The End (maybe)

This is all over – but is it the end ?

31/05/08

We flew out of Orlando on Thursday 22nd May back to the UK on a completely full Virgin 747, in stark contrast to our trip out to the USA last November on the same airline. This did not detract from the excellent service given by the crew of VS028, who were bright, cheerful and accommodating.
I suppose we could actually add the miles travelled from and to the UK across the Atlantic, but it would not be miles driven, so they would not count. We have not included the miles driven in the rental cars at the start and finish of our epic journey, or fuel for the same, but I can reveal a few facts about the trip.

We travelled through 22 states covering 11,324 miles and if it were not for the fuel increasing in price almost daily, we would have come in under budget on fuel costs, as it was we were slightly over. The food and drink came in under budget, but gawd knows how, ‘cos we didn’t stint on either. Some people said that we had our fair share of troubles with the RV, but considering the age of the beast, it was quite reasonable, and repairs actually came in $1 under budget. We were assisted by a weak dollar which made for a favourable exchange rate, for anyone else wanting to emulate our trip, I would say GO FOR IT, but you would need to budget at around £2000 per month.

So after a nine hour flog across the Atlantic and multiple journeys by train and car we finally arrived back where it all started, to be greeted by friends and family for a BBQ, in what was very reasonable weather for the UK.

21/5/08

Tuesday saw us back at Universal, but this time for the Islands of Adventure. I haven’t been on a roller coaster for years, but it was Janes birthday, and how can you possibly spoil that, so whenever she said “lets go on there” I succumbed. Started off on a quite small but quick and twisty one, and worked our way up through the Dragons Duel (twice) to the “Hulk”, with the odd water splash on the way. We must have been too much for the Hulk, ‘cos it didn’t run for ages afterwards, and when it did there were no riders for the next four trips that we watched.
Legs were completely shot this time, good job they have moving walkways back to the car park.

So Wednesday was spent very quietly buying a couple of odds and sods to take back with us to UK. Flight VS028 is timed for pushback at 17.50, and it has been on time the last two days, so tomorrow we are out of here.
Sad ain’t it? The blog is not quite finished though, a few statistics will get published after a period of recuperation in the UK, depends on how long the bruises take to heal after my grandsons have finished with me!!!

The drive back to Orlando included about five drops of rain, but then the sun took over as usual. We were far too early for check in but managed to pass time with a meal and a sunbathe.

Monday saw us at Universal Studios checking out all the shows, especially The Blues Brothers, as good as they were last time I was here. All the shows are good, it all depends how old/young you are at heart. The legs were starting to have a whinge by the end of the day, and the long walk back to the car seemed to take for ever.

17/5/08

Tomorrow we are off to Orlando for the final part of our adventure, perhaps as well, this place is going to get awfully crowded with the 50th running of the Daytona 500.
We have already bought the tickets for Universal and Islands of Adventure, so it looks as though the final days will be hectic enough to keep our minds off the fact that we fly home soon.

We were going to visit Laurie & Robbie from Lake Roselie, down the coast a ways in Sebastian State Park, but there are brush fires down in that area, with major road closures, so I do not see the point in putting ourselves in dangerous situations when there is no real necessity.
Keeping in touch with people in the UK has not been a problem, as you can see from the PC shot of Jane talking to Sue.

I really do not think we have got over our “lazy days” at Lake Rosalie, the time just seems to disappear into thin air, but I really do love watching the Pelicans as they fly in formation along the beach line, hardly ever flapping their wings as they cruise along. The sea is colder here than at Clearwater, and although many do, I do not think I will be going in there, the pool is a much better bet, just a wimp I guess. The temps are higher now, as you can see from the picture, 91F at 19.20.

The West coast to the East coast drive on Monday was made in perfect weather, although it was a little windy, and would have rattled the RV a bit, but that is long gone now. We are still carrying a lot of odds and ends that the “normal tourist” would not. We seem to have accumulated a milk crate full of toiletries and anti bug stuff, along with food etc. which tend to fill the crooks and nannies in the car. So when we arrived here in Daytona, and the receptionist told me the room was on the 5th floor, I wasn’t best amused. The maid at the next hotel is going to think all her birthdays have come at once when we finally depart from Orlando.

10/05/08 b

The drive to Clearwater Beach was very pleasant with hardly any traffic, but then it was Thursday and not in rush hour.
On arrival we drove along the back streets looking for a seedy motel with “amenities”, and boy did we find one. It did have a heated pool etc, but the microwave would not have held the many roaches that appeared to live in the dingy smelly room and no cooker.
We did find a reasonable place, at a reasonable price and cheaper than seedy Harrys, pity about the Hyatt having a new hotel being built opposite, but if you look carefully at the building site picture you will see the beach umbrella on the beach..
The temperature is much higher than when we were here in December, (see TV photo) and the then deserted beaches, are quite full and active now.

