August 7, 8, 9,  2017

Day Four …. We drove over the Rainbow Bridge to Canada.  A note to anyone traveling over the border with a child that’s parents are not with them,  have the parents sign and have notarized a “Consent Letter to Allow Minor Child to Cross the U.S. Canadian Border”.  The Border Patrol Inspector thanked us for knowing to bring one.  I’m not sure if they would not have let my Grandson, whose parents were not with us, into Canada without it,  but I’m sure it would have been a huge  hassle.

We had reservations for the night at the

Courtyard Marriot   5950 Victoria Avenue   Niagra Falls, Ontario   Nice easy, safe walk to Clifton Street and the Falls.  The only “downfall” was it was an uphill trek back to the hotel.   Nice rooms, pool, staff ….  Once again a bit pricey,  but a little consolation, right now the U.S. Canadian exchange rate is in our favor.

We had wanted to spend one night on the Canadian side to hang out on Clifton Hill (aka “tourist trap heaven”),  view the nightly illumination of both the Bridal Veil and Horseshoe Falls, as well as,  the fireworks over the falls (Monday-Friday  10:00 p.m.)

We asked the Rep at the Courtyard Tourist Info for a “to do” recommendation with two 12 year old’s and a 9 yr old on Clifton Hill that wouldn’t kill our pocketbook.

Answer … Get Fun Passes  ($19.99 children 12 and under, $29.99 over 12)  A Fun Pass includes 6 Clifton Hill activities and 5  arcade tokens.  We bought three children and one  “over 12” passes.   We paid $9.99 extra for each adult to play Dinosaur Mini Golf and took turns doing the other activities (saved $40).

Beside your choice of Outdoor Dinosaur Mini Golf or Indoor Wizards Mini Golf the pass includes the Niagara Sky Wheel,  Zombie Attack,  Wild West Coaster (son-in-law),  Movieland Wax Museum (me) and Ghost Busters 3D (my daughter).  The fun Pass was a deal  and we all had a great time.   There are Haunted Houses on every corner.  I bit the pocketbook bullet and paid for my son-in-law and the two boys to go into one.  What the heck, we’re on vacation and the boys really wanted to.  All three of them loved it.   TIP … I could have saved $24 had I known  the Movieland Wax Museum had an “Enter If You Dare” doorway that was a walk through haunted house.

Next Stop … Toronto

August, 4, 5, 6,  10, 11   2017.
Day One ….    My 12 year old grandson, DJ and I were meeting my daughter and her family at the …

Four Mile Creek State Park Campground  1055 Lake Rd  Youngstown, N. y. 14174 ($29 a night, electric only)  I give this campground a four star rating for location to Niagara Falls, cleanliness, spacious sites, laundry facilities and very nice staff.  Bicycle riding is a activity highlight.  Nice flat, paved  roads.

… The “family” has a travel trailer and had a two week, mostly camping vacation planned.  DJ and I were meeting them only for a portion of their trip.

Our trip was approximated at 460 miles and 6 hours and 45 minutes.  I love the preciseness of technology, but am a realist and from past experience know the travel time is not accurate.

Six hours and 45 minutes had us stopping for the night at the …

Quality Inn and Suites,  8250 Park Rd,  Batavia, NY ($95 plus tax with a HotelCoupons.com coupon)…

I had picked up a coupon book at a service station on I 90.  One of the nice things about driving both the Massachusett’s Turnpike and I 90 is, there are plenty of service areas.  We were still at least an hour and a half from Niagara Falls U.S.

This Quality Inn has easy I 90 on and off access.  It has an on site restaurant, The Oasis, where a complimentary full breakfast was included in the room rate.  We also had dinner there.  The prices were reasonable and the food was o.k, two steps up from fast food.   A nice touch was, each table was served a complimentary  fresh baked, warm mini loaf of bread, with a side of cinnamon butter.   There is also an indoor water park adjacent to the Inn.  We had checked in close to it’s closing so didn’t check it out.  Entry was not included with the room ($12 pp weekdays/$20 pp weekends).

Day Two and Three…  We met the “family” at the campground, where I left my car for the next five days.  I had booked a room for two nights at the  …

Holiday Inn  114 Buffalo Ave, Niagara Falls, N.Y.  The room rate was no where as attractive as the campground, but it is in a great location, a nice safe easy walk to the attractions.  It also has a nice indoor heated pool.   Hotel rates in the Niagara Falls area are all over the place, based on season.  I booked on line through Bookit.com.   I’m not sure I got the best rate I could have, but we were very happy here.  The three kids stayed with me and my daughter and her husband traveled back and forth to the campground (15 minutes away).  The hotel has parking for guests $10.80 a day/night. I thought this was very tacky, considering the room rates, but most of the public lots were $20 a day.

