Thanksgiving Day

We hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving. Our day started out okay traveling to Jacksonville but it sure got exciting. As we were putting the final touches on our meal the kid upstairs came down and said his condo was on fire (he was home alone). Ken's niece called 911, I helped Ken's mom outside and everyone else started taking jewelry, clothes, shoes, computers and important papers out the door. About 20 fire trucks responded plus a tanker truck, an ambulance and a ladder truck.

The policemen were very nice and when they kept telling us to move, they offered to take Ken's mom in their car because she couldn't walk very well. And what shows up on the news that night, but pictures of us getting into the police car!!

They were able to confine the fire to the upstairs condo with hardly any damage to our family's condo! After 3 hours, the fireman allowed us to go back into the condo and retrieve our food and a friend allowed us to use her condo. So after all of that, we had dinner as a family and were very thankful!

This is definitely one of the holidays we will never forget!

R & R

We had 10 glorious days resting & relaxing at my brother's house. We parked the motor home in his driveway and had all the comforts of our home and also enjoyed their home! It was a perfect way to catch our breath! Thanks John & Janis for everything! While we were there, we celebrated our birthday (both of us on 11/12) by going to a dinner theatre! A good night of laughs. We were sad to leave but we're on our way south to see more family so that made it easier to leave.

 

From Thomson, GA (outside of Augusta) we went to Savannah, GA for the night. We viewed the city and even drove to Hilton Head, SC just because we could! It was a great afternoon exploring old Savannah and then seeing the development at Hilton Head. Two different worlds but so close together! I loved Savannah with its history and squares every few blocks. It was made even better by all the Spanish Moss!

Now we're in Jacksonville, FL and off to Orlando for two weeks. We will see my two nephews and their families while they are vacationing at DisneyWorld and then spend Thanksgiving with Ken's extended family. We're looking forward to seeing everyone.

We've been counting the states we've visited and we're up to #30! We hope you've enjoyed "traveling" with us!

We Continue Our Travels!

We finished the Blue Ridge Parkway by traveling to Grandfather Mountain and walking across the mile high bridge. We were amazed at the difference in the fall colors. Just 3 days after leaving the Parkway, there were no leaves or fall colors on the Parkway!!

On Tuesday, we went and toured Biltmore. What a beautiful home and they were decorating for Christmas as we toured the estate. Since we won't have a Christmas tree in the motor home, viewing 52 trees in Biltmore helped me fill that void (I don't think Ken cares)!

From Asheville, NC we drove to Chattanooga, TN and toured a Civil War battlefield, Lookout Mountain, Rock City, Ruby Falls and the Incline Railway! While we were there, it hailed and temperatures at night got down in the low 30's! Brrrrr!

Now we're in Atlanta in a campground on the backside of Stone Mountain. Ken lived in Smyrna in the late 50's so we're walking down memory lane again. Of course a lot has changed, but it's always nice to see old stomping grounds. From here we go to my brother's house and we'll be there for a week. We feel the need to just go some place and "sit".  See you again!

Blue Ridge Parkway

What a week. We left the Chesapeake Bay area after visiting Williamsburg and headed across Virginia, through Richmond and Lynchburg for the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a beautiful drive and you are literally on the ridge because at some points you can see down both sides of the road into two different valleys! The fall colors were at their peak and the sky was crisp blue! There are campgrounds on the Parkway so we camped two nights without having to leave the Parkway. The scenery was beautiful but there were some
downsides. There were no utilities in the park and we could only use the generator from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. It was cold both nights so we were very glad when 8 a.m. rolled around and we could turn on the heater. Cell service and internet service were non-existent up on the Ridge, so we felt very cut off from the world. It was quite an experience.

On the positive side, it was a great drive. It was also interesting to learn about life in the Appalachian area. We started the drive on Wednesday and left the mountains on Friday because the traffic increased on the Parkway and Ken didn't think we should continue in the motorhome. We found an RV park in Lenoir, NC and had a wonderful weekend. The park had lots of activities for Halloween weekend and there were 300+ kids in the park for trick-or-treat. It was so much fun to participate.

We're in Asheville, NC now and will head to Chattanooga on Thursday. See you next time.

New England to Virginia!

It’s been a long time since I’ve written and I apologize but we’ve been really busy! We left Maine 11 days ago and it seems more like a month. Since Maine, where we watched the maple trees turn to brilliant red, we’ve toured Boston with all its history. We also got to visit with Kristin and that was wonderful. While in Boston, we took a side trip to Providence and Newport, RI. The mansions in Newport were impressive and the history in Providence was fascinating. Of course, the trees continue to turn and provide beautiful color.

