RV Folly Adventure Freedom Ride

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March 30, 2008

'Tis the day before my 57th birthday and Folly has offered to take us on a leisurely drive back to North Carolina ...
what a wonderful birthday gift ! We jumped all over ourselves to accept her offer! Good thing too, as Punta Gorda
is getting warm. We're seeing upper 80s during the day and 70s at night....until about 5 am when the temperature
drops to about 65 for a couple of hours.

The "fiberglass egg" we live in gets hot while parked in the sun. For example, if it's 82 outside, inside Folly will be
about 88 to 90 degrees. So, we have been spending a lot of time outside sittin' in the shade, etc. Running the AC
would work, except our shore power is only 15 amp service and our Onan uses about 3/4 gallons of gas an hour.
Hmmmmmmmm. With gas at 3.50/gallon, that computes to about $2.60 per hour.... X 10 = $26 per day... X 30 =
$780 per month. WOW! That's not going to happen! It's a much better deal and a whole lot more comfortable to
buy some gas and drive somewhere cooler ..... like the Appalachian Mountains maybe? YES!

We have enjoyed visiting with my brother and his wife so very much and will miss them. But, alas, instead of saying
goodbye, we will instead look forward to seeing them again along the trail somewhere soon. Once again for us,
well, it's time to see what's round the next bend and over the next hill. And, we're sure to have an adventure or two
and some pix to share with y'all soon. Till then, be safe, and strive to be happy! And, y'all come back for a visit
soon, ya hear? Rock on Folly Adventure Freedom Ride!

March 25, 2008

Sittin' tight here in Punta Gorda as the weather is perfect....warm days and cool nights. But, looks like this may
come to an end this weekend, so we may start making our way north soon. Plan on taking the back roads to a few
National and State Parks in Florida. Then, on to the beach area Parks of South Carolina and finally the Outer
Banks of North Carolina. Folly promises these new adventures will be a blast!

Got all our taxes done and sent dad's on to his CPA. The FAFSA on behalf of our daughter and her college
education is still in process, as we must now amend what we just completed. Estimates for the 2008-2009 school
year are based on our 2007 tax information. Since we are both on the road and unemployed, 2007 is way over
budget so to speak for 2008. Hence, the amendment to show our present situation becomes necessary. The costs
of a college education these days is very high as compared to when I completed my degree in the fall of 1989.
Heck, we and our daughter owe more in loans for her education so far than what the entire cost for my education
was back in the 80's.

Took a walk yesterday and came upon a delightful couple parked in a nearby county boat ramp/park that has a
very inviting and level parking area. They were driving a truck with a good sized RV in tow. Having just returned
from a paddle on Shell Creek, they were considering spending the night boondocking there. Of course, we stopped
to chat a bit and learned they were from Vermont and had been traveling all over Florida doing "shows" selling
"Visor clips, Windspinners & More" for those interested in the world of golf. They offered us a space to dock Folly
on their property in Vermont if we ever get up their way. We will definitely give the idea some serious thought as
Sandra was born in Conneticutt and I would like to explore the north east. Hmmmm. You can find the link to their
web site address below. Check it out. We said our see ya laters and wished them safe adventures. It's so great to
meet people living full-time in RVs. Rock on everyone!

March 20, 2008

We've been on the road full-time since November of 07. While taking a walk yesterday we discussed how great it is to be away from
the daily stresses and hassles of living the "running in the squirrel cage" type of life where "work" and "pursuit of stuff" folks imagine
they need controls every minute of ones life. Seems some folks get so caught up in this, they lose focus on what one really needs
physically and spiritually and, basically, will work themselves to death to acquire power, prestige and "stuff" to keep up with or be
better than their friends and neighbors. In other words, they seem to live for what they think they need and will impress everyone else
rather than what they really need. And, most everyone has learned from about 5 years of age that in the end we all end up in the same
place in this realm of existence. What in the world happens to people as we supposedly "mature"? What and who do we live for and
why?

