From Petey

passenger seat

Mom says it is my turn to write a note about our travels and I'm going to try but I'm not as sure about what to tell you. I know that when we are 'riding' I stay mostly by her side on the floor but the past few days I have learned it is nice to sit/lie on the passenger seat since I am the passenger while mom drives.

 I, mostly, am happy while we are traveling as long as mom is here. Sometimes she leaves me during the day (but I nap then anyway) to walk but she always comes home and gives me treats so it's OK with me.



Caspar Beach



on the trail

Mom says she had a great 'hike' today on the trail here. And she encountered some trees 'fallen' in the forest. But when she got back she saw the beautiful beach and Pacific Ocean and the walk was well worth it.

We'll be here for another full day so life is pretty good - and the sun joined us instead of the rain so I am happy here and with TV and internet, Mom is happy too.

California

So far I have been enjoying this state by visiting family and walking alot. I had some great 'mini' clams in Pismo Beach and enjoyed the beach scenery and local ducks (in the campground) too. The birds make Petey a little nuts but mostly he is a fantastic RV traveler.

ducks at the camp

                                                        

littlest clams

Sara, Petey

Solvang

time flies.....

These are photos of the Parker Dam which is on the Colorado river and formed Lake Havasu which is where the London Bridge was moved several years back to link an island with Lake Havasu City.

On the way back south, the views were really terrific.
After leaving Arizona, I headed into the desert of California to Desert Hot Springs and spent a night there. I did have a good view of a mountain with snow still on the top.
From there I headed to the L.A. area and the last hour I did on Historic Route 66 so I went through all the towns including Pasadena and Burbank. The campground is in Van Nuys and is about 12 miles from my nephew’s house.
I’m looking forward to Mother’s Day at his house (will park overnight there since the temperatures are dropping enough to not need my a/c during the day).

South west



sunset in Stockton, TX

 After I left Ft. Worth, I stayed a couple of nights in Tyler and then in Stonewall, Texas. I did not do much sight seeing because nothing interested me enough so when I left Texas (with a night in Ft. Stockton first--great sunset), we headed to Roswell, New Mexico.


 

alien ?



art piece

   From Roswell, we headed north to Santa Fe where I got to Diana's house but had trouble getting level so I went to a campground about 5 miles from her house. I did get to see her art which has so improved from two years (when I thought it was great) ago that I am hoping she starts selling it and getting out of the management business! She and her friend, Victor, spent Friday and Saturday evenings with me.

      Petey and I headed south on Easter Sunday (no traffic on I-25) and went further than I had thought and we are in Mesilla, NM (Las Cruces). This park is close enough to the old Mesilla square that I was able to walk there, browse, have lunch and return before it got hot enough inside the RT for necessary a/c. I thought the wind would help keep it cool enough but it was not so Pete has his 'coolness' to sleep.

       



Center of Mesilla

Florida to Texas

big gun

Have been enjoying time in the last week with friends in between driving. In the panhandle of Florida, with G., we visited the Pensacola Light House and then Ft. Pickens.

from top of lighthouse

 










From there I headed to Louisiana where I only stayed a night in each of two campgrounds. In one, I was offered (and accepted) some freshly made Jambalaya and it was really good.


water lilies

      The next campground was in Tyler, Texas where I 'rested' and took care of laundry. I did a lovely walk there.


    It is across the street from a rodeo arena but being during the week was nice and quiet.



rooster art



jugglers in the wind





I headed to Ft. Worth to spend time with J.D and we had a great time. I stayed in a campground where most everyone there are full time residents which was interesting. We later discovered that JD has enough amperage that I could have easily parked in her driveway. I was concerned that Petey would not have his a/c in the afternoons so that was the reason we did a campground. It worked out OK. It was very windy the day we went to the outdoor art Festival and those jugglers did not do much juggling.

       We ate well while there, walked while seeing things and I enjoyed a great lecture that JD did with two other ladies concerning the use of social media . I am resting in a campground near the LBJ ranch and will do some needed house cleaning today.

