Spring is in the Air

Old  Cave Entrance

Ahhh!! Kentucky in the spring!  Gentle rolling hills filled with bright greens and flowering trees.  We stayed at a small RV park on the outskirts of Cave City near Mammoth Caves National Park.  This time of year the area was quiet but based on the number of attractions geared towards kids, I suspect the area is busy in the summer.  Jack and I both were here with our parents when we were young so it was fun remembering the area.  We did one of the cave tours one day and just enjoyed the area the next few days taking a few drives just to see what was around.   The weather took a turn for the nasty and we decided to stay put for a few extra days.  It was a quiet and relaxing week.  It has been long time since I saw a proper spring and I enjoyed it very much.   But alas it was time for us to get moving, home was waiting.

Green River crossing 

We did two nights hitched up at Tom Sawyer RV park near Memphis. Only park I have ever seen that offers free washers and dryers.  So I spent a few hours washing clothes and not doing much of anything else except watching the mighty Mississippi.  She was a high and swift this time around,  flood warnings were being issued for later in the week.  (See my earlier post for more about the Memphis area).
   

The next day we stopped just over the eastern Oklahoma border near Checotah.   There is nice KOA even if it is right off I40 exit ramp.  It has a nice nature trail and borders Lake Eufaula.  We have stayed in this area before it makes a good stopping point for us.  We usually just do an overnighter here but decided to stay for two.  I have always been curious about the area so the one day we checked out the town and nearby state park which is on Lake Eufaula.  Lake Eufaula is larger than you might think from only seeing it from I40.  The weather was lousy but the state park is nice and quite large. There are two campgrounds one with full hookups (side by side) and the other with water and electric.  The one with just water and electric is the better of the two with sites being more spaced out and no side by side hookups.  We just might stay at the park next time if we have extra time.

One of the mornings we got a very earlier wake call from our ADT house alarm service!  We told them we were out of town and to send the police to check it out.  Our neighbor met the officers with our house key, they checked over the house and all was well.  Whew! Guess it was false alarm but not sure why it was triggered.

The Big Texan

We left on Tuesday morning with our goal being to make it to Amarillo for the night.  Again, it makes for good stopping point for us.  The Amarillo area is very flat and each time we come here I swear it is even drier and windier than the last time.   We usually stay on the east side at the KOA.  The park is okay but not the prettiest part of town.   We did not unhitch so we called up the BigTexan  (anyone who has ever driven this stretch of I40 knows what I'm talking about).  They offer a free Cadillac limo service, we rode in pure tackiness.  I did not attempt the 72 ounce steak this time but there was one brave soul attempting it while we were dining   The steaks are good and the atmosphere is totally a cliché but a hootin and hollerin good time.

We left Amarillo Wednesday excited and sad at the same time to be on our last leg of the adventure this time around.  The landscape turned familiar. It was good to see it again after being gone for so long.  Wait Wait Wait for it - AhhhaaaChoo! Yup, the allergies are back too!   We stopped in Santa Rosa for lunch at Joseph’s (our tradition when we are on this stretch of I40).  Oh man it was so yummy to eat real New Mexican chile again!    Why is it that last 100 miles is always the longest?  We pulled up our driveway and yup the homestead was still safe and sound and with all our belongings intact!  Adios amigos till next time!

Drive Away Home

Bye Bye Beaches

The winter season is at an end and time for all good snowbirds to drive home.   There is a definite feel that the party is over at TGO (The Great Outdoors RV Resort).  So one fine mid April morning we hitched up and said our goodbyes for the season.  First stop St. Augustine.  So it was only a short ride about 100 miles away, nobody said we had to rush home.  We spent the next 5 days near the beach and soaked up the summer weather knowing the further we headed north the cooler it would get.  I thoroughly enjoyed the RV park where we stayed on the north shore area.  Walking distance from both a river for sunsets and the Atlantic Ocean for sunrise walks.  We were on the less touristy side of St. Augustine but it was close enough to partake of the tourist traps  and history which can be fun if the mood is right.  This was good time of year to visit, all the spring breaks were done and school was not out for summer, so the crowds were light.  Relaxing and beautiful but with enough things to do around the area if so inclined.  

St. Augustine's old city gates 

We headed out on a Friday morning working our way to Kentucky to visit Mammoth Caves.   We did an overnighter on the road.  We actually had chance to visit with my sister Carol and hubby Joe who were also leaving for home from Florida. We happened to stay close enough to their hotel. Nice coincidence!  Ok so we called them told where we stopped for the night and they stopped there too.

