Little Charlie Creek RV Park, Wauchula FL,

Pulled out of Pioneer Park in Zolfo Springs FL at 10:30AM..toured the mini zoo in Zolfo Springs, seems most of the animals were hideing from the cool weather ( 50F )..we saw some raccoons up close and personal ..We restocked supplies and had a great lunch. We moved about 5 miles North up the road to Little Charlie Creek RV Park. ($150 per week) It's a bit more civilized and we need to do laundry and take a day or so to do a good housecleaning! They have a New Years Eve party planned with Karaoke so it ought to be fun..We took a bike ride around the park and saw quite a few Michigan License plates so we'll probably meet a few of them..The gals working in the office are from Michigan too...nice sunsets last night and today too..Gonna get warmer thru the week. Got lucky setting up the sat dish as it only took 1/2 hr to tune in..(hate it when it takes longer) We checked out the clubhouse, laundry and showers while on our bike ride and everything looks new & clean..on a nice level site with FHU's and a cement patio..I talked to a few people back home and they're all glad the snow has been holding off at least thru the holidays although the temps have been cold..Gonna relax and enjoy the slower pace this week and looking forward to getting back to the ocean after this stop...REMEMBER...LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY...Charlie & Heather

After Christmas, at Wauchula FL

Well....like I said, suprise visitor(s) at Pioneer Park !! My daughter, Nicole, and her fiance, Dave, gave us a suprise visit from FT Meyers area...This is the first time we've met him and it was a great suprise..they  decided they could stay a couple of days and since it was very nice temps at night we set up the tent we carry and made plans from there. The next 2 days were spent getting to know each other and cooking out and enjoying the peace of the park..They haven't ever been here and were able to go walking the trails and takeing pictures and running her dogs.. I'm gonna have to go on a diet the next few days to make up for the great dinners we cooked..( and the long happy hours) !!..Phone calls were flying and many happy wishes were shared thruout the family..Ya never know how these holidays  will go while you're on the road and this one went well..The sunsets have been stupendous to watch and the effect they have on the spanish moss draped trees is gorgeous!!..The USPS did a good job this years getting all the kid's Christmas cards to them and I had a "1st" as all of them called on the same day to say thanx for the card !!..I noticed that many RVers here have decorated the rigs with lights so it's pretty at night when looking around the park..I remember when we used to do that to our stix & bricks..I was  glad to read that my fellow bloggers were all haveing a good holiday weekend all around the country..if you'd like to see what I mean go to  www.hitchitch.com  and check some other blogs to see how RVers live..we are going to stay here til Thursday and then move a little bit North of here to Charlie's RV Park for the New Years eve week..Glad to hear Michigan's weather has behaved so far and to hear from our friends that they enjoyed this week up there..the stars are out tonite so I think I'll step outside and take it all in !!  REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY...Charlie & Heather

From Manatee to Southern Oaks (Beth visit)

After a great week & Christmas party at Manatee CG & Pub and the fish winning (fish=6, Charlie=0) we got ahold of Beth P. in Summerfield FL and camped for a night at Southern Oaks CG.. Beth came to visit and we had a nice campfire steak (on the Coleman) dinner and yakked til late..really enjoyed the visit as it's been about 15 years since I saw her. I love seeing all my friends from the past. the visit we had with John N. in Alabama was just as enjoyable. They are both from the Carsonville days in the 80's. Lots of stories to tell & reminise about !! Hated to move on but had to go..We moved a few hours South to Zolfo Springs just South of Wauchula to one of our favorite parks run by Hardee County..Pioneer Park has the "it" factor for us. Embedded in the woods, nice little pond (with 'gator) a quaint little museum and a very small zoo..friendly staff and fellow campers top it off and it's very nicely priced ($100/wk) . It's only a mile to shop and we can have bonfires here, which helps make it to the top 10 list..nice area to take hikes too!..Had a couple of my kids call today, which I always love and we might get a "suprise" visit tomorrow..(ya gotta wait to hear about it)..This evening couldn't have been any nicer..balmy 68F, no wind, beautiful sunset and NO BUGS..AAHHHH!!..cheated and bought a deli turkey breast for dinner (beats cooking) and , man, was it good !! One of the guys that works here brought us some wood for the bonfire and gave Heather a few nice eggplants, 'cause he didn't know how to cook them, so she's gonna prepare them tomorrow and we'll give him some. YUMM..Hopeing to have a nice peaceful Christmas weekend and just bum with the park people and suprise guest....Hope everyone has a great Christmas..don't forget---Jesus is the reason for the season !! REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS LIFE GOES BY QUICKLY....love y'all..Charlie & Heather

Homosassa FL Good Week

After a few days at Camp & Water RV we moved a mile over to Manatee Pub and RV Park 'cause it's $13 cheaper, been here 4 days already !! We only took a few minutes to set up last Wednesday  and have the sat dish grabbin' the channels..close enought to town to make shopping easy and it has a pub connected to the park so it's walkin' distance after Happy Hour..they have a lot of food specials so I don't think we'll be doing much cooking here :).. got a few hours of fishing in and so far the score is Fish 2, Charlie 0..went out and bought some recommended shrimp bait so I'll try to even the score in the next few days..This is a unique area of Florida with the Homosassa River winding it's way thruout the area..it's brackish water so our saltwater fishing licenses are good and the locals all brag about the good fishing..been asking as many as I could about methods and bait..it'd be great to eat some fresh fish..We saw my lifetime friends, Charlie & Bonnie, whom live only a 1/2 hr N of here, tonite and had a great visit and ate some pizza at the Pub...YUMMY..I even got ambitious today and dragged the leaf blower from it's hiding spot on the rig (doesn't everyone have one on their camper?) and blew our campsite clear..I guess ya never get outa bad Michigan habits..LOL..Heather sold some of her custom jewelry right after putting her sign out on impulse..The park is having a Christmas party tomorrow so I guess that's the agenda for the day...We may go see the Homosassa Wildlife Park, up the street, this week..It's a great zoo..we saw it 2 years ago and wouldn't mind seeing it again..They have some eagles there, up close and personal, and a nice pink flamingo area..The weather report predicts nice weather for the week..Hope everyone is haveing as nice a time as we are...REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY...love ya'll...Charlie & Heather

3 days then to Homosassa FL

3 great days at Keaton Beach FL..the tide is very evident there...the office gave us a tide schedule when we checked in and I wondered why..found out real quick that that you'd either have water by the dock or you wouldn't..the fishermen here can't get back to shore during low tide..I guess if we were fishing via boat here that could become important!! Met a few Grayling MI people and enjoyed our time here..Moved further South on Monday morning to Homosassa, FL and stayed for 2 days at Camp & Water RV Park, it's nice and we got our laundry done..Drove around exploreing and found another park, Manatee Pub & RV,  that has a Pub and was $10/nite cheaper so we moved over on Wednesday..Got a good weekly rate so we'll stay for a week..It's on the Homosassa River and it's brackish water so we can use our Fl non-resident fishing licenses here..been watching fish jump all afternoon so we'll give it a try..had a good Happy Hour at the pub and enjoyed their $1 tacos tonight..they were yummy and large..the people here are happy go lucky and fun to yak with...Hopeing to see my old compadre, Dick Andrews and his wife Bonnie, this weekend as he lives close by.. Gonna see Beth Pawlowski when we leave here..We noticed that the RV traffic is starting to pick up as time goes on, I think the rush is on !!..

Old Pavillion RV Park Keaton Beach, FL

A  3 1/2 hr drive brought us to Keaton Beach, Florida & we set up camp and declared Happy Hour..Finally at the Gulf of Mexico and camped 30' from the ocean..got a site next to an observation deck and it's covered in Christmas lights tonight..How about the ocean view, WOW..we can see the entrance to the harbor and watched trawlers returning after a day at sea..We're at the end of a penninsula and it's quite sandy..the town is very quaint and inviting..nice little community park at the end of the street which we'll explore during our stay here..some old pileings in the water have been decorated with hats and wigs and old clothes like scarecrows of the sea and it doesn't bother the pelicans..very cute..it's low tide at the moment and the office gave us a tidal schedule during checkin..high tide's at 1235AM..I wonder if we'll be up to see it?? It's a different life for the coastal people..they keep a tide schedule on their fridges like a child's school note..that's so they won't ground their boats..the canal across the road has some rather large boats and the RV park folks have all got boats by their rigs..the area has a reputation for great fishing, guess we'll have to get Florida fishing licenses ( if we out of staters can afford them) and join the crowd..it sure would be nice to eat some really fresh salt water fish..we'll stay here for 3 days as we're tired of the 1 day moves..Nice full service park and it has cable so we don't have to set up the sat dish..looking forward to meeting the neighbors tomorrow.. Hope you all have a great weekend..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..love y'all..Charlie & Heather

