Monday, December 06, 2004
Saturday, November 27, 2004
Thanksgiving
Sometimes it’s hard to be thankful for your circumstances. The week before Thanksgiving we had the RV and the Honda in different shops simultaneously. I was also experiencing the strongest fibro flare-up since Florida. But, the breakdowns led us here and forced us to stop long enough to have a wonderful Thanksgiving pot-luck dinner with a very nice bunch of folks at RV Docs in Las Cruces, New Mexico. A nice, outgoing lady named Eileen brought us all together. It was a very enjoyable way to spend Thanksgiving since we couldn’t be back east with our families. Ed even got to meet and play with another home-schooled boy who’s traveling full-time with his family. So, I’m thankful for the hassles and headaches we faced earlier because we had some great experiences and seem to have finally worked out the latest bugs in the two vehicles.
Spending a week in Las Cruces, I got to know the area well enough to do my annual Black Friday shopping run here. You have to know the locations of the stores or it throws your timing off. Fortunately, the crowds were nothing like back in Florida and so far removed from what we used to face in the Delaware Valley that it’s hard to believe what we used to endure. There were no shoving/yelling matches, line jumpers or injuries – a pleasant change of pace! I stayed up through the night plotting my mission. I got a relatively late start though (didn’t leave until 5:30 am) because I was attempting to avoid the stores by shopping online. The only store that had what I wanted online was Staples but their site slowed to a crawl as soon as 6 am Eastern arrived. I finally gave up and headed for Target. Even though I only arrived 15 minutes prior to their opening at 6 am, I got in and out of the store with everything on my list by 6:14! Then I hit Staples and managed to snag the two most important items I had intended to order from their website. The plus to shopping in-store was an additional $20 off coupon the website wouldn’t accept (assuming it ever got around to actually taking the order). I had a very successful run that culminated in a trip to Pep Boys, snagging a really sweet electric scooter for Ed. Normally, I wouldn’t be putting that up on the blog but we faced two problems with this gift – 1) it’s far too big and heavy to ship to Philly and back for Christmas, 2) there’s no place to hide it on the RV. So, we gave it to Ed as an early present. His old scooter broke back in Mississippi so he was really happy with the upgrade! I was really happy with the Black Friday price. The electric scooter actually cost less than what his manual scooter cost a few years ago! I was back at the RV by 10:30 am with everything except a couple items KB Toys ran out of before I could get there. I took a four hour nap in the afternoon then we got some dinner and went back to the mall. I read EB Games was clearing out used PC games for 75% off this weekend and we got three decent older games for about seven bucks. We stopped back into KB Toys to see if I had missed anything in the early rush. Amazingly, they had restocked the shelves with a key sale item for one of the cousins and there were two left at 5 minutes until closing. We quickly checked the ad and it didn’t say the sale ended at 11 am or Noon (like most). So, we ended up buying our last Black Friday doorbuster item right at 9 pm. Definitely a first!
Tomorrow we’re off to Tucson for a couple days before we work our way up to Las Vegas. There’s only a little more than two weeks left before we see everyone back east and we’re very excited about that!
Spending a week in Las Cruces, I got to know the area well enough to do my annual Black Friday shopping run here. You have to know the locations of the stores or it throws your timing off. Fortunately, the crowds were nothing like back in Florida and so far removed from what we used to face in the Delaware Valley that it’s hard to believe what we used to endure. There were no shoving/yelling matches, line jumpers or injuries – a pleasant change of pace! I stayed up through the night plotting my mission. I got a relatively late start though (didn’t leave until 5:30 am) because I was attempting to avoid the stores by shopping online. The only store that had what I wanted online was Staples but their site slowed to a crawl as soon as 6 am Eastern arrived. I finally gave up and headed for Target. Even though I only arrived 15 minutes prior to their opening at 6 am, I got in and out of the store with everything on my list by 6:14! Then I hit Staples and managed to snag the two most important items I had intended to order from their website. The plus to shopping in-store was an additional $20 off coupon the website wouldn’t accept (assuming it ever got around to actually taking the order). I had a very successful run that culminated in a trip to Pep Boys, snagging a really sweet electric scooter for Ed. Normally, I wouldn’t be putting that up on the blog but we faced two problems with this gift – 1) it’s far too big and heavy to ship to Philly and back for Christmas, 2) there’s no place to hide it on the RV. So, we gave it to Ed as an early present. His old scooter broke back in Mississippi so he was really happy with the upgrade! I was really happy with the Black Friday price. The electric scooter actually cost less than what his manual scooter cost a few years ago! I was back at the RV by 10:30 am with everything except a couple items KB Toys ran out of before I could get there. I took a four hour nap in the afternoon then we got some dinner and went back to the mall. I read EB Games was clearing out used PC games for 75% off this weekend and we got three decent older games for about seven bucks. We stopped back into KB Toys to see if I had missed anything in the early rush. Amazingly, they had restocked the shelves with a key sale item for one of the cousins and there were two left at 5 minutes until closing. We quickly checked the ad and it didn’t say the sale ended at 11 am or Noon (like most). So, we ended up buying our last Black Friday doorbuster item right at 9 pm. Definitely a first!
