Austell Ga and Tabor City NC December 10-15, 2019

Austell GA and Tabor City NC

Day 1 Tuesday December 10, 2019 We departed from home at 6:48 AM just at daybreak and headed to Austell GA., to get the motorhome aligned and a device called Safe T Plus installed. The Safe T Plus is designed to improve the steering of the motorhome and also helps control the motorhome in the event of a front end tire blowout. After the approximately 450 mile drive, partly in the rain, we arrived at 4PM at Big Moe's Spring and Alignment shop where we had permission to stay overnight in their parking lot. There is not a campground nearby and we wanted to be there when they opened Wednesday morning so they could work us in, since they don't take appointments.  The temperature on most of the drive was warm with a high of 80 degrees but when we arrived the cool front had come through and the temperature had dropped to the mid 40's.

After getting everything setup for the night which didn't take long since we had no hookups and we only put out two slides, we drove about a mile to get some supper at a good Mexican restaurant.

Day 2 Wednesday December 11, 2019. It was about 32 degrees when we got up at 7AM. I checked in at the office at Big Moe's and they pulled the motorhome in about 8:15AM and was completed before 9AM. We left there and drove the 6 miles over to Safe T Plus for the install of their equipment. They got it all installed including 4 new shock absorbers and the technician and I took it out to test drive it and do any adjustments needed. He only had to tweak it twice to get it tracking perfectly. We paid our bill and hooked up the toad and was on the road by 12:15PM. We expected it to take the better part of two days and it only took ½ of a day for both jobs.

We drove to Augusta GA and pulled into Cabela's Sporting Goods parking lot for the night. We went inside and did a little bit of last minute Christmas shopping before calling it a day.

Day 3 Thursday December 12, 2019 We departed our “campsite” at 7:30AM, drove about 60 miles and stopped at a Loves' Truck Stop to fuel up the motorhome and also get some breakfast at their onsite McDonalds.

We arrive at our a real campground about 2PM. It is Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Daddy Joe's just outside Tabor City NC. The couple that purchased our Phaeton motorhome told us about this campground so since it was fairly close to our route we decided it would be a good time to check it out. They told us it had a lot of activities and water sports that our grandsons might like. It is a large facility, with several lakes, inside swimming pool, ball courts, etc., paved streets and concrete parking pads for the RV.

I checked in and was assigned to site 40, a pull through site facing one of the ponds. We got setup, had lunch and relaxed for awhile.We will ride around and check it out more tomorrow. I needed to do a few maintenance items around the motorhome after we got set up. We are still learning things about this new to us motorhome.

Day 4 Friday December 13, 2019 We had drizzling rain today but we still drove the 40 minutes to Myrtle Beach to attend The Carolina Opry's Christmas Show. We attended a show here on our 50th anniversary and we really enjoyed the show so we thought the Christmas show might be good also. We were not wrong. They put on a spectacular show that was almost 3 hours long. They have a first class theater that seats 2,000 and it is always decorated really nice. The seating in arranged in a slope so the person ahead of you is not blocking your view. They really employee some talented people.

We returned to the campground before nightfall and it was still raining and rained all through the night. It seems good to be in a campground that is not full of mud holes when it rains. All the sites here are concrete pads and the streets are all paved asphalt.

Day 5 Saturday December 14, 2019  It rained hard early in the morning and continued to rain until late morning. So we stayed in and did some reading. Finally the rain stopped and the wind picked up after about 1PM so we took a walk around the campground to check out the amenities. We will probably come back after our grandsons get out of school for the Summer.

Day 6 Sunday December 15, 2019 We packed up and headed for home at 10AM and arrived about 12:30PM after a quick fuel stop to top off the tank so it will be full during the next couple of months so moisture will not accumulate in the tank. We might make another short local cool weather trip before March but not sure yet.

NC Seafood Festival and Cedar Point National Park CG

NC Seafood Festival and Cedar Point National Park CG

Day 1 Thursday October 3, 2019 We departed home about 11AM for Cedar Point Campground (CG) in Cedar Point NC. We have a craft show this weekend at the N.C. Seafood Festival in Morehead City NC. We have been participating or at least trying for about 7 years. The last 4 years has been hampered by hurricanes or rain. We canceled in 2016 due to a hurricane, Friday of the 2017 event was just about a rain out and 2018 the event was canceled due to Hurricane Florence.

