Catch Up Time

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I can't believe we haven't posted since December 23rd.  It's not like we haven't been busy, we just haven't been traveling too much.  We didn't exactly sit but we did take short trips to see Mickey (Fort Wilderness) with our friends Bert and Virginia from Maryland and to Stephen Foster State Park to visit with Roger's old college roommate Craig and his wife Mary.

So here's a crash update in 14 pictures of the past 3 1/2 months:

Yes, it did get cold in Williston this winter.  One day we found the North Entrance fountain pretty much frozen.  The date was January 7, 2014.  We found out pretty quick that all of the major storms that plagued the East Coast this winter came right through our part of Florida.  Still better than being buried up to our as**s in snow.

Birthday boys Roger and Bill had their party on January 22nd.  This was the first time in memory that I met someone who shared the same birthday as I did.  No, the bike was not my present, it was just a way to get around a rather large campground and haul those balloons with me.

Disney

As I mentioned earlier, we spent a couple of days at Fort Wilderness visiting with our friends Bert and Virginia from Maryland.  We did one theme park - Animal Kingdom (that's the Tree of Life above) which was enough for these old bones.  Getting anywhere near a Disney property starts the giant vacuum cleaner that sucks all of the money out of your wallet.  Remember Scrooge McDuck?  He's alive and well within the Disney corporation.

Homosassa Springs State Park

When you are camping along the Nature Coast of Florida, you have to see the manatees.  The area of Florida we were in has a number of large freshwater springs that are a constant 72 degrees F.  While manatees look like they have a load of blubber like a seal to protect them from the cold, they in fact, cannot tolerate cold water much below 72 degrees.  Homosassa Springs was a former commercial wildlife park that they state has rehabilitated into a zoo for native animals.  They also operate a manatee rescue operation for injured manatees.  

 Can't visit Florida without a seeing a gator.  These were in the state park and really large specimens.

A free swimming manatee near the outlet of the spring.  The state regulates the area around the spring and the river to reduce our impact on these animals.  Strict boat restrictions give the animals a level of safety.

Stephan Foster State Park

About a month later, we made a short run North to Stephen Foster State Park.  The Suwannee river runs through the park and that is the only tie to Foster we could find.  He never visited Florida and was only in the South one time in his life.  Oh well.

Bell Tower in the park.  This plays melodies all day long and also serves as the chimes for the clock.  Unusual in that it uses tubular bells instead of the cast kind with a clapper.  It also uses a paper roll much like a player piano to operate the bells.  

College roomie Craig and his wife Mary.  They were on their way back from Gulf Shores State Park where they like to winter - and this year they had winter.  They live north of Chicago and were headed back.  Craig is retired but still coaches tennis.  Maybe some day they will see the light and hit the road like us.

Goodbye To Williston

We said goodbye to Williston on Friday, March 14th but not without some goodbyes to our new friends from Ontario (as in Canada, eeh).  The top picture is one of John and Alice who own the only two dogs (other than Gabi) to be allowed in the coach.  John and Alice told us the dogs were having withdrawal symptoms after we left.  Well we missed the dogs and John and Alice as well.  It's tough to stay in one spot so long.

Mike and Judy, bottom picture, are from even further north in Ontario.  We heard from them the other day - still lots of snow at home.  We may have to return to Williston just to catch up with everyone's adventures next year.

Off to Red Bay

Our reason for leaving Williston was to get a new mattress.  Our new pillow top mattress that came with the coach had developed two craters.  Mary cornered one of the Tiffin execs at the Tampa Super Show and let him know that she wanted a new mattress.  He invited her to come to Red Bay, lay down on every mattress they sold, and pick one.  We would only have to pay the cost difference (not retail difference) between the two.  Red Bay offers camping at the Service Center but it is often very hard to come by due to demand.  We tried to time our visit so that we were there during the Perry, GA FMCA rally and before the mass of snowbirds headed North.  We arrived on a Saturday and got a parking spot without a problem.  Five days later, people had to dry camp.

We got our mattress replaced with a SleepNumber which seems to be working out very well.  We had a few minor issues repaired and were out of the service bay in two days.  Then it was off to Bay Diesel to get our 6 month chassis service completed.  