Tomorrow we’re off to Tucson for a couple days before we work our way up to Las Vegas. There’s only a little more than two weeks left before we see everyone back east and we’re very excited about that!
Monday, November 15, 2004
Rain in my Petri dish
So much for the dry desert southwest! It’s raining here in Carlsbad, New Mexico and has been since Saturday. In a town designed for dry conditions, we ran through several deep puddles in the Honda Saturday night and soaked the electricals causing us to breakdown about 5 miles from the RV park. Good Sam sent a flatbed and the three of us crammed into its cab with the driver for a ride back to our RV. There’s no Honda dealership in Carlsbad so the car was taken to Hobbs about 75 miles away. Fortunately, their repair shop seems to have fair pricing, so we’re having several minor issues fixed while it’s there. Since it was Gera’s idea to visit the caverns here, I “let” her unhook the RV connections yesterday and we drove it up the mountain for the tour. We took the elevator down 750 feet from the surface and walked the 2.6 mile loop. Pictures don’t do justice to the amazing natural formations in there.
All the rain is making it very difficult for me to know if the way I feel is a result of environment, weather or something else. Humidity plays some factor in my fatigue flare-ups. It’s why I left Florida for the “dry” West in the first place. But, it’s actually colder here today than it is in Fargo, North Dakota and snow is falling in the higher elevations just north of here. I guess El Nino has returned.
All the rain is making it very difficult for me to know if the way I feel is a result of environment, weather or something else. Humidity plays some factor in my fatigue flare-ups. It’s why I left Florida for the “dry” West in the first place. But, it’s actually colder here today than it is in Fargo, North Dakota and snow is falling in the higher elevations just north of here. I guess El Nino has returned.
Friday, November 12, 2004
You know you’ve been in Roswell too long when…
Yesterday, I woke up at 4 am and saw an alien standing in the front of the RV. It didn’t frighten me though because it looked like one of those plastic inflatable models they sell at the tourist shops here. The weird thing is we didn’t buy one of those. After using the bathroom, I saw the reflection of an alien head in the closet mirror. Again, it looked like a blow-up type. I went back to bed, pulled the covers up high and figured I have aliens on the brain from our week in Roswell.
Our time here has been fun and relaxing. The UFO Museum and Research Center is a fascinating place. The displays are interesting but the library is the most amazing part. They have walls of books, videos, magazines and newspaper clippings that cover nothing but the unusual. In the research room, I got to meet a nice gentleman from Norway named Hawkin (I hope I spelled that right; he might read the blog – just comment if I got it wrong Hawkin). He’s traveling the country building a photographic portfolio and took a picture of Eddy and me.
We cleaned out the basement storage areas on the RV. It’s hard to believe we can drive a 30 foot home down the road for 2 months and still find stuff aboard we didn’t know was there, but it’s true. I cleaned out some old wood levelers the previous owner had and found a 6 ton jack. The thing is smaller than my shoe but could lift “The Road Hog” if needed. What a site that would be though! Hopefully, with Good Sam’s Emergency Roadside Assistance, I’ll never have to see it first hand.
I tossed those wood levelers because they were heavy and in bad shape. I couldn’t reach them all thanks to a deep and narrow storage section that doesn’t open to the other side. My big gut stopped me from getting very far into the area, so Gera – the trooper – climbed back in there to reach the farthest pieces. She could only get in as far as her butt would allow. While she was in there, I had her rolling by saying I’d take pictures for the blog. Even though she thought it would be really funny to have video, I was kind and left the camera in the car. Just picture Winnie The Pooh in Rabbit’s doorway and you get the idea.
Gera’s parents are flying us back to Philly for Christmas and my parents offered to help out with the rental car, so we’re going to have a nice 3-week visit with everyone over the holidays! My only regret regarding the time of year we chose for our journey was losing the holidays with the families. Thanks to them though, we get to have it all! What a great Christmas present for the three of us; thanks moms and dads!
Since we’re flying out of Las Vegas on December 14th, we’ll be making our way there. We leave Roswell today for Carlsbad – about 78 miles south of here. We’re going to spend a few days underground in the caves. After that, we’ll probably visit El Paso, Texas for a day then head to Tucson for a few nights. We’re shooting for Thanksgiving in Phoenix so I can do my annual Black Friday Christmas shopping someplace that has all the best retail stores. After that, we’ll head for the Grand Canyon then on into Vegas where we’ll put the RV in storage for our trip back East. This is the most planning I’ve done for the entire journey! Of course, everything is subject to change.
Our time here has been fun and relaxing. The UFO Museum and Research Center is a fascinating place. The displays are interesting but the library is the most amazing part. They have walls of books, videos, magazines and newspaper clippings that cover nothing but the unusual. In the research room, I got to meet a nice gentleman from Norway named Hawkin (I hope I spelled that right; he might read the blog – just comment if I got it wrong Hawkin). He’s traveling the country building a photographic portfolio and took a picture of Eddy and me.
