Sarasota Florida, warm and sunny weather...

On our last post we had finished our first SOWER project at Toccoa Falls College and had moved to Fort Yargo State Park in Winder GA for the week of Thanksgiving 2013. The weather was exceptionally cold during our final week in Georgia so we were anxious to head south to warm, sunny Florida... for four months!!!

We visited Sarasota in December/January 2012 just after ordering our RV and while there we visited almost every campground in the area looking for a place to stay this winter. RV campgrounds south of Tampa on the west coast fill up very quickly and it is very difficult to find a place for long term rental unless you reserve it a year in advance so we did, we put a deposit on a campsite before we left Florida to return to Athens the year before.

The trip south was uneventful, we traveled to Ocala FL the first day. We have good friends, Tim & Barb Connor who live outside Ocala with two of their three their boys,  Jonathan and Timmy [their oldest is married and doesn't live at home]. After setting up the coach for the night we went to visit them and had a wonderful visit. The next day, Sunday December 1st, we met the Connor's at their church with home in tow and after the service got a chance to see Timmy's Eagle project, an amazing log building they constructed that is used as the youth center for the church. It is the most impressive Eagle project I have ever seen, or know of and I have seen many!! To get an idea of the magnitude of this project click here

After saying our goodbyes we finished our trip south to Sarasota, actually Nokomis which is between Sarasota and Venice, to Royal Coachman RV Resort. Royal Coachman is a very nice campground with over 800 sites, more than half of which are park models [semi permanent RV like units]. The property was a pine tree farm back in the day so much of the property is still shaded by pines, other parts of the park shaded by big oaks. Our site was covered by both, very shady but impossible to get satellite TV.

This park is HUGE and they have more activities than anyone could ever try to do, tennis, horseshoes, aerobics, dinners, cards, bingo, etc... There is something going on pretty much all waking hours if you want to participate. The pool was heated, sometimes too warm but was very nice and large.

The people here were wonderful but most winter here every year and have their own little groups so it was difficult to socialize with them, after a few attempts we just gave up. This was not a problem though because we have family and friends in Sarasota so we spend much of our time outside the park. There is so much to do in the area, Ruth and I had no problems staying busy.

Southwest Florida is loaded with fresh water rivers emptying into the Gulf and the kayaking is wonderful. Ruth's aunt, Mary McClendon, is an avid kayaker and she graciously offered to let us tag along with the group she paddles with. Mary has two kayaks, I bought one for myself and Ruth used Mary's second boat. Mary's group paddles almost every Monday so we joined them on many occasions. We experienced some beautiful rivers and also paddled the bays between the mainland and barrier islands of the Gulf...what spectacular sights. Birds, gators, beavers grasses, mangroves, beaches, plenty of warm sunshine and friends... all in all a great time!!

Christmas in Florida

I grew up in Miami, spent much of my life in South Florida and I remember Christmas differently than the norm for many of snow, cold, sleighs, warm clothes and hot chocolate. Christmas in Miami was shorts, flip-flops, palm trees and warm weather. As a kid I was always longing for what the rest of the country was experiencing and one of the biggest motivators for my moving to Georgia was to experience the seasons...and to celebrate the Christmas season with cold weather, snow [rarely], warm clothes, etc. Well...now I'm over it, I'll take the sun and flip-flops anytime!!!

For the past two years we have spent Christmas in South Florida, 2011 in Ft. Myers and 2012 in Sarasota. Ruth planned Christmas 2013 in an amazing house right on the Siesta Key beach, a short walk out the door and you're on the beach. Erin, Kevin & Eli traveled down with David & Tim to join us for a week on the beach where we spent Christmas. It was fun for me to spend Christmas on the beach and for a very nice change it was warm, too cold for Ruth or I to swim but not Eli, Kevin and Tim [crazy boys]! Unfortunately 

Lydia and Dean could not join us, they were both working and couldn't get time off but we did get to see them in January, even if only for a couple of days.

Christmas dinner was a great time and we shared the celebration with family and friends. We all got to spend as much time on the beach as we wanted and when tired or in need of refreshments we could scoot back to the house so easily.

Eli had a ball and as usual it was almost impossible to keep him off the beach. He also got to know what we in South Florida try to avoid...those awful sand-spurs or stickers. Anyone who has spent time down here knows what these nasty little things are...I think I still have some embedded under my skin from when I was a kid!! 

Our family time together came to an end way too soon, a week can fly by so quickly when enjoying time with loved ones but before we knew it the week was over and it was time to say goodbye and everyone left to rerurn to the freezing climate of Georgia... well not everyone, Ruth and I returned to our RV for a rest before heading to Chicago for a New Years Eve wedding.

Did you say Chicago...in the winter???

Ruth and I met through Joe & Lisa Hanrahan, Ruth lived in the same neighborhood as Joe & Lisa and played tennis with them. I knew Joe through the Boy Scouts, his son Brendan as one of the Scouts in the Troop I was the Scoutmaster of, Joe was one of my Assistants. Joe suggested to me that I would hit it off with Ruth...well the rest you know.

Brendan met Tamara in DC where he was going to school for his Masters and PhD. Tamara is from Chicago and when they decided to marry they brilliantly decided to marry on New Years Eve...in Chicago!!!

When Ruth and I were going through all of our clothing before moving to the RV we thought we would never need winter clothing, at least not the kind you would need for COLD weather so we got rid of it all. After learning that the wedding would be in Chicago, in the winter, we knew we were in trouble...nothing to keep us warm so we hit the thrift stores in Sarasota [you can find anything in the thrift stores in SW Florida], problem solved and rather inexpensively. 

