Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Waves Nc. Day 22 of the Eastern Adventure April 23
Ok, so I just noticed there is something amiss with the dates in the blog title. If we left on April 3 and it;s now the 23 this cannot be day 22 of the adventure. I'll fix that one of these days. Perhaps when no longer on "vacation"...
We made it to the outer banks, Ocean Waves RV park in Waves, Nc. Parked with out too much trouble, I guess. The fellow across the way watched us park and said he would pay a quarter if we provided entertainment. He did not pay so I'm not sure what that meant... We all get our chance to provide campground entertainment when trying to park. I joined the critic circle when the next folks came in.. Should get the numbers out next time I guess.. All in fun.
I seemed to have recalled that a niece worked out in this area some time back. So, fired up Facebook and checked her old posting and sure enough she worked 1/2 mile down the road from this park. So, fired off a few text messages and we went for a sunset dinner right next door to where she taught kite boarding. Thanks for the recommendation Darlene....
We made it to the outer banks, Ocean Waves RV park in Waves, Nc. Parked with out too much trouble, I guess. The fellow across the way watched us park and said he would pay a quarter if we provided entertainment. He did not pay so I'm not sure what that meant... We all get our chance to provide campground entertainment when trying to park. I joined the critic circle when the next folks came in.. Should get the numbers out next time I guess.. All in fun.
I seemed to have recalled that a niece worked out in this area some time back. So, fired up Facebook and checked her old posting and sure enough she worked 1/2 mile down the road from this park. So, fired off a few text messages and we went for a sunset dinner right next door to where she taught kite boarding. Thanks for the recommendation Darlene....
Williamston Nc. Day 21 of the Eastern Adventure April 22
Travel day.
Headed to the outer banks of North Carolina for four nights. Today was a full travel day. We stopped at Farm Country RV park just outside of Williamston NC. A nice small local park just across from a tourist entertainment park called, of all things, Deadwood. Deadwood was closed for the season so we are not sure what all was there.
The RV park was small, informal, no deposit required, just park and pay the next morning sort of park. They were not so busy but apparently do a good business in the summer. Good luck to them.
Tomorrow is a short 3 hour drive into Waves, NC on the outer banks.
Headed to the outer banks of North Carolina for four nights. Today was a full travel day. We stopped at Farm Country RV park just outside of Williamston NC. A nice small local park just across from a tourist entertainment park called, of all things, Deadwood. Deadwood was closed for the season so we are not sure what all was there.
The RV park was small, informal, no deposit required, just park and pay the next morning sort of park. They were not so busy but apparently do a good business in the summer. Good luck to them.
Tomorrow is a short 3 hour drive into Waves, NC on the outer banks.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Mrytle Beach Day 13-20 of the Eastern Adventure April 15-21
We are in Myrtle Beach for a full week. Yippeeeeee. Well mostly anyway.
We had hoped for a full week of sunshine, warm weather and warm ocean. Ok... so a bit unrealistic on our part I suppose. Truth be told the driver was most optimistic. The weather has been cool/rainy for the most part but we have managed to get a few beach hours in.
Rosalie did get a bunch of sand time in, crab walking in, did get buried again (as did papa) and even managed a few boogie board rides. The first boogie day was a success, not so much the second time. Rose experienced her first major boogie board wipe out. She got a bit sideways and tumbled off the board. There was something about the mouth full of sea water that she did not agree with. We did managed to boogie in but I'm not sure if we will get her out again....
We had hoped for a full week of sunshine, warm weather and warm ocean. Ok... so a bit unrealistic on our part I suppose. Truth be told the driver was most optimistic. The weather has been cool/rainy for the most part but we have managed to get a few beach hours in.
Rosalie did get a bunch of sand time in, crab walking in, did get buried again (as did papa) and even managed a few boogie board rides. The first boogie day was a success, not so much the second time. Rose experienced her first major boogie board wipe out. She got a bit sideways and tumbled off the board. There was something about the mouth full of sea water that she did not agree with. We did managed to boogie in but I'm not sure if we will get her out again....
Charleston Day 10-13 of the Eastern Adventure April 12-15
Charleston was the next stop, a short ride up the coast. This time we stayed at The Campground at James Island, a county run campground.
It looks like we hit the rainy season in South Carolina. Seems like it rained every day, usually on toward evening. We did manage to get out to get some seafood, take a horse carriage tour and drive along the "battery" at the bottom of the peninsula.
