Getting to Key Largo or how we got screwed out of $580

So here I am in Key Largo. We were going to take the slower route to Key Largo as we had reservations at Blue Fin Rock Harbor from December 16-January 15. When we were getting ready to leave Tybee Island, GA, we knew we needed to get warm in a big hurry. We had reservations at Blue Fin Rock Harbor for December 15-January 15, but the woman who is my contact there did not answer the phone so I called another place in Key Largo as I didn't think we could get a place so early at Rock Harbor. I called this place Riptide RV park and got a reservation for 12 days. It was a bit expensive. They also charged us an extra $25 per dog. Then the Rock Harbor lady called back and said we could stay there. When I called Riptide back, Greg refused to cancel the order and said because we already put it on our card, we couldn't reneg now. Really? Yeah really. So I called Alana back at Rock Harbor and told her what happened which she said was ridiculous, because they should have no problem voiding the transaction or crediting us as we wanted to cancel within an hour, especially with no signature binding us (which is probably why Alana only takes cash or checks). That should have been a big red flag to us. So, Alana said if we had any problems with them in Key Largo, we could just call her when we got in.

So we got to Riptide at 2:45 pm only to read a sign that says "be back in 5 minutes, call _____ for assistance". So I called the number. Twice. At 4:15, needles to say, Jeff and I were tired, hot and impatient. I called Alana at Rock Harbor. "Come on over" was all she needed to say. We got to the Rock Harbor Marina and got settled and I missed the Riptide's call at 4:45 pm (while we were getting oriented to the hook ups, etc) that we could pick out a site and they will catch up with us later. How gracious! Any site? I called our credit card who told us how to dispute it, but recommended that for the record, I should probably ask them first and I may not have to get to the disputing part. I called back and left a message about finding another site "but thank you anyway and please credit us". They called me back and he was a total ass. " I refuse to credit you" was his only response. I said that I would have to dispute and he said "I am not responding to that" and hung up. Ohmygod! In a recession, you would think people would not to try to run out any future or current business with ANY of this behavior! Did I mention that they charged $25 per dog. Yes? Oh good, because I didn't want to miss a thing. But then again, I guess Riptide is in a lot of fear with not having any customers (empty RV park) and holding on to any money they think they can get. Riptide is getting a little desperate, yes?

So, we wrote a check to the Rock Harbor (which was a 1 minute drive from Riptide, no joke) for the 12 extra days and gave it to an older guy named Mike who winced when we mentioned the Riptide. I will say that Alana was really nice to just bring us over and give us a prorated figure for the 12 days rather than the normal daily rate. And by the way, she does not charge for the three dogs!

Alana showed me the Dive-in shop where they rent boats, wave runners, fishing gear and dive gear, not to mention they are a PADI certified instruction center. In my next post, I will talk about my introduction to diving! See you then!

Carolina on my mind

We are headed to Chapel Hill tomorrow. We have Molly's wedding festivities all weekend and some time to relax in a hotel. While it has only been less than a week that we were in Pam's guest house, I need some hotel space to get ready for the wedding without (for once) having dog hair all over my clothes. A real shower will also be nice too. It looks like a really nice hotel. Siena Hotel, I think it is. I am dreaming of a tub already! We just kicked back the last few days which gave Jeff some time off from driving and me some time to recover (sitting upright has started to hurt my back lately, not sure why). Jeff and I bought a mattress pad of foam which is really nice and helping out a lot. Live and learn, RV style. I guess I haven't road tripped this much in a really long time. A really long time. I will probably not be blogging (you guys can all catch up on the frequent commentary lately) until after this weekend. Congrats to Molly & Thomas!

Fredericksburg VA KOA revisited

Soooo...Monday we watched baseball instead of MNF. I told you all that I would revisit the whole KOA situation when I saw the showers the next day. Tuesday, I had a very nice shower. Very clean curtains and nice hot water with good pressure make for a nice review on the shower. It's almost redeeming.

