Happy Birthday to Me! Busch Gardens Part I

Today is my birthday. What better way to spend my birthday than to spend the day at Busch Gardens? Dorcas and I really enjoyed Busch Gardens when we were here last year. So much so that we went three days. LazyDays offers a discounted 7-day pass for $58. That's admission every day for seven consecutive days! I don't think we will make it every day, but we do hope to go every other day, for a total of four days. We really enjoy watching the animals and can spend a great deal of time just watching the critters. And then there's the beer. Busch Gardens has historically offered complimentary beer to visitors. Anheuser-Busch Inc. recently merged with (or was absorbed by?) European brewer InBev and recently announced it would end its practice of passing out complimentary beer samples. Dang . Thankfully, this travesty will not be implemented until near the end of January.

It was a cool and cloudy day at the park today. We experienced one short storm, but otherwise it was a very nice day. The crowds were light and lines were non-existent. We saw most of the shows, most of which were the same as last year. It is nearly impossible to get Dorcas on a roller coaster, but since it was my birthday I got her to go on Gwazi. I don't think she regretted it ... much. I then explained to Dorcas that our seven days at Busch Garden would be the seven days of Myron's birthday, much like the twelve days of Christmas. On the first day we would ride Gwazi. On the second day we would ride Gwazi and Montu. On the third day we would ride Gwazi, Montu and Kumba. And so on. I don't think she bought it.

It was a great day at the park. We are looking forward to many more.

We Can See Clearly Now!

Yesterday we departed Cypress Glen Campground at Withlacoochee State Forest and moved about 40 miles south and west to Hudson, Florida for a service appointment. We arrived Sunday evening and parked outside their locked gate for our appointment scheduled for the first thing Monday morning. Country Coach and many other manufacturers use a double-pane thermal window made by SeGi. SeGi windows have a horrible reputation for losing their seal and fogging with moisture between the glass panes, often within only a year or two after manufacture. When we bought our coach, two windows showed significant fogging, and LazyDays replaced them at their own expense. Attaboy LazyDays! Since that time another window has fogged, the one in the entry door. Since that window is necessary for good vision while driving, it is an important safety consideration to have it promptly replaced. However, with the recent economic downturn, many coach manufacturers have curtailed operations. Suppliers, such as SeGi have also shut down, and won't sell directly to the consumer anyway. Besides, who really wants to pay big bucks for new SeGi windows when they still have sealing problems and are prone to fail again??? Not me! On the Country Coach users' forums we learned of Suncoast Designers in Hudson, who will rebuild and repair existing windows for significantly less cost than replacement. Their primary business is building custom windows for residential construction, but with the downturn in that business and the increasing occurrence of failed RV windows, they are starting to promote the RV business.

At 6:30 am the gates opened and a flood of workers and another RV roared through. We got up and moved into the compound and met Jeff, who explained the repair process. They first remove the window/frame assembly from the motor home, which is pretty simple in the case of our entry door. Then they disassemble the window frame to remove the glass assembly. Then they separate the dual panes and remove the old seals. After that it gets fun. First they run the panes through a conveyorized machine that washes and dries the panes. Next they install a new seal and sandwich the two panes together and run the assembly through another conveyorized machine that cures the seal. Just prior to setting the seal they apply a little positive air pressure between the panes. SeGi uses a vacuum on their windows, which apparently contributes to their failure. Finally, they put it all back together and re-install the unit in the coach. Looks great. I have read on the forums that with shipping and installation, a new replacement SeGi window runs over $1000. Suncoast Designers got us out for $120. They were super-nice folks and very professional. If you need your windows repaired, check 'em out.

Today, after our window service, we moved another 40 miles south to near Tampa. We are camped at Rally Park, the on-site campground for LazyDays. When we bought our coach LazyDays gave us 20 coupons for free camping at Rally Park, and we still have 19 nights remaining. As it turns out, our Crown Club membership will expire on January 31, so we decided to blow our coupons as our membership expired. This means free camping, free meals and free happy-hours until January 31 or until our coupons run out, whichever comes first. Sweet! Actually, we will stay here only 9 nights before leaving, but we will be back for 7 nights just before the end of the month.