We also took in some history with a visit to the Ft Sumter National Monument. This is where the first shot of the Civil war was fired when the confederates fired on Sumter from other near by forts. Just like Pulaski in Savannah, it took a long time to build these forts but the lasted a very sort time once the bombardments started, something like 30 hours. Seems a new sort of cannon was their down fall, the rifled cannon that was much more accurate and powerful.
I had not fully realized the role that South Carolinian's played in our nations history. More revolutionary battles were fought in South Carolina than any where else. And Charleston played a major role in keeping the confederates supplied from the outside as the Union was not able to effectively blockade the harbor as they had other southern ports.
Yup, another Jr Ranger badge was earned by "short stuff".
It looks like we hit the rainy season in South Carolina. Seems like it rained every day, usually on toward evening. We did manage to get out to get some seafood, take a horse carriage tour and drive along the "battery" at the bottom of the peninsula.
We also took in some history with a visit to the Ft Sumter National Monument. This is where the first shot of the Civil war was fired when the confederates fired on Sumter from other near by forts. Just like Pulaski in Savannah, it took a long time to build these forts but the lasted a very sort time once the bombardments started, something like 30 hours. Seems a new sort of cannon was their down fall, the rifled cannon that was much more accurate and powerful.
I had not fully realized the role that South Carolinian's played in our nations history. More revolutionary battles were fought in South Carolina than any where else. And Charleston played a major role in keeping the confederates supplied from the outside as the Union was not able to effectively blockade the harbor as they had other southern ports.
Yup, another Jr Ranger badge was earned by "short stuff".
Savannah Day 5-10 of the Eastern Adventure Apr 7-12
We spent 5 days exploring Savannah, well parts of 5 days anyway. We tool a city tour, walked around the various squares that the city is known for, toured an old house/estate and took a self guided tour of the Lucas theater. We also took a day to drive out to Tybee Island with a stop off at Ft Pulaski on the way.
While there we took in a theater show called "Savannah Live" at the Savannah theater. The production was produced/directed by a father/son/daughter-in-law, who just happened to be the husband/son/daughter-in-law of the interior decorator that Susan had hired to advise on the home renovation of a few years ago. She was very kind to offer some gratis tickets which of course made it even nicer. We all enjoyed the show, even the littlest team member. We were given a CD recording which Rosalie loves to replay at any opportunity. If in Savannah, please make sure to take in the show at the Savannah or the occasional show at the Lucas.
The park we stayed at was just across the South Carolina border in Hardeeville, named of all things Hardeeville RV - Thomas Parks & Sites. The site we had was bordering the park near the road so road noise was an issue the first couple of nights. I guess either traffic let up or we got used to it. Be warned this appears to be one of the roads to Hilton Head and traffic into Savannah did cause a bottle neck getting back on the main road from the road that passed the RV park. 5 oclock traffic. looked like a 15 min delay perhaps longer at times. But we managed to miss that adventure.
Off to Charleston...
While there we took in a theater show called "Savannah Live" at the Savannah theater. The production was produced/directed by a father/son/daughter-in-law, who just happened to be the husband/son/daughter-in-law of the interior decorator that Susan had hired to advise on the home renovation of a few years ago. She was very kind to offer some gratis tickets which of course made it even nicer. We all enjoyed the show, even the littlest team member. We were given a CD recording which Rosalie loves to replay at any opportunity. If in Savannah, please make sure to take in the show at the Savannah or the occasional show at the Lucas.
The park we stayed at was just across the South Carolina border in Hardeeville, named of all things Hardeeville RV - Thomas Parks & Sites. The site we had was bordering the park near the road so road noise was an issue the first couple of nights. I guess either traffic let up or we got used to it. Be warned this appears to be one of the roads to Hilton Head and traffic into Savannah did cause a bottle neck getting back on the main road from the road that passed the RV park. 5 oclock traffic. looked like a 15 min delay perhaps longer at times. But we managed to miss that adventure.
Off to Charleston...
Monday, April 6, 2015
Day 4 of the Eastern adventure April 6
Today finds us in Columbus, Ga. just on the northern edge of Fort Benning. Close enough to hear what appears to be guns from the fort though it could be something else I suppose as for all I know the fort may be closed down.