Best Value and “to do’s” when traveling with two 12 year olds and one 9 year old on the U.S. side of Niagara Falls …

Niagara Falls Discovery Pass ($45 an adult, $34 ages 6-1, 5 and under free)

Includes entrance to  …

Cave of the Winds … TIP … do this first.  You get a poncho,  plastic bag for your footware  and a PAIR OF SANDALS.  Visiting the falls is all about getting wet.  The Cave of the Winds has you “covered”.

Maid of the Mist … this is a must do,  if it’s the only thing you do … it’s a classic and a “barrel” of laughs.  If you don’t like getting wet don’t go upstairs, or stand by a railing, but you’ll miss all the fun.

Niagara Adventure Theater …   If you watch the History channel,  you may have already seen the movie.  I hadn’t and I liked it!  The kids not so much. They did like the theater was air conditioned 🙂

Aquarium of Niagara  … We have been members of the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut for over 15 years.  The Aquarium here is 1/16 the size.  We did not have high expectations.  The sea lion show put the Mystic show to shame.  The entertainment value was 100%.  Mystic has a theater that seats hundreds and Niagara has standing room only.  I would chose the Niagara sea lion show over Mystic any day.  We almost missed the Rescue Harbor Seal exhibit.  It is the only outdoor exhibit and is tucked to the side of the entrance.  I could have spent the day here watching these very entertaining seals.

Niagara Gorge Discovery Center  … This activity got a few bad reviews on line.  It was not the highlight of the trip, but well worth checking out,  especially if you like history and engineering phenomena.  The elevator ride down to the gorge was very “cool”.  Look up as you exit to the gorge you might see a bat or two.  There is a rock climbing wall that was disappointing. only because two of our three kids did not weigh enough to climb.  There was  also a 15 minute video that if we hadn’t watched,  I would never have known that he first person to go over the falls in a barrel was a woman!

and a one day pass for unlimited rides on the Scenic Trolley Ride.

If you have passports a fun thing we did was walk across the Rainbow Bridge from the U.S. to Canada.  We had ice cream in Canada and then walked back to the U.S.  Nice Views!

Next Stop … Niagara Falls,  Canada

March 18 – 24, 2017

My 18 year old grandson, Rowan,  had asked me if we could go visit his Grandfather and Aunts in Boynton Beach, Florida (Palm County) for his  spring break from college.   Since retirement and becoming an RV-er,  air travel was moved to the bottom of my list of favorite ways to travel.  With only a week vacation, flying was the best option.
Rowan and I arrived at the airport at 12:30 p.m. for our 3:05 p.m. flight.   At the Delta check in kiosk we got a surprise.   It said we had missed our flight and to see an attendant.  The attendant said that our flight had been changed and we had missed our 12:55 p.m. flight.   She said I should have called Delta to confirm our flights.  Why?  I had printed out our itineraries and it clearly stated that no further confirmation was needed.  She made a phone call and vwallah!   There were seats available for us on the 3:45 p.m. flight.  She said it was a good thing that I had my “printed proof”.   There was so much wrong with this picture that I was seeing red,  but I decided to just take it in stride and move on.   We had seats.  We would be arriving two hours later than expected (our connecting flight had also changed), but we were good to go.  Dodged that one!
Nine and a half hours later we land in West Palm Beach.
Hurrah!  We were leaving Connecticut just in time to avoid a nor’easter!  Nice, perfect timing!   Ut! oh!  Our first night, I was awaken at 12:26 a.m. by a loud intermittent siren.   Then a voice warning me  “Tornado Alert! Tornado Alert!  Seek Shelter Now!”  My phone had come alive!  It was flashing, beeping and talking!    No basement!  Where do we go? I picked the Interior hallway with no windows.   I turned on my N. O. A. H. app and tracked the big red blob headed toward us.  Rowan slept through the whole thing.   Fortunately, it was just a scare.   The tornado dissipated.  We just had high winds and torrential down pours.  Phew  ???  Dodged another one!
First day, Grampa, gave Rowan a driving lesson on his standard shift Jeep that we would be borrowing for the week.  That afternoon Rowan, drove Grampa to the hospital emergency room at Bethesda Hospital East.  He had double incarcerated hernias that required emergency surgery.  Another glitch, but we just added hospital visits to our itinerary.  Good timing on both being there and Rowan knowing how to drive the Jeep.
Our fishing and kayaking plans were dropped from our list of to do’s,  because of colder and windier then expected weather.   We had booked on Miller Time Charters,  a local 6 passenger charter boat.  Next time!
We had not planned a lot of meals out.   Aunt Liz, is an awesome cook and would have been offended if we hadn’t let her cook for us.   We did have the opportunity, not once but twice to go to Steak and Shake for lunch.  We had never eaten there before.  The food is equivalent to a Friendly’s.  Except!  The shakes are ten times better, had a lot more flavor options, including “half and halfs”.   The price was unbelievable.  $3.69 and between 2-5 p.m. Is “Happy Hour” shakes are half price.
Rowan and I did get out and about and had lots of fun.
1.   Green Cay Nature Center (FREE)
12800 Hagan Ranch Road
      Boynton Beach, Florida 33437
561-966-7000
www.pbcparks.com/nature
There is an awesome mile and a half raised Boardwalk that is accessible even when the Nature Center is closed. 

