FROM VW MICROBUS TO SAILBOAT

15 October to 21 October, 2004. Everything from the bus is now in the boat. It's a mess. A 40-50 mph gust of wind ripped the awning off the van but we got it back on. We're selling the van to pay our way south. We got the basics of the kitchen re-installed in the boat and as soon as we can pay our tab, we'll put it in the water (and pray for no bottom leaks). We've been fighting topside leaks against the rain but we've pretty much got them under control. It rains constantly and we've been living in the mud for weeks while fixing the boat. We're now sleeping in it but the power goes out at some point every night so we wake up freezing most of the time. We can't wait to get back to Florida. The spiders here are huge! And I saw a snake the other day near the burn pile, where we're collecting some of the wood and other stuff to get the boat ready. There's an Army Corps of Engineers campground near Ft. Pierce, FL that we can dock at for $8/day (with our Golden Access Pass) for up to 30 days. Everyone here at the marina is very cool but we still can't wait to get out of here. There's supposed to be a sail for the boat on the premises but we haven't verified that yet. The mast and boom are laying across the top and they look to be in pretty good shape. Hopefully, we'll have some photos to post soon.

HARBOUR NORTH MARINA, CHESAPEAKE CITY, MD (PART 2)

17 September to 14 October, 2004. We ordered the adapter to connect our wireless internet card to our Wilson trucker antenna and it works so we've got internet access now. We completed the 24 foot Tidewater sailboat and traded it for a 27 foot Bayliner Buccaneer which is nearly ready to go into the water. It was literally rotten to the core. We had to remove the core and replace most of the wood as well as some of the portals. We painted the boat after repairing some fiberglass damage and also applied a fresh coat of bottom paint. There's still much work to be done but it's getting cold here and we want to head south. We've got a 6 horsepower engine that still needs some work ($41 on ebay) and it just might be enough to move us against the tides when necessary. We're eyeing a 30 foot Seidelmann sailboat that's been filled with water for over a year but we're not holding our breath that we'll be able to trade for it. Hopefully, we'll get some pictures posted before too long.

HARBOUR NORTH MARINA, CHESAPEAKE CITY, MD (PART 1)

16 September, 2004. We stayed at a dive motel the night before arriving back in Chesapeake City, MD. Nothing to report there. Jason, the boat salesman here at Harbour North Marina, had found us a 6 horsepower outboard motor for $41 on ebay which he was going to pick up in Philadelphia a few hours after we arrived. Rocky went with him and it looks like it's going to work just fine after some basic maintenance. We've been having dinner with Jason and he's been letting us sleep on his houseboat. We love this place. The owner, Paul, has been very accommodating and we're hoping to repay his hospitality by fixing up and selling some of the boats that are just taking up space here. We still need to apply bottom paint to our 24 foot Tidewater sailboat, patch the sail and string the mast but we hope to get it in the water soon so we can learn to sail and then re-sell it in Annapolis. We're eyeing some 25 and 27 foot sailboats for our next project. We can't get internet access yet.

NORTH BEND PARK, JOHN H. KERR DAM AND RESERVOIR, NC / VA BORDER

14 September, 2004. We saw wild peacocks before arriving at the lake. And as we entered, we saw a fox run across the road. The parking pad here is split into an upper and lower section. Although it places the firepit away from the vehicle, it also places the tables away from the vehicle. This place is very quiet.

BANDITS ROOST, W. KERR SCOTT LAKE, WILKESBORO, NC

13 September, 2004. Rocky spends a lot of time working on the bus but it's getting more sluggish every day. We've put probably 10,000 miles on her in the last 6 months and she's getting tired. Once we get a decent live-aboard sailboat, we may sell her. We arrived here just before dark and so didn't do much at this campground either. We should be back in Chesapeake City, Maryland after 2 more campgrounds. Our plan is to finish off our 24 foot sailboat, learn to sail and then sell it in Annapolis, Maryland. After that, we're going to start on our 2nd boat, sell it and work our way up to a comfortable live-aboard. The extra battery in the bus is almost fully charged after a few days of electricity. We plugged in the air conditioner again even though it was cool outside and were able to use our electric coffe maker again. We just now heard a pack of coyotes howling in the near distance. Everything we own is in the bus with us, except our microwave/convection oven which we loaned to Natalie, our scanner, which we loaned to Gail and a monitor which we left for Gail to sell at her yard sale before moving from Zephyrhills to Tampa. All things considered, we have plenty of room to function in here.

