Heading North

Hi everyone

We are currently in Grass Lake Michigan, about an hour from the Canadian border, where we will stay for another 3 weeks. After having spent the winter in Crystal River, Florida, we are on our way back home to Ontario but have to wait a little for campgrounds there to open. From what we hear the weather has greatly improved in the North Bay area so that part would not be a problem any longer. If one lives in a fifth wheel, cold temperatures can be a real drag and one definitely does not want to see snow. Now that winter seems to be over with in northern Ontario, all we need is a place to park our rig and hook up to services. This means a campground because of the services part. But most of them will only open on the May long weekend so we have to drag our feet for a few more weeks before we can return to Lake Nipissing.

We will also need a campground which allows pets. Hunter and Trapper would not normally be a problem as they are cats and for the most part stay in the fifth wheel. But now that we also have a dog, this has to be considered. Speaking of the dog: we are all learning a lot. André and I how to handle a dog, Princess what we want her to do and not to do and the cats simply to get along with our new family member.

Tomorrow we will go visit with friends and spend some time with them in Frankenmuth. They live in Stirling Heights but love Frankenmuth and so we decided to meet up there. We have last seen them a while ago and are looking forward to catching up with what's new with all of us. They will also get to meet Princess which we will take with us. And then (in just over 3 weeks) it will be time to drive north and see all our friends in the North Bay area! Can't wait for that. Ahhh... sitting on H. & I.'s porch having a beer and a chat. And then there are all the others of course, too. This will be so great!

But for now it's Michigan for a little longer and then Ontario before we head out on a new adventure again. We will keep you posted of course, so please come back to read up on our travels.

André and Sue

@ home on the road

PS: Don't forget to read our other blogs (listed on the side) and to follow us on facebook and our Google Map. You can also check our web site for new pictures.

Getting ready for another trip

Hi everyone

It's been a while since we posted a blog and you might have been wondering what we've been up to. First of all we did enjoy the winter here in Florida. Having our things we like to do we really didn't have a lot to tell you without repeating ourselves. That's the reason for the pause in posts. Now we are getting ready to hit the road again and take another trip.

Though we have put quiet a bit of thinking into our 2013 travel plans, we don't want to lock in to a schedule too much and leave ourselves open for changes of route along the way. The general plan is to go back to Ontario before heading west and back to Crystal River for the winter of 2013/14. A few way-points are set but that's about it for now. The first of these is a stop in Ashburn, Georgia where we will spend a couple of weeks on our way back to Ontario. We will stay at Wanee Lake Golf and RV Resort again and hope to get a lot of golfing in. The great thing there is, that while you stay with them, you can golf all you want free of charge. Another stop is in North Bay where we will take care of some appointments and "housekeeping" issues then we will be headed west. We don't think that we will make it all the way to Alaska and Yukon as we had originally planned because of time. So we think we will go west on the Canadian side and then south to visit some of the great national parks in the US which we have last visited over 20 years ago.

Traveling will be a bit different this time around since we now also have a new family member: Princess is a 18 months old shepherd/collie mix and a sweetheart (you may have been wondering about the picture). We adopted her on March 23 from the animal shelter in Inverness. She is already very well trained and great with other people and dogs and even Hunter and Trapper. It's the cats, especially Hunter, which need a little more time to get used to her. Having a dog of course means daily walks which is really good for the both of us, too. We will just have to adjust driving and stops to accommodate her needs and exercise requirements. But all in all this should be good for all involved.

In the next 7 days we will get everything packed up, hopefully get a chance to wash the fifth wheel, (after being parked under the trees here for 4 months it needs a wash down) and say goodbye for now to some people we've met. Many of them will be back at Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park next winter just like us and so we will get to see them again come December. Meantime we are looking forward to seeing our Canadian friends after a long absence from the North Bay area.

We are back to blogging about our adventures so please come back and check out what's going on.

André and Sue

@ home on the road

PS: Don't forget to read our other blogs (listed on the side) and to follow us on facebook and our Google Map. You can also check our web site for new pictures.

Life at Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park - Part two

Hi everyone

In our last blog we told you a little bit about Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park and promised to tell you about the people here.

Like many RV parks in the South Rock Crusher has its share of long term residents. Some are really long term, meaning they basically stay here all year round, and others spend anywhere from two to five months here during the winter. The later include Canadian snow birds of which group we are a part at the moment. One can easily spot the sites of long term guests by the way they are maintained and by additions such as sun decks or other (semi)permanent structures added to the trailers. The first giveaway usually is that the leaves are raked and dead palm leaves removed. We have told you about that in a prior blog. Many people also have some kind of sign with their names on it, welcoming visitors and at the same time making it known who's site it is or, if one knows they are here, what site they are on. It was the long term guests, too who put up Christmas decorations and it is them who know one another of course. If you need information or want to join a group for some activity, your long term neighbour just might be the person to ask whom to get in touch with. This is the way Sue got in touch with a group of ladies which she now joins for a weekly game of golf and sometimes lunch afterwards.

