January 26 to 29, 2007

We are in Rockport Texas! A nice place by the Gulf with a quaint little village. We will be here for 2 weeks (Feb 11)

JANUARY 26, Friday, sunny

WOW! A bonus...it's sunny again but cold. Only 38*F (4*C) at 7 a.m. we sure miss the warmth of Florida.

Loaded the kayaks, then went into Mandeville to fuel: 14.77gl @$2.369 and one quart of oil added. Went to the coffee shop and brought our blog to date then went for a short drive to Madisonville and stopped at a pub for a beer.

We're ready to go.

JANUARY 27, Saturday, clouds then rain

We left at 9 a.,m. with a cloudy sky but it didn't take long for the rain to arrive. And rain it did, all the way to Texas. We took on fuel in Iowa, Louisiana: 19.467 gl@$2.349. Getting about 11mpg which is good. We have the wind behind us which helps.

We drove through a big swamp just before Texas and crossed a bridge 18 miles long. Good thing my kidneys hung on as there was nowhere to stop. We are averaging about 55 mph on the highways.

Stopped at the info centre in Texas then drove on to Baytown where we spent the night in the rear parking lot of Cracker Barrel restaurant. Beautiful sunset and it is 65*F. Distance today was 512 km (320 miles)

JANUARY 28, Sunday, sunny

Got up to clouds but it soon cleared. We hit the road by 8:30 a.m. after fuelling 13.163 gl @ $2.279 and drove through Houston. Very nice city and clean from what we saw. Sunday is the time to go through a city down here. No traffic.

We follow I-10 to Hwy 59 then south on hwy 60 and finally west on hwy 35, which follows the Gulf most of the way. We crossed the final bridge and turned right into BAYVIEW RESORT, a W.H.R. park. A big resort with lots of trees. Hooked up and unloaded the kayaks and the bikes. It is 58*F which was the max. all day.

Went for a drive into town to get milk and take a quick look. Fuelled : 22.185 gl @$2.299

N 28*06'20" W 97*02'00" Altitude: 15 feet, distance today: 333 km

January 25, 2007

We got up to a BEAUTIFUL SUNSHINE this morning and a balmy 50*F WOW! Things are improving.
We went into town again today back in the French Quarter. This is our last day so will try to make the best of it. After parking, we walked 5 blocks up this side street to BOURBON ST. One of the main artery and very popular with tourist. As we walked it, I could see why. Full of quaint buildings, loads of pubs and restaurants and music halls. We spent 6 hours exploring the streets and the pubs of course. We had local food (Jambalaya for me, LOVE IT!) and did some shopping at the French Market on Decatur Street. We both loved the French Quarter. It reminded me of Quebec city in a lot of ways....narrow street and very french style housing. We stopped at "cafe du Monde" for coffee and beignet covered with white powder sugar. It was delicious and can now say we've sat with the "elites" of New-Orleans!!!! Just kidding of course.

We walked back to the truck and drove home with the rush hour in full swing....Never had dinner as we were full from our late lunch and dessert at Cafe du Monde.

Tomorrow is reserved for relaxing and getting ready to leave on Saturday the 27th. Looking forward to warmer climate and hopefully, this sunshine will follow us to Rockport, Texas.
Till next time.....

January 20 to 24, 2007

Here we are again, sitting in a coffee shop just outside New Orleans. We finally got our mail, 24 days late but who;s counting!? It is cold outside and cloudy, 46*F (8*C) a small drizzle is coming down. I'll be glad to find sunshine again. Anyway, back to the blog:


JANUARY 20, Saturday, clouds and some sun breaks.

Got up to sunshine but it didn't last. Only 56*F all day!

