We Have a Job!

Kathy and I got a job. Yep, I know... you thought we were retired. We are... kinda. But there's nothing wrong with trying to make money on the road right? Right!

We leave Jacksonville on Jan. 11th and go to Tampa, Fl for 2 weeks, then Pensacola, FL for 2 weeks and then we have 7 days to get to San Antonio, TX where we'll work for at least 2 weeks as well.

We've spent the last 8 months learning about HOW to RV and after thinking about what we had done ( or more appropriately NOT really doing anything) we decided that it was time for us to have a purpose while we are on the road. :) Paychecks are always good!

Those that know me know that I'm always looking for a way to make a buck or two. Most of my "efforts" have been fruitless - like selling picnic table maps in RV parks( http://www.tabletopmaps.com/ ).

UPDATE: THIS JOB TURNED OUT TO BE A BUST.  WE GAVE UP IN ABOUT 6 WEEKS.


In looking for another way to make a few bucks, I Googled "affiliate programs for RV'ers" and found a company that sells site maps for RV parks. What they do is sell (or rather GIVE AWAY FOR FREE) RV site maps to RV Parks across the country. A site map would look like this: http://www.pecanparkrvresort.com/rates.aspx and it's printed on 100 lb full color paper. Every camper that arrives is handed a site map so they can find their parking spot. Thousands of eyes see these site maps every year.


Around the edge of the site map there are advertising spots. Local businesses, i.e. restaurants, dog groomers, real estate agents, pizza parlors, doctors, RV repair guys, auto repair shops, etc. can buy a small 2"x2" ad for $345 ( or up to a 4"x8" ad $1,100) and EVERY camper will see their ad on the site map for the next year for whatever RV Park we are providing a site map to.


For a business, $345 for a years worth of advertising that 6,000 to 10,000 eyes will see is cheap.


Here's how it works:

1. We call a RV park and ask them if they'd like a years supply of high quality, full color site maps for FREE. Yes, we provide the maps to the park for free. If they say, "yes" then we get a free place to park for TWO weeks.


2. During the two week period we are in the park, it's our job to sell a minimum amount of ad space to local businesses. The minimum amount isn't that much so we don't think that we'll have a problem meeting our goal. Even if we don't sell what we need to sell, we still get to stay for free at the park.


3. We also get a commission on the ad space we sell. The least amount we would make is $545, and the most we could make would be around $3,500 per RV park - if we sold every ad spot.

We get a free place to park AND we can make a little money. Nice huh? We think so anyway! PLUS every expense for my RV is now a tax right-off. Everything! Sweet.
Because we are now employed, our itinerary has changed a little. We were going to leave Jacksonville on 2-15, but now are planning on leaving in 2-1. We'll head west along I-10 to Texas where there are a butt load of RV parks (for all the snowbirds in winter like FL) and spend as much time in TX, AZ and NM area as we can until it gets too hot to be there. Anything above 90° is too freaking hot in a RV.  In the summer, around June, we'll work our way to CA to visit my sister and Dad and up the coast of CA . We haven't made plans past that. I do want to get to Oregon to visit my brother Tim this summer though!

I'm Thankful...

Thanksgiving Day, 2008. A time to be with family and a time to be thankful.

I'm thankful.

I'm thankful for my wife, Kathy. We only met 7 years ago and we both carried a lot of baggage from previous, uh, experiences like ex-wives and ex-husbands. Together, starting from scratch, we created a comfortable life for ourselves. Now we live in a really nice RV, travel the country exploring places and seeing things that most people never have the chance to see or do. "Living the dream" as some people would say.

I'm thankful for our kids. Like most kids in their 20's, they're still "finding themselves" but all in all, they're GREAT kids. Justin is in great health, and Nicole, who has crones, has THAT under control, so life is good for them too. They just don't know it yet. HA!

I'm thankful for OUR health too. Getting old DOES suck, but we're not too bad off. We both can still get around well.

I'm thankful for the life I've lived so far. I can stand before my God anytime and still have my honor intact. Hopefully, He'll give me (us) a few more years in this world.

I'm just a thankful guy today. A very lucky, thankful guy!

Back Home!

Well, as Steve said, we are back home in Jax. So good to be back. We are, as my son says, "living in a trailer on the Interstate".....

So, Justin, it's a great life!! We have a great little spot right OFF the Interstate at 295 and Lem Turner (Jax, FL). Nice and private with a little back yard for Steve's dog. Big lake to walk around, and finally, close to everything we need.

Been busy seeing, well you know, doctors, lawyers, Indian Chiefs, etc., but hope to get all business settled soon.

It's just really really good to be back here. We are already planning next year's trip. Should be here until February and then head south across 10 to Texas, Arizona and then spend some time with Steve's family in Southern California. Plan on heading up the coast to San Francisco so I can re-create the crazy decade I spent there. Probably not up to the task, but there is so much I want to see there.

From there, we hope to spend the summer and fall of 2009 in Oregon, Washington, and all those other places we in the south never pay any attention to. Steve really really wants to travel thru the Rockies, so I may take a bus on the low road...................meet up with him there. Kidding. I am willing to try the mountains up to a certain point. I'm just really loving being back where there are NO mountains and lots of straight roads!!

Just wanted to stay in touch and if anyone in Jax wants to do a "shout out" we are here on the North Side and would love to hear from you!!!

Ya' Betcha' !!!!!!!!

Take care,
Kathy

In Jacksonville, FL for winter

Well, tomorrow we head back to Jacksonville, FL which is where we started from. We'll be staying at Flamingo Lake RV park because it's close to Kathy's Mom, sister & niece.

We have a lot to do after our 1st maiden voyage ( 5 months in duration) too. You know... dentists, doctors, RV maintenance, etc.

I expect that we'll be unable to sit absolutely still in one spot until Feb. 2009 as we've found that after 2 weeks we're ready to move to another place. Maybe we'll take a few side trips around FL in the next few months just to break up the boredom?

So, this is probably the last entry for several months until we get on the road for our trip west to CA and then north to WA in Feb 2009.
Cheers!

$2 A Day!!

SWEET! We're at our new "home park" in Crossville, TN ( http://www.aorcamping.com/resort_directory/aor_resorts/tennessee/docs/breckenridgelake.html ) and we're only paying $2 a night because it's our first visit. Sure beats the $40 a night ( or more) in the Northeast!

Now you may be asking, "What's a home park?" OK. I'll tell ya!

If you're a full time RV'er, then there are camp "memberships" that you can buy which allows you to stay at certain RV parks across the country for $10 a night. Like a time share, if you buy one directly from the "company" then you could spend $3,000 to $10,000 for one of these memberships. Your membership is to a "home park" and you get discounts to other RV parks that are associated with whatever association your home park is a member of.

There are three national associations that sell these memberships:

1. http://www.1000trails.com/ - We did NOT join this.

2. http://www.coastresorts.com/directory/index.cfm - Coast To Coast or as it's sometimes referred to: C2C. We DID get a membership in this one.

3. http://www.resortparks.com/ - Resort Parks International (RPI). We got a membership to this one too!


Since our "home park" is part of the C2C association and the RPI association we also get access to all the RPI and C2C campgrounds scattered across the country. We can stay at one park for 7 days in a row and then we HAVE to be "out of the system" for another 7 days before we can go back to a membership park. The beauty is: we can stay at a C2C park for 7 days and then go directly to a RPI park for another 7 days at a cost of $10 a night!


We won't always be in an area where there is a membership park and that's OK because this will cut our camping costs in half at least!


AND... I bought my membership off Ebay from a reseller for a fraction of what it would have cost new! I love a good bargain!

We're just hanging out here in Crossville waiting for the leaves to change. Tough life huh? hehehe

Mammoth Cave National Park, KY

Here we are in Mammoth Cave National Park (http://www.nps.gov/maca/ ) camping at Diamond Cave RV Resort which is a "not so bad" RV place. I still wonder where in the world people come up with the nerve to call some places a "resort" though! A swimming pool, hot tub and saunas that don't work do NOT warrant the "resort" title in my opinion. HA!

