Battening down the hatches

The good news is, I found an apartment in a complex that I've admired since I moved here--in fact, I thought about buying there, and actually the unit I'm renting is also for sale! Hmmm.

The bad news is, we just had a tropical depression form off the coast and take aim here. It may well be a tropical storm by the time it gets here. And I won't be signing the lease to my apartment until tomorrow. So we are going to ride it out here. I'm not worried about the rain (other than it will be really loud) or the wind too much, since we're in a campground surrounded by high pines that should serve as a nice windbreak. I am a bit worried that it might spin up some waterspouts or tornadoes, but if it makes landfall east of here (which it seems to be doing) there should be a really low probability of that. I am going to be ready to evacuate to the restrooms if necessary, and also will have the car packed in case something happens to the RV, but I suspect it will be fine.

In a way, I'm in better shape than people in real houses: if we lose power, I can run lights and TV and computer off my battery and run the generator if necessary for air conditioning. My refrigerator can run off propane. If we don't get hit too hard, it should be fine. And if we do get hit hard, I'll go stay with a friend tonight. Feel free to call and say hi!

And now, we're back

August 5 Panama City Beach, FL

I kept the windows closed and the A/C on all night--except for a few minutes where I thought I'd see if it was cool enough for me to sleep comfy. It wasn't, mostly because there wasn't a hint of breeze. It's not as much fun staying in the RV when you can't have a window open; it really cuts me off from the outdoors, which is rather the point.

I woke up just before dawn, fed the cats, watched a bit of news, then headed out. I stopped at a gas station down the road a bit for diesel and to check my tires--a bit of air and I was off.

There was supposed to be storms, but I had hoped to be on the road early enough to miss most of them, and it looks like I was correct. No storms (heck, no clouds!) until I hit Florida. I stopped at Ponce de Leon for a Subway sandwich, and finished it right before I hit the rain. I had seen the rain for a while up ahead, and between Red Bay and Ebro it rained like crazy. I slowed down and took it easy (this RV handles rain beautifully), and while it looked threatening the little rest of the way, it held off.

I'm at a small RV park right off Back Beach, in a site right next to a little fishing pond. Not too shady, but pretty. I'm a bit afraid to go near the pond, since there's a resident alligator that is a bit too friendly. So I had to go shower while it was still light, because I was a bit worried I'd step on the damn thing in the dark.

After I checked in and set up (the site is mostly level, although the water from the tap tastes of dirt--and in the shower, it SMELLS of dirt--must add bottled water to the list), I walked over to the Paddock Club--um, I mean the Club--over on Beckrich--um, I mean Jackson Blvd--oh hell, whatever--and picked up my car. It was damn weird trying to drive it after a month in the RV; it felt like I was lying down, and I was too low to the ground, and the power steering was so easy to use I kept turning it with too much force and too far, and shifting took me to the entrance of the subdivision to get right. I went and filled up the tires (the front right was really low--I suspect it has a leak, but since I'm going to get new tires Real Soon Now it shouldn't matter), then got my mail and sorted through it, cashed a bunch of unexpected checks for various things at the bank, then drove a bit before coming back and parking behind my RV. A cheese omelette for dinner, and I'm set. I'm off to look at apartments tomorrow. If the severe thunderstorms we expect tonight allow--damn, can't I have a nice quiet night here before hell breaks loose?

Part of me rather wants to just find a place to park the RV and go with it, the way I had planned. Today wasn't too bad temperature-wise inside, but it was also cloudy and rainy and thus very temperate. It is nice how quickly the fresh air can get in here, but I think I need a larger more secure place if I'm going to work and not worry about the cats. That, and the condo complex I want to move into is right on the bay, is walking distance to lots of things, and is pretty damn sturdy (concrete block stands up to a lot). That, and Nell is still beating up on Puck! And when the A/C isn't running and the windows are closed, it's pretty damn airless up in the bunk. It turns out I can store the RV here for $30/month, and I may well do that.

