Yellow Springs, OH Sept. 5 –7, 2014: Yoga and community spirit out of our Advanced RV

September 5 – 7, 2014 Yellow Springs, OH, Yoga Workshop out of our Advanced RV

Friday, September 5, 2014:  Dry-camping in Yellow Springs parking lot

Mike and I depart from home at 1:00PM for the 3-½ hour drive to Yellow Springs, OH, just east of Dayton, OH, where we are participating in a weekend yoga retreat.  It is 89 degrees F, humid and sunny.  We are driving the Advanced RV model called Pebbles, built on an arctic white standard length Mercedes Benz Sprinter chassis, with a contemporary, light interior warmed by brown leather/cream suede twin beds.  This interior, a weekend away and finally being on the road energize me.  After a half hour, I take over the driving.  We enjoy the Coffee House channel on Satellite radio, which creates a good vibe for what we’ve heard is the hippie-throw back town of Yellow Springs.

We arrive in this funky village at 4:30PM. First, we find the Bryan Community Center, where the yoga workshop will be.  There is a huge parking lot, the Police Department is in the building and the center’s bathrooms are open 24 hours, so Mike suggests dry camping right here.  Maybe, but I have made reservations at John Bryan State Park, two miles away, but since we were only able to get a non-electric site, we’d be dry camping anyway.  But, I’m picturing a lush, green, quiet park so I am not yet convinced to stay in a parking lot in town.  We park on Dayton St., in front of a Laundromat where two older guys, one with a foot-long white beard, are chatting on a bench.  We walk past small shops and eateries, and stop in a bike shop for a look.  On Xenia Ave., the next leg of the triangle which forms the town, we find the tiny Sunrise Café, where we have an early dinner, enjoying fresh wheat/rosemary rolls, garlic and rum sautéed flaming shrimp, and veggetti and beetballs (spaghetti squash topped with vegetarian meatballs).  All was delicious.  Mike admired the booths and trim all made of walnut.   

We get back to the Community Center at 6PM for the 6:30 session and get the last few spots for our yoga mats.  Everyone else apparently knew to get here early.  There are 106 participants on mats lined up on the gym floor, facing a stage to participate in this workshop with Erich Schiffmann, teaching the Essentials of Freedom Style Yoga.  At 8:30PM, after this first session ends, Mike talks to the police dispatcher who assures me that it is fine to camp in the parking lot.  We save a trip in the dark to the State Park and go explore the town at night on foot.  At Emporium Wines/Underdog Café on Xenia Ave, we find a wine tasting and a young band doing 60’s covers interspersed with their originals.  It is a small, age-diverse crowd, with some people sitting at the few tables, some standing like us among cases of wine, and a few dancing in front of the band.  Everyone is friendly and laid back. 

We pull the curtains on our camper, crank up the fan and fall asleep, grateful that it had cooled off enough that we did not need the AC.

Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014:  It Takes a Village, Yellow Springs, OH

About 7AM we are awakened by people getting ready to bike the Little Miami Scenic Trail, which passes right behind our camper on its 19-mile route between Xenia and Springfield.  In the parking lot we meet another yoga participant and walk up the short hill into town in search of breakfast.  Down S. Walnut St. we discover a large farmer’s market with produce, flowers and fresh bakery.  A local woman, loading her purchases into her bike basket, recommends the bakery stand in the corner for ciabatta bread and almond croissants, which she warns us, sell out quickly.  The first bakery stand we come to is not the one, but when I point out to Mike the wheat/rosemary bread we had last night, this baker says he makes all the bread for the Sunrise Café.  We buy a loaf.  At the Blue Oven stand the almond croissants are gone, but we buy a ciabatta bread.  The houses on this street are old wood-framed, probably pre-Civil War, but painted well with pretty yards and flower gardens.  Back on Xenia Ave., there is a very old log cabin that houses Ye Olde Trail Tavern.  For breakfast, we sit outside at the Underdog Café, where Mike and I share a good breakfast burrito. 

After the first yoga session, which is excellent, we eat lunch out of our camper at a picnic table under the trees.  This Community Center is well used.  The Police Department is inside, there is a game room where last night we saw a young mother and several kids hanging out, and the large gym is usually open for sports.  After our picnic lunch we walk up into town for a coffee and bump into another yoga student at the Spirited Goat Coffee House.  Their cookies are made by the first baker we met this morning.  The owner invites us to come back tonight to hear a local 13-year-old girl he has invited to sing for Saturday’s live music.  A community, “it takes a village” spirit pervades this place.