We ended up here because we were running from Hurricane Ike. When I saw it was headed towards the Indiana & Michigan area we fueled up and headed south! All we got here in KY was some wind blowing about 35-35 MPH so it wasn't too bad.

We did take a short tour of Mammoth Cave. They had several walking tours available. One was about 1/4 mile in a section of one cave and the next choice was a FOUR mile walk through the cave. Yikes! That's quite a jump! Guess which one we took? Yep! The 1/4 mile "Niagra Falls" tour. That was just right :) Here are some pictures:

We'll be here for 2 weeks because we only have to pay $10 a night! That's right! We finally found a camping membership that didn't cost $1000's of dollars. I bought one off Ebay for less than $400 a YEAR and it allows us to stay at Coast to Coast and RPI campgrounds for 7 days at $10 a night. I figure that'll save us around $400 - $500 a month :) Sweet!

Our next stop will be to stay at our "home park" in Crossville, TN for a week (maybe 2 weeks) for $2 a night! We haven't been there yet, so we'll see how we like it. If it sucks ( I know it only has 30 amp service and I like 50 amp so everything works) we'll move on to Bluff City, TN to visit our son, Justin, for awhile.

Cheers! Don't forget to tell your friends about Ameriplan if they're looking for a great discount dental plan.

RV in the shop

Our RV is in the shop getting an oil change and some warranty work done on a funky air gauge. So NOW we get to sit in a hotel room in Lafayette, IN while we wait for it to get done. Hopefully we'll only have to be here one night.
On the bright side, there's a dairy queen ND a White Castle about 100 yards from the hotel so our meals are planned for the next two days! HAHAHA!
============================================
Update: RV repairs cost: $567. Crap. Kathy discovered that our brake lights weren't working, so I had the shop chase that down and it turned out to be a cut wire under my brake pedal. THAT cost $267 alone. I did NOT get my air gauge fixed because the shop didn't have any in stock and it would have taken 3 days to get one in, so I'll have to take this thing into the shop again when I get back to Jacksonville. I did get all the fliuds checked and the oil/filter changed for my 1st 5000 mile check up.

Watching corn grow....

Well here we are in Remington, IN at Caboose Lake RV Park. We arrived 5 days ago and it's rained on us for two days and three nights. Today's ( Sunday, 9-7) weather is nice though adn we look forward to opening the windows and enjoying cool temperatures.

We're on our way Wed. morning to have an air gauge for our air brakes looked at cause it's going bonkers on me and I think I should have air brakes that work 100% of the time :) We'll also get our 5000 miles service, oil & filter change, check the ride height adjustments, etc. so we may have to get a hotel room in Lafayette, IN while we wait for our warranty work to be done. Kathy's excited about that! HA!

We met a FUN couple last night and had a great time around the fire with them just shooting the breeze and having a few drinks. They had a female dog named Lacey (?) and Elvis had a BALL playing with her! We also made a new friend, John, while camping at South Haven, MI so now we have TWO people we may be able to call/visit the next time we visit Michigan. HA! Hmmm, are we being presumptuous?

On the flip side... have you ever watched corn grow? we think that's about all there is to do around here and boy - are we ready to get back on the road!
We actually went to a DAIRY FARM to get some cheese we were so "looking for something to do."

I hid in the corn field on my way home, relied on my GPS to get us back to the RV park and we ended up on a gravel road that was about 5 miles long! HA! See the pics below:

Leaving the Lakes

So, after two weeks here, we are hittin' the road again tomorrow morning. Off to a place in Indiana, Called Caboose Lake. We have a spot on the river, so Steve may just get out that fishin' rod he done bought at the Wal Mart store and ketch us sum dinner!! Or not, maybe he'll go catch a steak at the store. In any case, we've really enjoyed the Lakes Region, but time to move on.

We have to get a part fixed on the RV (and regular maintenance) and there is a place 30 miles from where we are going to stay that we hope to have all done there. I hope it takes two days and that there is a Ritz Carlton in Central Indiana? Whaddya' think my chances are of that??? Slim to none, I bet. I'll settle for a hotel with a jacuzzi tub and room service.

We have been thinking about everyone in the storm's paths. Connie, hope you are ok. Mom and sis and niece, they are good, at least this week. We'll see what Hanna does. Steve's daughter Nicole is in Charleston, but she's not near the water and her mom is there as well.

Just over 88 days until Hurricane Season is over!!! Yeah! We haven't seen rain in over a week. Lake Michigan is really pretty but really cold................

Not sure of any other plans until we get thru the storms. Hope everyone is well and safe.................

Kathy

Flip Flop Dilemma...

If you're RVing I'm sure that one dilemma you face each day ( as do we) is which pair of flip flops is appropriate for the activity you partake in.

When going out to a restaurant or shopping, would it be OK to wear our casual flops - or do we go all out and wear our dress flip flops?

And what about tennis shoes? Yes, it's true we DO have dress tennis shoes, but we find that the only time we wear those is when we know we're going to do a lot of walking!

Just ONE of the many dilemmas we face DAILY as we travel around the country. Sigh...

Lake Michigan and South Haven MI

This is our first post from our two week stay near Lake Michigan. We are 5 miles from the lake, which is beautiful. Great RV park; it's brand new and not crowded at all. That will change this coming week, with Labor Day weekend coming up. Steve had spent hours finding us a place for Labor Day (note to selves for next year, make holiday reservations early!!!). Anyway, he did a great job cause this place is very nice. We have the largest site, right across from a huge meadow. Elvis has his own backyard again!! Well, temporarily anyway.

We are going to explore part of the lake this week, so we'll do lake pics all at the end of the trip. We are going to "Taste of Sagatauk today; it's about 15 miles up the lake. If you did the entire trip around the lake, it's 1100 miles!!! We aren't going that far, obviously.

The slideshow above is from the past week. We stayed in Monroe, MI, where Custer was born. It was a pretty cool little town. Steve found a route called Old Chicago Road, leading from Detroit to Gary, IN. The really cool part about it is that it was a trail that had been traveled over 10,000 years ago (really!) by great mastodons and the indigenous people who hunted them. I don't think it was paved back then.................

We picked it up at Monroe and took it about half way. The best part was that park with all the cement bridges. NO ONE was there, so we had the run of the park (for Elvis again) and we tried to get pics of all 17 bridges. Not sure I found them all. Anyway, pretty interesting stuff you can find on the road; we get ideas from the Motor home magazines. We don't really do lots of research. Too much like a job.

Yesterday on the way home I spotted the small herd of buffalo in a farmer's field. Steve wants to cook some bison burgers, so I may buy some bison meat and try one. Yuck!

OK, I gotta run. Steve is such a task master!!! So, we are going to enjoy Lake Michigan, then head down to Indiana to get something fixed on the RV, then down to Graceland (Yeah!!!!) and hopefully over to Hot Springs, Arkansas for some hot springs therapy, then head home. See you in October!!!!

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

We went into Cleveland, OH on Saturday to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It was cool! Cleveland has a very pretty and clean downtown area.

After our visit in Cleveland, we stayed at a campground in Monroe, MI ( http://www.harbortownrv.com/ ) for 5 days. Did you know that Monroe was General Custers home town? Weeee! Monroe is a little town about 30 miles south of Detroit and I feel kind of sorry for people who live here. It's depressing. Half of the downtown stores are boarded up, and the closer you get to Detroit, the more things to see shut town. I imagine that when the auto manufactures were all here in the "good old days" that this area was a busy place... but not any more. And the wind! the wind blows EVERYDAY off Lake Erie. Makes my golf game hard to play! HA! On the bright side I shot a 88 yesterday, which is one of the best scores I've had in a long time :)

Oh well, we're off to Jones, MI today to spend another 5 days hanging out in MI here: http://www.camelotcampgroundllc.com/ . After Labor Day, we're heading south towards Jacksonville!

