Journey's End

Gene on bridge at Cherokee Landing



Sand dunes along Hwy 98 near Destin, FL





View of Apalachicola Bay from Caroline's River Dining

 We left Cloud 9 on Oct. 19 and meandered towards home.  We saw fall color in Missouri and northern Arkansas, and some in Tennessee.  Our first destination was Cherokee Landing Thousand Trails near Saulsbury, TN.  It was nice and quiet as the season was drawing to an end.  We walked around Cherokee Lake and across the bridge by Tomahawk Lodge, by the cabins and back to our campsite - about a mile - good exercise.  We met several couples from Mississippi and one from Florida.  They invited us to the central campfire and for the next three nights we shared camping stories.

Monday morning we got an early start so we could stay at Okatoma Resort again in Hattiesburg, MS.  One of Gene's "must" stops was at Donna's #6 Produce in Florence, MS for more boiled peanuts.  As I had developed vertigo the week before, I was not comfortable trying to drive, so Gene had the entire responsibility.  With stops along the way for lunch, fuel and stretching our legs, we made the trip in seven hours.  Usually much more than we like to drive in a day, but fortunately Gene was in the "go" mode.

Tuesday we made a much shorter trip to an Escapees Park, Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, AL giving Gene a chance to rest up some.

I had a bee in my bonnet to travel Hwy 98 along the coast and Gene agreed it would be a beautiful drive.  As you can tell by the above pictures, I enjoy being close to the water.  The day was sunny and clear, the water myriad shades of blue and green and the drive was as beautiful as we had anticipated.  When we reached Apalachicola, we stopped at Caroline's River Dining.  As we ate our delicious meal in the outside dining area, we watched boats pass by.  A perfect "almost the end of the trip" experience.  We traveled on to Carabelle and stayed in a Passport America park - Sunset Isle RV Park.  Many of the lots are owned by people who also have boats/yachts at Timber Island.  There is a gorgeous swimming pool there, but it wasn't quite warm enough for me to take a swim.

Thursday morning we were both in the "go" mode - only a few hours from home.  We traveled Hwy 98 along the coast, then finally had to turn inland to go through Perry and on to home.

Gene drove the entire trip - a total of 3125 miles.  However, I did all the cooking, so I feel I held up my end of the responsibilities. 

Are we going to stay put for awhile?  No.  Thursday we will get together with our Escapees friends at the Golden Corral in Clermont.  As Orlando Thousand Trails is just a few miles down the road, we will stop in there for a few days, then over to Peace River Thousand Trails in Wauchula .  From there we will go to the Escapees Chapter 57 rally in Bushnell at Paradise Oaks RV Resort.  Then we'll come back home for the holidays and start planning next year's adventures.

So, to all our friends and family Happy Thanksgiving, a Blessed Christmas, Happy Hanukah and a Prosperous New Year. 

Watching the Leaves Change

 This week there has been quite a change in the fall leaves.  On    Monday, I took a walk with  my camera to capture some of the color.  The sun was shining on the trees/bushes and the color was vibrant.  Many of the trees are oaks, so the leaves are various shades of yellow and orange.  They are also dropping their acorns when the wind blows.  This can be hazardous if you are sitting under the tree.  There are a lot of happy squirrels though.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Monday and Tuesday night Gene made a wonderful campfire.  Monday we roasted hot dogs and Tuesday we just sat and enjoyed watching the flames dance.  It is a beautiful and everchanging sight.  

We have enjoyed playing Mexican Train (a domino game) and Scrabble.  Gene usually wins, but every once in awhile I throw him a curve ball and win.  Keeps him on his toes.  Yesterday and today he has gone to the putt-putt golf course to practice and then watches a little TV at the Clubhouse.  I am happy to sit at "home" and crochet - watching the leaves change and listening to the acorns fall.

On Friday we will leave our little paradise and start towards home.  The temperatures will be in the 30's the next couple nights and that always has the tendency to drive us Southward.

My next blog will depend on internet connection.  Until then, God's blessings to all our friends and family.                                            

Cooler Weather & Campfires





We're having beautiful days and cool nights.  Gene & I have taken a couple of hikes to enjoy the scenery.  On our first hike we walked across Foggy Ford, shown in the picture to the left, and up almost to Foggy Lane.  It was up the whole way, which made it easier on the return trip.  I would like to clarify "Fogey" vs "Foggy".  All the signs are spelled "Fogey", but it's pronounced "Foggy".  I wonder if the original speller was trying to be funny.

The second picture was taken at Wilder Springs with the morning mist.  It looked surreal.  I enjoyed sitting in my chair at the campsite and listening to the stream both at Wilder Springs & Foggy Hollow.

My thanks to Margie Woodall, who told me where to find the icon to attach  pictures.

