Latest Adventures
Bryce Valley Ranch – Horse and RV Park, Cannonville, Utah
Summer Journey Miles: 4,625
Summer Journey Miles: 4,625
940 N. Hwy 12 Cannonville, Utah 84718
Phone: (435) 679-8228 Pros: Picturesque location amongst the foot hills within 12 miles of Bryce Canyon. The campground offered large sites and plenty of space for large coaches. The staff was very nice and the grounds were kept clean and offered two dog parks. The sites were gravel, level and were easy to navigate. The campground resided next to a stream and plenty of room for Scout to roam off leash. Most of the sites were open and good for Starlink service and stargazing. We would recommend this campground if you’re in the area. Cons: The larger dog park could have used a bit more grass but otherwise a very nice spot with really no drawbacks. |
Bryce Canyon resides at 8000 to 9000 feet of elevation and offered very comfortable temperatures for September ranging in the high 70’s to low 80’s. This is the perfect temperature for hiking in the canyons. In general, the weather has been terrific for our entire trip. We only had a few days of rain since we began our journey back in May.
Bryce was very easy to Navigate as it has an 18-mile Scenic Drive that runs from the entrance out to Rainbow Point. There are 18 overlooks and each one of them is worth a stop to see the beauty the park has to offer. Bryce is known for its rock formations known as hoodoo’s which are tall skinny shafts of rock, these are named after Hoodoo Spirituality.
On our first stop in the park was Sunset Point to hike the Queens Garden & Navajo Combination trail. This is a moderate rated trail at 3 miles, it is also the most popular trail in Bryce due to its scenic beauty amongst the hoodoos and other colorful rock formations. We hiked this trail with our new found friends Donna and Brad from California. The highlights of this trail included the 177-foot Queen Victoria rock formation and the very popular Thor’s Hammer.
With the hike behind us we took a drive out to Rainbow Point, this is the most southern point in the park and the highest elevation at 9,114 feet and offers a spectacular view of the entire park. It also claims that the row of trees in the far distance is the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. As you would expect, over the next two days we stopped at all the scenic overlooks as Tracy captured the beautiful vistas formed the canyons in the park. Before we finished our visit to Bryce Canyon, we made a quick stop to visit Ruby’s Inn General Store (in Bryce Canyon City). This is a must see if you stop in this town as it offers many gift ideas, mini-grocery store and a large selection of clothing. I must confess I picked up a nice black Stetson Hat while browsing in the store.
We only had a few days in the area so we decided to explore Kodachrome Basin State Park which was located just 20 minutes from our campground. Yes, this park was named after the Kodachrome film color in 1948 by the National Geographic Society due to the parks beauty which inspired photographers to capture the 67 monolithic stone spires called sedimentary pipes. Since this was a Utah State Park dogs were welcome on the hiking trails, so Scout and his two buddies Cash and Fiona (labs) had a blast roaming the trail and exploring all that nature had to offer. This was an easy 2 ½ mile hike which offered many scenic vistas and picture opportunities which were further encouraged with our pups enjoying the surrounding nature.
This was a quick but wonderful visit to Bryce Canyon, on a return trip the only change we would make is to allow for one more day to hike a couple of additional trails.
Bryce was very easy to Navigate as it has an 18-mile Scenic Drive that runs from the entrance out to Rainbow Point. There are 18 overlooks and each one of them is worth a stop to see the beauty the park has to offer. Bryce is known for its rock formations known as hoodoo’s which are tall skinny shafts of rock, these are named after Hoodoo Spirituality.
On our first stop in the park was Sunset Point to hike the Queens Garden & Navajo Combination trail. This is a moderate rated trail at 3 miles, it is also the most popular trail in Bryce due to its scenic beauty amongst the hoodoos and other colorful rock formations. We hiked this trail with our new found friends Donna and Brad from California. The highlights of this trail included the 177-foot Queen Victoria rock formation and the very popular Thor’s Hammer.
With the hike behind us we took a drive out to Rainbow Point, this is the most southern point in the park and the highest elevation at 9,114 feet and offers a spectacular view of the entire park. It also claims that the row of trees in the far distance is the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. As you would expect, over the next two days we stopped at all the scenic overlooks as Tracy captured the beautiful vistas formed the canyons in the park. Before we finished our visit to Bryce Canyon, we made a quick stop to visit Ruby’s Inn General Store (in Bryce Canyon City). This is a must see if you stop in this town as it offers many gift ideas, mini-grocery store and a large selection of clothing. I must confess I picked up a nice black Stetson Hat while browsing in the store.
We only had a few days in the area so we decided to explore Kodachrome Basin State Park which was located just 20 minutes from our campground. Yes, this park was named after the Kodachrome film color in 1948 by the National Geographic Society due to the parks beauty which inspired photographers to capture the 67 monolithic stone spires called sedimentary pipes. Since this was a Utah State Park dogs were welcome on the hiking trails, so Scout and his two buddies Cash and Fiona (labs) had a blast roaming the trail and exploring all that nature had to offer. This was an easy 2 ½ mile hike which offered many scenic vistas and picture opportunities which were further encouraged with our pups enjoying the surrounding nature.
This was a quick but wonderful visit to Bryce Canyon, on a return trip the only change we would make is to allow for one more day to hike a couple of additional trails.
Sun Outdoors North Moab, Utah (Part 2)
Summer Journey Miles: 4,355
Summer Journey Miles: 4,355
In addition to Arches National Park, we took a day to spend at both Dead Horse State Park and Canyonlands National Park. These two parks are adjacent to either other and both offer beautiful scenic views of the canyons in this area. We found that the name Dead Horse was used because of the land’s use as a natural corral by cowboys in the 19th century, where horses often died of exposure. Dead Horse Point has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.
Despite the unfortunate historical circumstances, this park was a great spot to hike to see the scenic vistas. The park is very dog friendly and Scout joined us on our hike of both the East and West Rim trails. These trails essential took you on a 6 ½ mile hike around the perimeter of the park. The West trail offers beautiful vistas of Big Horn and Shafer Canyons and when you get to Dead Horse Point you get a clear view of Island in the Sky with the majestic Colorado River. This area is also known for its starring role in the ending scene of Thelma and Louise movie. On the East Trail you see more views of the canyons and the Colorado River basin.
In Canyonlands we stopped at the scenic overlooks to see all that the North part of the park had to offer. The highlight was again the Island in the Sky viewpoint, since the State and National parks are adjacent so this was a similar view from Dead Horse State Park. Due to time, distance, and the fact that we had the dog, we unfortunately did not get a chance to visit and explore “The Needles” and “The Maze” in the Southern part of Canyonlands. Next Time!
To wrap-up our Moab adventures we explored six different 4X4 off-road trails. Our first trail was Shafer Trail which starts in Canyonlands and traverses down a 1500-foot mountain cliff over twenty miles of tight switchbacks and rocky terrain as it takes you along the very high cliffs (no guardrails here). This was a very exciting first off-road adventure for us but the amazing views made the trip well worthwhile. On the paved road back to Moab we stopped at the Petroglyphs on Potash Road which were up to 1300 years old.
Our favorite off-road trail was the Gemini Bridges Trail which takes you on a 13 miles scenic journey up towards Canyonlands. The beginning of this trail was the most challenging with significant rock crawling required across the many cliff facing switchbacks which took you up the 1874 feet to the top of the canyon. On this type of terrain, you are traveling just a few miles per hour, luckily once we hit the top of the canyon the roads where a bit easier to traverse. The Gemini Bridges rock formations where really cool and worth the visit. The return trip was on the Long Canyon Trail which is a 7.7-mile trail that takes you down the canyon walls which at times had a 21% grade down the 2200-foot cliffs. This trail offered beautiful views of the canyons and I would say Tracy’s highlight was a friendly Big Horn Sheep near the bottom of the trail which of course allowed Tracy to take numerous photos as we watch the sheep feed on the valley floor. We are so grateful we have the jeep to off road and see so much more of these beautiful parks.
This wraps up our Moab adventures, it’s off to Capital Reef and Grand Staircase.
Despite the unfortunate historical circumstances, this park was a great spot to hike to see the scenic vistas. The park is very dog friendly and Scout joined us on our hike of both the East and West Rim trails. These trails essential took you on a 6 ½ mile hike around the perimeter of the park. The West trail offers beautiful vistas of Big Horn and Shafer Canyons and when you get to Dead Horse Point you get a clear view of Island in the Sky with the majestic Colorado River. This area is also known for its starring role in the ending scene of Thelma and Louise movie. On the East Trail you see more views of the canyons and the Colorado River basin.
In Canyonlands we stopped at the scenic overlooks to see all that the North part of the park had to offer. The highlight was again the Island in the Sky viewpoint, since the State and National parks are adjacent so this was a similar view from Dead Horse State Park. Due to time, distance, and the fact that we had the dog, we unfortunately did not get a chance to visit and explore “The Needles” and “The Maze” in the Southern part of Canyonlands. Next Time!
To wrap-up our Moab adventures we explored six different 4X4 off-road trails. Our first trail was Shafer Trail which starts in Canyonlands and traverses down a 1500-foot mountain cliff over twenty miles of tight switchbacks and rocky terrain as it takes you along the very high cliffs (no guardrails here). This was a very exciting first off-road adventure for us but the amazing views made the trip well worthwhile. On the paved road back to Moab we stopped at the Petroglyphs on Potash Road which were up to 1300 years old.
Our favorite off-road trail was the Gemini Bridges Trail which takes you on a 13 miles scenic journey up towards Canyonlands. The beginning of this trail was the most challenging with significant rock crawling required across the many cliff facing switchbacks which took you up the 1874 feet to the top of the canyon. On this type of terrain, you are traveling just a few miles per hour, luckily once we hit the top of the canyon the roads where a bit easier to traverse. The Gemini Bridges rock formations where really cool and worth the visit. The return trip was on the Long Canyon Trail which is a 7.7-mile trail that takes you down the canyon walls which at times had a 21% grade down the 2200-foot cliffs. This trail offered beautiful views of the canyons and I would say Tracy’s highlight was a friendly Big Horn Sheep near the bottom of the trail which of course allowed Tracy to take numerous photos as we watch the sheep feed on the valley floor. We are so grateful we have the jeep to off road and see so much more of these beautiful parks.
This wraps up our Moab adventures, it’s off to Capital Reef and Grand Staircase.
Sun Outdoors North Moab, Utah (Arches - Part 1)
Summer Journey Miles: 4,355
Summer Journey Miles: 4,355
1301 N Hwy 191, Moab, UT 84532
Phone: (435) 259-7660 Pros: Great location as it is a few miles from Arches National Park and Downtown Moab and its 30 miles from Canyon Lands and Dead Horse State Park. Campground offers a nice pool and hot tub; clean restrooms and the staff was very nice and helpful. The location in Moab offered beautiful views in every direction. They had a small dog park with artificial turf. Most of the sites were open and good for Starlink service. We would recommend this campground if you’re in the area. Cons: Although we had a spacious and shady end site many of the sites were tight and did not offer much outdoor living space between you and your neighbor. Lucky us! |
We planned 9 days in Moab, Utah to explore its beautiful National Parks, but we clearly could have stayed for 2-3 weeks. During our stay here we visited Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Dead Horse State Park and hit 5 different Rock Crawling 4X4 Trails with our Jeep. We also met new friends in the campground, Brad and Donna from California. Brad has extensive experience in Jeep Rock Crawling and took me under his wing to teach me the tricks of the trade (IE- How not to trash your Jeep on the rocks). They too had their pups Cash and Fiona (labs) with them and of course Scout had a blast with his new friends.
Arches National Park was one of our favorite parks, we spent 3 ½ days exploring the beautiful arches and scenery. Arches offers 45 miles of roadway to gain access to the most popular arches and of course it has scenic viewpoints all along the route. Many of the arches do not require strenuous hikes but if you want to see the most spectacular arches and scenery you need to boot up and load up that backpack with plenty of water and snacks.
We hiked every day in the park with our longest and most strenuous hike being the 6-mile trip to Double-O-Arch which also took us past the Landscape Arch, Navajo Arch and the very scenic Partition Arch. We also enjoyed the challenge of the hike to Delicate Arch; the trail was entirely uphill and traversed up a mile or so section of slick rock and required a careful walk on a ledge as you neared the top of the hill as you approached Delicate Arch. The Windows Viewpoint area featuring the North Window & South Window, Turret Arch, and Double Arch only required short hikes and provide for more beautiful scenic views and picture opportunities.
A surprise highlight in Arches was a 4X4 trail off the main Arches roadway. This dirt and rock trail lead to Tower Arch. The last few miles of this trail required steep rock crawling with the Jeep which was great fun to traverse. Due to the remoteness of the arch’s location, we enjoyed a nice lunch under the Tower Arch with our friends and pups with no other visitors on the site.
Arches National Park was incredible, a must-see park in our book. With their timed-entry system it kept the number of park visitors to an acceptable level so parking was not an issue at the viewing and hiking areas and we never waited more than 5 minutes to enter the park. Be sure to check out Tracy’s pictures in the gallery, they really show the beauty of the park.
We took a day to visit Dead Horse State Park and Canyonlands. The state park was a great stop as it is dog friendly and Scout joined us on the hike on both the East and West trails which was a beautiful 6 ½ mile trail. In Canyonlands we stopped at the scenic overlooks to see all that the North part of the park had to offer. Due to time, distance, and the fact that we had the dog, we unfortunately did not get a chance to visit and explore “The Needles” and “The Maze” in the Southern part of Canyonlands. Next Time!
Arches National Park was one of our favorite parks, we spent 3 ½ days exploring the beautiful arches and scenery. Arches offers 45 miles of roadway to gain access to the most popular arches and of course it has scenic viewpoints all along the route. Many of the arches do not require strenuous hikes but if you want to see the most spectacular arches and scenery you need to boot up and load up that backpack with plenty of water and snacks.
We hiked every day in the park with our longest and most strenuous hike being the 6-mile trip to Double-O-Arch which also took us past the Landscape Arch, Navajo Arch and the very scenic Partition Arch. We also enjoyed the challenge of the hike to Delicate Arch; the trail was entirely uphill and traversed up a mile or so section of slick rock and required a careful walk on a ledge as you neared the top of the hill as you approached Delicate Arch. The Windows Viewpoint area featuring the North Window & South Window, Turret Arch, and Double Arch only required short hikes and provide for more beautiful scenic views and picture opportunities.
A surprise highlight in Arches was a 4X4 trail off the main Arches roadway. This dirt and rock trail lead to Tower Arch. The last few miles of this trail required steep rock crawling with the Jeep which was great fun to traverse. Due to the remoteness of the arch’s location, we enjoyed a nice lunch under the Tower Arch with our friends and pups with no other visitors on the site.
Arches National Park was incredible, a must-see park in our book. With their timed-entry system it kept the number of park visitors to an acceptable level so parking was not an issue at the viewing and hiking areas and we never waited more than 5 minutes to enter the park. Be sure to check out Tracy’s pictures in the gallery, they really show the beauty of the park.
We took a day to visit Dead Horse State Park and Canyonlands. The state park was a great stop as it is dog friendly and Scout joined us on the hike on both the East and West trails which was a beautiful 6 ½ mile trail. In Canyonlands we stopped at the scenic overlooks to see all that the North part of the park had to offer. Due to time, distance, and the fact that we had the dog, we unfortunately did not get a chance to visit and explore “The Needles” and “The Maze” in the Southern part of Canyonlands. Next Time!
Colorado Springs, Colorado to North Moab, Utah
Summer Journey Miles: 4,355
Summer Journey Miles: 4,355
Glenwood Springs West / Colorado River KOA Holiday
629 River Frontage Rd, Silt, CO 81652 Phone: (970) 876-4900 Pros: Great location for a stop on the way to Utah. Located right on the Colorado River with beautiful scenery. Easy access from highway, large sites, clean amenities with a nice pool and hot tub. They had two dog parks for both large and small dogs. Staff was very nice and very helpful. We would recommend this campground if you’re in the area. Cons: No cons for this campground. |
Leaving Colorado Springs the drive west took us on Route 70 through the Rocky Mountains. This was our first experience traveling to 11,158 feet with the coach. Although we went a bit slow at times the coach did a fine job of getting up and over the mountains. This terrain also gave me some experience leveraging the engine brake to reduce the wear and tear on the brakes as we traversed the 8% (steep) grades going downhill.
We have been looking forward to traveling route I-70 through Glenwood Canyon and it did not disappoint! It is a beautiful scenic drive with views traversing through the mountain alongside the Colorado River. Glenwood Canyon boasts 1,300-foot canyon walls right along the highway with many turns navigating the terrain, each offering a spectacular view. Of course, Tracy took many awesome pictures along, please be sure to checks those out in our gallery.
We have been looking forward to traveling route I-70 through Glenwood Canyon and it did not disappoint! It is a beautiful scenic drive with views traversing through the mountain alongside the Colorado River. Glenwood Canyon boasts 1,300-foot canyon walls right along the highway with many turns navigating the terrain, each offering a spectacular view. Of course, Tracy took many awesome pictures along, please be sure to checks those out in our gallery.
Garden of the Gods RV Resort, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Summer Journey - 3,989 Miles
Summer Journey - 3,989 Miles
Garden of the Gods RV Resort, Colorado Springs, CO
3704 West Colorado Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80904 Phone: (710) 475-9450 Pros: Great location close to the local attractions, amenities were nice with two pools, clean bathrooms and an adequate dog park. Staff was very nice and very helpful with local attractions. We would recommend this campground if you can avoid using non-upgraded section. Cons: The campground was a bit tight for large coaches but we managed with our 45ft coach. Unfortunately, our site in the D-Loop was the only section not recently upgraded and it could not handle the electrical load of the 50-amp coaches at peak usage times. To overcome this issue, we had to use our AGS feature to run the generator during the hottest parts of the day. |
We enjoyed beautiful weather here in Colorado Springs and despite the power issues with the campground we were able to get out and enjoy all the beautiful sites this location offered.
Garden of the Gods is a 1,341-acre public park located in Colorado Springs of which 862 acres of the park was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971. It has a wonderful visitor center with exhibits describing the natural wonders and wildlife in the park and a nice grill which gives you a very scenic view of the entire park.
We hiked several trails in the park, The Palmer trail (also the longest) offered excellent views from the highest points in the park. The Siamese Twin Trail which provided access to (you guessed it) the Siamese Twin rocks are featured on our writeup just above. We also drove the entire park stopping at many if not all of the viewing areas to catch a view of all the beautiful rock formations. We were also fortunate to catch a view of the local wildlife which is featured in our Gallery of Pictures. If your ever in this area, the Garden of the Gods is worth a full day to enjoy all it has to offer.
Our next adventure here was visiting Pike’s Peak. Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. The ultra-prominent 14,115-foot is located in Pike National Forest, 12 miles west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. The town of Manitou Springs lies at its base. Visiting Pikes Peak requires a reservation so you should plan a bit in advance. To get to the summit you drive a 19 mile (very) scenic drive filled with switchback turns and of course no guard rails! We drove straight to the top where they had a very nice visitor center where you can learn all about the geography of the mountain and of course we visited the well-stocked gift shop. You should note that at 14,000 feet breathing is a bit of a challenge if you are not in good shape, we saw several guests being attended to by the park ranges during our visit to the summit.
Even though it was 85 degrees at the base of the mountain, the summit was very cool at 58 degrees. On the summit you get a 360-degree view of the Rockies and the surrounding towns and cities (including Denver). The drive down the mountain required heavy usage of your manual gears to keep your speed to less than 20 mph and prevent you from burning up your breaks. In fact, half-way down the park Ranger have a checkpoint and measure the temperature of your brakes and if they are two hot they require you to park for 30 minutes to let them cool down. As per the advice of my co-pilot we stopped at most of the viewing areas to take in the incredible views (see them all in the gallery) This is a must-see location as many of the 14,000-foot mountains in the Rockies do not offer a drive directly to the summit.