Letchworth State park, NY

It's really amazing what you can find in this country. Just 70 miles southeast of Niagara Falls there's a state park called Letchworth. It has been appropriately nicknamed the "Little Grand Canyon" of the northeast.

If you ever have the chance - visit this place. It's beautiful :)
http://www.letchworthpark.com/ 

Rain, rain, rain = Double Rainbow

Boy! Has it been WET!
It rained on us in ME and NH. And it followed us to Herkimer now it's been POURING on us here in Byron, NY. Sigh.

Have you ever seen a DOUBLE rainbow? For the 1st time in our lives, we have! Can you see the 2nd rainbow in the pictures below?

We're ready for our trip to AZ! Not too much rain there I hear :)

We have found a great RV Park to stay in though. Nice open spaces and there's no one next to us. We kinda like that.
There's not much to do in this area, but we will try and take a trip to what's called the "Little Grand Canyon" of the North located in Letchworth Park, NY.

ameriplan

Free Information calls from Google

Very cool:

Gloucester & Salem, MA

Well here we are back in Mass. This time in Salisbury, about a mile from the beach. Really small RV park, and everyone is packed in pretty tight, but we wanted to be within close range of Exeter, Salem and Gloucester. May take a day train to Boston, but mostly just short day trips if we have to leave poor little Elvis in the RV. He's so pitiful. We "doggy-cammed" him with our video recorder a while ago, and as soon as we leave, he gets down on the step and waits for us. Must be uncomfortable for him. He DOES have the option of sleeping on one of two sofas, his bed, or the recliners, but he just waits by the door..................

Oh well, on to our day trip. It was really gloomy so we didn't want to do the beach and we decided to head south to Gloucester. I always thought it was just a sleepy little fishing town, but oh my God, it is absolutely stunning! The homes surrounding the harbor are incredible. Anyway, we drove the entire bay and then hiked up the trail to take the lighthouse pics.

Then, 22 miles further south to Salem. I felt sooooooooo at home there, I just don't know why. LOL! Steve understands why.

It is another great old town. We didn't know the House of the Seven Gables was there, so we took the pics and did a "self guided" walking tour of Salem. In other words, a freebie. These tourist places are really pricey.

So, just a few more days in New England and we are off to Lake Erie, then over to Cleveland to see the RV Hall of Fame (yes, there is one), then the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

We have really really loved the New England country. I keep saying I could really live here, as soon as someone does something about the awful winter weather. I won't hold my breath. But I would live in Gloucester, on the harbor. Just waiting for that Mega Millions ticket to pay off.

Please look at the slideshow below. Think we got some good snaps. We are already beginning to plan our trip back home, in early to mid October. We won't be coming back the coast however, kind of zigzag down from South Dakota. Hope to see Jim's mom in Kentucky. We just want to see some leaves turn and then come back to Jax and take care of a bunch of stuff during the winter there.

Hope everyone is well and you are not too hot in Jax! Yeah, right. My mom and sister says it's been raining almost every day. Good thing we got that townhouse watertight this past winter.

All for now, take care!!!

Kathy, Steve, and Elvis (the King)

Lowell, MA Folk Festival

Today ( 7- 27-08) we took a little road trip to Lowell, MA and spent the day in the downtown area where they were having the Lowell Folk Festival, which is the largest folk festival in the USA.

Lowell has an interesting history as it was founded around 1802 by private investors and was initially designed as an industrial city that was built to spin cotton goods for the north. A planned community in the 1800's. Imagine that! Bet they didn't have HOA fees then though. :)

The streets in the entire downtown area are still paved with the original brick pavers that were installed when the city was built. Kinda cool. The folk festival itself is a world-wide draw for musicians from all over the world and you can see & hear music from every country. Quite an impressive event! Click on the slide show below for larger pictures.



This Friday Kathy and I will be leaving Exeter, NH for a couple of weeks and staying in Salisbury, MA. From there we'll explore Plymouth and the Cape Cod area. We'll return to Exeter for a week or two and then head west towards South Dakota... AFTER bike week cause I ain't got my baby no more. Boo Hoo!

We're just getting anxious to get back on the road! We LOVED staying in a nice apartment in Exeter for a month, but find ourselves missing our RV ( our home!) and also find ourselves wanting to get bck to traveling some more! Yeah, I know - it surprised us too!

Independence Day in Exeter

Last night Exeter had a little town celebration. There was a little fair, reinactments and a fireworks works show at the end of the day to top it off.

Kathy & I went to the RV, fired up the generator, grabbed a couple of toddies and enjoyed the fireworks from the parking lot. We also spent the night in our RV! We're starting to miss our home! HA! Here are some pictures. Just click anywhere ON the small pics to make them bigger :)

The Maine Trip

Well, here's my version. Not so different from Steve's. Anyway, we decided to kennel Elvis (his idea) so we could not be attached by leash to the dog, and it actually went better than I expected. Found a really good kennel, and when we got back, Elvis barely noticed we'd been gone. However, he's not letting us out of his sight at ALL!! Smart doggie.

I didn't delete that horrid picture of me sleeping, cause Steve asked me not to and I figured I could get a LOT of mileage out of that little courtesy I did. I'll be milking that one for weeks! Ha!!!!

View Album

Get your own

I knew I'd never make it up the elevator in the Observation Tower, so I didn't even give it 2 seconds thought. Steve tells people I get a fear of heights when I put on thick socks..............he may be right! I really DID want to go up to the top of Acadia National Park, up to Cadillac Mountain. It just didn't work that way. About 3/4 of the way up, the road was so so steep and the only borders were big rocks. I take my mountain roads wide, with large heavy duty guardrails, if I have to be on them at all.

After Steve got us down off the mountain, he even said that road made him a little nervous. So, yeah, beautful, but I'm gonna leave that to the rock climbers!

So, we are glad to be back in Exeter, and are looking forward to the Independence Day Celebration this Saturday. Will post pics from that.

Again, thanks for following our adventures. Take care everyone!!

DON'T FORGET TO LOOK AT THE PICTURE LINK ON STEVE'S PORTION OF THE BLOG JUST BELOW THIS. THERE ARE SOME GREAT PICTURES OF MAINE!

Sight Seeing In Maine

Just got back from a 3 day sight seeing trip along the coast of NH and Maine. We took our dog, Elvis, to a local kennel for the first time because we needed some time to ourselves so we could go out to dinner, take an excursion, etc. without having to worry about him. Bless her heart - I guess we left too early! HA! More pictures of our trip to Maine here.


Here's how Kathy started out HER sight seeing adventure as I was driving to our ultimate destination, Bar Harbor, ME.

Eventually, she woke up and we stayed at a cute little hotel in Belfast, ME that had single room cottages over looking a bay. Very relaxing to sit on the porch watching the sun set.



One would think that the water would be FREEZING... but it's actually warmer than the Pacific in southern CA. There were quite a few people swimming in the ocean. I was just playing around here :)




While we LOVE the New England area for it's beauty, we're looking forwrd to our trip across the states via I-10 this winter. Getting kind of tired of driving in the mountains!

Now PLEASE don't take this the wrong way, but I've noticed a few things about taking a vacation around here:

• It's not cheap! It's obvious that businesses make 95% of their money in June, July and August from people like us - tourists. The prices that businesses charge reflect that too! A small soft serve ice cream in Bar Harbor costs $3.75, a little hotel room ( NOT a fancy place!) starts around $125 a night, and food is a little jacked up on the prices as well. We wanted to get a hotel in Bar Harbor, but didn't want to pay the $250 a night that most of the hotels seemed to want!
• Toll roads. There are toll roads everywhere and they nickel & dime you to death... uh, I mean they DOLLAR you to death. We finally bought an EZPASS for the RV and the car so we didn't have to dig around for $1.25 here and $14.75 there. Even I-95 is a toll road up here.

