History of a 2003 Keystone Everest 363k

[jasin1]

Nice thread CW …..I like how it has a “documentary” feel about it

[CWtheMan]

1020

On the day we left Rawlings there was a fine sleet falling. It wasn’t freezing on the roads so we left and followed the truckers; after awhile it quit and the weather became overcast and patchy. When we headed down hill to Salt Lake City it was noticeably warmer. That was good because we wanted to stay there a week or two while taking side trips to places that attracted us.

We stayed at the KOA. I didn’t get any pictures on arrival because it was late in the day. After that I forgot to get them. We had a couple of large back-in sites with FHU & CATV. Very nice.

It had been about 27 years since Linda and I had first visited Salt Lake City. I had been stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore, CA when I got orders sending me to VF-41 at Naval Air Station, Oceana, Virginia Beach VA. Our boys were young teenagers. So we decided to take a 30 day vacation and visit a lot of points of interest along the way.

The pictures: We had invited Linda’s mother to fly out to CA to make the vacation trip with us.

1: Our oldest son Allan – me – Linda – Florine. Our youngest son, Mark took the picture (1977). The causeway to Antelope Island was just a single lane of compacted gravel. Both of the boys got their feet wet in the Great Salt Lake.

2: The new 4 lane causeway road to Antelope Island.

3: The main attraction is Buffalo/Bison. The welcome center is atop a knoll with spectacular views of the wide open spaces.

4: Bison grazing in a sunflower patch.

5: On a day tour of the Unita National Forest we stopped at a clear mountain stream on the park entrance road. Betty – me – Don, Linda took the picture.

6: About half way into our tour we came across this majestic ski lift. It had been opened early for viewing the seasonal color changes. The ride was not expensive but you can’t be afraid of heights; especially with your feet dangling.

7: Pictures just cannot capture the beauty of this forest.

8: A trip to Salt Lake City would just not be complete without visiting the Tabernacle.

[CWtheMan]

1021

When we were at Salt Lake City we changed our plans and decided to go to Reno; then over the Donna Pass and down into CA. Back then if snow was expected at the Donna Pass your rig had to have chains. It had not snowed yet and none was expected before our trip up and over.

Battle Mountain, NV is half way to Reno from our starting point (300 mi). We got a late start and by the time we got to Clark’s RV Park and got connected for the night it was dark-30. No pictures. We had two; side by side back-ins with FHU. We had no Idea where we would park at Reno. We wanted very close-in where we could use the local bus services to travel, to and from the town.

The name of the RV Park we used was Reno RV Park. We took very small back-in sites across the entrance road from the mote. It was about a 200' walk to the very well scheduled city bus service.

On a side trip to Lake Tahoe we went up a rural road and got some nice pictures looking back at Reno & Sparks. The largest building at Sparks was the Golden Nugget Casino.

Lake Tahoe is about 10,000 feet above sea level and Linda & I both had trouble getting enough oxygen and vowed to never travel that high again. At our next stop at NAS Lemoore we went to sick call to ask a doctor about our oxygen problems. He said we should limit our travels to 4,000’ and below. With few exceptions we did just that during the rest of our travel years.

“Back in the day”, (1977) Linda’s mother traveled with us on a cross country trip from CA – VA. It was a vacation trip and we zigzagged all the way so we could see most of the featured attractions like “Old Faithful” and the Black Hills Country just to mention a few. One of the highlights during that trip was attending a real dinner show at the Sparks Golden Nugget where all table settings were excellent. The entertainers were Juliet Prowse, Nipsey Russell and Roger Miller. As you can see in the picture, formal dress was required.



At this stop in Reno Don won a slot tournament. It included a trip back the following summer for free entrance to a Million Dollar tournament. We did not go back with them as we were going east and they were going to CA. Don did not win the million dollars but they did get free a 1st class hotel room while there.

[CWtheMan]

1022

Our next stop after Reno was a destination stop and we had made reservations while at Reno. We spent two weeks at the Naval Air Station - Lemoore, CA. Linda and I and the boys had lived aboard NAS Lemoore for four years (1973- 1977). The whole base had a lot of renovations since we lived there, including an on base RV Park.

