Celebrating Our Second Anniversary As Full Timers

 

Port Charlotte, FL (78 degrees, sunny with clear skies)

Today we celebrate our second anniversary as full timers. It's humbling to look back over the past two years and review some of the amazing things we have seen and done. We are very blessed and continue to enjoy this lifestyle. Although this may not be for everyone, it is perfect for us. 

 

We started our second year in White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo, New Mexico and are currently in Port Charlotte, Florida.  Here is a map of our different stops along the way.   

This year we have

• Traveled 7076 miles in the motorhome
• Explored many more miles in the jeep
• Spent at least one night in 15 States
• Managed a sport memorabilia kiosk in Port Charlotte, Florida
• Worked for a KOA in Watkins Glen, New York
• Volunteered at White Sands National Monument
• Participated in one NOMADS project in Tucson Arizona
• Attended two rally’s (FMCA Indio, CA & Gypsy Journal Rally Yuma, AZ)
• Marveled at many beautiful waterfalls, sunsets, sunrises, and star filled skies
• Paddled several rivers and lakes in our kayak
  
• Took the motorcoach and jeep on a ferry ride
  
• Made many new friends
  
• Treasured several visits from family and friends
  
• Plus so much more.  Here are a few of the highlights

White Sands National Monument was a magical place.  We even had the whole place to ourselves with several volunteers when the main road closed due to a snow storm. 

 

The deserts in Arizona and California were so beautiful and we were awed by the spectacular sunsets. 

 

 

 

We had a lot of fun locating creasted cactus, a unusual and rare phenomenon which some cactus form.

One morning we woke up to a sudden snowfall in Sedona Arizona.  The 17 inch snowfall dusted the spectacular red rocks and for a few hours before it melted we experienced a very rare event. One photographer next to me said “it’s moments like this when you really know there is a God”. 

 

 

Before

After



We spent five months workamping at Watkins Glen KOA in New York.  The Finger Lakes are very pretty and the extended stay allowed us a chance to really experience New York.  We saw lots of waterfalls

The very small….

To the humongous Niagara Falls

Touring some wineries in the Finger Lakes was very interesting.  I learned a lot about wine from the wine tastings over the summer and have a new appreciation. 







A visit to NYC was a highlight and we especially enjoyed being able to see John’s sister, Martha, perform a lovely concert. 

 

We enjoyed moose hunting and celebrating Martha’s birthday in Vermont.  The cousins were all together and it was so much fun.  

 

 

 

On our way to Florida we even took the motorcoach and our jeep on two ferry rides to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  

 

 

 

A new roof was put on our motorhome in Indiana and we added a comfy new sofa bed.  Plus in Delaware the motorhome got six new shoes (tires). My brother helped us also improve our sound system for the TV and we installed a new radio.  The IPOD capability sure has been fun to use as we travel down the road. 

 

 

We are now in Florida and and will soon be starting a  fun filled trip with our friends JC and Bev for three months all around Florida. Life is good.   We remain very grateful that we can travel and enjoy this lifestyle.  It’s been another great trip around the sun. 

 

New "Shoes" For The Motorcoach

New Castle, DE (68 degrees, cloudy skies)

We are on the road again and heading down to Florida for the winter. Our motorcoach needs new tires and after a lot of research decided to have them replaced in Delaware.  Some of our Facebook friends have asked for information and we thought some of our blog friends might find our experience helpful too.  We have attended seminars at rallies in the past about tires and it's recommended to have them replaced at 5-6 years of age regardless of wear or mileage.  Did you know there is actually a birth date on your tire (click link -how to tell how old a tire is)?

 

We wanted to replace them as a planned event and not as an emergency going down the road due to a blow out.  Along the side of the highway you can be at the mercy of a tire shop and a blow out can cause a lot of damage to the rig.

FMCA (Family Motorcoach Association) has a great benefit to its members.  They have a special program though Michelin Advantage Program (click link for program details).  We saved $92 per tires by utilizing the program. We also researched the state tax of the ones on our route to Florida.  Delaware has no state tax. In New York we would have paid 9%.  These new "shoes" are expensive ($3546 for a set of six).

FMCA is a motorcoach organization that offers rallies, seminars, forums, and much more for motorcoach owners.  We've attended several of their rallies and found them very informative and well organized.  If you are a new motorhome owner we would highly recommend joining.  There is a big learning curve to a motorhome and their seminars have been very helpful.  Right now membership is open only to motorhome owners, however, this may be changing in the future.

From the website on FMCA we found Service Tire and Truck Center  in New Castle Delaware (suburb of Wilmington).  Brian was very responsive to all our questions by phone and looked for tires with a recent birth date.  Our tires were quickly replace and we were back on the road in about two hours.   We were very pleased with this tire center. 

 

 

They did say we could boondock in their parking lot.  However, we decided to stay at a nearby Elks Lodge about one mile from the center.  It is tucked in the middle of a neighborhood and there are two sites with 120 electric only.  We were welcomed warmly and enjoyed our stay there for the night. 

Elk Lodge New Castle Delaware

 

 Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks are next on our itinerary.  Check back soon for all the details.