This is a one night stop over on our way to Savannah. We left the COE park this morning and headed cross country on US 80 for most of the trip. It's nice to get off of the freeway for awhile. Although one really cannot tell from the side roads where you are. Yes, we are not in New Mexico or Arizona but it really could be almost anywhere in the good old USA. One thing that has struck me over the years, no matter where you travel here in the US you are in familiar territory. The trees are the same, the chain stores are all there when you go through the larger towns, even the cows look the same........
This is a one night stop over on our way to Savannah. We left the COE park this morning and headed cross country on US 80 for most of the trip. It's nice to get off of the freeway for awhile. Although one really cannot tell from the side roads where you are. Yes, we are not in New Mexico or Arizona but it really could be almost anywhere in the good old USA. One thing that has struck me over the years, no matter where you travel here in the US you are in familiar territory. The trees are the same, the chain stores are all there when you go through the larger towns, even the cows look the same........
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Day 2/3 of the Eastern adventure April 4/5
We made it to Demopolis, Al today. As this is day 2 of being on the road we are taking a day off. That has been something we have tried to stick to. Two days of driving, followed by a full day of rest. It's worked out pretty well thus far.
We are in the Fescue Corps of Engineers campground just outside of Demopolis. These corps campgrounds have got to be the best kept secret as far as campgrounds go. They are operated by the Corps of Engineers, thus are usually located near a water project. You see these alot in the south. They generally run the the mid to upper $20 range per night, but if you have a national park pass you can stay for 1/2 price. Here $24 for two nights, such a deal. We have stayed at two and drove through couple others. We have yet to see one or read a review of one that folks consider sub par. They are top notch, large sites, near or on the water. They would easily be double the base price if they were privately owned, much less taking into account the 1/2 off. We can highly recommend a COE campground if one is on your route or near you.
We are in the Fescue Corps of Engineers campground just outside of Demopolis. These corps campgrounds have got to be the best kept secret as far as campgrounds go. They are operated by the Corps of Engineers, thus are usually located near a water project. You see these alot in the south. They generally run the the mid to upper $20 range per night, but if you have a national park pass you can stay for 1/2 price. Here $24 for two nights, such a deal. We have stayed at two and drove through couple others. We have yet to see one or read a review of one that folks consider sub par. They are top notch, large sites, near or on the water. They would easily be double the base price if they were privately owned, much less taking into account the 1/2 off. We can highly recommend a COE campground if one is on your route or near you.
Day 1 of the Eastern adventure April 3
Ok. So we had targeted April 1st to get out of town. I suppose it is poetic justice that being April fools day and all. But, we did mange to get "Gone".
Day one was a full day drive to the wonderful metropolis of Monroe La. Not that we know anything of Monroe La. I guess one of these days we need to stop running through La, Ms, and Al, but that day is not here yet. So, we stopped at the Pavilion RV park in East Monroe, La. Not much to brag about but then again it was a nice park. We tend to poo-poo some of these places but there are far worse ones. The office person was real nice, the site level, we were completely satisfied. What more can you ask for...
I guess we need to get signed up with the RV parks review website and get the word out about these places, while not the top of the line, high end park, (they are not trying to be) they do well deserve our business.
Day one was a full day drive to the wonderful metropolis of Monroe La. Not that we know anything of Monroe La. I guess one of these days we need to stop running through La, Ms, and Al, but that day is not here yet. So, we stopped at the Pavilion RV park in East Monroe, La. Not much to brag about but then again it was a nice park. We tend to poo-poo some of these places but there are far worse ones. The office person was real nice, the site level, we were completely satisfied. What more can you ask for...
I guess we need to get signed up with the RV parks review website and get the word out about these places, while not the top of the line, high end park, (they are not trying to be) they do well deserve our business.
Florida trip wrapup part 3
Weeki Watchee Springs......
We are traveling with a 5 year old that loves the movie Little Mermaid. But then again what 5 year old girl does not. So do you suppose we could have bypassed the most authentic mermaid show in the world....of course not.. we are after all the perfect Gigi and Papa...
Weeki Watchee for you youngsters out there was "the" reason to visit Florida before "the mouse" and his animatronic friends moved in. That and Cypress Gardens and of course Gator Land. We happened upon Weeki Watchee during one of their retro weekends if you will. One weekend a month they invite former mermaids back to do a show. These ladies still put on a pretty good show, not quite up to the par of the new girls but for ladies ranging from a young 57 or so on up to 75, they did quite well.
