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ScoutsPal

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  1. ScoutsPal

    Another season ends

    By ScoutsPal,

    We are currently in Elkhart, IN on our annual fall weekend trip with Sandy's cousin and her husband. The trip down on Friday was a beautiful fall travel day with puffy white clouds scattered around bright blue skies. But the weather forecast called for conditions that reinforce October's standing as a risky time for outdoor activities--rain, on and off followed by more rain and the chance of thunderstorms. Oh well, our last outing of the season was planned two months ago and we didn't plan for outdoor activities anyway. And the weathermen did increase their forecast average (if they keep such a statistic).
    Scout was boarded for the weekend to improve the experience for him and us. He will get to play with lots of other dogs and we are able to come and go without leaving him alone in the coach for extended periods. And, I don't have to be out walking in the rain multiple times a day which is most probably his favorite activity and one of my least favorite.
    The reason for choosing Elkhart as our destination was to visit the RV/MH Hall of Fame. Since museums, halls of fame, battlefields, etc. are not Sandy's ideas of a great time I have had to repeatedly try to convince her over the past two months that she was going to enjoy this one. I think she got more out of it than she expected (whew!) which means I may get to pick next year's fall destination. I am not going to go into detail on the Hall of Fame but I will say if you are in the area you really should make it a point to visit. I found it interesting to trace the progression of amenities in RVs since the first versions hit America's roads almost 100 years ago.
    On the way home today we are going to stop at Bontrager's Surplus in White Pigeon, Michigan to try to find a few items for minor repairs that are no longer made. If they don't have what we are looking for I guess we will have to start swapping original for replacement parts.
    This was our third season with our coach and it was our most ambitious with out of state trips to Nashville and Myrtle Beach and several weekend excursions, one of which included attending our first rally with an FMCA chapter in September.
    Once home we will empty the coach and get it winterized and start planning for next season's expeditions. Over the next six months or so I am going to be wishing we lived in a more temperate climate with the ability to be on the go throughout the year. But we are in the upper midwest and I still have a few years to work so it requires parking the rig for a large part of the year. But at least we get out earlier and stay out longer than our boating friends back home.
  2. ScoutsPal

    Life's A Beach...