Outa Magic River headin' E & S

Finally decided we should get goin' from Magic River, even though it's tempting to stay..Headed to the East thru Mississippi and Alabama...stopped near Foley,AL and stayed one night..Had a quick visit from John Nichol..a friend from Michigan's "thumb" from the 80's..was great to see him, wish we coulda stayed longer but gotta go...next stop  was River's Edge, SW of Crestview, FL....Finally into Florida..only a 1 night stay and then to Pine Lake RV in Fontain,Fl for another 1 night stay.. This is a nice woodsy RV Park..gotta put this one on our list of " go back" parks..definately got the "IT" factor..trees, fishin' ponds,bonfire pit, etc!!! Hope to be back here next year for awhile..Tomorrow we'll head out early to the Old Pavillion RV park and hopefully settle in for a few days if it's nice..Usually we make 1 day reservations and see if we like the park then we'll extend the stay..The reason we do that is because of the crappy policies most parks have of no return $$$...play the game, ya know?? I even pay cash for the 1st day so they don't have my card #s...the longer we do this the better we do !!..Sure will be nice if we can end up in Wachula,Fl for Christmas week, .got a park there that we like.. From there?? Who knows...LOL...REMEMBER...LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY...Charlie & Heather

Still enjoying Magic River

We decided to stay a few extra days at Magic River Campground in Longbeach MS..It's a great place to just relax..Nonstop bonfire has been going for days and I'm just starting to make a dent in the firewood pile..The owner, Hank, stopped by today and mentioned he'd have more wood tomorrow.( I think he's trying to keep us here!!)..We've been to the beach in Long Beach but the wind was blowing briskly and it wasn't really all that warm so we kept that walk real short..We've hiked around our park a few times and kept our eyes open for any gators but haven't seen anything except turtles and fish..I suppose we'd run across somethings more exotic if it was warmer..A great thing about this time of the year is a lack of mosquitos..Night time has been cool but nothing like the 20's that they're getting up home in Michigan..The quiet at this park is wonderful..no road noise or trains or airports..very conducive for solid sleep..We've gotten into a great winter mojo, late breakfasts and veggin' out happy hours..love it!!..That's why we make it a point to come here every year..Hope our mail is here tomorrow and then we can make plans to move it on down the road!! If it isn't I guess I'll have to load more wood on the fire :)..May all of you have a great weekend and REMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY...Charlie & Heather

Fleas.".like in a market"

Got a case of the itches today..like in flea market..had to go to it!! All the locals talk about how great it is..NOT..expired food, junk, trivia, ugly stuff...YUK..can't understand why people get geeked about these things...total waste of time..Can't blame the folks with booths though, they're just trying to survive..ate at a local cafe called "Rusty Pelican" (HMMM..what does that mean ?) It was good though!! Ya never know what you'll find while travelling..Sometimes it beats cooking..LOL...Gonna just enjoy keeping the bonfire burning and meeting new folks for a few days and veggin"! Ya'll know you can call us once in awhile..We enjoy hearing from all of you via phone, email or texts..989-709-9356..Really looking forward to Florida travel times..(back to Eastern time)..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

To & From Hollywood Casino

5 days since last blog!! WOW!! We stayed at Magic River Campground by Longbeach, MS  from Fri til Wed A.M., enjoyed a "down home" Thanksgiving dinner 5 days early. The owner of the park started Passport America Travel Club and he and his family know how to entertain. Beside the largest turkey and ham we've ever seen the side dishes were all family prepared and were delicious! On Wednesday, Nov 23rd,  we moved 1/2 hr West to the Hollywood Casino Campground and set up for 2 days..Our casino luck sucked but we made up for that at the all u can eat buffet on Thanksgiving day...lot's of crab legs...Yeah, on Thanksgiving!!  If our friend, Cindy, coulda seen the choclate desserts at the dessert bar she would have gone crazy..LOL..It took a day for the food overload to settle out, naps were in order!!..Then we went back to the gambling floor and played til 3AM..gonna take a couple days to get our hours straightened around to normal again..So Friday we headed back to Magic River for 6 days to let our mail catch up with us..I keep lookin' at all that wood piled up by the bonfire pit..I wonder if I can burn it all in 6 days?? Sure gonna try..Got a few cool people camped here from all around the USA & Canada, it's great meeting different folks from all walks of life..The stories are as varied as you can imagine..and they aren't all old either..amazing how diversified the campers are!! Kinda thinkin' we'll move towards Florida from here next Thursday,Dec 1st, about 150 miles at a time..don't want to rush it too much..that will require us to scoot across S Mississippi and Alabama ( with a banjo on our knees) to the Florida panhandle..got a few people to visit enroute..Hope everyone has a good weekend..Wish ya were here!! REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS LIFE GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

Long Beach, MS Magic River RV Park

I can't believe it's been 5 days since the last blog! When we pulled in the RV Park Friday we were told that there would be a Thanksgiving get together on Saturday. What a nice surprise..after we got setup I immediately got a great bonfire going at the community fire pit, where the park supplies all the firewood...Man, I've got a lot of firewood to burn!! We met most of the campers at the dinner but didn't stay up too late because it was time to "waddle" back home and cave in like we do after every Thanksgiving food fest..They had the largest smoked ham and roasted turkey I've ever seen! The gravy and stuffing were yummy..the cranberry's were homemade..the desserts were plentiful and tasty!! ETC..We just kinda vegged out Sunday, got another bonfire rolling and walked around the area to wear off the dinner..needless to say we weren't very much in the mood to eat again til Monday..stayed up til late evening trying to put a dent in the woodpile..(not much luck there!!)..Today we got a chance to talk to some of the other campers and had the fire burning again by 10AM..Gonna be here 1 more day and then on Wednesday we'll move down to the Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis MS for 2 days where we usually have good luck..they have a nice RV Park there and shuttle service to the casino even though it's only  short walk between the two..it might come in handy though because the weather man says maybe rain...from there we may come back to here for the rest of the month, who knows for sure!!A lot depends on the weather..Hope you all are enjoying your time on the planet..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS.. AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY...Charlie & Heather

Wednesday Okatoma RV Park Hattiesburg, MS

This is our next to last night in Hattiesburg..It's been a very relaxed week..Good weather has helped with the relaxing..We were able to sit at the picnic table and sunbathe thru most of the week..Tried some fishing with no luck but ya know the old saying " a bad day of fishing beats a good day at work " !! I must be losing my touch at starting campfires..we got a bunch of wood from the park and tried for an hour to get it lit..now, this has to be the hardest wood I've ever tried to burn cause it resisted every effort..Went thru a lot of fire starter fluid but it ain't gonna burn!! I went and got some kindling today and we'll try again tomorrow..Got our laundry done in short order, I guess ya gotta do those domestic chores too..The park's pond has a bunch of what I call, UGLY ducks..We fed them thruout the week about 3PM so almost on cue they come to our rig and the little beggars quack all around us..a few of them will eat outa our hands..kinda mindless entertainment..Decided to help the park and we shovelled some dirt back into the trenches around our rig left over from some new water lines they're installing.. We'll probably get 1/2 packed up by tomorrow night so we can depart early Friday morning..Going to head towards Long Beach, MS and one of our favorite RV Parks and our money-making Hollywood Casino..YAHOOO!!..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

Okatoma RV Park..Hattiesburg MS

Boy, are we relaxed after 3 days here! All the travel  gear is working--phones, internet, satellite tv and this park has free firewood, fire rings and fresh laid eggs !! It's nice haveing some old friends camped around ya and the big pond is populated with crazy ducks that'll come on shore and eat out of your hands..that's actualy kinda fun !! There's a rumor amongs't the long timers about a gator in the ponds but we've yet to see it..HMMM, I wonder if the rumor is true??? Ya never know..Ran into town today to stock up on groceries and alcohol in a "wet" county..Decided that white Russians should be the drink of the day ! Nice change of pace...Tried to start a bonfire but after an hour or so we found it wouldn't flare so got serious about "happy hour" instead...Good  decision..We'll give that a go tomorrow!! Had a problem with our furnace thermostat not  coming on when it was chilly so we need a new thermostat for the furnace so we stopped at a camping supply store to check out prices..as usual, they wanted $45 for something we can buy on the internet for $25..guess we'll wait and order one..I finally figured out how to keep the passenger side mirror from drifting in  by pegging it with a washer and self tapping screw and that resolved a persistant headache..just love the DIY world.. Are ya getting the idea why I headlined our blog with "Rolling Earthquake" ? " Move 500mls,,fix stuff" !! Guess we better figure out something to eat so bya for now..REMEMBER.LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS LIFE GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