During our travel and explorations to date, we have met many people that chose to end the "squirrel cage" life as we did. Surprisingly,
some are as young as in their 30's doing the home school thing with their children. Some have money and some don't. Money or not,
some just travel, some run businesses on the net while they travel, and some workcamp for others. Workcamping is different from a
"job" as workcampers control the if, where, and what they will do, and, when they will do it. We have also learned that "smart" living in
an RV full-time can be done for as little as $6 to $8 hundred a month and "comfortable" living can be enjoyed in the $14 to $16
hundred a month range. So, if one does the math, this ads up to about $7,200 to $19,200 a year. Food, shelter, clothing, insurance,
entertainment, etc. for under $20,000 per year.

Now ad up what you are presently paying for same. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. For us, considering KISS, giving our RV Folly Adventure
Freedom Ride a go was a no-brainer. The hard part was getting used to the idea and then actually doing it. Very scary, as it kind of
goes against everything we have been taught and have become used to. But, for us, this has been the best move we have ever made.
We hope our adventures and information will encourage others to, at least, take a minute or two rest from the "squirrel cage" to take a
close look at your lives, determine if you are happy, and then do the hard part, .... make changes where necessary. Strive to be happy!

March 15, 2008

Presently, we are back in Punta Gorda, Florida along the Shell Creek. Sweet! From Vero Beach we took SR 60 to I95 south to CR 68
to CR 721 to SR 70 and, finally, US 17 the rest of the way. All these roads are good but SR 70 is very busy as this highway is the major
East West corridor from FT. Pierce to Sarasota/Bradenton. We really like to travel the county roads with the slower pace, interesting
sights, and less traffic....if any...lol. And, with gas prices what they are, our mpg is much better toolin' along at 45 to 55 mph. At this
speed, we get about +/- 10 mpg. Not bad for a rig the size of Folly. Less stress and less petrol.....hmmmmmm.

Still reluctantly pluggin' away doin' Uncle Sam's and North Carolina's taxes. Be it known, I HATE DOING THIS! Even with a lot of the
work being done by a CPA. Not much one can do about it though, other than just lay back and enjoy it, I guess.

We will be here for a while and will then move north somewhere for the summer, probably as high as we can get in the Appalachian
Mountains. As I have said before, we concentrate on quality rather than quantity of miles traveled...due mostly to associated costs of
travel. One doesn't have to go to Canada or Maine to escape the southern heat. Once you get above 4000 feet, the heat in the
mountains in never too bad, and if it ever gets hot, the heat is short lived.

March 13-14, 2008

Well, I'm having difficulties with my cell phone. It doesn't want to charge sometimes and I ran out of anytime minutes. Verizon allows
me 500 anytime minutes a month, but after that they charge $.45 a minute. Nights and weekends are free so, if I can get Samsung
charged, I can yap all I want over the weekend. A new cycle starts the 16th too whereby the anytime minutes will be reset to 0.

Took my Kinetic TFR Moped out for an hour today. Nice country ride, lots of sites, and little traffic. Even though the top speed is only
about 25 to 35 mph, depending on wind...lol, I find this speed to be perfect to enjoy everything that pops up along the way. Oh, BTW, I
get about 90 to 95 miles per gallon too! Not bad, eh? On my trek today, I wandered into a ranchette type community and saw a couple
ranches for sale. One was priced at $550K and the other $950K. Definetely not something we would be interested in way out in the
boonies. Been there, done that. At our stage of life, we are leaning more towards living close to a college environment where we can
walk for groceries and to the campus and enjoy everything the school has to offer. Like sitting in on classes that have subjects we
are interested in, using all the sports/exercise facilities, and maybe even soaking up a bit of culture now and then.

Of course, all this will have to wait on Folly and the Freedom Adventure Ride she's taking us on.

March 10-12, 2008

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Remember back when the powers at be helped us all out by creating this act? HA! I just spent 3 days
going over paperwork to do our taxes, my dad's taxes, and my daughters taxes and FAFSA for college. Sheesh, I just can't imagine
what this would have been like before the PRA....LOL. What a hoot, eh? What a bunch of baloney, especially considering our assets
and income. Someone once said, "Cheer up, things could be worse!" So, I cheered up and, sure enough, things really did get worse.

