Home unexpectedly

Nov 3 to Dec 31/13

As some of you know my dear Dad passed away and we came home to be with him before it happened.  One day short of 88 years old - he taught me many things and most importantly to "enjoy life".  

This has been an awareness in a good way.  We learned that you can be on the road and get a warehouse for the coach and a flight home in a matter of 36 hours.   Everyone is so compassionate and helpful in your time of trouble. 

We will be back on the road in January till then Happy Holidays to everyone. 

Happy Halloween

Halloween Quilt  at Suwannee River Quilt Shop

Kissimmee and the Orlando area

Oct 28 - 31/13 Hot Weather high 80's to 90 - heard it might actually be close to record high !

We stopped in the area to checkout a few campgrounds for the future.    The proximity to Disney World and Universal Studios is the key to the campground we are staying at this week, the Orlando/Kissimmee KOA.
It is not a very big park surprisingly but it has some of the longest sites we have ever seen in the last couple years.  They have premium pull-thru sites that are over 145 feet.  We could fit a couple of our rigs on one site with plenty parking too.   Our neighbour is staying here waiting to move into Disney's campground - Fort Wilderness.  You need to book at least 1 year in advance to camp there!!!  Well that may never happen for us I guess since we normally don't have next week planned out.  You can see he is ready to go there, check out his front window when he pulled in.  And they have no grandkids with them, so funny, he tells us he loves Mickey Mouse.

Mickey and Minnie

Another campground that is popular is where our friends like to stay Tropical Palms RV Resort.  It is right behind Old Town.  A very large park and lots of cabins too.   
October is not a busy month here and yet the roads are so congested and traffic so busy we do not feel  very comfortable on the motorcycle.    Yes we know its location, location, location and tourists, tourists, tourists:)
We also looked into the prices for Disney World and Universal.  If we have any mad money  left over in the spring we will stop back on our way home for 3 or 4 more days and see the parks.  Bring your credit card as the prices are over powering.  Yikes!

Ranch Country - Williston Florida

Oct 21 to 28   Sunny and warm each day (70 to 80) but cool at night (40 to 50)
We stopped in North Central Florida for a week for some R & R after the busy schedule we kept at the Rally.   We picked up a special price for a week at one of the booths and thought "why not, it is on our way down into Florida".   

See the Covered Bridge behind Billy?

The RV park is nicely laid out with a well established section and then a brand new area where we had a nice size pull thru.   Williston Crossings RV Resort  has a couple of unique landmarks with a Covered Bridge that you drive your rig through and some old Train cars that they are turning into a cafe and lounge maybe even an ice cream soda fountain...  Great idea! 

In this area of Florida the traffic is not so hectic mostly ranch hands and it is nice motorcycle riding through the Horse Farms from Gainesville to Ocala.   We went out everyday just taking in the beauty of the county roads.  

Loved this little shack,,,, can you imagine if you bought a Florida cottage on line and came down and found it was something like this?   That's what I was thinking when I took this pic :)

Of course when we are out riding for a few days we absolutely must stop at a local Harley Davidson dealer, and Gainesville HD was only about a half hour a way.    What a paint job on this 2013 Road King CVO!!!  And the chrome - bling!!!

One day we sat with a local couple who said we ought to get into Ocala to the Pumpkin Run Classic Car show.  Sunday was another beautiful day so we ventured down and found some beautiful old cars.

Happy Trails:) A Campers Good bye

October 21/13 Monday 
Pulling out had to be accomplished by 11 am and the power was being turned off by 8 am.  We thought lots of rigs would pull out bright and early so we did not set our alarm.  As it turned out no one was in a big hurry.   The camping/parking lot had emptied out about half on the Sunday as you can see the pockets of spots from the picture below.  

When we were doing our final pack up we heard some music coming from one of the RV'ers.  Billy was laughing and laughing; he said "you know that song right?   it's from Roy Rogers 'till we meet again'.   I bust out laughing and said "is it Happy Trails?"  It sure was.!  What a great camaraderie campers have.   That set our mood for the day.  How can you not have a great day after such warm wishes from a fellow camper?

Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.
It's the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here's a happy one for you.

Happy trails to you,
Until we meet again.
Happy trails to you,
Keep smilin' until then.

Who cares about the clouds when we're together?
Just sing a song, and bring the sunny weather.

Happy trails to you,
Til we meet again. 

2013 Good Sam Rally Atlanta Georgia

Oct 16 to 21 Wednesday to Monday   Weather was mostly sunny and 70's, two days of misty showers
All activity goes on inside the track.  All the displays, new RV's, seminars, exhibitions, shopping, shows, events, and even test driving motorhomes on the inside track..... 

Billy found his dream RV he's only short about $700,000

  Any empty area has camping for handicap and all the exhibition people.   So it was packed!  

