Are We Leaving Yet?

ALMOST!  All is ready and we are just waiting to go.  Only another day and a wake up.  Finally the day is almost here.  I'm glad as I don't think I could do this again.  We have been a couple of months just getting to this point.  I can't say there is anything to complain about, just tired of all the packing and unpacking.  The weather has been great where we are but not so good where we are headed.  Still we are moving forward at this time, hoping for the best as we travel north.

Our last weekend in Tennessee was a busy one for sure.  We enjoyed the Redbuds and Dogwoods that are abundant and in bloom everywhere it seems.  Our last few days at the Eastman Campground was filled with sunny days and mild nights.  We took many a walk, enjoying all that surrounded us.





We ventured up to Bays Mountain on Saturday.  I have lived off and on in this area for ever and never had I been up there.  It was a beautiful day, in the low 80's.  We walked the grounds and viewed the animal exhibits.  Our first stop was the snake habitats.  If there is one thing that I'm afraid of it's a snake.  It makes little difference to me as to poisonous or non-poisonous.   My mind won't allow me to see the difference, haha.



They had an Albino Corn Snake.



The bad boys, Timber Rattlesnakes were huge.



There were other varieties such as Copperhead and Coral, just to mention a few.  I had had enough.  Even behind glass they gave me an uneasy feeling.  Just as we were about to exit Kathie gave out a loud scream and jumped about a foot off the ground.  There laying on the face of the rock wall was a fake that looked very real like.



Our next stop was the Wolf pens.  Sever grays and a black were enjoying the heat of the day.  Kathie wanted to stay until feeding time but we decided they most likely ate like a regular dog without the benefit of Graveytrain.  I'm sure they could get rowdy if they didn't get their fair share.





These relatives of the common dog may look tame but I wasn't about to get inside the fence with them.  I'm sure if they had their choice, they wouldn't be inside that fence either.

We visited the raptors and the deer, even the snapping turtles were out on the rocks enjoying the warmth of the sun.



We spent most of the morning and afternoon walking around and looking at all that Bays Mountain has to offer.  We didn't do the zip line or the rope course.  Nor did we see the show at the planetarium.

We headed off in search of a light dinner and the car show in Elizabethton.  During the Summer months this sleepy little town is host to one heck of a car show every Saturday, weather permitting.  I think I have owned about every car there at one time or another.





There were a lot of beautiful old car, restored and updated for modern day.  It's nice to see so much of the past still with us in the present time.  I can only hope to see these beautiful antiques of the American automobile  for many years.  But I fear that with the passing of my generation so will it also be the end of most of these cars.  The younger guys aren't into these old relics of the past.  It will be sad if that is the case, the end of an era.

Monday was our last day at Eastman Campground.  We moved to Mom's yard for our final load out and prepare the Seymour House for five months of storage.  We spent the afternoon of Monday and all day of Tuesday going about our task of packing and unpacking.  Mom's neighbors must have been curious as to what was going on.  The yard full of RV's.



Kathie was busy trying to find a place to put everything.



You'd think with everything we are taking we're not coming back, haha.  But what's wrong with wanting to be comfortable?  I think we have everything we need, or do we?

Finally we took The Seymour House off to the storage lot and placed it in the care of A&L RV.  They will be making some repairs while we are gone as well.



We are now ready and just waiting to pull out and began our journey.  The Gnome looks cool in his designer sunglasses and packed in carry-on, preventing damage due to breaks and scrapes.





With the fifth wheel hitch removed from the bed of the truck.. All that remains is to load our baggage and hitch up our wagon.



We will be on the road before sun up on Thursday, May the first.  Our 2014 adventure to Alaska is about to get under way.  More from the road as we travel there and back again.

Be sure to follow our adventure.  I bet you won't have to ask why go Dutch.

Http://whygodutch.blogspot.com















 

Preparing for The Long Road Ahead

The roads that lie ahead promises to be no less than 4500 miles, that's one way and then there will be the trip back.  I started to make the final preparations, new tires, oil change, brake check and so on.  On Good Friday I was sitting in the Bristol, Tennessee Chrysler Dealership, (Friendship Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge)  I wanted to insure my Dodge 3500 was ready for the trip and avoid any unexpected costly repairs out on the open roads.  So there I was waiting for my vehicle to get a clean bill of health or a routine repairs of some sort.  I figure it was pay now or pay much later and be at the mercy of those who figured I was traveling and they could charge me what ever they wanted.   As it turned out my 012' dodge needed nothing that I hadn't already replaced or repaired. 



I wish I could report the same for my physical health.  While picking up a light weight aluminum lawn chair I suffered a back injury.  I have been living on Icy Hot cream and Ibuprofens.  Seemed nothing was working.  I retreated to the bed for several days only to endure the pains as it wasn't doing much good so I got up and started to walk.  Walking seems to help me more than anything.  I do hope that by the time we are ready to start the trip my condition has improved.  As I grow older my back seems to grow weaker.  I have to constantly remind myself I'm not the guy I once was.  Still my mind thinks I am.

