RC Flying at Old Mill Stream RV Resort

Rick has flown Radio Control planes for many, many (over 35) years and has always enjoyed the challenge of building and flying the RC planes. One reason we choose the Old Mill Stream RV Resort was that they actually have an electric RC flying field right in the park! Here Rick is taking off his Slow Stick from the OMS runway. 

The Slow Stick is a great flyer and uses electric power which is very quiet as well as very powerful. This plane has a 40" wingspan and weighs about 18 ounces. It is a great trainer, but still can be very aerobatic. 

Radio systems have really advanced in the past few years and now offer training systems that make it much easier to learn to fly. Here Rick and Walt check out Walt's new plane prior to its initial flight. 

 Rick and Dick are flying Dick's plane on the Buddy Box system. The two radios are connected by a thin cord which allows Rick (the instructor) to flip a switch and give control to Dick. If Dick has a problem, Rick can quick regain control and right the plane to avoid a crash. 

Here, Rick is helping Butch, who lost direction while setting up a landing. Rick has just re-taken control and is guiding the plane up and away from the flyers. 

Butch and Rick are very happy that the plane has averted disaster and lives to fly another day. The new training system makes a huge difference in learning to fly radio control aircraft and greatly reduces the stress for the new pilot. 

 

Rick is working with Jim, an advanced student, and is explaining how to correct flight from various positions such as inverted flight, banks, etc. Jim is doing a great job and is flying by himself after a successful solo flight. 

We have a great little field to spend the afternoon at. A small sun shield, a couple tables and a gaggle of aircraft. This is also a great way to meet lots of folks who come by and watch us fly. 

Wow - we are getting a nice sized group of flyers here in the RV park. What a great treat it is to be able to fly right where we are camping for the winter! 

A Great Boat Trip on the Dora Canal in Florida

Here is our 15' Gheenoe which we will be taking in the Dora Canal. This fiberglass boat is popular with the local fishermen because it is surprisingly stable, takes very little water to float, and is comfortable to use. This is Orinda's first trip in the boat, so we will see how she likes it.

Orinda and I took advantage of a beautiful day to launch our Gheenoe boat into Lake Eustis at the Tavares boat ramp -- which is a large, very nice public ramp. The Gheenoe looked a bit small compared to the 22' Bass Boats being launched and our 2.5hp outboard was a bit smaller than the 250hp motors they used, but we were ready to go!

A short boat ride from the ramp is the entrance, under this bridge, to the Dora Canal which connects Lake Eustis with Lake Dora. The Canal dates back over 100 years and was dug by hand to connect the lakes. Today, it is well know for its beauty and wildlife.

 After passing under the HWY441 bridge, you immediately enter the canal and feel as if you have been transported back in time to the wilds. There are huge cypress trees growing along the banks with countless birds flying in the woods.

 The Canal is about 1.25 miles long and about 5 feet deep, although that can change quickly. It is hard to believe that you are near any kind of civilization given the wilds next to the water, but in fact, we are only a mile or so from the town of Tavares.

Rick enjoys running the powerful 2.5 hp outboard, which excels in this shallow water. Our little boat is quiet and stable; perfect for observing the birdlife.

Even though it was cool a few days ago, the 75 degree weather today has brought the birds out. This great blue heron did not seem very concerned about our passage as he watched from this log.

Orinda had a hard time seeing the birds, but enjoyed the scenic boat ride. As you can see, the water was mirror smooth which made for a nice run.

This heron was fishing and did not seem happy to see us. In fact, right after this shot was taken, he flew off in somewhat an indignant fashion.

Success! Orinda's reward for braving the wilds of the Dora Canal is a cup of coffee and a small sundae from McDonalds! We had a nice time traveling the waterways of the Dora Canal and Lake Eustis.

Reflections on 4 years of Fulltime Motorhoming

We started our fulltime life in the motorhome by first holding an auction to sell everything we had accumulated in 35 years of married life -- which was a lot of stuff! This was a big decision for us and took about 6 weeks of hard work to get everything organized and ready for the big auction. We engaged a great auctioneer  who handled all the advertising, and pre-auction publicity.

The auction Saturday was clear, but cold -- unusually so for early fall in South Dakota, but we were pleased with the hundreds of folks eager to bid on our stuff. We sold furniture, wood working equipment, jewelry, kitchen pots and pans, and much more. The great thing about the auction was that everything was sold and removed in one very busy day! We were also pleased at the overall proceeds of the auction -- about 25% higher than we had hoped.

Rick had to finish working over the fall semester and as a result, we could not leave until Christmas 2007. We left South Dakota in clear, cold weather, but in Nebraska, hit heavy snow as you can see. Our 36' Itasca Meridian coach did a great job on the ice, but we were really pleased to finally pull off into the RV park for the night. What a start to fulltiming!

A foot of snow later, we were ready to continue. Fortunately, the RV park plowed the roads and our site so we could head out, but we wondered what kind of life we were embarking on. 

We finally made it to Florida where we spent a wonderful winter and really got into the concept of fulltime living in our coach. In fact, we loved the lifestyle so much, that we ened up trading the 2004 36' Meridian for a 2008 Winnebago Tour 40' coach. 

Moving day is always a thrill, even from one coach to another. Here, all the stuff from the 36' coach is stacked on our site while we awaited delivery of the new 40' rig. We were amazed at how much stuff we had on board.

The 40' coach arrives! Wow, what a difference. We loved the new Tour 40' and ended up fulltiming almost 3 years in this great coach, which took us over 35,000 miles around the country. We learned that the extra room and amenities were very well worth while.