Weeki Watchee is a bit long in the tooth so to speak, but it is a wonderful bit of Americana that you really should experience.
After Weeki Watchee the weather turned cold, as in below freezing, all across the south so we hunkered down for a few days waiting for the thaw which finally did come.
So we headed back to Texas. Other than yet another issue with "stock" tires, this time on the truck, we made good time. We decided to just head back so did not hit any other beach towns or other "exciting adventures", at least that I can recall 6 months later. If something pops back up I guess we will just update this entry.
So, that's it for Florida 2014, now I guess we can get on with 2015 and see how "lazy" we get with the next trip.....
We are traveling with a 5 year old that loves the movie Little Mermaid. But then again what 5 year old girl does not. So do you suppose we could have bypassed the most authentic mermaid show in the world....of course not.. we are after all the perfect Gigi and Papa...
Weeki Watchee for you youngsters out there was "the" reason to visit Florida before "the mouse" and his animatronic friends moved in. That and Cypress Gardens and of course Gator Land. We happened upon Weeki Watchee during one of their retro weekends if you will. One weekend a month they invite former mermaids back to do a show. These ladies still put on a pretty good show, not quite up to the par of the new girls but for ladies ranging from a young 57 or so on up to 75, they did quite well.
Weeki Watchee is a bit long in the tooth so to speak, but it is a wonderful bit of Americana that you really should experience.
After Weeki Watchee the weather turned cold, as in below freezing, all across the south so we hunkered down for a few days waiting for the thaw which finally did come.
So we headed back to Texas. Other than yet another issue with "stock" tires, this time on the truck, we made good time. We decided to just head back so did not hit any other beach towns or other "exciting adventures", at least that I can recall 6 months later. If something pops back up I guess we will just update this entry.
So, that's it for Florida 2014, now I guess we can get on with 2015 and see how "lazy" we get with the next trip.....
Florida trip wrapup part 2
While in the Everglades, Flamingo visitors center, we did take the tour boat ride. It was interesting. We did see an alligator or crock and a few dolphin. The highlight really was in the marina when we got back from the tour. There were a number of manatee swimming around in the marina area. We saw several up close including a momma and her baby.
We watched them for awhile then headed to the visitors center. When we were done there we stopped back by to see if the manatee where still around. We were glad we did. We saw a couple of people that had managed to coax a manatee up to the dock where they were petting it. We of course decided to interrupt their commune with nature and walked ever so slowly out to the dock. Rosalie, somewhat surprisingly decided she wanted to pet the manatee as well. Being polite we asked the couple, who were not overly anxious to share the moment, and the fellow said "it's two feet down to the water. She will not be able to reach it." So the ever vigilant papa grabs the child by the legs and literally hangs her over the edge of the dock. She hangs at a 45 degree angle with her head pointed down and darned if she doesn't pet the manatee... Score one for the WeBeGone team.
unfortunately the manatee decided it had enough. I suspect the WeBeGone team is the scorn of that couple we interrupted...
After that excitement we needed a weeks rest so we headed up to the Red Coconut RV park in Fort Myers Beach. We could not score a spot on the beach but were right across the road. Probably better as we were able to keep some of the sand out of the trailer. No we did not get Gigi buried as planned. Gotta sneak up on her better next time.
We did enjoy our stay, had a few days of relaxing beach time.
From there we headed up to Fort Desoto park at the southern end of Tampa Bay. We had a chance to visit a long lost sister and niece and their spouses. They treated us very well, including a wave runner ride out into Tampa bay. You know before this adventure I never knew you could get a wave runner stuck... Leave it to an ex Minnesota, now Texan to manage that, though I suppose if word gets back to Texas that will set me back abit in getting the Texas badge.
We hated to leave but duty or rather the road called. Next stop Weeki Watchee Springs.
We watched them for awhile then headed to the visitors center. When we were done there we stopped back by to see if the manatee where still around. We were glad we did. We saw a couple of people that had managed to coax a manatee up to the dock where they were petting it. We of course decided to interrupt their commune with nature and walked ever so slowly out to the dock. Rosalie, somewhat surprisingly decided she wanted to pet the manatee as well. Being polite we asked the couple, who were not overly anxious to share the moment, and the fellow said "it's two feet down to the water. She will not be able to reach it." So the ever vigilant papa grabs the child by the legs and literally hangs her over the edge of the dock. She hangs at a 45 degree angle with her head pointed down and darned if she doesn't pet the manatee... Score one for the WeBeGone team.
unfortunately the manatee decided it had enough. I suspect the WeBeGone team is the scorn of that couple we interrupted...
