Northeast Trip - Plymouth and Cape Cod

Our first excursion with Tom and Cathy was to go south (we were in the Hanscom AFB FamCamp northwest of Boston), drive around the southern side of Boston toward Plymouth and Cape Cod.

We started out at Plymouth Rock and took a picture with William Bradford

and one of the Mayflower II.

Then we stopped for lunch at a lookout point along the way to Cape Cod with a tower built for some prominent locals that had a cool little observation point.

Then it was up the cape to the Visitors Center at the Seashore National Park, Cape Code.  From there we saw a video that explained the glacier impact on the area a long time ago.

It also referenced some stopping points along Cape Cod including the Marconi Wireless Station.  It was from here Marconi built the first transatlantic wireless communication station in 1902.  Large towers were built but gave way over the years to erosion and was relocated to Chatham.

Further up the way, we found a beach that was a bit cool but some folks were sunbathing and taking advantage of the sunny June weather.

We continued on our way to Provincetown ("C" on the map) above.  There we parked the car and walked around town.

It was the busiest town on Cape Cod and a tourist destination for vacationers and folks like us.

We picked up some post cards, got a sweatshirt, walked around some more and headed out of town.  We decided it was still a little early for dinner so we drove back out of the cape toward Falmouth.  We went along the side roads and it was a lot more scenic.

We were looking for some lobster and found it at the Lobster Claw Restaurant in Orleans on Cape Cod.  We were not disappointed!

After dinner, we took a nice drive through Falmouth and back up to our campground at Hanscom AFB near Bedford, MA.

It was a great day and a fun trip!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Next -- our time in Boston on the Freedom Trail and at Fenway Park.

Northeast Trip - Lexington/Concord

It was a 250 mile trip from West Point to Hanscom AFB FamCamp which is outside of Boston.   The drive was uneventful and we arrived about noon.

We got set up with water and electric and had to wait two days to move over to full hookups.  But that was no problem.
The campground is near the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway which was built on an inactive railroad.  We road down to a Starbucks and then on to the Lexington Green for a look around at some of the historical sites.

Minuteman Statue on the Lexington Green

We were in time to hear George, one of the local historians/docents give a tour of the Lexington Battle Green.  

It was here that the opening shots of the American Revolution was fired on April 19, 1775.   The skirmish left seven Americans dead when 700 British engaged with 79 militia.  The British continued to Concord on a mission to capture and dispose of known colonists munitions stored there.

Paul Revere and William Dawes were sent from Boston to warn the colonialists the British were coming!  They came right through Lexington. Neither made it, but another who joined them (Samuel Prescott) did.

Near Lexington and Concord, the National Park maintains a very well done series of displays and historic sites at the Minute Man National Park.  The park is along "Battle Road" and includes the site where Paul Revere was captured during his midnight ride and the North Bridge where 'the shot heard around the world was fired'.

The Old North Bridge was the first site during the Revolutionary War where colonials gave the order to fire upon the British.  It was never determined who fired the first shot but it was also the first victory for the American militia and ended with the British retreating.

Concord is also known as the birthplace of Henry David Thoreau and the beginnings of the transcendentalist movement of the 1830's and 1840's.  Thoreau spent two years living in the small house on Walden Pond writing his classic "Walden; or Life in the Woods".

In addition to Thoreau, the area was a familiar place for thinkers of the day including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Bronson Alcott (father of Louisa May Alcott - author of 'Little Women'), Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller.

Emerson lived in The Old Manse which also served as a meeting house for many of them.

One of our last stops in Concord was the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery which is the final resting place of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

We were glad to have spent a couple of days in Lexington and Concord seeing these places.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Next time -- in to Boston!

Northeast Trip - West Point

We have wanted to see Maine for some time and decided this was the summer to do it in the Roadrunner.  Almost 20 years ago, we took a family trip and tent camped from Gettysburg to Boston and back.  But we never made it to Maine.

We picked another stop on the route which has interested us - West Point.  We have been to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis and we wanted to see West Point.

The military Recreation Area at Round Pond was a couple of miles away and adequate.  We had water and electric with the dump station close by.  The drive up to the campground was a bit steep but the road was recently paved and not bad.

We started our tour at the Visitor Center.  West Point has very excellent museums and displays.  The one at the Visitor Center included a short orientation movie and great displays with one of a replica cadet dorm room.

We took the bus tour and found our guide to be very well versed and knowledgeable.  We saw beautiful vistas overlooking the historic Hudson River Valley and walked among the statues of Trophy Point.

Thomas Jefferson was a leading voice behind the establishment of West Point, founded in 1802.  In the early days, the U.S. relied heavily on leaders and military experts from other countries.

It began as an engineering school with 10 students but by 1808 Congress authorized the expansion of the Corps of Cadets to 300.  The Commandant's quarters and Superintendent's quarters were built in 1819 and 1820 and are still used today.

