Independence Day

Happy 4th of July everyone !  

Our day was filled with family, friends, food,fireworks and FUN!  Mikayla  made a fresh key lime pie to take. We arrived at Denny & Barbs house around 12:30.  They graciously hosted a feast with BBQ ribs hot dogs,burgers and all the fixins! We ate till we could no more.

After the feast the guys got comfy on the sofa and took a snooze while Mikayla, Barbara, and Debbie played a game of Scrabble.  Barb won and Mikayla came in second with Debbie tailing the end .  Chewy had fun playing with Gridly and Zoe.  We said our goodbyes to Denny & Barb then met up with  Dale & Pam for a bite and a beer at Hans & Frans.  We stopped by their beautiful home  decorated with some of  Dales amazing photography then all of us headed downtown Greenville for the fireworks!  Amazing show! Chewbaca came with us and we held him up like a kid so he could see the fireworks.  It was amazing how he watched the whole show, so curious about all those beautiful colors and booms in the sky, and not once did he flinch or bark.  After the fireworks we strolled down along the riverside of Greenville and walked on the foot bridge that's cantilevered over the waterfalls.  Such a beautiful place.  It was late and it was a long drive back to camp.  We were all really exhausted and so delirious that we got silly and laughed till our faces hurt!  I guess you had to be there to appreciate it!

It was a full fun day and tomorrow we were getting up early to head to next stop in VA.

Headed to Greenville, SC

July 2nd, 2017:

We left Savannah, GA on Sunday morning and headed out for Greenville, SC to visit my brother and stopped by his beautiful home in Pelzer, SC.  Barbara had a nice spread for lunch before we left to our campground for the next 3 nights.  My brother rode with us in the RV down South about 30 miles, it was the only campground we could find that wasn't full for the holiday weekend.  We finally arrived late afternoon, setup camp and drove back to my brother's house.  They wanted to take us downtown Greenville for dinner. Mainstreet downtown was really nice with lots of restaurants and shops.  They had made reservations at the Nose Dive, a great little place.

July 3rd, 2017:

On our 2nd day in the Greenville area we got organized and went swimming at the campground pool and explored the area down by the lake.  Its a beautiful area with rolling hills and lots of trees.  Our RV lot included a wood deck right next to us so we decorated it for the 4th of July in preparation for a visit from a Grade School classmate I went to school with from 1st grade through 8th.  I hadn't seen him since we moved to Miami back in 1963. 

Dale and his wife Pam arrived at our campsite about 5pm.  I'm sure we have aged quite a bit since 1963, but we both recognized each other right away and picked up where we left off so many years ago.  There were lots of stories told, most of them reminiscing about our grade school days and a few stories I can't repeat here. 

I cooked a pork loin on the grill and Debbie prepared the fixins to go with it.  It was a great BBQ out under the trees.  After dinner we went down to the lakeshore, Dale brought his drone, and he flew out and around the lake area taking photos and video.  He shot a selfie of our group standing on the shoreline, minus Mikayla, she was back at the RV making chocolate chip cookies for dessert. 

Dale spent a lot of years in the Army and Civil Service in Germany and became quit the bier connoisseur.  He brought several growlers of German brew and we drank it all.  The stories got better and better.  Preston & Mikayla listened intently about a couple of old Kansas farm boys and their young adventures and shenanigans in Harper, KS. 

That German bier was good, but I had to introduce Dale and Pam to a little taste of the Bahamas so we poured a little after dinner shot of Pineapple and Banana Rum.  That was a great end to a great evening with a long lost friend from way back in the day. 

Tomorrow is Independence Day and my brother is having us over for a Rib BBQ.  I'll let Debbie chime in on the next entry. 

Happy Birthday Chewbaca

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHEWY!  2years old today ! 