Think about it. Here I cheerfully sit preparing a "pile" of tax paperwork, that at the end of the day really offers nothing for folks like me,
while watching fuel/energy prices skyrocketing and the subsequent higher prices ripple affect run throughout every aspect of the US
and world economy, the home value and home loan foreclosure situation, health care and heath/home insurance costs that have
escalated WAY beyond our having any hope of enjoying same, and ..., ... well... , the list just goes on and on. Hmmmmmmm.

At the same time, I'm watching reports of fuel/energy, health care, insurance and a whole lot of other corporations around the world
enjoying RECORD, ALL TIME EVER, BREAKING PROFITS while the working Joe seems to be able to do nothing but stand with jaw
dropped and solemn stare, seemingly trying to deal with the shock of how to just survive financially and how to avoid the
terrorists/fundamentalists reportedly lurking everywhere. And, have you noticed hardly a meaningful word is said by our politicians,
including those striving to be our future president, as to what the heck is going on and what the heck ANYONE can or will do about it?

It appears the middle class as I remember it back in the 50s and 60s when I grew up is gone. There are now those that have and
those that don't, period. And, as George Carlin says, those that don't aren't part of the club, and the club is going to eventually take
everthing....including our Social Security. When I heard George talk of this, it was kind of funny and mostly unbelievable....but now, I
just don't know anymore, maybe he's on to something. Maybe I will cheerfully write in a vote for Carlin for president. Where are
Sweringen and Wu when you need them?

These are some interesting times we live in and living full-time in Folly has advantages. Like as soon as I get done with this rant, I'm
going to enjoy all the great and wild outdoors has to offer for a while. There is a lot of peace in the wild where taxes, politicians,
corporations, can't or don't want to go (no profit in it). Gives me a lot of mental and spiritual strength to be able to say with confidence,
belief, and a great big ol' smile on my face, "Rock on Folly Adventure Freedom Ride!"

March 6-9, 2008

Woke up at the Parry Lodge in Kanab without a "Parry" ghost incident. Too bad! Went to have our continental breakfast and marveled
at all the pictures of all the Hollywood stars that have stayed here while movies they were a part of were being filmed. Since we had to
make it back to Vegas today, we got packed up and underway as quickly as possible. One thing about the rockies, it seems that about
every 20 miles or so of travel, everything changes....landscape and geology....helping to create a "what's around the next bend"
expectation excitement.

First stop was Moqui Cave but it didn't open until 10 am. Took a picture and moved on to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. What
an experience this was!! The dunes, some several hundred feet high, run for about 7 miles and are up to a mile wide in places.
Sandra was struggling with flu symptoms and it was about 30 degrees outside, so Cassie, Josh, and I set out alone to do a bit of
exploring not far from the visitor parking lot. Of course Josh sped his way to the tallest dune in the area, the Star Dune I think the park
volunteer said, and worked his way to the top. Cassie soon followed, and then myself. Of course, I had gone a different way and now
had to climb this monster on the steep side. Step by step, foot by foot I climbed until I reached about 20 yards of the summit. Both
Cassie and Josh were coaxing me to continue even though I thought my heart was about to pop out of my chest. One must remember
we were at about 7000 feet of elevation. Anyway, I literally clawed my way to the summit only to collapse while trying to get my breath
back. It was one of those moments of triumph over pain, and it really felt good to have made it. With Cassie and Josh giggling, I asked
that they return in March of 2043 (they would be my age) to climb to the top of this "star" and think of me giggling at them this
time.....lol.....a lesson in here someplace, eh?

Next on the agenda was to zip to and through Zion National Park. Of course the zip to is possible but a zip through is not. The place is
huge and there are a million possibilities of things to check out and experience. We drove the road through the park and came out
back at the highway(s) heading for Las Vegas. Saw some great sites, heart attack views along the park roads, went through the
mountain "tunnel", and were tweaked to return by the many trails we passed that lead to ????? We would really like to return to this
area some day due to what Zion and Utah have to offer the soul and spirit.