There’s both sun and shade and several gazebos along the way to take a break and relax and enjoy the sights and sounds.

Call the Nature Center for tour times.  This was such a treat that we went back twice.  During our second visit, I spotted my favorite bird, the Roseate Spoonbill.  I was thrilled.  She was huge and flew right past us and did a gliding, semicircle swoop over the preserve.  It was breathtaking!
2.    A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge ($5.00 Parking)
10216 Lee Road
      Boynton Beach, Florida 33473
561-734-8303 (Visitor Center)
www.fws.gov/loxahatchee
Kayaking, biking, walking trails, fishing …  Don’t miss the 18 minute movie in the visitor center.  We saw the largest alligator ever by the fishing pier. 

      At one of the overlooks we watched an alligator eat two turtles.  The alligator was just swimming along very nonchalantly.  It seemed he was totally ignoring the two turtles that were gliding side by side about 20 feet away.  Very smoothly the alligator went into stealth mode and began to submerse.  In a flash he surfaced right behind the turtles and with one big splash and chomp,  they were lunch and dinner.  It may sound gross,  but it was amazing to watch.  From the sounds of the six or so spectators, you would have thought we just saw Evil Kenevil jump the Grand Canyon on his motor cycle.
3.      John Prince Park (FREE)
2700 6th Avenue South
Lake Worth, Florida
We biked the 4 1/2 miles of paved biking trail that goes approximately 3/4 of the way around the lake.  In order to do the full circle you have to bike on the street.  We opted to stay on the trail and biked  from the Outdoor Fitness Zone and back, which was a little under 9 miles.  Nine miles of fairly level pavement.  My kind of ride!

The birding and wildlife viewing was very good. 

      One of my favorite “spotting’s” was a turtle along the shore digging a nest to lay her eggs.  It was fascinating to watch.

There were a lot of homeless people in the park, sleeping on benches and just hanging around.   That was a bit uncomfortable.  At least they were warm and not battling the weather up north.  There is a Campground in the park but we didn’t check it out.
4.     Loxahatchee Everglades Airboat Ride / Tours ($$$)
15490 Loxahatchee Road
Parkland, Florida. 33076
800-683-5873
561-482-6107
www.evergladesairboattours.com
50 minutes $50 – 70 minutes $70 – 90 minutes $90
There are lots of airboat tour companies, but this one was recommended by some of the “locals”.

     Our guide was a little “pre-programmed” with his spiel,  but entertaining.  He did like to show off his air boat driving skills just enough to make the ride daring,  but not scary.   At one point he flew through a bunch of cat tails and green pollen flew everywhere, including all over the “tourists”.   We had a good group and they all laughed.   My favorite part of his presentation was when he pointed out a beautiful, purple in color, flowering plant and said he forgot what it was, but would appreciate it if anyone on the boat knew and would holler it’s name out.
We did not have reservations and had just shown up at 9:00 a.m.  We were lucky.  There were 6 seats available for the 9:30, 50 minute tour.  The rest of the day was sold out.  We had hoped to do a 70 minute tour,  but as it turned out 50 minutes was fine and saving $20 a person was nice.  We saw birds and alligators,  learned a little about the ecology system of he Everglades, the Circle of  Life and had a fun boat ride.  Couldn’t have asked for more.