PETERSBURG CAMPGROUND, J. STROM THURMOND LAKE, GA

12 September, 2004.This place gets very high marks, even if it is one of the many campgrounds surrounding J. Strom Thurmond Lake. Yes, the racist politician J. STROM THURMOND has a lake named after him! We didn't see any fire or brimstone but we steered clear of the water anyway. The trees are very tall here. The bathrooms here are nice, with hot and cold controls for the showers, which is uncommon for Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds (Usually there is just the one setting for the showers- scalding hot). The parking pad is very level and flat, coated with crushed lime that also keeps the bugs away from your feet and legs. The electric and water hookups are set next to the flat wooden wall that borders one side of the site so we were able to plug in the electric coffee maker without an extension cord. In addition to the picnic table, fire ring and hanging, hooked post for a lantern, there is an extra table that was very useful. It's nice to know that our favorite campgrounds (Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds) always take our Golden Access Pass for half price ($9 per night for us to camp here). We even plugged in the air conditioner and slept in cool, white noise comfort again. We're right on the Georgia-South Carolina border so we may even make it to North Carolina by tonight. We'll see. On the way out, we stopped at the South Carolina Welcome Center and they had a goldmine of pamphlets identifying Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds all across the country. We also picked up a pair of cell phones from Verizon with a $50 rebate. We hardly ever get our rebates back from anything (after sending in all the necessary paperwork and information) so we're not holding our breath.

GENERAL COFFEE STATE PARK, GA

11 September, 2004. State Parks are oftentimes nicer than federal campgrounds but on the east coast, they rarely offer any significant discount with the Golden Access Pass (if any). This place cost us the full $20 but it was worth it. It was nice to feel safe after staying in the Oceola National Forest. An armadillo scurried past our site- I almost forgot how many armadillos there are across the country. They are so much more welcome than raccoons, bears or snakes. We got a full internet signal here so I was able to do email. We plugged in the air conditioner and both of us got our first good night's sleep in weeks. There were no barking dogs or screaming people (the adults can scream just as much as the kids at some of these places). It was uneventful but we enjoyed the quiet.

LAKE DELANCEY, OCEOLA NATIONAL FOREST, FL

10 September, 2004. We didn't get out of Zephyrhills until the 9th. All campgrounds in the Oceola National Forest were closed due to hurricane Frances but we parked and popped up there anyway. Trees were down and branches made access into the campground difficult but we put our $2.50 in the slot (half of the $5 fee since it is federal and all federal campgrounds accept the Golden Access Pass for half price). There were lots of signs indicating that bears were prevalent and with everything all stirred up by the hurricane, we feared for snakes as well. We were really on edge there since we weren't supposed to be there in the first place and the Bush brothers had turned Florida into a police state in the wake of hurrican Frances. The bugs were unbearable. There was an outhouse and no clean water. We were planning on staying at a campground in the Ocala National Forest with water and electricity but they were also closed so we headed north to the Oceola National Forest, unsure if they would be open. Electric lines were down all over the area and ice was nowhere to be found. I didn't realize how far north hurricane Frances had tore up Florida. Sometimes it's good to get the blood pumping with a little fear. The bugs sure noticed our increased heart rates.

BACK TO GAIL'S HOUSE AGAIN, ZEPHYRHILLS, FL

1 to 9 September, 2004. We made it in time to attempt our third hurricane party as “Frances” crept toward the Atlantic coast. Many coastal areas were evacuated, including Ft. Pierce (specifically South Hutchinson Island), where Michael, Natalie and Roxanne were still living. Their car was in the shop so Rocky drove over to pick them up and bring them to Gail’s. We bought 20 lbs. of chicken, 10 lbs. of ribs, a whole ham, lots of hot dogs and lots of Coca Cola, beer and ice. Of course, we forgot buy any candles or batteries but we had some on hand. The hurricane showed up this time and brought about 10 inches of rain. Ft. Pierce got pounded and Natalie feared the worst. It turned out that despite all the destruction there, there place was spared any real damage. Rocky brought them back to the island on 7 September and got stuck due to a curfew until 5 am the following day. There were lots of heavily armed National Guardsmen patrolling the island. Rocky made it back to Zephyrhills on Wednesday morning and we’re planning on heading back to Maryland soon with all of our stuff in the bus.

HARBOUR NORTH MARINA, CHESAPEAKE CITY, MD

28 to 31 August, 2004. We made pretty good time since we were able to take I-95 in the Cadillac through the DC area. We arrived at the Marina and paid for the boat. We got to know Jason, the boat salesman there, who let us sleep on his houseboat a couple of nights. Rocky sanded the barnacles off the bottom of the boat and I cleaned the inside. Bees love to build their hives in these boats that constantly fill up with rainwater so we battled them for most of the first day. We may be able to patch the sail but we’ll probably just replace it completely. We figure that we can invest a few hundred dollars and then sell the boat for up to $1,500. This Marina is great, with over 500 boats, many of them stripped out and just taking up space. We’ve already picked out our next 25 foot sailboat. This one has some living amenities, such as a sink and tables. The Tidewater has only just enough room to squeeze in and sleep. We were just about to apply the bottom paint when it started raining. We spoke to Gail on the Phone and she told us how much she missed the Cadillac. Also, Bob had sold the house and the house that Gail’s new boyfriend was living in also sold so she needed to move soon. We needed to get the bus up there eventually anyway, so we headed back down to Florida.