We packed up camp early as we headed for Grandfather Mountain!  On our way we drove the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway.  It was so amazingly beautiful! We also drove the Linville Viaduct which was also beautiful!  We arrived at Grandfather Mountain around noon.  We had to unhook the car from the RV  to make the drive up the mountain.  Up up and up we went till we reached the top of the mountain.  The kids were truly amazed what they saw.  It was such a beautiful site! We all walked the swinging bridge, 5,280 feet above sea level, including Chewy, and headed to the summit.  I believe the kids will remember this for ever.  We had some lunch and bought some fudge in their fudge store then headed down the mountain.  Drove through Boone then headed through Virginia.  Another  beautiful drive!  We arrived Lake Ridge RV Resort in Hillsville, VA where we will be for two nights.  Great park for kids.  Fishing, waterslides pool mini golf, big arcade craft room and lots of kids.  Set up camp, fixed an adult beverage while kids went fishing.  Not enough catch for dinner so we BBQ'd chicken and to bed by 10.  Looking forward to relaxing by the pool tomorrow.. 

First Day - First Stop

Debbie wrote:

As we pulled away from our condo, I had a bitter sweet moment and tears filled my eyes.   Happy because at that moment our long awaited dream came true.   We actually made it happen and are headed in  our RV for a trip across America .  Sad because I don't do well when away from family for anything much more than a week.   Thank goodness we have the grandkids with us for the next 2 weeks as we head up the east coast.  

After traveling for close to 7 hours, we arrived at our first overnight stay in Savannah GA at Red Gate RV Park.  Our lot was just beautiful under a huge oak tree with waterfront view of three lakes. 

 

Fishing dock right out the door.  Preston & Mikayla gave it their best cast only to have something eat the bait off their hook! 


We drove  to the riverside downtown and did some shopping and took in the sites.  Concerts along water and lots of good food and drink! 

Headed back to RV cleaned up then out to Mellow Mushroom for pizzas and meatball subs!

Great first day!  Off to Greenville SC in am to visit with Brent's brother Denny and wife Barbara for the next few days . 

The BIG Day - Departure from Home Live to RV Life

So here we are, after many months of anticipating our departure on a Trip Across America in our RV. I was up around 5am this morning wondering what we forgot to pack, but then it dawned on me, if we DID forget anything, there's always a store right down the road from where ever we are.  So our transition from Home life to RV life is about to begin.

We're planning to get on the road this morning around 8:30, headed for Savannah, GA, our first stop. Our Grandkids will be traveling with us the first two weeks with stops planned for Greenville, SC to visit my Brother for the 4th of July weekend.  Then we're off to see Grandfather Mountain near Boone, NC.  I always wanted to take my Grandkids there and stand on the mile high bridge as their Grandfather on Grandfather Mountain.

Then we will be headed up to Washington, DC for a couple of days to educate these young kids about taxes and where all the money goes, but more importantly, why we should be proud to be Americans and appreciate our freedom as citizens of this great country.

We will be stopping in Hershey, PA to meet with cousins from Allentown for a full day at Hershey Park with all the thrilling rides and a taste of chocolate.  From there we will be visiting Debbie's Aunts and Cousins and old high school friends for a couple of days, then we're headed West along the Northern tier of States until we reach the Pacific Ocean.

So stay tuned, we hope to write a little about each stop here, all along our Trip Across America.

Preparations for the BIG Retirement TRIP

Well, here we are, less than a month away from leaving on our big retirement trip of a lifetime and Debbie and I have been organizing the stuff we need to load aboard Knot At Sea, cooking accessories, tools, clothes, batteries, phone chargers, first aid kits, etc.  While we were parked up in Hutchinson Island last month, I decided to take advantage of a nice clean slab to crawl under the coach and see about changing the oil and filter for the big Cat diesel engine in the back.  A couple of calls around the Stuart area and I located the oil filter at a NAPA store.  I looked up the capacity for this big beast and it holds 19 quarts, 17 in the pan and 2 for the very large filter.  That means I needed five gallons (20 qts) and that left one gallon spare to carry with us on the trip.  Then it dawned on me that I needed an oil drain pan that held five gallons to drain the used oil.  Equipped with all this information, I made a trip to the NAPA store and bought the drain pan, oil, filter & wrench and cleanup rags to get the job done.  It was a cinch, drained the oil after a short engine warm up run and the filter had easy access from underneath.  Mind you, I've changed the oil in a lot of cars over the years, even changed 10 gallons of oil in the big 47' motor yacht we use to own, but having to crawl around on my back up under this big beast wasn't as easy as it use to be when I was younger.

