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Miss Adventure Gets Her Name

12/25/2012

Up until now the motorhome has been referred to as “The MegaBeast”. This name comes from Ron Sonia and his friend Bob. Bob bought an older mid-size class A motorhome several years ago and Ron appropriately named it “the Beast”. Bob keeps “The Beast” in Florida and a couple years later he bought a smaller class C to keep in New England. Ron decided to call it the “Son of a Beast”. When we purchased our 40 foot Diesel Pusher, Ron asked me to describe it, so I told him it was a “MegaBeast” and the name stuck.

We have now decided to officially name our motorhome. Many of our friends travel with Ellen and I and we tend to follow a pretty casual schedule. You never know where we’ll be or what we will decide to do so we have chosen a name that fits the way we travel.

We will call her “Miss Adventure”
and from now on our motorhome travels will be known as “Norm & Ellen’s MissAdventure”.

Good Sam Rally - Daytona International Speedway

11/1/2012

Wow! What a fun trip! Ellen and I flew down on JetBlue, picked up the motorhome and headed up I-4 to Daytona International Speedway for a weekend of fun.

Driving through the tunnel on Thursday afternoon into the speedway infield was cool. We were suddenly in a sea of motorhomes, fifth wheels, and a few trailers. The entry and parking was well organized but the registration area could use some work causing some long lines. We wandered around the vintage campers until dark and went back to the camper for the night.

I have a plan for Friday morning. I am going to get up early and sneak out onto the track and take a lap on my bicycle. I get out all my bike gear and head for the track... to my delight the track is open to walk on and ride a bicycle on. I did about 4 laps and we took a bunch of pictures at the start/finish line. I tried to ride the upper groove and found that the bank is so steep that my upper pedal hit the ground and I couldn’t pedal around the turn. One note, I did time one of my laps at 9 minutes 3.2 seconds. Dale Earnhart JR. completes the lap in 0 minutes 45.5 seconds. I’ll keep trying.

We spend Friday and Saturday wandering through all the displays of new and used motorhomes, camping equipment, and even took in several informative seminars. Kenny Rogers was live on the stage on Friday night but the real hit was Reba, live on stage on Saturday, the concert is awesome and we had great seats right on top of the Sprint Cup Pit Garages.

We bought a Surge Protector, a part for our toad brake, and got our motorhome weighed by RVSEF while at The Rally.

We headed to Orlando around noon on Sunday and stayed at Bill Frederick Park, an Orlando City Park with a small campground right around the corner from Universal Studios. It was a great park that gets very little camping use. We will definitely stay here again.

Time to head home, our next trip is the big “Superbowl Trip”. See you then.

Disney - Fort Wilderness

9/17/2012

We got a great night’s sleep here at Fort Wilderness but it is time to break camp and head for Alliance Coach about an hour and a half away near Ocala.

The people at Alliance are really nice and the facility is quite large. We sit around in the lobby all morning before they can squeeze it into their schedule. They get it inside around noon and determine that they need to drain the fuel and weld the leak at the bottom of the tank. We were completed about 4 hours later and were on our way back to Disney by 5:00 pm, leak fixed and a little lighter in the wallet.

Karl, Ellen and I all had a great time at Disney throughout the week including 2 visits from mom and dad. The week was very busy without much relaxation. Disney trips are always busy and this one was interrupted by no less than 4 minor catastrophes in addition to the original fuel leak which was now fully repaired.

Our front AC unit stopped working caused by a malfunctioning relay in the electrical panel, the motorized awning decided to not retract and required some quick internet research and some repair time by Karl and I. The floor was wet under one of the windows and we realized we needed to reseal the window to solve the problem. The grey water tank backed up caused by the washer/dryer getting stuck on a continuous rinse cycle that kept pumping water into the tank. This problem was resolved quickly but not before the floor had gotten soaked again.

I did find time to install the Verizon USB wifi courtesy of Serrato Signs so we now have internet anywhere we go, even while we’re driving.

We did get to spend a day at each of the parks which gave Karl the opportunity to ride all of the Coasters, including 8 times in a row for Everest and 4 times for Aerosmith. We got to ride Big Thunder Mountain all by ourselves one day when it reopened after a two hour rain delay, it was cool being the only ones on the ride. We went to the pool several times and even squeezed in a short bike ride and several walks around the campground.

We are looking forward to our next trip to the GoodSam Rally in Daytona. Stay tuned, it’s going to be fun!

