Kinston, North Carolina

After changing a flat tire and the late start, we did not get as far as we had hoped on day, but we are now in Kinston, North Carolina where we plan to stay thru the weekend. Today we spent exploring the area, fixing the tire and looking over the campground were staying at since we arrived after dark. We are staying at the Neuseway Nature Park located right on the Neuse River in the middle of Kinston which surprisingly larger that we thought. There are only 14 campsites and all are full hookup. We are right on the bank of the river......This place is really quite nice! Next to us on the river and available for rental was a tipi on a platform which was really sizable although I'm not sure how you would transport the poles when going camping.Among other things there was the nature center with lots of stuffed and live animals on display for school groups even a climbing wall outside the center.Oh! did I mention they had a small train with a real caboose for a ticket office.We also looked around the city of Kinston to see what was interesting besides being an old southern town with lots of classic houses. One thing we we spotted was this replica of and ironclad ship that was built during the civil war in secret on the Neuse river that was later scuttled to prevent the yankees from capturing her. Of interest they dismantled an old locomotive steam for power. Now its on display right downtown Kinston.

Were off to the coast tomorrow hopefully we will see some of the wild horses.

Finally! On the road again!

Election day we finally put together all our doctors appointments behind us (seems to be more of them the older we get) tried to say our goodby's to friends and neighbors and left for the the warmer climates....although it has been warmer at home than some of the places we planned to stop. 10 miles down the road from home a driver pulled up next to me to tell me about the left rear of our pickup either flat or soon to be flat. I was able to pull over....in the middle of the I96 - I275 interchange and change the tire. Great Start!

The illustrations below show man hard at work! Note the traffic!

After the tire change we made reasonable time, but did not get as far as we had hoped but did stay at Rippling Waters Campground located in Romance, West Virginia which was quiet and nice. Its good to be in the coach again!

Headed for Kinston, North Carolina for a unique birthday party....hope to see Cape Hatteras while there. Will post again soon.

Halloween Camp 2008

Apologies for not posting as often as I would like but.....life seems to be busy!!

Its Halloween time soon and last year we found sort of by mistake the Halloween program that is put on by a nearby state park each year that is quite fun. The campground has developed a program that fills the campground and invites local municipalities to partake in a one day and night party mostly for the kids but lots of adults partake too. The first picture below is my son and his family getting ready and cutting out the pumpkin faces.

I have attached a few pictures below of the campground (Algonac State Park, Michigan) and some of the decorations.

Lots of decorations and fun
We thought the display below was particularl good as we try to spend as much time in "Margaritaville" as we can.

Even the animals have chance to dress up

Goodies are passed out to all the goblins and there is a vote on the best decorated campsite and it is absolutely a great time .....especially with our grandkids!!

Cedarville

Cedarville, Michigan is located on the eastern tip of the upper peninsula along the shores of Lake Huron and in the middle of the Les Cheneaux Islands. Its a beautiful area that was especially popular with summer vacationers and perch fisherman. Today's claim to fame is the nearby annual wooden boat festival that draws old "woodies" from all over for their show. For quite a number of years our friends the Thompsons have talked us into visiting and we have enjoyed it immensely. Both pictures below were taken out the front window of the motorhome so you can see how picturesque it is.

One of the things the area is noted for are all the old "crib" docks.....it almost reminds you of the shoreline in the Northeast United States ...as well as a number of "boathouses" that are way beyond your average cottage. The campground is really very nice with a number of sites that you can just look out the front window and watch the water. It's being condominiumized right now and the pricing is relatively reasonable compared to what we have seen elswhere. Marge however has this thing about the UP (unacceptable except to visit occasionally), so as much as we (I) like it we will visit.

Munising, Michigan

Munising is located along the shore of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with Grand Island just off shore and Pictured Rocks National Park just to the East of the city. It is a nice little village in a protected bay with landscapes and seascapes that are fantastic. The only limiting factor it has is its distance from major metropolitan areas.....that and the really cold water of Lake Superior.The photo below is from a small launch site for boats just West of Munising and a good example of the shore line of the picturesque Lake SuperiorThe primary reason for visiting the Munising area was our former neighbors and friends the Gordons who retired to the "woods" and built a log cabin in what most would consider the boonies. Actually, it is a bit out of town but adjacent to one of the beautiful waterfalls in the Upper Peninsula on the Laughing Whitefish River. The series of pictures below show the falls that are really quite unique. The water drops 80 or 100 feet or so and at the time we were there the flow was minimal. Spring time it really roars.


Next stop is Cedarville, Michigan near the Les Cheneaux Islands.