We cleaned out the basement storage areas on the RV. It’s hard to believe we can drive a 30 foot home down the road for 2 months and still find stuff aboard we didn’t know was there, but it’s true. I cleaned out some old wood levelers the previous owner had and found a 6 ton jack. The thing is smaller than my shoe but could lift “The Road Hog” if needed. What a site that would be though! Hopefully, with Good Sam’s Emergency Roadside Assistance, I’ll never have to see it first hand.
I tossed those wood levelers because they were heavy and in bad shape. I couldn’t reach them all thanks to a deep and narrow storage section that doesn’t open to the other side. My big gut stopped me from getting very far into the area, so Gera – the trooper – climbed back in there to reach the farthest pieces. She could only get in as far as her butt would allow. While she was in there, I had her rolling by saying I’d take pictures for the blog. Even though she thought it would be really funny to have video, I was kind and left the camera in the car. Just picture Winnie The Pooh in Rabbit’s doorway and you get the idea.
Gera’s parents are flying us back to Philly for Christmas and my parents offered to help out with the rental car, so we’re going to have a nice 3-week visit with everyone over the holidays! My only regret regarding the time of year we chose for our journey was losing the holidays with the families. Thanks to them though, we get to have it all! What a great Christmas present for the three of us; thanks moms and dads!
Since we’re flying out of Las Vegas on December 14th, we’ll be making our way there. We leave Roswell today for Carlsbad – about 78 miles south of here. We’re going to spend a few days underground in the caves. After that, we’ll probably visit El Paso, Texas for a day then head to Tucson for a few nights. We’re shooting for Thanksgiving in Phoenix so I can do my annual Black Friday Christmas shopping someplace that has all the best retail stores. After that, we’ll head for the Grand Canyon then on into Vegas where we’ll put the RV in storage for our trip back East. This is the most planning I’ve done for the entire journey! Of course, everything is subject to change.
Monday, November 08, 2004
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
We’re on the road again, about 200 miles from Denton at a Flying J (we have WiFi here; the cell phone internet connection still isn’t working). The regulator repair stopped the gas leak but now we’re getting some sputtering again going uphill and last night when I restarted the engine we got a really loud bang up front that I can only assume was a manifold backfire. Needless to say, I shut the engine right off. Today it’s running fine though. Perhaps the regulator needs some minor adjustment. It’ll take us a couple days to get to Roswell, New Mexico and the nights are cold! Fortunately, it’s warm during the day. We may have to stick with audio blog messages after this unless we find an alternate method of connecting to the internet (or Sprint gets its act together).
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Cell phone blues
Our usually reliable Sprint cell phone is not letting us connect to the internet. So, I'm at a library in Denton, TX posting. We're waiting for repair to the RV by Danny's RV Service. We smelled gas on the walk-around yesterday after overnighting at Camping World. The fuel regulator back by the gas tank is leaking. The part has been difficult for Danny's to locate, but we're hoping it'll be fixed today.
Seeing that John Kerry has conceeded the election, I wish President Bush luck over the next four years. He's going to need it.
Seeing that John Kerry has conceeded the election, I wish President Bush luck over the next four years. He's going to need it.
Monday, November 01, 2004
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Halloween in Texas
We’ve been in Terrell, Texas for a week and a half – enjoying the free WiFi connection Bluebonnet Ridge RV Park offers their guests. Although, I’ve mainly used it to download updates for Windows and other programs. The laptop drive went bad so I replaced it and started from scratch. Dallas has Fry’s and Microcenter stores in addition to CompUSA and all the other geek shops I frequent. We definitely have to settle somewhere near those stores. We won’t be settling in Texas though. It just doesn’t appeal to me for many reasons but I don’t want to upset any Texans, so I’ll leave it at that. It has been interesting to experience Texas though, just like all the places we’ve been.
On Friday we went to Screams, an incredible Halloween theme park. It was really fun. The best part was watching Gera scream and jump out of her skin every time one of the actors turned from a statue to a gruesome moving figure! She laughed after each fright but her heart was racing. Ed did well. A couple actors had loud chainsaws (with no chains of course) and they freaked Ed out a bit but he had a blast. The place was packed with people and it was a real mass-party atmosphere.
Today is Halloween and we have a couple things lined up for Ed, then Monday we’ll be on the road again, heading toward New Mexico.
On Friday we went to Screams, an incredible Halloween theme park. It was really fun. The best part was watching Gera scream and jump out of her skin every time one of the actors turned from a statue to a gruesome moving figure! She laughed after each fright but her heart was racing. Ed did well. A couple actors had loud chainsaws (with no chains of course) and they freaked Ed out a bit but he had a blast. The place was packed with people and it was a real mass-party atmosphere.
