Wednesday, October 2, 2013

This is our last month on the road for this trip. We will soon return to Florida for the winter. Already looking forward to our next outing. May go west next year if we can get away from Florida early enough.

We had a really good time in Kentucky at the Diamond Cave Resort. It is a really nice facility with an excellent restaurant nearby. On Friday there were about 50 cars coming in around our site. We had all these folks coming out of their cars and putting up tents! There were two tents per site. I said to Linda, we may have to move!  Not so! The folks were really great. Turns out they were Jehovah Witnesses out for their bi-annual campout. They were from Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. I did not know that blacks were Jehovah Witnesses. In any case they were wonderful folks and left the area cleaner than when they arrived. We had nice visits with them and hated to see them leave. What nice things happen when you travel in an RV.

We are now in Lenoir, NC at the Green Mountain Thousand Trail Resort. A really beautiful park. In a forest and the satellite receiver would not  find the satellite through the trees so we set up the portable dish. Didn't get it perfect as there is one satellite we do not receive so some of the high definition channels do not come in. I could align it again but Linda said it is fine the way it is. We are ready to watch the Gators Saturday now. We met a fellow gator across from us. He graduated from Florida a couple years after me and they are coming over Saturday  to watch the game with us. 

really nice kids playground

one of the lakes we were parked on

a few of the Jehova camps

more camp sites

still more & we didn't show them all

Lenoir NC site - secluded

we are in the mountains here - see the sat antenna

sure is a beautiful place

Thursday September 5, 2013

We have really enjoyed our stay in Michigan again this year. The weather has been great and the folks really friendly.

We travelled to Plymouth, IN to visit our friends that left Florida a few years ago. They are a couple years older than Linda and I and a little over a week ago, he fell off a ladder and broke his hip. He had a hip replacement and  was getting around really good. He would probably be a lot worse off if he had just had the break repaired. We had a good visit and on the way back to Buchanan we stopped and took a picture of the cement mixer graveyard. Hard to believe that there is such a place but the picture below will prove it is true.

Yesterday we again visited Shipshewana, IN. It is one huge flea market. It was a beautiful day and not to warm. The crowds this year were a lot smaller than during our last visit.

The coach continues to perform well and the only thing I have to do before we leave for our next park is pump up one tire on the motorhome. It is down to 94 lbs. This is an important reason we have the tire monitors. I had to add air in North Carolina on our trip here.  I guess if we only have to add air every 2 or three months it will be ok until we get to Lazydays in Florida for our yearly maintenance. If you travel in a motorhome, invest in a tire monitoring system. It has prevented us from having a real big problem twice in the last two years.

We had a great cookout for labor day as I BBQ'd ribs and roasted sweetcorn and Linda made her famous potato salad. Really great day.

So far we have had (this year):
 $ 780 in camping fees. (included rally at Talladega, AL)
$ 2519 for groceries.
$ 1537 in Diesel fuel
$ 237 for car gas
$ 1037 in Coach maintenance
$ 2190 in car maintenance (including new tires and power steering motor)

nice roomy rv site

concrete mixer graveyard

Linda and Otis

Amish at a cattle auction

one of the Amish rigs

August 29, 2013

Another month about gone! 

We are in Buchanan, MI now at the Mid Atlantic park, Bear Cave. It is a smaller Thousand Trails Park of only 171 spots and a lot of them are yearly rentals. It is a nice park on the St. Joseph River. It has been a lot warmer here but still nice. 

While at Saint Clair the General RV dealer had a party for all there. They gave us pizzas and cokes. They also had a raffle and I won a director's rocking chair and a string of globe lamps. They had some great prizes including 2 Apple Ipads! Nice company. They are building a new facility near Lazydays in Tampa, Fla.  I understood him to say it was at exit 14 on I4. They said they were going to open in November but I don't remember if he said this year or next. General RV has 10 locations already so they are a large dealer. Tiffin considers them to be a quality dealer.

We went to the Entegra plant yesterday and took the tour of the manufacturing plant. It was a private tour as Linda and I were the only ones with Dave, our guide. We were very impressed with the coach and the management personnel. We met one of the owners and was even invited in to see the president. Looks like they  have the same open door policy as Tiffin. Dave, the rep that took us on the tour, happens to be the sales rep for Lazydays so we will see him again in October when we return to Florida. Even after the positive impression of the Entegra coach and management staff, it would be a push to leave Tiffin for another manufacturer. A wonderful coach and if your are looking, look at the Entrega.

