Bill and Debra’s Excellent Airstream Adventure

Friday, January 15, 2010 A Night In The Parking Lot And New Toad Breaks

2010-01-15T19:09:00Z

We spent the night in the parking lot at Camping Connection in Kissimmee Florida so they could get started early on the brake system for the Jeep. They got started about 8:00AM.

It took them about four hours to install the whole system. They did a nice job and every thing fits and looks good on the jeep.

I removed the driver’s seat to make it easer to work under the dash and, of course, as soon as I had done that we had to move the rig to let the trash truck get by. It is possible to drive the rig sitting on one of the dinette chairs.



I installed the light in the dash panel of the coach and the shop installed a six pin cable to replace the four pin we have been using.

The six pin accommodates the existing light wires and the new “coach notification” light wires. I ran two wires (pair), but the shop said I could have run a single wire and used a common ground somewhere under the dash.

The install was complete and we headed out for Okeechobee about 1:00 PM. It is only about 125 miles from Kissimmee to Okeechobee so it was not much of a test for the new braking system put it seems to be working as it should.

Thursday, January 14, 2010 Off to Kissimmee to get the brake system installed on the Jeep.

2010-01-14T19:08:00Z

Off to Kissimmee to get the brake system installed on the Jeep.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 Warmer and Rotisserie Game Hens

2010-01-13T19:03:00Z

It is warmer today, 48º when we got up! Warm enough for us to try out our new rotisserie. 48 this morning! We made a quick trip to the grocery to pick up a few things we needed. I checked all the batteries on the rig and only a couple of the cells needed any water.

We got a fire started and added logs until we got a good bed of coals for cooking. We got out our new Grizzly Rotisserie that Santa brought for Christmas and Deb prepped a couple of game hens to go on the fire. It took a couple of hours to cook, but well worth the wait.

Yum Rotisserie Game Hens, Good eating.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 Hiking and Wekiwa Springs

2010-01-12T19:00:00Z

We decided to hike to the springs here at Wekiwa Springs Park. Scupper, Debra and I hiked about a mile from our camp until we ran into a sign telling us to stop and if we went any further we would be committing a misdemeanor. Well we didn’t want to do that! We are way too old to start committing misdemeanors again. We turned around and went back to the camp and got the Jeep, that way we could only commit a traffic offence, we hoped.

Wekiwa Springs is very cool. If the weather where warmer, people would be a picnicking on the lawn or swimming in the spring. Canoe and kayak rentals are available so you can paddle along the Wekiva River and Rock Springs Run.

Monday, January 11, 2010 The Old Neighborhood And The Big Tree

2010-01-11T18:51:00Z

We went to check out the old homestead at 419 Holly Avenue in Sanford today. There's a new house on the lot and the wooded lot across the street where we used to clean cat fish has some kind of an industrial building on it now. We didn’t see any hoses or screwdrivers sticking out of the ground, so I guess they dug them all up when they built the new house. That’s another story…

We left the old neighborhood behind and went over to check out Big Tree Swamp.

The “Big Tree” is still the same! This tree has been a landmark for years. The Seminole Indians and other Native American Indians who lived throughout Central Florida used this tree as a landmark.

In the late 1800s, the tree attracted visitors even though much of the surrounding land was swamp; reaching the tree was done by leaping from log to log. A walkway was later constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). In 1925, a hurricane destroyed the top of the tree, reducing its original height of 165 ft. to its present height of more than 129 feet.

The Senator is named for Senator M.O. Overstreet, who donated the tree and surrounding land to Seminole County for a park in 1927. In 1929, former president Calvin Coolidge visited The Senator and dedicated the site with a commemorative bronze plaque. The plaque and portions of an iron fence were stolen by vandals in 1945 and never recovered.

Because of its unusual size, considerable controversy as to The Senator's true species has existed. In the 1950s, the tree was reclassified as a Pond Cypress, only to be reverted back to the classification of Bald Cypress some thirty years later.

As of 1993, The Senator is estimated to be 3,400-3,500 years old. The tree's volume had previously been estimated at 4,300 cubic feet, but a 2006 survey by Will Blozan of the Native Tree Society has measured the volume at well over 5,100 cubic feet, making The Senator not only the largest Bald Cypress in the United States, but also the largest tree of any species east of the Mississippi River.
The Big Tree has a neighbor. Located 40 feet from The Senator is another old cypress named Lady Liberty. It is 89 feet high 10 feet in diameter, and is estimated to be 2000 years old.

