We left Ottawa on Nov 13, 2007 in our 2007 Bounder Diesel 38N towing our Saturn Vue. Weather was cold but roads were still bare and dry for the most part. It would appear that we got out of Ontario just in time as some nasty winter storms were soon to roll through.
We headed out Hwy 417 and down to Hwy 401 to Hill Island where we turned south into NY state on I-81. Our plan was to average 250-300 miles a day and to make use of Walmarts, Flying J gas stations and Cracker Barrel restaurants for overnight stays.
We stopped in at a Verizon store in Watertown, NY to buy a PC5750 data card to use with our laptops for a connection to the internet. Took about an hour to get it sorted out. We managed to get National Access all the way down I-81 and I-75 into Georgia. Once in Florida we were Broadband access all the way. The cost is only $59.99 plus taxes per month which we thought was pretty good. Besides, we wouldn't have to rely on wifi anywhere, which in our experience can be iffy at best with very slow connection speeds. With our data card, we have 24 hour internet access from virtually anywhere. I also managed to set up my Verizon account so that my monthly bill comes to my email address and not in the regular mail. Far easier to keep on top of our bill that way.
We basically drove for 6-8 hours a day for 5 days, staying overnight in the above mentioned spots. We had absolutely no problem obtaining permission to stay at either Walmarts or Cracker Barrels. In fact, we have decided we like the Cracker Barrels better as the lots are much quieter. Walmarts tend to have delivery trucks coming and going at all hours of the day and night which makes it hard to sleep. Not complaining, just stating the obvious. We always buy groceries/supplies at Walmart when we stay there and we also have supper at Cracker Barrels if we stay there. Great food and the prices are very reasonable too.
Traffic was fairly light for the most part on the way south until we got into the Knoxville and Chattanooga areas. Atlanta was also very busy but traffic moved along at a good pace. We averaged 55-60 mph most of the way and about 7.5 - 8.5 mpg in our Bounder. Diesel fuel was much more expensive this trip than during our trip to Hershey, PA in July/August 2007. Most we paid was $3.45 per gallon at the Flying J in New Milford, PA. Prices seemed to settle around $3.25/gallon soon after that.
We didn't experience any warm weather until we got into Georgia. In fact, we saw a few flakes coming through VA and TN in the mountains. We need the propane furnace all nights until we hit GA.
We used an old Sony Viao laptop to run the Microsoft Streets and Maps GPS program. It worked well for the most part although the directions were hard to hear at times over the road and air conditioner noise in our motorhome. The computer is also only running an Intel P3 processor, so it was quite slow at times and even froze up completely on more than one occasion. Kind of a nuisance really, as it always seemed to freeze when we needed the last few turns into our destination.
We turned south on Hwy 27 after heading east off I-75 at exit 329. Passed through Clermont and saw Bee's RV Resort which is a campground we will visit from Dec 5-12, 2007 after our two weeks at Thousand Trails in Orlando. We arrived at TTN around 11 am which is located just north of Hwy 192 on the east side of Hwy 27. Our GPS got us close enough but the address I entered came up about 1/2 mile short of the actual turn into TTN. Good thing we kept our eyes open and we both saw another motorhome with toad ahead of us that turned into TTN as well.
We were amazed at the size of this resort. Over 730 sites in all. We settled on lot D110 in the treed area of the park. Other loops have paved pads but are in full sunshine all day due to lack of trees. D110 is a 50 amp site and we had lots of trees to shade us for part of the day, plus our satellite worked fine for most ExpressVu channels. We are also close to the lake, where we are told, it is possible to see the nightly fireworks displays from Disney World. Haven't seen them yet though because we can't seem to stay awake long enough for them!
We have been out exploring the area and found several grocery stores as well as a Walmart, Camping World, hair dresser, etc. We are both back into our fitness routines as well. We run, swim/bike on alternate days. There is a nice 5 km route leading out of TTN and across Hwy 27 into a residential area. TTN has 2 25 yard pools which are not used very much. We swam in the heated one the other day and tried the unheated one this morning. It was still 75F, a bit brisk to start, but fine after 4 lengths or so. This past weekend was Thanksgiving in the USA so we could smell turkey cooking all over the park. Today is Sunday, and many rigs are leaving for home or other camp grounds. Lots of spaces available here.
Buddy seems to be settling in nicely. He is getting walked every day, sometime 2-3 times a day. He is a little dirty but happy nonetheless.
Chris and I took Buddy for a stroll around the park after lunch. We wandered up to the main store for an ice cream cone and stumbled onto this gopher turtle sitting in the grass nearby. We've seen a few of them around here. They burrow into the ground like a gopher, so that explains the name. Lots of wild turkeys around here too but too far away for a good picture unfortunately.Well, Grey Cup is on today, so time to relax in the sun and enjoy the game.
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