Winter 2019 & 2020

Upon arrival back home from our New England trip we settled in for the winter.  We enjoyed the holidays with the family and grandbabies, Mark got busy with his RV business, and I got back to my work bench creating one-of-a-kind jewelry.

Thanksgiving 2019

Christmas

============================

The winter months were spent working and enjoying the family and friends. 

 

Enjoyed a bike ride and did some wine tasting with Tammy, always a good pairing.

Friends from our old neighborhood in Castle Hayne were in Myrtle Beach for a trade show, so much fun catching up with Mario and Jeff.

Lori Rooker and I once a month would try to do lunch on the waterfront, do some day drinking and then hit the thrift stores.

Enjoyed a nice day at the park for Jaxson's 4th birthday!

Not something I look forward to doing but it has to be done! Washed and sealed the roof and then after a week I finished washing, deoxidizing and waxing the rig, time for a cold beer, maybe two.

==============

This summer we accepted a work camper position in Fletcher NC in the mountains, trying to get out of the heat.  

Well what we thought was going to be a good gig turned into a bust.  Damn pandemic!!!  We had to quarantine for 2 weeks upon arrival than once we started work it was terribly slow and we were doing just stupid work.  Normally it is a very happening campground but everything is shut down so we decided to head back home and spend time with the family. Before we got ready to pull out we noticed we had a flat tire, it's always something!

Once back home Mark continued his RV repair business, and I started doing Instacart shopping.  And of course, spending time with the grandbabies.

My little garden helpers.

 =============================

 Being creative with my girlfriend Tammy tye dying dish towels, such a fun day!

We started playing disc golf with our son Ryan, enjoyable and great exercise.

This picture my not look like much but it is the start of a home we are having built for rental purposes.

Trying to downsize so we sold the trailer we have been hauling for 10 years, next will be the motorcycle, sad but true.

My princess Kinzie May turns 3!

-----------

August 11th this year we have been on the road for 10 years. What a great adventure it has been, looking forward to another 10 years.

-----------

Spent so time in Virginia with my favorite person, my Aunt Ruthie.  

Plus my cousin and his wife.

Mark and I had the privilege of taking baby Nash for his first hair cut before his 2nd birthday!  He did so good, my little red head.

---------------------------

My girlfriend Lori has been wanting a pool for years and it finally happened this summer.  3 months behind schedule but it's done!

The house is coming along nicely.  Seems weird to have someone else build a house for us but it is nice not to be doing the work.  Should be done end of the year and we will close in January and hopefully get it rented.  My girlfriend Lori is a property manager, and she will be handling the rental.  

===========================

On the 13th of September we left for Damascus VA to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail.  First stop was North Bend campground in VA where my cousin and his wife Shelia were camping.  Our campsite was huge, and it looked out on the lake.

The next day, which was my birthday, Shelia cooked dinner for us to celebrate.  It was great spending time with them and my Aunt Ruthie came for a visit as well.  We also played disc golf and rode our bikes around this beautiful campground which is one of our favorites.

Landed at Laurel Creek RV Park in Damascus VA, great little park right along the river in town.

The Virginia Creeper trail is a 35-mile rail trail that runs from Abingdon to Whitetop.  Damascus is in the middle, so you get a shuttle in town that carries you to Whitetop for a 17-mile downhill ride back to Damascus.  

Along the trail you have to stop in this café in Taylors Valley for their famous chocolate cake.

After a wonderful bike ride we enjoyed good beer and darts at Damascus Brewery.

The next day we rode from Damascus to Abingdon and back, it's up hill but with the electric bikes it was a breeze.  We thought it was a prettier ride than the day before as you ride through beautiful farmland and along the river, not as many people.

We celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary as well.

===========================

Moving on we were headed to Mercer PA, had to stop in Fayetteville WV to check out the New River Gorge Bridge.  The bridge is a steel arch bridge 3,030 ft long with an arch 1,700 ft, pretty awesome!

Made it to Morgantown, WV and spent the night at Cracker Barrel.

The next day we arrived in Mercer PA to visit my family.

Enjoyed spending time with family and helping Patti with some projects around the homestead.  Always have to go to the original Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant for wings when we are in the area.  Drove to Moraine State Park in Portersville to play disc golf and ride the bike trail, what a beautiful park!   

Left the next day headed back home , spent the night at the Moose Lodge in Frederick, MD.

Arrived back home in time for some nice fall weather and Halloween with the kids.