We had planned to meet up with our fellow fulltimers Steve and Karen at the Sevierville Tiffin Rally but family matters caused them to have to cancel.  We decided to stick around Red Bay but we moved out of the Service Center Campground and into the Self-service Campground for the next week.  They got their service completed and we both had our coaches washed and waxed.

Chattanooga

Our reservation for the Tiffin rally had us arriving on Friday, March 28th but being Spring and weather being a bit iffy, we decided to head to Chattanooga with Steve and Karen and Bill and Kathy (new friends who claim Arizona as their home).  Bill and Kathy knew of a campground (Camping World) that was central to a lot of stuff in Chattanooga and had spent a couple of days there previously.  So, Steve and Karen stopped for the night before heading home to Virginia and we stayed 2 nights with Bill and Kathy.

Caravaning to Chattanooga

So what is there to do in Chattanooga?  The aquarium, of course.  Featuring both fresh and salt water aquariums the Chattanooga aquarium is worth the trip.  Our favorite displays were the jelly fish.

And no, the picture is not upside down, the jelly fish was.

Sevierville, TN  River Plantation Camping Resort

Sevierville sits at the foot of the Smokeys and is getting almost as built up and Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.  Normally these aren't our favorite areas to visit but it was a rally and it was good to get together with 80+ Tiffin owners.  We did take some time to visit Great Smokeys National Park - specifically the Cade's Cove area which we had never visited.

There was still snow in the higher elevations when I took this picture.  Most of it had melted by the time we visited Cade's Cove but the area around Clingman's Dome (highest point on the East Coast) remained closed a few more days. Cade's Cove was lovely the day we visited.

Much more peaceful and relaxing than the hoards of people in Gatlinburg.

Next stop - Franklin, NC

Home for the Winter

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Mary found us a great place to spend the Winter this past fall and she did it all on the web.  So when we arrived last Monday (12/16), we were pleasantly surprised when what she saw online was the same as we saw when we arrived.  We will be spending 3 months at Williston Crossing RV Park in Williston, FL.  We are 20 miles SW of Gainesville and about 20 miles NW of Ocala.  Williston itself is a small town in the middle of horse and cattle farms.  Kind of remote but certainly away from all of the traffic on I-75 corridor.

Williston Crossing is an expanding RV Park and is rated 10*10*10 by the Good Sam Travel Guide.  Sites are large, pads are concrete, and all of the utilities work as advertised.  We are in the new section which has just been completed but is still undergoing landscaping and finish work.  People have been nice and their are lots of activities (which we haven't had a chance to join yet).  

There seems to be lots to do/see on this side of Florida without having to go to an amusement park.  Many of the large springs are not too far away and we will visit before Winter is over.  We did visit the Florida Natural History Museum this past Saturday.  Small, but really interesting - especially the Butterfly House.  

First up was the nursery where the staff raises butterflies and moths to release into the outdoor area.  These are released several times a day.

The inside is several stories tall and a tropical paradise.  The flowers are natural food sources for the butterflies and additional food is supplied using sliced bananas.  There are butterflies everywhere and just standing and watching is fascinating.

Here's a few of the ones we saw (no we don't know the names):

After the Holidays we will be off exploring again.

The Inland Empire

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Not sure where the Inland Empire came from but that's what the local TV broadcasters call the Savannah, GA area.  After visiting Beaufort which was settled in the late 1600's, Savannah seems like a newcomer.   Founded in 1733, Savannah is just a baby in early American cities.  Historic Savannah is, however, one of the more beautiful cities we have seen.  Not touched by the Civil War, much of the early architecture and city plan are undisturbed.  The city plan, with numerous squares, is great.  Savannah was the primary port city of Georgia (still is actually) and was a city of great wealth.  The houses reflect the wealth and many are true city mansions.

We started our exploration of Savannah on a freezing cold day with a trolley tour.  We decided to do a two day tour, and given the weather, it was a good decision.  The first day we rode around on the trolley and picked out places we wanted to return and see up close. We did spend some time walking around the City Market and river front but were quickly frozen by the damp, cold temperatures.  As it turned out, most of what we wanted to revisit was along Bull Street between Forsyth Park and the river front.