Just after checking in we ran into old friends. George and Irene have a Country Coach of the same model and floor plan as ours. We first met George and Irene at the Crown Club as we were buying our coach two years ago. Since then we have seen them at several rallies, and we are both members of the Southeast Country Coachers. George is very knowledgeable about his (our) coach and has been very helpful when problems arise. We also met Jim and Luci, who are at the Crown Club for some warranty service. We met Jim and Luci at the Crown Club last year shortly after they bought their new Monaco. Since then we have kept up with each other via e-mail, and we narrowly missed each other while passing through Michigan last September.

One objective while we are in Tampa is to spend as much time at Busch Gardens as we can. Hopefully we can get a few paddling days in too.

Paddle: Chassahowitzka River

We last paddled the Chassahowitzka River almost exactly two years ago. While paddling the river that day, we were talking to LazyDays on the phone, negotiating the deal on our current motor home, which, obviously, we did end up buying. They tell us paddling can be a dangerous sport. One can literally drown or be eaten alive by an alligator. Apparently one can also drown or be eaten in a more figurative sense (i.e. financial drowning or being devoured by high-pressure RV sales staff). Oh well. Actually, Dorcas and I are very happy with our purchase and have used it extensively.

The put-in for this river is at a county park at Chassahowitzka River Campground. They charge a modest $2 to launch your boat. Unfortunately, it was a beautiful Saturday and the boat traffic on the river and at the spring was fairly heavy. There was a manatee at the boat dock, who apparently was a frequent resident. We paddled upstream a short distance to a small spring complex that was filled with swimmers. We then turned down-river and paddled into the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge. We largely avoided the main channel and most of the motorboat traffic and zig-zagged through the back-channels, behind a number of small islands. We picnicked on the shore at a sandy beach, where Matilda got a chance to play in the water a bit. On our return we paddled about a half mile up Baird Creek. Baird Creek is spring-fed and eventually becomes a very small, clear, sandy run. We paddled as far as we could and then walked a few hundred feet further. Later we learned that if we had gone another 50 yards we would have arrived at a very pretty spring known as "The Crack". On the way out I was attacked by a swarm of no-see-ums or sand flies. They bit me all over my arms and legs, but apparently avoided Dorcas altogether. Based on past experience I know I will be in for about a week of red whelps and an excruciating burning itch. Time to go to Wal-Mart and stock up on anti-itch cream.

Paddle: Hillsborough River

Today we paddled one of our favorites: the Hillsborough River near Tampa. At the put-in we ran into an old friend, Joe Faulk, proprietor of Canoe Escape, a canoe livery outfit that works the Hillsborough River. If you ever want to paddle the Hillsborough, contact Canoe Escape and they will take care of you.

The weather today was cool and breezy, but I'm sure it is a lot better than our friends in NC had for their New Years Day paddles on the Black River and the Dan River. Alligators were scarce, but we did see a few. We also saw some otters and some turkeys, but they didn't hold still long enough to have their pictures made. The Hillsborough is an excellent birding river and we saw the usual assortment of ibises, herons, egrets, limpkins and a wood stork. Matilda did fall in once when we bumped a snag, but she was quickly retrieved before she attracted any gators.

Paddling a favorite river is certainly a great way to start the New Year!

Paddle: Homosassa River

We continue to enjoy fine Florida weather. Before daylight this morning it was a brisk 33 degrees, but by 9:00 it was again shirt-sleeves and shorts weather. I cooked a brunch consisting of pancakes and sausage for Dorcas, Bob, Donna and Charlie. This evening Charlie is frying a turkey for the crew. Dorcas and I will break out a bottle of champagne to bring in the New Year, although we will likely be finished celebrating and in bed by 9:30.

Yesterday we paddled on the Homosassa River. The Homosassa is an excellent place to see manatees. We had hoped that with the recent cold snap the manatees would be in the spring. We put in at a public boat ramp about a mile downstream from the spring and paddled upriver. We did see a few manatees, but not as many as last year. Apparently most of the guys stayed out in the Gulf this day. We saw a few bald eagles and a few ospreys, as well as a wide assortment of other common Florida birds. Others in our group spotted some otters and a porpoise. The clear shallow waters also revealed a number of fish, including a small sting ray. After turning around, we paddled a short distance up the Halls River. There we lunched at the Marguerita Grill, which has become a tradition when we paddle this river. Back near the put-in there is a tiny island with some captive monkeys. On the way up the monkeys were rather bashful and stayed hidden in their trees. On the way back, Matilda barked at them and got them riled up. They came down to the water and bared their teeth and made faces at Matilda, while Matilda continued to bark. Great fun!

