Unattended Blogs

I have a bunch of 'em.

First, there's this one. I haven't meant to leave it so high and dry. We did manage to leave Forest City, but we were weren't satisfied with the results of that stop. I never felt like writing about it. We get to make a return trip to Winnie Town the end of this month.  So, maybe I'll catch the blog up on that adventure then. Right now, we're hanging in Kansas City. We're keeping ourselves busy enough and out of trouble, but there just hasn't been much to blog about.

Second, there's Bullwinkle's Travels. I haven't touched that blog since we left Bonifay, Florida a couple of months ago. One of my many "Kansas City To-Dos" is bringing that journal up-to-date. I have lots of great stuff to share. All I need is some time to write it all up.

This week my spare time has been spent on two vintage non-RVing blogs I gave up long ago. It's been so long that Blogger refers to them as "legacy accounts". And, Blogger is about to abandon them. I have until May 25th to bring them back to life, or Blogger says they'll shelve them.

I haven't touched either of these blogs since 2007. While they were great fun for awhile, my interest on the subject matter has waned over time. One of the blogs was all about my early quilting and knitting adventures. Mostly, it chronicled the construction of my most complicated creation: a queen-size double wedding ring quilt. As readers here may recall, I finished the top of this quilt nearly three years ago days before we hit the road. Needless to say, I have little interest in continuing a blog about a quilt that's still not finished after some eight years. I'll finish the quilt some day, but the blog is done.

The other blog was a lot more fun. It was a pundit-style blog on which I published quite regularly for a couple of years. I developed a nice little following, too. But, life got busy and this fun little blog fell by the wayside. I don't have the passion for the topic I once had. So, that neglected project is toast, too.

Although my work on these blogs is done, I really want to save the content. So, with visions of logging on to my ancient Blogger account and taking a minute or two to download my old posts, I went to work to save my work.

Oh, if it could have been that easy!

I couldn't remember the password. So, I requested a reset. Apparently, it was sent to two email accounts that I closed long ago. Blogger offers no direct help to its users, which reminded me of the old saying, "You get what you pay for." With no way to access these soon-to-be-tossed blogs, I resorted to a most tedious process.

Cut and paste.

The quilting blog is all saved. I'm a year into the pundit blog. With Blogger's May 25th deadline looming large, my keyboard-weary fingers are crossed in hopes that I get it all done. I may never again look at this stuff. But, right now, it's worth this time hogging process to save it just in case I do.

Cutting and pasting is mind numbing work. But, it's given me time to think about my life as a blogger. Looking at my blogging history, it seems it's easy for me to be jazzed about my topic for two or three years. Then, my interest fades until I find a new and exciting thing to blog about (like fulltime RVing!). That has me thinking.

Who knows? It might be time to change things up around here. Maybe a different format, or a fresh spin on things. Or, maybe I'll start a totally new blog to attend to.

Whatever the case, I'm grateful for a couple of things: (1) Both of these blogs are backed up regularly; and (2) I have the password to my Blogger account.

That'll save me a lot of time someday.

Free Check Up

We're big fans of preventative maintenance. We try our best to stay on top of every this, that and the other thing that could sideline ourselves, our cats, Rocky and Bullwinkle. We've learned that this approach might cost a bit more in the short term. But, in the long run, we definitely come out ahead.

While plotting our route on the Great 2012 Moose Spring Maintenance Tour, we realized we would pass near the home of HWH, the manufacturers of Bullwinkle's slide mechanisms and leveling jacks. Although these vital systems haven't given us a bit of trouble, we decided to make a stop and scheduled an appointment to get things checked out.

We pulled into Moscow, Iowa, yesterday afternoon and checked in with the good people of HWH. They invited us to fill our fresh water tank and plug into to one of their half dozen or so electrical hookups. No charge, of course. We happily obliged.

At the bright and way-too-early hour of 7:00 a.m., we pulled the moose into a service bay. We were assured that the HWH crew would give our systems a thorough check. No charge, of course.

Say what?????

The warranty on these parts has long since expired. Yet, the manufacturer happily offers to give everything a thorough once over without it costing us a cent?

Is this Heaven?

No, it's Iowa. And, in Moscow, HWH is happy to offer you a free check up! And, that's after a free night of camping!

While HWH was checking our moose, we made a trek 10 miles or so north to enjoy a wonderful breakfast in the quaint town of Tipton. When we returned, our moose was ready to roll.

The "bad" news, they found a bad spring or two in our velocity valve.

Ooooh! Doesn't that sound awful?