In the afternoon session, Mike asks Erich Schiffmann a question.  Erich first responds that we have a cool van, which he had seen outside. Later that afternoon, while we are relaxing at the picnic table, one of the yoga students asks to see our van.  I give her a tour as she takes pictures for her boyfriend, an architect, who she is sure will love our clean design.  Then, she tells me that a good friend of hers, Jen Kogan, was meeting people from an RV company in Cleveland to discuss an RV rental business.  That was us at Advanced RV and our good collaborator from California!

That evening we meet Tina, our yoga teacher from Willoughby, her husband Greg and another yoga student from Cleveland at the Winds Wine Cellar on Xenia Ave. for a wine tasting.  We then move next door to The Winds Cafe for dinner.  While waiting for our table, we nod to Dave Chappelle who is picking up take-out.  He gives us a friendly, “How you all doing?”  He grew up in Yellow Springs where his father was a professor at Antioch College and now he lives here with his three kids.  We have a delicious mostly vegetarian dinner, surrounded by tables filled with other happy yoga participants.  I am touched again by the feeling of community. 

Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014:  Dumping, good-bye and plans to return to Yellow Springs, OH

First thing, while it is still dark we drive the foggy road to John Bryan State Park to use the dump station.  Although it appeared that we were dumping illegally under cover of early dawn, we had paid for two nights camping, which we didn’t use. The park is open and natural, with green, gentle hills.  It is mostly tent camping, with lots of bicycles, and no large campers. We have our last breakfast back at the Underdog Café, happy to find Tina and Greg already there. When the session is over, we are sorry to say good-bye to Erich, the organizers Patricia and Andrew, and the other students. Mike and I make a quick exit, but stop to see the field of sunflowers just north of town on the west side of Rt. 68.  Mike has a new camera and is experimenting with black and white shots.  Unfortunately, he later learned that he could not convert black and white to color, so please imagine yellow sunflowers.   Already, we are talking about returning next year for this yoga workshop.  Whenever we are near this area, we will plan to stop in Yellow Springs for a bike ride on the Little Miami Scenic Bike Trail, a hike at Glen Helen Nature Preserve, or at least a good meal in town.

Good endings

After showers at the campground, we leave at 8:45AM.  It is cloudy, cool and grey.  Today, like the horse to the barn, we’ll run to home.  We’ve enjoyed this latest Advanced RV model.  Still, from this 5,000-mile, 18-day and 12-night (including 3 off-the-grid) trip, plus countless conversations with other RV users, we’ll return with a list of ideas for improvements on this and future Advanced RV Sprinter motorhomes.  We stop to see a covered bridge in Greenup, IL but pass up Abraham Lincoln’s Log Home that is 20 miles out of the way.  We stop for breakfast and later a quick lunch but push to Cleveland.  About 7PM, just a few miles from home, we stop for a quick dinner at our local Middle Eastern restaurant.   In the parking lot, a couple comes over to ask about our RV.  This happens a lot, but this couple was serious.  We spend about a half-hour with them, exchanged contact information and inviting them for a visit to Advanced RV, not far from where they live.  After this long trip out west and back, here is a potential client so close to home!  Into the restaurant, I take the book I have been reading aloud to Mike when he drives – “Transatlantic” by Colum McCann – so we can finish the last few pages.   Over a glass of wine, we savor the ending of both a great book and a great trip.   

Sleeping in Peace Among Trucks

Although the trucks idled and moved in and out all night, we slept soundly for 9 hours.  This whole trip we have heard stories from other RVer’s about their RV beds:  too small, too many gaps and ridges, and too hard to set up and take down. Many carry a foam pad to make the RV bed more comfortable. They complain that they wrestle with sleeping bags because the bed can’t be made up with sheets.  Some stay in motels for a good night’s sleep.  We appreciate that our Advanced RV bed converts from a sofa bed to a queen size-plus with the press of a button; it is perfectly comfortable with just a king size fitted sheet– no extra padding needed – and a down duvet; and the coach is sound and light proof.  As Mike likes to joke, I would choose to move to a hotel only if it was 5-star and free!  At the McDonald’s at the rest stop, we eat our first Egg McMuffins in years. I drive for the first 3 hours while Mike does emails and phone calls.  For a break we walk around the campus of the University of Missouri at Rolla.  On through St. Louis we drive, picking up I-70 east into Illinois.  About 60 miles past St. Louis, at 7:30PM, we pull into the Okaw Valley Campground.  Immediately, we recognize that this must be a former KOA, but the A-frame office needs paint and the whole place has slipped into near ruin.  Old, dilapidated permanent campers ring the pretty lake.  But, the young woman who checks us in is welcoming and the bathrooms are clean and bright.  We walk through the campground and around the lake and Mike talks about what he would do to bring this place back.  We hope the young couple running it now can do it.   We microwave the last of the soup from home, read a bit and go to bed.  

