RV Folly Adventure Freedom Ride

(Photo album links are above right, or, for archived pictures click on the "Places Visited" button above left)
(Blog entires are from the June 1, 2009 entry below up to the most recent entry)
This Page has been archived. Click "Home" button above then "Freedom Ride 20xx" for current adventures

June 30, 2009

We headed out today for the Millway Marina in Barnstable to check out information on the Whale Watchers Cruise. We will go on that
tour tomorrow. Then it was on to Craigville Beach, Hyannis Port's John F. Kennedy Memorial, Korean War Veterans Park, and Hyannis
Port Beach. Beautiful blue sky and 72 degress today. Sweet!

The roses at the Kennedy Memorial were beautiful and smelled so very good. Around the Yarmouth area we came across an art studio
near the water that looked like it may have been a lighthouse in the past. Last stop for the day was Wequaquet Lake. Oh, I forgot to put
in a picture of inside the Provincetown Pilgrim Monument looking down from the top. Yikes!

June 29, 2009

Woke up today on Cape Cod to light rain and temperature in the low 60's. Apparently, this is the norm as the Best Read Guide of Cape
Cod states in its calendar of events, "Wet June, Dry September". The weather here is very similar to what we experienced while
traveling around Alaska in 1986. Anyway, the light rain didn't stop us from taking a road tour from Hyannis to Provincetown located
adjacent to the Cape Cod National Seashore on the most northern tip of the cape. The drive up along Hwy. 28 through all the quaint
towns along the way took about 2 1/2 hours and the freeway like trip back on Hwy. 6 took only about an hour.

The history of Cape Cod goes way back in time to when the Pilgrims landed and stayed in Provincetown Harbor and the signing of the
Mayflower Compact. The Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum was built around 1910 to commemorate the first landing of the
Mayflower Pilgrims on November 21, 1620 and is the tallest all-granite structure in the US. The granite came from Stonington, Maine.
The tower itself is 252 feet high and rises 350 feet above sea level. Sandra and I decided we would climb the 116 steps and 60 ramps
to the top. WoW! What a view from the top! Supposedly, one can see the Boston Skyline on a clear day. We were treated to a fantastic
bird's eye view of the town and harbor instead.

Then it was on to the Cape Cod National Seashore and with my Golden Access Passport the $15 admission was waived. We checked
out Herring Cove Beach that is almost directly east of Plymouth. And then Race Point Beach where whale watching is often
happening...not on this day though. Race point is the northern most point on the Cape. We found out that RVs are allowed to camp at
both areas for $75 a week or $37.50 using a G.A. Passport.

We headed home about 5:30 pm, had dinner at Cookes Seafood Restaurant, returned to Camp Hyannis, and went to bed....we were
bushed!

June 24-28, 2009

Presently, over 1000 miles later, we are sitting at Camp Hyannis, MA. on Cape Cod. First, we traveled from Raleigh, NC to Camp
Ashford, CT. via I-85, I-95, US17, I-81, and I-84. We decided to take the 81/84 routes to avoid all the tolls and big city traffic along the
eastern seaboard. 'Twas a pleasant drive through the rolling hills of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and over
the Hudson into Connecticut. Camp Ashford, CT. is about 30 miles east of Hartford and is the home of Sandra's cousin Bill and his wife
Lorraine. Their beautiful home is situated on about 15 tranquil acres that run from the road back to a lake. Bill and Lorraine have
poured their hearts into beautiful flower gardens and an amazing "green" environment that is home to many plant species, critters and
birds.

We enjoyed each others company for two days and were treated to two gigs, one at the William Benton Museum of Art on the UCONN
campus and one at the Buttonwood Tree in Middletown, Ct. by Bill and Loraine's band called the SophistiCats. Man, can they make
music!. Also, Sandra's Aunt Marge and her main squeeze Carl came up from the Newport, RI. area so our visit became a family reunion
of sorts.
                                                        SophistiCats

Then it was on to Camp Windsor, home to Sandra's Uncle Jack and his wife Joan. This home is one of three they have built over the
years. Both Jack and Joan have had heart surgery over the last year and look great. They have adopted many cats and dogs over the
years and are presently enjoying the company of a special needs border collie named Trip. Their rear yard is enclosed by a stockade
fence that allows Trip to run a bit. Jack, given his open heart surgery experience last December, does volunteer work for the hospital
now visiting with heart surgery patients before and after their heart surgery. Since Jack and Joan are so busy with Trip and volunteer
work, they could not leave home but graciously offered to let us stay in their home on Cape Cod.