Paddle Withlacoochee River: 2X

Depending which source you believe Withlacoochee means either "Crooked River" or "Little Big Water". Both terms are accurate descriptions of this river. The Withlacoochee is crooked, and it alternates between narrow banks and larger lakes.

Yesterday afternoon we put in for a short paddle on the Withlacoochee River. We put in on Silver Lake, about 100 yards from our campsite, and paddled south on the lake and upstream into the river. There was little perceptible flow, and we paddled about two miles to the Crooked River campground, where we made a u-turn and returned to camp. It was very pleasant warm-up paddle for our first paddle on this trip.

Today we put in at the same place on Silver Lake but paddled north and downstream about 9 miles to the town of Nobleton. The water was very low in places, but we made it down OK. Wildlife sightings included birds: a red-shouldered hawk, limpkins, white herons, anhingas, and ibises; and reptiles: many turtles and a half-dozen small alligators all on the same log. These were Matilda's first gators, but she didn't even notice them. We lunched at Hog Island, a forest service recreation area about half-way down the run. Matilda only went swimming once. She was perched precariously with her front paws on the gunwales when we bumped a log in the water, and in she went: kerplunk. She was quickly retrieved from the drink before the gators had their chance at her. Another perfect day on the river!

FLORIDA!

We are camped at the Cypress Glen Campground at the Silver Lake Recreation Area in Withlacoochee State Forest, near Brooksville, FL. Whew! That's a mouthful! We have water and 50A electric for $15/night, which is a pretty good deal. There are actually three separate campgrounds here, and currently they are all full up. We would not have had a site at all if some friends hadn't staked us one out. We are with paddling friends and will do a bit of canoeing over the next week or so. The Withlacoochee State Trail also runs by the campground, so we will do some biking too. On January 4 we will move south towards Tampa.

Southbound and Down

Dorcas and I left Ran's house in Angier about 1:00pm. We just enjoyed a traditional Christmas dinner at the Waffle House near Ridgeland, SC. I sincerely enjoy traveling at Christmas. We found a strong wi-fi signal when we parked the coach, so I decided I would make a quick post.

Earlier this afternoon we pumped 116 gallons of $2.19 diesel. That is the least we have ever paid for diesel. Ironically, that was in Lumberton, NC. Fuel prices in South Carolina are usually 10 to 15 cents cheaper than in NC. The cheapest diesel we have seen in South Carolina is $2.31. Go figure.

While pumping fuel I saw an Australian Shepherd running around the fuel islands that looked just like Matilda. She even had a bandanna just like Matilda's. Wait a minute ... it IS Matilda. Apparently Matilda had followed me out of the coach, and I had closed the door behind myself not realizing she had slipped out. I guess I was so excited about the cheap fuel that I wasn't paying enough attention. If I had not seen her we conceivably could have driven off without her and not known where she had gotten to. That's scary! We recovered the pooch before a southbound Yankee got her thus averting a potential disaster: Dorcas would have killed me if I had lost her dog!

We plan to drive about two more hours and park in a rest area just north of the Florida line. The weather is beautiful. Wish you were here!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas!

We spent the night in my brother's driveway in Angier, NC. Before dark we set up a Christmas tree on the dashboard of the coach and hung Christmas lights around the windshield. Cute. This is the first time that I can recall that we have been together with my mother and my brother's entire family for Christmas. My brother Ran has kids ranging from eight to 25 years old. With the kids' hectic schedule (not to mention our own constant wander lust) it may be a long time before it happens again.

This afternoon we will hit I-95 southbound. We will fill up with cheap diesel near Dillon, SC and spend the night on the road somewhere in south Georgia. Tomorrow we will arrive at Withlacoochee State Recreation Area about 60 miles north of Tampa, where we will spend a week or more biking and paddling with friends.

