Last RV Post for This Year

This will be the last post on this site for a while.  I have taken my last trip in the RV until next spring.  I'll put in storage later this week.   Larry arrived last Friday and the boat is back in the water.  We will be departing Jacksonville this Friday.  There is still lots to be accomplished.  But never fear - the blogs will continue on the 3AFterwards site:  http://www.3afterwards.com.  See you there.

A Very Lazy Day (Tuesday, 22 Oct)

I just couldn't seem to get motivated to do much of anything productive today.  I lazed around the RV most of the day reading and eating.  Then about 3:00, I finally got moving and visited the boat, the grocery store and the gym.  The weather was overcast and lightly raining most of the day so I don't think I missed very much.

Back to Jacksonville

Before I departed Lake Como on Monday morning I took a few pictures.  It was a cold, overcast day the temperature was only 78 degrees.

This first picture is of a permenant residence home.  I just liked all of the plants around the trailers.

This is the swimming pool.  It was ok but nothing to get overly excited about.  They did have a separate hot tub and the cafe was nice.

Nobody was playing volleyball this weekend but the two sand courts were outstanding!! And they had poles set up for 8 grass courts.  I am going to have to try to get back when they host a volleyball tournament.

This is a shot of some of the clay tennis courts.  in the background there is a nine "hole" pitch and chip golf course.  The course has no greens and none of the holes are very long.  You pitch up the fairway then chip to within a club length of the pin to sink the ball.  It sounds like fun.

I arrived back in Jacksonville around 3:00 in the afternoon and checked into the RV park at NAS Jacksonville.  The park is not as good as at the Air Force Academy, but for $14/day it's not bad.

Sunday at Lake Como

Just one more set, please; what could it hurt; surly you have one more in you; you are a guest here play one more.  I almost couldn't finish the third set this morning.  I'd gone through both sweat bands, was on my second pair of socks and my tennis shoes felt like they were full of water.  However, there were only two other people who wanted to play a set with the local teaching pro.  So I agreed to play one more.  It was a lot of fun.  We ended playing a fourteen game set.  I played tennis from 9:00 to 2:00.  Afterwards, I made it to the pool for a long soak then to the cafe for a club salad.  I think I am finished for the day.  No wild partying tonight.  I came here to play tennis and I think I've nearly got my fill.

Saturday at Lake Como

The tennis started at 9:00 and they have a great way to ensure everyone gets to play.  Players sign up on a blackboard, four names per line and when a foursome plays one set the next group on the board gets the court.  There are five clay courts and all were filled.  I played three sets and had a great time.  I was one of the younger players and none of the players were a whole lot better than me; so I fit right in.  After lunch, I laid around the pool for awhile.  They even had live music at the pool.  Then went back for some afternoon tennis.  The Bare Buns cafe had shrimp scampi for dinner and I had a piece of pumpkin pie to finish off a wonderful day.  There is a live band (Bitter Sweet) playing at the area bar tonight, but they don't start until 8:00.  I might make it over, but that's nearly my bed time.  Us old men need to get our beauty sleep each night.

Bottom Growth & Travels

Got up early this morning and finished transferring the essentials from the boat to the RV.  The boat was pulled at 9:00.  Most of the bottom didn't look too bad but the props, rudder and trim tabs had a lot of growth.  You can see the trim tabs and props in this picture.

This is a closeup of the prop and rudder.

This last picture is the bow thruster.  Notice that there is not as much growth on the surrounding hull.

I didn't get out of Jacksonville until nearly 11:00 so I didn't arrive at Lake Como until 3:00.  The electrical power hook in the first site they put me in didn't work and it took about 45 minutes for them to pick a new site and for me to get setup.  Afterwards I took a walk around the grounds and visited awhile with some folks at the tennis courts.  Play starts at 9:00 and 3:00.  I'm looking forward to trying out their clay courts.

Off the Boat and Back into the RV

This is my last night on the boat for about a week.  On Friday morning about 8:30, the yard is hauling the boat out of the water and putting it up on supports.  The boat needs a little below the water line hull work done.  Nothing serious; a bottom cleaning to remove all the wild life that attached itself to the bottom and a little fiberglass repair near the bow thruster.  Today folks from the yard showed up to work on the anchor windlass, the 20 kw generator and to help me replace the fried coaxial TV cable.  I also finalized details of the canvas work I contracted out (covers for the teak wood rails and windlass cover. I also had to move clothing, food and toiletries back off the boat and into the RV.  I got up and was working by 6:30 and didn't sit down to dinner until nearly 8:00 tonight.  Gonna head down to the Tampa to area to a place that has some clay tennis courts.  I haven't played in almost two months so I hope I haven't lost all of the skills I worked on last summer.  One last note for those of you in colder climates; it was nearly 85 degrees with 85% RH today on the boat.