The weather this spring in this neck of the woods has been very wet, with rain almost every day .... but not enough to keep us from
enjoying this adventure. And the temperatures, 50s/60's nights and 70s/80s days, are very refreshing as compared to the about 100
degrees and high humidity Raleigh is experiencing.

June 18-23, 2009

Just counting the days until we head north. The weather here in Raleigh, NC has been rainy/stormy with temps ranging from 80 to 94
during the day. The forecast for this weekend calls for temps to be near 100. WoW! After all the recent rain, I'm sure it will be a steam
bath outdoors. I suppose we will sit back in the comfort of the AC and watch the water boiling out of the ground. Seems like yesterday
this area was in a severe drought!

On our next adventure we plan on checking out Hartford, New Haven, Windsor, and Ashford, CT. Also, Hyannis, MA on Cape Cod and
Matunuck, RI and places in between such as Gettysburg, PA. It's been great spending time with our daughter but we are definitely
looking forward to getting on the open road again. Can't believe we have been full-timing for about 20 months now.

Take me out to the ballgame!..... We went to the Durham Bulls ball game and even President Obama was there. WOW! We got a little
close and a Secret Service Bull came rushing up to us with a club. Yikes....time to get the heck out of there and get a brew and a dog,
eh? The temp at game time was about 88 and man was it humid. Everyone there was having a great time anyway, with kids doin' stuff
on the field for the crowd between innings and, of course, we all got to do a sing along of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". Good clean
fun and entertainment, even though the Bulls lost the game. And, we got to spend some time with my niece and her husband, my
nephew, and our daughter. Sweet!

June 17, 2009

It's official. Cassie got her letter of admission to grad school at NC State. She's one of only twelve to be selected to be able to pursue
studies in the field of Technical Writing and Communication. NC State is by far the leader in this relatively new area of study and is
renown around the country and the world for its quality of instruction and quantity of excellent courses for student exploration. I suppose
this has something to do with IBM, Red Hat, and SAS being located in the Raleigh area.

Now the rush is on to get her ducks in a row. Classes must be carefully chosen and she will have to figure out how to juggle working
full-time while taking them....not an easy task. At this level, financial aid is minimal until her second semester when she will be able to
intern at IBM or Red Hat, etc. An internship will be huge in taking off some the working full-time while attending school pressure. Rock
on Cassie!

June 13-16, 2009

Well, our plans have been made for our trip to CT and MA. We are looking forward to getting out of the summer heat here in NC....92
and humid yesterday. And, Sandra is really excited about seeing relatives after so much time has gone by. We continue to have a great
time with our daughter doing whatever, whenever. She will be heading to Myrtle Beach, SC soon for a vacation as well.

June 9-12, 2009

Still trying to plan a short trip to CT and MA to see family Sandra hasn't visited for years. The trip part is easy but planning for issues that
may arise with elderly parents can be challenging at times. Good thing we hired a professional care company in 2006 that provides a
"beeper emergency" program. Still, we always look into options for a quick return home in the event that should become necessary.

So, our plan is taking shape with people and places to visit and places we can stay without breaking the bank. Happily, her family will
put us up at most of the spots we want to explore. And, other spots we have in mind to visit have camp grounds at reasonable prices.
Our Adventure Freedom Ride continues!

