History of a 2003 Keystone Everest 363k

[CWtheMan]

2005 – Highways

Back tracking. Here’s what it looked like traveling west on I-80 From Rawlings, WY to the UT state line. It’s only a glimpse folks. Easy traveling, put it in cruse and relax a bit.

Our best speeds on this type highway was 67-68 MPH, so, I was often checking for tread separations. They never ran hot but they were still being overstressed because of the speed being over their 65 MPH limit.

[CWtheMan]

2006 – Crossville, TN

This was our summer for personal meandering. That’s what we did when we traveled alone. From the Everest Owner’s Club get-together at Natchez Trace SP we decided to go take a look at the casino complex being built at Cherokee, NC under the management of Harrah’s out of Las Vegas.

The Bean Pot RV Park at Crossville, TN would be our resting stop. It was about 220 miles. After this first stop at the Bean Pot it became our place to stop when on I-40. There are lots of things to do nearby including golfing and some nice fishing ponds at the park. The sites are mostly pull-thru with FHU. The camp store has just about everything a traveler will need including propane filling and live bait for fishing. We normally spent 5-7 days there. I’m adding a link. In the link amenities section you’ll see a picture of our rig.

At this point in our travels the Everest has about 20,000 road miles without any problem except tires. We had gone up a load range but ST tires were not very durable, yet. That will Improve in the fallowing years. However, we added a 20' 50 AMP extension cord. We really had to stretch-out the original cord at Frog Level and soon after that, at our next finding of a Camping World store, (Memphis) we got the additional section.

https://www.beanpotcampground.com/amenities.html

[CWtheMan]

2007 – Flaming Arrow CG

The Flaming Arrow CG is listed as being at Whittier, NC. It’s a rural, family oriented CG just 2 miles from the Harrah’s Resort Hotel/Casino complex at Cherokee, NC. It’s becoming huge and has added a bowling alley (16 lanes), a large game room for the underage guests with a large cafeteria.

We drove to this CG from the Bean Pot in TN. We had planned for a 10 day to 2 week stay. The location is quiet and off the highway. From there you can make day trips to Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg, TN. There are numerous CGs in the close by Great Smoky Mountain, NP for overnight camping away from your rig. The NP requires more than one day just driving its road network. As you leave there on the way back to Cherokee there is an entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway where there is a great restaurant overlooking the valleys below.

There is no easy way to get to Cherokee from TN. I don’t recommend trying to go through the Smokey Mountains with a large rig. We drove around on I-40 to US-74 and then all the way back to Cherokee. For first time visitors you may want to go up US-19 (Maggie Valley). It’s slow and busy with not many places to pull-off. There is some nice RV Parks/CGs on that road but they fill-up very early in the spring and without reservations I’d not want to try and find a spot on a vacation weekend. Even with early reservations we had to park in the trees at the Flaming Arrow.

[CWtheMan]

2008 – Tragedy

When we went to Greenville, SC form Cherokee, NC we expected to get the truck and trailer serviced and ready for a summer trip north. But, while in Greenville we were informed that our youngest son (43) had terminal stage 4 pancreatic cancers – it had already migrated to his liver. We would become his care giver! We found a 55+ seniors manufactured home community in the foothills at Taylors, SC. They provided lawn services (cutting, trimming, and blowing) and free weekly trash collection. The doctors gave our son a six-month prognosis and he lived 7, he was 44. It was a year before we started traveling again.

I had found a level and paved storage facility to park the Everest when not in use.

[CWtheMan]

3001 – Round trip, Taylors, SC to Bar Harbor, ME and back.

In the spring of 2007 we planned a trip to Maine. Linda’s sister Barbara and husband Tommy would be traveling with us again. Their sons had all chipped-in and provided them with more than ample spending money.

It would be a long trip, time wise. Almost all of our stops were 10-14 days. We were going to take the northern NY route.

