Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Final Voyage of the Admiral

ALAS, the final voyage of the Admiral begins with a decommissioning.  We must remove most personal items from the decks and salon for the docking of the Admiral in Tampa.  The Admiral is being replaced by a major upgrade, a Phaeton.  No, not the Phaeton of the Opera, the Phaeton of the Tiffin Motorhome line.

Parting is such a sweet sorrow.  The Admiral introduced us to the world of RV travel.  This opened our short sighted eyes to a wonderful experience that never has to end.  Just as the pioneers traveled west in search of a new life, these travelers have found a new chapter in our lives.  All in thanks to the Admiral.  While we have sprung a few "leaks" along the journey, the Admiral has performed well and will give the new owners many adventures.  We can only hope they have the same experience as this Crew.

Preparing to depart Kentucky for a quick trip to Lazy Days in Tampa first requires some decommissioning by removal of items not needed on this trip.  The memories fly around our heads, remembering when we purchased this and that and to what extent did we utilize the items.  Dogs slept in the lounger, with me, and hide from the sun under the hammock.  It is difficult to unload in the snow, but warmer days are ahead.  I must make this last journey of the Admiral alone for the Lovely Wife, Lady Denise, has a real job and must attend to her duties.  However, she will sacrifice and make the arduous journey via Southwest Airlines to join me in Tampa for our maiden and shakedown cruise aboard the Phaeton.  It seems no sacrifice is to great the the Lady.

Cartersville, GA:
Currently lounging in Cartersville at the KOA.  Bella and I drove 7 hours today in the rain and traffic.  Bella did well.  However, she would not drive a mile.  We found the KOA comfortable and affordable.  Seems we had some "points" and are stying here for $7/night with full hook up, even cable. Sure beats WalMart.  I did check with the Wal mart in Forsyth, GA and we would have been well accepted.  However, this was south of Atlanta and the later hour with rush hour traffic did not entice me to continue south. 

Had a bit of surprise when turning on the heat, LP that is.  Seems my full tank as of yesterday would not provide heat.  However, my extensive experience indicated the valve on the tank remained CLOSED.  So relying on my extensive repair talents, I opened the tank and now we are toasty. 

We proceed in the AM for somewhere south of Atlanta, after rush hour of course.  We are worried about the new Phaeton, rough weather with hail and wind is hitting Tampa now and I hope our new Phaeton is protected.  We do not want to start over again in the hunt.   
This is our Dream Rig.  43 ft. with all amenities.  We could live here and hopefully will.  I am sure we may bore all readers with the new rig, but please be patient.

The final voyage of our loved Admiral continues tomorrow and remainder of the week.  We will have mixed feelings upon handing over the keys but we will recover. 

Happy Trails,

Barry & Denise

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