Today is Halloween and we have a couple things lined up for Ed, then Monday we’ll be on the road again, heading toward New Mexico.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
I saw Britney Spears
We spent the day in Hot Springs, Arkansas yesterday. After winding up the mountain roads the night before and boondocking at the Walmart, we toured the town. We walked a long distance to a place called, "Tiny Town" - which was a neat display of creative ingenuity. On the way there, I made eye contact with a very familiar looking petite blonde who was walking the other way with a tall, thin guy. Her sunglasses prevented me from being sure it was her, so I watched her walk away and immediately recognized a much photographed, unique rear end. It was Britney Spears! My mind didn't wrap around all this soon enough to say anything to her but I asked Gera where Britney was from. She knew it was Louisiana, so we were in a resort town practically in her back yard. Gera doubted she would just be strolling down the road in the middle of the day. However, I found a report that Britney announced this week she would be taking time off to relax. I also saw a news story about her flying to Fiji for a honeymoon but I’m convinced this was a press ploy to keep them off her back. You heard it here first!
Monday, October 18, 2004
Incoming!
We awoke this morning to the sound of air raid sirens! A tornado had touched down in a nearby town and was headed our way. We quickly moved inside the Walmart here in Little Rock and were herded by the staff into the center of the building, away from all glass. We got the “all clear” less than 45 minutes later and left Walmart with some groceries awhile after that only to see bright clear blue sky. Running from deadly weather seems to be the theme of this journey!
A couple days ago, we toured Graceland in Memphis. It was a very interesting experience. Hard to believe Elvis accomplished all he did in 42 years. The number of gold and platinum records on the walls was staggering. We’re off to Hot Springs next.
A couple days ago, we toured Graceland in Memphis. It was a very interesting experience. Hard to believe Elvis accomplished all he did in 42 years. The number of gold and platinum records on the walls was staggering. We’re off to Hot Springs next.
Saturday, October 16, 2004
Doing better
Things are better now that the rain has let up some. We had a good night. Ed got to spend a few hours at a place called Kid’s Quest near the Grande Casino while Gera and I gambled. He had a great time and enjoyed freedom from us for awhile. We dumped about $80 into the Grand’s coffers but had a few hours of fun. Gera particularly liked the video poker. I just kept trying to rack up bonus points on the comp card. Not sure what they are good for but, since the Grande is a Bally’s property, we’ll be able to use them in other parts of the country. It looks like rain is coming back this way, so I’m glad we’re heading out on Sunday. We’ll see what else we can squeeze in before then though.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Don’t go near the water.
We’re right next to the Mississippi river and I feel terrible. I’ve had the same FM and CF symptoms I experienced back in Florida. So, living near the water is not an option for me. It’s looking more and more like the high desert is the place to be.
We’ve been at the casino campground three days and the only gambling we’ve done is on a lottery ticket. I won $5 on a $1 ticket though, so at least I’m ahead. We’re hoping to squeeze in some slots or something today but we want Ed to have fun too. Yesterday we ran errands in Memphis since there is nothing but cotton fields for miles once you leave the casinos. I bought some parts for the generator, at a wholesaler no less – woohoo! It’s very hard to be my normal deal hunting self. Ordering things from the Internet is iffy while we’re on the move and buying bulk of anything is not an option. We did get mail forwarding set up with American Homebase this week. I’m looking forward to receiving mail again soon.
I guess the excitement and novelty of RVing is wearing off. Either that or the way I feel is just getting to me. I’m having trouble seeing beyond the headaches to the fun. We had heavy rain this week and the roof leaked in the bathroom. I bought some silicone sealant but don’t look forward to crawling around on the roof trying to find the cracks. Also, the ants are unstoppable! We’ve sprayed enough ant chemical to put us into a coma and still they keep coming. We picked up groceries last night and double bagged everything that isn’t frozen in ziplock storage bags. Hopefully, the weather will be better the rest of this week so we don’t have to spend as much time inside the RV fraying each others nerves. With my adrenal glands shot, I have no patience and Ed loves to push my buttons when he’s unhappy. I know I’ve been a bear to live with since getting sick. Unfortunately, it’s only harder to live with me in confined quarters. I just thank God we didn’t buy one of those really tiny Class C RVs we thought about!
We’ve been at the casino campground three days and the only gambling we’ve done is on a lottery ticket. I won $5 on a $1 ticket though, so at least I’m ahead. We’re hoping to squeeze in some slots or something today but we want Ed to have fun too. Yesterday we ran errands in Memphis since there is nothing but cotton fields for miles once you leave the casinos. I bought some parts for the generator, at a wholesaler no less – woohoo! It’s very hard to be my normal deal hunting self. Ordering things from the Internet is iffy while we’re on the move and buying bulk of anything is not an option. We did get mail forwarding set up with American Homebase this week. I’m looking forward to receiving mail again soon.
I guess the excitement and novelty of RVing is wearing off. Either that or the way I feel is just getting to me. I’m having trouble seeing beyond the headaches to the fun. We had heavy rain this week and the roof leaked in the bathroom. I bought some silicone sealant but don’t look forward to crawling around on the roof trying to find the cracks. Also, the ants are unstoppable! We’ve sprayed enough ant chemical to put us into a coma and still they keep coming. We picked up groceries last night and double bagged everything that isn’t frozen in ziplock storage bags. Hopefully, the weather will be better the rest of this week so we don’t have to spend as much time inside the RV fraying each others nerves. With my adrenal glands shot, I have no patience and Ed loves to push my buttons when he’s unhappy. I know I’ve been a bear to live with since getting sick. Unfortunately, it’s only harder to live with me in confined quarters. I just thank God we didn’t buy one of those really tiny Class C RVs we thought about!