I went over the Everest with a “fine toothed comb”. It caused a week delay in starting because the bedroom slide was not positioning correctly. I took it over to a RV repair facility that has certified Keystone trained mechanics. They used a forklift to remove the slide and found a broken slide rail. Then it was put back together and it worked fine. Our bedroom slide holds queen bed with storage under it and a sizeable wardrobe. We had always traveled with a heavy load on that slide because we carried clothing and shoes for all seasons. For the upcoming trip we would be a lot lighter because we were only carrying what we considered necessary things. Even with our guests things the trailer was well under GVWR. The truck was another story. We at least got it down to being able to carry a full bag of fuel without going over GVWR. I got 200# of the tongue weight by better balancing the trailer’s cargo. Our tires looked like new because they had been covered and were only two and a half years old. But they had sat too long without any movement other than a 180 degree rotation every 3 months. I replaced all of them. I put them out in the front yard with a sign saying they were free and they were gone that afternoon.

When departure day came we decided to take I-85 to Charlotte and then I-77 to I-81 in VA. We had not been up I-77 before. It’s a very scenic highway up some graded climbs. We would end up losing 4 tires on this trip, all to road hazards. The first one was just after entering VA. A Dodge caravan van traveling in our lane lost its transmission. It must have exploded because pieces were flying everywhere. I dodged a couple of large ones with the truck but the driver side lead tire on the trailer struck one of them. I knew it did serious damage because I was watching when it hit the tire and then flew out to the side, missing the trailing tire. I pulled over and sure enough it was a tire change day. It was destroyed. I walked back about a half mile to see if the people in the van were okay and found a middle aged couple still shacking. The man said he thought a bomb went off and didn’t know why he didn’t wreck his van. I offered them the use of my cell but they had one and had already called for a wrecker.

Looking through our RV Parking catalogs for a place to spend the night we found Fort Chiswell RV Park at Max Meadows, VA. It’s located near the junction of I-77 & I-81. It has been a favorite one night stopping place for us whenever traveling I-81 in VA. The sites are mostly pull-thru, level enough to stay hooked-up and a very clean well managed park. And, they have fishing ponds.

(Driving miles from Taylors, SC to Fort Chiswell, VA approx 250)

[CWtheMan]

3002 – Selma, VA

Dixie Caverns RV Park, Salem, VA

It’s a nice older RV park, off the main road and quiet. Sites were level and easy to get into and out of. It was a short drive (150 mi) from our last stop. We had a FHU, 50 AMPS with CATV. We spent a week here exploring the caves and all the tourist shops. Some really nice things found at local yard sales & the flea markets. One of our full-time traveling hobbies was buying at yard sales/flea markets and selling our finds on eBay. Of course, rocks are not something that can be collected because of their weight.

Here’s a link to major attractions at Dixie Caverns.

https://www.dixiecaverns.com/

On this stop I replaced the destroyed tire with a new one. Hi-Run was the name brand and it became the spare.

We were on the go all the time and were very disappointed in our camera, because none of the pictures in the caverns were any good and weren’t even good enough to copy into a computer.

[ladon67]

CW- I have read this post from the beginning and I am at Mackinaw, MI right now. Had to stop and post a "Thank You". This is AWESOME!!! Now to continue reading...

[CWtheMan]

3003 – Interstate 81 North

When we got to Pulaski, NY we would start using rural roads. Until then everything was on I-81.

Our next stop after leaving Selma, VA was at Linglestown, PA, about 280 miles. We found a really nice RV park/CG and spent a couple days catching-up with our cloths washing. I have looked everywhere and cannot find where I wrote down the name of that park. I do have pictures and maybe someone will recognize it. I do know we had a nice back-in with a FHU and CATV with a nice view of a huge open field. Someone said it was used a couple times a year for scouting jamborees. We were far enough away from the big city to find some nice country restaurants which we all like. None of us like fast foods unless we are preparing it.

The shops and stores all had a country atmosphere and we enjoyed our two day stop there.

The Everest was now 5 years old and the only major problem was a broken wooden bedroom slide frame. Surprisingly the OEM house battery was still at 100% (it would last two more years). The awning is starting to show its age and on our next trip to Yuma we’ll have it replaced. The Dodge is mostly bullet proof and this is its second trip at nearly max GVWR. Of course, it never misses a servicing date.

