Yesterday I drove the motorhome the about 50 miles from Dillsburg to Lebanon, Pennsylvania. We are parked at Thousand Trails Hershey RV Resort only a few miles from the famous chocolate-making factory which we toured in 2010. To view that Blog entry,,,click this link…
http://wp.me/pDCku-n8
As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
Here’s the usual dinette window photo…
I’ve been here three times before…whenever I’m heading for New England…like I am again this year. A couple of days ago I read in an Internet article that there will be 58 million RV’s on the road this weekend and I have no desire to be out there among all the nuts. So, we’re hiding out here through the weekend and expect to move along on Tuesday morning.
Normally we do not have anything on our schedule calendar. However, Mary has a grandson graduating High School in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 6th…so she booked a June 5th flight out of Newark, New Jersey. She wanted a non-stop flight so had to fly out of a major airport. Then back to her home in California for a July 4th family reunion. She is currently scheduled to fly back to rejoin me on July 16th at Hartford, Connecticut.
Once she departs Newark, I’ll continue on with the motorhome to my son’s home in southeastern Connecticut where my oldest grand-daughter graduates High School on June 20th. I’ll visit my son, daughter-in-law and grand kids until Mary returns. We’ll then visit some of my cousins and long-time friends until we depart for the State of Washington on or about August 8th.
The weather has been really crazy…some more!. Two days ago we were sweltering in the heat and humidity. Yesterday it was cold rainy and windy. We hid out inside the motorhome where Mary had the heater running to stay warm. We’ve had a lot of trouble finding nice sunny 69 degree days in 2013. Ever since we started the year deep in south Texas it seems as though it’s been either too hot or too cold. 88 one day…55 the next day kind of thing.
Enjoying Thousand Trails RV Resorts is another joy of the full-timing lifestyle!
The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Pennsylvania. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…
Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein
On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!
Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8
If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Harlingen, Texas – Day 4
December 23, 2012
Mary is at her home in California enjoying the holiday season with her family. She has made her airline reservations to join me here at Harlingen, Texas on January 3, 2013.
The motorhome is parked at Tropic Winds RV Resort and is scheduled to be here until January 10th. While I await Mary’s arrival on the 3rd, I’ll be seeing some local attractions, performing repairs and preventative maintenance on both the motorhome and Bronco, plus thoroughly cleaning both vehicles.
Today’s entry is entitled…17 going on 18!
Back on December 23, 1995, I departed Olympia, Washington to begin my full-time RVing lifestyle. At that time I had a 1976 Chevy Suburban and a 1988 Fleetwood Prowler 18′ Travel Trailer which I had until 1999. I tend to take really good care of and do not abuse my vehicles so I get a long-time use from them…
As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
After spending the Winter of 98-99 in Baja California Sur, Mexico…I decided I needed to change rigs because I wanted a small 4-wheel drive vehicle with which I could use to go off into the back-country. I also had a hankering that I might want to go to Central America, so I looked around for something that if it didn’t come back from Central America…it wouldn’t be the end of the World. In 1999, I ended up buying this 1983 23′ Suncrest Class A Motorhome and a 1984 Ford Bronco II…
I used these vehicles on a 2004, 343 day, 16,000+ mile RV trip through Mexico and Central America, crossing the Panama Canal until we ran out of roads and had to begin our return journey. As it turned out, both vehicles returned from Central America.
I met Mary in 2008 and the only problem she had with that motorhome was that she had no place to do her yoga…so the answer to that problem was to get another motorhome. By that time the 1984 Ford Bronco II was getting tired…so time for a replacement as well. In 2009 we acquired our current rigs of a 2006 Fleetwood Terra 26′ Class A Motorhome and a nice 1986 Ford Bronco II…
So as you read this Blog entry today, I’m completing my 17th and beginning my 18th year of full-time RVing. I turned 72, 18 days ago. I hope to be the World’s first 100-year-old active RVer! 
Enjoying 17 years on the road is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!
The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…
Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein
If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Heron Lake State Park, New Mexico – Day 41
July 30, 2012
The motorhome is still parked at Heron Lake State Park about 20 miles south of Chama, New Mexico while I am recovering from my May 27th accident.
More good news regarding my recovery. The accident happened nine weeks ago yesterday. As with everything I’ve done since the accident, I do slowly. Normally I remove my elastic bandage about 9:00 PM as I get ready to sleep. Yesterday, at 3:00 PM as I was readying to read for the afternoon, I decided to remove the elastic bandage, I tried this about two weeks ago and after five minutes, had to put the bandage back on. Anyways, I made it to bedtime with no elastic bandage with no apparent problems. Awakening this morning, I once again put the elastic chest bandage back on. I don’t want to push my luck. Perhaps at 3:00 PM today I’ll remove the bandage again.
I continue taking Ibuprofen, icing my ribcage area 2-3 times a day. The doctors told me to expect 6-12 weeks for recovery. The accident occurred nine weeks and one day ago today. Can you tell I’m ready for the recovery to be finished and be back on the road again?
Today I’m going to divert from showing photos of the area for two reasons…
First: I had totally forgotten about this until I accidentally stumbled across it yesterday. Some time last year I got an Email requesting permission to use one of my photographs in the 2012 Washington State Visitors Guide. The photo is of an old motorcycle at the Vintage Motorcycle Museum in Chehalis, Washington and appears on page 78 of the guide…
As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
Here’s a close-up of the photo with my credit shown vertically on the right…
Pretty neat to have a photo in the Washington State Visitors Guide as I lived there for 16 years and just love that state!
Second: I’m pleased to announce the publishing of my new Ramblin’ Man’ Photo Blog where every day I will publish one of my favorite photos. What’s the sense of having lots of photos if no one gets to see them???