NAS Lemoore has always been a self sustaining base. It has a grade school (1-8), medical facility, Navy Exchange, Commissary, Library, and loads of on base housing. When we got there in 1973 we were offered a new construction duplex with A/C. The standard housing cooling units had been “swamp coolers".

The RV Park is very modern but sparse. Meaning no grass; as the yards were crushed stone with concert parking slabs and picnic areas. However, it had location. It was across the street from the on base auto service center. It was on the same property as the golf driving range and the NEX mall with its fast food restaurants were just a short walk away. So was the movie theatre.

Betty had a daughter living at Hanford. Her husband was an air traffic controller manager (LCDR) at the NAS. This was Betty & Don’s first ever trip west of the Mississippi.

NAS Lemoore is right in the middle of the vast San Joaquin Valley. Its land mass is so large there are tenant farmers on base. The closest city of any real size is Fresno, an hour’s drive north.

We did numerous side trips from there during our 2 week stay. One was to the “Price is Right” TV show at LA. We had ticket reservations and got seats on the 5th row from the entertainment stand. One of the chosen contestants was seated next to Betty. She has always bragged about being one seat away from TV fame (LOL). We drove all around trying to get the Hollywood sign and finally got on the right street for great pictures. We toured the CA costal highway and went to see the huge red wood trees at the Sequoia National Park. By the time we got ready for our trip south we were pooped and ready for a few comfortable months in southern CA.

Pictures:
1. NAS Lemoore parking site.
2. The duplex where we lived in the 1970s. Still in great condition.
3. Price Is Right ticket scan.
4. Visit to Sequoia NP.
5. Who said CA doesn’t have large beach areas. This is Moro Bay, CA.
6. Moro Bay
7. A small ocean front park at San Simeon, CA
8. Entrance to Hearst castle.

[CWtheMan]

1022 #2

A good picture to talk about anchors. Whenever we were going to leave our awning out for a few days we always anchored it with cargo straps connected to the awning and corkscrews or tent pegs when the ground was to solid to permit corkscrew application. We also use tent pegs to anchor our dish antenna.

[CWtheMan]

1023

Our first winter lay-over. It turned into a fiasco that was predictable but not thought of.

We planned a 4 month stay in San Diego, CA. Linda and I had lived there from 1970 – 1973 and had not been back in more than 30 years. The city had adapted well to its vast expansions. It’s a beautiful large CA city without smog or bugs. On our planned trip to San Diego we were going to take I-5 up over the mountains; it’s called the “grape vine”. Because we had experience with CA weather conditions we knew we would not be allowed to transit over the grape vine in high wind conditions. On our day of departure from NAS Lemoore, CA the valley wind was up. We decided to call the CHP for highway recommendations. Yup! The grape vine was closed to all RV vehicles and truckers. The CHP recommended we go to Bakersfield and then head to San Diego via Riverside. It wasn’t a difficult detour but we got warned about our speed twice by passing CHP vehicles. We were traveling 60 MPH and the limit for RVs was 55 MPH. They would pull alongside our lead trailer and give the slowdown signal.

The USN has a large recreational complex in down town San Diego (Admiral Baker). It has a RV Park and we had been lucky enough to get reservations for two rigs. We weren’t side by side but only separated by another RV.

Back then the whole facility was gated and only allowed federal employees RV parking access. I hear that it’s now public and not as well maintained as when the USN managed it. There are two 18 hole golf courses on the property and numerous other recreational facilities such as a couple of full sized ball fields, An Olympic sized swimming pool and a golf driving range. The RV Park was in a big circle with all back-in sites. Temp sites were FHU drive troughs. The property is in a valley with mountainous ravines on all sides.

It was a very rare rainy winter for San Diego and rained so hard there were mud slides all around. After two months we decided to look elsewhere for a safer place to park for the remaining winter months.

Most of the places we visited while there we had been to when stationed there. The Doole’s had never been there and we were their tour guides to many destinations. We took a local bus ride to the dog track in Tijuana, did some shopping in the tourist trap stores near the dog track and then rode the bus back across the border. On a gloomy, rainy day we took the harbor boat tour. We spent a whole day (twice) at the San Diego Zoo. We rode up the coast a ways and visited quant little towns on the oceanfront including La Jolla.

