Family, Friends & Rally Trip

We're going to pack a lot into this trip!  We left home on Friday the 21st and drove to Savannah, GA to the Visitor Center.  We parked in the parking lot for $14.00 for 48 hours.  There were no connections, but surrounding parks were $40.00 per night, so my frugality won.  There were a lot of RV's parked there, so we weren't lonely.  We took the Old Trolley Tour on Sat.  We rode around to all 16 stops and then back to River Front where we ate lunch at the Shrimp Factory, walked around a bit, then caught the trolley back to the parking lot.  Gene had seen the ice cream place, so he rode back to enjoy ice cream.  I took a nap.  There were many beautiful homes, magnificent architecture, parks and squares.  It was a great tour.
Sunday we drove down to Forsyth Park to take pictures & then on to Orangeburg, SC to The Oaks, a retirement center.  We had been to a seminar last June and were told to "stop in for a tour"  when we were up that way.  We were put up in an apartment in the Walsh building for two nights, fed abundantly in the dining room and given a tour of the campus.  They have homes, duplexes, apartments and assisted living units.  It was a lovely place, but I realized I have a lot more living to do before I "retire"!

Glenna & Susie at Savannah Visitor Center

The doll you see in the pictures, is our Escapees Chapter mascot, Susie Sunshine.  She travels with whomever "adopts" her and sees a lot of our beautiful country.

The next installment will be our drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

And Now The Rest of The Story

On my last post I said I was eyeing the swimming pool.  It was definitely calling my name, so I changed into my swimsuit and went for a refreshing swim.

We had a few days when it rained and the wind was pretty strong.  During one of the storms a branch fell from the tree and hit the RV, screen room and knocked the power line out of the electric box.  As we have DC power also, the lights didn't go out, but I realized there was a problem when the clock was blank on the microwave.  Gene was able to straighten the prongs and plug it back in.  The screen room had a couple small tears that we patched with duct tape and we were good as new.

One evening we joined several folks from the church and Ranch for a pot luck supper.  It was delicious food and great fellowship.

Friends Ron and Carolyn

Doe with three fawns

On Friday,  Aug. 5th, we took down the screen room and folded up the hammock as rain was predicted for the rest of the weekend, which it did.  After church on Sunday we moved from Wilder Campground #1 to Wilder #2.  Friends, Ron and Carolyn whom we had met in 2014,  moved to Wilder #2 also and we were able to spend some time with them.  The day before we left, she took me for a ride in their Polaris to several places on the Ranch and we even saw a doe with triplet fawns.

Alas, on Tuesday, Aug. 9th, we had to leave.  We said our goodbyes and headed for Golden Pond RV Park in Shirley, AR - a short trip of four hours.  The next day was much longer.  We had hoped to make it to
Hattiesburg, MS, Okatoma RV Resort, but when we got to Vicksburg, MS six and a half hours later, Gene was pretty tired. so we spent the night there.  Thursday we stopped at Donna's 6 Produce in Florence, MS for ice cream and fresh fruit and veggies on the way to Wilderness RV Park in Robertsdale, AL.  Friday was a short run to Torreya State Park in Bristol, FL.  We had stayed there for a few days last September and really like it.  The campsites are huge and the bathhouse really clean.  Saturday, we made the final leg of the journey home, arriving about 2:00.  The rest of the day was spent in unloading everything from the RV.  I'm still in the "putting away" process, but it will eventually get done.

It was wonderful to be able to spend time at Cloud 9 with old friends.   May God bless all of them and all of you.  Until our next trip, safe travels and good health.

Resting n Relaxing

Has it been two weeks since we arrived?  I have been enjoying sitting in my screen room, reading and listening to my cd's.  Gene is much more active and walks over to the bathhouse with his tablet for wifi, up to the Pavillion to watch TV and on some of the trails. 

My last post was typed in the ladies room of the bathhouse.  Can you imagine the surprise of the ladies coming in to use the facilities and there I was by the shower stall?  This week I'm at the Trading Post and have a much better connection.  Last Sunday and today we attended the church service at the Chapel here on the Ranch and then had lunch at the Ranch House - delicious, melt in your mouth roast beef.  Gene is at the Pavillion and I'm eyeing the swimming pool.

This past Thursday we drove to Dawt Mill - about 30 miles from here.  They're located on the North Fork River and have canoeing, kayaking, cabins, RV Park and restaurants.  We ate our lunch looking out onto the River - really beautiful.