Monday, October 11, 2004
1000 miles and still going
We breached the 1000 mile mark for this journey and that doesn’t count all the local traveling we’ve done in the Honda when camped. Today we’re in an RV park connected to the Hollywood Casino. It’s a great place and only $10 a night! The cleanliness and services exceed campgrounds that cost nearly $30 a night. Several of the nearby casinos also have great food deals like a $2.99 all you can eat breakfast buffet. So, if we gamble a couple hundred bucks away this week, we’ll be about even with what we would have spent elsewhere.
After boondocking a couple nights in different areas of Mississippi, it’s nice to have full hook-ups again. The generator is acting up so I have to go over everything this week. I may end up calling a mobile RV repair guy I found advertising on a flyer here. Maybe I can barter computer repairs or eBay training. We were hoping to find a few collectible stores that might be candidates for our eBay brokerage services but the casinos are in the middle of miles and miles of farm land. We’ll have to hit Memphis for that instead.
While in Memphis today, I had the old fatigue wash over me. The only thing unusual I noticed in that area was an inordinate number of massive electrical towers. I don’t know if that contributes to CF but we did have a power station near us in Satellite Beach. I’ll keep my eye on the power lines as we travel. So far, I’ve felt best in Georgia and Alabama. Mississippi seems to have pollution problems. Gera and Ed’s allergies were acting up in Tupelo and Olive Branch but so far, so good here in Tunica.
After boondocking a couple nights in different areas of Mississippi, it’s nice to have full hook-ups again. The generator is acting up so I have to go over everything this week. I may end up calling a mobile RV repair guy I found advertising on a flyer here. Maybe I can barter computer repairs or eBay training. We were hoping to find a few collectible stores that might be candidates for our eBay brokerage services but the casinos are in the middle of miles and miles of farm land. We’ll have to hit Memphis for that instead.
While in Memphis today, I had the old fatigue wash over me. The only thing unusual I noticed in that area was an inordinate number of massive electrical towers. I don’t know if that contributes to CF but we did have a power station near us in Satellite Beach. I’ll keep my eye on the power lines as we travel. So far, I’ve felt best in Georgia and Alabama. Mississippi seems to have pollution problems. Gera and Ed’s allergies were acting up in Tupelo and Olive Branch but so far, so good here in Tunica.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Stuck in Alabama
A planned week in Alabama to get organized has turned into a week and a half. We were all packed up and ready to roll out to Tennessee on Monday but the RV wouldn’t start. I spent a day and a half checking out everything I could myself (batteries, fuses, wires, etc.) then today had Good Sam send a flatbed. It was the entertainment for the day at the McCalla RV Park! We’re “camping” in the parking lot of the RV repair shop now. Of course once the RV was here, it started right up! Bouncing down the highway on a flatbed must have shifted the dead spot in the starter. The shop is going to finish fixing it up tomorrow and hopefully we’ll be on our way. We’re having them go over other things since we’re here. For some reason, the hot water heater isn’t working tonight, so I’ll put that on the list of things to check.
It’s been a nice stay in Alabama. The people are very friendly and my health has been good in this mountain air. We didn’t originally plan to spend any time in this state but I’m glad the winds of hurricane Jeanne blew us here. Next, we’re heading to Memphis. In my best Elvis impression, “Uh, thank you very much.”
It’s been a nice stay in Alabama. The people are very friendly and my health has been good in this mountain air. We didn’t originally plan to spend any time in this state but I’m glad the winds of hurricane Jeanne blew us here. Next, we’re heading to Memphis. In my best Elvis impression, “Uh, thank you very much.”
Sunday, October 03, 2004
Saturday, October 02, 2004
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Goodbye Florida
After a week of insanely strenuous work, we’ve once again fled Florida to avoid a hurricane. This time, we’re gone for good. We left Perry, Georgia exactly two weeks ago and, thanks to 10 hours of straight driving, we’re back again - this time, in the Super Walmart parking lot.
When we returned from the last evacuation, we reserved a truck for the earliest available date (Tuesday the 21st) and worked to organize everything at the rental house. We were determined to stay in the RV full-time but last Sunday night we had a strong rain and wind storm unrelated to the hurricane that moved Ed and I into the house early Monday morning. Gera had already left for work, so we both crashed into the king bed in the master bedroom. Unfortunately, we shut the door behind us and that was a mistake. The old doorknob mechanism had worn down and no longer triggered the catch. With all the storm shutters over the windows and the screws and doorknob hardware on the OUTSIDE of the bedroom, Ed and I got trapped. After futilely hammering off the knob with an old sneaker (no tools in the empty bedroom) and several unsuccessful efforts to contact Gera with the cell phone, we resigned ourselves to just stay in bed until she got home at 3 o’clock. At least we had a bathroom available! Sick humor that the Ward’s have, this story now ranks up there with the top funniest moments in Ward history. Mom even placed it in the same category as the funniest moment of all time, Kevin Mitchell crashing his bicycle into a station wagon and flying through the back window. Of course, the “trapped in the bedroom” fiasco is all true and most of “Kevin” (as we’ve come to reference hilariously sick moments) is made up. Even though it seemed annoying (then funny) at the time, it turned out to be the most sleep I got all week, possibly even more than the rest of the week combined, so I’m glad it happened.