More friends and family in OKC

We push over to Oklahoma City to meet friends and Advanced RV owners for lunch at Toby Keith’s restaurant in Bricktown.  We enjoy their company and her latest paintings that she is delivering to a local art gallery.  We show them the newest Advanced RV model and they share their ideas for future designs.  From there, we hurry north to meet another couple who are traveling back to Phoenix in their new LTV Class B+.  We look at each other’s motorhomes and share travel experiences.  With them, we take a quick tour of the National Cowboy Museum, especially the Walter Ufer Exhibition. We regret not having more time, but hurry off to pick up our son just south in Norman, OK.  With him, we walk the campus of the University of Oklahoma, where the red bud, tulips, and daffodils are opening.  For dinner, we meet our son’s business partners at the Ranch Steakhouse in OKC for the best steak dinners we’ve ever had.  The company, food and service were outstanding.   After dinner, Mike drives I-44 east about an hour.  Midway between OKC and Tulsa, we pull off at a turnpike rest area where we park in a line of at least 50 tractor-trailers, with drivers sleeping and engines idling.  We pull the curtains, make the bed and are asleep in 10 minutes.

Billy the Kid Country

Deciding to stick to state roads, we push northeast on Rt. 70, through the mountains and lush valleys, leaving the jagged Guadalupe Mountains behind. We stop in Ruidoso at the Billy the Kid National Scenic Byway Interpretive Center and view their displays, but decide to forego the half-hour trip back up to Lincoln for the actual walking tour.  The sky and horizon open up as we cross into Texas, where we pick up Rt. 60 into Amarillo. We take I-40 into Elk City, OK, where we stop at the KOA after an 11-hour driving day.  We take a short walk from the campground to a lake.  We watch the movie “Nebraska” – very good – and turn in early.  

Tucson, Mesilla and Why We Travel

We check out of the Courtyard Marriott in Scottsdale and happily set off south in our Advanced RV.  We meet friends in Tucson for brunch.  Our friends’ house is perched on a hillside with easy access to hiking and biking trails.  We enjoy their desert garden and spectacular views.  We head west on I-10, arriving in Las Cruces, NM about 5PM.  We check into Hacienda RV Park, a welcoming place with an office, laundry and bathhouse in a clean, southwest adobe building.  For dinner we head to Historic Old Mesilla on our Tucson friends’ recommendation.  We park our Advanced RV on the central plaza bordered by with low adobe buildings and a large Catholic church. At one corner is the small adobe courthouse where Billy the Kid was tried and sentenced to hang in 1881, history that confirms we are in the old, wild southwest.  We are pulled across the plaza by the sound of live music in an open-air bar.  We join a small, diverse group, listening and singing along with an eclectic rock band with an amazing singer. We enjoy margaritas and the last few songs of their Sunday evening set.  We find Double Eagle Restaurant and Peppers Café in the oldest structure on the historic plaza, dating to the late 1840’s.  This former home to a series of Mesilla’s prominent families is now decorated with turn of the century crystal, art and antiques, with the pressed tin ceilings preserved.  We eat at Peppers Café, a former open courtyard, now called Billy the Kid Patio, where I enjoy my shrimp stuffed rellenos and Mike likes his bacon/ham beans and tortilla soup.  This is why we travel:  unexpected delights in out-of-the-way places.  

Musical Instrument Museum, hiking among saguaros

At 8:15AM, our group convenes at the Musical Instrument Museum, where we get a private tour of “the most extraordinary museum you’ll ever hear.”  The building, just four years old, is bright, open and graceful, done in desert colors. In the Experience Gallery, we, along with a group of school kids, bang the drums, play the harps and strum the guitars.  In the Artist Gallery, we cannot pull ourselves away from the piano on which John Lennon wrote, “Imagine.” We get goose bumps watching the video of people around the world singing the song.  We spend the rest of our time enjoying the videos in the North America room.  The next visit, we’ll have to experience the rooms of artists, instruments and cultures from around the rest of the world.  We have ceviche salads at the museum’s Café, where they serve a wide range of international foods.  We drive up to Desert Mountain for a guided 3-hour hike, enjoying the vistas, saguaros and desert flowers.  We eat dinner on Desert Mountain, where we view the sunset and the deepening colors of the evening.  

