March began with a sunny day but way too cold for Florida, 54°F at 10 AM with only a slight rise in the afternoon.
On the next day it was 64°F at 10 AM, but turned to wind and rain in the afternoon. This is not the weather we had
expected in Florida!
In the afternoon we visited Christian at his mobile home where he had recently moved. He had rented out his house
in Cape Canaveral, since he felt it was too big for one person. (We reported our first meeting with Christian in the
February travel journal.) He served us a cake he had baked along with an Aldi apple strudel. They were quite
good with the coffee and tea. We also met Christian’s friend, Russ (see photos). He also showed us his project, a
1976 Buick that he is restoring and plans to ship it to Germany (see photos). There is a collector’s market in
Europe for older American cars and one can turn a good profit if you have time and patience to invest in it.
Later that afternoon Christian followed us to Patrick Air Force Base, parked his car outside the gate and rode with
us. He had no problem at the gate, even though he displayed his expired Florida driver’s license as identification.
After showing him our rolling home, we had enchiladas for supper with cheesecake and German red berry sauce
(Rote Grütze-Red Grits). After supper we took Christian back to his car at the gate.
On March 3rd Chuck worked on the income tax filing and we later did a little shopping. But Thursday was a special
day since we had an invitation for lunch with Helen and Jim Mosby; our former next door neighbors in Stafford, VA
(see photos). Jim performed a super job as chef, preparing a meal of Shrimp Alfredo with pasta, veggies and
salad, followed by an anise cake with coffee and tea. Helen and Jim live near the Kennedy Space Center and can
watch the space shuttle launches from their living room. After a very pleasant afternoon we again said our
goodbyes. Rather than driving directly back, we decided to drive along US 1 to Wabasso, then to Orchid and took
Highway A1A North on the Barrier Islands back to the Air Force Base. Along the way we stopped and took a walk
on the beach (see photos) and also visited Sebastian Inlet State Park where we were able to obtain information
about all of the Florida State Parks.
For Friday we had booked a boat trip (see photos) where normally one would see dolphins and manatees. But the
weather had been so unusually cold for weeks that most of the sea creatures had gone elsewhere to find a warmer
environment. Except for a variety of bird life, mostly in the trees on the mangrove islands, the only thing we saw
was two dolphins that the boat attempted to follow for a while but they rarely surfaced.
On Saturday the sixth we took a bus trip to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (see photos) which is the forerunner
of the Kennedy Space Center run by NASA. Since 1968 all manned space crafts are launched from Kennedy Space
Center; unmanned launches for communications satellites, etc. are performed at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The following morning we left Patrick Air Force Base and spent the night at an RV dealership in West Cocoa where
we had a maintenance appointment for the following morning. They had electric hookups in the parking lot which
made it quite convenient. While they worked on the RV, we drove to Kennedy Space Center and toured the
complex (see photos). At around 5 PM we picked up the RV and drove via Orlando to Leesburg where we had
reserved a spot at a campground with full hookups. It was already dark when we arrived. The campground
manager helped us to back into the campground, around a few corners and into the parking spot. The following
morning we discovered what a wonderful view we had as we opened the door.
We had been without a sewer connection since February 23rd so the first two days were spent running the washing
machine. We also were blocked by a large tree covered with Spanish Moss, so Chuck had to set up his manual
satellite dish to get an internet connection.
On Thursday afternoon we were to meet Virginia Farmer, the sister of our good friend Dick from Las Cruces. She
lives In Leesburg during the winter months. Dick had, in absentia, invited us, with his sister, for dinner at a
restaurant of our choice. We planned to meet at 2 PM but shortly before we left, Virginia called to advise us that
the entire area was under a severe weather warning with tornadoes expected. We immediately turned on the TV
to the local weather channel. As we followed the reports, we could see that we were directly in the middle of
where the tornadoes were expected as the weather moved from the Gulf to the Atlantic. We could only hope that
it passed us since we had no place to go such as a solid building or a basement. We kept in contact with Virginia and
finally at 5 PM, the danger was over and we picked her up, stopped by our RV to show her how we lived, then to a
local seafood restaurant (see photo album) where we all chose the sea scallops which were delicious! Afterwards
we went to Virginia’s home for an evening of conversation.
The following day we met Chuck’s brother Jim at his “winter quarters”. Jim lives in Falmouth, KY where Chuck
grew up but since his retirement, Jim spends the winter in Florida at a fish camp along with several other
passionate anglers from Falmouth. We had supper at the Oakwood Smokehouse which is a local favorite that
specializes in Barbequed Ribs, although Renée opted for the grilled Mahi-Mahi which was more dried out than
grilled.
On Saturday afternoon we drove to the Dora Canal (see photos) but since it was extremely windy, we couldn’t take
a planned boat trip. Instead we visited a local flea market and found several small useful items. On Sunday,
shortly before we left Leesburg, Chuck had a small mishap. He was cleaning a battery cable with the wire brush on
his Dremel tool. The door to the battery compartment on the RV is hinged on top and propped open with a rod.