The "good" news was it a simple fix. A few new springs and a half-hour of labor added up to a whopping 48 bucks.

(When was the last time anyone left a service appointment for just $48?)

The "better" news was we greatly reduced the likelihood of being parked somewhere, ready to leave for somewhere better, hitting our "jacks up" button and having nothing happen.

Actually, that's "much better" news.

Who knew that some of the best (and cheapest) preventative maintenance we could find would be in Moscow, Iowa?

We're so very glad we stopped.

Adjusting The Sails

The pessimist complains about the wind;

We hate the wind. We always have.

Maybe we've been over-exposed. Growing up on the Kansas plains and spending a good chunk of our adult lives in the windward hills of the Bay Area, we've had more than our fair share of wicked winds. Of course, exploring the country in a rolling billboard for nearly three years has put us up close and personal with this force of Mother Nature.

Thankfully, we've never suffered any serious ill effects from the wind. (And, we hope we never do.) But, after years of heading to the basement at the sound of a tornado siren, resetting tossed patio furniture, retrieving our trash cans from halfway down the block and wrestling a spent slide topper back into place, our tempest tolerance is marginal at best.

The optimist expects it to change;

In our life as nomads, we've developed a healthy respect for this thing we hate. Early on, we vowed never to travel during a Wind Advisory. After all, we don't have to be anywhere at a specific time, really. So, why fight it?

In the last three years we've pushed back a handful of travel days to wait for the wind to change. And, sooner or later it has done just that.

Here on the Spring 2012 Moose Maintenance Tour, we do have a couple of upcoming appointments. Next on the calendar is a date with HWH, the makers of Bullwinkle's leveling jacks and slide out systems. Nothing's wrong with these vital functions, but we thought it would be a good idea to have them checked out while we're passing through. So, we need to be in southeast Iowa Wednesday night for our Thursday morning check up. After that, we're due in the farth northern reaches of the state on Sunday night for our Monday morning appointment at Winnebago.

Traveling from the South to the Upper Midwest in early Spring can be a dicey proposition. So, we allowed plenty of time to make the trek. After enjoying two weeks of scenic views in North Carolina and Tennessee, we found ourselves in a dusty, gravely park in western Kentucky that gave us a front row seat to the Paducah Auto Auction. After two days of that we were definitely ready to roll!

But, Mother Nature wasn't cooperating. A much-anticipated storm system was sweeping across the nation's mid-section. The weather maps we'd been monitoring for days painted a red swath of severe weather across much of our route to Iowa. The first 100 or so miles were clear, so we opted to make our Saturday travel day a short one. After a quick fuel stop and a 75-mile run north, we were sitting in one of our favorite overnight campgrounds in Whittington, IL. This spacious, friendly and wooded park provided us a much more scenic setting to wait out the weather.

We monitored the powerful storm system as devastating and deadly tornadoes tore through Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. We exchanged text messages into the wee hours with family in the path of the storm as they took cover in their basements. Thankfully, everyone made it through the dark and stormy night just fine.

With just a few hours of sleep, I was up before dawn yesterday. Before my first cup of coffee I was in full "weather geek" mode, critically examining everything from the convective outlook to the forecast models on weatherunderground.com. Severe storms were anticipated on our route into northeast Missouri. By evening, the storms were expected to take aim on our cozy campground in Whittington. To top things off, the entire region was blanketed in our most-hated alert: A Wind Advisory. Big bad winds were expected in these parts for this and the next two days.

The weather was, indeed, changing. But, not for the better. Suddenly, Iowa felt much farther than 400 miles away.

The realist adjusts the sails.

While it didn't look like we had many, I kept looking for an option for something to do besides waiting around for another sleepless night spent monitoring the weather.

The Wind Advisory warned of sustained southerly winds of 30 mph with gusts to 45. Our intended route was largely east to west, which would mean fighting a stiff crosswind into potentially severe storms. Not good.

But, what if we went with the wind and traveled north instead? A check of the forecast map made Champaign, IL a candidate for our destination for the day. The college town sits 165 miles up I-57 almost straight north of Whittington. The day's forecast in Champaign looked windy but otherwise clear. There was a chance of severe weather, but likely not until late in the evening after the system was expected to lose most of its punch. Whether we stayed or went, we had a good chance for some rough weather. But wouldn't we rather be 165 miles closer to our destination?

