Google Maps

It is fascinating that Maps is free, and so powerful.  It is also fascinating that you have to learn by doing and rooting around until you figure it out.  There is no manual.  No real help desk although there is a means to submit issues, and there is the prospect of hearing back.

For those of you who are looking at our tour map, you may have thought there were some breaks in it.  It turns out after a certain number of stops or directions details spill over onto a second page.  Until you browse to the second page you won't see what is on the second page.  So as the tour gets longer it will be interesting to see how it shows.

Laundry Queen

When sailing Debbie got to be known as Laundry Queen.  Found good laundromats.  Was well organized.  Got the chore done simply and quickly.  I did help then but was mostly a pack mule.

Now, I am not inclined to take up the task in the same way.  So I will be searching for wash and fold services.  And the first one I found was wonderful!  Harding Place Coin Laundry.  Dropped off thirty pounds of dirty socks and underwear and other stuff.  Four hours later got a call laundry is ready.  Only $19.83.  Who could ask for anything more?

Lady A

Almost screwed this up!  The Grand Ole Opry was on our list of things to do when in Nashville.  Then we learned Lady Antebellum was in the line up for Friday.  Even better!  Then we met Nashvillians who said, don't worry about tickets.  They never sell out.  There will be promotions available when you get to Nashville.  Even day of event, I asked?  Yes.  Wrong.  Sold out!  The hotel staff didn't believe it.  Opry customer service said, that was last year when we weren't selling out.  Customer service did recommend, keep calling because performers get tickets that they sometimes release last minute if they are not going to be used.

Fifty-three calls later, I knew every customer service person's name.  The last call went like this.  Well, we just had a few come available but they are already gone.  Arrrrrgh.  Wait, I have a companion seat and a wheel chair seat available I can give you.  Yes, but do I need to bring a lawn chair?  No, they will have a few extra chairs.  We sat on the main floor in comfortable seats.  Easy in and out to get to the bar.  Jack and Pepsi is my new drink!

Now about the performance.  In summary, don't go unless there is a headliner or someone you wish to see, confirmed.  We now know what it is like being inside an AM radio show that is sponsored by Humana, Boot Barn and Cracker Barrel.  And we now know there are two kinds of country music.  One kind, the shouting and wailing and old stuff sung by guys male and female who have funky country suits, maybe overalls and a tie.  The other kind, the newer popular stuff.  Overall, we enjoyed the event, especially Lady A.

We had planned to do the Opry more than once and still may.  We just won't rush to make sure we are in our seat when the show starts.

We do have tickets for Charlie Daniels Band at the Ryman!  That, I am looking forward to.

Tail of the Dragon

Eleven miles.  318 curves.  Cool road!  Why did they build it?  Why isn't it a toll road?  How much did it cost, per mile?

While we think we would have lingered in Cades Cove if we went there, we did think we could do the Tail of the Dragon and still make Lady Antebellum,  We got hearty waves at the end of the Tail because we pulled over when the sports cars came up behind.  The motorcycles just went around even though the lines on the road are mostly double yellow.  There is a wall of shame where car parts hang for those who thought they were better drivers.

For some pictures of the Benz, see 129 Slayer:  http://store.129slayer.com.  Browse 10/25/2013 around 08:58 AM.

Holly is rude

Holly's friends in Chuluota, St Augustine and Fletcher all must keep their toys in a basket, say their humans.  Once Holly gets somewhat comfortable in the new place, she helps herself to the toys she wants to play with.  She is rude and doesn't wait for a host to offer a toy up.

Holly going to school

Holly at French Broad River Park

After school Holly gets to play, and she likes big sticks!  This stick was the diameter of a broom stick and half as long.  She can't carry it.  She can drag it back to you.

As for school, it has been a while since Ashby, the last Roser dog, was trained.  Holly will get the same training.  Right now she is good on a leash.  There is lots more to come!

Cades Cove or Lady Antebellum

You can't do it all . . . .

Several of you who know of our wandering have recommended Cades Cove.  But Lady Antebellum is at the Grand Ole Opry Friday night.  Probably can't do both, and we are about treed and vistaed out.  What to do?  What to do?

Devil's Courthouse

Just fascinating what people will come up with.  There is a rock outcropping that you can see from Big Ridge Overlook.  Pictures did not come out well because it was right into the Sun when we were here.  But in the same mountain there is supposed to be this cave where the Devil holds court, or something like that.  Debbie did not want to stay and defend . . . .

Anyway, going south on the Parkway from Asheville was better than going north.  It was more prime time for the leaves, but overall the scenery was just more better.  And for sure the best drive we have been on yet has not been the Parkway.  Back to Asheville we took a side road, Mt Pisgah Highway or 151.  There is sign just before the point of not being able to turn back, STEEP WINDING ROAD NOT RECOMMENDED FOR TRUCKS.  That is an understatement.  You can see where the road and trees are scarred where vehicles could not make the turn.  At 75.8 by 189.1, there was no trouble horizontally.  No trouble with ground clearance.  There was some concern in places the Thule cargo box might be at risk.

