Let the Good Times ROLL!

NATIONAL PARKS ACROSS USA -
Since September 28, 06, we have seen the following National Parks:
Badlands National Park – South Dakota
Big Bend National Park - Texas
Crater Lake National Park – Oregon
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – North Carolina
Mount Rainier - Washington
Mount Rushmore National Memorial – South Dakota
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Washington
Redwoods National Park - California
Saguaro National Park - Arizona
Sequoia National Park - California
Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming
Yosemite National Park – California
National Parks and/or Monuments seen on previous vacations:
Jefferson Expansion National Memorial – St. Louis, Missouri
Lincoln Memorial & Washington Monument - DC
Everglades National Park – Florida
Grand Canyon National Park - Arizona
Haleakala National Park - Hawaii
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park – Hawaii
U.S.S. Arizona Memorial – Hawaii
National Parks we hope to see:
Death Valley National Park - California
Mesa Verde National Park – Colorado
Carlsbad Caverns National Park – New Mexico
Bryce Canyon National Park – Utah
Arches National Park – Utah
Canyonlands National Park – Utah
Zion National Park - Utah
Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming
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Return to USA - Destination - Florida for Winter

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 - We left Vacationland RV Park - Brackley Beach, Prince Edward Island Canada to Camper City RV Resort in Moncton, New Brunswick - Canada. We had rain again this morning which made things wet and uncomfortable to prepare the coach to travel. We did not have far to go, but it was raining most of the way. We left at 8 am and paid a $55 toll for taking the Confederation Bridge.

We arrived at Camper City RV Resort in Moncton, New Brunswick in two hours. We have a pull-through site so we can leave again in the morning to get to Calais, ME after we pass US Customs.














Thursday, August 14 - Around 8 am with sunny skies, we departed Camper City RV Resort in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, for Calais, Maine USA.  Nothing like being back in the great United States. Customs was easy on our return to the states. Situated as it is, Calais is one of the busiest border crossings with Canada. A former shipping community, Calais has many historic sites, including historic districts and museum. We passed a cultivated cranberry bog on our drive to the park.


Friday, August 15 - We left Keenes Lake Campground, Calais Maine to drive to Pumpkin Patch RV Resort near Bangor Maine. We took a drive to Bangor and found their downtown architecture quite beautiful.









                                                         










Monday, August 18 - We arrived at Outdoor World Moody Beach, Maine (south of Kennebunkport) and set up. The park is very dusty (dirt/gravel) and we had a hard time finding a site large enough for our rig. Last two roads are saved for long-term stays with 50 amps. Lots of trees and more a family park. No satellite but Verizon and ATT work. A lot of small campers using the extended stay program.
Wednesday, August 20 - This is our third day in Moody Beach area and a cold front passed through and we woke up to 53 degrees outside in August? Our little portable heater in the living room is adequate to take the chill off. The sun shinning through the oaks and pines that surround us make dancing shadows through our windows.







Moody Beach




Friday, August 22 - Leaving Moody Beach Outdoor World park in Wells, Maine to Catskill Adventure Resort Wurtsboro, NY.
Wurtsboro is located in Sullivan County, New York. It is known as the foothills to the Catskills. It is very scenic and there is much to do from the best trout fishing to awesome motorcycle rides. The Wurtsboro area is very accessible as there are major roadways leading in and out.

Moody Beach






















Wednesday, August 27 - Pocono Vacation Park, Stroudsburg PA in the Pocono Mountains. Although this park advertises level, pull-thru sites, they told us our rig was too large to fit in the area they had set aside for us. Fortunately, we saw one empty site up front on a corner lot with plenty of room and level. Usually saved for workers, they let us have it.  The Poconos are nestled in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania is a little slice of heaven, featuring roaring waterfalls, gurgling streams and flowing rivers, tree-studded mountains and quaint towns with old-world names. While here we visited the town of Jim Thorpe, founded in1816 as Mauch Chunk, the Native American word for “sleeping bear”.


















































Monday, September 01 - We planned to arrive early at Hershey Thousand Trails Park in Lebanon, PA because this is such a popular membership park and the good sites are usually taken by early morning. We stayed 16 nights. The park ranger told us about 190 departures today, and we were very fortunate to find a great site with 50-amp service overlooking the lake. The Amish landscape is beautiful and serene, no matter what time of year. 
Friday, September 12 - Just looked outside and the ducks in the lake are doing synchronized swimming and it so funny to see all their white tails up in the air - it is hilarious.






















