Saturday April 3, 2021

Temperature Low 38 Degrees High 65 Degrees

We Went Dark This Morning – And Not By Choice

Ah, a nice cold, crisp morning is what we awoke to. Yet, we were warm and snug inside Elvira. Tiny Tim was doing his thing. I had a blanket on my lap. Just another normal morning for these two nomads. At first. But that was soon to change.

I was up first and messed about on the computer for a bit. Around 8 am Ms. Barbara got up. She got busy preparing some cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Next, she decided to make a pot of coffee. And that is when things took a turn for the worse. That is when we went dark.

Just as soon as she turned the coffee pot on we lost all electric. Now remember it is 38 degrees outside and with no electric heater things were about to get cold real quick. Of course, I never thought of turning the furnace on. After all we still had 12 volt and a full tank of propane.

But we soon came up with a solution. I turned the inverter on to keep our residential refrigerator on. Then I ran an extension cord from the 110 outlet on the power pedestal in through a window to power up Tiny Tim. OK, we had heat and we were not going to loose any food.

Time to figure out what happened. Also, time to figure out if there was a mobile RV tech available on a Saturday morning. I started checking breakers at the pedestal and at the main break box. All were OK. Ms Barbara made a phone call and got an RV tech on the phone, actually she woke him up! Believe it or not he said he would be over to check things out within an hour. True to his word he arrived within the hour.

He quickly determined that we did indeed have power coming in from the pedestal. He also determined we had power inside at the main breaker box. What in the world? It would stand to reason then that we should have power to everything 110 in the rig. Yet, we didn’t. He was just about out of ideas.

The, all of a sudden everything came back on. What? His brother who was outside had figured out that the breaker on the converter had tripped. He reset it and we were back in business.

The big and yet unanswered question is Why did it trip instead of a breaker inside in the main box? Also, Why is that if the converter is not working there is no power in the coach? Well, no one had an answer to either question. Now, some would say, It works so leave it at that. Not good enough for me. I have to know so come Monday I’m going to make a few phone calls to try and discover that happened and why.

As for the culprit that caused the whole issue, we believe it was the coffee pot. It had been acting weird during the last several days.

So we made decision to deep six the old pot.

We made a quick trip to Walmart.

There we purchased a new coffee pot. Tonight, we filled it with water, crossed our fingers, and turned it on to clean it before actually using it. Thankfully, we didn’t have an issue. Which tells me the outlet is good. It had to be the coffee pot. That, at least, for now is what I’m telling myself.

While at Walmart we also purchased two feet warmers. In the morning our tile floor is really, really cold. You don’t want to put your feet on the floor, oh no, no, no! Slippers help a bit. But more was needed when we were sitting in our chairs and couldn’t put our feet up. Ms Barbara found and purchased two really thick place mats, yes place mats. They work like a charm! Amazing isn’t it, the simplest things often turn out to be the biggest problem solvers.

OK, I was going to finish up Jekyll Island tonight but I’ll save that for a bit later. But before I forget,

I could not leave the Island without a new T-shirt and a new turtle. In fact, there is a turtle sanctuary on the Island and we’ll be going back to visit it hopefully on Monday or Tuesday.

That then was our day on The Road of Retirement. It started with a blackout yet ended with all lights back on. Thankfully. Of course given the strain of the morning, before we went to Walmart there was only one thing to do – take a nap! One more thing, have you ever tried to get an RV tech out on a weekend? You know what I mean. Which leads me to say again we are two of the most blessed and fortunate people in the world.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.  We always appreciate your company, your comments, and your suggestions. Keep safe, keep healthy, live to the fullest the days that God gives you.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and her two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

Friday, April 2, 2021

Temperature 54 Degrees

Back To Doing What We Love To Do

Well, when we woke up this morning we knew for a fact we were no longer in Florida. The first clue was the fact that the temperature was at 41 Degrees. A peek out the window offered further proof when I saw those walking their dogs were wearing winter coats, gloves, and wool hats!

But no matter we were going sightseeing! Neither cold, nor lack of sleep, nor whatever was going to keep us home today. So, a bowl of oatmeal for Ms. Barbara and a bowl of grits for me and we were ready to get on the road.

This was our objective for today. Doing a little research I discovered the following about the island:  Jekyll Island is a Georgia State Park, and maintains a strict conservation clause which limits future development to preserve wildlife and protect the scenic beauty that is home to a variety of animal species and magnificent Southern Oak trees with Spanish moss draping from their branches. Sixty five percent of Jekyll Island will always remain natural and wild, ensuring that this unique getaway will continue for generations to come.

The gateway to the island. A little further down there is a toll booth where you need to pay an entrance fee unless you have an annual pass.

This is what you see on either side of the road as you drive toward the island itself. Marshland as far as the eye can see. It’s said that when the sun hits this just right in the evening it appears as if you are looking at a field of gold.

The actual bridge which once you are over you are actually on the island.

As we so often do when we visit a new area, we first take a tour of the area to see what is there and what we might want to go back and see later. That is what we did today. Now, the tour today was supposed to be in an open air trolley so we came prepared with all the winter clothes we could find. Guess what? They decided because of the weather to use a bus with a heater instead. No complaints from either of us.

One of the first things we learned is that, yes, there are private homes on the island. However, you own your home but not the land that it is on. The homeowner leases the land from the state of Georgia. Remember, this whole island is a state park.

There is also an RV park on the island which I knew of. I passed on coming here both because of the heavy tree cover – meaning no DISH, and no HallMark – and the price of the sites. I believe we are much better off where we are all the way around.

This is Camp Jekyll which is a 4-H Center. It is a huge and sprawling complex that is larger than probably five or six football fields. Each year hundreds of kids from all over come here for summer camp. The camp offers environmental studies at the beach, a wilderness challenge week, and various activities that promote and teach leadership skills.