The rental house is coming along nicely.

======================================

Enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving with the family.

============

The day after Thanksgiving we sold the motorcycle, sad day but it was time.

Then the next day we loaded up "The GetAway" headed to Tucson AZ to scope out our spot for next winter.  First stop was Jackson Springs NC, we will never stay here again as the flies were terrible.

Day 3 and we landed in Crawfordville GA at a wonderful state park, A. H. Stephens Historic Park.  In the background is a 60' water/observation tower that was completed in 1935.  It was part of FDR's New Deal program where he created the Civilian Conservation Corps to promote labor projects around the nation.

Day 4 finds us at the Elks Lodge in Tuscaloosa AL with the friendliest folks around.  Good drinks, food and fun times!

320 miles today and we landed at the Moose Lodge in West Monroe, LA.  The lodge wasn't open so we decided to have a quiet evening in "The Getaway" after cocktail hour.

The following day we stayed in Santos TX and it was definitely chilly at night.

The next morning, we awoke to sunshine and warmer temperatures for our travel day.  Stopped in Midland TX at KD's restaurant per recommendation of Rooster McConaughey from the show West Texas Investors Club, his brother is Matthew.  Excellent it was and a really cool place, highly recommend it!

Moving on after lunch we landed at Monahans Sandhill State Park, in Monahans, TX.

Finally made it across the state of Texas and landed at the Elks Lodge with full hookups for $25!!! Will be staying a few days.

Oh, I forgot to mention this is the first time we have unhooked since we left, and we have a fire

plus cocktails in hand. As I am writing this my neighbor came over and gave me this shirt and loaned us a propane tank for our firepit. I swear you meet some of the nicest people camping!

Pulled out a couple of days later and finally landed in Tucson, AZ to scope out our spot for next winter.  Arrived to 74 degrees and sunshine!  We stayed at Justins Diamond J RV Park.

I’m a happy girl being back in Arizona, we have found our pot of gold! Our longtime friends from back home in Rocky Point NC, Paul and Tammy Smith now live here. So looking forward to spending the winter here next year .

We have decided on Western Way RV Resort for next winter.

Day 17 finds us in Del Rio TX at the Elks Lodge. Left Fort Stockton TX this morning, it was 20 degrees last night, but we are now enjoying 61 degrees. Nice drive down 285 to 90 along the most western edge of Texas. Stoped in Langtry at the visitor’s center and the Judge Roy Bean Museum. Next was the Pecos River High Bridge at 273’ being the highest highway bridge in TX. Then a wonderful lunch at J & P Bar and Grill in Comstock, the only eating establishment since we left this morning. The food was great and the best fried pickles I have ever eaten!

The Elks lodge sits on a huge piece of property in a wonderful country setting.

The folks at the lodge were super nice and informative.  Along the drive we kept seeing 3 big tires attached together off on the gravel road next to the highway, couldn't figure out what the deal was.  Well, we asked the folks in the lodge, one guy worked for Border Patrol, and he said it was his job to drag the tires which kept the gravel road smooth, making it easier to see if anyone crossed over in from Mexico.

==========

We have been wanting to see the Rio Grande and finally did yesterday on our drive to Mercedes TX, I was thinking it would be bigger. Pulled into this roadside rest area and enjoyed lunch while checking out the views. But we started thinking man that’s Mexico on the other side and that would be a good spot to cross into the USA. A few minutes later 4 cars pulled in and they were all border patrol guys!!! Needless to say, we felt very secure, they said this was definitely a spot they checked often, the picture with the red circles is 2 guys checking things out.

Mercedes TX was our destination as we have friends, Linda and Al Pencek there that we met in Port St. Lucie FL several winters ago.  With the pandemic lots on Canadians weren't able to come so they had several spots available at the park, Llano Grande Resort and Country Club.  We scored 2 weeks free!!!

Remote control cars are a big thing in this park and Mark brought his along, on Thursday nights there is drag races and they are a hoot!

The following day they have races on the racetrack that Allen helped build.  There is a stand for the operators with lights, time calculations and area to fix the cars when they crash!  It was so much fun.

We spent Christmas eve watching Christmas movies and working a puzzle.

  

Enjoyed a nice bike ride in the Estero Llano Grande State Park which is right next to the RV park.

I want to give a great big shout out to Linda and Allen for being great host!

===================

Left Mercedes and landed in Liberty TX last night at an Elks Lodge, the next morning we were on the road to Mandeville, LA.

