Our First Major Mishap....

We have been at Gunter Hill Corps of Engineer park for five beautiful days. The weather has been very very hot, but not as humid as Florida.  We spent the days researching where to go and getting reservations for future sites, planning for Labor Day weekend, sitting outside and reading. We decided to head into town for a bite to eat. You really have to drive 15 miles one way to get to a ton of places to shop and eat, but we don't mind. It helps break up the day a little bit.

We had a terrific early dinner at Jim 'n Nick's Bar B Q in nearby Prattville, AL. It's a chain, but a VERY good one. They have the most delicious cheddar biscuits that melt in your mouth, and fantastic potato salad as well as decent BBQ.

We came back home to the rig, Eldo went inside, Sparky went for a bike ride. On the way back from her ride, here comes Eldo in the truck, yelling, "STOP! STOP!" By the urgency in his voice, Sparky thought something had happened to one of his kids or Sparky's kids, or somebody died.

It turned out that our awnings had taken a huge hit from a falling pine tree limb next to our site. A 15 foot limb came crashing down and took out both awnings. Eldo was sitting inside and he heard it. Sparky had just left for her bike ride. It was a perfectly calm day...zero wind.  A rotten limb just decided to let go and caught both our awnings. 

 It looks like we will be delayed in leaving now, until we can get the insurance company to let us know what to do. The metal braces are destroyed. We can't zip tie anything. We can barely open the front door. We are so lucky that we weren't sitting outside in our normal spots a little further out from the door. We are so lucky that it's just the awnings. People from several sites immediately came over to see what they could do. A man named Michael Hall came over because he saw the limb fall, and climbed up onto the roof to see if there was any damage. Several others came over and said to please ask for help if we needed help clearing the limbs or taking down the awnings. It's a wonderful community of people in the RVing world. That's one of the things we love about full timing. You think it's just going to be the two you, but pretty soon, you are making friends almost immediately. And everybody pitches in to help in an emergency.

Just yesterday, we dealt with a water leak and had to call a mobile tech guy to come out. We looked and looked for the source of the leak. The water was in puddles in the storage bay, the water lines from the bathrooms and kitchen were dry. It turned out to be a combination of a little too high water pressure at our site, AND a leaky valve in the wet bay. If you are ever at Gunter Hill Campground and need a mobile tech, don't hesitate to call  CT Mobile RV, serving the central Alabama area. Tim Payne was wonderful, and really knew his stuff. He checked both toilets, asked thoughtful questions, and then traced the leak to the wet bay access panel. Thank you, Tim! We're going to call him to see if he can help us get the awning off....stay tuned and we'll let you know  how it turns out.  We are supposed to leave for Tennessee tomorrow, but that's probably not going to happen. We are still waiting to get an insurance adjuster assigned to us--two business days, Progressive said.

Bye for now.....

The Ants Go Marching Two by Two, Three by Three and More...

 We drove to our next destination, Gunter Hill Campground, a Corps of Engineer park in Montgomery, AL, which is part of the Alabama River Lakes area. We were here twice before, when we were full timing in our motorhome over eight years ago. 

It's a beautiful park, full of trees and wide open spaces for lots. Corps of Engineer parks (COE) are almost always near bodies of water or beside a dam. The parks are well thought out. The sites are very very spacious and easy to get in and out of. Every COE park is different of course, as far as amenities, so some have playgrounds and restrooms, full hookups, etc, but that can vary from COE park to park. The best thing about the parks besides their roominess and beauty, is the cost, which is half price with a senior pass. So we are paying 13.00 a night for this.....picnic table, grill provided, and a fire pit on site 49. But it's too hot for our first campfire, says Sparky. (Yet she went around collecting firewood anyway, laughs Eldo.)

Gunter Hill has 142 sites with electric hookups. Sites 1-75 are newly renovated sites with concrete pads and sewer. They have flush toilets, showers, drinking water, a dump station and laundry facilities. The showers and laundry are currently not available due to Covid. The campground is situated on Catoma Creek in a forest of hickory and pine. It's a little out in the boonies, the nearest town with plenty of shopping is about 15 miles. 

Because it's a mild climate here, the campground is open year round. There are no trails to speak of, but you can walk around this beautiful campground or ride a bike and easily get some miles under your belt. There doesn't seem to be a single site that would be difficult to pull in or back in the Catoma Loop of the park. 

But Sparky, what about the ANTS????? Well-l-l-l...what can we say? We are in a wooded campground and when we pulled into our lot and got settled, Sparky noticed a line of ants in front of the front door, and followed the line up the stairs and into the slides, OH, NO! It's an invasion....Tiny little ants, they look like sugar ants, but we're not sure...Off to the store we go for ant traps and spray....sigh....We'll keep you posted on who wins the infestation war....Bye for now! 