Our last adventure here was to spend a few hours in Manitou Springs to enjoy the local shops and eateries. As I have mentioned in prior posts, we truly enjoy visiting these shops to see all the unique items they have to offer. We made one stop at the local bakery called Rocky Mountain Beignets to taste (as you guessed) their Beignets. Tracy and I loved them and recommend you give them a taste when in town as they reminded us of the famous New Orleans Beignets. We also visited a very nice outdoor flea market in the park and a special quilt showing that offered handmade quilts by the local residents.
We had a wonderful time in Colorado Springs but we look forward to our next adventure over the Rockies to the great parks of Utah.
Garden of the Gods is a 1,341-acre public park located in Colorado Springs of which 862 acres of the park was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971. It has a wonderful visitor center with exhibits describing the natural wonders and wildlife in the park and a nice grill which gives you a very scenic view of the entire park.
We hiked several trails in the park, The Palmer trail (also the longest) offered excellent views from the highest points in the park. The Siamese Twin Trail which provided access to (you guessed it) the Siamese Twin rocks are featured on our writeup just above. We also drove the entire park stopping at many if not all of the viewing areas to catch a view of all the beautiful rock formations. We were also fortunate to catch a view of the local wildlife which is featured in our Gallery of Pictures. If your ever in this area, the Garden of the Gods is worth a full day to enjoy all it has to offer.
Our next adventure here was visiting Pike’s Peak. Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. The ultra-prominent 14,115-foot is located in Pike National Forest, 12 miles west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. The town of Manitou Springs lies at its base. Visiting Pikes Peak requires a reservation so you should plan a bit in advance. To get to the summit you drive a 19 mile (very) scenic drive filled with switchback turns and of course no guard rails! We drove straight to the top where they had a very nice visitor center where you can learn all about the geography of the mountain and of course we visited the well-stocked gift shop. You should note that at 14,000 feet breathing is a bit of a challenge if you are not in good shape, we saw several guests being attended to by the park ranges during our visit to the summit.
Even though it was 85 degrees at the base of the mountain, the summit was very cool at 58 degrees. On the summit you get a 360-degree view of the Rockies and the surrounding towns and cities (including Denver). The drive down the mountain required heavy usage of your manual gears to keep your speed to less than 20 mph and prevent you from burning up your breaks. In fact, half-way down the park Ranger have a checkpoint and measure the temperature of your brakes and if they are two hot they require you to park for 30 minutes to let them cool down. As per the advice of my co-pilot we stopped at most of the viewing areas to take in the incredible views (see them all in the gallery) This is a must-see location as many of the 14,000-foot mountains in the Rockies do not offer a drive directly to the summit.
Our last adventure here was to spend a few hours in Manitou Springs to enjoy the local shops and eateries. As I have mentioned in prior posts, we truly enjoy visiting these shops to see all the unique items they have to offer. We made one stop at the local bakery called Rocky Mountain Beignets to taste (as you guessed) their Beignets. Tracy and I loved them and recommend you give them a taste when in town as they reminded us of the famous New Orleans Beignets. We also visited a very nice outdoor flea market in the park and a special quilt showing that offered handmade quilts by the local residents.
We had a wonderful time in Colorado Springs but we look forward to our next adventure over the Rockies to the great parks of Utah.
Omaha, Nebraska and Estes Park Colorado
Summer Journey - 3,883 Miles
Summer Journey - 3,883 Miles
It was wonderful to meet our newest granddaughter Collins and spend some quality time with Crew (our grandson), Rachel and Rob but it was now time to return to our Summer Journey. Back in Indiana we said our farewell to our wonderful hosts Lorretta and Paul and headed out west.
Our next destination was Colorado Springs, CO but due to the distance we made brief stopovers in Davenport IA, Omaha, NE, Ogallala, NE and Longmont, CO. Since we had very short stays at each campground we are not providing our pros & cons review this time, but I will say that each stay was great and you will see photos in the gallery. In Davenport we leveraged a Harvest Host site at the Rhythm City Casino which offered plenty of parking, a nice buffet and of course the opportunity to spend cash in the casino. Luckily, we landed up $18 thanks to Tracy’s slot skills.
In Omaha we took the opportunity to go into town and tour the Joslyn Castle and Gardens. The Castle was built in 1901, has 35 rooms and is 19,360 sqft. The tour is excellent, the staff was terrific and it was great to hear how generous the Joslyn’s were with their city and those less fortunate. One intersting fact was that before the mansion was built Sara & George Joslyn had a very large greenhouse, palm house, lily pond for aquatic flowers, and flower beds and gardens were planned and built. They built the greenhouse to provide a constantly changing display of flowers for the giant flower beds on the 5.5 acre estate. George had developed a nationally respected collection of orchids in his green house and throughout the property. On Easter Sunday in 1913 a tornado destroyed the greenhouse, much of the castle grounds and a good portion of Omaha. While most of the orchids survived the tornado itself, a hard freeze that night destroyed the collection. George Jocelyn was devestayed and many speculate that is why he died 2 years later. We would recommend this stop for all who visit Omaha and take an interest in history and beauty of the Jocelyn Castle and Gardens.
After an overnight stop in Ogalala, NE and a short day trip to see the resevior near by we arrived at Saint Vrain State Park in Longmont, CO which offered pull-thru sites with full hookups. Since we only had a one-night stay, we arrived early and headed out to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. It has been many years but we took our children to this spot when they were young which brought back wonderful memories. With one afternoon to explore, we decided to head up to Bear Lake where we took in the picturesque Bear Lake and decided to hike to Alberta Falls (with Scout in the backpack). The trail to Alberta Falls was a very scenic trail up the mountain where we were rewarded with a spectacular waterfall where we enjoyed our packed lunch while listening to the water flow down the mountainside. On the way down the mountain, we stopped in Moraine Park where we found a herd of Elk feeding on the grasslands. This of course gave Tracy the opportunity to get close and take a thousand pictures of the herd. We love the Rocky Mountains as they offer abundant wildlife and unmatched scenic vistas, it was great to be back and visit even for just a day.
We enjoyed our 1200 mile journey to Longmont but it is now time to head the short distance south to Colorado Springs, CO.
Our next destination was Colorado Springs, CO but due to the distance we made brief stopovers in Davenport IA, Omaha, NE, Ogallala, NE and Longmont, CO. Since we had very short stays at each campground we are not providing our pros & cons review this time, but I will say that each stay was great and you will see photos in the gallery. In Davenport we leveraged a Harvest Host site at the Rhythm City Casino which offered plenty of parking, a nice buffet and of course the opportunity to spend cash in the casino. Luckily, we landed up $18 thanks to Tracy’s slot skills.
In Omaha we took the opportunity to go into town and tour the Joslyn Castle and Gardens. The Castle was built in 1901, has 35 rooms and is 19,360 sqft. The tour is excellent, the staff was terrific and it was great to hear how generous the Joslyn’s were with their city and those less fortunate. One intersting fact was that before the mansion was built Sara & George Joslyn had a very large greenhouse, palm house, lily pond for aquatic flowers, and flower beds and gardens were planned and built. They built the greenhouse to provide a constantly changing display of flowers for the giant flower beds on the 5.5 acre estate. George had developed a nationally respected collection of orchids in his green house and throughout the property. On Easter Sunday in 1913 a tornado destroyed the greenhouse, much of the castle grounds and a good portion of Omaha. While most of the orchids survived the tornado itself, a hard freeze that night destroyed the collection. George Jocelyn was devestayed and many speculate that is why he died 2 years later. We would recommend this stop for all who visit Omaha and take an interest in history and beauty of the Jocelyn Castle and Gardens.
After an overnight stop in Ogalala, NE and a short day trip to see the resevior near by we arrived at Saint Vrain State Park in Longmont, CO which offered pull-thru sites with full hookups. Since we only had a one-night stay, we arrived early and headed out to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. It has been many years but we took our children to this spot when they were young which brought back wonderful memories. With one afternoon to explore, we decided to head up to Bear Lake where we took in the picturesque Bear Lake and decided to hike to Alberta Falls (with Scout in the backpack). The trail to Alberta Falls was a very scenic trail up the mountain where we were rewarded with a spectacular waterfall where we enjoyed our packed lunch while listening to the water flow down the mountainside. On the way down the mountain, we stopped in Moraine Park where we found a herd of Elk feeding on the grasslands. This of course gave Tracy the opportunity to get close and take a thousand pictures of the herd. We love the Rocky Mountains as they offer abundant wildlife and unmatched scenic vistas, it was great to be back and visit even for just a day.
We enjoyed our 1200 mile journey to Longmont but it is now time to head the short distance south to Colorado Springs, CO.
Huntington, Indiana – Moochdocking
Asheville, North Carolina
Summer Journey – 2,683
Asheville, North Carolina
Summer Journey – 2,683
After a brief but fun visit to Mackinac Island we headed south to visit our friends and fellow RV’ers in Huntington, Indiana. As mentioned early in our blog one of our goals for RV’ing was to meet new friends while we explore the country. We met Paul and Loretta while we stayed in St. Augustine Florida this past winter, we got to know each other through evening campfires with fellow RV’ers and of course the friendship between Scout our Goldendoodle and Augie their Doberman Pincher. We spent many hours hanging at the dog park letting these two dogs run around and play. It was fun to watch how gentle Augie was as she is eighty pounds compared to Scout who is twenty pounds. It was the start of a good friendship for all of us.
This was our first stay in Indiana and Paul and Loretta were kind enough to let us use their full hookups (in their yard) and pool (81 degrees) for the month of August. Huntington is a very quiet farming community which was perfect for Tracy and I as we have been on a whirlwind of a ride since late May. We were given a tour of the area where Paul and Loretta (and family) owned farms and saw there previous homes, picked up freshly harvested corn and visited nearby reservoirs and dams (picture opportunities). We also enjoyed a nice dinner at the Roanoke Inn one late afternoon and on another day, we consumed excellent margaritas (for a $1.99) at Mecates Mexican Grill. Now Scout on the other hand greatly enjoyed the open ten acres of land surrounding Paul and Loretta’s home, he enjoyed many rounds of fetch (with Augie of course) and did not have a leach on him all week! FREEDOM
Tracy and I also took a day to visit the local shops in Roanoke and Huntington where we picked up a few unique gifts. We love spending time in local shops in the small towns across the country. Typically, you can find unique items while learning about the area from the local shop owners. Of course, we leveraged this down time to catch up on our blog, do some maintenance on the Coach and Jeep. The visit would not have been complete without an evening of homemade pizzas and several evenings ending with highly competitive games of Rummikub.
It was a wonderful visit with Paul and Loretta, we greatly appreciate their generosity, all the delicious home cooked meals (especially the Goulash) and the comradery we shared. Now it’s on to the Charlotte area as we are expecting our second grandchild Collins in a few days.
The trip to Charlotte was six hundred plus miles so we decided to make a couple day stopover at our friends Eric and Cristy’s place in Asheville, North Carolina. This gave us some time to catch up on the last six months ongoings as the last time we saw them was when they stayed with us in the Florida Keys during January. They greeted us with a deliciously prepared filet mignon meal and of course we washed it down with glasses of cheer. We love the Asheville area with all the surrounding mountains, so we took a couple of hikes in Mount Pisgah to check out several waterfalls and scenic views. That evening we, again, played several rounds of Rummikub to end the evening before we headed off to Charlotte the next morning.
We were so excited to meet our new granddaughter Collins, as you will see in the pictures, she is a beauty. We spent about ten days with our daughter Rachel to help out as mom and dad acclimated to having two children at home as Crew, their son, is now two years old and “FULL” of energy. Crew is such a well behaved and smart little guy; he has welcomed Collins into the home and was so excited when he met her.
This was our first stay in Indiana and Paul and Loretta were kind enough to let us use their full hookups (in their yard) and pool (81 degrees) for the month of August. Huntington is a very quiet farming community which was perfect for Tracy and I as we have been on a whirlwind of a ride since late May. We were given a tour of the area where Paul and Loretta (and family) owned farms and saw there previous homes, picked up freshly harvested corn and visited nearby reservoirs and dams (picture opportunities). We also enjoyed a nice dinner at the Roanoke Inn one late afternoon and on another day, we consumed excellent margaritas (for a $1.99) at Mecates Mexican Grill. Now Scout on the other hand greatly enjoyed the open ten acres of land surrounding Paul and Loretta’s home, he enjoyed many rounds of fetch (with Augie of course) and did not have a leach on him all week! FREEDOM
Tracy and I also took a day to visit the local shops in Roanoke and Huntington where we picked up a few unique gifts. We love spending time in local shops in the small towns across the country. Typically, you can find unique items while learning about the area from the local shop owners. Of course, we leveraged this down time to catch up on our blog, do some maintenance on the Coach and Jeep. The visit would not have been complete without an evening of homemade pizzas and several evenings ending with highly competitive games of Rummikub.
It was a wonderful visit with Paul and Loretta, we greatly appreciate their generosity, all the delicious home cooked meals (especially the Goulash) and the comradery we shared. Now it’s on to the Charlotte area as we are expecting our second grandchild Collins in a few days.
The trip to Charlotte was six hundred plus miles so we decided to make a couple day stopover at our friends Eric and Cristy’s place in Asheville, North Carolina. This gave us some time to catch up on the last six months ongoings as the last time we saw them was when they stayed with us in the Florida Keys during January. They greeted us with a deliciously prepared filet mignon meal and of course we washed it down with glasses of cheer. We love the Asheville area with all the surrounding mountains, so we took a couple of hikes in Mount Pisgah to check out several waterfalls and scenic views. That evening we, again, played several rounds of Rummikub to end the evening before we headed off to Charlotte the next morning.
We were so excited to meet our new granddaughter Collins, as you will see in the pictures, she is a beauty. We spent about ten days with our daughter Rachel to help out as mom and dad acclimated to having two children at home as Crew, their son, is now two years old and “FULL” of energy. Crew is such a well behaved and smart little guy; he has welcomed Collins into the home and was so excited when he met her.
Mackinaw City / Mackinac Island KOA Journey
Summer Journey Miles: 2,296
Summer Journey Miles: 2,296
Mackinaw City / Mackinac Island KOA Journey
566 Trailsend Road Mackinaw City, MI 49701 Phone: (231) 436-5643 Pros: This was a very nice KOA campground with level sites, easy access from the highway and located close to all the area attractions. It had very clean amenities including a nice pool, playground and dog park. The staff was very nice and helpful and the campground was located right next to the bike path that allowed you to get to the city and docks via bicycle. We highly recommend this KOA when visiting Mackinaw City. Cons: The campground was a bit tight for large coaches but we managed just fine with our 45ft coach. The grounds are all wooded so not a good location if you need to use Starlink but the campground did offer cable and Wi-Fi which worked well. |
Our drive from Munising MI to Mackinaw City took us across Route 2 which hugged the shores of Lake Michigan. This route provided beautiful scenic views from our coach but Tracy still insisted I pull over to the shoulder on several occasions so she could get out and take pictures. This stop in Mackinaw City was a last-minute addition to our Michigan travels so we only had only two days to explore the area.
Before I get into our visit to this area, I have to address the local pronunciation of these areas. How is it that both Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island are pronounced exactly the same? After some research I learned there is some serious explanations on this topic so to keep it simple, as our Campground Host recommended, its pronounced as “Mack-i-Naw” regardless of the spelling.
On our first full day we took our bikes, with Scout in tow, down to the Mackinac Island Ferry (only 2 and half miles). We opted for the Hydro-Ferry as it’s the fastest ferry to the island (about fifteen minutes) but you should note that for two adults, two bikes and a burley (dog tow) it was $118 roundtrip. Despite the costs we thought it best that we have our own bikes for touring the island as your only options are biking, horse and buggy or walking. The ferry ride was quick and provided for nice views of the straits (which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron), the Mackinac Bridge and the light houses as you approach the Island.
To begin our tour of the island we spent a couple hours visiting Fort Mackinac. The Fort offered great views of the mainland and nearby bridge as it sat up high on the hillside. We greatly enjoyed walking the grounds, going through all the buildings and reading about the history of each. Each of the buildings had the rooms filled with mockups recreating the original contents of the rooms based on historic photos. They had many folks available to discuss the history of every aspect of the fort and its soldiers and even had Boy Scouts located everywhere around the site who were there to answer your questions or provide directions. One fun item was the firing of the muskets and the cannon overlooking the bay.
We took the eight-mile bike ride around the island which offered many spectacular views and picture opportunities. We stopped at the Arch rock and had lunch at the beach at British Landing before heading back into town. Back in town we took a ride up the hill to the historic Grand Hotel which has been standing since 1887. We paid our twenty bucks to gain access to the hotel so we could sit on the 660-foot balcony claimed as the largest in the world. The hotel had grand hallways with historic pictures taking you through the history of the hotel and its world-famous visitors. The famous balcony offered wonderful views of the lake and the mainland beyond which of course allowed Tracy to snap away with the camera. After the visiting the hotel, we spent a bit of time visiting the shops in town and picked up some delicious fudge at Murdock’s (every other shop is a fudge shop so you have many choices 😂) before we took the ferry back to mainland where we caught a quick dinner on our way back to the campground.
We enjoyed our day on Mackinac Island, we can now check it off our list but we found it a bit more commercial than we preferred and it was very, very crowded. We had planned on having dinner on the Island but the wait times were quite long. We wrapped up our visit with a rest day which gave me time to do some RV maintenance and rest up for our long drive to Huntington Indiana to visit our friends Paul and Loretta and of course Scout’s girlfriend Augie.
Before I get into our visit to this area, I have to address the local pronunciation of these areas. How is it that both Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island are pronounced exactly the same? After some research I learned there is some serious explanations on this topic so to keep it simple, as our Campground Host recommended, its pronounced as “Mack-i-Naw” regardless of the spelling.
On our first full day we took our bikes, with Scout in tow, down to the Mackinac Island Ferry (only 2 and half miles). We opted for the Hydro-Ferry as it’s the fastest ferry to the island (about fifteen minutes) but you should note that for two adults, two bikes and a burley (dog tow) it was $118 roundtrip. Despite the costs we thought it best that we have our own bikes for touring the island as your only options are biking, horse and buggy or walking. The ferry ride was quick and provided for nice views of the straits (which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron), the Mackinac Bridge and the light houses as you approach the Island.
To begin our tour of the island we spent a couple hours visiting Fort Mackinac. The Fort offered great views of the mainland and nearby bridge as it sat up high on the hillside. We greatly enjoyed walking the grounds, going through all the buildings and reading about the history of each. Each of the buildings had the rooms filled with mockups recreating the original contents of the rooms based on historic photos. They had many folks available to discuss the history of every aspect of the fort and its soldiers and even had Boy Scouts located everywhere around the site who were there to answer your questions or provide directions. One fun item was the firing of the muskets and the cannon overlooking the bay.
We took the eight-mile bike ride around the island which offered many spectacular views and picture opportunities. We stopped at the Arch rock and had lunch at the beach at British Landing before heading back into town. Back in town we took a ride up the hill to the historic Grand Hotel which has been standing since 1887. We paid our twenty bucks to gain access to the hotel so we could sit on the 660-foot balcony claimed as the largest in the world. The hotel had grand hallways with historic pictures taking you through the history of the hotel and its world-famous visitors. The famous balcony offered wonderful views of the lake and the mainland beyond which of course allowed Tracy to snap away with the camera. After the visiting the hotel, we spent a bit of time visiting the shops in town and picked up some delicious fudge at Murdock’s (every other shop is a fudge shop so you have many choices 😂) before we took the ferry back to mainland where we caught a quick dinner on our way back to the campground.
