April 6, 2022

Temperature 75 Degrees, Overcast with Periods of Rain

Let The Adventure Begin

What can I say? Normally the night before we go on the road I toss and turn and don’t get much sleep. But for whatever reason last night I had the best sleep I’ve had in weeks. Go figure.

We set a goal to be on the road no later than 10 am this morning. We began to roll at 9:45 am which I believe for us is pretty darn good. Of course before we actually left we were running around the house grabbing things we thought of at the last minute. There has to be a better way. And for all that we still forgot several items.

We left under overcast skies with the threat of rain, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes in the area to which we were headed. Unfortunately, we didn’t have to wait to get there to find the rain. All along Route 75 we were in and out of rain squalls. Nothing really bad which we were extremely grateful for.

Plus, I now have a secret weapon for dealing with the rain. A long time ago a good friend of mine, Carl, taught me the trick of coating your windshield with Rain-X. Squall after squall I never needed the wipers because the rain just ran off the windshield in sheets. Try it the next time you anticipate driving in the rain. Believe me it really works.

This is the first time I’ve driven Elvira for an extended period of time. No problem, after about thirty minutes it felt just like old times. The traffic was light all the way so I was basically able to set the cruise control and let her do her thing.

About fueling up, it truly feels like a gut punch as you watch the dollars add up. I paid, by my calculations, twice as much as what I did two years ago. Ah well, if you want to play you have to pay. But it hurts, especially when you just know there is no real excuse for the high prices.

Here is our overnight home. We have a pull thru at Tallahassee RV Park. This is a mid point stop on our way to Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, Alabama. This is not a bad RV park by my standards. It’s about a half a mile off of Route 10. The driveway in is sort of weird. It winds around and goes uphill. I’m sure we’ll be dragging the tow bar as we leave. The sites are tight and you have to be careful when pulling in. The actual site we are in has a good base of gravel and is reasonably level. I have plenty of room for Elvira and Little Graybeard. All in all, a pretty decent stop for overnight.

Now about the tornadoes and thunderstorms and rain. Since we’ve been here warnings have been issued several times for tornadoes. Thankfully, they’ve all been north of us. We’ve not had one thunderstorm and just a little bit of rain. So far. Once again the good Lord continues to smile down on us.

So we are finally back on The Road of Retirement. Though it has been only one day it sure feels good. Hope this feeling continues to follow us throughout the trip.

Thanks again for stopping by today  It’s always great to be able to share our story with others. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish each day that God gives you and live it to the fullest.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

April 5, 2022

Temperature 82 Degrees

Houston, We Have A Go

We are ready to go. The refrigerator and freezer are packed to the gills. The cabinets are filled and bursting at the seams. We’ve packed our winter clothes knowing where we are going for the first month. We have rain jackets and it appears we are going to need them the next couple of days. Tools are onboard. The water tank has enough in it so that we don’t have to hook up to water tomorrow night. All the slides are in and locked- wew! The jacks are up and Elvira is aired up and ready to step on out.

The only unknown as we leave tomorrow is the weather. The forecast is not as bad as it was a day ago but it is not pretty. They’re calling for possible heavy rain and severe thunderstorms. Thankfully, there is no mention of hail or even tornadoes at this point in time. As my good friend Isaac always says just take it slow and steady and you’ll be fine.

That’s it for tonight. I have a few more items to pack and then it is off to bed. Oh, I’m so looking forward to this trip. I’m as excited as a kid who just got a new X Box. New adventures await and it is time to embrace them.

I’ll check in again tomorrow and let you know how we made out. Have a great evening and an even better tomorrow.

April 2, 2022

Three Days

Temperature 69 Degrees

Proton, Plastic Blinds, Thunder Storm

This afternoon my son Paul and his wife Brittany took us to Harry’s Seafood Restaurant for an early dinner. What a treat! This restaurant has the absolute best in terms of seafood that we have discovered so far. Thanks so much Paul and Brittany.

Well, that of course meant that Proton would be left home by himself. This is normally not an issue. We have left him home alone numerous times in the past without an issue. However, this time while we were gone a severe thunderstorm rolled through the area. Now, whenever he gets scared his first instinct is to try and find me. Not finding me in the house he next, it appears, tried to find me outside. The problem was the front blinds were down and he could not see out. But that was not going to stop him. The result is what you see above. I can only imagine how scared he must have been. I just didn’t have the heart to scold him. The blinds were due to be replaced soon anyway. They were plastic and had gotten brittle from the sun.

