Our Travel House

Our Travel House
SEE THE USA

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Last Week on the Island

   Spring fever has hit us! Decided to hit the road April 1st, weather permitting. We were going to stay on the island thru April but had a change in thinking. Ahhh, jello plans are great.
   Now all we have to do is make up a short plan on where to  go. We are going North, see how easy that is?? Gonna copy a plan I saw on another blogger's site. 2+2+2....(drive no more than 2 hours at a time, drive no more than 200 miles, stay for 2 days) It sounds like a plan for the summer.
   We learned that Matlacha Island becomes a ghost town in the summer, for that matter, Florida loses a lot of snowbirds all over. Summer seasonal rates go to about 1/2 price all over and some of the stupid rules at many RV Parks get relaxed. None of us "yankees" wants to put up with 100F+ heat and humidity. Everyone here hides in the AC a lot.
   We had  lot of fun and finished some great projects this winter. Our friend and Park Manager, Carl Christianson, did a wonderful job for everyone here. His culinary skills and people skills insured a good time. He sure puts in a lot of hours, up @ 4:30AM and doesn't stop til late evening 7 days a week! He's always ready to help anyone with info or repairs and stays on top of everything to make us comfortable. I'd hire him in a blink if I owned a park!!
THANK YOU, CARL, FOR A MIGHTY FINE SEASON !!
   We are planning a stop in Spring Hill Florida at Harold's Repair shop to get some maintenance done on the rig. Have a exhaust manifold leak and a master brake cylinder that need attention. They did such a fine job for us last fall replacing the radiator that we want our work done there. It'll probably tie us up a few days but I want this done before we tackle the midwest this summer. Besides, there's a fun happy hour right across the street.
   I'm suprised how much stuff we have scattered around the rig and our patio..gonna take awhile to get it all put away. We've got a storage unit about 2 miles from here and we have to decide what we're taking in the trailer. We're wanting to leave enough room in it to get a golf cart or scooters in it. Decisions, decisions, life is so challengeing. :)
   Once we get on the road I'll probably be posting blogs more regularly to share our adventures with you. Stay tuned !!
  To all our Northern Family, we hope winter ends soon and that summer is warm.
   REMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY. Charlie & Heather 
  

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Wasted away again in Matlachaville.

You all know good feelings we get listening to Jimmy Buffet's Song Margaritaville? How'd ya like to feel like that everyday?
Nibblin' on spongecake, Watchin' the sun bake, all of the tourists covered with oil...
Except here in Matlacha, it'd be..
Nibblin' key lime pie, watchin' birds fly by, tourists from everywhere havin' a good time..
OK, OK, so I'm not a songwriter---LOL
Usually at this time of the season we'd be thinkin' about our route home a little bit. Not this year. The "written in jello" plan is to NOT plan!! Since we are fulltiming now, we aren't going to head back to Michigan this spring. It's a wierd feeling for sure. We, of course, do talk and dream about where to go and what to see this summer and so far it's a daydream only, but our minds and computers are doing a lot of research. We do know that we want to see the midwest and visit a few people we know. Of course there are a lot of places we have in our bucket list. It's almost overwhelming when we start looking at maps.
We probably will leave the island in late April and meander up to Spring Hill Florida to have some work done to the rig. From there we'll wing it to Long Beach Mississippi with a few CG's enroute. Then we'll figure out a route to the NW. Simple ehh? Hopefully we'll bump into some other bloggers this summer.
We get notices about a lot of rallies being held at many spots around the country and it's tempting but this year we think we'll skip 'em..
Gonna get a phone upgrade before we leave this area. Heather just got a new phone and I like it too so I'll probably get the same one. No smart phones for us. Happy with our computers for internettin' !
Our project for the winter, finishing an apartment, has been progressing nicely. It's been fun and a great way to get in some exercise. Of course we are able to squeeze in fishing and music and danceing and Happy Hours & lots of cookouts..Just don't know where the time goes!!


We hope you all are safe and happy. Miss everyone of ya' !
Remember, Live Your Dreams as Time Goes by Quickly!  Charlie & Heather.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Trailer axle replaced.





Kind of a cooler day for Matlacha (mat-la-shay). Woke up to 64F. This necessitated a sweat shirt. (Florida's version of long johns). I decided it'd be a good day to replace the "new" trailer axle. Did I mention we had a "problem" with our new, "made in Michigan" 14' enclosed  trailer? We purchased it last Oct  and it's great to haul our extra gear. We noticed enrt to Florida that the wheels were seeming to bend inwards, by the time we got into South Florida they were really bent in and the tires were seriously scuffed on the inside tread. Not good ! Upon further investigation we determined the axle had bent. I had weighed the trailer befor we embarked and it's only 2840#'s by itself and it transfers 400#'s to our motorhome when hitched up. The trailer then weighed 2440 and it's rated for 3000#'s. WTF?? The other day I removed the axle and found a tag on it that says 3000#'s, made in China. Even though the trailer has a warranty I decided I wasn't gonna open that can of worms. Found an axle at Northern Tools, rated 3500#'s for $130. After a few trips for parts and some custom welding modifications I was ready to change it out. It only took about 2 hours and everything was back in order and ready to roll. It's fun trying to get a project done in the park as everyone stops by and a lot of chit chat takes place about the project. Never ceases to amaze me how many sidewalk superintendents are available for any given project !!  LOL..
   After all that "work" ( getting to hate that word) I was hungry so it was time to make Charlie's "world famous chili" to warm up the chilled bones. Noticed that everyone in the park was staying inside as Floridians are allergic to cooler weather. Chili was done about 5PM. Called a few friends and ate. Man, I make good chili. Of course a nap was in order. Slept a good 2 hours. AAHHH!!! I'm never gonna claim that my chili will make anyone socially acceptable! (if ya know what I mean).
   Warmer weather is coming back next week. In the meantime I'll take the 65F.
Hope everyone is warm and snuggly and healthy and safe.
  REMEMBER, LIVE YOUR DREAMS AS TIME GOES BY QUICKLY. Charlie & Heather