We enjoyed our day on Mackinac Island, we can now check it off our list but we found it a bit more commercial than we preferred and it was very, very crowded. We had planned on having dinner on the Island but the wait times were quite long. We wrapped up our visit with a rest day which gave me time to do some RV maintenance and rest up for our long drive to Huntington Indiana to visit our friends Paul and Loretta and of course Scout’s girlfriend Augie.
Pictured Rocks RV Park - Munising Michigan
Summer Journey Miles: 2,165
Summer Journey Miles: 2,165
E7781 M-28 Munising, MI 49862
Phone: (906) 387-4700 Pros: This is a relatively new and basic campground which is slowly making improvements. The sites are very large and level with plenty of room for large coaches. A few sites are concrete but most are gravel, the roads are gravel and easy to navigate. The campground offers clean bathrooms and laundry rooms. Easy access into the resort and ideally located close to the town of Munising, the local docks and several restaurants. Most sites are open with good access for Starlink. Overall, a good value for the location and we would recommend the campground for access to this area. Cons: The campground does not offer any amenities such as a pool or dog park or even dog stations with bags. One section was incomplete and not in use and had overgrown vegetation. This campground could be very nice if they complete the work they started. |
After our wonderful stay in Traverse City, we were excited to see what more the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan could offer. It was an easy drive up to Munising, MI and despite the bridge construction traveling over the Mackinaw Bridge it offered wonderful views of the lake and surrounding area. As we arrived in the Munising area the scenic views and clear blue water of Lake Superior surrounded us. We had a chuckle as we drove through Christmas, MI on the way to our campground as they had very, very large roadside Santa’s (see pictures).
The Upper Peninsula did not disappoint, we had cool crisp temperatures that ranged between sixty and eighty degrees with little to no humidity. We took advantage of these fine temps by the taking several hikes on our first and third day in the area. We continued our tradition by hiking to nearby waterfalls such as Laughing Whitefish Falls, Horseshoe Falls and Wagner Falls just to name a few. I believe we saw a total of eight waterfalls over the two days. We also sought out the local lighthouses, we found four very close to our campground and in Munising and visited two more on Grand Island. You will see great pictures of these adventures in the Gallery section of this blog.
The highlight of our trip to the Upper Peninsula was our pontoon boat excursion to view the Scenic Pictured Rocks cliffs along Lake Superior. The Pictured Rocks National Seashore is forty-two miles long but about fifteen miles of it has the Scenic Cliffs that bring the one million visitors each year to the area. We rented a twenty-five-foot pontoon boat for the day and headed out to see the sights. We traveled along the entire scenic coast all the way out to Spray Falls which empties directly into Lake Superior. The pontoon boat enabled us to get up close to the rock formations and capture beautiful photos of the blue lake and Pictured Rocks. On several occasions we stopped the boat to get in the water and swim near the rocky shoreline. We also took the boat all the way around Grand Island to check out the lighthouses and secluded beaches. We beached the boat on Mather Beach to let Scout run around and enjoy the water and took a bit of time in Trout Bay to try our luck at fishing (sorry no bites). It was a beautiful day with temperatures near eighty degrees. The only downside was the slight haze caused by the Canadian fires up north.
We rounded out our visit to this area by taking a day to walk around town and visit the shops and enjoy a nice outdoor lunch at Eh! Burger by the docks. On our last day we relaxed on the beach in Christmas MI and let Scout get out his energy as he enjoyed the sand and water. This was the end of our journey in the Upper Peninsula, not bad for a last-minute trip addition and we promised ourselves to explore more of the UP next time around. Now it’s on to Mackinaw City for a quick visit to Mackinac Island.
The Upper Peninsula did not disappoint, we had cool crisp temperatures that ranged between sixty and eighty degrees with little to no humidity. We took advantage of these fine temps by the taking several hikes on our first and third day in the area. We continued our tradition by hiking to nearby waterfalls such as Laughing Whitefish Falls, Horseshoe Falls and Wagner Falls just to name a few. I believe we saw a total of eight waterfalls over the two days. We also sought out the local lighthouses, we found four very close to our campground and in Munising and visited two more on Grand Island. You will see great pictures of these adventures in the Gallery section of this blog.
The highlight of our trip to the Upper Peninsula was our pontoon boat excursion to view the Scenic Pictured Rocks cliffs along Lake Superior. The Pictured Rocks National Seashore is forty-two miles long but about fifteen miles of it has the Scenic Cliffs that bring the one million visitors each year to the area. We rented a twenty-five-foot pontoon boat for the day and headed out to see the sights. We traveled along the entire scenic coast all the way out to Spray Falls which empties directly into Lake Superior. The pontoon boat enabled us to get up close to the rock formations and capture beautiful photos of the blue lake and Pictured Rocks. On several occasions we stopped the boat to get in the water and swim near the rocky shoreline. We also took the boat all the way around Grand Island to check out the lighthouses and secluded beaches. We beached the boat on Mather Beach to let Scout run around and enjoy the water and took a bit of time in Trout Bay to try our luck at fishing (sorry no bites). It was a beautiful day with temperatures near eighty degrees. The only downside was the slight haze caused by the Canadian fires up north.
We rounded out our visit to this area by taking a day to walk around town and visit the shops and enjoy a nice outdoor lunch at Eh! Burger by the docks. On our last day we relaxed on the beach in Christmas MI and let Scout get out his energy as he enjoyed the sand and water. This was the end of our journey in the Upper Peninsula, not bad for a last-minute trip addition and we promised ourselves to explore more of the UP next time around. Now it’s on to Mackinaw City for a quick visit to Mackinac Island.
Traverse Bay RV Resort – Traverse City, Michigan
Summer Journey Miles: 1,915
Summer Journey Miles: 1,915
5555 M-72, Williamsburg, MI 49690
Phone: (231) 938-5800 Pros: This immaculate and beautifully manicured Upscale RV Resort is conveniently located close to all the attractions of the area. The resort amenities included a heated pool and hot tub, two dog parks and pickleball courts. It offers large paved sites with easy access for big coaches and open access for Starlink usage. Staff was very helpful, fellow campers were friendly and offered good advice on activities in the area. Cons: There we no cons to mention for this resort. |
On the drive to Traverse City we did a quick stop over at the Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, MI. Bronner's claims to be the "Worlds largest Christmas Store", we enjoyed our visit and picked up a few ornaments and gifts. What we did not know prior to our arrival is the quaint town center, which we added to our list of places to visit next time we are in the area. We were in Traverse City for 5 nights; the weather was beautiful with temperatures in the upper 70’s which was perfect for outdoor activities. This is a stunningly scenic area, be sure to check out our picture gallery where Tracy captured some beautiful photos of the area.
It was a five-minute drive to the Lake Michigan waterfront from the resort which offered a very nice park area with biking, beaches and many local shops and restaurants. We spent our first day biking along the waterfront enjoying the spectacular views of the lake, of course Scout was enjoying the ride from his doggie trailer on the bike. They offered a dog friendly beach right on the north end of the park where we setup for a nice picnic lunch and swimming in the lake. The water temperature was very refreshing as we all enjoyed swimming, including Scout. After the beach we took a thirty-minute drive out to the Mission Point Lighthouse out on the tip of the Mission Peninsula. It was a beautiful drive as you could see the West & East Traverse bays on both sides of the road. Of course, Tracy had me pull over every five minutes to take pictures of the scenic vistas. The lighthouse offered good historical information and beautiful beaches which were dog friendly. On our return drive we noted at least a dozen wineries along both coasts.
Back at the resort we were given good recommendations from the residents on the Mission Peninsula wineries, so the next day we headed out to explore the top wineries. We managed to visit four wineries, all dog friendly, which offered spectacular views of Traverse Bays. The wineries include Chateau Chantal Winery, Chateau Grand Traverse Winery where we enjoyed a nice lunch overlooking the vineyards, Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery and Peninsula Cellars Winery. Brys Estate Winery also offered a Lavender farm where we picked fresh lavender and assorted flowers. The Peninsula Cellars Winery was located in the former Mable Grove School House, this winery also offered a broad selection of Cider based offerings (several of which made it to my car). We ended the day stopping at one of the many cherry-picking farms, where we picked several quarts of black and red cherries and of course some raspberries which were all delicious.
Our last day in Traverse City we decided to explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - NP which features the famous Dunes area which you can hike across the dunes to access Lake Michigan. Fortunately, we did a bit of research prior to arrival and knew the hike required packing plenty of water and snacks. The hike was awesome, it was five miles long (roundtrip) and 100% of it was in deep soft sand. The terrain featured many valleys and steep hills which were challenging but very rewarding as the vistas from the top were beautiful. After two and half miles you were rewarded with the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline where we took time to swim in the crystal clear and refreshing water, have a few snacks and rest up for the return trip. After the dunes we went to the beach where we enjoyed lunch, paddle boarding along the coast and enjoyed the Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Museum. We ended our visit with a drive along Pierce Stocking Scenic drive which offered many areas to stop and view the beautiful park and Lake Michigan coast. A must see and our favorite were Stops 9 & 10 which is a view of a steep sandy overlook of the brilliant blue waters of Like Michigan. It was noted at the top of the Dunes that if you go down the steep sandy hill and could not make it back up, it was a $3000 charge to be rescued. With five miles of hiking under our belt we choose not to conquer this daunting hill.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Traverse City and promised to return again, its now time to head up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where we are staying at Pictured Rocks.
It was a five-minute drive to the Lake Michigan waterfront from the resort which offered a very nice park area with biking, beaches and many local shops and restaurants. We spent our first day biking along the waterfront enjoying the spectacular views of the lake, of course Scout was enjoying the ride from his doggie trailer on the bike. They offered a dog friendly beach right on the north end of the park where we setup for a nice picnic lunch and swimming in the lake. The water temperature was very refreshing as we all enjoyed swimming, including Scout. After the beach we took a thirty-minute drive out to the Mission Point Lighthouse out on the tip of the Mission Peninsula. It was a beautiful drive as you could see the West & East Traverse bays on both sides of the road. Of course, Tracy had me pull over every five minutes to take pictures of the scenic vistas. The lighthouse offered good historical information and beautiful beaches which were dog friendly. On our return drive we noted at least a dozen wineries along both coasts.
Back at the resort we were given good recommendations from the residents on the Mission Peninsula wineries, so the next day we headed out to explore the top wineries. We managed to visit four wineries, all dog friendly, which offered spectacular views of Traverse Bays. The wineries include Chateau Chantal Winery, Chateau Grand Traverse Winery where we enjoyed a nice lunch overlooking the vineyards, Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery and Peninsula Cellars Winery. Brys Estate Winery also offered a Lavender farm where we picked fresh lavender and assorted flowers. The Peninsula Cellars Winery was located in the former Mable Grove School House, this winery also offered a broad selection of Cider based offerings (several of which made it to my car). We ended the day stopping at one of the many cherry-picking farms, where we picked several quarts of black and red cherries and of course some raspberries which were all delicious.
Our last day in Traverse City we decided to explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - NP which features the famous Dunes area which you can hike across the dunes to access Lake Michigan. Fortunately, we did a bit of research prior to arrival and knew the hike required packing plenty of water and snacks. The hike was awesome, it was five miles long (roundtrip) and 100% of it was in deep soft sand. The terrain featured many valleys and steep hills which were challenging but very rewarding as the vistas from the top were beautiful. After two and half miles you were rewarded with the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline where we took time to swim in the crystal clear and refreshing water, have a few snacks and rest up for the return trip. After the dunes we went to the beach where we enjoyed lunch, paddle boarding along the coast and enjoyed the Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Museum. We ended our visit with a drive along Pierce Stocking Scenic drive which offered many areas to stop and view the beautiful park and Lake Michigan coast. A must see and our favorite were Stops 9 & 10 which is a view of a steep sandy overlook of the brilliant blue waters of Like Michigan. It was noted at the top of the Dunes that if you go down the steep sandy hill and could not make it back up, it was a $3000 charge to be rescued. With five miles of hiking under our belt we choose not to conquer this daunting hill.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Traverse City and promised to return again, its now time to head up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where we are staying at Pictured Rocks.
Thousand Trails – St. Clair, Michigan
Summer Journey Miles: 1,665
Summer Journey Miles: 1,665
1299 Wadhams Rd, St. Clair, MI 48079
Phone: (810) 329-7129 Pros: This Thousand Trails campground was conveniently located right off the highway and surprising very quiet. This was a good spot to use as a base as we visited the surrounding area. The amenities included a pool, miniature golf, bocci ball and a dog park. All were clean and well maintained. Many sites are wooded but ours was open space which worked well for our Starlink. In general, this was a decent campground as long as you were not in the short-term area of Section B. Cons: We were put in Section B (Site 15) which seemed to be the wettest site in the campground. We had standing water and mud the entire week and could not enjoy the outdoor space on our site. The roads were not well maintained, particularly in Section B. The other sections were much drier and did not seem to have a problem with drainage. I would not classify this resort as good for large coaches as many of the sites were for smaller travel trailers or fifth-wheels. |
We are now well into our Summer Journey with 1,665 miles under our belt, we picked this campground due to limited availability in the area and our plan was to spend the majority of our time with our friends Diana and Tom who lived in Livonia, a suburb of Detroit. We last saw Diana and Tom back in February as they visited us down in Port St. Lucie, Florida. We had a full agenda for the week we were in town thanks to our friends who did a masterful job of planning our time here.
The day after our arrival we spent the day enjoying the shops and eateries in Birmingham, MI. It was a cute little town with nice parks, shops and we enjoyed a very nice lunch outdoors at Veuve Cliequot. That evening Diana had a spectacular dinner planned which included home baked bread, Salmon, veggies and of course a home-made pie. This was followed up by them teaching Tracy and I how to play the Euchre card game which lasted to late in the evening.
The next day we relaxed a bit and then headed over to Diana & Tom’s. We met their friends Ann & Dave and enjoyed the evening with another wonderful dinner followed by delicious home-made bourbon lava cakes smothered in chocolate and topped with vanilla ice cream (another low-calorie desert . It was great to meet their friends as they have a place in Traverse City which was our next destination and we picked up ideas on activities to do in the area. Tom and Dave both play in a band and we ended the evening with Tom and Dave jamming on the guitars as the ladies played more Euchre upstairs.
On Sunday afternoon the four of us played a round of golf at the Fox Creek Country Club in Livonia, it was a beautiful course and in great condition. We truly enjoyed the round and the on-going banter throughout the day. This was followed by another great meal at their home, and the opportunity to meet Diana’s parents, Armando and Maria and her sister Anna and husband Darrell. We enjoyed grilled steak and chicken fajitas, corn on the cob, veggies and salads. By this time Tracy and I had eaten enough food to last us for a month but it was oh so good! We closed the evening by playing (can you guess) Euchre into the wee hours of the night with Tom and I taking three out of four matches.
During our stay Scout had a blast hanging out with Zora, their eighty-pound Doberman. Scout enjoyed all of Zora’s toys and at one point they played tug a war which was such a site considering the size difference of the dogs.
On our last day in-town we took a ride up to Lake Huron, took a tour of the Gratiot Lighthouse and spend the remainder of the afternoon enjoying the beach and playing some more Euchre. Back at the coach we played a few games of Rummikub before we started our prep to leave in the morning.
We had wonderful weather while in town with temperatures in the high seventies and low eighties and mostly sunny days. If you noticed with our last three stops, we were graciously treated to wonderful meals but now Tracy and I need to ease up on all the eating to ensure we lose all those added pounds! We had an awesome visit with Diana and Tom here in eastern Michigan, it was now time to head out to our next destination in Traverse City, Michigan.
Don’t forget to go into the gallery to check out all the amazing pictures.
The day after our arrival we spent the day enjoying the shops and eateries in Birmingham, MI. It was a cute little town with nice parks, shops and we enjoyed a very nice lunch outdoors at Veuve Cliequot. That evening Diana had a spectacular dinner planned which included home baked bread, Salmon, veggies and of course a home-made pie. This was followed up by them teaching Tracy and I how to play the Euchre card game which lasted to late in the evening.
The next day we relaxed a bit and then headed over to Diana & Tom’s. We met their friends Ann & Dave and enjoyed the evening with another wonderful dinner followed by delicious home-made bourbon lava cakes smothered in chocolate and topped with vanilla ice cream (another low-calorie desert . It was great to meet their friends as they have a place in Traverse City which was our next destination and we picked up ideas on activities to do in the area. Tom and Dave both play in a band and we ended the evening with Tom and Dave jamming on the guitars as the ladies played more Euchre upstairs.
On Sunday afternoon the four of us played a round of golf at the Fox Creek Country Club in Livonia, it was a beautiful course and in great condition. We truly enjoyed the round and the on-going banter throughout the day. This was followed by another great meal at their home, and the opportunity to meet Diana’s parents, Armando and Maria and her sister Anna and husband Darrell. We enjoyed grilled steak and chicken fajitas, corn on the cob, veggies and salads. By this time Tracy and I had eaten enough food to last us for a month but it was oh so good! We closed the evening by playing (can you guess) Euchre into the wee hours of the night with Tom and I taking three out of four matches.
During our stay Scout had a blast hanging out with Zora, their eighty-pound Doberman. Scout enjoyed all of Zora’s toys and at one point they played tug a war which was such a site considering the size difference of the dogs.
On our last day in-town we took a ride up to Lake Huron, took a tour of the Gratiot Lighthouse and spend the remainder of the afternoon enjoying the beach and playing some more Euchre. Back at the coach we played a few games of Rummikub before we started our prep to leave in the morning.
We had wonderful weather while in town with temperatures in the high seventies and low eighties and mostly sunny days. If you noticed with our last three stops, we were graciously treated to wonderful meals but now Tracy and I need to ease up on all the eating to ensure we lose all those added pounds! We had an awesome visit with Diana and Tom here in eastern Michigan, it was now time to head out to our next destination in Traverse City, Michigan.
Don’t forget to go into the gallery to check out all the amazing pictures.
Thousand Trails - Kenisee Lake
Summer Journey Miles: 1,388
Summer Journey Miles: 1,388
Thousand Trails - Kenisee Lake
Summer Journey Miles: 1,388 2021 Mill Creek Rd, Jefferson, OH 44047 Phone: (877) 570-2267 Pros: This Thousand Trails campground worked out well for us with large, level sites and plenty of open space which was good for Starlink service. The sites and roads were gravel but largely in good shape, no issues navigating the 45 ft coach. The staff was very nice and the grounds were well kept. We had a large open field behind us which was great for Scout to run around and get his exercise. This campground had several full-time residents but all sites were kept neat and not run down. This was a good spot to use as a base as you visit the surrounding area. Cons: The campground had a lake on-site which was promoted for fishing but was unkept. The amenities needed some help, the pool was clean but very small. |
We had a couple of open days to fill on our way to the Cleveland area and we leveraged our Harvest Host membership to stay at two wineries along our journey. We stayed at Bella Terra Winery in Hunker, PA and Hartford Hill Winery in Fowler, OH. Both wineries were excellent offering beautiful grounds, good food, wine and entertainment. The parking areas worked out well for our coach and of course Scout loved exploring the grounds after hours.
When we arrived in Jefferson OH, we met up with our good friends Liz and Steve at Rosabella Vineyards, a local winery, where we did some wine tasting and enjoyed delicious appetizers. We followed that up with a wonderful Italian dinner at Ferrante Winery & Ristorante. We talked the evening away as Tracy had not seen Liz for several years and Steve and I figured we have not seen each other in person for over 18 years! It was great evening as we had picked up right where we had left off as if it were yesterday.