Elkhart to Elk Rapids

We spent a total of three nights at the plant facility and came away feeling like we had a new coach with lots of little things fixed and ready to enjoy. Below is a picture of the coach just before being turned back over to us. Even looks new!
We had planned to work our way up the West side of Michigan but somehow moved along a little faster and longer than we planned. It really felt good to be back in the coach and on the move.

We arrived in Elk Rapids in the early afternoon and decided to stay in the area a few days as it is one of our favorite places. As a kid I spent a few weeks each summer on Birch Lake....mostly swimming and fishing with summer friends and family....the best of times! We stayed at a campground called Honcho Rest on Bass Lake which I would highly recommend quiet and reasonable and right on the lake. We spent the next few days visiting familiar places and seeing places and friends in the area. Our next stop will be Munising, Michigan on Lake Superior.

On the move again

We arrived this afternoon in Elkhart, Indiana at the Monaco factory to have some work done on the coach. Namely replacement of the slideout awnings which have deteriorated to the point that they were starting to fall apart. I have attached a few pictures to show you our problem, as well as the factory "campground" for those having work done on their coaches.

The procedure for having your coach woked on is to be rousted out at 6:00AM so they can move the coach into the work area. The owners are then direct to the waiting lounge which is nice but some people are here for some time......the record being 79 days I was told. Tomorrow we get started on the awnings and few other minor things. We hope to find a chair for our new desk that will work as we want it. We will keep you posted.

New Desk is in!

Here's our new desk in place and ready to go!

Basic features include :

1. Large sliding drawer on left for printer which has wiring run within the desk for power and hookup to the computer.
2. Wide stow all 3-1/2" deep drawer above printer.
3. Center pencil drawer.
4. Center cabinet with adjustable shelf in foot area for storage of paper, notebooks, various manuals. There is also a false floor for electrical and heat vent. The cabinet doors are perforated to allow for venting and excess heat.
5. Two large file cabinets for our records are located on the right to keep everything in order.
6. Large desk top with access hole for wiring.
   

As mentioned previously, we were very unhappy with the so called J-Lounge that is standard equipment on the coach...it was uncomfortable to sit on and not long enough to sleep on unless you were a small child. We had seen elsewhere on the web, desks that have been retrofitted into coaches but nothing specifically fit our requirements. So we started working with a cabinet shop to develop what we wanted for ourselves. Joe Salet of Greenfield Cabinetry, Inc in Warren Michigan (586-759-3300) and his staff put together exactly what we were looking for. We would now have a workspace that did not have to be moved everytime we ate dinner and allowed us the use of the J-Lounge space for something we would appreciate.
Notice that the counter top matches perfectly the other tops throughout the coach and provides not only a large working surface but could be used for setting out food when entertaining.

The filing drawers are oversized with intent so that I can keep pricebooks and catalogs withing reach.
The slide out drawer for the printer easily accommodates most HP printers.
The lower drawer on the right had to be modified somewhat to allow for the heat vent that was fed through to the center of the desk.
We are very pleased and if anyone out there is interested in doing the same sort of thing, I would highly recommend Greenfield Cabinetry. They were great to work with and we thought their pricing appropriate for task.

Updates

Been kind of sedentary for awhile but have a few projects going. One particular thing of interest is that the campground (River View RV and Resort) we stayed at in Vidalia, Louisiana across the river from Natchez did indeed flood with spring rains and thaws shortly after we left. You may recall we weren't really concerned while we were there but our friends, Ken and Vera, stayed there a week or so ago and half the campground was underwater! (See April 5th post)

We have also been planning and have now arranged to have a desk installed rather than have the "J Lounge" in our "living room" of the motorhome. Not sure what others think about the J Lounge, but to me its sort of useless piece of furniture. Its uncomfortable to sit and while its supposed to fold out to be used as a bed, you would have to be 3 or 4 feet tall to be comfortable. Although, it was great when the grandchildren stayed with us. At any rate we are having a desk built that will hide printers and files away and give some semblance of order in the coach. I have attached a picture below of the J Lounge that is to be replaced and will post pictures of the desk once it's installed.

Another thing that I have done over the years is to tie the flys for flyfishing that I never seem to find time for anymore. The plan is however to go north in the near future to one of our favorite spots and do a little trout fishing. In check my stocks of flys however, it is time to tie some more. Marge has allowed me to take over the dining room table for awhile to allow me room to work. Molly, my grandaughter thinks all the feathers and furs "icky" and wanted nothing to do with it.Below is just one of the nymph flys tied over the last week. I have enjoyed this hobby for quite some time and its always rewarding when you catch something on a lure that you have made.

Tow Boats on the Mississippi River

We were really surprised at how many towboats or pushboats were operating on the river considering that the water was continuing to rise. Years ago we were fortunate enough to take a Rhine River cruise from Amsterdam to Basil Switzerland and there were hundreds of smaller "freighters" actually family liveaboard type barges. These on Mississippi and other major rivers here in the states push as many as 20 barges at one time.