We spent an incredible Tuesday which began by missing the noon meeting in Fredericksburg (we ended up at an awesome meeting at 7pm that night which will be addressed in my next blog entry). We ended up going to the Visitor's center near one of the four battlefields and taking a short hike (0.5 miles). More like a nice leisurely walk. Jeff and I are NOT long distance hikers, by any stretch of the imagination. We then took the self guided vehicle tour of one of the battlefields (Chancellorsville) and after site number 7, we took a wrong turn. We decided not to complete it (there were only ten sites so we missed three) and headed into old town Fredericksburg. We found a great parking space in one of the public parking lots (we take up almost 2 car spaces) and walked around. For all the antique shops they have in that town, you would think there would be quite a few coffee houses or something. We had to walk a bit to find one, but when we did, Jeff was very satisfied with the espresso. We discovered the meeting that night was 4 blocks from where we parked. We decided to just stay in town till then. We walked around some more. Did I mention there are a lot of antique shops here? Yes, balanced out by a few tattoo shops, but still... I guess antiques are just not really my thing. So we had a nice dinner at J. Brian's (I think that's the name) and went back to the RV to walk the dogs at which point Jeff felt the desire to walk them on his skateboard. Hmmm. Okay. Cool. I was kind of afraid to look. So I didn't. He was glad (I didn't look but all the dogs and Jeff AND the skateboard came back in one piece so it couldn't have been that bad.

After going to the meeting and arriving at our Kozy Kampsite, we noticed our cable cord was missing. Excuse me, I had TV to watch. Jeff was WAYYYY less pleased than I was. He was PISSED! We were missing precious baseball play off time (it turned out Hell's Kitchen wasn't on because of the play offs or something, I hope, since Fox had the baseball game on). We went right to the Walmart and bought a new cord. This was sooo not cool Fredericksburg KOA! Just so you know! Not cool at all. We suspected it was the neophyte camper with the rental RV. If they had California plates, we would have found them culpable for sure. In the morning, they were already gone. I brought it to the attention of the Kamp staff who was not sure what happened either. So I have to say, this is a beautiful Kampsite with clean amenities and great customer (or is that Kustomer?) service. But this KOA needs to work on some cable issues, clearly.

One thing before I end this posting about Fredericksburg KOA, I am doing my laundry here and just put my clothes in the dryer. The first on a list of instructions: Check inside for pets, children and foreign objects before loading and starting. I just couldn't stop laughing. But then I guess it's not funny since someone must have forgotten their child in the dryer and sued the company. NOW, they need to make sure EVERYONE checks for missing children in the dryer.

Leaving New Jersey

We left New Jersey after seeing some family and friends in Wertzville and Hopewell. We stayed in a wonderful guest house on St Andrew's Farm aka Jeff's cousin's Pam's place. We got a nice tour of the 110 acres on a Kubota (that's some kind of diesel 4 wheel drive thingee). Max played with the horses. And by "played", I mean instigated some annoyance and general pissed-offness from the larger farm animal. I mean Max (tiny 20 pound Max who has NEVER SEEN a farm animal under my parentage) just barked and barked at the feet of these lovely horses who did no wrong by Max. Max is the most adorable puggle, but he's just that kind of dog. I honestly don't know what he was trying to prove by barking at these horses.

We had dinner last night with Stacey & James. This whole time, my former college roommate lived 10 minutes away from Jeff's cousin. Who knew? I can't believe I haven't seen her in 20 years. I can believe we reconnected on Facebook. Who ISN'T on Facebook?! James made an outstanding meal. Stacey and James take entertaining and delivering great food to an art form. If you are reading this Stacey: be an event planner, start catering-you guys are great cooks, creative invitation makers, and thoughtful about your culinary choices-that is such a recipe for success! Great conversation and revisiting a few college photos. Stacey and I got to catch up and it's like (but not quite) we picked up where we left off around 1989. Thanks Stacey, and we WILL be back! I will continue to let these cooking shows inspire me!

After taking off right after dinner with S & J, we headed towards Virginia, passing Philadelphia at 11:15pm (while the game was still being played-you know that series game vs the LA Dodgers). We crashed at a visitor's center in Virginia last night/this morning at 2am. We woke up and made reservations at the KOA in Fredericksburg,VA. This place is beautiful and really close to a a lot of U.S. History. There is a gift shop with a lot of confederate flag nick-nacks, patches, shirts, teddy bears with confederate logos. There is even tee shirt with a big confederate flag that says something like "if this offends you, get acquainted with history"...hmmmm. I am still not buying the shirt. Toto, I am NOT in Kansas anymore. I am not in Colorado, or DC for that matter. I won't hold it against the KOA, it is history. I am not getting any phone coverage here, but again, that's probably being deep in a forest in a rural type area. What I am curious about, KOA of Fredericksburg, is why you DON'T HAVE ESPN?? What's the matter here? Not that I have anything against the playoff series with the Phillies (I used to be such a Phillies fan), but I would much rather be watching MNF with Broncos v. Chargers. At least I have internet access-I am grateful for small favors! That way I guess I can see the scores later tonight. That's just as much fun. NOT.
Tomorrow, I will check out your KOA showers. I wasn't so impressed with the KOA showers in Mystic, with all the moldy shower curtains and grungy floor mats. Not so inviting, right? Doesn't make you feel so squeaky clean at the end of it all. I am expecting better, cleaner showers at this HUGE KOA Kampus.