The West Point Museum is excellent with an interested balance of facts, maps and displays.  Just the right amount of each to keep it interesting.  We saw a couple artifacts included Napoleon's pistol and sword.  There was another display of Hermann Goering's baton and some of Hitler's pistols.

We saw displays of early revolutionary war figures,  Civil War generals from both sides (Lee, Grant, Jackson and Sherman), World War I and II and famous men including Eisenhower, Bradley and MacArthur (a graduate as will as an Academy Superintendent).

We got a map for the Cemetery Walking tour and found the grave sites of Lt Col George A. Custer, Gen William C. Westmoreland, Lt Col Edward C. White (first American to walk in space). 

One interesting note was that the sisters Susan and Anna Warner lived close to West Point and are buried in the cemetery.  They held Bible Studies for the cadets and Anna wrote the words to 'Jesus Loves Me'.  

Our last stop at West Point was the beautiful Cadet Chapel.  It was build in 1910.

We  had a great time at West Point and were glad we took the time to see it.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Our next stop on our Northeast Trip to Maine is - Boston!

Until next time...

Time in DC

We recently spent some time in Washington DC seeing our son Adam.  I was working online for the first week but we managed to get together and go out to eat and see some sights.

This is Mother's Day when we got together for lunch in Alexandria with Kelly and Jon, Melissa and Adam.

Later we got tickets to the Evening Parade as the USMC Marine Barracks downtown at 8th and I.

We have seen this excellent concert/performance four or five times since 1993.  It is always a marvel to see these young men and women from the USMC Marine Band (The President's Own) and the USMC Drum and Bugle Corps perform.  In addition, Marines perform a precision 'silent drill' and marching sequence that is quite something.

We love baseball and got some tickets to see the Nationals play at their gorgeous new downtown stadium.

We arrived early, had excellent seats and watched the Nats play the Mets.  It's been a while since DC had a contender but they are near the top in the National League East.

We stayed the Andrews AFB FamCamp in Maryland.  I got to play golf a couple of times on Saturday morning and that was fun.  We also had a chance to host some old friends at the campground.

Pam, Jayne, John, Mike, Sue, Dene

We have known these folks since we moved here in 1992.  As a full-timer, folks are always having us over when we come visit, so it was nice to finally cook for them!

The FamCamp is very convenient to downtown Washington and the price for a night's stay is $16.00.  We usually check out three places when we look for a place to stay:

1. Woodalls
2. RV Parks Review and for potential military campgrounds, we check out
3. U.S. Military Campgrounds

We have found over the last couple of years that we have stayed at a lot of military campgrounds.  They usually are adequate and prices usually range from $15 - $22 / night.  We like that.

A feature on the US Military Campgrounds web site is a customer evaluation link where we can rate the campground. I filled out the Interactive Customer Evaluation for the Outdoor Recreation/FamCamp and was not complimentary about the care of the campground.  I thought some aspects of the campground could be improved and listed them.  To my surprise, the Director of Outdoor Recreation asked if we could meet.  Ali and the Lt Col who run Morale, Welfare and Recreation sat with us for an hour and I went through my list.  I had 7 items in 'Good Things' and 7 items in 'Things that could be improved'.  I was very impressed they took my comments and concerns, were not defensive, and even said we were the first people in her four years she has been Director, that have take the time to offer constructive ideas.  So, if you get the chance, I'd recommend you provide an evaluation -- you never know, you may find a receptive ear!

That's all for now and for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Next -- our journey to the Northeast and Maine!

Thanks for joining us!  Until next time...

Its Official!

Yes - Kelly and Jon are engaged!  We are very excited for them and look forward to their August wedding.

As you may know, we have two children, Adam - who is the older by 19 months and Kelly.  Our kids have always made good choices in relationships and we are very proud of them.  Kelly has lived in the Virginia Beach area.  Once after college and then to grad school, a sort stint in Texas again and back to live in Norfolk.

Jon and Kelly attend the same church where they met last year.  After a date or two last fall, they knew they were meant to be.

They got engaged two weeks ago and have set August 12, 2012 for their wedding.

The unique engagement ring.

Kelly and Jon will be married in and outdoor ceremony at the Hermitage Museum and Gardens in Norfolk.  It is a very beautiful setting on the water.

So we are having a lot of fun helping to get things lined up.  We will be traveling until mid-July and then head that direction for the wedding.

The Happy Couple

Jon is a Georgia boy from Augusta and has a degree in Real Estate from University of Georgia.  He is a property manager now working 120-130 units and got his Real Estate license a couple of months ago.  He has four closings this month so we hope that continues!

That's the big news we have waited to share on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Thanks for joining us!  Until next time...

