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Chris-crossing the Country
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  • Ericka Collier

Chris-crossing the Country

Traveling the country in our Thor Tuscany 41’ Motorhome もっと詳しく
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    Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    1Clear spring water. It looks like a reflection but it's the grass on the bottom
    Hiking trailheadA turkey along the pathLots of sand and pine needlesLarge bottles of Chateau Le Coeur winesThe winery ownersWinery owner GwendolynJalepeno crab stuffed appetizer with crab side saladRedfish special topped with shrimp and crawfish. That's how much I took home!Large margaritas in Lafayette

    Gulf Coast (Florida to Texas)

    11月8日〜24日, アメリカ ⋅ 🌙 70 °F

    We are now on the last leg of our first RV adventure, making our way back to Texas. We stayed in Ocala, FL starting Oct. 29 for 2 nights and on the 30th we went to Silver Springs State Park. It’s a natural spring with amazing crystal clear water. Silver Springs was once a top tourist attraction and setting for movies such as Rebel Without a Cause starring James Dean, the James Bond film Moonraker, Creature from the Black Lagoon and 6 Tarzan movies. Larger attractions like Disney World and the other Orlando parks led to a decline in attendance. In 2013 the state took control of the park and began restorations and preservation efforts. Attractions, such as glass bottom boats, kayaks, canoes and a cafe are still there run by contractors.
    Next we went to Thonotosassa, a town that is about 59 minutes east of Palm Harbor. On Saturday, Nov. 1st we visited Bruce at his house. He is in the process of preparing his house for sale and then move to Gainesville. He has A LOT of stuff to get rid of! I brought back a treasured bone ivory rose that Dad gave to Mom when she graduated with her masters degree. Unfortunately I forgot to get a picture of us. The next day we met Guy and Marie in St. Petersburg for lunch. They just sold their sailboat and plan to buy a trawler to do the Great Lakes and part of the loop.
    Monday, November 3rd we stayed at Resort at Canopy Oakes for the first annual Escapees/ Harvest Host rally. The resort was high end with eight pickleball courts, a tiki bar, heated pool, hot tub, small cafe and spacious sites. The rally was fun with seminars, social hours, and lots of prizes! We won $100 for being the second RV to sign up for the rally, $50 for Pepper’s costume in the pet parade, $200 for second place in Trivial Pursuit and $100 just for showing up to the pool party lol! All told we got $450 in visa gift cards! We met nice people and played pickleball twice. The first time we played with pickleball instructor so I got a lot of good pointers. The only downside was the food; frozen cafeteria stuff. While there Kevin installed a new water pump and when he removed the panel in front of the grey water tank discovered a huge gapping hole on the tank. Apparently it cracked and the weight of the water caused the tank to drop and create the hole. We figured we could continue to use the tank as long as we were hooked up directly to the sewer line and kept the line open. But Kevin thinks it’s also linking from the bottom as there was a lot of water under the tank after I took a shower. So it’s back to boat life with RV park showers, paying for laundry and bucket washing dishes. 😏 Per the RV diagrams the half bath sink drains to the black water tank so we can use that. It will take at least 4 weeks to get a new tank and then we’ll need to have it installed. We’re crossing our fingers it will be fixed before Christmas.
    We left Lake Wales on Friday, November 7 and drove about 6.5 hours to Rocky’s Convenience Store and Campground for one night. The store is like a mini Buckee’s but with a small campground attached. The sites were long and very level. Our last night in Florida, Saturday Nov. 8, was spent with a Harvest Host winery, Chateau Le Coeur, in DeFuniak Springs. We did a wine tasting with 3 other RVers and had a pleasant evening. They owners, Gwen and John, are moving their winery from Oregon and currently serve and sell the wine produced in Oregon. They are in the process of building a tasting room (current one is in their temporary house), a wedding venue and of course planing the vineyards. They are working with a university professor to develop soil to plant the vines in. In addition to producing wine Gwen makes several lavender products and John is also a chocolatier. They were an interesting couple to talk to. I learned that dessert wine is meant to be drank with dessert - I thought dessert wine was the desert! They gave us a sample of one of their dessert wines with a spoon of hazelnut chocolate that John made, OMG it was wonderful together!
    Next we spent 4 nights in Biloxi, Mississippi from Nov 9-13 at a nice RV resort that had very few other campers. The ones there were mostly Class A and C, which is unusual. The property is well kept and has a salt water pool that we did not use due to an artic front that came down while we were there. We went to a seafood restaurant and I ordered the fish special, and it was HUGE! We spent our last night on this leg of our adventure in Lafayette, LA, where we went to a Mexican restaurant that had cool decor with carved bench seats and chairs painted with images of dancing chicas.
    On Friday, Nov. 14 we arrived in Texas and went straight to a Freightliner service center in north Houston to have them drain our fuel tank to get the bad diesel out and hopefully fix the turbo issue.    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Grammie and Pepper
    Jager watching TVTims Ford State Park walking trail from the RV ParkTim's Ford LakeCavern along the trailLake with fall foliageVery large mushroom at the RV park!Jack Daniels DistillatyJack DanielsNearest Green - a freed slave and first Master DistillerREO Speedwagon fire truck on left 1924Iron free spring wellOriginal office. JD kicked the safe which led to an infection, gangrene, and his deathThe tasting at the end of the tourOliver Farm Artisan Oils Harvest Host