On the Boat (11-14 Oct)

I've been very busy cleaning and getting ready for the final indoor cleaning, steam cleaning the carpet tomorrow morning.  I also found out what happens when you don't empty the black water tank often enough.  It's especially not pleasant when the discovery is made on a Saturday evening and you have to put up with the results until Monday morning.  The folks here at Lamb's Yacht Center were very understanding and the problem was solved before noon.  Life is very good once more.  I also remembered why I dislike GFCI outlets.  It took me several hours of work to figure out why the fluorescent lights in the engine rooms went dark unexpectedly.  I checked out the switch and the GFCI outlet in my stateroom.  I looked all over then found the culprit, a second GFCI outlet in the port engine room.  Larry, I'm sure glad that Downing Jr. was available to drive the boat.  We had to back boat into the fuel dock and he took two tries before he got it right.  The wind almost blew us into another boat.  Carrie, I took your advice and am watching the fall TV shows on various web sites.  The Black List is my favorite.

Back on the Boat (8 - 10 Oct)

It has been a week of work at the boat.  I've almost finished cleaning up the mold and finally started the two main engines.  A typical day starts around 6:30 with breakfast and cup of coffee.  Then it has been cleaning until lunch at 12:30.  I attempt to finish working on the boat by 4:00 when I go over to the Jax NAS health center for a workout.  I've been getting back to the boat around 6:30 and then it's dinner, a bit of reading and bed.  Not a very exciting week, but I have gotten a lot of needed work accomplished.

Cove Pictures

I finally had a few minutes to walk around a take a few pictures of the park.

There are two swimming pools.  This is a long distance photo of the shallow one.  It's only 4 feet deep.

The deep pool (7 feet) is a bit smaller.  There are also several hot tubs.

Her are the four grass courts where the tournament was held

Next to the volleyball courts was a small white sand beach on the lake.

This is just another grass area that I thought was very interesting.  You can see the lake in the background.  On Sunday afternoon, there were a dozen remote control sail boats (about 18 inches long) racing around a course in the lake.

There is a sand volleyball court but according to the locals, it hasn't been used in the past several years.

My one regret for the weekend was that I didn't get a chance to play any tennis.  They have five courts and they were filled with players on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

And finally a picture of my parking spot.

Volleyball Finals

We finished in last place in the pool play yesterday and immediately went into the losers bracket when we played the first place team.  We then proceeded to win the next two and ended up in third place overall.  Considering that for one of our players, it was his second time ever playing any volleyball, I think we did remarkably well.  I also can say that my legs haven't been this sore in a very, very long time.  I had a lot of fun.  Tonight I went back for a second try a ping pong, but I didn't do as well.  I just didn't have the legs or reflexes.

Volleyball at the Cove

One should always spend at least a month getting ready to play in a tournament.  I came down to watch , but ended up playing.  It is a mixed triples with round-robin pool play, points scored only on the serve on Saturday and double elimination on Sunday.  There were 5 teams in my pool so we had to play 4 matches.  I am exhausted and have lots of sore muscles.  We started the pool play around 10:00 and  finished about 4:30.  After a shower, a rum & coke and soaking in the pool for an hour, I went to dinner at Scuttlebutts again and had the broiled trout.  I may go over to the bar and watch some of the Miami football game, but I know I'll be in bed before 9:00.

Cypress Cove - 4 Oct

I decided to take the weekend off. After picking up the RV from the maintenance folks, headed south to Cypress Cove.  Their Fall Volleyball Bash is this weekend and I wanted to see what it is all about.  I got a late start and didn't arrive until after 5:00.  I got setup and went to dinner at Scuttlebutts Lounge which is located on the site.  I found out that they play ping pong in the game room on Friday and Sunday nights and got invited to play.  I haven't played in a while, but I was able to hold my own.  After an hour of play, I took a dip in the pool next to the game room and Cheeks Bar & Grill.  The day may have started slow, but it had a very good ending.

Week One on the Boat

Most of the week was spent moving from the RV to the boat; cleaning the boat, getting RV in for it's 5,000 mile maintenance work and other odd chores.  I did manage to workout at the Jacksonville NAS gym each day.  Not anything interesting to write home about, but it was a very busy week.

Back on AFterwards

I made it to Lamb's Yacht Center around 4:00 this afternoon.  It was still over 80 degrees so I went over to Jacksonville NAS to see if I could store the RV on-base during the winter - no luck.  I'll have to look around town to find another location.  After dinner, I took a look at the boat.  The long hot, humid summer with out any tender loving care had a very big impact.  The outside was dirty and the inside was moldy.