So we're off to Chicago for the wedding, we arrive to snow, lots of snow, cold, really cold!!! We figure we'll take advantage of being in Chicago and make plans to spend some time with another one of Ruth's cousins, Karen and her husband George who live in Oak Brook, one of the Chicago suburbs. 

Thanks to Spirit Airlines we arrive late for the rehearsal party but arrive in time for evening libations at the hotel on the 30th. The next day we head out of the hotel for breakfast in downtown Chicago, it is freezing, literally but we're here and we'll make the most of it so after a wonderful breakfast we decide to take a walk down by the lake which is frozen! 

After our lakeside adventure we head back to the hotel to thaw and get ready for the wedding. After dressing for the wedding we head down to the lobby where we meet several of our Lilburn friends and load up on the bus to travel to the church for the ceremony. Wow, it's really snowing now, earlier while we were frolicking by the lake their were light flurries, now its snowing hard. We get to the church, wow again, this place is beautiful, an old Chicago Polish Catholic church, very ornate. The wedding, a full mass in both english and polish was quite nice, and long, but the ceremony was beautiful, as were the wedding party. Now back to the bus, the snow in the parking lot is now over our ankles, we load up for the ride back to the hotel and a quick break before boarding the bus again to go to the reception at the Chicago History Museum. This was quite the affair and we welcomed in the New Year before catching a bus back to the hotel. While riding back we saw fireworks over Navy Pier bringing in the New Year...nice touch!

The next morning Karen and George pick us up at the hotel and we head out of the city to the burbs.

It's snowing again, probably over a foot of snow since we've arrived but the roads are in good shape and the trip to their home is uneventful. Karen and George have a  beautiful home and are such gracious hosts, they make us so comfortable and fed us like royalty! We're here till the 6th so we talk about things to do if it quits snowing and took a quick walk around the block while near freezing. Two things happen...it doesn't stop snowing and Ruth gets the flu and spends almost the entire time in bed. Both George and Karen do their best to entertain me while I keep checking on Ruth who is sleeping day and night. It's still snowing, George tells me he usually has his driveway cleared once or twice a week, while we're there it's done every day and it's still building up. On the day before we're scheduled to head home Ruth emerges from the crud, she is out of bed for the first time in 3 days, weak and weary but alive. On the day we are to leave the snow lets up, it's -17º on the way to the airport but not snowing. We're at the airport in plenty of time and luckily the plane arrived the night before, after a nightmare wait for the inept Spirit Airlines ticket counter we finally get on the plane, de-ice, taxi, de-ice and takeoff for the warmth of Florida. We found out after arriving that we were the last flight out of Chicago...thank you God!!!

A Bit of Sadness in Our Adventure

Shortly after Christmas we went to Tampa for the Tampa Supershow, the biggest RV show I've ever seen. We went there in 2012 while we were still searching for our rig and were blown away by the size of this event. This year there were several things going on including a gathering of Redwood owners, we would all camp together, go to the show and spend time together in the evenings. The day we arrived, after setting up, our friends from St. Augustine arrived and after setting up they came over for snacks and such. They had their granddaughter with them and she saw Tom so Ruth told her we had another cat and went into the bedroom to look for her. Our little Toonces was lying on the floor and appeared to be sleeping but when Ruth picked her up she discovered that she had passed. Toonces had been with us since 1999, I'll always remember when we got her, it was right after we returned home from Danny's graduation in California. She had been with us for fourteen years and was a big part of our family...we will miss her sweet demeanor and loving personality. RIP sweet Toonces!!!

Disney World

Ever since Erin announce she was pregnant with Eli, Ruth has been dreaming of taking him to Disney World. She scraped and saved for this occasion and spent an incredible amount of time researching and planning this trip. Between the time we returned home from the beach and our trip to Orlando she was either looking at books, brochures and the web looking for information for this trip. By the time we were ready to go she had the entire trip planned with so many options and choices that the journey was wonderful.

In early February we traveled up to Disney World, to Fort Wilderness, the Disney campground. Just a month since we saw Erin, Kevin and Eli they traveled back to Florida to meet us for 4 days in Disney. To say that Eli was excited would be an understatement though I'm not sure who was more excited, Ruth or Eli, well both but for different reasons!! 

The day we arrived it was a rainy and cold so we were a little concerned and spent the day in the 

campground. The weather for the remainder of the trip was perfect, sunny and warm, perfect weather. we spent four days in the park, the first day on The Magic Kingdom, the second in Epcot, the third in Animal Kingdom and finally in Hollywood Studios on the fourth and final day. Each day we left the rig as early as we could get everyone ready and fed and didn't return until well after dark. Eli had such a good time and ran so hard that he would crash as soon as we returned home if not on the way back. To say we were exhausted is an understatement, we were not far behind Eli in crashing, the days were long with little rest along the way. In hindsight we should have planned at least one down day so we could take a break from the madness of the crowds. The next morning we said our goodbyes and Erin, Kevin and Eli returned to Georgia while Ruth and I headed to Tampa to spend the weekend with the Manateean Sams RV Club, a group of RV'ers from Southwest Florida who meet monthly in different RV parks around the area. We had a nice quiet weekend with friends before heading back to Royal Coachman for some peace and quiet.

Back in Sarasota...the simple life

We settled back into our quiet life of paddling and cycling. Right outside the park is the Legacy Trail, an old abandoned railroad track that has been converted into a 12 mile bicycle path. The trail begins in Sarasota and ends in Venice, it is a wonderful ride through the palmetto forests and mangroves and is a joy to ride on. We typically rode on this trail a couple times a week and spend most Mondays kayaking.