We arrived at the CG about 12:15PM and set up in site 32. We have stayed at the CG several times over the years. It is a nice CG with paved parking pads, large sites and 50/30/20AMP electrical hookup and a nice new dump station.

Day 2 Friday October 4, 2019 We went to Morehead and setup our canopy and my woodcrafts. It was hot until about 3PM when the temperature began to drop and the wind picked up blowing a cold front in. The wind was playing havoc with my bowls and stuff, blowing them off the displays. The winds just got worse and about 4PM when I was trying to take the crafts and pack them up so they wouldn't get damage a strong gust of wind turned over two of our tables and threw several bowls on the asphalt and scratched them up. A man walking by helped Lena hold the canopy while I finished packing everything up in our plastic tubs. We finally got everything packed away and the canopy lowered as low as we could get it and the sides zipped on and the weights adjusted and left the event and went back to the CG. We were really worn out from the heat and the frustration with the wind damage but life has its ups and downs so in the big scheme of things as a friend of ours says “don't sweat the small stuff”.

Day 3 Saturday October 5, 2019 We went back to Morehead City to see if we would be able to setup for the event today but the wind was still blowing about 18 MPH and blowing right directly down the street onto our canopy so there was no way we could set back up without risking damaging more of my crafts. I helped one of the vendors across from us secure his canopy better before we left and went back to the CG after stopping at Dunkin Donuts for a Latte and donuts.

Day 4 Sunday October 6, 2019 The wind was blowing about the same speed today (app. 17 MPH) but had shifted to more to the East so it was not as bad on our location so we decided to open today. We still had to hold onto the canopy some but not as bad as Friday. We were so glad when 5PM came and we could pack up and leave. We have decided this is the last year we will be a vendor at the NCSFF. We are tired of fighting Mother Nature.

Day 5 Monday October 7, 2019  We took the truck and went back home to unload the crafts and supplies and meet a couple that wanted to look at our Phaeton motorhome that we have for sale. They placed a deposit on it and are due to come back Friday to finalize the deal. After I mowed the lawn we returned to the CG at Cedar Point.

Day 6 Tuesday October 8, 2019 We were kind of lazy today but I did setup our new satellite receiver. But I may need some help getting all the TVs working off the Satellite. The weather clouded up, the temperature dropped and drizzled some rain most of the afternoon so we stayed in and did some reading.

Day 7 Wednesday October 9, 2019 The couple that was in the campsite next to us are members of the same woodturning club that I am a member of in Wilmington. They came over and chatted for awhile before they had to depart for home.

Day 8 Thursday October 10, 2019 We are having some Fall weather today. We had to dump our holding tanks today and take on some more fresh water. The campsites don't have water and sewer hookups and we can only go about 7 days before having to dump our tanks and take on water.

Then we did a some maintenance on the motorhome that we found that needed some attention. We are still in the learning process on this motorhome. It is has much more technology than our Phaeton.

The campground is so quite and peaceful, sure makes our stay here nice. It is fun to watch the squirrels scurrying about and the bluebirds flying around.

Day 9 Friday October 11, 2019 We drove back home this morning to meet the couple that is buying our Phaeton motorhome at the bank. After completing the paperwork they hooked up their tow car and drove away with it. So we had a good morning. We returned to the CG at Cedar Point for the remainder of our stay.

Day 10 Saturday October 12, 2019 Lena prepared food for church tomorrow and I got out my Dutch Oven and charcoal and cooked a rack of my “almost world famous” ribs for our lunch. We relaxed, did some reading and enjoyed the nice weather the remainder of the day.

Day 11 Sunday October 13, 2019 Lena finished preparing the food we were carrying to church today. There is a historic church just down the road that hold services twice a year and the second Sunday in October we spread dinner out on the stretched wire table. The church is the Hadnot Primitive Baptist Church and was built in the late 1700's. We had invited the couple that was camped beside us to attend church with us today and bring another couple that was camping with them one night. They drove from Wilmington this morning and stopped by our campsite before going on to the church.

There were more people in attendance today than I have ever seen. The church was almost at capacity. There was several young people that went up in the balcony to free up seats below for older people. We had a good service and lots of good home cooking. The weather was about as perfect as can be expected.

After church our son and his family and the Pastor of our home church and his wife came back to the campground to visit for awhile.

Day 11 Monday October 14, 2019 We packed up, dumped our tanks and headed home about 10AM. Our experience at the Seafood Festival was not so good but the remainder of our stay was nice. Sure enjoyed the cooler temperature.