Okatoma RV Park, Hattiesburg, MS

After a nice sunny 4 hr drive we pulled into Okatoma RV Park..we've been here before and actually did some workamping for these folks 2 years ago..It's nice to be back and we bumped into "Sam", who was our workcamp boss back then..the park in almost full, the owners have made a lot of improvements and their efforts show..the "pond" has more water in it than our last visit and the wild ducks have already visited and ate some "cat food" we carry with us to use as wild animal feed !! LOL..It only took about 45 minutes to get all set up, including the satellite dish..YAHOO..now we can watch football on Sunday..We're gonna sit for a week and surely will enjoy this stop..I finally feel that we've arrived "down south" and the Gulf of Mexico is only another hour South of us..ON THE GOOD SIDE OF THIS VISIT  is the fact that Forest County is NOT a dry county..YAHOO..it gets really old having to drive 30 miles away to buy a case of beer..Tennessee and Kentucky and a large portion of Mississippi are filled with prohibition areas..( I think they don't want to compete with the local moonshiners) This yankee thinks it's rather archaic and STUPID..any clerk in any store will immediately point you to the nearest normal county to make alchohol purchases..if they ever did that in Michigan, the State would go bankrupt..okay !! Enough ranting..(grin)..Hope you all have a great weekend..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

11-10-11 Tom Bigbee State Park, Tupelo, MS

I read Park Reviews about the Tom Bigbee State Parl in Tupelo, MS and got a mental image of it..We arrived to find a very small park of about 20 sites but very pretty..1 nite here and gone by 9AM with a planned 4 hr drive after gassing up and a breakfast stop. Breakfast got delayed by a "lost" order ticket and an attitude by the cook following the screw up for over 40 minutes..I drank so much coffee waiting for our order the I JJiitteerreedd !!! Nice sunny drive...see ya on the next blog..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

Florence, Alabama-- McFarland City Park

Pulled out of camp at 10AM.Had a rainy 3 1/2 hr drive..Glad we weren't sitting in a camp during the 1/2 day rain..it was warm and the sun finally came out about the time we arrived in Florence, Alabama (with a banjo on our knee)..Was a good travel day..Pulled into camp about 3PM..This is the first camp in weeks where we have tv,internet,phones, hot  & clean showers, fire pits and FHU's all at once..And we're outa the mountain driving !!So to celebrate, we declared an early happy hour.(of course)..with my great senior discount it's only $15/nite (to stay, not the happy hour!)..sites are on the river looking across to magnificent bluffs which show off the strata of the area in reds and browns..At the moment the sun is blazing on the bluffs and it takes your breath away!! Saw several good sized yachts plying the river headed to the city marina that adjoins this park..I'm gonna remember this little gem of a campground..it's close to town too with lots of places to eat and things to do..It's the home of Helen Keller too (makes me wanna move furniture,, don't know why!(grin))If we'd known how nice this place is we would have planned to stay a few more days..Oh well!! Next trip.Continueing to the West in the A.M. to pick up the Natchez Trail SW to Mississippi..REMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAM AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY...Charlie & Heather

Chapel Hill TN Henry Horton State Park

Left Granville and set up camp at Chapel Hill by 3PM..finally decided that we'd reset all the clocks to the new time and time zone...BANG, 2 hrs are gone and it's dark at 5PM..YUK!!..sun's gonna be up awfully early in the A.M... This stop is a 1 day only..heading for Mississippi again in the morning..only 3 campers in the whole park so it'll be very quiet tonite..Planning on taking the Natchez Trail SW as it's about the most direct route to MS and we want to get to our favorite campground pronto.. It's in Long Beach,Ms and close to casinos (grin). Only 2 or 3 more stops til we get there..The mountain colors are mindboggling at this time of the year so driving never gets boring..Glad we had the brakes updated before we left as they're getting a real workout thru Kentucky and Tennessee.. Wish we had a Jake Brake..Some of the uphills slow us down to less than 50MPH..you can hear the song " I think I can, I think I can" as the old Chevy 350 pushes on !..Mid grade gas down here in going for $3.56/gal, which, to a Michigander, is cheap..food, cigarettes and camp fees are a lot less expensive too..we're still staying lucky weatherwise (knock on wood) and hope it holds out for driving days..hope all of you are happy..REEMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

Granville, TN "Maple Grove" CG, soon to be "Made in the Shade RV"

I wonder if our internet connection will last long enough to do this blog..I don't know what's more aggravating, no internet or sometimes internet..we've been here 4 days and the connections have come and gone...we gave up on verizon phone service but verizon internet has either been spotty or gone..Oh well!! life on the road brings a lot of excitement..this area is gorgeous, we've traversed enough of the roads to be comfortable so it must be time to move again which we'll do tomorrow..gonna move west and then southwest till we get into northern Mississippi then head south til we see the ocean..saw a lot of sun the last few days and we hope it'll continue for the next few days..gonna post now while we have a connection..catch ya'all in the next few days when connections are better.This Park just changed owners, Ron owns it now...REMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

Last day Corbin KY

Woke up and had a nice slow coffee hour (or should I say hours)..The sun was so bright this morning that we had to block it from shining on the tv and computer screens..Regis & Kelly were getting  "tanned" on the TV !! The day warmed up to the 60's quickly and it inspired us to get a nice walk in by the Cumberland waterfall..was thinking how awesome the roar of the waterfall musta been for the early explorers..we can hear it from  the campground a 1/2mile away..the view from the overlook is unbelievable..majestic rock precipices up and down the river with a fall's drop about 100'..another thing that's gotta be something to see is the moonbow (night time rainbow) during clear full moon nights..only place in the USA known to have that..too bad we won't be here on the 12th as that's the next full moon night and if it's as clear as tonight it oughta be great viewing..gotta plan that better next year..got domestic chores done and met up with Biker Bill in town...ate a nice lunch at Waffle House (always good no matter where they're located)..started loading up as we make a move to Tennessee..we have about 130 miles to drive and the day is supposed to be sunny and 60F so it'll be a pleasant drive. It will probably be confusing for everyone when we report our next location as it's called Cumberland State Park (NOT Cumberland Falls)..it confused me as we planned it (of course I get confused easily--grin) We might stay at a COE Park that's in the same area, we shall see, once we get in the area..Actually we have 3 potential spots and it's always fun exploreing the possibilities once we're in an area..Oh, the pressure, the pressure, of decisions !!..Aren't ya glad you're not us??..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

Cumberland Falls State Park KY

We've been camped for 3 days at Cumberland Falls State Park near Corbin Ky..It rained on & off for the 1st day and a half so we just enjoyed the peace & quiet. Met up with our friend, Billie, and he came out to camp with us for 2 days. Cooked up a pork roast stew and we all feasted..The sun came out full blast today so we went for a drive into Corbin and Billie went back to his daughters house. We got back to camp and have the sat tv hooked up to watch the Detroit Lions..(& they won, big time!!!) Cooked burgers outside and ate way too much..My daughter's birthday is tomorrow so I will call her and wish her a Happy Happy...the park is reflecting end of summer mode as there aren't many campers here..the people that are here are either headed home or heading south for the winter..we still have a few more days here and Tuesday we'll see Billie for lunch and say bye til he catches up with us again..Talked to 2 couples we know and chances are good that we'll all meet in Florida thru out the winter..there's another few people we know that live in Florida that we look forward to seeing too..Read about the snowstorm hitting the NE USA and wondered if it makes any of their snowbirds wish they'd left earlier..we were going straight south from here but we're thinking about going SW to Northern Mississippi and seeing that part of the country..HMMM, ya just never know...nice to be flexible like this..sunny and 60F forcast for the next 4 days so we should get some hikes in..been seeing a lot of horses in the park and trails for them too (better watch where we're walkin !!) Hope ya'll are happy..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie&Heather

Corbin, Ky..Cumberland Falls S.P.

Long driving day for only a planned 100+ mile day..we got on the road at 12 today and jogged to Bolling  Green to pick up beer..we won't give up our Happy Hour routine..Can you imagine, in this day and age, living in a dry county. and everyone goes on a 40 mile round trip buy any alchohol ? How archaic!! All ya gotta do is ask anyone where ya go for alcohol and you'll get specific directions..It's no wonder they lost the war down here..we pulled into Cumberland Falls State Park about 4PM and set up quickly. Not hooking up water tonight as the forecast says maybe freezing tonight..we have plenty of H2O onboard til morning..met some fellow campers from Vermont..quite an accent they have!! Should be here for a week or so..hope the drizzlies go away soon..had a leak over the stove this AM after an all night rain..gonna have to start parking on a slant when it rains to run the water off the roof..sounds like a summer repair job coming up..Hope y'all are snug and happy..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