In late February Ruth's cousin Carol and her husband Ron came to Sarasota from Colorado to visit Mary. Both Carol and Ron are very active in outdoor sports, they cycle, run, paddle so we spent most of the time they were here paddling and riding and an occasional beverage. As always it's a joy to spend time with them. 

While they were here Ruth and Mary planned a family reunion for all or their aunts, uncles and cousins living here in Florida. Mary, Ruth, Carol and Ron spent hours preparing food and munchies for the occasion.

Ruth has not seen many of her Florida relatives for years, so everyone spent hours catching up, eating and having a wonderful time, I got a chance to meet her relatives and learn all their secrets about Ruth!!

In South Florida winter vegetables and fruit are a big thing. There is an abundance of yummy things to eat and strawberries are the thing in the spring. Every year the area is red with strawberries and Florida likes to celebrate like all other places so of course there is an annual Strawberry Festival in Plant City outside Tampa. As soon as we saw that Third Day was playing we made reservations for their show, the day arrived and we set off for Plant City. It was a miserable rainy day but we were not going to miss the show so we resolved ourselves and dressed for the nasty weather. When we arrived it was raining, buckets of rain, a hard rain but we sucked it up and went in, we went from tent to tent trying to stay as dry as possible. All of a sudden we noticed the rain was slacking off and before long it was gone...clear skies and sunshine!!! 

Ive never seen so many strawberries and of course they have a make your own strawberry shortcake, so we did!! Add am much strawberry and/or whipped cream as you dare to put in the bowl, you get the idea...lots of strawberries. Along with the food and carnival rides they also have music, good music. 

The day we went we knew Third Day would be playing but we also got to see The Oak Ridge Boys who still today are a sight to see.

I'm not a big fan of driving at night anymore so I try to avoid having to travel long distances if I can avoid it, but for Third Day I'll make exceptions, after the show let out we made our way back to the truck and inched our way back to the freeway for the long drive back home. It was so worth it!!

When we planned this trip we wondered whether four months was too long, what in the world would we do for that long, would we get bored? The four months here flew by, as we approached mid March the realization set in that we would be leaving Florida soon but not before making a trip to the east coast, to Vero Beach to visit Dana and Dianne Cox. I went to high school with Dianne and we were the best of friends. We drove over on the weekend before we left Sarasota and had a wonderful time with them...a great way to end a fantastic WARM winter that was brutal for our friends in the rest of the country. 

After returning to Sarasota we said our goodbyes to friends and family and prepared for our next journey... another workcamping adventure in Branson MO.

We left Royal Coachman on March 30th in route for Atlanta/Athens.

Next up... Branson, our next WorkCamping Gig

Toccoa Falls College... our First SOWER's Project

Most everyone who know Ruth and I know we are Followers of Jesus. In some circles we use the term Christians but truly we are Followers of Jesus. One of our major concerns when deciding to full time was fulfilling our desire to attend church and living up to our spiritual commitment of serving. In a community you typically connect with a single church and in that church you find your niche in serving others, it could be prayer ministry, mission work [local, interstate or international], even service to the church itself. As a fulltime RV'er you no longer have that connection as you are moving around.

In researching and preparing for our life change we discovered a group called SOWERS, a Christian RV ministry who serve other non-profit Christian organizations, the work is mainly construction related work, building, restoration, remodeling or a combination of some of each. SOWER's projects are 3 weeks, you travel to the project, they provide an RV site, and you provide service to them in exchange for the site.

On November 1st 2013 we left Yogi in the Smokies after three exhausting months. The drive from Cherokee NC to Toccoa GA was not long, only about two hours and we arrived at Toccoa Falls College. After finding the RV lot we met the other three couples we would be working with and began setting up and settling in. The college, a private Christian college is a beautiful, small campus.

The campus is built at the base of Toccoa Falls and they have approximately 800 students who are from all around the world. They also serve Christian missionaries who visit the campus fro retreats and sabbaticals where they can have some much needed down time from the mission field.

The Project

We began work the following Monday, each week you commit to work a total of 24 hours, 6 hours a day, 4 days a week [Monday thru Thursday] Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are free time. Each workday begins with a Daily Devotional, each SOWER couple takes turns in starting the workday with a thought, scripture and perhaps a discussion on something that is meaningful and to give Thanks to our Lord. After devotion time the workday begins. With SOWER projects the men typically do some type of construction related work while the women, if they so choose will do some other work. On this project the men were to tear off an old flat rubber roof that had water damage and replace it with a pitched metal roof. The women kept busy with cleaning, painting, sorting and a variety of other work.

Those of you who know me, you know my construction skills are pretty minimal, my life work was mostly professional, office type work so this was brand new to me!!! Luckily the other men in the group knew how to do this work and were more than patient in helping guide me along. I found the work rewarding and eventually learned some new skills which I'm sure I'll use again in future work projects.

In our spare time, our days off, we traveled to Athens to spend time with Erin, Kevin and Eli, always a treat. We even arranged for a work afternoon off to spend time at Eli's school for Grandparents Day!! We also got to spend an afternoon with dear friends; Steve & Nancy and Jim & Peggy whom we hadn't seen in quite some time, a lunch with them is always fun.

When we were in Cherokee we took a trip to Pigeon Forge to go to the Dixie Stampede, while we were there I promised Ruth I'd take her back to go to Dollywood so we went back up for our anniversary. It was a beautiful time, the park was all decorated for Christmas, we really enjoyed the weekend.
We got to spend some time in our old home town Dahlonega where Gary & Christy Greenwald graciously hosted us for a Saturday evening so we could  attend church at our home church, Dahlonega UMC and visit with our church friends!!