Hot air ballooning, Old Town Scottsdale and the Desert Botanical Gardens

We are in Scottsdale for a meeting organized by a business group Mike has belonged to for over 20 years.  Hot air ballooning is the first of many activities they have organized for the weekend.  About 5:45AM, as our ballooning group convenes, we open our doors to several people who want to see our off-the-grid Advanced RV.   Clear skies and a light wind make a perfect morning for ballooning.  The crew inflates the colorful balloons and we tightly pack ourselves into the baskets.  Off we glide over Deer Valley, gently climbing to 7500 feet for panoramic views of the desert and surrounding mountains.  Later, Mike and I check into the Marriott Courtyard where the business group is staying.  The room is fine, but we appreciate how carefree our RV life is, without the packing, schlepping, and unpacking of hotel stays.  We go to Old Town Scottsdale for lunch at the Mission Restaurant and walk through the Old Adobe Mission next door.  Built of adobe brick by hand by the Mexicans who settled in Scottsdale in the late 1910’s, this peaceful mission is the first Catholic parish and oldest standing church in Scottsdale.  Next, we tour the Desert Botanical Gardens, where we Midwesterners learn to appreciate the unique beauty of the plants of the southwest.  As an added delight, there is a Dale Chihuly installation of glass art throughout.  For dinner, we go to the lovely winter home of a member of our business group.

Dry camping at the airport

We leisurely depart from the guest Casita.  It is still cold with snow on the ground.  We drive down to Scottsdale and meet potential clients who drove from southern California to see an Advanced RV.  A fun couple, who want to pull a boat and barbeque when they camp, they had done a lot of research and had a long list of questions.  We meet friends for dinner in north Scottsdale and then drive out to Deer Valley Airport to dry camp before our 6AM hot air balloon ride.  Mike calls airport security to let them know we are parking here and sleeping overnight.  

More Red Rock Country

In the morning, Mike and I have breakfast in the motorhome and catch up on emails and blogging.  We are comfortable in the Advanced RV, with its spacious and elegant interior, like a cozy home.  Right out of the campground, we drive less than a mile drive up Snebley Rd. and park at the head of Mund’s Trail.  We take a one-hour hike, enjoying the silence, the blue sky and more red rock vistas.   Back in the motorhome, we stop for groceries and then head south on 89A to Jerome, AZ.  We cross a valley, then start winding around Mingus Mountain, climbing steeply on a two-lane road, with gorgeous overlooks.  Even with this Sprinter 4-cylinder engine, Mike easily stays with the traffic on the uphill, and on the downhill, hardly uses the brakes as he smoothly down and upshifts for changing grades and hairpin turns.    Finally, we reach Jerome, an old copper mining town, now trendy arts center, literally hanging on the edge of the slopes near the peak.   At 7,000 feet it starts to snow.  The snow continues as we descend to Prescott, where we are staying with Mike’s cousin and his wife.  

Vortex, Hiking and Collapsible Bikes

Peter and Bev come over early to look at the 2014 Advanced RV motorhome and then they take us on a hike called “Airport Trail.”  We start at a vortex on a hill where the wind is fierce and then take the 2- hour hike around a flat-topped mountain with a small airport on top.  The views are spectacular. They take us back to their gorgeous mountainside home, with a panoramic view of the valley and mountains, where we enjoy cold beers.  They show us their Brompton bikes, which collapse into carryon/stowable bags and then magically transform with a few twists and turns, into comfortable, full size bikes.  We thoroughly enjoy our time with them, talking about RV travels and lifestyle, past and future.  After a rest in our motorhome, we walk the tourist strip in downtown Sedona.  In the evening, we walk ten minutes to Tlaquepaque, a little shopping area in the Mexican style, and enjoy margaritas and dinner at El Rincon.  We are proud to have walked 10 miles today. 

Sedona, AZ

This morning, after our long drive last night into the wind and dust, we move slowly.  I do laundry and Mike catches up on e-mail.  All trip, as we use this newest Advanced RV, we note opportunities for improvement and share them with our designers and craftsmen back at the shop. About noon, we head for Sedona, switch-backing along Oak Creek Canyon Drive and arriving at Rancho Sedona Campground mid-afternoon.  This campground is one of our favorites, set in the valley along a branch of Oak Creek, amid the cottonwoods and sycamores, just a short walk uphill to downtown Sedona.  Lilacs and irises are in bloom. Potential clients, Peter and Bev, who live here, meet us at the campground and drive us to the Village of Oak Creek where we have a delicious dinner at Cucina Rustica, decorated in a beautiful melding of southwest and Tuscan styles, with a ceiling that looks like the western sky.  

