field where the Wright Brothers flew their plane.
On the 16th we went to the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in Monteo. They had a great exhibit on the Lost Colony, which I address in my Blog.
April 21, 2019. Our TV Antenna base on the roof has become very loose and so we were wondering what was happening. Jim called Winegard to see if they could enlighten us and the lady we talked to said there is a bolt up inside where the inside handle is that is coming loose. We had to order an antenna tool which was basically a long 15/16 socket that we need to put up the hole to tighten it. We have been afraid to put the antenna up because the base is so loose, we have been watching TV with the antenna still flat on the roof. Some of the stations have been OK and some don’t come in at all. But the tool will be sent to Carolina Landing arriving the same day we do. We do hope this fixes the situation.
We left the Outer Banks on Thursday, April 18 and traveled to Twin Lakes, an Encore park. We ended up spending two nights there as a huge storm was coming through the whole east coast and we did not want to travel in the rain. So by Saturday the system was out in the Atlantic and we had nice weather for traveling.
We spent another night in Dillon, South Carolina, and tonight in Irmo, South Carolina before heading to Carolina Landing.
April 24, 2019. Got to Carolina Landing on Monday after going to Walmart to shop and pick up some prescriptions. The girl who checked us in crossed out Section A, and said we had to go to the site she assigned. We were told that if we could find a better site, let her know. C section is hilly and the sites are really small. We could just fit the picnic table on the site and the awning tie downs were on our neighbor’s site. On Wednesday, our electric went out about 7:30 am. I called at 8am to let the office know and were told they were aware of the problem. I went and did our laundry and then we sat around the trailer waiting to see if the problem was resolved. We waited and waited and Jim even went up and talked to them but nothing was resolved.
Our neighbor Alan got fed up with waiting and moved to another site. We waited until about 2pm to see if the problem was fixed, and it was not. They even had to call in an outside electrician, and he was having a hard time figuring it out. So we decided to move to another site. We moved to a site which I think is in the full time section, but it’s a nice site with azaleas and a nice picnic table, grass for the dogs (there was no grass at the other site), and more room.
We did get to Clemson University where they had a beautiful botanical garden where we were able to walk around with the dogs as well. At the same place they have a Geology Museum, which had a great display on rocks and dinosaur bones.
May 3, 2019. Decided to leave Carolina Landing on April 28 even though we had a nice site once we moved, but with so many hills, it was impossible for us to ride our bikes or Jim to walk anywhere. I canceled our reservations at Bald Ridge COE and just kept the site at Old Federal from May 4-10. I then made a reservation at Unicoi Springs RV Park in Helen, GA, a Coast to Coast Park for April 28 to May 5. We got in a level section of the park, but still did not take the bikes off and Jim did not do any riding. He has gone to play billiards a few nights as a lot of the men go there in the evening to play.
We went to visit Anna Ruby Falls one day and went into Helen to check it out. Other than that, we just stayed here in the campground, which is OK. Weather is starting to roll in and I hope there is not too much rain tomorrow when we are scheduled to leave.
This is a nice park and I enjoyed our stay here. There are some hills but not too bad. All the sites are FHU, concrete and level with a picnic table. There is a huge lake with a few geese, small dog park, mini golf, playground, shuffleboard courts that are in need of work as they have mold growing up out of the plastic holes. I found a grassy field through the woods where I let the dogs loose. It may be part of the septic field because there are big concrete plates placed here and there, but there is no smell or anything else, so it works out for us.
May 16, 2019. From Unicoi Springs we spent a week at Old Federal COE on Lake Lanier. We had a nice pull through site with a wonderful view of the lake. On Sunday May 5 we met up with Ed & Kathy Vasquez (after not seeing them for about 25 years!) on their house boat on Lake Lanier. Jack & Tam’ra also joined us, Ed’s sister & her husband, and a few of their friends. We had a great day and it was real good catching up with Kathy again. Even though we have not spoken for these many years, there was nothing awkward and it was all very easy. Even had a good time with their friends; we all got along really well. Ed took the boat out onto the lake and beached on an island and then cooked corn on the cob and hamburgers.