Woohoo we have arrived in Mandeville LA, sunshine , the smell of a campfire and a huge site.

We camped here years ago and enjoyed it so much that we had to come back.

The town of Mandeville is a very friendly place.  You can ride your bike right out of the park to a wonderful bike path that takes you into town.  Found a great breakfast place, Liz's Where Y'at Diner, actually went back twice!

1st of January, a new year!

Spent a wonderful day in the sunshine , rode the bikes into town along the waterfront admiring the beautiful homes, chilled by the campfire and had a steak dinner. Hope 2021 is as good as it started out!

The following day we found a nice disc golf course.  The app UDisc is wonderful for finding courses near you.

======

Day 37 finds us in Opp, AL at Frank Jackson state park on a lake with full hookups and cable . Life is good . We stayed for 2 days and would definitely return.

We have arrived at Claystone State park in Macon GA on a lake! 64 degrees and sunny plus there is a disc golf course in the campground!

This is another park we would return too; it has been nice having the little camper which allows us to get into some nice parks that we couldn't with the big rig.  The disc golf course is an add bonus!

Ran into these kids that were also playing disc golf.  On one of the holes, you have to throw out the water, well we decided not to do this and skipped the hole.  The kids threw and the discs landed in the water, it was only 64 degrees but that didn't stop them from getting in the water to retrieve their discs, Burrr!

=======

It was a good trip, and we are now lined up for next winter.

Thanks for following our travels and check out my Etsy store.

www.etsy.com/shop/wanderingdesigns

 

New England States Fall 2019

Left Bracey VA and headed back home to our son's house in Leland NC where we will spend the winter.  Got the big rig all setup and worked on getting "The GetAway" ready for our 30th wedding anniversary trip to the New England states.

First stop of our "Free Falling Tour" was Charlottesville VA where we got married 30 years ago on the 20th September.

We are parked at the Elks Lodge all by ourselves under a huge tree on at least 6 acres of land with water and electric. Our location puts us 2 miles from downtown and right next to a park.

Parked at the Elks Lodge in Charlottesville.

We were married by the sheriff and wanted to recreate our wedding photo.  It took some investigative work to make this happen.  The sheriffs office had moved so we finally found the new location and then the register of deeds office.  Told the ladies in the office what we were trying to do, they wanted to know the sheriffs name, of course we didn't know so they looked through their records and found out who it was, sadly he had passed away.  So the ladies called upstairs to see if somebody else could help us with the photo and sure enough they had found someone.  To our surprise it was the original sheriff's son!!!  The ladies in the office took pictures and clapped as we said "I do" thirty years later.  Everyone was so nice and I think we made their day as well.

Afterwards we walked around downtown and found the place where we had dinner 30 years ago (it was an Italian place then) and then had a cold one to celebrate.  

That evening when we went into the lodge the bartender that we chatted with the night before came running out and told us to stay put.  She came back all excited with the sheriff that posed for our picture, we all talked and he bought us a drink.  Such friendly folks really made our day special.

==========================

Day 3 of our tour finds us in Culpeper VA at the Belmont Farm Distillery where the first legal moonshine was made in America by Chuck Miller, it is also where Tim Smith from the "Moonshiners" show makes his Climax moonshine.

On the drive from Charlottesville to Culpepper (which is beautiful) we passed by James Madison's Montpelier home that sits on over 2,000+ acres of well maintained land.  He was our 4th president and the "Father of our Constitution".

Last stop was Old Trade Brewery that sits out in the country behind the family home with a beautiful view.  First time we have ever been to a brewery behind someone's house, what a great commute to work!

Day 5 of our Free Falling Tour we rode our new Lectric ebikes along the Rivanna river.

Took a ride to Carter Mountain Orchard, enjoyed some cider and beautiful views.

===============

Left Charlottesville and made it to Falling Waters WV for a one night stay at Falling Waters campground, a bit pricey for what you get but it was time to get off the road.

Mark installed a rack he ordered for the front on the camper. We can put the generator and cooler on it freeing up space in the truck.

Day 8 lands us in East Stroudsburg PA where we made reservations at Mountain Vista Campground.

Drove most of the day in rain but when we got to the campground it had stopped. Setup the camper and have full hookups in a nice mountain setting.  Time for adult beverages and a fire.

Day 10 we enjoyed a beautiful 10 mile bike ride on The Riverview Trailhead along the Delaware river in the Delaware Water Gap National recreation area.