Old West, Moab, UT

We are up and out early for the short drive down to Moab.  We eat breakfast at the Jailhouse Café, in a converted – yup – jail and courthouse.  We feel that we are in the Old West, especially after seeing a cowboy ride his horse down the main street.  We rent mountain bikes at Chili Pepper Bike Shop, load them into the back of the Advanced RV Sprinter and head back up Rt. 191, north of Arches National Park, to the trails at Moab Brands.  We take the Bar-M loop and add Rusty Spur for an exhilarating 10-mile ride over rocks, hills and prairie.  The home stretch is tough, with a stiff headwind and red dust blowing in our faces.  As we drive south on Rt. 191, Mike holds our Sprinter RV steady in winds gusting maybe to 50 – 60 mph. The wind and dust continue as we take scenic Rt. 163 through Monument Valley into Arizona.  We keep going all the way to Flagstaff, stopping at the KOA there about 10PM.  

Hiking Fisher Towers

Mid-morning, Mike and I regretfully leave the amazing hospitality of Steve and Paulette and head west on I-70, then south on I-128, the scenic drive to Moab, UT.  The views of mountains, red-rock cliffs and prairie are spectacular.  Mid-afternoon, as we marvel at the thin, tall rock spikes to the east, Mike suddenly turns off at a sign indicating Fisher Towers.  We drive about two miles out a primitive road and stop at a crowded parking lot.  We put on hiking shoes and head up the trail for what is designated a 4-mile hike, averaging about 3 hours, out and back.   The narrow path, over ledges and rocks, is dotted with spring flowers in red, yellow and purple, and low, wind-whipped bristle cone pines.  Two groups of rock climbers are scaling the thin red rock needles.  We rest while chatting with a family from Boulder and then a group of teachers from Pittsburgh.  When we return to the camper, we decide to spend the night right there, parked next to three young scruffy rock climbers.  The girl and one guy, married, are physicists and the other guy is a music teacher, all who live to climb.  I fix us a large salad; we read a while and then turn in early, grateful that we can stop where and when we want in our dry camping EcOasis Advanced RV Sprinter motorhome.

Mountain living

From Niwot we follow Steve and Paulette to Copper Mountain where we are to meet clients at noon.  We did not anticipate the wind, snow and Friday traffic causing delays at the Eisenhower Tunnel as the Denver folks headed to the ski areas for the weekend.  The Advanced RV Sprinter handles the drive well.  After a short visit at Mike and Charlotte’s warm and welcoming mountain home, we enjoy a late lunch at the Copper Mountain ski lodge.  From there, we go on to meet other potential customers, Joe and Leila, at their home in Avon.  These mountain homes are an inspiration to us Midwesterners!   The four of us then meet Steve and Paulette for dinner at Vista at Arrowhead, where we enjoy the pianist who is a friend of Joe’s.  We stay the night at Steve and Paulette’s beautiful home in Arrowhead.  

Buffalo Bill

Today, we head to Golden, CO with Steve driving our Advanced RV to test out the 2014 Sprinter 4-cylinder engine, 7-speed transmission and the VB air suspension.  It was 20-minutes into the trip before he realized that he was driving a 4-cylinder, not a 6.  We give it a good test going up Lookout Mountain Road to the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave.  The road is steep and narrow, with a series of 180-degree switchbacks and scary drop-offs.  Steve was impressed with the handling of the 2014 with air suspension and Mike and I were comfortable belted into the rear sofa bed.  At the top we could see the panorama of the Great Plains and the Rockies.  The Museum was well done, illustrating the life and times of William F. Cody and the Old West.  The original posters from his Wild West show were gorgeous. Potential clients, Dale and Mary Beth, welcome us to their beautiful home in Parker, CO, overlooking the desert and mountains.  They have had multiple off road vehicles and currently own a Class B motorhome.  We learned a lot from them about off-roading and adventurous touring.  At the airport restaurant nearby, the six of us enjoy dinner and sharing more travel stories. 

