Our First Taste of Southern Florida

We left home at 4:15am on the 26th of October, hoping to get to Valdosta, GA to spend the night.  A mere 16 hours later, we made it.  The traffic from Chattanooga, TN to Macon, GA was crazy.  We'll be finding a new route home next week!  We made it to Riverside RV by 10:30 the next morning, welcomed by Pam, Dennis, Darla, and Penny.

Pam and Dennis' RV is on the left; ours is the Cedar Creek next to it.

The weather has been perfect.  The pool was a little chilly for a couple days until they turned on the heater, but the hot tub has been a toasty 104.

A couple times we loaded all four bikes in Dennis' truck and went for 10 mile rides.  Of course, each had a lunch at a restaurant in the middle.

 Decked out in our new helmets.

The only wildlife we saw on the bike rides.

We shared our last box of See's candy with Pam and Dennis on National Chocolate Day.

Last night we played BINGO in the clubhouse.  Dennis was the only one of us that won any money back.

Today Mark and I drove to Nokomis Beach to check out the beach.  The water was a chilly 69 degrees.  I got in to my chest; Mark made it to his ankles.

This beach is very different than the Gulf Shores beach we are used to.  This one has billions of shells.  Most people are walking around digging for shark's teeth.  We didn't find any, but one nice girl from New York gave me three of hers.  

A sampling of the shells I found.  The shark's teeth are the black ones.  

This evening the park hosted a Welcome Back dinner for the Fall people.  The food was delicious.

 Brisket, slaw, chips, and cupcakes.

In the short time we've been here, we've learned to play pickleball, rode over 50 miles on the bikes, played pool volleyball, played a round of golf, did water aerobics, discovered the frozen custard at Culvers, met lots of great people, and lounged in the pool and hot tub.  

We're going home next week, but will return in January to do it all over again!

Our Summer Trip Ends A Little Early

We left Virginia Beach and headed to Myrtle Beach on September 11.  Since we didn't leave until noon, we had to stop along the way.  We found a fabulous park in North Carolina.  We didn't have to unhook, and the park provided continental breakfast (with make-your-own waffles). That was a first, but very much appreciated.

The next morning we headed to Ocean Lakes RV park in Myrtle Beach.  It was the largest park we have ever been in - over 1000 spots!  At least 90% of the people staying there had golf carts - the golf carts far outnumber the RVs.  We were expecting something like Gatlinburg, but were pleasantly surprised that it was not.  However, it is not somewhere we would revisit.  

The beach was less than a quarter mile from our campsite. 

 The water was very warm, but this is the farthest either of us got in.

We booked a tee time through the park at the golf course they own a half mile away for Saturday morning.  The day started out hot and humid, and after nine holes, it was pouring!  We left after nine as we were drenched.

 10th tee box at Prestwyck Country Club 

While doing laundry on Saturday afternoon, we decided it was time to start heading back home to help deal with health issues of family members.  The campground refunded us for the days we didn't stay, and on Sunday morning at 5:45a, we headed south to get the RV to our winter destination in Port Charlotte, FL.  While this seemed like a good idea at the time, the 1800 miles in three days was no fun!  

The lovebugs found us in Florida.

We made it all the way to Polk City, FL,  just East of Tampa on Sunday morning.  It started raining as soon as we arrived so we spent all evening cleaning out the RV.    

Rainbow just before dark.

 Beautiful sunrise the next morning.

We got checked into our winter destination, Riverside RV Park in Port Charlotte.  It was so hot there, we say no people, other than employees.  There were RVs on sites, but no people.  They probably are doing on-site storage like us.

Our Cedar Creek all alone.

A couple hours after pulling in, we had set up, leveled, unhooked, loaded up the truck, and started heading north.  Our goal was just north of Atlanta to spend the night in Pam and Dennis' RV.  We made it by 9:05pm, visited for an hour and a half, and headed to bed.

 Penny, Pam, and Darla, happy to see us.

Very early the next morning, we headed to St. Louis.  Nine hours later:

The welcoming Arch.

Virginia Beach

The rains came to Virginia Beach this week.  In two days we had over 7" of rain.  Our nice spot in the park turned into a lake.  Fortunately, we had a wooden deck to walk on.  

There's not a lot to do on a rainy day.  The highlight is the Virginia Aquarium.  Everyone had the same idea.  We waited outside in the rain for 20 minutes before getting inside to get a ticket. 

This ugly guy was hanging out.

 Yet another "your sister would do it" pictures

On Tuesday we paid the $26 round trip toll to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.  We weren't really sure what was on the other side.  We found out - not much!  It's just a short cut to get to Delaware and north from there.

 It was sunny when we left Virginia Beach for the Bridge Tunnel.  It didn't last long - it rained the whole way across the 17-mile bridge/tunnel.

Yesterday was the highlight of our trip to Virginia Beach.  We went on a two hour tour of the Norfolk Naval Base on the Victory Rover.

 We got good seats up on top to enjoy the first sunny day in quite a while.

The Battleship Wisconsin 

Norfolk Naval Hospital Ship

 The sub in front had just come into port a half hour before we got there.  There are lots of men standing on it.  

 One of three air craft carriers in port.

After a fabulous dinner at Captain George's Seafood Restaurant (all you can eat buffet), we parked at the end of the runway at the Oceana Naval Air Station to watch the jets take off and land.  The NAS is directly behind the campground where we were staying.  The main mission of this air station is to train and deploy the F/A-18 fighter jets.

