The Wind Down

Saturday morning December 19th, 2015
It is amazing how jet lag can hit you after driving 2003 miles nearly nonstop. We’ve been here two full days and still not fully recovered. Yesterday, we got most of our groceries and filled the refrigerator with goodies. We also found time to go to our Bocce game. We played one game of the two scheduled, but skipped the second to finish awaiting chores back at the ranch.

Even at Trumbo Campground the Spirit Shines

Now most of you will think I am bragging about the weather. Its been very, very hot! 86 degrees with high humidity. This is part of the same unusual weather in the Northeast. Fortunately, a cold front came last night and cooled us down considerably. It was definitely way too hot and humid. (don’t laugh)

Lobster Trap Decoration

Last night, we wanted to get tickets on the “Polar Express”. This is a rubber tire train with several trolley styled cars that drive around Key West looking at the Christmas lights among the residential neighborhoods. Of course, we couldn’t get tickets as several hundred military families were already booked weeks in advance. This was a special military event with tickets costing only $5 a person. The downtown tour was $25 a head. We said to ourselves, why don’t we just follow one of the five trains leaving the Sigbee campground area. That’s what we did until we came to the first traffic light. The lights are very long and by the time the 125’ train went through the intersection, naturally the light was red again. So much for that idea! We drove around and did our own sightseeing. Christmas in Key West is not like up north in New Hampshire, but it’s not say that they don’t celebrate the birth of Christ!
The evening before we did a little walking around and stopped in at the Minor Basilica Mary Star of the Sea. The choir was rehearsing, the doors were open and the church was decorated for Christmas. Walking in, I took a couple of pictures. It was a special little private welcome back to KW to us!

St Mary Star of the Sea "Nativity"

This is what we did and saw!

Its a Key West Landing

We are in Key West! Our arrival was at 8:39 this morning. The camp host drove us around and we selected one of three available sites in the 500 block area. This is what I wanted. Water tap is available within 30 feet. The orientation is facing in the right direction for afternoon shade. We have a concrete pad which is good most of the time, except when it rains heavily and it takes a little more time to evaporate the runoff.

Busy unpacking and setting up!

We spent most of the rest of the day setting up the 5th wheel, leveling, filling up the fresh water tank, sterilizing the water system and getting everything, well not everything, unpacked. We paid the rent for the winter and put our name in for long term storage here on the Navy Base. We are on a waiting list for a spot and may or may not get one. This is for keeping our 5th wheel here during the summer.

Richard & Monique will appreciate this selfie as much
as we did! Thanks 

That is what we did and saw!

Nearly There! 129 Miles Left

Day 4 ~ Long and Tiring!
Before sunrise, we were on the road. Just a few miles to the Florida border. A quick stop for our annual Florida Visitor Center selfie photo. I can’t remember how many times I filled the truck up with gas. Today’s mileage was 423.2 miles, but the kicker was it took us 11 hours 39 mins of actual driving time. Problem was Miami! We were stuck in slow moving traffic. I had gotten off I-95 long before it got busy, but somehow we got stuck in the afternoon/dinner rush. Hence we are parked at the last Cracker Barrel restaurant before the beginning of the overseas highway. Tomorrow, our journey will end with another 129 miles to Key West.
This afternoon in Miami, I recorded a high of 90 degrees for about an hour. The humidity is high, but down in the Keys the ocean breeze will take care of that.

The Sunshine State...but not at 6am!!

That’s what we saw and did!

Day Three of the Marathon

3rd Day is a Charm!
Wow, these three travel days have been literally been flying. Today, we drove 500.3 miles, yesterday 485 and the first day 460 for a total of 1445 miles. We are 24 miles from the Florida border in Brunswick, GA. Yes, we are parked at another Cracker Barrel restaurant. I could have risked going to the Navy Submarine base at Kings Bay, but it was getting late with no guarantee of an available site. Here we are at our favorite “on the road eatery” for the night. No hassles about getting kicked out of the lot. I had an excellent shrimp dinner and now winding down for a good night sleep in the camper.
The weather is already incredible with a high of 77 degrees and we’re not even in Florida! Oh, one more thing I took care of this evening. Because we were afraid of getting our mountain bikes full of salt and brine, we had put them in the camper. With the slide closed, we were climbing over the sofa to get to things. Well, the bikes are now parked on the bike rack in the front of the truck. The weather will not be a factor.

Here we are at our RV Cracker Barrel Campsite 

Selfie At The Visitor Center!

The shades are part of the culture down here!

That is what we saw and did!

Day Two "Of the Marathon"!

This evening, I must say that I’m tired. Not because I drove another 450 plus miles again today. No because the day started out at my usual 5am roll call and we were driving on I-81 by 6am, but because a dense fog filled the mountainous region of Pennsylvania. It was like that for a couple of hours. The white knuckles keep me on edge! Finally, the sun came out for a few hours which gave us a break. The afternoon, turned out to be not so great as the rain came in for the rest of the day. Tonight, we are parked at another Cracker Barrel Restaurant for the night. We are located south of Richmond, VA close to the North Carolina border. I’d say we are about half way to Key West, Fl.
On the positive side… The temperature today was in the low seventies! The evenings are acceptable in the mid 50’s. Our furnace is surprisingly quiet and keeps us comfy in the camper.
The other good news is the cost of gas! I’ve seen it as low as $1.75 a gal here in Virginia. We’ve been paying around $2.03. This helps defray the decrease (miles per gal) mileage from pulling the 5th wheel. I’m a “Happy Camper” but also a tired one. I must be getting older, I’ll have to check the calendar!
Well that’s the scoop for today. No time for pictures and a longer blog, but I ‘ll do better when we arrive in Key West.

That’s what we saw and did!

On the Road Again!

Here we are sitting in the fifth wheel at a Cracker Barrel in Wilkes-Barre PA. Its 7pm and I’m here writing my days events. We left Berlin, NH around 5am this morning. I drove 10 1/2 hrs of actual driving time, although it was a 12 hour day. My goal was 450 miles a day, but we bettered that and did 462.3 miles.
The fifth wheel pulled just marvelously. The new brakes assemblies that I installed also exceeded my expectation! The F-250 kept up with the traffic. I, on the Interstate, traveled at 60mph. Now this is not a diesel and going up those mountains in Vermont brought the Ford nearly to its knee’s. Some hills I was down to 40 miles per hour, but that’s ok. I just turned on the four way flashers and stayed in the right truck lane.
This is a short blog, I am tired and going to bed. Oh,no motel tonight, its 63 degrees and the “what little chill” in the camper was soon gone with the furnace.
That is what we saw and did!

Post Travel Blog..."Space A" A way to explore!

A month has elapsed since our return from our month long stay in Northern Italy. I have had a chance to think about military “Space A” travel. The conclusion reached is that Space A travel is a very acceptable means of covering large traveling distances at a relatively inexpensive way. Granted, our flight going and coming was delayed a day in each direction. This added a little inconvenience, but also a “plus” unexpected adventure…Baltimore waterfront and an extra evening in Germany.

Inside the Monster!