[CWtheMan]

3004 – Pulaski, NY

At our last stop we had made a two week reservation at Brennan Beach RV Resort near Pulaski, NY. We had asked for a water front site but all were taken and we took one on the 2nd row off the beach.

Brennan Beach is situated on the banks of Lake Ontario. It’s a very large campground and if you’re there for a week or so you’ll not have to go anywhere for supplies or things to do because it’s an active place with something going on all the time. If you're lucky you’ll be able to rent a golf cart to travel around in. If not, unhook your POV and visit all the park attractions. Look at all the pictures in the following link. They explain better what’s there than I can.

https://www.rvonthego.com/new-york/b...tory%20Listing

We enjoyed our visit there with all the things to do at the Resort, walking the beach areas and viewing the beautiful sunsets. However we did venture out to some of the surrounding towns such as Mexico, NY, where you can find fancy Mexican restaurants. A short drive down scenic NY-13 is Richland with some nice antique stores/shops/outlets.

[CWtheMan]

3005 – Massena, NY

Our next long stop after leaving Pulaski was for two weeks at Apple Island RV Resort at South Hero, VT. However we made an unplanned stop at Coles Creek State Park near Massena, NY.

Upon leaving Pulaski we would use all scenic rural roads/highways such as NY-3, NY-80, NY-12 and NY-37. NY-37 followed the banks of the St. Lawrence from Alexandra Bay to Massena. Some of the 1000 island section of the St. Lawrence was seen.

The weather was beautiful and traveling was very slow because of “rubber necking” and pull-offs. When nearing Massena we decided to drive into the Coles Creek SP. We never planned for dry camping and were not going to do it. The two night stay at Coles Creek was an exception because we could park on the water in a very large site. We did have 30 AMPS elect at our site and on the way to our site we stopped at a water pumping station and filled the freshwater tank. With four of us and no bathrooms nearby we could stay a couple of days. We ordered firewood from the ranger that checked-us in and it was promptly delivered. We got as level as possible without unhooking and enjoyed out two days investigating everything within walking distance. We lit a fire each night and roasted marshmallows. The rocky banks provide fun fishing for small fish with light tackle. Before leaving the site we drained the fresh water tank and on the way out we dumped the black and gray tanks. It was only about 100 miles to Apple Island RV Resort.

[CWtheMan]

3006 – South Hero, VT

After leaving Coles Creek we traveled on US-11 to Champlain, NY. The highway took us right down Main Street all the way to the waterfront. We followed it to the bridge that would link us up with US-2 where we would transit down the hero islands to Apple Island RV Resort at South Hero Island, VT. It was late spring and very green and lush.

I cannot even attempt to describe the RV Resort. I’ve added a link below. Browsing through the link’s pages will give you a better view of their offerings.

https://www.appleislandresort.com/

We were parked on a grassy knoll near the golf course and used it often. There was a nice veranda where you could eat club sandwiches and watch those teeing off from the 1st tee. The islands are loaded with antique shops/stores, some very old. Tommy and the girls spent hours and hours hunting for and exploring those antique stores. I played golf with strangers having Yankee accents - being from Maine they couldn’t fool me - and met a lot of interesting travelers.

We traveled to Burlington a few times. Battery Park was our favorite resting place. It’s up on a hill overlooking Lake Champlain and the ferry boating dock. There were a lot of cafes bordering the park where you can get food from the lunch menus and find a quiet place in the park to spread a blanket and enjoy. We also visited the campus of the University of VT. There are Beautiful old buildings and immaculate grounds.

We were at the resort 10 days. We left a little early because I got a reservation for a FHU site at our next stop and had to start paying – in advance - from the time it was vacated. That CG has limited FHUs and we were going to stay there two weeks.

[CWtheMan]

3007 – Berwick, ME

There are three Berwick’s, South Berwick, Berwick and North Berwick. I was born at a maternity shelter at South Berwick. I never lived there. My mother did not want to deliver her children at home. My home town was North Berwick. There is no RV CGs at North Berwick even though the town population is larger than Berwick. The Beaver Dam CG is about 100 yards inside the Berwick town line. Our farm was about 10 miles north from the pond. When I was a child there were zero dwellings on or near the pond. It was a main source of ice for our ice boxes, year round. It is spring fed and was called Ice Pond. It was also popular for ice fishing.