Driving To Florida For Winter Storage

9/13/2012

Summer is over and it’s time to bring the motorhome back to Florida for the winter. We have been looking forward to this road trip and spending time in Fort Wilderness and after a few last minute repairs and upgrades we are almost ready to go. We notice a small leak from the fuel tank, do a quick patch, and hit the road.

We have chosen a new route for this trip. Our goal is to eliminate the traffic and potholes of the NYC highways. The route will also eliminate ALL tolls for the trip south, this will save us about $100 and add less than 2 hours to our travel time. Our new route travels through Pennsylvania and returns to I-95 just below Baltimore.

Our original plan was to leave on Friday the 14th but we found out just recently that the Hershey RV show runs from the 14th to the 16th and we decide to attend since we are traveling right through Hershey. We chose to leave Massachusetts Thursday night right after Karl’s volleyball match.

We roll out Thursday night and make it to the Pennsylvania border exactly on time at 1:00am. We camp in the parking lot of the Pennsylvania Welcome Station along I-84. On Friday, we head out early for the event in Hershey and arrive before noon. The Hershey Show is fun. We bought an RV based GPS unit and won about $75 worth of stuff from Good Sam / CampingWorld. Around 4:30 we point ourselves southward toward Baltimore. Karl and I take turns driving as we travel past Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Richmond and finally call it a night at the North Carolina Welcome Center. We now realize that our minor fuel leak is becoming more significant. It is now dripping about 6 to 8 ounces during our 8 hour overnight stay.

Saturday is a beautiful day and we are headed to Dunn, NC to meet Bea, Frank and the kids for lunch at Cracker Barrel. The lunch is leisurely and an excellent time to catch up with friends. Now we are heading south on 95 in an area that is a little easier to drive and we decide it is Ellen’s turn at the wheel. She does a fabulous job piloting our rig and she now has less fear of driving the “MegaBeast”. While Ellen is driving, I have time to call Alliance Coach in Wildwood, Florida to arrange for the fuel tank to be welded on Monday. Saturday night brings us to another Welcome Center for the night, this one is at the Florida border and we now have a pan to catch the diesel leak which has stabilized. We travel the remaining distance to Fort Wilderness on Sunday and check into loop 600, site 615.

Mohegan Sun Casino.... Again

9/8/2012

Okay, so we had so much fun on the first trip to Mohegan Sun we decided to do it again. This time Ronnie joined Ellen and I for the trip. Ronnie loves a good buffet.

We towed the Mini again just to make sure everything was okay and we were testing a new bike rack bracket for clearance. We got off to a late start caused by a malfunction of the motorhome steps when we were ready to leave home. The steps refused to retract and it took me almost an hour to disassemble, free up, and then reassemble the step unit. All is working great now.

The lot at Mohegan was a little more crowded due to our later arrival so we drove around a couple times until we found a space that was a little level.

We immediately headed off to the buffet, Ronnie loves a good buffet. After dinner we headed into the Casino and wandered around a little but headed back to the camper early.

I was the only one that got up early on Sunday so I went outside and met a bunch of neighbors and chatted for a long while. Ellen and Ron were finally ready to head to breakfast around 10:30. Did I tell you that Ron loves a good buffet? Our breakfast buffet trip extended into the lunch buffet and we didn’t leave the restaurant until after noon. The table minimums were all high by noon and there were no empty tables available so we just slowly headed back to the camper and headed home.

Mohegan Sun - Testing the Mini

8/25/2012

Earlier this year we purchased a 2008 Mini Cooper Convertible to tow behind the motorhome. Karl and I have spent a lot of time this summer getting it prepped for towing and it is finally ready. We need to take a short trip with it to make sure everything is functioning properly, a trip to Mohegan Sun seems like a perfect plan.

Marie joins Ellen and I for this quick 1½ hour trip and the Mini tows perfectly. The magnetic signs on the back are a big hit... “I’m Pushing As Hard As I Can!”. Mohegan Sun has a special parking lot at the top of the hill for RV parking. There are no hookups or fancy campsites but you can put down the levelers and extend the slides out. Some people even had their awnings and lawn chairs out. The parking area overlooks the river below and is quite nice.

We jumped on the free shuttle and headed down for the Saturday night supper buffet. Price was around $25 and the assortment of items on the buffet was astounding. We went out into the Casino for a while after dinner and wandered through the shops before taking the shuttle back to the camper.

