Welcome to our blog

People always ask why are you blogging. Well , for me it is simple. We are about to join the ranks of the “retired” and want to document our camping travels so that our friends and family can share these destination trips with us.

I like to focus on Destinations and plan the trip around those destinations. Before I started this blog we made a trip to Mackinaw Island in Michigan. That was a great trip and thoroughly planned to include everything along the way that I had an interest in. On one of the tours on Mackinaw Island the tour guide asked those of us on the bus where we were from and how long it took us to get there. People were from all over the country and reported that they had traveled 3, 4, 5, days. I reported that I was from Ga and that it took me two weeks! It was a straight shot up I-75 but there is so much to see in places like Lexington, Cincinnati , Detroit, Louisville, Nashville, Indianapolis, etc.

One thing I want to document and post is our Canasta competition. Cheryl and I play Canasta every evening. I would like to keep a log of each evening’s winner and proclaim the King or Queen of Canasta at the end of each Destination trip based on the log that we keep. If you see us on the road and want to play Canasta, give a shout.

Will my plans actually happen? Maybe, maybe not. A lot depends on how I manage to get past the obstacles that undoubtedly will present themselves. Right now I would really appreciate a new truck to pull my fifth wheel. And I would like to sell the old suburban and the old Lincoln. Oh, and by the way, it would help if I could actually retire. Right now I am still working . These are obstacles that have to be taken care of by May since I am well into planning our Great River Road destination trip.

Introduction

Cheryl is retired from teaching first grade in Georgia. I will soon be retired from working for my son’s telecom company. We have camped for 4 years and have sort of gotten the hang of it. We have done everything wrong at least once. Now we can enjoy some Destination trips that we hope will interest you too. I want to go places and do things that will interest people my age, and I am 75. So don’t expect mountain climbing trips or even snow skiing trips. Do expect to see pictures and video and blogs about destinations that you have read about all of your life and would like to see.

As we hit the road we plan to continue our Canasta routine. We play a “5000” round of Canasta every evening at home and plan to keep this up on the road also. Not sure if I’ll save the scorecards but will announce the winners in the blogs. I bought two hats, one for me and one for Cheryl to wear while we play. I like mine but she didn’t like hers. It messed her hair up! I threw hers in the trash and she hasn’t missed it. Maybe mine will bring me luck.

I don’t plan to tell you how to fix things because I don’t know how. I may give you some good advise on how to avoid breaking things and where to get them fixed if you do. I am driving a 2001 F350 Superduty Diesel Ford truck that my son handed down to his company fleet and then when they gave up on it it ended up being given to me. I spent a lot of money fixing it up and now realize that I will never be able to sell it or trade it and get my money back out of it. So I may be forced to keep it even if I do get a new truck. I love this old 7.3 motor. Ford had a winner with that motor. The truck runs great now. It should. Rebuilt motor( thanks to a garage in Sevierville), new torque converter( thanks to Jodi at Ellis Equipment in Ellijay), new a/c & new radiator & new transmission & new brakes( thanks to Randy Keeton Automotive) , new tool box, new interstate batteries, totally cleaned, reworked fuel system (thanks to Memphis Ford dealership).