We had another perfect travel day. Blue sunny skies…a beautiful canvas of fall leaves for our eyes to see!!
This was our second time staying at this campground. Love it here!
Our site was across from the lake and with fall in full swing, we had a pretty good view. It was VERY chilly so our heat in the trailer got a good workout – LOL!!
Mikes sister and family live in the area so we spent most of our time with them.
Her birthday is on Halloween so it was the perfect reason to visit while on our way to our next destination.
We had a couple of yummy lunches together and took a morning walk in the woods – damn –burrrrr – it was COLD!!!!!!! Not a long stay but we enjoyed our time.
We’ll be back to enjoy a nice family home cooked Thanksgiving dinner….yeah!!!!
We had heard SO much about this park - a “must stay place” and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
What a gorgeous area!! We had a super nice site – the leaves were falling like crazy, and the weather was simply scrumptious our entire stay…..
Surprise!!! Who doesn’t like a surprise???
Turns out our daughter and her family were in Richmond for a little getaway, at the same time we were there.
Do you want to get together?
Well yeah!!!!
We didn’t spend much time at the park but it was well worth it.
We got to hang with the family – well part of it. We had lunches and dinners and tons of laughter.
We met them at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, which is beautiful.
They happened to be celebrating Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican Day Of the Dead. There
were vendors and people dressed up in their best celebration outfits…..
Our daughter in-law's parents live only 5 minutes from the park.
Who wants to get together at a local brewery on such a beautiful day??? We all do!!!!! And the perfect weekend
ended with a yummy dinner at a winery.
Do we like to eat and drink?? Hell yeah…………
This was a quick overnight stop to break up our mileage heading inland from the beach.
Privately owned – cheap – it did its job for a place to stay – LOL!
The drive was beautiful as the trees are changing and the leaves they are a fallin!!!. The
sunset was gorgeous and that’s about all there was to this trip…..
As we made our way farther north up the beautiful eastern shore of Virginia into Delaware, we felt the anticipation growing with the familiar territory. The skies were blue, not a cloud in the sky and then there it was!!! The sign leading us to Ocean City and the surrounding beach towns!! We were so excited to finally arrive…..When we lived in Northern Virginia (NOVA), we came to the area many times.
We had never been to this State Park but it was the perfect spot for 2 weeks. The campground is split between the Indian River Inlet where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Inlet – South and North. We elected to stay at the South Inlet. The beautiful Indian River Inlet Bridge (officially called the Charles W. Cullen Bridge) is quite the site – especially at night, as it can be seen for miles due to the beautiful lighting. Pedestrians are allowed to walk across it but the weather and wind just didn’t cooperate for us – so we’ll have to go back!!
So much to do in the area….and friends to visit!!
First up was a day trip to the Wallops Island Visitor Center. Wallops has grown from a small test range for guided missile research to supporting aerospace and science exploration and technology development world-wide as NASA’s premier location for suborbital and small orbital activities. What a super neat place….
Next up was lunch on the charming resort island of Chincoteague, VA. overlooking the water and a great view of Wallops Island. We were treated to some pretty cool military planes doing some touch and go training. Then it was off to hunt for the magical wild horses…..we had asked the waitress at lunch where to find them. The island isn’t that big so it was easy to find the area. We drove……..slow………we drove further………slow………..and then Bingo – we turned a corner and there they were – in all their beautiful glory! We can’t tell you how excited we were!! We pulled off to the side and spent several hours saying nothing……..just basking at the beautiful sight in front of us….After all of this excitement, we visited the Chincoteague Lighthouse before it got dark. What is it about lighthouses that fascinate us? Not sure except they are all different and just so cool….
Another day trip took us to Assateague Island National Seashore which is in both Virginia and Maryland. The Island is the largest natural barrier island ecosystem in the Mid Atlantic state region that remains predominantly unaffected by human development. There isn’t much here except for a couple of campgrounds and a visitor center. So why were we here???? As we entered the National Seashore area, our eyes were peeled in every direction. We had heard SO many stories of all the gorgeous wild horses. Within minutes, a beautiful stallion came bounding from the trees, along with his friend. We were in awe!!! Down the road, there was a traffic jam – LOL!! Horses take naps standing up and there they were, in the middle of the road, napping – for over an hour – LOL! When we could pass, we continued to drive around, keeping our eyes peeled for more. We gave up so time to go. But wait!!! Look over there – look how beautiful they are!! And off they went into the swamp land. At the state park, we had a bite to eat. We drove around more, with the hopes of spotting horses on the beach. Nope…..okay – time to leave. Well would you look at that!! Sweetie – back up into that parking lot. I think those horses are heading for the beach. We park in the lot and sure enough, here they come…..oh my gosh – they are RIGHT THERE!! We spent a few more hours following the horses thru the lot and on to the beach. It was surreal – truly…..as the sun set, we were graced with beautiful skies and a few more horses along the main road as we left. What a completely thrilling day! We were exhausted by the time we got back to the Sandman – LOL!!
A close friend of ours, Lacey, who was our neighbor when we lived in Leesburg, VA, lives near where we were staying. It had been way too many years since we had seen her. We got together for lunch with her and her hubby Mike. Good times!!!! Our kids grew up together for many years and it was fun catching up on things.
Another close friend that Donna went to school with in the Philippines, Cathi, lives very near where we were staying. We got together with her and her hubby Mike for dinner. We all forgot to take a picture darn it!! We had a great time yacking away and enjoyed an after dinner drink at their beautiful house near Fenwick Island. Fenwick Island is also host to the oldest lighthouse in the state of Delaware. It is on the Delaware/Maryland state line.
Before we got married, we took a vacation in Mike’s MG Midget to Dewey Beach in Delaware. While there, we decided to take the ferry from Lewes, Delaware to Cape May, New Jersey. Well………..we did another day trip and did the same trip again. Cape May is known for its colorful 19th century architecture, gorgeous beaches, and many places to dine and shop. The ferry was a blast coming and going. Talk about a luxurious ride!!! Reclining seats, gift shop, TVs, tables, and food – LOL!! We started our day at the Cape May Lighthouse, walked the beach, and ended it strolling through the downtown village shops. Oh and can you say Lobstahhhhhhh???? We had THE most yummy fresh lobster lunch………..lips are still smacking!!!!
We visited all of the nearby beach towns and poked our heads into all the shops – Cape Henlopen, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, Fenwick Island, and……..Ocean City. Oh Ocean City you can be SO much fun….many things were closed because its shoulder season (off peak) but the Boardwalk was still fun to walk. We totally forgot that they still have a mounted police patrol. Love locks on the Pier fence. So cool to see!! All of these places brought back so many memories. It was hard to leave…………….but we’ll be back!!!
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Our biggest anxiety getting to this park was crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT). We got this – no problem! We kept an eye on the winds as there are restrictions for trailers crossing the bridge. Morning of – all systems go…………..let’s do this!!! And away we go………
Kiptopeke State Park, located at the southern end of the Virginia eastern shore, was yet another beautiful place near the water (Chesapeake Bay) to lay our heads and enjoy the outdoors. We found super nice hiking trails that either started at the beach or ended up there. Within one of the trails was a beautiful Pollinator area. There were SO many butterflies and bees; we didn’t know what to look at first!!
Just off the coast of the park are WWII concrete ships partially sunken. The Concrete Fleet, also known as the Kiptopeke Breakwater, consists of several concrete ships lined end to end just west of the former Chesapeake Bay ferry terminal. The crumbling hulks consist of 9 of the 24 concrete ships contracted by the U.S. Maritime Commission during World War II. In 1948 the ships were brought to Kiptopeke Beach in order to bring protection to the terminal during severe weather. Once arranged, their bilge-cocks were opened to bring on water and they were left to settle on the bottom of the Bay.
The ferry was closed in 1964 when the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel opened but the breakwater still protects the pier and beach while providing a home for coastal fish, shellfish, and birds. Since being scuttled in the bay the rusty bones of these ships have been exposed to half a century of weather creating an incredible show of decay. Certain sections of the wrecks offer holes large enough for a small boat to pass through where one can see the interior structure of these vessels up close.
The night skies were dark…dark…the stars looked so close, it felt like you could yank them right out of the sky…..got a glimpse of the Milky Way!!
The historic town of Cape Charles was quaint and quiet. There is a very small population but it seems builders have come in – buying up land to build homes – bringing more people to the area. We understand from the locals that Cape Charles is becoming quite the tourist spot which we were happy to hear. The town virtually closed down once the CBBT was built, because all of the traffic that used to come via the ferry, now is on the highway outside of town. They’ve done a lot to bring shops and restaurants to sustain some local and tourist traffic. We drove around all of the little streets, looking at the beautiful new and old homes. Neat place!!!
One of our neighbors had an Airstream – a special edition called The Pendleton. Only 100 were made. First time we’ve ever seen one in person and it sure was puuurrrtttyyy! We had a nice evening with them around the fire, partaking in some adult beverages. During our stay, yet another Airstream showed up – this one a 1962 and man did it shine, shine, shine. Her friend had the other vintage trailer.
Walking on the beach, to us, is one of our favorite things. Hours go by without blinking an eye……we’ll see you again Cape Charles………………………
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Finally – after 24 years – we’ve made it back to our favorite place – ever!!!! It’s beautiful, magical,…Breathtaking – the Outer Banks (OBX). They are a 200-mile string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating Currituck Sound, Albemarle Sound, and Pamlico Sound – from the Atlantic Ocean. It’s such gorgeous natural beauty that can’t be explained, if you’ve never been. We hope that everyone that reads this will experience the OBX at some point in your life.
We could feel the excitement building as we drove the short distance from our previous stay in Currituck Sound. Alas – we see the sign for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore!!!!!
Within a few minutes we were pulling into that beautiful Oregon Inlet Campground….oh there are the dunes!! Little paths thru the dunes just a short walk from our site. We couldn’t wait to put those beach sandals on…..but alas………..we would have to wait….
Ya know – Mother Nature has a way – or it’s just our luck – it might be sunny, but the WIND made for a non-beach time for our first few days.
Our first outing was taking the free ferry from Cape Hatteras to a place we hold close to our hearts – our first camping experience on the beach was Ocracoke Island. Off we went for the day. Up at the crack of dawn for an hour’s drive south, to wait in line for the first come/first serve ferry. We waited about an hour (not so bad). The ferry ride takes about 70 minutes even though it’s only about 9 nautical miles from Cape Hatteras to Ocracoke. The ever-shifting currents are constantly shifting the ocean floor, so the ferry has to maneuver well out into the sound to miss all the sand bars.
Oh, it looks just like it did 24 years ago! Golf carts and bicycles in abundance. Vehicle parking is limited but we managed to find a spot for Journey while we covered every square inch we could, on foot. Neat little shops keeping the small economy going. Years ago we had talked about buying a place and living on the quaint island…..Most of the restaurants were closed for the season, but one of our favorites – Howards Pub was still open. It was packed and we happily sat at the outside patio and enjoyed our meal….
The island boasts so much history, it’s worth reading about. Lots of pirate stories (many true). Several historical cemeteries on the island including a British one. Ocracoke – a true gift from the sea……………….
While poking in and out of all the beach towns/shops up and down the OBX, we stopped at the Wright Brothers Memorial. The park service has done a great job at preserving the land with a nice memorial and visitor’s center.
Jockey’s Ridge State Park was another cool stop. It is home to the tallest living sand dune system on the Atlantic coast and provides an ideal location for kite flying, watching sunsets, and hang gliding – which they teach on site.