Monday, September 15 - We left Hershey Thousand Trails Park in Lebanon, PA at 7:30 am for a seven-hour drive to Lynchburg Thousand Trails Preserve near Lynchburg, Virginia. We stayed 21 nights.  We found a satellite-friendly site up on hill.  So late in the season, we were almost by ourselves most of the time.  Enjoyed the luxury of walks around the lake everyday.


 Ray took the Gold Wing for rides over to the Blue Ridge Parkway during our stay.













Friday, September 19 - We decided to go and see the Natural Bridge and the Monacan Village (CIR. 1700)..


Tuesday, October 7 - We left our site at the Thousand Trails Lynchburg Preserve around 7:30 and drove 156 miles to the Thousand Trails Forest Lake Preserve in Advance, North Caroliina (near Lexington, NC).  We stayed 21 nights. October 8 - We have clouds and chilly 58 degrees.

We thoroughly enjoyed downtown Lexington.  The walk up the steps to the museum were daunting, but the stops along the way made the trip more enjoyable. The museum has much worth seeing as well. 
Tuesday, October 28 - We left Thousand Trails Forest Lake Preserve in Advance, North Carolina around 8:30 AM to drive to a Passport America park in Asheville, NC called Wilson’s Riverfront RV Park. Very small park, nicely maintained and located on a river. The sites all have 30/50 amps and concrete slabs, so leveling was easy. We also have satellite and cell service.











We met our son Steven and Gennifer (wife) in Asheville and went to a nearby State Park to let the dogs run around. It was a beautiful day and a fun time together.










Thursday, October 30 - We took our time leaving Wilson’s Riverfront RVPark in Asheville, NC to drive two hours to Thousand Trails Carolina Landing in Fair Play SC. We have been to this park before and we selected one of the more level sites about mid-way up a steep hill. We have 50-amp service, cell and internet. With tiered sites, you don’t feel as close to your neighbor.











Thursday, November 06 - It is another beautiful day here Carolina Landings. Ray took the Gold Wing over to Highlands/Cashiers. He took some really outstanding photos.





 






















Tuesday, November 11 -Left Carolina Landing Preserve in Fair Play, SC. We drove I-85 and the day was awesome. Sun and blue sky. The fall colors are still around, but the winds have certainly removed many leaves.  We arrived at Big Water Resort, an ROD membership park in Summerton, South Carolina for six nights.




























This park is located on a large portion of Lake Marion with 5 full hook-up big-rig sites. All have 50-amp service. The 40-acre resort has eight cabins with a lake view. They have a huge fishing pier and launch ramp. There is a beautiful pool section, but due to the time of year there is not anyone using it. In fact the park may have ten RVs and we are at the very front of the park near the lake, and no one has moved in around our area. The walk to the lake and pier area every day is beautiful, although chilly.  We took a drive into Summerton to see what the town is like. Very depressed town with houses mostly run down. The only grocery store is a Piggly - Wiggly. We headed toward the other side of the interstate to Santee. It is a resort town primarily for its proximity to Lake Marion. The population was 740 at the 2000 census. The town is currently experiencing economic growth. Every fast food eatery is along the strip and many motel/hotels are available due to the proximity to I-95. Interstate 95 bridge crosses over Lake Marion and the old bridge is now a fishing pier.
Monday, November 17 - It was 8:30 am by the time we left Big Water Resort in Summerton, SC. It was in the low 30s last night and it won’t get above mid-50s today. Cold front covered the whole eastern seaboard even into Florida. The sky is cobalt blue. We drove I-95 into Florida to spend one night at Ocala Sun RV Resort in Ocala. We were checking out parks with deeded lots for sale. found one large lot that has the highest elevation throughout the park, costs $59,900 - includes 500 sf of concrete or pavers.
Tuesday, November 18 - We are back in Florida and drove to the Thousand Trails Orlando Preserve in Clermont where we stayed 21 nights. We were assigned one site and we did not like the location at all, so we looked around in the truck, selected another site and went to the main office to give them the new site number. This park needs a lot of help with leveling out some big-rig sites. The sites are very close together too. After 21 nights, membership rules that we have to move to another TT park (like Peace River) for 21 nights. Then we can't stay at either of these "high use" parks for the remainder of the season.