Kissimmee

  I arrived in Kissimmee on Monday with the rally due to start on Tuesday but there were some Roadtreks already here so I was not alone at all. It was a beautiful day for weather and that made it even better.
   Tuesday morning the rain came but we did not get the bad winds that were doing damage in other areas of Florida. It rained on and off most of the day but that did not deter the folks coming for the rally and we have more than 62 people here for this rally which is a new record for our T & C (tech and computer) topic. This rally is held twice a year and it is always so interesting, educational and fun with the people.
   Pot luck on Tuesday was delicious and our catered meals Wednesday and tonight are good too.
   So, I am on my starting leg of the journey west and feeling great! Oh, and, Petey seems to be handling this all in his stride. He thinks the rig is his private cave and he is quite comfortable.

Almost....

Getting ready (waiting) to leave makes me crazy! I just want to go already and it doesn't happen that way. I have packed, re-packed, re-organized and except for food (have to cool down the refrig) and Petey, the RT is ready to leave the driveway. I know I have more clothing than I will need because the longer I am here, the more I decide I 'need' to take with me. I try to take things out when I put something in but that doesn't always work.
   I am not supposed to go until Tuesday but might just head out before that even though I am not going very far for the first stop (RT rally about an hour away).
   My next note should be 'away from home'!

Home after Georgia

I got home from Georgia and the rally in Perry (big FMCA, over 2700 rigs there) and am trying to clean up so that I can leave for my 'long' trip in April.

center of Fairgrounds

the Roadtrek group

my corner site

   Driving a Handicapped and Activity Golf Cart at the rally was really fun and I was able to talk to lots of people. My parking site was fantastic! I decided to spend the money for electric so I was in the volunteer 'electric' lot. I asked for a site not between two 'big' rigs and they gave me a corner which was not only geographically good but it turned out to have water and a sewer line right there (RV folks will understand how great this is). I attended many of the seminars and the evening entertainment was wonderful.
    I met great people and learned alot and always feel that rallys are fun!
   

GA, South Carolina

My first two nights out, I stayed in Georgia and it rained most of the full day that I was there however it is a park I would return to for overnights since the price was right, the place is small and run by a young couple who originally are from Australia and have three small children.
   The third night was in Hollywood, South Carolina it was only about 25 miles from the rally site here in Ladson. I was able to get unhooked on Sunday with no rain but by the time I got into the rally site, the sky had opened. The guy who helped me plug in and I got soaked!  It did pass by evening and all the participants met for dessert and coffee. There are 93 rigs here so it is interesting to talk to folks about where they are from and what they have done to their Roadtreks (some of RTs are really oldies).

in Hollywood, SC

white one is 1994, mine to its right

  Many of the folks are off on a bus tour today to Charleston and a Plantation. There are a handful of us who did not go with them.
   At least the sun is shining, although last night I needed the electric heater all night to stay warm. I will be here until Thursday and then head back into Georgia.
    Petey, by the way, is doing very well and is so well behaved that he constantly amazes me.

Finally..on the road again

Well, the 'itchy' got me and I left early today although the rally I am heading to does not start until Sunday. So, today, Petey and I are in Georgia and will stay here for a couple of nights. It is a small campground and I think mostly 'short' term folks are here but the owners are Australian and want to do lots of things with the place. There is nothing close by so unless I unplug to go into St. Mary's (closest town), I will just 'hang out'. I do not get much television (some old stuff on ION stations) so playing on computer (free internet) is OK.
   And, I will walk and sit/read and just plain relax. It amazes me that I can sit and do very little when I am traveling but when I am home it makes me crazy to do 'little' of anything. On Saturday, I will head to the Charleston area.
  

at the Rally

 This was the beginning of a 'can can' that Ramona and I did while the performer was doing Liza (singing New York, New York). It was not a planned thing but it sure was fun! Got all sorts of comments the next morning.