It is an amazing feeling to be in the presence of something still alive that dates back to the time when Moses was around.
(Research and partial quote from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senator )

Thursday, January 07, 2010 Florida Repaired Water Heater and a Great Park

2010-01-08T01:50:00Z

Yep, it’s still cold. The high was 57º and the low was 22º and the water heater is still a problem. We are headed for Florida to day. We are going to a campground called Ocean Pond. It’s in the Osceola National Forest in northern Florida west of Jacksonville.

We stopped at the Florida Welcome Center to pick up a map and it looks like most of the RVs East of the Mississippi are on I 95.

We stopped at Rivers Bus and RV in Jacksonville to get what we need to fix the water heater. When I talked to the manufacturer, Atwood, they said to try replacing the igniter. If that didn’t get it working they said we would have to replace the circuit board. I bought the new igniter and installed it in the parking lot at the RV shop just in case it didn’t do the trick.

With the new igniter installed the heater had the same problem. It lit once but would not light again after we used the heated water.

I went back in to the shop to buy a new circuit board. The parts guy said they could check the old circuit board to see if it was bad before I spent the $200 on the new one. I wish I had known they could do that before I bought the igniter and installed it. Oh well. I removed the old board and it tested as bad. We bought the new one, installed it and all is well with the water heater.

We got to our campground at Ocean Pond about 3:30 PM. What a great spot!

Ocean Pond Campground is located in the Osceola National Forest. This "flatwoods" forest is a mosaic of low pine ridges separated by cypress and bay swamps and named in honor of the famous Seminole Indian warrior, Osceola.

Ocean Pond Campground is located on the north side of Ocean Pond, a 1760-acre natural lake. Sixty-seven campsites are available for tents, trailers, or motor homes. Many of these campsites are waterfront sites so you can enjoy the water or fish right from your campsite.

We met the Camp Hosts and they said they where looking for an additional couple to work with them as Camp Hosts. This would be a great place to spend the winter but we have been doing the work camping thing now since last May and we want to take some time and travel for a while.

We are going to hang out hear for a few days to chill and do some laundry. We don’t think “chilling” will be a problem, the forecast is for a high of 57º F and the low will be 22º F. The normal averages are 66º and 42º F.

Wednesday, January 06, 2010 Barbeque And Hiking

2010-01-07T02:10:00Z

It’s still cold. The high was 46º and the low was 25º.

We rolled on up to Sticky Fingers for lunch today. I have been telling Deb about this rib place for several years and it turns out there is one near the camp!

Deb got me some of their barbeque sauce for Christmas, but she has never tasted their food. We stuffed our selves and still had leftovers which will be great for a lunch later in the week.

Scupper talked us into a hike instead of a nap when we got back to the camp.

We hiked out the trail to an observation tower that provides a chance to watch for wildlife on this barrier island.

The park borders Skidaway narrows, a part of Georgia’s Intracoastal Waterway. We came right past here in our Tahiti Ketch LAHANA years ago.

Tuesday, January 05, 2010 “Low Country” Cooking

2010-01-06T01:59:00Z

It’s still cold. The high was 44º and the low was 26º.

We wanted to get some real “Low Country” cooking while we where her in Savannah, so Deb found this local restaurant on Tybee Island. It’s the Crab Shack and it turns out I had been here in 1996. I did not realize I’d been there until we where seated and all of a sudden it was déjà vu all over again.

The food was great and we are thinking about cutting a hole in our table and putting a trash can under it.

Monday, January 04, 2010 Beautiful Park And A Tour Of Savannah

2010-01-04T05:05:00Z

The Park is beautiful in the daylight. The temperature, however, is not, 23º.



The site we chose in the dark is great and the park is “first come first served” so we can stay where we are until we decide to leave. I’m taking Deb around to show her where I lived for almost two months during the 1996 Summer Olympics. I was in Savannah to cover the sailing events. We went by the Hyatt Regency where I lived and then a tour of River Street.



We hit Kevin Barry’s Irish Pub, One Eyed Lizzy’s, and The Shrimp Factory before we got to cold and went back to the camp.

Sunday, January 03, 2010 On The Road Again!