These three weeks, although physically challenging, were a pure joy and the time went way too quickly. The folks at the college were so wonderful and they closed out our time with a wonderful luncheon where we all ate too much!! Goodbyes were exchanged with the college staff and then amongst the SOWER couples and we were off...

Thanksgiving 2013

When we left Toccoa Falls we traveled a short distance to Fort Yargo State Park in Winder GA. We chose this park because of its proximity to family and friends, located about halfway between Atlanta and Athens it served well to spending time with family and friends. It was very cold in north Georgia while we were here, the night temperatures were in the teens and twenties, daily highs were in the forties and fifties so we didn't spend a whole bunch of time exploring, when we weren't visiting we stayed snuggled in the coach!!!

 We did get to visit the kids, we spent lots of time with Eli thus giving Erin & Kevin a break and spent Thanksgiving with the Hanrahan's, Joe & Lisa and the Burchik's, Mike & Nancy. We have been spending Thanksgiving with them for many years so we were glad to be able to continue the tradition again this year. Dinner at the Hanrahan's is always a treat, they both love to cook and we both love to eat...a perfect match!!! Dinner is always finished off with more deserts than should be allowed and of course I have to sample all of them!!!

We finish off the week with a trip to see Santa with Eli...this year he actually wanted to sit with Santa, up until now he would freak out and not go sit with him...guess he's figured out there's booty involved with this ritual!!!

We got our fill of cold weather, North Carolina started getting chilly the last couple of weeks of October, it was chilly while in Toccoa Falls and downright cold while at Ft Yargo so we weren't sad to leave the cold... not so with family and friends!!!

Reluctantly we say our goodbyes to all, got our propane tanks refilled [boy did we go through lots of gas heating the coach during the cold weather] and pack up our stuff for our journey to the sunshine of Sarasota Florida. We both really looked forward to warm weather, beaches and Florida family and friends!!

Next up... Sarasota Florida, warm and sunny weather!!

Yogi in the Smokies... our first WorkCamping Job

Setting the stage...

Prior to going fulltime we decided to spend part of our time on the road working in campgrounds. There were two reasons we wanted to do this; first to help offset the costs and second, to meet like-minded fulltime campers.

We learned of a couple of online resources that facilitate workcamping. These websites allow workcampers to post a resume with skills and work preferences, typically for a fee though some are at no cost. Employers also subscribe and can post jobs as well as view/review work camper resumes. We posted a resume on a few sites and low and behold received several offers for work, both by phone and email!!!

One on the first to call was Yogi in the Smokies, a Yogi Jellystone park in Cherokee NC.

Coincidently this call came soon after we were told by Ruth's doctor that we needed to stay close to Atlanta for a time. If you recall, we had originally planned to go to New England when I finished up at The Summit in West Virginia. So we get a call offering us a position to work in housekeeping from August - October 2013. Housekeeping was not our first priority, well maybe our last, but it was an offer, it was close and it was a job!!!

So after I get back from West Virginia, and after a few final days in Georgia we pack up the rig and head north to Cherokee.

The Campground...

Yogi in the Smokies is an older campground, it was started back in the 1940's or 50's. Located on the Oconaluftee River about 8 miles northeast of Cherokee in the middle of ...nowhere!! The campground is pretty and caters to kids and fishermen, tubing the river is big in the warm months as there is an endless stream of tubers floating the river all day long. Once a park exclusively setup for tents and RV's it now has over 40 cabins ranging from primitive [no restroom] to two bedroom all intermingled throughout the campground. Being at a higher elevation and close to thriver the summer temperatures were never hot, this was a nice change from the brutal heat in the low lands.

Cherokee NC is an active Indian Reservation, home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians and is nestled deep in the Great Smokey Mountains adjacent to Great Smokey Mountains National Park. The terrain is beautiful, there is so much natural beauty in this area BUT... the area is depressed, backwards in so many ways. The tourist economy is thriving all around the area but not so much in Cherokee. Of course there is a casino and it is always busy but the downtown area is full of old, cheap tourist trap souvenir shops selling fake Indian trinkets from China...very sad. At least on this visit some of the "photo op" stops where you can have your picture taken with a REAL Indian had Native People dressing in traditional Cherokee dress, some though were still wearing the Plains Indian dress, e.g. bonnets, breastplates & loin cloth.

The Job...

Ruth and I began work the day after arrival, the campground had three bath houses and over 40 cabins. There were three couples assigned to housekeeping though most days only two couples worked. We were scheduled to work five days a week, we had Wednesdays and Thursdays off. After a couple of weeks we asked the camp manager for Sunday mornings off so we could attend church. After a couple of weeks we found LifeWay Community Church in Sylva, a wonderful church that met in the high school cafeteria. It is amazing how much having just this little break in our week brought so much fulfillment, we looked forward to Sunday mornings for our spiritual boost!!

The work was HARD, exhausting and most days we worked we drug ourselves into the RV, ate a quick frozen dinner and fell into bed. As our time moved on the work slowed a little, the crowds slowed as we moved into September but that was short-lived, at the end of September one of the housekeeping couples left so there were only two couples working and we were "deep cleaning" the cabins, readying the campground for the winter shutdown. This entailed a thorough floor to ceiling cleaning of everything in the cabins.

The Area...

There were some interesting points in Cherokee, around town there were a number of bear statues all painted differently by local artists. I'm told there are fifteen in total but we never found all of them. While searching for the bears we also discovered many statues and sculptures, the one that really moved me was Transformation Through Forgiveness, a beautiful bronze with a very powerful unspoken message to all people.

They also have a play, Unto These Hills, a very good outdoor play depicting the struggle of the Cherokee people and the brutal removal of these peaceful native people during the Trail of Tears. There is also a Cherokee museum showing much of the history of the region and it's Native People.

