The DisFort's Chit Chat Cafe

[4077]

Our current (since 2020) situation... (this was over night stop Kissimmee KOA on way to parents..minimal disconnect set up to visit Springs). DW is quite happy with this mode of travel...we enjoy our DVC resorts as well, but both work for us (this way is nice so doggo can come along ). We seem to manage weekend up north travel just fine. I sometimes think the shorter package would be better for getting into certain places... more site options for smaller campgrounds.

This change would likely still be a couple years off while we still have reason to use our bunkhouse regularly, but empty nest is visible on horizon...

Ed- I remember your Airstream factory tour post (expected you would mention it once I said Airstream )

 

[garneska]

It was dr day. Let's get right to it. I don't have to have surgery on my meniscus. Yay!! Here is the line from the dr visit.

-No arthroscopy indicated, should manage nonop until arthroplasty in the future

So while no meniscus surgery that is because of the bad arthritis i have on my knee cap, which is bone on bone. Seriously, the dr was like that is your problem not the meniscus. The goal is to keep me active as long as possible and then it will be knee replacement. I am going to see another dr who specializes in running injuries with non operative solutions. I see him next week. He did say i need to work on strength and then more cross training.

Will continue to rest it till next week when i see the dr. By rest I am working on my strength training and recumbent bike.

 

[Teamubr]

That's sort of great news. Bone on bone isn't good, but there are treatments, depending. Looks like it's time to become a cyclist. 26.2 miles is a warm up.

j

 

[team bradfield]

My knees have been shot for years, walking is good for me, bikes and running kill me

 

[Sjm9911]

My knees have been shot for years, walking is good for me, bikes and running kill me

I made fun of one of the older guys when I started my job for having a contraption that assisted in puting on your socks. Now I am him.........

 

[jbrostek]

If I need a contraption to wear socks I will likely stop wearing socks....

@garneska while now great news, it is still better news. I hope they can find a solution for you and maybe to a point that you can keep doing what you love (some form of running.)

This week we got some snow, now bitter cold. It is not going all that bad as I found a good contractor for our deck work and saving several thousand doing it in the winter months!!

@4077 funny enough you talk about smaller rig, wife is happy with the monster for now. Enjoy the trip and the warmer weather. 11F this morning in VA was no fun.

 

[bama_ed]

Our current (since 2020) situation... (this was over night stop Kissimmee KOA on way to parents..minimal disconnect set up to visit Springs). DW is quite happy with this mode of travel...we enjoy our DVC resorts as well, but both work for us (this way is nice so doggo can come along ). We seem to manage weekend up north travel just fine. I sometimes think the shorter package would be better for getting into certain places... more site options for smaller campgrounds.

This change would likely still be a couple years off while we still have reason to use our bunkhouse regularly, but empty nest is visible on horizon...

@4077, there IS an advantage to being shorter/smaller.

The "big boys" can only book a certain number of long campsites but us "small" trailers can book short or long sites (which opens up opportunities). For example, I booked into Anastasia SP near St. Augustine a few weeks before visiting because a short campsite was available that the big boys couldn't use. They'd probably booked months ahead (which I could have done too) but I wandered in innocently (on-line) and found a site that I was small enough to fit in (Florida SP are good about putting size info on each campsite).

Empty nest-hood is tough at first but I can testify the positives of being a two-some again and heading out all hitched up. The thing to do is to say to the kids, "hey, your mom and I are heading out to have a good time and if you can get off work/school/travel-hundreds-of-miles-on-your-own-dime to plop down a TENT outside our trailer, we'd love to see ya".

It's really pretty nice for the two of us (me and DW) to travel again like we did in the old days. Enjoy the time together now but a new day will be dawning.

Ed

 

[4077]

Enjoy the trip and the warmer weather. 11F this morning in VA was no fun.

I should clarify... my "current situation" was referring to what we own (and sadly NOT to currently being among warm sun and palm trees...). BUT, thank you for the "warm" wishes anyway! Were it that it 'twer.......

 

[jbrostek]

Ahh, I thought you managed to get south to visit some family. I do envy all my friends heading south to work or crew for the Roar and Daytona 24 hour.

This morning was not that bad, 12F with no win chill. Going to almost double in temp today and then a low of 27 overnight...I will take it.

 

[jbrostek]

@bama_ed While sometimes its hard to get a popular spot last minute, it is not impossible if you are a little flexible on dates or location. Other then the post COVID surge which is waning, I could usually find big rig spots in most areas in a week or two time frame. Yes more popular sites are harder to come by being one of the big boys, but then if a specific location is that important you plan ahead.

 

[Teamubr]

I do envy all my friends heading south to work or crew for the Roar and Daytona 24 hour.