NacogdochesTexas to Home

Day 1 Tuesday September 24, 2019 We are in Nacogdoches, Texas today. We arrived here Thursday September 19, 2019 to look at a 2017 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40 SP. We test drove it Thursday afternoon not long after arriving from the 1,116 miles trip from home in North Carolina. We made the drive in a day and a half. We were pleased with the motorhome and agreed to buy it after doing as through an inspection of it as we could. There were a few minor things that need attention. The dealership Motorhomes of Texas promised to fix anything we found plus the things they found and also do a complete front to back service on the chassis, engine, transmission and heating system. They brought in three of their technicians on Saturday to work a half day on it and worked about all day Monday finishing up and then cleaned it inside and out so we could leave today. This motorhome will replace the one we currently have as we will be putting it up for sale.

Two Happy Campers

Our new ride

We departed the dealership at 9AM for the long trip home. We drove about 385 miles and stopped for the night at Roosevelt State Park in Morton MS. This would be our second night in the motorhome, since we checked out of our hotel Monday morning and stayed in the motorhome on the dealers lot Monday night. We backed into site 70 and were able to set up without any issues. This motorhome has a lot more “bells and whistles” than our other one so we were careful to do things slow and easy. This is a fairly nice campground but could use some sprucing up.

Day 2 Wednesday September 25, 2019 We departed about 7:30AM and drove about 485 miles to Heritage RV Park in Augusta Ga. I had requested their only pull through site so we set up in site 71 for the night. We have never driven this far in one day in our other motorhome but this one drives and rides better than the other one so I was not as tired as I would have been driving the other one.

Day 3 Thursday September 26, 2019 We departed again about 7:30AM and drove the final 335 miles or so and arrived home safe and sound about 3PM.

Canadian Maritimes August 19-26, 2019

Day 70 Monday August 19, 2019 About 10:30AM we took the Island Explorer Shuttle bus to the center of town in Bar Harbor. Our campground and Bar Harbor are located on Mt Desert Island which is connected to the mainland with a short bridge. The shuttle is free and they have a fleet of propane gas powered buses that run 6 routes all over the island. Funding is provide by the L.L. Bean Company. Their flagship store is just a few miles from the island. Bar Harbor is a pretty town and almost totally tourist oriented. The free buses keep a major number of cars from going into an already busy town with limited parking which you have to pay for. The fog was thick this morning all the way up to the edge of the boat harbor but it cleared about noon when the sun came out. We walked the streets checking out the sights until we got hungry and walked into Greedys Restaurant and got the best clam chowder we have had in a long time. We both ordered a bowl and it was a big bowl with lots of clams. Yummy.

Later we stopped at a coffee shop and got a latte before boarding the shuttle for the return trip to the campground.

We had planned to stay in the rest of the day but got a text from one of the couples that was on the tour with us about going to dinner at a steak restaurant name Jack Russell's. We didn't know it but five other couples from the tour were staying in campgrounds nearby so we all got together for one more meal and had a good time reminiscing about our trip.

Day 71 Tuesday August 20, 2019 We drove 236 miles to Wakeda Campground in Hampton New Hampshire and set up in site D14. Finally a site that is level and a little space between our site and the neighbors and plenty of afternoon shade. This is a large family owned and operated campground that has been open for 45 years. Most of the sites are seasonal but they are kept neat, unlike some we have seen at other campgrounds.

It seems to be getting warmer the more we go South. So I expect we are going to really feel the heat the farther we go because we had only 2 or 3 really warm days when we were in the Maritimes. Usually the temperatures ranged from the upper 50's to upper 70's.

We were tired so we didn't do anything much this afternoon other than relax. I did change out both our water filters. One of the guys at dinner last night said he changed his and they were really black from some of the water we got in the Maritimes. We had been told by the tour company to bring extra filters but we had forgot about changing them. We don't normally change them but one time a year since we are not living in the motorhome full time.

Day 72 Wednesday August 21, 2019 We went to a local McDonald's for breakfast this morning and access to their WiFi. There is WiFi at the campground in their Trading Post and our cell phone signal is to weak to support our Hotspot since we are back in the woods about a mile and not near a cell tower. After breakfast we went to WalMart for a few groceries and to run the Jeep through a car wash to wash some of the last 60+ days of grime off it. It looks better but will still need a hand washing to get it clean, the same as the motorhome.

A thunderstorm came through in mid-afternoon so we couldn't sit outside this afternoon and read as we wanted to.

