Why do I come East of MS River?.....

Let me count the ways!!!   LOL!

Meet the Herd!!  The majority of the cousins all gathered!  As you can see, they are pretty well paired up age wise!

(L to R)

Jude, Willa, Joe, Julia, Addie, Josceline, Sylvia, Jolene, Olivia

It's quite a yard full! It was quite a visit while they were all in one house/yard! Never a dull moment!

Spent my last night in Gadsden "on the river"! It is a nice spot, right under the I-759 by-pass overpasses! Actually quite peaceful, not many bugs, not many people & less than 3/4 of a mile from downtown! If you will look around, you can find the woods...even in our towns! 

I'm several days late getting on the road due to having some tire issues on Europa. Took her into Firestone in Gadsden for a tire rotation...which led to learning several things about her!

First of all, it was interesting getting her up just high enough for the tires to clear!  LOL!  She's rather hefty for a normal shop, plus the points for lifting seem to be quite limited.

When I left to get on the road I suddenly had a bounce on the front end, so back to Gadsden I went. Next morning....found the reason! Europa is heavy on the rear to the point that 10 ply tires can't take the beating! The sidewall had started to separate from the bead at the rim! So 2 new tires later I was ready to hit the road after a good nite's sleep! Now I have to do the research to find some 14 ply tires for the rear! I also found out that three of the rims a 7" wide rims...and the oddball is a 9" wide rim!!  So also on the hunt for a 7" rim!  So if anyone should happen to have a 8 hole heavy duty 7" Dodge rim, give me a holler!!  LOL!  🐸 

I almost forgot to get a pic of my parking spot for the past month. My thanks to my friends Dean & Janice! It was nice visiting with them & having a spot secure to spend the time in Gadsden.

I'm headed to Texas & the Coast for a few weeks now. Padre Island will be on this leg of my 2019 run, so stick around for pics & videos.  And as I'm fond of telling people now..."I have an itinerary, but I don't have a schedule!!

Hope to see you out here here some day soon....OH!....

And keep an eye out for AYNTSI.us, I will hopefully have my website up and going in the next few weeks!

So for now, Remember.....

"Glorious it is....When wandering time has arrived!"

                             ...Inuit saying

C'ya, Frog, Abbie & Snickers

#tinyhouse, #backroads, #fulltimerv, #inthewoods, #vanlife

On the road Monday!

HI!!

Just a quick note...

headed back to TX Monday (tomorrow)!

It's 925 miles to Corpus Christi....

and THE BEACH!!!

A few weeks of fresh, salt air....

gentle to strong breezes....

WAY too much sand....

& hopefully WAY less people....

It is what's called a recharge adventure!!

So hang around for, hopefully, some awesome still pics & equally awesome videos!!!  🐸

Soooo....hope to see you out here....SOON!!!

C'ya

Frog, Abbie & Snickers

 

Still In Bama!!

Summer is getting here!  The "real automobiles" are coming out & making their warm weather debuts!! And they are looking good!!

 

I'm still in AL, it has been raining and raining for the past 2 days, and will be raining until Sunday and as you know, I don't move in the rain. There is also 1 tire on Europa that I need to do something about before I get on the road.

 

 And Abbie has gotten her first "summer clip"...and of course it would turn much cooler the day after her "spa day"!  So she is now sleeping under a blanket most of the time, and is never real anxious to go out, but she is doing great!!

That brings things up to date! OH! And just so you know,  

www.ayntsi.us

I have my AYNTSI website up...I'm still working out what it will look like, and what all will be on it....but the domain exists! Now I just have to relearn how to make it look like a website!! So keep checking in & see how it comes along!

 

Still hope to see you out here one day!  Take care til later.....

C'ya,

Frog, Abbie & Snickers 

 

 

 

The Beach is Calling!!

Still in Alabama...about another week to go...then look out beach!  I'll be headed to Corpus Christi, TX when I pull out of Gadsden. Can't wait...I have not "done" the beach since about 1972, so maybe I will be happy to be there. Spent quite a few summers at Crystal Beach outside of Galveston when a kid. Actually got tired of it...so maybe it is time!!

I have been spending time just getting Europa ready for getting back on the road, visiting with the g'kids & the kids. And just chillin'! And I've done some driving around Gadsden to see what has and hasn't changed. I will say that the traffic just keeps getting worse each year!

Have also spent time at the "home place" getting a few things done and the yard cleared off just a bit to be ready for the summer growing season...which from the feel of the past few days is close upon us!! 

The weather overall has been good, if you're retired!  LOL!  It has been nice & sunny in the middle of the week...then the rains roll in for the weekends! It's been like that for the whole time I've been here!

That about does it for this update! Just a quiet visit to the good state of Alabama!  My next post will be on the road in about 10 days!

Hope to see you out here!

