The Tour, 2002, Part 4

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February 28, 2002

I awake about 7 A.M. and do input for about an hour or so, making progress there, trouble is, the TO DO list is growing and growing, I do believe it has taken on a life of its own!!!!!!  I am afraid to look at how many items are on the TO DO list.  Groan!!!

Breakfast, feed the dogs, pack up and get ready to head for Ft. Lauderdale.  Pull out at 11 A.M.  Head for Alligator Alley.  Yikes the toll is $4.50, sigh.  It is a boring ride, lots of bull rushes, some bird life, no gaters sighted.  We stop at a rest area and have lunch, so that we are not hungry trying to drive into Ft. Lauderdale.

Find the campground OK, we are in the middle of PEOPLE, town, buildings, traffic, ICK!  But it will serve the purpose for a couple of days.

More later---------

Drove around, getting a feel for the town, we were going to buy a good map, but decided no need, as I found Andrews Avenue where the nursing home is.  Drove up A1A, turned dark, but saw huge houses and huge boats.  One boat was probably 100 foot long, maybe more, we forget living in a state with so many inland lakes that they make boats that large!  They must carry a hefty price tag!!  After a couple of hours we stop to eat, prices are high, so we settle for a Wendy’s.  Back to the trailer, we wonder if we will be able to sleep due to the road noise.

March 1, 2002

Cool, a little muggy, clouds, a little sun, windy, real windy!  We did not sleep that well, all the trucks, traffic, NOISE, all night long.  Did the shower, breakfast, feed the dog stuff and then went in search of a phone to call the nursing home.  After a few minutes they bring Gramma to the phone and surprise her with the announcement that we will come see her in just a few minutes.  She promptly calls Eloise.  Gramma is sitting in her wheel chair in the doorway to her room waiting for us.

Eventually Eloise shows up at the nursing home and we decide to go out to lunch and to Lighthouse Pointe to see Gramma’s apartment.

The day passes quickly.

Gramma’s memory is very good, she speaks softly, making it difficult to hear her in the noisy nursing home.  She gets around pretty good with her walker and the wheel chair.  Her sight is very limited and her hearing is bad.  She still has a gorgeous head of hair, now totally white.  She is 96 years old., errrr, make that young.

March 2, 2002

Today is much warmer, muggy, still windy.  Sun, clouds, sun, clouds.

We go back to the nursing home to see Gramma again, Eloise does not come along.  We take some photos of Gramma.  We stay for about 4 hours, then say our farewells.

We have lunch, go to the beach for a few minutes, have an expresso.

Back to the trailer, process photos from the digital camera, do email, go to the community room to access the internet, feed the dogs, input for Carol, and the day ends.

Tomorrow we leave Ft. Lauderdale.

March 3, 2002

HOT, HUMID, we turn the air conditioner on at 8 AM, so we can shower, and pack in some comfort.  We on are the road by 10:30 or so, only going to Kennedy Space Center area, about 200 miles, give or take, so, we are in no huge hurry, laid back they call it.

About 11:30 to noon, we stop at a rest center for lunch and rest and to give the dogs a long walk.  Man is complaining that it is 87 degrees in the trailer while we eat.  Ahhhhhhh. 

We pull into our next camp at about 2:30.  It is a nice place, heated pool, and you can go in 24 - 7.  We set up and have a beer with the couple in the 5th wheel parked next to us, they are new to the world of Rving and are living in their rig.

After dinner, we take a walk around the park and have a lengthy discussion with the campground owner, very interesting, he owns this one, and one in Indiana, he will go north around May 15th.

They have an ice cream social, a HUGE scoop of ice cream for 50 cents.  Mmmmmm, good!  A couple sits down at our table and we discover they are from Farmington Hills, have a big motor home.  We sit and discuss “RV war stories” for about an hour.  We all have favorite stories.

Back at the trailer we feed the dogs, relax a little, open all the windows, Man watches a movie, I take a book and go read.  It is still muggy and warm, but not overbearing, but by morning?????

March 4, 2002

Brrr, by 5ish in the AM, it is getting cold, the windows get shut, the electric heater gets dug out of its storage spot and TURNED ON!!

By 7:30 AM, when I take the dogs out (I am dressed in shorts, first thing I could grab), and oh, my!!  It is real cool.

We make bacon and eggs, get dressed, now in tights, long pants, and a long sleeved top, we leave for the Space Center.  When we get there, it feels really cold and I put on my winter coat, and I am glad all day for the choice!  I wear my ear muffs while outside ALL day long.  Lordy, yesterday, I was cooking, today I am freezing!  I hear stories that the weather in Michigan is really horrible, snow storm??

The Space Center was interesting, but crowded.  Cost $26.00 per to get in the gates, we must go through security to get in, just like in the courthouses or airports.  We see two Imax movies, several other movies in visitor areas.  A space shuttle is on display and they have fixed it so you can walk inside it on two levels.  They take you via bus to an observation station about 1 mile away from the launch pads.  The lines were LONG, and slow, neither one of us enjoys the cattle episodes, but they must be endured.  In the most part, everyone is well behaved, but some still insist on smoking while in lines, and that is annoying. We watched in amazement as people would come into the Imax theaters and then jump over seats to get to the row in which they wish to sit.  The amazing part is that no one fell trying to “jump”.  We end the day with a visit to the souvenir store and break down and buy one piece of (as my friend Charlee calls them), “Shitty little things”, a small space shuttle on a stand, which we will add to the collection of shitty little stuff we have in the trailer in the “front room”.

An interesting day, but oh, man, oh man, do my knees ache.  Back to the trailer, sandwiches for dinner, and I have a Manhattan, hoping to dull the pain in my knees.

Tomorrow we move on, to St. Augustine.  We have reserved for 2 nights, but are considering extending for a few more.  We have heard you need two days to see the town, and then we will use a day or so to catch up on domestic chores and errands.  If we cannot extend, we will try to find another campground and stay for a few days.  Or something!

We have been on the road for 2 ½ weeks, have been on the run every day, or so it seems, either traveling or visiting.  We can hardly believe that much time has already slipped by.  WOW!