Sunday after Chapel service, we settled in the Melody Lane campground.  Cloud 9 has about six separate campgrounds so one can choose ones close to the Clubhouse or down by the stream.  Melody Lane is close enough to the Clubhouse so Gene can take the laptop to catch up on the news, emails, etc.

We also have WiFi connection at the RV, so I can do my stuff here.

Yesterday we took another hike down an ATV trail and back around to the campsite.  It was a lovely, peaceful hike with birds singing and a slight breeze blowing.  Later in the afternoon I saw a deer by the road.  It didn't stay long enough for me to get the camera.

We met two nice folks from Indiana and they invited us to their campfire.  They are Christians also and it was wonderful to share with each other what Jesus has done in our lives.

Gene has been on a hike by himself today while I have stayed home to crochet and fix stewed apples in the crockpot to go with pork chops and stuffing for supper.  Speaking of which, it's about time to start the chops.

Until next time, God's blessings to all our friends and family. 

Life is Good

My last post said we were going to Fogey Hollow for a few days.  Well, we took the road to Wilder Springs and decided we'd stay there instead.  It's a lovely place and we parked close to an area where we had tent camped many years ago.  The water runs over a row of stones making a soothing sound.  I love to stand there and listen.

One afternoon I sat at our site and listened to the breeze blowing through the trees and watching the leaves dance down to the ground.  There is just a little fall color so far.  The temperature has been in the 80's during the day and 60's at night.

Gene made a nice fire one night and we roasted hot dogs.  They always seem to taste better over a campfire.

The only minor setback was an issue with our toilet.  It had not been holding water in the bowl for a while due to a worn seal.  I could live with that.  Then the cable that allowed the toilet to flush broke.  No living with that!  We made an appointment with E.J. RV Service in West Plains for last Tuesday and a new toilet was installed.    Russ had told me it was a "high profile" which meant it was 4" taller than our old one.  I did not fully comprehend the implications of that until Gene suggested I sit on it to see if it was all right.  I almost had to jump up on it as my little short legs couldn't navigate the extra 4" comfortably.  The extra height also caused Gene to hit his head on the above shelf.   Russ was so kind to remove it and hook our old one back up.
They ordered a "low profile" model and we had it installed yesterday.  Such little setbacks cause one to really appreciate the simple things of life.

Now, if any of you have ever watched the movie "RV", you'll remember Robin Williams had to go to the bathhouse to get a signal for his computer.  Well, here I am, in the Ladies Bathroom, laptop perched up on two sinks and typing away.  I've paid bills, read my emails, etc.  One learns how to make adjustments when on the road.

Yesterday when we came back from town we settled in Fogey Hollow right next to the creek.  Gene is fixing a fire tonight and I'll cook pork chops over it.
Truly, life is good!

Busy, Busy Week

We left Cloud 9 Ranch in Caulfield, MO on Sunday morning and arrived at the Escapees 52nd Escapade in Sedalia, MO that afternoon. 

I was delighted to see Marty (Vice-President of Florida Chapter 57), wife Peg and friends Fred and Barbara (Volunteer Club Representatives) at the registration desk.  Friendly, familiar faces are always wonderful.

It was pretty much non-stop from there on out.  The entertainment that evening was Yakov Smirnoff, who performs at Branson.   He was hilarious and thought provoking as he recounted his family's adjustment from Russia to USA.  It makes one truly appreciate the fact that we live in a free country.  He signed books afterward and Gene took our picture.   I'd love to post it, but the "add attachment" seems to have disappeared.

The rest of the week was filled with seminars on a myriad of subjects from RV Safety, Engine Performance, Fire & Life Safety to Working in Picasa, Identity Theft and Health Living, etc.  Whether you are a newbee or have been full-timing for years, there was something to learn.

Gene volunteered to drive one the golf carts that picked folks up from the campground and delivered them to the various seminars and then back "home" again.  He did this on Tuesday from 11:30 - 2:45.  I can assure you I was very thankful for those golf carts as we were parked about 3/4 of a mile away.  I did get plenty of exercise, though, going from one building to another.  On Wednesday he volunteered for Security for a couple hours.

The Christian Fellowship group met every morning for a one hour devotion, singing and fellowshipping.  It was great to meet Christians from other parts of the country and share our testimonies.  We all went out to eat Thursday evening at Kehde's Barbeque.  It was a unique experience eating in the Katy Flyer Dining Car.  I had a moment when I was sure the train car was moving, but it was quite stationary on the ground.  The food was delicious and we enjoyed getting to know Richard and Glenda, who gave us a ride over there.