The tour company we chose would transport you point to point on demand which helps when you get tired of walking.  On the second day, the sun came out, the temperature rose 30 degrees and we had a lovely day for a self guided walking tour.  So off we went to Forsyth Park and its great fountain.

Along the way to the river front, we saw a number of the houses we wanted to get a second look at.  

This house featured a abundance of cast iron details.  The railing and the window surrounds are all cast iron.

The Washington Post had published an article about these types of down spouts in Alexandria, VA.  I spotted this one on the cast iron house above.  I believe it is cast bronze given its coloration.  Pretty neat.

Some of these houses are available for house tours but we have seen a number of houses of this era in areas where we used to live and didn't feel that it was worth our time to visit more of the same.  

As I mentioned, the city has a number of squares that are green oasis throughout the historic area.  Nice to see so much green in December, by the way.

We did take a detour from our due North path and visited the cathedral of St. John the Baptist.  The congregation dates back several hundred years but the church is much newer thanks to several fires.  The latest was around the turn of the last century when the main sanctuary was burned to the ground.  This iteration is just over one hundred years old.

The docent giving the tour mentioned that about half the congregation was Irish.  It was an inspiration!  After making it to the river front and walking around a bit more, we headed to the City Market area where we had spotted an Irish pub the day before.  After a pint of Guinness, we declared our tour complete and bade farewell.

Next week we are off to our winter home, er. parking spot, in Williston, FL.  This will be a first for us as we have never set in one spot for three months.  We have learned that every thing that we need (i.e. stores) is 20 miles away in either Gainesville or Ocala.  Twelve miles to the Walmart (like it is here in Hardeeville) is starting to seem convenient.  Oh well, life's an adventure.

The Low Country

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We've spent nearly a month now in the Low Country of South Carolina.  We are also only about ten miles from the Coastal Empire of Savannah, GA but more on that in the next post.  The Low Country is aptly named - we are only about 10 feet above sea level where we are staying and there are more swamps and wetlands than dry dirt.  This is the area of Beaufort, SC, Hilton Head, SC, and Savannah, GA.

Beaufort is the oldest of the three cities I mentioned.  For some strange reason, we didn't take any pictures of the antebellum homes that are the high point of any trip to Beaufort.  We did get a picture of the horse that pulled our carriage:

His name was Newman and he was obtained from the Amish in Ohio.  I think pulling a carriage on the flat streets of Beaufort is quite preferable to pulling a plow in Ohio.  Since it gets very hot and humid in Beaufort in the Summer, the City has a weather person who monitors the temperature to keep the horses from being used in unhealthy (for the horses) conditions.

We liked Beaufort enough to go back a second time and visit the outlying coastal islands and Hunting Island State Park.  Hunting Island gives you a pretty good idea of what things looked like before settlement took place.

If it looks like a Caribbean jungle, it's because it was.  Very dense trees, palmettos, and other stuff.

 On the bay side of the islands, you have vast areas of coastal wetlands.  Far more square miles of wetlands than dry lands.  

 About the only wildlife we saw at the state park was this great turtle who lives with an alligator in this pond by the visitor center and, these various gulls a few miles down the road at the fishing pier.  

Hunting State Park does have Atlantic Ocean beaches which are rather nice.  I would imagine that this area gets a number of visitors in the Summer but we were somewhat surprised to see the number of people visiting on a December day (although it was warm).  

 The park does have a lighthouse that, if you want and for a small fee, you can climb.  

 And like everything else, this day had to end as well.  Oh well, back to Hardeeville, SC.  

 We decided to stay in Thomas RV & Park in Hardeeville because it was less expensive than staying at the Hilton Head Motorhome Resort.  At $350/month + electricity and large, level sites it is a find.  We are close to Savannah, the Savannah airport (I travelled again this month - to Michigan and Texas), Hilton Head, and Beaufort.  We are also close to the Savannah National Wildlife refuge (which we visited with binoculars but without cameras, oh well).

Off to the Inland Empire...

Where the hell have you guys been for the last month?

or good times, cold times, and sad times.

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Time to do a little catching up...

Since we last wrote (Belle Isle State Park), we have been to Verona, VA with our friends Bruce and Carol, Fort Chiswell, VA, Blountville, TN, Gilbert, SC, and now Hardeeville, SC.  In between all of this I (Roger) have taken three trips to present to my fellow diabetics how to better control their diabetes. 