On the Road Again - Finally

Faithful readers may think we perished in Wisconsin. In fact, we safely departed northern Wisconsin and returned via Michigan's UP, arriving safely at home on September 22. Unfortunately I have not updated this journal since September 14. We have heard from many friends, all hoping that we were well and wondering what we have been doing. We certainly have been busy in the last few months. In October we attended two back-to back Country Coach rallies in Chattanooga and Hilton Head. We have been paddling heavily, including two three-day camp outs on the Lumber River in November, and we have hiked a few days. Motor home repairs and upgrades are a constant in our life. The most significant project was the replacement of both TVs. We are now ready for the digital revolution. Dorcas and I both upgraded our driver's licenses to a "Classified Class B license" and are now legal to drive our coach. We each had to take an extensive written test and a road test in our coach with a DMV examiner. Apparently, the NCDMV has confidence in our ability to drive the big rig.

Today we leave home for another extended trip. My mother is coming here this morning and we will take her to my brother's home south of Raleigh for Christmas. This will be the first Christmas in many years that we have all been together. On Thursday afternoon we will head south for Florida. There we will attend several motor home rallies, renew many friendships and paddle as many days as we can. We will return to NC in late March. I hope to post some reports of our adventures a bit more frequently than I have in the past few months.

Merry Christmas!

Myron

Quote of the Week

I belong to an exclusive and unique canoe club, the DBT (Dumb But Tough) Club. This club is so exclusive that there are only three members. We adopted this name because we have a propensity to do ridiculously long or hard canoe camping trips during February and other frigid months. Our motto is "If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough".

During these outings mealtime sanitation is sometimes less than optimal. During one such DBT outing, when we were getting ready to wash dishes, one member asked if we should use soap. Another member replied "Nah, then we'll just have to rinse 'em."

Out of the Wilderness-On the Road Again

We came off the Namekagon River about noon today. The Namekagon River is beautiful, but the weather was dreadful. We paddled about 50 miles in 4 days, and it rained about half the time. At least Friday was a gorgeous day. Hopefully we can come back and enjoy this river in some better weather. Actually, I think God made rainy days so you could really appreciate the nice days.

We are camped and drying out at the LCO Casino in Hayward Wisconsin. The casino is operated by the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe. Hayward is famous for, among other things, the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame the Lumberjack World Championships and the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, which ended today and features 2500 cyclists.

We plan to stay here until Tuesday, then we will head east across the upper peninsula of Michigan.

Out of the BWCAW

We came out of the Boundary Waters about 11:00 this morning. We had a great trip, as usual. The weather was good, although a little wetter and a little cooler than most past trips. This was our longest trip: 15 days. We would have a hard time carrying enough food for a trip any longer, particularly when carrying food for Matilda. Matilda did good. Everything was new to her, so everything got barked at, at least once. She did fall off the boat a few times, however. A couple times she slipped and fell off. At least once she rolled off when she fell asleep. The fishing was good, and we managed to eat fish for as many dinners as we wanted.

We are camped at Fall Lake Campground outside of Ely. We are re-provisioning for our next trip and doing some laundry. Tomorrow we will put in for four days on the Namekagon River in northwest Wisconsin After that we will be done with wilderness camping for a while and will start working our way back towards NC.

Annual BWCAW Paddle 2008

Today we will put into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for a 15-day trip. Dorcas and I have done this paddle with our friends Wayne and Lynda, every autumn (except one,) since we met in 1997, Wayne and Lynda have been going even longer. This year we will put in at Fall Lake and paddle north and west. We don't know precisely where we will go or even where we will take out. We have enough food for 15 days, so we will plan to take out on September 10.

And if that weren't enough, on September 11 we plan to put in for a 4-day paddle on the Namekagon River in northwest Wisconsin. After that we will begin to wander back home. Of course, we will have no internet access in the BWCAW, so this will be my last post for a while.

Bon voyage.

