Great Falls Park

Today we went to visit Great Falls Park in McLean, VA after it was recommend to me by a friend who I work with.  It is part of the National Park Service which has twenty two parks located in the state of Virginia.

The falls are a result of the Potomac River flowing over the jagged rocks and through the narrow Mather Gorge.  One of its earliest uses was probably as a meeting place for the Native Americans who inhabited the area around 8000 BC.

Falls from the Potomac River at Great Falls Park.

In 1785 the Patowmack Canal Company build the Patowmack Canal to help navigate the Potomac River around the falls to the Ohio River.  Navigation of the Potomac River was very dear to George Washington who realized this was the way to the western waterways, which was the door to the western frontier.

Part of the Patowmack Canal at Great Falls Park.

The family and I enjoyed walking along the canal towards the Visitor's Center and the Great Falls overlooks.  All of the kids enjoyed skirting the canal walls and climbing on any rock outcrops they could find.

Chloe, Don, Misty, Ethan, Ian, Avery, Courtney, and Tia at the Patowmack Canal.

While at the Visitor's Center the kids had a chance to do some hands on discovery in the Children's Room at the please-touch table.

 Avery trying on a pair of deer antlers or his devil horns are showing, I'm not really sure.

Enjoying the Please-touch table in the Visitor's Center at Great Falls Park.

Below are some of the high water marks for flooding in the park by the Potomac River.  If you are interested in pictures of some of the flooding, please go to the Park's Photo Gallery page.

 Ian at the High Water Marks pole in Great Falls Park.

Avery, Ethan, Ian, Tia, and Courtney at the High Water Marks pole.

There are three overlook sites for the falls with Outlook 3 giving you the best view of the falls.

 The Potomac River at Great Falls Park.

Some of the jagged rocks at Great Falls Park on the Potomac River.

Great Falls at Great Falls Park.

So if you ever get a chance to visit the park, I would highly recommend it.  I'm glad I was made aware of its existence by a friend.  All of us had a good time walking down to the fall's overlooks and the kids climbing on anything they could.

Tia's ready to take flight while the others enjoy climbing.

Tia, Ethan, Chloe, Don, Avery, Courtney, and Ian at Overlook 3 on the falls.

Tia, Ethan, Chloe, Misty, Avery, Courtney, and Ian at Overlook 3 on the falls.

This was actually the first National Park that we have visited since we started our road trip last April 2012.  I guess it is really the second one since we did make it to the National Mall in January 2013, but will not be the last.

We hope your Saturday was as much fun as ours.  Tomorrow I think we are going to try another bike ride, but you just never know what we will get into.

If you are not a follower of our blog, please register with Google+ and become one.  We are curious of the number of followers we have, that have not registered.  We would love for you to like our Livelyrv facebook page and check in with us from time to time.  Comments are also very welcome as we would love to hear from you.

May God bless you all and your families and keep you safe.

Thanks!

Don, Misty, and Kids...

Now I Have The Justified Blues

We have now been in the DC area for over ten weeks, which is nine weeks too long, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.... finally!

While our first month was in a less than desirable place to stay, our move to Pohick Bay Regional Park, put us back in our comfort zone.  It is a very nice park with a playground for the kids and plenty of room to walk and ride bikes.  The sites are not too close together and it has a nice wooded type atmosphere.

Avery on top of the World at the playground.

 Gathered around the campfire at Pohick Bay Regional Park.

Getting ready to roast hotdogs and marshmallows.

While here, we also took advantage of a really nice bike trail that runs from our park down to Mason Neck State Park and is close to or just a little over five miles one way.  It was one of the best paved trails we have ridden on with plenty of scenery along its winding path.  This was also the longest bike ride to date, that happen to fall on Misty's birthday, which made it even more special.

It was mostly down hill from our camp site, which made the ride back a little more challenging, but everyone finished it fine with Ethan leading the way.  The picture below shows where we started and finished, but we still had to ride back to the starting point, so we really finished where we started.

Bird's eye view of our bike ride from Pohick Bay to Mason Neck State Park and back.

Paved bike trail in Mason Neck State Park.

Our little flock enjoying their bike ride.

Don pulling the kid buggy on the trip back.

One of the many bridges on the bike trail.

Don still pulling the kid buggy!

Don, Avery, and Chloe taking a break.  All that riding really wore the kids out.

Ian cooling off.

Tia, Little Miss Attitude, taking a break.

Ethan and Courtney styling for us.

So, I should be very happy at the moment, but I'm not.  I have a serious case of depression.  Not the type that disables you from being able to work or function, but the type that makes you down in the dumps.