Our visit included several great meals at our friend’s home. Of course, Tracy loved the massive chocolate cake Liz baked from scratch and I enjoyed the different Bourbons Steve shared from his impressive collection.
Steve and I played 18 holes at the ManaKiKi golf course in Willoughby, designed by Donald Ross, which was in fantastic shape. As we golfed the ladies took in a spa day at Salty Salt Cave which the ladies’ thought was unique and refreshing. Tracy and Liz also took an afternoon to visit the lakeside town of Geneva-On-The-Lake to take in the shops and have lunch on Lake Erie.
Back in 1995 we had an apartment in Cleveland as I was working in the area and at the time, they were building the Rock & Roll of Fame. So, of course, we had to spend a day in the city to visit our old haunts such as the baseball park (Progressive Field), the football stadium (First Energy Stadium) the Key Tower (owned by Key Bank) and the area known as the Flats. I must say what we enjoyed our three-hour visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame the most. The content was extensive and very interactive, it brought back so many memories of bands we used to and still do listen too. Our favorite exhibits were the Beatles section, in particular, the Roof Top Concert video, the Garage where visitors hooked up with artists to play a tune and the Power of Rock Experience (Movie). It was great to visit downtown Cleveland after twenty-eight years, despite the many changes it still had the same feel as in 1995.
Of course, our trip wouldn’t of been complete if Scout didn’t meet a new friend! Liz and Steve have a little Chihuahua named “Hermano” (meaning little brother in Spanish). Scout and Hermano became best buds while there and enjoyed going on walks and playing together.
We had a wonderful time in Cleveland, it was a tough good-bye to our friends but we look forward to them visiting us in Florida. Out next destination - St. Clair Michigan.
When we arrived in Jefferson OH, we met up with our good friends Liz and Steve at Rosabella Vineyards, a local winery, where we did some wine tasting and enjoyed delicious appetizers. We followed that up with a wonderful Italian dinner at Ferrante Winery & Ristorante. We talked the evening away as Tracy had not seen Liz for several years and Steve and I figured we have not seen each other in person for over 18 years! It was great evening as we had picked up right where we had left off as if it were yesterday.
Our visit included several great meals at our friend’s home. Of course, Tracy loved the massive chocolate cake Liz baked from scratch and I enjoyed the different Bourbons Steve shared from his impressive collection.
Steve and I played 18 holes at the ManaKiKi golf course in Willoughby, designed by Donald Ross, which was in fantastic shape. As we golfed the ladies took in a spa day at Salty Salt Cave which the ladies’ thought was unique and refreshing. Tracy and Liz also took an afternoon to visit the lakeside town of Geneva-On-The-Lake to take in the shops and have lunch on Lake Erie.
Back in 1995 we had an apartment in Cleveland as I was working in the area and at the time, they were building the Rock & Roll of Fame. So, of course, we had to spend a day in the city to visit our old haunts such as the baseball park (Progressive Field), the football stadium (First Energy Stadium) the Key Tower (owned by Key Bank) and the area known as the Flats. I must say what we enjoyed our three-hour visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame the most. The content was extensive and very interactive, it brought back so many memories of bands we used to and still do listen too. Our favorite exhibits were the Beatles section, in particular, the Roof Top Concert video, the Garage where visitors hooked up with artists to play a tune and the Power of Rock Experience (Movie). It was great to visit downtown Cleveland after twenty-eight years, despite the many changes it still had the same feel as in 1995.
Of course, our trip wouldn’t of been complete if Scout didn’t meet a new friend! Liz and Steve have a little Chihuahua named “Hermano” (meaning little brother in Spanish). Scout and Hermano became best buds while there and enjoyed going on walks and playing together.
We had a wonderful time in Cleveland, it was a tough good-bye to our friends but we look forward to them visiting us in Florida. Out next destination - St. Clair Michigan.
Harpers Ferry / Civil War Battlefields KOA Holiday
Summer Journey Miles - 1,072
Summer Journey Miles - 1,072
Harpers Ferry / Civil War Battlefields KOA Holiday
343 Campground Rd, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 Phone: (800) 562-9497 Pros: This was a large and very nice KOA campground which offered sites for all RV’s and tents. It was easy access from the highway for a big coach but you need to be careful within the campground as turns are tight depending on the site you receive. The campground offered wooded and open gravel sites, the open sites were on a slope but were tiered, leveled and offered a picnic table and firepit. The campground had excellent amenities with a very large pool, playground, dog park, clean restrooms / showers, and a nicely stocked camp store. But my favorite was the great specialty coffee shop & café that I visited daily! Great location right outside of Harpers Ferry and the Potomac River. Cons: Campsites were a bit tight for large RV’s and Fifth wheels and the entry and exit to the sites required careful planning. |
When we arrived at the KOA campground it was relatively empty as we arrived on the Thursday before the Fourth of July weekend. By Friday evening there was hardly an empty site, the place was rocking with families ready to enjoy the holiday. I love seeing fellow RV’ers and Campers out enjoying the outdoors and spending quality family time.
We were in town to visit with our good friends Bonnie and Doug, I met Doug several years ago working at IBM in Reston Virginia and we have been friends ever since. Since we lived in Reston for about two years, we are familiar with this area and it felt good to be back.
We took this opportunity to visit the local sites including Harpers Ferry which is a historic Civil War town. We also spent a couple of hours in Shepherdstown visiting the local shops and viewing the historical markers. I would be remiss if I did not mention a few tidbits about Harpers Ferry. In addition to its history, it hosts many nice shops, restaurants and plenty of hiking on the neighboring hillsides.
Tracy, Scout and I were so grateful to Doug and Bonnie for the wonderful time we spent with them on our journey. On the first night we arrived we had a fabulous meal at their favorite restaurant “The West End Wine Bar and Pub” in Purcellville, Va. I can tell you they must be in the tour guide business as we also hit wonderful wineries, and toured many places! We enjoyed our visit to Breaux and Sunset Hills offering excellent wine, food and entertainment. We took an afternoon to hit the local farm markets to pick up fresh vegetables and found a place with great homemade pies right out of the oven. Our favorite was the mixed berry pie (blueberries, blackberries and strawberries). We enjoyed one afternoon just hanging and BBQing at their 10-acre homestead where Scout made another friend "Harley" (80lb Labrador). These two loved running around the 10-acre homestead, I think Scout needed a vacation from his vacation.
The highlight of our trip was our two-day excursion on Doug’s baby, his 28 ft Sea Ray boat which up until this time I thought was imaginary (just kidding Doug). We headed out on July 4th and headed down to Washington’s National Harbor on the Potomac River. On our travels we stopped at Mt. Vernon which is the home of George Washington, and spotted an Eagle up in the trees! (How appropriate for July 4th). At National Harbor we took a ride on the Ferris Wheel and had a couple of great meals on the waterfront. In the evening we took a ride down into DC on the Potomac to see DC Monuments, the Washington Nationals Stadium and other historic sites. Doug was adventurous and anchored in the Potomac River (along with hundreds of other boaters) right outside of the Lincoln Memorial to watch DC’s 4th of July fireworks. We spent the night at Washingtons National Harbor and had a beautiful ride back on the boat the next morning. It was an awesome experience that we will never forget.
As we wrap up our visit here in Harpers Ferry, we had a wonderful time with our friends and experiencing the great history and beauty of this area! Our next stop will bring us to Cleveland, Ohio where we will visit more friends as we continue our journey.
We were in town to visit with our good friends Bonnie and Doug, I met Doug several years ago working at IBM in Reston Virginia and we have been friends ever since. Since we lived in Reston for about two years, we are familiar with this area and it felt good to be back.
We took this opportunity to visit the local sites including Harpers Ferry which is a historic Civil War town. We also spent a couple of hours in Shepherdstown visiting the local shops and viewing the historical markers. I would be remiss if I did not mention a few tidbits about Harpers Ferry. In addition to its history, it hosts many nice shops, restaurants and plenty of hiking on the neighboring hillsides.
- George Washington established an armory and arsenal at Harpers Ferry in 1794.
- By the 1850s, Harpers Ferry emerged as a significant transportation hub in the east with the building of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
- Radical abolitionist John Brown raided the Harpers Ferry arsenal in October 1859. Known for the murder of slaveholders in “Bleeding Kansas,” in 1859 John Brown determined that he would free the slaves in Virginia by instigating a revolt that would spread throughout the slaveholding state.
- Between 1861 and 1865, Harpers Ferry changed hands fourteen times.
- In 1862 “Stonewall” Jackson besieged the 13,000-man garrison at Harpers Ferry resulting in the largest surrender of American troops until World War II.
- During the Civil War, Harpers Ferry became a significant Union army camp, headquarters site, and logistical supply base.
Tracy, Scout and I were so grateful to Doug and Bonnie for the wonderful time we spent with them on our journey. On the first night we arrived we had a fabulous meal at their favorite restaurant “The West End Wine Bar and Pub” in Purcellville, Va. I can tell you they must be in the tour guide business as we also hit wonderful wineries, and toured many places! We enjoyed our visit to Breaux and Sunset Hills offering excellent wine, food and entertainment. We took an afternoon to hit the local farm markets to pick up fresh vegetables and found a place with great homemade pies right out of the oven. Our favorite was the mixed berry pie (blueberries, blackberries and strawberries). We enjoyed one afternoon just hanging and BBQing at their 10-acre homestead where Scout made another friend "Harley" (80lb Labrador). These two loved running around the 10-acre homestead, I think Scout needed a vacation from his vacation.
The highlight of our trip was our two-day excursion on Doug’s baby, his 28 ft Sea Ray boat which up until this time I thought was imaginary (just kidding Doug). We headed out on July 4th and headed down to Washington’s National Harbor on the Potomac River. On our travels we stopped at Mt. Vernon which is the home of George Washington, and spotted an Eagle up in the trees! (How appropriate for July 4th). At National Harbor we took a ride on the Ferris Wheel and had a couple of great meals on the waterfront. In the evening we took a ride down into DC on the Potomac to see DC Monuments, the Washington Nationals Stadium and other historic sites. Doug was adventurous and anchored in the Potomac River (along with hundreds of other boaters) right outside of the Lincoln Memorial to watch DC’s 4th of July fireworks. We spent the night at Washingtons National Harbor and had a beautiful ride back on the boat the next morning. It was an awesome experience that we will never forget.
As we wrap up our visit here in Harpers Ferry, we had a wonderful time with our friends and experiencing the great history and beauty of this area! Our next stop will bring us to Cleveland, Ohio where we will visit more friends as we continue our journey.
Richmond North / Kings Dominion KOA Holiday, Doswell Virginia
Summer Journey Miles - 942
Summer Journey Miles - 942
Richmond North / Kings Dominion KOA Holiday, Doswell Virginia
10061 Kings Dominion Blvd, Doswell, VA 23047 Phone: (804) 876-3500 Pros: This was a wonderful KOA campground with a nice level gravel site with a picnic table and firepit. The campground had very nice amenities with a large pool, playground, dog park and clean restrooms / showers. It was located adjacent to Kings Dominion amusement park and had free shuttles to the park all day. The grounds consisted of both wooded areas and open spaces (for those with Starlink). All the cabins were well kept and nicely appointed. Cons: Not many cons to this resort, but it should be noted that although they had large sites for Big Rigs, some of the turns around the campground were very tight. Best to plan out your route to the site very carefully. |
It was a very easy drive to Richmond Virginia from Lake Wiley, our daughter Rachel tagged along with us for this drive as she was visiting friends in the Richmond area. This was her first ride in the Coach and she was able to take all her work calls and zoom meetings while on the journey north.
Our visit to Richmond had us spending several days with Tracy’s parent’s Ida and Joe. On the day of arrival Ida cooked a wonderful Ribs & Chicken Wing meal and although it was “Delicious” I was disappointed she did not cook her famous Pot Roast dinner for me (private family joke here).
As some of you know we used to live in this area, so we took the time to drive by our old neighborhood and home. We could not believe how large all the trees and plants have grown (since 2013). One evening we went to dinner a Palermo’s Italian restaurant and had some great wine and a delicious dinner. We used to visit this place weekly when we lived here and it was great to see that they are still going strong.
The highlight of the trip (besides visiting with Ida and Joe) was the day we spent at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va. It was a Sunday and we were expecting large crowds but was surprised that it was not over-crowded, I believe the longest we waited for a ride was 10 minutes. Of course, we hit all the big roller coasters, even Ida and Joe went on the new coaster Pantheon, which launches you upward with top speeds of 75mph, it has several loops and even goes in reverse (whew). Tracy thought her parents were going to raise heck for having them ride this coaster but they actually loved it! We also attended a few of the shows with “American Jukebox” full of hits from the 70’s - 90’s with fabulous singing and dancing. I hope when we’re 86 & 87 years old we can still ride coasters like them! Kudos to Ida & Joe spending the whole day at this park and taking on all the rides, shows and lots of walking!! By the way, Scout also enjoyed his time in Richmond with Grandpa Joe, he loved going on long walks around the neighborhood each day.
It's time to head further north, West Virginia here we come, it was a wonderful visit with Ida and Joe, now time to visit more friends.
Our visit to Richmond had us spending several days with Tracy’s parent’s Ida and Joe. On the day of arrival Ida cooked a wonderful Ribs & Chicken Wing meal and although it was “Delicious” I was disappointed she did not cook her famous Pot Roast dinner for me (private family joke here).
As some of you know we used to live in this area, so we took the time to drive by our old neighborhood and home. We could not believe how large all the trees and plants have grown (since 2013). One evening we went to dinner a Palermo’s Italian restaurant and had some great wine and a delicious dinner. We used to visit this place weekly when we lived here and it was great to see that they are still going strong.
The highlight of the trip (besides visiting with Ida and Joe) was the day we spent at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va. It was a Sunday and we were expecting large crowds but was surprised that it was not over-crowded, I believe the longest we waited for a ride was 10 minutes. Of course, we hit all the big roller coasters, even Ida and Joe went on the new coaster Pantheon, which launches you upward with top speeds of 75mph, it has several loops and even goes in reverse (whew). Tracy thought her parents were going to raise heck for having them ride this coaster but they actually loved it! We also attended a few of the shows with “American Jukebox” full of hits from the 70’s - 90’s with fabulous singing and dancing. I hope when we’re 86 & 87 years old we can still ride coasters like them! Kudos to Ida & Joe spending the whole day at this park and taking on all the rides, shows and lots of walking!! By the way, Scout also enjoyed his time in Richmond with Grandpa Joe, he loved going on long walks around the neighborhood each day.
It's time to head further north, West Virginia here we come, it was a wonderful visit with Ida and Joe, now time to visit more friends.
Lake Wylie, South Carolina, June 2023.
Summer Journey Miles - 603
Summer Journey Miles - 603
Thousand Trails - Oaks at South Point & Ebenezer Park, Lake Wylie
In Mid-June we left Port St. Lucie Florida and headed north for our Summer Journey. We anticipate about 25 stops between now and end of October. On our way to Lake Wiley, we stopped at Thousand Trails – The Oaks at South Point for a quick one-night stay to break up the ride, it was a fine stop and a good use of our membership. The next day we a arrived at our first stop at Ebenezer Park on Lake Wiley for a ten day stay. We have stayed here several times prior so you can see our review from last year down below. Here we visited our daughter Rachel as the campground is only 15 minutes from her house. On this visit we had our first opportunity to watch our grandson Crew (1.5 years old) as his parents jetted off to NY for a wedding. You will be able to tell from the pictures that we truly enjoyed our time with our grandson, not to brag but he ate well, played all day and never cried through the entire weekend. I thought it was because of the 5lb bag of candy I had on hand but Tracy believes he just loved hanging with MIMI & PAPI. The highlight of the weekend was taking Crew to swim class, he was a ham the whole time and really enjoyed hanging out in the pool with his friends. While in town we enjoyed our time with Rachel and Rob, they are great cooks so the food was fantastic and of course Rob made us his famous homemade pizza. We also helped a bit with the new baby room by hanging wallpaper, Rachel is expecting a baby girl (Collins) in August. Scout also enjoyed his time playing with Kalani (80lb Bernadoddle), every day they went crazy out in the yard chasing each other till they were exhausted.
While in town we were able to visit with our good friends in Fort Mill, Charles and Laurie. Charles and I played a nice round of golf at the Tega Cay Country Club and afterwards we enjoyed some wonderful Italian food and craft beer at their home. Of course, Scout joined in on the fun, he met Teddy a seven-month-old puppy for the first time and they spent the entire day chasing each other in the yard. We ended the evening learning to play a new game “RummiKub”, I am not much of a game guy but we did have fun playing it. Now Tracy on the other hand loved it, so we are now proud owners of this game thanks to Amazon.
We enjoyed our stay here in South Carolina, now it’s off to Richmond Virginia. On this leg of our trip we had picked up a hitch hiker (our daughter) who had a bridal shower to attend in Richmond. This was our first passenger we've given a ride to. She thought it was great and loved that she was able to work while Mike and I drove.
In Mid-June we left Port St. Lucie Florida and headed north for our Summer Journey. We anticipate about 25 stops between now and end of October. On our way to Lake Wiley, we stopped at Thousand Trails – The Oaks at South Point for a quick one-night stay to break up the ride, it was a fine stop and a good use of our membership. The next day we a arrived at our first stop at Ebenezer Park on Lake Wiley for a ten day stay. We have stayed here several times prior so you can see our review from last year down below. Here we visited our daughter Rachel as the campground is only 15 minutes from her house. On this visit we had our first opportunity to watch our grandson Crew (1.5 years old) as his parents jetted off to NY for a wedding. You will be able to tell from the pictures that we truly enjoyed our time with our grandson, not to brag but he ate well, played all day and never cried through the entire weekend. I thought it was because of the 5lb bag of candy I had on hand but Tracy believes he just loved hanging with MIMI & PAPI. The highlight of the weekend was taking Crew to swim class, he was a ham the whole time and really enjoyed hanging out in the pool with his friends. While in town we enjoyed our time with Rachel and Rob, they are great cooks so the food was fantastic and of course Rob made us his famous homemade pizza. We also helped a bit with the new baby room by hanging wallpaper, Rachel is expecting a baby girl (Collins) in August. Scout also enjoyed his time playing with Kalani (80lb Bernadoddle), every day they went crazy out in the yard chasing each other till they were exhausted.
While in town we were able to visit with our good friends in Fort Mill, Charles and Laurie. Charles and I played a nice round of golf at the Tega Cay Country Club and afterwards we enjoyed some wonderful Italian food and craft beer at their home. Of course, Scout joined in on the fun, he met Teddy a seven-month-old puppy for the first time and they spent the entire day chasing each other in the yard. We ended the evening learning to play a new game “RummiKub”, I am not much of a game guy but we did have fun playing it. Now Tracy on the other hand loved it, so we are now proud owners of this game thanks to Amazon.
We enjoyed our stay here in South Carolina, now it’s off to Richmond Virginia. On this leg of our trip we had picked up a hitch hiker (our daughter) who had a bridal shower to attend in Richmond. This was our first passenger we've given a ride to. She thought it was great and loved that she was able to work while Mike and I drove.
Spring 2023 - April, May and Early June - Florida
Port St. Lucie, Tampa & Jacksonville, Florida
It has been two months since we last posted on our blog, mainly because our winter excursions had completed with our last stay at The Surf in mid-March and then we spent two weeks down in Motorcoach Resort Port St. Lucie soaking up the sun, playing golf and pickleball (including at pickleball tournament) and going to St. Lucie Mets baseball games (with fireworks). This was good down time as we prepared for our annual maintenance activities.