GQ and Deb

[Debbie:  insert caption here]

North on the Blue Ridge Parkway

North from Asheville on the Parkway takes you to Mount Mitchell, the highest ground east of the Mississippi.  Not going to share a lot of pictures because others do pictures better than us, and we decided in Paris in 1999, when the memory of a place fades, and there is nothing new to see, we will go back!

But there are new memories now.  First, who the heck thinks a speed limit of 45 mph is safe on the Parkway?  The Benz is not a sports car or motorcycle but it holds its own.  The Benz is torquey and able to do the ups and downs just fine in automatic or manual, but at 45 the Parkway is like a go cart ride.  At 45 the driver is not looking at the vistas!  There are those that race from overlook to overlook but the whole dang thing is beautiful.

The other thing, hold the inside line well, especially on right going bends, because the guy coming the other way is surely over the double yellow line in your lane doing the same.

Didn't see any wildlife, but did see wilddeath.  Some poor racoon, young and small, didn't make it across the Parkway.  Didn't come to know lumbering racoons taking 4 seconds to cross the road need to make sure there are no cars within 300 feet!

A great place to stay

It turns out, picking hotels may be an art.  Our needs are not consistent.  Our desires are somewhat consistent, but our desires are tempered at times by price.

Here at Wrightsville Beach we picked a great place to stay.   Best Western Plus University Inn Wilmington.  Close to where we wish to be.  Good price.  Room very clean, neat, well appointed.  Small dog park for Holly with low growing grass that she doesn't get lost in.  Lobby and common areas are well suited to sneak away to while Debbie sleeps in.  Great breakfast.

It would be grand if all our picks were this good, but we can imagine there will be a horror story to tell by the time we get to the Pacific Ocean.  Hotels are ranked and reviewed, but who can you trust?

FIshing for Holly

Holly now has over a dozen friends who we will have to circle back to see.  Five at Peggy and Joe's.  One at Mary and Barry's.  She is a very happy dog.  Scared of nothing.  Plays all the time.  You can see above she is playing tug-a-war with Mabry.  You can see below Mabry has taken the high ground and is playing, fishing for Holly.

All too funny!

What the heck?

Just generally you can get a Residence Inn for $159.00:

But if you are a AAA member you can get a room for $169.00:

Glad I am a AAA member.  (smile)

Fall colors tracker

Detailed Blue Ridge Parkway Fall Colors Tracker

The wandering Rosers

Wanderers, best term I have heard yet.  Homeless, gypsy, vagabond, all were terms I didn't like because of the various connotations.  Before today I settled on calling ourselves, nomads.  But now, wanderers.

In this adventure two weeks, all is going well and mostly as expected.  We still have too much stuff to wrestle with but were are paring down and packing better every time we have to go into a bag, duffel or suitcase.

Debbie is doing well.  Eating is mechanical but easy.  Her nutrition is well settled.  We are trying to discover what her stamina will allow her to do.  This week has been filled with activity and here at week's end she is tired.

Holly is doing well.  Crateable and easy to deal with.

The travel trailer is still in our thinking but if our touring interests continue to match hotel deals as well as they have, we will continue to hotel hop.

The Benz

Distronic Plus cruise control is great, and the only reason Orlando traffic has not frustrated me one bit this week!

Cruise on the Benz has two inputs.  One, speed.  Two, distance from car ahead.  If there is no car ahead you travel at set speed.  If there is a car ahead you travel at set distance from the car ahead.  Speed changes automatically to follow the flow of traffic.  Up to set speed.  Down to full stop.  Stop and go traffic is a breeze, and I am sure Distronic does better than most drivers, especially me.

So then what if Distronic brings you to a full stop?  If traffic starts moving again within 3 seconds, you start moving without any driver input.  If 3 seconds has passed you have to pull the cruise paddle to start moving.

Another cool feature of the Benz, dynamic navigation.  Traffic is monitored and routing is changed to avoid bad traffic.  It works!  The first calculation of a route to friends included a straight run on I 4 through downtown Orlando at 5:30 pm on Friday.  Before reaching downtown, the route was changed to drop off I 4 onto secondary roads and through neighborhoods.  We were no more than two minutes later than the original calculation, even though average speed on I 4 had reportedly fallen to 10 mph.

Now Debbie's chauffeur, I love this car!

Play ball!

Elijah catching . . .

. . . and batting . . .

The interested spectators, Debbie, Mom and Zachariah . . .

Seaworld is tired but still wunnerful!

The Cochrans and the Rosers, including Holly, made a day of Seaworld Wednesday.  Seaworld is tired but still wunnerful!

Holly got to go because Seaworld has a Pet Care Center.  For $15.00 you get short term boarding next to the front gate, next to a very nice dog park.