     Oh! On a side note.   The morning was cold and windy and some of us had not arrived wearing enough layers.   The tour company had two coat racks full of outer ware that you could borrow.  Rowan chose a rain poncho,  he did not want to get wet.  I chose an all weather jacket with a hood.  Being warm certainly added to our enjoyment and I was sure they had each garment professionally cleaned between wearings 🙂

5.  John D. MacArthur Beach State Park ($5.00 parking)
10900 Jack Nicklaus Drive (A1A)
North Palm Beach, Florida. 33408
Ranger Station/ Office   561-624-6950
Nature Center. 561-624-6952
Florida State Parks.org
This is not my first trip to Mac Arthur Park.

It is on my list of Florida favorites.  I call it “a little bit of heaven”.   It’s  the only State Park in Palm County.  There is a one third mile boardwalk across Lake Worth Lagoon that takes you to the Beach. 

      There is a tram available from like 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. for those that  prefer not to walk.   I think this deters a lot of “sunbathers”.   Which means more peace and tranquility for those that make the trek. 

      The amenities are Florida State Park typical … Hiking,  Kayaking,  Fishing, Snorkeling … Check the park calendar for events such as, concerts and tours.  Another shining star for the Florida State Park Service.
6.    Manatee Lagoon (FREE)
6000 N. Flagler Drive
West Palm Beach, Florida.
561-626-2833
Visitmanateelagoon.com
This is a Eco-Discovery Center “edutainment” attraction.

     It’s a 10-15 minute drive from Mac Arthur Park and well worth the stop,  especially in the cooler winter months when the manatee are seeking warmer waters.   Check out the diverse calendar of events before you visit.  There are painting and yoga classes, programs and lectures, lots of family friendly exhibits.  The facility is on the shore of Lake Worth Lagoon.  There are two tiered decks for spotting. 

      We were lucky to see two manatee, romantically involved said a man with binoculars, during our mid March visit.  This is a natural habitat area so what you see is hit or miss.  The water was crystal clear and we also saw many barracuda.  It’s a great place for a picnic lunch.  There is a small snack bar that has drinks, candy, chips and ice cream bars.  The area is not restaurant friendly.
Our flight home was on American Airlines and went smoothly.  Our one stopover was Washington D.C..  I have not been to the Capital, yet and was thrilled to see the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial from the air as we landed.
It was a good trip.  A few bumps along the way, but it’s all pat of traveling 🙂

October 7 – 10, 2016.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport was not the HUB I was expecting.  It is really quite “doable”.   From the United airlines terminal,  it was a short walk to the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority).

The “Deal of the Day / Weekend”  … A  three day CTA pass for $20 … It is actually a 36 hour pass.  We purchased it at the airport on Friday afternoon when we arrived in Chicago and were still able to use it Monday morning to take the Blue Line back to O’Hare.  It works on all CTA trains and buses (we used both multiple times).  

I’ve rode the T in Boston, the Subway in New York City and now the CTA in Chicago, lucky me ??   Squeezing onto the standing room only train, with a backpack,  rolling luggage and camera bag was not easy.   It needed to be done quickly.  The train doors do NOT stay open long.  The terms shake, rattle and roll took on a new meaning.  There was no need for an announcement to hold on tight.  However, there was an announcement that no soliciting or gambling would be tolerated.  Public transportation can be very convenient,  but often leaves a lot to be desired.

   At the first stop a seat opened up and I was given the opportunity to sit next to Ron.  No, we did not introduce ourselves.  I found out Ron’s name when he yelled into his phone “Did someone from this number just call Ron?”  This was said while he was wiping dripping sweat from his forehead with a rag.  Ron was dressed in filthy, filthy, filthy red, white and blue parachute pants with a matching balloon sleeve top.  He had a satchel on his lap that was filled with about twenty Ziplock sandwich bags containing a variety of “meds”,  hand sanitizer’s, lotions and dust filter masks.  I had the opportunity to view this eclectic display as he was “feverishly” searching for his … FLOSS!   As he sat next to me flossing,  my thought was,  it would be nice if the CTA added no personal grooming, to the no soliciting or gambling announcement.

