October finds The Rolling Home not rolling.  We are docked at the Nottely RV Park in Blairsville, Georgia.  Today, (11/3), I have 57 calendar days left at work.  Libby and I are finishing up projects to help us in our full time adventure.  I have reworked some shelves I put in in the basement of our Discovery.  Libby is still compiling an RV park index suited to our lifestyle, pocketbook and membership itinerary.  She started with Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. This will parallel our travels toward Alaska in 2000.  She is also finishing a quilt coat made out of one of our quilts from a bed in our old house.
We have plans to take several trips in November, a Hamfest in Atlanta, a camp out with our old Winnebago club and then a 10 day trip to Texas to become Real Texans.  This will be good for The Rolling Home, since it hasn't moved since we came back from the Fall Escapade in Goshen, Indiana.  Sitting for six weeks or more is not our current idea of fun.  Since we became full time Rvers, we have been straining on the anchor rope and trying to get the D off the dock and on the road.  Its unnatural for a motorhome to sit for so long!

Fall has come and gone here in the north Georgia mountains.  We had frost on the first day of Autumn back in September.  Last week the low temperature dipped to 20 degrees one morning.  The shorts are packed, the sweaters and sweatshirts are out and we are using propane at a prodigious rate.  Actually, we use an electric space heater until the temperature drops below freezing.  Then we switch to the coach furnaces.  Since the furnaces also vent into the basement areas, it keeps the water pipes and pump from freezing.  The space heater keeps us very cozy when the temperature is above 32 degrees.  It would work just fine if we didn't have to be careful about freezing water pipes, and holding tanks.

One notable change in our toy collection is the conversion of our Saturn SW2 into a Chevy Tracker.  We decided that we wanted to get a toad that I could get in and out of without rolling on my side and using a hydraulic lift to get up from the street.  We also wanted to get something that would not leave us stranded if we want to go off road in the desert or in the Yukon.  We didn't think the Saturn would do so well clinging to a jeep trail in the Nevada desert.  It was our second Saturn and they make great toads.  I think the new larger one will be even more popular for RVers to hang on behind their motorhomes.

The new toad is a 99 Chevy Tracker, four door, automatic.  It has a very short wheelbase, but gets fair mileage and is an easy toad to park and maneuver.  We have about 2500 miles on it so far, and are pleased with the results.  We had a tow bracket put on, bought a trailer hitch to put the bike rack on and are now ready for our first towing trip on November 5th.

This is the Tracker and The  Rolling Home at our dock at the Nottely RV Park in Blairsville, Georgia.  As you can see, it was Fall when I took the picture.  The Avion next door is a fiver that belongs to Tom and Bonnie, a pair of retirees and new fulltimers from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  They have been here about a week and are already in love with Blairsville.   We will see them again in mid January when we are both in Okeechobee, Florida.

At the moment, I am working on getting sponsors for our RV America Y2K Bash in Harlingen, Texas in February.  More about this next month.  Its going to be a great party.

John
57 days