The Rocket's Red Glare

Well, I suppose the glare was more orange than red. Even so, it was the first time Elizabeth had seen a live rocket launch. I, however, have seen many a shipboard guided missile firing and several missile target launches. Watching Cape Canaveral launches in movies or seeing them on TV, we never imagined that we would get to one. 

Elizabeth and a Space Cadet

We made it to Kennedy Space Center on a day when Spacex was launching a Falcon 9 rocket.  The launch was successful with no delays. We did have a good chuckle when the video feed on the jumbotron screen experienced a buffering delay, and the first voice we heard was that of a quality assurance Spacex employee.

Up, Up and away

The visitor center is one of the pricier places we've visited since it's entirely visitor funded. It was definitely worth it, especially on a launch day. Plus, they don't nickel and dime you for every "experience." There were a few extras, but a nice number of activities were included in the admission.

Space Shuttle Atlantis which made 33 trips to space.

We enjoyed the Shuttle Launch Experience® and the Apollo/Saturn V Center as my Father worked on it. My siblings and I would listen to Dad's stories about the program.  I have a fond memory of being introduced to some of the astronauts and shaking their hands. On that day all three of us kids were placed in one of the the Apollo Command Module trainers and we pushed and pulled on the controls....

Apollo command and service module 110 which flew on Apollo 14

Business end of a Saturn V  

BTW the Falcon 9 that we saw launch produced 7,600 kN while the Saturn V made 35,100 kN of thrust at sea level which is 4.61 times the thrust.  I can only dream about the sound produced by a Saturn V.

Where Are We Going Next?

Almost Myrtle Beach

Not wanting to deal with finding campsites over Christmas holidays, we booked a month at Carolina Pines RV Resort in Conway, SC. We've noticed that monthly rates at RV resorts, especially in the off-season, tend to be a quite reasonable. It's a great way for us to experience the nicer campgrounds at decent rates. Carolina Pines was a definite win. 

They bill themselves as an upscale RV resort, and we agree. It was the first resort where we would have liked a golf cart. Walking the outer perimeter of the current sections is a two-mile walk. There's a new section under construction.  When completed, the resort will have over 840 sites, including the rental cottages.

There's tons to do on-site, indoors and out. Off-site, they have a clubhouse cabana on the beachfront in North Myrtle Beach. Shuttles ferry people and gear back and forth. However, I read where there's a lawsuit on that. So who knows what will happen next season. Off-season, shuttle schedules are primarily to large shopping centers.

Ok, that's enough about the campground, well, almost. Carolina Pines also has tiny cottages available to rent. They allowed us to rent a unit for a month, and we were able to have a succession of friends and family visit. 

The guest house for the month

First up to visit were Glen and Tanna. They're kite-flying friends who were glad to welcome the warmer SC temperatures. We flew kites at North Myrtle Beach one afternoon. Whew! That ocean breeze made me wish I had worn a warmer jacket! 

That breeze was cold

Tanna flying one of the kites she made

Glen, Tanna and us

Playing mini-golf with Glen and Tanna, we established the winner-buys-ice-cream rule that continued for all our guests. We're a little suspicious that the scorekeeper always seemed to win, but hey, I like the swirl flavored soft-serve.

Next up to visit was my sister Karen and her family. Their visit resulted in our first foray into the indoor pool and hot tub. Our niece enjoyed being a mermaid for awhile. Then it was off to the mini-golf course, where once again the scorekeeper won.

Karen and family with us at the 11th hole

Then my friend Deirdre and her family visited. We ventured to the beach where Harold gave junior his first sport kite flying lesson. We played several board games and yes, we played mini-golf as well. 

Deirdre and family with us

First sport kite

To round out our month, my dad and stepmom visited. In addition to a round of mini-golf, we found ourselves trying out the cornhole boards. Perhaps we should have switched things around and had the cornhole winners buy ice cream. We were soundly beaten. 

The winners

We certainly enjoyed being able to spend time with family and friends. We liked the concept of everyone having their own place and the plethora of activities from which to choose. Since we were in a single location for a month, friends and family were able to visit as their schedules allowed. Hmm...

Where Are We Going Next?

Lake Norman State Park

 After we left the Natural Bridge area, we spent a week taking it super easy at Lake Norman State Park just north of Charlotte, NC. We were in one of the eleven full hook up, back-in sites. Though they were paved, most were not very level. We had to use blocks under our tires. 

We rode bikes and walked around the Lake Shore Trail. There are a number of mountain bike trail loops, mostly easy. We tried a short loop and remembered why we like paved roads or rails to trails far better.