The family that built the first home near the pond started the CG and it grew into a popular CG with all kinds of camping permitted. The pond sites are just W/E as are a lot of the smaller sites. The larger ones with FHU (50 AMPs) are higher up on the land and offer openings where dish signals can be found.

During this visit I still had an aunt living at a retirement home in Dover, NH and an Uncle and Aunt with their four children living in and around Rochester, NH; all from my mother’s side of my family. In total I had 22 1st cousins in my generation from my mother’s side and I’m the oldest. My uncle that still lives at Rochester is my mother’s youngest brother and is only a few years older than me. We grew-up as brothers.

I’m very familiar with all of the surrounding areas as I hunted and fished them well into my teens. My visits were quite nostalgic in nature. I went to grade school at North Berwick and High School at Sanford.

It was a little over 100 miles from Apple Island to Berwick; all on state and rural roads. We got in early and were all setup well before supper time which would be at a country restaurant at Somersworth, NH. Berwick, ME and Somersworth, NH are divided by the Salmon Falls River.

Our parking site at the CG was atop a knoll overlooking a ball field and the pond. It was a nice sized back-in and was easy to level the trailer and get the dish up and receiving all channels except ABC which we got on the bat antenna. The CG store had most of the things used daily like bread, eggs & Milk. The laundry room was small but clean. Our onboard splendide W/D could not keep-up with cloths and bedding for 4 people so we did the sheets and towels at laundry rooms, when available.

We took a lot of pictures. It’s very hard to pick some out for a glimpse. The three in North Berwick are a bed and bath, someone’s idea of a lighthouse dwelling and an old historical home. The historical home is in my family tree. My father’s mother was Elna Clyde Sherburne. She was born in that home. When Pratt & Whitney purchased land in North Berwick to build an aircraft engine plant, the Morrell-Sherburne home was on that property. Because it was known to be the oldest building in town, Pratt & Whitney moved it to its new location and it became the cornerstone property of the North Berwick Historical Society.

We took lots of side trips. While going to the malls at Kittery, ME we took country roads. Along the way we stopped and took pictures of some yard decorations in an old rural farm home yard. On another side trip to Wells & Wells Beach, ME we stopped on the causeway and had lobster stew at Billy’s Chowder House. Another trip took us to Kennebunkport, ME. In the late 1940s when there were no visitor attractions there, it was just a small fishing village. After WWII service my dad built 33’-35’ lobster boats in our barn. They were launched at Kennebunkport. Everything changed when the Bush family purchased property on the ocean and both presidents visited there frequently.

[CWtheMan]

3008 – Trenton, Maine

Our trip from Berwick, ME to Trenton, ME was about 210 miles. It took us all day as we stopped for breakfast and lunch along the way. We used US-1. It’s probably the most traveled highway in all of Maine.

Right after we got underway we stopped at Wells, ME to have breakfast at the Maine Diner with my 1st cousin Janey and her husband. We got lucky and found a parking place for the rig right across the street from the diner. After that we rubber necked all the way to Belfast where we wanted to get lobster rolls for lunch. It was very hard to find a place to park but in the end we found one. The restaurant was very different with numerous rooms to be seated in. No one thought to bring a camera.

Rural areas of US-1 were well maintained and had nice size pull-offs. At Bucksport we crossed the huge bridge over the great Penobscot River. Although I had often been to this area in Maine as a child I had never crossed over the bridge built after I joined the Navy.

The rather large Timberland acres was our destination RV Park. Like all others we used in Maine, its family owned and managed. A new section had been added and all sites there were extra large with FHU service including 50 AMPs electrical. We pretty much had the place all to ourselves until they started arriving; Hitchhikers, 48 of them. They were part of a large Hitchhicker club from Texas and were using Timberland Acres to stage-up for a caravan trip up into Canada. They had a Hitchhiker manufacturer’s rep traveling with them.