What is the cause for feeling so down?  Well, I'm glad you asked. As you well know, Misty and I have the addiction of watching series on TV either by buying them on DVD or off Amazon Instant Video.  During one of our binges, we discovered the FX series of Justified.  

Now I'm not in 100% agreement with Misty, but she swears I have a man crush on Raylan, who is a pretty cool character, and if I were going to have one, he would be a good man to have a crush on.

But that is not the problem.  The problem is, now that we have caught up with the current season and have to wait for new episodes to come out, I am having "Justified" withdrawal.   I'm sure one of these days I will find another series that will be as exciting as Justified, but until then, I will not be happy.

When we had three plus seasons of Justified to watch, I could not wait to go to bed at night and watch a couple, three, four, five, or more episodes.  Now I have to wait a whole week, seven days, until I can watch the next episode.  What a bummer!   

I know, I know, such a petty thing to complain about.  I'm just trying to self help and point out my addictions, which is the first step in recovery.  Maybe if I write about my habit, it will help me to get the monkey off my back.

Justified background from the FX series.

Oh well, that is this weeks dilemma, which is really not one, but I had to blog about something, so I thought I would tell you how I feel.

I really hope that we get out of here and start sight seeing more and more now that the weather is getting better, so that I have stuff to write about, that is a little more interesting.

So, the good news is, we are finally going to get away from here and head west.  We all have been itching to see all of the wonders out west and in between.  We are also going to try and link up with some friends for a while too.

God bless and we hope your problems are few and far between!

Thanks!

Don, Misty, and Kids...

Addicted

We have a confession that we need to get off our chests and so it is about time we tell all.

Misty and I have an addiction that like all addictions, is not healthy.     We acquired or discovered it a couple years ago while living in the house and were hoping that we could shake it once we hit the road.

Unfortunately, though, just like any type of monkey on your back, it will not let go.  It may settle down for a while and take a nap, but sooner or later it rears its ugly head and takes control again and again.

What is this terrible addiction that Misty and I are afflicted with?  Well it is something that has been around for a very long time and has taken many victims in its lifetime.  It will make you feel like you are on top of the world then throw you down, like yesterday's newspaper, and wipe its feet on you.

I would guess that just about every house has it in one form or another.  Sometimes it will stand out and other times it will blend into the background.  Most of us first experience it as infants but its draw or appeal only grows stronger as we grow bigger.

Some reading this will be very surprised while others will say, "I knew they had a problem!"  Well whatever the outcome, it is about time we came clean.

Misty and I are addicted to ....... TV series!  Yes that is correct, we will buy season after season of TV series and watch them for hours, sometimes all night long, until morning, especially on the weekends.

"No!", you say, but it is all true.  Just last night after finishing seasons one and two of Life, using Amazon Instant Video, along with other on-line movie/TV services, we started watching the series Justified and did not quit until around 4 am.

We try to stop only after one or two episodes, but just can not seem to do it.  They always end in such a suspenseful way that you just have to watch the next one, thinking that this is the last, but knowing deep inside that it is not.

You watch with anticipation of the hero winning in the end and can not wait until that final show when they are triumphant, but when that show comes, if it comes, you are left with that empty feeling deep in your gut, and know that you must now find another series to fill the void.

So that is our addiction that we must live with.   They say that the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.  I guess Misty and I are taking that first step.

Well we need to go now.  We want to finish up season one of Justified and then probably season two.

Thanks!
Don, Misty, and Kids...

On a serious note, please pray for all of those in need and suffering through hard times.  May God bless us all.

No More Trailer Parks

As I have mentioned a couple times before, we had to come to VA for my job, to provide on-site support for a month or so.

When we first arrived we stayed at Harmony Place Trailer Park in Alexandria, VA.  It was a tight, typical trailer park with narrow roads which were not only used by the trailer park occupants, but by individuals from a neighboring apartment complex as well.

Google Map View Of Harmony Place Trailer Park

It did not offer the friendly RV Park atmosphere that we are used to and like.  That is not to say that the neighbors were not friendly, because they were, but with everyone walking in front of the RV all day and night, it just did not feel safe.

One morning while I was at work and everyone else was still sleeping in the RV, Ethan was woke up by someone trying to open the front door.  Thinking it was me coming back for something, he ran over to the door, opened the curtains, and saw a strange man walking away from the door.

This was when we decided to move to a RV park and get the heck out of the trailer park.  Who knows what the man wanted or his intentions and it still scares me to think, what would have happened if I would not have locked the door that morning?

So we slid in the slides, pulled up the jacks, unhooked the lines, and drove to a local RV park not too far away.

The LivelyRV Crew minus Misty (Mom).

The LivelyRV Crew minus Don (Dad).

The park we moved to is close and has plenty of trails to hike and places to ride our bikes.  Today we went for a short walk and let the kids play on the playground some, just before the sun was ready to set.