LUMS POND STATE PARK, DE

26 to 27 August, 2004. This is a State Park but we did get a small discount with our Golden Access Pass. We set up Gail's tent and bought an air mattress. The weather was awesome and so was the moon. Some woman had a 3-legged frog that she reported to the rangers. It was a genetic defect, not an amputee. indicating that there might be toxins in the area. She dropped it so many times as she showed it to everyone that I thought it had a rougher time with her than with it's own handicap. Even though this campground is in Delaware, it's just a few miles from Harbour North Marina in Chesapeake City, MD. Pennsylvania is only a few miles away too. In fact, we can buy a tax-free carton of cigarettes in Delaware for $25.99 as opposed to $32 plus tax in Maryland. We plan to order more $13.95 cartons online soon.

GREENBELT PARK, GREENBELT MD

25 AUGUST, 2004. This place is a federal campground so we were able to use our Golden Access Pass. There were some nice trails and the showers were good but other than that, it was pretty average. It's located about 12 miles from downtown Washington DC. The traffic around here is a nightmare so the campground was a welcome sanctuary. From here, we'll travel into Chesapeake City, MD at the top of Chesapeake Bay where our 24 foot sailboat awaits.

BACK TO GAIL'S HOUSE, ZEPHYRHILLS, FL

11 August to 24 August, 2004. We managed to get everything we owned into the bus and drive it over to Gail’s. We moved in, temporarily, at $300 / month. We had another hurricane party as “Charlie” approached from the Gulf. It was supposed to hit Tampa directly but took a turn and battered the Ft. Myers area instead. This was our second hurricane party that included Rocky, myself, Gail and Timmy, a friend from when we first moved to Tampa in 1997. The hurricane failed to show up again. On August 20, Rocky and I placed a bid on a boat that was ready to end at $118 on ebay. We got the boat for $122.50. It’s a 24 foot Tidewater Rainbow Knockabout Sailboat. The boat was in Maryland so we needed to get up there to check it out. We decided to take Gail’s Cadillac instead of the bus so we could make the trip in a day or so. Gail knew how to drive the bus so we switched vehicles and were on our way.

BACK TO MICHAEL, NATALIE’S AND ROXANNE’S, FT. PIERCE, FL

16 July to 10 August, 2004. We moved into one of the apartments at the Sea Caps Motel that Michael is managing at $225 / week, electric included. It was nice to be back on the beach. We picked up the pallet that contained everything else we owned, aside from what was in the bus. We had even been given a satellite dish by Bob, the owner of Gail’s house, so that we could finally get some decent TV. Rocky spent most of the time painting and fixing up what he could in some of the apartments. I began posting early century postcards on ebay and spent lots of time at the beach. We spent a lot of time with Michael, Natalie and Roxanne, cooking for each other and getting out once in awhile. It rained nearly every day and there were many rainbows over the ocean. It was nice to spend some more time with them.

BACK TO GAIL'S HOUSE, ZEPHYRHILLS, FL

9 to 15 July, 2004. We drove over 300 miles to get here. We were originally planning to spend the night somewhere between Whitetail Ridge and Gail's house. It was already dark when we arrived and we were glad that Gail was home when we got here. The kitty that was only a few weeks old when we arrived the first time (on 8 May, 2004), was a little older but still as frisky as ever. Gail jad just gotten two hamsters that love to roll around the house in their little plastic balls. Rocky redesigned their little plastic home and they seemed to love it. Sasha, our friend Bob's dog, was staying the night and was very happy to see us again. Our timing was perfect because Gail was having her annual "Christmas in July" party the day after we arrived. It was lots of fun, with a "white elephant" gift exchange and another pool party next door. We spent a night at Bob's house, about 25 miles away, after skinny dipping in the pool all day. We're planning on grilling steaks and spending the night of July 14 at Bob's again. This will be our last stop before traveling back to Michael, Natalie and Roxanne's home in Fort Pierce, where we will be staying in one of the apartments that Michael is managing there. We don't know how long we'll be staying there. The apartments are weekly rentals and we simply need to stop and take a break from the road, and the bugs. We've also got a pallet of stuff at Michael's sister's warehouse in Fort Lauderdale, that we can get out of storage, including our convection-microwave oven that cooks a frozen turkey to perfection with one button. Rocky found a wireless network on ebay that we can use to share Michael's high speed internet access. We'll also have cable, maybe even satellite TV there. We are really starting to miss TV. The time has come for us to get serious about finding a sailboat.