The best part of Seaworld is still all the marine life.  Flamingos.  Rays.  Sharks.  Seals.  Walruses.  Dolphins.  Killer whales.  Penguins.  Fishes that are hard to believe are real.

Out of four of us, only one was brave enough to ride any of the rides.  From personal experience, I can say I enjoyed Manta!  Didn't get to Kracken because the day got away from us.

A weak part of Seaworld for those of us old enough to remember, the Shamu show is muted some.  It is still fabulous, but there was a time when the trainers got in the water with the whales.  The trainers do still get in the water with the dolphins.

As for more pictures, stay tuned.  Hayden promised to send a link.  I wasn't about ready to try to keep up with Photo Boy.

PS:  Hayden keeps his promise here.

Seaworld once more

Being from Florida and having spent most of my life in Florida, the theme parks have been an issue.  All out-of-state visitors want to go, and they get old if you have to visit them often.  Except for Seaworld.  Best park ever.  And that's why we are going again today!

Debbie has never ridden rides, and I am going to again beg her to go on Kraken or Manta with me.  Come on!  Why not?  She never has a good answer.

Hotwire one-day sale

Hotwire's one-day sale?  Excellent!  The room we are in this week is clean, just fair overall because it is older.  But the deal is fantastic, $32.00 a night, $38.00 all in, at an Extended Stay America.  The deal came through email as a one-day sale two days before we needed to check in.  Hotwire must remember your searches.  Glad our other reservation could be cancelled.

Hotwire rated this place 2.5 stars, and we don't plan to typically go that low.  We usually filter at 3 stars and up.  Put in perspective that we are just sleeping and bathing, and watching a little TV here while we visit family and friends.  So as long as the room is clean enough we feel good walking across the room in bare feet, price trumps.  Taking the risk with a 2.5 star place paid off.

Holly gets a sweater

Holly is getting toys and other stuff every where we go.  The most grand, a sweater:

Hand knit by Ellie Hall.

RDI is new RDA is old

Today the guvment tells us what the Recommended Daily Intake is.  Used to be they told us what the Recommended Dietary Allowance was.  The guvment helps us with these numbers for most foods.  But I cannot find the RDI or RDA for scotch!  The guvment, Dewars, and owner of the Dewars brand Bacardi, has failed to say whether I should be drinking three shots a night, or seven.  How do I know what an appropriate amount is?  Time to contact AA, and I don't mean American Airlines.

Kismet's coming south

After getting launched about October 15:

Our first detour will likely be to meet them in Wrightsville Beach.  Don't forget the calendar and the map here on the blog to the right of the posts.  They carry answers to the questions when and where.

By the way, artistic license with the picture above.  It was taken when Kismet was on the hard at some prior time.

Thule customer service fails BUT THEN REDEEMS

THULE REDEEMED THEMSELVES AFTER ANOTHER PHONE CALL!  THE MESSAGE BELOW IS OLD NEWS SINCE THULE DID MAKE ME HAPPY WITH A 25% REFUND.  ALL IS NOW GOOD!  I LIKE THULE PRODUCTS AND LIKE THULE CUSTOMER SERVICE.

All did not go well with the delivery of the Thule cargo box.  Here are two pictures of the shipping carton:

Click here to see more pictures, including pictures of the damage to the cargo box itself.

Thule packaged the cargo box very poorly, if intending to use commercial carriers.  Their transportation manager is too hopeful.  AIT Worldwide Trucking handled the shipment very poorly.  The shipping container was marked, FRAGILE.  I wonder what the cargo box would have looked like if it wasn't a fragile shipment.

Me, I wonder what discount is proper now that I have a damaged not new Thule cargo box.  I bought the Thule box specifically because it had an "automotive finish".

Thule is saying that I did not properly document the damage.  They and presumably AIT are sticking by their terms, inspect the delivery before accepting it.  You have to be kidding me!  Debbie noted the hole in the shipping carton.  Even if Debbie was healthy I would not have expected her to uncrate the shipment.  Dealing with Thule has been a much different experience than the last time I was in this position years ago with a Ducane grill.  Ducane has it right!  Thule has it wrong.

So why does Thule customer service fail.  They started this mess by not properly packing the cargo box, and they chose AIT.  Now they won't discount the box enough to make me reasonably happy.  Fair to me would be a 25% discount.  What do you think?

By the way, exchanging the box is not really an option because we need the thing and mechanically it may be fine, but Thule can't want the damaged box back anyway.  That would cost them way more than 25%.

Damn

Just when I needed the guvment to tell me what dragonflies might be swarming around the grasses between the condo and the beach, the guvment closes down:

But back to the dragonflies.  There were thousands flying around at sunset tonight.  There was no wind.  There has been a lot of rain.  These dflies were feasting on some insects but we could not tell what their meal was.

The link that might inform us, when the guvment opens back up, Dragonflies of the United States.