Newport RI and headed south

We spent the day in Newport, RI today with Maggie (Jeff's cousin). I don't know if Maggie could handle both of us (at the same time and all). Jeff and I can be somewhat spastic and distracted; poor Mags spent the better part of her time trying to redirect us to points of interest, restaurants, anything really other than the dead ends we were taking her to while walking aimlessly in the middle of endless conversations. Maggie was a great tour guide and hostess for just being here a month or so herself.

I found out some interesting things. For example, Jeff's mom thinks I am "as flaky as Jeff".What??!! I am NOT FLAKY. Jeff and I have been a bit unable to commit to our whereabouts tomorrow. I am possibly a bit pickier with food than a lot of the Cimas. I may talk faster (but not MORE) than some of the Cimas. BUT.I.AM.NOT.FLAKY! What the hell! Jeff said, "she's just being honest". So now I have to prove my NOTFLAKY case to him too? What? Jeff married me regardless of my quirky qualities. The defense rests.

Tomorrow, we have lots of choices, it would seem. Mystic, CT.Narragansett, RI, Cape May, NJ. And I even told him Cape May, NJ has a ferry. Jeff says "they have a fairy??". I'm the flake? The defense rests. Nothing further.

See you next time!

When in Rome...

...hit a meeting in a wonderful little church on a Monday evening at 8pm. Rome, NY that is. We, that's the Royal We because We is really Jeff, drove from Niagara Falls to Rome, NY on Monday to catch this meeting that I found on my Blackberry. Yay New York for having a fairly reasonable New York AA site that can be easily navigated on a BlackBerry (sorry, I can't say that same thing for you Indiana AA). We drove up the church parking lot just as the church bells struck 8. This is just perfect. We followed another anonymous alcoholic (he was try to finish smoking...clear giveaway so close to a church and all) into the side entrance of the church into the basement.

This was a meeting that started just minutes before we got there so I am not sure if they did introductions, but after the meeting when we introduced ourselves, they realized they forgot to ask about visitors, but that was quite okay. We listened to alcoholics help out a newcomer and really, isn't that what its all about? We have meetings so that we can help the newcomer and this guy seemed so scared. Jeff shared, but I just stayed quiet...yes, little ol' me...quiet... It is really nice to get to a meeting where people share with the same quirky experiences, down and dirty experiences, and mostly just how they got their first step...pretty much like any meeting I have been to. It's good to go anywhere and (for the most part) get the same clear message. I say for the most part and I will leave it at that. We were grateful to find this meeting in Rome. Thanks New York AA for posting it and thanks to Betty, our fearless Garmin GPS, for getting us there safely!

After we left the meeting, Jeff drove clear from Rome NY (our detour from Niagara Falls) to the state line in Maine and we crashed in the visitor's center at 0345 Tuesday morning! We then found a few brochures, thanks to Jeff's jaunt to the actual visitor center lobby. We picked out a brochure and went that afternoon to Gray's Homestead campground. That's for the next posting.

We are keeping true with getting at least one meeting in every state we stay in (not necessarily every stop within the same state). We are looking forward to our Maine meetings.

On the road

Thanks for being patient...anyone out there who is actually checking in with my blog site!!Anyone?Bueller? I finally have reliable Internet service, thus the post right before this (mostly all about the birthplace of AA).

I have been in the road for about 18 days before in the RV before (in May for my first time EVER in a RV overnight). What is different now is that I know we are off for the long haul. We don't want to return till we know there will be no more snow in Colorado for the season next year. We probably will be back some time late April or early May unless we sell the house! In that case, we will be home to get things in order. But I digress...what I am really getting at is the simple fact that we will be in the RV for a REALLY LONG TIME. We have already done some amazing things and it's just been everything I was hoping for. We already got across the country for the most part passing through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York. We have only stayed in a KOA once (Gothenburg, NE) and another RV Campground in Illinois. We are trying to save any money we can on campgrounds and stay at truck stops or rest areas whenever able. Jeff has been the sole driver...I know.I know. People have told me every state along the way, every step of the way that I should learn to be comfortable driving the RV. I have not reached that comfort zone yet.