10-25-11 Barren River State Park Resort , Lucas KY

Drove an incredibly beautiful 100 miles today..the Mountain roads in Kentucky are more fun than a rollercoaster..hang on that wheel and squeal..woooo-eeee..we are at Lucas KY, Barren River State Park Resort..in the woods again and I don't have to set up the sat dish cause there's not a chance in hell of getting a signal in these woods but..the ol' rabbit ears are getting 4 channels and that'll do..we're moved about 1/2 way to our destination, Corbin KY..gonna stay for 2 days..this park has nice hot showers and is relatively empty..as I said before, our microwave ( isn't that neccessary camp gear??) quit, so we picked up a new one at  Wally World today. It's a bit bigger than the last one so we had to shuffle stuff in that cabinet around to make it fit but it worked..had another muffler shop stop today as just as we pulled into Glasgow KY we heard the noise getting louder again..the guy at the shop said he installed a "spacer" that it needed and a new donut (whatever that is),so it's fixed again, we hope..I'm kinda enjoying this "senior" thing as we keep getting discounts at most parks..as long as they don't refer to me as the old guy I can accept it..LOL..I heard the weather people say the 4 letter word last night when they were reporting on Colorado...BBRRR..glad we're not there..we made some loose plans to meet our friends Jerry & Kathy in Florida this winter and hope we all can..had a good time with them at the last stop.. Hope everyone is safe and happy..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

A little update McDaniels KY Satellite fixed

Even though we aren't heavy into TV, it is nice to have it working again..Had a local guy here to "tune the dish into a satellite" and he worked on it for 1 1/2 hrs ! So I don't fell bad about not getting it myself..This "new" turbo HD dish may be a problem..it uses 3 totally different satellites than the norm..had several other campers try to tell me and him that we weren't aiming correctly because Dish Network sat's have always had a SW (sat's 110,119) orientation but the HD sat's are in the SE.(sat's 72,77,61.5). No amount of explaining could convince them we were aiming correctly..it's a little touchier alignment than before but he got  it tuned in..after he left, even though we have it working, the busybodies were still saying it wouldn't work in that direction !! I sure hope we don't have to go thru this again or we may go back to the old sat's to simplify it..  On another note..we had a nice bonfire last night and the temp's were conducive to an extended happy hour..sleep was good and 6 AM came way too early :) This COE campground is very nice, lots of friendly people. We took a ride to 2 other COE camps in the area and they are nice too. Highly recommend them all..see ya all later..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

McDaniels, KY COE

I normally don't do another blog this quickly..Just sitting here wondering if I'll sleep tonite..been one of those days..Heather tried to use the microwave and had a lighning show occur inside..I took off the case and didn't see anything broken so I tried it and had the same results..I guess the rolling earthquake has done it's job correctly..Luckily Wally World has a sale on a similar sized replacement for $70..will get it when we are near a store..Still stymied about dish tv but one of the neighbor campers has a local guy that said he'll be by tomorrow to fix it..couldn't find anyone at DISH customer service that could do anything senseable about it. Went into Leitchfield and filled LP Gas today..without the crazy Mich taxes it was 15% cheaper..and bought cigarettes, 2 cartons at 1/2 price without Mich taxes..so I guess ya might say some bad luck balanced with some good luck..drizzeled this morning and the sun poked out this afternoon so we started collecting firewood..hopeing to bonfire tomorrow night..been noticeing brown tobacco hanging in the barns and learned if it's black tobacco it's used for chew or snuff..I wonder if the tobacco farmers make their own cigarettes..we'll probably take a ride outside this dry county (how damned archaic) in pursuit of some beer..and go see the dam on the other end of McDaniels..isn't it terrible to have so many chores to do?? (grin)..we explored this park a little today and the other end of it has some great riverfront sites with a view..very pretty river called Rough River..hope that the approaching weekend is enjoyable for y'all..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

McDaniels Kentucky, Laurel Branch COE campground

Arrived yesterday at 3:33PM..first time we've stayed at a COE (Corps of Engineers) Campground. A 7 day stay is only $66.50, about $7 per day..Now, that's more to our liking, yessir ! Now we see why everyone in the full timing circle like these parks ! The setting here is great..lots of woods and spacious sites. Internet and phones work great. Went to a  local laundramat about a 1/4 ml from the park and got all our laundry done..first time since we left..couldn't get any more dirty clothes into the laundry bag.Tried to get L.P. gas at the suggested General Store but their tank was pulled 2 days ago...Been trying to get our Dish Network "new" HD turbo tv dish, which we just got before we departed, to work and after 3 hrs of attempts to catch a satellite I came to the conclusion that it wasn't gonna happen. Got the feeling that the LNB's are bad. Tried to get a service tech appointment, on the phone and internet, and that's like "impossible" so we'll wait til we go into Leitchfield tomorrow to see if we can find a Dishtv location with a service Dept, most are only in the sell, sell, sell world...gotta fill the LP gas tank in town 'cause it's getting cool during the night and we haven't topped off the LP tank since we left about 3 weeks ago. (& we're low on beer!!) Running outa heat (or beer) is NOT COOL!..or maybe I should say it is!!..Our friends, Jerry & Kathy, are here. Brought us some shaved corned beef this A.M.cause they had an excess of it..AAWWWW!!..Haven't had TV in 5 days and kinda going thru "commercials" withdrawal..LOL.. Our friend, "Billie", is patiently awaiting our arrival in Corbin,KY..looking forward to seeing him. The good news for today is the exhaust system on the motorhome is holding it's own..so far so good!..Gonna have our mail forwarded to us by Terra..we went over what's in it via phone today and it sounds like my "commercial" withdrawal will be fixed when we get it..if it wasn't for 3rd class mail I wouldn't be anybody :)..we found out that there's several COE parks in the immediate area..sounds like some neat touring coming up..there's a dam just around the corner so that'll be a must see...We caught a glimpse of the  Rough River today and it is pretty, as are the mountains and valleys here. Ya really gotta pay attention while driving in Ky. Kinda like a roller coaster effect..long ways down if you screw up..the locals cruise these roads at 55MPH and this yankee is nervous at 40MPH..no wonder Nascar drivers are mainly from down south..absolutely beautiful all over the area..Hope this night finds everyone in good spirits..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

Big Bone Lick State Park Union, KY

Mondays are so amazing ! By 9AM the CG was pretty empty, guess everyone had to work today. We had to run into Florence, Ky to get the exhaust pipe fixed (again). Seems that the right side "donut" connection to the exhaust manifold just likes to come loose every year. It was a fairly cheap fix. We'll have to wait and see if it lasts this time. Got some shopping done at Meijers..they are cheaper than Walmart and we see that every time we go to one. Tried another pet supply store for the elusive cat harness with no luck. You'll never guess where we had lunch ???  White Castle..YUMMM!! Got refreshments restocked (critical shopping) and gas for $3.69 mid grade..that's just about what we paid last spring on the way home. Had a nice visit yesterday with our Kentucky friends, the Hartman's..they cooked a great meal for us too.. Southern hospitality at it's best. The hills around us are a pleasure to tour around, the colors are just getting started around here unlike Michigan's 80% when we left a couple weeks ago. Gonna try and catch up with friends in a COE camp tomorrow. Surely do hope the weather stays nice for a driving day. Billy---if you're reading this..we'll be there within the week..Hope all our friends are safe and happy..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY !!   BYA..Charlie & Heather

Wednesday Oct 12,2011 Lansing Mich

Our 2 day visit in Lansing Mich has been fun. Got a couple visits in with my daughter Shannon and her beau Darrel. Last night we had a casual dinner at a local pub. Called it early as she has school. at MSU, he has to work and we are headin' out. We are headed to Medina, Ohio for a night's stay at Mercier County Campground.. Rand McNally says it's a 184 mile trip so I'm figuring about a 3 1/2 hr drive. We should arrive just in time for happy hour due to great timeing..(grin) By the way, if you're ever in the Lansing area we recommend Cottonwood Campground. It's in Lansing and has a definate woodsy feel to it. I like it because they have "ice cream" in their store :) nice clean park ! Verizon works well and rabbit ears get several TV stations. We are on the hunt for a cat harness & leash. Gonna try to get the cat outside for walks this year. Been reading quite a few blogs where people have success doing this so we'll try it. During this past summer we installed a Vizeo 19" flat screen TV on a wall mount in the rig. It's a great improvement over the previous setup. The picture and sound are perfect and we don't have the hassle of secureing a TV for moving. It's going on 10AM so I better quit yakking and start prepareing for the move..see ya'all in a couple days..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

Sunday 10-09-11 Croswell Michigan

We've been at my  friends' house, John & Kathleen,  in Croswell Mich for 2 days and have enjoyed the visit. Good gab, groceries and a breakfast put on by the Croswell Fire Dept. The weather has been perfect. We love it here. You can see deer in their front yard morning and night. Just a few minutes ago I stepped outside and a deer was 50' away from me and gave me that " You lookin' at me? " look, but didn't budge. John is getting ready to winterize the pool. Heather said she might jump in til we looked at the thermometer and it was 55F..I think she had a change in mind ! Can't say that I blame her cause I got the chills just thinking about it..BBBRRRR!! Then I remembered that she's done the Polar Bear Dip. Maybe she needed a hole in the ice to tempt her some more...We're gonna pack it up in the A.M. and drift towards Lansing , about a 2 1/2 hr drive, to visit Darrel and Shannon, my daughter. We'll only stay a couple days at Collingwood RV CG, and then start South. We have some friends that'll be at a COE ( Corps of Engineers ) camp in Kentucky that we'll try to hitch up with when we're in that area.

