Our travel year is already off to a busy start. To quickly recap, we spent Christmas 2023 in New Orleans. We zipped around and enjoyed a whirlwind visit to Preservation Hall for some jazz and a night on the town. Habitat for HumanityIn January, we returned to Dade City, Florida, to volunteer again as Care-A-Vanners for Habitat for Humanity. We’ve worked on this building project several times, so the territory is familiar. And so are the volunteers. It was fun…
The holiday season marks the end of one year and the start of a new one. It’s a good time to gather your thoughts about the year that’s wrapping up, and also to think about what’s ahead. We really stayed on the move in 2021. We traveled in a giant loop around the perimeter of the country, covering about 35,000 miles. It’s worked out well for us to stay at a site three or four days, and then move on….
August 2020 Kentuck Knob We began our trek to Michigan with a short stay in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. On previous trips, we toured Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and the Flight 93 Memorial. This time, on a friend’s suggestion, we decided to visit Kentuck Knob, another of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural standouts. The Hagans were friends of the Kaufmanns and greatly impressed by Fallingwater. They approached Wright about this project in the early 1950s. Wright, who was 86 at…
Belle Isle State Park, Lancaster VAJuly 2020 On July 9th, we celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary at Belle Isle State Park on the Rappahannock River. We arrived, set up camp, and then ventured out to find a restaurant with a water view and fresh, local seafood. We found the Horn Harbor Restaurant in Burgess, VA. The restaurant has a small marina, so guests can also arrive by boat. We sat outside, in the shade near the dock area, and enjoyed…
Battle Run Campground, COEJune 28 -30 We felt fortunate to land a campsite at Battle Run Campground, one of the Corps of Engineer managed parks on Summersville Lake. Campsites near water often sell out, so to nab a lakeside spot on short notice was lucky. Our campsite was on a finger of land stretching into the lake, so we had a water view to the left and right. Summersville is east of Charleston, WV, and halfway between Beckley and Sutton….
We started traveling in late October 2019. As of today, April 24, 2020, we have stayed in eight states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. We have camped at 29 different sites – a combination of state parks, national parks, Corps of Engineers sites, privately owned campgrounds, and Harvest Host sites. Each place has its own personality and lessons to share. We’re very grateful to friends and family who’ve kindly invited us to stay in…
“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost.” J.R.R. Tolkien from The Fellowship of the Ring March 25, 2020 We had intended to travel down The Natchez Parkway, from Nashville to Natchez. Our first few days were quiet and interesting. And peaceful. We saw very few other cars on the road. The Trace is one of America’s oldest routes. It was used for trade and travel long before paved roads came into existence. It…
January 26, 2020 The World’s Largest Oyster Festival takes place yearly at Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens near Charleston. On the last Sunday in January, thousands of hungry participants arrive to chow down on steamed oysters. This festival goes through 65,000 pounds of steamed oysters in one afternoon. Volunteers tend giant vats that billow with steam and turn out oysters by the bucketful. Experienced attendees come equipped with gloves, oyster knives, and lots of paper towels. Novices quickly learn the…
Fort Pickens sits at the far end of Santa Rosa Island, a long narrow island separating The Gulf of Mexico from Pensacola Bay. We never tired of the “commute” to and from the campground. Dramatic skies, aquamarine waters, swooping pelicans and wading birds on stilt-like legs quickstepping through the surf always added interest. The area has a rich history, including early explorers and pirates, quiet camping, great sunsets, and some of the palest blue water this side of the Caribbean….
October 2019 Our Harvest Host debut. For those of you who are new to boondocking, the Harvest Host program is a fun way to get your feet wet. Members pay a modest membership fee to access a directory of establishments willing to host a “self contained” RVer for a night. We call ahead to make the arrangements, and then plan to arrive in time to enjoy the establishment’s offering and settle in. The location might be a winery, brewery, museum,…