Protech Mobile RV Service

The RV Toy Shoppe in Eastford, CT is open for the season!

2011-04-16T21:26:00.000-04:00

RV Toy Shoppe; Eastford, CT

Ed and I have returned from Florida and have been working all week to clean and re-stock the RV Toy Shoppe, located on Rt.44 in Eastford, CT. This week, we re-opened for the 2011 summer camping season and have been delighted to see previous customers and friends and meet new ones!

Now is the time to get campers ready to go. Protech Mobile RV Service will come to your home or camp site and do a thorough inspection and preventative maintenance of your RV. Call Ed at 860-803-2359 for your appointment before May 31 and receive a special discount package price.

The popular folding director's chairs are back with new colors added for this year. No more holding food in your lap! Side table pops out at mealtime for hands-free convenience! Powder-coated steel frame. Extra wide seat with padded armrests. Polyester fabric. Supports 300 lbs. Folds flat and stores in matching fabric carrying case for easy travel.

Check out the new green and blue....

and the original khaki below. Also pictured are the super-comfortable zero-gravity recliners in blue or black.

The director's chairs can also be ordered on-line from our web site at:

http://tinyurl.com/rvtoyshoppedirectorschairs

The zero-gravity recliners by Delmar can be ordered on-line from us here:
http://tinyurl.com/rvtoyshopperecliners

Accepting applications for summer work campers in Connecticut

2011-01-07T09:02:00.000-05:00

The RV Toy Shoppe in Eastford, CT is now accepting applications for retail store help in exchange for free campsite. Work Thursday, Friday and Saturday (20 hours total) in exchange for full hook-up seasonal site at nearby campground on the trout-stocked Natchaug River.

Additional paid hours available for assistance with on-site RV repairs with Protech Mobile RV Service. Hours each week will vary depending on the needs of the business.

Retail experience and mechanical ability desirable. Duties can be for one person or shared by a couple.

Call Ed at 860-803-2359 or email edpro@earthlink.net and visit our web site at www.protechmobilerv.com and www.facebook.com/protechrv.

Customer Appreciation Sale at The RV Toy Shoppe; Eastford, CT

2010-08-13T08:46:00.000-04:00

RV Toy Shoppe; Rt.44; Eastford, CT

Hurry...only three days left to save 25% off store-wide at the RV Toy Shoppe! Discounts on all in-stock RV parts, accessories, cleaners and brushes, party lights, patio mats, gifts and home and camp decor, including garden flags, spinners, and hanging glass art! Don't forget to register for our August raffle to win this versatile grill. It burns wood or charcoal and contains a campfire with the sides up or you can drop the sides to create a grill and cook over an open flame or toast marshmallows. A $90.00 value will be given to one lucky camper...drawing to be held Sun. 8/29/10...winner need not be present to win.


Enter our August raffle and win this grill!


Cleaners and brushes


Patio mats, step rugs, and party lights,


Gifts, and home and camp decor

Garden flags and spinners


Hardware

Candles, gifts, and games

"On the Road" TV interview with Camille Pronovost

2010-07-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

I was recently interviewed for a segment of "On the Road", a half-hour TV show sponsored by AAA and aired on Fox61 in Hartford, CT. It was filmed at Long View RV and while I drove a 2010 Coachmen Sportscoach, a new luxury 40' diesel pusher motor home. The segment was designed to promote RVing as an alternative to other types of family vacations and I was asked about different types of campers, fuel economy, and how difficult it is to drive a coach. To see my part, you have to sit tight through a short piece with Jim from AAA sharing tips about driving to save on gas. I appreciate the opportunity to share my passion for RV travel - that's the best part of my job!

Father's Day Sale at the RV Toy Shoppe

2010-06-18T12:27:00.004-04:00

Today and tomorrow only, Fri & Sat 6/18-19, take an additional 10% OFF store-wide at the RV Toy Shoppe in Eastford, CT. Just in time for Father's Day, stop by for RV parts and accessories plus camp site and home decor items.

Garden flags and spinners, outdoor recliners, folding camp chairs, side tables, games, toy campers, clocks, and much more. How about an electric tongue jack to make life easier for Dad when hitching and unhitching the trailer? Not sure what to get? Gift certificates are available in any amount. Call us at 860-974-9115 or visit us at www.rvtoyshoppe.com.

We now have shiners at The 24 Hour Bait Shop in Eastford, CT!

2010-06-01T20:21:00.004-04:00

Calling all fishermen in NE Connecticut! Stop by the 24 Hour Bait Shop for live bait, including shiners, and tackle.We have installed this vending machine outside the RV Toy Shoppe, located at 40 Hartford Tpke. in Eastford, CT. Inside you'll find shiners, night crawlers, mealworms, garden worms, and trout worms. Packaged bait includes carp bait, bullhead bait, bass bait, jarred eggs and plastic bait. Tackle includes hooks, line, sinkers, bobbers, and many more items - 36 in all! Happy Fishing!

Spring Sale catalog available at the RV Toy Shoppe; Rt. 44, Eastford, CT

2010-04-30T13:48:00.008-04:00

Ed and Camille extend a warm welcome to Allan McGroary, who just joined our company. He will be working both at the store and assisting Ed with on-site RV repairs. Allan retired from a wildlife law enforcement position with the state of MA. Upon purchasing an older motor home and discovering he knew nothing about it, he took an on-line course and interned with a local dealer. In the spring of 2009, Allan attended The RVSA Academy in Palmetto, FL and received his certification from them as well as RVIA. Allan has experience doing PDI's, installing hitches, replacing canvas, replacing pop up tops, repairing and resealing roofs, adjusting lift systems, installing awnings and more. His expertise will be a great asset to us and our customers! Stop by and say hello...

...and while visiting, be sure to pick up our new Spring Sale catalog. Many RV accessories are on sale; including patio mats, chairs, tire covers, vent lids, lap sealant, housewares, and more.

New for 2010, we are carrying unique camp and home decor items. Candles by Laura has created an exclusive jar candle fragrance for us called "Campfire Marshmallow" and that's exactly what it smells like! The line includes jar candles, votives, and citonella fire starters. Laura hand-pours each candle, including triple wick citronella and Avov Skin-So-Soft buckets, perfect for repelling insects at your campsite or home patio.

We also have an extensive selection of garden flags and charms, spinners, sun catchers - all make wonderful gifts for Mom, Dad, and Grad!

In the mood for Spring cleaning? See the back of our Sale catalog and get a coupon for a 32 oz. spray bottle of Best awning cleaner. Reg Price: $6.37...only $4.49 with store coupon.

Visit us at www.rvtoyshoppe.com/parts for more information and store hours.

Summer Work Camper Opportunity in CT

2010-03-07T21:29:00.003-05:00

We are hiring a work-camper couple or single for our retail store in Eastford, CT from May 1 through Sept 30. Work 20 hours per week in the store in exchange for a full hook up site, cable and WiFi included, at a nearby campground on the Natchaug River in Chaplin, CT. Extra paid hours may be available for assistance with on-site RV repairs. Call Ed at 860-803-2359 for more information or to apply.

Now join Protech Mobile RV Service on Facebook!

2009-11-29T13:41:00.004-05:00

Ed & Camille are no longer traveling so this blog is becoming the place for news & updates about Ed's business, Protech Mobile RV Service & Repair. Please click the Facebook button at the top right for all the latest updates, photos, and information about Protech. As of November 2009, we are now open for the winter season in central FL, serving Orlando, Winter Haven, Lakeland, Tampa, and surrounding areas. You can also visit our main web site at www.ProtechMobileRV.com.

2009 Sales Tax Deduction for New Motorhome Purchase

2009-10-10T16:51:00.004-04:00

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act permits taxpayers to take a deduction for state and local sales and excise taxes paid on the purchase of new cars, light trucks, motor homes and motorcycles. The deduction is available on new vehicles purchased from Feb. 17, 2009, through Dec. 31, 2009. In states that don't have a sales tax, the law provides a deduction for other taxes or fees paid. This deduction is available whether or not a taxpayer itemizes deductions on Schedule A.

The deduction is limited to the taxes and fees paid on up to $49,500 of the purchase price of an eligible vehicle. The deduction is reduced for joint filers with modified adjusted gross incomes (MAGI) between $250,000 and $260,000 and other taxpayers with MAGI between $125,000 and $135,000. Taxpayers with higher incomes do not qualify.

Taxpayers who make qualifying new vehicle purchases this year can estimate the deduction with the help of IRS Publication 919, How Do I Adjust My Withholding? Lines 10a to 10k on Worksheet 10 take into account purchases above the $49,500 limit, as well as the reduced deductions for taxpayers at higher income levels.

Visit the IRS web site for complete details.

See all of Long View RV Superstores' qualifying motorhomes at www.LongViewRV.com. Call Camille at 866-426-8513, toll-free, for more information on any of our coaches or write to c.pronovost@longviewrv.com.

RV Toy Shoppe Inventory Clearance Sale

2009-10-03T14:25:00.005-04:00

As the end of the camping season in New England approaches, the RV Toy Shoppe has many items on sale for inventory clearance. Save 10% - 20% - even up to 50% - on selected items in stock, while supplies last. In addition to camping supplies and parts, we also carry garden flags, spinners, wind chimes, party lights, and other accessories to dress up your camp site, on sale now!

Also, be sure to stop by for antifreeze, hand pumps, water heater by-pass kits and other winterizing parts & supplies. Pick up cleaners and rubber roof protectant too.

Ed & Camille wish to thank our "Workampers Extraordinaire", Jerry (above) and Corrine (below with Ed) for all their help this season. With their wealth of knowledge about RVing and their experience in retail, they helped us out and were truly a God-send. The RV Toy Shoppe never looked better - clean, orderly, and everything tagged. We wish Jerry & Corrine safe travels to Wisconsin and look forward to rendezvousing in Florida this winter!

Our last day for this season will be Sunday, October 11, 2009. Watch for the re-opening of Protech Mobile RV Service & Repair in central FL later in the month. See you back here in Eastford, CT next April!

Customer Appreciation Sale

2009-07-28T10:09:00.002-04:00

Please come to the RV Toy Shoppe on Rt. 44 in Eastford, CT on Saturday, August 1, 2009 to help us celebrate "Customer Appreciation Day". If you have never visited us before, come on down and get acquainted! You are invited to join us for a Pulled Pork lunch between 11AM - 2PM.

We are offering 10% discounts store-wide. Take advantage of even greater savings on selected in-stock parts and accessories all day from 8-4. Also, ask our pros about solar panels, digital TV converters, and much more!

Click to download and print our flyer.

Call 860-974-9115 for directions or more information.

We are grateful for your business on mobile RV repairs and in our store. Hope to see you on the 1st!

Long View RV 4th of July Show at Aces High RV Park

2009-07-03T11:28:00.005-04:00

I've set up an RV display for the 4th of July weekend at Aces High RV Park in East Lyme, CT. We served coffee and donuts this morning and I met a nice group of folks interested in looking at our motor homes.

From Four Winds, I'm showing a 36' Magellan with one-and-a-half baths; and also a 42' Presidio by Mandalay tag-axle diesel pusher with a full wall slide.

I also have a Gulfstream Crescendo 40K with a full wall slide and a 40' three slide Alpine with a 400hp Cummins diesel.

Aces High has a Hawaiian Luau planned for Saturday night. On Sunday at 11AM, I'll be raffling off some great door prizes. Stop by and visit or call me at 860-463-0875 for more information about these or our other coaches. Visit Long View RV on line for our complete inventory.

Long View RV Inventory Consolidation Sale

2009-06-04T13:33:00.004-04:00

*******************SALE - June 5-June 15, 2009***********************
27 Lawnacre Rd. Windsor Locks, CT
Exit 42 from I-91N and Exit 41 from I-91S.

Long View RV is consolidating all inventory from our former location in Northampton, MA to Windsor Locks, CT. Blowout sale prices on every new & used pop-up, travel trailer, fifth wheel and motor home in stock. Join us from June 5 through June 15 to save big $$. Call Camille at 800-516-9058 Ext. 243 for complete details or email to c.pronovost@longviewrv.com for more information. Our complete inventory is available on line at www.longviewrv.com.

RV Toy Shoppe Reopens in Eastford, CT

2009-04-14T10:22:00.002-04:00

Protech Mobile RV Service, providing on-site repairs, and the RV Toy Shoppe in Eastford, our parts and accessories store, will both reopen for business on Wednesday April 15, 2009. Call us at (860) 803-2359 for problems with propane, plumbing, or electrical systems. We sell and service all RV appliances, including awnings, water heaters, furnaces, and air conditioners, and more.

Our specialty is RV refrigerators. At our shop, we rebuild and recondition RV refrigerator cooling units and offer a one year warranty. So don’t throw that camper refrigerator away!

New for this year, we carry a complete line of fishing tackle and bait!

The RV Toy Shoppe is located on Rt.44 in Eastford, ¼ mile west of the Rt. 198 intersection. The store carries water and sewer hoses, cleaners, environmentally friendly black tank chemicals, electrical adapters and more. In addition, RV’ers can purchase campsite accessories, including patio mats, recliners, wind chimes, housewares and gifts.

The store’s phone number is (860) 974-9115. Store hours are: Wed 3-6, Thu & Fri 10-6, Sat 8-4, Sun 10-2. Mobile service is available seven days a week.

"Florida's Natural" Orange Juice Factory

2009-02-09T22:42:00.008-05:00

The heart of the Florida orange juice industry is right here in central Florida. In fact, our subdivision was built on the site of a former orange grove. Although the industry is in decline due to competition from South America, a major brand of orange juice, Florida's Natural, is produced in the town of Lake Wales, about 20 min. away from where we live. Dad & I took a ride over to check it out.