When the mud slides got really bad we moved up over the mountains and down into the Imperial Valley to the Naval Air Facility at El Centro, CA. That will be in the next post.

Pictures 1-3: The first picture shows a dead tree. That was our parking site. When they got the report of heavy rains and winds they decided to have it cut down. We had to move to a parking lot near the office. The 3rd shot shows us moving back in and the tree is gone. They did it all in the same day.

Pictures 4&5: are of the San Diego Zoo gondola ride.

Pictures 6&7: were taken at La Jolla, CA.

The last picture was taken from our bay boat ride. The USS Midway (CV-41) has been a very popular museum at a San Diego pier for nearly 20 years. I served two long Vietnam deployments with Fighter Squadron 151 off the Midway from 1970 – 1973. VF-151 was stationed at Naval Air Station Miramar, CA (San Diego) and the Midway was home ported at Naval Station Alameda, CA

[CWtheMan]

1024

After two months of wet weather at San Diego, CA we gave-up and started looking for another place to stay, hopefully with less rain.

The Naval Air Facility (NAF) at El Centro, CA has a very large wintertime RV population. They cater to “Snow Birds” and offer long term reservations. Before it was re-designated a NAF it was known as the National Parachute Test Range (NPTR). It also served as a naval aircraft ordnance test facility. My first trip there was as a member of Navy Attack Squadron 174 with the A7A aircraft in 1967. I was back there again in 1975 with Navy Attack Squadron 125 with the A7B aircraft. The major change at the base since my 1975 visit is the RV Park and a new hangar and line spaces for the Navy air demonstration team the Blue Angles. It is now their winter home. Until they arrive right after Christmas the major population on the base is from RV residents.

When we called we did not expect to get parking sites there. A six caravan CDN snow bird outfit left early to visit elsewhere and we were assigned to an overflow parking area. It was in an old parking lot with the sites backing in to an active ball field. The sites had FHU with 30 AMPs and an extra 15 AMPs from a plug-in on power poles behind the RVs. We went to a nearby flea market and got 25’ 15 AMP extension cords with three outlets. We could run hot plates, crock pots and hair dryers off them. (As our travels progressed we found that a lot of military RV parks have the extra 15 AMPs).

Across the street from our overflow sites is the golf driving range, bowling alley and base chow hall. We could eat at the chow hall on weekdays without reservations.

Because of the large RV patron population there is a large RV servicing and maintenance area with mechanics on duty. They have two large bays where extensive services/repairs can be made.

Once the Blues arrive there are flight operations from 08:00 till dusk every day. Get your lounge chairs and go watch whenever precision is practiced. Pictures of the flight line are included below.

Here we were in the Imperial Valley and it started raining. It rained so much the parking areas at the NAF got flooded and the base had to contract huge tanker trucks to vacuum the water from the parking lots and flight lines. We moved again. This time to Yuma, AZ and again we were very lucky to find parking sites.

Before we left we visited the Imperial Valley Recreational area. It was beautiful because all the rain caused long time flowers that had been dormant to flourish. The area is very popular with those that like to ride the dunes. There are large dry camping areas everywhere. Some that come in caravans will park in semicircles. Sort of looked like the old west with a Conestoga parking style.

[CWtheMan]

1015

Trying to get away from the rain we moved again. This time it was to Yuma, AZ. It had rained there and some of the show birds had moved to higher elevations trying to avoid it. That’s how we were able to find a place to park at Yuma. It’s the Arizona Sands, a 55+ senior’s park and we wintered there two more times. I cannot tell you all the things that are available for seniors to do while wintering at Yuma. The population goes from 75K to well over 200K. It seems everywhere you look there is someone with a small dog. There are two large flea markets. One modern, paved and covered with paved parking. The other is more local almost all open air and the parking is on dirt/sand. Both have live entertainment, restaurants/snack shops and all kinds of RV equipment stores.