After that excitement we needed a weeks rest so we headed up to the Red Coconut RV park in Fort Myers Beach. We could not score a spot on the beach but were right across the road. Probably better as we were able to keep some of the sand out of the trailer. No we did not get Gigi buried as planned. Gotta sneak up on her better next time.
We did enjoy our stay, had a few days of relaxing beach time.
From there we headed up to Fort Desoto park at the southern end of Tampa Bay. We had a chance to visit a long lost sister and niece and their spouses. They treated us very well, including a wave runner ride out into Tampa bay. You know before this adventure I never knew you could get a wave runner stuck... Leave it to an ex Minnesota, now Texan to manage that, though I suppose if word gets back to Texas that will set me back abit in getting the Texas badge.
We hated to leave but duty or rather the road called. Next stop Weeki Watchee Springs.
Florida trip wrapup part 1
For all of you out there that are waiting patiently for an update.... if we were rude we might say "best get a life if your waiting on us". This WeBeGone crew should be renamed to "WeBeUnreliableBlogWriters".
We did indeed recover from Orlando and left town. We headed over to the Kennedy Space center for a few days then when down to the Everglades. We stayed at the Jetty Park campground in Cape Canaveral. This campground is right next to the outlet where the cruise ships from port Canaveral head out to sea. So we managed to almost reach out and touch a few of them.
We had a couple nice days on the beach. Of course someone got buried in the sand I forget if it was Papa or Rosalie. We have vowed to get Gigi on the next beach. Rosalie got to try out a new boogie board for the first time. We are happy to report it was a blast.
From there we went down to the Everglades. Stopped over are a real nice park just to the south west of Miami called Larry and Penny Thompson Park. A real nice RV park just over the fence from the Miami zoo. In fact we thought if we listened real hard we could hear the lions... or was it the elephants?? Could have been the traffic.
We went to the visitors center of the Biscayne National Park. Unfortunately they were having concession vendor problems so there were no snorkeling trips, no boat rides no nothing of that sort going on. But we did chalk up another Jr ranger badge.
We then packed up for the drive into the Everglades. That was interesting. The campground had not opened for reservations at that time so it was drive down and see if a spot was available. The rangers assured us that it would not be a problem. Turns out it was not. We were one of about 6or 7 campers for a 50 or so site campground. That was sort of nice to not be crowded, but it did mean that the bugs had slim pickins so they came around "real" often. Apparently they get worse but they were bad enough. Something about being in the middle of a rather large swamp I suppose.
We did indeed recover from Orlando and left town. We headed over to the Kennedy Space center for a few days then when down to the Everglades. We stayed at the Jetty Park campground in Cape Canaveral. This campground is right next to the outlet where the cruise ships from port Canaveral head out to sea. So we managed to almost reach out and touch a few of them.
We had a couple nice days on the beach. Of course someone got buried in the sand I forget if it was Papa or Rosalie. We have vowed to get Gigi on the next beach. Rosalie got to try out a new boogie board for the first time. We are happy to report it was a blast.
From there we went down to the Everglades. Stopped over are a real nice park just to the south west of Miami called Larry and Penny Thompson Park. A real nice RV park just over the fence from the Miami zoo. In fact we thought if we listened real hard we could hear the lions... or was it the elephants?? Could have been the traffic.
We went to the visitors center of the Biscayne National Park. Unfortunately they were having concession vendor problems so there were no snorkeling trips, no boat rides no nothing of that sort going on. But we did chalk up another Jr ranger badge.
We then packed up for the drive into the Everglades. That was interesting. The campground had not opened for reservations at that time so it was drive down and see if a spot was available. The rangers assured us that it would not be a problem. Turns out it was not. We were one of about 6or 7 campers for a 50 or so site campground. That was sort of nice to not be crowded, but it did mean that the bugs had slim pickins so they came around "real" often. Apparently they get worse but they were bad enough. Something about being in the middle of a rather large swamp I suppose.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)