From Boston, we drove through RI and CT (still more beautiful foliage) into New York City. All that traffic made me nervous but Ken did a great job following my instructions. We drove across the George Washington Bridge into NJ where we parked at Liberty Harbor RV Park. It’s a parking lot, but a great view of Manhattan and Lady Liberty and close to the subway! We spent Wednesday afternoon on Ellis Island and Liberty Island and Thursday exploring NYC, taking a tour bus, eating at Carnegie’s Deli near Time Square and going to the top of the Empire State Building at sunset! The wind was strong and very cold but the view more than made up for it! You can’t see everything in such a short time but we enjoyed every minute.

The NJ turnpike was very expensive and the toll bridge over the Delaware River nearly broke the bank so we were glad to get to MD and back to free roads. Cars don’t have to pay very much but the motor home and car combined were very expensive. We’ll have to avoid those roads from now on!! Now we’re in VA (#26 of 50 states we’ve been to this year so far!). We are surrounded by history so we’ll spend the next few days exploring our past. After that we’ll travel the Blue Ridge Parkway from Lynchburg, VA to Ashville, NC.

Sightseeing in Maine

It's a beautiful fall afternoon with colored leaves on the ground, multiple colors shimmering in the trees and squirrels looking for acorns under the oak trees. We went to church at the Congregational Church in town and enjoyed good fellowship and an encouraging sermon. The church was founded in 1643 so it's a good feeling to connect with such history.

We've driven up and down the southern coast, sightseeing and eating! Lobster, codcakes, clam chowder and hot apple cider are some of the treats we've enjoyed. Oh, and blueberry pancakes and blueberry pie! We walk around the RV park as much as possible because it's the only way we can continue to fit into our clothes!!

Every turn in the road is beautiful as the trees turn color. Taking pictures out the front window of the car as we drive doesn't work so well, but the pictures we have are great reminders of the beauty we see all the time. Every morning I look out the window by my pillow to check the weather. The maple tree is at it's peak and I am amazed at the color it displays. It sets my heart praising God for so much beauty.

The coastline is beautiful too. Very rocky and not at all like our beaches in California. The sand is packed down hard, almost like concrete. The fog and low-lying clouds add to the vistas. We drove around Kennebunkport and saw GH Bush's house. We also explored Ogunquit, York, York Harbor and Kittery. So much history packed into such small towns. The lighthouses are numerous and picturesque!

We did take a drive as far north as you can go and still stay in the US. That part of Maine is sparsely populated and we drove long distances without seeing anyone and there were no services except in the little towns. The colors were beautiful but the loneliness would bother me. Northwest Maine is very remote and most of the roads are private roads with gates and locks on them!

We go to Boston on Thursday, then off to New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, DC and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Life in the RV

It's Friday night, it's raining and I thought I'd suspend the tourist commentary and talk about what we've experienced on the road, living in the motor home.

• Traveling from campground to campground is an adventure. Sometimes we have nice, park-like settings, other times we are among more full-time campers.
• Sometimes it's a challenge to get the motor home level.
• Sometimes we only have 30-amp service and then we have to make choices as to what we turn on. The water heater can't run at the same time as the microwave or furnace.
• The cats are doing well. After a few days in one place, they even get brave and venture out the door. When we're traveling, they have their favorite spots to hide and stay there until we stop for the day.
• WalMart is our favorite store. There is one in practically every town we stop in and because of the lack of storage in cupboards and refrigerator, we go quite often.
• We have met a lot of wonderful people. Whether we're out walking around the camp or waiting for a table at a restaurant, we have enjoyed great times. We learn a lot too. Places to go, places to avoid, what they have seen, what we have seen. It's a great, mobile society that we tap into!
• We miss friends and family and the continuity they provide.
• We have learned the importance of stopping and resting. Traveling every day is something we have decided we don't want to do. Right now we are parked for two weeks. I have my fall decorations out around the coach and once the rain stops, we will put out the mats and set up our outdoor chairs.
• We have become very adept at putting everything away and getting on the road in under 1 hour. I'm even capable of hitching up the car to the motor home all by myself.
• We don't make definite plans but just have general ideas of where we want to go and do. We have made commitments to see family so that gives us some direction, but our daily schedule is flexible. We are enjoying retirement.

I guess that's about it for now. More travel adventures next time.