    Tennessee and Georgia

    10月24日〜11月6日, アメリカ ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    On Thursday, October 16 we brought our RV back to Lebanon, TN for service at National Indoor RV Centers. We had hoped they could get several items fixed but they didn’t start working on it until Tuesday; the only thing they could accomplish was changing the fuel filters. They looked into the aquahot system not working when the generator was on and said it was working fine. Sure enough when we picked up the RV it was working. 🤷‍♀️
    We spent 10 days with Kevin’s mom in Brentwood, 3 of those days we stayed at Tracy and Erwin’s house dog sitting Jager. Jager and Pepper got along well enough; basically they ignored each other. Kevin’s nephew, Jonathon, came into town for a wedding and we were able to see him for a few hours.
    We departed Brentwood on Saturday, Oct. 25 and went to an RV park close to Lynchburg, TN. On Sunday we took a tour of the Jack Daniels distillery and learned the difference between bourbon and whiskey, which is that whiskey has an extra step in the production process. Jack Daniels filters the whiskey through sugar maple charcoal that is charred at the distillery and they use whiskey to start the fire. The location of the plant is by a spring feed well that runs through limestone, resulting in iron free water, a key ingredient in making the whiskey. This is the same well that Jack Daniels used in 1866 when he opened the distillery. We learned a lot about the man Jack Daniels and about the art of whiskey distilling.
    We made 2 one night stops in Georgia; the first in Adairsville, GA at an RV park and the second in Pitts, GA at a Harvest Host - Oliver Farm Artisan Oils. We didn’t unhook the car from either place and left early the next morning from both locations. Both days the drive were cloudy and cold, with rain on the first day and temperatures in the mid-50’s. While at Oliver Farm we bought cold pressed pecan oil, mango homemade soap and a mini tree ornament as a souvenir.    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Full moon in the morning.
    "Yachty Party" band at the rally.Benjamin Harrison's Presidential SiteBust of President HarrisonEntry past the front palor.Front parlorIntricate woodwork on floorPres. William Harrison (grandfather)Longhorn Chair, given as a campaign present from Texas. Politically important post civil warChina hand painted by First Lady CarolineInaugural cape worn by daughter Mary HarrisonFirst Lady Caroline HarrisonMaster bedroom with workout equipmentBall gownLaw office furnitureBrig. General Harrison Civil War swordEntrance to caveDixon Cave, cut off from Mammoth from a collapsed sinkholeEndangered Indiana bats hibernate in Dixon Cave