It took me over an hour to clean out the refrigerator and transfer the food from the RV to the boat.  It took me another two hours to clean up my bedroom and bath.  Now its time to shower and get some sleep.  It's been a long day but a very good one.

Suwannee Valley Resort (28 - 30 Sept)

I got a fairly early start (7:30) and arrived here around 3:00 in the afternoon.  The resort is near I-10 and  just outside White Springs, FL.  The have a nice club house and pool area.  They even have a red-neck golf course.  The picture below show the third hole (stake), golf ball (tennis ball) and golf club (stick with flattened beer can).  You definitely have to be drinking to enjoy the experience.

They even have a bar next to the swimming pool and they serve dinner on Friday & Saturday nights and breakfast on Saturday & Sunday.  It's a very relaxing place to spend a few days.

The Rest of the Maxwell AFB Visit (26 & 27 Sept)

Spending time with Scott and Barbie was great.  They are wonderful hosts; lots of good food (BBQ, sushi and raw oysters) and drink.  Scott took me trap shooting with 12 gage shotguns.  We warmed up with a box of shells at a trap range (targets were launched from a single machine).  I think I broke only 3 or 4 out of about 20 targets.  Then we moved on to a skeet (targets were launched from two machines in different directions) range consisting of 12 shooting stations, 4 shots at each station.  I was amazed that I was able to hit some of the targets.  It was a lot of fun, but a 12 gage shotgun does have a little bit of a kick and my shoulder was sore by the end.

Maxwell AFB, AL - Day 1

Early to bed, early to rise and early to arrive at your destination.  I stopped for breakfast at Denny's around 8:30 and still made it to the Maxwell AFB gate by 2:00.  Then the fun began;  I took a tour of the base.  The directions to the RV camp weren't very clear.  The first two times stopped some one for directions I only got lost.  I finally ended up at the end of a dead-end road that led to the federal prison.   Luckily, the guard was very understanding and knew where the RV camp was.  I finally got the RV parked and setup around 3:30.  It started raining while I was working out at the base gym and it looks like the rain is going to continue for a while.  I'm beginning to think the rain is following me across the country.  Oh well, the rain makes a nice noise on the RV's roof and it lulls one to sleep.

Lakeside RV Park - Livingston, LA

I didn't get a very early start this morning, so I didn't get here until nearly 5:30.  I did make a little bit over 350 miles.  It was slow going.  Until I reached the TX/LA border, love bugs (what ever they are) were committing hair-kari on the windshield.  I had to stop every two hours to clean them off.  It was getting hard to see the traffic for the bugs.  It's about another 330 miles to Montgomery, AL; so I'm going to try to get an early start in the morning so I get there in the early afternoon.

The Rest of the Week

I had a great week visiting Carrie!!  However, each of the weekdays were very similar.  Get up around 6:30; make a pot of coffee then sit outside and read for an hour of so.  The have breakfast and run a few errands.  About 1:00, I would go over to Gold's Gym and work out.  Carrie and I would go out to eat each evening then go back to her apartment and chat while watching TV.  On Thursday night, the rain that was dumping on NM and CO finally reached College Station.  It rained buckets all day Friday.  On  Saturday and Sunday, we went out for breakfast and supper and goofed off in between.  In all there was not too much to write home about, but, for me, it was a very good week.

Aggieland RV Park - Day 1

BBQ --- Steak  Such a big decision.  Well the BBQ was closed on Sunday and Mondays; so the winner was Sodolask's Beefmasters.  When I looked at the menu it listed a 14-16 oz sirloin for $12.99 then a small sirloin for $18, a medium sirloin for $24 and a large sirloin for $32.  I asked what a small sirloin was??  She replied it was about 32 oz.  I didn't have the courage to ask how big the large was.  And I thought the steak was better that the one at the Big Texan.  I also have to comment on their special appetizer for those of you who enjoy a healthy diet.  You need to try an order of chicken fried bacon.  It's to die for and after an order, your arteries may want to clog up and let you.

Some of you who have been following my blogs may wonder if all I ever think about is food.  The answer is almost yes.  There are a few other things, but I forget what they were.