That task was now complete and I decided to wait until the next day to do the auxiliary generator.  So more phone calls around town and I found all the oil, fuel and air filters at NAPA.  Off to the store again and will all the parts in hand I drained and changed the oil and filter, fuel filter and air filter, once again crawling, this time, under the front of the coach and completed the job easily.  The only problem was dealing with the sore muscles from the day before, but a little rum toddy made me feel a lot better and I was happy that job was complete.

Debbie and I decided not to plan any trips in the month of June to get everything done before we leave on July 1st.  Being the techno guy I've always been, I wanted to equip our coach with some technology to make our trip safer and more convenient for being on the road for four months and traveling more than 10,000 miles all across America.  We were originally going to tow our Chevy HHR, all four wheels on the ground (4 down) and have been towing it for the past 6 months.  Since we retired, we were looking for ways to trip our budget and looked into trading our Ford Flex for a new car that could be towed 4 down.  I did a lot of research and the list is long, but budget wise, we ended up trading for a new 2017 Ford Edge SEL with the 3.5L V-6.  Some of the other engine/transmission configurations don't allow towing 4 down.  We made a good trade with towing in mind and that started a whole new process of equipping our brand new car for towing.

More research on who would be the best shop to install a base plate on a brand new car.  After watching several YouTube videos on what it takes to install Blue Ox base plates on the Edge, I realized I wanted someone who had done this before and was a good car body shop, this install requires the whole front bumper assembly and headlights to be removed.  I left a few messages on the Discovery Owners Forum, and one of the members suggested I contact American RV and Marine in Fort Lauderdale.  After discussing it with them and talking to others who had work done there, I had American RV order the base plate and made an appointment to get it installed.  They told me it would take most of the day, so I planned on driving down and spending the day there at the shop to watch over the install.  Five hours later, I had the base plate installed that would hook up to my Blue Ox Aventa II tow bar and there was another task complete.  Here's a few photos of the install:

















I also had planned on replacing all the tires on the coach, considering all the things I've read about RV tires and what could happen with a blowout, especially on the front.  I looked at the DOT stamp on the Michelins and they were 7 years old, still good tread, but I was worried about dry rot from the inside and who knows how many times the side walls hit curbs and such.  So off to the Tire Store and I made an appointment with Callighan Truck Tire shop just a few miles from our house and they quoted me $325/tire plus $550 for install and balance Sumitomos, a brand several RV'ers have recommended.  I made sure they provided valve stem access for the inner duals and allowed for tire pressure monitor senders on the stems.

Here we go again, more research on tire monitoring systems.  I scoured the RV Forums and read and watched lots of YouTube reviews and being the all Apple device nerd that I am, I selected the TireMinder Smart TPMS that displays tire pressure/temperature on my iPhone or iPad.  I ordered this system on Amazon for six tires and added four more to monitor the tires on our new Ford Edge.  I received the whole package in a couple of days and installed the Smart TPMS on my coach and I was really surprised how easy it was to config this product.  I mounted the included Rhino Signal Booster underneath the cabinet that houses the Xantrex Inverter/Charger for a clear view of all tires, including the towed vehicle, as recommended by TireMinder instructions for diesel pushers.  I suppose that big chunk of iron diesel motor could block the signal from the tire transmitters.  Everything works as advertised.  I have a higher level of comfort being able to see tire pressure/temperature on all wheels both underway and every time I get ready to hit the road, no more checking each tire with a manual pressure Gage.  Here's a photo of the system:

And now, after reading and studying more about towing a vehicle that many miles, and with a brand spanking shiny new Ford Edge back there, we were worried about gravel, rocks and dirt chipping up the new car, so I finally decided to order the Blue Ox KarGard II Protective Shield that mounts on top of the tow bar that stretches from the back of the coach to the front bumper of the towed car.  I will be receiving it the end of the week and have plans to install this weekend.