    Indiana to Kentucky

    10月14日, アメリカ ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    We spent a week attending the Thor Diesel Club Homecoming Rally in Goshen, IN. We met alot of people, attended informative vendor seminars, enjoyed crafts, entertainment, games and a tour of the Thor factory. And, we were recruited to be Rally Hosts next year! We both said we weren’t going to do it but got roped in anyway! What we didn’t know when we said yes is that it’s a 2 year commitment- oof! We’ll be in Michigan through the end ofAugust 2026 so not a big deal to hang around until October, but we were not planning to be in the Midwest in 2027. Oh well, we’ll figure it out.
    From there we went to Indianapolis for two nights. On Saturday, Oct. 11, we toured Benjamin Harrison’s Presidential Site. He was our 23rd president from 1889-1893. Most of the furnishing is original and there are several original documents on display. Fun fact - he tried to make Thanksgiving a national holiday but was unsuccessful. It was under Teddy Roosevelt that it became formalized as a holiday. He signed the Sherman Anti-trust law in 1890 and was the grandson of President William Henry Harrison, our 9th president who died in office one month after inauguration. His first wife Caroline was interesting, she painted a lot and for gifts she often gave china that she painted. She founded the White House China collection, she was the first president of the Daughters of the American Revolution and she campaigned for women’s admission to John Hopkins Medical University.
    On Sunday, October 12, we relocated to Cave City, KY with the intention of visiting Mammoth Cave. Unfortunately congress was in a spat about funding and shutdown, resulting in cave and all tours closed. We were able to visit the cave entrance (it was rather dark) and hike the trails. The temperature difference between the cave entrance and outside was significant; the cave is very cold.    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    The Stuart Tank
    Representative of a home in the 1940's. Many of the items are original and donated by locals.They have a large gun collection from different wars and countriesDinner with Mark and KristaAn old cash register and popcorn machineBald Eagle State Park Howard PALake with Poconos in backgroundPine treesGoldenrod and white and purple asterBath timeHalliday WineryLake MiltonHiking trail Maumee State ParkMaumee State ParkMaumee Bay o Lake ErieMaumee Bay on Lake Erie

    Connecticut- Pennsylvania-Ohio

    9月24日, アメリカ ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    On Wednesday, Sept. 24, we touched 4 states in 4 hours; Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. That night we stayed in Bristol, CT at an RV park attached to an amusement park. I was glad it was not the weekend and only one night. It was nice enough but likely crowded with amusement park guests on weekends and it had no sewage hook up so showers were done in the public restroom. They were nice showers but not safe. We managed to get set up and go to a grocery store before the rain came.
    Thursday we drove through NY into Pennsylvania in the rain. We had been very fortunate up to that point not to have rain while we drove, despite numerous times when it was predicted; luckily the rain was light this day. We crossed the Hudson River and admired the beautiful estates nestled among trees just above the river. The river is expansive both in width and length and a marvel to look at, especially in upstate NY. The fall foliage wasn’t as prevalent as we drove south of Maine into NY, but it picked up a bit once we were in the Pocono Mountains in PA. We stayed in Berwick, PA which is southwest of Scranton; pretty much in the middle of no where! On a good note Kevin’s Crooked Sticks golf buddy, Mark, lives nearby and we met up with him and his wife Krista in Kingston for dinner at a quaint Greek restaurant, the food was really good as was the company. In the town of Berwick we visited the Stuart Tank Memorial Museum. It’s a small museum that displays the history of the tank that was manufactured there. The tank was much lighter than others built at that time. The man who gave us a tour was very knowledgeable. There is also a large gun collection that belonged to the father of a local man that was there and educated us about each one.
    We moved to Bald Eagle State Park in Howard, PA on Sunday, September 28, The nice thing about state parks is easy access to hiking trails and on Monday we hiked around the lake adjacent to the park for about 3 miles.
    Tuesday, Sept 30, we set off for Ohio, stopping along the way at a truck wash to give Crisscross a much needed bath! We stayed at an RV park in Newton Falls, OH that had the worst water! We read on RV Life it was badly infiltrated with sulphate and planned ahead by filling our water tank. This also meant showering in the camp bathroom which was the least desirable of all venues we’ve been to. 😝 Thursday, October 1, we went to Halliday’s Winery on Lake Milton and shared a bottle of Merlot blend while sitting by the lake. From there we went to Castaway Craig’s Pub and Grub for dinner. I got a gyro because I could get it with a side order of pierogies, a regional food I had to try! They are basically fried mashed potatoes. They were good but admittedly something that grows on you the more you eat.
    On October 2nd we drove to Maumee State Park in Oregon, OH, close to Toledo. The RV sites are wide and spread apart with trees in between so you can’t see your neighbors and there is a lot of grass. The landscape has become flat and we did a mundane hike around to park the next morning and visited the beach on Lake Erie    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Fall colors in Maine
    Maggie's Nature Park summit viewPepper enjoying hiking with no leashThe second summit with South Pond in the distanceStep FallsA very deep pool within the fallsThe falls weave between the rocksBeautiful view from Step FallsSunday River Covered BridgeSteam Mill BreweryPicking apples!Paul BunyanStephen King houseMason's BreweryHalloween paradeBandBest costume of the night!Bug Light LighthouseFort Georges from landFort PrebleGoddard Mansion, Fort WilliamsBattery Keyes, Fort WillamsLunch at Allagash Brewery