Tia in the rings.

Ian and Avery on the chain ladder.

Avery, with is big blue eyes, climbing the screw while Misty watches.

Misty showing Ethan how to do leg lifts.  Ethan not paying attention to Mom doing leg lifts.

Avery and Mom looking through the rings.

Ethan saying that he is an owl?????

Tia gets ready.

Tia gets set.

Tia goes!  (No teeth were lost while taking this picture.)

Courtney showing off her climbing skills.

Chloe debating about coming down the slide.  The debate ended with the slide winning and Chloe not sliding.

Courtney playing on the slide.

Courtney sliding into Ethan while playing on the slide.

 It is nice to be in an actual RV park rather than the trailer park we were in.  Misty and I have both vowed that we will never stay in another trailer park, no matter what.

We all feel more relaxed and seem happier since moving to the RV park.  Just this morning I was awakened by the sound of crows rather than the sound of sirens, which was the norm at the trailer park.

Now when I have to leave the RV to go to work, I will feel a lot better knowing that the family is in a safer place than before.

We pray that God keeps you safe and watches over you and your family, like he does us.

Thanks!

Don, Misty, and Kids...

 

  
  

The RV Blues

You know how sometimes you get the blues, well LivelyRV has them now.

There are many challenges to living in an RV, especially when doing it fulltime, but one of the worst for me is figuring out all of the systems on the coach, to include the electrical.

The control panel on the RV is where you see what's going on with most of its components such as the electrical system, generator, holding tanks, and other items.

2011 Fleetwood Discovery 40G control panel.

The first time I was introduced to it was when we had our sixty second briefing on its use the day we took delivery of the RV from the dealership.

It can seem a little intimidating  but really it is not and once you get used to it, you will probably wish it had more gauges, indicators, and meters on it to give you better information for everything in your RV.

All of the gauges or meters are important, but probably the most important or used will be the ones for the holding tanks.  On our coach you push a button and it will show you the levels for the black tank, grey tank, fresh water tank, and LP gas tank.  

This way you know when you have to drain the holding tanks or fill the fresh water or LP gas tanks.  You can also tell when your black and grey holding tanks are full when they start backing up into the RV, but that method is not recommended.

Pressing switch to view the RV's tanks statuses.

 I'm not going to go into detail about anything here since this is not a technical blog, but knowing where everything is on your RV such as breakers and switches is a must.

Unfortunately this is easier said than done and the unknown far out weighs the known, for me anyway.

When we first picked up our RV it was July and about 90 degrees outside.  We stayed on the dealerships's RV lot so that we could try it out before we drove it home.

We hook it up and turn on the air conditioner, but there was no air.  I rechecked everything making sure it was hooked up properly, but no air.  It was a Friday night and the dealership was closed by the time we realized we had a problem.

I looked at the user's manual for the RV, but it was so generic, it was no help at all.  I called our salesman who came out at 10 PM to help us and he could not get the air to work either.  So we end up sleeping in the RV with the temperature close to 100 degrees inside.

Well long story short, the thermostat went bad and once it was replaced, we had air, which was the next day.

Thermostat on the control panel in our RV.

The following winter while we were staying in the RV I joked to Misty about how the first time we stayed in it overnight, we roasted and so now watch us freeze to death since this was the first time we were staying in it while it was cold.

Well you know sometimes you need to be carful what you say, because it just might happen and in our case it did.  The heaters would not stay on and we shivered all night in 28 degree temperatures.

The next day I got a service rep out to the RV and they figured out that the new thermostat, that was replaced last July, had not been programmed for heat, so the fix was simple, but at the time, I did not know what to do.

It also seems anytime we lose power, the circuit breaker box is not the source of the problem, but it is something like fluctuating power coming from the service line or the switch is not working properly that switches the power from the generator or shore power or the inverters.

So far, the breaker box is rarely the culprit when we lose power.

 So this morning when I woke up, we had no power and the house batteries were down to 10 volts, which is not good.  Even though I showed 220 volts coming in from the pole, it was not getting into the RV.  I checked all the breakers, fuses, resets, ground faults, and anything else I could find, but no luck.

I had to run our generator all day, but it still seemed our batteries where not charging until I started the engine and the only way I could get 110v to the outlets inside the RV was to turn on the inverter, which is not right.

So tomorrow a friend and I will embark on a fact finding misson to see if we can determine what the problem is with the power or lack of.  Wish us luck and say a prayer please.

I did get the power from the pole to be recognized once again and the batteries seem to be charging, but if we lose power again tonight, then not only will we feel blue, but will be blue from the cold.

Until next time, we hope God keeps your power on.

Thanks!
Don, Misty, and Kids...