On another note. Just three more days and we’re on the road again! Yes, three days – yippee! For so long it seemed as if this day would never arrive. But we’re knocking on the door and eager to get moving again. Elvira is as ready as I can get her. I’ve checked, and rechecked every system at least twice over. My tools are onboard. And everything else I think I might need while we’re on the road. The provision boxes are packed. We have paper goods aplenty. Tomorrow we’ll organize the kitchen and the bathroom cabinets.

Our route this year will take us through 19 states and we’ll cover approximately 7,000 miles. Yea, ouch, that is going to hurt in terms of the cost of fuel. We’re just going to have to suck it up and make the best of it. Sure, we could sit home and wait for things to get better and the cost per gallon of diesel to go down. But tell me, can anyone give me an idea when and if that will ever happen? I’ve always said it and I’ll say it again Now is the time to make the most of every minute of every day that God gives us.

So we’re ready to roll along again on The Road of Retirement. We’re planning to visit everything from the minor – The Spam Museum – to the major – Mt. Rushmore. We’re also planning to visit some dear friends – Steve and Patti – as we roll through the state of Wisconsin. We met them several years ago and have kept in touch and are eager to see them again. I’m also eagerly looking forward to meeting someone in person who I also consider a really great friend though I’ve never met her in person. That would be Betty who I know through her blog Chambers on the Road. And I’m also as eager to meet her husband Dan. It should be an exciting summer full of all kinds of neat adventures.

Thanks again for stopping by today  It’s always great to be able to share our story with others. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish each day that God gives you and live it to the fullest.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before.

March 31, 2022

6 Days and Counting

Temperature 84 Degrees

That’s A Good Question

Several days ago Betty who I count as a good friend and who is a fellow blogger asked the question: I like too many things. I always have. There’s just too many hobbies I want to pursue. She then went on to list her many hobbies, and there were quite a few.

Her blog and her list of course raised a question in my mind regarding my hobbies. Well, I thought I’d have no problem coming up with a lengthy list like hers. So I thought. So here is mine.

Traveling. First and foremost this makes the top of my list. I’m absolutely thrilled when Barb and I are on the open road going from place to place. There is so much to see in this great country of ours and we hope we can continue to travel for many years to come. But you know what they say, Want to see God laugh, make plans of your own! So, as long as God’s plan is to allow us to roam we will for a fact continue to go.

Reading and writing. I used to read for hours on end. Somehow, though, I’ve let this slip so this trip I’m going to try to get back into the groove. Writing, well, Ms. Barbara tells me I have my own peculiar style. I’m not sure what she means by that but I believe I’ll take it as a compliment.

Dominoes and other Card Games. Mexican Train, Phase Ten, and Uno Flip will ever be a part of our lives. The nice thing about these games is we get to do them together. We’ve spent untold hours together with these games. They’re a great way to pass an afternoon or an evening together.

Napping. OK, maybe strictly speaking this is not a hobby but I do it so well I just had to include it. Honestly, it requires real skill to do this well. The chair has to be at just an optimum angle. The music at just the right volume. Know what I mean?

So that’s my list. For now. Of course I noticed how woefully lacking my list of hobbies was which in turn prompted a discussion with Ms. Barbara about hobbies I might pursue in the future.

I started by suggesting perhaps refurbishing a used tractor. Nothing big but something I could ride around our development. Needless to say that didn’t go over too big.

I mentioned ballroom dancing. Ms. Barbara just looked at me and laughed. I understand, really I do since I have two left feet and can’t keep a beat. Strike down another possibility.

Well, how about a remote controlled plane. Hey, I have a road in front that would make a perfect airstrip. She wanted to know how we were going to pay for damages when I crashed it into someone’s rig. I don’t believe she has much confidence in my flying abilities.

OK, how about assembling model cars from a kit. Her only question was Where are you going to put them when you are through? I believe she’s afraid I’ll have shelves all around the living room to display them on. The thought had crossed my mind.

Grasping at straws I threw out paint by number landscapes. I guess I gave it away as to where I would display them when I again started looking around at our living room walls. Oh no you don’t she sternly said.

OK, for now I’m at a loss as to what I can do to expand my list of hobbies. But know this, I’m going to revisit this subject when we return home in October. You can bet, though, that I’ll not bring it up while we’re on the road. Hey, I too need a place to sleep and a way to get home. I’m not going to push my luck.

Thanks again for stopping by today  It’s always great to be able to share our story with others. Comments? Feel free to share them with me. And always remember, cherish each day that God gives you and live it to the fullest.

Our continuing mission remains the same: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before.