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Published: January 12th 2012
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The rain
torrential rain just after we got plugged in Wednesday January 11, 2012
Bushnell, FL to Tampa, FL
Happy 29
th Birthday, Kristine. Seems like just yesterday…..When did you get so old?
Happy 90
th Birthday, stepmom, Shirley. I hope you have 90 more and I hope I live to see it! Sorry I cannot be with you for your special birthday dinner.
Why oh why did it have to rain today? It hasn’t rained decently in this part of Florida in a very long time. Why did it have to rain today?
I set my alarm for 6, the first morning I actually was sleeping when it went off. It was pitch black. I took Winston for a quick walk, and then the rain started. I’ve said it before, I will say it again. I hate unhooking in the rain. I had packed most of my outside stuff last night, but still had to empty holding tanks and disconnect water and electric, and I got wet. I had to shower before I did all this as I needed to use the land line water rather than take from my fresh water holding tank. Where I will end the day has electric only, no water, so I
More rain
If you see the stand of palm trees between Judi and Malcolm's rigs, that's the casino driveway must conserve every drop I have for the next 5 days. So, I changed my shirt to something dry and was on the road by 8:15 after wishing goodbye to Judy B and trusting she will have a successful 2 days getting her RV fixed. I met up with Judi C, Ginnie and Malcolm at the Walmart Parking lot and we easily made the trip to the Tampa State Fairgrounds in just about an hour. In the rain.
Quick note. Ginnie is a friend from my Loner’s on Wheels camping club in NJ. Malcolm is her widowed cousin in law who lives in Melbourne, FL. Ginnie has a 30 foot class A, Malcolm has a 28 foot class B plus. Don’t ask, it’s too confusing to explain the different types, but basically, Class As are build on bus frames, Class Cs like mine are built on truck frames and Class Bs are build on van frames. Malcom’s B plus is built on a truck frame. That’s very very basic, there are other differences.
www.frvta.org if you are interested in checking out this event. It is advertised as the largest RV show in the country and I gotta believe
Me and Ginnie
after the sun came out it is close. After we checked in and got our goodie bags we were led to our campsites. As there are 4 of us and we wanted to be near each other, they plotted it so we were. There were about 8 rigs in front of us, and sure enough, I was amazed when we did end up together. We were told that there are over 800 registered campers here. My 21 foot class C is one of the smallest, and Judi’s 20 foot class C (same camper I used to have before I got this one) surely is the smallest. The 42 foot rig next to me blocks my sun. I am next to Ginnie, and Judi and Malcolm are behind us. As we rolled in to our site, mine is 311, they were laying the electric cable for our row. Each row has a generator (yellow box with Hertz on the side picture herein) with cords running from it. When each RV gets its site, they plug a 30 or 50 amp service outlet into what I will call the transformer box that comes off the generator, and I plugged my electric into it. We tested, and I
Our Street
I am site 311 in the "Truck School" area am ready to go. FORTUNATELY, the Hertz generator is about 10 campsites away from me, and there actually are RVs right next to it. I am so happy it is not me, as it makes a very loud hum and smells of gasoline fumes, or it could be diesel fumes, I am not sure. I helped Ginnie set up her doggie fence for her 2 doberman’s, George and Linus, quite an undertaking, but necessary to give her dogs some outside time. Linus is a normal Doberman, but George is a dwarf. Normal sized body, but very short and malformed legs. They are wonderful dogs, I love them dearly, and certainly have changed my impression of Dobermans. Judi has Noah, a West Highland Terrier, and Malcom has his new rescue tiny mixed dog, Sammy. So, 4 people 5 dogs, and amazingly they all get along. Once Winston got over the meet and greet bark, he settled right in and calmed down.
Once we got our electric hooked up the skies opened up again, and for the next 2 hours we were confined to the RV, see the 2 pictures herein of how hard it rained.
In my goodie bag
Generator
imagine having that right next to your rig? was a flyer with the name and phone number of a service that will come to the show and wash and wax the RV. Ginnie and I both signed up and they will come tomorrow morning. It will be nice to have a clean and shiny rig. They will wash it in the morning, let it dry, then come back and wax it in the afternoon. It should cost me about $175, unless they have to work extra hard to get the black marks off, then it will go up to $200. I think that’s fair, and certainly worth it to get the body and cab waxed.
Malcolm and Ginnie and I took off to see some of the RV show. This place is so big, there is a tram service that picks you up from the campground to the show area, but it wasn’t running yet, too many RVs still coming in on the roadway they used. So, we walked over, really not a far walk, and only made it to one vendor building. There were so many good vendors, offering free camping if you listen to their time share spiel, free give aways (snack bag clips, playing
cards, black water tank chemical, on and on.) Tim, you will be happy to hear this, one vendor has press on pull off connectors for both ends of the hose, $10 each, I will get them tomorrow when I bring a bag to carry all my goodies. He also has snap on snap off connectors for the cable wire as well, 2/$5, and all seems like a bargain and certainly make it easier on my old hands. Ginnie and I lost Malcolm somewhere in the confusion, despite him wearing a bright orange belt, and we headed back to our rigs, only seeing the one building. Of course I could tell Winston barked the entire time, but I don’t think anyone heard him, and I guess I don’t care what my other neighbors think. They block my sun with their height, they can listen to my dog bark for a few hours.
Judi headed over later and took the tram, which circumnavigated the RV campground area, and she said she thought there had to be more than 800 rigs here. She also only got to see the one building.
Now, there’s good news and bad news about our location. I can see Hard Rock Seminole Casino from my window, (another picture.) That’s the good news. The bad news is it is on the other side of I75 with no way to get across and there is no shuttle from the campground to it. I will get there, Ginnie and Malcolm want to go as well, and they towed their cars, so I will get there, even if they drop me off for a few hours.
Happy hour was interesting. Ginnie and her crew sat inside her doggie fence with her dogs, the rest of us sat outside the fence with our dogs leashed at our sides. It was quite a scene and created a good laugh for passers by.
Note. Is anyone but me already sick of seeing news on every channel of Beyonce’s baby? Every TV station I turn to…….
The sun didn’t set until after 6, almost seems like summer, but the weather sure did cool down after the rain stopped and the skies cleared. We are so far west that the sun sets later than it does in NJ or NC this time of year. On the other side, it won’t rise until way after 7 in the morning. I put out my rug, my Irish flag, and fed Winston, and he is passed out on his bed on the couch, he had a busy day.
Kat out
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Tim Scoutelas
non-member comment
I told you & It's Tebow time
What is the average age of a Snowbird with an RV? Whatever it is it's growing. There has to be a huge market for products like that. Good luck. I can't get away from Tebow. Heard Beyonce had a baby and some lady at the hospital was locked out from seeing her own kid. Crazy.