Although we were hoping for a plant tour, the Visitor Center (built in the Florida Cracker style) t houses a museum that traces the history of the industry and the company. We learned that oranges are not native to Florida but were brought here by the Spaniards. Florida's Natural is a Growers Cooperative, a conglomerate of the local packing houses. The museum displayed some of the old labels to the left in this exhibit.

Of course, there is the requisite gift shop with all kinds of orange products for sale.

Dad selected a bag of orange-flavored popcorn, I chose chocolate-covered orange coconut bars, and I picked up some orange butter cookies for Ed. Didn't feel compelled to get a T-shirt!

The juice bar was refreshing and delicious. I tried a cranberry/ruby red grapefruit juice with no hint of bitterness. We bought organic orange-mango and orange-peach juices to take home.

Afterwards, we stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for doughnuts and bagels to take home. Along with the juice, we're all set for breakfasts for awhile!

Long View RV Superstore Showcases New Models from Gulfstream

2009-01-28T15:23:00.018-05:00

At the 2009 Tampa RV Super Show, Long View RV Superstores represented Gulfstream coach with Class A and Class C motorhomes. We introduced a new model in the popular SuperNova series on the International truck chassis. The model #6373 with a bath and a half floor plan - full bath in the rear and 1/2 bath mid-coach.

Look how the full wall slide just opens up the whole coach! No feeling like you're living in a shoe box.

In addition to International, Gulfstream has added the Dodge truck chassis to the line of Super C motorhomes. The new Supermax is built on the Dodge Ram 5500 (formerly Sterling) and is powered by a Cummins 305 hp engine paired with an Aisin transmission. Phenomenal towing capacity!

See the huge cabover section? That makes a loft bed area with enough room for cabinets across the front and windows on each end so it feels light and spacious.

This particular model is equipped with bunk beds - perfect for a large family!

But the most radical new design from Gulfstream is in the Class A segment. Check out the Montaj, pictured below.

This 30' double-slide low profile coach is built on a Ford chassis. Lightweight, composite materials, streamlined design, and expected fuel economy of 13mpg make this the "greenest" class A motorhome that I've ever seen.

How about an extra bunk over the front cab in a Class A? It folds up into the ceiling when not needed.

The bed in the master bedroom can be raised using an electric switch. When traveling, it allows for humongous storage underneath, accessible from the outside.

For more information on these or any Gulfstream products, write to c.pronovost@longviewrv.com or call toll-free 866-426-8513.

Fantasy Of Flight; Lakeland, Florida

2009-01-27T21:26:00.003-05:00

Fantasy of Flight is the private collection of vintage aircraft belonging to a man named Kermit Weeks, who has opened it to the public. Since Dad is a lifelong aircraft buff, I thought he'd enjoy visiting this museum which is only a 10 min. drive from our home. Admission is $28.95 with a $10.00 discount for Florida residents.

The tour begins with a brief history of the development of aircraft from WWI and WWII, complete with dioramas and old black-and-white film footage. The scene is set for a tour of a B17 Flying Fortress named the Picadilly Princess. We actually climbed through the fuselage and imagined a dark night in WWII.

Other notable aircaft on display include the Short Sunderland Flying Boat, a 1918 Morane A-1, a 1929 mail plane. a 1938 Avro cadet, and a 1917 Fokker DR Tri-plane which was the plane the infamous Red Baron flew. Kermit Weeks credits Snoopy, of Charles Schultz's Peanuts cartoon fame who pretended to be the Red Baron, with sparking his interest as a child in airplanes and flying! There is even a replica of Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis. I've compiled some of my photos into the slideshow below.

Protech Mobile RV Service & Repair Now Open For Business in Winter Haven, Florida

2009-01-12T13:29:00.007-05:00

From RV Travels with Protech

As of the first of the year, Protech Mobile RV Service & Repair is open for business in Polk County, Florida. Since we have relocated from Leesburg to Lake Alfred (Winter Haven), our base has moved about 60 miles south. Polk County covers an area from just west of Orlando, through Haines City, Davenport, Winter Haven, Lake Wales, Bartow, Lakeland and more, to just east of Tampa. Basically Ed will travel an area roughly in a 50 mile radius from Lake Alfred to keep travel time to under an hour.

As an RVIA/RVDA Master Certified RV technician, Ed works on all coach related (as opposed to chassis) systems or appliances. He handles AC and DC electrical problems, plumbing leaks, propane systems, furnaces, water heaters, refrigerators, awnings, hydraulic jacks, air conditioners, etc. Protech is an authorized dealer for both sales and service on most major brands of RV appliances such as Dometic, Norcold, Suburban, Atwood, HWH, Thetford, Sealand, HydroFlame, Suburban, A&E, Coleman, Magic Chef and more.

Call 860-803-2359 to schedule an appointment at your camp site or home. Visit www.ProtechMobileRV.com for more information.

2009 Tampa RV Supershow

2008-12-31T15:09:00.004-05:00

The new Supermax will be in Long View RV's Gulfstream display, where I'll be working for the Show.

Just read the article below in today's RV Business magazine on-line. If you visit the show, stop by and see me at the Gulfstream Coach display with Long View RV.

Record Display Space Booked for Tampa Show
RV Business
Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The host Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA) is reporting record manufacturer and supplier booth space for the 24th Annual 2009 Florida RV SuperShow, set for Jan. 14-18 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa.

"We will have more suppliers' booths than ever before and a record amount of manufacturer space," said FRVTA Marketing Director David Kelly. "With the addition of new entertainment and more seminars, we're anticipating record crowds this year. We're also renewing the two-day pass so the public will have two full days to see everything at the SuperShow at no additional cost."

The theme of the 2009 Florida RV SuperShow is "Fun is Right Around the Corner,” acknowledging an emerging trend among RVers to travel closer to home. FRVTA said that a full slate of educational seminars are planned along with displays from numerous Florida campgrounds and resorts.

Daily entertainment will include clowns, unicycle riders, barbershop quartets and bagpipe bands. There will also be a dog show along with a contest for the “World’s Largest Sand Sculpture.”

In conjunction with the show, FRVTA will hold its Super Rally for the 19th straight year. The rally is open to all RV clubs and the general public, and offers free admission to the show.

New this year is Brian Brawdy with his "Green RV” display. Brawdy’s RV uses six solar panels and a wind turbine. It also captures and stores rainwater for use later as fresh, sanitary water. The RV has everything found in today's homes: complete kitchen, queen-sized bed, full bath and entertainment center.

Referred to as an 'Outdoor Adventure Expert,' "Environmental Pioneer' and 'Eco-RVer,' Bawdry has appeared on several prominent cable and network news shows promoting green RVing.

We're In!

2008-12-23T19:21:00.003-05:00

Dad, comfy in his new winter home.

Two weeks ago we were just starting to move in to the new house and now we are almost all settled. Allied Van Lines did a superb job of getting our furniture and other belongings out of storage in CT and delivered to FL. It was an early Christmas as we unpacked photo albums, artwork, china & crystal, my wedding dress, our California King size Select Comfort air bed, lots of books and sentimental items. While we were full timing, I didn't miss any of it. We truly didn't. The freedom of travel far outweighed the value of material things.

But now, on the flip side, we are luxuriating in things like long hot showers, loading up a 25CF fridge and pantry, and enjoying our pretty things we had carefully stowed away. And we never have to go outside to dump the tanks! But the best thing is having a second bedroom. We actually have three plus an office. Now we have Dad with us for the winter and have more room for other family or friends who might want to come visit.

Dad likes it here very much. He thinks our new home is very comfortable and pleasant. He is thrilled to shed winter clothes and not have to deal with snow and cold weather. The plan is that we will all return to CT together in April. For family and friends that want to contact him, his mail is being forwarded, he can access his regular email, and his phone calls from home are forwarded to his cell phone.

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Transition Begins

2008-12-09T19:28:00.005-05:00

Ed & I have begun making the transition from full time RVers to seasonal RVers. We parked the motorhome in the driveway of our new house yesterday. Today, we finished cleaning and hung blinds in all the windows. The only furniture we have so far is this set for the breakfast nook that we bought off Craig's List. The movers are coming tomorrow with all our belongings and furniture that we had stored in CT for the past six years.

Gina & Ashley recommended Bed, Bath & Beyond so we picked up an ensemble (that's what they call it!) for the public bathroom. It's Florida-y with palm fronds and we like the colors.

I've been debating about what to do with this blog since we won't be traveling with the RV for the forseeable future. I've decided to continue using it for a couple of things. One, if we take day trips to interesting places and attractions, I will post the info and pictures. Two, if there are family events worth chronicling, I'll post. And finally, I'll use the blog to post business news from Ed's business, Protech Mobile RV Service. I also recently joined Facebook if anyone wants to look me up. I'll put up more pictures of the house once we get settled.

Thanksgiving Day Part 2; The Feast

2008-11-28T16:08:00.009-05:00

Mark & Gina hosted ten people for Thanksgiving dinner and everyone did an awesome job. Ed's day started at 9AM as he prepared the traditional turkey. Gina was a fabulous hostess, as always, making sure everyone was comfortable and had what they needed.

Mark bought a new smoker recently and his turkey came out exceptionally tender and flavorful, not too smokey, just right. Nice color on it too!

The dogs were not helpful during dinner preparations. But aren't Duncan & Lassy too cute?

Finally, time to serve, buffet style.

I don't where we found room for my pumpkin pie and Mark & Tara's cheesecakes. They made pecan pie cheesecake and pumpkin cheesecake. There was enough to share with two begging dogs. Oh my, we have spoiled them!

And Nilla was not about to be left out. Notice Duncan, checking to see if Uncle Mark will share with him too. (He did!)

We had originally planned to leave Orange City RV Resort today and move closer to Winter Haven in preparation for the closing on the house, which we hope will be on December 5. Instead, we decided to stay here through the weekend and will be moving to Theme World RV Park in Davenport on Monday.

Thanksgiving Day Part 1; Visiting Dan at the firehouse

2008-11-28T15:12:00.011-05:00

Our nephew, Dan, had to work at the firehouse on Thanksgiving Day. So, prior to our own dinner, we brought turkey breast, side dishes, and pumpkin pie so he and his lieutenant and commander could have a real meal. Dan recently completed his schooling to become a firefighter and paramedic and will soon take the state exam. I'm sure he will pass with flying colors!

Dan gave me, Ed, and Mark a tour of the firehouse.

The firehouse is adjacent to the St. John's River so they need a boat for Fire/Rescue also.

The fire engines were all polished up.

The firefighters work twenty-four hour shifts so they need sleeping quarters.

Staying in shape is part of the job. See the photo on the mirror? The goal is to look like him. It is actor Matthew McConaughey. Good choice, guys!

Only after the work is done do the guys get to lounge around.

Dan, Uncle Ed & I are proud of you and grateful to you and your fellow fire fighters for your public service!

Night launch of Shuttle Endeavor

2008-11-15T10:38:00.002-05:00

The night launch of the space shuttle Endeavor went off without a hitch last night at 7:55PM. We watched it from across the Intracoastal Waterway in Titusville, about 15 miles away. The moon was full and you can see the comparison of the two lights in the video. It was so bright that the sky lit up as if it were a rising sun. We heard the "boom" a couple of minutes after liftoff...sounded like distant thunder. I shot this video, starting from the 10 sec. countdown chanted by the kids in the crowd, through the jettison of the solid rocket boosters a couple of minutes later. Back at home, watching the 11PM news, we learned that this may well be the last night launch of the space shuttle as the program winds down. This was a fantastic experience, one more checked off the "Bucket List".

Fisherman Ed and his "helpers"

2008-11-14T07:13:00.006-05:00

We have spent the last few days relaxing, furniture shopping, and, in Ed's case, fishing. Our second campsite at Long point Park is right on the river and Ed could fish without leaving home! No license is required to fish from shore. The storks, ibis,and egrets that freely wander the campground are quite anxious to "help" catch fish!

Yesterday we went beachside, just a three minute drive, 1/2 mile north of the park off A1A. Here Ed had different "helpers", aka two Shelties who had a blast running on the beach, chasing sticks and shadows.

I loved this beach because it was nearly deserted. There were a few surfers, a few treasure hunters with metal detectors, and another couple who were fishing their little dog. The temperature was about 85 degrees, a light breeze was blowing, and the water was a perfect temperature for wading.

Ed caught about five fish altogether. We're not familiar with ocean fish but this one had yellow fins. A baby yellow-fin tuna maybe?

After eight glorious days here, we are leaving later this morning for the KOA in Titusville. We hope to see the night launch of the space shuttle, scheduled for 7:55PM this evening.

McLarty Treasure Museum; Vero Beach, Florida

2008-11-12T15:08:00.008-05:00

Heading south on Rt.A1A from our park towards Sebastian Inlet, we passed the McLarty Treasure Museum. Noting that there is a geocache hidden on the grounds, we decided to visit.

The museum is part of Sebastian Inlet State Park and is a National Historical Landmark. The Survivor's and Salvaging Camp was located here after the 1715 hurricane that sank the Spanish Plate Fleet. The fleet consisted of a dozen Spanish galleons, loaded with the gold, silver and other treasure, including the Queen's dowry. Less than half of the treasure was salvaged at the time and the rest was forgotten until another hurricane rearranged the coastline in the 1950's. The famed Mel Fisher has been involved in treasure hunting the area during recent years and he has his own museum (which we haven't seen) located in the town of Sebastian. Not all the ships have been found so undoubtedly more treasure still lies on the ocean floor. After storms, amateur treasure hunters armed with metal detectors still comb the shore and unearth gold rings, etc.

The museum displays this cannon, with a hand-made replica of it's wooden mount.

Spanish coins, called "Pieces of Eight", are often found bunched together encased in coral. Each was roughly equivalent to a dollar coin in today's money.

I was amazed to see of piece of English creamware among the recovered items. My sister has some pieces of Leeds creamware that used to belong to our Mom.

Out the back door of the museum, a wooden walkway leads to the observation deck built to resemble the bow of a ship. The ocean was relatively calm today, fortunately, no hurricanes in sight!

