Travel Journal

May 2005

Travel Route:

On May 3d, we again said goodbye to Michael and Fort Wayne as we left with Florida as the final destination. In Fort Lauderdale we were to meet Elke, Renée’s former co-worker at Abbott in Wiesbaden-Delkenheim and her son, Martin. As we left the driveway, it appeared that the RV was sitting a bit too low. The service foreman at the manufacturer had made the suggestion that we should lower the fifth wheel somewhat so that the RV would ride in a more level position. It appeared that the adjustment was one position too much. When turning, the edge of the RV was dangerously close to the aluminum toolbox on the pickup, (See photo) and could be damaged in a turn-around maneuver. We slowly and carefully drove to a nearby school parking lot, unhooked, readjusted the fifth wheel and then took off to Elkhart, IN to have the axle alignment checked, then on to Topeka to have the shock absorbers and new tire installed. The bed slide out was also to be repaired. While the repairs were being made, we visited a nearby flea market where Renée bought herself a “Route-66” T-shirt (She has a thing about “Route 66” and we will no doubt eventually drive its entire length!)

After the repairs were finished we headed south in beautiful weather. We spent the first night at Walmart in Van Wert, OH. The following day we arrived at Kincaid Lake State Park in Falmouth, KY, after an unintentional, adventurous drive on a one lane back road with low hanging trees and no place to turn around. As we started to set up, one of the slide-outs would not correctly slide out. Instead one side of it went out and the other would not move, causing one of the overhead awning parts to break. Chuck discovered the cause of the problem: a bolt had fallen out of the drive of the slide underneath the RV. After finding a replacement bolt and getting the slide-out working again, we contacted the manufacturer and explained what had happened. They immediately sent the replacement part for the awning, which arrived a few days later.

On Saturday afternoon, June 6^th, Chuck’s niece, Meredith, and Kevin were married at St Francis Xavier’s. This was the reason we had stopped in Falmouth. After the festivities, we went back to Kincaid Lake and spent the next few days switching from Winter to Summer. That means we had to unpack the RV, then re-pack it. This is quite a bit more complicated than in a house, and takes quite a bit of time. The next few days were spent on a shopping trip to buy a replacement scanner and to stock up at the nearest Aldi since we knew there are none in the southern states. Quite by accident, we found a German butcher shop in Erlanger, KY. Their meats are quite good!

On Friday, May 13^th we left Falmouth to continue on to Florida. As we left Falmouth, turning left onto US 27, Chuck looked in the rear view mirror and thought that he saw what looked like our extra satellite dish in the middle of the road! It was almost a half mile before he could pull over. As expected, the extra dish was missing. Almost immediately, a car pulled up with the dish in the back seat. The driver had seen it fall off, stopped to retrieve it, then chased us down to deliver it!

That night was spent at a truck stop in Pioneer, TN. Renée was given professional instruction on how to back the RV into a truck space. A very nice trucker (who looked like Santa Claus) noticed that she was having difficulty with Chuck’s directions and took over. He said it was much better if Renée was mad at him instead of Chuck since he had his truck to sleep in! Actually, he was a very good teacher and a very friendly person!

The next day was uneventful with an overnight at Sam’s Club in McDonough, GA, and supper at the nearby Golden Corral. As usual, Lobo was quite excited when we returned since we always bring something for him. The following morning it was raining but by the late afternoon as we stopped in northern Florida, the weather was beautiful. The truck stop where we stopped was apparently having financial (or legal) difficulties. The pumps and restaurant were closed and the large, well-maintained parking lot was almost empty. It was a very pleasant night. Day 4 was sunny and as we hit the road at noon, it was 84°. In Ocala we left the Interstate and drove the rest of the way to Fort Lauderdale on US 27. All day long there were camping places along the way, but as the day wore on and evening set in, there were very few to be found. In Florida, Walmart is not even available as a last resort. Between Venus and Palmdale we found a small state park. As we pulled across the rail road tracks we entered a tropical forest, and soon the path ended at a locked gate. The turn-around spot was on the other side of the gate! We found a camping guest who pointed out the “campground host” but no one was there. We managed to turn around and get back on the main road but it took a lot of maneuvering and inching our way through the trees while Renée held back tree limbs. Shortly before Moore Haven we found an almost empty “RV Resort” for members only. There was an elderly couple who were apparently alone at the resort and after a phone call to someone, we were offered the rate of $15 to spend the night with full hookups. This was the first full sewer hookup on the road since we had left Fort Wayne so we took advantage of it, washing several loads and spending the night in air-conditioned comfort. On the following day we drove to Fort Lauderdale, arriving in the early afternoon where we would spend the next ten days. After several misses, we finally contacted Elke and Martin and agreed to meet at noon the following day.