When Richie qualified for the Chicago Marathon and began searching for hotels, he was finding prices per night in the $300 and up range.  He started looking at Air B and B’s.  They are kind of the New Age B and B, like Uber is the the New Age Taxi service.  You can stay in someone’s home for a lot less than a hotel.  There’s an on line interview process and feedback is the deal maker or breaker.
When Richie asked me how I felt about trying an Air B and B,  I said  “why not”,  another adventure.   I imagined June Cleaver meeting us at the door with a pitcher of lemonade and fresh baked cookies.  We’d get to meet the “Beav” and maybe Eddie Haskell would stop by for a quick hello.   Not quite!  Our “Home away from Home”  for three nights was a bedroom,  one of three,  in a third floor walk up,  in a high rise.   There was a lock box to get our keys.  We were greeted at the door with post it notes,  starting with Please, take off your shoes.  No June, No Beav!  What was important,  it was neat,  clean and in a safe area.  South Miller Street is tucked between the UIC campus and Little Italy section.  It was a very short walk through the campus to the CTA Blue Line train.   It was a bit noisy on Friday and Saturday night,  because most of our neighbor’s seemed to be college students.   The host had provided a variety of “make your own” breakfast foods.  Sharing the kitchen and living area gave us the opportunity to meet some of the other guests.  Two of the other men were also running the marathon,  Richie enjoyed meeting and talking with them.  For a lot more reasons than just the $100 a night vs $300,  it was a good choice.

The first thing on our list of things to do was visit the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry,  Richie’s choice.

We were only going to have two full days in the City and most of our time spent would be marathon related,  so we both chose one thing that we really wanted to see or do.  The museum was a bit pricey.  The $18 (adult) admission did not include all of the exhibits, there were “add ons'”  that cost $12 per adult.

U – 505 Submarine  exhibit was free, but the On Board Tour was an additional $12 per adult.  We were both glad that we went for the full experience, it was fascinating and very informative.

Numbers in Nature … A Mirror Maze

A FREE ticket was required to enter this exhibit.  It was one that I would not have minded paying extra for.  We had such a good time navigating the maze that we did it twice.

We paid an additional $12 each fee for the Old Ben Coal Mine Tour.  The only thing that made me glad that we did the tour was our tour guide.  She was very animated and funny.

My choice of “to do’s”  was the FREE Public Art Loop.  There were over 21 pieces on the route.   Time and exhaustion did not allow us to see them all,  but we  enjoyed what we saw.  My favorites were the untitled Picasso sculpture,  Joan Miro’s Chicago and Agora,  a collection of over 100 headless sculptures meandering in Grant Park.  To finish the tour would be a reason to visit Chicago again.

untitled, Picasso

  Marathon morning started at 5:00 a.m.  Richie and I were parting ways at 6:00 a.m. close to the starting line.   Spectators were not allowed close to the start or finish lines,  security was very tight.   I was to make my way alone,  in the dark,  to mile marker one.   I was a little apprehensive.   I had two options, walk the mile or so or take the CTA red line.  I chose the train.  While waiting for it to arrive,  I  started a “marathon” conversation with two fellow spectators,  Linda (Mother) and Megan (Daughter), that I was standing near.  They invited me to join them for breakfast at mile marker one.   We found that their runner,  Mckayla and my Richie had a lot in common, running wise.  They both ran 8 minute miles and had planned to finish in approximately 3 hours and a half.   Linda invited me to join them on their spectator adventure.   Megan had downloaded the marathon spectator app.  She added Richie’s name,  so that we could follow both him and Mckayla along the route.  The information that the app provided was amazing.  It followed where they were,  their pace and running times.    Megan had us hopping on and off the train and weaving our way along the route, to spectator viewing areas.  We were able to see both runners five times.  You should have seen Richie’s face the first time he saw the three of us cheering him on 🙂   It was priceless!    Linda and Megan made my marathon adventure as good as it could get.   I met new friends,  got to enjoy the day worry free and best of all see Richie more times along the route then at any other marathons to date.  I now have a goal to learn to navigate like Megan 🙂

The Chinatown section of the race at mile marker 21 was my favorite.

Another great finish for Richie.  State number 24!

After a quick trip back to the Air B and B,  for showers,  we were headed to Gino’s East (500 N LaSalle St,)  home of the famous Chicago Style pizza.    Pricey, Pricey, Pricey, BUT Delicious, Delicious, Delicious.  A friend of mine told me it was the best place to get true authentic Chicago Style Pizza and  we were both glad that we went out of our way to get there.   We were warned by the waiter that it takes 45 minutes to an hour to bake the golden crust to perfection.  No problem, Sundays specials are $5 pints and free pub chips with each pint.

