To the right off the river is where George Washington lived as a boy and chopped down the cherry tree.
Boondocking at the Elks, gotta to love a free campsite!
From there we headed to Hershey PA for the RV show and training classes for Mark.
We boondocked in the parking lot across from the show paying $30 a day but had shuttle service to and from the show. The other parks in the area were getting a fortune! I have to mention that we left my truck and trailer back in Bracey VA as we planned to be so busy during this leg of the trip that it wasn't worth hauling it. This is the first time since we hit the road that we have traveled together, mixed feelings on that one.
Our friends Kate and Roger were attending the show as well so we were able to connect. After Marks classes were over we moved to Manheim where they were staying. When we get together with this couple we do what we do best, check out the local breweries!
Troegs Brewing Company, Hershey
Snitz Creek Brewery, Lebanon.
Things are always funnier at the second brewery!
We departed a few days later but made plans to spend the summer together in Utah and Colorado, until the next brewery, safe travels.
It was time to replace the tires on the rig and we were getting unusual wear on one tire. Mark did research finding out that the axles weren't in alignment so we purchased Correct Track at the show and made an appointment to have it installed in West Chester.
This was the worst tire, it appeared that is was bouncing going down the road!
We had an appointment for Monday but they were so busy returning from the RV show that they asked if we could do it on Tuesday. Sure thing 2 more free nights of camping which turned into 3 as it was too late to head out on Tuesday.
Since we had some time to check out the area we explored a nice park and than needed a cold beverage.
Boxcar Brewery
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Next stop was Cherry Hill Park campground in College Park, MD. This is the closest park to Washington DC with shuttle service to the train station.
Three days of sight seeing!
All that exploring deserves a cold beverage!
We thought we could see DC in 4 days but there is no way so we will come back again once we return to the east coast.
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We returned to Wilmington NC and left the rig at my friends farm, rented a car and headed to Pensacola FL for the wedding of the year!
Our friends Jeff and Mario have been waiting for years to get married and once Florida passed the law the plans were in the works for a Mardi Gras style wedding on the beach complete with a jazz band and second line march.
It was great reconnecting with friends that we hadn't seen in 16 years!
They even had a dron flying around, we all felt like celebrates!
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We headed back to Wilmington for a short stay. The Elks lodge in Wilmington is centrally located and a good place for us to stay.
We spent the day with our grandson Reed and took him to the mud race in Winnabow. We had a hoot of a time. Reed loves his Pop Pop.
Ironclad brewery
Next adventure lead to the beautiful mountains of NC.
Black Mountain is east of Asheville.
This is one of the first times that we hit the colors just right and it was awesome.
We stayed at Ridgecrest Creekside Campground which is part of Lifeway's Ridgecrest Conference Center. It was $15 or $20 a night with full hookups and free laundry! Would have stayed longer but the limit is 10 nights. I attended an Open Studio tour of the local artisans one weekend that was great. It did rain 6 out of the 10 days we were there. This summer and fall has been a wet one.
After riding high in the sky enjoying the colors we needed a cold beverage, so we did what we do best...
Asheville Brewery
Hi-Wire Brewing
The Wedge Brewing Company is located by the train tracks and had a really cool setting.
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We left the mountains headed to the Elks Lodge in Pinehearst NC for a few days before getting back to Wilmington. Did I mention we had lots of rain? well we discovered a leak. Mark knew what had to be done but we needed a day that it won't rain! Ended up staying longer because Wilmington was getting hammered with rain and where we were staying was free. Eventually we made it back home with a dry day to do repairs and all was well.
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I spent Thanksgiving with my brother and mother in Michigan and Mark stayed with the family in Wilmington. We moved the rig to our son Ryan's house and camped for free. It's nice when the parents can live off the kids occasionally!
We arrived in Port St Lucie Florida on the first of December and will stay til the first of April. Mark flew home to pick up the work van and open for busy 2 weeks later. As always he was the most popular person in the park!
It's been a good year and we love of life. This august will be 5 years on the road. Our plans for next year are to move back west exploring Utah and Colorado for the summer. I can't wait to get back west!
Oh, our brewery count was only 11 this year we will have to step it up next year.
Thanks for following our travels.
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