The novelty of visiting Cherokee on our days off wore off quickly and after a few weeks we rarely visited town instead driving through to get onto the highway to visit other towns in the area where we could at least find a WalMart to shop for groceries and necessities.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is very close to the park so we cruised it a few times, we also visited the National Park several times and it was interesting to see the changes as the seasons changed from summer to fall.

One of the real perks of being in the area was visiting our daughter Lydia and her boyfriend Dean. When we first arrived in Cherokee they were living and working in Cashiers NC which was quite a trek from Cherokee but they relocated to Asheville shortly after we arrived so we visited with them as often as we could. We also visited with Ruth's college roommate Wendy and her husband Bob on Waynesville when we could.

As we approached fall the crowds dwindled...until the beginning of October! This park has an unbelievable following, many of the families who come here have been doing so for years, we met families who have been coming to the park for over 20 years, now bringing grandchildren. The park celebrates Halloween EVERY weekend in October and the park fills up again as the leaves first change and then fall. As mid October came upon us we were treated by a visit from Erin and Eli as well as our good friends Tom & Tammy with their granddaughter Haley. While they were there we celebrated Halloween in a big way!!!

As the end of October approached we were so ready to move on, the weather was cold and dreary, the work had worn on us and we were anxious to move on to new adventurers. We busied ourselves with preparing for the move by cleaning the RV from top to bottom, scrubbing the roof, washing the exterior and putting away all the treasures we had accumulated over the past three months. As departure day arrived we hooked up the rig to the truck and headed away toward our first SOWER project on Toccoa GA... so long Yogi and Cherokee!!!



Next up... Toccoa Falls College 

The Early Days of 2013

Out first several months on the road were spent adapting to our new lifestyle. There were many adjustments...physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. Going from firm footing and the security of a home now referred to as "Sticks and Bricks" to our new moving home referred to as "Rubber and Resin". I can't tell you the extent of these emotions, one minute elated, the next scared to death. Lots of prayers...and waiting for answers, without the direction of God we would not be on this adventure as He is always providing us direction. It's hard enough making the adjustment from working to retirement, through on top of that the uncertainty of an unknown lifestyle, being away from your children and grandchildren, friends, church and for me the anxiety of walking away from the many activities I was involved, especially the Boy Scouts!

Below are the chronicles of our early roaming... We start at the beginning

Duckett Mill [CoE] Gainesville GA  May 23-27, 2013

Our first stop was at Duckett Mill, a Army Corps of Engineer [CoE] park on Lake Lanier outside of Gainesville GA. This is a beautiful park on the shore of Lake Lanier. A rather large campground that we had frequented many times while living in Dahlonega. It was convenient for us as well for our girls and their families and we've had lots of family get-togethers here, some magic even occurred here...ask about it!
We had camped here in April shortly after picking up the coach and this trip was wonderful, we had the kids with us and had a great time spending time on the playground with Eli, swimming and boating. We both got busy in our spare time getting stuff organized and getting settled in to our new home. We would have stayed here longer but due to government cutbacks they decided to make this park a weekend-only park in 2013 so we were forced to move after Memorial Day.

We originally planned to go back to Bogart after leaving Duckett Mill until June 1st but decided it was pointless and quite frankly I dreaded having to park the rig  at that house!!

Old Federal [CoE] Flowery Branch GA   May 27-June 15, 2013

 We were going to start at Old Federal on June 1st so we extended our stay and started on May 27th. This was really our first stop where just the two of us were in the coach ... no kids...no grandson, just the two of us [we did have visits from the kids but they weren't staying with us in the rig]. This too is a beautiful park on Lake Lanier, this one closer to Atlanta. Old Federal is an older park, more open, less trees but still very beautiful. Still more settling in, sorting, reorganizing and tossing...we're getting close to our final prep for venturing out to the big country we wish to explore and enjoy. We had our first weather scare while at Old Federal...a lazy warm afternoon when out of nowhere a thunderstorm came up and blew in from across the lake. We had both the awnings out and the wind gusted, I thought the awnings would be torn off the coach and the wind was so strong I couldn't get them in until the wind died down...luckily the awnings have gas struts to absorb the shock load from wind and there was no damage...we learned a good lesson though, the awnings come in when winds are expected, even if we are home!!

Oconee State Park [South Carolina State Park] Mountain Rest SC  June 15-21 2013

This was to be our first real test while towing. Our trip up to Oconee was both exciting and dreaded, we were both excited to be going to see Lydia, our youngest daughter who was working in Cashiers NC with her boyfriend Dean, the dread was mine as we were pulling the 10 ton rig up and around curvy mountain roads in route to our destination. We had visited the campground on an earlier visit to Cashiers so I knew we would be able to navigate the roads but the site we had reserved was, what I believed to be too small. I was right but luckily there were other sites available that we could fit in. The first site we chose was very cramped but we were able to relocate to a much better site the next day. Oconee is a beautiful park in the foothills of the Blue Ridge with lots of lush vegetation, a lake and wonderful streams. While here we visited Lydia and Dean a couple of times both at the restaurant they were managing, Dean as the head chef and Lydia as the pastry chef and at their magnificent home. We also explored the countryside finding many beautiful waterfalls in the surrounding area. 

Paines Creek [CoE] Hartwell GA  June 22-July 02 2013

Back to Georgia, this time on Lake Hartwell to a smaller CoE park, more primitive than the parks on Lake Lanier. We had never camped on Hartwell so why not? Back within range of our older Daughter, Erin, her husband Kevin and Eli, our grandson we enjoyed time with them on several occasions. Spending time swimming, at the playground and Eli's favorite pastime...mini golf. I spent time preparing for my trip to the BSA Jamboree to be held in July, trying to wrap-up all loose ends before heading off to West Virginia and getting everything a ready as possible with the rig for Ruth who would spend most of July on her own in the rig.