    Maine in the RV

    9月13日〜27日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    I have titled this footprint “Maine in the RV” because last summer we spent 6 weeks in Maine on Southern Cross exploring the coastal towns and islands with Gary and Renee. I’m excited to be back this summer/fall to visit western Maine and with luck see fall foliage. Our first stop was in West Bethel, just across the border from New Hampshire. We drove back roads to get here and went through several small towns, all established in the 1700’s. The town of Bethel is cute with shops and restaurants in old homes, and it has a rather large resort and golf course. The RV park is nice, there are only a few other RVs here and most seem to be seasonal and currently unoccupied. Several other transients have come for a night or two. There are a lot of trees throughout the park and a gravel road decent enough to run on. They have several activities such as swimming, corn hole, horseshoes, badminton, etc. No one is here to play on any of it but I’m practicing my corn hole throwing!
    On Saturday, Sept. 13, we went hiking with Pepper to Maggie’s Nature Park in Greenwood on Peaked Mountain. At the top was a beautiful view of more mountains and South Pond. We let Pepper off her leash for the first time and she throughly enjoyed taking her own path, stopping to sniff now and then. She was very good about staying close to us.
    We did another hike on Monday, Sept 15, to Step Falls; a cascading waterfall over large granite boulders. The boulders have been worn flat over the last 12,000 years creating a step structure. Water was flowing fairly consistently considering the area had a drought this summer; in the spring it will be roaring. From there we took a short detour to see the Sunday River Covered Bridge, last built in 1872. It’s no longer in use as a modern bridge was built next to it but it’s a cool piece of history. We drove by Steam Mill Brewery on the way back to the RV Park and stopped in for dinner.
    Tuesday we went Apple picking! We picked about 5 pounds and I made an Apple Cider Donut Loaf Cake that night. It’s good but chocked full of calories! I see Grammie’s apple cake, apple crisp, cinnamon apples and apples with peanut butter in our future!
    On Wednesday, Sept. 17, we moved camp to Cold River Campground, across the Penobscot River from Bangor. Our original site was at the entrance and after we situated the rig in the site to avoid a bunch of large tree roots, rocks and a tree stump, Kevin checked the power and it was only 30 amp! I went to find the owner and he said he didn’t have any 50 amp, then remembered a seasonal camper left that morning and we were able to move up the hill to a new spot with 50 amp. It was a bit tricky getting into the site because he said it was a back-in, but it was really a sidewise site. Luckily the owner came around on his cart and helped guide us in after we scraped a bush trying to back-in!
    We think this will be a quieter spot than the first so it all worked out.
    We ventured out to Bangor on Friday, Sept. 26, to get pictures of the giant Paul Bunyan statue and the house Stephen King once lived in, which is now a private nonprofit foundation of his archived works. Bangor, ME is this inspiration for the town Deering in several of his novels. The Paul Bunyan statue was on the lot of an insurance company and no where to easily park so we just drove by and I snapped pictures. From there we went to Mason’s Brewery; Kevin had a beer and I had a cocktail. Saturday the RV park was celebrating Halloween and closing for the winter starting the following weekend. There were a few tick or treaters, a golf cart parade in the afternoon and a band in the evening. It was a small turn out but fun to watch.
    Our final Maine destination was in Saco, near Kennebunkport and Portland. Kennebunkport was not accessible in our sailboat so I wanted to make a trip in that direction to visit. We did some shopping and had lunch there on Monday, Sept. 22. It’s a nice town with lots of shops; not overly touristy. On Tuesday, Sept 23, we took the RV to a Cummins engine service center for issues we were having with horsepower, especially on hills. Turns out it was bad fuel, somewhere we got diesel with water in it. While waiting we went into Portland for sightseeing. Portland is (or maybe was in the 1700-2800’s) the closest American harbor to Europe and a strategic and economic importance. It has 3 lighthouses and had numerous forts and batteries in a small proximity to each other. Our first stop was at Bug Light Lighthouse in South Portland. Walking to the lighthouse entailed a path of large granite blocks that seemed to have been placed there after the lighthouse was built. It is no longer in use and we only viewed it close up from the outside. It faces Fort Gorges on Hog Island Ledge and it was cool to view that fort from land because last summer we took the dinghy to the island and explored the fort with Gary and Renee - that brought back good memories! Next to the lighthouse is the remains of Fort Preble. Again only the outside is visible but neat to explore. Next we went to Fort Williams Park, which was a military base starting in 1899 and was the last army post in Maine when it closed in 1962. It originally had 6 batteries with 12 mounted guns in each. The fort was manned during the Spanish-American War, WW I and II, and for the Army Reserve during the Korean War. In the 1930’s the National Guard used it for training and from 1933 to 1942 the Civilian Conservation Corps used it for training as part of Roosevelt’s New Deal. Throughout the whole park were remains of the old batteries and other buildings including the remains of Goddard Mansion, built by John Goddard (1811-1870) who made his fortune in lumber. The army acquired the mansion in 1898 and used it to house enlisted married men and their families, along with a non-commissioned officers club in the basement. Today it is only a shell of what it once was. The Portland Head Lighthouse is also on the property and it is still an active lighthouse maintained by the US Coast Guard. The Keeper’s Quarters was home to the head and assistant head lighthouse keepers and their families until 1989, when the lighthouse was automated. For lunch we went to Allagash Bungalow Brewery and I got a lobster roll.
    The fall foliage became more prevalent during our time in Maine and was beautiful in some spots with bright and deep reds, orange and yellow colors. It was not yet at its full glory but I was happy to see it!    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    ❤️fam
    Union UndergroundBattenkill RiverA glimpse of fall foliage!Franklin Pierce's sledFranklin Pierce bustHome and barnScenic view of New HampshireHenniker BreweryRustic Rose TavernHanging with Roberta at her placeAppleton Cemetery 1809There is something so cool about old cemeteries