Alligator River Wildlife Refuge was a place one of our neighbors told us about. Lots of wildlife including bears to be seen, best in the early morning or dusk. We made 3 trips out and finally got lucky the 3rd evening with some bears.
Speaking of neighbors! We had been out running errands – got back to the campground and as we rounded the corner to The Sandman, we see a vehicle parked in front of it. What the heck??? Who does that??? We get closer and see no one in the car but we see feet by the door. Hum??? What the heck? We park Journey and around the front comes this adorable, older than us couple, who live in Southern VA – we had met them when we camped at Hagan-Stone Park a few weeks ago. OMG!!!!! They remembered we were coming to the OBX. Their son lives in Kill Devil Hills (a local town) and they were visiting. They drove to Oregon Inlet on the chance they would find us! We had dinner with them and went with them on our 3rd and lucky adventure to the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge. Now, how cool is that????????????
Pea Island Wildlife Refuge is another great little stop along the OBX. Nice visitor’s center and places to park along the highway to get to the beach. One day we had the beach all to ourselves……….
Of course we looked for seashells and sea glass. We found 4 beautiful pieces of sea glass which we will cherish for years to come!!
We visited all of the OBX Lighthouses – Currituck, Bodie Island, Cape Hatteras, Ocracoke, and Roanoke Marshes. All, breathtaking in their own way!!
A wonderful 2 weeks……….we were sad to be leaving but more adventures to come…..
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Alas…..we are near the most magical place we’ve ever been……Our most favorite place in the entire world.
Across the “Sound” from the Outer Banks, lies one of many inlets – this one called Currituck Sound. Beautiful beach homes of every style and size. Unlike the Outer Banks, the people here appear to be year-round residents versus rentals that you see up and down the Outer Banks.
We have been looking forward to good OBX seafood. On the recommendation of the KOA staff, we headed to the nearest Marina the first night after we arrived. Oi vey – we LOVED our dinner of Broiled Flounder. Another diet coming after we’ve left this area in a few weeks – LOL!!
The KOA is at the VERY northern tip of the Sound. A very nice place and staff! We opted for a site on the inside loop facing the water. The other sites nearest the water are back-in and the way our Airstream is configured, we like what we picked. At this point, we’re VERY glad we picked what we did! Because……………Of Tropical Storm Ophelia!!!!!!!! Why must you ruin the first part of our trip to the area? We haven’t been here in a bit over 20 years…. and…..we’re finally here……and so are you!!!!
Is it going to flood? Should we leave or should we stay????? Is it going to turn into a Hurricane or remain a Tropical Storm??? Hum – what to do??? Closely watching ALL the news, and talking to the KOA staff – who indicated that this particular area had NEVER flooded during a storm, we hunkered down and stayed put. For 24 hours we sustained 60-70 mile an hour winds, along with the pouring rain that accompanies a Tropical Storm…..The Sandman was rocking and rolling all night long!!!!!
At last, she moved north – leaving us with puffy clouds and beautiful blue skies including a rainbow, Whew!!
I mean – we love adventures but………….there is a limit – LOL!!!
Why yes – there are Wild Spanish Mustang horses not too far from us!! We could have driven our truck but not knowing the beach condition after the storm, we opted to go on a 4WD tour.
Oh my lord – what a magical sight to see!! There just are no words to describe the beauty of what we saw…..
To get to the horses, there are no paved roads. You must have 4WD because you have to drive on the beach to get there. And get this? There are 2 small communities of homes (big – huge) on this 12-mile strip of land (just houses- no stores or anything else). Although they do have a fire department. The roads – if you can call them that are all sand. Not for us, even though we did love living near the beach in California….
It seems we’ve traversed all over the state! What’s interesting to us is each part of NC that we’ve visited, is SO different – from the terrain to the people!!
As we’ve mentioned before, there are times we find hidden gems to stay at, that are known to locals, but not necessarily to those traveling through the area. Medoc Mountain is one of those places. So nice, quiet, and beautiful….very few peeps there.
The weather was scrumptious – windows open and lots of good sleeping nights!!! Very dark skies at night. Sitting by the fire the first night, we saw a falling star. How cool – one of our favorite things to do when the skies cooperate! We also saw many satellites every night, one after the other go by. Love it!!
We did several hikes located on the campground property. This was the first time we both spotted a BIG snake at the same time. Donna – who loves snakes (NOT) made a beeline to continue down the trail, Mike close behind. Nope – no picture – definitely wasn’t stopping or going back to get one – LOL!!!
Okay – who or what stole Mike’s shower shoe? How in the world does this happen in the middle of nowhere? Shower shoes are left at the door to dry off after using the local facilities. He went back outside to do something, reached for his shoes and……………..one was gone. Hum….was it Big Foot? Was it a kid playing a joke? We looked all over and well….it was just gone.
Sitting by the fire - sky watching, Mike sees a shadow of “something” walking thru the woods behind our site. Quick!! Get that flashlight!!! We see a dog going through the woods. We didn’t think anything of it. We thought maybe one of the dogs camping near us had gotten off the leash. Never saw it again that night.
Morning comes and the other (1 shoe that we had left outside hoping its mate would mysteriously appear) shoe was gone! Well damn…..after looking around we found one shoe – something had chewed it like a toy. Shortly after that we see a hound dog running through the woods. She was skinny and obviously hungry. Gave her some food/water but she wasn’t going to get near us. She seemed friendly but scared.
The Ranger came through on many of his morning drive checks. He was very aware of the dog as many others had reported seeing her over the past several weeks. Sad….seems as if maybe she was a hunting dog that didn’t quite have what her owners were looking for, so they dumped her. The Ranger said it happens a lot……they have a list a mile long for people that want to adopt her – if they can catch her – which they’ve tried several times. We hope the best for her!!!
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We enjoyed a beautiful drive through the back roads of North Carolina to a nice, quaint, quiet County Park. A bit off the beaten path and the kind of place we love! A couple of nice ponds that greet you upon your arrival, with several locals trying their luck at catching something….
The skies were extra dark at night, and we were lucky enough to see the ISS pass right over head one night. We tried our best to catch a look at a falling star, but no luck this time….
We met some nice neighbors including another Airstream couple that lived not too far away. They have family in the area and use the park quite often to stay while they visit. While conversing with them, we discussed small issues each of us had with little nitnoi things on our Airstreams. We had noticed our solar was not charging as it should be. They had experienced the same thing and showed us what they did to fix theirs. Voila! 2 of the 3 plugs used to recharge the solar, had wiggled loose over time. All fixed!!! Yayyy!!
Mike was able to catch up with two of his Navy buddies from the USS Peterson, who discovered we were in the area. They hadn’t seen each other since 1980!! They came over to see our home on wheels then off to dinner we went to catch up on old times for a few more hours.
A longtime friend Kurt drove a bit over an hour to come see our home on wheels and swap stories. We saw him last year; he lives near where we bought our truck. Off we went to a local Mexican place to catch up on more stories.
Our camping neighbors mentioned the North Carolina Zoo was a “must see” so off we went to explore it. It was a bit of a drive, but it gave us another chance to see more green countryside! We spent the entire day traversing through the most beautiful zoo we’ve ever been in. Inexpensive to enter – free parking – food meh – but we did get 5 miles on our trek!!!
It was a great week and very relaxing!!!
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They call this part of North Carolina, the “High Country”. There is just something magical about fall creeping up and a few of those tree leaves starting to change. We had warm days and cool, crisp nights. Sleeping with the windows open and listening to all those night creatures, makes for a fabulous night’s sleep!!
Nestled deep in the mountains where we stayed, is the college town of Boone. Hey – it’s Appalachian territory here! Little did we know that a few days after we arrived, was the 1st football game of the season at Appalachian State University…..
The town was bustling with all kinds of peeps in black and yellow – the school colors. Students, Moms, Dads, Grandmas, Grandpas – all here to cheer on their local team. We toured the town well in advance of game day. Packed full of neat places to poke in and out of…
Grandfather Mountain is like no other place we’ve been. We hiked to the top and felt like we were on top of the world!! The views from every angle were spectacular! If you’ve never seen the Blue Ridge Mountains in person, they are like no other mountain range anywhere. The Mountain famous for its “swinging bridge” is a mile up. Donna got up enough guts to walk across (she didn’t look down). This was quite the accomplishment for her since she is scared to death of open air heights. Then she had to walk back across – oi vey!
Done!!! LOL!!! We hiked back down and off we went to the Nature Center and wildlife habitats that are part of Grandfather Mountain. Pretty neat place!!! The weather couldn’t have been better for us – Yayyy!!
Blowing Rock is another neat town – very quaint with shops and restaurants. We got there early because it was Labor Day weekend. We managed to get in and out of all the shops before it got too crowded. But…..trying to find lunch was a bit of a challenge. We did – but good thing we weren’t starving as the wait times were nuts!!
From the town, we went to the actual “Blowing Rock”. No doubt it’s a tourist place. We were a bit disappointed as we were expecting this HUGE rock but in reality, it was not to be. Oh well – the views once again of the Blue Ridge Mountains were breathtaking….
Crab Orchard Falls is a very popular hike in the area. We headed off early in the morning to accomplish the hike before it got too hot. What a simply beautiful place tucked in the woods. We had been told that a “must do” was to stop at the famous Mast General Store which was near Crab Orchard Falls. It’s in a little township called Valle Crucis. What a neat place! Yep – we managed to find a few things including handmade ice cream and sherbet.
We sat outside resting our bones from our hike and shopping spree and enjoyed every yummy bite – LOL!!
Remember Andy Griffith? His hometown is Mt. Airy, NC. Oh – another day trip – let’s go!! So off we went to everything Mayberry. What a neat “throwback” day it was. We went into many of the shops, and then headed to the museum. What fun it was!! We understand from the locals that every year there is a festival called Mayberry Days, celebrating the Andy Griffith Show. Unfortunately, our dates in the area weren’t going to coincide with the festival as we didn’t know about it in advance.
Floyd’s Barber shop was still there and Mike decided he needed a haircut. While there, several locals came in and turns out they were former actors and written books that were just being published.
Our trip to the area was planned around and attending the “Land of Oz Autumn Festival” at the top of Beech Mountain. We bought the tickets back in June as the Festival is only 3 weeks in September and sells out quickly. We weren’t sure what to expect and realized that it was something very special, based on listening to other people talk about it. There were people from all over the US that had come to “play Oz” for the day! OMG – it was SO much fun.
All of the characters looked and sounded just like they did in the movie. The Yellow Brick Road meandered through the woods. Along the way, the characters reenacted parts of the original movie. Did we feel like kids? Yep…..and it was a fabulous day!!!
Can we just tell you that THE most BEAUTIFUL road/drive (we think) in the US is the Blue Ridge Parkway. It runs through Virginia and North Carolina at 469 miles long. We’ve been on it several times in several different areas of Virginia and NC. If you ever get the chance, DO IT – put it on your bucket list – you will not be disappointed……………………
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We planned this trip around a Navy Reunion for Mike. When he was in the Navy, one of the ships he was on was the USS Oak Ridge. Have you seen the movie “Oppenheimer”? Oak Ridge is known as the “Secret City”. It was established in 1942 as a production site for the “Manhattan Project” - the massive American, British, and Canadian operation that developed the atomic bomb. Lots of history!!
Last year when we attended the reunion, we toured areas that are no longer “active”, along with several museums.
Close by is the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. It opened in 1896 and closed its doors in 2009. Quite interesting and creepy at the same time……..It sits exactly as it did when the doors closed with the exception of a Distillery that is now on the property. They distill their own Moonshine and Vodka, using all local grains and fresh mountain water.