Then it was on to Vegas and the New York Hotel/Casino for the night. Sandra and I got up early, packed our gear and headed for the
airport to return the rental car and check in for our flight home to Florida. Sadly, we had to leave Cassie and Josh as they were headed
to North Carolina, but not until late that evening. We arrived in Florida about 8 pm, got a rental car for the last leg home. Returned to
Folly about midnight and, due to the time changes, didn't settle in for a nights rest until about 1:30 am Saturday.

Went out to dinner to celebrate Sandra's brother's birthday with Sandra's mom and step-dad that had come up from Pompano Beach.
Had a great time. Now it's Sunday afternoon and I just got our pictures downloaded off our camera and will upload to Webshots for
your enjoyment. Now, we will start planning our next Rock on Folly Adventure Freedom Ride experience!!!!

March 5, 2008

Turns out Page, Arizona was pretty much built for those working on and suppling the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam. We got up
early and drove a short distance to Horseshoe Overlook parking lot where Josh and Cassie found another geo-cache not too far from
the parking area. Then it was on to the overlook...about a one mile hike. WOW! This part of the Colorado River was not as deep as the
Grand Canyon but was as close to a shear drop of several hundred feet on both sides as a river gorge could get. We were all too
chicken to get to the edge where a picture of the whole "horseshoe" could be taken....bought one instead for $.25 later. Then it was on
to find another cache. Turns out we spent another hour hiking the cliff edge of the gorge all the while thinking the person who placed
this cache must have been crazy.....however, we were going to the same place to find it....lol. Hmmm. Anyway, the canyon views were
breathtaking, the hike a lot of fun, and, the cache was found.

Then it was down the road a short distance for a tour of the Glen Canyon Dam. I met and talked with the guy who was to be giving
tours today at the Page WalMart Supercenter. He said his tours were better than what one gets at the Hoover Dam AND they were
free.....my kind of tour, eh? We got to go to the top, all the way to the bottom of the dam, and then into the area where 7 of 8 turbines
were spinning a 150 RPMS (40 magnets being pushed @150 rpm = 60 htz...we were told). Took a lot of pix that I will post later.

Now it was on Kanab and the Paria River Ghost Town. Along the way, we stopped and found another geo-cache. This is always a lot
of fun. Once in the Paria River Ghost Town pull-out along the highway, the road turned to rutted dirt surface. I stopped to read a sign at
the pull-out about this venture. Turns out, we had to travel back about 5 miles. Hmmm. After some thought, we decided to give it a go.
Man O Man, what a road....not too bad as it was dry, but talk about being close to the edge.....the road was just wide enough for one
vehicle to pass with drop offs on one side or both that went straight down for several hundred feet. When we couldn't go any further
due to ruts and deep sand, we parked and walked. We had made it about 2 tenths of a mile from a campsite and where there once
was a Hollywood ghost town. The buildings were gone but the footers remained. Paint it Gold and other movies were shot here.
Anyway.....WOW WOW WOW .... this place was beautiful, the surrounding mountains close enough to touch, and spent about an hour
or two just climbing different areas as every time you reached he summit, another breathtaking view would emerge. Reluctantly, we
headed back to the car and the heart stopping ride back to the paved, main highway.

Then it was on to Kanab, Utah where we stumbled onto the Parry Motel....a motel where many of the Hollywood big shots stayed while
movies were being shot. I never knew about the filming history here before. Quite interesting. Turns out, this Motel comes with a ghost
.... Supposedly Mr. Parry. Anyway, it was dinner time so we scouted around a bit to find a bite to eat and ended up at Granny's Diner. I
must add we came across two early 70's Travcos in the area....the first we have seen in months.....lol.