Day 73 Thursday August 22, 2019 We only had 114 miles to drive today and check-in time was not until 2PM so we waited until 10AM to depart. We had a nice drive but began seeing warning signs about a bridge closure ahead and for big truck to take a detour. We weren't sure if we were going to get through so we found a route around the closure just in case as we didn't want to get in a position where we had to unhook the toad and turn around on a two lane road. We did that a few years ago and didn't want to do it again. Our detour got us around and it only delayed us about 20 minutes. We came up on a shopping center so we took a chance and pulled into it to get off the road and get something to eat. There was a nice large parking lot in front of Home Depot so we parked and walked over to the Longhorn Steak House and got a good meal. I got the first sweet iced tea in a restaurant in about 3 months. The waitress said most restaurants in this area didn't serve sweet tea but Longhorn Steak House was created in Georgia therefore they sever it.

We got to Kampfires Campground Inn & Entertainment  just after 2PM and checked into site A2. The second campsite in a row that was level. Wow! We relaxed awhile and later drove into the shopping district of Brattleboro Vermont about 4 miles away to check out a new laptop computer at Staples. We are going back in the morning to see if they can access the files on my dead computer and I probably will buy a new computer from them.

I setup the satellite disk and we watched some TV. Since June 18th we probably have not watched more than 2 hours of TV and it seemed kind of nice to be away from it for awhile. The satellites for Dish Network are so low on the horizon that it is difficult to get the satellite disk to “see” them in Canada.

Day 74 Friday August 23, 2019 We stopped at Dunkin Donuts to tank up on coffee and donuts before going to Staples. The young tech at Staples tried but was not able to access the hard drive on my dead laptop. I was not surprised but it would have been nice. He said he could hear the drive spin up but the part that reads the disk was not functioning. Since he was not able to retrieve the data he didn't charge me anything. I purchased a new laptop and we returned to the campground.

I worked until about 5PM loading software on the new computer and getting our bank account and charge cards all up to date and reconciled. The campground has a small vegetable garden that is open to the campers so Lena walked over and picked a couple of tomatoes and a cucumber.

Day 75 Saturday August 24, 2019 We packed up and departed about 7:45AM for out 320 miles drive to Harleysviille PA., where we will be over nighting in a WalMart parking lot (with permission of the Manager).

We left Vermont and drove through Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York back into Connecticut for about 5 minutes, then back into New York, New Jersey and on into Pennsylvania. The traffic in New York over the Governor Mario Cuomo bridge was almost like setting in a 8 lane parking lot it moved so slow. Then when we got into New Jersey we were not sure we would even get to Pennsylvania. The New Jersey drivers are VERY aggressive. They whip in and out of traffic crossing back and forth over lanes just to advance a car position or two and speed up to pass you so they can cut in front of you so they can whip to the right for their exit. UGG!!!

Gov. Mario Cuomo Bridge in NY

We got to the Walmart's parking lot about 4PM and was so glad. We parked where the Manager told us to as far from the store as possible where we will not interfere with customer parking. We can't cook here without running the generator which is considered “Bad Etiquette” when using a WalMart parking lot but there was a Pizzaria beside WalMart so we walked over and got a pizza for supper.

Day 76 Sunday August 25, 2019 We departed about 8AM for our 230 mile trip to Kiptopeke State Park in Cape Charles VA. This campground is about 2 miles from the 18 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel that we will have to cross tomorrow. We came through it in 2014 when we came through here on our way to the Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains. I don't particular like driving through it but it sure beats driving up into Maryland and down around D.C., on I95.

Today we finished going through Pennsylvania, before driving through Delaware, the edge of Maryland and on into Virginia. One more state to go tomorrow and we will be home.

We checked in the campground about 2:15PM and setup in site B22 that I reserved last night. We stayed here on the way to the Poconos in 2014.

Day 77 Monday August 26, 2019 We departed about 8AM and drove through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel without incident. The winds were gusting about 20 MPH but were tailwinds so it didn't effect us on the tall bridge like it would if it had been sidewinds. There were lots of whitecaps out in the bay and the water was really rolling.

Here we go

Going down into the tunnel

Coming out of the first tunnel

Coming out of the second tunnel

We got home about 1PM and was thankful to arrive safe and sound after 77 days on the road. We did not have any breakdowns and only the one incident where the construction barrel rolled out and hit the motorhome doing a little minor  damage. We did have one cabinet catch break that I have to fix and a lot of road grime to wash off the motorhome and toad.  We rode the best roads of the entire trip today between Norfolk  VA and home on Hwys. 17, 13, 11, 241 and 41. There was some really nice farmland on this route. Lots of corn, soybeans, peanuts, sweet potatoes and tobacco.