Friday morning we said our goodbys to old and new friends and headed for Wentzville, MO.  We chose the backroad routes and came upon a Lewis and Clark Marker at the Marion Access to the Missouri River.  William Clark's servant, York, swam out to the sandbar to pick greens (probably cress) to give them some good green leafy supplement to their diet.  We ate our lunch there, (no, I didn't send Gene out to the sandbar for cress) and then continued on our way.  We saw little farms, large farms, soybeans, corn, little towns and large hills in the distance -it's my favorite kind of countryside.  We stopped a little later so I could take more pictures of the Missouri River, and met four folks who are bicycling the Katy Trail.  They will spend six days on the Trail and end up in St. Charles, MO.  What stamina and energy!

We had a great visit with our friend, Bill and his daughters Ginny & Dorothy and husbands Mike & Tim.  We spent the night in our Roadtrek in his yard and then out to breakfast the next morning and on the road again back to Cloud 9 Ranch.

We attended the Cloud 9 Ranch Chapel this morning.  It's 25 miles into town, so I really appreciate having a church service right here on the premises.  This afternoon we'll go down to the Fogey Hollow Campground and set up right by the water - my favorite place.  I can sit outside and watch and listen to the water rushing over the rocks - so very peaceful.

 That brings this edition to a close.  "Talk" to you next week.

Whoohoo On The Road Again

It seems like forever since we've been on a trip - actually since 2010.  We're delighted to be in our Roadtrek heading down the highway.

We had a bit of a late start due to a "metal on metal" sound we noticed as we were running last minute errands.  That's something we didn't want to ignore, so off to Palm Chevrolet to let them check it out.  The front sway bar link bushings had dry rotted. An hour later we were on our way.

We spent the first night at Chiefland RV Park - a nice, quiet Passport America park just a little off Hwy 27.  It was only 65 miles from home, but at least we were on the road.

Saturday we drove on to Tallahasse to visit my sister Faith and brother-in-law Len.  They treated us to lunch at Hopkins and we spent the rest of the afternoon visiting.  It's always great to spend time with them and catch up on
"sister" talk.  We traveled a little further to Quincy, FL and stayed at Beaver Creek Campground.  We were surprised to see another Roadtrek there.  Claude and Lise are from Montreal and we enjoyed comparing "Roadtrek" notes.

Sunday morning we were up and running.  We stopped a couple times to stretch our legs, buy a few things at Wal-Mart, have a picnic lunch, refuel, etc. and actually made it out of Florida to Robertsdale, AL.   Wilderness RV Park is another Passport America park - nice and quiet.  We debated spending another night there, but decided to head on down the road.

We passed through Mobile, AL and due to a wrong turn (I don't always comprehend what Nuvi wants us to do),  we were able to get a good picture of the USS Alabama at the Battleship Memorial.  Back on track, we made it out of Mobile without any further sidetrips.  We had picked the next stopping place because it was approximately four hours driving time.  We have determined to make this a leisurely trip.  Okatoma Resort and RV Park is a jewel tucked away in Hattiesburg, MS.  Thanks to the GPS coordinates listed in the Passport America book, we found our way there.   It is a beautiful, peaceful place with a little lake, ducks & ducklings waddling around, a nice pool, cafe and even cabins.   We definitely wanted to stay here for a couple nights.  We relaxed, I did a little housekeeping, we swam in the pool and Gene was even able to watch the men's finals of the U S Open.  We left Wednesday morning much refreshed.  We highly recommend this lovely RV park.

We had about an hour and a half of driving behind us when Gene spotted Donna's # 6 Produce in Florence, MS.  He loves boiled peanuts, so that was as good a reason as any to stop for a break.  He had an ice cream cone and bought 2 lbs boiled peanuts and some nectarines for the road.  I have never seen such huge peanuts!  We both enjoyed them immensely.  We drove over to Greenwood, MS to Florewood State Park.  We had been there about 20 years ago (or longer) when it was Florewood River Plantation.  There were folks in period dress who explained the running of a cotton plantation in the 1860's.  We were looking forward to seeing it again. However, a few years ago the state renovated it and turned it over to the county and then it closed within the year.   We headed back to I-55 and onto Coldwater, MS where we stayed at Memphis South RV Park - right off I-55.  I was concerned the interstate noise might be too loud, but we found a site on the far side of the park and it was fine. 

Thursday morning and only four hours from Cloud 9 Ranch Campground in Caulfied, MO!  This is a membership campground we belong to, and one of our favorite places.  With stops for gas and lunch, and milk & DVD's (love that $5.00 bin) at Wal Mart, we made the trip in five and a half hours.  We really know how to stretch out a trip.  We got settled into a nice shady spot and rearranged our stuff.  When we're driving, extra items are stored on the bed.  When we're stopped, everything shifts to the front seat.  I don't mind this minor inconvenience when compared to the ease of driving, parking and gas milage (average 16 mpg) of our Roadtrek camper van.

Today has been laundry and catch up day.  Sunday we will travel up to Sedalia, MO for the Escapade.  It's great to be on the road again.