Another restaurant that we tried that deserves honorable mention is Chilango Mexican Street Food (1437  W Taylor St in Little Italy).  Best Empanada’s  we ever had and ditto for Richie on the Burrito’s.  They were also very reasonably priced.

     Monday morning came much to quickly.     It was time to head back to O’Hare.   After one last shake,  rattle and roll ride on the CTA Blue Line train, my first stop at the airport was the ladies room.    As I walked in I noticed a woman standing with one bare foot in a sink.  I believe she was “bathing”.   While I was in a stall she serenaded me with a beautiful rendition of the song “Africa”.   When I came out,  as she was washing the other foot and I was washing my hands,  she told me she was from Uganda.  I told her that if I was a Talent Scout,  this would have been her “Marilyn Monroe Moment”.   You never know when or where you are going to have the strangest or most interesting experiences 🙂

          This was a start to finish fun filled adventure.

August   2016
This past August,  my husband,  David passed away.   He was not ill.   We were working out in the yard and his heart just stopped.   In less than a week we were suppose to be on the road headed for the NHRA Nationals in Indy.   We had a fun filled two months of travel planned.   Until our roads meet again our travels will be from different directions.

Before David and I met we both had great passion for traveling.   Our sense of adventure was one of the things that brought us together.   Our RVing grew from my love of camping with our children and grandchildren and David’s love for me.   David always vowed that he did not like camping.  He did NOT go camping.  He would come to a campground and spend the day with us, but never the night.   One day after I had come back from a weekend camping trip with the kids,  David asked me,  “If I bought you an RV would you drive it ?”   I did not hesitate with my answer “Yes”.   What started out as a gift for me, turned out to be just one more thing that we enjoyed together.   One weekend trip to the drag races in the RV and David sold.  Although, he was not a camper.  He was an RV Traveler!

In our very short,  twelve years of together,  we’d seen more of our spectacular country than most people see in their lifetime.  I am very fortunate to have wonderful memories, that are giving me strength during this very, very difficult  journey.

RV-ing and traveling are still on my list of to do’s.

Next Adventure … Chicago, Illinois … My son, Richie will be running his 24th marathon and I will be there routing him on.

June 24, 25, 26, 2016

We are having a ball!  E T included!  We had a track side campsite (dry camping $300 for the event) reserved at Summit Motorsports in Norwalk, Ohio.  BUT … E T  likes  the Gotta Getaway RV Park  in nearby Bellevue, Ohio so we booked one night ($38 water and electric) there, before going to the track.

Above …Site # 18 at Gotta Getaway.   E T loves it here  because there are acres of mowed grass fields for her to run.

At Summit Motorsports Park we have been on a waiting list for one of their 120 track side camp sites (1 – 56 have electric hookups, the rest are dry camping).   We were offered site 118 this year.  For drag racing fans, you’ll understand,  our site is two sites away from the “kitty litter”.  This is where, when the parachutes or brakes on  the cars don’t work,  ALL the way at the END of the track, there is this huge area of gravel and sand (aka kitty litter).  We did a LOT of walking.   The nice thing is there are only two other sites that we are sandwiched between.  This is crazy, but the camper in site 119  also reserves site 120. Whats CRAZY is he reserves both sites for $300 each and only stayed for Friday and Saturday racing.  He left Sunday morning.  You don’t have to leave until Monday by noon.

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Our site #118

Friday racing didn’t end until after 11:00 p.m. with a spectacular fireworks extravaganza.  Ricky said it was the best he’s ever seen.   He also got to see Brittany Force (Monster Energy) and Richie Crampton (Lucas Oil) run the quickest side by side, 1,000 ft in 3.735 seconds,  in NHRA history.  Brittany ran 324.28 MPH topping Richie’s 323.22.  A treat for me was seeing the new “fuel injection” systems instituted by NHRA for the Pro
Stockers.   Check out the photo, with Greg Anderson in the slideshow.  I’ve heard the “blowers” described as elepant noses or giant vacuum cleaners.  What do you think?    Also, check out the Nostalgia Gassers.  Willys vs Anglia … David thinks he should build one and have Ricky drive it!  Also in the slideshow are photos of the NHRA Safety Safari.  These people do NOT get enough recognition for the work the do.  Our campsite, being at the end of the track, gave us a birds eye view of the Safety  Safari in action.  When a crash occurs they are the responders.   At all times, during the racing,  there are three members sitting in full fire suits waiting in preparation. This weekend this was in mid to upper 80’s temperatures.   Ricky, ET and I were sitting outside of the camper when one of the Pro Mod drivers crashed.  It was amazing to watch how organized and quickly the Safety Safari responded.

