Well here we are in Clarksboro, NJ, only about 500 miles from home. Our travels up from Crossville, TN were very uneventful ... WTT purred right along ... we managed to avoid all the commercial trucks and crazy 4 wheelers ... and we made it safe and sound. We did the trip in 3 250 mile days. Day 1 to Fort Chiswell, VA, Day 2 to Winchester, VA, and Day 3 over here to Clarksboro, NJ.
Our plan was to spend a couple of days here in NJ visiting with the NJ Evringham Gang in between all their goings on - and that is still our plan ... except for the part where we may spend a few more days to wait for the April Fools New England Snowstorm to finish dumping its 5" to 10" of HeHeHe!
Mikee's Random Thoughts ...
When you spend several days in a row driving a motorhome you tend to think about random things ...
Like ... When I drove Winne - 2 things really made a difference in our fuel mileage. Wind direction and elevation changes. Obviously - driving into the wind in a box shaped vehicle will definitely decrease your fuel mileage -- as will a lot of climbing hills. Actually, I believe that even if you don't change your elevation much from start to finish - if you have to do a lot of ups and downs during the day your mileage will still suffer. Apparently the ups matter more than the downs. But WTT seems to be a different story. The diesel engine doesn't seem to care much about the elevation changes ... but it still cares about the wind. We got about 1 mpg better than average driving up I81 with a following wind all the way - in spite of a lot of ups and downs. 10 point something mpg is not all that great but it is still better than 9 point something ... and a whole lot better than 6 or 7 point something with Winne.
The economy must be improving up here in the northeast. Although I noticed that the average cost to stay at the same campgrounds where we normally stay has risen slightly over the past 7-8 years, the cost has really jumped here in the northeast. We are staying now at Timberlane Campground here in Clarksboro, NJ - a spot where we have stayed many times over the past many years. The historical price has been in the 42-45 $/night range depending on the time of year. That is at the very high end of our average cost/night - but we pay it since its just about the only place available in this area - especially in the winter months. Our cost for the privilege of staying here on this trip is a bit over $52/night! Same amenities, same time of year! The fact that they appear to have new owners and just became a KOA affiliated campground might have something to do with it .... but holy mackerel! I did some checking on other potential spots within 50 miles and this may be the best deal around! Either the NJ Evringham Gang needs to move -- or Peggy may need to find part time work!
Speaking of averages ... As you would expect - our fuel cost for RV travel depends on the national average for fuel cost and has varied a lot over the past number of years. Our average cost for gas back in 2009 was about $1.84/gal in the winter months and about $2.56/gal in the fall of the same year. In 2012 that cost was about $1 per gallon more! Our average cost for diesel last winter was about $2.15/gal and this year it is about $2.50/gal. Some of that increase is due to the increase in diesel fuel cost nationally and some is due to the fact that diesel tends to be cheaper out west.
Our average per night campground costs tend to vary a bunch as well. Not counting those times when we spend considerable time at a friend or relative's home "mooch-docking" ... we tend to average about $27 per night. We do better when we stay in one spot long enough to take advantage of a weekly or monthly rate -- and rates do tend to be less expensive out in the western states ... but it pretty much "is what it is." Since we only infrequently "dry camp" at a local casino or rest area and have never overnighted at the local WalMart, Cracker Barrel, or truck stop -- our average cost per night will be higher than some RVers. I guess at least one of us likes "full hook ups."
Winne used a quart of engine oil about every 1500 miles. I would need to add 2 quarts on each leg when traveling from coast to coast. She did this when the engine was new and when she had over 130,000 miles on her. WTT hasn't used a drop yet in her first 10,000 miles. Interesting.
This truly is a beautiful country. Even in the winter months when the growing things tend to be in their drab phase - and even in those places where folks tend to litter more and government tends to spend less to pick up after the litterers -- we have a beautiful country with a diverse landscape. I encourage you all to get out and see it - and quit littering! I know the public works folks need jobs too but let them spend their time fixing our roads and not picking up our trash.
And now to finish this post with a bit of a rant. I know that our decision to return to Maine around April 1st is earlier than most snowbirds would suggest. We have returned around this date several times in the past and yes ... there were still snowbanks alongside the driveway ... but 5" to 10" of new snow!!! REALLY!!! This is entirely unsatisfactory!
I'm OK with putting up with the end of mud season but I do not want to move or drive-in any more snow!
Unfortunately and apparently - there are plenty of travelers willing to spend $52 per night to park here at the Timberlane Campground and we need go somewhere else on Saturday. So I guess it might as well be someplace north. I know we won't be driving all the way to Maine to help them enjoy their new snow. Maybe a casino in Connecticut would work? No snow and a chance to build up the RV travel fund while seeing how well WTT "dry camps"
in the "spring" weather in New England!
Ain't life Grand?!
OK ... here's the deal ... I wrote a really long and great Blog Post a couple of nights ago and then lost it all into cyberspace. Grrrr
I'll get caught up in a couple of days --- honest.