This morning we decided to leave Virginia Beach and head towards Myrtle Beach.  We were supposed to leave tomorrow morning, but storms were coming in and we didn't want to leave in the storms.

The jets flew over this morning to say goodbye to us.  I'm gonna miss those really loud flying wonders!

Brake Down on the Road

This past Thursday we left Nashville headed to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  That area of the country is beautiful, but the traffic is insane.  It's like Branson on steroids.  We were only there a day and a half so we had to cram it all in a short time.  Our campground was off the beaten track, and very hard to find.  The roads are not on GPS or Google Maps, but a call to the office got us there in no time.

First we headed to the downtown area and got on the skylift to see the area.

View from the top.

The next day we headed into Smoky Mountain National Park - the most frequented NP in the country, and the only free one.  After stopping to get a t-shirt and map of the park, we headed 25 miles into the park to drive the Cades Cove Tour which is an 11-mile one way loop with lots to look at along the way.  Sadly, the only wildlife we saw in the NP was three turkeys, and one deer.  I had hoped for a bear or two, but they were nowhere to be found.  The Cades Cove area was established in the 1830s, and by 1900 housed 125 families.   Several churches, a mill, and cabins still remain.

 The Methodist church

The Grain Mill

We stopped at some little BBQ joint (which was very delicious) and found this next door.  No, we did not pay $3 to go inside, even though it is the "only salt and pepper shaker museum in the world!"

The next morning we started our two day trip to get to Virginia Beach, Virginia.  The first 136 miles went just fine, until we got on a five mile downhill stretch through the Appalachian Mountains at a 6% downgrade.  The truck brakes started smoking and making this terrible smell.  Mark called a Ford dealer 30 miles down the road who agreed to get us in and out and on our way.  The people at the dealer were great.  They told us where to unhook the trailer, told us to bring Butch into the waiting room, offered snacks and a car to use if we wanted to leave for lunch.  

 Just what we needed while waiting for almost four hours.

This display was full of Twinkies and Ding Dongs before we got there.  Between us and another lady who stuffed her purse with them, we managed to eat most of them.

We made it to Virginia Beach Friday afternoon.  We have a great campsite backed up to the woods.  

Yesterday we headed up to the Jamestown Settlement, Williamsburg, and the Yorktown Victory Center.  While it was supposed to be only an hour away, it took almost two.  Traffic in this part of the country is no fun.  We crept for 25 miles on I-64 at no more than 25 mph!

 Replica of one of three ships from England that arrived in Jamestowne in 1607.

There was a great museum, but no pictures were allowed.  Our next stop was the Yorktown Victory Center.  There we found a re-creation of a Continental Army encampment.

 Six men slept in one of these tents.  

Thomas Jefferson hanging out.

 We found this in the cooler at the gas station.  

 Today we checked out the boardwalk.  It's 3 miles long and loaded with hotels, restaurants, and gift shops.

 It was supposed to rain most of the day (even though it never did), so I guess no one showed up this morning.

The water was warm and even though the sand is brown, it is a nice beach.

Great mural on the side of a building by the waterfront.

After doing laundry and grocery shopping today - it's back to being tourists tomorrow.

Nashville Revisited

We left home a week ago to start our Fall trip.  Our first stop was a week in Nashville.  It's been three years since we were here last, but not much has changed.  Our friends Steve and Carol, and Pam and Windsor are here also.  Mostly what we have done is eat!  

There is now a shuttle that we can catch at the entrance to the RV park that takes us right into downtown Nashville, so we no longer have to fight the traffic to find a parking spot.  We leave the driving to someone else.

The first day we were here we took a "Tour of Nashville."  The first part of the tour was pretty good.  The last two hours were not anything we were interested in.  Our tour guide, Tommy, drove us by "houses of famous musicians."  He would pull off the side of the road, say, "now look at those two towers in the distance {at least a mile away}, look to the left of the tower on the left, through the trees, you can see a small patch of brown paint - that house belongs to Tim McGraw and Faith Hill."  On, and on it went.  At one house he stopped to tell us if we looked hard enough at the window on the second floor on the left hand side, we could see the headboard of some band leader's bedroom.  That's just disgusting!

 Statue of Thomas Ryman outside the Ryman Auditorium.

 The Musica features nine dancing figures.  

The famous "Batcave" AT&T building in downtown Nashville.

Friday night we had great seats at the Opry.  The entertainment included Jeannie Seely, Bill Anderson, Kathy Mattea, Mark Wills, Riders In The Sky, and Alison Krauss.  

Mark Wills

 Bill Anderson

 Kathy Mattea

Alison Krauss

 Check out the tie on this guy from The Riders In The Sky - it's a gigantic cactus.

Steve, Mark, Butch, and Windsor hanging out.

Last night the park hosted a beer and pizza party with a band, and special guests.  The band was pretty good, and the special guest was Jeannie Seely, who we had seen at the Opry Friday night.  For a 74 year old singer, she sounds and looks pretty good.

 Some guy brought his dog in a baby stroller.  

This afternoon we went back downtown to check out some of the bands before leaving in the morning.  Not much of a crowd on this Labor Day.

Tomorrow we are heading to Gatlinburg.  More to follow next week.