There are overnight scheduled bus tours to places like San Diego and Laughlin, NV. Golfing is the same price 7 days a week. There are two drive-in propane stations with very low prices. Bring your tanks or your RV. The USMC has a recreational area at Martinez Lake on the Colorado River. It has RV parking sites (W&E only) and all sorts of rental equipment for fishing. Just a short drive from there you can take a sternwheeler boat ride on the Colorado. A few miles east of the river are the Yuma Proving Grounds where you can watch the crazy US Army parachutist fly & land. A very easy drive north on US-95 will take you to the popular town of Quartzsite, AZ. The Mexicans have large fresh water tankers that are allowed in the park where they can wash you trailer and TV. There prices are rock bottom.

A short walk across the park street is an arm of the water duct system. Stripers and catfish flourish there.

There are a half dozen Indian casinos in the area. One is quite unique because it is half way into AZ/CA. They have a dividing line and food/drinks cannot be taken from side to side. Some of the casinos allow free dry camping. And last but not least is the Yuma Prison where iconic movies were made. It’s right on the banks of the Colorado River. There is not much of the water left in the river at that point.










Foot Note: 4 October 2021

It was on this day, 4 Oct 1958 when Linda and I were legally married by the Rev. John Davis at his home in Greenville, SC. Linda was 16 and I was 19. We had met by chance at Fayetteville, NC when Linda visited her friend Brenda. I was dating Brenda. Linda was then 14 and I was 17. On Jan 8th1957 – Elvis Presley’s 22nd birthday – I joined the Navy. After boot camp I visited Linda at her home in SC before reporting to Naval Air Station Barbers Point, TH. For the next year and half we were pen pals. I came back to the states twice on 30 day leaves and on the second one we got married. That was 63 years ago today.

[CWtheMan]

1026

As our first winter was ending we would part ways with our friends. They were going to Reno, NV for a million dollar slot tournament and then to NAS Lemoore, CA for the summer months. One night while they were off visiting family, their trailer (Pride) was totally destroyed by an electrical fire. When the insurance settled with them they got a Montana and moved to the Hanford, CA fair grounds CG. Betty’s daughter had purchased a new home in Hanford.

Linda and I were going to FL but had no schedule what-so-ever. We decided to do the TX border from El Paso to Brownsville/corpus Christi. Texas is loaded with military RV parks/CGs and we would use three of them for extensive stops. A fourth was planned but was still full of snow birds when we go there. They offered a W/E site but we were going to be there 10-15 days so opted to stay at Prince of Tucson just off I-10. It was very convenient for our planned side trips.

When you’re leaving Yuma, there is an agricultural check-point on I-8 just before the long climb over the mountains. Because we had been parked on grass for a couple of months we decided to pull-off on a trucker stop and check the security of our rig and stuff within it. After I made my final walk around and got ready to leave a trucker asked me why I was leaving with such a bad air leak in a tire. Many years working with screeching aircraft had caused me to have a great loss in my high frequency hearing. I went and got Linda from the truck to hunt for the leak. She went right to it. There was a large piece of some kind of fencing wire stuck in the sidewall. I put on the spare, plugged the leaking tire and replaced it at a truck stop at Wellton, AZ. (I have always carried a tire plug kit. They are not an approved repair but better than nothing in case you need it for a spare before you get a new one).

When we found out we couldn’t get a FHU site at Davis-Monthan, AFB at Tucson we used our catalogs and found the Prince of Tucson. We called and they had a nice back-in FHU and we could stay two weeks if wanted/needed. We would stay until our mail found us. The Park office also acted as a park store, club house, laundry facility, post office and more. Back in those days Wi-Fi was not everywhere and some parks limited it to rooms in the lounge areas. This park had great reception throughout the parking areas. Later on we got an attachment for our computers that allowed us to get direct Wi-Fi connections from our Verizon cells (they were analog).

The Davis-Monthan AFB houses a huge military aircraft “bone yard”. During this stop anyone with a military base admittance sticker on their vehicle could do a road tour of the bone yard. Now they operate van tours and anyone wanting to take the tour can get the van rides at the main gate.

The ride to Tucson was quite spectacular. Instead of plain ole desert views the countryside had flowers blooming everywhere. Some said it only happens about every 20 years. Anyhow, we hadn’t completely got away from the rain as it rained half the time we were at Tucson. On the good days we went to various points of interest around the city. The downtown mall had everything and we visited it numerous times.