We left at 10 a.m. via I-12, stopped at the info centre in Mississipi for a few minutes then went on to Louisiana where we had lunch at the Info Centre and took a couple pictures. The States highway are filled with garbage. Not a pretty sight. Also saw a lot of damages from the Hurricanes. Scenery consisted mainly of conifers and oak trees. It's winter, you can tell.
We went on to Abita Spring where our next site is. A Western Horizon so we don't have to pay anything. Will stay there 2 days then have to move.
Took on fuel 14.18 Gal@ 2.3999

N 30*29'44" W 90*00'05" Alt: 90 feet and total distance: 269 KM (168 miles)


JANUARY 21, Sunday, Rain/clouds

Since leaving Mile 0 at Key West, we have put on 3000 miles this far. Amazing! It's raining right now and the forecast is for more until Wednesday at least.
Went to check out 3 potential rv site and I am glad we did as they are not what I would consider nice places. Lots of damages from the storm and also lots of water on the grounds. We also saw a State Park near the lake which turned out to be very nice so decided to stay here when we move from Abita,
Stopped to get some groceries then came home. Read for a while then went to bed.

fuel: 19.174Gal @ 2.399


JANUARY 22, Monday, rain

Does it ever stop raining? We moved to Fairview State Park this morning @ $16./night and will stay here 5 days, 32 km from Abita. After setting up we crossed the Pontchartrain Lake, a 24 miles toll bridge (the longest in the world) and went into New-Orleans today and what a neat city. Drove into the French Quarter and WOW! Loved it. Also saw the Mississipi river and downtown. Explored and oriented ourselves for the next time we come down. Walked DECATUR Street and shopped, then went to a restaurant call BUBBA GUM where we had dinner. It was a Forest Gump theme and they served all kinds of shrimp dishes so we tried a couple. Also stopped at a pub where we talked to the local bartender and found out some nice places to go see here.

N 30*24'35" W 90*08'23"


JANUARY 23, Tuesday, cloudy

Cold this morning....42*F (6*C) Rained overnight but stopped for now. We went to Fort Jackson and Venice a the end of Hwy 23, south of New-Orleans. Saw a lot of devastation form the hurricane here and Venice was almost all wiped out. Very sad to see but people seem to be doing OK. There is a lot of resentment about the government especially since Bush announce that the US was to give Iraq 1 billion dollars and the people here are suffering and struggling to get on top. Some are fighting the bureaucracy and the insurance who are resisting paying out their dues.

VENICE N 29*15' W89*21'


JANUARY 24, Wednesday, Cloudy

Cold again this morning. We are at a cafe shop doing this and going to pick up our mail After this, we will explore some more so keep in touch

January 17 to 19, 2007

A boring three days this has been. It's been cold and cloudy the whole time so we didn't do much. The temperature has been hovering between 50 and 55 during the day and 35 to 40 at night. Thank goodness there's been little winds or it would have been worst.
Tomorrow, we leave for Abita-Springs near New-Orleans, Louisiana where we will spend about 7 days visiting the area.

Today, we went to the beach, about an hour from here. It was interesting and very nice. The houses were all built on stilts and very colorful....from light browns to light blues and turquoise. Very interesting. Fuel the truck on the way back for $2.399/gal. so took on 14.180 gallons.

Val has been catching up on her wash and cleaning "Kenzy" and I've been busy repairing little things around the house and wiping down the outside. It cost $5.00 to wash so will wait.

Yesterday, we went to Mobile and walked around for a while. It is a very nice city. On the way over, we crossed a double bridge which was at least 2 miles long. We saw a few areas where Hurricane Katrina did damages and also some houses and buildings, but overall they seem to have recovered nicely. We saw a restaurant called "HAYLEY" same as my grand-daughter so took a picture and sent it to her. We went for a beer and a burger in a local restaurant then came home.

So now, supper is on, Italian Spaghetti, one of my favorites. See you all next time.

January 11-16, 2007

JANUARY 11, Thursday, Cloud/sun

Left our room at 10:30 a.m. and went out for breakfast then we went back to Conley RV and spent the rest of the day there, reading and walking around.
Finally got Kenzie back at 5:30 p.m. and some minor adjustment had to be done. Paid our bill, $1068. for our part (brakes and shocks) OUCH!!!! Hit the road, stopped for fuel 14 gal @ 2.479 and got back on I-75. Drove until 8 p.m. and stopped overnight at a Crackers Barrel restaurant. I am stressed out and tired. It's been a long and very frustrating couple days. Glad to be leaving this State and heading west.