Exploring Long Point Park

2008-11-09T15:30:00.005-05:00

Long Point Park sits on a small island in the Indian River, not far from Sebastian Inlet which allows access to the Atlantic Ocean. Our campground filled in on Friday and Saturday with families, mostly boaters and fishermen. Ed & I took Duncan and Lassy and did some geocaching in the park, which allowed us to explore. We crossed a small footbridge that took us to Scout Island with tenting only campsites.

This view from the bridge captured some boaters returning to the dock.

.

This area would be awesome to go kayaking too. I'd love to see more of the dolphins and pelicans that we've been able to catch sight of from shore.

Today, Sunday, the park emptied out. It's so peaceful that we've decided to stay another four days. Tomorrow, we've arranged to move to a direct waterfront site. We'll be here until Friday, when we are scheduled to move to Titusville to catch a space shuttle launch.

Storks and ibis at Long Point Park

2008-11-07T21:15:00.004-05:00

Wood storks and white ibis at Long Point Park

Our park is situated on the Indian River Lagoon, part of the Intracoastal Waterway. Melbourne Beach is on a barrier island, home to many species of wading birds. This morning, these two wood storks and three white ibis wandered over to within about three campsites away from us. The storks range between 3'-4' tall. The ibis are exceptional looking because of their red legs and long red beaks. We've also seen many pelicans, flying low, skimming the surface of the water in search of the next meal. Dolphins were feeding just off shore of our campsite as well.

Today was like summer weather, although it's November. We're back in shorts and sandals - hooray! We drove a few miles up and down Rt. A1A, scoping out Sebastian Inlet State Park and a couple of other options for beachgoing on Sunday. Tonight, lots of families came in for the weekend. We had a campfire and it reminded me of when we started camping with our pop up back in 1999. How we loved it! Looking forward to moving into our new house is making me and Ed a bit nostalgic already, I guess.

Long Point Park; Melbourne Beach, FL

2008-11-06T19:42:00.003-05:00

We left Orange City today and headed over to Melbourne Beach, on the Atlantic Ocean south of Cape Canaveral. We are spending four nights at Long Point Park, a county park offering waterfront camping with water and electric hook ups. We were last here about six years ago on Great Adventure, and, as we remembered, the park is home to many beautiful birds, such as storks and egrets. Tonight we enjoyed this sunset from our site.

We hope to relax, hit the beach, and Ed hopes to get in some fishing over the next few days.

We're buying a house!

2008-11-04T18:49:00.004-05:00

We're buying a house in FL! I know, I know... no one who knows us would have seen that coming. We have been full time RVers for six years now. And we still love it and have no intention of giving it up. But, with the buyer's market for real estate in Florida right now, we came down with the intention of "stealing" a house. And steal a house we did! The house pictured above was built new in 2006, sold originally in April of 2007, and was foreclosed on this year. We are buying it for less than half of what it sold for just eighteen months ago.

This house is located in a small town just outside of Winter Haven, about halfway between Orlando and Tampa off I-4. It will be our winter home base and has enough room for my Dad to come spend all or part of the winter with us. That was important. With a split bedroom floor plan, everyone can maintain their privacy. It's a contemporary - open, spacious and light-filled. But we'll still come up to CT in the summers in our RV. Our travels will be shorter but it's is just time for a new season in our lives.

If you're a glutton for punishment and want to see more pictures of the house, visit www.flickr.com. Be forewarned - there are 92 photos of the exterior, surrounding houses in the neighborhood, and the interior. Of course, we have an inspection contingency, yadda, yadda, yadda. But our offer was accepted and we plan to sign the contract tomorrow and give a deposit.

And if you or someone you know is in the market for a home in central Florida, call Michael Payne at Realty Executives Orlando. His number is 407-694-0123. He really fought with the bank on our behalf to make the deal.

Before we go to closing, we plan to take some trips around Florida. This coming weekend we'll be in Melbourne Beach at a county park right on the water. The following weekend, we'll be staying at the Titusville KOA in hopes of catching a night launch of the space shuttle. Hopefully we'll get some new photos for blog "fodder" so stay tuned!

Fort Clinch; Fernandina Beach, Florida

2008-11-02T14:09:00.018-05:00

Although Ed & I have camped at Fort Clinch State Park before, we had never toured the fort itself. So since the weather was a bit chilly for the beach, we decided to visit it with Chuck and Peggy. We started with the museum to learn about the history.

In 1842, the government decided to build a fort at the northern end of Amelia Island at the Florida-Georgia border to protect the mouth of the St. Mary's River, protect coastal and interior shipping, and defend the deep water port of Fernandina, Florida. Construction began in 1847 on Fort Clinch, named in honor of General Duncan Lamont Clinch, a respected officer who fought bravely in the Second Seminole War.

Fort Clinch is considered a Third System of Fortifications, after earthenworks (the First) and masonry (the Second.) The ultimate fort consisted of two walls, brick and earth. Work on Fort Clinch progressed slowly. Bt 1860, only two bastions and one third of the brick wall was completed.

The ramparts were in place, the guardhouse and prison were finished.

The lumber sheds, storehouse, and kitchens were in various stages of completion.

Not a single cannon had been placed in position.

In this unfinished state in 1861, along came the Civil War. Confederate militia quietly took control until Union troops arrived in early 1862. Units of the 1st New York Volunteer Engineers quickly began a push to complete the fort. It is this era to which the fort has been partially restored. Today we can see the storehouse...

and even the latrine!

Civil War encampments are staged the first weekend of each month at Fort Clinch. The brick ovens are still used to bake bread.

In 1935, the state of Florida bought the fort and property surrounding it for preservation and outdoor recreation. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the property into Fort Clinch State Park. Today, Fort Clinch is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Ft. Clinch SP - Whose rig is whose?

2008-10-27T17:17:00.004-04:00

Our motorhome at Fort Clinch State Park. And whose is that look-alike through the trees?

Yesterday, we passed a motorhome almost exactly like ours on I-95 heading south through the Carolinas. I waved frantically as we passed them and figured they probably thought I was nuts until they could see our whole coach - same year, same color as theirs. Lo and behold, they pulled into the Charleston KOA just about an hour after we got there! That gave us a chance to meet and talk a bit. Turns out that Chuck & Peggy are from NY and headed to FL for the winter too. They are planning to spend six months in Bushnell, just about an hour north from us in Tampa. We mentioned our plans to visit Fort Clinch State Park in Fernandina Beach, FL for a couple of days. Peggy thought that sounded nice.

This morning, Ed figured we could ask them if they wanted to follow us so we could show them where Ft. Clinch is located and they could see how nice a campground it is, especially being on the water. They agreed since they don't have reservations anywhere until Nov.1 and we met up again after lunch at the FL Welcome Center and led the way in. Now we're parked side by side! Here's their rig.

Chuck & Peggy's motorhome at Fort Clinch. Now you can just see ours through the same trees.

Although both are 2004 Gulfstream Sun Voyagers and are the same color exterior and interior, the floor plans are just a bit different.

Today we walked down to the river with the dogs but didn't have time to do much exploring. Tomorrow, I'd like to visit the Fort itself and walk on the beach. I think the guys are planning some fishing in the morning. We'll have one more night here and then be off on Wednesday to Orange City to visit Ed's brother and his family.

Au Revoir to Cha Wi Ma Campground

2008-10-23T19:44:00.005-04:00

We finally left CT yesterday, just a couple of days behind schedule. The weather was cloudy all last week, not conducive to good fall foliage pictures. But last Saturday was sunny so I grabbed the camera and the dogs and took them for a run in the woods at ChaWiMa campground. The leaves were past their best so I focused on Lassy and Duncan. Here they are having a tug-o-war with a stick! Duncan is on the left.

All that running and tugging requires a rest at the end of the trail before turning for home. Lassy is in front.

For true Sheltie lovers, this one minute video shows the beautiful Natchaug River and Lassy and me playing with a stick - her favorite game!

Tonight we're at a KOA just outside Hagerstown, MD. Tomorrow, we plan to make it to Rocky Mount, NC. We'll spend two nights there. Depending on the weather, we should arrive in Orange City, FL on or around Tuesday of next week.

Follow Us!

2008-10-22T16:35:00.003-04:00

Ed & I would love to know who is following our RV adventures. Blogger just added a new gadget that I think is pretty cool! If you click the link in the upper right that says "Follow this blog", it will give you the option to follow us publicly or privately. If you have already have a profile on Blogger, our blog will be added to your reading list on your dashboard. If not, you will have to create an account with a user name and password, a few seconds process. Is anybody out there? Let us know!

Lassy; Our new fur-baby

2008-10-12T19:27:00.002-04:00

Well, we couldn't resist any longer! After we lost Roxie, I wasn't sure I wanted to get another dog. But since we'll be on vacation for the next couple of months, it seemed to be a good time to adopt another Sheltie. I had been checking the New England Sheltie Rescue web page on and off all summer. When I saw Lassy's picture and read her description, Ed agreed with me that the little girl, younger than Duncan, sounded perfect. (Duncan is 9 now, Lassy is 6.)

We've had her for two weeks now and she is an absolute love! She plasters herself to you when you're sitting or lying down, she's playful, and gets along great with both Duncan and Dusty. There's a been a little bit of jealousy from Duncan but they're working it out. They were play-chasing each other in the woods during our walk this afternoon. Cute!

I'll post some more pictures of her soon.The fall leaves are beautiful right now and I'll try to get some good scenic shots of the area. We'll be leaving CT on Monday, October 20 to begin making our way to Florida for the winter.

Newport, Rhode Island

2008-08-29T16:33:00.026-04:00

We spent our last full day of vacation in Newport. During the morning, we drove all the way around Ocean Drive and spent some time at Brenton Point State Park. We watched the seagulls, walked on the rocks, shared a Del's Frozen Lemonade, and watched folks flying kites on the windy point. We skipped touring the famous mansions, as we have visited them previously.

Newport (long-time former home of the America's Cup) is synonyous with boat-building and sailing. We enjoyed strolling the wharves and admiring yachts such as this elegant one.

Bowen's Wharf and Bannister's Wharf are loaded with shops and restaurants. We chose Cooke's Tavern for lunch, as they are dog-friendly. They have a "Dog Bar" outside with fresh water and we were able to sit outside and keep Duncan with us while we ate. Food was delish - I enjoyed a seafood salad sandwich made with shrimp, Maine crab, and scallops.

After lunch, we boarded The Gansett for an hour and a half tour of Newport harbor.

We were delighted to learn that Gansett Cruises is also dog-friendly. They provided a blanket and fresh water for our boy. They even requested that we send them a picture of Duncan on board!

Our tour began as we backed out of Bowen's Wharf into the harbor.

Newport is home to commercial fishing boats...

...and, on the other end of the spectrum, gleaming yachts such as these.

Our tour guide was great, very knowledgable about the history of the homes, building, lighthouses and natural landscape features that we could see from the water.

For example, here is the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, with Lime Rock Light incorporated into the building. It is the only Yacht Club named for a woman. Ida Lewis is credited with saving at least 18 lives during the years she tended the lighthouse.

Here is the summer home of the New York yacht club.

This is the only Chinese junk in all of Newport.

This house has been called "The Parthenon of Newport" for its Greek columns.

Rounding the point, we passed Fort Adams State Park. If you watched my video taken from Fort Weatherwill, you saw me trying to zoom in on Fort Adams from across Narragansett Bay. This view is much better! The good news is, never a shot was fired in battle here.

Next up, we passed Hammersmith Farm, childhood summer home of Jackie Kennedy. This was her playhouse.

Hammersmith Farm hosted Jackie and John Kennedy's wedding reception and was the "Summer White House" during Kennedy's presidency. The boat house was featured in the film "The Great Gatsby."

The Inn at Castle Hill is an elegant hotel and restaurant.

Beyond Castle Hill lies open ocean. For years, the owner of the original home refused to allow a lighthouse to be located here. Finally, a compromise was reached. The lighthouse could be built as long as it was not visible from the main house. So, here it is! I've been to the Inn and never even knew the lighthouse was right here.

At this point, our tour boat turned around and headed across the bay. I was fascinated by this house, aptly nicknamed "Clingstone." A google seach turned up "The Old House and the Sea" an interview with the owner, published in the NY Times a few weeks ago.

As we neared the harbor heading back to Bowen's Wharf, I caught this view of another lighthouse, the Rose Island Light. Who doesn't love a day on the water and lighthouses!!

More photos from Fort Getty; RI

2008-08-29T16:23:00.005-04:00

I took Duncan for a walk at sunset and captured a few nice photos right at the campground. To the east, we could see this view of Dutch Harbor and the Newport Bridge right from our site. At night, the bridge was lit up like a diamond necklace.

Facing west, the sun sets over Narrangansett Bay. This photo was taken from the pebbly beach at the campground near the fishing pier and the boat launch.

This is the view from the campground of Dutch Island Lighthouse, where we kayaked out to the day before.

Fort Wetherill State Park; Jamestown, RI

2008-08-27T19:50:00.012-04:00

Conanicut Marina and the Newport (Pell) Bridge

Today promised to be as nice as day as one could wish for. Temps in the 80s, low humidity, and a light breeze. I suggested to Ed that we pack a picnic lunch and take it over to Fort Wetherill State Park, on the opposite shore of Conanicut Island from Fort Getty, where we are camped. So we drove to the East Ferry Deli downtown and picked up sandwiches. The ferry takes passengers only (no vehicles) from Jamestown to Newport.

From downtown Jamestown, we headed south to Fort Wetherill Park. We drove to the top of the bluffs where we had a commanding view of Narragansett Bay from atop 100' granite cliffs.

And here's a one-minute 360 degree video taken from the same spot. The Inn at Castle Hill lies across the bay, Ed was behind me peering through binoculars, and I tried to zoom in to see Fort Adams in Newport but it's a bit fuzzy.