We got up on Sunday morning and took the shuttle down for the breakfast buffet which was excellent. We wandered into the casino after breakfast and found a bunch of empty tables with low minimums so we sat down and played roulette for a little while. We headed back the camper and got ready to go. I wanted to check the turning radius with the Mini in tow so Ellen drove the motorhome around the parking lot while I watched from outside. When it was time to go, I wanted to get a photo of the Motorhome and Mini with the river in the background so Ellen drove the unit out of the parking lot, down the hill and back up the main road while I took pictures.

Hammonasset Beach State Park - Connecticut

8/17/2012

We booked this trip to the Connecticut seashore in January. The site is a short walk to the beach and has 30 amp electrical service.

This is an easy drive down 395 to the CT seashore and we managed to talk Ronnie into joining Lynn, Ellen and I for the trip. The campground is easy to find just off 95 and has plenty of room for maneuvering the big rig. The campground is huge and most of the sites have no hookups but we have one of the nice sites near the beach with electric.

We spent the 2 days just relaxing around the campground and spending a little time on the beach, not much beach time when Ronnie is with us. I did take a nice long bike ride out into the affluent neighborhoods along the seashore and a second trip through some of the nearby towns.

We bought a used folding bike for Ellen from one of our camping neighbors as we were leaving on Sunday, turns out, it may be a collectors item.

I think we will try to come back here next summer and stay even closer to the beach on a more level site.

Eastern Regional Water Ski Championship

8/2/2012

This is our second year camping at Pangaea Puddle in Canajoharie, NY. Scott Bellefeuille is Tournament Director for the Eastern Regional Water Ski Championships and we are here to support him along with several other skiers we know including Paul O’Hara, Jen Tee, and Randy Cole. The big draw this year is that we get to spend time with Scott and Jodi’s new daughter Charlee.

Ellen and I head up early on Thursday morning. We are hoping to get there in time to watch Jen Tee ski in her event. Ellen is in constant contact with Jodi to make sure we make it in time. We get there in plenty of time to park, setup the camper, relax a little and then go watch Jen.

Ed and April (Scott's mom and dad) have been staying with us in Leicester for a few weeks and have decided to join us in Canajoharie before heading home to Fort Myers. We all have a great time all weekend, watching plenty of skiing and having fun with friends and the new baby.

It is incredibly hot and sunny all weekend, perfect weather for skiing and the site offers enough electricity to run one of our air conditioners. Charlee and mom drop by frequently to rest in the air conditioned comfort and even squeeze in a nap or two.

We get to spend a little time with Russ, DeeDee and Randy Cole. Randy is skiing the best we have ever seen and is sure to place well at Nationals. On a sad note, Russ died of a sudden heart attack just one week after this event.

Pangaea is considering hosting the regionals again next year and we will likely visit again if our schedule allows.

We also took a little time to check out the Erie Canal Bike Path and I think we will be putting together a group bike trip next year.

Salisbury Beach - Girl's Weekend

6/22/2012

Girl’s Weekend (plus me) to Salisbury State Park. I love this place, it is easy to get to and somewhat “big rig” friendly.

Once again, this trip was booked when we had the little Navion. Our site is way too small for our new Class A. I squeeze it in but it’s tight. We have electric but it is only 20 amp, and actually turns out to be about 15 amp tripping the breaker several times over the weekend.

Marie, Rosie, Lynn and Ellen all have a great time on the beach and chatting around the campsite. Marie and I go for a bike ride up into Salisbury and north to the New Hampshire State Line.

The new motorhome shows it has plenty of room for 5 adults but still a little tight during sleep time. It doesn’t take long for 5 people to fill the waste tanks but we make it through the weekend and empty on the way out.

Salisbury has several 50 amp Motorhome sites and we are going to try to book one of those next year. The campground fills up fast but has some availability in June until about Fathers Day.

Squeezing into Nickerson State Park

6/1/2012

We booked this trip to Nickerson State Park in Brewster when we had the small Navion. We are hoping to fit into our campsite or that they have somewhere else for us.

Karl, Ellen and I pack up the bikes and head to Nickerson on Friday late morning. They check us in and we head toward our site. We are definitely the largest unit in the park. Our site actually turns out to be perfect for the motorhome, we fit in easily and are fairly level. Marie drives down after work and arrives around suppertime.

Friday night and all day Saturday turn out to be a little drizzly so we just hang around the campground and go for a few walks whenever the rain lets up a little. We build a campfire but it is smoldering and smoky from the dampness. The weather clears on Sunday and Marie, Karl and I grab our bikes and head out to the Cape Cod Rail Trail. We go east to Harwich and then back.

We pack up Sunday afternoon and head home. The Cape Rail Trail is fun but a campground with no electric, water, or sewer is not much fun on a rainy weekend.