Boundary Waters Blues Festival

Today we experienced the 8th annual Boundary Waters Blues Festival, held on the shores of Fall Lake in beautiful downtown Winton, MN (pop 185). We could have paddled about three miles from our campsite down Fall Lake to the venue, but we wimped out and drove instead. This was the last day of the three-day festival, and we grooved to fine blues music from 1:00 pm until midnight. I am not up on any of the current blues artists and had never heard of any of these guys, but they were all great. We saw 112 North Duck, Virgil Caine, Nellie Tiger Travis, Biscuit Miller and the Mix, and the headliner Larry McCray. Jack Kritzer performed between events. He would roam through the audience playing 45-minute solo riffs while talking with the crowd.

I have never been to a blues festival, so I can't be sure, but this didn't seem to be the usual crowd for such an event. Many seemed to be locals and most seemed to be outdoors folks: hunters, fishermen, campers and paddlers. The big door prize was a 42-pound kevlar canoe. Between acts contestants would spin the Wheel of Meat, to win dried ostrich meat products. You don't see that just anywhere.

Too much fun.

Photo of the Week

Puppies like sticks. Matilda likes sticks more than most puppies. Matilda is in heaven. So many sticks, so little time.

Matilda is now 4 1/2 months old. We weighed her this morning at the Ely Veterinary Clinic: 25.5 pounds. We already have her food packed for the BWCAW. I think we are going to have to put in another bag.

Let There Be Fire!!!

In a previous post I described the fire ban that went into effect this week. The ban affects the entire route we had planned for our BWCAW trip. Bummer.

Today we caved to our inner primeval needs and made a new reservation into an area not affected by the current fire ban. Ranger Roy at the Kawishiwi Ranger District station gazed into his crystal ball and predicted that the current ban would not be expanded into other areas during our trip. We have cancelled our prayers for rain. Let there be FIRE!!!!

Weekend Warriors Beware!

We have observed a funny thing here, both in Ely and on the Superior North Shore. Late on Thursday night, every single week, the price of gasoline increases 10 cents at every station in town. Early Tuesday morning, every single week, it drops exactly 10 cents, back to the previous price. This looks to me like price-fixing and a conspiracy to gouge the tourist. There ought to be a law ....

Ironically, the price of diesel doesn't change. It's about 30 cents higher all the time than it is near Duluth.

Thou Shalt Not Burn

It has been extremely dry in Minnesota. There has been no significant rain since June, when it rained cats and dogs for several days. That was the same event that produced the flooding in Iowa and other parts of the Midwest. Today they imposed a total ban on open fires in the area of the BWCAW where we intended to be next week. This is bad news for several reasons. First, it's just nice to have a fire when you are camping in the wilderness. Not having a fire takes away from the experience. Second, with some of the elaborate meals we cook, a cook-fire is desirable, if not absolutely necessary. A backpacker's stove just doesn't produce enough heat to fry a big pan of walleye. Many of our meals need 4 or 5 burners, and you just don't have those on a stove. Also, it is difficult to carry enough fuel for two weeks when you can't burn wood. Besides all that, it's just nice to keep a pot of coffee or a pot of beans going on the fire during a layover day. Thirdly, a fire ban severely effect our trash management strategy. The BWCAW mandates that all food be in either reusable or burnable containers, suggesting that folks should burn their trash (although Minnesota state law says otherwise). It is not very practical or pleasant to carry your food scraps and other trash for two weeks over 200+ rod portages.

It is unlikely that the ban will be lifted before we put in. There is no significant rain in sight. We are consulting with our traveling partners, who are still in NC, to see if we want to change our trip and go to an area where there is not a fire ban. This would mean forfeiting our permit and the reservation fees, which is not a big deal. However, we may not be able to get a permit into another area, and there is also the chance that the ban could be broadened to include other areas. It would also mean some logistical challenges. We are camped at Fall Lake because that was close to our intended route. Any other route we choose will be further away. We had planned to leave the coach at Fall Lake, which is relatively safe and secure. We will probably do that regardless of where we put in.

On a more positive note, I picked up my boat today at the Spirit of the Wilderness, and I am very pleased with the repairs. The bottom looks great. In fact, the bottom looks much better than the sides of the boat. In order to save weight and expense, they only re-coated the boat on the bottom up to about the water line. Our boat also had a number of superficial scratches on the sides (wonder how that happened?). So now the part of the boat you can't see when it is in the water looks the best. But that's OK. After this trip it will all look the same again anyway. Let's go paddling!!!!

Photo of the Week

Another blatant monopoly.