Paul was up with the sun and concurred with my plan. By 9:00, we set sail in the S.S. Bullwinkle on a new path. About an hour into our journey the winds began to blow as predicted, providing a welcome tailwind in which Paul navigated the moose with ease. We blew into Champaign about noon, and the wind was really winding up. The big bonus for the day was our fuel economy. As much as we hate the wind, we really appreciate the extra mile or two per gallon that came with Mother Nature literally pushing us up the road.

As we checked into the campground, we located the storm shelter we hoped we wouldn't have to use. Thankfully, we didn't have to. By the time the storms arrived here last night, they were well below severe limits. But, they were accompanied by that relentless southerly wind, which had us rocking and rolling through the night.

This morning, the storms have moved on to east, but the wind remains. Again, there is a Wind Advisory for much of Illinois. Today, the gale force is coming from the west. If we were still sitting where we started the day yesterday, we'd be staying put or wrestling with the wind all day. Instead, we're chilling out in a town we weren't planning to visit but look forward to. Thanks to adjusting the sails, we are now back on track to reach our next destination on time.

Here's hoping our Springtime journey through Iowa is far less dramatic!

Many thanks to the late William Arthur Ward for his words, which provided a structure for this post that began simply as one long rant. Many more thanks for my Delete key!

Peace and Quiet

We have found both here in the hills of North Carolina. And, it's beautiful. Plus, it's cool. We had forgotten how much we love this part of the country. It's so nice to be back.

We've come along way in the last week or so. After a wonderful visit with Paul's family, we headed inland to Gaffney, South Carolina. Anytime we have a chance to pass anywhere close to this tiny town, we do. It's the home of Freightliner Custom Chassis, where Bullwinkle's chassis was born. Not too far from the factory sits FCCC's only factory-owned service center. It is, in our humble opinion, the best place for chassis service in the country. They work exclusively on motorhomes, school busses and small delivery trucks. But, it's mostly motorhomes, especially this time of year. Unlike every other Freightliner service center we've visited, this place welcomes motorhomes. And, they definitely know what they're doing.

We'll be in northern Iowa before the first appointment becomes available, so we decided to take our chances as a "work-in". We arrived at the service center Tuesday afternoon and checked in with Pat, the friendliest customer service person in the world. She shot it to us straight and said it was doubtful we would get in this week, but we were welcome to set up in one of their sites and make ourselves at home while we waited. The idea of saving a few dollars by staying in a free campsite before we plunked down a serious wad of cash on chassis service appealed to us. So, we made ourselves as comfortable as we could and waited.

From our free site in the corner, we watched a parade of motorhomes flow in each afternoon and out each morning. This is definitely the busy season for this place! Thursday afternoon, Pat made us an offer. If we could have the moose ready to roll in 15 minutes, they could work us in.

We had no idea we could get this moose ready so quickly! Before we knew it, Bullwinkle was in a bay ready for his "spa" treatment, and we were sitting in the comforts of the waiting room, cats and all. A few hours later, the moose was released and we were free to roam about the country. Given the late hour, we decided to spend another night in our free spot. Yesterday morning, we took in the factory tour. It was fascinating to see how the guts of our moose were put together. Quite impressive!

With the moose ready to roll, the only thing we had left to do was to find a place to stay. With a date in Tennessee next week, we were eager to find a place on the way to chill for a few days. We've done Asheville and the whole crazy Pigeon Forge/Gaitlinburg area. We wanted something quiet and comfortable. I checked out a couple of spots online and quickly chose a small campground tucked away in the hills just east of the Tennessee line and the especially curvy and steep part of I-40. It had only four reviews on rvparkreviews.com, and they were all by rookie reviewers. We decided to trust our gut and go with it. I called to make a reservation, and 100 or so miles later we found ourselves parked in this gorgeous place.

Trail's End RV Park is small and spartan. It's far enough off the beaten path that it's out of the way for an overnight stop. But, being far off the beaten path has its benefits. We're surrounded by the scenic Smokies. It's quiet. The owner is friendly, hospitable and lives right next door. It's the perfect place for us to sit and chill for a spell.

A week ago we were enjoying the salty breezes along the coast. Today, we're soaking in all the peace and quiet of the mountains we can.

What a life!

Reconsidering Technology

Sometimes the most frustrating experiences can provide a fresh perspective. Such was the case for us today.

We're in the midst of a return visit to beautiful Hilton Head Island. We were here in October 2009, when we were still fulltime RVing newbies in our lil' moose. The island is a beautiful as ever, but there's one thing that's definitely changed. There's tons more traffic! The place is nuts! While we're really enjoying our visit with Paul's uncle and cousin, we are finding ourselves yearning for a simpler, quieter existence.