People here are also very helpful. Some might just be looking for something to do or they simply like to help. Just recently a group of men got together and built a deck for a lady who lives here by herself. And when we have a weekly get-together with a potluck dinner and a campfire another of her neigbours drove her there in their golf cart since she has recently broken her knee and couldn't walk. No way would they let her miss out on the "eat and chat" evenings. When we first arrived here the potluck took place at our neigbours' Jim and Jeanne and they immediately invited us to join them. Everybody is welcome to these evenings. One simply looks for the whiteboard which is put up to announce at what site and time it will take place. It was also Jim who noticed that the first step to our fifth wheel was a little high. So he came over and suggested to build a step. He had some leftover lumber, screws and the tools, he said. And so we ended up putting the step together after measuring how big it could be to easily be stored in the truck-bed while we're on the road. It's a great thing to have not only because it makes getting in and out easier but also because it works great to keep sand out of the fifth wheel. It really is a little thing but how we came to build it is great and speaks to the way people here are.

That's it for today. Take care.

André and Sue

@ home on the road

PS: Don't forget to read our other blogs (listed on the side) and to follow us on facebook and our Google Map. You can also check our web site for new pictures.

Life at Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park

Uptown

 

Hi everyone

There is a lot to be said about spending the winter in an RV Park like we do so let us tell you a little bit about Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park.

Rock Crusher offers 398 nice, spacious sites in 2 main areas. There is what we call "downtown" with its 287 sites and then "uptown" with the remaining 111. We are uptown on a corner lot with so much space, it could almost house two rigs like ours. The entire RV Park also offers privacy between the sites and lots of shaded sites with Palm and other trees for those who want it. All sites have 30 / 50 Amp service, full hock-up, wireless (and really good) internet as well as cable TV. We also like that it is gated. Campers as well as visitors are issued access codes for the duration of their stay.

With the gatehouse, clubhouse, pool and playground all downtown we personally enjoy the quiet up here. Sure, if we want to participate in one of the many events offered - a list is published monthly - or go for a swim we can't just cross the road but that doesn't bother us the least. We simply take our bicycles and ride there. The only thing about being up here is that it really is up. There is a short, about 200 yards, but rather steep hill which some call "heart-attack-hill" to be climbed. That too doesn't bother us, we simply take our time when we're on foot or have the bikes with us.

Clubhouse

 

Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park is located a little bit outside of town so there is no noisy road going by yet everything we need such as grocery stores, post office, some flea and farmers markets etc. are only minutes from here by car. Crystal River offers everything a small town usually does, there is even a Chevrolet dealership should our truck need a service or some work, and Homosassa and Inverness are not far. Being so close to the Gulf of Mexico gives us the opportunity to indulge in fresh shrimp, clams, oysters and other seafood and fish whenever the mood hits us. We have been exploring the area a bit and found a seafood seller we like a lot on one of the markets.The prices for seafood are unbelievable cheap compared to Northern Ontario and of course it's fresh.

So much for today. It's time to go hit the pool and cool off a bit. In our next blog we will tell you a little about the people here and the "events" they/we hold uptown on our own (aside from the many organized by the RV Park).

See you soon

André and Sue

@ home on the road

PS: Don't forget to read our other blogs (listed on the side) and to follow us on facebook and our Google Map. You can also check our web site for new pictures.

Happy New Year

 

Hi everyone

Well, another year is coming to an end and what a great one it has been for us. We sure hope you too can look back on lots of fun, happiness, success and hopefully good health.

As you know we have been on the road for the past six months and covered quiet some distance exploring the east cost of Canada. Then, after a "detour" through the New England states it was back to our old home on Lake Nipissing for a short visit before we headed south for the winter. We had such a good time and have seen so many beautiful things and met many wonderful people along the way. We explored some new foods while tasting the local cuisine and are looking forward to having a lot of our favorite, seafood, while here in Florida. Traveling has been all we had expected it to be and even more. There is so much to be learned about Canada's history, geography and the people who make this wonderful country what it is.

Of all the great memories of 2012 our respective trips to Switzerland and visits with our families and Alice's stay with us still are the most precious ones. Although we try to make it over there as often as we can, time between visits is still very long and we are already looking forward to the next time we will see them all again.

Now we will spend some time in the warmth of Florida and making plans for 2013. Our trip has just only begun and we still have so much to see and explore. The options are many and we will keep you posted as our plans progress and certainly when we hit the road again come spring. Until then we wish you, your families and friends a very

HAPPY, HEALTHY, FUN-FILLED and SUCCESSFUL 2013

André and Sue

@ home on the road

PS: Don't forget to read our other blogs (listed on the side) and to follow us on facebook and our Google Map. You can also check our web site for new pictures.

Settling in for the winter

Hi everyone

It's been a while since our last blog and lots has happened since then. We had Alice, André's mom, visiting us for four weeks. It was a wonderful time as we took her on a small tour of the south of the United States. Though we mostly visited places we had been to before, it was interesting for us as well. First of all some of those places have changed a lot since we've last seen them. And secondly Alice's comments and questions gave us a different perspective of them, too. We did enjoy the trip big time.

