It has been a cool winter here in Florida this year. Still way better than the rest of the country! Kalkaska has gotten hammered with snow this year. Good thing I winterized the coach! Snowbanks are about 5ft this year.

I got the skirting done on the park model and hard piped the sewer. We are getting settled in and I don't miss driving the Barth 1500 miles on I75 to get here.

Going to reach the 80s here in Yuma, AZ in the next few days. We sit here and watch the ??it hit the fan in most of the county.

Iowa had very little snow, or cold up until a week ago. Then snow and cold broke out like winter in Iowa. Still trying to get a Florida trip together for next week. Leave on Friday or Saturday, need to be in Tampa on March 3rd, for my grandsons Lacross games. They are on the 4th and 6th. Going to try and get down to see Steve on the 5th, or after the 6th. Grandson is flying down with team.

Ole 71 is still in its winter home with city piled snow blocking its egress. Supposed to be a bit warmer this weekend hope to get some help and get it out and back in my driveway. Finish a few details on the new cruise control, pack up 10/12 days of stuff for me and Casey my dog and hit the road!!

First long trip, did drive it to Minnesnowta last summer so reasonably confident it will make the trip without incident.

Duane, if you get down to Steve's have him give me a call and I'll shoot over and have a cold drink with you guys.

Danny, between steps and skirting, cool weather and wind we still haven't been over your way. Did a couple Saturday breakfasts here. Had to do some tuneup and cleanup work on the boat. Waiting on a carb kit to clean that up. Overdue for sure. Maybe next week when it warms up. It will be good to see you again.

It went from -27C to +10C in 24 hours here. Perhaps spring has arrived?

Well Schucks, not gonna be able to make the Florida Trip. Too many other issues have come up. Disappointed for sure!!

I can feel your pain. Getting a trip planned, coach loaded and stops along the way for a lengthy journey is more than just a weekend run. I am relieved not to be using the coach to get here now.

Hope to see you in the Great White North when it is not so white. Take care Duane.

well i asked a month ago about driving my 1990 barth from michigan to fl .

anyway we ended up in a rv / trailer park in lesburg fl . the people are very nice
holliday rv village .

but that is the end of the story , my wife did not want to drive in it on the way down , so i had an employee for $ 700 plus apx $250 flight home , plus gas , plus maybe an other $200 . and it is thus in florida .

we drove our car .

wife likes this place , found new friends ,is happy with the place and " our lot" , i started playing softball on Sundays at 82, have not broken anything or had a heart attack .

we , or she , decided we are coming back next year 2 months ,,


we looked to buy a existing "park model " used , for anywhere from $5000 - $25000 plus $9,000 lot rental for a year , plus what ever ails befell it . plus worrying about a extra "thing"

after a week or so of looking and calculating and thinking , we decided to reserve the very same spot for two months next year ( apx $2200.00 or so , , leave the barth in AC controlled inside storage $3,000. and drive in our car
back and forth to Michigan and back to fl next january .

maybe buy an other barth for michigan for the summer

that's our story ,, and as of today , we are sticking to it

,we are very lucky to live in this great country , have our health at 80 +, have worked hard enough to do what ever we want , and have 1000 options , this is our option today ..

our non deluxe ,1990 23 foot ( 1/2 as big as our kitchen back home ) BARTH ,is helping us do it .

i am sure others would choose different .jack finn royal oak mi

... like looking through a crystal ball to me. God Bless you two.

I like to drive the Barth, and a two or three-day trip is like a fun thing to me, I might be a bit off, but a night in a Walmart lot or in a Hy-way rest stop kinda makes me feel like I am getting away with being an 81-year-old risk taker. I do most often stay in a RV park.

MY problem is my sidekick and friend a Shetland Sheep Dog. He does not like the Barth it is too noisy for his taste and when we go somewhere he gets pissed, also he will not relieve himself while on a leash, so I have to let him be free and that is risky, another dog to play with, a squirl to chase, and the traffic to avoid, so I have to be careful.

When my spouse travelled, she loved the RV ride, but would not spend a night in it, so we would go places in the RV and rent hotel or motel rooms for the night or at our destination. Our dogs at that time liked to ride in the RV too. Funny what we do for relaxation.

Last week had to abide to a travel schedule which included flying. What a PIA. The older I get the less tolerable I am to being told where to be when. I'll take any Walmart parking lot over flying. At least Walmart doesn't tell me last minute to report to a different gate. And my cabin windows have only my fingerprints.

"I'll take any Walmart parking lot over flying"

I will second that opinion and include motels. (No bedbugs!)

Flying has become such a frustrating experience. A 25 minute flight from Detroit to Chicago has become a 4 hr ordeal between driving to airport, park a mile away, shuttle to terminal, check-in, boarding, and baggage claim, surrounded by stressed out fellow passengers. Bad karma. I can drive to Chicago in about 4 hours...

I remember when I could get to the airport 1/2 hr before the flight, walk into the terminal and promptly board. Good old days, long gone.

Other than driving in heavy traffic the coach is far better.

The world grows, back when I actually worked for my money, I did a lot of traveling and many times to Europe, it used to drive me crazy to deal with the crowed airports and long baggage check and security lines they had. Was so thankful that in the States it was much easier, for a time I even took blank tickets in my brief case and wrote them out as I needed them, always travelled with a bag for overhead storage, so no baggage check. No fees for a flight change and free booze in business class, could talk about the flirty stewardess's but that would leave room for folks to call me a sexist, yes Steve the good old days!!!!