We didn't do a lot of other sightseeing, though there was plenty in the area. Troutman had some fun looking shops and there's plenty in Charlotte. We did go to Hickory where I promptly tracked down a sock outlet since I had no use for the furniture outlets.

We did take in Bunker Hill Covered Bridge, one of two remaining covered bridges in NC, was designated as a National Civil Engineering Landmark in 2001 because of its truss system.

In Hickory we met up with Ken and Holly, long-time kite flying friends, for dinner. Ken is the owner, artist, crafter, and janitor at KmacFab. If you're ever looking for a kite for gift,  I encourage you to give Ken a call. He makes fantastic kites and will customize colors for you. 

Lake Norman

Bunker Hill Covered Bridge

Dinner with Ken & Holly

Where Are We Going Next?

Cool, Clear Water

 Living in an RV full-time can have its issues. 

Have you ever traveled, and the tap water tasted funny to you?  This happens every time we move our bungalow on wheels.  100% pure water has no color, taste, or smell because there are no minerals or trace elements in it. The taste of your water depends on the dissolved solids and any disinfectant agents and their by-products that are in your water.

While parked in New Mexico, Elizabeth noticed substantial minerals building up on the glass shower door and on our water faucets, far more than she experienced at our home in King George, VA. She asked me if there was something we could do.

I purchased a Reverse Osmosis (RO) water filter system that would produce 20 gallons an hour and that is rated to remove 95%-99% of inorganic materials.  I chose this system so that it would outpace taking “Hollywood showers” or laundry day. Stated another way, I could fill our onboard 100 gallon fresh water tank in about five hours.

I have tested the tap water on some of our travels after installing the RO system with an uncalibrated Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) meter. The lowest TDS I have measured from tap water so far was at Camp Creek State park in West Virginia at 44 PPM. The highest was in Las Cruces, NM, at 525 PPM.  The output of our system runs somewhere between 1 and 15 PPM. By the way, spot-free car rinse water is 50 PPM or less, so our drinking water is quite pure.

I did not want to disable any of the factory-installed plumbing. After some extended research on the internet, I ended up tracking down the selector valve manufacturer and found a four output version of the three output valve that was factory installed by Newmar. 

Plumber's nightmare

With a little research I found that Anderson Brass manufactures the Kantleak™ Instrumentation Ball Valves that Newmar uses to select how the water is used in the coach.  I just had to order their 5222BV-P five way instrumentation ball valve and transfer over the 1/2" pipe to 1/2" or 3/4" PEX adapters and then add an output to feed the RO system.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Here is the RO system installed in our coach and yes we are VERY happy with it.

 Where Are We Going Next?

Virginia - Family, Friends and a Theme Song

I hadn't seen my sister Karen and my brother, Scott, since we started full-timing in April of 2020. I hadn't seen my dad and his wife since the summer of 2020 when they were visiting my sister Kathy in Colorado. So, I was really thankful to be in Virginia for Thanksgiving this year. 

We got together as a family on the day after Thanksgiving. A family member had restored a millhouse. We loved the rustic charm and the rushing water of the waterfall. Regrettably, I failed to get pictures of the facility itself.

Family!

Then, as a bonus, Bernie, a former government customer of Harold's and a friend, was visiting Virginia Tech with his son and wife. They stopped by our campsite at Natural Bridge KOA on their way back to King George.  

Friends!

And thanks to Bernie, we now have a theme song. Ok, all you Green Acres fans:

Squid Acres is the place to be.

High living is the way for me.

Roads spreading so far and wide,

I liked King George, but give me that countryside!

Finally, but not least, I was able to join three of my friends from first grade for dinner. One is now my sister since her mom married my dad several years ago. We try to get together once a year. Thankfully, this year we could meet in person instead of via Zoom.

Where Are We Going Next?

Geocaching Fun Finds

Our geocaching fun finds at Hungry Mother State Park reminded us of some of the other geocache fun finds we've found over time. You can download the Geocaching app for free to get started. There is a premium version that opens more caches, but we haven't done that. It's just a little something fun to do while out on that walk. 

Travel bugs are items that you pick up at one cache and drop off at another. The owner can track it and see where it ends up. It's interesting to see the stops they've made. Sadly, even though some caches say that they have a travel bug, the bug isn't there. Our guess is that it was picked up by someone and not logged in again. 

From large...

...to small

This one made me jump

Travel bugs move from cache to cache

Where Are We Going Next?