All in all, it was a great trip – we had tons of fun seeing old friends once again……
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OMG! If you’ve never been to The Smoky Mountain National Park, then put it on your bucket list!!! It’s been many years since we’ve been here but didn’t come to explore Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge. We were here with our MINI Cooper Club to drive “The Dragon” which is on the opposite side of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (Devils Gap/Fontana Village).
Our campground was awesome! Very close to several entrances to the Great Smoky Mountain NP. We explored and did as much as we could during our week stay.
We poked around the town of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Both tourist towns with plenty to see and do. You drive right through Gatlinburg into one of the main entrances to the National Park.
The scenery, roads, waterfalls, rushing rivers – all just breathtakingly gorgeous. It was hot but no rain the entire time.
Our first drive through the NP we spotted a juvenile bear by the roadside – not interested in any of the traffic going by. It was happily munching on whatever it could find.
Tunnels – lots of them…..
We did a 3 mile hike to Grotto Falls which is quite a popular place. We got up at O dark thirty to ensure we could get parking, as it is very limited. The trail was very well marked, and “bear” warning signs posted quite frequently. We spotted a biggie as we were heading back but couldn’t get the camera out quick enough. It was fairly close to us so safety was our main concern. It happily came towards us on the trail then disappeared into the forest.
Clingmans Dome was on our list to do – again. We had hiked/climbed up when we were previously in the area but forgot how STEEP it was (we were a lot younger)! Whew!! We got our workout for the morning. It was a cool and foggy morning but still awesome.
Pigeon Forge was fun to explore – especially since we knew there was a Moon Pie General Store. Donna’s favorite snack……yeah, they sell Moon Pies elsewhere, BUT there are only 2 General Stores that have all kinds of other goodies. It was fun……….Mike also got some go-kart riding in. Did we feel like little kids? You bet ya!!!!
Also in Pigeon Forge is The Old Mill District. We had lunch at The Old Mill Restaurant. Good home cooking food!!! Man, we have to stop eating like this – LOL!! Beautifully located on the river….
We found Iron Mountain Metal Craft shop. They teach you make knives from railroad spikes. So of course, we had to.
Another wake up at the crack o dawn was to do an 11 mile bike ride inside the NP at the area called Cades Cove. This is where a lot of wildlife can be seen in the park. It is a beautiful open meadow. Every summer evening, like a rush hour in a big city, lines of cars full of wide eyed tourists drive around the loop hoping to catch a glimpse of something wild. On Wednesdays, the NP closes the 11 mile loop to cars and only allows bikes. We were hoping to spot more bears, but sadly, we saw none – booooooo…lots of deer and turkeys though. And a family of coyotes. It was fun riding bikes in the middle of the Smoky Mountains.
The Chalets surrounding Gatlinburg have views that must look awesome.
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We had a quick overnight stay at this family-owned campground – to do some “adulting” like laundry, phone calls, paperwork, etc. The weather was simply gorgeous which enabled us to open all the windows and sleep to the sound of the babbling creek right behind our site. Ummmmmm…..simply lovely!!
The day was crystal clear through the mountains. We spotted a nice Woodie being towed somewhere…..unusual to see such a vehicle in these parts…..
Something quite common throughout the southeast are giant trees with years and years of “vine” growth. Pretty neat looking….
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Stone Mountain State Park
What started out as a gorgeous sunny driving day, although slow, through some very mountainous areas, turned nasty, with a whopper thunderstorm. It was raining so hard; we pulled off at an exit and sat for a while to let the skies settle down a bit. Luckily we were only 30 minutes from our campground.
The area is quite full of many outdoor things to do – hiking, biking, boating….you name it…
We hiked to the famous (around here anyway) Stone Mountain. Such a site to see, my oh my!!! On the grounds of the campground made it easy to get to. Located at the base of Stone Mountain, was the Hutchinson Homestead. It was a working farm built by the Hutchinson family in the mid-19th century. It was restored in 1998 and bought by the state of North Carolina as part of the Stone Mountain Park, in 1979.
From there, we hiked in a different direction to Stone Mountain Falls. A breathtaking 200ft. waterfall in Big Sandy Creek that flows down a steep rock face into a shallow pool.
Surrounding the lower falls is a pool that makes a beautiful natural area full of boulders, branches, and rocks. There are 350 steps leading down from the top of the falls and an overlook along the way. Whew! We did it…..Yayyy!! We were a bit pooped when we got back to the truck.
Late in the afternoon we headed into the town of Elkin for supplies. I don’t think we’ve ever seen a pet Llama outside of a Llama farm. Well….we did today. Meet “Sipping Kalua”!!
The owner was asked multiple times – jokingly – “what kind of dog is that”? His reply –“he’s my Llamadoodle”. He proudly walked with a leash into the Tracker Supply Store and then into Lowes. Quite the site to see….
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The woods – the trees – the lake - the curvy roads – the sunsets! All gorgeous scenery……The area is chock full of trails, waterfalls, and just neat things to do outside.
Even though it was HOT and HUMID, we went to Stump house Mountain Tunnel. It’s noted on the Register of Historical Places. It was originally started to connect South Carolina’s coast to Tennessee. The project ran out of money and came to a halt. 1617 feet of tunnel is available to walk in - it’s 25 feet high and 17 feet wide and then you come to a locked, old, creepy door. The walls are dripping with water from above that creates little pools of water all along the tunnel edge.
From the Tunnel, we hiked to Issaquena Falls, named after a legendary Cherokee girl who is said to have leaped from the top of the falls with her lover. It is not known if they died or landed on a ledge out of sight of hostile tribesmen and eventually lived happily ever after.
Both of these cool places are located in the Sumter National Forest.
Interesting sights always catch our eye as we travel from destination to destination.
Something we’ve seen here and there, trucks carrying logs going to??? Who knows –paper mill, or to build log homes…..
Right on the lake! A Beautiful Small Park – just what we like. We lucked out and nobody had the site directly across from us, to block our view of the lake. There is a long dock to walk out and enjoy the view. There was a gathering spot by the lake, with swings, tables/chairs, and a fire pit. Super nice!!
It was great to meet our neighbor Larry; he spent a lot of time watching baseball games on his outdoor TV.
The historical part of town looked like it folded many years ago. We saw pictures of what it used to look like as a thriving town way back when. Everything looks so run down and sad. We were told that after Interstate I-95 was built, most of the little towns along what WAS the main highway then, simply couldn’t sustain them. There were a few small shops open on the main street that we poked our heads in. Outside of that, down the road, there were some amenities. Here and there, were some beautiful looking plantation looking homes.
Along our travels, in the smallest rural areas, there may not be much, but there are churches everywhere. Some are huge and beautiful – others not so much. The locals gather in whatever they can.
As with any hot and humid area, we had a few whopper thunderstorms roll through. In our sticks and bricks house, no big deal. When we are inside The Sandman, you can feel the thunder rolling under your feet – boom!!!!
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Such a nice quiet place! Off the beaten path and another beautiful place. We are just amazed daily at how many beautiful places there are that we are so fortunate to see…
We were lucky enough to see Donna’s friends, Sue Gage and Lisa Gage Patrick again. They all went to High School together in Subic Bay, Philippines. We had planned this trip not knowing we would see them several weeks earlier.
They came out to visit us one evening to see The Sandman. We had burgers with all the fixings and some yummy desserts, they brought to share. As luck would have it, those evening South Carolina thunderstorms rolled in shortly after dinner. It gave us a chance to hang out inside and yack for a bit – LOL!!
The next day we all got together again and headed to Charleston. We toured the area and some of the outlying islands. We had a great lunch on the beach at Isle of Palms, and then we caught a ferry to Fort Sumter.
Charleston is filled with so much history and the most beautiful tree lined streets ever. We need to come back!! We ended the day going to the famous “Angel Tree”. It’s estimated to be over 400 years old. Coolest tree we’ve ever seen. It was a great time!!!
When down in this area, it’s important to note how to evacuate during hurricane season. We happened upon this route many times.
Our last day at Givhans we did something new – can’t believe we’ve never done this before. We rented floating tubes and went down the Edisto River. The river runs right behind the campground and “Edisto Adventures” rents whatever you need. Off we went – 2 miles – 2 hours. We took a cooler for lunch and snacks. They pick you up at the end and bring you back to the park. SO much fun!!!
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We had been looking forward to this portion of our travels for many months! Our daughter, our grandson, and her husband’s family rented a house for a week at Holden Beach. We stayed at a campground only a couple miles from them. It was a fantastic week of hanging out, playing at the beach, flying kites, shell hunting, and eating food that each family picked a night and cooked for everyone else. Yummy…………………..oh and then there was THE BEST handmade ice cream place ever…………….major diet after this week – LOL!!
The campground was super nice. Great pool that had only been open a couple of months. They have Corn Hole just outside of the pool fence. A free shuttle to the beach if you needed it. The city has many little beach stores to go in and out of. Of course, we had to check them all out!!!
The first of many highlights of our trip was our grandson Camden, spent 2 nights with us sleeping in the Airstream. Oh, we had so much fun! We watched game shows on TV (he loves them), went to the pool, and played Corn Hole. Another highlight of the week, besides being with part of our family, was the “Turtle Boil”.
When the sea turtle mama lays her eggs on the beach, the Holden Beach Turtle Watch “marks the spot” and ropes it off. 60 days from then is incubation. We were lucky enough to have several of those areas right outside the house. When the babies hatch, they call it a “Turtle Boil” because they literally bubble up through the sand and make their way to the Ocean water. The Turtle Watch volunteers make sure that no one touches them, no lights on, and they help any strays make their way to the ocean. It was THE coolest thing ever to see!!
We were sad to see the week come to an end…….
Quiet – quaint – also an Equestrian Park. Interesting…. we’ve never been in a campground that had a separate little stable area at each campsite – but now we have! The back part of the park had multiple sites for horses and their owners. Based on what the camp host told us, it gets quite busy as there are Equestrian clubs that travel together from place to place.
Who knew?????
The park itself is also well known in the area for the many Artesian Wells built in the 1930’s and is over 100 feet deep and still working and pumping water into the local creek. The 5-mile loop around the park takes you to several of them deep into the woods. Journey (our truck) needed a good bath after this escapade!
The little town of Bishopville is well – little. Not much there – basic amenity stores, mostly vacant and run down more than we’ve seen lately. However, it is home to the South Carolina Cotton Museum and Veterans Museum. We spent several hours filling our heads with information about cotton and discovering that this little town is quite the place that honors our military.
Bishopville – located in Lee County – is also the home of “The Lizard man”. Mike purchased a book about him at the Cotton Museum. He was a real person, so we understand. He got tired of people coming on his property, so he started dressing up as “The Lizard man” to scare them away – LOL!! We ate at a local place recommended by the camp host – “Harry and Harry Too”. Lizard man made his presence well known as there were several newspaper clippings with long stories, framed on the walls. He also made quite the appearance on the restaurant sign.
Ya know? Since we started this retirement adventure, we’ve seen thousands of different styles of RV’s. Once in a while, you see one that just catches your eye. We love how people personalize what they own!
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Another very nice park located on Lake Marion. If it weren’t so dang HOT and humid, we could have enjoyed some nice walking trails……but…. we are in the heart of summer and in South Carolina! Oh, and then there are those lovely nightly thunderstorms that roll through…. whew!!!
This park in particular is loaded with “flying” squirrels – LOL!! And these little buggers like to eat the nuts from all the pinecones and then drop them from above out of the trees. We haven’t been on the roof of the Airstream lately but we’re hoping there are no “dents” from the discarded cores!!