OK, I'm done! We still love the area and we're back in Exeter, NH now. We will be leaving for two weeks to stay in Salisbury, MA on July 31st, and then back to Exeter until Oct. or whenever the leaves start to change :)

My Ameriplan business is humming right along now too. I sure am glad I started this thing 5 years ago:)

WTH?? Sunrise at 5am????

Wow! I love NH so far, but being this far north means the suns rises and sets at times that I'm not used to!

Sunrise is 5:05 am - which means that I'm up at 5:15am because I just get up when the sun is streaming through big windows.

Sunset is 10:30PM - which means that because I got UP at freakin 5:15 in the morning I never get to see the sun set because my tired butt in asleep in bed by 10:30pm! HA! My Dad was right... it DOES suck getting old. I can remember not too long ago, my friend and I were just getting ready to hit the bars at 10pm at night! Now, I'm in bed at 10pm. Sigh.

We are in Exeter, NH where we shall remain until fall ( sometime in Oct.) and then we'll head back to Jacksonville, FL for a few months. We're renting a sweet loft style apartment from a friend.

I saw the sign for the local golf course & driving range down the street from where we are, so I get to dust the dust off my golf clubs that are stowed in the RV and maybe do a little golfing!

We also had our 1st "at home" lobster dinner last night and THAT was fun! Kathy went to a local store and picked out a couple of live lobsters, had the store steam them for us and brought them home where we commenced to tear them UP! Only $8.99LB for lobsters, and I predict that we'll be eating them a LOT while we're here :)) We do have a "lobster pot" here in the loft, but we haven't gotten to the point where we can cook our own live lobsters... yet .

So - we will be just hanging out for awhile and probably won't have a lot to post. If we find something neat, we'll let ya know though OK?

Cheers!

Loft in Exeter, NH

Well, we made it to Exeter, NH where we'll be renting a loft apartment until sometime in Oct. thanks to our friend , Catherine. Aside from one 2 week period in August and a couple of other weekends where the place is already committed to other renters, we get to park here and enjot the New england area! Below are some pictures of the loft. Cool huh?

View Album

Get your own

From Mass to New Hampshire/July 4th Week

So,

It's July 3rd; we have finally made it back to New Hampshire (our favorite state so far). Cheap liquor, low taxes (except for property taxes and we ain't buying NO real estate any time soon).

Mass was pretty neat as well. Our campground was TOTALLY family oriented. Not that everyone wasn't especially nice, but there were literally 300 or more kids with 200 or more parents, all in golf carts. To add to the confusion, the spot we had was at an intersection of 4 dirt roads in the campground.... so because our dog is "not kid friendly", it was quite a challenge.

But we did get to meet up with a good friend from Florida and have dinner with her and her sister, and visit their home town. (see pics of Ware and Quabbin Reservoir).

We boogied on back to New Hampshire, to a place called Newfound Lake. It's rumored to be one of the cleanest lakes in the world. It is beautiful! We are right across the street from it, in a campground with NO pool, NO golf carts, and better yet, very few kids. Our campsite backs up to a wonderful babbling brook, which Steve and Elvis have explored, accompanied by a mess of mosquitos. Anyway, it's central to the White Mountains, and we have lots of privacy again, so all is well!

Today we took a trip to find covered bridges. Found three, dating from the late 1870's to one built in 2001. All were awesome, and driveable, except one closed down, so we decided not to be too adventerous. We also found the famous (here in NH) stone mountain carvings; one of the "Old Man of the Mountain" and the other the "Indian Head". So very much like our mountains of Florida (LOL).

Will be here through Monday am, then head back to Exeter, to our "secret location" where we will be for most of the summer. It's an incredible town, and we can't wait to spend some time there. There is an Indepence weekend there mid July, where characters dress like George Washington, and march down the main street citing the Declaration. (of Independence). duh!!!! We will be staying one block off Main Street, so will go get some pics and edumacation then.

Probably won't see any fireworks tomorrow; this town does them next week and we aren't all that into them anyway. Will just make a nice campfire and cook hot dogs. I know, we are way too high tech out here!

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Independence Weekend. Happy Birthday America!!!!!!

Kathy, Steve and Elvis

Funny Signs & strange Places

We have decided that we will create a new online albumn that has funny signs and strange places because it'll be just fun for us... and maybe for the people who read this blog too.

Oh yeah... to help my web site: Ameriplan

Lobstah fun...

Wow. Exeter, NH is a great New England town! We really enjoyed getting "the tour" from our friend Catherine. Last night we drove down to Portsmouth, NH to eat some lobsters (pronounced "lobstah" in this part of the country) which we have been craving for about a month now. We have arrived at our new summer hang out for sure.

Here's some fun pics of us, Catherine and her son, Brandon ( who is a great guy too!)


This is Brandon. He just got his driver's license today so we all had reason to celebrate! Not that we really NEEDED a reason :) He was showing me the proper way to wear a bib to be fully protected from Lobster Juice. HA! Boy, were they good.












To prove we really ARE here. Behind us is the train station where one can catch a 45 minute round trip train ride to Boston for $14, or to a few other destinations for a few bucks. Oh yeah... we WILL be riding that train to Boston one day :)

We fought the Law...

Whew! We arrived in Exeter, NH about 7:30pm last night after deciding to drive about 350 miles from our last spot. Of course it POURED all the way... and I mean literally ALL the way. Traffic was going about 30MPH in some areas because it was raining so hard. Our aux braking system for our toad was acting up, so we stopped about 3 times to try and fix THAT problem, but finally I just disconnected the thing. Sigh.

Our friend told us that we would be able to boondock in an abandoned parking lot across the street where she lives, but when we got there, we couldn't get in the lot because we are too big. Uh oh. Now what do we do?

We disconnected the toad, and I sent Kathy ahead of me with walkie talkie in hand as a scout to be sure we could drive out of the narrow streets we found ourselves in. We finally made it out of the neighborhood and back on the main road where we found and empty lot right next to a Dunkin Doughnut shop! SWEET! Both of us were worn out from the drive, so we parked it in the lot.

About 11PM we have bright lights shining in the window and Exeters finest was walking around the RV trying to figure out what the hell we were doing parked there.

Someone had called us in as a "suspicious vehicle." WHAT? US?? Suspicious?? Get outta here!

Of course Elvis is barking his head off, Kathy is digging for ID's, I'm begging the officer to PLEASE let us stay the rest of the night and we'll find another place first thing in the morning - I promise! Being the staunch enforcement officer that is expected here in Exeter, the officer called his station to ask his sargent for permission to let us stay ( It IS private property after all. Just a 2 acre blank piece of black top with a big freaking "For Sale" sign in front. It WAS the local McDonalds lot until they moved about FIVE YEARS AGO).

No answered the phone ( hmmmm I wonder where they were at 11:15pm on a Monday night?) so he let us stay! YEAH!

Now I have to find another place to park before someone calls in to report us as a "suspicious vehicle" again. HA!

We're off to visit, sight see the area and eat a BIG lobster tonight for dinner :))

The good news - I get to have Dunkin Doughnuts and coffee in the morning (parked about 50 feet from the door)! Oh yeah - our coffee pot broke yesterday after falling to the floor so I NEEDED a good cup of java anyway...

Last Day in the Adirondacks

Well, this is the longest we've stayed in one place so far. Nine nights/10 days. It's been a good experience. We've learned a lots of do's and don'ts.

Do lots of Internet homework first and read the campground reviews! They have been extremely helpful. Take this place, for example. The owners (hosts) have been great............new owners, and really take pride in their camp. We have been very lucky to have such a nice camping spot (about 1/4 acre site, which is rare).

Do stock up on food before you get to campground. We had to go 25 miles to a WalMart, or an IGA Grocery Store, but it's all a pretty ride, so that's no big deal.

Don't expect to not get cabin fever. It has just set in on us yesterday. We've had a string of rainy days, and combine that with only 3 TV channels, well, you get the drift. We have watched every DVD we own, which isn't many.