JANUARY 12, Friday, sunny

Up at 7 a.m., coffee then hit the road again. At Ocala, we turned north-west in hwy 27. In Perry, we took hwy 98 until hwy 14 then turned left for our destination. Arrived at Econfina Resort, site #24. This is a very isolated place. The nearest town is Perry at 25 miles, there is NO WIFI nor any cellular reception. Oh and our mail is still not here. Grrrreat.
There is a lots of no-seeums here and they BITE, no....they CHEW! It is much cooler than down south and not so humid. Suits me fine.
After dinner, we had a camp fire and invited our neighbors, Gloria and Charlie. He makes baskets out of pine needles and they are wonderfully beautiful and well made. I am very impressed.

N 30*37'26" W 87*35'38" Alt: 45' Distance today and yesterday: 451 km (282 miles)


JANUARY 13, Saturday, Sunny

50*F ( 10C) this morning and the sun is shining. Forecast is for 80*F. Went into Perry and got groceries, propane and fuel: 14.057 gal @ 2.419. Checked our e-mail at an internet cafe then came home. Still no mail


JANUARY 14, Sunday, sunny with cloudy periods.

Went cycling today. We found a trail and followed it for about 5 miles. It was wonderful. It claimed to be the "Florida as it really is" and it was beautiful but unfortunately, I forgot the camera so no pictures. We even saw a big turtle that had dug a hole and it looked at it was laying eggs. It kept hissing at us so we left it in place. We finally came out on the road about 3 miles form our site and took another trail which looked like it was returning towards our site.
I stopped too fast and Val tried to avoid me and crashed. Nothing serious but she got scraped knees again and shoulder too. She will be sore in the morning. Poor Val, she really has no luck with cycling.
Came home and had a hot shower. Val put disinfectant on her wounds and I went to the office to give them a forwarding address for our mail as we are leaving tomorrow.


JANUARY 15, Monday, sunny and clouds

We left around 8:30 a.m. Followed hwy 98 west to 363 then headed north towards Tallahassee. In Newport, I called Conley RV as the brakes on Kenzie were not functioning correctly. Got hold of Brian who said he would phone us right back. We drove on to Tallahassee and 3/4 of hour later, he still hadn't called. So, once again, I called him only to be told he couldn't be found. I blew up! I demanded to speak to the manager and when he came on, I let him have it about their lousy service and customer relations. He was very apologetic and got Brian right away who in turn got me an appointment at "Camping World" in Midway, about 10 miles from Tallahassee. We drove there and after a couple hours, we were told we would have to spend the night there and they would look at it first thing in the morning. They have RV sites with hook-ups so we tied up and resigned ourself to another wasted day. Called Stix River where we have reservations and explained our situation. No problems!


JANUARY 16, Tuesday, cloudy

Well, we woke up to rain this morning. Also rained overnight. It is 65* F(18*C). The rig went in at 9:30 and we got it back at 12:30 P.M. Found out that the drums hadn't been turned when Conley did the brakes and that one magnet had NOT been replaced. It's a good thing that Conley is paying for this....I feel like suing them! Do I sound stressed out????? I will definitely write a concern letter to Monaco for what it is worth.
Anyway, we left at 1 p.m. and it is 60*F The temperature is dropping and the forecast is for colder temperature for the next few days. Got fuel 10.73 gal @ 2.329
We changed time about 40 miles from Tallahassee, we are now on Central Time. The ride was monotonous. The foliage is now tall evergreens and low brushes. Most trees are leafless although some do have green leafs. The highway is going through rolling hills with an altitude of 250 feet max. Fuelled in Milton 21.329Gal @ 2.389 and it is a good thing as fuel in Alabama is 2.65/gal for diesel. We stopped a few times along the Highway and finally arrived in Stix River RV Resort at 4:30 p.m. with no further problems with the brakes.
We will be here until Saturday the 20th and the nice thing is that it is not costing anything. Free through R.O.D. Set up and dinner. Took tucker for a walk and the temperature is now in low 50's (10*C)

