The Next Steps

I thought a little bit about the title of this post and it could be, "Stepping On It" or "Working On the Steps" or "Regular RV Maintenance - The Steps".  But I settled on "the Next Steps".

We got to Virginia Beach for our next stay.  We are planning to be here until the day after Christmas and then head out West for the winter.  While here in Virginia Beach, we get to see the grandkids.  Its been almost four months and a lot has happened.

Brooks (2 years, 8 months) and Harrison (9 months)are both growing up like little people. Brooks turned the corner and know is glad to play with his little brudder.
They talk to each other (in their own language) and giggle and have a good time.  It is really fun to see.

We love being around and helping out and playing with them.  Sometimes they even help me...

OK - I took Harrison over to my laptop for a minute and then Brooks followed and wanted to see what was going on.  It was all I could do to hold these guys for a second while Pam snapped a quick photo.

So in addition to being around the grandkids, we are able to spend time with Kelly and Jon and get a few things done around the motor home.  I have had "repaint RV steps" on my To-Do list for a long time.  Last year while in Red Bay, I was anticipating getting the project done and I bought some reflective non-skid tape for the steps.

Last week I finally got on the project.
My list of steps to repaint/update the steps included:

• Wash/clean off the steps
• Peel off old reflective tape

• Remove sticky residue on steps from tape
• Use oscillating sander with 60 grit to sand off rust

• Try "The Mouse" Black and Decker sander
• Put small sanding drum on end of Dremel tool to sand
• Switch to flap wheel sanding bit in electric drill
• Clean residue
• Lop on Navel jelly, let set, wipe off, wipe off with water

• Fit cardboard box around the outside of steps and on ground (even with the drop cloth in place)
• Tape plastic drop cloth all over area
• Shake can of flat black Rustoleum paint well
• Fit cardboard box around the outside of steps and on ground (even with the drop cloth in place)
• Get wet rag ready in case needed
• Spray into extra cardboard box to get desired spray flow

• Cautiously spray entire step areas 
• Let dry for a couple of days
• Wipe off steps

• Cut new reflective tape to desired length
• Apply tape to steps
• Get small can of flat black paint
• Touch up as necessary

 And the final product - Looks better than it did a couple of weeks ago.

Lessons Learned:
- Tape up drop cloth ($1 at Dollar Tree) 4 times more than you think is needed
- Navel Jelly did well
- Best sanding tools were Dremel drum attachment and drill sanding flap wheel bit
- Reflective stair way non-skid tape:  $10 each step at Red Bay; $6 at Home Depot for 1 piece big enough for both steps.

That's about it for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles. We're enjoying the grandkids and getting some things done around the motor home.

Meanwhile, we're about to get real busy.  Stay tuned.

Thanks for joining us!

My First Shot at Pickleball

While we were at the Racoon Creek FamCamp at MacDill AFB, I got my first shot at playing pickle ball.  I've been hearing about it for years and was ready to give it a try.

It was great!  I loved it.

Years ago, Pam and I would play a lot of racket ball together.  But we haven't played in quite a while.  We've got some first hand information from Steve and Karen when we toured their winter place at the Palm Creek RV Resort in Casa Grande AZ a couple of years ago.

It looked like fun and they have a pretty fantastic facility there.  On the more modest end of things, the base gym as a couple of courts lined in one half of the basket ball court.  Jim invited me to join him a couple of times.

Volunteers from the FamCamp set up the nets and the hour - 90 minute session is made of campers.  So it is a great way to meet other folks in the campground.

It was really a lot of fun.  The plastic ball reminds me of a wiffle ball we used to play with as a kid.  And the paddles remind me of wooden racket ball rackets.  It works out well as the ball doesn't fly around so fast as a racket ball or tennis ball.

But we still get a little bit of exercise and have fun doing it.

The rules are a bit confusing and the scoring takes some time to get right, but by the second time we played I felt a lot more comfortable with both.

The good news is that these folks (guys and gals both) don't take it too seriously.  They make it easy for a novice/beginner to get the hang of it.  And its all about the exercise, fun and camaraderie.  They were competitive to a point but no one was over the top.  No one was taking this too seriously.

As a complete beginner, I was glad for the help and instruction and casual level of play.

Many times I have said, "I don't care who wins as long as I do." -- but this wasn't one of them!  :)

One thing I heard was that the guy who invented the game named it after his dog "Pickles".  Anyone else heard that?

Its a fun game and I look forward to playing more often!