NOTE: In the first picture you can see where I added a 2nd TV wire connection directly into the bedroom. Our Dish antenna had a dual receiver and the 2nd location was completely independent from the factory wiring. In other words, we could watch different programs off the Dish in different rooms. (Sitcoms for her and HBO/Cinemax for me—LOL!)

[CWtheMan]

1027

El Paso, TX. This is where our Texas adventure started. But, it was not our first experience with Texas. In 1966 I attended a aircraft maintenance training course at the Ling-Temco-Vought aircraft factory at Grande Prairie, TX (Dallas). The A7A Corsair II aircraft was being built there for the USN.
Linda and I and the boys took temporary quarters at a very nice apartment complex with swimming pools, tennis and basketball courts.

The large USA base, Fort Bliss, is at El Paso. They have one of the finest RV parks in the military chain of parks/CGs. Problem is, they DO NOT take reservations of any sort except those ordered to Fort Bliss for the USA SGTMAJ academy. So you just have to take your chances and drive out there. There were no overflow dry camping sites. They will not pencil in anyone. Over the years we stayed there three times. We were always very lucky, mostly by showing-up on a Mon/Tue. This was our first time there and we stayed 10 days. It would be our habit to stay 10-14 days at each TX military base during this adventure. They were easy places to have mail delivered.

The RV Park is off base just across the street from off base housing and 27 holes of golfing. The base is huge with many gates. Once you figure out which one to use on a daily trip out there it becomes much easier finding the things you’re looking for. Like the Huge PX shopping area.

Because we were coming in from the west we took the 375 loop over the mountains and down into the valley where the RV Park is located. Linda & I coined the loop as the red highway with its radish/pinkish roads and rest/pull-out areas.

Don’t you know, on our first day trip to downtown we found the rain, AGAIN! Once we started our trip into south Texas it quit.

[CWtheMan]

1028

After leaving El Paso we would use a lot of US highways. We took I-10 to US-90 and followed it all the way to Del Rio, TX. At that time it was in exceptional condition and had picnic areas where we could pull-off for a rest and a snack.

Del Rio was our first scheduled stop. We stayed at the Laughlin AFB FAMCAMP. We had made the reservations before leaving Fort Bliss. Laughlin AFB is a small USAF pilot training base. It may best be described as very snug because everything is located in the same area and very easy to use. The site we were assigned to was on a corner and very large. It had privacy fencing and a large empty field out behind the trailer where I went to hit and shagged golf balls. They have a 9 hole golf course with 18 tee boxes. The park is small and on the same road as the main gate.

The MWR also has a recreational area out on Lake Amistad. There is a marina and cabin rentals there. RV parking is W/E only.

We stayed about 10 days and left after our mail was delivered. We drove down to Eagle Pass to an Indian casino. I would not recommend going there after dark. We mostly hung-out on base with an occasional trip to the lake to fish or just rent a boat. The on-base movie theater was popular, having all first run movies.

One day I went out to the field to hit golf balls. It was early morning and there were little flowers blooming everywhere. I picked a whole handful, took them to the trailer, trimmed them and put them in a salt shaker to help define their size. I usually put wild flowers out with the morning paper for Linda if I can find one or both.

The bridge in the lake pictures is going into Mexico. Look closely and you can see the line of truckers heading there. I have a lot of pictures of the lake. The water was so clear you could see the Bass and pan fish everywhere.

[CWtheMan]

1029

After leaving Del Rio we used US-277 down to US-83 and took in all the way to Brownsville. There was a nice rest area at Falcon, SP. We saw alpaca farms and wondered why the fencing was 12’. We asked someone at the SP and they said alpaca could jump over normal height fencing.

The drive was a little over 325 miles and we arrived late at Brownsville. We had not made any reservations because most snow birds were heading home and there were sites available just about everywhere. We got in late – no pictures – and stayed one night at Breeze Lake Campground. It was easy access and we had a FHU level back-in. Because we were going to be on the coast for 2-3 weeks we opted to move on to Corpus Christi, TX and stay at the Naval Air Station, RV Park where we would have more options for side tripe. We were tired of the border towns. The drive up on US-77 was quite easy and short.