Keepin' It Real version2

Wel-l-l-l...we made it to the Panhandle our first trip out. What a day it was! We made some mistakes, nothing major, but boy, do we need practice and adjusted checklists!

Sparky made checklists, but they quickly went out the window for a variety of good reasons...we got hitched up ok, but had trouble getting the water pump to work once we turned off the park electric. It turned out that we had to switch over from city water to rig water by turning a configuration of knobs in the wet bay which are very well labeled inside the wet bay. Problem #1 solved...and we set out. Problem #2...our first diesel fuel stop at a LOVE'S truck stop. We pulled up in trucker lane, which we now need to use because we are so big. The pump had a previous purchase on it which wouldn't clear. Sparky kept going back and forth between the office about three times. They thought we were doing the sequencing of the pump handles wrong. FORTY-FIVE MINUTES later, they determined the pump was faulty.  Around we went to another pump. Success! We got our fuel and DEF fuel, which is a cleaner to clean our exhaust to make it more environmentally friendly. By the way, for any traveling RVers, DEF fluid is very corrosive and comes out FAST from the pump, so a word of caution when you are pumping it. If you spill any, you have to wash it off immediately.

Problem #3--we carefully had planned our route and campground stops along the way. Tonight we were supposed to stay at a park called A Stone's Throw RV park, just off of I-10, in Lamont, FL. We use a travel app called Trip Wizard which is excellent. The reviews did not mention any problems, and the park description said "big rig friendly". HA! It should have said, "smaller big rig friendly"! We weren't going to fit, it was too tight for us to maneuver through the small park, the sites were very uneven gravel sites, so we left. This was at 5:00PM. The great thing about technology is you can find RV parks and call them while driving down the road, that is, if you have a well charged up phone. 

Problem #4--Sparky is used to a motorhome. She forgot that some essentials were needed to be moved from the 5th wheel to the truck, because once you close up all the slides, you can't get back to access parts of the fifth wheel when the slides are all in. Guess what Sparky and Eldo forgot put in the truck? Phone charging cables....Sparky's phone was dying fast, and we had to find another RV park Sparky was starting to panic because Eldo was relying on her to find another place to stay. Eldo was being SUPER patient about it, but Sparky was about ready to cry. (I didn't know that! says Eldo) So he pulls into rest stop, and by the time Sparky got back from the restroom, he had another park lined up and it was a terrific solution! FOUR hundred miles later, much more than we had planned driving, we landed at the Hitching Post, a delightful, charming little park in Cottondale, FL.

We found this park using the RV Life app....it has discounts for all military, first responders, seniors, and summer rates. Free firewood! The owners are wonderful and super friendly. The sites are level gravel, and it's a small park with the old campground feel we knew as kids. There are pull thru sites up to 110 feet long. 24 sites, that's it, but full hookups, 30-50 amps on every site. Some sites have fire rings. The sites are spaced nicely.

There is a little lake with two little paddleboats for use, along with two dog parks with comfortable swings to watch your fur babies play. You can fish in the pond/lake for big mouth bass, catfish, and more, no license needed. They have a horse and donkey as well.....Who like to be fed.

The whole park is very charming...no amenities but Love's Truck Stop and McDonald's is right outside the park, along with highway 231, which will make for a little noise at night, but we didn't hear it with the AC's running.

Prices are very reasonable...Passport America accepted, Escapees, veterans, and RV washing is allowed! (That's a rarity).

We loved this little park, and would definitely stay here again....Today we leave for Alabama, for a Corps of Engineer park....off we go!

Sparky Has Fun at Sun 'n' Fun

We've been laying low at Sun 'n' Fun....trying to clean out the storage shed. We are not getting very far...there's just too much stuff! (You mean, too much crap! explains Eldo.) Well, you can't just empty out an entire 8X10 ft. craft room and manage to get it all into an RV. (Well, I COULD if I just had some more bays. Some really tough decisions have been going on the past couple of days. Give away? Donate? Sell? Trash? We've also been shopping...not the most fun shopping, shopping for things like a 30 amp adaptor for the electric service at RV parks in case you can't get 50 amp service, buying potty deodorizer, etc. 

                                                                                                                                                                      In between sweltering heat and humidity, Sparky has been taking a lit

tle time down at the beautiful pool. There's a waterslide there, so she just HAD to try it! It's been so long she had to ask a little girl there,"What's the best way to go down?" And that little girl just happened to be a former student of Sparky's subbing days! She yells excitedly, "MRS. SPARKS!" and came running to give Sparky a really big hug! 

We had fun going down the slide. Sparky made the mistake of laying down on her back the very first time down. That makes you slide and ricochet like a BULLET and go really really fast, which scared the crap out of Sparky. The rest of the time, she sat up and leaned forward, which was not quite as fast. Whew! Eldo got a few photos. This is probably the best one to the right.