2010-01-03T04:57:00Z

We emptied the black and gray tanks and toped off the propane. It’s hard to believe we used almost 8 gallons of propane in three days. It’s been so cold the furnace has been running almost continuously.

Well we said our goodbyes and got underway about 11:00 AM, two hours later than we intended. We weren’t really worried about getting an early start; it’s only about a three hour trip to Savannah.

Or that is, it’s normally only about three hours.

We discovered a temporal anomaly that exists in Cracker Barrel Restaurants on Sundays after church. It can take over two hours to get breakfast when this situation occurs.

We would still have made it to our campground in Savannah before dark except… a two hour traffic jam on I 95 near Walterboro, SC. It turns out there was a crash on the north bound side that required a medevac helicopter and two more crashes on the south bound side from rubbernecking.

We finally got to Skidaway State Park in Savannah about 6:30 PM. The office was closed so we drove around the campground in the dark and pulled into an empty campsite. We will check in at the office in the morning and see if we can stay where we are.

We finally got south of South Carolina and a new sticker!

Thursday, September 24, 2009 Nice Park, All the Kids, The Bugs Came With Us

2009-09-24T13:20:00Z

It was a short drive to Patapsco State Park in Baltimore. We asked about stinkbugs when we checked in at the office. The lady told us they had some but not the plague we saw in Pennsylvania.

When we opened the awning there where about a hundred bugs in there! There where a few under the awning it self and a lot more of them in the telescoping supports.

These bugs are looking for a place to spend the winter and it looks like they want to go south with us. We will have to hunt them down.

We had a nice cookout with Greg and Gillian and the grandkids. The newest, Jack is another cutie. It got too late to roast marsh mellows with the kids, so they took the bag home. I wonder how sugared up they got on the way home?

Wednesday, September 23, 2009 Gambrills State Park, Stink Bugs and Tapas

2009-09-23T12:28:00Z

We got to Gambrills State Park in Frederick about 3:00 PM. We are going to have dinner with my son and his daughter this evening. I’m filling the water while Deb goes down to pay for our site at the camp host’s campsite. We are noticing a lot of stinkbugs here. When Deb got back to camp she said the hosts rig was covered with the stink bugs.

We got our camp setup and went to dinner. We had to fit dinner between Gabrielle’s homework and her tumbling class. She’s a very busy girl. We had a great dinner at Isabella’s. It’s a great tapas restaurant in Fredrick. We had a good time and it was good to see everyone.

When we got back to our camp we had a surprise. There where now about a million stink bugs. The bugs where covering the outside of the rig. You could not get in the door with out getting a lot of them inside.

It didn’t matter if the door was closed or not, they got in. We where up until the early hours of the morning catching the bugs. Deb looked them up on the net and found a lot of chatter. People where being inundated by these creatures. She found several tactics to use on the plague. We where drowning them in Dawn and water, catching them in a plastic zip lock and freezing them in the freezer. It seamed they where getting in through the rear air conditioner so we shut it off and turned on the forward unit. We where finally able to get some sleep.

It turns out, for reasons unknown to entomologists, the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, has invaded Pennsylvania. They have obviously found there way to Frederick as well.

The bug was accidentally introduced ten years ago; it bears the classic shield shape of its family and grows to be about ½-inch long. It is dappled brown; it has a tan underside and a series of black and white markings along the edge of its body.

We where going to stay another day at Gambrills State Park, but we couldn’t take the bugs. We are headed to Baltimore to se more family and less bugs.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009 146 miles today… Frederick MD tomorrow

2009-09-22T12:20:00Z

We made 146 miles today. We are staying at the Wall Mart in Clearfield, PA; we should be in Frederick MD tomorrow.

Monday, September 21, 2009 Screwed by Basil Ford in Buffalo… Nice Camping at Willard's Country Place

2009-09-21T16:09:00Z

We got up early and left our spot at the Four Mile Creek Campground. We have a 10:00 AM appointment at Basil Ford in Buffalo for an oil change and lube. We also are going to have them check the “check engine light” code. The guys at AMCO told us it’s the PCV valve, but every once in a while, the engine backfires when we start it the first time in the day. I also want them to check the hazard flashers. I turned them on when we were slowly climbing a hill last week, forgot about them and they quit working.