The door slammed shut striking him in the back of the head, knocking him forward and slightly below where he had
the Dremel tool in his hand. The running Dremel tool with a wire brush wrapped into his hair and continued to run
until he could reach the switch to turn it off. It took quite a while for Renée to untangle and cut the wire brush out
of his hair (see photo).
After surviving this little mishap, we drove to Tampa where we stayed at Mac Dill Air Force Base until March
24th. Our time there passed quickly. First we visited Joe, Chuck’s other brother who lives in New Port Richey,
where he spoiled us with his hot tub and cooking (see photos). We also drove up and down the Gulf coast, had
“ringside” seats at the annual Air Fest with the “Blue Angels”, a free-fall parachute show, and displays of vintage
and modern aircraft (see photos).
In St Petersburg we visited the Salvador Dali Museum and on March 21st, Joe came to visit us for supper. On
Wednesday we left Tampa, after stopping at Camping World to have a new voltage converter installed. We then
drove north on Highway 301 to Bushnell, FL where we spent the night at Paradise Oaks RV Resort. On the
following morning, shortly before we left Florida, we heard a loud bang, and immediately pulled over to discover
that we had quite a blow-out on the RV. After changing the tire, we drove on the Kingsland, GA where we found a
dealer with the right size tire. We had two new tires installed and returned the spare to its location, then drove to
Charleston Air Force Base where we had hopes of getting a flight to Germany on a C-17 (see photos). Since Chuck
is retired military, we can fly “space available” to anywhere in the world, paying only for meals.
The last few days of March were spent preparing for the trip. We had made arrangements with a storage facility
where we would store the RV with electricity to keep the refrigerator running. At the last minute (actually while
on the way to the storage facility), we were informed that we would not be able to have the electric line hooked
up. It’s a long story but actually appears to be a power struggle between the owner and the woman who rents the
office to the storage facility. We ended up contacting Chuck’s sister, Mary, who came and picked up our portable
freezer and the refrigerator contents. We then drove to Charleston Air Force Base, anticipating that we would
quickly get a flight to Germany. That was on March 30th. As the month ended, we were still sitting at the
passenger terminal. Click here www.rmortonc.com/Actual_Location.html to see if we finally made it.
To be continued...
On the next day it was 64°F at 10 AM, but turned to wind and rain in the afternoon. This is not the weather we had
expected in Florida!
In the afternoon we visited Christian at his mobile home where he had recently moved. He had rented out his house
in Cape Canaveral, since he felt it was too big for one person. (We reported our first meeting with Christian in the
February travel journal.) He served us a cake he had baked along with an Aldi apple strudel. They were quite
good with the coffee and tea. We also met Christian’s friend, Russ (see photos). He also showed us his project, a
1976 Buick that he is restoring and plans to ship it to Germany (see photos). There is a collector’s market in
Europe for older American cars and one can turn a good profit if you have time and patience to invest in it.
Later that afternoon Christian followed us to Patrick Air Force Base, parked his car outside the gate and rode with
us. He had no problem at the gate, even though he displayed his expired Florida driver’s license as identification.
After showing him our rolling home, we had enchiladas for supper with cheesecake and German red berry sauce
(Rote Grütze-Red Grits). After supper we took Christian back to his car at the gate.
On March 3rd Chuck worked on the income tax filing and we later did a little shopping. But Thursday was a special
day since we had an invitation for lunch with Helen and Jim Mosby; our former next door neighbors in Stafford, VA
(see photos). Jim performed a super job as chef, preparing a meal of Shrimp Alfredo with pasta, veggies and
salad, followed by an anise cake with coffee and tea. Helen and Jim live near the Kennedy Space Center and can
watch the space shuttle launches from their living room. After a very pleasant afternoon we again said our
goodbyes. Rather than driving directly back, we decided to drive along US 1 to Wabasso, then to Orchid and took
Highway A1A North on the Barrier Islands back to the Air Force Base. Along the way we stopped and took a walk
on the beach (see photos) and also visited Sebastian Inlet State Park where we were able to obtain information
about all of the Florida State Parks.
For Friday we had booked a boat trip (see photos) where normally one would see dolphins and manatees. But the
weather had been so unusually cold for weeks that most of the sea creatures had gone elsewhere to find a warmer
environment. Except for a variety of bird life, mostly in the trees on the mangrove islands, the only thing we saw
was two dolphins that the boat attempted to follow for a while but they rarely surfaced.
On Saturday the sixth we took a bus trip to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (see photos) which is the forerunner
of the Kennedy Space Center run by NASA. Since 1968 all manned space crafts are launched from Kennedy Space
Center; unmanned launches for communications satellites, etc. are performed at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The following morning we left Patrick Air Force Base and spent the night at an RV dealership in West Cocoa where
we had a maintenance appointment for the following morning. They had electric hookups in the parking lot which
made it quite convenient. While they worked on the RV, we drove to Kennedy Space Center and toured the
complex (see photos). At around 5 PM we picked up the RV and drove via Orlando to Leesburg where we had
reserved a spot at a campground with full hookups. It was already dark when we arrived. The campground
manager helped us to back into the campground, around a few corners and into the parking spot. The following
morning we discovered what a wonderful view we had as we opened the door.