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Friends on Friday

After being here at MacDill AFB in Tampa a few days, we contacted friends Marj and George.  We knew they were spending the winter in Florida.  After some work on their coach they indicated they were going to Key West and after that back to the central Florida.

To our delight, they were at Lazy Days for a while and we are less than an hour from them.  So we decided to get together at the FamCamp.  We have enjoyed their company and friendship since we first met them about four years ago.  We were in the dry camping area at Sigsbee Navy Base in Key West.

They were the friendly sort and we hit it off.  I remember going to the Sunset Celebration with them and then over to dinner at Kelly's.  Later, we saw them again in Seal Beach Navy Weapons Station Campground in California.  And another time in Tucson at Davis-Monthan AFB.

After chatting a while in the Roadrunner we went over to the SeaScapes Beach House that is a short walk from the FamCamp.  They had a pretty decent lunch menu.

It is right on the beach and has some great views.

Before long I notice a guy across the way and looked a little more closely.  Sure enough - RV and Habitat buddy Jim.  And his wife Betty!  We haven't seen them in a couple of years and here they are.  Having lunch the same place as we are.

They came over, met Marj and George and we had a great time catching up.  What are the chances?  Another reason why I love this lifestyle!  We get to meet up with our RV friends!

Jim and Betty had just arrived at the FamCamp and moved from the open field / boondocking area to a campsite right across from us.

We spent some more time with Marj and George before they headed back to Lazy Days and we hope to meet up again with them later in March before they head out West.

And we are able to enjoy Jim and Betty's company a few more days before we leave on Monday for the Lakeland area.

It was a fun Friday and a beautiful day in sunny and warm Florida.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

On to Tampa

We moved on from Cedar Keys to Tampa and are enjoying Florida.  We feel so fortunate to be able to do this for another winter.  We love the lifestyle and are living the dream...

We got underway about 8:30 AM or 9:00 AM on Monday morning and thoroughly enjoyed the drive.

We purposely avoided the major freeways and headed south along some small towns along Highway 98 and 589.  We got to see some new areas and it was a divided four lane highway.

We had called to the FamCamp at MacDill AFB and expected to be in overflow/dry camping for at least a week and we picked a spot in the open field and got set up.

We had plenty of room from our neighbors and found a level area.  The Winegard Dish/DirecTv dish always takes a long time (35 minutes ish) but it locked on so we were glad about that.
Boondocking causes us to get into a different mindset of conserving water, limited our use of our own toilet and running the generator a couple of times during the day.  Perfectly manageable things and fine with us.  At $10 a day we figured we'd improve on the daily campground fee average.

To our surprise we got a call the next day and were able to move to full hookups.  I guess some civil engineering folks got back from the holiday and decided they could release more sites that had been upgraded throughout the main park to 50 amp.  Fine with us.

We moved over to the spot where we will be for a couple of weeks and got set up there after only one day in overflow.

Shortly after we got settled in the vacant spot next to us filled in.  It's a little tight but not too bad.  Full hook ups is nice and no issues with the neighbors so this is doable.  $20/night is fine.

We got in touch with Bill and Marg who are near Lakeland FL at Sanlan RV Resort for the winter

We took a day trip over to see them and it was an easy hour's drive.  The last time we'd seen Marg and Bill was after Adam and Melissa's wedding in October.  They came down from Petrolia Ontario (across from Detroit MI) for the wedding in Fairfax VA.

It was really great to spend time with them.  We went out to lunch at a local place which was fantastic!

 Plenty of food, good prices and tasty!

Afterwards we went back to the campground and then took a little tour of the expansive trails on the property.  They have a golf cart and their neighbor let us borrow his so were were off!

 We stopped along the way a few times.  If you look closely you can see some residents' bird houses hanging from the branches.

 Beautiful and very peaceful paths.  We saw an alligator along the shore, egrets, blue heron and other birds.

The trails go along a few holes of the golf course and it goes for 3 or 4 miles on the resort property.  Its perfect for a good hike, ride or a bike trip.

We're off to a great start here in the Tampa area and are enjoying the warmer temperatures.

That's all for now on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

A Little Bit of Albuquerque

We had a short drive to Albuquerque from Gallup on Tuesday morning.  I like those kinds of days.   We arrived at the Kirtland AFB FamCamp and found a good site without any issues.

We were stationed here from 1988-1992 and I grew up in Santa Fe.  Lots of memories around town and we love coming back here to check things out.  And my twin brother and his wife Amy live here.