After lunch, we returned to our campsite. You can just see the water between the campers behind us.

Whereupon, Ed & Duncan proceeded to do what every man and dog likes to do on vacation!

Fort Getty Park; Jamestown, RI

2008-08-26T21:17:00.009-04:00

Ed & I are spending a few days at one of our favorite campgrounds, Fort Getty Municipal Park in Jamestown, RI. It's on Conanicut Island in Narragansett Bay, across from Newport. The campground is on a peninsula with water views and a boat launch. The last time we were here was six years ago, just after Memorial Day in 2002. It was our first stop on our year-long Great Adventure RV tour of the country.

Today dawned cool and sunny, so we decided to take a drive late morning to Beavertail Light, at the southern tip of the island.

With the breeze, it was a perfect day for sailing. We saw this guy fishing almost get knocked off the rock by a high wave. Risky!

After lunch, we decided to investigate Fort Getty Park itself. The Fox Hill Salt marsh seemed like it would be a great place to take our kayaks and see some wildlife.

We were not disappointed. Herons and egrets were feeding, or trying to, as we flushed a few as we got too close. In the upper right you can see one of the towers of the Newport Bridge.

This seagull seemed comfy atop the piling!

Leaving the marsh, we rounded the point and entered the West Passage of Narragansett Bay. We paddled out for a closer look at Dutch Point Lighthouse, visible from our campground. Accessible only by boat, the lighthouse was recently restored and relit in 2007.

The tide and current wanted to take us out to sea. It was more work paddling back to our camp than it was to paddle out.

Altogether, we spent about an hour and a half on the water. A glorious day!

Cha-Wi-Ma Camp Site #31

2008-08-25T14:21:00.003-04:00

I took a few photos of our summer camp in CT the other day and this is my favorite. If you look closely, under the overflowing hanging baskets, you'll see a dog. That would be Duncan, who on his own, decided he wanted to get in the picture! He does enjoy laying on the warm grass in the sunshine.

Rocky Neck State Park; East Lyme, CT

2008-07-25T20:30:00.007-04:00

About once a year, I make a pilgrimage to Rocky Neck State Park for a beach day. Today was my day! I woke up to clear blue skies, sunshine, and a forecast of temperatures in the eighties and a light breeze. How perfect! I arrived in the early afternoon and it was packed - blanket to blanket with people. No worries, I had pictures in my computer from last year's visit that I never posted on the blog.

To reach the beach from the parking lot, you have to cross under the railroad tracks through this tunnel. This is Amtrak's Boston-NY line, so every once in a while, the train roars past the beach, including the high speed Acela.

The boardwalk to the left of the tunnel makes walking easier with chairs and coolers while searching for a good spot.

Long Island Sound is a lot cleaner than it was while I was growing up. Beautiful spot for swimmers, sunbathers, boaters and seagulls.

The adjacent campground features large, grassy sites. We don't camp here because no dogs are allowed. And, like all other CT state park campgrounds, there are no utility hookups. I'd put up with that, but my dog is the whole reason we became campers! But for us who live in CT, it's a perfect day trip.

Lake Compounce Amusement Park; Bristol, CT

2008-07-04T19:51:00.016-04:00

It's been awhile since I've posted because we've been working, not sight-seeing, since we returned to CT in April. But on a recent Friday, my sister and brother-in-law and their two girls planned a day trip to Lake Compounce Amusement Park, in Bristol CT. It's becoming an annual tradition and it just gets more fun as Catherine & Meredith get a bit older. They are now 6 and 3. Joining us were Marguerite's college roommate, Joni, and Joni's son, Luca, same age as Catherine.

My instructions were to meet the family at the yellow octopus (above, with Catherine in front) in the water park. The weather was perfect for swimming but the water was still a bit cold, this early in the season. But that didn't deter Meredith from going down the kiddie water slide over and over!

The girls were fascinated by the giant pirate ship. A big bucket on top fills with water and periodically dumps over, drenching anyone below. Catherine & Meredith would squeal with delight - and made very sure that THEY were not under it!

After the water park, we decided to take the train that goes halfway around the lake. All aboard!

Marguerite, Joni, Luca, Meredith, & Catherine

As the train pulled away from the station, we got a great view of where the adult water slide dumps into the lake.

Across the lake, as the train looped around for the return trip, we had a great view of the park, including the beach, water park, and main pavilion.

The pavilion houses a restaurant that serves sandwiches, salads and more. After we had lunch on the porch, it was time to hit the rides. The great thing about Lake Compounce is that they have a section of kiddie rides, perfect for kids the age of ours. The motorcycles are always a favorite of Catherine's.

Meredith probably rode the merry-go-round a half dozen times, each time riding a different animal. She loved the bunny!

Luca and the girls also enjoyed a few rides on the caterpillar.

David taught the kids to hold their arms up on the kiddie roller coaster.

Afterwards, David wanted to go on on of the big coasters. Joni went with him but Marguerite & I passed. We're wimps, I guess.

By the time 5PM rolled around, the sky blackened with rain clouds so we decided to stroll down Main St. towards the exit.

We all had such fun that we promised to not wait for next year to come back!

Diana's Pool; Chaplin, CT

2008-05-13T20:23:00.004-04:00

My Dad came over to visit us in Chaplin today and, of course, brought along his new GPS unit that we bought for his May 2nd birthday. I had a travel bug from Georgia that I needed to drop. The nearest cache to Cha-Wi-Ma Campground is Diana's Pool, a stretch of the Natchaug River down from us that is a popular swimming hole. Dad, Duncan & I walked the trail along to river to locate the cache. It was a little tricky to find, completely hidden under some dry leaves. But I poked around with a stick and triumphed in the end! Here's Dad about to drop the "Monster Avalanche" travel bug into the geocaching container.

Dad's first ever geocache! Hopefully, we'll get do more together this summer.

Springtime at Cha-Wi-Ma Campground

2008-04-30T18:20:00.000-04:00

Natchaug River, Chaplin, CT

When we arrived at Cha-Wi-Ma Campground, our home base for the summer, nothing was green. It took some getting used to since we normally return the first week of May. But we needed to get the RV Toy Shoppe opened for the 15th, which we accomplished. The weather has been unseasonably warm (until the past few days) so spring seemed to pop out all at once. I love these double daffodils!

Marsh marigolds grow at the bottom of the hill behind our motorhome near the swampy area that drains into the Natchaug River.

Bluets grow in clumps near the riverbank.

One of our neighbors has bleeding heart about to bloom.

Duncan sure is happy to be back to walks in our woods. We do miss Miss Roxie, though. She loved the woods too.

The woods are still pretty barren but there's a few fiddle-head ferns if you look closely.

In summer, the woods will be loaded with green ferns. I'm looking forward to that!

My Dad gets new wheels

2008-04-25T17:56:00.006-04:00

This post is a bit off topic, having nothing to do with RV travel. It's about my Dad and his new-to-him Honda Civic. A little over a month ago, Dad was rear-ended at a traffic light by a guy going 40mph. Thanks to Divine Providence and Honda engineering, Dad was not the least bit hurt. But this was the result:

Ouch! The insurance company declared the 2001 car a total loss. So when I got back to CT, Job #1 was to get Dad another, newer, silver Honda Civic. We found this 2005 model which was the last year before they redesigned the body style. We picked it up this week and here's a couple of views of my very happy Dad.

We found it at Boch Honda in Norwood, MA, just outside Boston. They claim to be the largest dealer on the planet and their no-haggle price on cars.com was the best around.

Congratulations Dad!

James Madison's Montpelier

2008-04-20T20:01:00.008-04:00

On our way back to Connecticut, we spent two nights in Virginia and took a day to visit Montpelier, the home of our former President, James Madison, called the Father of the Constitution. His stately brick home in Orange, VA is undergoing a complete renovation. The guided tour inside is limited in scope due to the ongoing work but it is fascinating. You can see the lath inside the plaster walls being carefully cleaned and restored with horsehair from the animals that live on the farm here. Unfortunately, photos of the inside of the house, even unrestored sections, are not allowed. But here are the working barns behind the main house.

James Madison died in 1836. His widow, Dolley, sold Montpelier in 1844 due to financial difficulties. The home changed hands several times until it ended up with the Dupont family of Delaware, associated with the chemical company. The wealthy family constructed numerous wings onto the sides and back of the house, stuccoed over the brick, but never substantially altered the front and main sections of the house. They were aware that they owned a historic property and were careful to save or reuse as many original components as possible, such as doors and fireplace mantles. In 1984, Marion duPont Scott, the last family member to own Montpelier, passed away. By her bequest, the house transferred to the National Trust. After years of feasibility studies and historical reserach, the restoration to return the house to its style in 1820 finally began in 2003. The exterior was completed in 2006 and the interior is expected to be done in September of 2008. Furnishing the interior will be the next step. The woman on the left was our guide as we stand ready to enter through the front doors.

The logo symbol used by the Montpelier Foundation is "The Temple." This place was built by Madison as a place of quiet reflection for "Liberty and Learning." The ornamental structure also served a practical purpose. Underneath, Madison had an ice house constructed. That way, Dolley could serve ice cream, her favorite dessert, to guests.

When Madison lived here, these brick walls housed the vegetable and herb gardens.

Today, they contain formal flower gardens. During our visit, there wasn't much in bloom due to the time of year. A note to geocachers: there is one virtual geocache at Montpelier. The clue is to find the inscription, "Feare God and Obey the King." It's found here in the garden but I won't spoil it for others. But I did note the irony in the inscription in the garden of the man who drew up the United States Bill of Rights.

Pedro's Campground at South of the Border

2008-04-10T07:38:00.006-04:00

On the day we left Savannah GA, heavy rain, wind and thunderstorms were forecast for the afternoon. We didn't quite make it to Fayetteville, NC as intended but decided to get off the road early because of the weather and check out the campground at South of the Border. It's actually in South Carolina, just south of the North Carolina border.

Anyone who has ever traveled I-95 in the Carolina's knows exactly what I'm talking about. Like Wall Drug in South Dakota, cutesy billboards advertise the place for 200 miles before you get there. The campground was $24.00/night for full hook-ups, had a lot of pull-through sites, but no WiFi. Because of the storms, we didn't get to explore the kitschy shops and restaurants. Maybe on another trip we'll ride that glass elevator tower with the sombrero on top!

Next stop: Charlottesville, VA.

Fort McAllister State Park; Richmond Hill (Savannah) Georgia

2008-04-05T19:40:00.006-04:00

After saying our good byes to the Pronovost family of Orange City, FL, we moved on to Fort McAllister State Park, located about 20 miles south of Savannah, Georgia. We spent two nights here and it was so refreshing to be actually camping, as opposed to living, in an RV. We've been parked in rows of spaces all winter. State parks give us room to breathe, woods and trees, and at Ft. McAllister, nature trails and fishing.

The fish weren't biting yesterday but some folks had caught quite a few crabs. Seagulls and cormorants also made use of the fishing dock.

We checked for geocaches and found just one - a virtual cache. To get credit for it, we had to hike the Redbird Trail and count the number of steps up to the observation deck. It was a three-mile walk but the opportunity to score credit for a cache gave us the incentive. Some of the trail crosses wetlands. The tide was out for our walk. Little sand crabs scurried about as we watched from the bridge.

Views of the salt marsh were enhanced by standing atop the observation deck. But I won't spoil it for other geocachers by revealing how many steps up!

The Civil War-era earthenworks fort for which the park is named is worth touring as well. We visited on a previous trip so no photos this time.

Legends Field Rededicated as Steinbrenner Field

2008-04-02T16:45:00.014-04:00

On March 27, 2008, Legends Field in Tampa was rededicated to honor George Steinbrenner, owner of the NY Yankees baseball team since 1973. The occasion was the last spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which I attended with my #1 Yankees fan.

Mr. Steinbrenner arrived with his family on his golf cart. He is the man with the silver hair, blue blazer, and sunglasses, being photographed.

The Hillsborough County Commissioner spoke of Steinbrenner's contributions to the sport of baseball and his philanthropy to the community, particularly here in Tampa.

After the speeches, the Steinbrenner family made their way on two golf carts around the stadium to the scoreboard, cheered by the fans. Here they stand ready to pull the cords holding the cover over the sign that used to say "Legends Field."

The new sign, "George M. Steinbrenner Field" in unveiled. The smoke on the left behind the sign came from the fireworks.

Three Sheriff's Dept. helicopters did a flyover immediately after the unveiling. (Anyone know what kind they are? Dad? I'll bet you know even from this angle!)

OK, it was finally time for a baseball game. George's wife, Joan Steinbrenner, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Our favorite player, Derek Jeter, hits a home run! Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for a win.

Alex Rodriguez aka A-Rod, another fan favorite, is at bat.

I am amused every time the groundskeepers come out in the middle of each game to smooth the dirt. They work to the sound of the Village People's song, "YMCA". And it cracks me up when they stop dead for every chorus to sign the letters "Y-M-C-A" with the crowd.

Ed & I thoroughly enjoyed our Yankees season tickets for the spring training games. The ticket prices were reasonable and we got to see so many famous players up close and check out the talent for the future as well.

Airstream Ranch Update

2008-03-28T20:21:00.002-04:00

Early in January, I posted about the new Airstream Ranch display off I-4 in Dover Florida. Bates RV set eight old Airstream trailers on on end and partially buried them, a la Cadillac Ranch in Texas. But this is metropolitan Tampa and neighbors complained.

So it went to court and on March 15, the County gave Frank Bates 30 days to tear it down. Naturally, he is appealing. The Tampa Tribune newspaper carried the full story (complete with expert testimony on what constitutes art) called A Monumental Dispute.