The weather has been hot - 90's - and we retreat to the RV and AC in the afternoons for a nap.  By evening it  cools down so that we can open the windows and hear the crickets and frogs.  I forget from year to year how beautiful the fireflies are flitting among the trees.

Tuesday evening, when it cooled down, Gene built a  fire and we cooked our hotdogs over it.  Afterwards I sat and watched the embers and fireflies and listened to the gurgling of the stream.
In the morning and evenings there is a thick mist over the water - looks eerie at times.

So, that is our current lifestyle.  We get to stay for another two weeks before heading home.

Until my next post, God's blessings to all of you.

We Are Happy Campers!

We are in our happy place -  Cloud 9 Ranch in Caulfield, MO. 

 We left Thursday morning, stopped in Tallahassee to have lunch with my sister,  Faith and brother-in-law Len at Hopkins Eatery and a great visit, then on to Fountain, FL and spent the night at Pine Lake RV Park, an RPI park. 

Friday morning we got an early start as it was 6 hours to the next stop.  We have a talent for turning a 6 hour trip into 8 hours on a regular basis.  We stopped at a roadside stand for fresh tomatoes and oranges,  Don Walker's Western Wear in Troy, AL where Gene found a new shirt (he was looking for Wrangler jeans - black, but none in his size),  Sikes & Kohn in Pine Level, AL where he bought new Carhartt work gloves,  gas in Montgomery where the pump showed 35 gallons pumped (not so, our tank only holds 31 gallons and we weren't even on empty).  When he questioned the clerk, he was given a  small refund.  He called BP & Circle K to report gas pump fraud.  There's no telling how many people haven't noticed  the discrepancy.

We finally arrived at Hidden Cove RV Resort, another RPI, in Arley, AL at 4:00 p.m.  We settled in for the evening & the air conditioner cut off three times.  Gene switched to the 50 amp outlet and we had no further problems.

Saturday was a short drive - only 3 hours, which we turned into four and a half.  We stopped in Russellville, AL at Jack's for lunch, then Dollar General.  In Corinth, MS we stopped for gas at the
Chevron station for $1.89 per gallon.  We arrived at Big Buck RV Park in Hornsby, TN at 3:00.  Gene went to the Lodge to watch TV and I went to bed early.

Sunday was another long day.  We drove through Memphis, crossed the Mississippi River into Arkansas, and finally into Missouri.  Although we have traveled Hwy 63 before, Gene said he didn't
remember there being so many curves and hills.  It was tedious for him (and me), but we made it to Cloud 9 safe and sound by 3:15.  We found a perfect spot in Wilder Springs campground which looks out onto the stream.

Yesterday Gene set up the screen room, put the hammock and my chair in there, put out the awning and moved the picnic table under it.  I put the tablecloth on it and spent the rest of the day relaxing, reading and watching the water flow by.  At 4:00, I heard a splash & looked across the stream to see a doe and her two fawns drinking from the stream.  This morning I saw the groundhog that lives in the brush by the stream.  Ah, yes, this is truly my happy place.  

Tennessee Travels

Our trips are getting shorter, but we're still able to get on the road and scratch that "hitch itch".

We have missionary friends who have an orphanage in the mountains near Chiang Mai, Thailand.  When we
learned they were coming to the States for a visit, we made arrangements to meet them in Tennessee.  We checked the Passport America and Resort Parks International campground books, plotted our course, and
made the appropriate reservations.

On March 31st, we headed out - lists made and checked, RV loaded and we were excited to be on the road again.  Our first stop was at Southern Trails RV Resort in Unadilla, GA.  Gene had wifi for his tablet, so
he was delighted.  Our next day's travels took us to Hidden Cove in Arley, AL.  This was a beautiful campground on Smith Lake - nice and quiet and very clean bathhouse - my two major requirements.  Along
the way we saw beautiful redbud and dogwood trees in full bloom and purple wisteria climbing into trees.

The trees had new leaves in what I call "spring green" - a sign of new life, renewal and hope.  The pine trees,
with their darker green makes me think of constancy and stability.  It was a beautiful drive to our destination at Natchez Trace Wilderness Preserve in Hohenwald, TN.