DON'T camp too far from civilization. At least a town large enough to have a movie theatre, a haircut and nail salon (I mean really, I never knew there was a town without a nail lady!) We miss the simple things.

DO have the most wonderful husband in the world. He doesn't care if I want to read all day, or veg, or whatever. I really hit the jackpot there!

So, in our last night here, we're taking it easy. We've got clean sheets, and a clean dog and are on the road again tomorrow morning!!

Still miss Jax a lot and will see you all in the early fall!!!!

What day Is It?

A funny thing happened on the way to eat Thursday.

We had been told that a local resturant, The Buffalo Head, served a great fish fry diner every Friday so we planned on treating ourselves to a night out on Friday. We try to cook at home as much as possible, so going out to dinner is a little treat for us ;)

Thursday, Kathy asks me what time I wanted to eat at The Buffalo Head resturant and I just said, "Whenever you're ready honey!"

Sweet! We're going out to eat on Thursday AND Friday! I guess Kathy doesn't feel like cooking tonight. So off we go to get our selves something to eat...

On the way to the resturant Kathy asks me, "You are going to get the fish fry special aren't you?" Uh oh. Kathy thinks it's FRIDAY and it's THURSDAY.

"Uh honey... today is Thursday. I thought you were just tired and didn't want to cook diner tonight."

"WHAT?? Today's THURSDAY?? No it's not. It's Friday! It's gotta be Friday! If it's not Friday let's go back to camp and I'll whip us up some diner."

"WHAT?? You want to turn around just because it's Thursday? Oh no. I'm all geared up to eat a nice big juicy burger and besides... I'm all dressed up! I have on NEW socks!"'

"Well, I don't think today is Thursday. Let's just go get something to eat."

"Yes dear."

When we walk into the resturant, I casually ask the waitress, "When do you guys have your big fish fry? Today or tomorrow on Friday?"

"Tomorrow - on Friday's," she replied.

Kathy shakes her head, grinning at me, "I thought for sure today was Friday."

"What month is it honey?"

"It's JUNE!"

Yep. It's June. At least we haven't lost track of the month yet. hehehe

No Fed Exing of Cigarettes Please!

I just read what Steve wrote and I'm hoping NO ONE will take pity on him and send him smokes!!! Kidding, sort of. Anyway, the price was quite a shock. I'm hoping we can both put them down permanently. This could do it.

Anyway, this area of the country is so pretty; it's just incredible. We are going to explore some of the small villages up the road today.

Had our first campfire yesterday; we were in sweats and sweatshirts cause it was about 50 ° here!!! Woke up to the low 50's. It feels great. We sleep with our windows open and it's soooooooo quiet here in the forest. Love it!

Our big excursion was 25 miles to Utica, to go to a Wal Mart............whooppee!!!

We will post new pics of the train ride we are taking this weekend.

Take care, and stay cool; my sister says it's blistering hot in Jax!!

Kathy

$27 Toll & $5.13/gal Diesel & $7 cigs

On our way from Niagara falls to our next stop ( somewhere in NH to meet our friend, Catherine) we took I-90 east across the state as it was the shortest route. Didn't know it was a toll road. We drove about 180 miles on I-90 and it cost us $27 to get off. I also didn't fill my tank up before I got on I-90, so I had to stop at one of the "service centers" to get some go juice. It cost me $5.13 a freaking gallon. Yikes!

And the cost of cigarettes! Yeah, yeah I smoke and I know I should quit. NY apparently passed a new tax law on June 6th 2008 that added a $2.50 TAX on a PACK of smokes. I went to buy a pack and it was $6.88 PLUS sales tax which put it right at $7.00. You have to be kidding me??? I need to get out of this state just becuse of that! Or maybe I should cut down on smoking a little? Naw... I'll have someone Fedex me a carton! That would be cheaper!

The campground where we're staying for a week (just killing time) is http://www.campadirondack.com/ and it's very pretty! Someone had set up camp in our reserved spot, so I found myself backing up into another site which made me a little nervous as I had to "wiggle" my RV into the spot. Thankfully, I had 3 guys helping me back in.

We went to listen to a Blue grass band tonight, cooked steak & chicken on the grill and now it's bed time.

SEE CAMP PICTURES HERE >>

This campground is great. It's 25 miles from a major store and a few miles from any main road, so the only thing I hear in the morning are the chirping of the birds, the hammering of a wood pecker somewhere around here, and the hum of mosquitoes buzzing around my head. We can't get satellite reception here because of the tree cover, but we do get FOX, ABC & NBC through our antenna! I got to watch the US Open ( I was rooting for the other guy, not Tiger because, well... Tiger just didn't NEED to win again. But he did anyway. Sigh.) so I'm good. Reading & fishing are your best bets here.

I've also learned that only the real BIG black flys hurt when they bite you. The little one I just ignore :)

Saturday, we're off to Exeter, NH for 2 days to visit with a friend of ours from Jacksonville. Then we're meeting another friend from Jacksonville in Ware, MA for another 2 days. Small world!

After that, we want to find a place in NH, ME, VT, or MA where we can just park for a month or so and enjoy the cooler summers of the north!

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls was nice to visit :) The FALLS were. The town itself is old and run down. Only takes one day to see it.

Niagara Falls fire ring and wash facilities! HA!

Niagara Falls; Day 1

So, it's 2 am; (ish) and I just find this is the best time to write. Steve is asleep and so is Elvis. I am wide awake. Maybe it's because I went to BED at 9 pm!!! Woke up and it is 68 degrees in the house! That's with the a/c off and just pulling fresh air thru the vents. What a difference from the 97 degrees in Gettysburg.

Left PA yesterday and to conserve $$$$$ (lest someone has to get a job whose name begins with Steve) we are trying to find free places to stay occasionally. So, we stayed at a "Flying J" truck stop last night. It was pretty scary. Big big trucks fly by you every minute or so. But it's safe and free, so I can adapt. We met a couple who travel with, yes, 16 dogs!!! I wonder what their motorhome smells like. So, left there and headed up here to Niagara Falls. I was only good for about an hour, then had to nap in the back. We thought we were out of the mountains, but Steve drove us thru 3 hours in the Allegheny's. He said it was best that I wasn't watching the roads. Pretty hairy turns and the lady (that's being nice) on the GPS keeps trying to take us on little roads that were apparently designed for go-carts. Suffice to say, we made it to Niagara Falls proper.

Found the campground easily; had a lot of trouble getting parked in the spot I wanted. But he did it! We took a short drive to the Falls, with Elvis, so we couldn't get out and take pics. Just wanted to see where we need to be tomorrow. We are doing the "Maid of the Mist" boat tour, and a couple of other touron (that's half tourist/half moron) sites. Leaving on Saturday. Am a little concerned that we are going on Niagara Falls on Friday the 13th. Not over the falls, but under. I am going to attempt the "Hurricane Deck" at the Cave of the Winds................if it's not too high up. It's the spot from the Marilyn Monroe/Joseph Cotten movie, "Niagara" which is my favorite Marilyn movie. Except that she has her husband murdered there. Don't worry Steve, I KNOW nobody in Niagara (kidding hon). We will post pics in a couple of days.

So very great to hear from everyone who reads the blog. We don't "blog" every day, which I know you may be grateful for.

Leaving here early Saturday to go to Kayuta Lake near Utica, NY. Will be there for a week. On a lake, things to do nearby so I am looking forward to that.

Other than that, all is good. I'm off to bed again, as we have a busy day tomorrow.

Miss you all...if anyone wants to send us their snail mail address, we would love to send more postcards!

Take care,

Kathy

New Pics From Gettysburg

Hey all,
Still learning how to use this blog, and now, of course, Steve has a NEW way to download pictures...............so this is my learning curve. If you want to see ANY of our pics, click on the link to your right >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

We've really enjoyed Gettysburg. The town and battlefield are side by side, and it's really easy getting around. The actual town of Gettysburg is kind of like downtown Amelia Island, or St. Augustine, except larger.