Not mentioned in the CG web page is the fact that there is a super Walmart less than a mile away and free parking for the free shuttles to Bar Harbor and Arcadia National Park are just a short distance down the road. Also on the same road is the - must go to - Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound. When we were there I got a 3 pounder on a bed of steamers (steamed clams with bellies) and fresh corn on the cob for $35.00.

We did a lot of sightseeing while in the Trenton RV Park and I’ll add addendums with short stories and pictures. It's as far north as took the trailer on this trip. We did take some side trips further north to visit places where I lived as a very young teenager.

[CWtheMan]

3008a – Bar Harbor – Whale Watching

During one of our visits to Bar Harbor we went out on the large New England ground swells to do some whale watching. The seas were calm that day and the local seal population was mostly all basking along the shores as we entered the Atlantic Ocean in our quest to watch the Humpbacks dive for food. However, we did see puffins. They have made a great comeback from the endangered list.

The whale watching boats do not guarantee seeing whales. However, it was the season, the weather was excellent and the odds were high. And, sure enough, we found some sounding and got pictures. We never did get very close to them as the captain was cautious about their safety.

Our guide was a seasoned whale watcher with graduate degrees in Marine Sciences. She had been following the Humpbacks along the Maine coast for more than seven years and knew the names of all that we saw that day. She had pictures and drawings that identified them individually.

[CWtheMan]

3008b – Acadia NP

On a clear hazy day we went on a trip to explore Acadia National Park and to drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain.

The day started off with a stop at the park visitor center for road maps and coffee. Reading the maps we decided on a secluded picnic area where we had lunch. Then we started our tour. The park roads were very nice and there were no problems for our dually. We drove over most of the paved roads to beaches and boat launching areas before heading up to the top of the mountain. The day was completely successful and all of us had a great time.

[CWtheMan]

3008c – road trips

Right in the middle of my 6th grade we moved from North Berwick, ME to Stillwater, ME. Six months later when I started Jr. High School we had moved to Old Town, ME. I graduated Jr. High at Sanford, ME and then attended Sanford High School. Soon we moved again to Fayetteville, NC where I attended 71st high school until I returned to ME to live with an uncle. In the mid 1950s a teenager from Maine was an outcast at a NC high school. My father was a cotton mill worker and they were rapidly moving south. As he moved from job to job he was being promoted. By the time he got to Fayetteville Fabrics (Burlington Ind.) he was a weave room loom fixer leader. Twenty years later he retired as the weave room manager. I joined the Navy and became an aviation structural mechanic. I had always wanted to fly naval aircraft but that dream ended at 13 when I severely damaged my right hand. It would not prevent me from being a mechanic but the loss of most feeling in half of my fingers would never allow me to pass a flight physical.

Some of that explains places we visited on our road trips to Bangor, Orono, Stillwater, and Old Town Maine.

Every year during the salmon run President Truman – while in office - came to Bangor, ME to fish the Penobscot River rapids for Salmon. He waded out and fly fished for hours at a time. Everyone, including me, went to watch.

When we lived at Stillwater, ME we live beside land managed by the University of Maine. The caretaker was our next door neighbor. He was a graduate student and would take me there to see the agricultural departments.

At Old Town, ME I fell down with a large bag of groceries having a quart bottle of milk in the bottom of the bag. It broke and severed all the vanes and ligaments in my right wrist. It took me more than a year to get most of the use back. I had to learn to write left-handed. That’s when I found out that I was naturally ambidextrous because I can write straight up and down with both hands and do most other things equally with both hands. I have bowled 279 games, right and left-handed. My highest ever was 286 right-handed.

Back to the RVing; we had heard of a diner on the water at Hancock, ME where you can order and set on picnic tables and watch the boats go by. On a beautiful sunny day we did just that.

We went to the University of Maine at Orono and drove around campus.

We went to Stillwater to look at the home I once lived in.

At Old Town we visited one of my favorite fishing place and the house we lived when I damaged my hand.

At Bangor we visited the place where President Truman did his fishing and then watched a wedding at the city park.

[CWtheMan]

4001 – Alfred, ME

Half of our round trip from SC to ME and back was completed. Alfred was our first stop heading south again. There would be some interesting stops along the way back to SC.