Excellent trail, very well maintained with stop off points to view the river, plus there are bathrooms.  it was so cool to be riding along having the leaves falling down, no humidity and enjoying nature.  Will definitely come back to the area!

===============

Day 12 we made a short move to Milford PA along the Delaware River and stayed at Kittatinny River Beach Campground.  Very popular place in the summer time with rafting, tubing, kayaking and canoeing trips. 

Went for a drive through the quaint town of Matamoras PA, crossed the river and ate lunch in Port Jervis NY.

The next day we went to Raymondskill Falls and Dingman's Falls.  I bet these are amazing in the spring with the snow melt. Enjoyed lunch at the Milford Diner and then walked around town enjoying the fall colors.

=================

Day 16 finds us in Plattsburgh NY.  We left Milford PA and drove straight through on Wednesday.  It was a pretty drive through the Adirondacks.  Mark found out about a metal detecting event going on this weekend called Pound the Ground Adirondack Coast, so we signed up!  We didn't bring our detectors so we had our son Ryan ship them to us.  Two days of detecting on over 1,000+ acres of prime farm land along historic Lake Champlain and the Great Chazy River.  The 2nd day is a seeded hunt where they put out coins and gold nuggets plus they give away great prizes.  Of course there is a cold front coming through so the highs are 55, we wanted cooler temps but it is definitely nippy with nighttime temps in the 30's.  We are staying in a nice state park right on lake Champlain, being that we didn't have reservations we had to move a couple of times.  Walked the beach yesterday, did some detecting and have never seen so many geese in one location.  We met KG and Ringy from the Diggers show at the meet and greet.  

We had a good time at the event and found a few goodies.  Sunday the wind was blowing like a hurricane so we didn't stay the whole day, it was a good experience but we are ready to move on tomorrow.  When we got back to the campground there had to be over a hundred wind and kite surfers on the beach!  I was freezing just watching them but they were having a good time, different strokes for different folks.

================

Left Plattsburgh NY and took the ferry to Vermont!  Pretty cool experience taking the camper on a ferry.  Drove through Vermont and landed at the Elks Lodge in Lebanon NH.

Went for a drive through the White Mountain National Forest for a splendid color show of beautiful leaves!  The covered bridge was constructed in 1858 and the Mount Washington Resort was built in 1900-1902 and is one of the last surviving grand hotels in the White Mountains.  The Elks lodge where we are staying was once a dairy barn.  

Left Lebanon NH and drove to the Elks Lodge in Smithfield RI where once again we found friendly folks!

Day 25 we took a drive to Marblehead MA, a seaport town from the 1600's.  Fort Sewall protects the harbor that has over 2,000 boat moorings.  Where we are standing in the photo is the same place John Lennon and Yoko stood 2 weeks before his death.  The sun was finally out after 3 days of wind, rain and gloom so the locals drove their classic cars to State Street Landing for lunch, we couldn't afford a glass of water in the place!  The houses are so close together and the streets are narrow as well.  You can buy a basic 2 bed 1 bath house for $425,000, were meeting with a realtor tomorrow!

We spent the last two days visiting Newport RI where I was Stationed 38 years ago as a Navy Corpsman.  Our first stop was the Breakers mansion and then the Marble house, these places are just overwhelming!  Fresh Lobster rolls for lunch at the docks with beautiful views.  Ocean drive, a picnic at Fort Adams Park, Goat Island (cruise ships were docked giving you perspective as to how big they are) and the Cliff Walk made for a wonderful time.

Our plans after Newport were to go to Hancock Maryland (we have camped there years ago) so we could ride our bikes along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal.  There use to be train tracks along the river but they have now turned it into a walking/biking trails, total length is 184.5 miles!  Well, there was a Northeast storm coming through bringing lots of rain for several days so we decided to head home.  Left Rhode Island at 9 am, stayed in a Cracker Barrel parking lot and made it back to Leland NC at 2 pm the next day, missed the storm!

=========================

Once settled back home I got busy getting "The Getaway" ready to list on RVShare and Outdoorsy.  Here are some before and after pictures of the upgrades we made.  

====================

We will spend the winter in Leland NC at our son's house enjoying family and friends.  Mark's RV repair business is busy as always.  He bought a new van when we returned as he grew out of the Ford Transit so now it's off to work to pay for it and help folks in need. 

As for me I am back to making one of a kind jewelry!

www.etsy.com/shop/wanderingdesigns

Thanks for following our travels, get out there and explore!