So, all the newer pics are going to be found in the link at the top right hand side of the blog. I hope you will take a look!

Miss everyone, but not work!!!!!!

Kathy

Gettysburg, PA

Gettysburg is a cool little town. There's LOT's to see and do here if you are interested in the civil war at all. We took a bus tour of the battle fields today and found it very interesting. This is pic is on top of a hill that once taken by the Union, changed to outcome of the war as it looks over the entire valley where this battle that killed 10,000 soldiers in 3 days took place.



Here's our camping spot for 7 days. It's a nice spot and we have trees all around that provide shade. when we 1st started our trip we almost bought bicycles, but all our camp sites have been gravel so far and who wants to try & ride a bike on gravel? Not us. There's very few places you'd be able to ride a bike, so we'll rent one if we ever want to ride around.

It's supposed to be 92 - 94 degrees here today (6-7-08)and that's HOT! Our AC's will be on full blast that's for sure. Our next stop will be Niagara falls, NY. We figure that we're on a big sight seeing trip right now, and these places are kind of on our way north ( to try and get to cooler temperatures), so we're going to stop and spend a few days at Niagara. Kathy has never been and I went in 1975, so it's been awhile for me too!

We have learned that finding a cheap place to stay ( $15-$20 a night) is difficult even trying to use discount memberships such as Passport America. Gettysburg costs $50 a day and the same with Niagara Falls... but these are tourist stops so you have to pay to play if you want to see them. When we leave here we're going to boon dock for a night in some Walmart or other parking lot. We need to find a place we like, that's fairly close to stores, maybe a movie theater, etc. that we can stay at for a month. Of course that'll be further north to get away fro this 90+ weather!

The hardest thing about RV'ing...

OK, now I know what the hardest thing about RV'ing is (besides taking it like a man when it comes to paying my gas bill!) and that finding a freaking place to stay and go without spending a fortune.

Now the definition of "fortune" means different things to different people. Before we started this, we had a budget (yes - we actually had an estimated budget) of "around $500 - $600" a month for camping. Don't EVEN ask what our budget was for diesel cause THAT's been blown out the window as well.

We're finding that the good RV parks cost $30 a night and up. Oh sure, we can get 50% off with our Pass Port America membership IF we meet the following conditions:

1. Discounts not valid on weekends or holidays. Only Sun. through Thursdays. ( at a lot of parks)


2. Discounts not valid during race events ( like in NASCAR)


3. Cable TV hook up is $2.00 a night extra.
4. Oh want shade? That'll be another $1.00 a day.
5. What? Oh - you want a site with a VIEW?? Oh boy! That's gonna be ANOTHER $3.00 a night!!!! Hey Mister - need electricity? hehehehe

Then, there's the 30 amp service only ( wee need 50 amp) or the fact that I can't get this big ass thing TO the park cause the roads too small!

So... what I find myself doing is planning camp sites about 4 days in advance. We search for bargains! Like we are staying at http://www.campnbr.com/index2.html at our next stop. BUT - if you stay for FOUR days, then the FIFTH day is free! SWEET!

At $41 a day, it's a really nice park, but a little pricey. But if we stay for 5 days, then it's only $32.80 a day!

I can literally spend hours trying to find specials, discounts, coupons, etc. in an attempt to save $$.

And THAT's the hardest thing to do for me so far!

Oh wait! There's the finding "special" places to eat too (that's hard!). Now, from the DESIGN of this place, you'd think that hot dogs would be their forte. But nooooooo - their hot dogs sucked! Come to find out their hamburgers are what they're famous for. Hey Pal's - put a HAMBURGER up there instead of a hot dog! You faked me out!

Where Are we Now?

There's a link to the right titled "Where Are We Now." If you want to know where we are, just click on the link!

Over The Smokies..............and Into Tennessee

Ok, so this is my very first blog; not too sure of what I am doing, so I will wing it. Not that I've ever NOT had anything to say, just don't always put it in print!

Steve is worn down to the bone. He is peacefully "napping" on the couch, and it's well deserved. We left Charleston, SC, at 7:30 am, and he drove RIGHT the hell over those mountains, in the rain, towing a car.................350 miles!!! I sort of just tried to hide behind a quite large Atlas map, so I didn't have to see exactly how high we were (altitude high, that is).

He is a wonderful driver. That's just too bad, cause you know I was going to do LOTS and LOTS of driving on this adventure. Sure, y'all know I hated to drive to Publix, but that's another story altogether. Anyway, I am so very thankful for his expertise (being an engineer means they are experts at everything) and I put my and Elvis' lives in his very capable hands.

So, arrived in Bluff City, TN at 3 pm. Just 10 miles from Justin's house, gee isn't that convenient? Convenient for Justin that is. We are at a fabulous RV park on the Boone Lake/River. They gave us a spot near other campers and RV; but it looked a bit small for us. We've already downsized from 2367 sq. ft. to about 400, so we really wanted the "bigger waterfront lot". And we got it! We are here for a week; our spot is at the mouth of the river/lake with incredible views of the water. Steve will post pics when he surfaces from his nap (could take a couple of days).

I honest to God truthfully told the camp manager that since we are so new at this, we are trying to train Elvis to get used to this, so we need a really private spot. This part is true; he barks whenever we leave him. Elvis, not Steve. All of our ex-neighbors can attest to that! However, I've decided that I will use this ruse over and over even if, and when, Elvis is not with us. I will substitute him for a remote controlled Teddy Ruxpin Bear. Or a Chatty Cathy doll. Whatever it takes.

So much work, setting up camp, getting the grill ready, hooking up the potty drain, the cable tv, and then, it's time to set up the bar!!! We are getting down to a science. You just have to be careful and wear latex gloves for the set up and drain (of the potty, not the bar).

I told Steve today that this was so much more work than when I really did work, at least I could watch movies in the model homes that had a DVD player. Tom, if you are reading this, please ignore, I never really did make it all the way through an entire movie, and Beazer never did install DVD players in all the models. What the hell was up with that? Could be one reason I am retired???? Kidding Tom!!!

Steve bought us walkie-talkies, so when he has to back into a spot, I can guide him without having to shout into his camera/microphone. Haven't hit a tree yet.................oh crap, I hope I didn't just jinx us.

Really, really loving it. I've got a cabinet full of paperbacks, a comfy recliner and a great man to share it all with. We have our windows open, overlooking a beautiful view and there is only one other RV'er on our little gravel road. They are packing up to leave tomorrow. Too bad, so sad. We hope no one else wants to park up this road. I can handle that, I guess. I'll just act like the village idiot...oh wait, that's normal here in Tennessee. (see disclaimer below if you are from Tennessee).

I miss my mom, sister and niece a lot. I love you Mom!! But I'll be back. Already checked out Amtrak rates from up North to Jax. Half the price of an airline ticket, and I could do a stop in NYC at Grand Terminal Station and eat my way thru there.........what a wonderful place to spend a day. Maybe work in a broadway show?

We will probably be here for a week; then mosey on up North. Gonna' brush up on my English............eliminate the aint's and y'alls and other un-postable verbage. We want to go to Gettysburg, PA. Would love to say that we really want to see the place, which we do, but there is an "RV Time Share" rip off company that will put you up for 2 nights/3 days hoping to sell you a campsite. So, going for the history and the freebies. I always was a bargain shopper. From there looking for a place that's cool, and cheap. We want to be in Maine, Vermont, NH, or one of those small little states no one really really knows much about for a couple of months.

To all my dear Yankee friends, you know I am just kidding. I love y'alls way up North; love your lobsters and blue crabs. And your clams. My mouth is watering...............

I guess I gotta run. Need to drag Elvis out for a walk. By the end of the day, he is just plum tuckered out. Guess I gotta lose that saying too? He is a real sport, but as long as he keeps us in sight he's just ok. His vet gave him some happy pills, but we haven't tried him on those yet. Soon, my little friend, soon.