We all dread maintenance but it is an essential part of the RV life to ensure you have both a safe and fun travel experience. To this end we spent all of April at Lazy Days Crown Club where we had much needed maintenance done on our Coach the “Piano Man”. This was a planned visit to complete the punch list from our original purchase. Also, we were dealing with an ongoing DEF head / sensor issue that popped up in late March and coach leveling errors. We were very pleased that Lazy Days diagnosed the issues and made the repairs. It did require several parts (Def Head, Suspension Airbag, Shocks, etc) that took some time to order and arrive but in the end the issues were addressed successfully (so far, with fingers crossed). We know all RV’s have issues as they are houses on wheels but we are hopeful we are good for our summer travels.
The time at Lazy Days was not all lost time as I took this opportunity to have my cataracts removed and vision corrected via Lasik in both eyes. The “good news” is I now no longer require glasses with 20/20 vision and my night vision is fully restored. Tracy is thrilled as she has been pulling all the night time driving for a year now. We also spent several nights at Danielle and Brendan's in Jacksonville and celebrated my 60th birthday in April (I know I only look 59) and Tracy's birthday in May. I traveled to NY to visit with my mom for Mother’s Day and visited my brother and sister at that same time. We also took a short drive from Tampa to Auburndale to visit our friends Linda and Greg, (whom we met at Lazy Days last year) but the real reason was a doggie play date with Scouts good friend Archie. We also used our time in Tampa to visit our friends Karen and Fred, they graciously invited us over for the day to celebrate Easter. Although we communicate periodically and follow each other’s travels this was the first time we have seen them in person in over 20 years. It was a day filled with great food, drink and stories of our past.
Planned Summer Journey – June through October 2023
We have been busy planning our Summer 2023 travels and have the fair majority of our locations booked. Thanks to Tracy for doing the detailed research on the points of interest we want to explore this year and finding the campgrounds for each of these locations. This year we are leveraging several Thousand Trails and Resort Park International locations associated with our membership as well as several KOA’s and a few RV Resorts. Our focus this year is to accomplish one of our goals of leveraging the RV to spend time with family and friends. Our travels this summer will take us to our daughter Rachel’s in Charlotte, Tracy’s parents in Virginia, and many friends along the way such as West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, New Mexico and Texas.
Our second goal and focus this year is to explore the National Parks in Utah. We are hitting the top five which consists of Arches, Bryce Canyons, Canyon Lands, Capital Reef and Zion as well as the Grand Staircase and several other sites in Utah.
Here is a map of our journey as we have it today, we are still researching some additional stays in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Colorado and New Mexico.
We are also going to leverage the end of this trip to visit Tiffin’s Red Bay facility. There we will complete any remaining repairs (and new ones that pop up) while we are still under our Tiffin warranty. If able we will take a tour of the RV assemble plant and meet Bob Tiffin if he is in town.
We are excited to get on the road, make new memories, meet new friends and visit with our family. Stay tuned for our updates as we traverse this fine country of ours.
It has been two months since we last posted on our blog, mainly because our winter excursions had completed with our last stay at The Surf in mid-March and then we spent two weeks down in Motorcoach Resort Port St. Lucie soaking up the sun, playing golf and pickleball (including at pickleball tournament) and going to St. Lucie Mets baseball games (with fireworks). This was good down time as we prepared for our annual maintenance activities.
We all dread maintenance but it is an essential part of the RV life to ensure you have both a safe and fun travel experience. To this end we spent all of April at Lazy Days Crown Club where we had much needed maintenance done on our Coach the “Piano Man”. This was a planned visit to complete the punch list from our original purchase. Also, we were dealing with an ongoing DEF head / sensor issue that popped up in late March and coach leveling errors. We were very pleased that Lazy Days diagnosed the issues and made the repairs. It did require several parts (Def Head, Suspension Airbag, Shocks, etc) that took some time to order and arrive but in the end the issues were addressed successfully (so far, with fingers crossed). We know all RV’s have issues as they are houses on wheels but we are hopeful we are good for our summer travels.
The time at Lazy Days was not all lost time as I took this opportunity to have my cataracts removed and vision corrected via Lasik in both eyes. The “good news” is I now no longer require glasses with 20/20 vision and my night vision is fully restored. Tracy is thrilled as she has been pulling all the night time driving for a year now. We also spent several nights at Danielle and Brendan's in Jacksonville and celebrated my 60th birthday in April (I know I only look 59) and Tracy's birthday in May. I traveled to NY to visit with my mom for Mother’s Day and visited my brother and sister at that same time. We also took a short drive from Tampa to Auburndale to visit our friends Linda and Greg, (whom we met at Lazy Days last year) but the real reason was a doggie play date with Scouts good friend Archie. We also used our time in Tampa to visit our friends Karen and Fred, they graciously invited us over for the day to celebrate Easter. Although we communicate periodically and follow each other’s travels this was the first time we have seen them in person in over 20 years. It was a day filled with great food, drink and stories of our past.
Planned Summer Journey – June through October 2023
We have been busy planning our Summer 2023 travels and have the fair majority of our locations booked. Thanks to Tracy for doing the detailed research on the points of interest we want to explore this year and finding the campgrounds for each of these locations. This year we are leveraging several Thousand Trails and Resort Park International locations associated with our membership as well as several KOA’s and a few RV Resorts. Our focus this year is to accomplish one of our goals of leveraging the RV to spend time with family and friends. Our travels this summer will take us to our daughter Rachel’s in Charlotte, Tracy’s parents in Virginia, and many friends along the way such as West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, New Mexico and Texas.
Our second goal and focus this year is to explore the National Parks in Utah. We are hitting the top five which consists of Arches, Bryce Canyons, Canyon Lands, Capital Reef and Zion as well as the Grand Staircase and several other sites in Utah.
Here is a map of our journey as we have it today, we are still researching some additional stays in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Colorado and New Mexico.
We are also going to leverage the end of this trip to visit Tiffin’s Red Bay facility. There we will complete any remaining repairs (and new ones that pop up) while we are still under our Tiffin warranty. If able we will take a tour of the RV assemble plant and meet Bob Tiffin if he is in town.
We are excited to get on the road, make new memories, meet new friends and visit with our family. Stay tuned for our updates as we traverse this fine country of ours.
The Surf RV Resort, Palmetto, Florida
The Surf RV Resort, Palmetto, Florida
2215 Rip Curl Run, Palmetto, FL 34221 Phone: (941) 900-4240 Pros: A new resort that offers very large fully paved sites, wide streets and plenty of amenities such as the pool, jacuzzi, pickle-ball courts, bocci ball and corn hole. The clubhouse is beautiful and offers a billiard and card room, nice gym, event space and comfortable lounge. The dog park is spacious and offers a dog wash. This is a very active community that has an activity for everyone such as cycling, skeet shooting, card games etc. The grounds are immaculate and staff is very friendly. Cons: Not many cons to this resort, just a couple of items could have been planned out better. It’s a large resort but has only one dog park location and it’s in the far southeast corner. They have no liquor license so bars are not open and no on-site grill (use food trucks). Package delivery is a challenge due to how the sites are labeled. Resort is located near the railroad tracks, so if you're a light sleeper you will be awakened with the train blowing its horn. |
It was a very easy drive to Palmetto Florida from Port Saint Lucie, we arrived at Noon and were able to go directly to our site which was located on the lake with a very nice fountain view. The sites were very large and fully paved with hookups on both sides of the site which allows you to either pull-in or back-in.
This resort had plenty of activities, so it was easy to get involved in the community. It was during this stay where we took a more serious tone to pickleball. They have eight courts and a very active pickleball community. We started off by taking a group lesson with Carla (the coach), this lesson combined with our previous lessons gave us the confidence to start pick-up games in the morning. We played on many mornings for a couple hours and met some really great folks. While here we signed up for a private lesson to tune our skills as we have a pickleball tournament on March 25th down in Port St. Lucie. Oh, did I mention, this pickleball bug cost me, as we had to ditch our Costco Paddles for some real ones. The folks at Sarasota Pickleball where very knowledgeable and more than happy to sell us paddles, sneakers and some clothing.
There were many cyclists at this resort and a couple times a week there were group rides to various parks and sites. I took rides to Emerson Preserve State Park (25 mi) and Fort De-Soto State Park (30 mi). It was fun competing with the e-bikes while I was on my fully pedal powered Trek Road Bike.
We continued to support our commitment to ourselves in expanding our network of friends. We met some great folks here with similar interests. Such as Greg and Debbie from Syracuse, together we enjoyed live music at the pool while playing cornhole and spent a wonderful afternoon at a Pirates vs Twins MLB spring training game in Bradenton, Fl. We also caught another game the next week with the Yankees & Pirates. We will definitely add more spring training games to our agenda next year. We met Tom and Kathy from Michigan down at the pool, Tom is big into fishing so we took a day to fish out at Emerson Preserve State Park. Even though I came up empty that day Tom took in at least half a dozen nice catches.
While here we met up with Lynn and Jay from Delaware, we met them back in January at the Sugarloaf Key resort. We took an evening to head to Woody’s Roo Bar and Grill to have some chow and listen to a terrific band. On another evening Lynn and Jay hosted us at their site and Jay was gracious in hooking up my guitar to his amp and he played about a dozen songs. Jay plays guitar and sings in a band back home. He is the second person who has shown me how much fun it can be if I take the time to learn how to play my own guitar.
For a “Grand Finale” we hosted a pizza night with many of the fine folks we met here at “The Surf”. We had a wonderful turnout with seven couples joining us, each put together their favorite toppings on their pizza while I cooked them to perfection. We cooked nine pizza’s which included two desert pizzas with blueberry and apple toppings. I also want to give a shout out to Jay for again entertaining all of us with some terrific music that evening.
This write up would not be complete if I did not call out all the fine pickleball colleagues we met here at the resort. Here it goes… Cheri and Renee from Michigan, Debbie and Mark from Cooperstown, NY, Carol and Michael from Michigan, Bill and Cathy from New Jersey and Mary and Andy from Minnesota. It was great meeting you all and truly enjoyed the comradery down at the courts and look forward to when our paths cross again.
As I reflect on this trip, I would say the highlight was the several days we spent in Jacksonville. It was an exciting weekend as we were with both Danielle and Rachel but the real excitement was the planned wedding dress shopping. The ladies took off to shop for wedding dresses, while Brendan and I took to the sea to fish in the intercoastal. I have been told it was a great success, wedding dress checked off and we look forward to the magical day early next year. A big thank you to Brendan for the day on the boat (I landed 4 nice fish) and to Jeanie for letting us use the beach condo for the weekend. We always cherish the time we get to spend with both girls.
We had a great time here at The Surf, it was time well spent and we look forward to keeping in touch with those we met during our stay. Time to move on to our next location, we are excited to head back to the Eastern Shore of Florida.
This resort had plenty of activities, so it was easy to get involved in the community. It was during this stay where we took a more serious tone to pickleball. They have eight courts and a very active pickleball community. We started off by taking a group lesson with Carla (the coach), this lesson combined with our previous lessons gave us the confidence to start pick-up games in the morning. We played on many mornings for a couple hours and met some really great folks. While here we signed up for a private lesson to tune our skills as we have a pickleball tournament on March 25th down in Port St. Lucie. Oh, did I mention, this pickleball bug cost me, as we had to ditch our Costco Paddles for some real ones. The folks at Sarasota Pickleball where very knowledgeable and more than happy to sell us paddles, sneakers and some clothing.
There were many cyclists at this resort and a couple times a week there were group rides to various parks and sites. I took rides to Emerson Preserve State Park (25 mi) and Fort De-Soto State Park (30 mi). It was fun competing with the e-bikes while I was on my fully pedal powered Trek Road Bike.
We continued to support our commitment to ourselves in expanding our network of friends. We met some great folks here with similar interests. Such as Greg and Debbie from Syracuse, together we enjoyed live music at the pool while playing cornhole and spent a wonderful afternoon at a Pirates vs Twins MLB spring training game in Bradenton, Fl. We also caught another game the next week with the Yankees & Pirates. We will definitely add more spring training games to our agenda next year. We met Tom and Kathy from Michigan down at the pool, Tom is big into fishing so we took a day to fish out at Emerson Preserve State Park. Even though I came up empty that day Tom took in at least half a dozen nice catches.
While here we met up with Lynn and Jay from Delaware, we met them back in January at the Sugarloaf Key resort. We took an evening to head to Woody’s Roo Bar and Grill to have some chow and listen to a terrific band. On another evening Lynn and Jay hosted us at their site and Jay was gracious in hooking up my guitar to his amp and he played about a dozen songs. Jay plays guitar and sings in a band back home. He is the second person who has shown me how much fun it can be if I take the time to learn how to play my own guitar.
For a “Grand Finale” we hosted a pizza night with many of the fine folks we met here at “The Surf”. We had a wonderful turnout with seven couples joining us, each put together their favorite toppings on their pizza while I cooked them to perfection. We cooked nine pizza’s which included two desert pizzas with blueberry and apple toppings. I also want to give a shout out to Jay for again entertaining all of us with some terrific music that evening.
This write up would not be complete if I did not call out all the fine pickleball colleagues we met here at the resort. Here it goes… Cheri and Renee from Michigan, Debbie and Mark from Cooperstown, NY, Carol and Michael from Michigan, Bill and Cathy from New Jersey and Mary and Andy from Minnesota. It was great meeting you all and truly enjoyed the comradery down at the courts and look forward to when our paths cross again.
As I reflect on this trip, I would say the highlight was the several days we spent in Jacksonville. It was an exciting weekend as we were with both Danielle and Rachel but the real excitement was the planned wedding dress shopping. The ladies took off to shop for wedding dresses, while Brendan and I took to the sea to fish in the intercoastal. I have been told it was a great success, wedding dress checked off and we look forward to the magical day early next year. A big thank you to Brendan for the day on the boat (I landed 4 nice fish) and to Jeanie for letting us use the beach condo for the weekend. We always cherish the time we get to spend with both girls.
We had a great time here at The Surf, it was time well spent and we look forward to keeping in touch with those we met during our stay. Time to move on to our next location, we are excited to head back to the Eastern Shore of Florida.
MotorCoach Resort St. Lucie West, Port St. Lucie, Florida
800 NW Peacock Blvd, Port St. Lucie, FL 34986
Phone: (772) 336-1135 Pros: A beautiful gated community with lush landscaping throughout, immaculate facilities and numerous amenities that include an 18-hole par 3 golf course, four pools with hot tubs, pickle-ball courts, tennis courts, shuffle board and bocci ball. It has three dog parks and very pet friendly for our fur baby Scout. The resort offers a Friday night social event and a Monday morning breakfast for all to enjoy and gather. It’s close to shopping, restaurants, Mets Spring Training facility, bike path along with being coupled with friendly residents and staff that are welcoming to all who come to this resort. Cons: Would be a nice addition if they had a bar and grill by the pool. |
Of course, we were sad to leave Sugarloaf Key, it was a wonderful two weeks but we looked forward to heading to Port St. Lucie. The Motorcoach Resort did not disappoint, it was beautifully landscaped, our site was located right on the golf course (Hole 2) between two picturesque lakes and waterfalls. As I write this blog, I am sitting under the tiki bar enjoying the gently breeze in 80 degrees with abundant sunshine. The golf course is beautifully maintained and traverses the resort with challenging par 3’s, many over water and nice smooth greens.
As always Scout is having the best time of all. He is meeting and playing with the many other dogs in the resort. The doodles are plentiful here and with all their energy they love to run around in the dog parks. We took Scout to Walton Beach Dog Park which allows dogs to run off leash on the beach, it’s a great way to get Scout out and release his puppy energy. On our return we visited Fort Pierce and stopped at “On the Edge” (dog friendly) restaurant which is on the marina and enjoyed delicious Jambalaya and New England Clam Chowder (in a sourdough bowl) as we listened to the live band.
We took advantage of the Pickle-Ball courts by taking a free lesson for newbies which is offered every Monday and Wednesday with Tony and Renee (residents & instructors). This resort has a very active Pickle-Ball community for all levels of experience. Many of the residents invited us to play to give us a chance to learn the ropes on the court. One evening we even had the opportunity to catch a Cape Canaveral rocket launch, it was pretty cool watching it cross the night sky. Tracy was able to capture a couple of pictures that are in our gallery.
As we like to do when we travel, we met with some friends while here in Port St. Lucie. My longtime colleague and good friend Diana and her husband Tom visited us for a couple of days, they were down from Michigan. In addition to playing some golf, the clear highlight was Tom showing me how good my guitar sounds when a professional is playing the tunes. We also enjoyed some homemade pizza that we cooked in our pizza oven. On a funny note, the next day my neighbors commented (positively of course) on how much they enjoyed the free music concert! I also had a quick visit from my friend Brett, who came up from Palm Beach to enjoy the afternoon and an excellent lunch at the West End Grill (Thank You). Another day we took a short ride up to Vero beach to meet with our friends Ed and Sandy (and their friend Kathy) that we met RV’ing last year in Canopy Oaks. We enjoyed lunch outside on the docks at the Riverside Café where we thoroughly enjoyed the Grouper Ruben sandwich. It was great chatting and talking about our travels, both past and future, and planning our next meet up. I want to give a quick shout out to ED for all the times he has given us advice from his experiences and helping me out of a jam. I greatly appreciate his willingness to help out us newbies and his and Sandy's friendship.
Tracy and I truly enjoyed our stay here at the Motor Coach Resort at St. Lucie, the community had the right feel to it if you know what I mean. It also checked off many of the boxes for us as far as community, activities, dog friendly, near the beach and of course “warm temperature during the winter”. So, we decided to learn more about ownership here in the community and spent a few hours with the local realtor and resident of eight years, Mark. We took a look at the available properties, learned about the rental program and Mark shared with us great information on the resort activities and clubs as well as the general area of Port St. Lucie. All in all, a very valuable few hours spent learning about the community.
We wrapped up our stay here by playing a round of golf and taking one more very informative and fun pickle-ball lesson. We had a very nice meet-up with Kathy, Jeff and their fur-baby "BO" whom we met back at Heritage Motorcoach Resort in Orange Beach in October. Many of the fine folks we meet are through our fur-babies and Bo and Scout love to horse around in the dog park. We are sad to leave Motorcoach Resort in Port St. Lucie but look forward to our next adventure in Palmetto Florida at "THE SURF' on the west coast.
As always Scout is having the best time of all. He is meeting and playing with the many other dogs in the resort. The doodles are plentiful here and with all their energy they love to run around in the dog parks. We took Scout to Walton Beach Dog Park which allows dogs to run off leash on the beach, it’s a great way to get Scout out and release his puppy energy. On our return we visited Fort Pierce and stopped at “On the Edge” (dog friendly) restaurant which is on the marina and enjoyed delicious Jambalaya and New England Clam Chowder (in a sourdough bowl) as we listened to the live band.
We took advantage of the Pickle-Ball courts by taking a free lesson for newbies which is offered every Monday and Wednesday with Tony and Renee (residents & instructors). This resort has a very active Pickle-Ball community for all levels of experience. Many of the residents invited us to play to give us a chance to learn the ropes on the court. One evening we even had the opportunity to catch a Cape Canaveral rocket launch, it was pretty cool watching it cross the night sky. Tracy was able to capture a couple of pictures that are in our gallery.
As we like to do when we travel, we met with some friends while here in Port St. Lucie. My longtime colleague and good friend Diana and her husband Tom visited us for a couple of days, they were down from Michigan. In addition to playing some golf, the clear highlight was Tom showing me how good my guitar sounds when a professional is playing the tunes. We also enjoyed some homemade pizza that we cooked in our pizza oven. On a funny note, the next day my neighbors commented (positively of course) on how much they enjoyed the free music concert! I also had a quick visit from my friend Brett, who came up from Palm Beach to enjoy the afternoon and an excellent lunch at the West End Grill (Thank You). Another day we took a short ride up to Vero beach to meet with our friends Ed and Sandy (and their friend Kathy) that we met RV’ing last year in Canopy Oaks. We enjoyed lunch outside on the docks at the Riverside Café where we thoroughly enjoyed the Grouper Ruben sandwich. It was great chatting and talking about our travels, both past and future, and planning our next meet up. I want to give a quick shout out to ED for all the times he has given us advice from his experiences and helping me out of a jam. I greatly appreciate his willingness to help out us newbies and his and Sandy's friendship.