We had been without a sewer connection since February 23rd so the first two days were spent running the washing
machine. We also were blocked by a large tree covered with Spanish Moss, so Chuck had to set up his manual
satellite dish to get an internet connection.
On Thursday afternoon we were to meet Virginia Farmer, the sister of our good friend Dick from Las Cruces. She
lives In Leesburg during the winter months. Dick had, in absentia, invited us, with his sister, for dinner at a
restaurant of our choice. We planned to meet at 2 PM but shortly before we left, Virginia called to advise us that
the entire area was under a severe weather warning with tornadoes expected. We immediately turned on the TV
to the local weather channel. As we followed the reports, we could see that we were directly in the middle of
where the tornadoes were expected as the weather moved from the Gulf to the Atlantic. We could only hope that
it passed us since we had no place to go such as a solid building or a basement. We kept in contact with Virginia and
finally at 5 PM, the danger was over and we picked her up, stopped by our RV to show her how we lived, then to a
local seafood restaurant (see photo album) where we all chose the sea scallops which were delicious! Afterwards
we went to Virginia’s home for an evening of conversation.
The following day we met Chuck’s brother Jim at his “winter quarters”. Jim lives in Falmouth, KY where Chuck
grew up but since his retirement, Jim spends the winter in Florida at a fish camp along with several other
passionate anglers from Falmouth. We had supper at the Oakwood Smokehouse which is a local favorite that
specializes in Barbequed Ribs, although Renée opted for the grilled Mahi-Mahi which was more dried out than
grilled.
On Saturday afternoon we drove to the Dora Canal (see photos) but since it was extremely windy, we couldn’t take
a planned boat trip. Instead we visited a local flea market and found several small useful items. On Sunday,
shortly before we left Leesburg, Chuck had a small mishap. He was cleaning a battery cable with the wire brush on
his Dremel tool. The door to the battery compartment on the RV is hinged on top and propped open with a rod.
The door slammed shut striking him in the back of the head, knocking him forward and slightly below where he had
the Dremel tool in his hand. The running Dremel tool with a wire brush wrapped into his hair and continued to run
until he could reach the switch to turn it off. It took quite a while for Renée to untangle and cut the wire brush out
of his hair (see photo).
After surviving this little mishap, we drove to Tampa where we stayed at Mac Dill Air Force Base until March
24th. Our time there passed quickly. First we visited Joe, Chuck’s other brother who lives in New Port Richey,
where he spoiled us with his hot tub and cooking (see photos). We also drove up and down the Gulf coast, had
“ringside” seats at the annual Air Fest with the “Blue Angels”, a free-fall parachute show, and displays of vintage
and modern aircraft (see photos).
In St Petersburg we visited the Salvador Dali Museum and on March 21st, Joe came to visit us for supper. On
Wednesday we left Tampa, after stopping at Camping World to have a new voltage converter installed. We then
drove north on Highway 301 to Bushnell, FL where we spent the night at Paradise Oaks RV Resort. On the
following morning, shortly before we left Florida, we heard a loud bang, and immediately pulled over to discover
that we had quite a blow-out on the RV. After changing the tire, we drove on the Kingsland, GA where we found a
dealer with the right size tire. We had two new tires installed and returned the spare to its location, then drove to
Charleston Air Force Base where we had hopes of getting a flight to Germany on a C-17 (see photos). Since Chuck
is retired military, we can fly “space available” to anywhere in the world, paying only for meals.
The last few days of March were spent preparing for the trip. We had made arrangements with a storage facility
where we would store the RV with electricity to keep the refrigerator running. At the last minute (actually while
on the way to the storage facility), we were informed that we would not be able to have the electric line hooked
up. It’s a long story but actually appears to be a power struggle between the owner and the woman who rents the
office to the storage facility. We ended up contacting Chuck’s sister, Mary, who came and picked up our portable
freezer and the refrigerator contents. We then drove to Charleston Air Force Base, anticipating that we would
quickly get a flight to Germany. That was on March 30th. As the month ended, we were still sitting at the
passenger terminal. Click here www.rmortonc.com/Actual_Location.html to see if we finally made it.
To be continued...
| Each comments entry box in the guest book is limited to approx. 250 characters including spaces. For longer messages please e-mail us at morton@rmortonc.com |
| Each comments entry box in the guest book is limited to approx. 250 characters including spaces. For longer messages please e-mail us at morton@rmortonc.com |
Our Motto: Home is, where our RV is.
Travel Journal March 2010
Area of operation
| Travel Journal March 2010 Begins at Patrick Air Force Base near Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach, Florida and ends at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. |
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