Traders Village - Dallas, TX

It's been a great three days in the DFW area with Laura.  She lives in a great location - lots of very good eateries within walking distance.  We had Mexican on Thursday evening, BBQ on Friday, Italian on Saturday and all-American on Sunday.  The breakfasts were also just as good.  On Friday we went to see "We're the Millers" at the Inwood Theater.  A truly great place to watch a movie; couch like seating and you could even buy a beer at the concession.  Laura and I went to a very big RV show in Dallas today.  Looked at the 26HE Winnebago Vista, 26HE Itasca Sunstar and 31UL Jayco Precept.  The Jayco was on sale for ~$85K.  Both Laura and I agreed it was the best of the lot by far.  Laura really liked the 40" exterior TV and the 8 cu. Ft. refrigerator.  I'm staying the Traders Village RV park.  In the afternoon we went to the Traders Village flee market.  It's advertised as the largest flee market in Texas.  We walked around for 1.5 hours and saw about a third of it.  I bought a 1600 thread count, 100% Egyptian Cotton, Twin sheet set for $15.  I think it was hot off the truck.  I paid $45 for the same brand at the BX on Kirtland AFB.  Here are a few pictures.  The first is looking down just one of 6 streets running N/S.  There are also over 10 running E/W

You can find almost anything from tacky dresses, car hoods & tires, motor scooters, saddles, bullet proof vest, skin tight jeans to show off your rear end and even a large statue of Jesus.  Of course you can also get the all the usual tools and other misc. junk.

And finally, today, we relaxed after breakfast and watched some television.

Decatur, TX

Traveling across west Texas is truly miles and miles of miles and miles.  About the only break were the rest stops.  Texas does have excellent rest stops!!  I did get a much earlier start today, but not too early - 8:30.  Because of the early start I arrived at the Wildwood resort in Decatur around 2:30.  It's a little off the beaten path, but well worth the drive.  I spent a couple of hours laying around the pool, reading and talking with the other residents.  Yes, I did wear a hat and slathered myself with suntan lotion.  The resort had two pools and both had volleyball nets.  From what the residents told me, water volleyball is a very popular activity on the weekend.  There is a 5-Km trail in the area so I'm going to try a run in the morning before heading into the DFW area.  Here are a few pictures of the resort and the trail.

Small Pool

Large Pool

Office and Community Center

5-Km Trail

5-Km Trail

Amarillo

It was a bit hectic this morning trying to get all of the last minute packing done and I had a problem with the supplemental breaking system in the Honda.  I had to take it by the dealer for some quick trouble shooting.  Once again it was operator error;  I didn't push the breakaway cable far enough into the receptacle.  I finally left town around 11:30.  After that it was an easy drive to Amarillo.  I arrived at 5:30 and went out to the Big Texan for a steak - not the 72 oz. one.  The steak wasn't bad but it wasn't the best I've ever had.  Well it's nearly 10:00 pm and the bed is calling.  TTFN

Last Day (Night) of the First Journey

My right ear had been feeling funny for several days but it was no big deal.  Well last night when I attempted to go to bed early (9:30), it started throbbing in time with my heart.  After about 45 minutes, I gave up on sleep; packed up the RV and headed for home.  It probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done, but when I was vertical the ear didn't hurt as much.  I finally stopped in Santa Rosa around 2:00 and slept for a few hours.  I made it home a little bit before 6:30.  I guess you could call it a very long day or a very short night.

I hope you have enjoyed keeping up with my travels.  I'll send out an email and let you know when my next one begins

billb4805@live.com

On the Road Again

I left College Station early this morning and stopped for breakfast around 8:00 in Temple, TX.  After breakfast and another 2 hours of driving, I discovered another reason to own a RV.  You can pull over and take a quick 30 minute nap in a bed then continue your trip.  About 30 miles from Abilene, I saw a cattle ranch that I had to take a picture of.  The name was just too good to pass up.

The only other thing of interest along the route today were the windmills between Abilene and Lubbock.  There seem to be thousands of them and each one looks to be around 100 ft tall.  I arrived in Lubbock a little before 4:00 and am staying at the Lubbock RV Park near the airport.  The park is ok and there are trees providing a little shade.

The only problem is that there is nothing within miles of the RV park; well beyond what I want to ride on a bicycle.  I think it's going to be an early night in the RV with a good book.

New Blog Site for RV Travels

A new blog for a new way of spending retirement time.  The boat's name is AFterwards.  The RV's license plate will be "AF2 WRD".  Carrie helped me create this site, but don't blame her for any mistakes or boring web design.  Old men are slow learners.  Hopefully by the time I take the next trip, I will have learned more about how to create a more entertaining site.

I am about finished with the first adventure, bringing the RV home to Albuquerque from Jacksonville, FL.  Tomorrow I leave Bryan for Albuquerque.  It will be a two day trip with a stop in Lubbock.  Larry - I'm taking your advise and realizing that after you retire, there is no big rush to be anywhere.

Here is a picture of my RV.