I had invited Linda & Mike Grogan to join us on the lake, but at the last moment said they had stuff to do at home and could not make it. I was sorry to hear that, but oh well.
Monday we went shopping then met up with Tom & Jenanne for lunch; it was really great meeting up with them again. I really enjoy their company. After lunch they came over to the trailer and we talked for the afternoon before they decided to drive back to Chattanooga, where they are workamping.
Tuesday we had lunch with Dustin, Kathie, Randy, and Jack. We drove to Jack’s house and he drove us to a Greek restaurant. That was a very enjoyable afternoon as well, and we all had a great conversation. We all liked Randy a lot and think Kathie made a great choice with him.
Thursday night we had dinner with Jack & Tam’ra, then Friday night had dinner at their house. They sold their house and are in the middle of packing everything up. They bought a smaller house in a Dell Webb community with lots of activities. I think they will be much happier. Jennifer is living with them at the moment, and her drive to work is over an hour and in the new place will be longer. She seems to be doing much better since she is out of jail now.
It had rained while we were there and there was a threat of rain the weekend we were supposed to leave, but luckily Saturday dawned clear and we had a dry day. Saturday May 10 we headed out and drove to Pride RV Resort in Waynesville, NC. It is close to Smoky Mountain National Park and some museums.
We visited the Wheels Through Time Museum, which was a history of American make motorcycles. It was very interesting, and we even made a friend with one of the guides, Andy Norris. He called a couple of time as Jim invited him over to the trailer, but he called again saying he could not make it, but would watch our travels.
Monday we went to visit Barb Mars which was absolutely wonderful. We talked a lot all afternoon and the day went fast. We even went to visit her Mom, surprising her. I think she was very happy to see us. She lives in a wonderful retirement center and seems to really enjoy it. She is 91 years old now but gets along good. Barb sees her on Wednesday where they go to lunch and spend time together.
Wednesday we drove the Blue Ridge Parkway and went to visit the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and took a short walk on the trail along the river. Instead of driving into the park, we went to see Mingo Falls, a 183 foot falls not that far from the park.
Thursday night cooking dinner on the grill I discovered that the propane was leaking out where the hose connects to the grill. I smelled propane so decided to test the grill and clicked my lighter by the connection and it erupted in flames. Yikes.
Thursday we stayed at home and I discovered that the light inside the refrigerator was not going out when the door was shut. I looked at the thermometer and it showed 65 degrees, so I played with the switch and the light would not go out so I had to take the bulb out. Jim talked with someone at Dometic and it sounded like we had to take the whole piece off inside (not the case), and I was trying to get the clips off and used metal, which caused a spark and then we discovered it also blew the fuse that was responsible for the refrigerator turning. Looking at the manual I figured out that the 3amp fuse in the outside compartment blew, so we took a drive to ACE Hardware to buy a new washer for the grill and fuses.
Back home I made a new washer for the grill and put in the 3 amp fuse and luckily that was the problem with the refrigerator and now it is working. Yeah!
I did not check if the new washer will fix the problem with the grill, but I guess at our next stop I will.
May 18, 2019. Follow up to my last sentence from the above: I took out the make shift washer I made and put in a hose washer, which I think worked, but I ran out of propane in the small tank so I could not determine if that fixed the problem. I am using a cylinder now. This time we are at Forest Lake Thousand Trails in Advance, North Carolina. We visited one museum – the Doll & Toy Museum in Spencer. We also went to visit my oldest friend from Hill Street, Karen Katula and her husband Boots. We went on Tuesday the 21st for dinner. We had not seen each other since a trip to Maine back in the 1990s. Her brother George just died suddenly while Karen and Boots were on vacation with no cell service and George’s wife out of town. I really feel for Karen – her older brother committed suicide back in the 1960’s; her mother and father are both gone; and now her only other brother is gone. At least she still has her husband and children, and will soon be a grandmother.