Tracy and I truly enjoyed our stay here at the Motor Coach Resort at St. Lucie, the community had the right feel to it if you know what I mean. It also checked off many of the boxes for us as far as community, activities, dog friendly, near the beach and of course “warm temperature during the winter”. So, we decided to learn more about ownership here in the community and spent a few hours with the local realtor and resident of eight years, Mark. We took a look at the available properties, learned about the rental program and Mark shared with us great information on the resort activities and clubs as well as the general area of Port St. Lucie. All in all, a very valuable few hours spent learning about the community.
We wrapped up our stay here by playing a round of golf and taking one more very informative and fun pickle-ball lesson. We had a very nice meet-up with Kathy, Jeff and their fur-baby "BO" whom we met back at Heritage Motorcoach Resort in Orange Beach in October. Many of the fine folks we meet are through our fur-babies and Bo and Scout love to horse around in the dog park. We are sad to leave Motorcoach Resort in Port St. Lucie but look forward to our next adventure in Palmetto Florida at "THE SURF' on the west coast.
Sugarloaf Key / Key West KOA Holiday, Sugarloaf Key Florida
251 State Road 939, Sugarloaf Key, FL 33042
Phone: 800-562-7731 Pros: This resort is in a great location as its only 20 minutes from Key West. Features lush landscaping everywhere, on-site beach and marina with boat, kayak & paddle board rentals. Wonderful pool and hot tub with adjoining bar & grill, shaded hammocks, Bocci Ball and Corn Hole. Live music is offered several times a week along with game nights. The office and park staff are very friendly and helpful and the folks in the marina are experienced fisherman. Cons: They are building three condo strips on-site so there was some construction noise which will probably be ongoing for some time. The dog park is small but adequate. The no see-ums have a healthy appetite on non-breezy calm days and sunset. We did put up our screen room which made it comfortable to enjoy eating outdoors. |
On our way south from Orlando to the Florida Keys we stopped after 300 miles for a one-night stay in Miami at the Encore Miami Everglades RV Resort. This was our second Thousand Trails resort and it worked out perfectly as it left us with only 126 miles to our destination of Sugarloaf Key. The drive to Sugarloaf along US-1 was wonderfully scenic and provided many photo opportunities. We were fortunate in that we hit no traffic and completed the trip in two and half hours. You will see in our photo gallery pics the famous Fred Tree and Peace Bush along with many other beautiful photos.
The Sugarloaf KOA is beautifully landscaped and has top notch amenities. Our pull-thru site was lush with landscaping and had a wonderful paved patio setup with table, Adirondack chairs and nice large fire pit. By far its been the nicest KOA we've stayed at so far in our travels.
We took advantage of the on-site beach to launch our paddle board, Scout loves to go out on the water. Nothing quite like clear blue water, sunny skies and a nice breeze to accompany your journey on the water. One afternoon Christy and Tracy ventured out on the paddle board and encountered a couple of very large iguanas in the mangroves (see photo gallery) and a beautiful Starfish on the ocean bottom. Just down the street is a nice bike / walking path that crosses the Sugarloaf Key bridge, great for our early morning walks or bike rides with Scout in tow.
Our good friends Eric and Christy joined us for eight days down here in Piano Man and Tracy’s cousin Susan had her Coach here as well for the same two weeks of our stay. Together we kayaked locally, took a wonderful kayak and snorkeling tour out of Key West, and took in the NFL playoffs. This was the first time we had on-board company for more than a one-night stay. We were impressed with how comfortable it was with guests in the Coach, in fact, we had a blast all week long. On one afternoon we caught up with several friends from Brunswick Plantation in Calabash who were down vacationing in Marathon, Florida. We joined them at the famous “no Name” bar and grill for lunch in Big Pine Key. It was great to see everybody and catch up on happenings back home.
Tracy and I loved Duvall Street in Key West with its shops, bars and bands playing each day. The area reminded us of a mix of Nashville, St. Augustine and New Orleans. We had dinner at two nice restaurants, our favorite was Alonzo’s on the waterfront as it has a great atmosphere on the marina, full menu and of course it served raw Oysters (my favorite). We also ate at Bagatelle which was very nice. In we enjoyed Coconut shrimp. Fried Red Snapper, Grouper and Swordfish at these restaurants. We also took these opportunities to take in the exquisite sunsets from Sunset Pier and Mallory Square. Both sites offer a clear view of the sunset, with food, vendors and of course have nearby libations.
One evening Tracy and I took out our pizza oven and offered home-made pizza and chicken wings as we watched the NFL divisional games. Nothing quite like home-made pizza, wings & football! I have to say our pizza is quite delicious!
Being on this clear blue water begs the desire to try out my fishing rod. Eric being an avid fisherman showed me all his tricks as we fished off the bridge right down the road. All together we caught about fifteen fish over two mornings. To be transparent and to give credit where its due, Eric caught thirteen and I hooked two (but mine were the biggest). Fishing is a bucket list item for me in retirement so I am still a newbie to the sport.
The weather has been fabulous over these two weeks, low eighties with a nice breeze with only one morning of rain. The evenings provided for a clear view of the stars and planets, made me wish I had my telescope with me (on the list for next visit). We were sad to leave after two weeks but look forward to our upcoming stay in Port Saint Lucie on the East coast of Florida.
The Sugarloaf KOA is beautifully landscaped and has top notch amenities. Our pull-thru site was lush with landscaping and had a wonderful paved patio setup with table, Adirondack chairs and nice large fire pit. By far its been the nicest KOA we've stayed at so far in our travels.
We took advantage of the on-site beach to launch our paddle board, Scout loves to go out on the water. Nothing quite like clear blue water, sunny skies and a nice breeze to accompany your journey on the water. One afternoon Christy and Tracy ventured out on the paddle board and encountered a couple of very large iguanas in the mangroves (see photo gallery) and a beautiful Starfish on the ocean bottom. Just down the street is a nice bike / walking path that crosses the Sugarloaf Key bridge, great for our early morning walks or bike rides with Scout in tow.
Our good friends Eric and Christy joined us for eight days down here in Piano Man and Tracy’s cousin Susan had her Coach here as well for the same two weeks of our stay. Together we kayaked locally, took a wonderful kayak and snorkeling tour out of Key West, and took in the NFL playoffs. This was the first time we had on-board company for more than a one-night stay. We were impressed with how comfortable it was with guests in the Coach, in fact, we had a blast all week long. On one afternoon we caught up with several friends from Brunswick Plantation in Calabash who were down vacationing in Marathon, Florida. We joined them at the famous “no Name” bar and grill for lunch in Big Pine Key. It was great to see everybody and catch up on happenings back home.
Tracy and I loved Duvall Street in Key West with its shops, bars and bands playing each day. The area reminded us of a mix of Nashville, St. Augustine and New Orleans. We had dinner at two nice restaurants, our favorite was Alonzo’s on the waterfront as it has a great atmosphere on the marina, full menu and of course it served raw Oysters (my favorite). We also ate at Bagatelle which was very nice. In we enjoyed Coconut shrimp. Fried Red Snapper, Grouper and Swordfish at these restaurants. We also took these opportunities to take in the exquisite sunsets from Sunset Pier and Mallory Square. Both sites offer a clear view of the sunset, with food, vendors and of course have nearby libations.
One evening Tracy and I took out our pizza oven and offered home-made pizza and chicken wings as we watched the NFL divisional games. Nothing quite like home-made pizza, wings & football! I have to say our pizza is quite delicious!
Being on this clear blue water begs the desire to try out my fishing rod. Eric being an avid fisherman showed me all his tricks as we fished off the bridge right down the road. All together we caught about fifteen fish over two mornings. To be transparent and to give credit where its due, Eric caught thirteen and I hooked two (but mine were the biggest). Fishing is a bucket list item for me in retirement so I am still a newbie to the sport.
The weather has been fabulous over these two weeks, low eighties with a nice breeze with only one morning of rain. The evenings provided for a clear view of the stars and planets, made me wish I had my telescope with me (on the list for next visit). We were sad to leave after two weeks but look forward to our upcoming stay in Port Saint Lucie on the East coast of Florida.
Clerbrook Golf and RV Resort, Clermont Florida
Clerbrook Golf and RV Resort, Clermont Florida
20005 US Highway 27 Clermont, FL 34715 Phone: (352) 394-5513 Pros: This is a Thousand Trails Encore resort with over 1200 sites. Five miles to Clermont which offers very nice shops, restaurants, grocery options and all the convenience. Staff, residents and guests were very friendly and welcoming. Amenities and bathrooms were well kept and clean. Each section had its own pool, indoor space for gatherings and recreation area. Best feature is its 18-hole golf course, they recently completed a full renovation and it’s in great shape. It’s a short but challenging course with undulating greens, tight fairways and lots of water features. Many leagues and golf events for all guests to enjoy (i.e. Men’s, Women’s and Couples leagues) Cons: All sites are grass and depending on your site can be very wet in the rain. Some sites are tight so you need to select sites for big coaches carefully. The resort had two dog parks but could be better maintained as they are very muddy after the rain. Most of the Park Models were in good shape but a few were not maintained. We stayed in the Crossroads section which was 90% RV’s with just a few Park Models. |
On our way south from Lake Wylie we made a quick stop in St. Augustine so we could meet up with the “newly engaged” couple Danielle and Brendan. We took one evening to enjoy a nice quiet dinner and celebrate their engagement. Now off to Clermont, Florida.
Originally, we were scheduled for the Florida Keys for the first two weeks of January but due to hurricane IAN our original RV Resort in Sugarloaf Key was not yet open. Luckily Tracy was able to book Clerbrook Golf and RV Resort which is just north of Orlando and close to the town of Clermont. This was our first opportunity to leverage our Thousand Trails membership, which we received when we purchased our Coach, this translated into nine nights with no camping charges! In the past we had read mixed reviews on Thousand Trials resorts but in speaking with a few friends, that are also members, we decided to give it a try. The resort did not disappoint, we were very pleased with our experience here and will certainly return in the future.
As we’ve mentioned in previous posts RV life is filled with great times and as well as some challenging situations, just as life is in a traditional home. When we arrived here at Clerbrook we were all parked and ready to setup when we received an “Rolling Alert” error on the Coach dash. Basically, it meant the Coach was not recognizing that the parking brake was on, with that error we could not level the Coach or put out the slides. After some research and a call to Tiffin (manufacture) we quickly identified the problem of a loose wire in the dash. Luckily, we avoided Mobile RV Tech visit and Tracy and I were able to resolve the problem in a couple of hours. Whew, I am glad Tracy is mechanically inclined!
After a fun filled holiday season with both our girls (always on the GO!) Tracy and I were glad to have this time to just relax and plan our exciting 2023 travels. This year we will be in Florida through May then will head north to visit family and friends and then west to visit State and National Parks. While at Clerbrook we continued our daily three mile walk each morning with Scout, visits to the dog park each day and of course we hit the golf course a few times. Other than just a few hours of rain one morning we had perfect weather with temperatures in the high-70’s. Most afternoons and evenings were spent sitting outside by the fire playing games, watching football and relaxing. We did take one afternoon to visit LakeridgeWinery, which is the largest winery in Florida. Lakeridge offers a free wonderful tour that was capped off by a generous wine tasting. Of course we could not leave without several of their bottles and some unique gifts, which by the way were not free. :)
We were very fortunate that we were able to meet up with Tracy’s friend Helene and her husband David from Connecticut while they were down in Fl. It was great catching up as we met at her cousins house and spent time reminiscing of the good old days. Seeing her cousin Jenn, meeting her family and also Aunt Irene was an added bonus as Tracy hasn’t seen them since living back in NY. We later went out to grab a bite to eat and enjoyed our time together. Hopefully we won’t wait as long to see each other again.
Overall, a very nice stay here at Clerbrook but looking forward to our journey and stay in Sugarloaf Key (just north of Key West). Can't wait for some sunny & warmer weather!
Originally, we were scheduled for the Florida Keys for the first two weeks of January but due to hurricane IAN our original RV Resort in Sugarloaf Key was not yet open. Luckily Tracy was able to book Clerbrook Golf and RV Resort which is just north of Orlando and close to the town of Clermont. This was our first opportunity to leverage our Thousand Trails membership, which we received when we purchased our Coach, this translated into nine nights with no camping charges! In the past we had read mixed reviews on Thousand Trials resorts but in speaking with a few friends, that are also members, we decided to give it a try. The resort did not disappoint, we were very pleased with our experience here and will certainly return in the future.
As we’ve mentioned in previous posts RV life is filled with great times and as well as some challenging situations, just as life is in a traditional home. When we arrived here at Clerbrook we were all parked and ready to setup when we received an “Rolling Alert” error on the Coach dash. Basically, it meant the Coach was not recognizing that the parking brake was on, with that error we could not level the Coach or put out the slides. After some research and a call to Tiffin (manufacture) we quickly identified the problem of a loose wire in the dash. Luckily, we avoided Mobile RV Tech visit and Tracy and I were able to resolve the problem in a couple of hours. Whew, I am glad Tracy is mechanically inclined!
After a fun filled holiday season with both our girls (always on the GO!) Tracy and I were glad to have this time to just relax and plan our exciting 2023 travels. This year we will be in Florida through May then will head north to visit family and friends and then west to visit State and National Parks. While at Clerbrook we continued our daily three mile walk each morning with Scout, visits to the dog park each day and of course we hit the golf course a few times. Other than just a few hours of rain one morning we had perfect weather with temperatures in the high-70’s. Most afternoons and evenings were spent sitting outside by the fire playing games, watching football and relaxing. We did take one afternoon to visit LakeridgeWinery, which is the largest winery in Florida. Lakeridge offers a free wonderful tour that was capped off by a generous wine tasting. Of course we could not leave without several of their bottles and some unique gifts, which by the way were not free. :)
We were very fortunate that we were able to meet up with Tracy’s friend Helene and her husband David from Connecticut while they were down in Fl. It was great catching up as we met at her cousins house and spent time reminiscing of the good old days. Seeing her cousin Jenn, meeting her family and also Aunt Irene was an added bonus as Tracy hasn’t seen them since living back in NY. We later went out to grab a bite to eat and enjoyed our time together. Hopefully we won’t wait as long to see each other again.
Overall, a very nice stay here at Clerbrook but looking forward to our journey and stay in Sugarloaf Key (just north of Key West). Can't wait for some sunny & warmer weather!
Ebenezer Park Campground, Rock Hill, South Carolina
Ebenezer Park Campground, Rock Hill, South Carolina
4490 Boatshore Rd, Rock Hill, SC 29732 Phone: 803-366-6620 Pros: This is a county park with a great location right on Lake Wiley complete with boat launch. Has a small beach area, children’s playground, fishing pier and picnic areas. Bath house is clean, staff is very helpful and sites are all full hookups. Its located 10 minutes from Rock Hill which offers many shopping and grocery choices. Cons: Sites are all gravel, and many have slopes, big coaches need to select a site carefully. If you have a Class A it would be wise to stay in the two front loops sites 1 through 30. The staff will help you select one that suits your needs. |
After a wonderful stay in St. Augustine Florida, we headed up to Lake Wiley, South Carolina (just south of Charlotte). Since this was a four hundred plus mile trip, we decided to stop for a night at CreekFire RV resort just outside of Savannah which we have stayed at previously. This is a nice RV resort right off I 95 and we booked a pull through site so we didnt have to unhook the Jeep.
We had a good and uneventful drive to Ebenezer Park Campground in Rock Hill, South Carolina. This is an ideal location for us as the County Park is fifteen minutes from our daughter’s home. We have stayed at this location several times over the past couple years, its simple and clean, it has full hookups and is close to shopping. This would be our home for the next 3.5 weeks, which allowed us to hang with our grandson Crew and help Rachel and Rob with the holiday preparations.
Our first weekend in Ebenezer we had our good friends Eric and Christy visit with us for the weekend. They traveled in from Asheville, North Carolina to see the new Coach, have some cheer (might I say too much cheer) and talk the night away. That same evening, we had a surprise visit from our daughter Rachel (Rob and Crew) and my niece Suzzanne, her husband James and their little one Sadie. The grandkids had a blast running around the coach as the adults enjoyed a beverage (or two) :) I was quite surprised how comfortable we were with ten of us enjoying the coach. We wrapped up a wonderful evening with the family by enjoying smores by the fire.
That same evening as Eric and I were soaking up some NFL football on the Telly, Tracy noticed a burning smell coming from the half-bath in the coach. After searching the interior to no avail, I opened the storage bay below and found a junction box smoking. Turns out this was an electrical connection box for the heated floors and one of the connections had melted the plastic wire connector. The next day I spoke with Tiffin (the manufacture) and we determined a loose connection had caused the problem which I promptly had fixed by an electrician. Living in a coach is no different than a sticks and bricks home, sometimes repairs are needed.
I also took time to play a round of golf with Rob and my friend Charles, we played Tega Cay Golf Club in the Fort Mill area. I highly recommend this course in warmer weather (yes it was COLD) as it’s a challenging course due to its fast and elevated greens but possesses a wonderful layout and was in great condition. Now I could have done without the forty-degree temperature with occasional hail but a fun day overall.
The week of Christmas was very productive as we prepared for the extended family and friends to arrive but the highlight of the week was spending time with our grandson Crew. Crew surprised us with a few “Firsts”, he said both “MiMi” and “PaPi” (our names) and on Christmas eve he said “Danielle” our daughter’s name. He is such a happy little guy and loves to run around the house and play with his toys. You should also know that nobody was having more fun than Scout, he loves playing with his cousin Kalani (who is as seventy-five-pound Bernie Doddle) as they chased each other around the yard all week. Mid-week Tracy’s parents arrived from Richmond, Virginia to join in on the festivities and on Christmas Eve Danielle and Brendan arrived. It is wonderful being able to have the “Piano Man” to travel and visit friends and family.
We are very thankful for Rachel and Rob hosting the family this week and even more thankful for the wonderful meals. On Christmas Eve Rob made homemade Pappardelle pasta and Ragu sauce couple with Rachel’s salad and homemade dressing. I would be remiss if I did not also note that for lunch, we had Tracy’s tasty Empanadas. Christmas dinner’s highlight was Rob’s Beef Wellington that was cooked perfectly and paired with Rachel’s green bean casserole and a tasty Pear Salad thanks to Jackie and Jason. We truly enjoyed this Christmas with family, it was a nice hiatus from our travels this year.
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, a happy holiday season and we wish all our family and friends a Happy & Blessed journey into 2023.
We had a good and uneventful drive to Ebenezer Park Campground in Rock Hill, South Carolina. This is an ideal location for us as the County Park is fifteen minutes from our daughter’s home. We have stayed at this location several times over the past couple years, its simple and clean, it has full hookups and is close to shopping. This would be our home for the next 3.5 weeks, which allowed us to hang with our grandson Crew and help Rachel and Rob with the holiday preparations.
Our first weekend in Ebenezer we had our good friends Eric and Christy visit with us for the weekend. They traveled in from Asheville, North Carolina to see the new Coach, have some cheer (might I say too much cheer) and talk the night away. That same evening, we had a surprise visit from our daughter Rachel (Rob and Crew) and my niece Suzzanne, her husband James and their little one Sadie. The grandkids had a blast running around the coach as the adults enjoyed a beverage (or two) :) I was quite surprised how comfortable we were with ten of us enjoying the coach. We wrapped up a wonderful evening with the family by enjoying smores by the fire.
