Sojurn in the "Real" Florida

We left Monday for a 3 1/2 week late fall trip in our home state. This is a great time to be in Florida.  I can see why we have so many visitors around the holidays. We are camped (and of course I use that term loosely) outside of Dunnellon, FL at Rainbow Springs State Park. Very rural park, little or no grassy greenspace. The sites are surrounded by pin oaks, palmettos and vaious indigenous shrubs. Many of the visitors to the park at this time of year are birders, so you can imagine the flying fauna abounds. Weather is temperate during the day (mid 70s) and cool enough at night to leave windows open and use a blanket(50s).  We will be here another week until Dec. 5 when we will head to Curry Hammock on Marathon Key.

Should have left week and a half earlier but walked out one morning to find a giant crack across The Beast's driver's side windshield. Needless to say, those windshields are not just sitting around in your local glass dealer so the insurance had to track it down and have it sent. That took the better part of a week. When it arrived, it wasn't just for the wrong side, it was for another style. That meant longer waiting and by then it was Turkey Day and we decided to just begin with the third leg of our trip instead. So we are now here (third leg), with the kayak I can't use (that is another story), 2 cats and a dog - But we are here...... :-)

Tempy's Test

Right now we are sitting in Tempy at Karick Lake, a little Blackwater River State Forest campground just north of Crestview, FL., relaxing. Bruce is reading and I am blogging of course and we are listening to the rain (and thunder)

We are on our way home from Tempy's Test Trip.  She has had the springs reversed and hung on new perches, bearings replaced, wheels & larger tires from the car hauler were borrowed for this trip and there is a new companion 5th wheel hitch in the back of The Truck. (That 5th wheel to gooseneck adaptor ifea was discarded).  She is still not completely level when towed but much improved.  Since we did not put larger wheels on her, just slightly taller tires apparently we did not get all of the expected height, but that is still under evaluation.

We drove to Pensacola Thursday to attend the 50th wedding anniversary celebration of our dear friends, Herman & Ann Parker.  A good time was had by all and we wish them many more years.  To avoid hotels and bring Hazel we decided to make this our Tempy Test.  We stayed in their back yard for 3 nights, with water and electricity of course, remember it is Florida and has been in upper 90s so AC is a must. We even managed to get Tempy fairly level and since the accomodations were provided gratis we beggars were not too choosey.

The results: Tempy pulled easily behind The Truck, provided a continually dry environment through the daily thunderstorms (it is a typical FL summer - note I said we were listening to the rain earlier), cooled adeqately (notice I used the word adeqately) with minimal shade and kept our groceries refrigerated nicely. We are pleased. Everything worked as advertized.

We moved here to Karick Lake Sunday since it is on the way home and convenient to my dad's place in Crestview. The campground is relatively empty so we picked a shady waterfront site under all the trees (cooling improves with shade-imagine that!) as we have no TV or satellite reception issues to worry about right now, and settled in. We had a short visit with dad this morning and hurried back to calm what would soon be a hysterical Hazel with the impending thunderstorms. Tomorrow we drive home.

So what still needs doing?  We have evaluated our needs going forward and have a short list of things to fix or improve ( we think all our changes are improvements.)  We definitely have decided to replace the missing awning.  This will be the biggest item.  We need to decide on tires and wheels (the car hauler called and wants these back) and the rest is small - we need to replace a sewer hose end to ensure no leakage when dumping, add shelves inside the small wardrobes on either side of the bed(remember I said they were little), change incandesent 12v bulbs in several of fixtures to LEDs for less battery consumption when not using shore power(not plugged in to electricity for you non boaters/campers), fix the cat restroom (cat pan in bottom of sink cabinet with new half door to cover the upper shelf), and figure out the storage in kitchen/living area cabinets. These overhead cabinets are long runs (6-8') and I want to break the runs up with small boxes or something comparable to contain the dry/canned goods so everything does not move around inside when we turn, bump, etc. Oh yes,  we also need some couch pillows and a small side table for drinks, sounds like I can use old throw pillows and a TV tray for that. We had already stolen the mattress from The Beast, so nothing additional is necessary in that area. (Yes I realize I now have a bed problem in the beast.) I am sure there are some minor other areas we will work on,  but all in all- we are very pleased with our little Tempy Test.  Now to make it home tomorrow with no issues.  -:)

New 5th Wheel - Tempy?

On our drive to Chipley yesterday as we discussed our impending new to us 5th wheel purchase, I asked Bruce if he had any suggestions for a name for our new toy.  He immediately answered, in all seriousness, "Temporary" - and since I really couldn't argue at this point (not really knowing how long she might be with us) she will be known as Tempy. Now on to the ever unfolding saga ......