10-06-11 Enroute..Mt Pleasant Mich

Yohoo !!! The  winter adventure began yesterday..We took our time winterizeing the house and packing the last items in the motorhome. Got out of Houghton Lake about 2PM. Pulled into Mt Pleasant Chippewa Campground by 3:30PM and got settled in and celebrated with a happy hour, then a geezer nap..gotta be prepared for the shuttle pickup to the casino up the street :)..Heather had the luck and me??? I don't wanna talk about it.(down $60)..got back to camp kinda late via a wobbly course..of course..Had a great sleep in and did some running around town..had to buy a new power cord for the computer as our crapped out and had a great lunch at Applebees..Back at camp we did a quality check on the beer stash (grin) and napped up again for another stab at the casino...tonite was my nite and not Heather's..I see a new computer on my list..(WOO-HOO!!)  Tomorrow we head East to the Thumb to visit some dear friends in Gagetown and Carsonville and Croswell for a few days..Hopeing to see a few long lost friends too..Gotta renew my American Legion membership in Croswell, a great little club. Some of the American Legion posts down South have Campgrounds and it pays to belong. Same thing with the Eagles organization..The colors of fall are just gorgeous at this Camp, we sat out at the picnic table this afternoon and enjoyed the beauty and the birds and the quiet, not too many people here, I think about 5 campers. The weather is perfect.  Hope you all are with us on the journey. REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie&Heather

10-2-11 Sunday T minus 4

Our much anticipated take off date is only 4 days away. You'd think we'd be better well trained but the excitement is definately there again. Our minds are in high gear and most of the packing lists are done.
Monday we'll dump the house fridge and start the house shutdown and move into the motorhome that evening. Tuesday the water system will refresh the motorhome and then be winterized.  Wednesday is takeoff day..YEAH !  Our cat, Hooter, knows somethings up. I think I saw her packing a bag yesterday and she's hanging around the door with a silly grin on her face  ! She's been pranceing around the house a little light footed too.
    I wonder if other snowbirds go thru this emotion every year? You really don't realize how much work gets accomplished til you're on the road and have time to settle into a travel routine again.
   First stop is going to be Mt Pleasant Soaring Eagle Casino Campground as usual. Hope they've got lots of $$$$$ for us ( LOL) . The weather is supposed to get better and into the 70's which is good news. I'm glad to see that the gas prices came way down  and especially away from our hometown, Houghton Lake. Maybe that's a good omen !
   Are you ready for the winter adventure? We hope you'll follow along with our ramblings.
REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY !!  luv y"all

9-29-11 Thursday 1850 hrs T minus 6 days

We always look at our takeoff date like a Rocket launch..Hence the titile..We're at the handshakes and hugs phase of our lives again..After 3 years of this it's to be expected and we really treasure the moods and emotions. Had a few people tell us they were looking forward to the travel blog firing up again and actually we are too ! You've already heard us make fun comments about "the lists" and we're sure other "snowbirds" are doing the same thing. Someone asked us tonight  "what day are you takeing off?" and we said  "we think Wednesday"..We really don't know for sure and we think that somehow it bothers people, but we spend a whole winter like that..Why are dates and appointments so important to everyone, especially when they are retired?  This all took awhile to get used to but once it's accepted it really is relaxing. My buddie "Billie" is waitng patiently for us in Corbin KY and we're hoping he'll flow into this relaxed lifestyle with us this winter. he's planning on caravaning with us this year..I've got another almost fulltimer friend "Mike", in Illinios, that we'll probably hook up with this winter, somewhere. See? No appointments..When anyone gets into this lifestyle they eventually learn "to relax" and I really believe it'll let you live longer (&happier). Todat we got all the bathroom and dry goods loaded. See? A little bit at a time. Hope all of you are attaining your goals and dreams..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY.

Tues 9-27-11 Final Countdown

Remember the old song " It's the final countdown" ?  We only have about 10 days til blastoff for the winter adventure. Except for a few last minute details, we're ready to depart. We've noticed a few of our friends here in Houghton Lake, Mich are starting to say "we'll miss ya" and it's really sweet, we'll miss them too.. It's amazing how these winter sojurns get into your blood. The cat, Hooter, knows something is up, she's really getting overly lovey. We had a nice warm evening tonite and sat outside at the picnic bench, by the motorhome, and "practiced" for the winter. We sure hope all of you follow the travel blog this winter and sign up as a follower. ( I especially enjoy that). Our friend "Billy" is already in Kentucky waiting for us to meet up with him..He's a "newbie" to motorhoming and is going to "convoy" with us this winter. If, in the future, anyone else wants to join up with our group just let us know. Remember..LIVE YOUR DREAMS..AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY

Sept 9,2011 Getting Ready and Resources

Starting to hitchitch for the winter of 2011/2012..A lot of curiosity is always aimed at us about how we pick our way across the country, so I decided to make a partial list of the resources we use and organizations we joined

Passport America 50% off campsites
Good Sam Club and Travel Insurance
BPOE  (Elks clubs have RV Sites)
FOE    (Eagles clubs have RV Sites)
Army Corps of Engineers
National Park Service
Recreation.gov
Free Casino Parking
RV Park Reviews
rv-camping.org
Flying J
Free Campgrounds for RV's
American Legion
And for general interest reading and a wealth of information :
rv-dreams.com
hitchitch.com
        Gonna fire this blog up again 1st week of October 2011..See ya then...CHARLIE

4-29-11 At Home

4-20-11  We're home for the summer!!
4-29-11   Really glad we decided to head home a few weeks early. The weather all along the homeward route went really bad right after we drove it..lot's of storms and tornadoes and flooding. The news and weather folks are saying it's the worst pattern since 1974. A few of the travel blogs I follow from RVers still in the South are saying it's scary down there.
The house survived the winter with flying colors. No problems firing it up. There's a few trees down and lots of limbs in the yard and the flagpole is bent from heavy winds 2 weeks ago, but nothing major happened. We took a final mileage reading when we arrived and the old rig completed 8400 miles with only a flat tire and an alternator replacement ! What a great adventure.
Thanks to everyone that followed this blog and to all the wonderful people that kept in touch with us via the blog, e mail, Facebook and all the phone calls. It's heartwarming to know your friends care !!
I haven't made up my mind if the blog will be updated thru the summer so we'll have to wait and see..the only scheduled trip we're thinking about is to the Upper Penninsula in August but maybe more..Gotta get ready for next winter's adventure ya know !!!
Keep in touch and REMEMBER...LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..
Charlie & Heather

4-18-11 We are definately back in Michigan

April 18th, Woke up in Hillsdale Mich to..........SNOW...*!*%##....I guess I'll never figure out this Mich weather..but on the good side of the coin, it's not tornadoes !! There was only a thin layer of the white stuff so we went to Lansing and visited my daughter and had a great lunch, only stayed about an hour or so and we were on the way to our favorite stopover Campgound at the Mt Pleasant Casino...it has a shuttle to the casino and we usually have fairly good luck there..another big plus here is that the bathrooms are heated and the showers are wonderful...I guess ya gotta experience a few cold ones to understand what I mean...Ain't nothin' like stepping out of a shower and freezing...(unless you're Skandanavian !!). Hopefully our Lady Luck will be with us this evening..It'd be nice to walk away with some big bucks ( I used to say that during hunting season too !!) Wish us luck !!  Hope everyone is as happy as we are..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

4-17-11 Hillsdale Michigan..Sugarbush RV

WOW!! Last Wednesday we watched the weather report in North Georgia and all we heard was bbbbad,bad,bad weather coming..tornadoes all around us and lightning storms from hell, even the cats had big eyes!!  Well now, we know how to handle bad weather.......RUN, FLEE !!!  ZOOM thru Tennessee, ZOOM thru Kentucky, ZOOM thru Ohio..HA-HA bad weather, how do like me now??  We're in Hillsdale Mich tonite at the Sugarbush Campground, and it's a bit chilly but we're not hearing any tornado reports !!  One nite here then we go up to Lansing, about an hour North,  and see my daughter. Then we'll hit the casino at Mt Pleasant..We're getting very close to home and all that yard work that is waiting for us..Hope everyone is warm & snuggly..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY....Charlie & Heather

Cordele Georgia Cordele RV 4-10-11

Cordele Georgia shall forever be etched in our minds as Knat Heaven !! We've been here for 3 days and the knats have been a constant pain. Wind or no wind they've been there. In your face and everywhere else. It's a shame too as the park is comfy. We pack up and move out in the A.M. and continue North. One more stop in Georgia, north of Atlanta, so we'll be on the road for 4 hours. Usually, after that much driving, happy hour is on the agenda!! I was glad to see the weather report got much better than a week ago. Supposed to have sunny and 80F all week instead of the rain originally forcasted..Amazing how they do that !! The pond here has some geat bass in it. We've seen a couple caught that were a good size. Hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather . As my daughter said.."no dandylions yet ", so will the warmth stay or not?? If not, we'll bring it with us..Until next time...REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