Tuesday, we loaded 85% of our belongings onto the Uhaul truck and took them to the storage unit. The truck was Gera’s idea (I was going to move stuff piecemeal with the RV) and it’s the best under $60 rental plus $12 in gas we ever spent. We had the storage unit ¾ full by 4 pm Wednesday. The other 15% of our belongings we planned to sort through in detail and organize over the next three weeks. That plan lasted about a day. Jeanne decided to come straight at us, and we scrambled to condense three weeks into two days. Friday, we sold our Taurus to a dealer in Melbourne and bought a tow dolly for the Accord at a trailer place in Cocoa. We also loaded almost all the rest of our stuff into the RV and moved it to storage.
The mandatory evacuation order was for 6 am Saturday. We left the rental house at 3 pm Saturday. Surprisingly, many people did not leave. After a quick stop at the storage unit to drop off a few remaining items and hook up the Honda to the dolly, we were on our way! We got to know (and like) Perry, Georgia during Frances so that’s where we came. However, Jeanne is following us up I-75, so Alabama here we come!
When we returned from the last evacuation, we reserved a truck for the earliest available date (Tuesday the 21st) and worked to organize everything at the rental house. We were determined to stay in the RV full-time but last Sunday night we had a strong rain and wind storm unrelated to the hurricane that moved Ed and I into the house early Monday morning. Gera had already left for work, so we both crashed into the king bed in the master bedroom. Unfortunately, we shut the door behind us and that was a mistake. The old doorknob mechanism had worn down and no longer triggered the catch. With all the storm shutters over the windows and the screws and doorknob hardware on the OUTSIDE of the bedroom, Ed and I got trapped. After futilely hammering off the knob with an old sneaker (no tools in the empty bedroom) and several unsuccessful efforts to contact Gera with the cell phone, we resigned ourselves to just stay in bed until she got home at 3 o’clock. At least we had a bathroom available! Sick humor that the Ward’s have, this story now ranks up there with the top funniest moments in Ward history. Mom even placed it in the same category as the funniest moment of all time, Kevin Mitchell crashing his bicycle into a station wagon and flying through the back window. Of course, the “trapped in the bedroom” fiasco is all true and most of “Kevin” (as we’ve come to reference hilariously sick moments) is made up. Even though it seemed annoying (then funny) at the time, it turned out to be the most sleep I got all week, possibly even more than the rest of the week combined, so I’m glad it happened.
Tuesday, we loaded 85% of our belongings onto the Uhaul truck and took them to the storage unit. The truck was Gera’s idea (I was going to move stuff piecemeal with the RV) and it’s the best under $60 rental plus $12 in gas we ever spent. We had the storage unit ¾ full by 4 pm Wednesday. The other 15% of our belongings we planned to sort through in detail and organize over the next three weeks. That plan lasted about a day. Jeanne decided to come straight at us, and we scrambled to condense three weeks into two days. Friday, we sold our Taurus to a dealer in Melbourne and bought a tow dolly for the Accord at a trailer place in Cocoa. We also loaded almost all the rest of our stuff into the RV and moved it to storage.
The mandatory evacuation order was for 6 am Saturday. We left the rental house at 3 pm Saturday. Surprisingly, many people did not leave. After a quick stop at the storage unit to drop off a few remaining items and hook up the Honda to the dolly, we were on our way! We got to know (and like) Perry, Georgia during Frances so that’s where we came. However, Jeanne is following us up I-75, so Alabama here we come!
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Back in Satellite Beach
After two days on the road we’re back home but, since the RV already seems like home, Satellite Beach is more like our “soon to be former” home. Since all the food in the rental house’s fridge rotted while the electric was out, we are staying in the RV until the smell is gone.
We left Georgia Monday and stayed in Northern Florida until Tuesday. I had an interesting moment after waking up. I realized we were far away from our temporary home in Georgia and at a new campground but my surroundings were the same indoors. Having spent most of my traveling time in hotels, I appreciate how nice it is to wake up in a new town and still have all my stuff in the same place it was in the last town. Home really is anywhere we park and that feels great!
What wasn’t great was seeing the devastation Frances left behind here. South Patrick Shores really took a beating. Fortunately, we only lost the food and our satellite dish. The house had some water come in under a gap in a door but only a small section of carpet got wet. The fence was badly damaged and the big tree out front lost all its bark. The neighbor’s tree (which always blocked our view when pulling out of the driveway) is gone, so that’s one good thing! The bugs have invaded in force to escape the storm so we’ll be spraying and squashing for awhile.