Boulder, CO

About 7:30AM, Mike and I enjoy a walk on a trail behind the development where our friends live.  In this huge open, rolling meadow, we see prairie dogs, rabbits and lots of people out running with their dogs.  The Flatirons Mountain and Long Mountain are visible to the west.  Later, as Steve and Paulette show us around the area, we pass the Crocs headquarters in Niwot, take a tour of the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory in Boulder, and then visit Leanin’ Tree Museum of Western Art.  This museum, with its outdoor bronze sculpture garden, is a small gem.  We have a delicious lunch of French Onion soup and grilled paninis at Cheese Importers, a funky, colorful French bistro, recently relocated in an old powerhouse in Longmont.  Late in the afternoon, Steve and Paulette take us to downtown Boulder. We drive around Colorado Chautauqua and marvel at the number of people hiking in Chautauqua Park.  We walk Pearl Street, buy some warm jackets on sale at GoLite, and duck into The Chop House for dinner.  We feel fortunate to have Steve and Paulette as our personal, local guides.  

You’re not in Kansas anymore

It went down to 28 degrees last night, but again we stayed comfortable in our 2014 Sprinter motorhome.  We are on the road at 8:30AM under cloudy skies.  The signs along the highway entertain us:  “See the largest prairie dog in the world;” “See live rattlesnakes;” “Pet the baby pig.” We are seeing some green shoots and finally whole fields of green, maybe winter wheat.  The barns painted red give the somber landscape some color.   As we cross into Colorado, we pass more wind turbines.  At first Colorado looks just like the flat, tan Kansas landscape, but gradually it gets hilly, with more green fields.  It is sunny, 45 degrees and windy.   We get a warning “Check Diesel Exhaust Fluid.”  At the next truck stop Mike buys DEF and refills it.  He says it is easier than refilling windshield washer fluid.  We continue on I-70 toward Denver, finally seeing the snow-capped mountains in the distance.  We take E-470 around Denver, arriving at the home of our friends, Steve and Paulette, north of Boulder about 4PM.  We go out to dinner at a cute place in Niwot.  

Tumbleweeds

It is 19 degrees this morning, with a frost over everything.  We stayed warm and slept well.  Chris in Advanced RV upholstery designed a heavy drape for the front of the van that hooks above the side and front windows and hangs to the floor.  With that insulation, plus a cover he made for the ceiling vent and the wool curtains, we were cozy.   At 7:15AM we are on the road, after coffee, oranges, and hard-boiled eggs.  It is sunny, but stays below freezing with a stiff wind blowing tumbleweeds across the highway. At Hereford’s near Kansas City, we have delicious steakburgers with our friends Jim and Linda.  As we continue west, we are pelted with snow and freezing rain for a few hours. Late in the PM, we pass wind turbines on every hillside as far as we can see, maybe of thousand of them, all spinning slowly.  In Russell, KS, just off the highway between Salina and Hays, we camp at an RV park full of construction workers and welders.  We take a long walk and discover horses, pigs, goats, llamas, donkeys, chickens, and dogs along the way.

Heading West

From Cleveland, at 12:30PM we pull out in Mzungu, a 2014 Advanced RV Sprinter motor home with a 4-cylinder engine, 7-speed transmission, VB air suspension and a roof full of low profile, high efficiency solar panels.  We are heading for Arizona, with several scheduled stops in between.  It is 26 degrees F, with snow flurries.  No spring here yet.  Out of Columbus, OH, as we head west on I-70, some sunshine breaks through the scattered clouds and the empty, straw-colored, cut fields lay flat with the remnants of last fall’s hay and grains.  I drive for three hours, enjoying the quiet after the hectic effort of getting ready to hit the road.  Mike catches up on emails.  In Terre Haute at El Camino Real, we eat a satisfying Mexican meal.  About 8:30PM we stop in Montrose, IL at a city campground 300 feet off the I-70 exit, between a small lake, a cemetery and the sewage treatment plant. We are the only ones there.  We face the lake. 

Tampa 2014 Trip: Final push for home (Day 16, 1/19/2014)

Return to winter

We slept well and warm last night. The temperature outside is about 30 F, with an inch of snow, but inside the furnace kept the camper at a comfortable and quiet 60 F. After coffee at Duke’s and breakfast at another Cracker Barrel, we push for the last few hours, arriving home about 11:00am to 20 F and 3 inches of snow. After a two-week adventure in the new camper, it is fine to return to winter and home.  

