May 7
As they say, “journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” This journey has taken us almost four thousand miles, and we have come to the last step. As I write this, it is Saturday morning, and we are near Hamberg, PA. Lorraine wants to be home tomorrow with Paul for Mother’s Day. We stopped here last night, and celebrated the end of the trip by going for a steak dinner at “Logan’s Roadhouse.” No kidding, that really was the name of the place, and we couldn’t resist. Lorraine’s steak came almost uncooked (she ordered it medium rare) and my vegetables were cold (somehow on the same plate with shrimp that was hot – I can’t explain it) but no matter. They corrected the problems, and we enjoyed the meal and toasted…Logan, who was enjoying his own sumptuous meal of kibble and bits outside in the RV. The vehicle ran great, and we were blessed to have been able to enjoy another adventure seeing still more of our beautiful country. Until next time, God bless.
David+Lorraine 5/ 7/11
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
May 5
This morning finds us in Virginia, near Roanoke. Again last night we were glad to have the heat on in the vehicle overnight. Disappointed that we had to, but glad that we had it. It was down into the 40’s, and the TV was talking about frost warnings in this area! After a day or two of some rain, this morning seems sunny again, and I suspect the temperature could get to 60 in the afternoon. The weather has been so inclement that there seems to be no reason to camp in a state park since we wouldn’t want to get out of the vehicle. So we have spent the last couple of nights in the lots of “Cracker Barrels.” They permit you to stay overnight here, and we always go in and have either dinner or breakfast the next morning. They have fabulous corn muffins, and I have actually developed a taste for cheese grits. (Sho nuff?) There are many of these restaurants on the east coast (it’s a franchise) and the lots are always well kept and pretty quiet, since the places are not open 24 hours. We often see other RV’s in the lot doing the same thing. I don’t think it is quite as well known that you can stay here as it is at Wal-Mart, but we usually choose Cracker Barrel when there is a choice. We’ve never felt unsafe, and never had any incidents. Last night, we did get a knock on the door about 9 PM. It was a guy from a company that had been hired to re-paint the lines on the ground that delineate the parking spaces. He was asking us if we would mind moving to a different spot, one that had no lines, so that he could complete his job. He could not have been nicer, (we find the vast majority of Southern people to be extraordinarily polite) and we of course complied, in a surly northeastern kind of way.
The plan today is to get back on the road early (10-ish) and get through the rest of Virginia and into Pennsylvania before nightfall. We called and left a message for Paul to let him know that we would be home soon, and he hasn’t called back. I’m hoping that means he is too busy because he is cleaning furiously.
This morning finds us in Virginia, near Roanoke. Again last night we were glad to have the heat on in the vehicle overnight. Disappointed that we had to, but glad that we had it. It was down into the 40’s, and the TV was talking about frost warnings in this area! After a day or two of some rain, this morning seems sunny again, and I suspect the temperature could get to 60 in the afternoon. The weather has been so inclement that there seems to be no reason to camp in a state park since we wouldn’t want to get out of the vehicle. So we have spent the last couple of nights in the lots of “Cracker Barrels.” They permit you to stay overnight here, and we always go in and have either dinner or breakfast the next morning. They have fabulous corn muffins, and I have actually developed a taste for cheese grits. (Sho nuff?) There are many of these restaurants on the east coast (it’s a franchise) and the lots are always well kept and pretty quiet, since the places are not open 24 hours. We often see other RV’s in the lot doing the same thing. I don’t think it is quite as well known that you can stay here as it is at Wal-Mart, but we usually choose Cracker Barrel when there is a choice. We’ve never felt unsafe, and never had any incidents. Last night, we did get a knock on the door about 9 PM. It was a guy from a company that had been hired to re-paint the lines on the ground that delineate the parking spaces. He was asking us if we would mind moving to a different spot, one that had no lines, so that he could complete his job. He could not have been nicer, (we find the vast majority of Southern people to be extraordinarily polite) and we of course complied, in a surly northeastern kind of way.
