Florida Snowbirds

We decided to spend  the winter out of the snow again this year.  This year, we decided not to take the Airstream along.  We left for our winter home in Dunedin, FL on December 14th.

We stopped and visited our first grandchild, Robert, at Rose Hullman College in Indiana.  The early snow had melted off and the roads were good.

The next morning, we had only put on 150 miles when the right rear wheel bearing failed while were doing 70 mph on the expressway.  The car acted erratically, so pulled off at the exit, that was only a couple miles away, and called for a flat bed tow. The tow driver said it acted like a wheel bearing and took us to the local Kia dealer.  When the tech lifted it on the rack and rattled the wheel, the total wheel assembly came completely free and fell to the floor.  The only thing holding the wheel on was the weight of the car which caused outer wheel bearing inner race and nut had fallen into the gap in the drum brake hub. No replacement axle hubs were available in the eastern US, so it was decided to just replace the bearings and seals and clean up the damage to the axle.  Six hours later, and $738 lighter, we found a motel and called it a day.

The next day, we reached Dunedin and our little double wide trailer. My sister, who lives full time three trailers down the block, was there to greet us.

The weather this winter, in Florida, was mild and uneventful. Our ROC 55+ park was unchanged except for the 25 people (out of 700 residents) who had passed during 2016. We had a luncheon with members (and former members) of the Northern Illinois Unit of Wally Byam (Airstream) Caravan Club International at Travelers Rest in Dade City and another luncheon at Tarpon Springs.,

We plan on leaving Florida before May 1st to return to Illinois.  We are planning on attending a few of the NIU functions and the International Airstream Rally in Escanaba, Michigan in July.