Our real frustration is with our wireless carrier. AT&T is basically non-existent here. That makes our iphones basically a pair of music and game players and our air card a night light. But, more importantly, it makes us essentially out of touch. We do have great wifi here at the park. But, when we're out roaming around, there's really no way to reach us. And, while there have only been a few stops in our journey where we've parked in a place where we didn't have cell service, I find it nearly impossible to sleep knowing that if either one or both of us faced some kind of emergency during the night, it would be challenging to summon the help we needed.

So, today, we decided to change that. We picked up a Verizon "pay as you go" phone at the local Best Buy. For ten bucks we got a phone and a ten buck credit. Basically, Verizon is giving us a phone and five days of unlimited calling for free! After that, they'll charge us $1.99 per day whenever we use the phone. What a deal!

Back at our rolling home, we fired up the free phone and it displayed several bars. We called our family on the island and gave them the new number. I fired an email off to our immediate family, too. With that, we were back in touch with the world.

With our latest crisis solved, something surprised us. There is something about this little flip phone. It's not at all smart. If somebody sends us an email or updates their Facebook status, this thing will never tell us. If you touch its postage stamp-size screen, nothing happens. Flip it open, and it glows. Push the numbered buttons and it'll make a call. Flip it closed and you can easily put it in a pocket.

It's beautifully simple.

And, there's something we love about that.

So, now we're reconsidering how we use technology. What if we didn't text? What might be different if we didn't have access to our email everywhere we go? What would it be to go on our power walks without music blasting through our earbuds? We're imagining life without Facebook in the palm of our hands, or anywhere at all.

It might be better, actually.

Three years ago, we were shedding ourselves of most of our personal possessions. We traded lots of things we once thought we couldn't live without for a life that left us lighter, leaner and free. At the same time, we made sure we had the latest, greatest technology to take along on the journey. We loaded up without a second thought.

After all, we are early adopters from way back. We've been the first kids on the block to have the latest and greatest computers, phones and other gizmos. The pinnacle of my career came as a result of my courage and craziness in the very early days of the Internet, and Paul's willingness to support all that. When it comes to technology, we embrace it.

We have a long, long way to go before we start pulling any plugs. But, while we're hanging out on this busy little island, we're sure thinking about it.

March Madness

I have a lot to learn about planning our travels for the middle of March. This being our third mid-March on the road and all, you would think I would be with the program by now. But, I seem to forget about a couple of things that happen like clockwork this time of year: Spring Break and the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

It's enough for me to remember when the "real" holidays fall and make sure we have campground reservations well in advance. But, these two rites of Spring seem to throw me a curveball every time.

We had tentatively planned to take the coastal route out of Lower Alabama and take in the sights of the beautiful beaches across the Florida panhandle. But, last Saturday, as we wandered the aisles at the Gulf Shores Walmart we were met with cart after cart pushed by college kids loading up nothing but frozen pizza, white bread, barrels of cheese puffs, cases of Coke and margarita mix. We quickly realized we had entered the Spring Break zone. For the next few weeks, every beach and coastal highway around these parts will be packed with partyers. So, we decided to take the less "beachy" route out of town and hit the super slab that is I-10. And, I vowed to make a mental note for next year to avoid Spring Break destinations this time of year.

There was one definite plus to our poor planning. Our redirected route would take us within a quarter-mile of the park where virtual friends and fellow travelers Terry and Randy were hanging out. With that we decided to make our first travel day in a couple of months a short one (We really like that!) and stop in and get to know these good folks.

When I exchanged messages with Terry, I had to make a true confession: We are basketball addicts. Truth be told, it's more me than Paul. And, my real obsession is March Madness. Back in the days when I was a workaholic, I would actually schedule two days off to watch all of the first round games. I made it my own personal holiday.

So, with all that practice, you'd think the last thing I'd do is schedule a travel day for Day 2 of first round play! But, I did do the unthinkable. So, for the first time in our traveling career, television became a deciding factor in choosing a park. We really were looking forward to the chance to meet Terry and Randy, but I had to confess that I needed television. Terry was oh so gracious and assured me we'd be in a satellite-friendly spot, plus this park has great cable. With that good news, we made our way east and arrived at this lovely park before the bulk of Friday's games were underway. We received a warm welcome from our new friends who then left us to settle in and feed our basketball obsession.