Monday August 19,2013

Today is Linda's birthday. It was 54 when we got up this morning to go for her birthday breakfast at Denny's. It is about 25 miles from our site here in Saint Clair and by the time we arrived at Denny's it was already 73. It is warm enough now at 3:30 that I turned the air on. A beautiful clear wonderful day at 79 degrees. We have been very blessed with wonderful weather again in Michigan.

On the 4th Linda and I celebrated our 52nd wedding anniversary. I took Linda to her favorite place to eat - a really nice Chinese restaurant.  It was so good that when my high school buddy and his wife came for a visit that we took them there for dinner too. Had a nice time with them playing hand and foot and talking about our high school days together. They stayed with us in our coach while they were here. Worked out fine.

We have one more week here in Saint Clair and then we move on to south west Michigan to our Mid Atlantic camp - Bear Cave. We got the mid atlantic sites when we upgraded to the elite Thousand Trails membership. It has proved to be a good investment as we already have 99 days in our membership of Thousand Trails and Resorts of Distinction. 

We have two hummingbird feeders out and they stay very busy. I have seen 6 at a time. They could all have been eating, but if you know anything about humming birds, you know they will not sit idly by and watch another eating. They have been a joy to watch.

The resort had a black jack game last Saturday and Linda and I went up to play. You played for chips (all free) and then you cashed in the chips for raffle tickets. You got an additional ticket for each 1000 dollars of chips. Then they had the drawing. I won a gallon of window washer fluid, which I did not want as it was to heavy to carry back from the lodge to our coach. Well, luckily they drew another one of my tickets so I could trade the heavy gallon for the fiber mit washer - which I did. It was a fun evening, especially when they tried to get someone to take a prize which was the fruit filled tubes which you froze and then ate like a popsicle. They had some nice gifts and I think everyone went home with some kind of prize. 

 We are having a great trip and all goes well. Had the battery on my Gator watch die but we got that replaced. 

Up in the tree

one eating - one waiting her turn

a red throated male eating

waiting for customers

our camp site at Saint Clair, Michigan

Saturday July 27, 2013

We are really enjoying this wonderful weather here in Michigan. It has been as low as 52 degrees and never reached 80 during the day. We talk to our friends in Florida and it is the normal hot and muggy there. Waldenwoods is a wonderful Resorts of Distinction Park and we are certainly enjoying the services they offer here. Could not ask for a more friendly or helpful staff. We met three of the work kampers who stay here during the camping season and they have all been very friendly.

Last evening we were watching the campers come in for their stay. When we arrived there were lots of free sites and now they are nearly all taken. One new travel trailer (still had the sold sign in the window) was turning to look for a site and his wheels froze on the camper. I went out to see if I could help and found that when he was making his turn that his cable from the truck to the camper was  pinched and shorting out his brakes. We cut the cable off and he was then able to find a site. I told him I could splice the cable but he said he had roadside assistance and that they would take care of it. I am not sure that that falls under roadside assistance but told him if I could be of any further help to let me know. His wife was kind of anxious but I assured her that all the campers here would help in any way possible.


There are daily activities here at the park. Last night there was a hay ride for the youth and there were so many wanting to take the ride they had to have extra runs. Every Thursday they have a fish and chicken dinner that was really good. Ate too much so won't do that again next Thursday. They have a really large lake that is excellent for fishing and one can rent boats of all types. There is a nice beach for swimming and they have some water slides for the kids to enjoy.

The park is located close to the highway (23) but far enough away that it is very quiet. There is a walmart only 1.9 miles away and many restaurants and business within 2 miles. Just wish that the time did not fly by so fast.

Below are a few pictures.

dinning room

adult lodge

our site

beach area by lodge

Wednesday July 24, 2013

Our time in Ohio at the "Lutz Family Reunion" was outstanding as usual. My sister Pat, has been hosting these reunions for over 30 years. This year we had 123 in attendance  and there were five new babies added to the clan for this years reunion. What a wonderful blessing.

The weather was very cooperative as when it rained it was before or after our scheduled activities. The showers did cool the temperature down for the contests that were held (fishing contest, hayride, cornhole and the fireworks).

In addition to all the visiting and family activities, my sister Linda and her husband Richard, took us to the Amish Country west of Minerva for a day at Mt. Hope and Mt. Eaton. It was a great day as we visited a very large Amish flea market where they had not only the normal flea market items, but also every kind of animal and all things pertaining to Amish carriages. We also visited an Amish store where they sold their canned items and home made candies. They had samples of their wares  and that resulted in us buying everything for which they had samples. All delicious. I am sure it is too good to add to your weight.