Shortly after 12 on May 18^th we met Elke and Martin on the side street next to their hotel. Chuck had to stay in the pickup and find a parking space large enough for the pickup. Another large hotel was being built across the street and a worker had been assigned to direct traffic. The stress was apparently too much for him and he was argumentative with everyone and particularly wanted to have it out with Chuck for having stopped on “his” street. Since he wouldn’t allow anyone to go any way but forward, it required another trip around the block. When he saw Chuck come around the block a second time, he really flipped out. His supervisor even came out to talk to everyone and to calm him down.

We discreetly tried to take Lobo with us to the hotel room, but within five minutes we received a phone call advising us that he had to go. It was much too hot to leave him in the pickup so we all decided to go back to the campground, where we had a barbecue. Elke and Martin still were not over their jetlag and had to leave early to get to bed. The following day was already booked for an appointment to have the pickup serviced so we decided to meet on the 20th for a trip on the water taxi through Fort Lauderdale. Meanwhile, on the 19^th Renée gave Lobo his annual shearing (see photo). It was past due and the Florida heat was becoming unbearable for him. Renée discovered a swelling/growth on his stomach. It was not visible until he had been shorn. We will have to get it checked out very soon!

Lobo stayed at home in air conditioned comfort with a new chew bone while we toured Fort Lauderdale by water taxi, stopping off for lunch at a Mexican restaurant in the old town area. (see photo und virtual tour.) In the late afternoon we took the water taxi back to the hotel and then we returned to the campground. Lobo was quite happy to see us, totally unaware of the plans we had for him for the next few days. Since we had plans for a weekend trip to Key West and then a boat trip to the Bahamas, Lobo was going to spend the next four nights in a kennel. Renée took him for a long walk, then to his temporary quarters. The lady at the kennel was very nice and the kennel was clean and orderly, but a kennel is a kennel and Lobo wanted nothing to do with it. He whined and howled and Renée had to quickly leave.

On the following morning, Elke and Martin picked us up in their rental car. Our pickup can only hold three people since the rear seat has been modified to accommodate Lobo’s cage. The trip on the Keys was very interesting with ever-changing scenery. We made a short shopping stop at an outlet center where Martin made quite a deal on Levis for his girl friend. We found a brochure for a nice hotel in Key West, and as we arrived, we first drove to the hotel (El Patio) http://www.elpatiomotel.com/. As luck would have it, there was no vacancy. At the next hotel, the only available room had two double beds with an 18 inch walkway to the bath. We opted to look further. At the Best Western Key Ambassador Resort Inn we found a reasonably priced room with two double beds that was even cheaper than the smaller hotel. We immediately tested the beds (see photo) and found them to be satisfactory. After freshening up a bit, we took the bus to the old town area, making our first stop at the Hemingway house (http://www.hemingwayhome.com/HTML/main_menu.html). There were about 60 cats around the house, many of them having extra toes. Hemingway’s cat had six toes and it is alleged that they are the descendants of his cat. After the house tour we caught the bus to the Piers and found a nice restaurant where we had supper. Martin is a scuba diver and had brought his gear along. He had booked a Sunday morning dive in the Gulf of Mexico so we headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool (Key West has very few sandy beaches) and then we all went to bed before 10 PM.

The following morning Renée drove Martin to his diving appointment and then the three of us had breakfast together. After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and then drove to the southern most point of the contiguous 48 states and, of course, took the obligatory photos (Click here).