We got to Basil Ford about an hour early so maybe we can make some miles south this afternoon. Right…

We didn’t get out of the dealers until about 4:00 PM. And that’s not the worst of it.

After they finished lunch, they had only looked at the hazard flasher. They told me they could fix it with a new “multifunction switch” (that’s the turn signal, high low beam, wiper switch) and a new wiring harness. The parts would be $700.00 plus labor!

I had the “multifunction switch” replaced under a year ago by a Ford dealer in South Carolina. These guys at Basil Ford in Buffalo would not honor the Ford warrantee on the part because they had not installed it.

I told them to forget the whole thing, put the old switch back in and just do the oil change and I was out of there. I would check with Ford about this whole deal.

They said they could do that but the turn signals and brake lights would not work. They put it back and guess what… the lights worked just fine.

So we wind up with just an oil change that cost us $180.53. The oil change was $71.53 and the “checking the multifunction switch” was $109.00.

That’s it for the Ford dealers. From now on it’s “Do It Your Self or the local truck shop.

We had a nice end to the day; we stopped at a great campground for the night, Willard's Country Place. Camped in a field and we where the only people there. They had a nice laundry so we have clean clothes.

Friday, September 18, 2009 The Rest of “Nothing to See” Cave of Winds and Daredevil Museum

2009-09-18T12:01:00Z

Today we are visiting the Cave of Winds. We got closer to the waters of Niagara Falls than we thought possible. We begin the tour by getting dressed in our rain ponchos and sandals. Then we get an elevator ride 175 feet into the Niagara Gorge. At the bottom we follow wooden walkways to the Hurricane Deck, less than 20 feet from the torrents of Bridal Veil Falls.

I get some good video and Debra takes some great stills.





On the Hurricane Deck, I get to experience tropical storm-like conditions, getting doused with the spray from the rushing waters.

After our visit to the Cave of Winds, on our way to lunch, we go check out the Daredevil Museum and see the some of the crazy contraptions people have gone over the falls in.

October 24th 1901

Annie Taylor was the first person to conquer the falls in a barrel. After climbing inside her airtight wooden barrel, the air pressure was compressed to 30 p.s.i. with a bicycle pump.

Though bruised and battered Annie made it, she expected fame and fortune. Annie died in poverty.

August 18th 1985

A Rhode Island bartender named Steven Trotter made the trip in a barrel wrapped in inner tubes. Steven was fined a Total of $5,503.00

September 28th 1989

Niagara Falls Ontario residents Peter De Bernardi and James Petkovich accomplished the first duo descent of the Falls.

October 1st 1995

Robert Overcracker rides a jet ski over the brink of the Horseshoe Falls to help promote awareness for the homeless. His parachute did not open and Robert ended up promoting better parachutes. He plunged to his death and his body was never recovered. An Egyptian tourist captured this amazing image.

We have a nice Indian lunch at the Punjabi Dhaba, and then go to see the IMAX film “Niagara: Legends of Adventure” at the Adventure Theater. The film produced by Academy Award winning producer Kieth Merrill, and takes you on a trip through the history of Niagara.

On our way back to camp we stop at the Whirlpool State Park to see the Whirlpool Rapids and the Whirlpool. Whirlpool Rapids Gorge is the section of the Niagara River Gorge located north of the Whirlpool International Bridge and south of the Whirlpool. It has an average width of 750 feet. This portion of the gorge is world famous for its rapids.

The depth of the Whirlpool Rapids is 35 feet and the speed of the water at the Whirlpool Rapids is 22 mph. The speed is the result of the narrow width of the gorge, the rapid descent of the river and the volume of water (100,000 cubic feet per second). The descent is 52 feet in less than 1.2 miles.

The rapids generated here are amongst the wildest and most dangerous in the world. The Whirlpool Rapids are rated 6 on a navigatable scale from 1 (easiest) to 6 (most dangerous).

Niagara Falls Web Cam mms://webcams.niagarafallshotels.com/CNH-Stream2

Thursday, September 17, 2009 Niagara Falls Too Much “Nothing” to See in One Day

2009-09-17T16:13:00Z

Thursday, September 17, 2009 Too Much “Nothing” to See in One Day

Today we are checking out Niagara Falls. Several of our friends told us there was nothing to see on the American side of the falls so we are going to allow two days to see it all.