It's our last day here at Sun 'n' Fun. We are trying to get the bicycle hitch secure behind the fifth wheel, (we lost the main bolt in moving), finish up purchasing odds and ends, and getting laundry done, but now it's time to say our goodbyes....Goodbye to Holly's Quarter Cup Cafe, our favorite place to eat breakfast that's VERY reasonable, who the owner tries very very hard to keep her customers safe and healthy while eating there. She has a great personality, good food, and her daughters help out, too...This is her cart she made to serve her customers condiments.

IMPORTANT PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Blogger has changed their program MAJORLY. Sparky is having all kinds of trouble with the new one. So for awhile, please excuse any funkiness with the blog.  It's really being problematic and very difficult to use. Thank you for hanging in there. Not only that, but Sparky's space bar is not working right. It's taking two hits to make a space. Sparky will be prattling along only to realize, the space bar isn't spacing. Phooey! And the Apple stores are closed, many of them.

More goodbyes...to our friends, Larry and Suzette Kurfis, who we met years ago when we were first full timing and who love Sun 'n' Fun so much, they are here pretty much year round. Goodbye to all the wonderful teachers at FRUITVILLE ELEMENTARY, who have sustained me, shown me love and support, and asked for me to sub. Please keep reading and stay in touch, you guys! Love you all! Love to all the wonderful students who gave me so much love and affection the SEVEN years I was there. Wow, what a wonderful school!

Goodbye to the Sage Biscuit Cafe...they finally got their act together and got the mask thing going...we LOVE their breakfasts! It was a Sunday morning regular habit. Sparky loves the egg croissant sandwich with bacon and Swiss cheese, and Eldo loved the sausage biscuits and gravy.

Goodbye to my friend and confidante on Stone River Road, Stephanie Norden. She's great! and her husband, Brian, with his great wit, who keeps everyone on their toes. Stay in touch, friends!

Goodbye to Anna Maria Island...for now....many posts on Facebook with the fantastic view of the Gulf on Sunday mornings. Gulf Gate Cafe, we will miss you, too!

Goodbye to Celery Fields, the heart and soul of many birders. Sparky hiked the Big Hill for three straight months, once school closed. Almost every day, up and down that big hill and round and round. Home to many beautiful bird species and spoonbills, Sparky's favorite Florida bird.

There are so many more goodbyes to places and memories and friends...it makes Sparky a little sad to try and remember them all. So in order to not be sad, we will say, whomever we forgot, we didn't forget you, we won't forget you, and we will be back!

So...the big question..."Where are you headed to next?" We are going to work our way north, towards Tennessee, to see Eldy's daughter and family, then to Indiana, to see Eldy's son and his family, then after that...maybe the Dakotas! Or Michigan! or the Plains states which we have not visited yet. We shall see!  Bye for now.....

Sun 'n' Fun, One of Our Favorite Places!

It is so great to be back at Sun 'n' Fun! We stayed 8 months last time, until we were ready to buy a house in Sarasota. We loved it so much. It's a first class resort with tons of amenities. Beautiful humongous pool, first class workout facilities, all kinds of classes in the winter months, weekly live music, bar and restaurant poolside, etc., etc. It's a little heavy on the park models, and we keep saying, eventually, it will be mostly park models, we think.

We have a pull thru site...gravel parking lot, narrow paved curving road leading to our site, but we got in just fine in our big rig and truck. Sites are VERY close to each other. Passport America current rate is 43.00 a night...that changes according to the time of year, of course.We are in the middle of summer, almost August, and it's HOT. 90's every day...sigh...but--there's this....That structure in the upper left corner is a climbing wall. Sparky wants to climb it. Eldo says she's too old. Sounds like a challenge!

And here's a poolside bar.....(there's a restaurant on the same side and a walk up window where you can order food.) Social distancing says you can't sit at the bar, but you can carry your drink to one of the spaced out sets of tables and chairs.

There's a water slide...Sparky might do that....(Hmmmmm...says Eldo, maybe that one's ok....)

The park is for families, of course, and Sparky is so happy to see young children riding their bikes around, and squealing with laughter and having a great time with their families. She's missed that environment. 

Eldo keeps reminding her that we are here to clear out the storage shed, but we've already extended our stay, because 1.) it's too hot to rush moving boxes and unpacking, 2.) we have to take things a little more easy with our age . So....here we go....Time to relax in the evening! The pool is heavily chlorinated. (Gee, I wonder why?)  Bring your goggles! Sparky has to find hers!

This really is a jewel of an RV park and

a wonderful place to start our travels...We are going to the Dodge dealer this week to find out more information about our truck, and every day will be sorting, unpacking and moving....sigh.....good exercise! Keep your chin up, Sparky! You can do it! Minimalism is good! 