The plan today is to get back on the road early (10-ish) and get through the rest of Virginia and into Pennsylvania before nightfall. We called and left a message for Paul to let him know that we would be home soon, and he hasn’t called back. I’m hoping that means he is too busy because he is cleaning furiously.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Apr. 30
Today is Lorraine’s birthday, and it finds us in the “Big Lagoon” state park
near Pensacola. This is the last one along the coast before you go into Alabama, and I think it will probably be our turn-around point. We have been here for the last 3 days. We ventured out of the park today to see the Perdido Island National Park that has a beautiful Gulf beach on one side and a bay beach on the other. My senior park pass got us in free, since it is a national park. As of today, Lorraine is eligible to get one of those passes herself, but there doesn’t seem to be any reason to do so as long as we are traveling together; which, after 30 years, still seems to be the plan. There is no camping here, but we still have our site back at Big Lagoon to go back to tonight.
May 3
After we left Big Lagoon, we decided that it was time to head north and east. Yesterday, we drove through Alabama with a few stops to accomplish some vehicle maintenance. First we got a propane fill-up – cheaper than gas - $3.25 a gallon. The propane runs our refrigerator and hot water tank. The next problem was that the deep cell batteries were wearing down, to the point where we didn’t have sufficient power for the TV and the DVD. We needed two new ones that we were able to get installed at an “Interstate” dealership that Lorraine located with her “Droid.” Last night found us at a Wal-Mart again, where we were able to get an oil change done on the vehicle. (And yes Bill, I remembered it needed to be synthetic oil.) We also rented a movie from the Wal-Mart Redbox called “Like Dandelion Dust” (highly recommended – about adoption); and we were able to watch it all the way through without the power going out!
The part of Alabama that we drove through was not near the really bad tornado devastation; but as we were driving, we caught just a glimpse from the highway of a neighborhood that was hit by something smaller. We talked to someone who said that where we are, the swath of the tornado was narrow, but in some places, it was a whole mile across!
We woke this morning to a little rain for just the third time on this trip, which has been remarkably sunny. We are near Chatanooga, TN; and the temperature went down dramatically overnight. Yesterday as we drove, it was in the eighties, but this morning, it is 59, and dropping. We’ve had a month of summer, but I think we are back to spring. I shudder to think what it is in NJ.
Today is Lorraine’s birthday, and it finds us in the “Big Lagoon” state park
near Pensacola. This is the last one along the coast before you go into Alabama, and I think it will probably be our turn-around point. We have been here for the last 3 days. We ventured out of the park today to see the Perdido Island National Park that has a beautiful Gulf beach on one side and a bay beach on the other. My senior park pass got us in free, since it is a national park. As of today, Lorraine is eligible to get one of those passes herself, but there doesn’t seem to be any reason to do so as long as we are traveling together; which, after 30 years, still seems to be the plan. There is no camping here, but we still have our site back at Big Lagoon to go back to tonight.
May 3
After we left Big Lagoon, we decided that it was time to head north and east. Yesterday, we drove through Alabama with a few stops to accomplish some vehicle maintenance. First we got a propane fill-up – cheaper than gas - $3.25 a gallon. The propane runs our refrigerator and hot water tank. The next problem was that the deep cell batteries were wearing down, to the point where we didn’t have sufficient power for the TV and the DVD. We needed two new ones that we were able to get installed at an “Interstate” dealership that Lorraine located with her “Droid.” Last night found us at a Wal-Mart again, where we were able to get an oil change done on the vehicle. (And yes Bill, I remembered it needed to be synthetic oil.) We also rented a movie from the Wal-Mart Redbox called “Like Dandelion Dust” (highly recommended – about adoption); and we were able to watch it all the way through without the power going out!
The part of Alabama that we drove through was not near the really bad tornado devastation; but as we were driving, we caught just a glimpse from the highway of a neighborhood that was hit by something smaller. We talked to someone who said that where we are, the swath of the tornado was narrow, but in some places, it was a whole mile across!
We woke this morning to a little rain for just the third time on this trip, which has been remarkably sunny. We are near Chatanooga, TN; and the temperature went down dramatically overnight. Yesterday as we drove, it was in the eighties, but this morning, it is 59, and dropping. We’ve had a month of summer, but I think we are back to spring. I shudder to think what it is in NJ.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Apr. 27
Side note: Lorraine never manages to get around to reading these blogs before I post them. She always says she wants to, but never seems to do it. So I’m trying to think of just the right thing to say about her that will be amusingly embarrassing, but not so embarrassing that she will give me a smack when she finally reads it sometime in July. It should be something that would make her want to smack me, but not so bad that she will actually do it. It’s a very fine line and will take considerable expertise to pull it off. I don’t have to make any decision right away, so I’ll be accepting suggestions from the readers while I continue to think about it.