Roadrunner Financials - May 2012

Roadrunner Recap
Our time in Virginia Beach was primarily spent at the Sea Mist Campground.  After a few weeks there, we moved up to DC and spent time at the Andrews AFB Famcamp.

We spent the month of May in two locations:

• Sea Mist RV Campground, Virginia Beach VA
• Joint Base Andrews FamCamp, MD

Here's an interactive map of where we camped during the month. Click on the letters (waypoints) to see campgrounds:

Or if you prefer, a static map of travels during the month:

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget
Here's a snapshot of our spending for the month:

Biggest Expenses
We paid our car insurance for the semi-annual bill which accounted for the monthly overage.
Another overage was in the area of groceries and entertainment.  I bought some golf shoes and played golf a couple of times.

Large One Time Cost Item
The RV maintenance area has a $3112 bill to repair a head gasket on the Roadrunner.  The gasket plus the aluminum cover needed to be fixed because there engine was leaking. Yikes!  We had the same engine issue in Fort Walton Beach and spent $1100 two months ago... :(

Monthly Average

The bad news on this snapshot is that I found an error on my May 2012 spreadsheet.  It failed to pick up $3112 on our RV maintenance.  That changes all our numbers!

For the month we are well over 2 x the budget for May.  And that spikes our monthly average to over $6000.

I have often said this is more of a tracking tool and an estimate than a budget -- this month's spending proves it.  That's what our spending looked like for the month.  Thanks for taking a peek.  Hopefully they provide help or entertainment of some sort...

If you'd like a free copy of the spreadsheet I use, drop me a note and I will be glad to send it along.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Roadrunner Reflections: Three Years and Going Strong

Believe it or not, we have been full-timing over three years as of last week.  Seems like a long long time ago since we left our big house and yard and neighborhood in Fairfax, Virginia.  We have been here in Virginia Beach for almost a month.  Interestingly, we actually bought our 2007 Allegro Bus from a private owner who lives about five miles from here...

Regarding how we feel about this lifestyle--in a few words, I'd say its been great and we can't think of anything we'd rather be doing.

There are quite a few things we like about this lifestyle:

Being together.  Pam is easy to be with and we have grown together through interesting times over the three years.  Some good, some hard.  All interesting.

Freedom.  We know what retirement feels like (although I work a few hours each month for pay…) and for us, it works well.  We are content to be able to chose to stay in an area to enjoy, volunteer, or to learn about the surroundings.  We love having the freedom to go or stay…and sleep in our own bed every night.

Adventure.  No doubt about it.  We like seeing new things, learning about different places and putting more of our nation's history into context.

Fitness.  Over the last three years we have adjusted to a routine where we can get enough exercise to feel better.   We also have enjoyed times of discipline to manage our eating and get it into some form of balance.

Old friends and family.  This lifestyle affords us the opportunity of seeing more friends and family in the last three years than we have connected with in the last 20.  It has been great and we have a renewed appreciation and fondness for our family and heritage.

Reading.  We both like to read but we have read a lot more than we thought we would.  I am in the middle of finishing, Killing Lincoln, by Bill O'Reilly with Martin Dugard.  Pam just finished reading, To the Last Man, by Jeff Shaara.

History.  From traipsing around the gravestones and homestead of my mother's relatives in Colfax, Washington to walking through Hemingway's House in Key West, we have seen some interesting and fun places this last year.

Surprises.  We really love Florida.  And Montana.  And Virginia Beach.  After spending the winter in Florida this last year we are ready to go back next year.  And we know it will never be like it was this year but

Has it gone according to plan?  For the most part I'd say so.  But not always.  Some of the items we have learned to deal with:

- Medical.  No doubt about it, our medical has cost us more dollars than if we had stayed put in our old house and been going to our old doctors.

- RV repairs.  Again, the simple fact is we way under estimated how much we would spend on repairs, upgrades and general maintenance on our RV.

- Spending more money than we would like.  We like being frugal and not spending a lot of money.  Having said that, we have not gone into debt over the last three years and we feel much more confident about our future on the road and how much it will cost.

But then on the other hand, we have had some unexpected plusses:
- Making new friends.  That has really been a source of enjoyment and satisfaction.  After three years, we have met many, many new friends who have become good friends.  That has been nice.

- Working more online and making enough money to live comfortably.  Another big surprise is that somehow, by God's grace, I have been able to work a little more online (25-35 hours a month?) which have really helped out financially.  It also gives us a good feeling that we are not only living off retirement and savings which is nice.  The time may come when we have to workamp or something, but in the foreseeable future, that is not necessary and we are most thankful.

What does the future hold?
Who knows?  But our faith and knowledge of being on the road for the last three years has taught us that we can do this and that we probably will be able to deal with whatever comes along.  A lot has happened.  And we have seen a lot.  And we feel really really blessed to be doing this and look forward to what comes our way.