I'll let y'all know what happens tomorrow, or until I'm settled. Thanks for reading!

Missed the rain (yay!)

August 4 Birmingham, AL

I went to bed relatively early and slept pretty well, particularly considering I didn't have the air conditioning on and it was fairly warm--there was a nice "cool" breeze coming in the window by my pillow, and that helped. I did wake up earlier than usual--just before dawn, around 6am EDT, and it was 75 in and 73 out.

I knew it was supposed to storm and checked the radar, and saw a nasty storm north of Louisville. I did take my time getting ready and such, but it never really got light out and about 7:45 I not only saw the storm get closer on the radar, but I heard some far-off thunder. So I put it in gear and left by 8am.

Which is good, because Louisville got pasted. Six inches of rain in a little over an hour, roads flooded, cars floating around, the whole nine yards. I don't know if anything that bad happened where I was camped, but I'm glad I got out. I do wonder--at the same time I left, a huge motorhome towing a car left also, but went north into the storm instead of south away from it; I wonder how they did?

It stayed cloudy (but no rain) until I hit the KY/TN line, and then it got hot. Really hot. By the time I hit AL, it was in the 90's. I took it easy, driving a bit slower than I needed to, to make sure the tires didn't get too hot. My van air conditioning was a trooper, keeping the temperature in the back of the RV at about 80, which was quite satisfactory, for both me and the cats.

Other than the heat, and a huge mess of traffic through Birmingham (what the bloody hell is everyone doing on the road at 2pm on a Tuesday?), it was a much better day. I'm at a former KOA just south of Birmingham, in a fairly shady spot right by the pool and store and restroom. I don't know why it's a former KOA (the A-frame shape of the office is unmistakeable, not to mention the KOA logos that all have "Good Sam" stickers inexpertly covering them), but there are sure a bunch of people here long-term. Very long term, in at least one case: it takes a while for moss to grow on an RV. Maybe the head office didn't like that? Anyway, I don't have a problem. Everyone was nice, I traded in some books I've read for new ones, I went swimming, and I have TV for the first time since Wyoming. I made an omlette for dinner (cheese and salsa), and I have yet to decide if I'm going to keep the A/C on all night. It's really loud, but it does keep everything (relatively) comfortable (83 with no humidity is better than 95 with humidity), and outside it's still 80 degrees, even though it's almost 9pm.

It looks like I'll be back in Panama City tomorrow; I have a reservation at a campground out at the beach, and hopefully I can find a place to stay before we all get driven crazy by the noise of the A/C. I think the cats will be glad to stop moving around; they don't much like the moving part, and both are stressed: Nell has been beating up on Puck for no good reason, and as soon as Puck gets out of his kennel when we're stopped for the night, he goes to his scratching post and gives it hell!

Well, the first part of the day was good

August 3 Shepardsville, KY

Woke up around 7am to the drone of the trucks on the interstate--now, I figure that people aren't here for the peace and quiet, given the number of shrieking kids everywhere, but why would you want to sleep where the loudest noise is the highway? I took my time getting ready, since the zoo didn't open until 10 and I didn't want to get there too early, and left around 8:45.

The roads to the Seneca house sucked. Summerfield rocked and bounced, although Temperance was better and Jackman not bad. I cut through the subdivision from the Jackman Road school, and found that the roads had been resurfaced and were wonderful. Until I got to Fir, then I crept along very very slowly to keep from rattling to death. The house looks good and the yard sure is green, but given how much rain they've had that's not surprising.

I then drove down Lewis to Alexis to I-75. Which was under construction, and was doing stop-and-go traffic for a mile or two before the exit to the Trail. I got off OK and parked at the new parking lot, then checked out the new zoo area first.