Seminars run every day from 9 am to 5 pm.  There are 6 tents holding the seminars with plenty of seats.   We went to RV cleaning, Waste Management, Refrigerator Mtce, Caravan to Australia and South Africa, and 120 volt Electrical Safety.  There are many more subjects and the seminars are free with your camping! 

In between the seminars we did some shopping for items we had on our spare parts list.  When you have an RV there is always a list of widgets... new straps for the awnings, hydraulic cylinders, latches and more.  This was a convenient place to find the items not always available and of course they all had show special prices!

There were also lots of RV resorts promoting specials all over the USA.  Free nights, half price weeks and extreme discounts on months.  
In the really big tents there were cooking demonstrations by Bob Blumer from Food Network and a trick dog show by K9 Kings.  These dogs were so obedient, and tricky jumpers! 

The CEO Marcus Lemonis did a special event where he gave away prizes.   You could also stand up and tell him a beef about Camping World/Good Sam or praise.   He would make it right for you.   He also gets crazy giving away things.   One couple won a BBQ and he said "what would you really like?"  They said "a trip to Hawaii".  He said "OK".  The crowd went wild,,,, and he did give them a trip to Hawaii!!!

Good Sam Mascot and Marcus beside him

He was an excellent speaker too, some of you might see him on the "Celebrity Apprentice" or his own show "The Profit".  
So we head back to our RV every night and then the entertainment begins.   Live in concert each night a different venue.... The Beach Boys, Vince Gill and The Vogues.   And Fireworks.  We definitely enjoyed the entire 5 days and will be watching for the next Rally.

2013 Good Sam Rally Atlanta, Georgia - Getting There and camping

 Oct 16/13 Wednesday - Weather is beautiful, sunny and 70's
We staged our overnight stay so we would have about 1 hour to drive to enter The Rally.  Our entrance was posted for the p.m. which could be anywhere between noon and 5 pm.  We also planned on passing through Atlanta using the west bypass by 10 to 10:30.  Traffic was not so bad, mostly trucks and it worked great. 

Bypass around Atlanta

Getting off I75 at exit 218 for Hampton which is about 30 miles south of Atlanta we pleasantly spotted a grocery store with access for our size so we made a quick stop to replenish our Corona supply and a few food items.  Ten miles up the road we came to the signs to follow right into the Atlanta Speedway parking lot.  870 acres...... wow!   

Atlanta Motor Speedway Map

 

Atlanta Speedway in the distance.... What is waiting around the corner?

Coming to the gate we could see some campers already setup - Wow when did they get here??? We came in on an early bird day thinking we would be avoiding the crowd.  Ha Ha so that means all these campers came in on Tuesday or Wednesday morning....  Keeners!

First lot of campers we came upon

 
The volunteers were so well organized and they just kept signalling us with flags to move.  On the inside  front of our window we placed a large barcode and color coded entry form. 

Volunteer guiding us to our spot

 They had us pulled right up to the Speedway wall lot and hooked up to 30amp power in about 10 minutes.  No water or sewers but we did pay extra for the 30amp power, $240 for 5 nights (price includes all seminars, events, entertainment, camping).  By the time we put out our slides and looked around we were swallowed up by the coaches and trailers!  We had never been to any parking for a concert or game event that was so well controlled.

The Bourne's Rig setup in front row of parking lot with power

We put out our chairs and had a refreshment to congratulate ourselves on getting here, getting setup, and enjoying the excitement of camping with 2,600 other campers:)

Front of our site

Before the end of the afternoon we caught a shuttle to the Registration hut inside the track.  There we picked up our goodie bag and name badge lanyards that must be worn around our neck for the entire Rally to get in all the events.

On the Road Again..... to the Good Sam/Camping World National Rally

Oct 13, 14, 15  Beautiful Fall weather 

Our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend was a final visit with our family and then on the Sunday morning we pulled out and headed to Ohio for our first night.  The road to the Ambassador Bridge is quite the construction zone..... hope someday it will be across the Detroit River and not the bridge to nowhere???

It is becoming a good habit to stop and see our Buckeye friends near Van Buren, Ohio.   We first met them years ago in Aruba and we love to stop and see them and talk about our favorite island.   Even had a couple of Margarita's - right Beth & Bill?

Quaint little campground close to them is Pleasant View Recreation  Fall leaves were beautiful.
Next day we drove to Corbin, Kentucky and pulled into the KOA which has some nice long sites set in a nice treed area.  Tuesday we drove just to the north side of Atlanta to another KOA Cartersville there were many campers in tonight headed to the Rally tomorrow!!
So far only 710 miles from where we started and 3 easy days on the road.  We sleep in and pull off the freeway early.  All 3 days were good warm weather and putting us in a perfect spot to head into the rally tomorrow which is on the south side of Atlanta.  It is being held at the Atlanta NASCAR speedway.   We received a package a month ago with lots of info.  There are tours and seminars and entertainment at night and exhibitors and new motorhomes.  So much to do and see so we better get our walking shoes ready..... we will definitely have a few blog notes from this event in the next few days.     Take a look at the link to this event  The Rally
I know we have a few friends and my brother who love the Bluebird Wanderlodge coaches..... had to snap a couple of shots of this beautiful older coach while we were in Cartersville.