Our friends, Bobby and Namatha and their teenage children C.J. and Cece arrived at Natchez Trace on Sunday afternoon and settled into their cabin.  It was a wonderful spacious area to visit and prepare our meals.  We had not seen them since C.J. was 4 months old, but we're able to stay in touch via Facebook.
It was a wonderful time of sharing how great and faithful is our Heavenly Father. All too soon it was time to say good-bye.  They left Tuesday morning for Arkansas and we left Wednesday morning heading south.

We traveled through Tennessee most of the day.  Gene was beginning to think he was in a time warp and we'd be in Tennessee forever.  We drove over the Cumberland Mountains and stopped at the TVA Ocoee
Dam to take pictures and stretch our legs,  then finally entered North Carolina and Georgia.

We've been to Yonah Mountain Campground in Cleveland, GA twice before and really like it there, so that was our stopping place for Wednesday night.  After a peaceful night, complete with rain pattering on the roof, we were ready to go again.  Across the street from the campground is Mt. Yonah Book Exchange.  No way could we pass that up!  I found six Rosamunde Pilcher paperback books that I did not yet have.  She sets her stories in England, Cornwall, Scotland, etc and has a wonderful way of describing people, places and scenery.  Our next stop was the new Babyland General Hospital (home of Cabbage Patch Kids) in Cleveland.   Pictures are allowed and we took plenty.  It's a lot less expensive than adopting a doll!

We joined Gene's high school friend, Frank Anderson, for lunch at Sweet Baby Jane's Buffett in Lawrenceville, GA.  Delicious fried chicken and Southern cooked veggies filled us up.   I highly recommend this place!  We had a long chit-chat while Gene's meal digested (so he wouldn't fall asleep while driving) and then were on the road to Dublin, GA where we spent the night at Honeysuckle Farm RV Park.

Friday morning we woke up in "go mode" and we were on the road early.  At Kingsland, GA, we stopped
to visit with Gene's 99 year old step-mom.  She is still very alert and active - had hung her sheets out on the  clothesline before we arrived!  It was good to see her doing so well.  We left there and headed for home, making one stop for ice cream.  We had enough energy left to unload the RV, but it always takes a few days to get everything put away. 

It was a wonderful, albeit short, trip and we so enjoyed being with our friends.

Until next time, safe travels and blessings to all.

Family and Home

    I had said I wanted to go to Savannah and take the trolley tour.  However, when we reached Aiken, SC on Wednesday evening, it was in the high 90's and I had to rethink my plans.  So, it was decided the next morning that we would drive to Lyons, GA to visit Gene's niece, Kelly, as it was her birthday, and then head home.  We were also able to see his sister, Talley, and she treated us to lunch at the Dairy Queen.  When we got on the road after lunch, it was nonstop to Ocala.  When we arrived, we unloaded the refrigerator items and essentials, took a hot shower and fell into our own waterbed.
     Ah, it is wonderful to be able to take a trip and wonderful to come home.  So, thank you, Aunt Betty, for setting all this in motion.  And especially thank you, Gene, who drove the 3428 miles and took wonderful pictures for me to post.  I couldn't do it without you.

A Porch, Mountain View and Hummingbirds

     Monday we spent the night in Baileyton, TN at Baileyton RV Park - you guessed it - another Passport America park.  There had been a torrential downpour just before we arrived and we had to cross two places where the water was rushing across the road.  We made it safely across and to the campground.  The next morning we traveled a whopping 45 minutes to our friends Richard and Linda Sue's in Greeneville, TN.  It was a delightful day spent with them.  They showed us their home and property and then Linda Sue and I settled into the chairs on the porch and watched the hummingbirds flying from the tree branch to the feeders she has hanging on the porch.  It's the first time I have actually heard their wings humming.  They would sit still a few seconds and drink the nectar, then fly to the branch and sit.  I had only seen hummingbirds in motion before, so I was fascinated.  It rained in the afternoon and we watched the mist and clouds changing over the mountain.  They fixed a wonderful meal for us and after watching a gorgeous sunset, we headed to our RV to bed down for the night.

Hummingbird at feeder at Richard & Linda Sue's

Clouds & mist over mountain

Sunset viewed from porch

They had graciously offered their spare bedroom, but I am spoiled by my memory foam mattress.     Wednesday morning Linda Sue fixed a great breakfast for us, supplied us with coffee for the road and we bid them adieu.  It was a short, but most relaxing visit.  I am looking forward to the next time we can spend time with them, sitting on their porch, enjoying the magnificent view and chit chatting.                                                                                                                                                      Next post "Family & Home"