Bringing Miss Adventure Home

4/26/2012

Karl, Ellen and I fly into MCO and pick up the motorhome. We head straight over to CampingWorld for factory recall service on our Norcold Refrigerator. Then off we go for two nights at the KOA in Davenport. Ed and April come up and stay with us the first night, Thursday, and mom and dad come and visit all of us on Friday. Everyone heads home Friday afternoon and we relax before the big trip home.

We head off early Saturday morning and stop off at Speedco in Georgia. They do a full oil change, lube service, filter change, and coolant check in under an hour. Speedco is like the “JiffyLube” of RVs and big trucks.

The trip is a smooth and easy ride all the way to New York City. We hit the normal NYC traffic which was a little nerve-wracking, but the big issue was the potholes and condition of the roads. The motorhome did not enjoy the bumps and some of the cabinet doors opened and spilled their contents. We are going to look for a better route next time, one with less bumps and less tolls.

Orlando - Sign Show

3/22/2012

We needed an excuse to have more fun with the new motorhome so we booked a trip to the International Sign Show in Orlando and decided to stay at Fort Wilderness in DisneyWorld.

We fly in to pick up the motorhome and discover that the batteries are all dead. We somehow manage to get the genny started and are able to then use the battery boost to get the engine running and off we go.

I have been working on a short video documentary about the history of business in Leicester from the viewpoint of its signmaker. I have completed it and brought it with me to show mom & dad. Mom and Dad drive over to the campground from Lakeland and pick up my sister Lisa at the Orlando Airport on their way. We have a great few hours together and everyone cries while watching the video.

Ellen and I spend some relaxing time just hanging around the campground and I attend the Sign Show for a few hours.

We stop at Camping World on our way back to the airport to check on the batteries. Batteries are fine and they install an isolator so that the truck batteries will charge when we are operating on shore power or the generator. We also realize that we have battery shut offs and we will turn them off anytime we store the unit from now on.

Hello Miss Adventure

2/8/2012

            We spent a lot of our time in Fort Myers running around to all the motorhome dealers in the area, by now we (I) have the “bug”. We find a perfect unit, a 2007 Monaco Diplomat, at North Trail RV but they are ten thousand over our ceiling and our ceiling is already twenty thousand more than we wanted to spend. Ed suggests we check out a little dealer just off the beach and the rest is history...

            We find a great unit at Palm RV and Jason is very interested in showing it to us. It is a 2007 Holiday Rambler Ambassador and has the same floorplan as the Diplomat. A little less fancy but perfect for us. It appears to be in excellent condition with less than 20,000 miles and with our trade in, it is affordable. We rush all the way through the deal, financing, prep, etc. and take delivery on Feb 8th, just in time to come home.

            It takes us 2 full hours to move everything from the Navion to the Ambassador, we can’t believe how much stuff we actually had in that little class C. We shake hands and head off toward the KOA in Davenport. We take a quick side trip up to Lakeland to show Mom and Dad, they are very surprised and excited, we are having big fun. We spend the night in Davenport and then rush off to Orlando to put the unit away and fly home. Fun time is over, time to go back to work and start making the payments.

Fort Myers Beach - Superbowl Party

2/1/2012

We head to Fort Myers Beach on February 1st for a week at the Red Coconut Campground and a great beachfront site with an incredible view of the sunset, this is paradise. Marie and Jody have joined up with us, there are now 5 of us living in the Navion and it is getting tight in here but the weather is great and we are spending our time outside anyway.

This is our Superbowl trip with Ed, April and all our Ft Myers friends, but this year it is also Baby Shower time for Jodi & Scott Bellefeuille. We seem to be in charge of decorating for the event and Karl and I “volunteer” to sew up some hanging decorations. We looked kind of funny, a couple guys sewing baby decorations at the picnic table of a campground, but it was fun and got the neighbors talking.

Lazy Days - Tampa

1/29/2012

We are loving our 2010 Itasca Navion, Sprinter based motorhome, but we are thinking about something larger that will allow us to travel more comfortably when we retire (or semi-retire). I sold my company in September and have a working commitment through Sept 2013 so we are targeting that date as our semi-retirement beginning.

Karl, Ellen and I fly to Orlando and pick up the Navion at Park, Bark & Fly. These people have been great to us. We drive to Lakeland for a quick visit with Mom and Dad and then continue on to Lazy Days Campground in the Tampa area and spend the next 3 days checking out their inventory of used Class A Motorhomes, we even test drive and put an offer on one. They counter offer and we are not interested. It has been fun checking out all these nice units.