This section of the island is known as Millionaire’s Village. This 240-acre section of the island contains 33 historic structures, including the Jekyll Island Club Hotel and surrounding cottages that were once home to some of America’s most wealthy and prominent citizens, including the Crane family, the Pulitzers, Morgans, Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and Goodyear clan to name but a few. These privileged few used Jekyll Island as a hunting and golf retreat, spending lazy summers here and building these historic homes that have been lovingly restored to their former glory.  We intend to come back here to tour some of these restored homes.

For avid bike riders there are numerous bike paths that go in all directions all over the island.

OK, that is just a part of what we saw and did today. More to come in future blogs.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement. Despite the cooler temperatures we’re back to doing what we love to do, and why we’re traveling far and wide across this country. It may be a bit chilly right now but we’re not going to let that slow us down. We’ll get the blankets back out and let Tiny Tim do his thing and we’ll be fine. Yes, we’re loving life and enjoying this wonderful world that God created for us. Life is good.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.  We always appreciate your company, your comments, and your suggestions. Keep safe, keep healthy, live to the fullest the days that God gives you.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and her two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

Thursday, April 1, 2021

Temperature 54 Degrees

You Learn Something New Everyday

Travel Day

Our New Neighborhood

Yesterday, when we returned to Paradise Oaks for the night we had a pull through site that was dead level. So I thought to my self, Why dump the air tanks and use the jacks. I’ll just turn Elvira off and see what happens by morning. Well, by morning the air tanks and the air bags were still full and we were still dead level. Good to know for the future.

Ms. Barbara really had no desire to cook this morning so we decided to purchase breakfast from Kelly’s Lunchbox. Why is it that you always discover the best places for food the week before you leave? We both had egg sandwiches and they were absolutely delicious.

It was now time for a new adventure to begin. Slides in, utilities disconnected, car hooked up it was time to roll.

What can I say about today’s trip? It had a little bit of everything. Heavy rain in the beginning. Clear skies later. Heavy traffic from time to time. Construction delays amounting to some 30 minutes. Held up by a funeral. Strong, gusty side winds. And I almost sent an elderly lady to her grave when she pulled out right in front of me – and stopped. How I managed to stop I have to idea. I was up almost against her drivers door and she was oblivious to the fact that I was there. If you ask me, this is one individual that should have her drivers license taken away.

So we’ve said goodbye for now to Florida.

One other new thing I learned today is a way out of Florida without going through Jacksonville and all its traffic. When I got to the intersection of Route 301 and Route 10, I stayed on Route 301, which it turn joined up with Route 200, which then brought us to Route 95. The route is a great one, roads in excellent condition, speed limit in most places is 65 mph.

In due time we said hello to Georgia. Oh yes, we are moving north toward new adventures and also much cooler temperatures then we are used to.

It wasn’t too long before we saw our exit.

A right turn at the end of the exit ramp, two minutes down the road and we spotted the Welcome sign for our new neighborhood. How about those other two signs at the bottom of the welcome sign.

Just like the sign says, give a call and the gate slides open and you’re in!

A nice touch of color on your way in.

Our new home for the next seven days. This is our kind of RV park. It doesn’t pretend to be something it isn’t. It’s not a resort and that’s fine by us. What it is, is a well taken care of private RV park that offers you great value for your dollar. The roads are all paved, OK a bit narrow, but with no pot holes. The sites are not the most spacious but they are clean and level. The utilities are just where you would expect them and everything works without an issue. This is a park that I can and would recommend to anyone traveling along the Route 95 corridor.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement. We started the day with the A/C on, but now we have the heat on! We’re thankful to the good Lord for getting us here safely. Ah yes, the adventure has begun and we’re looking forward to it.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.  We always appreciate your company, your comments, and your suggestions. Keep safe, keep healthy, live to the fullest the days that God gives you.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and her two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Temperature 89 Degrees

Mission Accomplished

We’re Out Of There

We came to Fort Myers for one and only one reason. That being to remove the Diamond Shield from the front of Elvira.

They started Monday evening by tapping lights off and getting tools in place.

Then they returned on Tuesday and went at it full force. It took three of them a good six hours to finish.

Mission accomplished. I have a few minor dings that I have to touch up but I am completely satisfied with the final result.

Come Wednesday morning and we were more than ready to leave UpRiver behind to never return again.

The trip north to Paradise Oaks was a mixed bag. There was more traffic than I’ve driven in for a long time. There were a couple of spots that were really congested and traffic slowed down to a crawl. But then it would open back up and away we would go. All in all the trip took just the better part of three hours.

We’re in a pull through for tonight since we’ll be leaving first thing tomorrow on our northward journey. We know one thing for sure already, it’s going to be winter PJ’s and blankets and Tiny Tim is going to have to come back out of hiding. We’re going up where the temperature at night is supposed to be the 30’s and 40’s. I believe tonight will be the last time we will use the A/C for a good long time to come.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement. We’re really looking forward to the days, weeks, and months to come. So many new places to visit. Lots of new attractions to discover. New people to meet and get to know. The excitement is building.

Yes, we are excited but also somewhat sad. We met and came to know so many absolutely wonderful people during our six months in Paradise Oaks. We spent hours in conversation. We got to know one another and our families. We talked shop. We helped one another whenever a need arose. We will miss them and we have all promised to try and get together sometime next winter here in Florida.

But it’s time to go, so go we shall. Just the two of us, holding hands, traveling along, singing our song. On The Road Again . . .

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog.  We always appreciate your company, your comments, and your suggestions. Keep safe, keep healthy, live to the fullest the days that God gives you.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and her two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!