We started out in Florida, Fort Lauderdale to be precise, drove all the way up to Georgia and over to New Orleans. Then we returned to Florida and Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park in Crystal River where we will spend the winter. Along the way we made day-trips and stops at Key West, Cape Canaveral, Daytona Beach, Apalachicola, Avery Island and, of course, New Orleans to name just some. We tasted the local foods and took in the local sights. We went on an air-boat ride and a cruise on the Mississippi river, visited wildlife parks and cotton fields, the homes of Tabasco Sauce and space travel. It was a lot to take in for Alice and so we also spent a few days doing nothing much and got her to help us wash our fifth wheel. The four weeks passed so fast and soon it was time for her and Sue to fly to Switzerland, where Sue spent a week visiting our families over there.

Before they left we had already done some leaf raking at our camp site and André had begun to clear out dead palm leafs. All around it looks like people here at the campground take great pride in well maintaining their sites. We got into the spirit as well and have to say, it looks so much better, once all the dead leafs are gone. The seasonals here are also preparing for Christmas and one doesn't have to go far to find decorated trailers, motorcycles and even golf carts. There even is a contest going on which will, by popular vote, award the best decoration in those three categories.

So we are settling in for the winter and it will be very special this year. Never before did we sit outside in shorts, t-shirts and sandals less than a week before Christmas. There will be no snow, and of course no shoveling, no coming in from the cold and huddling in front of the fireplace to warm up and it is kind of hard to even think of Christmas. Especially Sue, who just loves all things Christmas-lights, was kind of envious of the displays on other camp sites. But the sensible reasoning is not to spend a whole lot of money for something like an inflatable Santa which can only be used for a short time and will then take up precious storage space in our fifth wheel for the rest of the year. Besides, inflatables are not really our style. None the less Sue would really have loved some kind of decorations and so she was over the top when she came back from Switzerland and found out what André had done during her absence: there were solar tiki torches marking the entrance to our site, solar lights from there to the fifth wheel, two bird-feeders and a gorgeous flower display adorned with palm leafs and moss. Inside the fifth wheel Sue found a cute rosemary-tree lovingly decorated as our Christmas tree. There also is a clover spiked orange which, together with the rosemary-tree gives off a very nice, seasonal smell. It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas here in Florida.

In this sense we wish all of you a
MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR

André and Sue

Somewhere on the road in Canada

PS: Don't forget to read our other blogs (listed on the side) and to follow us on facebook and our Google Map. You can also check our web site for new pictures.

Company is here

Hi everyone

As you know from my last blog, André flew over to Switzerland to visit with our families and fetch his mom. Alice has arrived here with him 6 days ago and we have been having a blast ever since. Not that we don't have a great time without her here. As a matter of fact we are both loving retirement better and better by the day. Fact is, my mother in law is a real sweetheart. She loves traveling and does a lot of it by herself back in Europe. With her every day is an adventure whether we plan on doing something or just hanging around making it a "relaxation day". And we laugh a lot. You wouldn't believe the things she comes up with. Sometimes it's because her mother tongue is French and even after all those years in the German speaking part of Switzerland she still has her own way of expressing herself. Let's just say she thinks in French and speaks in Swiss-German - translation on the go by Alice. Sometimes it's just her quick wit that makes us laugh or leaves us speechless. Bottom line is, we are enjoying her company big time.

The whole thing of André flying over to get her was an adventure in itself. At least for him. First Hurricane Sandy caused New York to shut down so both his flights (Miami to N.Y. and N.Y. to Zurich) were cancelled. The earliest plane he could catch was 3 days later which shortened his stay in Switzerland considerably if one takes into account that he had originally planned to stay just 7 days. Then their flights back (Zurich to N.Y. and N.Y. to Miami) also got cancelled because another storm shut N.Y. down again. They found that out the morning they were supposed to leave. Luckily they got seats on a different carrier and arrived here from Zurich via London England and then directly to Miami. Let's hope that we won't have similar problems in December when Sue will bring Alice home and visits with our relatives over there. Delaying Sue's flight back could bring her into the per-Christmas travel mess.

Anyhow, since their arrival here we have visited a flamingo and wildlife park and a large shopping mall. This was kind of a day off to adjust to the climate and time difference. The next day we made a trip down to Key West and on the day after that we took Alice for an air-boat ride to see alligators. We didn't see alligators, at least not in the wild but the air boat ride itself was worth doing. Sunday we did nothing but relaxing and going to the pool and then, on Monday, Alice got her first taste of what it is like to pack up, pull our home on wheels to a new location and setting up again. This was yesterday. We also drove to the beach in Daytona, surely a must for a first-time US east coast traveler. Today the Kennedy Space Center was our destination and once again Alice was impressed with what she has seen. We have been here before but it's been a while and we, too were impressed.

Our travel plans for the next 3 weeks will bring us further north and west and include stops in Nashville, Lynchburg Tennessee, Avery Island Louisiana and of course New Orleans, among others. So please stay tuned, we would love to tell you about our travels with Alice.

André and Sue

Somewhere on the road in Canada

PS: Don't forget to read our other blogs (listed on the side) and to follow us on facebook and our Google Map. You can also check our web site for new pictures.