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 March 1, 2010 entry below up to the most recent entry)

This page has been archived. Click "Home" button above, then "Freedom Ride 20XX" for current adventures.
March 29-30, 2010

Folly rolled back a couple of feet to gain some traction, flapped her wings and took off a slippin' and slidin' until we got around the
corner, and then, it was Katie bar the door. She flew her way across a soggy lawn and B lined her way to open pavement. With a sigh
and a smile, she finally backed into the driveway and peacefully shut down. Several hours later, the rain started again and lasted on
and off throughout the night. We woke up high and dry but the area we were parked at yesterday was again under an inch or two of
water. Soooo glad we made it out of our camping spot when we did.

Good news! The oil leak on the passenger side rear wheel turned out to be a minimal issue. Mr. Front End made the inspection and
repair in record time and we will now leave for the east coast of Florida in the morning. Bad news! We are really going to miss our
hosts, my bro and his wife. We have such a good time staying on their ranch and enjoy being their "neighbors" over the winter months.
And, this year we enjoyed watching Sharon create a beautiful garden out of areas of weeds, rocks, and fire ant hills. But alas, they are
heading for Michigan and we are, in a round about way, heading for North Carolina. So, happy trails to all till we meet again along the
freedom trail.

March 25-28, 2010

Got the Kinetic TFR Mopeds up and running again and enjoyed several rides around the area. Seems like all we do with the Peds is
unload them, get them running and then load them up again. We feel they are not safe in a lot of traffic and they won't climb hills. So,
many roads in areas we stay at in South Florida in the wintertime are too dangerous to travel and of course they are of no use while we
spend the summer in the mountains. I guess we should get rid of the two Peds and get one larger bike, tow a car, get a couple of
bicycles, or just hoof it.

Well, we are in the swamp again as rain came pouring down last night. Lots of standing water all over the yard. Are we going to be able
to get out to dry pavement without getting stuck? Looks like Sunday around noon may offer a window to give it a try. I sure would hate to
have to hire a tractor or tow truck to pull us out. Wish us luck!

March 22-24, 2010

Rained cats and dogs again. Did you ever wonder where that saying originated? I guess in the old days cats and dogs used to climb
up on roofs made of sod to hang out but when the rain came down hard, they would come tumbling down due to the surface becoming
muddy. What a hilarious sight that must have been! Anyway, we ended up with about 2 inches of standing water outside our door again
and it took a couple of days for the water to soak into the ground. The ground is still mushy though and now there is a grayish white
mold growing on the surface as the ground doesn't get a chance to dry out between the weekly deluges we have had in Punta Gorda
this winter.

So, like last time, we watch movies, Sandra does her painting on the dining table indoors, we play on the computer, and I do the
maintenance logs and schedule future maintenance and help Cassie out with her projects and anything else to keep busy. We plan on
heading north soon, probably to the Vero Beach area first for a few days....if they aren't under water there. And of course, the rear seal
must be attended to before we leave.

March 20-21, 2010

Well, all the front end, drive train, and king pin fittings are greased and there are no signs of excess wear or wobble anywhere. That's
good news. I ran the Onan generator for about 45 minutes to be sure everything is in order and then put stuff I store in the generator box
while on the road back in the box. Then, we vacuumed and shampooed the carpet and I fixed a leaky faucet in the bath room. Finally, it
was on to NAPA to pick up the seal and filter I ordered the other day. Now, I hope to find some time to work on the TFR Kinetic Mopeds
and get them loaded on the motorcycle carrier and also make an appointment with Mr. Front End, a car, truck, and RV repair facility in
Punta Gorda, Fl. I've been to this shop twice before and have found their service to be friendly, timely, reasonable and, most important,
they do very good work.

March 17-19, 2010

We had a great St. Patrick's Day. Sandra and I picked up a slab of corned beef and a 6 pack of Guinness Stout at the grocery store.
When we got back to Folly, Sandra popped the corned beef into a pot and let it cook/simmer for several hours. In the meantime, we
shared a brew and a bit of conversation with my bro and his wife in their outside screened in porch. Then, it was back to Folly to set up
the dining table and finally we sat down to a serving of corned beef, sliced boiled potatoes and another Guinness. Mmmmmmmm! God
bless the Irish!

I am still working on readying Folly for the trip back north. I had to drill a couple of dimples in the hitch receiver so the bolts of a brace
attached to the motorcycle carrier that keeps coming loose with stay in place. Then, I changed the oil and filter. The set-up on this rig is
7 quarts of oil with a standard filter and 8 quarts of oil with an oversize filter. I always use the oversize filter. I have an oil level gauge on
the dash and I have noticed the temperature gauge indicates the engine runs a bit hotter when the oil gets a quart low. We add about a
quart every 500 miles due to a leak around the oil pump to engine block gasket. This could be fixed but I figure that every 3000 miles
traveled, we will run about 6 quarts of fresh oil though the oil system. And, it only leaks while underway, so we don't leave drops on the
ground while parked.

On deck, is to grease all the front end and king pin fittings, and the drive shaft universal joint fittings. And, I will order the rear axle seals
needed to repair the leak. If possible, I aways order and pick up the parts before I go to the repair shop as 9 times out of 10 NAPA will
not have the parts in stock. They usually get them to us the next day, but since we live in Folly full-time, we don't want to camp overnight
in a repair garage due to lack of parts.