June 6-8, 2009

Today we decided to enjoy the Lake Johnson Park in Raleigh, NC that backs up to my daughter's apartment complex. In fact, when you
look out her living room windows or enter her large screened in porch, Lake Johnson Park is what you see. In the winter, when the
leaves are off the trees, you can see the lake. So, out the door we went to the 1.9 mile unpaved trail that goes around the lake. A brief
description of the park follows:

Lake Johnson Park is composed of a 150+ acre lake and 300+ acres of land surrounding the lake. The lake/park offers boating (no
gas motors), several large picnic shelters, concessions, facility rentals, greenway trails, and a vast array of classes, special events
and recreational opportunities for the entire family. Lake Johnson has 3.5 miles of paved greenway trails and 1.9 miles of unpaved
trails. Biking is prohibited on the Unpaved Trail. Lake Johnson is great for fishing; largemouth bass, shell cracker, crappie, bream,
catfish, and carp. Come out and start your adventure today! Also enjoy the waterfront concert series during the summer months.

The weather was beautiful for this outing with comfortable 75 degree temperatures and relatively low humidity, a luxury we haven't
enjoyed much lately. We met several other hikers, some with dogs, and runners along the way. There are many varieties are mature
trees, panoramic views, turtles getting some sun, and many water and land birds along the trail. Near the main shelter, you cross a
long bridge where fisherman can be found trying their luck and many boaters just cruising the lake or fishing as well. Man, was the
main shelter/consession area busy. Lots of people getting a snack, renting a canoe, kayak, paddle or John boat and many water birds
waiting for someone to throw them something good to eat. What a great piece of green space located so close to downtown Raleigh
and NC State University.

June 4-5, 2009

The weather in Raleigh, NC is heating up and becoming very humid. Mid 90's days, 60's nights. We try to get outdoor things done by
11:30 am so we can retire to the comfort of air conditioning. There we stay until about 6 pm, when the temp has come back down a bit.

While riding in my daughters Tracker the other day, we noticed the AC was not keeping up when the temperature outside pushed up
over 90. So, we took the vehicle to the Precision -Tune and oil change place my daughter has been using. Very nice people there. Sadly,
we were informed her car had a Freon 12 system and the changeover to Freon 134a would run about $275. Ouch! Our daughter works
full-time and pays her own way on most everything. And, she's heading for grad school at NC State this fall so $275 for creature comfort
going down the road isn't in the stars. I asked if the system could just be charged with Freon 12. They said it could but Freon 12 is
expensive, hard to come by these days, and, they didn't have any or know of anyone that did. Hmmmm.

The Truck Shop in Cary, NC to the rescue. I had a lot of work done on Folly there recently and knew they had a huge inventory of new
and old parts and such. I sent the owner, Jim Matthews, an email about the situation and he wrote back suggesting we bring the
vehicle in as he had Freon 12 in stock. Sure enough, after inspecting the system and fixing a small leak , they gave it a charge. My
daughter has ice-cold air again, at about 1/3 the cost of a change over. Oh, they serviced the battery and battery connections as well.
Sweet!

Given the hot weather, we have been thinking about where we could travel to find milder temperatures. Sandra has some family in
Connecticut and Rhode Island and hasn't been by to see them in years. A couple of weeks in that neck of the woods may be in our
future soon.

June 1-3, 2009

We had a great 3 day family weekend as our daughter had this time off work. A whole lot of conversation, water color painting, crafting,
picture framing and hanging, dog and cat washing, movie watching, and chrome spoke wheel refurbishing. WOW! But now it's back to
the regular schedule.

Folly is good to go other than she's due for her Penetrol treatment. After a good wash with dish washing detergent, I apply a coat of
Penetrol. Brings back the shine, at least as much shine that is possible given the age of the paint, with no rubbing or buffing. When we
first brought Folly home, we pressure washed, rubbing compounded and waxed her top to bottom. A very long and drawn out
process....took days. Then, I discovered Penetrol on line in a discussion thread somewhere where the talk was about what the used RV
sales lots used to prep their RVs for resale. What a wonderful find Penetrol was. The whole process can be easily done in just a few
hours and looks every bit as good, if not better, than the wash, rub, wax routine. Penetrol can be found at Home Depot, Lowes, and
other home centers. One can costs about $10 and is good for about 6 treatments. I will most likely do the treatment when we get back
on the road and find a place that we would like to stay for a few days.