Today was a long day as we hung around the Escapee's long enough to take a tour of their facilities and the Rainbow park.
They have quite the mail forwarding facility. Something like 1000+ mail forwarding clients. The park is home to a good number of folks who have set up home on the small lots they have created within the park. The lot owners can build what they want, how they want so there was a good number of different architectures represented in the park. This is probably not for us, but was interesting non the less.
Made it back home late, after dark, not fun but we were too close to home to call it a day. Hindsight says we should have stayed an hour or two out of town so that we have time to unload what we need to at a reasonable hour.
This is the end of our second trip. 50 days, most of them spent in Tennessee. All in all a good trip, no major issues, lots of things seen and learned....
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Day 49 Nov 20 - Road to Texas, Day 4, Livingston, Tx
Today's stop is the Escapee's Livingston Rainbow park. This is a soo- soo park, certainly not up to KOA standards but was acceptable given that we were only looking for a single night and the price was under $25.
Would have been a good nights sleep except for the golf cart 'reverse" gear alarm that decided it needed to go off at about 1am. Its one of those piercing things that once you release something is screaming you cannot get back to sleep.
So, get out of bed, go outside to try to find out what it is. Once I realized it was "not:" the propane tank it still took a bit to realize it was a golf cart next to it. No emergency phone number, even the local police cruiser did not have a contact number. Finally realized it was the reverse alarm. Problem solved. Of course the office heard about the lack of emergency number the next morning. Not something one normally thinks of, a park emergency phone number.
Would have been a good nights sleep except for the golf cart 'reverse" gear alarm that decided it needed to go off at about 1am. Its one of those piercing things that once you release something is screaming you cannot get back to sleep.
So, get out of bed, go outside to try to find out what it is. Once I realized it was "not:" the propane tank it still took a bit to realize it was a golf cart next to it. No emergency phone number, even the local police cruiser did not have a contact number. Finally realized it was the reverse alarm. Problem solved. Of course the office heard about the lack of emergency number the next morning. Not something one normally thinks of, a park emergency phone number.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Day 48 Nov 19 - Road to Texas, Day 3, Tabasco
Today was a short drive day. About an hour and a half down to Breaux Bridge La. Just outside of Lafayette. We are staying at the Cajun Palms Rv Resort, a rather large park that apparently is packed in the summer time, but they are definitely on the off season at the moment.
We decided to stay here so that we could go visit the Tabasco bottling plant. That little red bottle that contains the fiery hot sauce. Of course being our usual dawdling selves we almost did not make it down to Avery Island in time for the last tour. As it was we had to choose between the tour and the Country Store, with the tastings and the all things Tabasco. We were good tourists and choose.... the tour.
The island is a huge salt dome that rise up out of the surrounding area. The founder had brought some peppers from Mexico or so it is thought and experimented with them and eventually came up with the now famous red brew. Tabasco sauce is sold in over 160 countries today.
They crush the peppers, remove the seeds, add a little salt, grind them up, put them in pre-used Jack Daniels whiskey barrels (all booze removed) and let them ferment for approx 3 years before the sauce is mixed with what ever and bottled. Today's batch was bound for France.
After the factory tour we took a quick drive around the gardens and bird sanctuary the family has built on the island. We crammed what should have been an entire afternoon into about 1-1/2 hours. Not good.....
Finished off with a pleasant meal at a local restaurant. Good Cajun music, not bad Cajun food. Food could have been a bit better but had to balance that with the atmosphere of the place. Miss R had her picture taken in a "real" phone booth. Once of those aluminum and glass things that used to sit on every street corner almost......
Tomorrow we shall head out again...
We decided to stay here so that we could go visit the Tabasco bottling plant. That little red bottle that contains the fiery hot sauce. Of course being our usual dawdling selves we almost did not make it down to Avery Island in time for the last tour. As it was we had to choose between the tour and the Country Store, with the tastings and the all things Tabasco. We were good tourists and choose.... the tour.
The island is a huge salt dome that rise up out of the surrounding area. The founder had brought some peppers from Mexico or so it is thought and experimented with them and eventually came up with the now famous red brew. Tabasco sauce is sold in over 160 countries today.
They crush the peppers, remove the seeds, add a little salt, grind them up, put them in pre-used Jack Daniels whiskey barrels (all booze removed) and let them ferment for approx 3 years before the sauce is mixed with what ever and bottled. Today's batch was bound for France.
After the factory tour we took a quick drive around the gardens and bird sanctuary the family has built on the island. We crammed what should have been an entire afternoon into about 1-1/2 hours. Not good.....
Finished off with a pleasant meal at a local restaurant. Good Cajun music, not bad Cajun food. Food could have been a bit better but had to balance that with the atmosphere of the place. Miss R had her picture taken in a "real" phone booth. Once of those aluminum and glass things that used to sit on every street corner almost......
Tomorrow we shall head out again...
Day 47 Nov 18 - Road to Texas, Day 2. Four states in one day
Today we were in four states, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. That does not happen too often I bet..
We stopped over in Livingston, La. at the Lakeside Rv Park. http://www.lakeside-rvpark.com/ A nice park that is situated on a small lake, or pond as they are called in Minnesota.