We finally reached New York when I realized how close my birth place was. For about a second, I wanted to visit the hospital where I was born in Buffalo...then all I really wanted to do is visit Niagara Falls since I have never been there. Jeff drove almost there last night. When we woke up this morning, we were 30-60 minutes from Niagara Falls. I called my mom to celebrate the return to my birthplace. She confirmed for Jeff that there probably is no really great reason to search the streets of Buffalo to search for Millard Fillmore Hospital, but there is a much better reason to seek out the Maid of the Mist.

Before I could investigate the Maid of the Mist, I had to eat. I was hungry... wanting to eat is not surprising for me, but the urgency varies..slightly. I usually range from "I'm OK...I could eat" to "if I don't eat RIGHT NOW, I will get very anxious, quite unpleasant and highly annoying" in no time flat. It will seem as though I haven't eaten for days, even if it has only been twenty minutes since my last package of gummy bears and a few hours since my last meal. Ask Jeff. Better yet, you can always ask my mom. Apparently I have been like this for a really long time. As I walked in the Hard Rock Cafe with Jeff, people followed very closely. People who resembled Elvis. Plural, I know...which means there were ELVISES walking into the Cafe. There is no where better suited for them in Niagara Falls than the HRC.

We then went on a walk near the Falls which is in a word breathtaking. As I got closer and closer making it possible to see the Maid of the Mist, Jeff agreed that we should just go on the boat now as it was looking very easy to go. We didn't have to wait at all to get tickets or board the boat. I am sure this is 100% due to the fact we were in the off season. I am 100% okay with travelling in the off season. I was sooo happy we went on the Maid of the Mist that you may even see a photo of me uploaded on Facebook.

I promise to be better with the blogging! If you are out there and you are reading this, I hope to catch a meeting in a small town in NY and shortly thereafter arrive in Greenville, Maine to meet my sister in law and my mother in law!

See you soon!

Moving out...

I am ready to go.....finally ready on all counts....!! I have a checklist; I am checking in twice, making sure what's important. We were supposed to move out before the first snowflake fell from the sky. So far it has snowed about 3-4 times before the first day of fall...WHAT??!!?! We really had a plan...you can laugh! I can take it! The good news is that the day is getting thisclose and I can feel it! I don't think we are going to leave the house this weekend unless it is a meeting we are willing to leave our checklist for! I am already preparing my good byes--So long snow, so long fave "sex and the city coat" (thanks Sarah for taking good care of it this winter)! The list goes on....So long Comcast! So long hot tub! So long incredibly massaging hot hot shower, my favorite shower I have ever lived with...bye bye!! I'll let you know when we really are on the road because I will be levitating with excitement! See you then! I am glad I have already said good bye (for now, not forever) to my friends and family here in Colorado (Tom, Mary, Beth, etc)......I can't wait to make new friends....Make new friends, keep the old...dear G-d, let me sign off now........see ya soon!

Thanks:)

We had a party today and it was great to see all the people that showed up after all that preparation. It helps me get over my denial. The denial revolved around my whereabouts next weekend- I won't be in Golden! If we have a going away party, that means we actually ARE Going away............deep breath....okay...going away means outside of my comfort zone. Going away means leaving my area code. Going away means GOING AWAY. If I can just stay in the moment, I will actually be able to get everything done because I will NOT be paralyzed by the fear of leaving everything I know. That makes sense...now to practice in the moment. I will let you know that works for me.

Two weeks to go and ???

Wow! I am starting to really think about my RV checklist. It's not like the stranded island/three things to bring game, but it's limited space to share with Jeff, Sadie, Max & Fenway.....how to prioritize the inventory?!

Besides my clothes and essential toiletries which are non-negotiable (in my not so humble opinion), I have to figure out how to ration space for our anniversary version Scrabble game (and OSPD), books, CDs and DVDs. Then there are the hobbies, books, etc for Jeff and toys for the dogs. What to do?! Our tangible tools for recovery are first priority, but I am glad we can somewhat share those! I snagged the Grapevine (the new one with the big stone EGO that needs to be smashed on the front cover... that one). I can imagine several other Daily Meditation books that will save the (insane and uncertain) day, so those are a given....I read daily, so I know I will only have limited space for the many books on my shelf I have not yet read...If any of you have any MUST READ recommendations, let me know! My Big Book will not get left behind.....no way, so don't worry!