What used to be parking is now the Arctic and African savannah (with several species of herbivores all together in a paddock). I do like that the animals here tend to have nice large cages--they seem to be about the size of the Cheetah valley on the other side. The four wolves were just getting up and walking around and greeting one another, which was cool, although the wild dogs were sacked out (and remained sacked out when I rechecked them before I left--the only things moving were the tails!). Much of the rest of the zoo is as usual, although I did get to see the hippos doing some status-behaviors and one of the elephants was being given a bath. The place was FULL of people; Lucas county residents get in free on Monday mornings, and the wagons and strollers and Hoverrounds were so thick it was hard to get around. After I scanned everything I got a kid's meal (hey, other than the drink being small, it was great and cheaper) and headed back to the RV.

I had left the cats in the fabric kennel, with water and the litter box, and a top vent and one window (facing the wind) open. Since I didn't lock the kennel, Nell had managed to open it and I had to recorral the cats before I could leave (and no, they weren't happy). It was roughly the same temperature in as out, and since the rig was in full sun I was pretty happy.

The next six hours were hell. Heavy traffic, construction everywhere (seriously--Toledo/Dayton/Cincinnati/Louisville, plus several parts in between, were tore up), bad roads everywhere else, and a serious wind that pushed the rig around like mad. It was particularly fun when trucks would pass me and get into my lane, because the combo of the wind and the airflow off the truck would shake the RV rapidly back and forth until I slowed down, then of course another truck would move in . . . .

I'm just south of Louisville, and feeling better since I've set up camp, fed the cats, and fed myself. Still, I suspect I'm ready for this trip to be over. Tomorrow, of course, it's supposed to rain; I may not get too far, but I have a reservation at a campground in Panama City for Wednesday, so we'll see. I may not need to get too far, since I drove a long way today. And yes, the A/C is on, and we're grateful for it even if it does make listening to the radio/watching TV impossible. Bah.

Traffic!

August 2 Petersburg, MI

I didn't sleep well last night, which was unfortunate since after the front came through the air was so fresh and clean and it smelled so good, I should have slept like a log. Maybe tonight, who knows. And then Puck pooed, and it didn't smell good anymore (by the way, there has been no more barfing/diarrhea, yay!).

I got going around 8:15, stopped to get diesel, and crossed the Mackinac bridge very slowly since it was windy. And I spent much of the rest of the day being blown sideways. In the northern part of Lower Michigan's mitten, the trees helped shield the wind, and luckily the wind died down when the trees began to vanish. Unfortunately, the traffic then picked up. About where 127 split off from I-75, it was bumper-to-bumper, albeit at a high rate of speed. That was about 11am, so that would work out right for the weekenders trying to get home. And pretty much every plate was Michigan, to bolster my view.

I had planned on stopping at the Toledo Zoo this afternoon for a quick visit before heading a bit farther south, but I was tired and I decided to stop early, so I'm now at the KOA about 7 miles from the Seneca Trail house. It lives up to the KOA policy of being within sight of any nearby interstate/busy road, so I'm not sure I'll have much quiet. That, and it's full of screaming running children, a couple of whom I almost pasted because they thought it was OK to pass my RV (on bikes/running) on the RIGHT. Um, no. I have a fairly level space, although there's no privacy here, really. I know I'm back in the midwest, because there are some seriously fat people here. Yeah, I know, I'm pretty seriously fat myself, but wowsers, the sheer number of them here is startling.

There is a lot to do here, which may explain the hordes of kids. There's a waterslide, which is relatively mild but fun. There's a swimming pond, which is artificially aerated to keep it from going all mucky, and which is also a color not found in nature (I suspect they put in some of the same anti-algae stuff I saw in the sluice in Hannibal), a weird blue/green. I did go swimming in it, swimming across and back, although since the water is also opaque I can't say I liked it much. Ew. At least it wasn't too mucky. Then I rode the waterslide to try to rinse off the colored water (I had been careful to keep my head out of the water, both to avoid ear infections and to keep my hair from turning green!), which was quite fun, particularly while watching the slide riders flout some infractions (diving/headfirst/going in groups) while being yelled at for others (most notably running to get back to the ladder). Then I walked around the camp, checking out the large number of tent campers as well as the snack bar--I'm going to go get a hot dog when I'm done here. And maybe some jalapeno poppers . . . no wonder I'm fat!