Our trip from Ohio to our new home for 2 weeks was a very nice drive. It was cloudy but cool and the rain held until after we were nearly set up here in Waldenwoods, a Resort of Distinction resort here in Michigan. The park is not full and that is unusual for this time of year.  I talked to one of the work campers here and he said it was really packed over the 4th.

My three wonderful sisters

In a carriage at Mt. Hope

my 88 year old big brother

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Supposed to get hot today. It is up to 82 at 1:14 pm. It is dry so that is good and we have great air so all is good.

Went down to the Sunday services at the Chapel on the Hill. It was a great service and the place was really nice. The preacher's wife (an ordained preacher herself), on the closing hymn, did sign language on Amazing Grace and this was very moving. This was, in my opinion, the highlight of the service. She reminded me very much of my sister Linda as you could feel her spirituality. We went down with our next door neighbors and had breakfast together before the services. The more you learn about this resort the better it is.

On the way back to our hill top site, I took some pictures of a couple of the activities available here. As I said, the more you see the more there is to see here at Rocky Fork Ranch Resort Kimbolton, Ohio.If you are ever in this area I am sure you will agree that it is worth the time and effort to visit. You will not run out of things to do.

Breakfast at club house

Chapel on the Hill

Inside the Church

The Amptheatre

The rodeo and miniature golf area

Friday July 12, 2013

Good trip from Forest Lake Thousand Trails in North Carolina to our Resorts Of Distinction Rocky Fork Ranch Resort here in Ohio. This is a real secluded park in the hills of north central Ohio. The road in was not an easy drive and Linda has already ruled out a return visit to this park. I think it is a wonderful resort for outdoor activities like canoeing, horseback riding and activities  for the kids like an animal farm,  archery, basketball, golf and other activities like swimming and rifle range. The park offers chapel services on Sunday and breakfast  on Saturday and Sunday at very good prices. A very quiet and secluded park. I am certain we will not hear any interstate traffic or any train whistles. I drove around the park and where there are S/W/E service there is no satellite service. I can not even get the Satellite radio. I have an external DirecTV antenna that has over 100 foot of cable and there is still no way to find an opening in the forest to get Direct TV. That, along with getting here, are the only two negatives to the park. The staff are as nice and friendly as you could possibly ask for and the rv sites are beautiful.

It is very cool here and has not rained today. Last night in Ripley, WV it was 56 degrees and I expect it to be the same here tonight. We are way on top of a hill here and our neighbor told us it had rained for 18 days and they were flooded here. Being on a hill it doesn't seem possible. We will only be here for 5 days as we have to get on up to Minerva for the family reunion.

Below are a few pictures and maps of the park. I will take more pictures to have in my next blog. This is an eight hundred acre park.

our site T4

one of the lodges at the park

surrounded by trees 

pick out the sites

we are in the lower left Purple 

sorry but it is upside down

July 3rd

Wednesday July 3, 2013

Year is half over and moving fast. We are still at Forest Lake Thousand Trails in North Carolina. It has been a very wet week. Rain every night and wet all day long, with some heavy rain thrown in.

We went to the Farmers Market yesterday (in the rain) and got some excellent fruit and vegetables, especially the peaches and beans.

We have all our reservations at our Thousand Trails and Resorts of Distinction parks through the Good Sam Rally in Atlanta in Oct. This will be one of our shorter summer trips - under 5 thousand miles and all east of the Mississippi River. Except for the rain, the trip has been most excellent to date. Out roaming the countryside we have been really happy to see the crops looking so good. Remember last year when the crops were all stunted from the drought.

When I was BBQing some ribs I noticed a black snake skin in our camp. It was very new and was a big guy. We think it was about 5 foot. He must have been in the act of shedding his skin while I was getting the grill ready. The skin was very pliable and did not break when I placed it on the bench for the picture.

New snake skin at our lot

Snake skin on our bench

Our ribs - Linda said they were good

Sunday June 30,2013

Attended the Thousand Trails church service this morning. They had a Baptist preacher. He travels to Florida to Peace River Thousand Trails during the winter months. Had a sermon on Christ as our foundation. After the service Linda and I traveled into Lexington, NC to the Lowes and Walmart stores. I wonder why Walmart and Lowes are often side by side. We picked up a section of pvc to put up our flag tomorrow and some groceries. Linda wants to go the the farmer market Tues. close by when they open.

The car sure runs smooth with the new tires and the alignment of the system. Used some of the cheap gas we got in Ga. $3.03 a gallon and diesel was $3.61.  Would be nice if that is the most we pay for the entire trip. Sure is better than the $5.00 they were talking about a year ago.

Today is a cloudy and cool day. Have a flood warning here but no rain yet. It is 78 at 5:15 PM. Like I said, a really nice day.