Tampa 2014 Trip: Cruising back into winter (Day 15, 1/18/2014)

Winterized and ready to head north

We head out at 7:30AM before the free waffles and coffee, having dumped all our tanks before heading north. We stop at Cracker Barrel for breakfast, deciding to forego breakfast at the Jekyll Island Club or other resorts closer to the coast. The flat, coastal waterways, rivers, and meadows off to the east look peaceful and inviting, but we are anxious to make time. I drive six hours while Mike catches up on emails and work.  We stop about 4:00pm at Shelton Vineyards just into North Carolina to stretch our legs, enjoy the vistas over the hills planted with grapevines, and share a wine tasting. Mike takes over driving. I read to him a while and then we listen to Spectrum on Sirius XM. As we cross into Ohio, a driving snow has started and the temperature has plummeted.  About 10:00pm we stop at a Duke Truck Stop, use their bathroom and sleep in the parking lot. 

Tampa 2014 Trip: Heading north (Day 14, 1/17/2014)

It is in the 30’s this morning, but projected to reach the 60’s by afternoon. We show the campers to two customers, do a quick last tour of the Class B’s we want to see, and set out for Cleveland about 1:00pm. It is slow going on Route 4 East through Orlando. We camp about 7:30pm at the Jacksonville/St. Mary’s KOA just over the Florida line into Georgia. The hosts here are friendly and warm, inviting us to free waffles and coffee in the morning. The evening is beautiful under the tall pines with dazzling stars and almost full moon. I wish we had time to explore Amelia Island and the other islands and coastal waterways around here. 

Tampa 2014 Trip: A day of firsts (Day 13, 1/16/2014)

I shower in the motor home for the first time! Although I am careful not to use much water, thinking “bird bath” as one customer described it, the water is hot and the pressure is good.  Even the cleanup is easy. I’d rate this experience an A+. We are busy most of the day showing the RVs to potential clients. At the end of the day, I get to tour some of the show and enjoy seeing the other Class B campers. For dinner, we are joined by Rob, one of our cabinets makers who drove down to Florida separately, and we go back to Ybor City, finally getting into the famous Columbia Restaurant, established in 1905 to serve the Cuban cigar makers working in the factories set up here. We share the 1905 salad made at our table and enjoy the Cuban/Spanish fare. The restaurant itself is amazing: spread over a city block, it is packed with customers and the hundreds of industrious staff weaving between tables carrying trays aloft in an amazing choreography.  It is decorated with colorful tile; plaster arches, columns, and statues; and pictures of the family owners, now fifth generation. In the background we hear the Flamenco music from the floorshow in the next room. 

Tampa 2014 Trip: Meeting with clients (Day 12, 1/15/2014)

Brittany, who is staying in a hotel, meets us at the campground for a short run and early tour of the RV show. It is a sunny, crisp morning. Brittany has lined up several customers to see the Advanced RV motor homes today so we spend most of the day talking with them and demonstrating the features of the RV. As usual, they have great questions and good ideas for their own designs. One couple joins us for our return to Ybor City for dinner at Acropolis, a good Greek restaurant.



With friends at the SuperShow



 

Tampa 2014 Trip: Arriving at SuperShow (Day 11, 1/14/2014)

We leave our friends’ Sarasota home and about 4:00pm check into our campsite at the Tampa RV SuperShow.  We camp in the show’s campgrounds next to another Advanced RV motor home, owned by Bob, and we two Class B’s are surrounded by a sea of Class A’s.  We only have an electrical connection here, so we will be careful with our water supply. Mike, Brittany (our main sales person), Bob and I head to Ybor City and enjoy a good Middle Eastern dinner at Istanblu Restaurant.

Tampa 2014 Trip: Enjoying the oasis (Day 7, 1/10/2014)

Eating at Café Croissant

We start the morning with a senior yoga class in the campground and then bike down to Café Croissant where we enjoy cappuccino and a delicious spinach quiche. We take a two-hour bike ride on the Pinellas Trail, along with other bikers and walkers.  The smell of the bougainvillea overhanging the trail is delightful. We pack up and leave this oasis, heading to meet friends for lunch in Sarasota and move out of the camper into their home until we head to Tampa on Tuesday for the RV show.  

Tampa 2014 Trip: Rain, rain, go away (Day 6, 1/9/2014)

Lots of counter space!

It is raining so we sleep in. Mid-morning, we go for an easy run/walk on the Pinellas County Fitness Trail and stop in Anytime Fitness for an hour workout. In the strip mall next door we discover Café Croissant, a tiny French cafe where we have homemade soup and delicious French rolls. Finally, it has stopped raining and it has warmed up. We swim at the campground pool and bask in their hot tub. For dinner I microwave soup and make a salad, enjoying the long countertop in the camper, without the stovetop chopping up the space.