Please, please post comments on this blog. Toni, if they are smart ass, Steve will edit and you will be severly disiplined (sp?) when we come back. But you will like it.

Kellie, please, please teach yo' mama to email me. She's a smart woman; she can do it! And please open these for Grandma and read them to her. It may be worth it to you someday...............don't hold your breath. Fingers crossed for your promotion!

Robin, please send more EA, even the old ones. Ok? Love them a lot.

Carolyn, call me or email me when you are going to Ware?

Catherine, let us know where you are, ok?

Everyone else, we love and miss you all. Take care and God Bless.


Kathy

p.s. I hope this sends out well. It's my first one. Fingers crossed.

Made it to Charleston!

HEEEEYYYYY - we finally got out of Jacksonville :)

We're spending the night at a KOA campground in Charleston to visit my daughter for the evening and then off to TN for a week. My daughter, Nicole :)

Back in Jacksonville...

Our maiden voyage is behind us and we are sitting in the camping area at Rivers RV for another 5 days or so through Memorial weekend. We took my mother-in-law, Pat, on our trip and had a great time except for one little thing :) When we stopped at the grocery store after 100 miles THIS is what my rock guard looked like.

I have no idea HOW this happened, but I had to do a little sewing with speaker wire to attach the rubber flap back onto the frame to get us home ( to the dealer!). No big deal. Tiffin is replacing the flap, but they had to order it and have it shipped to Jacksonville. Since we were supposed to leave for Charleston, SC Sat. morning to see my daughter I asked the dealer, "Why don't you just pull a guard off one on the lot, give THAT one to me, and when the new one comes in, put it back on the one on the lot?"



Nope. Couldn't do that. Hmmm. "OK, then I'll be camping FREE right over there in your area until my rock guard comes in!" That was OK with them, and we get another week of free camping! Wheeeeeee.


Since we're not on any schedule it really doesn't
matter when we get there now does it? I have a new "signature" for us - it's "Never in a hurry."

Hopefully, we'll leave for Charleston Wed. or Thursday :)

Cheers!
Ameriplan

UPDATE ON MUDGUARD: On sat. morning, a tech from the dealer knocked on my door and asked me if I would like for him to take a NEW guard off a RV on the lot and replace my damaged rock guard. Hmmmm... yesterday they told me they couldn't do that, and today it "no problem." makes me wonder if they want to get rid of us! HA! Of course I said yes!

BUT... we had already cancelled our reservations in Charleston for Sat., and because it is memorial weekend, all the campgrounds are full. So we'll stay here until Tuesday morning and begin our slow trip North then. Looks like we're finally getting ready to actually LEAVE Jacksonville! YEAH! And now, I'm off to my in-laws to grill some burgers & dogs.

Happy Memorial Day!
Steve & Kathy

1st Road trip

Well, here we sit at Crystal River RV Resort - our 1st road trip!

Only one thing went wrong... I turned into a Publix parking lot and the driveway must have been a little too steep or something because when I looked at the rear of the MH, the rubber rock guard was melted and half way torn off. Another "ah crap!" moment. I was able to mend the thing back together and maybe the dealer will get me a new one when we take it back for them to finish running the TV coax cable to the bedroom.

Kathy & I are finding that we stay MUCH more active living in this thing compared to living in our old home. We walk the dog, walk to take the trash out, are up and down the entry steps several million times a day AND we even have to walk to the pool & hot tub!

We also eat healthier. Grilled chicken, grilled steak ( well for ME anyway), grilled hamburgers, etc. No fried foods. LOT's of lean meaty sandwiches for lunch.

So far we're having a blast. We went shopping yesterday and Kathy has dropped one size in her slacks... and I hope to follow suit soon:)) At the end of the day everyone is plain exhausted so we all sleep well too.

Today we're off to Homosassa Springs Wildife Park to look at some Manatee's. Only one like it the world.

Day 7

We have been living on our RV for 7 days now :) Yesterday we finally got the Dish TV satellite system installed, but the coax cable that ran from the front TV to the bedroom TV had a short in it (the tech thinks that someone put screw through the cable that caused it to short out - somewhere) so we will have to come back to the dealer next week after our trip to Crystal Springs, FL to get a new cable run. THAT's not going to be an easy job!

The leak in the ceiling has been fixed. before the year is out, we'll make a trip to Tiffin RV plant at Red Bay, AL to have them tear out the panel, remove the gas stove and replace it with cabinets (the DW and I both think that storage is more important that an oven). Besides - we have a convection microwave that we can bake in.

Today we will hook up our toad for the 1st time and tow it to CR-210 in ST. Augustine where we will boondock for two days. We will be meeting some of our friends there so they can see our new home.

Our dog, Elvis, has adapted well to his new home I think. When I ask if he wants to "go outside" he runs to the door, and if we're outside and I ask him if he wants to "go inside" he runs to the door to get in! Cool.

Lessons learned in our first week:

• We need to get North in some cooler temperatures! If it's 90F outside, the RV has a hard time keeping us cool in the main living area. Now I know why RV'ers "chase 70."
• If one buys a new RV, there's going to be some initial problems. Since we were totally stupid about RV's, we didn't know what to look for and that's why we have been here for a week. Besides the leak and shorted TV cable, we found a crushed heater vent ( similar to an exhaust vent in a dryer) in the basement and that was fixed.
• Before you sign a contract to BUY a RV, go through the thing top to bottom to be sure everything works and is in place as it should be! If we get another one, I'll know a little more about these things, so it should be easier to find problems.

My Ameriplan business is still working! I've had about 6 people sign up while we have been parked, so that's another $36 a month! HA!

Well... wish us luck. We are about to pull out for the 2nd time and actually GO somewhere AND we are about to tow our "toad" for the first time. Glad it's Saturday - less traffic!

Cheers!

Steve & Kathy & Elvis.

Day 2

OK, the end of day two has arrived and here's what we have learned:

• Pack 1/2 of what you think you'll need. My DW and myself staged 4-5 pair of sweat pants, sweaters, 10 pair of shorts, lot's of pots & pans, etc. TOO MUCH STUFF! We will be throwing away clothes as they get stained or if we don't wear them for a year.
• When you buy a RV, there's going to be problems. We have water coming from the AC vents in the ceiling in more than one place. Something to be said about what the "experienced" RV'ers say, " Buy used because all the bugs have been taken care of."
• Plan on spending $1000 on "stuff" for our new RV. Vent covers to insulate against the heat, mats for the outside, hoses, etc.
• Look for leaks in the plumbing system! We have ( or had one) under our sink.

Don't pack a RV when it's 92 degrees outside.... it'll flat wear you out. I'm tired as all get out and need to go to bed! Sleep tight!

Ameriplan

Day 1

Boy, are we tired! Closing on our home, running to the RV dealer and closing on the RV, unloading the car, throwing everything into the RV, go back to kathy's Mom's house, load the car with more "stuff," pick up our dog, Elvis ( a Cocker Spaniel), drive another 40 miles back to the RV, unload THAT stuff from the car, start putting stuff away....


Has a few drinks with the DW, high fived each other for pulling this whole thing off in 35 days from start to finish, crawled in bed at 11pm and crashed.

Woke up this morning only to discover I didn't have bottled water to make coffee ( you're not supposed to drink water from the fresh water tank) so off to the gas station I go at 6am to get some coffee and a gallon of drinking water.

All is good! Now, if I could just get my lovely bride out of bed.... (hehehehe)

We did it!

HOLY COW!

We did it :) We closed on our home today and will buy and move into our new RV tomorrow. One chapter closes and another begins....

Cheers!
Steve & Kathy Burnett
Ameriplan

Tis The Day Before...

Well, our house came back appraised at $360K just as we thought, so we of course lowered the sale price another $5,000. Buyers are fine with that! Merry Freakin Christmas Buyers. After our selling expenses and including the $88K in improvements WE put in over the last 2 years - our loss is right at $100,000 on this place. That's about a 25% decrease in value. Just like I was telling people who wanted to sell their home in this market when I was a REALTOR - if you don't HAVE to sell now... then DON'T! We DID and we paid the price, but that was our decision.