Talked to both Waynes last evening. Maryanne is nearly over the shingles and back in Jacksonville while Wayne and Brenda are still in Cody, Wy. He is not sure of their travel plans from there, except that he plans to be on the road real soon.

The park here is nearly full. We watched two units leave this am and now there are two in their place. I expect it to remain this busy for the next week at least.  Lots of flags out for the Fourth and there will be a big parade and fireworks here. Always something to do at the Thousand Trails parks.

Best wishes to all for a happy Fourth and God Bless the USA.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

The last of June finds us at Advance, NC at the Thousand Trails Forest Lake Campground. It is a beautiful day here after a night of really hard rain. I guess Red Bay fixed our leak as we were as dry as toast this morning. The sun is shining and it is 70 degrees here at 9 in the morning. The park is really full as the 4th is upon us and families are out for a weekend filled with fun. We have a really nice lot here in the shade and still able to get the Direct TV signal. We didn't worry about that when we found this spot as we now have the RV Direct TV kit so we can put out that receiver anywhere within 100 feet of the RV. In any case we are all set up for the next 2 weeks in a nice location. It is about 12 miles from here to Walmart and Lowes. This is another park where they have real good Sunday services.

looking back at the deck

We have a really nice private picnic area.

As we are facing south, we have good shade in the afternoon sun. The private picnic area is great for sitting and reading too.

good shade

room between lots

Nestled in our site. Morning sun warms us but we are shaded from the afternoon sun. The way we are situated allows us to get the Direct TV (but barely).










The layout allowed for easy ingress and  safe egress. We are settled here for two more weeks.










Have had good reports from all those out travelling from Florida.

Otis and Linda

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Another wonderful day in the good old USA.

Today we went back into Greensboro, Ga to get new tires on the car and have the brakes checked and the wheels aligned. After nearly $700.00 we were done. The Greensboro Chevy dealership is a very nice and friendly place. I do believe they are honest and fair in all their dealings. The folks there told us about a good restaurant near the Publix Linda wanted to stop at so we went to the Bone Island Grill. It was a really nice restaurant with a good decor and wonderful service. Linda got shrimp and I got catfish. We shared so we know that they were both outstanding. We were very pleased we went there. I am sure that if we return to Greensboro, Ga we will again visit the folks at the chevy dealership and also the Bone Island Grill.

Tomorrow is our last day in Greensboro so I will probably wax the coach again. I did wax a lot of it on Monday and then it rained Monday night and undid all my hard work. I will say that when you are travelling all the time you sure spend a lot of time cleaning the coach and car.

With the heavy rain on Monday night we were  pleasantly surprised to get up Tuesday and not find any leaks. Guess all the work they did at Red Bay was done correctly.

Linda and I are both well and doing good as we enjoy our travels. It is also nice to keep track of our fellow travellers. We have finally seen Ron and Jan Nelson make it home to Calif. With their health I try to stay in touch with them daily as they travel. We had to have our friends Wayne and Brenda Casada visit them at the Rushmore memorial as Ron had "misplaced" his tow car. It ended up just being parked in a "different" parking lot. Wayne and Brenda are travelling with their grandson Nathaniel and will be out for a few weeks yet.  Wayne an Maryanne Bitner got through with all their issues at Red Bay and made it to their grandsons birthday party in Birmingham, Al. Terry and Jude Zarutskie are at "home' in Wisconsin and are settled in for the summer.  The Connors are safe and sound in Il. Have not heard from the other Challenger travellers and pray they are all enjoying their travels. For those staying in Florida, give us a shout.

Otis and Linda

June 23, 2013

We are now in the Summer season. We might ask "where did Winter and Spring go?"

Still in Greensboro, Ga until Thursday. We went down this morning to go to church and there was a note there that the preacher was sick. Linda and I were really looking forward to hearing this preacher again. He has a great message and he uses his own music during the service. Really a great experience to hear him.

Went into Greensboro yesterday to scope out the Chevy dealer as my car had a real bad vibration at 55 MPH and I also need a couple of tires. The break buddy did a number on me again. When I get to the Good Sam Rally in Atlanta, Ga I am going to get this solved. We also went to the Publix supermarket. This is Linda's favorite food store. She always looks for the BOGO's.

Weather here has been great. Sunny and cool mornings and evenings. It is 84 right now at 3 in the afternoon.