After last night we opted for a space 200 yards from the nearest camper..... (kidding) but it was just another normal, uneventful evening.
We stopped over in Livingston, La. at the Lakeside Rv Park. http://www.lakeside-rvpark.com/ A nice park that is situated on a small lake, or pond as they are called in Minnesota.
After last night we opted for a space 200 yards from the nearest camper..... (kidding) but it was just another normal, uneventful evening.
Day 46 Nov 17 - Time to head home to Texas, it takes a village
Well, it's time to head back to Texas or so it seems. So, its on the road again. Looks like about four days to get back home, at our rate anyway.
First night stop is in Pensacola at the Pensacola Rv Park. Not to be confused with the Pensacola Beach RV Park. It was to have been just a stop in the night. But...
We pull in to our spot and discover a family next door. The 2-1/2 year girl old was playing outside, which of course excited Rosalie to no end. So, we let them play while we were getting setup. It turns out the mother had been sick for about 24 hours. They had planned to leave that morning but due to the mother's illness elected to stay.
So, we invite little Piper over to play so dad could tend to mom. About 6:30 or so, dad comes over and announces he had called the ambulance. Mom is not looking so good it seems. Non responsive, disoriented. So, dad asks if we can watch Piper while he goes off to tend the mother at the hospital. So, two hours after arriving we are baby sitting for a few hours.
We have dinner, hear back from dad, it's going to be a couple of hours, so we settle in for a movie. Then we start to recall what it's like to have siblings. "She's touching me", "she touched me first". The newness had warm off on both of the little darlings.
About 10 or so dad returns and fetches the child. Life returns to normal in We Be Gone land....
We find out the next day that mom should be ok, probably a bad case of dehydration and fatigue. ( They had done 2 days at Disney World).
Apparently we have trustworthy faces, don't think I would have done the same. (I bet dad caught hell once mom recovered... "You left our daughter with complete strangers??? You *&*%^$)
Glad we could help, hope it's not contagious......
First night stop is in Pensacola at the Pensacola Rv Park. Not to be confused with the Pensacola Beach RV Park. It was to have been just a stop in the night. But...
We pull in to our spot and discover a family next door. The 2-1/2 year girl old was playing outside, which of course excited Rosalie to no end. So, we let them play while we were getting setup. It turns out the mother had been sick for about 24 hours. They had planned to leave that morning but due to the mother's illness elected to stay.
So, we invite little Piper over to play so dad could tend to mom. About 6:30 or so, dad comes over and announces he had called the ambulance. Mom is not looking so good it seems. Non responsive, disoriented. So, dad asks if we can watch Piper while he goes off to tend the mother at the hospital. So, two hours after arriving we are baby sitting for a few hours.
We have dinner, hear back from dad, it's going to be a couple of hours, so we settle in for a movie. Then we start to recall what it's like to have siblings. "She's touching me", "she touched me first". The newness had warm off on both of the little darlings.
About 10 or so dad returns and fetches the child. Life returns to normal in We Be Gone land....
We find out the next day that mom should be ok, probably a bad case of dehydration and fatigue. ( They had done 2 days at Disney World).
Apparently we have trustworthy faces, don't think I would have done the same. (I bet dad caught hell once mom recovered... "You left our daughter with complete strangers??? You *&*%^$)
Glad we could help, hope it's not contagious......
Day 45 Nov 16 - Small Road trip to St Joesph's Island
Looks like the rain has passed so we headed out for a short road trip.
First stop is the local light house just down the road from Carabelle Beach, the Crooked River Light House. It's a small little preserve with a children's play area and a light house. Fortunately we arrived on a day that the light house was open for climbing. With just a bit of coaxing Rosalie was able to talk us in to going along with her (At least that's probably how she will remember it.) In the end we all three earned our courage badges.
Then we drove on to St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. It on a finger of an island just down from Port St. Joe. We had considered trying to get a camp site at the park but it meant we would have had to move mid stay due to reservation issues. Probably a good thing, the grounds are a bit tight for a 38 foot, plus tow vehicle to get in there. But, we did walk the beach for awhile and managed to get out just before the sky opened up again.
First stop is the local light house just down the road from Carabelle Beach, the Crooked River Light House. It's a small little preserve with a children's play area and a light house. Fortunately we arrived on a day that the light house was open for climbing. With just a bit of coaxing Rosalie was able to talk us in to going along with her (At least that's probably how she will remember it.) In the end we all three earned our courage badges.
Then we drove on to St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. It on a finger of an island just down from Port St. Joe. We had considered trying to get a camp site at the park but it meant we would have had to move mid stay due to reservation issues. Probably a good thing, the grounds are a bit tight for a 38 foot, plus tow vehicle to get in there. But, we did walk the beach for awhile and managed to get out just before the sky opened up again.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Day 44 Nov 15 - Another rain day? What gives???
The weather gods are not smiling on us these days. Today was supposed to be partly sunny, but we had light drizzle all day. Pretty much a stay in day, a bit of grocery shopping, fetching a refilled propane tank.
The outlook is for more rain.... Perhaps we will get lucky on our last day here tomorrow...
The outlook is for more rain.... Perhaps we will get lucky on our last day here tomorrow...
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