Kansas City, Mo

We decided to leave very early on Friday morning.  VERY EARLY!!!  That's what you get when your married to a pilot that has gotten up practically every morning of his career in the middle of the night to go to work.  Up at 1:00 a.m. and on the road by 3:00.  Keith drove all the way to just south of St. Louis and then I was awake enough to drive for a couple of hours.  We stopped for gas and to run the Enclave for a few mins.  Because we tow the car behind us, it is recommended that you start it up at every fuel stop and let it run for a few mins.  This is to let the automatic transmission fluid flow through the transmission so as not to cause transmission damage to it when it's being towed.  We switched drivers again and Keith drove us the rest of the way to Kansas City. It's a good thing because I was exhausted.  I'm not sure why, but I think it had something to do with the fact that I have a job that has normal working hours and so going to bed at 11:00 and waking up at 1:00 isn't what I would call a good nights sleep.  We ended up traveling for exactly 12 hours and 535 miles.  That's not what we plan on doing when we go full time, but it's how we have to do it now when we only have two weeks vacation and our destination is 4 states away.   Four LARGE states away.
We like to call ahead to the campground we think we will be staying at to let them know we are coming and to see if they have a spot available.  After deciding on one called "Basswood Camp Resort" (it looked like a very nice place on their web sight) we were disappointed in finding out that they require a two night minimum stay.  So plan B. We had stayed at this place in Kansas City a couple years ago when we were headed to Mt. Rushmore called "Worlds of Fun Village."  It is one of those places right next to an amusement/water park.  Lots of fun things to do, especially if you're planning on staying there a couple of days or more.  We are only staying one night, but because we had stayed here before we will stay here tonight.

Roller coaster peeks thru the trees

The Aspire in her spot.

Tomorrow ( Saturday) we will continue on towards our destination.  Tonight we will sleep well.

Ready to hit the road

As I am finalizing the packing of the Aspire for our 2nd family vacation trip in it, I am asking myself "I wonder if this ever gets easier?"  It seem that no matter how much planning I do, I am still up at the last minute packing and getting ready to go.  For the past two weeks I prepared, planned and packed, but here I am at 9:30 p.m. with still a little bit to finish.  I will say that I had a lot of help from Emily. She pretty much kept everything organized and really helped put it away.  We went grocery shopping on Wednesday night, and the best part was being able to unload all the groceries right into the motorhome when we got home.  It's nice being able to do that.  Keith had the fridge running and already cooled down and he brought the motorhome up close to the house.  Today we all packed up the clothes we "think" we might need while we are gone.  I'm sure we over packed, but what the heck.  As a full time RV-er, I supposed you learn what you should and shouldn't get out.  If you're going to stay in one spot for a lengthly amount of time, I can see settling in and getting comfortable. But, if your just pulling in for the night, then there is no need to get everything out.  This will not be a trial for full timing.  I think it's going to be a couple of days on the road straight to Yellowstone and then we will be able to park it for the duration of the vacation.  While traveling we have to pack things that we know weather or not we will need to get to them while all the slides are in.  For instance, the road trip snacks.  If we put them in the hutch, then we won't be able to get to them because when the slide is in, it covers up the hutch.  So all the snacks are in the cupboard above the couch.  That works both ways too.  If I don't want a certain item to be consumed, I purposely put it where it can't be gotten into.
Tomorrow we start our adventure to Yellowstone National Park.  This will be about a 16 day trip there and back.  I'll keep you posted on how we are doing and what we are seeing.  We are taking our little Corgi mix dog, named Buddy with us.

Buddy  (Corgi mix)

We will also try to stay current in our travels on RVillage.  It's a web sight that is designed for RV-ers to meet other RV-ers.
rvillage.com
Who knows, maybe one day we will meet you on the road.

Our First Adventure in the Aspire

Our first trip in the Aspire was to Niagra Falls.  We had gone to Mt. Rushmore the year before but that was when we owned the Meridian.  That was our first trip in a motorhome as a family.  The year before that we went to Alaska, but we flew there and visited Keith's brother, Frank and his wife Jodie.
After that trip to Alaska was when we knew we wanted to get a motorhome.  Our lifetime dream is to drive the motorhome to Alaska.  We will definitely have to be retired when we take that trip. So, our first trip to Niagra.  How did we decided to go there?
 While at Mt. Rushmore, we rented a car and drove to Devils Tower, the laccolith or igneous intrusion (look it up, I did) that was in the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"

Devils Tower

The First U. S. National Monument
Devils Tower
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devils_Tower