N 30*37'26" W 87*35'38" Alt: 200' distance in the last two days: 525 km ( 329 miles) This includes the running around we did in Tallahassee

January 7 to 10, 2007

We are writing this from our motel room in Bradenton, Florida. Yes a motel! Kenzie is in the shop at Conley RV (a McKenzie dealership) getting her suspension raised so that her tires won't rub on the wheel-well anymore and thanks to our extended warranty, it will only cost us $100.
We have free WIFI so I am taking advantage of it. Let's go to the beginning, shall we?


JANUARY 7, Sunday, sunny with cloudy periods.

We went kayaking today. I had our friends, Ronald and Denise drive our truck to Main Street bridge in town and drop us off. We kayaked down the river and 2.5 hour later, we were back at our site. It was a really neat paddle. The river zig-zagged all the way and we could see the bottom for the most part of the trip. We crossed a couple rapids, but nothing serious. We saw a turtle and I got a picture of it finally, also saw a great egret, a blue heron but NO alligators unfortunately. The river was quite busy with fishermen. About half way we stopped for a beer and then started down again and got rained on, but it wasn't too bad as it was very warm.

When we got back, we went for a swim in the pool and Val swam with the local "alligator" SEE PICTURES.
We went to Denise and Ronald after dinner for a game of "Mexican Train" and came home around 10:30 p.m.

A really nice day indeed!


JANUARY 8, Monday, sunny

Another very warm day BUT not as humid as it has been. As a matter of fact, this is the best day as far as temperature is.
Did some caulking on the roof as a vent pipe was leaking, went for a bike ride to town and did some exploring, picked up milk and beer than came home.

After dinner, Ronald and Denise came over and we had another game of "Mexican Train" Another very nice evening with lots of laughs.

Called Conley RV today to find out about the status of the insurance answer on the suspension. These guys are really slow at getting back to me and I am getting somewhat frustrated. It's now been 5 days since we originally were at their place.


JANUARY 9, Tuesday, sunny

It is really cold this morning....10*C. After a quiet morning, I packed everything outside, filled the truck with fuel ( 4gallons @$2.499), put air in the tires and the air bags.

We finally heard from Conley....we have approval with our insurance so the suspension will be fixed. This means we will leave tonight. Went over and said our good-byes to our new found friends and then left around 6 p.m. (after dinner)

9 p.m.and we are sitting in Conley RV yard. As we sat there, we went exploring and found a 40 foot trailer open so we went in to take a look and set off an alarm. 15 minutes later the cops arrived and took my info from my driver license after I admitted setting it off. Talk about excitement!!!!
It is 10 p.m, 52* F and time for bed


JANUARY 10, Wednesday, sunny

Cool this morning. No frost but damn near! At 8a.m., I walked over to the office and talked to Jim (the mechanic) and Brian (the service rep.) and got an understanding of what will happened in the next few hours.
We left and did some exploring, saw the beaches, Saratago ( a very rich town) and went to visit the aquarium and the research lab in Saratago.
Came back to Conley and found a motel (Days Inn) nearby and go ta room for the night. So there we are, and hopefully this will only be the only night here.
I called Econfina and cancelled the first two nights. I will be glad when all these little troubles are over.

January 6, 2007, Sunday

The day started quiet enough. Got up at 7 a.m. (still having a hard time sleeping) then we met our friends from Quebec, Renald and Denise who invited us to go for dinner tonight at a restaurant in Bradenton, 50 miles away. They had 2 other friend couples coming from Robin's Nest, north of here so we decided to go.

What a neat place it was. We left here at 3 p.m., went into Bradenton, off Hwy 301 and did some shopping. I bought a new air compressor and Val bought a new walk meter which will keep tab on her distance when she is walking. Total cost: $24. Can't beat it.