Mid Winter is done

  The week flew by at Mid Winter Rally in Orlando because it was so wonderful. Meeting all the solos who were there always makes it special. It is fun to put a face on the names from the Solo Trekker site. We solos do mix and mingle with the couples too.I always learn new things even though the programs are similar each year. I am glad we had the good weather and especially that it was warm for all the northern folks we had with us. The rain that was predicted initially never happened so except for fog the last two mornings, we had terrific weather.
   Petey did well as he does in the Roadtrek and we are planning our next journey which is to South Carolina (unless we do something before March) and Georgia.

home again

   Well, Petey and I are home again for about 10 days and then we will head to Mid Winter Rally. We enjoyed our little 'visit/rest' trip which included seeing my uncle/aunt and an old 'beaux' too while we were in Ft. Lauderdale. I could not believe the change in weather from one day to the next. I went from winter jacket to tank top and cut offs!
   We had a day indoors (raining) and that was OK too. And, we got home yesterday before the rain started again. I still have 'stuff' to get out of the RT, but the important things are in the house so I will get to it when the rain is lighter or tomorrow.

Actually away....

  Petey and I actually left home last Wednesday and headed southwest where I thought it might be warmer (Florida, this is) but although the sun was shining, the temperatures were not so great. I stayed at Ramona's in Punta Gorda for a couple of nights and then up to Englewood for a night with Chicki. In both places, I was provided electric so I could use my heater at night when it really got a bit too cold for me. Petey doesn't seem to mind cold but I certainly need my heat!
     From Englewood, I headed south and after a stop at the Camping World in Ft. Myers, I headed to an RV park in Homestead. Saturday afternoon I was able to put on a tank top and cut-offs! Sunday, Pepper and her mom arrived and we got to spend some nice time in the sunshine.

    This morning we woke to rain and it has been doing that all day sometimes very, very heavy and we had some thunder too. Petey did not seem to mind the thunder as many of my previous cats have so I keep learning about him. He also has discovered how to get under the covers and I finally got a picture of him with his head sticking out while I was stopped at a red light. I did post it on Facebook for those who have that access.
   Tomorrow I am heading to Ft. Lauderdale and in that area, I will get to see my Uncle Dave/Aunt Bobbi. I'm not sure if I will one or two nights.
   I have taken no other photos on this short trip. It is more of a 'resting' , visiting, and doing not much of anything trip. I needed to 'get away' and this is great!

still home

         I am not thrilled that I have not gone anywhere yet but very soon I will get back 'on the road' even if it is for short trips until the weather straightens out around the country.

         Today I visited with some friends who spend the winter camping in the park across the street from me (good county campground) and that made me more interested in going than ever.
   My Petey keeps me smiling (notice the crossed legs) as he now 'rules' this house. There is no more hiding in the closet and when he wants something (like every time I go in the kitchen) he talks to me.
    Just wanted to let you all know things are kinda 'status quo' for now.
     

almost summer, again

   It is hard to believe that I am sitting on my deck, overlooking a tranquil pond (lake) on this date after the past couple of weeks of 'cold enough for the heat need in the house'.
    The sun is shining and I have doors/windows open and even though it will be quite chilly once the sun goes down, this winter 'heat wave' is very enjoyable indeed.
   I hope all who read my blog have joyous Holidays and good health for a long time.

Florida cold!

   When the weather gets cold here, I just want to hibernate at home! Petey has acclimated to all parts of this house including tops of counters, all the furniture, and has mastered the pet door out to the deck too.
     We will probably stay home all of December although I am getting 'itchy' to go somewhere and so that could change at any time. I am thinking that we will head south on our next short trip either this month or next and then in February to the Mid Winter Rally in Orlando. In March is the rally in South Carolina for Roadtrek International and about ten days later is the FMCA rally in Perry, Georgia. 
      By April, I'll be ready to 'hit the road' for a long trip and am already playing with the maps to do a 'loose' plan of travel.

Thanksgiving camping

     Petey and I just did our first week long 'in the RT' and he totally is amazing to me. He is a wonderful traveler even though he sometimes gets on my lap (while I'm driving) for reassurance. He did not try for any doors when I opened them and I was able to put on and take off my front door screens and use my macerator (requiring opening doors) with him staying on the bed and not even 'interested' in what I was doing up there.