Our Itinerary

2008-03-23T10:58:00.002-04:00

Ed & I have our last baseball game at Legends Field on Thursday the 27th and will be leaving Tampa on Friday. We'll head up to Orange City for several days, visit with Mark & Gina and, hopefully, Norm & Donna. I'd love to have a day at New Smyrna Beach. After leaving Florida, we may stop and visit Todd & Stephanie in South Carolina if it's convenient for them and then pretty much make a beeline for home in CT. The earliest we can get into Cha-Wi-Ma will be April 12, when they turn the water on. Normally, we take a month to travel up north. But this year, we want to get the RV Toy Shoppe open by April 15. So to all our friends and family in CT, see you in a few weeks!

Plant City Florida Strawberry Festival

2008-03-23T10:17:00.018-04:00

From February 28-March 9, Plant City hosted the 2008 Florida Strawberry Festival. Mark & Gina came down from Orange City so we could all spend the day there together. First order of business - get homemade strawberry shortcake! We were offered our choice of biscuit or sponge cake (we like biscuit) topped with luscious perfectly ripe and juicy strawberries and real whipped cream.

We scouted the food vendors for lunch later on, then Gina & I hopped aboard the ferris wheel to get a birds-eye view of the Fairgrounds.

The Berry-Go-Round looked like it would be fun for the young 'uns.

We toured the barns with the livestock competition then the exhibit hall with all the arts and crafts, including a cake-decorating competition.

The Strawberry quilt won the blue ribbon.

A variety of entertainment kept us amused. How about the Native American folk dance of the wild turkey? You don't see that every day.

A 50-60-70's band called Trash played unconventional instruments made from old cans and bottles. Their energy level was amazing and they had us cracking up with their humor.

Ed contemplated buying this belt with "Redneck" carved on it and a Confederate flag but would have also had to invest in a giant shiny metal buckle to go along with it. Tough to imagine this Yankee wearing that, huh?

The Strawberry Festival grounds are home to one of the oldest original post offcies in Florida.

Outisde the old post office, a Cracker demonstrated the tools historically used by the original settlers.

FOR SALE - handmade wooden spoons.

By late afternoon, I was ready for a real strawberry milkshake, made from fresh strawberries and real ice cream. YUM! The shake was scrumptious but I loved the booth display.

The source of all the strawberry merriment, strawberry fields - forever!

And a flat just had to come home with us!

Long View RV Goes to the Rally in Perry, GA

2008-03-22T09:43:00.015-04:00

From March 14-17 2008, Long View represented Gulfstream Coach, Inc. at The Rally in Perry, GA, the largest rally in North America. Despite the news media constantly trumpeting doom and gloom, RV buyers were out and about and we nearly sold out our complete display. Why? Innovative floor plans from Gulfstream and awesome deals from Long View RV.

For example, look at this Endura, a class C motorhome on an International truck chassis.

It's a 34' motorhome with an International 300HP engine, Allison 2500 transmission, 7' interior head room, a 13,000lb. hitch, solid wood cabinets, leveling jacks, and all the appointments you'd expect in a Class A motorhome without the Class A price tag. And anyone can drive it - no learning curve as with driving a bus. This particular floor plan has two slide-outs with bunk beds. They are a total of five other floor plans available, including the Grand Hotel that sleeps 10 and has a bath and a half. Gulfstream has the exclusive right to build motorhomes on the International chassis.

If you want something smaller that averages 18mpg, check out the MB Cruiser, built on the Sprinter chassis with a Mercedes 3.0L 6-cyl. engine.

The new B Touring Cruiser GX2 on the Workhorse chassis is 30' long with 3-slides and includes the new Sky Cap, an automotive windshield set into the cab overhead that lets in light but is tinted to block out UV rays. The interior height is 7', same as a Class A, but with the drive-ability and lower price tag of a Class C.

But for those folks who still feel that the Class A is "king of the road", Gulfstream introduces two new models for 2008 with the TV enthusiast in mind. First is the Crescendo 40K with a full-wall slide on the passenger side, a super-slide in the living room on the driver's side, and a bedroom slide with a king-size bed.

The 40K has the kitchen/dinette in the front. The living room holds two couches on either side of a 37" LCD TV mounted on the wall mid-coach.

Not enough space for you? Check out the new Gulfstream Tourmaster 45G Constellation with a full media room including stadium seating in the rear. The Constellation is built on the Freightliner tag axle chassis with a 400HP Cummins engine. Look at the full wall slide and the beautiful painted graphics.

The interior is birds-eye maple, hand-crafted by the Amish.

What sets the Constellation apart is the use of a Murphy-bed. With the bed upright, viewers can enjoy the 37" TV from the comfort of two recliners with cup-holders, the type found in high-end movie theaters.

But with the bed lowered, there is still enough room to walk around, even with the recliners foot-rests extended. The door from the back of the bedroom leads to a full-bathroom complete with a stacked washer/dryer and a walk-in closet.

All of us at Long View send a huge "thank you" to Tony, Sally and Dave from Gulfstream, the hardest working show team around!

For more information on Gulfstream coaches at Long View RV in FL and CT, visit our web site at www.longviewrv.com.

Tribute to Roxie

2008-03-09T11:11:00.006-04:00

With great sadness, we report that our beloved Sheltie, Roxie, crossed the "Rainbow Bridge" last week. She died peacefully at the vet's office after a six-month battle with congestive heart failure. Roxie had just reached her thirteenth birthday four days prior and we were blessed to have her in our lives for nearly three years.

In 2005, Ed had decided that our first Sheltie, Duncan, needed a sister. I found this picture on the web site for New England Sheltie Rescue. We fell in love with that adorable face!

Lisa, Roxie's foster mom with Peppertree Rescue in Albany, NY, brought Roxie to meet us and Duncan. After a two-week trial period, Roxie officially became ours. She was ten years old at the time. Her matted fur had been shaved by Peppertree.

It took several months for Roxie to really blossom and become a real dog again. With love and patience and some help from Duncan, she learned to enjoy walks in the woods, the joy of chasing a stick, and bonding with the "pack." She's on the right in this photo. Look how happy she is with her "daddy" and Duncan on Driftwood Beach at Jekyll Island.

Roxie especially enjoyed living at Cha-Wi-Ma, our summer campground in CT. She could spend an hour circling the woodpile playing hide-and-seek with the chipmunks. We had hoped to give her one more spring season there but it was not to be. And we will especially miss her terribly when we get back there next month. But we will always treasure her memory.

Roxie Lee Pronovost - March 1, 1995 - March 5, 2008

NY Yankees Baseball - Opening Day of Spring Training at Legends Field; Tampa, FL

2008-03-02T21:06:00.013-05:00

Spring has sprung! On February 29, Ed & I attended the NY Yankees first game of the baseball spring training season. Legends Field here in Tampa is the home-away-from-home for the New York Yankees for the month of March each year. The stadium is a smaller replica of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York City.

Prior to the game, United States Special Forces parachuted onto the infield, dropped from a plane 5000 feet above the stadium. Each sky diver carried a different flag. First up - the US flag.

Here are two parachutists about to land, including one bearing the Yankees team flag.

Touchdown on the infield!

Here's the Yankees dugout with Derek Jeter standing in the background.

After introduction of the Yankees legends who were present for the occasion (including Yogi Berra), the coaches and the players, both teams lined up for the singing of our national anthem. The opponents are the University of South Florida (USF).

During the singing of the "Star Spangled Banner", the color guard stood by as the giant American flag was unfurled.

Time to play ball! It was a fun game to watch. USF did manage a Grand Slam. Final score was 11-4, Yankees.

Honeymoon Island State Park; Dunedin, FL

2008-01-31T21:15:00.000-05:00

For Ed's birthday on Tuesday the 29th, we took the dogs and spent the afternoon doing some geocaching at Honeymoon Island State Park, on a barrier island off Dunedin, just north of Tampa. We bought sandwiches on the way and enjoyed them in the picnic area of the park. We were among just a handful of folks visiting. Temps were in the 70's with a breeze that made the day a bit cool for sunbathing, so the park was peaceful and quiet.

Our first stop was the mile-long Osprey Trail. Three osprey were busy constructing two huge nests. The park ranger told Ed that he expected babies to hatch in 2-3 weeks. Here's a pair of adult osprey perched high in the trees.

Duncan was more interested in this earth-bound gopher tortoise. As he barked excitedly, the tortoise withdrew into his shell a bit, then reappeared and lumbered off.

After finding our first cache on Honeymoon Island, hidden along the Osprey Trail, our next stop was the Rotary Centennial Nature Center. This building was originally a bathhouse that has been restored and "re-purposed".

Behind the Center lies an educational nature trail. We learned that this common palm tree is properly called a "Sabal Palmetto."

The trail leading to another cache followed along St. Joseph Sound, popular with kayakers. These mangrove trees held the cache.

Duncan & Roxie helped Ed investigate the cache of trinkets, hidden in a camouflaged ammo box at the base of a mangrove tree.

Late in the afternoon, we tried to find the dog-friendly beach. But it's about a one-mile walk so we skipped it, as none of us had that much energy left. I did catch this view of the Tampa skyline from the main beach.

This row of beach swings invited me to sit and watch the sunset, but it grew too cool to stay outside comfortably.

From inside the van, we watched the sun sink beyond the horizon over the Gulf of Mexico. It brought back memories of the Oregon coast, where it was a nightly ritual to stop whatever we were doing to watch the sun set over the ocean.

Fort DeSoto Park; Tampa Bay, Florida

2008-01-14T20:48:00.000-05:00

In 2005, North Beach at Ft. DeSoto State Park was named the "#1 Beach in America." Friendly RVers have told me that we must camp there. We didn't make arrangements for camping for I knew that once we got settled in Tampa that we would make a pilgrimage. A day trip doing some geocaching provided us opportunities to see parts of the park (1100 acres on 5 islands) that we might otherwise have missed.

North Beach is the largest beach, with picnic areas and sand dunes nearby. On the Gulf of Mexico, the waves lap gently and create a relaxing family atmosphere perfect for sunbathing. The sand is fine and very white, almost like baby powder between your toes.

I preferred the smaller East Beach with no concessions and very few people. We picked up a couple of geocaches near here. This view is facing east toward the Sunshine Skyline Bridge over Tampa Bay, linking St. Petersburg and Bradenton.

The actual fort is camouflaged from the Gulf of Mexico side by sand dunes and sea grasses. This is the back side view of Ft. DeSoto. One of the cannons was the scene of a virtual cache. After locating the correct cannon as determined by the GPS coordinates, we had to read the accompanying sign and answer six questions about the cannon specs. Only after answering them correctly could we claim credit for the cache.

From the top of fort, we enjoyed a different perspective of North Beach.

The view to the other direction encompasses the fishing pier and ferry dock.

We found our sixth and final cache of the day near the fishing pier. We turned and realized the sun was setting over the water to the west. We haven't seen that since we traveled in Oregon and California back in 2002.

Click here to visit my web album with 25 photos from Ft.DeSoto.

Airstream Ranch

2008-01-11T07:55:00.000-05:00

You've probably heard of Cadillac Ranch,
a tourist attraction considered art by many. It is a series of cars, partially buried tail-end up, in a cow pasture along the old Highway 66 in Amarillo, Texas.

Well, now we have a similar "attraction" right here in Tampa, just across the interstate from Long View RV where I work. The local Airstream dealer, Bates RV, has created Airsteam Ranch. Watch the video to see it, hear Frank Bates explain why he did it, and get reaction from the neighbors. What you you think? Leave a comment below.

If you're traveling on I-4 to the Tampa RV Supershow next week, keep an eye out for it just west of Exit 14. At the show, feel free to stop by and say hi to me at the Gulfstream Coach booth.

RVers of the month, who - us?

2008-01-08T20:55:00.000-05:00

Ed & Camille hiking in Zion National Park in April of 2007

Welcome to all our new readers referred by www.rvresources.com. We are quite honored to have been selected as their "RVers of the Month" for January 2008. RV Resources is just what its name implies - a web site with reference links for almost any RV related topic. Ed's company, Protech Mobile RV Service is listed under "Repair Centers" for CT and this blog will be listed under "Travelogues & Journals." For now, they have our picture above and a description and link to the blog on their home page. I guess we're somebody now, huh?

Canoe Trip on the Hillsborough River

2007-12-31T09:03:00.000-05:00

Ed and I learned about Canoe Escape during our visit to Sargeant's Park while geocaching. We met one of the guides at the boat launch area and decided to sign up for a self-guided canoe trip down the Hillsborough River. There are a number of tours and we chose the 4.5 mile trip downriver from Sargeant's to Morris Bridge Park. We opted for a canoe although kayaks are available.

This stretch of river is noted for an abundance of wildlife and we were not disappointed. This guy is the reason that Canoe Escape doesn't allow you to bring dogs. No free meals for him, please!

We've seen lots of turtles in our life but not this kind, called a Florida red-bellied turtle.

This is a Great Blue Heron, although it's hard to get a sense of his size from this photo.

We first saw anhingas in the Everglades. They look similar to cormorants and they hang their wings out to dry in the same way.

When I snapped this picture I didn't know what it was as I'd never seen a bird quite like it before. I thought maybe it was an immature heron. But no, after consulting our bird book, I discovered it is a limpkin. Apparently it's more active at night so we were fortunate to see it.

Sargeant's Park and Morris Bridge Park are just two of six parks in the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Area. There are off road trails throughout for hiking and biking as well as fishing and bird watching opportunities on the river. We look forward to exploring and doing some geocaching here this winter!

GPS & Geocaching

2007-12-27T09:05:00.000-05:00

For our Christmas gift to each other, Ed & I bought a Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS unit. The list price is $480, we paid a little over $300. Oh, if this technology had been available so inexpensively five years ago, it would have made my job as navigator so much easier when we were on our Great Adventure cross-country trip! But now we have it and it will come in handy as we navigate Tampa this winter since we are new to the area. GPS will help Ed locate customers when they call for Protech Mobile RV Service.

