When the alarm went off at 7:30 yesterday morning, Miss Terry got out of bed and started some of the last minute things she does on moving day morning; starting her coffee brewing, stowing our automatic rooftop TV dish, and taking the solar screens off the inside of our windshield. I really did plan to get up with her, but I drifted right back off to sleep, and woke up an hour later.
Even so, it was a quick morning. We got everything ready to go, drove down to the parking lot next to the Thousand Trails office and hooked the Explorer to our tow bar, and then I went inside to talk to the membership sales rep about the possibility of upgrading our Thousand Trails/NACO membership to the Elite. This would give us access to all of the Leisure Time Resorts (LTR), Outdoor World (OW), and Mid-Atlantic resorts, raising the number of campgrounds available to us from about 50 to 80. A lot of those parks are in the East and Northeast, and the mid-Atlantic states. It would also give us some extras, such as 21 day stays at the campgrounds instead of our present 14, and we could have unlimited reservations on the books, instead of the three we are allowed now. Another benefit is that, when we hit age 62, our dues would be frozen for life. That day’s not all that far away, at this point. Of course, it’s not cheap, and we have to weigh the benefits against the costs to determine if it’s worthwhile to us.
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After I got the information I needed about the upgrade, we pulled out of the campground, drove north on U.S. Highway 27 to State Route 50, and then followed it east to Interstate 75. From there, it was a short ride north to the next exit, and we were at the Escapees Sumter Oaks campground near Bushnell by noon.
Sunday night, the weather report had predicted a cold front, with rain coming through Monday evening. While I was in the Thousand Trails office, an updated weather report said the storm would arrive about 3 p.m. I told Terry I was glad we got an early start, so we’d be settled in before the storm hit. As it turned out, it started to sprinkle while we were registering at Sumter Oaks, and by the time I backed onto our site and finished getting everything hooked up, it was really starting to coming down.
So, we’re back to normal. It took it a while, but my black cloud has found me, and we’re supposed to have much cooler weather for the next few days. In fact, one night this week, it’s suppose to get down into the high 30s! I guess it’s a good week to be inside getting the new issue of the Gypsy Journal finished.
When I called the campground a few days ago to ask about vacancies, the lady I talked to said they had some then, but to call the morning we planned to arrive, just to be sure. I forgot to do that, but there was no need. The place isn’t much more than 50% full. So if you’re thinking about heading down this way, you shouldn’t have any problem getting a site.
We always run into people we know at an Escapee campground, and this was no exception. When we pulled in, longtime reader Rich Coppens greeted us. It’s nice to see a familiar face when you show up someplace, and I’m sure we’ll be see quite a few more while we’re here!
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Thought For The Day - Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!