   We left last Saturday for O'leno State Park which is about 1/2 hour north of Gainesville, FL. My friends Sue/Jon and their youngest Becky/Corbin had arrived about 10 minutes before me and were busy setting up camp. They have travel trailers and it takes a little longer to get all hooked up and make camp. We enjoyed the woods and daily fires and the great cooking that Becky did for us. I did not need to do anything and ate well too. One day we girls went to Gainesville and while I spent the day with Becky, Sue spent her day with Lynne (an annual event for them) since she lives so close. On Tuesday we went into High Springs for a late lunch/early dinner. With perfect weather the whole time it was a good place to 'test' my new companion at his camping skills.

        On Wednesday, when Sue headed to Pensacola and Becky back to Florahome, I headed to Cedar Key where a small group of RT 'solos' were going. I did not have a reservation so I was 'chancing' that they could fit me into the full park which is right on the bay and has wonderful sunsets.

made for us site

The owners found a site for us between the workshop (on a cement slab) and unoccupied 5th wheel. We had all the utility hookups and more privacy than I could have asked for I only covered those front windows and didn't have to bother with any others. It was cozy!
     While at Sunset Isles RV Park, the ten of us (7 RTs, one reg. van) had daily happy hours watching the sun go down. On Thanksgiving Day the park provided turkey and all the campers brought sides so we had more food than we could possibly eat and were still full at Happy Hour! Friday, we went into town and wandered before having lunch at Coconuts. Some of us sat out on the windy deck while some went upstairs, inside - the weather looked like it was going to rain, but never sprinkled on us.


Jan,Lorraine,Susan,Vicki,Elaine,Ramona (Angel)



Except for some rain during the night on Friday, we had fantastic weather and a great time and discussed when we will be seeing each other again with most everyone planning the Mid Winter rally in February if not before at other rallies.

And, Petey was quite comfortable.

Petey's first ride

  Took Petey for his first ride today in the RT. He wasn't thrilled but did very well. He yelled at me some (not the whole time) and spent his time on the floor and not the bed or front seat. He did come and try to sit on me too. I ran a few errands so I was able to see what happens when I go out the side door and then the driver's door. He was no where near either of them so, although I will always be very careful, I think he is going to do just fine. When we got home (were out about an hour and half), he hung pretty close to me and now is back in his 'closet' safe spot sleeping. I will do this again with him before a ride to the vet and our trip to a campground next Saturday.
    Just for the record, I weighed him and he is 16.6lbs when I do it on my scale (deducting my weight) so he is a mighty big boy!

Post Rally in Kissimmee

     Due to lots of rainy weather, I did not take photos at our rally this time. It was still quite interesting and I learned more about my new Windows 7 (on my laptop). It is always fun to 'hang' with this Roadtrek chapter.
    I did have an expense since I had to replace house batteries and decided to go with two new 'gel' types so I will have 'maintenance' free and not have to check water.

    I also acquired (not at the rally) a new cat who is 4 or 5 years old and he is going to take some time to be comfortable in his new (indoor only) life and surroundings. Since we will be going away in only two weeks, he needs to start being more trusting of me. He discovered the closet so is hiding in there more than under the bed although he will come out when I call him. He weighs about 14.5 lbs so is no lightweight which makes me less concerned that he isn't eating alot right now while he is adjusting.
     The photo shows, though, that he has no trouble getting on the bed but will stay there only if I am there. Petey (he looks like a royal to me -Czar Peter the Great) will be fine and I will love having the companion again.

Being home -Yuk!

OK, it is definitely more fun and a simpler life being 'on the road' than being at home where there are always so many 'tasks' to take care of and not all of them are any fun at all!

   I did go to Epcot for the day using my free entry ticket (volunteering earned me the ticket) and I had Disney dollars (using a Disney Visa card earns those) to cover parking plus some of the food I purchased. It is the Food and Wine Festival time in the park and I sampled from nine different countries. It was hotter than it should have been for this month so I did more of the indoor, air conditioned rides and exhibits. I slept very well when I hit the bed that night.
    Next week I'll be going to a Roadtrek rally in Kissimmee and that will be fun since being with the chapter members is always a good time.