We have had lots of freeze your butt off cold weather and now that we are near Savannah, GA, very pleasant weather.

And we lost our 4 footed friend and third child, Gabi, to old age and cancer.  

Verona, VA

We got a chance to catch up with long time RVing friends Carol and Bruce from Aylett, VA.  We met Carol and Bruce camping at one of our favorite campgrounds - Country Waye (now the KOA-Luray, VA).  After Mary guided me into a tree branch and we unloaded the dogs (Bailey and Gabi), Bruce figured we might be people they wanted to meet.  Bruce and Carol also have a lab, Mercedes, and, as we found out later, Bruce grew up in Southern California like I did.  It was inevitable.

We stayed at the Shenandoah Campground near Verona.  This used to be a KOA but the management decided that it was too costly to continue.  We know from our friends who own the Luray KOA that KOA has been imposing standards on their franchisees to upgrade their campgrounds to minimum KOA standards.  The Shenandoah Campground has gotten a little old and utilities and campsite sizes haven't really kept up with the market.  Not well suited for big rigs who want full hookups and 50 amp sites. I'm thinking that the required upgrades were too expensive and hence the dropping of the KOA affiliation.  

Anyway, Carol and Bruce love Virginia wineries as we do.  Our usual get togethers involve a winery tour and this trip was no exception.  So off we went to CrossKeys Vineyard for lunch.  We didn't do a tasting this trip but did have lunch sitting out on the patio on a warm Fall day.

Lunch with Bruce and Carol at CrossKeys Vineyard

What Shenandoah Campground is famous for - wild domestic rabbits.

Fall in the Shenandoah Valley

Fort Chiswell, VA

Our favorite half-way point campground.  We were invaded by Canadians and people from the the Far Northeast states who were all on their way to Florida.  We are as well, but we are taking a far slower route.  Coming in at 5 pm and leaving at 7 am just doesn't appeal to us.  

Blountville, TN

We spent two weeks at Rocky Top campground in Blountville, TN.  Why?  Well it is close (5 minutes) from the Tri-Cities airport and I had to fly places for my speaking engagements.  So I was there for a week and Mary was there for 2 weeks.  Strange, but November is National Diabetes Month and my organization is busy, busy, busy.  

We had a great camping spot but we got buried in falling leaves and experienced some really cold weather.  We also had our first inkling that Gabi was starting to have some real health issues.  She decided to take a flying leap off the top step and injured her hip.  As usual, I was out of town and Mary had to deal with the emergency vet visit.  Our neighbors were really helpful in getting Gabi loaded in the car and to the vet.

Nice trees - all those wonderful leaves landed on the roof and slide toppers.

Our plans were to leave Blountville and head to Asheville, NC for a week but the weather report said - Go South!  So we headed to Columbia, SC.

Columbia, SC
We had planned to stay at the Barnyard campground but SEC football displaced us to Gilbert, SC and Mr. Z's campground.  A rather funky little place but cheap and right on US 1.  I still need to be close to an airport so it worked out well.

What didn't work out so well was Gabi's health.  Since her great leap in TN, her appetite had begun to decline and increasingly she would throw-up her food or even water.  Gabi has had a mast cell carcinoma growing on her left foot for over a year (a common cancer in Labs) but, because of her age, she was not a candidate for surgery (usually amputation of the limb).  So we knew it was a matter of time before this thing invaded other organ systems.  Last Friday (Nov. 15th) she took a real turn for the worse.  Of course, I had the car as I was off on another trip and Mary had to enlist the aide of our next door neighbor to rush her to the vet.  I didn't even have a clue anything was going on until I checked my emails when I landed in Charlotte.

When the ultrasound showed a large intestinal mass and evidence of renal failure, we knew it was time.  Gabi was euthanized on Saturday morning.  At 13 1/2 she was physically elderly, gray as all get out, but still mentally sharp and all lab.  She is missed.

Gabi and Sam had formed a special bond early on.  They used to chase each other around the house.

A favorite pastime in the new motorhome

Gabi helping navigate

Bye Gabi, we miss you so much...