Deep South

[dale farley]

Come on down to Florida where the sun is always shining and the weather is always warm!!! We received about 1/2" of sleet from noon yesterday until 10 p.m. last night. Looks like a dusting of snow, but it is all ice. It is 27 inside my bus barn this morning and 23 outside. Doesn't speak very well for my insulation, but I guess after a while it drops down to the ambient temperature. Especially when I keep going in and out to check on things. All the schools, public offices and many other businesses are closed today due to the winter storm conditions.

I had 160 watts (60 and 100 watt light bulbs) of heat in the plumbing bay of the bus, and it is 48 in it this morning. Very unusual for Florida. We had a high yesterday of 35 and same for today with another low around 22 tonight. I may need to turn on some real heat to the bus.

I do realize I will get no sympathy from any of you real Northerners where my plight would be a heat wave to you! Our weather in Northwest Florida is referred to as similar to the weather in LA. (Lower Alabama)

[coreygrubb]

Dale, never really understood why anyone moves to Florida above the cold line(Tampa to Melbourne, roughly). It was 80 here yesterday, but will be cold(for us) today and tommorow(55). I know, we'll just have to tough it out.

[Gil_J]

Dale,

You know you aren't really in Florida. You are in Lower Alabama.

[dale farley]

I understand the statement about why move to North Florida. I loved the weather in Tennessee where I grew up because we had four distinct seasons. But in 1964, my dad briefly pastored a church in Pensacola before moving back to Whitwell, Tennessee. I met this girl while in Pensacola that I felt like I couldn't live without, so as soon as I graduated from high school in 1965, I came back to Pensacola. After almost 47 years of marriage, it seems that it was the right move for me. Paulette may think it would have been better if I had stayed in Tennessee.

[dale farley]

Okay Gil, you are busted. I don't think you read all my original post before you responded!

[JIM KELLER]

Great pictures Dale. Not that cold down here. I talked to Roger this morning and they are snowed in at Cherokee, N.C. Looks like the Fosters will just have to go into the Casino and win some money while they wait out the storm. In Franklin N.C. Bubba told me they have 4 to 6 inches of snow. Very unusual snow storm.

[Jamie Bradford]

Dale,

I never realized you were from Whoootwell….. Did you ever go to Ruby's Cafe growing up??

Just kidding-- the Sequatchie valley is a beautiful place………….

Jamie

[Gil_J]

Dale I read your post. I wanted you to realize your weather isn't like lower Alabama...it is lower Alabama :-) Having spent many years in Ft Walton Beach I know where you're coming from.

[dale farley]

Jamie, I didn't know anyone else knew anout Sequatchie Valley. One of the few places where we could look out the school house windows and see the smoke from one or more stills on the side of the mountain. It was a serious cultural shock when I was drafted and went from the TN mountains to New York City.

Gil, I thought we were in Florida since we have palm trees in front of our church. The church is about four miles from Alabama.

[rfoster]

Dale: Stop your whinning. I can tell you about cold. After being held up for a few three days and nights in the cold NC mtns, I should write a deal about the do and don'ts of staying in the bus in the snow and sub freezing and sub zero temps.

A couple of tib bits: Don't got to bed with your slides out in a snow storm. They may not come back in when you hit the button to close.
Don't raise your bat wing tv antenna because its useless to start with and the snow and ice don't let it come down when you hit the button.
Make sure you have the entry door on the high side of level because when the frozen stuff starts the thaw off the roof and runs down the outside of the bus and freezes your door closed that sucks!
wr
In addition your bathroom vent won't work- don't let your wife attempt to open it cause it will break. Don't be depending on your roof mounted GPS either because its not going to work till the snow and crap are cleared off!!

But most of all I am thankful that I went by Jeff at East Tn Luxury Coach to have my webasto repaired before heading to Florida for the warm climate. The webasto is a great thing to have it worked flawlessly. Between the Generator running to keep the batteries charged and the webasto running 24 hours a day I think I may have used about 50 gallons of fuel. But best of all we stayed warm and and no frozen water pipes are any lasting damage from the extreme cold.

For those of you who may think I left my slides out and my antennae up - wrong - my coach is very usable, livable with slides in and I expect it made it considerably easier to heat with the slides in.

It was fun but it was a lot warmer in Margate Florida!

[Jamie Bradford]

Roger,

Some things I would never think of - I think we all agree that these busses are more fun when the weather is warm……………...