Everywhere in Key West there were chickens running loose, even hens with baby chicks. A local person clarified that Key West is a federal bird sanctuary and that includes any wild chickens! If you want to have chicken for dinner, you can buy it at the super market. Injuring or killing one of the wild chickens will get you a $300 fine!

Further info about the chickens in Key West“:

When Martin called us to pick him up we were only a block away. He was quite excited about his diving adventure. He had even seen a shark! There was lots to tell and we all listened while we took the journey back to Fort Lauderdale. Shortly before Fort Lauderdale, a car passed on the right side and the driver signaled that we had a problem with the right rear tire. Martin found a place to pull over and we discovered that the tire was almost flat. We slowly made our way to a service station and filled the tire with air. We then went to the hotel, picked up the truck, and immediately went to the campground and to bed. It was going to be a short night since we had to get up at 4:30 to be at the harbor on time for our trip to the Bahamas.

Fortunately Renée awoke at 4:27. The alarm clock did not go off at 4:30! We arrived at the hotel shortly before 6:00 to find that Elke and Martin were still asleep. Apparently all alarm clocks had taken the day (night) off. They were ready to go in a very few minutes and we headed to the harbor after checking the tire again on the car. The check-in at the harbor was absolute chaos. After waiting in line for 30-45 minutes, we had to switch to another line to have the credit card processed, then back to the original line to pick up the boarding passes. The company did not have a procedure in place for credit card processing and had to make a wireless phone call for each and every credit card transaction! This caused the “Discovery Sun” to leave the harbor somewhat later than scheduled but finally we were on our way.

After boarding we had a large breakfast and since we were all in need of a few hour’s sleep, we spent the trip in deck recliners while taking naps. We interrupted this long enough to have lunch before arriving in Freeport. The food and service was excellent and plentiful. The ship can be seen here: (http://www.discoverycruise.com/home/PhotoGallery_OB_4_GR_PHGA_SE_12.html ).

We took a few pictures along the way and on arriving in Freeport (see photos). We then took a taxi (van) to the city. Freeport is nothing but shops, casinos and hotels. After a little shopping, we went to the beach at one of hotels and while Renée and Martin took a dip in the ocean, Elke and Chuck sat on the Terrace and had a cool drink. In the later afternoon we took the same taxi back to the “Discovery Sun” and found a place on the deck to spend the return trip. The evening meal was also an excellent spread. After eating, we sat on the deck and watched the sun set and moon rise. Since we had been out of the USA, we had to go through customs on arrival in Fort Lauderdale. This took quite a long time and as we finally arrived back at the car, we discovered that the tire was once again almost flat. On the way back to the hotel we filled it with air again. Back at the hotel we said our goodbyes with the following day reserved for resolving the tire problem and we were to pick up Lobo. We made it back to the campground and quickly fell asleep.

The following morning (24^th) we picked up Lobo. The lady at the kennel said that all went quite well with Lobo. His appetite was okay and he had regularly “done his business” when taken for a shot walk. He was quite overjoyed to see us. We drove back to the campground and Renée went to the reception to extend our stay. Chuck took Lobo for a short walk and he immediately took two large craps. We decided that Renée would walk back with Lobo and Chuck would drive to the RV (about ½ mile). Lobo continued to take craps the entire distance (at least ten times) until it became diarrhea. This causes us to doubt that he had had a bowel movement during the entire kennel time (Friday evening to Tuesday morning).

The next day was to be the last with Elke and Martin and we had a trip to Miami and Miami Beach planned. After a long walk we left Lobo in the air-conditioned RV with a large dog treat. We drove to the hotel where Elke and Martin had a new, bright red rental car. We first went to the Art Deco District. After finding that the sand and sidewalks were too hot for a walk, we cooled down at Starbuck’s, then decided to continue the sight-seeing in the air conditioned auto. After visiting Little Havana and Coconut Grove, we had a Shrimp and Salad Feast in the hotel apartment. We then said goodbye to Elke and Martin, who still had a few days left before flying back to Germany.