Now that we own our own GPS, we can participate in the sport of Geocaching. Never heard of it? Neither had we, until we met fellow RVers Karen and Guy at Jekyll Island in April of 2006. They explained that participants hide and seek "caches" of trinkets, using coordinates published on the interactive web site www.geocaching.com. Karen and Guy invited us to tag along on one of their hunts. We trekked through the woods in a nature preserve full of wildlife and found an ammo box with the cache inside. It's a high-tech treasure hunt for grown ups and a great way for all of us, adults and kids, to get outdoors and have fun! Watch this video to see how it works.

Treasure Near Your House! Can You Find It? - video powered by Metacafe

The first step is to visit the Geocaching web site and type in your zip code to get a list of caches in your vicinity. Ready for our first venture and armed with a printout of each cache that we wanted to search for, Ed entered the coordinates into the GPS unit.

We knew that there were two caches located just a couple of miles from us at Sargeant Park here in Thonotosassa, FL.

The first one, according to the web site, was along a 1/4 mile long boardwalk.

We crossed the wetlands and were rewarded with a river view, shared with a group of canoers.

As I homed in the target area according to the GPS coordinates, Ed searched for the cache. This one turned out be velcroed to the underside of one of the park benches. Here is Ed exploring the loot.

Next step is to sign the logbook.

Next it was my turn to search. The GPS led us to a dirt trail. With the dogs, we walked along, checking the GPS, learning to avoid tree cover that would block the satellite signal. In about 15-20 minutes, I found the cache hidden at the base of a live oak tree.

This cache was a camouflaged jar filled with trinkets.

We took a small kaleidoscope and left a tiny Christmas ornament. It is customary, although not required, to take something and leave something and sign the logbook. Then, once home, we visited the geocaching web site again, logged in, and recorded our finds. Our geocaching user name is (surprise, surprise) "protechrv" if anyone wants to connect with us through geocaching.

Thank you so much, Karen & Guy, for getting us interested in this exciting adventure!

Thanks to my sister-in-law, Gina, I now have a web photo album account at www.flickr.com. Gina and my other sister-in-law and blog fan, Mary, have suggested that I include more photos on the blog. So if you would like to see additional photos taken at Sargeant's Park, click here to visit my web album. It includes these photos plus a 1/2 dozen more of the landscape and wildlife.

Long View RV Superstore; Tampa, Florida

2007-12-17T17:49:00.001-05:00

Ed & I moved the motorhome down to Tampa where we'll spend the next three months. We checked in at Long View RV, where I'll begin work on January 2, 2008. For more interior and exterior photos, click www.flickr.com The store is located at Exit 14 off Interstate 4. Our complete inventory is available online at www.longviewrv.com.

Our first big event will be the 2008 Tampa RV Supershow held Jan. 16-20. I'll be working at the Long View booth in the Gulfstream Motorhomes display. If you're in the area, stop by and say hello!

An Airstream Christmas

2007-12-15T15:19:00.001-05:00

Ed & I will do a little RV Christmas decorating but NOTHING like this. It's an Airstream trailer with flashing Christmas lights, choreographed to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Wizards in Winter."

Meredith Rodney Turns Three

2007-12-09T21:27:00.000-05:00

I'm visiting my family in CT this week. Tonight we celebrated my niece Meredith's birthday. She turns three years old tomorrow and I can hardly believe that it's been just over two years since we brought her home from China. Here she is in my arms, wearing a birthday crown made especially for her by her sister, Catherine.

The theme of the party was "Hello Kitty" with an appropriate cake!

I don't know if Meredith made a wish but she did a great job blowing out the candles with her Mom's help (my sister, Marguerite).

After cake it was time to check out the birthday loot...er, gifts.

Here's Grandpa, my dad, holding Catherine, who is 5 1/2 now.

In the aftermath, here are our girls along with Zoe (on Marguerite's lap) and Sarah (far right)who were part of Meredith's adoption group.

Fort Clinch State Park; Fernandina Beach, Florida

2007-12-09T09:56:00.001-05:00

Just before Thanksgiving, my laptop computer died and had to be sent back to the factory for repair. It turned out to be a defective mother board and Compaq replaced it under warranty even though it was beyond the 1 yr. original warranty. But I've gotten a bit behind in posting here since it took a couple of weeks.

After Thanksgiving, Ed & I spent four days up at Fort Clinch State Park in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Ft. Clinch is on Amelia Island, located on the Georgia/Florida state line. Cumberland Island National Seashore lies across the river. The great thing about Ft. Clinch SP is that they have two campgrounds - one on the river and one (our preference) with direct beach access.

Here is our campsite.

A short stroll down the boardwalk across the dunes brings you onto the beach.

Ft. Clinch SP is popular with fishermen and Ed decided to try his hand. Sadly, the fish weren't biting on this day.

The pelicans patrolling the shoreline may have had better luck!

Campers wishing to stay at Ft. Clinch should make reservations although a certain number of sites are held open for walk-ins. All campsite have water and electic hook-ups. We're hoping to stop back on our way up north in April.

New Smyrna & Apollo Beaches, Florida

2007-11-17T11:02:00.000-05:00

If you dislike the beach, you might not want to keep reading! Ed & I are making up for having NO beach time during our busy summer. We are visiting beaches every chance we get and spending a week at New Smyrna Beach Campground. New Smyrna Beach is located just south of the better-known and busier Daytona Beach, across Ponce de Leon Linlet. From behind a dune at New Smyrna, you can see the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and the high rises of Daytona in the background.

At New Smyrna Beach, as at Daytona, you can drive your car on the beach for miles. Here's the Protech Mobile RV Service & Repair van making a "beach" call!!!

As you drive south down Rt. A1A from New Smyrna Beach, you come to a protected area, the northern side of the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. We relished the unspoiled tranquility of Apollo Beach. Ed learned the names of the various seashore birds, sanderlings and ruddy turnstones, from reading the boardwalk signs.

This ruddy turnstone, named for it's reddish colored legs, was very busy working for its dinner at the edge of the waves.

How refreshing to stand on the boardwalk as our shadows lengthened, listening to the roar of the surf.

The Wedding of Mark Pronovost & Tara Anderson

2007-11-11T09:12:00.001-05:00

On November 10, 2007, our nephew, Mark (Ed's brother Mark's son) married the absolutely adorable Tara Anderson at the First United Methodist Church in Deland, FL.

The reception was held at the Artisan Hotel, across the street from the church.

Ed's brother, Bruce, snapped this photo of me & Ed outside the church.

Then I got busy trying to capture as many family photos as possible for those extended family members that couldn't attend. This is Paul with his lady friend, Melanie, Ed, Mary, and Bruce.

These are the groom's cousins. Kendal with her boyfriend, Jeremy on the left and our niece who, coincidentally, is also named Camille, and Camille's husband, Sam. Kendal & Camille are Ed's sister Louise's daughters.

Beautiful, and as we later found out, delicious, wedding cake.

Mark and the newest Mrs. Pronovost dance their first dance together.

The groom's father, Mark, on the left with all of his brothers - Ed, Paul, Bruce & Norman.

Norman's son, Todd, his wife Stephanie, with their two children, Jocelyn and Collin.

The groom dances with his mom, Gina.

Parents of the groom, Mark & Gina, with their daughter, Ashley, who was a bridesmaid.

Time to cut the cake!

No explanation required!

Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Jekyll Island, GA

2007-11-06T22:41:00.000-05:00

In May of 2007, Georgia Sea Turtle Center opened in its brand new location - the renovated power company building in the Historic District on Jekyll Island. It is a hospital and rehab facility for sick and injured turtles. This is Macaroni, half under a towel on the exam table. He was hit by a car, was left with a hind leg dangling that had to be amputated, and the vet techs are cleaning the wound.

This plaster cast of a prehistoric turtle skeleton greets you in the lobby/gift shop. Adults weigh hundreds of pounds and take 35 years to reach maturity.

Exhibits are appropriate for both children and adults to learn about the life cycle of the giant sea turtle. The nesting season runs from May-August. During that time, residents are asked to keep their lights out. As the hatchlings emerge from their nests on the beach, they instinctively head for the brightest light, which should be the horizon over the sea, where they need to get to. They can get confused by artificial light.

Volunteers routinely check nests after the hatchlings have emerged. They count the egg shells and sometimes find stragglers. Nine years ago, they found two such stragglers and brought them to the Center, and named them Bob and Dylan. Dylan was kept as a mascot to be used for educational purposes. Bob was released. Now, the Center is preparing to release Dylan, probably next spring. In the interim, he is being prepared to live on his own, getting his own food, etc., to be able to survive without humans. Here he is coming to the surface to take a breath.

He will have a chance to live the life he was meant to live and will be tracked by a satellite transponder. Track other turtles and even adopt one at www.seaturtle.org.

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GA

2007-11-05T21:30:00.001-05:00

I love the beach. Who doesn't? But there are some beaches that are special because they are unspoiled - no hotels or condos, no T-shirt shops, no crowds - just natural beauty. Neyes Provincial Park in Canada, Kalaloch in Washington state, and Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island are a few of my favorites. There aren't many places that Ed & I like to visit again and again, we are generally into seeing new places, but we never tire of Jekyll.

Duncan enjoyed barking at the waves and jumping over them.

Roxie, on the other hand, hates water in any form. She stayed back with her daddy on the shore.

Time for Miss Roxie's close-up!

You can stroll for miles or even ride horseback along Driftwood Beach.

Jekyll Island, Georgia

2007-11-04T18:10:00.001-05:00

We FINALLY made it to Jekyll Island yesterday. But instead of the week we had planned, we'll only have three nights and two days. Beofre we checked in at the campground, we spent a couple of hours parked at the shoreline. There was plenty of room to park the motorhome, even with Ed's van still attached. Very few people were around because it's off-season.

It was high tide and the beach had disappeared. The water was right up to the sea wall at this section of the island coastline. By law, only 65% of Jekyll Island may be developed. These dunes will remain protected.

Folly Beach, Charleston, SC

2007-11-01T18:27:00.000-04:00

Ed & I have been to Charleston several times and there's lots of interesting things to do and places to visit. We've spent time wandering the streets of the historic waterfront district, we've visited plantations, toured the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier, and taken the boat to Ft. Sumter, site of the opening shots of the Civil War. But this time we're lazy, burnt out and just want to sit around and do nothing. Well, next best thing to doing nothing is going out for a seafood lunch and strolling on the beach. So that's we did today!

The beaches in North Carolina are dog-friendly, much to our delight. So we headed out to Folly Beach State Park.

Of course, when we had this great idea around noontime, it was all blue skies, sunshine, not a cloud in the sky. By the time we got to the beach after lunch, it had clouded over but Duncan, Roxie and I had a great time dashing in and out of the water. Well, it was mostly Duncan doing that!

And of course, around 4:00 as we were driving back to our campground, all the clouds blew away and the sun came out. But I can definitely say this - a "bad" day at the beach still beats a good day at work!

Our mascot, Dusty

2007-10-30T14:52:00.000-04:00

We arrived this afternoon in Charleston, South Carolina. With the high winds and rain forecast for Jekyll Island for the next few days, we decided to play it safe and stay a bit further north. It's sunny, dry, and low seventies today in Charleston. Our campground is Lake Aire RV Park, off the beaten path but only about 10 miles outside of the city. We first stayed here on Great Adventure, spending Easter in 2003. We usually stop by and see Amber & Chris, the lovely young couple who have worked to make this a delightful campground. Best of all, we get to stay 1/2 price because they accept our Passport America RV Club membership.

Dusty is the third cat that we've taken traveling in the RV, and she's the only one who actually enjoys riding on the dashboard while we're going down the highway!

Colonial Williamsburg, VA

2007-10-29T12:14:00.000-04:00

On our third and final day in Williamsburg, VA, we toured the re-created village of Colonial Williamsburg. John D. Rockefeller funded the restoration of the historic town. Today, it is a living history museum where actors in period costumes bring the events of the Revolutionary War time period to life.

Prior to beginning our tour, we watched a 38 min. film at the Visitor Center called "The Story of a Patriot". Jack Lord (who played McGarrett on Hawaii Five-O), portrays John Frye, a young Virginia assemblyman, who watches the events unfold that lead up to the colonies declaring independence from Britain. The film puts the historical time frame in perspective and shapes the political as the personal. We see how Frye wrestles with the decision because of the impact it will have on his family.

From the Visitor Center, we took a tram over to the entrance to the village green and the Governor's Palace.

The streets are paved (a concession to modern times) but there are no cars allowed, just horses and carriages. Watch where you walk!

The village is lined with homes and shops, many of which are open to the public. The shop keepers are in character and dress for the time period. Visitors can watch them at work and ask about silver-smithing, barrel-making, etc.

Some kids tried out the stocks, for fun.

For the last six years, scholars have been investigating the site of Charlton's Coffee House that served Williamsburg residents from 1755-1759. An odd collection of watch keys, dissected human vertebra, and bizarre home-remedy accoutrements have been unearthed. Architectural historians are working to determine how the building actually looked.

At the opposite end of town from the Governor's Palace lies the Capitol building. Notice the flag, the familiar red and white stripes but with a small Union Jack instead of the blue field of stars. You'll have to click on the photo to enlarge it in order to see this.

As we watched, the Governor arrived to issue a proclamation. He announced that in order to quell talk of independence, he was dissolving the House of Burgesses and sending the elected officials home. But they continued to secretly meet in taverns and homes.

His wife and daughter, dressed in Colonial finery, stood with the crowd as he spoke.

Patrick Henry, famous for the speech "...give me liberty or give me death...", addressed the crowd after the proclamation.

The Fife & Drum Corps led us to Raleigh's Tavern, where the staged drama continued.

In the evenings, Colonial Williamsburg hosts events such as "Cry Witch", a reenactment of the 1706 witch trial of Grace Sherwood. Ed & I attended it last time we were here and would highly recommend it.