It’s a bit off the beaten path so to speak but within 30 minutes’ drive to a couple of nice towns. In fact, it was so HOT one day; we said “hey, let’s go to the movies”! Something we don’t do very often. So off to see “Mission Impossible” we went.
Another day, we drove to Summerville and then on to Charleston with some longtime friends that Donna went to high school together in the Philippines – Sue Gage, Lisa Gage Patrick and her hubby Randall. Randall chauffeured us around the gorgeous city of Charleston. Oh my - the architect on the homes and buildings is just scrumptious. We had been to Charleston a couple of times in the past, but it’s one of those cities that draw you back. We had Linner (lunch/dinner) at the old Charleston Navy base which sits right on the water. Couldn’t have asked for a better day!!
Still in the land of huge agriculture, we passed acre after acre of corn, soybeans, tobacco, and peanuts.
One of the advantages of taking smaller secondary roads versus freeways, is you get to see all of the quirky tiny towns, and some have just images left of what they used to be – which is sad. Others seem to be thriving – how? Not sure…….
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What do you do when you are close to “South of the Border”? (the North Carolina/South Carolina line). Of course you have to go look at all the “stuff”!! We had been before but ya know, you just have to. It’s just one of those things. And….it was HOT………
Another day we drove to Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, to meet some longtime friends, Jim and Lyn Markham. We’ve known them since we lived in Leesburg, VA many moons ago. This is the second time we’ve gotten to see them on our travels. We had lunch at the “Hippie Hen House”. It’s a favorite for the locals and we can see why. Very yummy food….
After leaving Jim and Lyn, we were close to Myrtle Beach, so why not? We had been there before but hey, it’s Myrtle Beach! We did a bit of shopping at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Broadway at the Beach. We can always find SOMETHING even if we don’t need it – LOL!!
We had seen on the local news about a shooting at a Waffle House nearby – not knowing exactly where it was, we stumbled upon it as we were heading back to the park. Seems some folks got pretty rowdy in the middle of the night – drunk and disorderly – decided they wanted something to eat – and who knows what really happened – other than a bunch of windows got shot out. Nobody hurt….
And can we just say that the trees around here that have the Spanish Moss growing from them are pretty cool looking!!!
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We almost had the place to ourselves! Considering it was in the 90-degree range, I can understand why.
Whew – we need to get used to this heat and humidity!
We had a great campsite – beautiful park – a nice lake with a beach area….but it was just too dang hot to hang outside.
The cute town of Elizabethtown was just minutes away. We poked around the town several times – in and out of the cute little shops. We had lunch at…………. Melvins’
Well, it IS one of the top 100 places to eat while in North Carolina! They’ve been in business since 1938. Burgers, Hot Dogs, chips and drinks…. and the line was out the door!! They’ve got it down to a science…. we were sitting down with our burgers/drinks within 10 minutes.
Where can two of you eat for under $12.00??? If you order a Burger “all the way”, you get it with Chili, Mustard, Onions, and Slaw. Watching the assembly line while they put orders together was quite a site – LOL!!
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Where in the world is Pollocksville? Well………it’s off the beaten path for sure! But what a hidden gem we found. Privately owned and the nicest owners ever! That North Carolina charm is something that can’t be beat. Their 4th of July celebration was on the 1st with a complimentary dinner of hot dogs, baked beans, and corn on the cob, cooked on the BIGGEST portable cooker we’ve ever seen!! The evening topped off with a fantastic fireworks display over the lake.
We were about 30 minutes from New Bern in one direction and Swansboro/Cedar Point/Emerald Isle in the other direction – all surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Intercostal Waterway, and the Bogue Sound.
We did a day trip to the historic district of New Bern. It’s a beautiful town. We saw lots of cool historic homes, neat little shops, the most gorgeous Episcopal Church, and lots of neat places to eat (of course). The town “mascot” is a Bear, full size bears – all hand painted. We stopped at the Visitors Center to get a map which provides you with the location of more than 60 of them!!! Scavenger hunt………………….
Another day trip took us on a full loop to Swansboro/Cedar Point/Emerald Isle. There’re typical beach towns with a few neat shops and places to eat. Lots of houses on stilts right on the water’s edge. At the very northern tip of Emerald Isle is Fort Macon which we spent some time poking around – soaking in more history of the area.
In between the towns are miles and miles of agriculture farms – tobacco, corn, cotton, peanuts, and a few sunflowers thrown in here and there. What a great part of the country, which we truly love!!
We had a beautiful, sunny drive – getting closer and closer to the beach areas. One thing we’ve both noticed is how beautiful the medians are – silly huh? But really – they are all beautifully manicured with lots of nice trees and flowers. It’s all quite welcoming…and then once off the main highways, very rural in this part of NC – more gorgeous countryside.
The campground is a small, quaint park with only 20 sites. It’s a very nice place to land for several days.
It wouldn’t be an adventure without some excitement. The first night we had a WHOPPER thunderstorm come thru that woke us and everybody else up. Donna was woken by the sound of the POURING rain and snapping sounds. Now wide awake, we could see lots of activity with red lights and such, across the park. An ambulance left along with many other types of machinery. Turns out a tall pine tree had fallen on a trailer and one occupant was taken to the hospital. We understand that she was hurt but was going to be okay. Needless to say it was a pretty sleepless night.
Not much around except for acres and acres of farm land growing tobacco and corn. The corn is almost “knee high by the 4th of July”!!
As always, we can find interesting things where we are. We passed through this area many years ago to ride the ferry to Okracoke Island on the Outer Banks of NC. Ferry, you say??
Well, there just happens to be many of them in this region. One only 12 miles from where we stayed, so we hopped on it one afternoon and rode it across the Pamlico River to the small ghost town of Aurora.
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Rain, rain go away – come back again some other day!! As we traveled from our previous site, we called Airstream of Greensboro to plead our case once again (we had called them yesterday and they had no time for us), that there was still something not quite right with The Sandman – we live full time on the road, and we REALLY needed Airstream to make it right. Low and behold, the Service Technician said swing by, and we’ll fit you in. Music to our ears!!! Yayyy! The road Gods were looking after us…….we changed course just slightly and within an hour, we were there. A few hours later, they had us all fixed up and, on the road, again. Whew!!! Yes!!! Thank you………….happy dance………..
The first 3 days in Wake Forest, it poured and poured. Ugggg…there is nothing worse in Donna’s eyes than camping in the rain. But………it gave us a chance to finally check out the A/C in The Sandman – and the Dehumidifier. Yes – we are now in HOT and HUMID country which we’ve not lived in for many years. Both working as they should – another happy dance LOL!!!!
Once the sun finally came out, we got a chance to meet our neighbor kitty, Galveston. It was a hoot watching him “chirp” at the birds and squirrels. He was quite good at climbing the trees close by too – LOL!! His parents had him on a long leash so no worries about him running off.
Mike’s sister and family live in the area. It’s been quite a while since we spent any quality time with them. We had so much fun sightseeing, eating, laughing, drinking, and catching up.
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We get it – everyone needs rain but………..can we just get a dry morning to hitch up and get on the road??? Welp – not today. It was a nasty morning, a nasty drive and we arrived at our campsite as the rain finally let up a bit.
A super beautiful place, nestled in the woods, and we were sad that we were only staying overnight. Our plans to be there longer got screwed up when The Sandman got sick and we ended up in Virginia a few days more than anticipated. Oh well – things happen and we roll with the day………..
We did manage to get a nice walk in after getting set up, to the Nature Preserve itself. A nice LONG walk after a stressful drive, was just what the doctor ordered LOL!!! There is just “something” about nature, hearing the frogs croak, watching the lightning bugs start to buzz around as night falls, and finally seeing some stars appear.
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It’s all great until it isn’t!! As we were getting ready to leave our last place, Claytor Lake State Park, our front stabilizers wouldn’t go up. Uh oh….Houston – we have a problem! We check other things and nothing, nada……….we check the inside CZone which is our control module for the entire rig and nothing, nada….batteries are showing dead, dead, dead. So….we get on the phone with Jackson Center which is where the Airstreams are made. They gave us some suggestions to try. Did that – nothing worked. But we were able to hand crank the stabilizer up.
Next up – we called Coach Net which is the warranty roadside assistance thru Airstream. They found a guy – he came out – turns out he was a Bus and Truck mechanic – so no help. We get back on the phone with Coach Net. They find an RV mechanic close to us – Luke with Nomads RV shop. We talk. He can come to us – but…………we have to be out of our site by 4:00. The park is FULL so we had to leave. It’s now 2:30. We ended up towing The Sandman to Nomads. Luke does a quick look at things and finds at least 2 blow fuses amongst other things. Of course, it’s late on a Friday so nothing can be done until Monday.
Luke helps us find an RV Park close by. Off we go. We spend all day Saturday calling places and driving all over looking for this special fuse. We find one at a local Dodge Dealer. All Airstream places are closed on the weekends – figures!! We called our besties Jon and Becky in CA to help. They found another fuse at a local Dodge dealer and sent it via Fed Ex for Monday arrival. All weekend we endure the CZone doing its reset and general wonkiness.
Monday in pouring rain, we hitch up and take the Sandman to Nomads for more work. Luke does his best to get us up and running. But…..there are a few things we feel still need to be done by Airstream………..back to the RV Park for one more night….
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We have such a renewed appreciation for the hard-working farmers who grow the food
needed to feed a hungry nation. The vast fields and crops, now just beginning to sprout,
are awe-inspiring.
The lightning bugs are out! The past couple of weeks we’ve begun to see them all over the
place. I think we can all remember as kids (if you lived in an area that had them), catching
them in a jar, poking a hole in the top, and watching their little bodies light up…..
As we’ve moved eastward, we are seeing more deer and beautiful woodpeckers. It’s also
bear country so there are plenty of warnings out and about. The grasses are full of bunnies bouncing thru the woods and the night sky stars?
Wow – most of the parks we’ve been in
should be designated as Dark Sky Parks. The stars look as if you could reach out and grab
them…..
Claytor Lake is no exception to the beautiful places we’ve laid our heads at night!!
This area is close to our hearts as both of our kids graduated from college in the area. Our
son went to Virginia Tech and our daughter went to Radford University. We spent a day
playing tourist at both places. We had lunch at one of our favorites – Macado’s. Oh so
good!!
We have been enjoying all the beautiful Magnolia trees now in bloom.
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It can’t be beautiful and sunny every day. Today was driving in the rain and fog with white knuckles, as we drove up into the mountains. Every day is a new adventure!!
Visiting another beautiful state park. I know – peat and repeat – LOL!! But…this is why we try to stay at them. Nice lake with a small beach and many other amenities.
Being in the heart of Civil War history country, we went to the National Historical Park. Mike loving history, was in his element. It was pretty neat to see the “McLean House” and other buildings restored with reenactors. Many of the restored buildings included artifacts and stories from the surrender signing ending the civil war.
We had lunch at a local place called Granny Bee’s – recommended by one of the Park Rangers. It was a cute home town cookin kinda place. Yummy! We poked our heads into a couple of the local shops before heading to the American Civil War Museum. It was chock full of more history and artifacts. A really nice exhibit from students at Virginia Tech and the museum, chronicling stories from freed slaves after the war ended.
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The Virginia countryside is simply stunning! When we lived in Northern Virginia, we frequented the country a lot. Now that we are seeing it in a different light by living in our home on wheels, we cherish every moment – life is short – and this area is just gorgeous. The Blue Ridge and the Alleghany mountains is quite the site, especially on a clear day.