10/5/08

Yesterdays morning walk to get some goodies, turned into quite an adventure, we bought tickets to go Parasailing in the afternoon. A 1½ hour cruise on a fast boat, and 15 minutes of exhilaration in the air, with the mandatory dunk in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico at the end. We both agree that it was a fantastic experience, and after all those years in the RAF, the first time I had been on the end of a chute.
Seems we were really doing the touristy stuff, with Margaritas overlooking the sea, a walk along pier 60 and then watching the street entertainers plying their trade. A young escapologist and break dancers who were very good, and belly dancers who were absolute rubbish.

8/5/8

Yesterday we took advantage of Susans offer to use the boat, and with a crew of one captain Ahab set off across the bay for a small uninhabited island. Turned out there were about eight other boats there as well, together with a million dogs. A trip on the bay that turned out to be yet another pleasant experience.

Susan & Normans boat parking

She would have been miffed if I hadn't let her drive!

The 6th was “sorting out day”, getting all the stuff back into some semblance of order in the cases ready for a little more travelling and the return flight back to UK.Then encouraged by Doreens comments on Skype, we decided to throw caution to the wind and went into the pool. The 18F degree difference was quite a shock to the system, but was very invigorating, and ended up being very pleasant in the sunshine after that.

Then a drive to Tampa Airport to pick up the rental car, and do not let any rental company con you into getting an upgrade. The economy cars are big enough for two and four cases, they are slightly spartan with hand crank windows, but we have been used to that in the RV. We just beat the rush hour, so it was a pleasant drive back, at least for me posing in the open top BMW. (see previous photos at Alafia)

Evening of the 5th was very pleasant, but a bit sad. We drove over to Alafia where Eric and Margaret were camping and enjoyed a BBQ in that beautiful State Park.

Eric and I managed to dispose of a few beers and a considerable amount of wine, (the girls were not drinking so we had to).

It will probably be a while before we meet again, but friendships last, as this one has done for almost 52 years. Cannot remember much about the drive back, but I woke up at Apollo Beach so it must have been OK.

Spare ribs were great.

Eric in a pensive mood??

5/5/8

Last night we all went out on Normans and Susans boat to watch the sunset over Tampa bay, a lovely cruise with a glass of wine, topped off by the appearance of three dolphins cavorting around the boat. Jumping out of the water quite close to us. No photos of that I’m afraid, some silly sod did not take the camera with him.

However we took the RV up to Holiday on Sunday as promised and the new owner is pretty pleased with his purchase, and I hope Rick and his mum enjoy it as much as we did. Just the trailer to shift now, and we have left that in the capable hands of Norman at his garage, on full display to all his customers.

Rick and his Mum


Friday night (2nd) we drove up to Catfish Pond Campsite where we had a final two days near Wickee Wachee where we managed to burn all our remaining wood in the fire ring, and practice on the lake in a double kayak for the forthcoming trip down the river. We missed out on the first day, ‘cos we were too late arriving, so booked an early one for Saturday morning. Seven and a half miles of gentle drifting with the flow, on a beautifully clear river, unfortunately we did not see any Manetees, but there was one highlight of the trip when Jane fell in whilst trying to get out at the end. Out of all the people there, only one laughed, but I should be fully recovered in a few days.We drove back to Susans after the river kayaking and managed to empty the RV , filled plastic and cardboard boxes, plus two suitcases with all our junk. The one hour that we estimated for doing the job was a little bit adrift, it actually took four hours, and we were both completely kn……..d at the end. It is a pity we do not know now where anything is. After 5 months on the road and being able to put a hand on everything needed without hardly moving, it has come as a bit of a shock.


The trial boats on the lake

The shadow is the oar on the bottom

30/04/08

More accessible to the punters is probably not the word, but, it obviously worked, we readvertised the bike and it sold within 2 days, so Jane rode it all the way from Lake Wales to Apollo Beach (80 miles), she was a bit miffed when it went but all the toys have to eventually. We spent two nights with Susan and Norman, whilst the bike purchaser obtained the full asking price from his bank.
Just before leaving Apollo Beach at 10am I readvertised the RV on Craigslist, at 11.50 we got a call from a guy wanting to see it. He lived near Clearwater, so we diverted nearer there. He saw it and liked it, but would not commit until his wife saw it, so said he would come to wherever we were staying on the night. We set off for Weeki Wachee, and the cell rang again at 17.15 whilst passing through Holiday, a guy said he would like to see it, guess where he lived – Holiday. To cut the story short, he bought it there and then, so technically WE ARE HOMELESS. However the purchaser said we could keep it until Sunday to allow us to remove our personal rubbish. (Our words – not his).The blog is not finished, we have, or will be, reverting to plan B, but we haven’t invented it yet!!!! Watch this space!!

27/04/08

We have been hooked on a game that Robbie and Lorrie showed us. It is called Joker, and played on a board using marbles and multiple decks of cards.
Further to that Justin, Brenda and family pulled in with a superb built to order motorhome. It is based on a Volvo wagon chassis and is BIG. 12’ 3” high and 43 feet long.
They soon learned to play the game, and believe me it is quite cut throat when six are playing.
When they go we will be back to four players, but is still very interesting, I have all the rules and plans for the board, I will definitely be making one on my return to UK.We have decided to move out on Monday 28th, all the gear has been advertised on the internet, and we have had a couple of “sniffs”. So are moving nearer to civilisation to be more accessible Joker by night
Even Robbies rig looks small beside the purpose built.