The latest: Yesterday the buyers agent told us that our buyer, who is pregnant and due on 5-13, was "dilated" and may be in the hospital on Friday which is the day we were supposed to close. "We may have to move the closing date out another few days." This is their 1st kid and the husband has said that he would NOT leave his wife to go to closing if she were in labor. I guess I can understand that. BUT... if they have any more curtain climbers, I know the guy will be saying, "Just call me when you're done." HA! Freakin kids... they start trouble before they take a breath and 25 years later, they're STILL a PIA. ( Just kidding my darling children! We love you :))) Sigh. Cough.

"Oh hell no, we can't delay our closing!" If anything we move it UP and try to close a day early! Sign that paper work BEFORE that baby drops! I got movers coming today and we're supposed to actually BUY our RV on Friday 5-9. It's all about me, me, me, me, me!

So today (Thursday 5-8) we are waiting to see if the lender can get the HUD docs to the title company before close of business and maybe, just maybe, we'll close today. Movers are coming at 8:30am regardless.

4 More days...

STILL waiting to hear if my home appraised for the purchase price. The waiting is driving us crazy because the buyer could walk away form the deal and there would be nothing we could do. I don't think that will happen, but as a REALTOR, I've seen some strange things happen AT the closing table. If anything is going to happen, it it should happen by close of business today. Pins & needles, pins & needles.

In the meantime, our plans have changed again :) We WERE going to spend a week here in Jax waiting to get our toad ready for towing, but since that's taken care of, we decided to cancel sitting at Flamingo Lake RV Park for a week over Memorial Weekend and hit the road instead.

After all - the purpose of having a RV is to GO right? We will take advantage of the free camping offered by our dealer, Rivers RV, but after a week, we're heading north towards Johnson City, TN. That's where Kathy's son lives, and it'll give us some driving/towing/camping experience without being too far away from anything and without driving over any serious mountain passes with steep grades.

I was sitting at the table last night trying to "plan" our travels ( I have NO idea were to start!) and the DW said, "You're making plans too far ahead of time. Why don't you just relax and let's take this one day at a time?"

Crapola... she's right! We have no schedule. We have no place we HAVE to be. Gotta get used to that idea!

ameriplan

7 More Days...

Things are moving right along now. Just about everything we could pack & carry ourselves is in the storage shed. The movers are coming next Thursday to move the furniture that my wife and I can't (or don't want to) carry.

I sold my 2006 Honda Ridgeline truck to CarMax 2 days ago, so we're down to one car now. If you ever need to sell a car quickly, just take it to a CarMax! I was trying to sell my truck myself for $16,500. On a whim, I stopped by a local CarMax and they offered me $19,000 for my truck. Boy, was I surprised! Can you say, "SOLD!"

The dealer at Rivers RV has been absolutely great in helping me get a tow bar on my motor home... even though I haven't signed any papers yet. We took out our 2006 Hyundai Sonata to a mechanic to get a Remco transmission lube oil pump installed, a Roadmaster Tow Bar and an Even Brake set up. The dealer drove my soon-to-be motor home over to the mechanic's shop so he could wire the car to the coach. What great service! I've been VERY happy with Rivers RV here in Jacksonville so far :)

We're now set up and ready for towing. And it only cost $3,800.51. HA!

We have one final hurdle and that's the appraisal on my home. I called the apppraisor yesterday and while he couldn't tell me exactly what my home appraised for in our declining market, I figured out the we were $5,000 below where we needed to be so it looks like I'll have to lower my selling price about $5,000. Just waiting to hear from the buyers lender.

My wife & I are (were) both real estate agents and this "declining" market caught US with our pants down too. We paid $354K for our home in May 2006. We "invested" $88,000 worth of improvements in the home since we moved in: a $43K patio, granite tops in the kitchen , high dollar wood flooring, master bath remodel, etc. In a normal market, figure a 5% appreciation per year on a home, so we should have seen a worth of about $390K PLUS about 40% return on our "improvements." So add $35K + $390K and it would have been worth around $425K in the least under normal conditions.

But noooooo - it appraised at $360K. We have a contract for $365K and now we will just lower the selling price to $360K. Whatever. It's only freaking money. So the deal is NOT done yet - we still have to face the buyers and they COULD walk from this deal because my home didn't appraise for $365K. Crap.

We should know for sure by 6 May. We're in this too deep to back out, so we will have to do whatever the buyer wants us to do to get our home sold. We'd be totally up the creek without a paddle if the buyer backs out now! Sigh.

Ameriplan

17 More days...

Kathy is in TN helping her son, Justin, move into a place in Johnson City, TN. He's finishing up his college schooling there and wants to be a teacher when he gets done. You can do it Justin!

I've about got the house all packed up except for the heavy furniture that the movers are going to put in our storage unit. The home appraisor is coming this morning, and if my home appraises for what our contract is for, then we have no worries and we'll be in our RV on 9 May, 2008. One last hurdle!

The price of diesel continues to climb. We're really going to have to watch how far we drive I guess. we'll probably stay at different parks a month at a time since the cost is much less for a 30 day stay compared to a one week or a one day stay. We're paying $250 for 7 days at Flamingo park and we could stay there for 30 days for $600!

I just want my home to appraise now....

Looking for a Place To Live...

Well, our home inspection went off without a hitch yesterday. We have met the buyers and they are a great couple! She's pregnant and her due date is May 13th. Our original closing date was scheduled for 16 May, but now they want to move the date UP to May 9th!

Oh yeah, we're cool with that! We can close on May 9th!

Then all of a sudden, it hits me - we won't have a place to live after May 9th! Well, we'll have a RV, but where will I park the thing? Oh crap.

So we drag out the calendar and start trying to figure out what to do and WHERE to do whatever it is that we're going to do. (did that make sense?)

Ok, the dealer said we could park our RV in THEIR lot for a week or two if we needed to. And we do! We need to get our "toad" ready to tow which entails adding a transmission iol pump, and a tow bar assembly to the Sonata. the shop that does that is just about 1/2 miles away, so we will stay at Rivers RV for about 10 days until we get the tow car done, and then... and then... and then...????????

OH! How about staying at the Flamingo RV Park in Jacksonville for a week while I learn to DRIVE this monster thing and we try and figure out how to stock it with what we need?

So, we make reservations at http://flamingolake.com/ from 5-22 through 5-29-08. Cost - $250.00. $250???? For one week? THAT wasn't in our budget! Uh oh.

Come to find out that since it's Memorial weekend, there's no discounts for a week stay. We were told earlier that a 30 day stay was $600 which isn't bad for a park of this type, but I wasn't exception $250 for 7 days!

Lesson #1 - You don't get discounts during "holiday" weekends or "special events."

But wait - there's more! We pick and move into the RV on May 9th. we can stay in the dealers RV "park" for about a week. That takes us to May 16th. What are we going to do between May 16th and May 22nd until we get to Flamingo Lake? Crap. We need another place to go!

I joined www.passportamerica.com & www.campclubusa.com which are "discount" membership RV camping clubs that offer members 1/2 price off regular rates at certain RV Parks. Time to see if we can find a cheap place to stay!

Hmmmm - there's nothing IN Jacksonville that offers any discounts. ( I still wonder why that is.)

There IS a park in Saint George, GA which is fairly close - oops! That park is a "clothing optional resort!" HA! Do NOT want to go there!

There's a RV park in Cedar Ridge, GA that has 50 amp service ( There are 30 amp parks, but I need 50 apm hookups so I can run everything on my RV) that's only 50 miles from jacksonville and it only costs $10 a night (plus tax). Sweet! We'll stay there for a few days in between Rivers RV and Flamingo Lake. This give us some time to do some driving practice and practice setting up camp without being too far away.

It's settled then. We have places to stay the first 3 weeks.

Now all we have to do is figure out where to stay after that! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.