Lake Lanier Islands Resort's Blue Ridge Campground [Private] Buford GA July 02-August 01 2013

One final move before I leave for the Jamboree. We wanted to be at a campground with sewer hookups so Ruth wouldn't have to deal with THAT while I was gone. Lake Lanier Islands campground was at one time a very nice park but no-more. Though the rest of the resort is pristine, the campground has been neglected, the roads are deteriorating, much of the campground has been closed and abandoned, what is open is run down. We got settled into a site that was adequate. After getting settled in and making sure Ruth is comfortable with all the system operations of the coach I head off to the Jamboree  on July 6th.
To the left is a photo of one of the venues I managed at the Jamboree. In total, we had 14 venues which I helped coordinate the building, staffed and trained. during the Jamboree we served over 30,000 young men and women, without a single significant injury, with a staff in the neighborhood of ~600 people, an accomplishment I am very proud of. I by no means did it all, it was the work of many, many people all working together for a common goal of serving the children of BSA. Now that this final task is complete I can breath a sigh of relief though I am sad too to be walking away from a chapter of my life that was so very dear to me.



While I'm away Ruth spends most of her time with Erin and Eli, I think Eli spent the entire time I was gone with her.  Despite an almost daily torrential downpour  they managed to spend every day at the water park and beach, all part of the resort. Of course there were regular visits to mini golf too!! They had a wonderful time together along with Erin and Kevin they shared some very dear moments, ones they all will remember for a very long time.


On my return to Georgia I jumped right in with the daily routine  of water park, mini golf and beach life though it was short lived as out time to move on was quickly approaching. 

Before our departure for our first workcamping assignment, we had dinner with our dear friends Nancy & Steve Moorman which we were both looking forward to. We hadn't seen them for a couple of months. When we arrive at the restaurant Nancy  is holding a package...this is the end of July so I'm wondering what she could have?  Much to my surprise...it was a comforter for an early birthday gift [my birthday is in August]. Ruth and Nancy had conspired to make this beautiful blanket from many of my old Boy Scout t-shirts. [Remember that I gave away several hundred shirts, among many other scout related items when we were cleaning out our old home]. Ruth had gathered the shirts used in the quilt without my knowledge and given them to Nancy several months before, Nancy spent so much time putting this together and I was overwhelmed by their love, knowing how much this would mean to me. I am forever grateful of this beautiful gift.

But now our time in Georgia has come to an end, we are packing up everything in preparation for the next phase of our adventure. The RV is readied, the truck is packed, goodbye's given to family and friends...and we're off to Cherokee NC.

Next up... Yogi in the Smokies

Fulltiming... The Beginning

In our last post I tried to explain all the steps necessary to take our journey On The Road. This process was complicated, time consuming and filled with excitement, apprehension, fear, joy, frustration and dreaming. Well now... we're there...now what???

As many of you know, I was very committed to my volunteer work with the Boy Scouts. As we were tossing around the idea of going fulltime, one of my major areas of concerns was my commitment to BSA. I had many ongoing commitments, many committees that I either led or was involved with, many leadership roles, so just walking away was not an option. I was not going to leave any of my responsibilities in a lurch. So once we decided to go fulltime I started on my exit strategy, finding people to replace me in the many roles I played. Any good leader knows that one of the fundamental characteristics is to find and train your replacement and I had been practicing this over the years so it was just a matter of transitioning them in and me out. Sounds simple and in several instances it was, BUT the Boy Scouts is a complex organization and in many cases you just can't say that a person of your choice is to be your replacement, where you are working under another person or committee the decision has to come from the chair and/or committee. In these instances I made recommendations and explanations of why I was choosing a specific person and in many cases the approving body chose my recommended person...but not all...it's complicated. So the few instances where a different person was chosen I tried to work with the new person to transition the job, this of course took more time as they typically were not involved to the level my protege would have been.
One role that I had was leading the Aerial Sports venues at the BSA Jamboree in Beckley WV. I had been working on this project for close to three years and the event was scheduled for July 2013 and I would have to be onsite for three weeks. I was not about to walk away from this so our travel plans were to evolve around this last commitment for BSA.

Planning before the transition...

Our original plan was to stay close to Atlanta/North Georgia for May and June, then travel to WV and set Ruth up in a campground close to the Jamboree while I was onsite. Then we planned to travel to New England for the Summer and Fall before heading to Florida for the winter.

Well, while planning, Ruth visited her doctor for an ongoing health issue, as were explaining our new lifestyle and travel plans he threw a BIG challenge to us!! He wanted Ruth close so he could monitor her progress, he wanted us to be able to get back to Atlanta quickly if he felt she needed to see him. So.... change of plans!!!

Around this same time we get a call from a campground in North Carolina asking us to work there for 3 months, from August through October. We discussed this and decided to take the job.

So now a plan was beginning to take shape. We had already planned on staying close for May and June, now we would continue to stay close for July then head to Cherokee, NC in August.

Magic time...

We had made several weekend trips in the new coach before leaving the house in Bogart but it was now time to go... May 23, 2013... We load up the few remaining things in the house, load the cats in the car, lock the door to the house...look at each other, smile, shrug...we're off...we are now fulltime RV'ers...no looking back!!!

