Christmas Break

We left Ft Myers Wednesday for two weeks to fly back to Michigan for the Christmas Holidays. We hope to see as many friends and family as we can then back to the warmer climates. We have bought ourselves a present for Christmas that should be fun. Will tell you all about our new 19' Mako Center Console fishing machine (boat) when its delivered on the 30th.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all

Hank & Marge

Coach Improvements

While at the Monaco plant we met a variety of folks that spend substantially more time in their coaches than we do and while sitting around waiting for the service work to be done lots good things are discussed. One was tire wear which we were particularly interested in because of the blowout we had had earlier this year. We met a former Goodyear employee who told us a lot about the development of the new G670 tire they make for coaches that we had purchased after our problems. It was quite reassuring! One thing we were told was that when parked for any length of time we should indeed protect the tires from UV rays as much as possible. This past week we took that advice and also decided to get the screen shade for the front windshield which also provides some degree of privacy. Our friends the Armstrong's highly recommended them and now that we have them they have proven to be quite nice and with the tire protectors we are just more comfortable than ever.

Installation was a snap...we called RV Sunshade (Gordon Brown 877-422-5679) who came out the next day and set up his van with sewing machine and other equipment and proceeded to measure our coach and make on the spot the protective screening on site.Cutting and sewing

Finished Product in place.

We were very pleased with the end result and Gordon Brown is quite the gentleman. If your interested check out his web site. www.rvsunshadeco.com

Exploring area

We had decided that once landed in Ft Myers we would take a good look around at all the available campgrounds in this area with the idea in mind that maybe one of these winters would be spent here in this area rather than the Keys. First thing we noticed was this campground right on Ft Myers Beach that had beach access and interesting neighbors.....
Marge vetoed that idea right away and frankly it was very congested as well as in the same price category as the Keys. We also spent some time on Pine Island where our friends from Missouri have spent time but the best of the campgrounds there is now permanently closed and the rest are just OK. We finally decided that (for the money) we are in the best of the campgrounds for water access and people here have been very friendly. There are also some very nice high end places and the best of those is the River Bend Motorcoach Resort and it has water access, but again for the money, it is on the same level as the Keys ....I'll take the Keys. I don't mean to harp on the cost but due to the tremendous demand for land in the Keys things have gone from what was $17.00/nite to $110.00/nite for a campsite. Long term rentals reduce the cost but even that has become quite high in cost. I guess I really can't complain too much....we are warm and enjoying the sunshine when others are braving the cold of the North.

Disneyworld with Mickey and the Gang

Friday, November 24th

We arrived today for a four day three night visit to Fort Wilderness at Disneyworld in Orlando Florida. After leaving Beverly Hills, Florida we traveled to Wekiva Falls and the campground from Hell!! After registering at a place called Wekiva Springs RV Park for what we thought would be a couple of days stay we found a campground that has just deteriorated to a pig sty. Really!! So bad that we asked for our money back which they gave without to much commotion and we left for the Orlando area. We were fortunate enough to find a nice quiet campground in the middle of an old orange grove....Hence the name Orange Grove Campground which we would highly recommend. Clean, quiet and reputable! We spent a few days there with the only visitors being a few Sandhill Cranes begging for food.Monday November 27th - Happy Birthday Ben!

Today, we arrived bright and early at Disneyworld......Marge is excited!!!! Did I say Marge was excited!!! I swear she was as bad if not worse than the kids we saw running around trying to do everything at once. I earned points this trip!

We checked in at Fort Wilderness which is the campground owned and operated by Disney that has somewhere between 1200 and 1500 campsites. It has been voted the best campground in the United States by a number of different camping groups and I do have to agree. Campfires with marshmellow roasts, sing-alongs around a campfire and Disney figures wandering through the campground waving at all the kids.

Our first adventure was the shopping district at mainstreet Disney where we saw all kinds of Christmas stuff and some really neat things like the Lego dragon.

I at first thought it was just another character they had built, but it was built of all Lego parts. Marge found a few items for the coming Holidays and we went back to the campground to be rested for tomorrow....her words. Little did I know!

Tuesday - November 28th

We had a grand time (tiring) spending the day seeing the different countries and their displays with the General Motors Test Track ride and even the Living Earth with its unique displays of what the future could bring relative to farming crops to fish on display. We did take a break mid day and then back to the park for more. We even stayed late to see their "Illuminations" show which has to be the absolute best fireworks show I have ever seen!! Bar none! It really was a fun day and its so neat to see the little ones going home at night asleep on their parents shoulders. We do miss the grandkids.

Wednesday - November 29th

We set off for the Animal Kingdom with the idea of seeing as much as we could then heading back to the Magic Kingdom for a parade. The display of the animals was as fantastic as anything we have ever seen for captive animals. We were fortunate enough to have participated in photo safari to Kenya Africa some years ago and this display is as close to that experience we have seen. We were particularly taken with the Gorilla display, there was even one young female that like to play with earth worms and would put them on her head. If you look close you can see one on her head in the picture below.
I was also able to ride a train well actually two...the one in the African exhibit which was really diesel powered and only made to look real....but the second was a real steam engine that circles the Magic Kingdom.


Marge and I also met Buzz Lightyear and rode on his ride and adventure shooting at Zork! It was really quite fun and I know my grandkids would be envious to have been able to help Buzz fight the evil Zork like Marge and I did....I am a first level space cadet now and Marge is still a scout in training.

Friday - December 1

We are now settled in Fort Myers Florida at the Upriver Campground RV Resort on the Coloosahatchee River and will be here till we fly home for the Christmas Holidays. Check our location above.

Added note: Sorry about the Font changes and size changes...Blogger the host is undergoing some changes and this is the beta that does not have all the kinks worked out yet.