Scene of a Marina on the back!!!!

 

Skies in Erieau

Red sky at night sailors delight, Red sky in the morning sailors take warning .....

The small village of Erieau gives you a great fall sunset on the Lake Erie beachfront and in the morning we get a rising sun over the waters to the east towards Rondeau Shores.  Truly beautiful.

So we have not been on the road much this summer but realized that we have some wonderful moments to enjoy right here. 

Quilting Fool

As some of you know I have found a new hobby and want to learn enough to be capable of making some projects this winter.... Machine Quilts.   My old sewing machine was good to me for forty years; but I just couldn't resist a new Baby Lock.    Wow it's like going from the Dinasour age to the Space age.   This machine is awesome, just wish I knew how to use it!!!  Seriously I am reading all 4 manuals slowly and doing a small project, a table runner to learn.  I am taking a 7 week quilting class at Quilting Confections. The ladies are super nice and so helpful and our teacher Heather made us feel at ease while teaching us all the tricks to making a beautiful quilt. Then when we are down south I can feel comfortable stitching away.  "Oh and yes all our kids and grand kids and friends and family will be getting quilts from here on....  Ha ha!"

Erieau in August 2013

Summer seems to have cooled down into the mid 70's.   Local's say summer forgot to come to Ontario this year. 

Ahoy there mate is your captain aboard???  Looks like a Tall Ship has pulled into our harbour.  This sailing ship came in one night and her home port is Halifax, Nova Scotia!!! She is a little ways from home. 

There was a big Art and Craft show in the village boulevard last weekend.  We met many old friends and saw some cool stuff.  See what you can make from junk?  

And the neatest idea was a photographer that takes pictures of letters in day to day items then puts the letters together to spell a picture word !!!! 

I have not seen this before and thought it was pretty nifty.....

Driving on Toll Roads

Very interesting difference between the U.S.  and Canada when it comes to the cost and the reason why.

We have used the toll roads in Texas around Houston and in Florida around Orlando with minimal charges.  The highest cost was around $8.00 and you have to pull into a toll booth with an attendant.

So in Toronto we took the 407ETR to avoid heavy traffic and learned the heavy cost of not having a toll booth attendant! Let's employ more people Canada!!!

It is an Automatic $50.00 for the video charge for a heavy vehicle RV or commercial.  The only way to avoid this charge is to sign up for a transponder yearly.  The FAQ's state you need to use it a minimum of 4 times to make it economically feasible.   Oh and that $50 is not your toll fee that is additional.  Ours was $24 running from the on ramp in Milton westbound to the off ramp for Hwy 400.  So it's a matter of easier driving at a cost of $75 one way....   Something to know when driving around Toronto:)

Your other option is to take 401 Hwy which is traffic jammed most every day or find a hwy that meanders thru the countryside.  The downside would be your time and diesel fuel sitting in traffic.  Roads in the atlas don't tell you the dollars but sometimes it's worth your sanity!

Stop and Smell the Flowers in Port Carling

July 15 & 16 Record temps 94

Well we wished for nice weather and I guess we got it!

We left on the Harley's Monday to avoid the weekend cottage crowd, which was a great idea.   Who knew it would be sweltering?   It was the hottest 2 days we have spent riding in all our trips.  But the scenery was beautiful and we rode along the lakes and water as much as possible.  You can use the Ontario Backroads Maps to chart out plenty of less travelled scenic roads.

Lake Simcoe, Severn Falls, Bala, Port Carling, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Jackson's Point and Keswick were a few of the places we visited. Our round trip was close to 250 miles which was the perfect amount to split in half with our starting/ending base in Cookstown. We stayed in a wonderful B&B called The Manse in Port Carling ...exceptionally nice hosts Bill & Linda had unique suites for us and a pampered chef breakfast the next morning.

Our suite had the Noah's Arc theme with so much great attention to detail; it was a Methodists Minister's early 1900's period home till they converted it into a B&B.  

This was Barb and Les's first overnight trip. We have ourselves a Bike Gang now!

Innisfil countryside & Creemore Springs

July 13/2013 warm weather and a heat wave coming

Toronto North/Cookstown KOA. Is a great spot if you want to have friends visit since they have several cabins for rent.  Our friends Les and Barb are doing the extreme lodging.... They just spent a few days in a beautiful pampered setting at St. Anne's Spa and have arrived here and settled into a "rustic" cabin! 

We are planning on doing some motorcycle riding together.  Les and Billy decided the first destination should be the craft brewery in Creemore Springs.  There are two twisty roads to ride; east on side road 20 off Airport Road along Pine River then north on 24 head west to Creemore on county road 9. Pretty scenery.   Then of course a little taste testing:)