That same evening as Eric and I were soaking up some NFL football on the Telly, Tracy noticed a burning smell coming from the half-bath in the coach. After searching the interior to no avail, I opened the storage bay below and found a junction box smoking. Turns out this was an electrical connection box for the heated floors and one of the connections had melted the plastic wire connector. The next day I spoke with Tiffin (the manufacture) and we determined a loose connection had caused the problem which I promptly had fixed by an electrician. Living in a coach is no different than a sticks and bricks home, sometimes repairs are needed.
I also took time to play a round of golf with Rob and my friend Charles, we played Tega Cay Golf Club in the Fort Mill area. I highly recommend this course in warmer weather (yes it was COLD) as it’s a challenging course due to its fast and elevated greens but possesses a wonderful layout and was in great condition. Now I could have done without the forty-degree temperature with occasional hail but a fun day overall.
The week of Christmas was very productive as we prepared for the extended family and friends to arrive but the highlight of the week was spending time with our grandson Crew. Crew surprised us with a few “Firsts”, he said both “MiMi” and “PaPi” (our names) and on Christmas eve he said “Danielle” our daughter’s name. He is such a happy little guy and loves to run around the house and play with his toys. You should also know that nobody was having more fun than Scout, he loves playing with his cousin Kalani (who is as seventy-five-pound Bernie Doddle) as they chased each other around the yard all week. Mid-week Tracy’s parents arrived from Richmond, Virginia to join in on the festivities and on Christmas Eve Danielle and Brendan arrived. It is wonderful being able to have the “Piano Man” to travel and visit friends and family.
We are very thankful for Rachel and Rob hosting the family this week and even more thankful for the wonderful meals. On Christmas Eve Rob made homemade Pappardelle pasta and Ragu sauce couple with Rachel’s salad and homemade dressing. I would be remiss if I did not also note that for lunch, we had Tracy’s tasty Empanadas. Christmas dinner’s highlight was Rob’s Beef Wellington that was cooked perfectly and paired with Rachel’s green bean casserole and a tasty Pear Salad thanks to Jackie and Jason. We truly enjoyed this Christmas with family, it was a nice hiatus from our travels this year.
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, a happy holiday season and we wish all our family and friends a Happy & Blessed journey into 2023.
Sun Outdoors St. Augustine RV Resort, St. Augustine, Florida
Sun Outdoors St. Augustine, St Augustine, Florida
1505 FL-207, St. Augustine, FL 32086 Phone: 904-824-3574 Pros: Great location, fifteen minutes to St Augustine down town area, three minutes to shopping and fifteen minutes to local beaches. Friendly staff, clean facilities & pool area and multiple dog parks. Offered Friday night campfire with smores and on occasion a band played in the pool area. Level and clean sites with plenty of room. Cons: Sites in the front two sections were all gravel with rear section all patio block. While there Sun Outdoors was installing patio block on all gravel pull-thru sites in sections 1 & 2. |
This was our inaugural trip with Piano Man, it was a short 178-mile trek which only took a few hours. The coach drove terrific, a much-improved drive over our previous coaches mostly due to the larger size and heavier weight, tag axles (two axles in the rear) and the larger tires all around. We also saw the safety features in action such as the Adaptative Cruise Control, Emergency Braking, Lane Assist and stability control. Of course, Tracy would say I loved the additional power of the 450 HP engine (which I did) as it gave us the ability to easily pass slow vehicles and conquer any hills. All in all, a very positive experience with the new coach although I was a bit nervous as I adapted to the larger size of the coach (5 feet longer).
Tracy and I have been to St. Augustine several times in the past, we truly enjoy the area as it offers nice beaches, a fun city center, plenty of amenities and it’s only thirty-five minutes from Jacksonville where Danielle and Brendan live. The campground was very nice, Scout had a great time meeting friends at the dog park and in particular a Doberman Pincher Augie who was staying on the RV site right across from us. We also had the pleasure of meeting Joey & Joy (from Minnesota) next door and Augie’s parents Paul & Lorretta (from Indiana). As an added surprise while walking Scout we noticed an RV with a Brunswick Plantation Plate on the front. Now we're not shy so we knocked on their door, chatted for a while and learned that Randall and Angela lived in Brunswick Plantation where we had just moved from. Later the next day we got together, enjoyed each other’s company and chatting about the good ole neighborhood. During our three weeks stay we also enjoyed several fireside gatherings with our new friends and a few other neighbors. It’s always nice to learn more about folks and listen to everybody’s RVing stories. Many of the folks are staying here through the winter to avoid the cold of the northern states.
The day after we arrived in the area both Danielle and Brendan were coming down to stay with us so we can see the kickoff of the Christmas season with St. Augustine’s “night of lights”. During the holidays the whole city is decorated for the season and beautifully lit up at night, it reminds me of Nashville with the many bands playing and restaurants and bars hopping. We did not tell the kids about our new home “Piano Man” so were curious to see Danielle’s reaction when she arrived. Amazingly, she drove up and parked in front of the coach, unloaded the trunk and didn’t notice the new digs until she stepped inside. She stopped dead in her tracks, turned and said “what the hey”, you bought a new coach? A funny moment since she didn’t notice anything different on the outside even though it’s a completely different color and design. The “nights of lights” didn’t disappoint, we walked the town center, enjoyed the music and finished off the night at River and Fort with a few of Brendan’s buddies. This is a nice restaurant which has a roof top bar complete with firepits and a wonderful view of the Bridge of Lions and the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (17th Century Fortress).
This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with Brendan’s family, his sister Libby and her husband Nicki were kind enough to open their home to us for the celebration. In all their we twenty-three us working hard to finish off the two turkeys, two hams and about ten fixings around the table including the Coster family favorite of mac & cheese. It was a beautiful day in Mandarin, Florida and it was a great pleasure to meet Brendan’s extended family.
Of course, Black Friday is our day to avoid the stores and shops and focus on decorating for Christmas. It’s no different in our Coach than in our sticks and bricks, we spent the day putting up our tree, colorful lights both inside and outside and our Christmas displays complete with outdoor signs, candles and garland.
We took this opportunity to make a quick trip up to New York to visit my mom (Jean) and sister (Carolyn, Eddie & Amanda too) for the Christmas season. Tracy and I had fun decorating my mom’s apartment for Christmas and we took mom to the salon for hair and nail treatments. We also did a lovely dinner at La Parma II in Huntington Long Island. Overall, a very nice visit, a big shout out and thank you to Carolyn and Eddie for hosting us in their beautifully decorated home and for the hours of storytelling of good times gone by.
While in St. Augustine we also enjoyed a day of fishing in Jacksonville thanks to Brendan’s Freedom Boat Club membership, it was a beautiful day but unfortunately the fish were on vacation so no big catches that day. We also took two trips to drive on the beach and let Scout enjoy some serious exercise, we visited both the St. Augustine beach and Vilano beach. Both beaches are dog friendly and allow 4X4 vehicles. I stress 4X4 as a Honda Civic owner tried to drive on the beach and ended up getting towed as the sand was very soft and deep (see photo).
It’s time to wrap up our St. Augustine visit, now off to Lake Wiley just outside of Charlotte to spend Christmas with our grandson Crew, Rachel and Rob!!!
Tracy and I have been to St. Augustine several times in the past, we truly enjoy the area as it offers nice beaches, a fun city center, plenty of amenities and it’s only thirty-five minutes from Jacksonville where Danielle and Brendan live. The campground was very nice, Scout had a great time meeting friends at the dog park and in particular a Doberman Pincher Augie who was staying on the RV site right across from us. We also had the pleasure of meeting Joey & Joy (from Minnesota) next door and Augie’s parents Paul & Lorretta (from Indiana). As an added surprise while walking Scout we noticed an RV with a Brunswick Plantation Plate on the front. Now we're not shy so we knocked on their door, chatted for a while and learned that Randall and Angela lived in Brunswick Plantation where we had just moved from. Later the next day we got together, enjoyed each other’s company and chatting about the good ole neighborhood. During our three weeks stay we also enjoyed several fireside gatherings with our new friends and a few other neighbors. It’s always nice to learn more about folks and listen to everybody’s RVing stories. Many of the folks are staying here through the winter to avoid the cold of the northern states.
The day after we arrived in the area both Danielle and Brendan were coming down to stay with us so we can see the kickoff of the Christmas season with St. Augustine’s “night of lights”. During the holidays the whole city is decorated for the season and beautifully lit up at night, it reminds me of Nashville with the many bands playing and restaurants and bars hopping. We did not tell the kids about our new home “Piano Man” so were curious to see Danielle’s reaction when she arrived. Amazingly, she drove up and parked in front of the coach, unloaded the trunk and didn’t notice the new digs until she stepped inside. She stopped dead in her tracks, turned and said “what the hey”, you bought a new coach? A funny moment since she didn’t notice anything different on the outside even though it’s a completely different color and design. The “nights of lights” didn’t disappoint, we walked the town center, enjoyed the music and finished off the night at River and Fort with a few of Brendan’s buddies. This is a nice restaurant which has a roof top bar complete with firepits and a wonderful view of the Bridge of Lions and the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (17th Century Fortress).
This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with Brendan’s family, his sister Libby and her husband Nicki were kind enough to open their home to us for the celebration. In all their we twenty-three us working hard to finish off the two turkeys, two hams and about ten fixings around the table including the Coster family favorite of mac & cheese. It was a beautiful day in Mandarin, Florida and it was a great pleasure to meet Brendan’s extended family.
Of course, Black Friday is our day to avoid the stores and shops and focus on decorating for Christmas. It’s no different in our Coach than in our sticks and bricks, we spent the day putting up our tree, colorful lights both inside and outside and our Christmas displays complete with outdoor signs, candles and garland.
We took this opportunity to make a quick trip up to New York to visit my mom (Jean) and sister (Carolyn, Eddie & Amanda too) for the Christmas season. Tracy and I had fun decorating my mom’s apartment for Christmas and we took mom to the salon for hair and nail treatments. We also did a lovely dinner at La Parma II in Huntington Long Island. Overall, a very nice visit, a big shout out and thank you to Carolyn and Eddie for hosting us in their beautifully decorated home and for the hours of storytelling of good times gone by.
While in St. Augustine we also enjoyed a day of fishing in Jacksonville thanks to Brendan’s Freedom Boat Club membership, it was a beautiful day but unfortunately the fish were on vacation so no big catches that day. We also took two trips to drive on the beach and let Scout enjoy some serious exercise, we visited both the St. Augustine beach and Vilano beach. Both beaches are dog friendly and allow 4X4 vehicles. I stress 4X4 as a Honda Civic owner tried to drive on the beach and ended up getting towed as the sand was very soft and deep (see photo).
It’s time to wrap up our St. Augustine visit, now off to Lake Wiley just outside of Charlotte to spend Christmas with our grandson Crew, Rachel and Rob!!!
Lazy Days Crown Club, Seffner, Florida
As with any vehicle or sticks and bricks home they require regular maintenance and repairs. This trip to the Tampa area was pre-planned months back to have our Coach serviced before we begin our winter travels. Although no one wants to stay at a service center, the Crown Club at Lazy Days makes this very palatable as it has a nice club house with pool and serves three meals a day (free) for its members. So net/net not a bad situation.
While we were in Tampa, we continued our commitment to visit family and friends local to our travels. We took this opportunity to visit with Tracy’s cousin (and her family) in Port St Richie and her uncle and aunt in Tampa Palms. Both visits were wonderful with lots of catching up and storytelling of days gone by.
It was recommended to us to stop by Ybor City so we couldn’t resist and took an afternoon to visit. Ybor City is one of only three National Historic Landmark Districts located in the State of Florida and is known for its vintage shops, Cuban and Latin American eateries and was formerly the cigar capital of the world back in the 1900’s. In fact, it still has a working cigar factory at J.C. Newman Cigar Company complete with a museum and tour of the cigar making in action. In addition to visiting the shops we also took the local trolley down to the waterfront where we sat outside (with Scout) to enjoy a fabulous lunch at the Columbia restaurant. There are two locations in Ybor city, the original one located in town and a newer one by the waterfront which has outside dining and allows pets. Both have great food but if you want the original experience go to the location in town as its architecture and décor transports you back to its opening in 1905.
Now for the big news…. I mentioned earlier that Lazy Days is an RV dealership in addition to a service center, well, this means that surrounding the service center is what Tracy and I call the “Land of the Giants”. You can see in our photo gallery that this place is filled with rows and rows of big diesel coaches for sale. Each morning they unlock all of them so you can walk around and take a look at each of the coaches. Well, Tracy and I have been researching coaches as we (okay me) wanted a bit more power, a tag axle (two rear axles) and a bit more storage space for our clothes (Tracy). We looked at several manufactures such as Newmar, Entegra and Tiffin, and after several test drives we decided upon the Tiffin Allegro Bus 45OPP as pictured above. We affectionally named him “Piano Man” for his piano key inspired exterior design. This coach has a smooth and comfortable drive with many safety features, lots of power for the upcoming mountain climbs and has an interior layout perfect for our needs. Once we purchased the Coach, we spent a few days making sure everything was in working order and took four days to “move in”.
This ended our stay in the Tampa area and we took “Piano Man” on his maiden voyage to St. Augustine, Florida for our Thanksgiving holiday visit with Danielle, Brendan and his family.
While we were in Tampa, we continued our commitment to visit family and friends local to our travels. We took this opportunity to visit with Tracy’s cousin (and her family) in Port St Richie and her uncle and aunt in Tampa Palms. Both visits were wonderful with lots of catching up and storytelling of days gone by.
It was recommended to us to stop by Ybor City so we couldn’t resist and took an afternoon to visit. Ybor City is one of only three National Historic Landmark Districts located in the State of Florida and is known for its vintage shops, Cuban and Latin American eateries and was formerly the cigar capital of the world back in the 1900’s. In fact, it still has a working cigar factory at J.C. Newman Cigar Company complete with a museum and tour of the cigar making in action. In addition to visiting the shops we also took the local trolley down to the waterfront where we sat outside (with Scout) to enjoy a fabulous lunch at the Columbia restaurant. There are two locations in Ybor city, the original one located in town and a newer one by the waterfront which has outside dining and allows pets. Both have great food but if you want the original experience go to the location in town as its architecture and décor transports you back to its opening in 1905.
Now for the big news…. I mentioned earlier that Lazy Days is an RV dealership in addition to a service center, well, this means that surrounding the service center is what Tracy and I call the “Land of the Giants”. You can see in our photo gallery that this place is filled with rows and rows of big diesel coaches for sale. Each morning they unlock all of them so you can walk around and take a look at each of the coaches. Well, Tracy and I have been researching coaches as we (okay me) wanted a bit more power, a tag axle (two rear axles) and a bit more storage space for our clothes (Tracy). We looked at several manufactures such as Newmar, Entegra and Tiffin, and after several test drives we decided upon the Tiffin Allegro Bus 45OPP as pictured above. We affectionally named him “Piano Man” for his piano key inspired exterior design. This coach has a smooth and comfortable drive with many safety features, lots of power for the upcoming mountain climbs and has an interior layout perfect for our needs. Once we purchased the Coach, we spent a few days making sure everything was in working order and took four days to “move in”.
This ended our stay in the Tampa area and we took “Piano Man” on his maiden voyage to St. Augustine, Florida for our Thanksgiving holiday visit with Danielle, Brendan and his family.
Island Oaks RV Resort, Glen St Mary, Florida
Island Oaks RV Resort
9664 Nursery Rd Blvd, Glen St Mary, FL 32040 Phone: 904-420-7822 Pros: New RV Resort, clean, great amenities (pool, jacuzzi, gym, pickleball, basketball, playground and swimming lake). Nice restaurant and bar, small store on property. Friendly staff and nice concrete pads. Cons: Road noise from I-10 unless in back portion of resort, narrow pads for big rigs unless you get the pull-thru sites. Dog park was unkept and offered no water for the pups. |
Danielle (our daughter) and I visited this RV resort last year to check it out while it was under construction. So this year, we chose this location (30 miles outside of Jacksonville) to see the finished product. We were not disappointed, the amenities were terrific, the restaurant food was delicious (check out the milkshake menu in the gallery) and the resort was kept immaculate. This resort has lots of kid’s activities so I have heard it is packed with families during the summer and holidays. This was originally a 3-night stay for us but turns out that with hurricane IAN hitting the east coast of Florida our reservations at Kathryn Abbey Hanna City Park in Jacksonville Beach was closed due to storm damage so we stayed at Island Oaks for 12 days.
Our first order of business was to complete our move to Florida by obtaining our drivers licenses and vehicle registrations. With this now complete we are officially Florida residents…Wahoo!!! We also took this time to unload additional items from our coach into our storage unit. Finding the right balance of what items we need on-board will happen over time as we continue our journey across America.
Of course, we had lots of fun while in Jacksonville, we were able to celebrate Danielle’s new job by having a fabulous meal at River and Post in down town Jacksonville. Following dinner, Danielle and Brendan took us across the street to the Cummer Museum of Arts and Gardens. This museum is a must see, it truly captures the local Jacksonville history. The museum sits on the same property as the Cummer’s original residence and has spectacular gardens right on the Saint Johns River.
Of course shopping was involved, so we took the opportunity to hit the local farmers and craft market to pick up some Christmas gifts for our friends and family and stopped at the nearby Avondale Village where we grabbed a wonderful lunch at the Brick restaurant (dog friendly).
Tracy and I both agree that the highlight of our trip (besides visiting family) was our trip to TIAA Bank Field to see the NY Giants play against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Of course, we were decked out in our new Jacksonville Jaguars attire and had a great time tailgating prior to the game thanks to Brendan (season ticket holder). The game came down to the final seconds with a NY Giants win by stopping the Jaguars at the one yard line. Of course we were disappointed the Jags lost (wink, wink) but it was a very exciting game to watch.
We had a wonderful time in Jacksonville and now it’s off to Tampa, Florida.
Our first order of business was to complete our move to Florida by obtaining our drivers licenses and vehicle registrations. With this now complete we are officially Florida residents…Wahoo!!! We also took this time to unload additional items from our coach into our storage unit. Finding the right balance of what items we need on-board will happen over time as we continue our journey across America.
Of course, we had lots of fun while in Jacksonville, we were able to celebrate Danielle’s new job by having a fabulous meal at River and Post in down town Jacksonville. Following dinner, Danielle and Brendan took us across the street to the Cummer Museum of Arts and Gardens. This museum is a must see, it truly captures the local Jacksonville history. The museum sits on the same property as the Cummer’s original residence and has spectacular gardens right on the Saint Johns River.
Of course shopping was involved, so we took the opportunity to hit the local farmers and craft market to pick up some Christmas gifts for our friends and family and stopped at the nearby Avondale Village where we grabbed a wonderful lunch at the Brick restaurant (dog friendly).
Tracy and I both agree that the highlight of our trip (besides visiting family) was our trip to TIAA Bank Field to see the NY Giants play against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Of course, we were decked out in our new Jacksonville Jaguars attire and had a great time tailgating prior to the game thanks to Brendan (season ticket holder). The game came down to the final seconds with a NY Giants win by stopping the Jaguars at the one yard line. Of course we were disappointed the Jags lost (wink, wink) but it was a very exciting game to watch.
We had a wonderful time in Jacksonville and now it’s off to Tampa, Florida.