We were pretty close to Yellowstone, and I thought it would be cool to go there too, but that would have to be another trip.  So we started talking about places to go next.  Since we were so close to Yellowstone we mentioned going there, but we didn't really want to go to or near the same place two years in a row so I mentioned going to Niagra Falls.  Keith said he always wanted to drive the Florida Keys.  Over the months after going to Mt. Rushmore, we needed to decide where to go and when.  After looking at all the options we decided Niagra would be our next trip.  We had just gotten back from North Carolina where we went to the NASCAR race in the Meridian (remember, that is where we saw the Entegra for the first time) and got the call that the Aspire was ready for us to pick up.  So we went to get it, brought it back home and started packing it up for our first trip.  Are we crazy?  Taking the huge new motorhome on such a long trip for the first time.  Not really knowing where everything is in it.  How will it drive, how will the electrical stuff work?  There's the sleeping arrangements to deal with.  In the Meridian, the dining area turns to a bed.  In the Aspire, it does not.  The pull out couch turns into a queen size bed, but I don't really see Emily and Joseph sharing that bed.  It's better than your typical mattress in a "hide-a-bed."  It has an air mattress that you inflate after you pull the "bed" part out.  So we got a nice air mattress for Joseph to sleep on.  There was just so much new stuff to learn about in the new motorhome.  That was another adventure in itself.  But then again, what better way to make sure everything works like it's supposed to.

We started our trip from Memphis and went to The Airforce Museum at Wright Patterson AFB.  It's in Dayton, Ohio.

After the museum it's off to Dearborn MI. home of Henry Ford Museum.  The Henry Ford Museum is in an enclosed building 9 acres long with 40 foot ceilings.  It's a great overview of how America has expanded and grown.  Here are a few pictures of things we saw there.

Chair President Lincoln was assassinated in

Bus Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat

limos of Presidents

Trevor Bayne's winning 2011 Daytona 500 car.
(you know I couldn't leave this picture out)

There are cars, planes, trains, machinery, and even furniture there.  After the museum, in the same location is Greenfield Village.  It's like stepping into a time machine, but going back in time.  

http://www.thehenryford.org/village/about.aspx

We saw an old time baseball game...

the homes of Noah Webster and Robert Frost 

And a replica of Thomas Edison's Menlo Park office and library.

chair Edison sat in to see how long his lightbulb would stay lit.

We even saw the Wright Bros. Cycle shop where they built the first powered flight aircraft.

                                      

Greenfield Village is like going back in time...

 Finally, Niagra Falls...

Were were all given a pair of sandals to wear (and so thankful for that as to not get our own shoes wet)

and ponchos to wear.  We got soaked and loved it...the falls were beautiful and I wouldn't mind going again some time. 

Maid of the Mist, we rode on that too

American and Canadian Falls

The Falls at night

All in all I would have to say that our first adventure in the Aspire was a huge success and I can't wait for many more.

                                     

A year ago...

Trying to get my family to become racing fans was all I wanted to accomplish in May of 2013.  School was out, it was Memorial Day Weekend and we had the Meridian.  So I convinced Keith that him and the kids really needed to go with me to Charlotte, N.C. and see the Coca-Cola 600.  Isn't that what is supposed to happen when you own a motorhome and you have a long weekend in which to take it somewhere?  So I made all the plans, got the camping sight reserved, bought the tickets and made a schedule for us to have a great weekend.  When we first got to Charlotte and could see the track I was barely able to contain my excitement.  Not sure what everyone else was thinking, but I wasn't seeing the same excitement in them that I had hoped for.
We get to the campground (or should I say area where they have you park your motorhome) and someone meets us and tells us to follow them in the golf cart they are driving and they will show us to our spot.  As we get near the assigned spot, I am noticing how close all the other motorhomes, 5th wheels, and travel trailers are parked.  This isn't looking like pictures I have seen.  Somehow or another we are able to pull into the spot, but I think that is just about all we are able to do.  How we got the slides out I'm still not sure.  They had us packed in there so tight that with our awning extended it almost touched the backside of the motorhome parked next to us.  We are actually boxed in.  So close that if we wanted to set out our lawn chairs our view would be of the drain hose from the motorhome beside us and their dog running all around inside their motorhome barking the entire time we were outside.  This is not how I planned it.  So we ended setting up "camp" and got comfortable inside.
I am eger to go to the track and finally everyone is ready to go too.  We are in walking distance to the track, and besides, we don't have a tow vehicle yet so anything we do will have to be in walking distance.  Tonight we will watch qualifying, and I upgraded our tickets so that we can watch it from up inside the clubhouse.

sitting in the clubhouse

Our view from inside the clubhouse

having dinner while watching qualifying

The next day we will go to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  We have to walk to the drag strip to meet up with the shuttle that will take us to the HOF.  While walking there we walk right by Tom Johnson Camping Center.  Seeing all the trailers and motorhomes parked outside gave Keith and I an idea of something to do, later.  Go look.  So off to the HOF we go.  On the way the driver says we are going to take a detour.  It wasn't on the schedule but he was sure we would enjoy it.  AND WE DID!  The next thing I know we are pulling in to the art gallery of Sam Bass.  Sam Bass is the first officially licensed artist of NASCAR.  Today Bobby Allison is a guest of Sam's and they will have a special one on one interview with each other at the art studio.  What a treat!!