May 23, 2019. Drove to Lynchburg Thousand Trails on Wednesday and found a good level spot. The trails in this place are not worth walking. The main trail goes around the lake and there is a large grassy area near the baseball field. Half of it is not mowed but the girls liked running through it.
We have been talking about getting new tires for the Excursion as they are getting real close to needing replacement. Thursday afternoon we started talking to NTB and another company to get a discount through FMCA but ended up going to NTB. They guy wondered why wanted to buy new tires as he thought we did not need them yet, but after talking with Michelin and getting a discount from them, we decided to get them anyway. Got another problem fixed and an alignment, so these should wear better.
May 30, 2019. While at Lynchburg we took a trip to Appomattox, Virginia where the Civil War Museum was and the Appomattox Court House where Lee surrendered to Grant ending the Civil War. That was the only thing we did while there, besides getting new tires for the Excursion and going to Walmart for shopping and an oil change. The roads around the area are very narrow and a bit nerving when cars come the other way.
We were supposed to leave on Tuesday but I was able to extend our stay until the 30th so we just drove straight to Shenandoah Crossing in Gordonsville, VA, which is one of the Coast to Coast resorts that some of our friends told us was a must visit. We are going to listen to a resort spiel Friday morning in order to get some Master Card gifts.
June 5, 2019. Shenandoah Crossing is a Bluegreen Resort, a time share system of hotels and such all over the world. We had a nice shady site with FHU. Took the “tour” one morning and got $150 in benefits for taking the tour. They have teamed up with Coast to Coast so they really did not have anything to offer us since we already have Coast to Coast.
Saturday we went to visit Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, which was real nice; we spent about 5 hours there total. Bill showed up Sunday to visit with us but never made a reservation like I told him to do. So because of that, Jim and he had a rough time getting Bill in. One of the men in the Preview Center but a bad taste in Bill’s mouth because he was not very nice when they were trying to make a reservation. They eventually went down to the main office to finalize the reservation, and they still had a hard time as no one there knew how to handle a walk up.
It was real nice seeing Bill there; Monday afternoon we went to James Madison’s Montpelier and then we all left on Tuesday. Bill went toward Gettysburg and Jim and I made our way to Front Royal. Wednesday we are heading to Champion, PA for the week. I have a dentist appointment on Friday to get my tooth looked at, and then take the dogs to Tractor Supply on Saturday for their annual shots.
June 9, 2019. Arrived at Roaring Run, a Coast to Coast park, on Wednesday. Only W/E so I have a hose hooked up to drain the gray water tank. I was using vinegar to clean the tank and now our sensors show empty! Went to visit the Flight 93 National Memorial, where the last plane crashed into a field on September 11, 2001. Very moving with all the mementos and story of that day.
Friday I went to Donegal Dental Center to get my broken tooth fixed. The dentist was very nice and we talked (mostly about RVing) for a while before he even looked at my tooth to see what he could do. His decision was to remove the remaining amalgam filling and fix it with a composite form. He did the beginning work and his assistant, a woman from Russia, did the forming and filling with the composite material. The composite is like JB Weld – very hard and strong. I am very pleased with the results.
Saturday we drove to Tractor Supply to get the dogs their annual rabies shots. I also bought some 9-Way to administer myself. Also bought them some Simparica, which is similar to Nexgard to get rid of the fleas and ticks. Spent a little too much on it but at least we got rid of those bugs. I did some research and found Nexgard Spectra from Equine Mega Store that takes care of fleas, ticks, and heartworm. So that will probably be my next purchase.
The only sightseeing we did while there was to the Flight 93 National Memorial and Fort Necessity National Battlefield.