We traveled 6,532 miles in the motorhome through some of the most picturesque places we have ever seen. But the roads in that part of Canada are terrible. We stayed in 35 different campgrounds, 2 WalMarts and 1 Boondockers Site.

Our travel map is filling up

Canadian Maritimes August 17-18, 2019

Day 68 Saturday August 17, 2019 Several in our group departed the campground at 8:40 for a visit to Ministers Island about 4 miles down the road. It is a 490 acre island. There is not a bridge to the island and technically there is not a road either. So how did we get there you may ask. Well the tide was out and there is a natural sandbar of rock and sand, etc. that is built up across the water so that when the tide is out vehicles can driver across the sandbar to the island. We got there at 9AM paid our entry fee to visit the summer home and of Sir William Van Horne and got a numbered island pass that we had to turn in when we returned at 11AM. That way the ticket booth staff knows if everyone has got off the island before the tide comes in. People in the past has waited too long to return and got caught in the rising water and drowned. This happen to a girl just last year. You can drive across the sandbar but don't have to pay the entry fee if you don't go beyond the ticket booth to visit the house so you are on your own to return before the tide comes in.

Sir William was the President of the Canadian Pacific Railroad among other things and was from Illinois originally. He also had a home in Montreal Canada. The summer home was named Covenhoven and after it was expanded it had 50 rooms, 26 of which was the family's main living quarters, plus servants quarters, kitchen, store rooms, etc. It was modern for its time, with running water and bathrooms. He had a windmill that pumped the water and the water was stored in a 10,000 gallon railroad car that was buried underground. He loved to paint and only slept about 4 hours a night so he had a downstairs bedroom on the front of the house so he could get up and leave the house without disturbing anyone and go out to a building overlooking the water and paint.

One of a kind billiard score board

Mrs Horne's bedroom

Ice box in center with food storage on sides

1931 GE Refrigerator - Still works

Kitchen 3,000 pound coal stove

Living room fireplace

After our guide took us through the house we were allowed to browse through on our own before driving over to the barn.  It is one of the largest barns in New Brunswick and cost $20,000 to build in 1898 and over $2,000,000 to restore a few years ago. It took and estimated 50 trail car loads of rough lumber to build it. He raised Clydesdale horses and Dutch Belted Cattle, in addition to pigs, chickens, geese and turkeys plus a large vegetable garden. The estate was basically self-sufficient and shipped food on the overnight train to his Winter home in Montreal. The milk from the barn was piped underground to the Creamery next door.

This was an interesting place but we had only 2 hours to visit before getting off the island before the tide came in. There were orginally 22 building in the estate but only about 10 remain.

Driving off the island across the sandbar

We returned to the campground and relaxed until time for our group to meet at the Algonquin Hotel for our Farewell Dinner. It is a massive building spanning across one of the town streets. The rates start at $312 and go up. We both were disappointed in the meal as was others in the group. It was the second worst meal we have had. We were originally supposed to eat somewhere else but there was a conflict in scheduling so we were scheduled here. For this to be an upscale hotel the food was way below average. But the dessert was good.

After the Wagonmasters and Tailgunners spoke the microphone was passed around to anyone that wanted to talk about what they enjoyed about the trip. Almost everyone stated the people in the group made the trip a very pleasant journey. Everyone in the group got along good and everyone socialized together rather than forming separate little clicks. Many nights a good majority of the group would gather up around someone's campsite with a glass of wine, a beer or coke and just talk and have a good time. Anytime anyone needed help or needed to borrow something, someone was always ready to lend a hand.

Day 69 Sunday August 18, 2019 We got the most rain this morning until it stopped about 10:30AM than we have had in the entire trip. The Wagonmasters and Tailgunners prepared a farewell breakfast for us at 8AM. People hugged, passed out calling cards and said goodbye before packing up and heading out to various places all over the USA.

Tim Hortons Coffee Shop on edge of town

We departed at 10:30AM and headed across the border into the USA for a two night stop in Bar Harbor Maine and the Hadley Point Campground where we arrived at 1PM and setup in site C23 and just chilled for the rest of the day.

This wraps up our Maritimes Adventure so now we work our way back home.