C'ya

Frog, Abbie & Snickers

P.S. -  I still have my ebook on Amazon also...  
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GNTL9XM

& I have just registered a domain, should have it up and running in a few days. I will have a "Where I Am Page", a Gallery for pics & for videos, and a listing of the things that I will be offering like travel pamphlets about places to see, my book, and now I will also be putting together videos of places that I travel to, so wait for a few days and give it a look!!
AMERICA, You Need To See It!!
www.ayntsi.us

Friday night in Priceville,AL

Made it into Alabama! Took long enough, HUH!?!?  LOL!  Met up with Tabitha and the girls in Madison, AL. Had a pleasant afternoon, then did "lupper" in Priceville, AL. Ate at "Ay Chihuahua"!  Guess what kind of food?  Heheheh  First time in quite a while that I got a to go box! Excellent food, good service & plenty in the order!

 

"We" took quite a few breaks on the last two days of driving. You can tell I like being out here on the road...as my grandmother would say..."I can dwaddle with the best of them!!'

 Took a break at the Tenn-Tom Waterway pull-off. Nice break. Room for Abbie to run around. NICE walk all the way down to the overlook!  LOL!

Had the first trashcan I had seen on the Trace in MS. 

Then took another break at the Bear Creek Pull-Off. Was just so nice I had to stop for a few minutes and enjoy the view!

I really am proud of how well the Alabama section of the Trace is kept up! It was just gorgeous!

And then came the end of this part of the 2019 Adventure...well almost the end!  At my last night's stop was still about 190 miles from Gadsden.

 

Last night was my last night on the Natchez Trace Pkwy. Spent it at the pull-off for Freedom Hills Overlook. It was another pleasant night, very little traffic & a light breeze most of the night. Nice way to spend my last night "in the woods" for several weeks! 

 

I'm spending the night in the Ay Chihuahua parking lot...and wouldn't you know that they are having a radio remote here AND a "show me your ride & I'll show you mine" meet in the parking lot! Several nice cars here, and quite a few in various stages of restoration.

 

 

  

I'm sitting about 88 miles from Gadsden tonight. Was a decent day of driving...a bit on the windy side. A few sprinkles of rain. Other than that, it was a good day!

So far this run has been 1,023 miles. And my gas tank right now can do another 125 mile, and the gas budget has enough in it to make another 300 miles! So I'm actually tracking right where I had planned on my travel gas budget!

So that's it for today's part of the run! There will be MANY more days to come and many more miles to cover AND lots & lots & lots to see & talk about!

C'ya soon!

(Maybe even see you out here one day!!)

Frog, Abbie & Snickers

South of Tupelo, MS

It was a good days drive! Great weather, sunny, easy breeze...just perfect!  I'm currently about 202 miles from Gadsden. It looks like I'll be getting there on Saturday. Hopefully!  They are also calling for rain starting tomorrow night all the way thru Monday!  Not only that...basically a cold snap, with possible frost/freezing temps also!!  Yippee!!

I did not realize that this is also the time of the year that the dogwood trees are coming into bloom! They were really just getting started with the blossoms on the Trace as I came up it today.

So pretty!  I saw a few magnolias also....but they snuck up on me and I didn't get any pics of them.

I enjoyed the drive, but I was surprised that the "historical pull outs" have for the most part not been updated to be able to handle the size of today's vehicles. Especially for travel trailers and motorhomes!  Even as short overall as Europa and Sidekick are...most of the sites, if I pulled into them, would almost not leave enough room for cars, much less any other RVs.

Did take a break at the Bynum Mounds. Indian mounds and a small "informational" kiosk. Not really much to see, but a good spot to let Abbie out for a while and take a break.

Be that as it may be...it is a very pretty drive with a lot of history behind it! There is a very good Park Service pamphlet for the Trace that has a lot of great info in it and a very useful map of the entire 444 miles of the road!

 And I have been wondering why my sinuses have been acting up sooo for the past few days....well....I saw my answer this afternoon!! I had actually forgotten that this is THE season for the pine trees to start building up their pine cones!!!  LOL!  Break out the extra tissues!!

Sun is down, darkness has settled in, moths flying all over the place, and of course...gnats and june bugs!!!  LOL!  And the traffic has all but disappeared from the road! So looks like it will be a very peaceful night...great for sleep!!!

Tomorrow I'll be in Alabama, at least as far as close to Huntsville. I'll probably spend one more night on the road. I will definitely be putting a piece of tape over the motion sensor for my porch light! The bugs are keeping it on and boy do they swarm towards it!

Stay tuned for more from the road, Frog's 2019 Adventure continues!!

C'ya,

Frog, Abbie & Snickers

 

On the Natchez Trace Pkwy

 

Sunrise over the Ross Barnett Reservoir on the Natchez Trace Pkwy!  Almost looked like a sunset!! It's been gorgeous here for the past 2 days & nights!

 

Saw this spot almost too late to get pulled in! Needless to say, did not get a good look at the entry point...and almost rearranged the inside of Europa!  LOLL! But once in it has been a fabulous spot to spend a few days and "regroup" mentally for the coming weeks! Almost hate to leave, but it is time to get back on the road.

 I had my first "fire" of 2019 on the road last night, and my little chiminea works like a charm! I put foil on the sides due to wind, it works great! And really puts off a lot of heat, which really did surprise me just how much it did radiate!  Not to mention just now nice it looks with a fire going!