March 3 & 4, 2008

3/3 Started out near Sedona at Oak Creek on SR179 for a hike up Bell Mountain. A lot of fun and fantastic views. Then on down the
road on I 17 to Montezuma National Monument to visit where cliff dwellers lived about a thousand years ago. Back on I 17 SR 260
through Verde and on to Cottonwood where Cassie and Josh looked around and found a Tupperware, geo-cache stashed behind a
sign and under a bush. They singed the log, took a wooden chip, put in 26 cents, and re-hid the Tupperware cache for the next
geo-cache searcher to find. Then it was on to Jerome State Park via SR 89A. Jerome is a mile high city that was about dead when the
mining stopped. Some art folks have been restoring buildings and such and now Jerome is another pretty, interesting, but very pricey
place to poke around and try to visualize what life on the side of this mountain was like in the past. Motel prices here and Cottonwood
were again way too high. Sandra had picked up a brochure on a motel back in the pricey Sedona area that advertised rooms at $49 a
night and up. After a call to the desk of this establishment a room was held for the 45 minute or so ride back to Sedona. I have yet to
advertise anything on this site but I think the Sedona Village Lodge in Sedona, Arizona deserves a plug with their righteous
rates...even in the face of pressure from the local business community to raise them. Their phone number is 800-890-0521, e-mail
address is stay@sedonalodge.com, and
website address is http://www.sedonalodge.com . You will find the mom and pop owners and their son to be very nice, informative,
and just plain fun to talk to. If you are ever in the area, give them a try....you will not be disappointed!!!

3/4 Left the Sedona Village Lodge and headed north on I 17 to Wupatki National Monument. Over a drive of about 15 miles on a great
paved park road, we visited about 4 sites where Indian ruins from about six to eight hundred years ago were found. The history,
construction, and what these Indians did here was totally incredible. Then, back to I 17 north about 100 miles to Page, Arizona. This
one hundred miles took us through many changes in views and geology. About mid-way we stopped at a Navajo Indian restaurant
and shop for lunch. We had native Navajo dishes that were delicious. All along the way through the Navajo Nation we came across
several places where the locals were selling jewelry made mostly of silver and turquoise that was just incredible ... but alas, too
expensive for us.

March 2, 2008

Williams to Grand Canyon Village to Cameron via SR 64...to Sunset Crater to Flafstaff via US 89...to Sedona via SR 89A. Williams is a
struggling Route 66 town with a train station where one can take a train to Grand Canyon Village. What can one say about the Grand
Canyon other than it is a stop everyone should make in their lifetime. During our visit, the temperature loomed at about 30 to 40
degrees depending on elevation and the wind was blowing at about a steady 20-25 with gusts up to 35-40 mph. WOW! It got cold
sometimes. The whole drive along the rim had many view areas and one of these areas was a tower you can climb up into...if your
heart and lungs are steady enough at this altitude. Sunset Crater was another stop worth making...and...the drive to Sedona from
Flagstaff along scenic highway 89A was breathtaking. Sedona and the surrounding area is very pricey so a long search ensued to
find a "reasonable" rate at a Motel. We ended up in lower Sedona where we found a room at about 1/3 to 1/5 the rates up the hill.

March 1, 2008

After three nights and 2 days in Vegas, we drove to Hoover Dam today. Started out from Ballys and headed out US 93 to Boulder City
where we got gas and had some lunch. Sooooooo nice getting away from the "zoo". After poking around a while, it was on to the dam.
Busy and a lot of construction are the best words to describe our visit there. New highway being built so traffic won't have to cross over
the dam and lots of tours. We continued on US 93 into Arizona and decided to stop at a "off the beaten path" visitor center....aka
Chloride. Chloride is a mining town about 10 miles off the main highway where folks still hunt for lead, silver, and zinc. We stopped
into the visitor center/general store and spent quite some time with the owner...Alan. Alan is a real character that was originally from
Connecticut, then Bowling Green Kentucky, and finally Chloride. He had a wealth of information on hand and in his head due to his
and his girlfriend's extensive exploring. Good thing too, cause he gave us a list of possibilities that met our tastes instead of the usual
tourist trap stuff. With a map and plan in hand we took old Route 66 from Kingman to Ash Fork. Man o man, what a highway this must
have been to travel years ago but mostly all that's left along this stretch are the shells of what once was. We finally pulled up in a town
still keeping the Route 66 tradition called Williams. We will stay the night, $66...lol... + tax, in an Econolodge built in 1952. Hmmmmm.