November 3-18, 1984

Mileage Start 40,038  Home 42,874

Attended:  Dad, 20.5 years, Eater 27 months, Buzz 10 months and Sass 5

Our very first extended trip!  Mom drives.  Megan is "Meg-A-Mouth"!  Grandma Wolf comes with us to the Florida sights.

Well, we wanted to leave November 1, when my vacation was due to begin.  Unfortunately, the ATC test was scheduled for November 3 at 8 AM and I stayed for that.  To top it off, we were not able to leave until 1445.  Drove to south of Lexington and pooped out about 0030.  We slept over in a rest area.  Kids got up at 0515 and we were on the road about 0730.  We stopped at a Bob Evans Restaurant in Knoxville to eat breakfast.  Everyone pigged out.  Got our campsite at about 1200.  Went to the Smokey Mountain National Park Visitor's Center (Sugarlands) and then drove to Clingman's Dome.   Quite a rough ride in the motorhome.  The dome was covered with fog and we didn't walk to the observation area because of fog, rain, and cold.  We We did stop at a lower level observation area and got some neat views.  Got back to the camp at about 1700 and got a nice site next to the playground.  Meg won't stop talking.  That's why we call her Meg-A-Mouth.  The cruise control quit working in Louisville and it became apparent the rear battery was not charging.  It appears that a terminal snapped off the isolator.  I wired the isolator off and kept a good charge on the battery.  However, I have to keep going under the hood to disconnect the line going to the rear to keep the van battery from going dead.  I also have a problem with the cruise control.  It is getting 12 volts but not working.  Such probolems!  Left at 0930.

Apparently the problems with the speed control is a plugged vacuum line.  We got to bed at 0200.  Up at 0755 (Dad was up at 0900) and on the road at 1000.  The kids were sleeping so we decided to stay overnight at the Florida Welcome Center.

11/13/1984

Boy, a lot to catch up with.  We drove to the Visitor's Center in Florida and stayed the night.  We left the next morning on 11/12/1984.  We left for a trip to Disney World and Circus World.  The first day we went to Outdoor Resorts.  We got our site and went to Circus World.  We had a SUPER time there.  Meg and Matt got there faces painted.  Grandma and I didn't.  Meg rode a whole bunch of rides by herself.  I was worried out of my mind!  She loved it!  Grandma took her on a big-person ride.  Saw some shows.  really nice!  Got back to the campground about 5 PM.  We were right next to the playground and Meg and Matt had a ball!  Kids and I went to bed early.  Mom and Gram went to bed later.  Very cold night -- we left a window open.  Next day we went to Disney World and enjoyed it.  But it is very expensive and not for little kids.  We got back and Meg played for a long time at the playground.  Weather has been cold-highs in the low 70s and possible frost warnings at night.  Had two problems that we got fixed before going on this side trip.  Fist, we threw a spring in the L/R brake.  Took it to a garage in Brooksville and had it put back on, $22.00.  The L/R drum is torn up pretty bad, though.  Second problem was that I threw a magnet on the axle that controlled the speed control.  Fixed that with a group of 4 magnets from refrigerator decorations.  Mom (Grandma) gave us a little Hoover for the vacuuming of the motorhome.

11/18/1984

Drove quite a while to get to Stone Mountain.  Traffic in Atlanta is absolutely awful.  Stone Mountain was a lot of fun.  Arrived 11/16 at about 8 PM and slept.  Spent the day tooling about the place.  Took a skylift up to the mountain, went to a very small zoo, visited a plantation.  Took two very nice walks.  Took a third short walk.

11/19/1984

Well, on the 18th we drove from Atlanta to Liz's house.  It began raining in Knoxville, TN and began snowing in Cincinnati.  We were going about 45 to 50 from Covington, KY to Columbus.  We arrived at Liz's and prepared to stay the night.  The weather report said it would be OK to the north so we took off for home.  Arrived home about 3:30 PM.