While our trip to Walnut Grove CG at Alfred, ME was only 200 miles it took us 6 hours of rubbernecking back down US-1 to get there. The highway was extra busy because it was during the 4th of July holidays. RV Parks/CGs along the US-1 corridor did not have vacancies. However, knowing where to look for nice family CGs gave me an advantage. Walnut Grove CG at Alfred is quite secluded from busy highways and local traffic. Alfred is a small town but it's the York County seat and the court house is the largest building in town.

Out of state tourists come to stay on or near the beaches and other attractions. A lot of the regular Maine residents do their camping on weekends. However, during popular holiday weekends they like to gather at someone’s farm and have fresh turkey/chicken, corn on the cob, Maine potatoes and all kinds of home cooked pies. Everyone brings some fireworks and as the sun sets the sky is lit-up with roman candle smoke trails before they let loose their burst of colors. I called and had no problem getting a nice grassy FHU (50 AMP) site. The CG is 30 miles from Portland, 20 miles from Old Orchard Beach and less than 5 miles to downtown Sanford, ME where I was once a high school freshman. We stayed 10 days and made trips to all the aforementioned cities/towns. On the short drive to Sanford there is a super Wal-Mart.

The CG has an old barn they converted into a dance hall and place to play beano (bingo) on the weekends. It also housed the laundry room and a game room. There was a book swapping area and free newspapers were given out there every day. Politics is going to be a topic of conversation with just about every adult Mainer, so bone-up for it if you’re going to spend much time at the evening CG fire ring.

At Portland we ate lobster stew with about 4 dozen steamers and fresh corn on the cob at DeMello's floating restaurant. It was expensive but delightful.

At Old Orchard Beach we played some boardwalk games and walked along the beach.

At Sanford we had doughnuts and coffee, lunch at the city park on the water and went bowling in the evenings. Barbara and Tommy had never seen candlepin bowling and enjoyed the small balls.

On the day of our scheduled departure, I found the right rear outside tire on the dually had a huge blister in the sidewall. I must have clipped a curb hunting for parking at the beach. It took a half day to change it and find a spare and the CG manager had no problem letting us stay another day.

[CWtheMan]

4002 – Bozrah, CT

It was just a little less than 200 miles from Alfred, ME to Bozarah, CT; mostly interstate highways including the belt around Boston. Once near Bozrah we took CT-2, a modern 4 lane highway where the casinos Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun are located.

We had once stayed at the Odetha RV/CG Resort and knew to call for reservations to insure we got a FHU site. We did and it was very close to the park office. During this stop, the park office had installed a Keruig coffee machine with a wide selection of free K-Cup coffee brands. It was the first time any of us had used one. Not long after that we got our first one.

This was just a three day stop to visit the two monster casinos. At that time both offered free paved RV parking. However, it was strictly for dry camping. They did have regular van services to both casino entrances.

[CWtheMan]

4003 – Denver, PA

Hickory Run Campground - Denver, PA. Whenever you’re scheduling a trip or extended stopover in the PN countryside - in this case Dutch country - do some good homework about the place you want to stay.

Any parking place with campground in the name needs close scrutiny. Places like this one want to charge for everything you do at their CG. We knew it in advance and it was all in our budget for this two week stop. We stayed at this CG because of its proximity to side trips we were going to make.

Not easy to get to because you have to drive right down the narrow main street in Denver. Once in the park the interior roads are junk. The sites are not very level and phone signals are weak. I had to try three or four locations with the dish antenna before I could get a 50% signal.

We spent two weeks at this CG and were busy traveling to attractions all the time. Of the hundreds of pictures taken it’s very hard to present a cross section that will fully cover our activities. But we did fulfill our main goal; a trip to the national Clock and Watch museum at Columbia, PA. Tommy has been a clock man his whole life and has shops where he can do any and probably all repairs, even repairing old wooden cases with matching and aged wood supplies he collects whenever he can find some that is suitable. We crossed a beautiful old bridge over the Susquehanna River from Columbia to Wrightsville where we found an old four story antique building with a nice open air lunch area on the river overlooking the old bridge.