April 6 2011 Corbitt GA emerald Lake RV Park

We've been here at Emerald Lake RV Park near Corbitt Ga for 6 days and have realy enjoyed it. This little out in the country park has a 2 acre pond with a houseboat for rent and a restaurant onsite. We've really been enjoying the 75F days and except for a 1 night storm the weather has been great. Our Michigan friends back home are all suffering from cabin fever according to their emails and facebook postings. I remember going thru that when we stayed in Mich all winter. I just checked the Rand McNally site to see how many miles to home and it's closer than I thought...755mls...We're heading NE in the morning to Cordele Ga. and we'll be near the I-75 corridor..It'll be another 4 day stop and if the nice weather keeps moving North then we'll follow it. We met a couple from Alaska traveling in a 1979 GMC motorhome that they've restored. If I didn't know better I would say their rig looked new. A real act of love. The entertainment in the evening was karaoke on the deck. Y'all know how much I like that...had fun joining in and hearing some really good singers...the food at the restaurant was tasty and priced right..we had a storm Monday night that had quite a lightning display and very windy. After all my years at Detroit Edison I can't say I've ever seen that much lightning in a storm. It went on for 2 hours and kept the sky almost a bright as daylight..Pretty but spooky at the same time.. the tornadoes kept far away from where we're at but did do some damage elsewhere. We heard that a local town had an entire city block burn down due to lightning.. It looks like we'll have some good weather for traveling and nice weather the rest of the week. Hope everyone has an early spring and...REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie&Heather

Mon 3-28-11 Bristol FL Torreya State Park

We left Caverns State Park about 11AM and only traveled 1 1/2 hrs to Bristol FL, Torreya State Park. It may seem strange to you that we'd move so few miles but how ya gonna see it all without driving all day? Torreya Park is one of the highest elevations in Florida and has hiking trails and a waterfall. We'll call this home for a week and let our mail catch up with us..we found the drive into the park  long and beautiful and since the temp's went to 80F we had to turn on the AC to dehumidify...wonderful time to declare an early happy hour as the drinks won't get warm!! Our phones, satellite and wi-fi signals are very strong, way up on the hill, so we are in great shape for the week..the lookout porch has a fantastic view over the countryside and the other campers are happy people..Sunday morning had some thunder in the air for an hour or so, but the rain skirted around us and the sun came out full force..by Monday we needed to restock the fridge so we took a ride into Bristol and filled it, we got back within a couple hours and wouldn't you know it...Happy Hour again!!! Tomorrow we'll tour the Gregory House, a civil war mansion in the park, I'll fill ya in next blog.
So our friends, we hope spring is in the air and REMEMBER...LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie&Heather

Mar 24,2011 Heading towards Florida

We pulled out of  Long Beach Mississippi and headed to Alabama (with a banjo on my knee), arrived at Azalia Acres RV Park in Robertsdale Al about 2PM. Nice new park..We got the laundry done and vegged for 2 days. Next on our agenda was a 4hr drive to Marianna Florida, The Florida Caverns State Park. We got all set up again at 4PM..kinda late for us but we got delayed with a flat tire enroute. We used our Good Sam Road Servvice to get the tire changed and it put us 1 hour off our plan. That's a first for Charlie, a few years ago I would have just changed it, but I gotta admit it makes it a lot easier to have someone else do it !!   It didn't cost us a dime either! Caverns State Park  is on par with Michigan's Hartwick Pines Park. The trees here are amazing. Some look about 80' tall and at night the sky stars are very hard to see and it is dark..Last night we heard some really wierd owl/scream/growl sounds. (Maybe it was BIGFOOT !!) Needless to say no more fresh air walks after that..(grin)..Today we took in the cavern tour and it was actually better than the Mammoth Cave tour we did last year. The Stalactites-Stalagmites were enormous and very colorful. It very etheral and spooky. We pull out tomorrow and next is Torreya State Park in Bristol FL..it's the highest elevation in Florida and has the states highest waterfall. We'll stay a week and let the mail catch up to us this time. It'll be good to stop for awhile. We're starting to watch Michigan weather as that'll make up our minds about a northern turn and slow trip home..Hope the snow up there stops and temps get better soon.We miss you all and hope you're safe and snuggly..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie&Heather

03-17-11 St Pat's at Magic River MS

Last post we were displaced, up the hill. That only lasted 2 days and then everyone moved back to low ground..The water only moved a few feet into the campground and everyone breathed a sigh of relief and got back to normal..It's a big deal down here ,and should be, as even a small flood can be a real disaster..The weather has gotten real decent and the sun has been screaming every day since the rain..We managed to get a few days of fishing in and have cooked outside almost every night..of course we've had bonfires every evening and the staff has been delivering firewood every day, we're doing our best to burn it all but I think they're winning..A few neighbors have moved out and some new ones have replaced them..some from Canada, others from Ohio, Mississippi,Florida and other far away places..it's great meeting all of them !!..We made plans for our next few stops, one in Alabama for 2 days and another in Florida for 3 days..hopeing to catch up on mail in Florida..We're gonna do some cave tours next week..I sure hope the weather stays nice during all the driveing as I hate driveing in rain..I see Mich has been "warming" (50???) but it's not warm enough to coax us home yet (grin)..Since today was St Pat's we had an early Happy Hour...since last week was Mardis Gras the locals were burnt out on partying  :=(  awwwwww!!!..the only foot path we haven't walked looked like it was getting dried out so we may try it tomorrow..supposed to be a beaver dam and some alligators down that path, I better take my walking stick and my runnin" shoes..Hope everyone had a great St Pat's and the week is safe..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS LIFE GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie&Heather

March 10 2011 Magic River RV Ms

Thursday already !! Still at Magic River RV Park..The staff came around yesterday morning and told everyone that the rain of the past 24 hours raised their fear that the "Magic River" might appear and flood the lower part of the camp, so everyone ( about 12 campers )  had to move to the rear higher end of the park..there's quite a difference in elevation and the high ground has never flooded in the past..Can you believe some campers were mad ?? We thought it was wise to move so 45 minutes later  we were set up again..The owner stopped by and apologized !! I really thought the whole thing was well executed..in a matter of 4 hours everyone was helped, escorted and reestablished on the high ground, with full hook ups too !! Things got settled and it was back to normal routines..We walked down this morning and checked the river level, hadn't changed much from the night before but the owner showed me where to check..it seems that the flow of water is normally from the spring fed pond to the West, he says watch when the flow reverses, it's a sign that things are achangeing...tonite, about 8pm, I took another walk to check it and sure enough the water flow was into the pond and had a strong current..It will be interesting to see what the morning will bring..We really only had 1 worry....NO WATERWINGS WITH US   (LOL).. We had a nice sunny day and 70 with no wind..we even sat out and tanned up today then we had home made spaghetti for dinner...yum yum..I wonder if the rains the past few days means spring is just around the corner..Hope all our friends are enjoying life as we are..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie&Heather

3-6-11 Sunday Long Beach MS Magic River RV

Got back here to Magic River yesterday about 1PM from the casino. After "playing" til 4AM needless to say our biological clocks are a bit outa kilter :)  we also stopped and had a big breakfast enroute so first thing on the agenda was a geezer nap..started moving again just about happy hour, WHEW! don't wanna miss that !! The bonfire was already started, now if the rain will hold off it could be an enjoyable night..We sat outside for awhile but about 8PM the rain started and chased us all inside..Today it started out nice and sunny and the Camp Owner started the wet wood fire with kerosene..Ya See?? we all take this bonfire thing seriously..took a ride at 2PM up the road to shop and hit a flea market (itch,itch,itch) that's been operating for 16 years..very organized stuff (junk) for sale..Heather found a couple nice bracelets that couldn't be passed up..got back to camp and cooked a couple hot diggity dogs over the fire..everyone was worn out from haveing too much fun this week so we all said goodnight to each other and settled in for Sunday eveninng TV..tomorrow starts another week and we all hope it's as nice as this past 7 days...After reading the news about the tornados in Louisiana I'm glad we scooted thru there last week..Hope everyone is warm and snug..REMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie&Heather