    By ScoutsPal,

    ...and sometimes it is best not to go to the beach.
    We recently concluded our longest trip in our coach with our vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC. While it was our fifth visit in total, it was our first in the motorhome. And to say I some apprehension about such a lengthy journey would be an understatement. It is our third summer with our coach and only the second time we ventured outside Michigan.
    Some of my concerns were the 12 hour first day, travelling with a 1-year old, and what if we experience one of those unfortunate incidents you read so much about here in the forums or on blogs. We were on a pretty tight schedule because my son-in-law couldn't get more than a week off. So in an eight day trip we would be spending four days on the road. Not exactly my idea of relaxing. And what if Landon doesn't nap well with all the noises and bouncing around that result from driving on America's highways.
    I am happy to say we had no mechanical problems, Landon was a great traveler (the bangings just replaced the noise machine his parents play while he is sleeping), and the long days in the saddle weren't all that bad. We were initially disappointed that our stay was going to be short (Monday afternoon through Friday) but as I will explain shortly, even that was not a problem.
    We were on the road at 5am on Sunday morning. I have always liked getting an early start and being on the road when the sun comes up, especially when the first day is going to be a 12 hour drive. I want to be in camp at a reasonable time so I get a little relaxation in the evening. It was a beautiful start to the day in Michigan and Ohio, but by the time we reached West Virginia we started getting intermittent rain from about Charleston through to our first stop in Wytheville, Virginia.
    By the time we reached Myrtle Beach (Lakewood Camping Resort) we were engulfed in a weather system that just would not evacuate the Grand Strand area. It rained every single day we were there. Some days more than others, but it rained every day. And sometimes it rained for a long time or very hard. We did get a great "beach" day on Wednesday so after breakfast we all headed out for sun and fun in the ocean.
    Later, after spending the morning on the beach, my wife and I took the rental car out for a few hours alone. We are always looking for a place on the ocean where we can get lunch and a drink or two and enjoy the ocean breeze. For the third time we found ourselves at Riverside Cafe-Lattitude 22 in Surfside Beach and I have to say it has become a little gross since the first time we found it. Later, as we were making our way through downtown Myrtle Beach we stumbled across the 2nd Ave. Pier Restaurant and open air bar. This has become our new spot for future visits to the Grand Strand. It overlooks the 2nd Ave. pier and to the north the Myrtle Beach skyline and is a perfect spot to sit on the balcony on a beautiful day and bask in the salt air breeze with a cold drink. As we headed back to Lakewood the western sky was looking pretty ominous...and shortly after getting there the rain came again.
    By Friday the beach opportunities were disappearing as we woke up to a steady, persistent rain that looked like it would be with us for the whole day. By now, because of the ever present rain and clouds, the mood of our party had changed from hopeful to one of gloom. I suggested, "If you want to leave, we can probably find sunshine by Florence!" Besides, we had twenty hours to travel Saturday and Sunday to get home, why not get an early start?
    After about three proddings they finally agreed and we pulled out of Myrtle Beach at 2:30pm and made our way to Lexington, SC and found our sunshine in Florence as predicted. The sun and warm temps we were with us the rest of the trip.
    Not only was this our longest trip to date but it was the first with Landon that wasn't just a weekend and there was some real traveling to be done. It was great watching him experience new things like the beach and cruising around the campground on the golf cart. The highlight of each day was his coming into our bed in the morning to greet us with his smile and happy disposition. Each day our activities had to be planned around his meals and naps which meant outings were generally pretty short. And as most of you will know, those are key components to keeping a 1-year old in that happy disposition. His schedule is pretty regimented so we become critically aware of any attempts to cheat it.
    All in all, the trip was great fun and even though our primary destination was a washout we have already begun brainstorming ideas for next summer's get away. Landon will be two and may start to form some memories of these trips by then. His mother was brought up camping and she retains many fond memories of past vacations we took with her grandparents and she wants the same for her son. We are indeed blessed to be able to share our travels with our family and be a part of creating memories that will be with our grandson for his lifetime.
  3. ScoutsPal
    Since our June trip to Nashville we have pretty much been housebound for a couple reasons. First, the coach was out of commission for a time but it is now back in service and ready to hit the road. And then there has been the overwhelming job of transitioning my mother-in-law from being independent to assisted living. She was hospitalized in early July, went to rehab for 2 1/2 weeks, and was moved to her new residence this past Friday. Along with that there is the huge job of dismantling and re-distributing 90 years of accumulated belongings. The burden of this job falls mainly on my wife as her brother is more of a nuisance than help, although he doesn't dispute anything she does, he just argues and complains about everything making the whole situation more stressful than necessary. The old apartment will be vacated completely by today and then the job of deciding what to do with the storage shed full of her possessions will begin in earnest.
    From this experience I have decided that I don't want to leave this much "stuff" for my daughter (and only child) to have to deal with when we have made our final journeys. Although we will not likely become fulltimers because my wife does not want to be away from our grandson (and his future siblings) for any length of time, I think adopting a fulltimer's mindset will be the way to go--"If you can't carry it with you, you don't need it." It will be a mighty task convincing her to unload much of our accumulated "stuff" before daughter is forced to deal with it.
    As this process is cleaned up in these waning days of July, it is time for a much needed break. Next weekend we will be taking a short trip to Frankenmuth, aka Michigan's "Little Bavaria." It is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from home and yet a world away. And hopefully, all the cares and worries of the past month will disappear for at least three days. It will also be a chance to rest and recharge before our journey to Myrtle Beach in three weeks with our daughter and her family.
    We will stay at the Jellystone Park which is a short distance from downtown as they provide a shuttle to Zehnder's and back. There will be at least one dinner in Zehnder's bar while watching the Detroit Tigers try to re-establish their comeback from a disappointing season thus far. My wife has a pre-determined route of shops to visit when in town. Other than that there will be a lot of kicking back and unwinding intermingled with walks with Scout intended to burn off his excess energy and get him out to meet others of his species.
    The Frankenmuth Jellystone is an older park built before the proliferation of slides and awnings. Many of the sites are very narrow and require a willingness for "closeness" with your neighbors that I don't possess. They have, however, done some restructuring of a couple areas and converted two old sites into single "deluxe" sites. We will be on one of these. They are also upgrading the electric on these bigger sites to 50 amp but you need to make sure you are getting one of the upgraded sites if you stay there, at least during hot weather if you want to run both air conditioners. It is a good family park as they have lots of planned activities for the kids.
    So all I have to do is get through another work week and I can work on enjoying the good life (at least for a short time).
  4. ScoutsPal
    My wife and I have owned our 2008 Bounder 38P for two years and just recently joined FMCA. Previously we roamed the country with a 26 foot travel trailer. The story of how we came to be owners of our coach is, I think, worthy of a chuckle.
    We began our marriage going on camping vacations with her parents in their trailer. There were many good trips in those years, along with the expected issues when living in such close quarters with the in-laws. When our daughter came along she was added to the entourage. As she got older vacations were planned around places and activities to be enjoyed by children. Since Rving was pretty much the mode of travel our daughter was accustomed to she grew up not being too enamored of stays in hotels (she liked having her own bed and not sharing it with thousands of strangers).
    Then my father-in-law passed away in 1997. My mother-in-law sold the trailer and when we went anywhere we became guests of various hotels. After a couple not too pleasant experiences it became obvious to all of us we had to get back into taking our beds (and bathroom) with us. In 2000 we bought our own travel trailer and used it for the next ten years. By this time I said I wouldn't buy another.
    My wife grew up going to her grandparents lakeside cottage and from those years she has many wonderful memories. Once we sold our camper she got the bug to look for a cottage. So we started looking, and looking, and looking. But we just didn't find the right combination of cottage, location, and price. In June, 2010 we went to one of the lakes we were scoping out to check a couple more prospects and my wife said since we will be close let's go to a nearby dealer and see if they have any motorhomes of interest.
    Well, they did, we got nostalgic for the RV lifestyle, and we went home that day as owners of a coach and at the same time became former cottage prospectors. A couple weeks later our daughter got married and two days later we picked up our "new to us" coach. Needless to say daughter was quite happy with our purchase. It became her job to convince her new husband (who was not a "camper") that this was going to be fun.
    In the two years since, my wife has not completely settled the issue of coach vs. cottage. She still likes the idea of a cottage and has on more than one occasion suggested maybe we do both. Since I still have a few years to work I keep telling her we don't have time for both. I am convinced one or the other will be under utilized. And both are too expensive for that.
    In the meantime we now have a new grandson we will be introducing to the motorcoach life. And that makes his mommy very happy. So I will be continuing the battle "To Travel" for as long as I can.
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