The cats are fine. I just fed them, and they are completely fascinated by all the hubub. They are also technically illegal, since I didn't tell the office I had pets--the lousy place charges $5 a pet! I'm not going to pay that for animals that will never leave the RV, so they can bite me.

Tomorrow I intend to drive by the Seneca Trail house, then go to the zoo for an hour or two, then head south. It looks like I'll be in Panama City some time Wednesday.

Rain and tourists

I woke up later than I thought, but did manage to get to the office in time to catch the 8:30 boat to Mackinac Island. The weather forecast was iffy, so I was armed with both my waterresistent windbreaker and my umbrella.

The ferry ride was fun, if short; a big catamaran that went fast, and since I rode up top I was a bit windblown by the end. The ferry dumped me out in the middle of the main tourist drag, and I got in line right away for a carriage tour, figuring I'd get a lay of the land before wandering on my own. The first guide (in a smaller carriage) was a bit hard to understand, but luckily she talked in town where I could read the signs myself later. The second (we had to get off in a large barn filled with tourist traps and wait for another carriage) was more understandable, and talked of legends and stories and such as well as seeing the sights. Much of the island is heavily wooded, and there isn't much of a soil underneath; because of that and because of the historical significance of the island, all fires are fought. Hence the presence of fire hydrants in the middle of the woods! Luckily the bugs weren't too bad.

Lots of people wound up getting off at the fort--I didn't, since they wanted more money and I'd just been at a fort in Copper Harbor. So I rode back to the transfer barn and then walked on my own. I wanted to see the Grand Hotel, but didn't want to pay the $10 cover charge to get in. I'd heard that if you approach the hotel from the back, you can get in. So I wandered through some neighborhoods of huge old "cottages", then along a bluff to the "off" end of the hotel, and walked right onto the porch without being challenged. Muahahaha!

The hotel is big and old and the porch is indeed impressive. I walked a bit inside, but people kept asking me if I needed help and I wasn't sure if they were just overly solicitous or had spotted me as a ringer. I did sit on the porch for a while and looked at the view, which was rapidly becoming ominous from all the clouds in the sky. I was trying to decide if I wanted to ride out the rain on the porch or keep going, and I decided to keep going.

I walked down the stairs to the croquet lawn, then to the pool (which looked like a LOT of fun!), and then through a patch of woods down to the shore. The movie "Somewhere in Time" was filmed here 30 years ago, and I found a small monument by the shore marking the place where the two main characters had "met" each other for the first time. It had obviously been placed by the movie makers, in a sort of faux-historical vein, and was being ignored by most of the passers-by.

Right about here it began to rain. I walked past the school (the graduating class a few years back was two) then down to the historical part. Many older buildings, including some near-originals from the early 1700's. I ate lunch at a backyard pub of one of the big hotels, and when I was finished it had stopped raining, for the moment. I walked into a more residential area, then back to the marina and the tourist traps.

It really is neat to be somewhere with no cars. There were bikes everywhere, both alone and hooked to child/freight haulers, and of course the horse and wagons hauling everything from tourists to trash. Someday when I'm rich I'm going to rent a summer cottage here, I think. I really like it--it reminds me of Martha's Vineyard a bit.

After I returned to the tourist traps the rain began again in earnest. I used my umbrella and was fine, while others who hadn't planned so well were in trouble. It pays to check the weather! By the time I was walked out (no, I didn't buy anything, although I was tempted to buy Puck a shirt that read "I do bad things"), the sun was out and it was much nicer. On the ride back to St. Ignace, the water was quite rough and the catamaran was pitching all over the place--I loved it! I almost fell down once, before I realized how rough it was, and it made it difficult to take pictures of the bridge and the island, but still fun. Then I walked around St. Ignace for a while before catching a shuttle back to the KOA.

On to the south today!

By the way, the cats appear to be fine. There has been no more vomit or diarrhea, and both cats seem hungry. Let's hope it stays so!