We found a huge Mennonite flea market at Valley View that we visited twice. Downtown Denver has never widened their main streets. If you can find parking you might find a great bargain in one of the smallish shops. We drove to a little candy shop at Lititz and got fresh fudge; it didn’t last long.

We drove all around the Amish farming areas and took a buggy ride. Then we had lunch in one of their restaurants. We found that if you want to get something special at yard sales you better start at daylight to have a chance before the Amish and Mennonite shoppers get there.

I don’t remember using the CG store or any of their activities. The prices were a big rip-off so we shopped elsewhere. We had to pay extra for our guests. They even charged for animals traveling with you.

[CWtheMan]

4004 – Fredericksburg, VA

The rest of this trip was traveling and rubbernecking. At our pace of travel it was going to be fall before we got to FL for the winter months.

When leaving Denver, PA we traveled on US-30 and other rural roads to I-81. We did that to bypass the heavily populated areas. After 200 miles we found a KOA at Fredericksburg, VA. It was about 7 miles off our travel route but, at that time we were KOA GOLD. The management immediately took a dislike to me when I asked for their advertised 15% military discount. They told me the rate had been dropped to 10%. So I dropped my gold card on the counter (KOA 15%). The manager got all huffy and asked why I didn’t first use the KOA card. I told him I always used military discounts first to show usage and to help prevent people like him from lowering the military percentages. Well the huffy turned into double huffy and we ended-up as far away from the office as they could park us. Our site was a long back-in next to a retention pond with beavers everywhere. We didn’t want to unhook so we never did visit the office. I paid for two nights and left without another word with management. Of course I wrote KOA corporate and complained and got the standard apology letter in return. (1st PIX)

From there we drove another 230 miles to Four Oakes KOA at Four Oaks, NC. In 1963 I met one of my best friends in the Navy; Frank Regan. I reported aboard the USS Boxer (LPH-4) and Frank was my guide. It was my first and only Ship’s Company tour of duty. I did everything in the books trying to get off that ship. Finally I got off by getting an assignment in advanced aviation structural mechanic training at Millington, TN. Frank and I remained friends throughout our Navy careers. While once again being assigned to the same unit (VF-41 – a Phantom II Squadron) at Naval Air Station Oceana at Virginia Beach, VA Linda’s best friend was single, so was Frank. Frank was 5’2” and Becky is 4’10”. They got married and everyone called them the little couple. Frank and Becky retired to Four Oaks and Frank was employed by Caterpillar until he passed a few years ago. Frank had stayed on the Boxer and made a trip through the Panama Canal enroute to Vietnam in 1968. They were transporting helicopters and marines and anchored in Haiphong harbor for the off load. Agent Orange was being used in the area then and the seasonal winds carried some of the dangerous materials out to sea including the Harbor. Frank’s cancer was traced back to that deployment.

Anyhow, we always stopped to see our friends at Four Oaks. Becky had 9 brothers and 3 sisters. They and all of their families live in the Four Oaks area. A dinner party there is better than any family restaurant you’ll ever eat at.

The Four Oaks KOA is partially residential. Most of the sites are large and easy to use. We had a FHU and stayed 4 nights. My brothers drove-up from Fayetteville for a few rounds of golf; we let Frank tee off from the red tee boxes – LOL! (2nd PIX)

Our last stop for our traveling guests was at Greenville, SC (300 miles) where they off loaded. We stayed a week. It was starting to get into fall weather and we were looking forward to getting to FL for most of the winter months. (3rd PIX)




This is a picture of Frank & Beck Regan at their wedding reception, Naval Air Station Chief Petty Officer’s Club, Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach, VA.




During our years at Virginia Beach, VA I purchased an 18' Larson deep vee to fish the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Our favorite fishing hole was at mile marker 14 on the Bay Bridge - Tunnel where we tied-up to the bridge under a night light and fished for trout. Here's a picture of us after a productive night of fishing. We are all making fun of Frank because he had the most fish on his line but lost all of them.

To put an age on this picture; Linda and I had already been married 20 years.