The Tour took us all over the country and we saw things we had only dreamed about. Here, Rick is getting ready to crew in a hot air balloon at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta where we joined other RVers at a rally sponsored by the Escapees  RV Club. 

What a sight! Rick watched as hundreds of balloons lifted off to join him in the air. Wow -- we never dreamed we could do this. 

The 40' Tour made its way to the Pacific coast twice over the three years that we had it and we greatly enjoyed the trips. What a great way to travel and to take in the sights such as this beach on the Oregon coast. We were fortunate to have our old Golden Retriever, Cody, with us for 3 years before he passed. 

The 40' Tour was great, but then Winnebago came out with the 42' tag axle model and we were amazed at the extra space and features it offered. The king bed, stacked washer/dryer, dishwasher and 4 slides sold Orinda. Rick was taken with the large holding tanks and the 4 (FOUR!) big tvs helped seal the deal. This rig is great to drive and live in. 

We took the new coach on a 9,000 mile trip over 6 months last summer/fall and had a great time. Here, we are at an Escapees Rally in Gillette, WY as a weather front blew through.

The new Tour takes a breather next to Yellowstone Lake. After 4 full years of fulltime living in a motorhome, we can say with certainty it is a great lifestyle. We have meet hundreds of great people, seen amazing things, and participated in events that we could only dream about. If you are interested in this life, be sure to fully check it out as it is a whole new world that awaits you.

A Very Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas - 2011

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas
and a wonderful new year! 

Spending the Winter at the Olde Mill Stream RV Resort

After several months of traveling the country, we are settled into the Olde Mill Stream RV Resort in Umatilla, FL which seems to be a great spot. This is the first time we have spent the season here and so far, we are delighted with the park. This is the entrance which typifies the high maintenance standards seen throughout the park.

 There is a very nice clubhouse for the many activities going on in the park and we have already been to a couple of events here. While not a huge place (I would guess there are about 300 sites), everyone if very friendly and outgoing.

 One of the events that occurred during the Christmas season is the memory tree ceremony which allows residents of the park to trim the tree with memories of departed loved ones. There is also a very well done tribute to veterans which we found especially meaningful.

 One of the pleasant surprises we found at the park, especially for Rick, is this electric RC flying field located right in the park -- indeed, only a couple streets from our lot! Cool! Rick is working on a model aircraft again and is looking forward to doing some flying.

This is our site. We opted for some extra concrete on our pad which really helps and gives a very nice patio area. We are also going to get a small shed for Rick's model workshop and storage which should be great. All in all, we think we will like staying at the Olde Mill Stream and will keep you posted as the winter progresses. 

Tightening the show head wall attachment -- FINALLY!

We have enjoyed our Tour motorhome, but I noticed that the shower head mount constantly loosened after a few days of use. I tried first to simply re-tighten the screws, but quickly found that the sheet metal screws used to hold the mount to the fiberglass enclosure had stripped the holes. Rats!

Rick tried first to shim the hole with filler, wood, etc., but after a couple weeks, the holes enlarged and the screws loosened up again. 

Finally, while wandering in our local Ace Hardware Store, Rick found these rubber and brass compression inserts. When a bolt is threaded into the insert and tightened, the brass threads compress the rubber and expand the insert so that it holds tightly.

These are simple to install -- just drill a hole in the fiberglass enclosure just large enough for the insert to fit tightly. 

I used a small expanding grinding bit to open the holes in the enclosure. Just go easy with this step and make sure the holes do not get too big to force fit the inserts in,

The inserts just slip in, no glue is needed. 

 Now, the new stainless steel machine screws are used to re-mount the shower head holder. I was delighted to find that the screws snugged down perfectly and held the mount firmly to the fiberglass. Plus, the rubber inserts eliminate any possible leaks behind the mount.

A simple repair and it worked great.

The Museum of Osteology in Oklahoma City -- LOTS of bones!

 We visited our son who is in the Air Force and based in Oklahoma City and had a great week. We stayed at the Roadrunnner RV park which is a pretty nice park and located close to most things in the city. As you can see, we had a nice site and everything worked well.

 Located nearby, is the very unique Museum of Osteology -- which is literally a boneyard! This is a fascinating place where the skeletons of all manner of creatures are displayed.

 Orinda was in her glory with the grandkids who really liked the museum -- and Grandma! To their right is a small glass display showing how the bones are cleaned for display. They actually use bugs that eat everything, right down to the bones.

 When you enter the museum, you are greeted by this amazing display of all kinds of skeletons, including whales, giraffes, rhinos, and many, many more.

 This killer whale is remarkable and is a swimming mode. It was interesting to see how these skeletons are put together and the museum does a great job in displaying them.

 This hippopotamus was huge, even in the bone view. We were impressed by the size of the skull and the other bone structures.

 This display of monkeys was very well done and showed the animals in all different poses. These displays are very challenging to create and must take many hours to prepare.

 Our son and his boy loved the place. Our grandson is about 3 and was full of questions about every animal and bone. This turned out to be a great place to visit for all ages.

 Orinda was impressed by this elephant skull -- it is almost the same size as she is! The tusks are several feet long and we would have hated to see one of these charging us in the wild!

 The museum also has a hands-on area where kids of all ages can handle the various bones. Our son was amazed at the jaw size of this alligator and it is easy to see why these animals can do some serious damage with these jaws!

Here's trouble! Our grandson, Caleb, wondered how he would look if he had horns like many animals. Fortunately, the museum had some you could try on and this made for a very happy 3 year old! Equally happily, we were able to leave the horn in the museum when we left, so every one was happy.

The "Bone Museum" is a great place to visit and offers some unique displays that are well worth the time.