3-3-11 10:20PM Bay St Louis, MS

I just realized that I'll only be 64 for another 1hr&40minutes (central time)..65th birthday 3-4-11..WOW..time goes by when you're havieng fun !!..We left Magic River Camp at 11:30AM, drove 1/2 hr to Bay St Louis, Hollywood Casino RV Park, and set up, Heather took advantage of the laundry facilities as Magic River CG has none.The plan is to eat at the buffet late, one of our favorites..they've got a selection of seafood and beef  down South food topped by no other..knowing how a big meal catches up with us a good long nap is in order for this evening..then we'll drift over to the casino at 11PM and try our luck for a few hours, the odds always seem better at night, as we've found out when we were here before..this is really "the good life"..we had so many bonfires the past few days it seems strange not haveing one tonite..The weather sure has been cooperateing  this week as it's been high 60's and sunny with nice warm evenings and cool nights..I sat outside last night listening to the sounds coming from the ponds and it started to sprinkle,,it's then I saw and heard two turtles communicating..One said " don't ya just love the sound of rain on your roof" !!! LOL..I have been told that home, in Micxhigan, it's warming all the way up to the 30's...I guess the interpretation of warm is relevent to your location...It's 10:35 right now (central) and I've only got 1hr and 25mins to enjoy being 64...On 3-4-11 I hit the medicare/medicaid age !!! Like I've said before "Time flies when you're having fun"..We're starting to meet people that say they're makeing their slow journey back to home just like us..winter has been great here in the Southern states and is goin by way too fast..Should be back in Michigan sometime in May..depends on the weather and we're watching the price of gas too..getting pretty crazy all over the country..We hope all our friends are cozy and safe..REMEMBER,,LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie&Heather

2-25-11 Friday Sam Houston Jones State Park LA

WOW, 2 days just flew by !! After I left ya'll the other night we heard  strange sounds coming from right outside the window, so Heather grabbed a flashlight and started looking around the campsite thru the window. Two rather large sets of eyes stared back !!!  What could THAT be??  Just a couple of racoons checking the campsite for scraps !! Really BIG racoons.. Later that night I stepped outside for some air and saw what I believed to be a fox running thru the camp.( heard a great story 'bout feeding the wildlife..little boy decided to break the rules,,sneeking food to the ducks at swamp edge, along came a 'gator and ate the duck !!! LOL Lol lol !! Oh well, I thought it was funny :) ) This morning we were visited by Mr. duck, he swims in back of the campsites looking for handouts several times a day. No alligators yet but I wouldn't be suprised to see a few in the swamp, during the day all the turtles come out to sun themselves.( my buddy Trapper would love this!) All the cypress trees are covered in Spanish Moss and it's beautiful and creepy at the same time. At night you can hear the frogs and other critters sing their songs. This morning I got tired of the limited TV via rabbit ears so I set up the satellite dish and now we've got 125+ channels of advertisements instead of 7, isn't technolgy wonderful??  Rained last night but the day was sunny and 75F. We cooked out over a bonfire and when it started to cool down we came in and watched commercials :) Met our Park hosts today and they are great people, from the mid-west. He's a retired Railroad worker and they've been camp hosting all over the USA.  That's something we're getting interested in so we picked up a lot of info from them.. The park certainly filled up this weekend, as a matter of fact people are still pulling in now (10:30 PM) ..We'd definately come back here , the park wi-fi works great and it's a great place to ride bikes and hike. there's miles of hiking trails and no big hills to wear me out. This Park even encourages you to colllect the downed wood for bonfires, that's something that was a big no-no in Texas ( even though their parks looked "ruff" from all the dead wood laying around).. Got to chat with some friends on FB tonite which I always enjoy.  We've decided to make a run for Mississippi to get to "our" Hollywood Casino in Bay St Louis and Magic River Campground where we stayed last fall..So we only will have 1 more Louisiana stop for 1 nite. Don't know if we'll update til then so REMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie&Heather

2-23-11 Westlake Louisiana Sam Houston Jones State Park

We left Texas and crossed into Louisiana about noon today. Arrived in Sam Houston Jones State Park just North of Westlake LA at 1PM..It's wierd going from state to state, one wants checks and the next one doesn't..some welcome debit cards and...ya know..some honor the National Senior Pass and some don't..others give a discount to veterans and some don't..Ya gotta love diversification. (grin) Got another hour for happy hour, hmmmm, how to speed it up !! Hooked up the rig and got the bikes off the rack and explored the park and gathered some fire wood ( wouldn't let us do that in Texas Parks ) . It's beautiful !! Our site is about 100 steps to a bridge over the swamp and the rig is 60' from the water..Happy hour was upon us quickly so we met some neighbors from Florida and fed some squirrels nuts and put out some birdseed ( how do they find this stuff so fast? ) , started a campfire.. The weather is perfect for this, got up to 78F today ( ran the AC for awhile) and evening stayed comfy..started to hear frogs just before coming in and settleing down for the night..I asked Heather if she'd heard any alligators yet and suddenly she said it was time to go in ...HA-HA...We'll be here til Sunday A.M. and then move to ???? Hope all our friends are enjoying life like we are...so until next blog, REMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY...Charlie & Heather

2-21-11 Bay RV Park Beaumont TX

We been boogieing..stopped for 1 nite at Palacios TX and moved to San Leon, TX for 2 days..both these stops were just enroute outa Texas..Gotta take the time to do domestics then zoom-zoom again..We've seen enough of Texas (scrub brush and large farms and only half of the state speaks English)  and Louisiana's next..It actually is nice to be back to the oceanside..we enjoy the fresh air and the sound of the waves..Somehow or other the wind thru the brush and the sand blowing doesn't quite do it for us..We'll both be glad to get away from the sand burrs too..We hit the stores today and stocked up again so we're good to go once again..Gasoline down here for plus is running $3.09(Valero) to $3.29(Shell)..I'm sure glad we don't run diesel ($3.49)!!..we've noticed a lot of towns in TX with populations less than 1500..a lot of small businesses here have closed their doors and some towns are all but closed up..the peole here are friendly as long as they speak your language and that's sometimes not possible in any given small store.(kinda makes it tough to ask directions :) .. thank goodness we're carrying the internet (wonder how long it's gonna take for it to go Spanish...press 1 for English...LOL)..Looking forward to some "woodsy" camping with a bonfire, gotta work on that now, so until next time REMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..luv ya'll..Charlie&Heather

Wed 2-16-11 Victoria TX, Dad's RV park

Weather = gorgeous 70's  I guess we really didn't know how "wild" this Victoria TX area was. It seem like such a safe place but yesterday we ran across Lions, Tigers, Snakes and other wildlife we didn't expect to see !! Our curious spirits decided to check out the Victoria Zoo..it was a 10 minute drive from the RV Park and was very interesting. The many animals there were displayed very well and the aviary's were stocked and they had 25 cent feed dispensers all over the park (the animals know the sound of them too!Got their attention with every spin of the handles)..it was fun feeding the birds but the Goats have wet tongues..YUK.  Peacocks were roaming freely and the monkeys were fun to watch. They had a few wet tanks stocked with alligators, eels, turtles and fish and they loved the free food. A bobcat den was a sight to see, beautiful animal..We got back to our campsite just in time for Happy Hour !! It stayed nice and warm last night and was already up to 65 in the morning. We've got 2 more days here then it's time to get back to the east coast of TX and oceanside time (which we love). Hope all our  friends stay warm and snuggly.REMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie&Heather

2-12-11 , Victoria TX , Dad's RV Park

I can't believe how fast time is flying by..our last post was 2-5-11..WOW..we left Del Rio Tx on the 7th and drove a few hours til we arrived in Uvalde Tx, Garner State Park..it's in "hill country", really pretty drive withwinding roads up & down the mountains at times a little scary..the park was in a valley, surrounded by what Texans call "hills" but from this Michigan boys point of view they were mountains..nite time temps went down to 24F and I guess Texans are allergic to that 'cause we were practically the only one's in the park..saw some deer..phones and internet didn't work but the satellite dish was fine so we just hunkered down for 3 days and enjoyed the pristeen surroundings..we then went to Luling Tx, River bend RV Park..got caught up with laundry and pulled out the next morning to Victoria TX, Dad's RV Park..we'll be here for 7 days..this park in located in the south end of town and close to shopping..there's a restaurant adjoining the park too. The weather here is finally starting to behave itself and is going back up in the 70's this week :)  Heather and I scrubbed the rig today and it took the better part of the afternoon to finish.  We worked up a great thirst and happy hour is approaching,,YAHOO !!..As a matter of fact--let's go try the restaurant tonite !! Dinner was tasty We tried Texas toothpicks..anyone ever heard of them ?? They're fried jalepenos cut in strips like toothpicks...very unique and tasty..Hope all our friends and family are staying warm and cozy..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Heather & Charlie

2-5-11 Del Rio Texas Buzzard Roost RV park

It was just a week ago we were running our AC in an 84F afternoon..Then the jet stream decided it was time to go South..BBBRRRR..it got down to 24F at night which is tough on the RV crowd..We unhooked our water line to avoid freezing it..the furnace kept us comfy but ran quite a bit..the nice thing about this park, Buzzard Roost RV, is it has a saloon attached, so we have some evening entertainment while we hunker down..Went there last nite and enjoyed & participated in a fun kaaoke gig..drifted back about midnight an slept in in the morning..We found our dump valves frozen up til noon but that fixed itself in the 40F weather in the afternoon...
We got a tip from the park owner about a Chinese buffet just a little ways down the road from the park so we took  a ride and found it and chowed down for $7 each...I hate buffets cause I eat too much..got back to our campsite and took a good, long geezer nap...this evening??? more fun at the saloon. I took my usual stroll thru the park checking license plates...no one from Michigan but a good mixture of mid-America..since the weather isn't supposed to warm up for a few days we decided to extend our stay here for 3 more days..gonna watch the Superbowl on Sunday at the saloon and then make up our minds where we go to from here..if it stays cold we may head back SE to find some warmer temperatures..Time will tell !! Hope everyone is warm & comfy..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