The RV Park is home to the Endless Caverns. Instead of having a “timed” entry and limited time to enjoy, we chose to go to Luray Caverns. It had been many years since we had been there, and they didn’t disappoint. There were several small museums there, one being a Car and Carriage Museum. My oh my were there some beautiful automobiles!!! We poked around the little town and had lunch at one of the only places open (it’s a very SMALL town).
We found lots to do at the RV Park. We dipped our toes in the swimming pool. We hiked up to the Endless Caverns sign from our camp site. Once at the top – wowzer – the views are stunning to say the least!! We poked around the quaint little historical town of New Market where we found the General Store to be quite popular. We had dinner at the Southern Kitchen where we had heard they had THE BEST fried chicken. Well…..we scarfed it all down – LOL!!
We celebrated our 40th Anniversary while there. We enjoyed steaks outside, with beautiful weather and a couple of spirits in hand.
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“Mooch docking” at Son-In-Laws Mothers driveway
Originally we were going to be camping at a super neat place called Lake Fairfax in Reston,Virginia, near where we used to live when we were in the area many years ago. However, our son-in-law’s Mom offered part of her driveway for us to park The Sandman in, while staying in Northern Virginia. Okay – perfect! Saved us some $$ which we very much appreciated. Our daughter offered for us to stay at her house in Ashburn, Virginia instead. Our son and his family, live nearby so it was the best of both worlds!
Two main reasons for our trip to Virginia from our starting point in So Cal were: we hadn’t seen our family in a while and after 18 months of waiting for a full military honors burial for Donna’s father at Arlington National Cemetery, the date was finally been set for Friday June 2 nd . Mike’s brother Steve flew in from the San Francisco area and our bestie Jonathan Harry flew in from Huntington Beach, CA. Many other friends of the family and military acquaintances came from different places to be with us. The day was beautiful………..
We enjoyed some sightseeing – showing Steve and Jon around the area. It had been many years since Steve had been to the DC area and Jon had never been. We took them out to see our home in Harpers Ferry, spent some time at local breweries/wineries and had fun going to our old stomping grounds!!!
Family time is precious to us. Our kids and grands are the bestest!! It’s always bitter sweet when it’s time to go. But………we’ll be back for Christmas!!!
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Can we just say that the weather God’s have been great to us? Oh yeah – beauuuuutiful drive from Elkins to Harpers Ferry! Can we say how excited we were to finally arrive????
Not that the KOA was anything special. Some of you know that we bought 5 acres with a house/pool last year in Harpers Ferry – did some renovations and then rented it out while we’re on the road. And………..it is very close to our kids and grands that live in Northern Virginia. Whoo Hoo!!!
We did lots of visiting with the family and a few friends. All were excited to FINALLY see our Airstream – The Sandman. We hooked up with the renters of our house – they invited us over for a yummy steak dinner one night. We’ll admit – it did feel kinda strange to have dinner in OUR dining room with someone else living there. However over the course of the last 6 months, we’ve become pretty good friends with them. We saw them several other times while in the area. We are VERY lucky to have found such a great couple to live in our home they treat it like their own.
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Deep in the Alleghany Mountains lies the quaint old town of Elkins. It’s very close to a very popular ski area called Snowshoe Mountain Resort. Also close to Seneca Rocks (beautiful rock formations lunging out of the mountains) and Blackwater Falls. If you’ve never been to this part of the country, it’s simply………..breathtaking everywhere.
Upon getting close to our campground, we encountered once again, beautiful but narrow back roads. “Oh look – there are now 10 vehicles backed up behind us”. Well – it is what it is LOL!!! Pass us when you can! The road to get into the campground portion of the property was a little nerve racking. We…..just……fit……whew!!
We stayed at a family-owned campground. The owners were the sweetest people ever! Getting up in age, they told us they had just sold the entire place – the campground, their house on the property, and everything in it Off they go soon to Italy. It was nice and quiet but close enough to go out exploring the area for a day. One corner of the property was a cemetery with gravestones dating back to the Revolutionary war.
One corner of the property was a cemetery with gravestones dating back to the Revolutionary war.
Did you ever wonder where Kingsford Charcoal is manufactured? Well….we stumbled upon the plant on a drive up into the mountains. It’s in a small town called Parsons and has been in business since 1958. It produces 125,000 tons of charcoal a year – wow!!! We drove a big loop thru the mountains and back, and didn’t stop to get pictures – darn it……
After a great lunch in the cute town of Thomas, we went looking for a waterfall at the edge of town. WELL… we found ourselves on a very narrow dirt and muddy road near abandon coal mines. All along the river were abandoned brick ovens used to turn the coal into coke that was then used in blast furnaces at the steel mills. Hundreds of ovens made of brick lined the river. Many of the bricks were melted from the heat of the coal. We had fun trying to imagine what life was like back then. It was kind of creepy with nowhere to turn around, and lots of mud. Thank you Ram 4wheel drive for getting us out without any problems.
parks! They are beautiful all across this country. This one was no exception – it’s HUGE
and had all of the amenities including laundry. Yes – we have to “adult” every now and then
which includes having clean sheets and clothes – LOL!!!
The drive to get there was clear, green, and towards the end, a VERY skinny road. Here
we go again – both looking at each other – hoping that NO ONE comes the other direction
as where the heck are we supposed to pull over just a tad??? Um….no…….that was after
the downhill “8% truck grade” and the sharp curves every 10 seconds!
Within the campground is the well-known (around here) Glade Creek Grist Mill – a fully
functional replica of the original Cooper’s Mill, which once stood on the grounds. Absolutely
stunning waterfalls everywhere…..there are over 16 different trails to hike, with overlooks into the River Gorge….wow just wow!!
This park is close to the New River Gorge National Park which was on our bucket list.
OMG!!! Just breathtaking………………………………………………………………..the bridge
is taller than we could have ever imagined. Its 3,030’ tall…..
We had one good day to site see then it rained the entire next day. We were glad to see
what we came here to see.
“Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong, West Virginia”.
We realize we are fortunate to be able to travel as we do. We’ve seen some rather
Interesting places as we forge across this beautiful country…often times in VERY rural
areas.
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Camping on the Ohio River – Wow!!! A small, quaint, quiet park with only 19 sites.
Watching the barges go by, with supplies we all use every day, was simply amazing and
peaceful. Getting off the grid so to speak, we’ve learned so much about how some of our
supplies get from here to there….
The drive to get here was…..well……another gorgeous canvas of green………lots of
bridges and construction, even a nuclear power plant……Mike handled the roads like we’ve been doing this forever!!
A bucket list for Mike on this part of the trip was to visit Marietta, Ohio where he spent some of his childhood years. We drove by his old house and neighborhood in the suburb of Devola, stopped at the Locks and Dam down the street where he went fishing with his dad and brother Steve many years ago.
Then we headed to the town of Marietta, had a bite for lunch and
poked around a bit more. A small quaint town and pretty neat.
We took an 8-mile hike on a marked trail through the Wayne National Forest – started at the
campground. Saw some very interesting things along the way. Who knew that there would
be water pumps that look just like oil well pumps in the middle of nowhere????
The drive to this park from the previous one was another gorgeous day of scenery. Our
GPS (Gwendolyn) said hey – I’m going to re-route you on a REALLY scenic drive and boy
did she ever!! After getting off the main road, we meandered thru a road fit for ONE vehicle
– not two. Very narrow – no shoulders and wouldn’t you know it, a little bit of construction to
add to the white knuckled excitement after arriving……we were ready for……………..some dinner and
drinks!!
It’s Cinco de Mayo!!! And the sweet little town of Grayson had one great Mexican
restaurant. We had to drive into town after setting up camp anyway – as we ran into an
issue that was new to us. The water spigot hook up was WAY OVER THERE…..and OVER
THERE, we need a MUCH LONGER water hose.
The next day turned out to be simply gorgeous so we took a long hike around Grayson
Lake. We knew rain was coming the next day so today was the day!! We hadn’t hiked in
warm weather in quite a long time – we were prepared but man oh man were we pooped
when we got back…..but…..since we were still in “horse” country, we paid tribute to
Kentucky and watched the Kentucky Derby.
And so it goes – the next day it poured and we had quite the thunderstorm. Something we
both love and didn’t get much of living on the West Coast. Those cracks of thunder sure do
reverberate through the Sandman though!
One of the campsites had a large group of campers that enjoyed expressing their first amendment rights all weekend.
Did someone say Kentucky Derby? What??? Well…little did we know that this was THE
week!!! But we’re not “horse” peeps so why would be know about the biggest race of the
year – happening near where we were??? LOL….
Mike’s youngest brother David and his family live in the area. Hence the reason for our trip
here, since we’ve not seen them in way too many years. They picked us up for dinner
Monday night and took us to a neato local restaurant to catch up.
Again it being Kentucky Derby week and what else do you do in Kentucky?
The Bourbon Trail!!! We had no idea how MANY people love doing the Distillery tours and now they all require reservations, we did the closest one that had a tour available.
It was awesome! It’s the only one in the state that is both a brewery and distillery – Lexington
Brewing and Distilling Company.
Wednesday Dave and Robin picked us up and we went on a hike in a beautiful area that ended at a
waterfall. Then off to lunch in the cute little town of Berea. Oh and if you’re ever looking for
really cool wooden toys and some kitchen things, David makes them by hand and has his
wares for sale in several Artisan shops, and in his etsy shop – “Kazwoodcraft”.
Golf? What??? Just kidding – mini golf at the campground…we hadn’t played in several
years – fun afternoon on a nice sunny day.
When Daniel Boone and his men reached the Kentucky River on April 1, 1775, they quickly moved to
establish Kentucky’s second settlement – the site still known as Fort Boonesborough. The fort has been
reconstructed as a working fort complete with cabins, blockhouses and
furnishings. 18th century life skills and period craft demonstrations bring history to life.
A ball cap and coffee cup from the USS Daniel Boone, a submarine Mike worked on while in the Navy.
This was a quick overnight stop on the way to our next destination. A very nice place – clean – and we did laundry – Yayyy!! Some beautiful scenery along the way to include a replica of the Washington Monument in Fairview, Kentucky. It was completed in 1924 and resides in the Jefferson Davis State Historic Park. It was added to the National Historic Register in 1973.
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We just can’t say enough great things about State Parks – they seem to get better and better! We had another nice site with a small view of the Ohio River. After arriving, we took a long walk around the campground and down to the river. Such beauty in the most amazing places that we never knew existed.
What a beautiful, quaint, quiet park. We wished we could have stayed longer. Driving in the rain most of the day was no fun and we were pretty pooped by the time we arrived – no sightseeing – no time. Our site was across the street from a very nice lake with a walking/biking trail along side. We’ll have to keep this one on the list to come back someday!
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Welp – we didn’t move far – a few miles on the other side of Table Rock Lake – to yet another beautiful place by the lake to lay our heads for a week and continue to enjoy the area.
But………before arriving – our Sandman needed a bit of warranty work done at a local dealership in Springfield, MO. So, off we went 40 miles in the opposite direction for an early morning appointment, we had arranged before arriving in Missouri. 5 hours later, with everything fixed, we headed to the campground. All is good!!!!!
The scenery in the area and not much traffic (at least not what we were used to in So Cal), made the drive all that more pleasant.
Continuing our stay in the area, we had more sightseeing and things to accomplish.
But….what is up with the weather here? We had a beautiful week of high 70’s and then another massive thunderstorm with tornadoes rolled thru. No damage thankfully! But the
Temperature dropped about 30 degrees…burr!