Next up...the early days of 2013

The Transition... from Sticks & Bricks to Rubber & Resin

Moving into the RV

We now own an RV, a BIG 40 foot fifth wheel with three slides. By comparison to a house this is a tiny living space, our home in Dahlonega was 2,100 sq. ft. not including the basement or attic closets, the total square footage of that house was ~4,000 sq. ft. The RV is ~400 sq. ft. not including the basement ( storage area below) which would give us an additional ~40 sq. ft.

My point...much less living space and MUCH MUCH less storage space. As we started loading our stuff into the new coach we quickly realized just how much smaller!!! Take clothes you hang in the closet for example, both Ruth and I had been sorting though our hanging clothes during the wait period, I felt like I had done a pretty good job of picking what to transition to the coach. Well as I started loading my clothes into the closet of the RV I quickly realized...whoa, too much... it wasn't all going to fit...so back to the drawing board, time to get rid of more and get creative.

Here is the floor plan for our coach, by RV standards this is a large fifth wheel measuring just at 40 feet in length. There are larger ones but there is a price to pay, both literally and figuratively but I won't go there. My point, you have what you have so you have to adapt. We no longer have the luxury of just finding another place to put stuff, everything has to fit, there is no extra space. The other issue...weight, everything you bring into the RV adds weight and there is a finite amount of weight you can carry to safely move down the road without compromising something, the suspension, the brakes, the tires. The point... you just can't keep putting stuff into this thing, you have to make decisions about what you take and what you don't.

As you are most likely aware, we are posting these blogs almost a year after we got the RV, we are still trying to figure out exactly what we should carry in the coach, I think it will be a never ending task. Its very difficult to limit two grown people who like to have stuff to a mere ~1,600 pounds of belongings!!!

Learning...

We took delivery of the coach on April 4 2013, we plan to be out of the house before the end of May 2014. Not a lot of time to move into the new digs, check it out with short term camping, learn all the systems and adapt to a significantly smaller space, but we did it. Over the next month and a half we went on four different camping trips over weekends which gave us a chance to check everything out. If you remember, we had a problem with the hydraulics and had to take the coach back to the dealer the day after we picked it up, we had a trip planned the following weekend so the pressure was on for the dealer to get it fixed within a week. This doesn't seem unreasonable, a week to replace a hydraulic line, well it's just not that easy, they have to work with the manufacturer to explain the issue, get the part and get it installed and RV dealers are busy, it's not like a car dealer where you take tour vehicle in for service and get it back within a day. RV's take weeks, but when I took it in I told them we had a trip planned for the following Thursday and they got it done. I drove down to Southern RV on Thursday and picked up the coach and drove it to Lake Lanier for our first camping trip...the beginning!!!

We learned a lot, I mean a lot in those first few trips. The really good news...there were no other issues which required a return to the dealer. Minor things, sure, but nothing we couldn't resolve ourselves. Mostly just adjusting to the new lifestyle, learning to live in smaller quarters, we learned how to adapt so that we weren't constantly in each others space. To sum it up...we love our new digs and the opportunities that lie ahead with our new lifestyle.

As we were going on these test runs the one thing I dreaded...having to park the coach back at the house in Bogart. Backing into that driveway was not a pleasant experience and I dreaded it more than you can imagine. Our original plan called for us going to Duckett Mill campground over the Memorial Day weekend, leaving on Monday returning to Bogart for the remainder on May, then leaving the house permanently on the following Saturday, June 1st. I was telling Ruth one day how much I disliked parking the rig in Bogart and she said...why are we going back there after Memorial Day, its only for a few days...so, we didn't! We had already made our reservations beginning June 1st so we tried to bump the arrival date up for the same site but couldn't, so we reserved a different site from May 27th to June 1st.

Next up... Fulltiming, the beginning.

The Wait... and preparation for Fulltime RV Living

So now we're back from Florida, it's late January 2013. We have a BIG truck in our driveway and the coach (RV) has been ordered. We are in "The Bunker" surrounded by more stuff (personal belongings, furniture, clothing, etc.) than we could possibly begin to get into the coach for fulltime living so we get back to sorting...keep for the RV, give to our kids, take to consignment, take to Goodwill or trash.

When we move to Athens in November 2012 Ruth and I started attending Athens Church which we really like, it's an Andy Stanley church and he is amazing!! After returning to Georgia we returned to the church and linked up with a Small Group, a group of wonderful Christians from the church who we really love spending time with to explore our Christian walk, who by the way openly welcomed us in spite of the fact that we would be leaving them in about 3-4 months. Though we are no longer there in flesh, we remain connected to these beautiful people by way of email as well as spirituality.

Another big plus, we're really close to one of our daughters, her husband and our grandson, so we get to spend LOTS of time with them!!!

Ruth and I are settling into retirement, we are both now officially unemployed and loving it. Daily life is filled with puttering round the house sorting and tossing...it's beginning to warm up a little, spring is in the air...and the grass is growing... WHAT, I discover that there is lots of grass at The Bunker and it grows fast, but it's only temporary. Soon we'll be in the RV and then no more yard work!!

Along with spring, we get word that the coach is nearing completion and we're getting anxious. So many unknowns, so much research, so much stuff...STILL!! But we're making steady progress and the piles are dwindling, the end is in sight.

Delivery of the RV

We get the call from Brad at Southern RV, the Redwood has been delivered. He sends me an email with pictures of the coach...we're jazzed!!!

They will be doing the pre-inspection and adding several dealer installed add ons that we had arranged for when we ordered the coach. We should be able to take delivery on March 29, 2013...Good Friday. So I call our bank to move money and yep you guessed it, they mess up the transfer so we don't have the funds available on delivery day, so we reschedule the delivery for April 5, 2013!!!

Delivery Day...