Topsail Preserve State Park, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
Topsail Preserve State Park
7525 W County Hwy 30A, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 Phone: 850-267-8330 Pros: Bike, shuttle or golf cart to beach (less than 1 mile), beach has bath house and bike racks. Clean grounds and bath house, large sites, friendly staff, close to shopping and popular 3OA activities. Cons: No dog park, no dogs allowed on beach & difficult to get reservations. |
Topsail was an easy and enjoyable 100 miles from our stay at Heritage MotorCoach Resort in Orange Beach, Alabama. Being a very popular State Park, we were only able to book two nights but we really wanted to check out the area known as the "Emerald Coast". The afternoon we arrived we took out the bikes and headed down to the beach. The water was a clear "emerald" color and of course a nice temperature as you would expect for October. The only disappointment is the beach is not dog friendly so Scout had to sit this one out. :-(
The next day we took off to explore the 3OA corridor. For those who visit this area, you know it can be very congested. Luckily it was off season so it wasn’t total grid lock, but it was still very busy. We had lunch outside (with Scout) at the Piccolo restaurant & The Red Bar in Grayton Beach, both the food and service were excellent. After lunch we took the time to head out to the beach, which is dog friendly, so this location will hit our list of places to visit next time around.
My buddy advised me of a cool cigar bar in the area called The Shore Thing, its owned by Luke Bryan (Country Star for those who don’t know him). This was a great time to refill the stash and have a cold beer while listening to country music, you will notice in the picture that Scout enjoyed it as much as I did.
Just as life is at home, when on the road traveling you still have good days and some that are more challenging than others. On our last day at Topsail we were packing up and getting the coach ready to hit the road and we were unable to retract our main slide. We spoke with the RV technical staff via phone and tried all the solutions provided, but we were unsuccessful in retracting the slide so we could be on our way. We have a highly recommended Roadside Assistance membership for our coach called CoachNet and gave them a call to dispatch an RV technician to help us get the slide in. With-in a couple hours the Tech arrived, diagnosed the issue and knew what he needed to do, unfortunately he had to go get some additional tools and would return in the morning to complete the job. We notified the campground and they graciously understood we had to stay another night as we were unable to move the coach. As promised the Tech arrived at 8am and we were on the road by 9:30am to head to our next destination just outside Jacksonville, Florida.
Although it was a short visit to Topsail, Tracy, Scout and I all agreed we would return to the beautiful "Emerald Coast". Please join us in extending thoughts and prayers to those impacted by hurricane IAN. Clearly a devastating impact across both the southern gulf coast and eastern shores.
The next day we took off to explore the 3OA corridor. For those who visit this area, you know it can be very congested. Luckily it was off season so it wasn’t total grid lock, but it was still very busy. We had lunch outside (with Scout) at the Piccolo restaurant & The Red Bar in Grayton Beach, both the food and service were excellent. After lunch we took the time to head out to the beach, which is dog friendly, so this location will hit our list of places to visit next time around.
My buddy advised me of a cool cigar bar in the area called The Shore Thing, its owned by Luke Bryan (Country Star for those who don’t know him). This was a great time to refill the stash and have a cold beer while listening to country music, you will notice in the picture that Scout enjoyed it as much as I did.
Just as life is at home, when on the road traveling you still have good days and some that are more challenging than others. On our last day at Topsail we were packing up and getting the coach ready to hit the road and we were unable to retract our main slide. We spoke with the RV technical staff via phone and tried all the solutions provided, but we were unsuccessful in retracting the slide so we could be on our way. We have a highly recommended Roadside Assistance membership for our coach called CoachNet and gave them a call to dispatch an RV technician to help us get the slide in. With-in a couple hours the Tech arrived, diagnosed the issue and knew what he needed to do, unfortunately he had to go get some additional tools and would return in the morning to complete the job. We notified the campground and they graciously understood we had to stay another night as we were unable to move the coach. As promised the Tech arrived at 8am and we were on the road by 9:30am to head to our next destination just outside Jacksonville, Florida.
Although it was a short visit to Topsail, Tracy, Scout and I all agreed we would return to the beautiful "Emerald Coast". Please join us in extending thoughts and prayers to those impacted by hurricane IAN. Clearly a devastating impact across both the southern gulf coast and eastern shores.
Lake Greenwood State Park - Ninety Six, South Carolina
Lake Greenwood State Park was our first stop after selling our Home in Calabash, NC. The location was perfect to breakup our drive to Chattanooga and take a deep breath as we began our RV journey. We reserved our site only a couple of weeks prior to arrival and secured a nice pull-through site with just water and electric but the campground did offer many sites with Full Hook-ups. Since the campground was right on the lake many of the sites were along the water which was perfect for kayaking, paddle boarding and fishing. Many folks had their power boats pulled right up to their site. The campground offered clean bathrooms and showers, the staff was very helpful and you can tell they enjoyed their jobs.
This being our first stop after selling our home, it provided good downtime for both of us. This also provided Tracy lots of time to organize the rig after the move. At this time, we were still evaluating what we needed to keep with us on the rig versus trash or relocate to Florida. The one thing we were sure of was that we still had too much "stuff" on the rig. Take a look at the photo gallery to see how scenic this campground really is!!! As a side note we have already booked two additional stays at this campground for this coming spring/summer to enjoy all it has to offer as well as its proximity to our daughter Rachel's home.
This being our first stop after selling our home, it provided good downtime for both of us. This also provided Tracy lots of time to organize the rig after the move. At this time, we were still evaluating what we needed to keep with us on the rig versus trash or relocate to Florida. The one thing we were sure of was that we still had too much "stuff" on the rig. Take a look at the photo gallery to see how scenic this campground really is!!! As a side note we have already booked two additional stays at this campground for this coming spring/summer to enjoy all it has to offer as well as its proximity to our daughter Rachel's home.
Lookout Mountain / Chattanooga West KOA (Holiday) - Trenton Georgia
The Chattanooga area offers many wonderful outdoor attractions such as Rock City Gardens, Ruby Falls, Chickamauga Battlefield and the the downtown restaurants and parks next to the Tennessee River. This was also home to our friends Tom and Rebecca (Haley and Will too!!). We had the opportunity to have a very nice brunch with the them, it was filled with lots of laughter and catching up. We stayed at the Lookout Mountain KOA which was a short ride south of Chattanooga, located in a nice quiet and wooded area. This was a wonderful KOA, the owners who ran the campground took great pride in their campers experience.
Our timing was good for site-seeing as school was in session. This made for a non-crowed and relaxing visit to the typically busy tourist attractions. Rock City Gardens is a must see for all who visit here, its beautifully manicured, clean and as picturesque as it gets. Best of all this is a dog friendly location and Scout joined in on the fun. As a side note, they were already putting up the Christmas lights so I bet this is a great attraction during the Christmas holiday. They have a simple but nice restaurant on the top of the mountain which overlooks seven states. We spent about half a day touring the gardens which seemed to be the right amount of time.
Our next stop was Ruby Falls, this natural landmark is home to the tallest and deepest underground waterfall open to the public in the United States. There are no pets allowed so Scout had to sit this one out. It was about an hour tour through the rock caves which was filled with interesting stalactites and stalagmites, columns, drapery, and flowstone. Tracy was able to capture some nice pictures located in the Blog Gallery section.
We took out the bikes for our visit to the Chickamauga Battlefield, it was a beautiful day for riding and visiting all the battlefield monuments. This is a National Military Park, we found it very informative and interesting to explore the actual battlegrounds which were occupied by the American Civil War Armies in 1862. You will see in the gallery the park had many monuments documenting each and every battle confrontation.
Overall a very nice visit to the Chattanooga area, it was great seeing our friends and we look forward to the next time we pass thru this area. Our next stop is the action packed city of Nashville.
Our timing was good for site-seeing as school was in session. This made for a non-crowed and relaxing visit to the typically busy tourist attractions. Rock City Gardens is a must see for all who visit here, its beautifully manicured, clean and as picturesque as it gets. Best of all this is a dog friendly location and Scout joined in on the fun. As a side note, they were already putting up the Christmas lights so I bet this is a great attraction during the Christmas holiday. They have a simple but nice restaurant on the top of the mountain which overlooks seven states. We spent about half a day touring the gardens which seemed to be the right amount of time.
Our next stop was Ruby Falls, this natural landmark is home to the tallest and deepest underground waterfall open to the public in the United States. There are no pets allowed so Scout had to sit this one out. It was about an hour tour through the rock caves which was filled with interesting stalactites and stalagmites, columns, drapery, and flowstone. Tracy was able to capture some nice pictures located in the Blog Gallery section.
We took out the bikes for our visit to the Chickamauga Battlefield, it was a beautiful day for riding and visiting all the battlefield monuments. This is a National Military Park, we found it very informative and interesting to explore the actual battlegrounds which were occupied by the American Civil War Armies in 1862. You will see in the gallery the park had many monuments documenting each and every battle confrontation.
Overall a very nice visit to the Chattanooga area, it was great seeing our friends and we look forward to the next time we pass thru this area. Our next stop is the action packed city of Nashville.
Elm Hill RV Resort - Nashville Tennessee
Our visit to Nashville was short (5 days) but sweet. Our RV lot was right on the water which meant I could fish right out back as well as launch our Kayak to explore the lake. Scout loves to hop on the board and traverse the lake with us.
We took several trips into Nashville to see the sights and enjoy the many bars which all offered live music. Our favorite bar was the Honky Tonk Central as it had the best band that day, we we also enjoyed Jason Aldean's, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge and Ole Red and that was just the morning bar hop... just kidding.
We spent a morning touring the Country Music Hall of Fame which we really enjoyed but followed that with a tour to Studio B which is where Elvis recorded many of his songs, this was fabulous venue and a must see for all. You can check out the pictures of us at his actual piano (which is still in the studio) in our gallery. Our tour guide was terrific and shared many stories of how Elvis worked his crew during the recording sessions.
Overall we had a very nice time exploring Nashville, next time around we will plan to stay a bit longer as there were many sites we did not get to experience. Now its off to the Gatlinburg area.
We took several trips into Nashville to see the sights and enjoy the many bars which all offered live music. Our favorite bar was the Honky Tonk Central as it had the best band that day, we we also enjoyed Jason Aldean's, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge and Ole Red and that was just the morning bar hop... just kidding.
We spent a morning touring the Country Music Hall of Fame which we really enjoyed but followed that with a tour to Studio B which is where Elvis recorded many of his songs, this was fabulous venue and a must see for all. You can check out the pictures of us at his actual piano (which is still in the studio) in our gallery. Our tour guide was terrific and shared many stories of how Elvis worked his crew during the recording sessions.
Overall we had a very nice time exploring Nashville, next time around we will plan to stay a bit longer as there were many sites we did not get to experience. Now its off to the Gatlinburg area.
Anchor Down RV Resort - Dandridge Tennessee
Anchor Down RV Resort |
We arrived at the Anchor Down RV Resort in mid-September and up to this point our Tennessee travels have had terrific weather all around (mid-80's and sunny). We had high expectations for this resort as it typically takes two years to get in, we were lucky and hooked a cancelled reservation about six months prior. I will say that the resort did not disappoint, it was immaculate all around, had nice sites and the pool had a million dollar view. On the weekends it offered a tasty food truck and the dog park was top notch (which Scout enjoyed several times a day). On several days we leveraged the boat launch to take out the paddle board, one day we took the board across the lake to another campground, it was about three hours round trip and Scout was a trooper the entire way. We leveraged the good weather and resort amenities to relax and enjoy some down time.
We did take one day mid-week to explore the area and we drove through Pigeon Forge on our way to Gatlinburg. We were amazed at how Pigeon Forge looked very much the same as the heart of Myrtle Beach, it offered the same themed restaurants and attractions (oh and the traffic too). After we arrived in Gatlinburg and paid our $20 to park (ouch) we truly enjoyed the town's shops and charm. We enjoyed a very tasty meal for lunch (w/Scout) at Tom & Earl's Back Alley Grill.
While in Gatlinburg we took the tram up to Sky Bridge which is the longest pedestrian cable bridge in North America. This was a pet friendly attraction and Tracy and I were amazed at how calm Scout was on the open air chair lift (and cable bridge). The cable bridge had a glass floor mid-way through which was really cool.
Overall a very nice and relaxing stay, this wraps up our Tennessee tour and now heading south to Alabama and the Gulf Shore.
We did take one day mid-week to explore the area and we drove through Pigeon Forge on our way to Gatlinburg. We were amazed at how Pigeon Forge looked very much the same as the heart of Myrtle Beach, it offered the same themed restaurants and attractions (oh and the traffic too). After we arrived in Gatlinburg and paid our $20 to park (ouch) we truly enjoyed the town's shops and charm. We enjoyed a very tasty meal for lunch (w/Scout) at Tom & Earl's Back Alley Grill.
While in Gatlinburg we took the tram up to Sky Bridge which is the longest pedestrian cable bridge in North America. This was a pet friendly attraction and Tracy and I were amazed at how calm Scout was on the open air chair lift (and cable bridge). The cable bridge had a glass floor mid-way through which was really cool.
Overall a very nice and relaxing stay, this wraps up our Tennessee tour and now heading south to Alabama and the Gulf Shore.
Corbin Farms Winery - Calera Alabama
Corbins Farms Winery is a Harvest Host site, which means you can stay for one night free of charge. This location, just outside of Birmingham, was the half way point between our previous location and our next destination in Orange Beach, Alabama. We arrived in time to catch the Sunday brunch which was delicious and of course we had a few of the wine slushies as shown in the picture above. Once the Winery closed Scout had the run of the place, Tracy took some cool pictures which you can check out in the Gallery. This Harvest Host offered a nice and quiet location that I would recommend to you if your ever passing through this area.
Heritage Motor Coach Resort & Marina - Orange Beach Alabama
Heritage Motor Coach Resort and Marina
28888 Canal Rd., Orange Beach, AL. 36561 Phone: 251-923-3400 Pros: Gated, Quiet and Beautifully landscaped, wonderful amenities and views right on the Bay. Private dog friendly beach, very nice pool and hot tub. Easy to paddle board or kayak right from resort. All sites are large with most having covered patios with TV and outdoor furniture. Very friendly and helpful staff, close to beach and Gulf State Park. Cons: A few of the sites need maintenance on the outdoor amenities such as the BBQ's & shades. |
We arrived to Orange Beach on a beautiful sunny day which fortunately lasted the full two week we were in town. This area offers something for everyone, it has beautiful beaches, biking, golfing, good restaurants and nightlife. Of course, it is also a place where you can chill and enjoy the beautiful weather.
Our home for the two weeks was Heritage Motor Coach Resort and it was spectacular. It is a small resort with only 66 sites, each with a casita and outside sitting areas, located right on the beach on Bayou Saint John. Heritage offers a beautiful pool and hot tub area overlooking the beach, beautiful landscaping, friendly staff and neighbors. Best of all the beach area was dog friendly allowing off the leash fun for Scout. In fact, Scout found many of other dogs to play with each morning, we know he had as good a time as we did.
One of our favorite activities was to bike in Gulf State Park just a couple miles from the resort. It has miles of smooth trails that offer shade and views of the park’s lake. This park also offers a large dog park for the pups to run around. Most days we would ride about fifteen miles but when I took out my road bike I would get in about thirty miles.
We took advantage of being right on Bayou by venturing out on our paddle board (yes Scout too). One such trip we ran across a pod of dolphins, they came right up to us as they were feeding and playing. We were able to hang with them for about thirty minutes before they left the area.
One day we dug out our golf clubs and hit the links on Glenlakes Golf Club. This was a nice course with friendly staff and was very reasonably priced. We did have some laughs on the course, as Tracy was hitting her 3-wood off the fairway it seems the club head was loose and traveled nearly as far as the golf ball (see pictures). As is with the rules of golf, no mulligan was given and she had to play the ball as is.
This area is known for its great seafood, we of course had to sample the local fare. While at Orange Beach we had lunch at the Pink Pony Pub (named appropriately), the view was incredible as it was right on the beach and the food was delicious. The locals recommended GT’s on the Bay for dinner, this venue offered spectacular views of the sunset (see gallery), good seafood, drinks and live music. As a finale we stopped at The Gulf for dinner, this is a very casual spot right on the Gulf inlet with the tables and chairs right on the beach area. We enjoyed the tasty crab legs and generous drinks.
Since we knew, we would return to this area we took some time to visit three other RV Resorts in the area: Bella Terra, Buena Vista and Gulf Shores RV Park. We found Heritage our current location to still be the nicest resort but of course that comes at a price. Bella Terra would be our second choice as it is very nice, has friendly staff and nice amenities. Buena Vista is located close to the beach, but has lots of construction for on-site expansion and road noise as it is right on the main road by the beach. Buena Vista is also the most expensive with many fees associated in addition of the camping fees. Gulf Shores RV Resort is new(ish), it is wide open with no landscaping or shade at all. The sites have no picnic tables, firepits or landscaping and we were was also surprised on how much they charge based on the lack amenities. Interesting to note there were only a few RV’s in the entire park when we were there.
In wrapping up our stay in Orange Beach, it is clearly a location we will re-visit. We had terrific weather and a great time all around. Now its off to the 3OA area and Top Sail Hill State Park.
Our home for the two weeks was Heritage Motor Coach Resort and it was spectacular. It is a small resort with only 66 sites, each with a casita and outside sitting areas, located right on the beach on Bayou Saint John. Heritage offers a beautiful pool and hot tub area overlooking the beach, beautiful landscaping, friendly staff and neighbors. Best of all the beach area was dog friendly allowing off the leash fun for Scout. In fact, Scout found many of other dogs to play with each morning, we know he had as good a time as we did.
One of our favorite activities was to bike in Gulf State Park just a couple miles from the resort. It has miles of smooth trails that offer shade and views of the park’s lake. This park also offers a large dog park for the pups to run around. Most days we would ride about fifteen miles but when I took out my road bike I would get in about thirty miles.
We took advantage of being right on Bayou by venturing out on our paddle board (yes Scout too). One such trip we ran across a pod of dolphins, they came right up to us as they were feeding and playing. We were able to hang with them for about thirty minutes before they left the area.
One day we dug out our golf clubs and hit the links on Glenlakes Golf Club. This was a nice course with friendly staff and was very reasonably priced. We did have some laughs on the course, as Tracy was hitting her 3-wood off the fairway it seems the club head was loose and traveled nearly as far as the golf ball (see pictures). As is with the rules of golf, no mulligan was given and she had to play the ball as is.
This area is known for its great seafood, we of course had to sample the local fare. While at Orange Beach we had lunch at the Pink Pony Pub (named appropriately), the view was incredible as it was right on the beach and the food was delicious. The locals recommended GT’s on the Bay for dinner, this venue offered spectacular views of the sunset (see gallery), good seafood, drinks and live music. As a finale we stopped at The Gulf for dinner, this is a very casual spot right on the Gulf inlet with the tables and chairs right on the beach area. We enjoyed the tasty crab legs and generous drinks.
Since we knew, we would return to this area we took some time to visit three other RV Resorts in the area: Bella Terra, Buena Vista and Gulf Shores RV Park. We found Heritage our current location to still be the nicest resort but of course that comes at a price. Bella Terra would be our second choice as it is very nice, has friendly staff and nice amenities. Buena Vista is located close to the beach, but has lots of construction for on-site expansion and road noise as it is right on the main road by the beach. Buena Vista is also the most expensive with many fees associated in addition of the camping fees. Gulf Shores RV Resort is new(ish), it is wide open with no landscaping or shade at all. The sites have no picnic tables, firepits or landscaping and we were was also surprised on how much they charge based on the lack amenities. Interesting to note there were only a few RV’s in the entire park when we were there.
In wrapping up our stay in Orange Beach, it is clearly a location we will re-visit. We had terrific weather and a great time all around. Now its off to the 3OA area and Top Sail Hill State Park.