Back to the restaurant....it was called "Roaring 20's" and what a neat place, we arrived at 5 p.m. You order your food as you enter and pay for it. They give you a number and you go sit down at a table which are all set-up in a row with padded benches. When your number flashes on the illuminated board, you go pick up your food.
As we sat there, all around us and mounted on the walls were series of flutes, drums, organ pipes and a bunch of other instruments. At the head of the row of tables, there was a stage which stood about 7 feet tall and fancy decorations on the back wall. All of a sudden the drums began blasting and this BIG, HUGE multi-task piano/organ came up with a guy sitting in front of it and playing. As he payed, the instrument around played with him ( he controlled the instruments) and in the back on the second floor, tall window slat curtains began opening and closing to the tune of the music.
It was absolutely WONDERFUL!!!! Everyone could put requests in and the guy would play them. We spent over an hour and a half there listening and eating and enjoying ourselves.

The friends of Renald and Denise were very nice and unfortunately, all of us forgot our cameras so no pictures were taken. Of all times to forget!!!!

We said good-byes to the people from Robin's Nest and came home where we had a drink and chatted some more and got to know Renald and Denise better. A very nice evening indeed.

It is 10 p.m., 70*F outside and time to go to bed.

January 2 to 5, 2007

JANUARY 2, Tuesday, Cloudy/rain

Got up at 6 a.m. and left the house at 7:30, headed for SPS Diesel shop to get the Jake and the Throttle fix. 6 1/2 hours later and $640 poorer, I headed home with a new throttle assembly and a new relay for the jake. WOW! 255. for labor, 85 for tax and the rest was parts. Bloody expensive. Also found out that the seals on the turbo need replacing soon as they are leaking. Got home at 4 p.m., loaded the bikes and the kayaks and got ready to leave tomorrow.
Time for supper and relaxation.


JANUARY 3, Wednesday, Clouds/sun

Left our site by 8:30 and headed for Conley RV to get another opinion on the trailer's suspension. After an exam, they also recomment to lift the bracket by 2 inches. This means a job of about 10-14 hours. They called our insurance to see if they will cover it. Now we wait. this is going to be an expensive jobs.
From here, we went directly to Wachula to our site at Thousand Trail Resort Park. These 5 days will be free (we need free stuff) through "Resort of Distinction". We are here until the 10th.
We followed Hwy 41 south to Bradenton to Conley then onward to Hwy 64 East, north on hwy17 to our site. A grand total of 140 km,

N 27*30'27" W 81*47'59" Altitude 87'


JANUARY 4, Thursday, Sunny

Moved from B21 to C 15, we now have sewer which we didn't have a the other one. Got to 82*F and humid again. Went into town and did some grocery shopping and looked around town


JANUARY 5, Friday, Cloudy and cooler

Today is laundry day and will wash Kenzie and the truck after I finish here.

January 1, 2007 HAPPY NEW-YEAR

HAPPY NEW-YEAR EVERYONE!

WOW, 2007 already!

Time is flying by and reminding us that this year is our year for the BIG 60! In March....so soon.

It is raining today to boot. We are relaxing and watching some movies. Tomorrow, I have an appointment with a diesel garage in Brandon (20 miles from here) to get my Jake fix and also the throttle which has been acting up. Everytime I coast, it kicks out and the fuel pedal won't allow me to speed up until I let loose of the pedal then push on it again. It does this everytime I coast. Makes me wonder if it is related to the Jake?

Day after tomorrow, we move to Wachula and this will be our last move this far south before we move on north to the pan-handle and onward to Alabama. We will be in Wachula until January 10

Anyway, let's catch up to what we've been up to.

Yesterday, Dec.30 was sunny and warm and went kayaking on the "little Manatee river". We rowed through the mangrove via different channels. That was really cool. Spent the whole afternoon exploring.

On Dec 29th, we drove to Fort Desoto National Park with the kayaks and the bikes. The idea was to cycle but we ended up kayaking instead in the Gulf of Mexico. We paddled through different bays and channels, saw lots of wildlife