& Then I Bought an RV!

In Dickinson, and busy with family. Thus I'll combine these days and post a pic or two.....My usual mode is daily pics and stories....however family things do not offer as much for most of my readers....

Roadhouse has a leak......However the leak only occurs when i park nose down and left side down. Water from air conditioner ran down side of coach and under slide. Used fan to dry carpet and all is well..

Coach very comfortable...temps here are in the low 80s, but humidity makes me feel like I am back in Florida. It is obvious we left home at right time......from here we go North to Illinois and more family, with a brief stop in Indiana to see friends who stood up with us 17 years ago when we were married.

This will take us through mid-May, and we'll strike out East to begin the vacation part of our vacation!

A couple pics later today!

Duke

Posted on Facebook about the day......heavy traffic, millions of love bugs, terrible Louisiana roads, But, we got to our park in Dickinson, TX. Tired driver as we had cross winds all day 25-30 mph which caused Roadhouse, all 31,000 pounds of him, to lean right all day. Still blowing here as we set up for the week. No main awning as it is too windy. Just awnings over bedroom and living room windows for now. Great dinner with daughter Teri, son-in-law Lance, grand kids Robbie and Lauren. Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic toast....and a nice salad. Tomorrow the visit begins with me washing dead love bugs off Roadhouse. Duchess with daughter and grandson. He has a medical procedure and wants some grandma support! Duke

Day two....Quincy, FL to Hammond, LA. Day of driving, not unpleasant. The facts are, I found a real YIKES type situation....and then reflected upon why I didn't get a TICKET for speeding! I was cruising West on I-10. Speedo said 70, the posted speed limit. Passed several radars. Passed several cops with people stopped. Roll on. It occurred to me I was passing almost everything. Turned to the speed setting on my GPS and SURPRISE!!! When my speedometer said 70 my GPS said I was doing 76 mph! Finished the day driving about 65 or 67 on my speedo which was about 72-73, which i feel I can usually get away with. 2nd night was much quieter, and I slept well. Already settling into my usual on-the-road time schedule. I wear out sooner and go to bed earlier, then awaken earlier in the morning than at home. Tomorrow, on to Dickinson, TX. Pic is my back camera with our Jeep Wrangler Brutus towed behind....the usual view. Duke

VIEW FROM THE HELM! Trip was late-beginning....and fairly quick. In Quincy at Flying J by 9:20pm....Sleep was elusive for me as it was cool out, windows open and lots of noise. The picture is of Rt. way to short-cut I-75.....No traffic to speak of. Duke

Roadhouse, II sits quietly in the driveway......on board, almost silently, the combo refrigerator cools using gas instead of electric. The closets are full, the maps aboard, the GPS still to be placed beside the driver.....dry food goods all aboard (except final coffee bags), and things are ready!

In the morning a doc visit and blood test for Duke. Early afternoon Duchess has doc visit and then final post-cataract surgery exam of eye.

Departure estimated about 3-3:30pm.......Quincy, FL 1st nite out.....then Dickinson, TX by Thursday afternoon.

Are you ready for the Summer?

The preparation begins......Take Roadhouse, II to Lazydays tomorrow (Mon.) for final repairs/add-ons....

Replace bedroom shade; fix bathroom ceiling vent (the kind that opens by a wall switch and turns itself on...then, if it rains, it shuts itself off & closes automatically. Ours isn't....also, a few other minor things. Hope all is done this week and RV back to us for loading.

At home, begins the pack stuff away here; arrange lawn care; begin choosing clothes for hot/mild/cool places; planning food (what to get rid of here, and what to take.); plan routes for 1st two legs of trip, and make reservations. Most nights when rolling we find a pilot or Flying J where we both get a diesel discount, and they have places to stay the night free. Only need sewer, etc. about every 3rd night....

Forwarding mail, cutting off paper, have neighbor alerted to watch place (we trade off).

Departure is gonna be tricky. Day of leaving I see doc at 11am, plus have a blood test done. Then at 12:45 Duchess sees doc and drives back home where I have cats in coach really, it only seems there are this many instead of our 3!), and "Brutus" our Jeep we pull behind is hooked on and lights tested.....

Hit the road for a 1st night stay at Flying J in Quincy, FL......then two days later, in early afternoon we hit Dickinson, TX, at Bay Colony Resort for a 7 day stay.

Busy times, but excitement at our impending departure grows daily!

Duke

OK....this is a picture of our original Roadhouse with our first "Road Trip" taken in November 2005.....that is 7 years ago.....guess I was wrong about how long we had Roadhouse!

Some will recognize a few of these folks......but most-striking.....Lesley as a BLONDE!!!!

Time moves on!

By the way, for those wishing to have names: (L to R) Bill Edwards, Jackie Appel, Bob Green (kneeling), Lesley Nikkinen, Jan Schneider, Rick Schneider, Sandra Vans Evers, Paul DeLand

Our trip was down I-275, then I-75 all the way to Naples Elks for lunch....then back to Punta Gorda Elks for dinner, then home. Great time.....

Duke

This RV year begins with a new coach, mentioned in my last post. It is an oldie...but top-of-the-line. Just now getting used to diesel power, and all that goes with it.....Can't wait to attack my first mountains!

Folks, meet Roadhouse, II...an American Eagle w/325 hp Cummins diesel, 6-speed Allison transmission, and lots of goodies. In our 1st two short trips (to St. Augustine) we worked out some kinks, and final repair/warranty work will be done beginning Tuesday, the 10th. We depart April 24th in the afternoon.

Duke

I abandoned posting here last year, right after we lost our beloved cat, Jackie, in an RV park in the mountains of Colorado. Duchess and I were completely disheartened.....for 8 weeks.

Then, in September, sitting around a campfire in Boone, NC and having wine with friends, we got a call from the campground and Jackie had been found and caught. An email pic confirmed it was our cat, 5 pounds lighter, but apparently none the worse for wear!

The picture above is of John, resident of River Dance RV Resort in Gypsum, CO with our little gal.

Actually I use this short-form version of catching up to let you know the new season approaches and we have a new, really nice, coach in which to travel. From 33ft to 40ft...from gas to diesel... and from single to dual furnaces and ACs. It has air ride and air brakes and is on a Spartan chassis.

I'll send pics with next post.

I'll also be posting now, near-daily as the trip approaches and we prepare for 5-7,000 miles of adventure in Roadhouse, II....

Duke