Cooking is going to be a challenge if we want to eat anything other than Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie & Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (imitations don't suffice here). Jeff makes fabulous breakfasts, so I am in charge of lunch/dinner. I am going to have to smuggle in some really useful recipe cards and recipes in cookbooks (that don't count against my regular book inventory) that don't involve an oven....just a stove top /range(gas),microwave/convection oven, and a refrigerator/freezer. If those can be used for a tasty non-pork, non-fish recipe that meets my other parameters (some of you know what that involves), please let me know!

A special arrangement of my favorite jeans, tops and shoes will make it in the RV NO MATTER WHAT !! I can't explain it, but some of these things give me certain joy. Yes, I can be righteous too and say that being happy, joyous and free refers to my spiritual life, but wearing my favorite pairs of jeans is a very happy, joyous and liberating feeling. So yes, I will bring along my Sevens, Hudsons & Lucky Brand Jeans. Can't live with out them! Does this contradict the spiritual books mentioned in the first part of my post? I think not. The ease and comfort that comes with wearing a good pair of jeans will not lead me to my old lifestyle....I always need my HP....and I always need to get dressed before I open the RV door. I have remained sober with or with out my jeans...but not with out my HP (I will just say G-d from now on)...I am Jewish and we aren't supposed to actually spell it out...I am sure you can figure out what I am referring to in any posts that follow.

Selecting our mobile music collection will not be hard- Jeff and I pretty much agree on everything. So as we head off on the Road to Nowhere (Talking Heads is an integral part of our collection), we will enjoy our tunes. DVDs are another story: while I would like the whole series collection of Sex and the City, I think he would be more interested in Hill Street Blues or NYPD Blue (not that I wouldn't, but not my first priority). I would love to get more Nip/Tuck-why does that have to be so expensive?? Our Sopranos series collection is a given. After all, one of our wedding songs comes from the Sopranos soundtrack, not to mention some incredible performances by Edie Falco, Gandolfini, Drea de Mateo, etc...

It's so cold and rainy today, we could start a fire in our living room. Earlier, the Denver Mattress people delivered our RV's new QUEEN SIZE mattress (don't ask what happened to our last queen size mattress, but if you are wondering what to buy me for Christmas/Chanukah, do NOT buy me a pillow top mattress, especially if it's smaller than a queen) .....

See you LOCALS next weekend for the going away party!!

Not yet on the road, but miles away in my mind...

I am so excited at the idea of RV living, I am already living there in my head. My thoughts are currently at where we are going to camp/stay for Molly's wedding. I hope the RV is long enough and this and that. Today I called the hotel where Mom got us a room to chill for a few days during our weekend in Chapel Hill, NC and they are happy to accomodate our RV. I reported this to Jeff who accurately pointed out "we haven't even left yet...one mile at a time babe...."...Yeah, right...I am thinking about how it will be nice to get a night's rest in a hotel with a big bath and Jeff has pointed out I am still living at home. We don't even leave for a few weeks!
There are things I have already planned weeks in advance that aren't really crucial for the RV's readiness, per se, but more my state of mind: how many pairs of my favorite jeans, kitchen tools, how many flip flops and shoes will fit, and very importantly (in a close environment) how many vials of perfume and toiletries will fit in the allotted space (next to his fishing gear, RV tools, etc)....Ahhhh transitioning from Alyssa's standard maintenance to RV maintenance will be an adjustment for sure. Don't get me wrong....I am fully aware of what I will leave behind and choose what is truly important to warrant RV status. I am genuinely relieved that I have an excuse to minimize my life (something I have worked on for the last seven months as I merged my condo's belongings into my house and piles of Goodwill donations).
I am miles away in my head, except for one area....an area that will require at least a few blog entries on its very own. I am in denial, somewhat of this area--I am firmly planted in Colorado with my friends (in and out of recovery/program) and I admit I haven't really come to grips that when I am REALLY miles away, I won't be available for a quick lunch at CPK (with Sarah) or Il Vicino (with Shireen) or anywhere else with anyone else for that matter. I certainly am not addressing the fact that I won't get to spend my Mondays with Lidiya for a long time....okay...I need to stop for now.. I am definitely in denial.