We decided there were so many reasons why we did not want to continue using the TT system in Florida for the "snow bird" season.  
We started our quest to purchase a permanent site in Florida to be our residence.  





First and foremost at the time was Rolling Ridge RV Resort in Clermont.  The only site we found desirable required a lot of intensive research on our part.  Once we found out there were more costs to make the necessary moves of electrical and water to accommodate our motorhome, plus add the additional paver/concrete costs, we canceled the contract.  After the fact, the salesman wanted to  know what he could offer to entice us to go through with the deal.  (He should have done that up front - big mistake).  We are so thankful this did  not work out for us. 





Sunday, December 07 - Ray drove to a community he remembered seeing on the road while traveling. It is called Mount Olive Shores RV Resort, Polk City (Lakeland). When we drove over together we looked at all the lots (some finished, some not) for sale and made our notes. We drove into a cul-de-sac and there was a For Sale by Owner sign out front and an RV parked. One thing led to another and after some negotiations with the owners, we made a contract with them for the site. The site has more square footage than any other park site we investigated. The park (community) has minimal annual fee to keep up with mowing and edging our property and taking care of the common areas in the park. There are no amenities to pay for, i.e. pool, spa, tennis courts, activity building, etc. The rules are the same in general as owning a condo.
Sunday, December 07 - Ray drove to a community he remembered seeing on the road while traveling. It is called Mount Olive Shores RV Resort, Polk City (Lakeland). When we drove over together we looked at all the lots (some finished, some not) for sale and made our notes. We drove into a cul-de-sac and there was a For Sale by Owner sign out front and an RV parked. One thing led to another and after some negotiations with the owners, we made a contract with them for the site. The site has more square footage than any other park site we investigated. The park (community) has minimal annual fee to keep up with mowing and edging our property and taking care of the common areas in the park. There are no amenities to pay for, i.e. pool, spa, tennis courts, activity building, etc. The rules are the same in general as owning a condo.
Tuesday, December 30 - We moved from Lakeland RV Park, Old Combee Rd, Lakeland to our new site at Mt. Olive Shores, Polk City, Florida.

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FULL TIMING

FULL TIMING? Our first thoughts on such a monumental change of direction in our lives started with the purchase of a 32' Toy Hauler-KZ 5th Wheel early 2006. We took a vacation in May and traveled the mountains of North Carolina. We liked the fact we had our own bed to sleep in and could see surrounding areas either on our Honda Gold Wing or GMC truck. However, during the vacation, we found that the KZ 32' 5th-wheel was entirely too small, even for a long weekend. We wanted to trade up. One thing led to another and we started to question the next three years before Marsha was scheduled to retire.After much soul-searching, prayer, and financial calculations, Marsha requested early retirement for personal and physical reasons.Full timing meant we were saying "goodbye" to all that is familiar. Everything happened so quickly we didn't have time to contemplate that aspect much. We research everything thoroughly before we purchase. This would be our new home and we wanted all the "bells & whistles" within our budget. Lazy Days in Seffner, Florida had a new National, 2006 Tradewinds motorhome available at the right price. It has a 400-HP Turbo diesel engine and many amenities. We did get the "cart before the horse" purchasing the RV before selling our home. It was the worst time of year to sell a home in Florida. We sold with only a month before closing! Thankfully, we had our new "home on wheels" in our back yard for preparation.

It became clear that our personal craving for travel and adventure overcame our requirement for a traditional home with all the things that seemed so important.Getting rid of clutter can be liberating. We did not want to pay for storage. Collectibles such as our Fenton glass, sets of crystal glass, or ceramic pieces were handed over to family members or close friends for their enjoyment. We had a two-day garage sale and anything remaining went to charity. We feel the flexibility and comfort of RV travel far outweighs any pinch felt at the fuel pump. Let the Good Times Roll!