Again, bundling up, we explored a bit more of historic downtown Branson and the outlying areas. Another day we drove about an hour to explore Springfield. We took a jeep ride through the “Fantastic Caverns” which didn’t disappoint….wow such beautiful stalactites and stalagmites!!! The cave was discovered in 1862 by John Knox looking for his lost dog. He kept it a secret for 4 years because of the civil war. Over the years visitors paid to enter but because of limited light sources they couldn’t go very deep. In 1867, 12 local women from The Springfield Athletic Club volunteered to document the cave, even signing their names on the walls. Over the years the cave was used as a Speak Easy and even a recording studio for many bands, and then the music was played on the local radio station. The tour is a ride in a jeep drawn tram and in some places everyone has to duck down to avoid the rock ceiling.
Another bucket list item for Donna was to visit the High School her father graduated from, prior to joining the Navy in 1939. Her grandmother taught at Drury University, across the street from the High School.
Oh – and have you ever been to the World's Largest Toy Museum??? Well…..it just happened to be right here in Branson. Wowzer – toy overload…..
To end our fantastic time in Branson, our previous neighbors for 18 years in California –Ross and Jamie Hesseling, met up with us for a couple of days. They own property there and planned a short vacation so we could hang out.
We HAD to stop at the Headquarters of Bass Pro Shop. Wow – Wow – Wow – it was HUGE!! It’s the granddaddy of them all for sure!! We did more sightseeing, ate yummy food and went to Top of the Rock – another property owned by the same person who owns Dogwood Canyon and Bass Pro Shops – Johnny Morris.
The highest elevation near Branson, with uninterrupted views of the Ozark Mountains and Table Rock Lake. Top of the Rock is nestled among some of the most breathtaking scenery in Missouri. Part of the experience is a 45-minute golf cart drive through a cave, covered bridges and waterfalls with a stop for a beverage at the Bat bar. Sunset ends the evening with a bagpiper and a cannon blast next to the chapel.
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Our relatively short drive from the previous campground was gorgeous. The rolling hills were filled with blooming trees, flowers, green pastures, and shelf rocks. Stunning scenery!!
Missouri itself offers an abundance of things to do, the “Show Me” state. Branson specifically, seems to be the center of a tourist mecca with a plethora of whatever you need or want to do. It’s there! We rode our bikes, did a couple of nice hikes, and poked around.
Historical Branson and what is called “the strip”, visited the College of the Ozarks, rode the Branson famous “Mountain Coaster”.
We spent the day at Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, a rugged landscape that has been left untouched and, with just a little imagination, you can travel back to a time when European settlers first entered the area or, even further, to explore the mark that Native Americans left on these Missouri hills and hollows. Today, the park includes a fully functioning mill, restaurant, conservation center, bike barn, a treehouse built by Animal Planet's Treehouse master's and a horse stable facility. We took a guided tram ride through the park. Johnny Morris CEO of Bass Pro Shops owns the land. Every turn was more breathtaking the last.
We have been partaking in way too much local food – LOL! Good stuff here!! Oh well….we’ll walk or ride off all those extra calories……
The first highlight of this portion of the trip was a tip we received from a volunteer at the Table Rock Army Corps of Engineers visitor center (very nice place FYI). He spotted Mikes camera and knew with that equipment, he wasn’t your ordinary tourist. He told us of a small park in town that had a large Bald Eagle nest. So….we headed there and hit gold…..Mama, was in the nest – Daddy showed up with more nesting material and food………and then…….we saw one of the baby’s head pop up. Wowzer! What a fantastic moment!
The second highlight was a tip from our camping neighbor who’s lived in this area all his life. He told us of a “must do” hike. We headed back to Arkansas (about an hour’s drive) to a place called Hawksbill Crag. It’s noted on the web as one of the top 10 hikes in the US and number 1 in Arkansas. It did not disappoint! The hike was scenic and when we got to the Crag (a large rock that overhangs a valley), the views were breathtaking!!! The only other hike we can compare it to was when we lived in San Diego, we hiked “Potato Chip Rock”.
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Gotta say – these COE campgrounds do not disappoint! Yet another beautiful place to park
our heads for a few nights. Our site backed up to the White River which was a spillway
below Dam Quarry. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery as the Redbuds and Dogwood
trees were in full bloom.
The sights and sounds of the boats going up and down the river fishing was soothing to say
the least. Sitting out in the nice weather enjoying an adult beverage was something we
hadn’t gotten to do much, but spring has finally sprung! We took a few nice long walks
around the large campground and poked around a few waterfalls. The water being SO
clear enabled us to see marine life and blue herons fishing along the river banks.
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After Mike’s white-knuckle drive in the rain and tons of construction on the highway, we
were glad our drive from the previous park wasn’t a long one. After setting up in the rain,
we were both ready to partake in an adult beverage. We both had a good sleep!! We
had a very nice site with the water behind us and in front of us across the main road.
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We took off the next day for Little Rock to visit a few places that were suggested. Not the
best of site seeing we’ll admit. We poked around the River Market District downtown for a
short time. The weather was cloudy, windy, and cold so we didn’t walk the River Trail which
we were looking forward to…..next time…..We drove to the “Big Dam Bridge” which is the
longest pedestrian/bicycle bridge in the US.
We stumbled upon the area in Little Rock that had been hit by the most recent tornado.
Just devastating to see…..and we thanked our lucky stars because that was the tornado
that missed us!!
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As we were driving back to our campsite, we noticed a Bass Pro Shop – hey let’s go!
Neither of us had been to one before – what fun!
At the end of our day, we were treated to a wonderful sunset.
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Wow – this place was just Wow – HUGE – and had every amenity you can think of (except
laundry). We had a super nice site that backed up to the woods and had a clear few of the
lake from the front. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t the best while we were there. We
kept a close eye on things as massive storms were due to roll through our area. The night
we arrived a huge thunderstorm rolled through – which was the start of things to come.
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The next day was cloudy – a bit chilly – and again a chance for storms. We took a chance on
the forecast which was clear for the day and headed off to Hot Springs.
We first visited the famous Anthony Chapel and the Garvan Woodland Gardens. Pictures
don’t do justice as to how truly beautiful the Chapel and the Gardens are!!
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Then we headed to the cute town of Hot Springs – had some lunch – enjoyed walking the streets and going
through the Hot Springs National Park. The National Park has done a wonderful job at
preserving the sites.
The displays were exactly as it would look back in the day. It seems like this was the place to be seen and get healed by the water.
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Prior to leaving, we drove up to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower that
has a 360 degree view of…………you name it…………everything!! Donna is not thrilled
about being that high up in an open tower but she did it
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And then………….here come the storms again. This time the Park Ranger came around to
every camp site making sure we knew where the safe shelter was and that we were
prepared should we need to evacuate as the tornado watch was looming over us. We were
as prepared as we could be. Phones dialed in to the weather channel with alerts popping
off every few minutes. The HAM radio tuned into the local weather. We listened to the
thunder for hours – watching the lightning all around us. The rain sounds pretty cool from
inside our Airstream!!!
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We delayed our departure the morning we left as it was pouring rain with lots of lighting and thunder it was best to let
this set of storms go by before we broke camp. We waited for a small break but alas it
didn’t last very long. We broke camp in the rain – drove to our next destination in the rain –
set up in the rain – and both of us looked like drowned rats by the time it was all said and
done – LOL!! But………….we arrived safe and sound!!
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Where in the world is Pittsburg Texas? Well……it’s off the beaten path but another
gorgeous park. We made a short stop to break up driving days. We took several hikes around the
grounds which were mostly along the lake banks so the views were gorgeous! The honeysuckle was in bloom and as always, beware of leaves of three.
It was finally warm enough again that we could wear T-shirts and shorts – unfortunately short lived –
But nice while it lasted – LOL!! Our last stop in Texas……………..
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On our way to Ennis we stopped at a truck wash to clean off the dust, dirt, and now pollen, 4 months on the road. We were a bit nervous to be hanging with the big boys but a
good word from fellow Airstreamers, THIS was the place to go – Blue Beacon. And….they
were right!! The Manager knew exactly the special care needed to wash an Airstream.
Both Journey and The Sandman got a wonderful spa treatment. While in the lot
next door drying them both off, the Manager came over to ensure we were happy with the
spa treatment. Now that’s what we call good customer service!!
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On to….The Range – Vintage Trailer Resort – where an Airstream family purchased land
and turned it into an Airstream only paradise!! There are spots to rent and
restored vintage Airstream trailers to glamp in for a weekend. We had a beautiful pull thru
spot perfectly situated to enjoy the woods, visiting goats from the neighbor a mile away, The
Barn (where food is served on the weekends), the 67’ Globetrotter restored into a bar,
multiple fire pits, and the lake where you can fish from the bridge. It was quite the place
and we enjoyed treating ourselves for a few days – even free laundry – Yayyy!!
We met Jay and his family visiting from Jackson, Ohio. He asked about our Airstreams name Sandman. We explained how we came up with the name. The next day as he was fishing with his son, he told us that his whole family listened to the song by Metallica the night before and they all strongly approved.
The Texas wildflowers were in full bloom. Part of the Bluebonnet Trail was near The Range
so we took full advantage of the drive to enjoy the beautiful countryside.
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Finally we had summer weather. Green leaves on the trees and grass. We had the best campsite to date. A spot overlooking the lake, warm sunshine and steaks and burgers cooked on the outdoor grill. This is what we have been waiting for. We opened all the trailer windows and let in the fresh air. We met up with our friends Shawn, Kate and their son Carter for a great Mexican dinner.
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We had a great time Tuesday at Hamilton Pool Preserve with Donna’s childhood friend from CA, Robynn, who lives near Austin TX. It’s a beautiful place and we had a great hike, yummy lunch and dinner. We spent a few hours visiting The Lynden Baines Johnson museum. A very impressive museum where we relearned a lot of history. Austin is known for their bat population. Unfortunately, the cooler weather has delayed the migration from Mexico. We didn’t get to see any. We walked to the city’s night life section to enjoy a drink.
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This is a beautiful quiet state park. The weather was finally getting warm. We broke out our fire pit and enjoyed hiking and nice days.
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We visited Carlsbad National Park. Driving through the park Donna saw some big horn sheep on the mountain. Fortunately we found parking and both of us were delighted to see a large herd of both babies and Rams climbing on the cliffs.
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Silly us we didn’t make reservations before arriving at the Carlsbad Caverns. Spring break week means all reservations were taken. We went up the mountain anyway just to look around. Guess what? A very friendly ranger clued us into if we arrived by 7:30 am the next morning, we might get a couple tickets. Well, luck was on our side! We stood in the freezing cold, 40mph winds and many other tourists hoping for tickets. We not only scored tickets to the self-guided tour, but a ranger guided walk, in rooms only a few people see. That was really cool. At one point he turned off all the lights so we could experience complete darkness in the cave. He used a small torch to show how early explorers searched the cave.
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In the summer of 1947, a rancher discovered unidentifiable debris in his sheep pasture outside Roswell, New Mexico. Although officials from the local Air Force base asserted that it was a crashed weather balloon, many people believed it was the remains of an extraterrestrial flying saucer; a series of secret “dummy drops” in New Mexico during the 1950s heightened their suspicions. Nearly 50 years after the story of the mysterious debris broke; the U.S. military issued a report linking the incident to a top-secret atomic espionage project called Project Mogul. Still, many people continue to embrace the UFO theory, and hundreds of curiosity seekers visit Roswell every year.
We had so much fun exploring Roswell. Everywhere we turned we encountered another alien. Even the museum was in on the fun. Our favorite was the local McDonalds. It had a spaceship theme, the only McDonalds in the country with a theme other than golden arches. Of course we had dinner there.
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We spent the night upon arrival in NC with a good friend Kurt. He lives about an hour from the dealership. We had a great dinner out which gave us a chance to catch up on everything.
