On The Road Again

Here's the truth. And it kind of snuck up on me.

I Love RVing!

Don't get me wrong. I pretty much figured I would enjoy it, but there was a question mark in my mind as to whether I would like it more or less than simple car and motel travel.

When we first started looking at RVs, it was an interesting process. At one point I realized Larry and I were looking at very different things. He looked at the construction and the floor layout (meaning the amenities that were offered.) Some of the interior things that tripped his trigger were things like a desk and a fireplace, or where the TV was located. As for me, I looked at Storage. I wanted to know where clothes would go. Pots, pans, cooking utensils, FOOD?? Where did it go? And I also cared where the TV was located. It sounds silly, but go look at a few RVs. It may be over the driver's seat, or in a wall separating the living area from the kitchen area. Some take up good usable storage space. We wanted to maximize all the usable space and make things convenient for everyone.

Once we got a handle on what each other was looking for, the selection process became a little easier. And the more we looked the more we were able to fine tune what was important to us. But, through it all, in the back of my mind, I would wonder if the convenience of an RV would outweigh the convenience of a hotel. (In a hotel, they clean up after you, wash your towels, vacuum your floor, clean the bathroom....and provide breakfast.) In an RV, I was pretty sure, most of that would fall on my capable, (but willing??) fingers.

I was right. I sweep the floor, daily. We are pretty independent, so we each fix our own breakfast, but I still clean it up. I wipe down the shower, and make the bed. But....and here is the epiphany... I don't care! I love the RV.

In a hotel, the room is always either too cold, or stuffy. Larry and I never agree on the temperature. I've yet to figure out why, in a hotel, he likes the room at 58 and at home, the thermostat is set at 68. I just know I have to pack my thermals, heavy socks, and winter robe when we travel in August. In a hotel, you get up, hit the shower, and hustle downstairs to get a luke-warm, prepackaged, but 'free' breakfast. We stay at nice hotels, and one of our favorites, has several pillows of various densities. With all that selection, I've yet to find one that feels right. And no matter how nice they make the rooms, it just isn't homey. I never feel quite settled.

In the RV, the temperature is set and stays fairly stable. The bed is VERY comfortable, and the pillows are ours. I often sleep better in the RV than I do at home. And then there is morning. Larry is up before the sun.

He fixes his coffee and settles in to watch whatever is on at that hour. I get up considerably later, when the sun is up and television has resumed it's regularly scheduled programming. (Meaning Good Morning America is on.) He gets his cereal, I work out or walk, and fix my tea. Eventually, we decide its time to plan the day. Life is so relaxing.

But one of my favorite parts is simple. In a hotel, every day you pack and unpack. In an RV you only do that on the first and last day of the trip.

On week 3 of our trip we were getting ready to move on to the next stop and all I could think of, as I tucked the coffee maker back into the cupboard and made sure there were no potentially flying objects sitting on the counter, was I LOVE THIS! This is so much nicer than living out of a hotel.

So we packed up to leave the Orlando/Sanford area and go to Savannah. We had seen old friends, had dinner with neighbors from PA that had moved to Florida, spent time with the grandkids. Now it was time for the next leg, where we would hook up with another friend. I felt like Willie Nelson singing "On the Road Again".

And I was loving it.

Reminiscing--the First Leg of Our Trip

Our RV trip to Florida was wonderful on so many levels. We camped at Lazy Days RV Resort in Mango, just outside of Tampa. This park has it all. Lazy Days is huge and offers lots of amenities. One of the nicest perks was free Breakfast and Lunch. It is a large park and I got lots of walking time in. During our stay, we took a side trip to Sarasota to see a Spring Training game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins. At Spring Training games, spectators are so much closer to the game, and the players. We had lots of fun.

Pirate Fans meet their mascots

The Parrot Does the Pledge

Pre-game lineup

I had worked in a school not far from Lazy Days for many years, and we had lived in the nearby Brandon area for over 20 years. After being away for several years it was fun exploring our old stomping grounds. Going 'back home' is always fun and there is a sense of excitement and curiosity driving around a town one hasn't been to in a while. First, we had to identify changes.... Where's Shelton's? There's a Dunkin Donuts there! Look, the Elephant is gone (a landmark statue that had stood for years).

Then there were the must-do's. Before we even got to Brandon we had identified the restaurants we would have to visit while we were in town. There was  a panic-stricken moment when we didn't see Jesse's. But there it was, and I started salivating as I dreamed of the prime rib I would order. We met friends, Jill and Dennis, for dinner which was so much fun. Jill and I worked at the same school for many years, and were cohorts in the Media Center for several. We won't talk about the glass of Merlot I ordered. Jesse's idea of a 'glass of wine' pretty much blows the idea of a "serving" out the window. And we were there during happy hour. You know the old 2 for 1 deal. Yes, I was exceedingly 'happy' as we left dinner that night.

There was the Ale House, which had been a tradition for us over a few years. Miller's Ale House was one of the few places where I could order steamed clams. We both ordered our favorite dishes, but the steamed clams were mine, and while I have had them other places, none were quite as good. There was one other memory that came to mind when we thought of the Ale House. Years ago they offered 'Bucket of Beer' night, on Thursdays. There was one year in particular, when both of us found ourselves in difficult jobs. There were many Thursdays, when as we were leaving work, one of us would call the other and say "meet you at the Ale House!!!". No other explanation was needed. It was a haven that year.