They have had a small business for the last 35+ years:  Environment Control.  We have already gotten together a couple of time for dinner at their place.  Pam makes it a point to make dinner and take it over to peoples place if it is feasible.  We hate to come see people and then have them feel as if we are there to freeload.  Moochdocking is a another story but we hate to freeload.

While in Albuquerque there are alway two places we like to go eat -- part of the local/regional cuisine:
Frontier Restaurant - This is one of the most unique and fun places we know of.  You can be standing in line to get a breakfast burrito with green chile or one of their huge cinnamon rolls and see guys in suits and ties.

Or folks that look like they haven't eaten in a few days.  College kids or city workers.  It is a great place to people watch and the food is outstanding.  Pure New Mexico.

Another fun one we try to eat at is Blake's Lota Burger.

They have outstanding green cheeseburgers.  We grew up eating those and they are yummy.  A little on the spicy hot side--but a great way to get your Hatch green chile fix!

We have some projects to do around Reid and Amy's house and maybe even will find time to do something on their new-to-them 1976 Scotty trailer.

They have only had it for a couple of days and are pretty excited about its potential!  Have you every heard of these?

It's in good shape although there are a few things that need to be updated.  But what 38 year old trailer doesn't?

That's all for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles -- thanks for joining us!

Time in Tampa

Last Friday we left Camp Cloverleaf 4H Campground near Lake Placid, FL for the short drive over to MacDill AFB, FL FamCamp.

It was an uneventful drive and we avoided the major highways until we got near Tampa.

The campground is a large one - It has 252 campsites with full hookups and another 36 sites with electricity and water. But this is the busy time of the season with a lot of visitors from the north who are in Florida.

I expected the campground to be crowded and busy.  It is -- but not overly so, and the campground is a nice one!  It is very organized, the sites have enough room.   We spent 1 night in overflow before we were called to move to full hookups.

While in over flow, I used the campground showers which are co-located with the laundry.  Both the shower rooms and the laundry are very well laid out and are large.  They have more than enough toilets and stalls.  The washers and dryers are the commercial variety and Pam loves them.

On Sunday we saw a sign for a campground church service in the community building.  We thought about attending and decided to check it out.  One never knows what you are walking into at these things.  It was great!  They sang some great old hymns and the preaching was the best we have heard in a long while.  An 82 year old was in the pulpit and spoke on Prayer.  The place was packed and most came from the campground.  There must have been 100- 120 people there.  It was a great morning.

I have been 'heads down' doing my online gig for the last few days and finished up yesterday.

In a little while, we will see Tom and Cathy who are here for the Tampa RV show.  We are looking forward to attending and, "Seeing if there is something we can't do without?".

Hope you are in some good weather and enjoying your week.  That's all for now on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Thanks for joining us!

Great times in Florida

We are here at the Manatee Cove FamCamp at Patrick AFB near Melbourne, FL.  It is very convenient to the beautiful beaches, a great fitness center on base, local shopping and Major League Baseball Spring Training.

The weather has been great so we are really enjoying it here.  Plus our campsite is right on the beach with a little bit of sand and some pretty great sunsets.

Viera is the home of the Washington Nationals MLB spring training and only about 10 miles down the road.  We got some mid-day tickets last week and enjoyed a great game between the Nats and the Atlanta Braves.

We also found time last weekend to visit another pretty good flea market.

But mostly we have been settling into a routine and getting some things done.  I washed the RV and am almost half way through putting a coat of Mother's Wax on it.  Hopefully I will be done in a day or two.

On Tuesday, they had a going away party / happy hour pot luck for the camp hosts that have been here for a number of years.  We didn't know them that well but decided to go and meet some people anyway. It started at the traditional 4:00 happy hour time.  At 5:00 PM at most bases, they play the Star Spangled Banner.

Pretty cool to see all our fellow campers rise and respectfully face the direction of the music.  We enjoy these get togethers because they continue to be a way we can get to know other people.  We met quite a few that evening and met one couple that had been full timers for eight years.

We are looking forward to some more nice weather and sunshine and plan to be here to be through the end of April.

That is it for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles.

Time in North Dakota

After Glacier NP, we drove east and are in Grand Forks, ND.  It took us a few days to get here.  After leaving Coram, MT (near Glacier NP), we drove on Highway 2 east for an overnight stay in Glasgow, MT  at the Cottonwood Inn and Suites/RV Park.

It was a pretty interesting idea and we wonder why more motels don't have an RV park out back.  It was off the busy highway in a quiet place and had full hookups plus use of the pool and facilities.


