We left the Keys April 1. Stayed April 1,2 at Larry and Penny Thompson RV park west of Miami. An old county park, large sites, easy to find, good wifi.

Left for Ortona Locks state park, stayed April 3,4,5. Had a great time meeting Carl and Betty Flack and several other SOB friends. Had a great dinner together Friday and shared their wonderful hospitality.





Deb and Ed stopped by on Saturday (They live across the river, rode over in the golf cart, then walked across the locks to visit with us.) Hadn't seen them since Hillsborough 2013, we both missed it last Dec.



They invited us to stay the extra day Sunday and go for a boat ride up the river through the locks. Yeah!!! What a great time! We came back and had dinner together. What a great day.









Another fine time with my Barth friends. We left Monday morning for Williston Crossings RV resort. Beautiful park, great landscaping, several lakes, right near town.



Only downside: even though quiet hours are 10PM to 8AM, the contractor showed up at 7AM (before sunrise) to run a chain saw and front end loader about 100 ft from our site. Evidently they can't tell time… also wifi is very slow for a park of this caliber.

We'll be leaving tomorrow to visit Cagles in Georgia. We were planning to see them in Feb at Glades city but Nick's leg forced their retreat home. We are looking forward to this visit, as always.

to be continued:

Have Barth, will travel

I trust you made it to UBRVRAPE II without incident!

Take it slow and easy, Steve. I have found that the enjoyment is in the journey.

Don

A nice drive up 301 to 1 to UBRVRAPE II to see Cagles. Always good company. We took Rusty's spot for a couple days.



Onward tomorrow. Planning to see Tom and Nancy this weekend.

BTW I added a few more shots to the first post, now that I have working wifi.

Said goodbye to Cagles, already looking forward to next time. Drove to Creekwood RV park near Waynesville, NC. A nice park nestled in the mountains, with a picturesque creek running along side. Restrooms are spotless. I was lazy and took a pull through near the bathroom. If I were staying longer the sites near the river are really nice.







We left Saturday morning, heading to see Tom and Nancy Johns near Monticello, KY. Lots of hills and curves in the mountains.

Have Barth, will travel

Another day of hills and curves, and more hills and curves got us near Monticello to see Tom and Nancy Johns. We missed them in February at Everglades City, so we were pleased to see them again.

The house is on one side of the road, the RV site is across the street. Beautiful day, the trees and plants are showing the signs of Spring. Another great time with Barth friends.





Tomorrow we'll head north a little farther, northern KY or southern OH.

To be continued.

Steve

It was great seeing you folks again and meeting Carl, Betty and their friends. Got the boat fixed and deb and I are back up in Tallahassee. Have a safe trip home and hopefully see you folks at one of the future GTG's

Ed & Deb

Never know Ed, we might stop by… for just " a few days"

Doors always open and the refrigerator is full!

After saying goodbye to Tom and Nancy we spent the night in a small RV park alongside the freeway about 30 miles south of Cincinnati. Today we drove through Cincinnati construction, Dayton construction, numerous 20-30 mile sections of I-75 construction. The whole dam state is under construction. Uneven lanes, potholes, lane closures, lane shifts. Of the 9 states we traveled through this winter, Ohio roads were by far the worst.

Arrived here in Canton about 3PM. So far about 3,850 miles and 220 to go to Kalkaska. (Saved about $900 in gas compared to last winter!) Not a bad "break-in" for the new engine. Other than the rear brakes and the front seal leak on the new engine, we had no problems.
I will soon get back to the many Barth projects I stalled on last summer. Look for more updates!
Heading for Kalkaska in a few more days.

Have Barth, will travel

Did you get the front seal repaired?

Nope, it is settling down to about 1 qt in 600 miles. As soon as I get to Kalkaska I will pull the balancer and seal, also replace power steering pump and hoses. I think my fan clutch is due for R&R also. I will report the findings soon.

Also I will finish rear axle: brake, left rotor, caliper and lines, replace hub bearings and seals, and new tires.

I will pull out the transmission soon and get it rebuilt. New torque convertor and parking brake also. I may get the driveshafts checked/balanced at that time also.

I am thinking about new front springs and maybe ball joints if needed.

Ordered a new Atwood furnace. Planning to replace vent fan also.

VW toad will get new engine and tow bar attachments.

Need to launch Dad's boat in late May. No bottom work needed this year.

Still have to get my old 454 to Mary Ray for her 85.

So much to do, so little time.

quote:

I will pull out the transmission soon and get it rebuilt. New torque convertor and parking brake also. I may get the driveshafts checked/balanced at that time also.

I heartily recommend Suncoast Converters in Ft. Walton Beach, FL for the rebuild (extra heavy-duty clutches) and its own brazed/welded TC. They don't show the TH400 on the website, but give them a call. They uprated my 4L80E from stock 450 lb-ft torque to 850.

I will touch base with you when I get that trans out.

Arrived home in Kalkaska. Things are looking good here after 2 months gone. about 4,120 miles about 6.5 mpg
about 7 qts oil through the front seal.
It ran great all the way home.

Good Deal, Steve & Liz.

We have been working on getting caught up on the things that have been neglected here while away. I do some things for the subdivision that seem to just be left alone until I am around. The automatic gate was not working and I replaced the actuator. The water system tanks were very low and I have been transferring water so folks don't run out. I need an assistant!!

I got the new mount for the FWHT made and it looks strong as an ox. Tank is not mounted yet but soon it will be.

I suppose the oil leak made a mess in the front end of your Barth. I really like the fact that ours is leak free and stays pretty clean.

The latest problem around here is that my Deuce 6x6 would not start. I knew the alternator was iffy but had not replaced it. Finally I took it down to a shop and they recommended an aftermarket one since the OEMs are around $800. I decided to use the replacement which meant that I had to modify the mount to work with the new narrow mounting ears on the new one. What a job! DeWalt saws-all did the job along with my grinder.

The truck started and ran so I thought I was home free but the next morning--nothing. I found a bad cell in one of the batteries and had to buy a new one. They are over $200.00. All is good so far with the truck.

Getting home is so much fun!!

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. I think we will be taking shorter trips though--it seems like 2 months is long for us.

Regards to you and Liz.