4 States Down - 3 Big Ones to Go

Today was the BIG PUSH to get south of Louisville, Kentucky.  We made it safe and sound and I am sitting here enjoing FREE WiFi in Grandma's RV Camping just off I65.  

We left cold snowy New York about 6 am.  I was amazed at how much snow there was through Genesee County and south of Buffalo.  Yuk!!!  Goodbye New York!  Hello Pennsylvania.  Look at the snow. But of course we ARE still way up North, just a short distance from Erie. PA.  DH ( Dear Husband or Damn Husband depending on the day) gauged the petro just right and we made it into PA before we needed a fill up. (We started out with a little less than a half tank of gas.)  So getting into PA saved a chunk of change.  Our 75 gallon tank took 69 gallons at $2.57 per gallon.  Better than in New York for sure.

On to Ohio!  We spend a lot of time in Ohio.  Toledo/Cleveland area, then south to Columbus and Cincinatti.  Got a nice shot in Cincinnati.

And by the way, have I mentioned that the 'Two Dogs' part of this trip are the best!  The are so good.  Of course, they have never had to get right back on the road after a long travel day before, so I hope the 'good' keeps on comming.  But for today I certainly can't complain.

Finally, the last leg.  Hooray!  Everyone was glad to see the Kentucky sign!  That meant we were getting close to our first overnight.  Oh, BTW... I FORGOT to mention my major oops!  Ya know how you always forget something?  Well of course I did!  I was nice and purchased TWO 30 packs of Labatt's Blue for DH.  Except I left it in the WRONG Escape.  Forgot to transfer it over to the 'Grub Gtr'.  That is the license plate number on our toad.  (Toad is the vehicle you tow behind your motorhome.)  Ha ha!  You all will learn the lingo if you faithfully follow my little blog. 

It was still a good distance from the Kentucky border to Louisville.  And then to Shepherdsville which is where we are for the night.  I have been sitting here with the windows open since we pulled in a few hours ago.  It is just now starting to feel chilly enough to close them.  Oh, fresh and and we had a lot of sun along the way too!  It was wonderful. 

So here we are at Grandma's RV Camping.  There is only a trace of snow here and there.  We are parked on gravel with paved roads.  You can here the traffic noise on the Interstate, but it is almost like a soothing white noise and is starting to lull me.  Oh yeah. Time for bed.  Day 2 will come quickly! The coach and car look great in this pic, but the are both pretty dirty from the roads.  I never thought I would hope for rain, but it would come in handy about now to clean us up a bit.

Ready or Not .....

Well it looks like we are going to be 'outrunning' a storm system coming across the midwest.  I think we will be fine though because we will be basically driving 'under it'.  Looks like a wintry mix in Cincinnati and then rain once we get to our first destination just south of Louisville, KY.  Rain is OK because it will wash all the salt and sand off the coach. 

As we sleep Sunday to Monday the storm should move on northeast of us and we should only have some rain and cooler temperatures to deal with.  We can handle that!  Hell, we have handled MUCH WORSE than that in Western New York in the winter.

Everything is packed except one Wegman's bag with a few loose ends (now tied up), the GPS, and my faithful laptop computer (upon which I am typing) of course.  As soon as I sign off, the laptop will get packed into its traveling case and everything will be ready to roll!  I have a little ceramic heater running in the motorhome for the night. I am such a sissy, but it takes a LONG TIME to heat the inside from a cold start.  It's not like a car, that's for sure. 

Roscoe and Murphy are pretty excited.  They saw their food and dishes get moved out to the motorhome so they now know that a trip is imminent. They just don't realize how long a trip it will be.  Virginia is the farthest at one time they have been with us. Being on the road for four days in a row will be a new experience for them.  Luckily, the RV Park where we are staying on South Padre Island is VERY dog friendly and has a fenced in dog area with agility equipment. They are gonna be sooooo excited when the see that.  Every dog gets a 'Welcome Biscuit' when they arrive. 

I packed shorts, but I'm afraid that is just going to be wishful thinking on my part.  Time will tell.  I keep telling my nieces, (whom we will be visiting this coming weekend) that I am really hoping to wear shorts at least one day! 

I know this pre-departure stuff is probably pretty dry and boring for readers, but it is all part of the trip!  I hope once things get moving, literally, that I will have a few more followers!

Ok, signing off to finish that last little bit of packing and then off to bed for a good night's rest!  Wooooo hoooooo!!!!!

One Tiny Little Icicle

T Minus about 20 hours and we have one teeny tiny little icicle on the back gutter.  That is not a hinderence in any way shape or form.  It's just a reminder that it is still winter here in Western New York. It actually gives me the incentive I need to get my tasks completed today so we will be ready to point the GPS towards warmer temperatures.

All the snow and ice has melted from the roll out awning over the slides!  Hooray.  That could have been a problem because as I mentioned before, one of the bedroom slides has to come out to allow access to the wardrobe and back bathroom. Everything is looking positive!  Won't have time to add much today because I am going to be busy, busy, busy, busy!  

We are leaving before sunrise, but I am hoping I can get a shot of us ready for departure early tomorrow morning.  Signing off for now though. LOL.   

T Minus 46 Hours and Counting

Welcome!  Those who know us are aware of how much this trip to Texas means to us.  It has been in the making for over two years and was originally planned for last November, 2009. Grandstand Tickets, Pit Passes and a VIP Camping Spot were in hand to attend the NASCAR Chase Race at Texas Motor Speedway with our sister-in-law and nieces.

As fate would have it, one by one things began to fall apart.  Our one niece who is in the United States Navy was no longer going to be able to get leave and join us.  Then in late September my mother-in-law, at the age of 91, took her final turn towards heaven and we cancelled the trip entirely.  She passed away on November 11th, just as we would have been heading back north.

Back to the drawing board, we decided to 'take a chance' (on Mother Nature this time), and plan a trip around my break weeks at RIT when I could get the time off.  So hooray, for Week 10 of the Academic Winter Quarter being complete. Now it's on to gathering all that we need, packing clothes, food, beverages, one man, one woman and two big dogs into a 38 foot motorhome headed SOUTHWEST! (The motorhome link above is ALMOST identical to ours. We have a few different colors and have the Washer/Dryer machine installed in the big cabinet - did I mention I don't like laundromats?)

Someone must be watching over us, because the icicles melted off the back gutters on the motorhome this afternoon and enough snow disappeared where we will actually be able to shift to the east side of the driveway.  Once there, it is easier to level and open up one of the bedroom slides. (A necessary maneuver if one wants to pack clothes into the wardrobe/chest of drawers and linens/necessities into the master bathroom). 

I have laundry to finish, and shopping to do yet.  I have to top off 35 lbs of dog food to last 'the boys' two weeks.  We can always get extra groceries for ourselves along the way, but I can't take a chance on finding 'Nutro-Natural', our dog's brand of dog food.  

Setting up this blog WAS on my 'To Do' list and a promise that I had made to several people. Hooray! I get to check something off my list.  Well, set-up I can check off.  I hope there will be a lot more to share as we head out on our farthest RV adventure so far.