When we arrived back at the RV, we realized how much psychological damage the four days in the kennel had done. Lobo had demolished the screen door and chewed off the plastic handle to the door. He has never caused any damage and has always been well behaved when left alone. It will take a while for him to return to normal. It was a mistake to leave him alone again so soon after his kennel experience.

The following day Chuck repaired the screen door. The plastic handle has to be special ordered. We spent the rest of the day washing, answering emails, paying bills online and getting ready to leave the following day. The refrigerator appeared to be not cooling properly and we had an appointment in Homestead. The appointment was wasted time since they wanted to put the refrigerator on a measuring device for 48 hours, which they would not be able to do until the following Tuesday. We filled up our propane tanks and headed north through the Everglades on US 41. We had decided that we wanted to spend the night in the Everglades, but there were not many campgrounds. Even the visitor’s center was closed, but a map on the information board showed a few campgrounds. Within a few miles we came to Monument Lake Campground (http://friendsofbigcypress.org/campgrounds2.htm ). We turned in and found a completely empty campground on a lake. Driving around the lake we found concrete RV pads with water and sewer hookups. A check with a multi-meter revealed that the electricity was turned off.

We found a young man with a motorcycle near the wash house. His English was quite poor and we found out he was from Quebec. He told us that he had checked earlier that day at the visitor’s center and they had informed him that no fees were charged for camping during the summer since the insects were so unbearable. We parked on one of the “VIP” concrete slabs and hooked up to the water and sewer.

In the lake we saw our first alligators (see photos). The Canadian fellow set up his tent some distance away and as the sun began to set, several other cars arrived to spend the night in tents. We were the only RVers. The insects were truthfully quite large and lots of them! We had to quickly open and close the door whenever we went outside. All of the tent dwellers were already gone when we awoke the following morning (or did the insects carry them off?). The following morning as Renée opened the door, she met a large snake that was warming itself on the concrete pad directly under the steps. But it left and slithered away in the grass. The surrounding area was full of Egret having a feast on the local insect and worm population. We decided to spend an extra day there. Even with the heat and insects, we found it quite pleasant since we could run the generator without bothering anyone (We were alone!) We also figured that we would have difficulty finding a campground near New Port Richey (where we were heading) since it was Memorial Day Weekend. On Sunday we left and headed north toward Tampa. We continually tried to reach several campgrounds but could only get answering machines.

As we passed through Tampa, we decided to see if we could spend the night at MacDill Air Force Base. From experience, we know that the accommodations are normally quite good and reasonably priced on the military bases.

Following the signs, we were directed to a side gate at MacDill. We followed these signs since it is normal to be sent to a separate gate where large vehicles are accommodated. When we got to the side gate, it was closed with no way to turn around! Apparently because of the long weekend, the gate had been closed, but they failed to remove the flashing traffic signs that directed us to it. There was truthfully no way to turn around and it took over an hour to back the RV through a narrow street with overhanging limbs and wires. After this ordeal, it was no problem to get through the main gate, it was a few miles around the bay to the Marina and campground. There was plenty of room with lots of choices so we found a spot in the back with full hookups including cable TV.

Monday was spent on washing and house cleaning. Chuck got an appointment for Wednesday at a Crossroad dealer to have the refrigerator checked, brakes adjusted and generator serviced. We also got an appointment at the base veterinarian to have Lobo’s growth checked out. Chuck also has a lesion on his back that needs to be looked at so we have decided to stay here and have these things taken care of.

On the 31^st we visited Joe (Chuck’s brother) in New Port Richey. He has a very nice house with pool and screened patio. He is a hobby cook and we enjoyed a wonderful meal with Caprese and Grouper on a bed of pasta. On the way back to the campground we ran into a terrible rain storm. The following day Joe called to check on us. He informed us that a tornado had passed through where we had traveled, destroying 18 houses.

The storm season has begun in Florida. We hope we are out of here before it gets too bad.

To be continued ………………………..

Go to beginning of travel journal

Go to chronological journal entries

Go to top of page

Go to home page