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One of our and now Ricky’s favorite Sunday morning events is the NHRA, Sealmaster sponsored Track Walk.  All fans are invited to walk the 1/4 mile and get to see and feel what the racers and cars experience.

Our other favorite, only here at Summit Motorsports Park,  is the pint of Ohio made,  Velvet  Ice Cream, for $1.  I hope Ricky doesn’t tell his parents that this is what we had for lunch, three days in a row.

Next Stop … Home!

June 20, 21, 22,  2016.
This is mine and David’s third trip to Mammoth Cave National Park.  When we were planning the trip with Ricky, I asked him if in between, the Tennessee and Ohio drag races would he like to go to Great Smoky Mountain National Park and bike the 11 mile Cade’s Cove Loop at sunrise or Mammoth Caves NP and explore the caves.  Without hesitation he chose the caves.  That was easy!

If you’re planning a trip to Mammoth Cave, here’s a few tips. The website is very deceiving.  The majority of camp sites at the Mammoth Cave Campground are on a first come basis.  The web site lists them all as “reserved” not “reservable”.  If you call Reserve America the operators will tell you there are none available.  When we arrived on Monday, there were dozens of sites available.  We got site #90, in my opinion, one of their best RV sites.  It is a large pull through, very shaded, very private and a short walk to the Visitors Center and amphitheater.  With A Senior or Access pass $10 a night, otherwise $20 a night (no hookups).  There are pay showers, laundry, water and dump station available.

This tip is for reserving cave tours.  Again the website may say a tour is full and may not be.  Call the Visitors Center to reserve.  Don’t wait until you arrive.  Popular tours do fill up.
Most important is read the tour descriptions carefully before booking.  There are degrees of difficulty listed for the tours … easy, moderate and strenuous … based on things like number of stairs, hills, tight passages, number of miles, on the lantern tours, kerosene smell.   David likes the lantern tours, so I booked him and Ricky two,  The Violet City  and the Star Chamber.   I had been on the Violet City and the Star Chamber was new so I passed on the Violet City.   Phew!  Lucky for me!  The Violet City had been upgraded to Strenuous.  The Star Chamber took it’s place in the Moderate category.  When David and Ricky came back from the Violet City Tour they thought I had set them up!  I had NOT.  I just booked without reading.  Sorry Guys!  They both have stories to tell about the “strenuous” parts and their tour guide that thought he was “Kentucky Jones”!  There was a lot of laughing and teasing about the experience.  But, I don’t think Davids calve muscles will ever forgive me.
Besides the two lantern tours we took the Historic and the Domes and Dripstone Tours.  All four tours are very diverse. 

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Other than the caves there are many hiking, biking and “tourist attractions’ in the area.  We have put kayaking on the Green River on our list of “next times”.   We were only here for two days and it was HOT (mid 90’s) and Humid.   The 54 degree temps in the caves were VERY welcoming 🙂

Next Stop … Norwalk,  Ohio

June 17, 18, 19 2016.
I’m calling this The Best of Both Worlds mini tour.  American Airlines flight 1950 to Charlotte then a quick connect to Tri Cities Airport in Tennessee, 18 miles from THUNDER VALLEY!  Best part … I’m with my 15 year old Grandson, Ricky.  This is not Ricky’s first drag racing experience.  He spent a day with us at the Mile High Nationals in Colorado last summer.  He’s in for a real treat.  On a scale of one to 10, 1 being the best, Thunder Valley is #1 and Mile High is #10.   Next weekend we’ll be at Summitt Motor Speedway in Norwalk, Ohio, which is my #2 favorite track.  Watch out Mom and Dad,  Ricky may be asking for a Top Fueler for Christmas!

David and ET drove down in the RV.  They arrived at Earhardt East Campground, at Bristol Motor Speedway ($150, full hook up, for the event) on Wednesday.  They left CT at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday and arrived at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.  David was a driving machine. 

      They spent the night at a Walmart that I’m going to forget that David even told me about.  In my opinion, Walmart overnights are at the bottom of the barrel.  They are one step up from a truck stop.  I am saying this from experience.  When we first started RVing I gave them both a try.  After staying at cream of the crop, State and National Parks and RV Resorts,  I’m NOT camping at a Walmart or Truck Stop unless it’s a last “resort”.