Easter has come and gone for 2014.  It was a beautiful day as the weather was perfect.  We enjoyed a lazy day around the ole campsite and then went for a walk.  I was looking for a relative or a group of them who may be having a family get together at the Eastman Park.  Finding none we had to resort to left over fried chicken.  All in all it was a beautiful day and the weather couldn't have been any better.






When we arrived in Tennessee it wasn't yet spring.  We have endured a mixed bag of weather conditions since then.  Now the weather has warmed and the trees have turned green and the beauty of Dogwoods and Redbuds are abundant.  Hopefully we have seen the last of the cold in these parts until fall.






Our trip north to Alaska has once again been slightly delayed, on the first leg.  We had planned to spend several days in Mobile, visiting family before getting started north.  Due to conflicts with the new job and working schedules, my son wasn't able to get the time off.    We will hold in place for another week before we venture out on the long road ahead.  That will save us several hundreds of miles and by leaving a week later we will still be on schedule by cutting out the detour to Mobile.  We were looking forward to some beach time but that too will have to wait. Our next departure date is set for May the first.  We have had a couple of months to prepare and yet the closer we get the more rushed we are.  I don't think there is a way to prepare for a trip of this duration.  The longer we have to pack the more we try to take.  Best just to pack in a rush and hit the road.  I think we are trying to pack the big house in the smaller house.  We are running out of room.  We can always buy those last minute items as we go.

Everything is done and only the waiting is now the issue.  We have prepared and made ready as much as we can.  All that is left to do is put the Seymour house in storage.  That will require a few hours to assure that the house is prepared for long term storage.  The Micro Light Flagstaff is waiting for the final load out and then we are on our way.  I'm sure  we will be second guessing ourselves for miles before we settle down and just relax and enjoy the many miles that lay ahead of us.  If we forgot anything we can't live without,  there are Family and Dollar General stores everywhere.

Until then we are enjoying the life of nomads.   Be sure to keep up with us and our travels. (http://whygodutch.blogspot.com)

Gnome on the Move

Since selling our home on February the 27th 2014, our nomadic lifestyle  has seen us on the move.  We left Georgia for Tennessee on the 11th of March after spending two weeks at an RV park near Helen, GA.  Our first stop in Tennessee was at Warriors Path State Park, close to the junctions of highways I-81 and I-26.  Just slightly north of where they cross, I-81N at exit #59.  Our stay at Warriors was for 9 days, leaving on March the 20th for Bays Mountain, just a few miles southwest of Warriors.  We were there for 14 days and then back to Warriors for another 11 days on April the 3rd.   During all this moving about we were trying to exchange our present Fiver for the new one we bought for replacement.  As well as pick up, pack and make ready our smaller towable for the trip to Alaska.  That trip to get under way by the third week of April.  We had set that date to be after Easter.

A little about these two places.  Warriors Path State Park is located just a couple of short miles off I-81N at exit #59.  You can access the park from many different roads in the area.  It is surrounded on three of it's sides by the Patrick Henry Lake.  Most of the campsites have views of the waters.





It's a large park with about 94 campsites at the main park and an overflow location with about another 39 sites.  Like most State Park campgrounds it has everything needed except sewer on each site.  It does have two dump stations that are easy to get to.  All sites have water and electric, several bathrooms and a separate bathroom/bath house.  The lake offers boating and fishing. Other amenities such as a large playground for children, walking trails and bike paths, plenty of picnic shelters and grills separate of the campground.  The park is located close to shopping, food stores and restaurants, as well other attractions in the area.  The cost per day for the campground is $20.00 minus any discounts you may qualify for.  Entry to the park is free.  Conveniently located within a short commute to Johnson City, Bristol and Kingsport.  You can also be across several state lines within minutes as well, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.  The Great Smokey Mountain State Park (Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge) is only an hour and a half south on I-81S and I-40W, Ashville NC is an hour away on I-26E,  This area is home to the Carter Family and Tennessee Ernie Ford as well as being the birthplace of country music.  The area is rich in culture and steeped in traditions.  Just too much to cover in such a short blog.

Bays Mountain is located just off I-26W and a couple of short miles from Warriors. It is also a great attraction with such amenities as a planetarium, wildlife exhibit complete with large wolves, adventure trails, walking and biking trails, as well as a barge ride on the reservoir,  adventure rope course and zip line.  The campground is separate and private, part of the Eastman Chemical Corporation.  It has 50 campsites all with water electric and sewer.  Fire wood is free and in plentiful supply, cut and stacked at several shelters.  All sites are spacious and plenty of separation between you and your camping neighbor.