March 13-16, 2010

WOW! Did the rain come down. We heard the rain on the roof all night long with an occasional clap of thunder and flash of light coming
in through the windows. Got up, fixed some coffee, and looked outside when the light was good enough to see. We had about an inch
of standing water outside our door. So, we kicked back, watched some TV, played on the net and proceeded to watch more rain coming
down......hour after hour. By about 3 pm we decided to head to a Winn-Dixie about nine miles away.

We heard on the news that people should avoid the downtown Punta Gorda area as the roads all over the area were flooded and the
north and south bound US 41 bridges were being shut down periodically due to "white rain" and subsequent lack of visibility. Nothing
was mentioned about our area. But, by now we had about 4 inches of standing water outside and around Folly so it was a wet walk
getting to the car. Once underway, the sky was so dark that everyone was using their headlights....it seemed similar to what one would
experience at dusk. By the time we reached Winn-Dixie, the sky opened up again. After about 10 minutes of sitting in the car, we made
a break for the entrance doors. When we came out from shopping a bit, just a sprinkle or two was falling. The trip home was
interesting with all the standing water seen all over the place, and this is mostly sandy soil. The water table must be quite high.

The 6 PM weather report indicated we had about 6 to 8 inches of rain in our area over about a 15 hour period. Now we move from warm,
heavy, and humid weather before the rain to gorgeous mild, dry, and sunny skies. Low to mid 70's and high 40's to low 50's are
forecast for the next several days. What a difference a day can make.

March 8-12, 2010

Finished everyone's' taxes and Cassie's FAFSA. Free at last, free at last. It really irks me to have to spend so much time on IRS
paperwork. I am so thankful for the Paperwork Reduction Act....LOL.

Sandra and I took the car and drove to downtown Punta Gorda to a craft show that was being held at Gilchrist Park. Lots and lots of
jewelry....just what I need to RV full-time. Nice stuff though and there were some very unique pieces. Then we moved on to the city
Conference Center where another indoor craft show was underway but they wanted $6 per person entrance fee. No can do. So, we
went out to the river's edge to check out the water and the view. Marrrrrrvelous. We took a trail to the right that went under the US 41
Northbound bridge and popped out on the other side where there is a marina and several buildings housing stores and a restaurant.
Past these buildings was a walk to a pier that extends far out into the Peace River. Along the way to the pier, a pig-pickin' was going on
with live music.

Later, we headed back to the car and continued on to Kallis German Butcher Shop on US41 in Port Charlotte to pick up a couple of
Delmonicos, fresh brats, baby back ribs, and kielbasa. This shop has excellent meats and was packed when we got there. On the way
out, we were each handed a freshly made frankfurter. MMMMmmmmmmm. Then, we headed to the Celtic Ray to see if the new owners
had the place up and running again. They did, and we celebrated by enjoying a pint of Guinness.

Back at the ranch, we were met by 4 male and 4 female Painted Buntings finishing the last of the food in one of the feeders. Lately, we
have had a ton of Blackbirds that go through the food like crazy. Anyway, I filled the feeders again so everyone is still happy. This was
the first time we have seen more than 1 female at a time. Funny, went from 1 to 4 just like that.

I had a chance to work on Folly a bit. Put on a new exhaust hanger to replace one that had broken and installed a new gas line filter that
is located just before the electric fuel pump that is installed just forward of Folly's 60 gallon gas tank. While crawling around
underneath, I notice a seal appears to be leaking on the passenger side rear wheel. Sigh, we just had new ones installed last June, I
think it was. Replacing stuff over and over is really getting old. I can't put my finger on what is wrong....could be the parts, probably made
in China, are no good, or the mechanics aren't doing the job right.

March 4-7, 2010

My brother and I are heading for the east coast of Florida to visit our Mom and Step-dad for the day. Mom's still marginally mobile and
has all her marbles.....which she keeps in a drawer beside her favorite chair in the living room...lol. One thing I have learned for sure,
physical issues can be dealt with quite successfully, but mental issues can be a real challenge whether the afflicted are young or old.
Anyway, we are looking forward to the visit and the trip over and back, as my bro and I can share the adventure and talk about life's
infinite possibilities without many distractions. It other words, we will have a whole heck of a lot of fun. Rock on Freedom Ride!

March 1-3, 2010

The months continue flip buy and we have been enjoying ourselves so much as compared to the "running in the squirrel cage life" we
left behind about 2 1/2 years ago. Sure, we live on the cheap but what we experience along the trail in sights, sounds, people, and
spiritual discovery, growth and comfort is priceless. We watch how stressed folks seem to be these days trying to maintain their
standard of living and hold on to their stuff and are soooooo glad we left all that behind. We watch and hope everyone will find peace
that is right in front of each and every one of us. Looking at the big picture, all that "running" and "accumulating" doesn't amount to a hill
of beans. Life is way too short to spend it so. Seems it may be better to look around at all the beauty in the world and feel the warmth
that comes from your heart when you trade in fear for love and forgiveness.

The weather has turned cool again but the skies are still mostly sunny. Oh, how we love the sunshine. It lifts our spirits, warms our
bones, and brightens our day. Even the birds we have enjoyed coming to our feeders for several weeks now seem to light up when
sunlight falls on them, as the color of their plumage becomes what can best be described as iridescent. After a low of about 39 this
morning, we are promised a high for today of about 70. So, with that thought in mind, I must get back to the great outdoors.