Springtime at Cha-Wi-Ma Campground

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.