Did I mention the campground is private and restricted to Eastman employee's only.  We are camping here for two weeks, don't ask and we won't tell :)  As Einstein would say, "it's all relatives."  Now that my younger brother has retired, he has the time to be here with us for the next two weeks :)  He's the Eastman employee and our camping host.   It's only $10.00 a day for all this and if that's not enough a short drive will get you everything mentioned earlier.  Our stay of two weeks is from March the 20th to April the 3rd,  then leaving and going back to Warriors.

In the mist of all this I celebrated another birthday.  No fanfare or hoop-la.  It was one of those events best gone without notice.  The older I get the less birthdays I want to see.  It's one of those that you can't turn the numbers around to change.  It is what it is and that's the way it is.  But the good news is I save a lot on my car insurance.  For the next couple of years, then they will cancel me due to being to old to drive, haha.  I won't tell you my age as it's not important.  Not to me at least, I have long since made it my goal to no longer celebrate those events in public.  I can however tell you that I  remember when stamps were 6 cents to mail a first class letter.  A dollars worth of gas was about 6 and 1/2 gallons.  Things sure have changed over the course of my growing up.  When you hear people talk about the good ole days, they don't mean those days were good.  I think we are living in the good ole days now.  Times have never been as good as we have it now.  I'm sure I will get some flack from those who's opinions differ from mine.  My life is good and I have no real complaints :)

Right in the middle of my big Birthday celebration came the New Seymour House delivery.  Taking the Vaca house to the dealership, we parked the two units side by side, door to door and unloaded and loaded.  It was a four hour task.  We started at 10 am and didn't finish until after 3 pm.  Kathie and I were both tired.  We didn't put anything away, just made the transfer and stack it all in the new Seymour house, wherever we could find a place to set it.  




With the move of our stuff from one to the other, we were ready to haul our new home back to the campground.  I'm not sure anyone noticed as we slipped back to our perch at the Eastman campground.  We spent the next several days trying to find places to place all our things.  We took time to entertain company and visit with family.



My older brother and his bride, Glenda came by to wish me a happy birthday.  They didn't stay long as we were trying to make it livable and find a place to put everything.  We were getting tired and was hoping for help but they left as fast as they arrived and once again we were faced with where do we put all this stuff.  I'm not sure but all that stuff just seems to multiply.  All I know for sure is it was a long day and I was tired by the time we pushed off the bed and made room to sleep.



Brother David and wife Susan found the theater seating very comfortable and relaxing.  Still they aren't quite ready to give up their North Carolina cabin and take up the traveling lifestyle.

For the next several days we continued to place, move and replace items.  It was trial and error as to where it would end up and remain.  We were also packing up items for our trip that would go into the smaller unit.  That was a challenge as to where to place it.  The underneath storage area was full of items just as was the living space above.  I lost track of the total time taken to put it all away but we managed to get it done.  What once was cluttered, is now a neat and organized home.  Kathie did the bulk of it all and I was only to happy to let her take charge.  Leaving on April the 3rd we headed back to Warriors Path State Park.

Finally on April the 6th we picked up the new towable trailer.  We had left it when we first inspected it due to a problem with the slide out room not sealing as it should.  You have problems with new items not being as intended, the good news it is new and under warranty.  We wanted to assure it was right as we would be traveling a long ways and repair facilities may not always be available.  The second inspection was without problems.  We had a great guy at the dealership (Wes), he wanted to assure that we were completely satisfied.  Kathie was all smiles as she accepted the keys from Wes.

 

 

We towed the New Micro Lite trailer back to Warriors Path State Park and staged it beside our Seymour house.  Parked on sites numbers 25 and 26 they were side by side.  That would make it easy to ready the smaller of the two for the big up coming trip. 

 

Taking all that we had stored in the Seymour house, we started the transfer process.  We had bought extra dishes, pots & pans.  A lot of the décor items we had put in the previous Vaca house we used in the Micro Lite trailer.  We spent the afternoon making ready to go.

 

The New Micro Lite is 25' of living space, 28' over all counting the tongue.

 

 

The Seymour house is seen in the background.

 

 

 

The rear door opens to the large bathroom.

 

 

A view looking forward from the rear bathroom.

 

 

This will be our home on our five month trip to Alaska and back.

 

 

The Micro Lite feels cramped after living in the much larger fifth wheel.  We will surly have to learn to live together in a smaller and less roomy environment :)

 

We are ready to go and now await the final day.  We will be headed for Alaska, leaving on April the 21 via a stop in Mobile, AL.  Until then we will enjoy our life style of full time RVing and all that the nomadic life offers.

 

 

While we await our start date for our track north to Alaska, don't forget the Seymour Acronym contest.  Those that have submitted entry's have come up with some great phrases.  So put those thinking caps on and get your name on the list, it could be worth $100.00  We will announce the winner on this blog, once the contest has closed.  That will be after the first of June, you have time to get your entry in.  You will want to keep up with the blog as there will be other contests as we travel thru Alaska and our return to the lower 48 states.
 

 Until our next post, Dutchey and Kathie (http://whygodutch.blogspot.com)