We take the Robert Moses Parkway from the campground to Niagara Falls. On the way we stop at Devil's Hole State Park. The park overlooks the lower Whirlpool rapids. A beautiful walkway leads down from the park along the turbulent Niagara River 300 feet into the wooded gorge and offers an up-close view of the gorge's rapids.

This is where the British force was ambushed and defeated by Seneca warriors during Pontiac's War in September 1763.

Now on to Niagara Falls.

We start at the visitor center where we can see the rapids above the falls and the falls from the top with Canada in the background.

Next we walk to the Observation Tower at Prospect Point. It’s kind of half a bridge that hangs out over the Niagara Gorge. It’s an impressive view of the American Falls. The Tower allows you to look directly out into the cascading waters of the American Falls or down into the raging torrents below.





Four elevators provide access to the base of the gorge and the boarding site of the Maid of the Mist boat ride. We get on one of the elevators and descend to the boat ride.

For more than 150 years, the Niagara Falls Maid of the Mist has taken visitors through the foaming waters beneath the falls. We get our souvenir rain ponchos and go for the ride on The Maid to the base of the American Falls and then to the basin of Horseshoe Falls. The crashing waters and massive rock formations are quite impressive and we get to experience firsthand the power and intensity of the falls.

After the boat ride we climb a series of stairs from the base of the gorge to the Crow’s Nest for a more intimate view of the American Falls and Deb makes a new friend.

We get a late lunch at the Red Coach Inn across the street from the Park.

Deb got the Prosciutto Wrapped Baked Brie, Fruit and Mixed Greens and I got the Open-faced Meatball Sandwich.

This Meatball sandwich could not compare with the Meatball sandwich I got in Seneca Falls a couple of days ago.

We decide we have done enough walking and climbing for the day. Too bad “there is nothing to see on the American side of the Falls”. We will have to come back tomorrow to finish seeing the entire nothing.

Niagara Falls Web Cam mms://webcams.niagarafallshotels.com/CNH-Stream2

Monday, July 6, 2009 Made It Through The Forth, One Sick and Rain

2009-07-06T12:18:00Z

Well we made it through the Forth of July Holiday. Nancy, one of the owners, has been working extra shifts to cover for Sharon since she and Dave left. Unfortunately, Nancy got sick over the weekend. One of her friends came in and ran the activities for the kids and we all put in some extra hours to cover her shifts. They tell us the weekend was not as busy as in previous years. It’s either the economy or the weather, or both. I rained every day on the weekend so I’m blaming the weather.

We are having lunch at the Montsweag Roadhouse, and then we are going to do some work around the camp to get ready for the annual KOA inspection on Wednesday the 8th.

Thursday, July 02, 2009 The Holliday Starts, More Blog After the Weekend

2009-07-02T12:12:00Z

We work today. It’s raining... Deb has the1 PM – 5 PM shift and I follow her, 5 PM – 9 PM. We had a lot of arrivals for the holiday weekend. I’ll get back to the blog after the holiday.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 Shopping

2009-07-01T14:14:00Z

We are doing some shopping today to get some supplies laid in before the July 4th weekend sucks us up. We have been warned that this holiday will be the busiest of the season.

Monday, June 29, 2009 Goldsmiths, Food, History and Goodbye to Friends

2009-06-30T02:50:00Z

Today is a trip to Freeport and Brown Goldsmiths. A set of rings that used to belong to Debra’s Grandmother and her Stepmother needed to have some work done on the settings so the Diamonds won’t fall out.

After we dropped off the rings at the goldsmith’s we went to Jameson Tavern for lunch.

It turns out Jameson Tavern is the "Birthplace of Maine". Old records indicate that commissioners met in the northeast corner of the second floor of the Inn to sign the final papers giving Maine her independence from Massachusetts. The Inn is also said to be haunted. You can learn more about the Jameson Tavern at http://www.jamesontavern.com/index.htm .

When we got back to our camp, two of our fellow work campers, Dave and Sharon, came by to return a couple of movies we had loaned them and to tell us they had quit and where leaving the next morning. Things had come to a head with Dave and the owners while we where in Freeport. They had not ever really “hit it off” and today it appears there was a mutual agreement to end the relationship. We will miss them. We have had fun hanging out with them. They are nice people and we will stay in touch with them. If we get to Florida we will stop by to see them.