When we arrived at the NAS RV Park MWR office we were given a few site locations to pick from. We took one with a large open field overlooking the bay. It had a covered patio area. It was just a short drive to the RV Park’s wonderful fishing pier. The MWR office had live and cut baits and most of the fish we caught were reds and spotted sea trout.

Going out the main gate to the left took us over the intercostal waterway with access to the beaches on Padre Island where we could drive on the beaches. Surf fishing there was very good.

The NAS has a US Army aviation depot. The traffic can get heavy during shift changes and you learn the hours right away. The flat 18 hole golf course is just inside the main gate. There is a very nice snack bar at the golf course.

NAS Corpus Christie is a naval pilot training base where the young nuggets learn to fly and land on aircraft carriers, get their coveted wings and move on to fleet squadrons.

Our Everest had a laundry chute under the bedroom sink that dropped into the basement. We never used it but it came in handy when I wired in a 15 AMP extension cord. Here again we had an extra 15 AMPs available from a power outlet under the covered patio. It was real handy to have for hair dryers or even a portable electric heater on cool nights.

We had a big long eared friend show-up every morning to eat the fresh moist clover.

That training aircraft is parked in front of the officers club.

[CWtheMan]

1030

Heading east and moving on out of TX. Our next long stop would be at Gulfport, MS. Along the way we made two overnight stops. The first leg of our movement to Gulfport would be a short drive to the Shady Oaks RV Resort at Ganado, TX. We got in very early and got a nice level pull through (FHU) for the night.

We did a lot of highway researching before deciding on using US-59 through Houston. Stopping short – only 120 miles from Corpus Christi – of Houston so we could transit it at midday turned out to be a sound decision, as you can see in the Houston US-59 pictures.

From Ganado, TX to Scott, LA it was about 310 miles. At midtown Houston we linked-up with I-10 and took it and I-12 all the way to Gulfport. At that time in our RV travels, that leg of interstate highway was horrible. We could barely hold to 50 MPH for the thrashing the highway was giving us. We never traveled that section of interstate highways again.

The KOA at Scott, LA is truly an overnighter stop. The sites are small and tight. At about 60’ in length we could just fit. (Our rig was 57’ when connected). However they were level and FHU with easy access to and from the interstate with a large full service fueling station just before entering I-10.

From Scott the trip to Gulfport is about 200 miles using I-10 & I-12. And that’s the next story.

[CWtheMan]

1031

When we arrived at Gulfport, MS we called Shields RV Park at the Navy Construction Battalion Center. There were no sites available but a single overflow was open and we could stay there until a regular site became available. The RV Park is strictly a first-come-first-serve-park and no one is penciled-in. By the time we got there someone else had arrived and took the overflow site. The park manager whom I had met at our first stay there, recommended us to a civilian park about 5 miles away. He called and reserved us a site and we went there. Its name was Mabry RV Park. It was in a grassy area but had FHU services with 50 APMs.

There were a lot of migrant workers coming and going from there and they were always up late drinking and sometimes got loud. The management catered to them so complaints just went to the wind, so to speak. After the storms flattened the place a new owner decided to put-in rental mobile homes he had got from FEMA.

After three nights we decided to leave. I had been studying maps and decided to go to Marianna, FL, about 200 miles east of Gulfport just off I-10, where there is a fresh water lake that had, in the past, held the state record for largest shellcracker fish. We really weren't going to miss anything because we had been to the Biloxi/Gulfport area many times before we retired.

At Marianna, FL we had no problem getting a site at Arrowhead RV Park. It wasn't close to the water but everything there is in walking distance.

Arrowhead RV Park is situated on one of the best pan fish lakes in FL. World class shellcrackers and crappie abound. The RV Park has nice sized FHU sites. They have Jon boats for rent, so all you need is a trolling motor, which I always have with me. Actually, boats are not needed when parked at this campground. There are three piers jutting out into the lake edge that provide great access for tossing some bait out into the lake. Pan fish are plentiful and the kids love the chance to get the “big” one.



There is a super Wal-Mart less than two miles from the park.