Jamestown, Virginia

2007-10-28T17:06:00.001-04:00

The day after we visited historic Yorktown, VA and the site of the 1781 Siege, we went back in time to 1607 and toured the nearby archaeological site of James Fort, the first English settlement in Virginia. Until 1994, scholars believed that the original fort was washed out to sea and lost. But recent excavations have uncovered a wealth of relics from the colonists and the local Algonquian Indians. Due to the rain, the sites were covered with tarps during our visit. But an Archaearium, constructed next to the fort site, displays many relics, including the skeletal remains of two people along with compelling evidence of who they might be. This fascinating museum also displays pottery, coins, buttons, arrowheads, and much more. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited James Fort in May of this year to commemorate the 400th anniversary of its founding. Her state gift of a chair, made with wood from both England & America, is on display at the Archaearium. Under the seat is a carved image of one of the three original sailing ships that founded the Virginia Colony. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photographs of any artifacts in the museum building, including this magnificent chair.

The original triangular James Fort site encompasses only about an acre. This sign posted in the fort display shows an overview of the fort's original layout.

As you walk through the gate, a church and tower stand to your left. The church was not a part of the original fort. A clear view of the tower can be seen in the photo of Capt. John Smith, further down the page.

Just inside the gate, young girls posed with the statue of Pocahontas. I though that was great! How many historical statues of a woman have you ever seen? Pocahontas was kidnapped from the Indians, converted to Christianity, and married John Rolfe. The marriage helped ease tensions between the Virginians and the Indians. Pocahontas deserves much of the credit for the colonists' survival.

The fence and the framing for the barracks have been reconstructed. The barracks was probably done in "Mud and Stud" with a thatched roof, a common construction method in England.

Near the river's edge stands a statue of Capt. John Smith, leader of the colony.

The official web site for Historic Jamestown, administered by the National Park Service is http://www.nps.gov/jame/index.htm. This is a separate entity from Jamestown Settlement, a living history museum, which is run by the state of VA.

Yorktown, Virginia

2007-10-26T22:14:00.000-04:00

Another chapter of Protech RV Travels can finally begin! We left CT on Monday, October 22, heading south and west down I-84 to I-81, avoiding all the major cities along I-95, including New York City, Baltimore and Washington. We stopped overnight in Harrisburg, PA and Charlottesville, VA, where we decided that we would spend a few days in Williamsburg, VA. It's raining all up and down the eastern seaboard, so rather than fight it and dodge raindrops with the motorhome, it's nice to be in an area with lots of interesting things to see and do.

We're staying at the Colonial Williamsburg KOA campground. Not cheap, but off the beaten path, nicely maintained, and it has free WiFi (excellent for updating this blog) Yesterday we toured Yorktown Battlefield, site of the last major Revolutionary War Battle in October 1781 before America gained independence from Britain. The Americans, with help from the French, laid siege to British troops holed up in Yorktown. Washington's army defeated Cornwallis' army that was twice its size.

The battlefield consisted of wide open fields with trenches dug for the siege lines.

The National Park Service ranger that led our walking tour pointed out that the French navy provided pivotal assistance by delivering a dozen of these cannon, whose 24 lb. cannonballs could penetrate earthworks for fourteen feet. The British cannon couldn't compete with this firepower.

Terms of surrender were negotiated at the home of Augustine Moore, owner of the local grist mill. The house was pretty badly damaged during the battle, and agin after the Civil War, but has been restored. The interior was not open on our visit.

Arms were laid down in this field, now called Surrender Field. General Cornwallis called in sick that day. He sent his second-in-command to turn over his sword.

Yorktown is a very small town with few permanent residents but a number of historic homes and building are still standing. The Nelson House has been preserved and still boasts its original floors.

The Yorktown Victory Monument stands sentry in this park along the bank of the York River.

Off Topic: "Black Hawk - The Story of a World Class Helicopter"

2007-10-23T17:44:00.000-04:00

I am taking a break from writing about RV travel to address another subject near and dear to my heart. Those who know me may recall that my Dad, Brian Carnell, worked as a crash-worthiness engineer for Sikorsky Aircraft for the majority of his career. His primary project from the 1970s until his retirement in 1992 was the Black Hawk helicopter. Over 3000 Black Hawks or variants of it have been produced. They serve in all branches of the US military, were used to bring aid to victims of the tsunami in Asia, and to rescue an estimated 35,000 flood victims during Hurricane Katrina.

Ray Leoni, who led the engineering design and test activities for the Black Hawk and was awarded the patent, has written a book called "Black Hawk - The Story of a World Class Helicopter." He explains how Sikorsky developed one of the world's most successful helicopters against daunting odds and how it changed the company's destiny.

I am extremely proud that my Dad's contributions to the safety of the Black Hawk design are referenced in Ray Leoni's book. Dad is cited on page 92 as becoming "the key motivator for creating the Black Hawk's crashworthiness features." In addition, he is pictured on page 95 "strapped in a troop seat supported by energy-absorbing reels attached to the cabin ceiling." Dad's seat designs contributed significantly to the survival of troops involved in crashes. In addition, he worked to reduce post-crash fires, also saving significant numbers of lives.

After Dad's retirement from Sikorsky, he continued to work as a consultant until 2006 with his long-time friend and former Sikorsky colleague, Dave Fansler. Dave is also referenced in the Black Hawk book on page 104, for his leading role in ballistics design for the Black Hawk. As consultants, Dad and Dave continued to analyze crash data, proving the soundness of the design and always searching for ways to improve the safety and survivability of of this incredible flying machine!

A link to purchase the book through the online bookstore, Amazon.com, is provided at the top of this page. Readers will benefit from the unique insights into the challenges of helicopter design and development, as well as the individual technical achievements, and highly successful management strategies presented in the book. I am not an engineer and am certainly a non-technical person if there ever was one, yet I found the story fascinating. It's a great read!

Dinner at Marguerite & David's Home

2007-10-19T09:44:00.000-04:00

Marguerite & David hosted a dinner at their home, giving our family a time to be all together before we head south. The girls, Catherine (5) and Meredith (2 1/2) are a delight. Meredith is talking up a storm, clowning around, and loves to crack herself up by being a goofball. After dinner, she took turns sitting on Uncle Eddie's lap, Grandpa's lap, and Auntie Camille's lap. Marguerite took this sweet picture of Meredith with her Grandpa.

Fall Travel Plan

2007-10-15T07:49:00.000-04:00

As of yesterday, the RV Toy Shoppe is closed for the season and I worked my last day at Long View RV until the Spring. We are preparing to depart Cha-Wi-Ma Camp next weekend. On Sunday, October 21, the water will be turned off. OK, we can take a hint! It's time to head south with the snowbirds.

Our plan is to make a bee-line for Jekyll Island, Georgia. We'll spend a week or two there and arrive in Orange City, FL (near Daytona) for our nephew's wedding on November 10. We'll have a month after that to enjoy the Atlantic coast side of Florida. Our home base for the winter will be Southern Aire RV Park in Thonotosassa, FL, just outside of Tampa. It's 8 miles from Long View RV in Dover where I'll be working Jan-Mar. Ed will set up shop with Protech Mobile RV Service & Repair for local RVers. Check back soon for new posts as we get underway with our travel adventures!

RV Toy Shoppe Opens in Eastford, CT

2007-07-27T22:20:00.001-04:00

The RV Toy Shoppe (a new division of Protech Mobile RV Service) officially opened today in Eastford, CT. Located on Rt.44 about five miles from our campground and within 10-15 min. of eight other campgrounds, the RV Toy Shoppe is convenient for campers to pick up that forgotten water hose, a gift for the grand kids, or new patio furnishings.

The total space is about 800 SF and the store takes up about half. Behind the back wall of shelving lies a workshop where Ed will refurbish RV appliances, specializing in RV refrigerator cooling unit reconditioning.

While Ed is working in the shop, he can wait on customers who want to purchase RV parts and accessories. The mobile RV service work will be scheduled around the Shoppe's hours.

Duncan & Roxie came to work today too but had to stay in their exercise pen while the Shoppe was open for business. We carry dog crates, pens and beds, all very handy for pet-loving campers.

Call Ed at the RV Toy Shoppe at 860-974-9115. Visit the Protech web site for more information about our parts and services. Download our flyer with a listing of product categories and store hours. The Protech service telephone number remains the same, 860-803-2359.

Stop by when you're in eastern CT. We'd love to see you!

CT Summer RV Show

2007-05-22T20:25:00.000-04:00

On May 19-20, Long View RV Superstore (where I work selling RVs) participated in the first annual Connecticut Summer RV show. It was a great opportunity to show unique features of RVs new for 2007. We displayed about eighteen trailers and motorhomes, ranging from pop-ups (one of my co-workers with the 8' model)...

...to our exquisite Travel Supreme Alante 45' diesel motorhome. Travel Supreme builds on the Spartan chassis (the same chassis found in firetrucks because it's heavy-duty, safe and reliable.) The Alante is a tag axle coach with a 500HP engine. To drive the Alante is like floating on a cloud. With four slides, beautiful woodwork, buttery-soft leather, porecelain tile floors, fireplace, dishwasher, cedar closets, and every conceivable electronic accessory - it is a luxury condo on wheels.

But for the family just starting out, or ready to move up from a pop-up (who isn't - I only kept mine one season) the aluminum Star Stream hybrid trailer by Starcraft is a perfect choice. It's lightweight, features a full bathroom and kitchen, air conditioning, and sets up and breaks down much more quickly than a pop-up. Very important, especially in the rain!

The Kodiak by Aero is another good hybrid choice. Model #23TT has three tents, constructed of state-of-the-art fabric (no canvas or vinyl) with self-inflating air mattresses. The old-style foam mattresses on most pop-ups are rock-hard and literally "a pain in the back." Not these!

Toy haulers, trailers with garages for hauling motorcycles, ATVs, and other gear, are growing in popularity exponentially every year. When I first started working for Long View RV, we had one or two models, at the most. Now we carry several different brands with a wide choice of floor plans. Enduramax, a division of Gulfstream, offers the Wide Open series of trailers and fifth wheels. I love the red/black combo on this one.

Cedar Creek has just come out with a two-bedroom (four-slide) fifth-wheel that also has a huge private bathroom in the master bedroom.

If I traveled alone, or if I weren't a full-time RVer, I'd choose the BT Cruiser by Gulfstream. At 30', it's a size that's livable, easy to drive and park, and relatively good on gas. You can get the BT Cruiser with either two or three slides, including an atrium sunroom dinette! Love this paint job too!

Ed has picked out this Sun Voyager for our next motorhome..someday. I love my 36' double-slide Sun Voyager #8368. But this #8389 is two feet longer and has three separate rooms - living, kitchen/dining, and bedroom. It has two extra-long slides with a side-aisle that allows for a much larger bathroom than in mine. Three-zone living means that the #8389 feels more like a real house than any RV I've ever been in.

I think Long View RV is going to have great summer season. We've been in business since 1959 and are the largest dealer in western New England. We didn't get to be this big and stay in business this long by not giving greats deals and providing excellent service. I work selling RVs because RVing is my life and my passion. I love helping people follow in my footsteps to get out and see this beautiful country that we are so blessed to live in. I bought my first RV from Long View back in 1999. When I decided to join the RV industry in 2003, Long View was my first choice. Frank Roberts, the owner, (right)

and his parents, Fran and Shirley, who founded the company, have treated me even better as an employee than as a customer. Because they allow me to come and go each season, I'm able to live my dream.

Long View RV is located at 27 Lawnacre Rd., Windsor Locks, CT. I can be reached there May through Spetember at 800-516-9058 if you would like more information on any of our products. Our complete inventory is available online at www.longviewrv.com.

Carlson Family Visit

2007-05-20T21:17:00.000-04:00

Last night, we were delighted to have Ed's sister, Fran, her husband, Mike, and their three children visit us at our campsite at Cha-Wi-Ma Coop in Chaplin. Since our cook-out was rained-out, we visited for awhile in the motorhome to get caught up on news of the family then went out for pizza. Amanda(17) was crowned Queen at her junior prom a few weeks ago. She would like to study Fashion Design and plans a week in NYC this summer to look into Pratt Institute for college.

Fran and Amanda

Miles(14) and Hannah(12)

Mike

Mike and Fran and their kids are such a pleasure to spend time with. Hopefully, we can visit them later this summer during their camping trip to the beach at Hammonassett State Park. We'd love to take the motorhome, but CT state parks don't allow dogs. Bummer! It will be a fun day trip, though.

Brian Carnell's Birthday Celebration

2007-05-04T09:11:00.000-04:00

Ed and I arrived back in Connecticut just in time to be with my Dad as we celebrated his 80th birthday on May 2. Dad received quite a number of cards. My sister and her in-laws each sent a big bouquet of flowers, including miniature sunflowers and yellow lilies.

The red rose flag outside Dad's condo flies in honor of the memory of my mother every year at this time. The red rose represents Lancashire county in England, where she was from.

Off we went to Dakota's Steakhouse in Avon, CT for a small family gathering. The celebration with my sister, Marguerite, and her family, was our first reunion since last October, when we left CT. Here I am with Catherine, who turns five years old in June.

David and Ed, Dad's two sons-in-law.

Marguerite and Meredith, 2 1/2 yrs., and David's father, Rob.

We all enjoyed not only a delicious dinner but, most of all, being together after a seven-month separation. Dad is opening a gift from our friend, Karen. It was a huge box of See's Candies, which Dad generously passed around for us to share.

Being with family is the reason we come back to Connecticut each summer and it feels wonderful!

Protech awarded RVRN Certification; Benton, KY

2007-04-28T20:21:00.000-04:00

On April 25, 2007, after three days of training, Ed received his certification from the RVRN(Recreational Vehicle Refrigeration Network) Association. Protech Mobile RV Service and Repair will now specialize in rebuilding RV refrigerator cooling units.