The drive the next day was stressful with almost constant traffic.  This stretch on I 75 is always busy due to its proximity to Atlanta.    We decided to stop early and visit the Chattanooga area for a few days.  After seeing billion or so signs for Ruby Falls we just had to stop.  Unfortunately, the weather turned bad and talk about tourist traps!  I think Ruby Falls and Rock City have to be the original tourist traps which defined the meaning of the word hence forth for all time.   And they are expensive!  We opted out and took few nice drives enjoying the spring colors in the area.   Wish the weather was nicer I would have liked to walk along the riverfront area,  the city of Chattanooga did a good job revitalizing the area.  Sorry no pictures of this area.    Next stop Mammoth Caves.

Dinner with a view at Caps!

Winter Hibernation

View out back.

Our gator.

Our final destination for the year was the sunshine state Florida.  We decided to try out one of the snowbird parks and ended purchasing our own little piece of paradise.  Yes, we are living the cliché! We are now official snowbirds! We purchased a lot at a RV resort near Titusville called The Great Outdoors (TGO).  It is geared toward the golfing crowd with its very own golf course plus all the expected amenities including our own little gator in the pond behind us.  We were a little leery at first of all the gators around but they seem to leave everyone alone, still I would not leave a dog unattended.

Canaveral Seashore 

TGO is bordered by the St. Johns Nature Preserve and near the  Canaveral National Seashore and Kennedy Space Center.  I had great time all winter walking and bike riding the trails, using the pools and many fitness classes.  I even caught a glimpse of a bobcat and river otter right on the grounds.   The surrounding area is slightly depressed due to some of the NASA layoffs but it just makes for the area being less crowded than the typical crazy touristy Florida.   We had a great time exploring the area and saw some really beautiful places.  We also get to see rocket launches from the nearby Kennedy Space Center – very cool.  Plus the touristy places are nearby if you are so inclined.  We kept talking about going to Disney World or one of the other parks but never made it to one.

Wetlands nearby TGO

We did take a trip up to South Carolina in the BiFF for the holidays and also a flight home. It is always good to be with family around the holidays even if not exactly on the right calendar day.  Sweet Jean Louise and hubby Matt were gracious dog sitters and even gave Wodi a bath while we were in New Mexico!  Glad we did get to check in on the New Mexico homestead.  We walked into a very very cold house.  Turns out the boiler was having “ issues”.   Jack and our neighbor Dave spent that first cold night jerry rigging the boiler until heater repair man could get there in the morning.  BRRRR!    We were lucky no pipes broke.   A big thank-you to our great neighbors!  It made the return to TGO all the more appreciated after the snowy and cold weather!

It;s Flipper off the side of boat!

Soon after returning to TGO we took another trip down to Naples to visit my brother Paul and wife Bonnie.  It was a mini family reunion with my sister Carol and hubby Joe also coming down from Chicago.  We had a great time taking a boat tour of the Everglades and visiting all the local happy hours.  Fun time but the RV parks down there were so expensive and it was high season and crowded everywhere.  Glad to get back to own spot in TGO. We hunkered down for the next month or so getting to know the Titusville area and meeting some of neighbors and making new friends.

That's Jack!

The family with me in the middle.

Back on the Blog Again

Ok, so after my last post I have been remiss and have some catch up to do.  This is going to be a quite abbreviated account of the last few months.   We left Memphis in early November 2012 and headed down the road to Tupelo hoping to catch up with the Natchez Trace .   Lot’s of Civil War and early Mississippi River history along this way.  The RV park itself was well kept and very close to the Natchez Trace Parkway but the noise was horrible! It was very close to the intersection of two major interstates.  So we looked at some of the Natchez Trace spots nearby and high tailed it out of there lickitty split. 

Next it was on to Vicksburg.  The weather turned cold, drizzly, and dismal plus I spent a day in a doctor’s office for an infection that got the better of me.   Again there is quite of bit of history in this town on the shores of the great Mississippi.  Plus a lot of casinos.  Never did get to see the famous Civil War Cemetery but we did check out the historic courthouse and the waterfront mural.     Wish I could say more but we spent a few days holed up due to the weather and my illness. 

Ahh! sunshine and the shores of the Gulf.  Sunshine makes everything better!  We spent a few days in a tight but well cared for RV park not too far from the Gulf shores in Biloxi.  There are some casinos here as well and signs of devastation from hurricane Katrina is still evident everywhere but I did like this area.  Or was it the sunny and warm weather?  Next stop Florida!