Jamie

[jbchevy3]

I've got Palm trees in Georgia!

[dale farley]

Jerry, I think parts of Georgia are considered as Northern Florida.

[JIM KELLER]

Roger, That was a great testimonial !

[rfoster]

Having experienced the cold and ice I have wondered about other coaches caught out in the freezing weather--how many slide seals got ripped out or punctured when retracting the slides.


I am glad we were on the north side of Atlanta!

[JIM KELLER]

I suspect frozen slide seals is something many owners have not thought about. I wouldn't think the rubber is strong enough to freeze and then be pulled on.

[dale farley]

Good point Jim. I suppose the best thing to do is "not" move the slide when below freezing unless you really have to. I wonder if anyone has had a problem with this.

[Pete]

I think Roger may be practicing for a winter trip to Alaska.....are there any casinos up there? I'm not sure how good the food is in Alaska Roger.

[rfoster]

Y'all gonna have to quit picking on me, I was just following Dan.

[Danss]

The casinos are where I get my walking around money. Picked up a couple grand this week!

[Gil_J]

Dan that is likely my money...give it back!

[JIM KELLER]

So... Lets hear something from you Poggers down at Pelican Lakes in Naples. Are you guys enjoying our fine Florida weather ?

[Joe Camper]

Im not that far down but close enough, Sarasota.

Having left the coldest December I can remember back in Chicago Im am doing WONDERFUL.

Whats not to like. Sure got some big bugs down here though. U guys have armadillos like we got crickets very weird .

[Charles Spera]

Perfect weather, pleasant people, lots of golf and not being in Michigan. Woooonderful!

[Joe Camper]

I am having trouble geting my brain around why they make it so difficult for the motoring public to get into and out of retail establishments.

Traffic patters and road design is quite different than back home. Not sure I care for that.

[coreygrubb]

See, the problem is, Joe that you are still in your up north hurry up mode. We don't care when we get anywhere as one day is the same as the next.

[Gary Carmichael]

Well, I have been camped at the Raleigh fairgrounds since Jan 1st, Unusual weather for here, very cold 8, 10 a couple nights snow also, and this was done with the wabasto not working, just using the bath heater and a ceramic heater coldest it got inside was 50 degree, when the sun came up I would run the block heater for and hour and crank the engine and let the bus air warm the coach to 72 and then turn it off, was able to manage quiet well under the circumstances, the worst thing was the main slide decided to go on the blink and have not been able to put it out, this I will hopefully get fixed when I go back to Prevost in J-ville this will be the fourth time for the same issue!, nice today its 42 outside, hope to be back at Riverbend in march and warm weather, Gary

[Joe Camper]

Cory and or George. Ive moved up to Tampa to play with an Angola a Liberty and A vogue. Be here till Monday at least.
If U R close and not buisy U R welcome I told U I would let U know when I got close.

Call if U dare 708 243 7871

Gary whats up with the aquahot??

[coreygrubb]

Joe, It got a little chilly in Sarasota, so we went south. Leaving Pelican this morning for Everglades City and Seafood Fest. Be back next Wed. Hope it warms up by then. Geo

[Gary Carmichael]

It has heaters disease, this malady is caused by bad nozzle, dirty lens etc, have new nozzle just waiting for the Doc to get here, He is supposed to be here today! course he was going to be here last friday too! He put a Bandaid on it three weeks ago and it worked for about 5 days, gary

[JIM KELLER]

I entered " Winter Weather " into the search window and got this Thread from about the same time last year. We are in N.C. and had 11 degree weather last Thursday. Warmed up now. How are some of you other POG Members doing out there ?

[rickdesilva]

Jim things are warm here in Naples although it was a little cold and wet today however when I came home the other day I found this license plate on my bus. It sent a chill down my spine, the long arm of Parkway auto sales reaches deep into Southwest Florida. 13574

[dale farley]

Rick,

That tag looks great on your bus. Looks like you got the tag shined to match that shiny bus.

[JIM KELLER]

That is funny. I knew Roger was expanding in Tennessee but didn't know he was operating in Florida. I'll bet you're glad your Bus is not in N.J. right now.

[Gil_J]

You just never know where you'll see the man from TN.

Rick what awesome color on your coach!

[rfoster]

Boy Oh Boy that is a beautiful Coach.

We we did work the car auction in Lakeland two weeks in a row. Ran into Miles while there.