Bye for now....this is the life.....This is what we were hoping to be able to do once again, and here we are, "on the road again..."

Keepin' It Real

We left Lazy Days after taking possession of our Dodge Ram truck and Pinnacle fifth wheel, on Thursday. Our first camping spot was going to be at Sun 'n' Fun in Sarasota. Sun 'n' Fun is a Passport America park, so we have a good daily rate for the moment. We stayed for several months over the winter 8 years ago, and we absolutely loved it. After getting some advice and how to's from a Lazy Days service team member (who had such a heavy Spanish accent, we had a hard time understanding him), we were on our way. Eldo and Sparky are newbies at fifth wheeling, real green horns! We were both nervous, as we got our instructions in the rain. Sparky tried writing things down, that didn't work, and it was too hard to get photos on the phone. We were both trying to decipher what he was saying! But we thought we had enough knowledge to get rolling, so off we drove, and promptly drove over a curb on the way out of Lazy Days. 

It rained all the way from Seffner to Sarasota, and when we pulled into our pull through site, (it's gonna be pull throughs for awhile till we get some practice backing in, says Eldo) it started raining harder. Great! We got 3/4 unhitched, and then we got stuck. Both of us were trying to say that the other person was supposed to have been listening! You know, like, "I thought you were watching what he did." "You were the one watching him, I was busy...." blah, blah, blah. We couldn't get the hitch bar (whatever you call the thingamagingy) pulled all the way out. Sparky, being the more agile one, climbed up on the tire, trying to reach inside to pull it out the rest of the way, but just didn't have enough strength. Of course we didn't have our rain gear, it's packed in a box somewhere! What box, we don't know. We eventually had to call maintenance from the park. A young man came out and with one strong pull, he got it to release! Whew! Soaking wet, we hooked up everything else and got dried off....stay tuned for photos from Sun 'n' Fun! We have a long hard week ahead, trying to find places for things in the fifth wheel, and trying to give away or pitch things that we really don't need. (like Sparky's craft supplies that took up an entire room at our old house, explains Eldo)....haha, very funny! But hey, Sparky will change what crafts she does on the road, and it's a good thing to become a minimalist, right, Sparky? Right? (sniff, sniff)

Bye for now......

On the Road Again!!!!!

Wha-a-a-a-a-t??? Sparky and Eldo are going back out on the road again???  In WHAT? :-).  Well it's a long story, but here it is...We've been dying in the Florida summer heat for the past few years now. Just like everywhere else, it's getting hotter and hotter. The almost daily afternoon rain/cooling off pattern has not been happening. So, we decided if we could do it and could sell our house, we would get back out on the road.

The process was a long one. We put our house on the market last January, and had our first offer come in shortly thereafter. It fell through. We cleaned and cleaned and waited for more buyers. They came--all the way through the pandemic. Another offer came in, right as the pandemic was getting started. The deal fell through with a buyer from New York whose business was now in jeopardy from the pandemic. He balked and walked  Interest was still very high, and all during that time, we were looking for the right RV. We started with fifth wheels and moved over to motorhomes, then back to fifth wheels. We decided that a fifth wheel, although more difficult to park and unhook, was the right way to go as the main part of the whole trailer component-the truck- was easier to take to a dealership for problems than having to sit in a motorhome in a repair place for days at a time and maybe having to sit in a hotel which would be worse.

June 25th...the house sells! That was an interesting story in itself. Buyers were checking out our backyard and lanai while we were home. They thought we were gone. Sparky went out and said, "May I help you? Did you lose a golf ball?" and we started talking. It turns out they had made an offer and were waiting to hear back from us! Sparky added, while talking, "Hey, we even threw in the furniture!" Well that sealed the deal!  They accepted!

It's crunch time and time to make a decision. After many trips back and forth to different dealers, we fell in love with a packaged deal of a fifth wheel AND the truck, all together. And here it is! A 2019 Pinnacle 36 foot FTBS...about 40 feet, and a Dodge Ram Longhorn Laramie dually. It will tow ANYTHING! They are even color coordinated with each other!

The inside is quite dark but Sparky plans on adding some lively pillows and throws to brighten things up a bit. It has a "fireplace" /space heater that looks very realistic! There is even a large, walk in cedar lined closet!

Where are we going first, you ask? We don't know yet! We still have a storage shed unit in Bradenton that we have to get rid of, and Sparky is a little worried that more crafts are going to have to be donated to Goodwill... But we  WILL be headed north for sure. There is a tropical storm developing and it's that "H" season, ya know, so north is good. We'll keep you posted! Stay tuned for a thorough review of the Pinnacle as we get living in it full time. Sparky says, the storage is very funky in it! (Geesh! we just got it and already she's complaining, says Eldo.)

It's good to be back on the road again......bye for now.....