For now -- we are planning a couple of weeks up in Washington DC before we head for the Northeast and Maine.

So-- Yes! We still love this and doing this and hope to continue for as long as we can.  We love the RV lifestyle after three years and are looking forward to the next three.

Until next time, thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Savannah before Virginia Beach

We were in Savanna after we left Florida.  That was at least three weeks ago.  But I wanted to note a few things about Savannah.  We spent about five days in the area because we had a friend who lives nearby (close to Hilton) and a couple (Rod and Lisa) who were going to be there for a few days.

We camped at Hunter Army Air Field (Lotts Island Travel Campground) on outskirts of Savannah.  It was very convenient (be sure to use the Rio Gate if you have a military vehicle sticker on your RV).  The campground was sparse but good enough for a few days.  It had new utilities (50 amp), water and sewer for $18/nite.  It had no wifi or cable and some campsites looked a little iffy because of the trees.  But ours was fine and it was no problem getting DirecTV.

We timed our visit to coincide with Rod and Lisa (from the Detroit area).  Rod was there for some commercial flight training and Lisa drove down for a few days.

One of the first places we visited was Wormsloe Historic Site.  They have a lot of weddings on the property because it is so beautiful.

In addition to being one of the first settlements in the area (it wasthe actual estate of Noble Jones who arrived in 1733) it is also very picturesque with the Georgia Live Oak trees.  We spent a couple of hours there and took in some of the history.

The great experiment they undertook was trying to establish a settlement without the aid of slaves.  The original English charter for Georgia banned the use of slaves.  Instead, indentured servants and their families and the settlers were the labor force.
They gave it a go but had some bad years.  A lot of people died due to sickness and the hard life and they introduced slaves after the ban was lifted in 1849.

Understanding a little more of the history was helped by the short video in the visitor center, the museum and the park ranger/interpreter out in one of the historic huts.

While in the Savannah area, we also went downtown during a bright and sunny day to walk around one of the many squares that Savannah is known for.  We chose Forsyth Park and it was beautiful.

I love the historical markers...

And then we came upon a very moving experience right around noon time.  An Army sergeant was re-enlisting in a ceremony right there at the park.

We weren't the only ones that noticed something special was going on.  It was awesome!  A small, dignified, very respectful and appropriate ceremony.  It was an honor to observe.

Also while in Savannah, we walked around River Street and had dinner at Tubby's one night.

The view was nice (bridge to South Carolina in the distance) and the dinner was great.  How many of you have tried cheese grits with shrimp for dinner?

It was VERY good!  The avocado slice was a bonus from Pam's salad since she doesn't do avocados.
We had a great time in Savannah with Rod and Lisa.

We will have to go back.  There are a lot of things to do there!

That's it for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Thanks for joining us (it won't be so long until the next post…promise!)

Roadrunner Financials - April 2012

Roadrunner Recap

After our time at Patrick AFB we drove over to the Orlando/Kissimmee area to spend some time with Marg and Bill.  We also flew from there to Houston to attend Nephew Mark and fiancee Dean-na's wedding.

At the church for the wedding

• Patrick AFB Famcamp, Cocoa Beach FL
• Tropical Palms Resort, Kissimmee FL
• Kings Bay Naval Station, GA
• Hunter Army Airfield Campground, Savannah GA
• Fort Bragg Smith Lake Campground, Fayetteville GA 

We also went over to Savannah GA and toured around the city and joined up with friends Road and Lisa who were there from Michigan.  Here we are in downtown Savannah at Tubby's:

I remember a couple of things about that meal:  the margaritas that Lisa had and the cheese grits I had for dinner.  The grits were the about the best I've ever had!

Later at Fort Bragg, I remember the new campground sites that had very big concrete pads with the sewer connections on the PS side.  What?  Sometimes you wonder if people who run or build RV campgrounds have ever seen one....

Here's an interactive map of where we camped during the month. Click on the letters (waypoints) to see locations:

Or if you prefer, a static map of travels during the month:

Here's a snapshot of our spending for the month:

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget
 We were under budget this month for RV Maintenance and Groceries.

Biggest Expenses
Wedding and golf and diesel fuel

Large One Time Cost Item
Car rental in Houston:  $94
Hotel in Houston for wedding:  $185
Golf with Bill at Legends GC and golf shirts etc:  $184

Monthly Average
Oops - tough month on the budget coming in at $1357 over!

 Our numbers were better than previous months but it is pretty clear we are well over for the year (May to June).

I have often said this is more of a tracking tool and an estimate than a budget -- this month's spending proves it.  That's what our spending looked like for the month.  Thanks for taking a peek.  Hopefully they provide help or entertainment of some sort...

If you'd like a free copy of the spreadsheet I use, drop me a note and I will be glad to send it along.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!