OK. Now you are just rubbing it in.

Many of my race friends are sending out messages about where they are going to get together and inviting all of us and a few race friends are in the 24 or the lead up races during the week. Ian and I were going to try to go down this year, but we couldn't pull it together. Maybe next year. It is a very fun event. Especially if you are staying on site.

j

 

[jbrostek]

Not trying to rub it in, I wish I was going. I know a few corner captains that left Monday or Tuesday southbound to Daytona. I would rather go spectate.

 

[team bradfield]

Today was manatees at Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River, FL, what a sight

 

[team bradfield]

Then off to Homosassa Springs State Park

 

[Sjm9911]

All I have here is snow.......

 

[jbrostek]

Same the 1-3 forecast today is going to be 5-7 actual today.

 

[Teamubr]

James,

A good race friend's race team just swept this weekend's races. Yesterday they had to start 30th when they were 3kg light in pre-race and won on the last lap. Today, dominated from the pole.



j

 

[jbrostek]

@Teamubr Was busy with other things this weekend, haven’t watched the streams yet. Luca is a good shoe too, not surprised he pulled off a win.

my friend’s kid Morgan Burkhard is trying out some pro racing. He will be driving in number 80 Hyundai in the Michelin Pilot Challenge next weekend.


Speaking of this weekend, wife got her wish, after only 2 stores visited we found the new couch she wanted, and accent chairs, side tables and lift top coffee table. On the way out of the store a kitchen table set caught our eyes. So well we added that and a matching wall table to the order. I will be retiring my grandmothers 90 year old table. my sister wants it so sure why not. Otherwise, was going to find an antique store to sell it to. Needless to say, glad we have room in the budget for this and the price was ok enough…..and man furni is expensive.

 

[Sjm9911]

I couldnt handle that much furnature change at once! Lol. Good for you. Change it up , as long as your happy!

 

[Teamubr]

@Teamubr Luca is a good shoe too, not surprised he pulled off a win.

my friend’s kid Morgan Burkhard is trying out some pro racing. He will be driving in number 80 Hyundai in the Michelin Pilot Challenge next weekend.

Luca definitely can drive. Hopefully he continues to progress. He's only 17.

If you have any friends down there, have them swing by the Kohr Motorsports paddock and say hi to Dean (Martin), the team owner. Tell him Jim and Mark from old NASA days say Hi.

I have to brag on Dean a little. Dean Martin (real name) was a pro sportscar driver that was the primary manager/driver in Rehagan Racing. They were a road racing team out of Detroit and also did driver development and sold mostly Mustang race parts. Dean would race with us in the amateurs because he liked racing with drivers that respected their equipment more than some of the pros. He also said many of us were as good or better than the "gentelman" racers (buy their ride) in GrandAM or Trans AM. Maybe he was just boosting our egos, but he didn't win every race with us. When he raced with us, he brought his entire IMSA/TransAM team for trackside support. Dean is now the team owner for Kohr Motorsports that won the IMSA GTX/GT4 races this weeekend with Luca Mars driving.

We had our Nationals at MidOhio. I was in our old Fox body and had been battling bad brake fade all week. I managed respectable finishes in the qualifying races, but the brakes were getting worse and I knew I'd be in big trouble in the finals. We flogged on the brakes until about 9pm the night before the finals race the next day and just gave up. We were getting in the truck to go find some dinner when Dean pulled up with his pro team crew and said I was running too good to not make the finals, so we couldn't leave.

Dean's team and about a dozen fellow racers showed up at our garage and we all were working on the car until after 2am. 3 master cylinders and 4 complete brake setups later, we finally discovered my trusty BrakeMan calipers had fatigued so bad they were flexing under heavy pressure and flaring out, pulling the brake pads off the rotor. The harder you pushed on the brake pedal, the more they flared and had less braking. We had an old set of StopTech brakes in the trailer, but they were for our other, newer Mustang and we didn't have adapters to make them work. Once we figured out the problem. Dean gave me a set of Brembo brakes he had in his trailer and his team had everything setup in about an hour.

I made the finals race. Started 11th and moved up to 8th by the end. Not the top 5 I was hoping for at the beginning of the week, but better than the DNS/DNF I would have had.

Here was my old Fox body. Fun car, but a real handful to drive fast.



Rehagan Racing flogging on the car. This was about 1am. Most of the other racer "help" had transitioned into drinking and observing by now. Dean is on the left, the 3rd from the bottom, supervising with his beer.



And the Rehagan crew. That's me on the right when we discovered the BrakeMan calipers were the problem. We had dial indicators on them and the flare was subtle, but definitely the problem.



j