In Vicksburg down on the river there is a display being put together showing these pushboats up close. It appears they draw very little draft and seeing the props you can see how they are able to power the barges around even in shallow water. I don't know how big the engines are but to drive the as many barges as they do they would have to quite powerfull
In viewing this ship its really much bigger than they appear on the water and from the looks of the cabin structure they must have a fair size crew. Passengers maybe?
Another thing I found kind of interesting was how little freeboard (distance from water to deck) there was. If you were ever to go where there was any major wake from another boat it could be quite interesting.!
This boat has obviously been fixed up as it looked like it really should not have been on display but being used on the river. Maybe this is an outdated model of a type not being used anymore. Anyway, this is all on the waterfront in Vicksburg, Mississippi any worth seeing.

Rocky Springs on the Natchez Trace

This year we decided to take the Natchez Trace home rather than one of the interstates and we had heard good things about the "Trace". It is a highway that was started in the 1930's that follows what was originally and old Indian and hunters trail from Natchez to Nashville and later a pathway that flatboatmen would follow home after drifting down the rivers to Natchez to sell their goods and even their boat for lumber before walking back on the Trace to home. Along the way there were various inns that they stayed at and Rocky Springs was the location of one of those stops along the way. The Trace today has three campgrounds along the way, one being at Rocky Springs. These campgrounds are free and really quite nice and with a short hike not too far from the Rocky Springs settlement or what is left of it today.... a brick church (still in use today) and abandoned house sites with a few old safes that must have been to heavy to haul away.


The picture above is one of the three safes we saw just left lying and now small monuments to times past. It sort of surprised us that this sort of thing has survived with little left of any buildings that may have been in the area. There were some cisterns from previous buildings but nothing else.
The church which has been well kept is still standing and having been in the brick business at one time it was fascinating to see how well some of the old hand made brick have survived after 250 years plus.
This detail at the grave yard I thought was really neat. It was part of a larger gate that has fallen in the typical disarray but unique to the rest of the stones and memorials in the cemetery behind the church.

The trees in the area were really kind of neat and almost something out of a Stephen King novel with all the creepy moss hanging from the limbs.
We both thought the picture above was strange too with the roots of tree reminding us of a spider. We thought the whole cemetery would be a good set for some ghoulish movie.
Between the moss and the trees and of course being in a cemetery we thought the place as unique particularly coupled with the history.

We stayed over night at the campground located there and moved on the next day. The highway is great in that they have a 50 MPH limit and there is little traffic for 450 miles. It is certainly a far cry from the interstates and a pleasure to drive. We probably averaged 45 miles an hour or less and saw beautiful country all along. There is (probably every 10 miles) a marked historical item with parking to stop and see from civil war sites to Indian burial grounds. A great trip if you not in a hurry! And Mississippi is a beautiful in the spring time!

Side visit to Vicksburg, Misssissippi

In the continuing saga of trying to post pictures I thought I would try to show you some pictures taken in Vicksburg of TRAINS!!!!

The city of Vicksburg is on quite a bluff with a lower level and maybe a former ferry site at the base near the water ...... lots to see.

Old Train yards

An old turntable without any roundhouse but neat and old

There was a new shed where the old roundhouse may have been

It still seems to be used though difficult to figure how or to do what?

Natchez, Mississippi

Wow.....where to begin....This beautiful, quaint little town of about 16,000 people on a ridge above the Mississippi River is a wonder. First, its the oldest established community on the Mississippi River. Formerly one of the richest communities in the US thanks to the cotton grown in this area and now a great place to visit and probably live any time of the year. Lots of good resturants, great architecture and plantation homes that are unbelievable.

Marge and I arrived Friday morning and set up camp in Vidalia, Louisana accross the river from Natchez. Natchez is built on a high ridge above the water and its apparent that Vidalia has had and is susceptable to flooding. In fact the river is cresting a record highs right now and our campground is between the river and the levy with the water still rising. According to the news, its a few feet off a record but if there is any more rain it could be very interesting!!! A note of interest is that the river barge traffic has been slowed and halted in some areas as the current is exceptionaly fast and movement of the large barge "trains" causes some stress to the low lying areas and levy's.

Between us we have taken almost 200 pictures of this area and I will try to post some of the more interesting below

Lousy picture but shows flooding on Vidalia, Lousiana side of river.

Under the bridges between Natchez and Vidalia

Casino flooding at the riverfront in Natchez

150 year old plus home (?) office (?)

Covered walks in dowtown Natchez

Rosalie Mansion at the edge of the ridge above the river.

Typical downtown street

Pictures posted but not without problems will try to do more in the next few days . We leave Natchez in the morning heading north along the Natchez Trace