The RVRN trade organization was started by Roger and Onna Lee Ford of Ford RV Refrigeration located in Benton, KY. The Fords have been in business for 23 years and have developed procedures for rebuilding RV refrigerator cooling units. These systems are ammonia based, unlike Freon-based systems in our residential refrigerators and freezers. When the coils that hold the ammonia corrode, they develop leaks, requiring either a new refrigerator or a new cooling unit. Most dealers don't repair RV cooling units. Instead, they install new ones that cost over $1100. They will generally give a one-year warranty. But by rebuilding the unit using the Ford procedures, the cooling units are better than new. So good, in fact, that the warranty is five years unlimited, including parts and labor. But the best part is that the customer saves hundreds of dollars on the repair.

Roger and Onna Lee founded the RVRN to teach the procedures that they have perfected over the years to other technicians. They have already trained over 300 techs. The goal is to have a complete network across the country that will honor the warranty. Once a tech is trained and has joined the RVRN network, he has a 100-mile radius protected territory. Protech Mobile RV Service is the exclusive distributor for Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Ed's training was abbreviated since he already holds Master Certification in RV Repair from the RV Industry Association. These photos were taken during Ed's written and practical tests. Here Onna Lee is getting Ed set to begin.

This is the charging board, one of the specialized tools that Roger has developed. Each make and model of RV refrigerator has its own formula for the ammonia solution. This tool ensures that the correct charge is applied.

Exacting quality standards and rigorous testing set the RVRN system apart from other rebuilders. Any leak in the steel evaporator is repaired by welding.

Ed and Roger are comparing cooling units from Dometic and Norcold, the two major brands of RV refrigerators.

Ed and I believe that this specialty is a perfect fit with his mobile RV repair business. Now that Ed has the training and the tools, our next step is to get a shop location in CT where he can do the work. Then we have to get the word out. So...don't throw that camper refrigerator away! Call Ed at 860-803-2359 or visit www.protechmobilerv.com for updates and more information.

Moor's Resort; Benton, KY

2007-04-26T08:47:00.000-04:00

From Oklahoma City, we traveled on I-40 through Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee. Between the two, we had an unscheduled overnight stay in the tiny town of Forrest City, AR. The motorhome lost its serpentine belt and we had to get towed off the highway. We spent the night in the parking lot of the repair facility but were on the road by 10:30 the next morning. Since we were a day behind, we just had a quick overnight in Memphis. We stayed at Tom Sawyer RV Park, right on the bank of the Mississippi River and went into the city for some delicious barbecue (something in short supply in the Southwest!)

We are now in Benton, KY, at Moor's Resort, enjoying a beautiful view of Kentucky Lake from our campsite, for only $25 a night.

The lake is 165 miles long and, along with Lake Barkley, was formed when the mile-long Kentucky Dam was built on the Tennessee River. The Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area protects the area from development and preserves it for the people to enjoy fishing and boating.

We'll be leaving here tomorrow and will be making a bee-line for Connecticut, about 1100 miles to go. In my next post, I'll explain about the RV refrigerator reconditioning training and certification that Ed received here from the RVRN through Ford Refrigeration and what it means for Protech's future. We're excited!

Oklahoma City National Memorial

2007-04-19T08:05:00.000-04:00

Twelve years ago today, on April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh bombed the Alfred P.Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. 168 people died as a result of his act of terrorism. In place of the building, a memorial park now stands. 5th Ave., where the rental truck exploded, is covered by a shallow reflecting pool of water. Out of ashes came beauty.

168 empty chairs are laid out in nine rows. Each chair was cast individually and the name of a victim of the bombing was cast in each seat. The nine rows stand for the nine floors of the Murrah building.

Granite monuments guard each end of the memorial park. One is engaved with the time 9:01; the other with 9:03. The time inbetween, 9:02, marks the minute the bomb went off and changed everything for the people in the Murrah building, Oklahoma City, and America. It was the first act of domestic terrorism that we had ever known.

The chainlink fence that was erected in the days after the bombing became a place of tributes laid to the victims. It was decided to make a section of this fence a permanent part of the memorial.

These photos and notes brough tears to my eyes.

The purpose of this national memorial is engraved on the outside of each of the two monument gates. It says, "We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived, and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity."

Ironically, the day of our visit here was the same day of the massacre at Virginia Tech. And we felt the impact of violence again.

St Joseph's Church, across the street, was heavily damaged in the bombing. The church erected this statue of Jesus, with his back turned away from the bomb site, with the inscription, "And Jesus Wept." And so Camille and Ed did the same.

But this Dutch elm tree, although damaged, somehow lived through the shaking. Over 100 years old, it is now called "The Survivor Tree". It still stands, overlooking the memorial park as a symbol of hope.

Weather changes our itinerary

2007-04-18T22:25:00.000-04:00

From Moab, we had planned to pick up I-70 and visit Colordao, Kansas, Missouri and Kentucky. Well, Mother Nature had other plans. A blizzard in Colorado forced us to turn south and plan a return via I-40. The front that brought tornadoes to Texas and South Carolina and the huge nor'easter to New England started in the West. We decided to hole up in Gallup, NM for a couple of days. Due to our time frame for being in Benton, KY for Ed's training at Ford Refrigeration, we had to make tracks from Gallup to Tucumcari, NM and Oklahoma City, OK. Future stops will be Little Rock, AR and Memphis, TN with arrival in Benton by Sat. 4/21. We will leave Benton on Thurs. 4/26 and be back in CT by May 1.

Arches National Park; Moab, Utah

2007-04-18T15:57:00.000-04:00

Moab, Utah, is a haven for mountain bikers and ATV riders. The myriad off-road trails cut through red sandstone known as slickrock. But Arches National Park, five miles north of Moab, is reserved for hikers and bikers to explore petrified sand dunes and rock formations known as fins.

Fins sometimes become arches when the salt bed, deposited 300 million years ago when a sea covered the Colorado Plateau, erodes from harder rock layers.

Many of the park's 2000 arches can only been seen by hiking to them. On the day of our visit, it was so cold and windy that we toured the 18-miles scenic drive by car. We were able to see the most famous arch, Delicate Arch, from about 3/4 of a mile away.

Balanced rock will make you scratch your head, trying to figure out how it seems to defy gravity!

The Cove of Caves contains arches and some future arches-in-progress.

The La Sal Mountains provide a glorious background.

Dead Horse Point State Park; Moab, Utah

2007-04-16T22:03:00.000-04:00

The concentration of national parks and monuments in the "Four Corners" region of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah speaks to the geology of the area. Canyons and mesas sculpted by the Colorado River and erosion of sandstone by ice, water, and wind have created a unique landscape. This region is known as the "Grand Circle". Some parks, including the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Cedar Breaks, were closed in early April. At 8000' elevations, they were still snowed in. But while in Utah, after Zion and Bryce, we decided to visit Moab, gateway to two more parks - Arches and Canyonlands.

Our home base was Dead Horse Point State Park. Dead Horse Point sits atop a 6000' elevation plateau left between canyons carved by the Green River and the Colorado River.

The view from the promontory of the point is extraordinary. Two thousand feet above the Colorado River, Canyonlands National Park goes on seemingly forever.

In the other direction, a view of the snow-capped La Sal Mountains. These mountains also provide the backdrop to the formations of Arches National Park, our next stop.

Zion Mountain Resort ATV Tour

2007-04-13T21:52:00.000-04:00

Ed & I are not what you would call avid hikers. But there is another way to experience the beauty of Utah's red sandstone canyons. Miles of public lands are open to all-terrain vehicles, otherwise known as ATVs or four-wheelers. Ed thought it would be a lot of fun to try it...and he was right!

We made a reservation for a 2 1/2 hr. personal guided ATV tour offered through Zion Mountain Resort. Our tour guide, Brady, showed Ed how to work the controls of the ATV and we took a practice run around the barn. Soon we were ready to pass by the horse fields and the buffalo meadow and head towards the forest.

The trail along the ridge led through a pine-scented forest of juniper and pinyin.

We took a break to get a view of the east side of the cliff face that we will be descending.

We also get a look down into the valley that is our destination today.

During the break, Brady took the time to describe some of the flora and fauna of the desert landscape. Ed tried chewing the leaves of "Mormon tea", reputed to contain an ephedra-like substance. He pronounced it "not bad". Early Mormon settlers boiled the herb and drank the tea, since they abstained from regular tea and coffee.

As we descended into the canyon over alternately rocky and sandy trail, the rock and soil turns from white to coral pink.

Finally, we reached the end of the trail. We parked the ATV and walked out to the edge to get a view of the Virgin River flowing through the canyon.

Brady took a souvenir photo of me and Ed. The white cliffs in the background are a part of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

If we lived in Utah, we would have to get our own ATVs. They are a fun way to get off the beaten path and enjoy awesome scenery on our public lands.

Bryce Canyon National Park; Utah

2007-04-13T14:56:00.000-04:00

Bryce Canyon National Park is located about 85 miles northeast of Zion. The major difference between the two parks is that the scenic drive is along the rim at Bryce, as opposed to down in the bottom of the canyon at Zion. To reach Bryce from Zion, you have to travel through the tunnel on Rt.9, then follow Rt.89 north, and then head east on scenic Rt.12, climbing all the way from 4000 ft. to 8000 ft. Temperatures are about 10 degrees cooler because of the higher elevation. Considering this, we decided to take a day trip to Bryce from our base camp at Zion rather than move the motorhome to Bryce.

The trip up took us about 2 1/2 hours and was so well worth it. Photos and videos can't do Bryce Canyon justice. But I'll share the photos that I took from various overlooks along the plateau rim, in order to show as much perspective as possible.

The best known section of the park is the Bryce Amphitheater, a semi-circular section of the eastern side of the canyon with the most spectacular hoodoos, pillars of rock created by erosion. The amphitheatre lies behind the historic Bryce Canyon Lodge.

We walked along the Rim Trail behind the Lodge and reached Sunrise Point for our first dramatic views of the hoodoos. This and other photos are best viewed by clicking on them to enlarge, then using your browser's "back" button to return to the blog.

From Sunrise Point, we decided to follow the advice in the tour booklet and drive to the far end of the 18-mile park road which ends at Rainbow Point. Views of southern Utah extend 100 miles on clear days.

Working our way back from Rainbow Point, our next stop was Black Birch Canyon. This close-up gives a better view of the sandstone hoodoos.

Look at the persistent tree growing up at the top of this hoodoo at Agua Canyon.

Natural Bridge is really an arch. It was formed by rain and frost erosion from the top of the rock, not flowing water underneath.

Back at Bryce Point, we have reached the opposite end of the Bryce Amphitheater from Sunrise Point, where we started our tour. At the end of this walkway, views extended almost 360 degrees.

The Under the Rim hiking trail connects Bryce Point with Rainbow Point. We opted to hike down a small section of the Navajo Loop Trail from Sunset Point, also part of the Bryce Amphitheater.

The trail switchbacks all the way down to Bryce Creek.

We opted not to hike all the way to the bottom. But Bryce is a hiker's paradise. We appreciated this view from below the rim.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary; Kanab, Utah

2007-04-08T18:57:00.000-04:00

About 40 miles southeast of Zion, off Rt.89 south, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is located in Angel Canyon, about 5 miles north of Kanab, Utah. I don't remember exactly where I first learned about this organization, dedicated to saving homeless dogs, cats and other animals. But about five years ago, I must have read something in the newspaper about Best Friends. Since then, I have been a member. Now, I jumped at the opportunity to learn firsthand how this organization has grown to support over 600 each of dogs and cats, as well as horses, birds, and other animals.

Our tour began with a short film at the Welcome Center, shown below.

The film featured Michael Mountain, President, talking about the growth of Best Friends over the last twenty years. Started by 25 concerned people who wanted to help abandoned animals, Best Friends now employs over 400 staff members. A nationally renowned organization, they provide disaster relief aid, helping thousands of animals in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Best Friends provides training for shelter workers from all over the country in areas such as starting a sanctuary, fundraising, behavioral training for dogs, and public relations.

After the orientation film, eight of us piled into the Best Friends van. Pam and her own rescued pet dog, Callie, took us to tour the facilities.

Pam drove us several miles back from the main road, past the horse pasture where we met a couple of horses grazing. Pam explained that horses are often given up when they can no longer be ridden either due to medical problems or old age. As we drove along, Pam shared that Best Friends owns 3000 acres and leases an additional 30,000 acres from the BLM. The space provides a great buffer between 600 barking dogs and the neighbors! We also drove past Angel's Rest, the pet cemetery. Hundreds of wind chimes tinkle in the breeze donated in memory of cherished pets. The graves are marked with stones. Pam warned us to bring a box of Kleenex if we visited the memorials with very moving inscriptions.

Our first stop was the Cat Headquarters.

We met some of the special needs kitties - blind kitties, tailless kitties, incontinent kitties, disabled kitties. Some were shy but most responded to our petting and demonstrations of affection.

Kitties are free to roam inside or outside. Attached to the buildings, enclosed patios have high rafters for kitties to stroll across, toys, kitty condos, and hide-aways.

Next stop - Dogtown. Thanks to a generous contribution from a couple from CA, the dogs have wonderful housing. Octagonal buildings contain separate pens, each pen holds a pack of four dogs who are matched for temperament to live together peacefully.

Dogs can go in and out as they please. Evaporative swamp coolers keep the building air-conditioned even through desert summers.

Back in November 2006, I wrote about our two week stay at Desert Haven Animal Refuge in Williamsburg, New Mexico. Desert Haven is modeled on Best Friends, although on a much smaller scale. I was inspired to help Eliana Aubin, President of the Sierra County Humane Society, by revamping their web site. Check it out at www.deserthavenanimalrefuge.com. Both Best Friends and Desert Haven need donations and volunteers. But Desert Haven doesn't have the high profile of Best Friends. If you go to southern Utah, check out Best Friends. In New Mexico, check out Desert Haven. Best Friends has just installed two RV sites and Desert Haven has a small RV park on the property.In either place, the animals need you.