We get an early start to Southern RV on April 5th, it's a cold dreary day, a misty rain, in all a pretty ugly day but not even the weather can get us down...we're getting our RV today, we've been waiting for over two years for this day!!!
The day was full of activity...the walk through, the installation of the hitch in the truck, learning all the systems, touching and feeling everything. We were truly deer in the headlights!!!
So much to learn, remember, demonstrate, questions...questions...questions. I had prepared, learning as much as I could about as much as I could find, but still so much I didn't know. As the day progressed the dreary weather cleared, the sun appeared, things are getting brighter...a very good sign!!

The folks at the dealer are so helpful and patient, taking the time necessary to make sure we understand the many, many new things we are unfamiliar with. After we finally feel comfortable, or at least we thought we were comfortable, we begin to go through the process of preparing for towing the fifth wheel. They walk through every step to prepare the coach for hauling. STOP... we hit a glitch, when we go to retract the slides, those are the moving walls on the coach...they won't retract??? The tech takes me outside to the hydraulic system brain... the fluid level is down so he goes off and returns with a quart of fluid and pours it into the reservoir. We go back inside and after a brief moment of anxiety the slides begin to retract...all is well. Next I'm instructed to back up the truck to hitch it to the RV... huh???


Have I told you that I've never towed anything this big, much less with a fifth wheel hitch, I've never towed anything with a fifth wheel hitch!!! Up to this day my towing was limited to small tow-behind trailers, the largest being our old pop-up camper which was about 20 feet long.
So he patiently explains the operation of the hitch and coaches me to back the truck and connect the TV to the truck. Now we are to raise the jacks, another lesson. As I start raising the front jacks the weight of the RV gets lowered onto the truck...my monster truck is sagging under the load of this huge RV and I stet to wonder if the truck is going to collapse. are the dual rear wheels going to explode under this tremendous weight, but it ultimately stops drooping and the jacks go up into the stored position. Next a final walk around to make sure all the stuff on the roof is stowed, all the jacks are up. we are disconnected from power, etc. We are now ready to tow...

Driving the RV

Are you kidding me!!! Up until this moment I have never driven anything near the size of this thing!!! and I've never towed anything with a fifth wheel hitch!!! Knowing I was going to be towing a fifth wheel... a BIG fifth wheel I tried to prepare, about a month before we took delivery I found on online instruction video for driving a truck towing a fifth wheel and reviewed the video at least three times, I had it all figured out...NOT!!! Watching a video and driving are two distinctly different things. None the less, I did have a good idea of what to do based on what I learned from the video so it was just a matter of doing, so I did.
I have a very dear friend, Gary Greenwald, who for a time hauled RV's professionally, moving them from point A to point B, mostly delivering them from the manufacturers to dealers. I picked Gary's mind, a lot, and he invited me to ride with him while he was towing fifth wheels from a camping show back to the dealer, that day with him was so rewarding, he so graciously taught me so much even though I never got behind the wheel (he couldn't allow that due to insurance restrictions). His tips and tricks were really helpful and every time I hookup, drive or disconnect I remember his comments...thank you Gary!!!

The good news... we made it home without incident, well at least while I was PULLING the coach. Then came the biggest challenge, one I had been dreading for months...backing into the driveway.

The Bunker has a very narrow driveway, one which was built over a 14 foot culvert with deep ditches on both sides. Couple that with a busy two lane road with ditches and obstacles on both sides, a house that was in the wrong place and a tree, a tree I knew would be a problem so I trimmed it up, or so I thought.

We had a plan, we had walkie-talkies, Ruth would be at the back of the RV with one radio, me in the truck with the other radio, she would help guide me as I was backing and would warn me of an obstacles...a great plan.

For those of you who know me, really know me, you know that patience is not one of my virtues. I'm working on that, I really am, but back to parking the trailer...
Between backing, pulling forward, backing, pulling forward, asking Ruth if I was going to crash into the house or hit the tree, Ruth, Ruth, are you there, say again, Ruth you have to hold the button when you talk!!! Finally getting very anxious I get out of the truck and go back to see exactly where the trailer is and what I need to do to get it where I want it, and explaining to Ruth that she has to hold the button down for a brief time before talking I head back to the truck to resume the adventure. By this time we have an audience, several cars from both directions have lined up, they can't go through because there is this big truck in the middle of the road. So we resume the task at hand and we finally get the truck and trailer off the road far enough to let traffic pass...I smile and wave to the smiling <not> faces for the drivers as they pass by. Then after things calmed down on the street I continues the parking project...finally we get the coach parked, almost where I intended to park it.

We started the day at about 8:30am driving down to the dealer. We thought we would be there for a few hours, then bring the coach home...maybe 5-6 hours...so we had accepted an invite for dinner with friends. At about 2:30 we are still at the dealer and have no idea how much longer we will be there so we called our friends to cancel dinner plans. By the time we leave the dealer its about 5:00pm...on a Friday afternoon...in Atlanta!!! For those of you who do not live in Atlanta, or have never driven there, especially at rush hour, especially on Friday at rush hour...well lets just say it's trying, very trying. What should have takes an hour ended up being closer to 2 hours. By the time we drove home and got the RV parked it's close to 7:30pm. I looked at Ruth and said...I'm hungry and tired, she gave me a look that said I'm sorry but me too...we took the Suburu to the closest restaurant we could find where we knew the wait would be short and food would drive quickly where we sat and relaxed, for the first time the entire day.

We did it, we are now the proud owners of our new home AND it was safely parked at The Bunker, a dreaded task that was now behind me. Take a breath and relax, how about a glass of wine for Ruth and a beer for me...perfect...toast...cheers!!!

but wait...there's more... Next up The transition from Sticks n' Bricks to Rubber And Resin...