 

And it is now time to get back to the road and see what we find up the road! Will be on the Trace for about 220 more miles before we jump off in AL, from that spot we'll be about 150-175 miles from Gadsden.

Hang in there with us as we travel the roads...it can only get more interesting!!

C'ya!!

Frog, Abbie & Snickers 

On the road...Where I belong!!

Morning folks!  Well the " The 2019 Adventures of Frog" have "officially" begun!! 

 

Stopped at a "historic picnic rest area" coming out of Texas yeaterday, it was built in the 1930's. It was a really nice spot.

 

Spent last night at a really niceRest Area about halfway across Louisiana. A really nice one...on the top of a hill, so nice a breezy! 

 

It is now 1100 & my batteries are taking a good charge, I've dome my "pre-trip", & I guess i should start out my day's drive!! LOL 😆

I should either be close to or on the Natchez Trace Parkway when I stop tonight!!

C'ya!!!

Frog, Abbie & Snickers

2019 Adventure Begins

 

I finally found the PERFECT chiminea for my travels! 

My 2019 Adventure has started! Haven't gotten far yet...but I'm back on the road! 

And it really feels great!  

Still in TX, in a few days will head east to AL, then headed to Corpus Christi TX for a few weeks on the beach!  I haven't done the beach in over 35 years, so will try the "beach bum" thing for a few weeks! 

From there....really don't know yet! LOL 😆 I will be making my way back West, just don't know what route I'll run.  I plan on seeing the Hoover Dam, Gen.Sherman Tree, Great Basin, maybe into the Black Hills & The Bad Lands.  Also want to spend a few days in 

Swedesburg, IA. But it just all depends on the weather, the monies & .... what I want to see!! 

Just a quick catch-up....spent quite a while in AL & TX this past winter. Did repairs to Europa & Sidekick. Finished "purging" a bunch of stuff & re-packing Europa! I also added one more battery to my auxiliary system. Over the next few weeks will be adding one more battery (that'll be 5 total aux batts) & 1 more solar panel to the roof of Europa (that'll be 400 watts of power). 

As of this past Monday I'm 100% off-grid when it comes to power! 👍🏻🐸😎🚙  Basically been testing my capabilities the past few months & I'm quite pleased as of now. With almost 50 gallons fresh water, 3 cases bottled water, 35 & 32 gal black water & gray water tanks (respectively), I'm able to go 3½-4 weeks between dumps.  

Besides the chiminea, I was also able to get a fridge that is 4.7c.f.!! No freezer, which I don't need,  but it is big enough to hold fresh fruit, veggies, drinks, etc....and only uses 0.9 amps of power! So it doesn't drag my batts down! 🐸  I can go 3+ days of overcast and batts hold! 

It is amazing how something so "small" as a fridge can make life so much more pleasant! 

Speaking of purging.......

I don't think Europa has had this much space available or been this clean  since just a few days after I brought her home! LOL 😆

That about brings me up to current with my travels this past few months...and kicks off the next several months...or the next year or so....of travels to come!

Stay tuned for what all is in-store for us to see & explore!! 

C'ya! 🐸

Frog, Abbie & Snickers

🐸       🐶           🐱

NEW WEBSITE COMING...SOON, I HOPE!!

🐸

Hi gang!

It's been a few weeks since the last post...sorry!! I'm back in TX and will be here for a few months overall! 

I'm just now beginning to actually feel like I'm "retired"! And it is getting better every day! But like anything, it takes a while to get into a new regimen, but I'm getting there!

Arizona was a bit rough on Europa and I still have several things, mechanically, that need to be repaired, and several "upgrades" that I'm in the middle of doing to her. It will be a few more weeks before I get them all done.And I'm in the middle of making some changes to the interior of Europa. Adding and subtracting from her. But getting there slowly but surely. 

Keep checking back to see where & when we will be back on the road for the year. I will be on the beach around Corpus Christi, Tx for several weeks starting around the latter part of March. Haven't spent time on the beach in 30+ years...probably longer! But my youngest & her hubby have changed locations due to job & now live down there! I found out that I can stay on the city beaches for quite a while, just have to get a "city beach sticker"...$12....for the year!!  :-)  And Padre Island NP is just down the road & you can camp on the beach, as long as you stay between the water's edge & the grass/dunes. So I'm going to try on being a "beach bum" for a few weeks!

Now...as for the new website....I'm hoping to be an old dog that learns a few new tricks....used to do websites...but I have been left behind! The last time I tried the "one major website building system" I couldn't even change the address on my homepage!!  But I am going to give it another run and this time I will get it....if it makes all my gray hair fall out!!

I'll post the new address here once I am able to get it up and running. I'm going to try to have it up within the next 6 weeks.  The address should be....  www.ayntsi.com
   ....for "America, You Need To See It". And it will be a one-stop site. I plan on having information, gallery, videos, pamphlets, blog....everything on the site. So stay tuned...it is coming!!

As for now, I will continue to do repairs, upgrades & make plans for/to Europa.

Take care and hope to see you out there on the back roads soon!!!

C'ya

Frog, Abbie & Snickers

🐸🐶🐱🚐⛺🌄🌃