To get to my new Blog, simply click this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/
If you like my new Blog, simple scroll down and click the Follow Button.
Okay, I’ll show you two photos taken about 45 minutes before sunrise yesterday morning…
And in the watercolor mode…
Enjoying the beauty and serenity of early morning is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
A Small Modulator Valve Was The Problem…
February 8, 2012
We’re still at the Golden Sun RV Resort in Apache Junction, Arizona where we will remain hanging out and visiting with friends. See my Blog entry for more information about this place…
http://wp.me/pDCku-3wM
A couple of days ago our towed Ford Bronco II started having transmission shifting problems. I called my friend and Cracker-Jack mechanic Mike in Washington and he diagnosed it as a bad modulator valve. This small valve fits into the side of the transmission and regulates the shifting process.
I took the Bronco to a local transmission shop and told them of my problems…but did not mention the modulator valve…
They did their diagnostics and proclaimed it to be a faulty modulator valve…
It was quite a tricky job getting the faulty valve out and the new one in place. A couple of hours and a little over $100 and all was well once again.
Soon we will be heading out into the toolies for about one month and I needed and wanted this problem resolved before that time. We just do not need to unnecessarily break down in the middle of nowhere.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Another Glorious Sunrise!!!
January 13, 2012
I’m still at Slab city deep in the desert of Southern California. I love spending my Summers in the beautiful State of Washington, but with all the magnificent Evergreen Trees in the way you usually do not get to see a sight such as this. As always you may click upon a photo to see an enlarged view then click on it once again to see an even larger view…
Here’s a panorama starting in the East and looking to the right to the South and to the West…
If you enjoy photos like these, you may want to look at my other recent Blog entry at this link…
http://wp.me/pDCku-3i4
In other news…
Mary is scheduled to fly into Yuma, Arizona on January 18th so that we can continue on our almost two-year circumnavigation trip around the united States. If you want to read more information about that upcoming adventure, click this link…
http://wp.me/pDCku-2W9
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
5,844 Days Ago…
December 23, 2011
was December 22, 1995…the day I departed Olympia, Washington to begin my full-time RVing lifestyle. Today therefore marks the beginning of my 17th year.
Back in 1995 I was driving a Chevy Suburban and towing an 18 foot travel trailer. Here’s a photo taken while in Baja, California, Mexico in 1998. The film was developed in Mexico hence the spotty photo. As always you may click upon the photos to see an enlarged view…
In 1999 I bought a 1983, 23 foot Class A Suncrest Motorhome and a 1984 Ford Bronco II specifically to take to Central America. This photo was taken in 2004 during that trip…
I met Mary in 2008 and in 2009 we acquired our current motorhome and Ford Bronco II…
The last 16 years have been delightful. Here’s hoping I’ve got another 16 years of full-time RVing. It’s a lousy job,,,but someone’s got to do it!
Now…you may be wondering how I came up with the number of days. Did I find an old bunch of calendars and count them all? Nope. If you want to know the number of days between two events, all you have to do is click this link…
http://www.timeanddate.com/date/duration.html
Isn’t the Internet wonderful?
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Driver Kills Bicyclist…Gets $42 Fine!
October 16, 2011
On October 4th of this year I wrote a Blog entry about witnessing an accident where two bicyclists were struck by an auto in Oregon. In case you missed it…here’s the link…
otrwjam.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/a-sad-blog-today/
In the above accident I’m pleased to report that we very recently heard from one of the two gals who indicated they are on the road to recovery. Still no word whether charges will be filed against the driver in that accident.
Yesterday I read about another accident where a driver who killed a bicyclist got off with a $42 fine. Here’s the link on that story…
That just doesn’t set well with me…how do you feel about it? In my view some kind of charge should be filed against the driver. He killed an innocent person. Just having to live with it for the rest of his life does not seem enough punishment to me.
In other news…
Yesterday Mary went off to be in the Occupy Wall Street protest in Sonora. Here she is with her messages…
I took the day off and had a do nothing day. Played on the computer and did some reading.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Wilsonville, Oregon
September 28, 2011
Yesterday Mary and I bid farewell to the State of Washington for this year. We drove the motorhome the about 100 miles from Chehalis, Washington to Wilsonville, Oregon where we are now parked at Moose Lodge #1598. Mary will be looking at potential real estate investment properties today while I kick back and relax.
We may be here another day or two.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Thousand Trails RV Resort, Chehalis, Washington
September 26, 2011
Mary and I have spent the last four days here and now it’s time to move on in a southerly direction. I thought I’d share a few of the photos that I took while we were here. You may click on them to see them in an enlarged view…
Our parking spot. We were the only RV on this 12 site loop which made for a very quiet and peaceful stay. Mary and I both agree this is the quietest camping spot we’ve shared together…
This is the adult pool where Mary swam every day… 
And some nature shots… 
I’ll close with Mary enjoying her reading…something she does not get to do when she is home…
We’ve spent the entire summer in several Thousand Trails campgrounds…all of them have been very enjoyable stays. But now it’s time to continue our southerly migration…
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
Vintage Motorcycle Museum, Chehalis, Washington.
September 25, 2011
We’re still camped in Chehalis, Washington. While here we decided to visit the Vintage Motorcycle Museum. They’ve got a nice collection…however…the photography of them was difficult. First of all…with motorcyles lined up next to one another trying to take a photo without a cluttered background presented a problem. Secondly…the black and white checkered tile floor made for difficult a contrasting background.
With those factors in mind…here are four photos which you can click to see an enlarged view…
To see the remaining 40 photos I took…click this link…
https://picasaweb.google.com/110455945462646142273/VintageMotorcycleMuseumChehalisWashington
Another neat joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle is we get to visit a wide variety of museums.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust
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