Of course, we couldn't visit Brandon without stopping for wings at Beef O'Brady's. Beef's started in Brandon and all other wings will forever be compared with Beef's.

Driving those roads brought back so many memories. But the most fun was when we linked up with old friends. We visited our old Sunday School class and lunch with many of them. And some friends stopped by the RV. Old friends are such a blessing. I think they are one of the great benefits of moving.

After we left Brandon, we headed to the east coast to stay at Wekiva Falls RV Resort, located close to our daughter and her family.

This park was located on a natural spring that offered a cool swim (72 degrees year round) in a lovely setting. It was also a large park and I walked it most mornings.

The nicest perk at Wekiva Falls is that it is located on a river and offers canoe rentals. Jen and Nicholas came over one morning and we took out two canoes. It was Nicholas' first time in a canoe and he handled the paddle really well. Jen rode with Larry so she could take photographs.
























There were lots of baby alligators sunning themselves on logs. I didn't mention to Nicholas that where there were babies, Momma and Poppa weren't far away.

But sure enough. One showed himself, just to drive the point home.

Hmm, Is it Momma or Poppa? Who cares? It's BIG!

Jen's Selfie with Dad

It was our last day in Sanford, so after our canoe excursion, Dave and Zachary joined us for lunch at the RV. The kids thought Granberry's and Paberry's 'home' was pretty neat. It was a nice way to end our visit.

After two weeks on the road, it was time to move on. This time it was to Savannah. I always hate leaving the kids. We had such a great visit with them and I always love seeing those boys!

But I found as it was time to pack up and move on, I was excited. More about that.... next time.

Welcome to the Future.

Brad Paisley is one of my favorite country singer/songwriters. I think his lyrics are brilliant; sometimes funny, sometimes sweet. One of my favorite songs is "Welcome to the Future". If you don't know it, Google the lyrics. They range from funny to profound as he looks back over his past and sees how the world has changed. His song came to mind, recently.

Travel has really changed from the days when I was a kid. For one thing, travel trailers, or campers, were about 15 feet long and were pulled behind a pickup truck. Our 35' Class A RV probably wasn't even an idea for the drawing board yet. But our last trip gave me pause, when we stopped at a rest area in Florida.

For you kiddos of today (anyone under the age of 40 will probably qualify) you have it pretty good. Be happy. Rest Areas are not what they used to be. Looking back to the '60's when I was a kid on a cross country trip with my parents, I remember a trip we took out west. Travel, back then, was just a different experience than it is now. Turnpikes were the express route. Most roads were simple two-lane roads through America's rural landscape. We fixed picnic lunches in the motel in the morning, because you never knew where you would find a restaurant or what it would be like.

As we drove down the highway around lunchtime, my parents would start scanning roadside signs for a pull-off with a picnic table. If you found a really nice one there might be a parking area for a few cars and two or three picnic tables. And if you were really lucky there would be a porta-potty. But usually it was just one picnic table and a path into the bushes for a "Discover your own" restroom. Of course, we could always look for a gas station. I don't remember anything good about using the gas station restroom, except on a rainy day, it provided four walls and a roof. To this day, most people shudder when they think back to the conditions of those gas station restrooms! EW..... ugh.

Well, on a recent RV trip through Florida, we stopped at a newly renovated Rest Area. I got out to stretch my legs and started walking. The RV parking lot was huge. It probably covered as much space as a regular parking lot on a standard rest area. After I trekked the RV lot, I got to the Truck lot for tractor trailers. It too, was huge. Finally, I got to the Car parking lot, right in front of the main building which housed restrooms, a welcome center, and of course the vending machines.

And then I got to the dog run.

Let me rephrase that. Then I got to the Dog Park!

Maggie and I traveled many miles, and over the years we have searched for the perfect pee spot. We have huddled on narrow strips of grass surrounded by moving vehicles, or scrounged through scrub brush, dirt and empty cans at the back of a parking lot as she found a suitable place to relieve herself, all the while, attached to me by a 4 foot leash. How she would have loved this place. How I would have loved a place like this!

There were two separate runs, (one for small dogs and one for large dogs), each complete with a double entrance, a large open area for the dogs to run and play, a bench for people, and a shade tree. (For those of you who have never taken advantage of a dog park the double entrance provides a safe area where the owner can leash or unleash his dog prior to entering the run or leaving the park.) The small dog run was as large as the large dog run and both were quite spacious. I've seen community dog parks that weren't much bigger. A couple of us stood around and marveled at the dog park. One woman remarked, "you can tell we are in Florida". I'm not sure if she was referring to the use of tax dollars or Floridians love of pets. (Both points have some validity) The dog park at a rest area really had me. I thought it was marvelous.

And then as I got to the front of the building, I noticed a sign I've never seen before. 

"Preferred Parking for Alternative Fuel Vehicles"? I'm guessing it was for electric or hybrid cars....a charging station? I didn't see any plugs but that's what came to mind. I'm still wracking my brain for what other kinds of "Alternative Fuel Vehicles" there could be.

Huge parking areas for cars, trucks, and RV's, security officers, fenced and shaded dog runs....
I never imagined such things back when I was holding on to my hat and my sandwich as I stood in the wind, by an old beat-up picnic table surrounded by ants, or braved the restroom at the back of a gas station.

But then, I never envisioned traveling with a home and car in one vehicle, like a turtle at warp speed. (By the way, I never ventured into the Welcome Center. Now I also travel with my own bathroom.)

Again, I hear Brad Paisley singing..."Welcome to the Future."