That should do it, hopefully I have thought of everything, but I'm sure Murphy's Law will strike when we least expect it and I will of forgotten something.  We will deal with it as Murphy sees fit.

Our Retirement Celebration

Our kids planned this big retirement celebration party and over a hundred people showed up.  It was a day we will remember forever.

 

 It was less than a week after our last day of work and we drove up to Flagler Beach in our motorhome and parked right on the ocean. A long time high school friend of mine had contacted me awhile back and told me he was going to be in Florida with his brand new 5th Wheel camper, so we coordinated our trip to meet him there and talk about old times.  The stories that we shared can't be repeated here.

 

The weather turned bad for one day, but we had several beautiful sunrises and the view was outstanding.  This was a 3 day, 2 night trip and a great way to celebrate our retirement on the beach. Debbie's Aunt from Pennsylvania was visiting and she really enjoyed the RV lifestyle.

We had planned several trips in advance of our retirement and we were on the go pretty much through the month of April and May, I'll see if I can recap all the places:

Okeechobee KOA - Good Sams Spring Rally

Last Fall we joined a local RV club (Jupiter Lighthouse SAMS) and attended the Florida Good Sams Spring Rally.  There were more than 300 RV's in attendance and our good friends Pat & JoAnn joined us in their new travel trailer to see what the Good Sams Club had to offer.  Jupiter Lighthouse SAMS members were assigned adjoining lots and we held Happy Hour every evening under the big tree between our campers.  There were lots of ceremonies and entertainment at the big convention hall and we spent our leisure time visiting with everyone, enjoying the beautiful Spring weather, not a cloud in the sky and temperatures were mild.

 

John Pennecamp State Park - Key Largo, Florida Keys

Several of our RV club members go down to Key Largo every year, and one of our members couldn't make it, so we decided to fill their spot for a week in the Florida Keys.  What a great place to be in May when it's not so hot, to enjoy the island lifestyle.  Our friends Norm & Diane came down to stay with us for a few days and we explored up and down the Overseas Highway, stopping at every seafood shack and restaurant along the way.  We went snorkling and swimming at Bahia Honda State Park and played in the beautiful waters of the Florida Keys.

 

After they left, our Son and Daughter-in-law towed the boat down on the trailer and stayed with us the rest of the week.  On the first night, our good friend Tom had fished a tournament and caught a big bull dolphin that day and invited us to join him at a local restaurant that cooks your catch.  It was prepared Key Largo style with key lime flavored sauce that was to die for.  We took advantage of the opportunity of having our boat docked at the campground marina and did Dinner By Boat at a local seafood restaurant, and of course, we all had some kind of seafood dish that was delicious.

One of the days, we planned a snorkeling trip out to the reef on the edge of the Gulf Stream in the John Pennekamp Coral Reef underwater State Park.  The weather was perfect, without a cloud in the sky and the ocean was smooth.  Our first stop was at the famous underwater statue Christ of the Abyss (click the link). There are buoys all around the reef to tie up to so you don't have to drop an anchor and damage the coral.  Scott and Halle were first in the water and swam all around the statue and the beautiful coral reef and tropical fish.  From there we went South to Molasses Reef Light and took a peek in the water, but the sea was a little rougher there so we headed back in to the North end of Islamorada to have lunch at the world famous Tiki Bar and Post Card Inn, formally know as Holiday Isle.  Fish sandwiches and Rum Runners were in order before heading out to the sandbar along Whale Harbor Channel for a swim.  We made the round trip back from the ocean side through the Snake Creek Channel into Florida Bay and back North up the Intra Coastal Waterway to Key Largo and passed through Adams Cut back to John Pennekamp Marina.  We ended the day with a beautiful sunset while dining at Pierre's Marker 88 restaurant at the South end of Islamorada.