Bobby Allison and Sam Bass

Bobby Allison

So about an hour later after hearing Bobby talk about how he got started in racing and story after story and learning about Sam and his artistry, we load up the shuttle and head to the HOF.  

NASCAR Hall of Fame

Standing on 33 degree banking "Talladega"

Joseph and the simulator

The Hall of Fame was a great place to learn of the history of NASCAR.  I could have stayed there all day, but besides my family ready to go, the shuttle wasn't going to wait on me.  So back to the drop off place and back to the motorhome.  The next morning the kids were sleeping in late so Keith and I decided to walk over to that Tom Johnson Camping Center to look at the motorhomes in their lot.  What better way to kill time than that?  Nothing was going on at the track, yet.  So off we went, "just to take a look."  As you  read in the previous blog "How we Acquired the Aspire" the rest is history.

Raceday finally arrives, or at least that is how my family looks at it, and it's time to go to the track.  I'm glad I got us tickets where we would be sitting under the upper deck so that there would be shade on us.  We are sitting there watching all that goes on before the race starts.  

in our seats

view from our seats looking across the track

the "flyover"

They have the introductions of drivers, the singing of the National Anthem and a salute to the troops.

Eagle

"Boogity Boogity Boogity"

start of the race

racing into the nighttime

Winner Winner 29 Kevin Harvick

It was a long race, the longest of the year but I think they had a good time.  Race fans?  That I'm not so sure of, but the one thing I do know is that they are MY FANS and they all love to see me get excited to go racing and what more can I ask for?  

So this all happened one year ago, May 24, 25th and 26, 2013.

Stone Mountain Easter Weekend 2014

Stone Mountain
One of the long weekend trips we recently went on was to Stone Mountain, GA.  We have an interesting story about Stone Mountain, sort of.  Several years ago, I'm talking like more than 16 because this was before the kids were born, we owned a 5th wheel trailer.  Keith and I went to Florida  for a vacation.  On the way back to TN we decided to stop at this campground we were near.  We pulled in, found our spot and got ready to relax.  We had two golden retrievers with us too.  Spencer and Roscoe.  They were the best dogs and loved to go with us.  Anyway, we wanted  to take the dogs for a walk a started up the road.  The next thing I know (remember this is more than 16 years ago) we see a large grassy area and a carving on the side of this mountain. The carving is of the Confederate Memorial of three leaders of the Civil War.  President Jefferson Davis, Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson sitting on their horses. How cool is this and what is it? I remember just walking around and finding out that not only is the carving there, but there is a train to ride around the mountain,  and at night there will be a laser light show.  What?  This we got to see.  So back to the trailer, get the lawn chairs, put up the dogs and find a spot on the grass.  We had no idea what we were about to see.  When it got dark, designs started showing up on the mountain made by laser lights and music started playing.  It was really cool.  While the  laser lights were making designs on the mountain songs like "Sweet Home Alabama", "Georgia On My Mind" sung by Ray Charles & "Dixie Land, An American Trilogy" by Elvis Presley.  Talk about goose bumps.  It was was of those moments where you were proud to be in the "land of cotton." I'm getting goose bumps now just writing about it.  If you want to you can probably see it on you tube.  There is one called Stone Mountain Park Laser show 2004-Elvis-Dixie that will show you what I am talking about.
So anyway, Easter weekend was approaching and were were getting the anxious to take the Aspire somewhere so I mention taking it to Stone Mountain so that the kids can see what we saw.  The light show and music were as I remembered but the grassy area was now protected by a fence and there were minimal areas to sit on.  That was one of the best parts I thought, sitting in that big grassy area with a lot of other people doing the same and watching the show of lights.  We still got to see it all and hear it all but we sat on chairs they provided sort of like on a porch area.  So here is our view from where were were sitting.

A close up of the carving

Emily and Joseph

a laser light picture

Fireworks too

The Aspire at Stone Mountain

It was a great family weekend that wasn't too far from home and another adventure in the Aspire.

On top of Stone Mountain