Sunday 1-30-11 Lake Casa Blanco State Park..Laredo TX

It's very hard to believe it's the last days of January. Wow !! We've been on the road since Oct 1st and every mile has been enjoyable. Right now we're camped at Lake Casa Blanco State Park in Laredo TX, the site has a fire ring and a little gazebo to shade the sun..got a view of the Lake and can see the city lights across the lake at night but it's very quiet in the park. Laredo has a winter festival this week called "Jamboozie". Lot's of people around to participate. It's been going on for years..Kinda like Tip-Up-Town without winter or Polar Bear dips..:-).. We tried our luck at fishing yesterday but got skunked..Been able to get a few bike rides in but it's a challenge here due to the hills..but it's fun going downhill..weeeeeee!!! (Should we be having this much fun???)  Another keen observation is that beer at 5PM tastes just as good in Texas as in Michigan.. It almost hit 80F today and we cooked a couple steaks on the grill. Running into town tomorrow to pick up our mail... One of the wierd things about Texas is they hide the liquor stores and cigarette stores, you have to ask the locals for the places to find them. We were listening to a local radio station and the disc jockey said they only play the music our parents hated and now our kids hate it too.!!! We loved his choices.. We pull outa here on Wed AM and head to Del Rio TX and our next great adventure..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

1-26-11 Laredo TX Casa Blanco State Park

We pulled into Casa Blanco State Park in Laredo TX about 3PM..Only had to drive about 2 1/2 hrs. We were suprised how close to town it is. Stopped at Wally World to stock up for the week. Most of the campground loops and sites have a water view..Going to be here for 7 nights so we even bought some campfire wood. Had to get another inner tube for one of our bikes as the dang sand burrs down here keep giving us flats so we got a tube that self seals and is supposed to take care of that problem..quite popular down here..took a hike down by the lake and scrounged up some small wood to get the fire going..had a simple smoked brats cookout and watched the sun set...I got the satellite dish zero'd in and set up today and I'm glad to have it as the rabbit ears only get 10 stations and most are Mexican. We even found a station last night that was in English but all the commercials were in Mexican, go figure !!..This is probably our last stop in the valley and Texas..maybe one more?? Hope  everyone is happy and REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

1-22-11 PM Falcon Lake State Park

Wow, what a great day..sunny and warm..had a great bicycle ride and a few hikes..tomorrow the park host are haveing a football party at the clubhouse..Last night we had a cookout with a friend of ours and a bonfire. While we all sitting around the fire, at sunset, we saw a few deer approaching and then Heather saw another shadow behind them..Wild Pigs!!..with babies, not more than 50' fron our chairs. We all felt a tingle of danger but they weren't worried about us, they had some tree seed pods to chow on and could have cared less about us homo sapiens nearby!!.It finally got cool enought to call it a night and I had to look up how dangerous wild feral pigs are..NOT GOOD..but another adventure under our belts..I have a feeling that as we travel Northwest to New Mexico we will get more and more into "the wilds" judgeing by the amount of available roads and campgrounds available..time will tell..the rangers here told us about 2 bobcats spotted in the park recently and one of the campers caught a rattlesnake yesterday. No winter hibernation in this area..We're here for a couple more days and head out on Tues AM..Hope everyone stays safe and warm..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie & Heather

1-19-11 Falcon Lake State Park, TX

We left Anglers Den Park and then spent 2 days at Chimney Park RV in Mission TX, right on the Rio Grande River with Mexico in sight just a few 100 yards across the river. The Border Patrol presence in the area was everywhere. Today we arrived at Falcon Lake State Park in Falcon Heights TX. The resevoir was a Mexican-American effort to build a dam and lake for power and irrigation. The lake is huge. The Park is very nice and kinda empty..this is where an American guy got shot while jetskiing with his wife last October..I wonder if that's why...we'll be here for a week. We did some shopping enroute and bought some new loungers and groceries. I even put up the satellite dish as there isn't much on standard VHF except Mexican language programs..the deeper into Texas we go the less English we hear..we even stopped at a store the other day where no one spoke English...makes ya wish for the option "Press 1 for English"  LOL   Local weather is calling for sun and 80's thru Friday so it sounds like we will be comfortable. Hope everyone is safe and warm..Until next post REMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Heather & Charlie

Los Indios TX Anglers Den RV Park 1-12-11

We got out of Kenwood Resort and headed South of Brownsville. We took a quick tour of S. Padre Island and walked the ocean beach then ate  and settled into Cactus RV Park for the night. It was okay for a night but not much of a park so we pulled out early A.M. and drove NW along the Texas coast. We found a park that looked interesting on the internet called Anglers Nest in Los Indios TX...we found ourselves driving alongside the Security Fence we've all seen on TV..It went on for many miles..it's about 20' high and sturdy. Every once in awhile there was a border crossing with a ton of security.  We found the park without any problems and set up about 2PM.. got invited to a dinner the park was putting on so we didn't have to cook. They had 3 kinds of homemade soups and it was really good. Of course after that we were done for the night. Today was overcast and cool but Heather managed to get the laundry done and we cleaned up the rig too..It's a friendly park so we may stay a couple days and wait out this cool spell. We hope everyone is well and snug. REMEMBER...LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie&Heather

Sunday 1-9-11 Brownsville Tx Honeydale RV Park

We were up early and moved S.E. to Brownsville Tx, Honeydale RV Park..just a plain Jane park so instead of staying 2 days as planned we only will do 1 day and move again tomorrow. Gonna tour the end of the Rio Grande River and move to another Brownsville Park for a day. We really have the hitchitch after being in 1 place for 3 weeks so we don't mind bounceing around for awhile. How else ya gonna see the USA ?? Maybe when we get "old" we'll sit still ( yah right!!) Our neighbor asked us if we knew the difference between the N Valley & the S Valley and we didn't.....he said " about 10 degrees warmer South !!! and it is!! We ran the AC all afternoon.. I hope Tip-Up-Town goes well in Houghton Lake..seems funny not to be part of the "Largest Winter Festival" in the USA after attending it for 30+ years.  ...BUT---I DON'T MISS WINTER..nosirree..
    Hope everyone has a great week..REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Love y'all..Charlie & Heather

Thurs 01-06-11 La Feria, TX Kenwood RV Resort

Heather & I have both been running a day behind  . We both thought it was Wednesday on Thursday, and it really doesn't matter. Nice thing about retirement. Got caught up with " domestics " (laundry, vaccuuming, dishes, etc) and took a bike ride into town where we met up with a friend of ours at the American Legion. Talk centered around plans for the next few weeks and where we could all meet up. Soaked in the hot tub before calling it a night.Really laid back day. Gonna be on the road Sunday and see the Rio Grande River and slide West  up the southern border of Texas. I tried to plan next week so we're somewhere near a laundry in a week. (such priorities!!) The Falcon State Park is on our agenda, it's touted as a great place to stop at.
We analyzed our time factor and we decided we could go slow for a month or two. You'll see us staying  a little longer than usual at our campsites thru Jan and Feb, maybe March.  Hope all our Northern Friends are safe and happy.  REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY..Charlie&Heather

La Feria, Texas 01-01-11 Kenwood Resort

Happy New Year y'all..We're still here & enjoying every minute of it.Very relaxing at this place. The weather has been agreeable and the residents friendly. The great pool & hot tub help too. We attended the Christmas & New Years get togethers and Happy Houred every day. Shopping & a nice American Legion are within bicycle distance and the motorhome hasn't moved in 2 weeks. How good is that? All the amenities ,TV(rabbit ears&dish),Cell Phones, Internet are performing great. I think we'll stay another week!! We'll probably eventually go and tour something or maybe shop somewhere else but...... who knows. I'm sure the cats think something is wrong because they haven't had their house move in weeks...LOL. If we get anymore sun we'll have to start using sun lotion to slow down the tans. (I'm sure our "northern" friends are rolling their eyes right now :) ) I'm willing to bet we'll come back to this area in the future. We're thinking of trying to put a group together next summer & travel the western U.P. probably in July or August. It's an unusual area of Michigan that most never see. (contact us if interested) I broke down and rejoined Facebook (Charlie McCarthy) after a 3 month absence. Let's see if it ticks me off again. Having spoken of Happy Hour-----REMEMBER..LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY....Charlie&Heather