In the meantime -- here we are safe and sound in Chattanooga, TN (actually we are a little south in Georgia).
I will include a few pictures and you can use your imaginations to figure out how our week went in Lower Alabama and up to this point.
Until next time ...
Our time here in Florida is just about complete for this year. We plan on heading north and then a bit west tomorrow into the Florida panhandle ... and then further west on Thursday into Alabama for a week stay at Rainbow Plantation.
We had a fairly quiet last week here in Bushnell. We did make it over to Eustis for the Vintage Motorcycle Swap Meet / Show on Friday and Saturday. The swap meet had a few more vendors with vintage Japanese motorcycles/parts - but nothing that screamed "buy me." They did have several nice show bikes on display on Saturday.
We certainly can't complain about the weather we have had over our 6 weeks down here. We had a few days of rain (including last night) but most days were sunny with highs in the low 80s. I think this is pretty good for being this far north in Florida in February/March. I see we will be in for a little cooler weather during our stay at the Plantation - but 70s for a high isn't all that bad and we do need to start acclimating to the colder temps we will be seeing on our way back home.
Our site here at Sumter Oaks is right near the entrance so we get to observe all the comings and goings. Although there are always a few new rigs coming and going daily there seems to be increased activity lately. The park is still generally full but I do sense the snowbirds are starting to gather for the trip back home. As I recall, the exodus back north will really start around April 1st and the RV Parks along the major routes north will be full of Canadians, New Yorkers, and Michiganders come mid April.
We're ready to move as well. We have spent the better part of 2 months here in Florida which is pretty unique for us. Historically we have traveled more and sat in one spot less on our RVing trips. Usually this happens because we travel out west and it simply takes longer to get there and back. Sitting more does have some advantages - like being able to attend the same church more than once or being able to visit a good restaurant more than once. Personally, I like to travel more and sit less. Peggy I think would rather sit more and travel less. We'll keep searching for that happy medium. Unfortunately (perhaps fortunately) - as I get older I find my body frequently refuses to cooperate with my mind.
Such is the quandary of a Maineiac In Motion searching for a Medium that keeps Moving.
Meanwhile - time to find the travel checklist - right after going out for lunch.
We finished up our time at the Florida SKP Resort last Tuesday and made the trip back here to Bushnell last Wednesday. We both really enjoyed our time down there. Lots of fun times visiting friends and seeing sights -- we plan on returning sometime in the future!
The weather here has continued to be great with highs in the high 70s to low 80s - no rain to speak of - and a little breezy. Perfect weather for seeing sights, sitting outside watching the few clouds roll by, and taking daily walks. Pretty tough -- I know.
Peggy heard that the annual Plant City Strawberry Festival was happening this week -- and she had a hankering for some strawberry shortcake -- so off we went last Saturday. For you uninformed - Plant City Strawberries are some of the best berries you will ever sink your teeth into. Fortunately for us - Plant City is only about 40 or so miles south of Bushnell. We had a nice quiet drive down to Plant City and then we found out what a BIG DEAL the Strawberry Festival is! Huge crowds - tons of people - and insane traffic! We decided we needed to rethink our plan so we found a Sonny's BBQ joint to fill our bellies and do some re-planning. It became obvious to us that we really didn't want to attend the festival - but we did want some good strawberry shortcake. So where do we go? I dunno - ask Google. Google quickly responded that Parksdale's Farm Market was the place to go ... so we did.
And boy was it a good idea! Parkesdale's Farm Market has been around since the late 60s selling farm fresh produce and making some great strawberry based desserts. We were fortunate to find a parking place right away and got ourselves into a semi long line. The line moved along quickly and soon we were inside ordering our strawberry shortcake. Not just any strawberry shortcake but the best strawberry shortcake - ever! Lots of sliced strawberries (slightly sugared) over homemade shortcake and then smothered with homemade whipped cream. Oh-my-goodness .... was that ever good stuff!
We did make it over to Webster last Sunday to check out the monthly motorcycle swap meet. The swap meet was pretty large and there were lots of vendors and buyers -- unfortunately 90+% of the cycle stuff was for Harley Davidsons. Oh Well ... we had a nice walk.
Later this week we are planning to attend a Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Swap Meet and Show over in Eustis, FL. Hopefully there will be more stuff to see that interests me ... and hopefully Peggy isn't too bored!
About this time next week we will be starting our slow trip back north. Our first planned stop will be in Summerdale, AL where we will be staying at the SKP Rainbow Plantation Park - visiting more RV friends and eating at more of our favorite local eateries. After a week of Alabama eating and visiting we will be heading further north into Tennessee where we hope to find more friends along the way and maybe even some more good local places with some great food?!
After that? Well it depends. It depends on how well those northern'ers have rid themselves of the snow and cold. I realize that I will have to transition back to long pants before I get back to Maine but I'm in no hurry to use my snowblower.
But some fresh Maine Seafood sounds pretty good!