Mom and dad’s place got hit hard. They lost their screened porch, part of the shed roof and the roof of the house was damaged. It is salvageable but will need quite a bit of work. We’ll do what we can for them and try to get our stuff into storage before the next hurricane, named Jeanne, hits. If we leave Florida again, it’ll be for good. California here we come – earthquakes, wildfires, tsunamis, oh my!
We left Georgia Monday and stayed in Northern Florida until Tuesday. I had an interesting moment after waking up. I realized we were far away from our temporary home in Georgia and at a new campground but my surroundings were the same indoors. Having spent most of my traveling time in hotels, I appreciate how nice it is to wake up in a new town and still have all my stuff in the same place it was in the last town. Home really is anywhere we park and that feels great!
What wasn’t great was seeing the devastation Frances left behind here. South Patrick Shores really took a beating. Fortunately, we only lost the food and our satellite dish. The house had some water come in under a gap in a door but only a small section of carpet got wet. The fence was badly damaged and the big tree out front lost all its bark. The neighbor’s tree (which always blocked our view when pulling out of the driveway) is gone, so that’s one good thing! The bugs have invaded in force to escape the storm so we’ll be spraying and squashing for awhile.
Mom and dad’s place got hit hard. They lost their screened porch, part of the shed roof and the roof of the house was damaged. It is salvageable but will need quite a bit of work. We’ll do what we can for them and try to get our stuff into storage before the next hurricane, named Jeanne, hits. If we leave Florida again, it’ll be for good. California here we come – earthquakes, wildfires, tsunamis, oh my!
Saturday, September 11, 2004
Uncertainty and satisfaction
Ivan’s uncertain approach, with the latest NOAA projection putting its eye right through the center of Georgia Tuesday night, leaves us wondering where to go next. Back to Florida would put us in harm’s way along with all the people still trying to recover from Frances’ devastation. Staying put for too long could leave us susceptible to hurricane force winds – something I don’t intend to try in a motorhome. We will probably stay until Sunday morning then head west. It’s a wait-and-see game now. We’d rather not venture too far from Florida on the chance Ivan will divert to Mexico or the Atlantic and give Floridians a much needed breather.
Having lived full-time aboard our rolling home for more than a week, I’m very satisfied and pleased with the experience. Even though this rig is 15 years old, the quality is evident as the on-board systems are performing well. I’m learning about the ins and outs of everything and sharing much of it with Gera so she will eventually be able to handle it all herself in case I have a massive fibro flare-up somewhere along the way. Ed is also gaining some good knowledge of the systems and how they are different from a fixed home. This is definitely the right age for him to have this adventure. Any younger he may not have been able to handle some of the responsibilities involved. It’s a challenge for him now but in a healthy and educational way.
Unfortunately, we haven’t spent much time on this trip just enjoying the adventure. While not dealing with the hurricane uncertainties, we’ve been trying to organize the RV and purchase necessary items to make living aboard as comfortable and convenient as possible. In our mad rush to leave we forgot some things we need but there are other things that just don’t translate well from a stationery house to an RV. We’ve bought two vacuum cleaners at the Super Walmart here in Perry. The first one is a compact Eureka that has a folding handle and self-contained storage of its attachments. The second is a one-gallon, 12 volt wet/dry vac. We have full size equivalents of both at home but they are just too unwieldy and space-consuming for the RV.
I also bought a satellite dish and small tripod mount while here. Unfortunately, the tripod is too low to the ground to clear the trees in the campground. It’s going back to the RV parts place tomorrow. I’d like to get a taller tripod or even a ladder mount for the dish but the dealers are sold out of many such item. Lots of evacuees brought their RVs here. We can live without satellite (the campground has limited cable TV). We were just hoping to get the weather channel to watch Ivan’s progress. However, having that on all the time would probably just stress us out too much. Gera got pretty upset reading Florida Today online this morning. The pictures and stories are overwhelming. People there are still without power which means no air conditioning or refrigeration, not that there’s all that much fresh food available. I hope to God hurricane Ivan passes them by or it’s going to be awful.
Gera heard from Mimi by email so she gave her a call. Charley caused some roof damage to her house in Ormond but she is facing a bigger problem – her electric storm shutters broke as she attempted to open them without power after Frances. Since there’s no A/C, she needed open windows but now she may not be able to close the shutters for hurricane Ivan. Mimi also told us about their co-worker from Bank of America, Sue. Her house in Melbourne Beach was completely destroyed by a small tornado during Frances. The roof was ripped off and the entire house flooded. There is nothing left of the fence but splinters! What a tragedy. We’re going to have to get in touch with the other B of A folks if they are reachable.