Tampa 2014 Trip: Exploring St. Petersburg, Florida (Day 5, 1/8/2014)

At the Dali museum in St. Petersburg, Florida

It is still only 40 degrees, windy and grey. We stay cozy in our camper in the morning and then meet a friend and his wife for lunch in downtown St. Petersburg. They give us a quick tour of the downtown. We enjoy the Dali museum, discovering that the wife of the couple who founded this museum was from Cleveland and they saw their first Dali painting at the Cleveland Museum of Art. We walk around the harbor and duck into the beautiful Vinoy RenaissanceResort for a drink. We stay for dinner, enjoying the “early bird special.” 

Tampa 2014 Trip: Practically balmy (Day 4, 1/7/2014)

Our motor home

We linger at our friends’ home, catching up on emails, and set out about 11:00 am. We head for St. Petersburg, where the temperature is only 45 degrees—but still the warmest location within a few hour’s drive. We settle into the St. Petersburg/Madeira Beach KOA and hike on the Pinellas County Fitness Trail, built over an old railroad bed. We get four miles in, but it is still cold and windy.

Tampa 2014 Trip: In out of the cold (Day 3, 1/6/2014)

From the road, we call friends near Gainesville, Florida and are invited to spend the night there. It is good to get out of the cold. We enjoy spreading out in their beautiful home, sharing a leisurely dinner, and watching the Florida State vs. Auburn football game. 

Tampa 2014 Trip: Not so warm in the south (Day 2, 1/5/2014)

Selfie: reflection on side of the RV

For breakfast, we microwave our leftover enchiladas from yesterday’s lunch, add hard boiled eggs, and set out about 8:00am Central Time. We meet a potential client and enjoy talking with him about the new features of the 2014 Advanced RV.

 

We then head for Chattanooga to visit my nephew, his wife Lynda, and their four kids. Lynda texts us that the temperature in Chattanooga is predicted to drop to 0 Fahrenheit with three inches of snow. We decide to meet them for lunch and keep moving south. We stop for the night at a KOA in Forsyth, Georgia, north of Macon. We walk, all bundled up, through the camp under the pine and pecan trees. It gets down to freezing overnight.

Tampa 2014 Trip: The Big Freeze-up (Day 1, 1/4/2014)

Last night the Advanced RV team completed the 2014 model that we have been calling “Mzungu,” the Swahili word for one who wanders aimlessly, originally referring to the white explorers searching for the source of the Nile. Our aim is to head south, out of the Cleveland cold, ending up at the Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa, which starts January 14.



This exposed outlet pipe from fresh water
tank is possibly where the system froze up

This morning, as we pack up and head out at 6:30am, it is 12 degrees Fahrenheit with a stiff wind. We think the motor home is sufficiently insulated to keep the water system from freezing up before we get to warmer temperatures. But, two hours into the trip, with temperatures still in the teens, we realize that water won’t come out of either the kitchen or bathroom faucets. Another hour later, I see that the rugs are soaked and our toiletry bags, stored on the floor of the bathroom, are floating in four inches of water. The water is sloshing over the lip of the bathroom floor into the hall, while the bathroom faucet is dripping slowly. Apparently, I left the faucet on when I checked it the first time; when the water thawed, our 40 gallons of fresh water overflowed the grey tanks, which then backed up to flood the RV. 

Mike pulls over quickly and tries to open the grey water tank, but the valve is frozen. We frantically grab the plastic waste-basket, and I start I bailing out the, passing the bucket outside to him. After a few quick relays, we start laughing. We sponge the water out of the hall rugs with our bathroom rug and paper towels. The floor underneath is fine. 

Warm running lights on a cold night for camping

About 1:00pm., we meet Mike Wendland—a prolific Class B RV lifestyle writer and blogger—and his wife, Jennifer, for lunch at a good Mexican restaurant off I-75 south of Lexington, Kentucky. I think my Mike is not going to tell him about the flood, but well into lunch, he gets Mike W. to swear not to blog this story. They discuss all the factors that might have contributed to this problem: not enough heat in the back of the coach (the heat was cranked up in the front), the wind chill factor on the pipes and tanks underneath, not enough antifreeze in the tanks, the outlet valves being wet from testing and then freezing. Thankfully, they gloss over my leaving the bathroom faucet on. 

We camp just over the Kentucky border into Tennessee at Standing StoneState Park.  It is late and we are tired. We eat crackers and cheese and a couple beers.  We have no water, but the campground bathroom is fine and well heated.  We stay warm and comfortable all night.