From Glasgow, we continued east to Minot AFB FamCamp in Minot, ND.  The campground was full but it had decent overflow camping near by.  We parked out of the way and on pavement in a level area.

The base has a policy of a no cost boon-docking area, plus they will come around to your trailer/RV and pump it out and/or give you water if you need it.  All free.  Zippo.  It was a pretty good deal and we were 100 yards from the BX and commissary.  For a three day stay it was perfect.

We heard about Minot and all the flooding in June.  It was raining when we drove through town on the way to the base.  We had to be re-routed from a bridge that was flooding.

A couple of days later, we visited the areas in town that were flooded out and underwater.

It was heart breaking and sobering.  The hard work of rebuilding has begun but the smell was strong and no one was back in these homes yet.

Another day we drove north across the Canada border into Saskatchewan

and over to Manitoba before we crossed the border again and returned to Minot.

From Minot we drove east to Grand Forks, ND and are staying at the Air Force Base FamCamp.

It is in an old mobile home park area of the base with lots of grass and open area.  The optimum area for the warm, 85 degree weather is under the trees.  After being in this spot three days,

we were able to move to this location.  A little shade and fire ring were nice.  Probably the best thing about the sites here are the price:  $6 for full hook ups if you are a senior and $12 for the rest of us.  Hard to beat.

While at the previous spot, I spent three days washing and waxing the Roadrunner.

It was a big job, but we were happy with the results.

A highlight while here was a visit from NOMADS friends Don and Lillian.

We met in Galveston two years ago on a NOMADS project and then met up again in Mississippi in January.

After a lot of miles the last few weeks, it was good to stay in one place for a while.  This past week I have been able to put in some hours doing my online work which comes up at the end of every month.  We have also done a lot of reading and some walking the last few days.  I had a good run one day and took out my bike for a trip around the base.  But we are looking forward to traveling south tomorrow and arriving at Brookings, SD for a Habitat Build.

So that is what we have been up to the last week or so.  Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  And thanks for your comments.  We look forward to them.

Kennewick and back to Spokane - Reunion Day 4

It seems like we have been at this longer than four days.  My brothers and their wives flew into on Wednesday and we have been to see Garfield, Moscow-Idaho, Colfax and Kennewick.  Mom's grandfather Asa Overby on her mother's side was quite the business man.   We got interested in where he lived and that's how we ended up in Moscow Idaho for a few hours on Thursday.

Turns out after his first wife died in 1907, he married Mary Hunter in 1908 and she lived in Moscow.  More to follow at some point on that story.  They divorced but we don't know why.  Asa's daughter Pearl married Martin Wysong (my grandfather) and they lived in Kennewick.  Kennewick is where our mom grew up.

Friday we talked with Ken Silliman of the Farmer's Exchange in Kennewick.  His father owned the business, then Ken owned it and now his children own it.

He is a live-long resident of Kennewick and remembered mom (Almadean) and her sister Ellen.  Ken was a classmate of Ellen's (class of 1937).  Almadean went out with Clint who was Ken's older brother.

We took notes and listened intently.

We engaged with Ken,  while Pam and the girls hung around and patiently waited.  And they found some comfortable chairs to sit in.

Sue and Pam think I have taken enough pictures…..but how can that be?  I still have film in my camera!

After talking with Ken, we decided to go by the Kennewick High School even though we knew the one built in 1936 has been replaced by a new one.  

I believe they rebuilt the newest one on the same property but there is no evidence of that.

We then drove over to the other side of town where Almadean's Aunt Tamsel lived.  She had a boarding house that is now a Senior Citizens home.

Her Aunt Tamsel was also know to have given Almadean and Ellen hand-me-downs which they appreciated.  Mom became a very good seamstress and as Ken (at the Farmer's Exchange) said, those girls always dressed sharp.

After that, we gassed up and headed out of town to Spokane.  Around lunch time, we stopped at a regional fast food place for lunch.

When we got back to Spokane, they all checked into the Fairchild Inn again and then came over to the Roadrunner for some down time and dinner.

We decided to bowl a few games at the Roadrunner Lanes on the Wii.  

They also took a shot at some tennis.

We grilled some pork loin roast and we had a big salad for dinner.

Then we sat around and talked for a while.  After 4 days of this we are running low on energy.  We have been running hard and the next few days promise to be a little less intense.

But these are good times and we want to take advantage of our time together.  It has been a special time with each other with a few more days left.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time…