After a week at home...

Seems I did have the names/ contact information for that great couple who brought me the birthday gifts! As I continue to clean out and re-organize the Roadtrek, I am finding all sorts of things and that includes the contact info I got along the way.
   I am almost done and when I get to the cleaning of the floors, I will be ready to go again. I have almost all the food out so once that is done I will only have to stock what I want to take (food and clothing). My GPS unit is going to be replaced with a new one (compliments of Roadtrek) since it isn't functioning and with the van taken care of I will have to face the house which is in such disarray I am overwhelmed.
   Next week the zoo starts having Boo at the Zoo and I'll be volunteering for that and can only hope our great weather continues.

Home!

I am home and realizing how much easier it is to be living in my Roadtrek!

flowers at Golden Isles RV campground

   From my last note at Callaway Gardens, I went to Alabama for a couple of days before heading east to Brunswick, Ga. I was there for a couple of days and it rained 1/2 the time which is why I made sure it was a campground with cable TV. The last evening there, I met a great couple from Ft. Myers who added to my alcohol consumption for that day and I never even got their full names!

             It was a very fun evening and they, too, were heading to Ft. Clinch the next day but were going to camp in the Beach campground where as I was going to be in the River campground. They said they would come and find me. Well, on my birthday evening, they really did! They brought me wine, a card, and a lovely Journal book. I now have their first names but still not able to contact them. I can only hope we meet 'on the road' again.

Ft Clinch

   The other wonderful part of my birthday weekend at Ft. Clinch with my Roadtrek friends was the arrival of my friends (met in Wisconsin) from Hawaii who spent the whole weekend with us  (they are Roadtrek owners) and for me this was the 'icing' on my cake!
   Now I must put things away, clean and take care of 'home' stuff and it is certainly not as much fun as I have had over the last five months.

A week to go...

    I am here in Georgia at my second campground after spending a few days in my friend's driveway. I am not thrilled with summer still hanging around and the need to run my a/c but I have been able to sleep at night with just the vent/fan and that's better than a/c.

             I went to Callaway Gardens and after some walking, I watched the Birds of prey 'show' which was two birds showing their free flights and the 'keeper' explaining all about them. The owl was swooping very low and I had to duck a few times to avoid getting hit.

The flowers in the Horticultural Center were really pretty and this photo is just outside the building!

   The butterfly exhibit was showing only Blue Morphs and they are difficult to photograph with the blue wings in open position. I got more photos of various butterflies when I was on Mackinaw Island in the butterfly exhibit there (photo above shows the blue ones on the window).
     Tomorrow I will go to Alabama and then head back east to Brunswick, GA. On Thursday, next week, I will be going to Ft. Clinch (Fernandina Beach, FL) for a rally with the Roadtrek chapter and that will be my last campground before going home. It will be fun to spend my birthday with my Roadtrek friends.
 

The time is going.......

  I can't believe that my journey is only a couple of weeks from home. I have been 'wandering' around in North Carolina and am now in South Carolina where I will be until Sunday when I will visit with my friends in Kennesaw, GA. While in N.C., I spent a night at my friend's house  in Hickory and it is always good to visit friends. I discovered that my surge protector works correctly since I tripped the breaker in the house when I tried to turn on my a/c. After re-setting the breaker, I tried all my appliances while on generator and everything was just fine. It was cool enough at night to use their electric to run the refrigerator although I did have my propane turned 'on' for 'just in case'.
   I have discovered the reason for my 'sweating' freezer too and it is now 'fixed' because I had a container that was preventing the door from really being closed properly and now that I have changed that situation, my freezer no longer 'sweats' and all is good. 
    The things I have learned on this trip will serve me well for my future travels. I have more 'stuff' than I could ever need and when I get home cleaning out (house and Roadtrek) stuff is at the top of my priorities.