20/04/08-c

Life has not been without its excitement, on the way back from Sun ‘n Fun, we heard a strange noise from under the bonnet, turns out it was the clutch on the air conditioning pump overheating, sparks and things were flying about under the bonnet when I checked. Could not get the clutch off so it ended up as a complete unit change, what a pig of a job!! We could be back on the road now though if we wanted, even if we haven’t had the system charged. Who needs A/C ?? , we just open the windows wider.

One slightly scorched clutch.
Doesn't look much to change it, but think everything on the engine is fastened to it.

20/04/08-b

We manage to escape occasionally, and on the 12th we went to the annual air show entitled “Sun ‘n Fun” at Lakeland Linder Regional Airfield. This is reckoned to be the second largest in the USA by number of small aircraft, and there were a considerable number of diverse types there.

This one being (I believe only one of three in existence) a car / plane.
The USAF Thunderbirds display team

20/04/08

The complaints department has been overworked of late reading and sometimes answering emails about why we have not updated the blog recently. It could be that everyone who reads it has put finger to keyboard. I could make hundreds of excuses, but to put it bluntly, nothing new or exciting has been happening.On the 28th of last month after the shuttle landed, we moved across Florida to Lakeland, and that is where we have been since, enjoying the heat, and the alternating rain, sun, rain, sun that seems to be affecting the whole of the state this year. We have fallen very easily into the laid back “Floridian” way of life – for the first time on our trip actually finding time to relax and chill!! We didn’t think everyone would want to hear us constantly ranting about how nice our day had been, how hot the sun was, how warm the pool is etc. etc. Decided to “stay put” in what could be termed as a wrinklies environment (an over 55’s community). It is a very nice “place” albeit quite remote from the local town, and the residents, sorry the people (must remember it is not an old folks home) have been very nice, friendly and inviting to us – making us feel a “part” of the community with the odd BBQ etc. The campground is generally thought of at a winter retreat for the “snowbirds” from the North, and most have now pulled out to return home for what they consider summer.

27/3/08

We arrived on Cocoa Beach but to our amazement could not find a campground, we did however find one further up the road at Canova beach, but again we were lucky, there was one spot left. I had looked up the landing track of the shuttle, and with luck we should have seen it. The problem was cloud, and they cancelled the first landing, so the next was 20.39 local, and it would be dark. It also meant that the track was different, and it came in West to East instead of South to North, we did hear the sonic boom though, and it was loud enough to shake the RV.

Monday 24th
First thing we had to do is get a full lube done on the RV so drove to Jiffy Lube and sat around until they finished it at lunchtime, it was only 1000 miles late, but what the hell it is probably the last one we will have to have done.
The rest of Monday and Tuesday were spent travelling down the country, through South Carolina and Georgia, to end up in a state park in Florida. I remembered that St Augustine was a pretty little old town on the coast, and we decided that we would stay there.
Unfortunately we had forgotten that it is the spring break and the campground was full, but the ranger allowed us to dry camp on the car park along with another couple. We are only about 200 yards from the sea, and the waves have a nice lulling effect, even have WIFI from Island Joes Crab Shack.
Today (Wednesday 26th ) is the day the shuttle flies back in at about 19.15 local, and I hope to be able to see something from the Daytona area. So that is where we are heading later, and another plus is that it will be the first time in shorts for about six weeks, it was great last night to have the sun on ones back again.

24/03/08

Thursday 20th was not raining, but there was sheet ice on the roads and pavements, and although walking was difficult we went once more to see the falls. Then it was a late breakfast and taxi to catch the 12.35 Amtrak back to NY. That finally arrived back at Penn station almost an hour late, so we didn’t get back to the RV until 10 past midnight, hungry and dog tired.

Friday 21st we set off for Washington, but were a little late getting away to battle with the traffic, took a different route out, and although it cost us in tolls, it was not as much as going into NY, ended up doing 160 miles to a place called Abingdon in Maryland.

Saturday 22nd dawned bright but cold and we set off on the 70 miles to the National Military Cemetery of Arlington, parked up and got onto a tour bus. Very good tour of Washington, together with a running commentary of who, when, what and why around the city, museums and art galleries galore, and of course the seat of the American government. Then it was nostalgia, the graves of John Kennedy, memorials to lost shuttle crews, Audie Murphy and the tomb of the unknown soldier with its 24/7 guard, together with thousands of other military personnel and families, dating back to the civil war. Didn’t leave there until 16.30 and we still had a “big shop” to do to replenish supplies, picked a campground out of the books and went for it down the I95. After turning off the freeway, going to the campground, was a Wal-Mart where we could get everything we needed, ended up “boondocking” in the carpark.
Sunday 23rd (My birfday). Opened all the cards we had been carrying for the past four months, and stuck them on the wall. Set off down the highway heading for warmer climes and found them in Wilson, North Carolina. A nice little campground, no noise, apart from the braying of the donkey, a fire ring and plenty of wood. So this ancient one, had a lovely setting to eat the steak and birthday pudding in his daft hat from a cracker, even managed a few beers.