Living almost a week in middle Georgia has given me some relief from the fatigue and windedness I usually face in Satellite Beach. I still have the other FM symptoms but the CF seems less. Perhaps in the long term, with the CF symptoms subsided, the FM symptoms will lessen too. I’m investigating mail forwarding services and other things that will allow us to stay permanently out of Florida if necessary. I don’t mind beginning our cross-country journey early as long as we can tidy up the loose ends remotely. It may only require a plane trip back for a short stay next month. Stay tuned…
Having lived full-time aboard our rolling home for more than a week, I’m very satisfied and pleased with the experience. Even though this rig is 15 years old, the quality is evident as the on-board systems are performing well. I’m learning about the ins and outs of everything and sharing much of it with Gera so she will eventually be able to handle it all herself in case I have a massive fibro flare-up somewhere along the way. Ed is also gaining some good knowledge of the systems and how they are different from a fixed home. This is definitely the right age for him to have this adventure. Any younger he may not have been able to handle some of the responsibilities involved. It’s a challenge for him now but in a healthy and educational way.
Unfortunately, we haven’t spent much time on this trip just enjoying the adventure. While not dealing with the hurricane uncertainties, we’ve been trying to organize the RV and purchase necessary items to make living aboard as comfortable and convenient as possible. In our mad rush to leave we forgot some things we need but there are other things that just don’t translate well from a stationery house to an RV. We’ve bought two vacuum cleaners at the Super Walmart here in Perry. The first one is a compact Eureka that has a folding handle and self-contained storage of its attachments. The second is a one-gallon, 12 volt wet/dry vac. We have full size equivalents of both at home but they are just too unwieldy and space-consuming for the RV.
I also bought a satellite dish and small tripod mount while here. Unfortunately, the tripod is too low to the ground to clear the trees in the campground. It’s going back to the RV parts place tomorrow. I’d like to get a taller tripod or even a ladder mount for the dish but the dealers are sold out of many such item. Lots of evacuees brought their RVs here. We can live without satellite (the campground has limited cable TV). We were just hoping to get the weather channel to watch Ivan’s progress. However, having that on all the time would probably just stress us out too much. Gera got pretty upset reading Florida Today online this morning. The pictures and stories are overwhelming. People there are still without power which means no air conditioning or refrigeration, not that there’s all that much fresh food available. I hope to God hurricane Ivan passes them by or it’s going to be awful.
Gera heard from Mimi by email so she gave her a call. Charley caused some roof damage to her house in Ormond but she is facing a bigger problem – her electric storm shutters broke as she attempted to open them without power after Frances. Since there’s no A/C, she needed open windows but now she may not be able to close the shutters for hurricane Ivan. Mimi also told us about their co-worker from Bank of America, Sue. Her house in Melbourne Beach was completely destroyed by a small tornado during Frances. The roof was ripped off and the entire house flooded. There is nothing left of the fence but splinters! What a tragedy. We’re going to have to get in touch with the other B of A folks if they are reachable.
Living almost a week in middle Georgia has given me some relief from the fatigue and windedness I usually face in Satellite Beach. I still have the other FM symptoms but the CF seems less. Perhaps in the long term, with the CF symptoms subsided, the FM symptoms will lessen too. I’m investigating mail forwarding services and other things that will allow us to stay permanently out of Florida if necessary. I don’t mind beginning our cross-country journey early as long as we can tidy up the loose ends remotely. It may only require a plane trip back for a short stay next month. Stay tuned…
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Ivan the terrible
Hurricane Ivan is speeding up the corridor and I wonder if we should return or stay put. Ivan could pummel Brevard by Monday night. While things are returning to normal there, gasoline is still problematic. If Ivan causes another mass evacuation, there may not be enough gas to get everyone out.
Mom & dad’s
Monday, September 06, 2004
Three strikes, we're out?
It’s been a crazy four days! Wednesday night and all day Thursday we packed the RV full of all the essentials and took off about 9:30 Thursday night. Most of the beachside residents were already gone but that worked out for the best. We were able to get to Seffner , Florida
Friday we traveled up Interstate 75 and ended up in The Spirit of the Suwannee campground. It’s a huge site not far from the Georgia border in Northern Florida . Ed swam at the pool and met a boy from Okeechobee named John. They did cannonballs together and had a great time. I did notice my lungs had that refreshed feeling I haven’t had in a long time when I woke up Saturday morning. The fatigue hadn’t been too bad several days before we left Satellite Beach
We were thinking of staying another night there but, at the time, Frances was still moving along pretty fast so we departed for Georgia Suwannee is a very nice campground, it’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere (at least that’s how it seemed to me, not being familiar with the area). We ventured a couple hundred miles north to Perry , Georgia and were lucky enough to find one available site at Crossroads Travel Park North Florida was stop for awhile at a rest stop and truck stop, connected to the internet and found campground listings for the area. All of the Southern Georgia campgrounds were full Friday and that’s why we stayed in Florida Macon Macon Frances
Ed got to play basketball and walk a dog with a 13 year old girl tonight. He found out she isn’t leaving the campground until Tuesday, so he votes to stay until then. I don’t know what we’ll do yet. The morning weather reports will help us know better. With hurricane Ivan already a major force and looking like it’s going to follow Frances ’ path, I’m ready to forget about returning to Florida Gera Florida
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
The adventure begins!
We're packing our 1989 Fleetwood Southwind motorhome in case hurricane Frances sets its sights on Central Florida. Hopefully, evacuation won't be our first big RV trip!
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