The folks at the dealership in North Carolina were so nice. They had our new baby, front and center for us as we arrived. We did all the paperwork and did a quick test drive. Then we had the fun task of transferring all our stuff from one truck to another, which only took 3 hours LOL!! We enjoyed a very fun evening and overnight stay with Mike’s sister/family in Wake Forest.
Then it was off to Northern VA to enjoy a quick week with the kids and begin the return trip to CA after Super Bowl Sunday. We had a fantastic party at Robbie’s with the family but it was bittersweet once again to leave the kids and grands.
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From Cottonwood we went to Prescott AZ and stayed at the Pine Lawn Ranch RV Park for a week (1/5 – 1/12). Got a nice pull through site nestled in the pine trees amongst others who were permanent residents there. Wow was it COLD – and – we learned our first winter camping lesson. If it’s going below freezing, make sure you have fresh water in your tank and disconnect the fresh water hose outside. The first morning there we woke up to everything frozen! Uh oh……okay – calm down – we can do this!! Get out the manuals and figure out what we’re doing…and we did just that – Whew! Crisis averted J
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Prescott is a great little town we had visited many years prior and were excited to get back again. We spent several days walking around all the shops in the historic area downtown. We hiked “Thumb Butte” which was absolutely gorgeous at the top. Little did we know that coming down on the shady side would render lots of packed snow with ice as the topper! We were glad we had our hiking poles with us – LOL!! We took a couple of other hikes (ground level) which were much easier but also had beautiful scenery as there are many lakes in the Prescott area. We had several “visitors” at our camping site. The area houses several deer families and many Javelinas.
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On to Lake Alamo State Park near Wenden AZ for a week (1/12 – 1/19). Very remote but a beautiful area tucked within the surrounding mountains. Again we lucked out and got a very nice site with a view of the lake. We’re glad we stocked up on necessities prior to coming as there is NOTHING OUT HERE J That’s the beauty of it though….you can hear a pin drop most of the time. We’ve had rain off and on, even a thunderstorm - so the weather hasn’t been the greatest but….it is winter we keeping telling ourselves. We did a couple of hikes and drove up to the Alamo Dam overlook. Stunning views!!!!! The area is filled with wild burros but we’ve yet to see any except for 2 as we were arriving to the park and they were fairly far away – way down in one of the crevices. Lots of “evidence” they are around though.
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Okay we haven’t updated in a while.
We had so much fun with our families especially the little ones we didn’t do any writing.
So how about a quick look back.
-Still no truck or Airstream-
July 2022
We bought lots of fireworks for the 4th and had a great time lighting them in the driveway with the family.
We took care of the littlest Grands while their parents went on a well-deserved European vacation. Baths, food and bedtime reminded us why we had little ones when we were young! We even all went out for a Sunday brunch and everybody behaved J It’s been an awesome time getting to spend so much time with them!!
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August 2022
-Still no truck or Airstream-
The entire family went to Oak Island North Carolina for a week at the beach. Lazy days on the sand, playing in the surf and lots of seafood made for a fun week. The kids enjoyed the pirate treasure hunt and the light sticks were a big hit.
After we took possession of our West Virginia house we immediately began looking for ways to make it our own. We hired a contractor, with the help of our agent Nan. But first - we had a weekend pool party with the whole family. So much fun! Everybody brought what was needed as remember – the house was completely empty…we had the perfect time along with a slumber party to top things off….
Jose our contractor was amazing. With the help of his crew, walls were removed and the entire house completely repainted inside and out. New sinks, fixtures and all new door hardware that Donna and I replaced made the place “ours”. We are so happy with the results.
We spent our week days at the new house. It made it easier to answer questions and make decisions being there. Mike learned how to mow 5 acres of grass and do pool maintenance. Donna worked in the yard and found a few snakes (not her favorite thing!). Making meals amongst the dust was almost impossible, so we found the Mountain View Diner to be our favorite dinner spot. On weekends we would spend time with our family bike riding, playing games, and movie watching. We even went to a high school football game.
A retirement present to ourselves were tattoos. We found a great guy simply by accident as we were out exploring our old stomping grounds one day.
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September 2022
-And still no truck or Airstream-
We took Camden, our oldest Grand, to the National Zoo in DC for a day. We traveled both ways on the subway and had lots of fun listening to Camden tell us all he knew about the zoo animals. We celebrated with another Grand on her 5th birthday (Paige), with a dinner date at the Silver Diner, just the three of us. We had bought her a cute new outfit to wear and she picked where she wanted to go. She loved it!
The air show at Leesburg Airport (our old stomping grounds) was a special treat. Hadn’t been able to see it for years and it was almost across the street from where we used to live. Good times!!
As the leaves began to change, the work on the house was complete. Now time to find renters. After putting so much work into our new house, we debated staying and simply abandoning the Airstream plans. After careful thought we realized we would regret not going out to explore. With the help of our fantastic agent Nan, she found a couple to rent the house starting Dec. 1. We met them before we left the east coast and they are in love with the house. They offered to purchase it and we said…………..nope!!! J
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October 2022
-And…… still no truck or Airstream-
But wait. A text from the dealer told us The Sandman was off the assembly line and soon enroot to the west coast. Could it be true? We still didn’t have any way to pull it. We needed a tow vehicle!! After telling a few friends we needed a truck new or used, we began getting calls from all over the country with offers. Then, an ad shows up on Donna’s Facebook. A 2021 Dodge RAM with only 5k miles, only an hour’s drive from Tiffany’s (our daughter) house. Could it be true? 5 thousand miles! By weeks end we had our tow vehicle. So we began making plans to yet again drive across the country. Keep in mind that the truck we ordered in January, still not available yet!!! What the heck is going on??????
One of the beautiful Sycamores in the side yard of our Harpers Ferry house was sadly infested with termites. We hired a local company to bring it down. It was not an easy job bringing down a 40 ft. tree. We did save a few pieces to burn, the rest into the chipper.
Halloween was rainy but that didn’t dampen the spirits of pirate Camden. He collected lots of candy and was more than willing to share it. J The other Grands had a fantastic time going around their neighborhood with some other littles….
Sunday afternoons was watching Camden’s soccer team and family dinners J
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November 2022
With the house construction all finished we spent a beautiful fall day hiking around Harpers Ferry. We climbed to the top of Maryland Heights for a mountain top view of our new home city. We went to Tennessee twice for reunions. First, Shipmates from Mike’s time in the Navy, from the USS Oakridge gathered in Oak Ridge Tennessee. We all served together in Rota Spain in the late 70’s. It was great to see every one again. The second reunion a few weeks later was with several classmates from Donna’s DOD school in the Philippines in Nashville for a long weekend. We had driven through the area several times but had never stopped or spent time poking around. What a fun city! We took the “Redneck Bus Tour” – what a hoot!!
After Camden’s birthday we began another cross country journey to California on Nov. 18th. This was number 3……On this trip we needed to obtain a Texas driver’s license and register the truck. Not as easy as it sounds. In order to get a driver’s license, you must be resident of the state (6 months). How do you do that in one day? We did a lot of planning ahead. We changed our address at the bank and insurance. First things first. Get the truck inspected. We found a garage that does that for only $7. Next drive to the county you domicile in. For that we are using a company called Escapees for mail service. They cater to full time RVers like us. So we drive to Livingston Texas. Find the County tax assessor’s office, pay the taxes and get licenses plates for the truck. Now we need a driver’s license. Because COVID had backed up all appointments in the big cities we started looking for a small office that we could make an appointment. We found a hole in the wall office at the end of the runway at a small airport. We have found everyone in Texas to be friendly except the people at the Department of Public Safety. Anyway, after a couple hours we are now residents of the great state of Texas. Y’all….
3 Days in Texas gave us time to visit peeps we knew from other areas we lived and they all now live in Texas. We visited Donna’s friend Robynn, and her former manager Shawn and his wife Kate. Fun times. Thanksgiving dinner was with friends Mark and Jean who used to live near us in CA. Tucson Arizona was next. Driving through west Texas is a long and boring drive. At a rest stop I overheard some truckers talking about snow.??? A half hour later the flakes began. The snow piled up to about 3-4 inches on the road. We used 4wheel drive for several hours before we were out of it. We met Admirals old friends Don and Addy at the Queens Copper Mine in Bisbee. Really glad we went, really cool place to visit. We ended the day with dinner in Tombstone. The next day a visit to the Sonoran Desert Museum just outside of Tucson, with a raptor bird demonstration.
On to California. We stayed with our good friends Steve and Arlana in Del Mar. They are such great people. They fed us and let us use their downstairs apartment with a very comfortable bed.
Camden birthday
L'Berge
Mike and Donna
packed truck
Snow
Texas-01
Texas-02
Texas-03
Thanksgiving
December 2022
Our dreams are about to come true – after waiting SO long…..
We finally got to see our new home on wheels for the first time on Dec. 1st.
First time we see it
The Sandman was at the back of the lot getting shined and prepped. Talk about nerves, excitement and anxiety!!! We spent an hour in awe finally able to see it. The next day was our walk through. That night we had a really nice time with our good friends Jonathan and Becky, telling stories from our summer. I don’t think we slept at all that night. The excitement of our life changing adventure was about to begin. Because we didn’t want to give the State of California any more money than we had to, we opted to take possession of The Sandman in Arizona. We were informed during our walk through that we had to be at Exit 1 Ehrenburg Arizona at 8:30 am the next day Dec. 2nd. Oh that’s a 4 hour drive!!! So we made hotel reservations for that night. Erick in Service at Airstream of Orange County was absolutely amazing. A usual first timers walk through is 3 hours. He gave us almost 8. He explained everything from using the stinky slinky to the tires. Front to back, inside and out we learned it all. We had dinner with Jon and Becky and then we hit the road. Huntington Beach CA to the Arizona line is not a fun drive, especially in the dark. Again not a lot of sleep. A short drive on Friday morning from our hotel to the Wendy’s at Exit 1, we met a notary, signed papers and we owned The Sandman. J Wow – it’s really happening!!!!
Fortunately we had made camping reservations at a campground in Quartzite AZ only 20 miles away. Luckily we got a pull through site and could check in early. So trying to plan a head, the next day we would have to back into our site in Oceanside. I decided we should practice. We really didn’t do very well. After I went around the park for the fourth time, some very friendly folks came to inform us it was a pull through. I tried to explain I was just practicing. We all laughed. J
Ours
The next morning Dec. 3rd, we nervously and cautiously drove 5 hours to Oceanside CA where we stayed at Guajome Regional Park for 5 days (12/3 – 12/8). A very nice camper from Canada helped us get into our space by driving it in for us. I was able to learn a few things about parking a 30 foot trailer. We spent the next week emptying our storage unit in Oceanside of stuff for the inside of our home on wheels. Several friends came by to look at our new home - Jean, Nina, Mark and Darleen, Joe and Donna, Joe and Rosie. It was fun showing off our new home.
Good bye Pacific ocean
Camp Del Mar
The following week we moved to the Surf and Turf RV Park in Del Mar for a week (12/9 – 12/15). We boldly drove the coast road - yikes…. I was holding my breath every time we had to pass parked cars. Parking at the new place in Del Mar was much easier. We had more space and with Donna’s guidance we felt good about what we are doing. Several more friends came by to look.