Been in touch with Wayne and Brenda Cassada who are in Wyoming with their grandson who they are travelling with this summer. The went from the FMCA 50th Anniversary Rally to the Yellowstone National Park.  Also talked to Ron and Jan Nelson and they are now safe in California for the summer. Norma and Paul Connors had a little accident with a truck driving into the rear of their car so they are slowed down until the car is repaired. We may meet up with them in August when we get tp MI.

Except for car repairs the trip has not been expensive. Fuel is under 3.80 per gallon for diesel and gas for the tow has been as low as 3.27.

Thats all for now.

Enjoy your summer.

June 18, 2013

Another wonderful day in this good old USA.

We are still in Red Bay, Al at the Tiffin Repair facilities. Lots of Tiffin's here. They have every kind of issue you can imagine. Electronics,  water leaks, awnings, repairs needed done from dogs chewing things they shouldn't, plumbing problems, windows fogging, jacks, and other assorted problems. Seems like the majority are here for three design problems: the wet bay flooring, drivers slideout flooring and the roof rails. Tiffin is covering all these problems under warrantee, with no consideration of age of coach. Takes a day to do the roof rails and the drivers slideout flooring. Only 3 hours for the wet bay replacement. We are all done except for the wet bay retrofit. Kind of boring getting these repairs done as you spend the vast majority of the time waiting for your number to be called and the bay you need to report in. We do have full hookups so all is not bad. Just nothing to do as you have to be present if your number comes up.

Looking ahead, we hope to leave here by Sat. so we can get to Greensboro, Ga and the ROD park we have reservations for a week.

Our travelling companion, Wayne and Marrianne Bittner is still with us. They are having their rails done today and then I do think they are leaving tomorrow. Marrianne has been really sick with the shingles. Spending most of her time in bed. We do hope that she gets over them soon.

On the home front, my granddaughter has completed all the paperwork for the insurance in regard to the lightning strike and expect the electrician out this week so she can submit the insurance claim. Think they want to replace the TV's and computers that were destroyed. So, whether you are on the road in an RV or in a stick house, things happen.

I told Linda that it would be asking for trouble to buy another RV after you get all the bugs out of the one you have now. I have not heard of anyone here having problems with their drive chain so I guess the Freightliner will go the million miles they say.

It is still raining and looks like it will continue for the next day or two.

Below are some pics of Tiffin redoing the wet bays in their coaches. The team that did ous have rebuilt over 600 coaches. All work and labor is at no cost to the customer. The age of the coach doesn't determine if Tiffin pays for the work.

cutting out the old wet bay

in process of removal

cutting out the new material

all old material removed

June 10, 2013

What a great day!! Tim Tebow is now a member of my favorite team, The New England Patriots! It will make watching football really interesting this year. The Patriots play the Jets twice and I sure will be happy to see Tebow scorch them!!

We are stuck here in Red Bay as we are in line to have the wet bay replaced and the side rails replaced. It could take a week to get done here. I hate that but I would hate it worse if Tiffin did not fix it. This coach is my home so I will just preserver and leave with a great coach. I hope to have pictures as we proceed with the repairs.

Still in Red Bay and it is June 13th.  maybe they will start repairs soon. Already had to cancel our reservations at ROD in Greensboro, Ga. Be nice to get on the road again.

Had a shocker! Got a call from my grand daughter and she said the house was hit by lighting and all the electronics were taken out. Hit the Direct TV antenna and went into the house. All TVs, receivers, computers  and other electronics were zapped. This is a fun project to take care of over the phone. In any case, the Direct TV is repaired and the insurance forms are in the process of being submitted. Linda and I thank the Lord for there not being a fire. It rattled the house so bad the large items were thrown off the shelves. There was a vase on the bathroom window and it was thrown off the window and broke on the floor. The alarm system was also zapped! Electrical outlets are suspect as lights go off and on.

I got a call from Doug Anderson and we talked a while and he said he forgot why he had called. I told him that was ok as I forgot who I was talking to. Told him to call back when he remembered. He called back a short time later and he said he had purchased the Emergency Evac  plan from Coach-net. He said he called and talked to them and was convinced it was a lot better than the high price MASA or Sky Med. I already have it. Bought it when FMCA cancelled our benefit. I would recommend you research it before you spend you money.

Here are some pics of the folks here awaiting repairs here at Red Bay.

there are 49 repair bays 

there are 92 full hook up sites

lots of Tiffins here

All sites and bays are filled

They start at 7 and quit at 3. We are told that we may get in for repairs later today. Hope so as it is hot here and nothing to do in Red Bay. We went to a sponsored dinner for MASA. Dinner was good but they wanted over $4000.00 for a lifetime membership. My life time of travel is not expected to make that a good deal. Coach-net is only $169 a year and that includes roadside service. Check it out.