Hutchinson Island - Jensen Beach, FL

Holiday Out / Venture III

We are blessed with so many friends who share their little piece of paradise with us and again this year, Craig invited us to occupy his RV lot at Holiday Out on Hutchinson Island at Jensen Beach, FL. We were there last year and enjoyed hanging out at the beach with our friends Norm and Diane.  This year we stayed for a week and really relaxed for the first few days, but then I took advantage of my new found free time as a retiree and decided to do some much needed maintenance on the motorhome in preparation for the BIG TRIP starting on the 1st of July (more about that in the next blog).  

We took a short trip up the beach to Fort Pierce for lunch with one of Debbie's co-workers who retired just before her, and once again, it was a Tiki Bar perched right at the City Marina, my kinda place.  I walked the docks and admired all the trawlers and sportfishermans before we left and reminisced of our past boat ownership before we took to land yachting.  While we were in the area, I wanted to see the Navy Seal Museum, but Debbie had to stay in the car with Chewy, they wouldn't let a 12 pound Wookie inside.

We finally returned home with no more trips planned and now the preparations begin for our BIG TRIP across America.

 

    

Here's an update about another short trip I forgot about after we returned from Jensen Beach.  As we do every year for Memorial Day Weekend, we drove over to Lake Placid, FL (Sebring Area) to attend their annual BBQ feast to visit with the usual cohorts that show up at this event.  Again, the stories of past Lake Placid BBQ's is not fit for publishing here.  There's always the traditional gathering in front of the TV to watch the Indianapolis 500 race and closing out the evening with NASCAR's Coca Cola 600.  There's always an argument that breaks out about which kind of auto racing is best, but no matter what they all say about me, I'm an IndyCar fanatic through and through.  NASCAR is for red necks....oops, I mean country folk.

Norcold Refrigerator Died

OK, so here we are about two and a half months before we leave for the big round trip across America and our Norcold refrigerator dies.  It had been intermittently been shutting down from time to time, but now all I get is a noCO error message on the display when the power is turned on.  This happens on both propane and AC settings.  I had read in some of the RV Forums I visit on a regular basis and found out there was a circuit board reset sequence that would restore the electronics and clear the noCO error.  I followed the manufacturer's instructions and was successful in getting it to work twice, but then it died permanently...time to consider a replacement.  Better now than out on the road having to live out of an ice chest.

Fortunately, when we became the new owners of this coach, we purchased an extended service policy from Good SAMS that covers almost everything, except for wearable parts like brakes, belts, hoses, etc. with a $1,000 deductible.  The Norcold was covered, so we contacted Good SAMS extended service department and filed a claim.  All they needed was an estimate from a certified repair facility and the work could begin.

We have been very happy with the RV dealership where we bought our coach, so I contacted the service manager and discussed it with him.  He was very familiar with the process and had worked with Good SAM many times, so I turned it over to him to submit the estimate and start the process. Initially, his estimate included a replacement of the same Norcold model that was factory installed including labor to remove and install the new one.  Good SAM would only authorize replacing just the cooling unit and if I wanted a complete unit, I would have to pay the deductible plus the difference between the cooling unit and a new refrigerator.  The service manager recommended replacing the whole unit with a residential type refrigerator, as most owners are doing now, due to the cost of a new Norcold ($3,000).

Whirlpool 20.5 cu.ft.
Model WRT311FZDB
Top Freezer with optional IceMaker

I did some online shopping on the internet at Home Depot, Lowes, Best Buy and Brands Mart and found a Whirlpool 20.5 cu.ft Top Freezer model that fit the width dimensions perfect, but the height was a few inches higher than the opening in the cabinet where the Norcold is installed.  With a little trimming of the cabinet at the top, the new Whirlpool will fit nicely in the space.  The cost of the Whirpool model with an icemaker at Best Buy is $864 and whatever labor costs are, but my out of pocket expense is only the $1,000 deductible.

According to several other coach owners, replacing the Norcold with one of these residential refrigerators is the way to go.  They work fine when operated with a modified sine wave converter for boondocking and their cooling/freezing performance is well above the RV style propane/AC refrigerators that most older coaches had installed.

I will post photos of the whole process when it's complete.