Today we tried, unsuccessfully, to get into Henderson State Park, which is also in the town of Destin. They were full up, unusual for a weekday. In fact this is the first time we have not been able to get into a state park on this trip, despite never having a reservation. They suggested trying a private place nearby called “Camping on the Gulf.” Gorgeous, with a pool and all the amenities, but $108 a night – just to park your RV! By the way, the spots that were actually on the Gulf beach were an additional $40, and did not permit pets. Logan volunteered to go and stay at the Wal-Mart on his own for a couple of nights if we really wanted the beach camping, but changed his mind when he realized that this would mean that he wouldn’t have air conditioning and dog biscuits on demand. So it is the Wal-Mart for all of us tonight, and then on to the next state park that we want to try tomorrow, near Pensacola.
Side note: Lorraine never manages to get around to reading these blogs before I post them. She always says she wants to, but never seems to do it. So I’m trying to think of just the right thing to say about her that will be amusingly embarrassing, but not so embarrassing that she will give me a smack when she finally reads it sometime in July. It should be something that would make her want to smack me, but not so bad that she will actually do it. It’s a very fine line and will take considerable expertise to pull it off. I don’t have to make any decision right away, so I’ll be accepting suggestions from the readers while I continue to think about it.
Today we tried, unsuccessfully, to get into Henderson State Park, which is also in the town of Destin. They were full up, unusual for a weekday. In fact this is the first time we have not been able to get into a state park on this trip, despite never having a reservation. They suggested trying a private place nearby called “Camping on the Gulf.” Gorgeous, with a pool and all the amenities, but $108 a night – just to park your RV! By the way, the spots that were actually on the Gulf beach were an additional $40, and did not permit pets. Logan volunteered to go and stay at the Wal-Mart on his own for a couple of nights if we really wanted the beach camping, but changed his mind when he realized that this would mean that he wouldn’t have air conditioning and dog biscuits on demand. So it is the Wal-Mart for all of us tonight, and then on to the next state park that we want to try tomorrow, near Pensacola.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Apr. 24
Easter Sunday finds us in Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Destin, Fla. We had been told about this place last week by some people that we met in a park where we stayed. It used to be a private RV park, but it went out of business, and the state bought it. Private parks tend to have more amenities, and cost more to stay in. So this one, now run by the state of Fla., has a pool, a golf course, and cable TV hookup at each campsite. Unfortunately, no wi-fi. It was built before that existed. They say they are in the process of getting it, but I don’t think it will be by tomorrow. We came in after church today, and spent the afternoon at the pool. Tomorrow we are headed for the beach within the park. The folks at the pool said there were some jellyfish in this part of the Gulf that you have be careful of. If they are bad, I guess we’ll just come back to the pool.
The Easter service we attended turned out to be great. We were in a Cracker Barrel for dinner last night, and asked the waitress if she could recommend a good local church. She said, “Go to the Destiny Worship Center.” (We are in Destin, get it?) The music was wonderful -great band- and the pastor gave a terrific sermon. His main point was “Do you want to get what you deserve when you stand before God; or do you want to get mercy? It’s a no-brainer!”
Easter Sunday finds us in Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Destin, Fla. We had been told about this place last week by some people that we met in a park where we stayed. It used to be a private RV park, but it went out of business, and the state bought it. Private parks tend to have more amenities, and cost more to stay in. So this one, now run by the state of Fla., has a pool, a golf course, and cable TV hookup at each campsite. Unfortunately, no wi-fi. It was built before that existed. They say they are in the process of getting it, but I don’t think it will be by tomorrow. We came in after church today, and spent the afternoon at the pool. Tomorrow we are headed for the beach within the park. The folks at the pool said there were some jellyfish in this part of the Gulf that you have be careful of. If they are bad, I guess we’ll just come back to the pool.
The Easter service we attended turned out to be great. We were in a Cracker Barrel for dinner last night, and asked the waitress if she could recommend a good local church. She said, “Go to the Destiny Worship Center.” (We are in Destin, get it?) The music was wonderful -great band- and the pastor gave a terrific sermon. His main point was “Do you want to get what you deserve when you stand before God; or do you want to get mercy? It’s a no-brainer!”
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