June 13, 2019. Our drive from Roaring Run to Circle M in Lancaster took almost four hours, and most of that was on the PA Turnpike, which cost us $34 to travel. There was a lot of traffic from our exit from the Turnpike down through Lancaster. Some of it was from construction and other I think just a lot of cars. Jim did not like the drive; there were a lot of trucks on the turnpike, hills, and tunnels. He did not like being behind the wheel for so long.
There are some museums to see in the area as well as Gettysburg National Battlefield, Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, and the Hershey Chocolate Museum.
Circle M is pretty jam packed with sites close together to make use of all space. We squeezed in our site and there is barely enough room for our truck. Glad we won’t be here long.
June 16, 2019. Yesterday afternoon we went to the Toy Train Museum in Ronks, PA. That was great. They had so many toy trains on display and also a few train villages set up so we could run the trains. They even had two villages made of just Legos – even the train! I did a Marco Polo video for Ellie & Jason so they could see the trains. They enjoyed that a lot.
As we were leaving there we heard a train whistle in the background so Jim went back in to ask what it was and we discovered that the Strasburg Railroad has train rides around the area. So we booked a train ride for Father’s Day at noon in the Dining Car where we will also have lunch. After that we will go see the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
A few days ago we went to the National Watch & Clock Museum, which was really fascinating as it highlighted time from before Christ to present. We also went to the Haines Shoe House where Mr. Haines build a huge boot to advertise his shoe business. He had rooms inside the boot where he had guests come and stay.
June 21, 2019. After leaving Circle M in Lancaster, we went to Robin Hill, an Encore park in Lenhartsville, PA. We found a mine and museum to view and did that Saturday. We also stayed an extra day as Jim wanted to watch the women’s World Cup since they had cable. We also discovered that a couple we met while at the TT in Orlando was also at Robin Hill. Jim talked on the phone with them a couple of times but we never met up with them. They are young with 4 kids and that always takes time.
From there we drove to Rondout Valley TT in Accord, New York. We picked a W/E site. We were going to stay 2 days but after discovering there is nothing to do in the area and cannot get ANY OTA TV stations, we decided to stay one night and move on to our next park in Sturbridge, MA. There are more things to do in that area, and it’s closer to Boston, so I hope there are some museums close to there we can go see.
June 28, 2019. Sturbridge TT was OK; they offered cable TV at no charge, which we liked having. There were a lot of Hispanics camping there while we were there all around the lake and in the pool. They had taken over the patio as well. The only thing we did was visit the Springfield Armory NHS. Driving into Boston area was a nightmare on I-90 (toll road) because of so much traffic, so we did not drive into town to see anything. The campground had a nice trail into the woods which went for miles. There was even an abandoned RV storage area and up another trail RVs that were abandoned and consumed by nature. It was a real nice trail in the woods and very peaceful.
We met a nice couple who camped next to us but unfortunately they came the day before we left. They call themselves the RV Nomads – Larry & BarBara Crawford.
From Sturbridge we made it through New Hampshire and into Maine to stay at Moody Beach TT for a few days before we head inland. We were going to head out to lunch one day to the Perkins Cove area, which also showed a nice paved walkway along the ocean side. But when we got there it was so crowded and saw one parking area at $15 and the other was pay parking with a three hour limit. So we just turned around and left.
Still looking for a place for lunch we stopped at one restaurant and even though it was a place your order yourself, it was quite expensive, especially for the lobster. There was another place Jim wanted to go but they cost a lot as well. We ended up at a Thai Restaurant for lunch, which was OK but at least not too expensive.
Friday, June 28 I will be getting cable for a day as the women’s World Cup is playing today – USA v. France. This is a determining game because if the US does not win, they do not continue.
Moody Beach TT is an Outdoor World campground, which means it is not as big as normal Thousand Trails. They have some land around for games, etc. but no dog park and no trails to speak of. So I let the dogs loose in the tent area and then walked through the woods a little to the basketball court and then walked to the back where there was a trail into the woods coming out at a subdivision, where we walked around the loop and then back.
Back to Daily Journal 2019