A beautiful public golf course (9 holes) is close by. Fox squirrels can often be seen roaming around the fairways.

The RV Park has a country atmosphere and the people there are friendly and eager to talk with old retired sailors.

In the two weeks we were there we found some really nice things at yard sales that were everywhere on the weekends. Old military Zippo lighters are one of my favorite collectables and I found two nice ones.

I know by now some may wonder what Linda is doing while I’m fishing and golfing. Well, we do just about everything together. After 63 years we are pretty good friends and companions. Linda took golfing lessons from our residential golf course pro before we started RVing and then had a set of clubs built for her size and style. Bowling is something else we do, especially during bad weather. Linda is not real crazy about computers but she loves the new modern phones. We would have got a lot more photos had those phones been available during our early RVing years. About the only thing we still have a problem with is food. I was raised in a rural Maine farming community and she was raised in a SC “mill hill” town. I like potatoes and she likes rice. I like green beans and she likes black eyed peas. In Maine we called fat back salt pork. But I do have her hooked on lobster and crabs of any size. I eat all kinds of beans I’d never seen before but I draw the line on sweet potatoes.

I’ll be writing about FL in the next few installments. All of our grand kids live in FL except when our granddaughter went to Savannah to attend college where she graduated Summa cum laude, found a husband and then returned to FL.

[CWtheMan]

1032

We were just about at the end of our first year of travels when we arrived back at Jacksonville, FL. I’ve previously posted about the parks we used during this two month stopover. They are described in posts #2 and #14.

After leaving Jacksonville we were heading north. Linda’s sister and her husband Tommy had never traveled and we were going to pick them up at Greenville, SC and take them on a 14 state northern loop. We had to do a lot of downloading to make room for their weight and any baggage they would need. Linda & I offloaded all of our winter clothes and shoes. We had to move a lot of things from the truck to the trailer to make room for their weight. Once we got it all figured out the whole rig was just a tad under GVWR. We would have to be careful about adding weight along the way. We kept the weight of the truck under GVWR by keeping the fuel load at a half tank and fueling ever 150 miles.

At Greenville we found a RV Park that we would always use during future stops at Greenville. It’s the Springwood RV Park and is located just outside the main gate of the closed Donaldson, AFB. The park has a lot of contractor personnel living there as Donaldson Center has numerous aviation maintenance contracts in different stages of maintenance needs. The park was a mobile home park when Donaldson was an active AFB. New owners renovated the whole front section into sites for RV parking. The owner and his two sons manage the whole complex and live in the back section.

We have a favorite site there. It’s up under some nice shade trees. I can back-in real close to a power pole where I can put-up a squirrel feeder. It acts as live entertainment for Tigger the cat.

https://springwoodrvpark.com/

I hope you will travel along with us on the 14 state adventures. We made some very interesting stops along the way and all without any planning other than the highways we wanted to use. Except for tires the Everest remained very durable. The first stop was at London, KY. Don’t expect to see any large cities, we skirted all of them.

[CWtheMan]

1033

The great adventure for our passengers begins (Us too). We traveled to fourteen states in about 3 months. It was a meandering trip with lots of side trips.

We got a late start but our first stop was London, KY, an easy 250 miles. However, we did have an early tire failure half way up the long climb out of SC on US-25. A SC highway patrolman stopped and stayed with us until the spare was on and we continued on. The tires were new 16” LRE and we couldn’t figure out the cause of the failure. There weren’t any trailer damages but the tire was almost completely destroyed. Like most trailer tire catastrophic failures it was a mystery. Our Everest was winterized and there wasn’t a lot of exposed wiring in the wheelwells.

We had researched London, KY and knew there was a natural phenomenon there. It’s a natural waterfall that periodically causes a “moonbow”. Our highways were US-25 to I-26 to I-40 to I-75 to London. Our RV Park choice was the Westgate RV Camping and it’s run by a motel which allows you to have the continental breakfast and use the pool among other things. We were parked between two large bushes on an end site with 50 AMPs FHU. Right out our back window was a MacDonald’s and up on top of the hill there was a Cracker Barrel restaurant, so we didn‘t have to travel very far for food. The tour of the falls and local area was very enjoyable and we roamed around the area for four days.