WHITETAIL RIDGE CAMPGROUND, WEST POINT LAKE, GA

8 July, 2004. This is another Army Corps of Engineers campground. We got a full Verizon internet signal here- IT'S ABOUT TIME! Our campsite was right on the lake and you could see the tower across the water. At first, we went to another Army Corps of Engineers campground, Horace King Park, a few miles down the road but it was privately run and the woman there was downright rude and they didn't accept the Golden Access Pass for half price. We have never been to a privately run campground (except The Pit) that we liked. We ran the air conditioner here and stayed comfortable most of the night. We didn't unpack the back and both slept up in the pop-top (penthouse) again since we were basically making a straight run for Florida. We didn't do much here and didn't get out until about noon the following morning.

HENRY HORTON STATE RESORT PARK, CHAPEL HILL, TN

7 July, 2004. We were planning on going farther today, but I just got tired of driving. We need new seats for the bus! We did pick up the flooring for the van and put it in when we arrived. I love the new look, and it will be much more sanitary. This place is nice though. We pulled in and set up when I saw a sign for the restaurant. It was buffet for $7.95, so why not. The food was pretty good, and the service was great. The park is set in the rolling hills of the Nashville basin along the Duck River in mid-Tennessee. There is a golf course, a hotel, restaurant, an Olympic swimming pool, a skeet range and lots of trails. Without knowing what we were going to pay, we were happy to discover that Tennessee accepts the National Parks Golden Access, and Age Passes. The regular fee for camping with electric is $17.00 and we got half price, hooray!

HURRICANE CREEK CAMPGROUND, LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES, KY

6 July, 2004. This is another Army Corps of Engineers campground. Unlike any of the others that we have stayed in, this one has people violating just about every rule in the book. There are kids on mopeds, without the mufflers. People driving 45 mph through the place, and noone around to take payment! With all this in mind, the place is nice. The lake is filled with boaters, jet skiers, and people fishing. Our camping neighbors were very pleasant, their thick Kentuky accents were just a hoot! The foot still is swollen, but getting better. Thunderstorms raged throughout the night and we got a little wet, but all in all it was OK. I could no longer stand the nasty carpet in the bus, so I tore it out. We saw some cool flooring at Freds that I want to pick up and soon! No internet signal.

GIANT CITY STATE PARK CAMPGROUND, NEAR CARBONDALE, IL

5 July, 2004. Yes, we returned to Giant City. What can we say, it was on the way. We stopped at my brother's and picked up the new Sierra Wireless Aircard 555 that I bought on ebay for $80 and had shipped there, then to Carbondale to return the one I purchased for $430.00. Still looking for the adapter for the Wilson antenna though. We got there and plugged in the AC right away. My foot still is swollen, but after a few pain killers, I was feeling no pain!

THE PIT, NEAR ELKVILLE, IL

2 to 4 July, 2004. This is quite possibly the funnest place on earth. It is a clothing-optional gay campground with a very clean lake that used to be a strip mine pit (hence the name). The water gets 100 feet deep at the bend. Hal and Billy, the owners, are good friends of ours and some of the greatest guys in the world. I used to come here when I was at SIU from 1991-1995. It was incredible how many familiar faces were here- people that I knew when I lived in the area 9 to 14 years ago. We camped here the entire 4th of July weekend for $5 each. Hal and Billy are not in it for the money, they're in it for the fun and they do a fantastic job! There's a very nice pavillion near the water and they have a very nice house here. When the guys next to us were discussing where to hang the disco ball, I thought they were joking. They weren't. They even had a karaoke machine with them. I was so happy to have a place to swim and fun people to party with. We sang songs to guitars and bongos, cooked and grilled decadent amounts of food and consumed obscene quantities of our favorite beverages. It got pretty wild at times. The women usually won the volleyball games. These are some of the most helpful, generous, considerate and all-around cool people you're ever likely to meet. We even had a delegate of The Democratic National Committee here and she's sharp as a tack. Thanks to "Peanut" and "John Boy" for a very cool fireworks display on Sunday night. There is no place I'd rather be on the 4th of July, 2004 than right here with these people. True high quality human beings who know how to party hard. We had an absolute blast! Not only did we have fun, but we were able to connect! All this and internet access too! I did get bit by a horse fly on my heel, wich swelled my foot up like a balloon.