This is a "before" picture of Tempy behind The Truck (just the back, I know). As I am sure we have all noticed, she does not sit level when hooked to The Truck. As a  result the first thing we did after arriving home was to jump into the HHR and rush to the trailer store to get new bearings for the wheels and new spring perches. Yeah I know, you are thinking spring perches?  Well apparently the springs on this trailer are attached to "perches" (think bird perch, something they sit on or hang from) on the bottom side of the axle and we (the Royal we), of course, want them to be on the top of the axle, thus allowing the trailer body to sit higher above the wheels which  I am assured will help with that whole level thing.  Also, apparently as a side effect of this raising of the body (I know you believe it was not by design right?), there will be more clearance for, dare I say it, larger new tires?  Ha!!

But enough of this leveling with new spring perches already.  What about the inside.  Here are some quick pics.  There is a compact kitchen with mucho storage, and as I indicated yesterday, a small table and chairs.  The living area includes a jack knife couch (you know, one that makes into a bed by lifting the front and pulling up and forward and supposedly sleeps 2 adults) and a swivel rocking chair, both covered in a nice relaxing beige/blue upholstery.  If you look through the doorway of picture on the right, you can see the small dressing area that leads to the bedroom..  Yes, I know can only see the floor of the area before the step to the bedroom so use your imagination.



The bedroom itself has of course, a bed, (with a really crappy mattress right now but I intend to remedy that immediately) and space on both sides of the bed (OK, not really space but a small walk way the width of that tiny wardrobe you see on the right side of the picture) where we can get to the little (didn't I already say they were tiny) wardrobes on either side.  We can also use that walk way to possibly make the bed , if we hold our stomachs in and don't breath and I can get Bruce to help (again the Royal we). The tiny bath has a shower big enough for either of us (but not both at the same time) to actually turn around and there is room for your legs if you want to close the door when using the toilet (a must of course).  All in all, a nice, compact, well laid out Alaska adventure home for 2 people, or 2 people and a small animal menagerie.



I leave you with this last picture of  Tempy (I know, you are thinking this can't go on much longer, can it?) unhooked and waiting for her big day tomorrow (remember, axles, spring perches, bearings, etc.). Maybe we will have an "after" picture by tomorrow, but doubtful, because she also has to be fitted with a 5th wheel to gooseneck adapter on her hitch. More on that as it occurs,  Remember, we are nothing, if not creative, in our endeavors.  Later all.......................

The Grand Adventure - In the Beginning.....

We have decided to drive to Alaska - next year.  I know this is early to start my blog, but we are not taking The Beast: so there will be lots of "getting ready" for this trip, including purchasing a new RV.  We have decided to get a new to us 5th wheel and pull it with The Truck as we already own this vehicle.)  The Truck is a 2006 Diesel GMC 1 ton dually crew cab - so we are still talking comfort here.  But why go to Alaska with a different RV?  Well, we are kind of protective of The Beast and suspect that more can go wrong with it on this type of trip than a 5th wheel with no slides and much smaller tires.  Just fixing a blow-out on The Beast is a major hit to the pocket book, let alone finding a place to carry its 22.5 " spare and then getting it put on if needed,  but a 15 or 16 inch light truck tire is easier to carry, easier to find if you need more than one and much more affordable. Then there is the ground clearance.  We know there will be gravel to deal with, pot holes and road construction and the 5th wheel we are buying has an ultralight aluminum frame with aluminum siding, not fiberglass while The Beast has a fiberglass body that I would rather protect for several years to come. There are other reasons, not the least of which is that we have a lot of money invested in The Beast and for a minimum of money we can take the 5th wheel and as Bruce says, beat the heck out of The Truck instead and then sell the 5th wheel are recoup some of our money.

So what is this new RV we are getting. She is a 27' Sunnybrook 5th Wheel, with a full kitchen including a table and 2 chairs, bath with shower, separate bedroom, couch and chair, microwave, cabinets galore, limited outside storage (no that does NOT make Bruce happy) and ONLY weighs 5000 lbs.  Yes, quite a difference from the 22,000+ of  The Beast - in fact not much more than our normal tow vehicle, the HHR. Should pull easily and still give us all the space we need (we hope) for the full menagerie (yes both cats and the dog will be joining us) and both of us to be comfortable. We pick her up Thursday morning in Chipley and drive home, hopefully with no problems.  Then the "outfitting" begins.  Some minor work to the ride height (at least that is what Bruce keeps telling me) and new tires first thing.  Then our first test camp, we hope, right after the 4th of July.  There will still be some Beast trips before we leave too and I will include them as we go through the next months, so stay tuned for the ongoing saga as we begin the process of getting ready for The Grand Adventure.