Linda and I are very lucky to have both come from some long lasting genes. We were 63 & 66 in that picture.

[CWtheMan]

1034

Once we left London we just meandered along again. We had reservations for a two week stay at Mackinaw, MI. We traveled on I-75 up to I-74 than got on IN-3. Then In-3 was our rural highway all the Way to MI. Right after switching over to IN-3 we saw advertisements for Walnut Ridge CG at New Castle, IN. Driving mileage to New Castle was 260 miles.

It’s a beautiful well manicured CG out in the IN countryside. The owners live across the street from the CG entrance. The CG does not have provisions for dumping sewer or gray water at your site. We stayed a week and I had to use our blue boy one time. They have a great laundry room with nice lounge chairs and pin-ball machines which the girls loved to play. There is a beautiful country golf course a few miles away and great family restaurants in New Castle.

Our site was a pull thru with W&E (50A) and a concrete slab. We had a clear opening for our dish antenna.







Our next stop was just an overnighter. It was at Moon Lake CG at Laingsburg, MI. The trip was right at 250 miles. We drove up I-69 and then crossed over to US-127. It would be our road through central MI. Right after getting on US-127 we found the Moon Lake CG. Our parking site was very short and jutted out over a knoll. No one wanted me to unhook the truck so we just took in the CG which was okay with me because fishing at their lake was great.

[CWtheMan]

1035

This was our first major stop. Mackinaw Mill Creek CG, Mackinaw, MI. A wonderful campground and resort on Lake Huron with a view of the convergence of Lake Michigan & Lake Huron; Beautiful sun sets over the bridge every night.

Our site was average in size with FHU service. No CATV provided. We had no problems finding an excellent signal with our dish and Verizon signals were also very strong.

From this CG we explored a large section of the surrounding area as far as Canada to the north. The weather was good all the time we were there with only moderate breezes off the lake.

To best describe some of our side trips I’ll use extensions of this post (1035). We took a lot of pictures and they will help describe the area including some of the Upper Peninsula on our trip to the Soo Locks at Sault Ste Marie (USA & Canada).

In the pictures below I never could figure-out why those two male geese from different species were hanging-out together. They were there during our entire two week stay. Both species mate for life, maybe they both lost their mates?

[CWtheMan]

1035 – 1

From Mill Creek CG to the Soo Locks:

From our CG we took I-75 over the bridge and up to Sault Ste Marie, USA. It’s an easy drive and we made a stop for brunch at a Studebakers Restaurant on the way up.

There was ample parking wherever we stopped and at the locks ticket center. The tickets were not overly expensive and we got seating on the top deck of a USA boat. We got very lucky in our timing as we got to go up into Lake Superior using a CDN lock and came back using a USA lock.

In the pictures are Linda’s sister Barbara, her husband Tommy and of course, me and Linda.

It was an all day affair and we did some shopping in the tourist stores in town before leaving. Tommy is a watch and clock man and there was a very nice outlet there where he browsed for an hour or more. The rest of us went and got ice cream.

The picture of the lock system was a back-drop in the ticket office.

[CWtheMan]

1035-2

Mackinac Island

It’s a unique tourist island out in Lake Huron. The most popular way to get there in the summer season is by high speed tour boats. There is no motorized means of transportation on the island during tourist season. When the lake freezes in the winter, snowmobiles can get there. Public transportation is by horse carriages of all sorts and sizes. Bicycles can be rented but the island is hilly and it takes young strong legs to enjoy cycling. The lower level town area is very popular and walking from place to place is fairly easy. During our tours we rode personal and public carriages.

The island is loaded with historical places to see/visit. The only real hindrance is the smell of horse manure. There is a post office where you can mail post cards that will be post marked right there. There is a popular fire carriage museum with horse drawn fire equipment from all ages. The beautiful iconic Grand Hotel sits up on a knoll and public tour carriages regularly pass by there.

Small trinket stores abound and are loaded with memorabilia. Of course you’ve just got to sample the fudges.

During our two trips to the island we took hundreds of pictures. These are just a very small glimpse of our adventures on the island.