Ricky and I flew because, we could not miss his sister, Megan’s (Grand Graduate #1)  High School graduation.  You’d think Megan would be the one coming, but she chose going to the Florida Keys with us this past winter.  Sunshine and tropical fun vs Nitro and Noise, hmmmmm Both work for me!   I was a little worried that 15 year old Ricky would get bored during three days and over 20 hours of watching drags.  I was wrong to worry.  His favorite part was the eliminations.  He sat in the stands with my clipboard and bracket sheets keeping score.  Note to his Mom and Dad: There’s lots of Math involved in scoring and he’s having fun doing it 🙂

I have previous posts and photos,  to Bristol,  in the archives.  I will mention again, Steele Creek Park.  This is a beautiful park, eight miles from the track.  E T enjoyed her daily walks here and frolics in the creek.

My new Bristol find is the Red Rooster Market.  On the way home from the park one day with Ricky and E T we needed to stop for milk.  I spotted a sign for the Red Rooster Market.  Awesome!  I did not want to travel a couple of miles out of way to the only other place I knew to get milk, Food City.  Ricky waited in the car with E T while I ran in for MIlK.  Twenty minutes later I get back in the car with NO milk, but a huge bag of “goodies”.  The Red Rooster is not a Market, it is a Mom, Pop and Son run restaurant.   I won’t go into the details, but POP told me the entire history of the name and why it’s called a market and not a restaurant.  I also know the Son’s favorite race car drivers, where the family lives and their weekend plans.  Mom was no where to be seen. She is the cook.  My bag of “goodies” was a mix of homemade pot pies and sides.  A little pricy, but Mom is a very good cook!

This slideshow is especially for my friend Sylvia, that used to race at Lebanon Valley.  The cars are driven by my favorite drivers in all four classes.  It’s hard for me to have just one favorite in any one class.  There are just to many fabulous teams and drivers in the NHRA drag racing series to just pick one.

Pro Mod – Ricky Smith and Troy Coughlin

Pro Stock – Jason Line and Greg Anderson

Funny Car – Courtney Force and Tim Wilkerson

Top Fuel – Clay Millican and Richie Crampton

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David has been a bit disappointed with Florida gas prices, especially since we left Tallahassee. We left on a (3/9) Wednesday, back tracking to Top Sail Preserve State Park and headed back through on Sunday(3/13).
Both leaving and coming back we made a gas stop at the same station, I 10 Exit 192 Pilot/Flying J, Quincy, Fl.  Leaving we paid $1.73 per gallon for 40 gal.  Coming back (3/13) $1.86 per gallon for 5O gal ($93.58). It went up 13 cents a gallon in just a few days 🙁
For any diesel users out there, March 18, in Bradenton, Florida, both regular and diesel  were $1.99 a gallon.
Since arriving in Florida we are staying put a lot more and not needing to gas up as much.  We’re curious as snowbird season dwindles down if gas prices will drop a little.
March 21, Punta Gorda, Florida  50 gallons @ $2.03 per gal. $100.  Going up!
The gas prices have gone up instead of down. Prices are ranging from $2.09 – $2.29 in the Homestead/Miami/Keys area.
We were in the keys for almost a month. Staying put, no gas stops 🙂
April 19, Headed North we stop off I 95  Exit 131 (Port St Lucie) 50 gal @ $1.99 $100.  We don’t always fill up.  Most gas stations shut the pumps off at $100.
April 22,  HWY 17 in  Round O, S.C. $1.89 a gallon we take 65 gallons.  It’s nice having an 80 gallon tank.
April 23, Princeton / Kenly N.C.  We’re putting on miles and using gas like crazy.  We top off 30 gallons @ $1.96  $60.  Often when we top off like this it’s not because we need gas, it’s because we see a sign for a Flying J.  They have RV islands that are easy in and out.
April 24,  Winchester, Virginia I 81 Exit 323 Flying J, 52 gallons $1.93 gal.  $100.
Up, up, up and over the Shenandoah’s we go.  This is one of our favorite drives for the views, not the gas mileage 🙂
April 25, Bloomberg N.J.  I 78 Exit 7 Exxon $1.89 gal. 46 gal.  $88.00. There are three gas stations here, Pilot $1.86 gal Exxon $1.89 Citgo $1.93.  The Exxon (far right lane, closest to Burger King) is easiest in and out with an RV.
This should be it for gas for this trip.  We have less than 250 miles home 🙂