We consumed much more than the minimum daily allowance of college basketball this weekend without completely ignoring our new friends. They were busy with work and other things. But, we did manage to exchange pleasantries throughout our stay. And, this afternoon the four of us sat outside for a lovely lunch and plenty of conversation and laughter. We really enjoyed our time with them, until Terry headed to choir practice, Randy helped a camper back in to a site and we headed back to our daily dose of basketball. Our beloved Jayhawks tested our patience in the last game tonight, but alas they managed a victory in the end, which sends them on to the Sweet Sixteen.

We're heading east tomorrow to make our way to coastal Georgia. We'll bid our new friends adieu and thank them for their warm hospitality. We'll enjoy a few quiet days on the coast until we head a bit further north to Hilton Head Island on Thursday, when the next round of tournament play, and a bunch of family fun, begins.

Good news. We should have plenty of TV in that spot, too!

Many thanks to Terry and Randy for sharing their beautiful park with us, and making time between the demands of work and NCAA basketball to visit with us. We look forward to the next time we see you down the road. Meanwhile, safe travels and Rock Chalk!

Leavin' LA

We’re down to the final full day of our stay here at Bella Terra. After two months, we will be ready to get back on the road. We’re not there just yet. But, tomorrow morning, we will be. That’s the way it works for us. Our hitch rarely, if ever, gets an itch. (Well, there was that stay in Mission, TX a couple of winters back.) Much more frequently, we’re ready to go when it’s time to go. We love that it works out that way.

Our last day here has us reflecting on our visit to Lower Alabama. We came here to explore a part of the country we’ve never seen before, and we truly enjoyed checking it all out. It rained a bit more than we’d hoped, the Gulf Breezes were a tad stiffer than we’d like, and the no-see-ums we so detested in southern Utah live in these parts, too. But, all that said, we’ve experienced some decent winter weather, sunk our toes in some sugar white sand beaches, had some tasty southern comfort food, found nearly 200 geocaches, learned a new obsession, participated in our first-ever Mardi Gras celebrations and have spent time with some mighty friendly folks.

It’s been fun.

The most pleasant surprise of our stay has been this place we’ve called home. Bella Terra is our new favorite park. The sites are level and spacious. The utilities are rock solid. The landscaping is simply gorgeous. We will miss our beautiful view of the setting sun behind the dancing waters of the Bella Terra pond.

Of course, as we’ve said before, it’s the people who make a place. And, that’s certainly true here, too. The Bella Terra staff is the most professional, pleasant and accommodating crew we’ve seen anywhere. They are committed to making sure everyone enjoys their stay. And, we certainly have! We’ve met many of the owners and guests here at Bella Terra. This is one of those places where everyone waves and folks really are friendly. We’ve had the pleasure to get to know quite a few good people here, and we look forward to seeing them again down the road. We know we will be making a return visit here someday.

When we made our plans to come here, we considered this stay a “treat”. We’re discovering that we have a special requirement or two for our winter destination. When the days get short and the weather gets a bit chilly, we like to stay in a place that’s spacious, comfortable and pretty. And, Bella Terra certainly fit the bill. We were more than willing to spend an extra buck or two for a place to escape the winter doldrums. This isn’t the most expensive place we’ve ever stayed, but at first glance it’s definitely above average. Now that we’ve spent two months here, we realize we’ve really spent just a little extra for the pleasure.

How did this pricey place become so affordable? First, we’ve haven’t paid any extra for utilities. Our monthly rent includes $100 in electricity, and we’ve stayed within that allowance. Last winter our electric bill was $120 a month and added to our bill. We haven’t spent a dime on propane this year. Last year, which was an exceptionally chilly winter, we spent about $65 a month on propane. The cable TV here is extensive and fantastic, so we suspended our Direct TV service for the duration, which saved us about $85 a month. If you do the math, this beautiful, spacious spot just 10 minutes from the beach is a bargain! It nets out to be just $100 a month more than the dumpy (but friendly) gravel parking lot we call home when we’re in Kansas City.

The lesson we’ve learned is to consider all the factors when choosing a place to call home for awhile. When we did, we were pleasantly surprised. Looking at it that way, we might just have to stay!

Alas, tomorrow it will be time for us to fire up this big moose and head east from here. We have new places to explore and wonderful people to meet. Along the way, we’ll find more favorite spots to call home. Whether it’s a cozy mom-and-pop place, a woodsy state park, a gravel lot or a fancy resort, there will be lots to like. We can’t wait.

Meanwhile, we’ll enjoy one more day of sweet tea, po‘ boys and good people here in our little slice of Lower Alabama.

We’re gonna miss it.