Leaving Del Mar we made our way to a very nice campground in La Quinta, CA – Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park for 10 days (12/16 – 12/26) . Donna’s help made backing much easier. We had a beautiful site on the lake. We hiked in the desert and around the lake. We even got our bikes out for a ride as the weather was perfect. We took a nice hike up into the surrounding hills. We are getting better at planning our grocery store trips. Cooking is getting easier. We are now sleeping better. Donna has done an amazing job to make The Sandman look like a home. Nice touches of Christmas decorations. We went to the animal park in Palm Desert to look at Christmas lights. Walked Palm Springs and enjoyed the Christmas season. Robbie and Erin (our son/daughter in-law) gave us 2 nights at a time share in Palm Desert. It was nice to sleep in a large room and endless hot water showers. We had Christmas Eve dinner at a seafood place.
Camp La Quinta
Horse in the desert
Lights
Christmas pic-01
Merry Christmas
Sedona
Lake Havasu State Park in AZ was next. A short stay of a couple days (12/27 – 12/29). We saw the London Bridge and had a nice Mexican dinner nearby. We had a perfect site that overlooked the lake with its own beach to enjoy. In hindsight we wished we could have stayed longer. The small town was beautifully decorated for Christmas which made strolling after dinner a nice treat. J
Lake Havasu
Lake Havasu
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Okay, we will be the first to admit we have neglected our blog.
So, let’s get you caught up.
Many special events have happened since we drove to Virginia on March 26th.
Please remember this is not necessarily in order.
After arriving in Virginia early April, we had such a good time with our Grands and their families. We celebrated a birthday. We visited breweries, wineries and many dinners and lunches together.
We were invited to a grandparent’s tea at the school with our two littlest grands Paige and Declan. Walking our oldest grand Camden to school, was a special treat. Coloring Easter eggs and in general keeping the house loud was something we hadn’t experienced in a long, long time! We cherished every moment……
Walking to school
Easter egg hunt
Game time
Grandparent Tea
Soccer with the youngest Grands
Soccer with the youngest Grands
Riding bikes, hiking, throwing balls and Frisbees rounded out many hours of fun.
Biking with the CunninghamsWhile on our ride we stopped on a cool bridge for a family picture.
Camden on his bike
Bike ride in Purcellville
Bike ride in Purcellville
We took Dad to the Naval Academy one last time.
Dad returns to the Academy
We landed in Northern Virginia in early April in a 16' rental truck. We were ready to buy our new Ram we ordered in January, but guess what?? Not ready. We both felt uncomfortable always asking to borrow a car or a ride.
We went looking to buy something. Both of us agreed something comfortable and a little higher end would make the trade-in a little sweeter when we finally got our truck.
New carMugging with our new car from CarMax
We ended up with a 2016 Land Rover Discovery from CarMax. Several friends call it a Disco. It has lots of fun options and it’s very comfortable to drive.
While we were on the road to Virginia, we sold our California house of 18 years. With the help of our good friend Steve, who made all the negotiations and arrangements, we signed all the paperwork remotely.
We have too much stuff
We have too much stuff
We have too much stuff
We have too much stuff
We left Virginia the middle of May with a plan to visit friends from all over the country, on our way back to California to tie up loose ends.
First stop was the Ram truck dealership in North Carolina where we ordered our new Ram from a friend of a friend (no more paying California taxes). As we pulled into the lot, we saw many faces plastered to the windows. Who were these Californians? Were they coming to visit with a British car bearing Virginia license plates? Meeting Danny the General Manager whom we placed our order with, was a very pleasant experience. Unfortunately, our new truck was still several months away. Lack of labor, fuel, materials and just plain “I don’t know” are just some of the answers on why we still don’t have a new truck. But we weren’t discouraged. We’re still waiting for our Airstream which is also VERY delayed! We can’t have one without the other.
We took almost two weeks to travel back to Oceanside. Stops included Raleigh North Carolina,
Mike and Sister-001A great visit with my sister Leanne, whom we haven't seen in way too many years
Mike and Sister-001A great visit with my sister Leanne, whom we haven't seen in way too many years
Myrtle Beach, Jacksonville Florida, New Orleans Louisiana, 4 stops in Texas and New Mexico. So much fun seeing folks we haven’t seen in some cases over 20 years.
Jim and Lyn
Shawn and Kate with us at Baylor University
C. Mark and Debra Vaughn with us
John and Gina DaCrema with us
Sue Gage and Lisa Patrick/hubbySue Gage and Lisa Patrick/hubby
Mr. ChrisMusician Chris Ellinghaus with us. Our previous next door neighbor when we lived in Leesburg, VA.
We visited a Botanical Garden in Florida.
Florida
Bourbon St. in New Orleans
Bourbon St.
Bourbon St.
While we were in Tucson Arizona, we were treated to a Total Lunar eclipse.
EclipseMoon rise
EclipseTotal Blood moon
The Oceanside house needed a final clean-up and trash removed. We sold our bedroom furniture, and with the help of our great neighbors they let us borrow a portable mattress so as to not have to sleep on the floor.
Empty BedroomSleeping on the floor, the last week.
Donna and I shared the driving duties and many hours together gave us a lot of time to discuss what it would be like to live on a few acres of land with a house in the middle of nowhere. Maybe we could have a view of the mountains, or a river or a pond? Looking into the future, we knew we wanted to be near our kids and grands, but not in Virginia because of the property taxes being so high. Well……West Virginia has one of the lowest property taxes in the US and….it’s close to where the family lives!! Ding Ding……
We visited historic Harpers Ferry West Virginia while in Virginia and decided it could be a place to call home after or during Airstream travel. When we lived in Virginia, we went to Harpers Ferry many times and the kids loved it.
Wouldn’t you know, shortly after we cleared out the last of our stuff in Oceanside, an ad for 5 acres and a 4 bedroom house with a swimming pool became available? We had hooked up with a super nice real estate agent already – spending many hours on the phone with her, explaining our wants and what we were about to embark upon with our Airstream.
After several phone calls, along with visits from Robbie and Tiffany to the property with our agent, we decided to bite the bullet on the property. Settlement will be Thursday 6/16. We certainly know how to live on the edge! The sellers want to stay until the end of August so win, win for everybody. After they move out, we’ll have some time to do a few upgrades/updates before renting it out while we’re on the road. One of Donna’s favorite old songs is by John Denver and now it will come to fruition – “Take Me Home Country Roads”. And now you have it in your head – LOL!!!!
New HouseOur new house in historic Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
We said goodbye to our Mazda's.
Mazda CX5
Mazda MX5
We enjoyed a final dinner at Jake's.
Jakes-001
Jakes-002
Currently we are visiting my brother Steve in Alameda California. He and his daughter Sarah have a cozy, very cool English Tudor style home on the island. We have been exploring the San Francisco area. We’ve discovered some great places and not so great places……We got lost in a really scary part of Oakland the other night. We saw a part of Oakland the Chamber of Commerce does not want the rest of the state to know about. We saw homeless camps that went on for blocks, and blocks. Are they dangerous? Fortunately, the car didn’t break down for us to find out.
On the other hand we had a lot of fun exploring the area. We spent a day amongst the Redwood trees in Muir Wood National Park. We have ridden our bikes around the island. We drove to Roseville to visit a good friend we met in our MINI club. We enjoyed our 39th wedding Anniversary weekend and had a dinner at a very nice seafood restaurant in Jack London Square, Oakland. We spent Sunday on Treasure Island hiking and a nice lunch.
Muir Redwood Donna amongst the giant redwoods.
San Fran Sunset from Alameda looking across the bay at San Francisco.
San Fran Looking up under the Bay Bridge.
Treasure Island Looking at San Fransico and the Bay Bridge.
Our new adventure started about 3 years ago when we decided to change our lifestyle and make the decision to become Nomads when we retired. That finally happened on Sept. 27, 2021 for Donna, March 18, 2022 for Mike.
As luck would have it, everything has a delay because of parts, labor shortages, and all of the worldly things happening.
We were expecting our Dodge RAM 2500 Deisel to be delivered to North Carolina (got the "friends " deal)at the end of April. Unfortunately, it's still in Mexico with a new delivery date of July!!! We ordered it in January 2022.
Our new Airstream is also delayed. New projected roll off assembly line late July. We might see it in California Late August. Original delivery was supposed to be April.
We decided to pull the trigger anyway and sold, gave away and donated almost all of our things, including our California house.
The stuff we saved and wanted our kids to have or they wanted, was loaded into a rented box truck along with our 1958 MGA and taken to Northern Virginia.
Driving a big box truck made a challenging adventure.
We departed Oceanside on Saturday morning March 26, and our house went on the market the same day. Blue skies and windy with a full gas tank of California ($6.25/ gal.) gas, with hopes of making it to cheaper Arizona gas.
The learning curves of freeway driving with the wind often times felt like I was at the helm of a sailboat.
Our first stop a McDonalds after avoiding so many big trucks with a stiff south wind, I underestimated the turning radius and got stuck making a U-turn. Lesson learned. We appreciate the help we received from a total stranger!!
Saturday night an old but clean hotel on old Route 66 in Seligman Arizona. A really cool little town being swallowed up by the desert. Dinner at the Roadkill Cafe was amazing.
Sunday morning had us up early. TV weather news had a big storm entering California behind us and had me a little nervous.
Donna and I took turns at the wheel following Route 40. We kept a steady speed of 60MPH and tried not to slow the big trucks down. We got a kick out of flashing our light so the big trucks could slide in front of us and got the flash of thanks. Lunch at a rest stop with tornado shelters was sandwiches with fixens from our Yeti cooler.
Sunday night March 27th was spent in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. With not many restaurants to choose from, there was a Mexican restaurant across from the hotel. The clerk told us not to order the chicken wings, they "tasted like a dog chew toy" she exclaimed. We ordered cheese enchiladas. By far the.... worst..... meal..... we ever tried to eat. String cheese sticks between barely warm tortillas with fire sauce called enchiladas. Good thing the chips and salsa were good!!
After a night of restless sleep, we were on the road early again Monday morning March 28th to Okemah, Oklahoma. Both of us shared the driving, we were getting good at scoping the gas station parking lots, and finding easy ways to get in and out. By the time we got to the hotel, it was after dark and the sidewalks were already rolled up. Our choice of dinner? Subway or McDonalds.......McDonalds it was because as many of you know, Donna makes the funniest face when the word "Subway" is even mentioned.
Sleep was not our friend. We both woke early once again and Tuesday morning March 29th we were off to Jackson,Tennessee. By the way, Tennessee has beautiful smooth roads. We thought we were losing teeth on Arizona and New Mexico roads. Pot holes big enough to swallow us whole!!
Donna is a great navigator using our new map. Thank you, Oceanside CERT, for the great and useful gift.
Cracker Barrel dinner outside of Jackson, was a great chance to have a hot home style meal. We both had giggle fits because Donna ordered a roast beef dinner medium rare. Our server said in his Tennessee draw "We don't do temperature on our meat. I'll ask the kitchen if they ever heard that before". The other guests in the restaurant must have thought those people from California are a little bit looney.
Wednesday March 30th we were off to Christiansburg/Blacksburg Virginia. Back in familiar territory (our son/spouse, son in-law all graduated from VA Tech and our daughter from Radford), we knew dinner HAD to be at Macado's - one of our favorites!! Years ago, we celebrated both of our kid's college graduations and post football games there.
The threat of severe weather was always over our shoulders with each morning's news reports. We were thankful it was behind us, until Thursday.
We woke up to rain and more wind Thursday morning, March 31st.
More stressful driving to Northern Virginia. (NOVA).
We were so proud of ourselves by not getting stuck in a strip mall in Purcellville, Virginia (pit stop) in the final hours before getting to our sons in Vienna.
Donna was an excellent guide as I backed the truck and auto transport into the driveway for the night. Unpacking could wait till morning.
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