5th Wheel Adventures

01/11/2025

Hi world. You’ve probably noticed I’ve been rather absent on my social media accounts lately. Let me share a quick update with you.

Last year (2023) my sister had lung cancer surgery and I cancelled my trip to Alaska at that time to support her through her operation and recovery. Apparently all of the cancerous tissue was removed with plenty of margin so follow-on surgeries or chemo or radiation would be necessary.

This year (2024) the cancer returned with a vengeance. She had another surgery in June or July and was eventually moved into a post-acute facility. I managed to return from my Alaska trip in late September to help support her again. In early October we moved her back home under full-time hospice care with support from her family. Outside of a quick trip to Florida in early November to move my RV out of the coming freezing temperatures and winter conditions, I’ve been here ever since.

Yesterday, January 10 at 1015am, she passed away peacefully surrounded by her family.

(Updated to include full obituary)

View Juanita Annette Gerke's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

01/06/2025

Oh my poor starlink...

12/25/2024

Santa is rejoicing and taking a little break from delivering all those presents over night to all the good little boys and girls everywhere!

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!!

12/25/2024

Now that it's darker outside, this is yet another a few more appropriate Merry Christmas Eve images for you...

12/24/2024

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

12/23/2024

On our way back to our home base in Florida, we stopped Mayberry, USA (aka Mt Airy, North Carolina) because we were close by and I wanted to see the home of Andy Griffith. We didn't stay long because, well, it was a crazy time in town as they were having festivals and getting ready for Halloween! But we got to see a few of the sights. Need to go back to explore the area in more depth...

12/15/2024

One of our favorite places to camp while on the road is at Army Corps of Engineer campgrounds. Besides the fact that people with the National Parks Pass can get 50% off camping fees, these campgrounds are usually located on bodies of water and are very well maintained. Many, if not most, campgrounds can handle some of the larger RV rigs such as ours (though ours isn't THAT big at 35' in length). These campgrounds feel more like camping than most RV "parks". (On the other hand, finding accessible open sky for Starlink access is correspondingly more difficult.)

I didn't stay here very long as I was passing through the area but here are a few pictures of our stay at North Bend Corps of Engineer Park in southern Virginia.

12/15/2024

The road leading up to the Cog Railway at Mt Washington in New Hampshire included several surprises. Including these colorful views of a roadside babbling brook with lots of rapids and a small waterfall.

12/14/2024

This is a photo dump of our Cog Railway trip to the top of Mt Washington and back. We took the steam engine ride - just because.

It's interesting that the steam engine itself is mounted at an angle to the frame and wheels in an attempt to keep the interior of the engine as level as possible as it climbs the steep terrain to the top. The seats inside the passenger area are also set at an angle so when going up or down you are sitting level which is more comfortable than sitting at an angle. They flip the seats when you get off at the top so you're always facing in the direction of travel too.

The Cog Railway ascends to the top on the west side of Mt Washington. There is a road if you want to drive up but it's located on the east side of the mountain.

There are restrooms at the top along with a little cafe where you can get some food and, more importantly, a hot beverage if you wish. This is important because it is C.O.L.D. up there on the top. I had my winter parka on with a sweatshirt which usually keeps me warm to darn near zero (it actually kept me nice and toasty when I was photographing eagles over the Mississippi River in Iowa 10 years ago in -20 degree temps!). But it didn't seem to work up here on this mountain. I just couldn't seem to get warm.

There is a small museum at the top as well that showcases the design and building of the railway along with more information about the weather station and weather at the top.

This is something I'd definitely do again some day, especially in the fall when the colors are out!

12/11/2024

We stopped here earlier in the fall, before the infamous fall colors had appeared. I'm glad we only stopped to check out this Harvest Host location and to spend a little time in the museum and gift shop. However, we made a point to stop by and take the railway ride after we left colorful Maine! As you can see, the fall colors were in full display here! There's something about New England in the fall!!

The train ride up the side of the mountain with the steam engine pushing us along was really exciting! (Those photos to come later.) We were told it takes about 1 ton of coal (and 1000 gallons of water) to power the engine and train up and back. (And there's only ONE person shoveling the coal!) But it only takes about 18-22 gallons of biodiesel according to an internet search.

12/10/2024

Yes, I went there. Just had to. Don't remember how many hours while growing up I sat pouring over and dreaming about all of the goodies in the LL Bean catalog. Their boots, their fishing and hunting gear, their camping offerings. Everything. All I could do was wish and dream; couldn't afford it. And I probably couldn't afford their catalogs either if they were other than free. But I was close and I just had to go to their main (Maine?) store myself just to see.

Well it turns out I still can't afford things there in the store but it was a lot more fun walking around and looking at things in person rather than from a catalog. So here's a few images of me in front of the store, the store, and some of the animal displays they had in the store.

12/10/2024

One of the enjoyable places to stay while on the road is at various business that open their property for RVers to spend a night or two. Museums, breweries, museums, churches, other businesses, and farms - there's always an adventure to be found on the road! They don't charge to stay overnight but as they are businesses, you are expected to buy something from them. Nothing large but it's always a good idea to throw a little business to these places that offer free places to stay overnight.

In the case of Misty Acres Alpaca Farm, we ended up spending almost $80 on nice warm alpaca wool socks and a small alpaca stuffed animal! They were such great folks!

12/08/2024

Good morning world! It seems like it takes a village to view the first sunrise in the US. The sun first hits the ground at Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in Maine.

12/07/2024

Ran across a few more photos of our time in Maine. A sunset image along with some fall colors in the Maine backcountry. Enjoy!

11/28/2024

I want to wish all of my friends and family a safe and very HAPPY THANKSGIVING. While we all focus on family, parades, and that traditional thanksgiving meal, the old Tom is pretty impressive in his own right...plus, he has family too!

11/14/2024

Hi everyone! I finally managed to transfer all of my photos away from mechanical spinning hard drives to new solid state drives (SSDs) for more safety and security. I can now climb back on to sharing my photographic captures on this RV adventure of mine.

In this case, it's more photos from around the Maine's beautiful and rugged coastline. From visiting with friends who were also from Florida, to small town marinas, to taking an excursion around the Bar Harbor area, here are some of my favorite captures.

10/30/2024

A few coastal views from around the Bar Harbor area...

10/28/2024

I have to give a big shout out to what is probably my favorite Harvest Host location I've stayed at so far. Stable View in Aiken, SC. Stable View is an equine event venue with a focus on conservation, birds, bees, butterflies, and trees. They have a large wide open field to park your RV and all of their facilities are available for your exploration and use as long as there's not a large event underway. A surprising feature was their first class shower and restroom facilities which are also available to use. Such a first class operation...