    Vermont and New Hampshire

    9月9日〜14日, アメリカ ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    We made a one night stop in Dorset, Vermont on September 5th on our way to New Hampshire for a visit with my aunt and cousin. Both states are very pretty with lots of trees along the drive and mountains not far off in the distance. We drove through a lot of small towns; it was fun to look at the historic homes and buildings. The towns were mostly settled in the 1700’s and the 1760’s in particular seemed to be a busy time. After we got settled at the RV park we went into the town of Manchester, VT to explore; it’s a popular town with a good number of store outlets and eateries. We walked around for a bit then stopped at the restaurant Union Underground to enjoy an appetizer and drink on the patio. From there we walked down to the Battenkill Riverwalk and learned a little about the history. The next day we drove to Dorset, NH which is about 50 minutes from my Aunt Roberta, who lives in Amherst. The next morning we went out for breakfast then toured Franklin Pierce’s homestead. The tour was as much about his father as it was Franklin as his dad who built the home and went from poor to rich by investing in businesses and running a tavern before entering politics. Franklin lived in the house from infancy until marriage. I learned that Franklin began the Christmas tree tradition in the White House, and he did not have a Vice President - one was elected but died of TB within a few weeks of inauguration; the Whig party knew he would not last long and that was the reason they nominated him as they didn’t think a VP was needed. I found that very interesting given all the current hype on Biden’s and Trump’s health (which is for mental rather than physical decline, but nevertheless interesting.)
    Roberta, my cousin Ted, and his wife Mary came over later to visit and check out the RV. On Monday we drove to the town of Henniker on Ted’s recommendation. The town’s claim to fame is they are the only town named Henniker in the world! (Of course I had to look up who Henniker was, he was a merchant.) We visited the Henniker Brewing Co. on the outskirts of town then popped into a pub in town which has a “Cheers” vibe - definitely a local hangout!
    On Tuesday, September 9, we visited Roberta in Amherst and had a wonderful day together with lunch at The Brickhouse in Milford, MH, a bit of golf (she is the BEST instructor!) and a visit to Ted’s house as he graciously offered to clean off the sap on our car from a previous campsite! 🥰    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Lakewood
    Lucille Ball Memorial ParkSouthern Tier BreweryJohnson Estate VineyardBand at 5 and 20 Spirits and BreweryHorseback riding lessonsBuena VistaGundlach Bundschu vineyardsSan Francisco Solano MissionaryMission San Francisco Solano SanctuaryJack London stable1509-2000 year old redwood treeB. Wise WinerySydney and DanBabe RuthJackie RobinsonAlta Weiss baseball Bloomers, cap and Blouse 1908Hank AaronPete Rose

    Upstate New York

    8月23日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    On Friday, August 22, we drove to Mayville, NY and stayed at Camp Predergast, which is about an hour from the Pennsylvania border. It’s a nice small RV park with mostly seasonal campers. The owners are conscientious of not having the campers on top of each other and we have a big spruce pine tree on our site! The weather is wonderfully cool with sunny skies. There’s a lot to do here; hiking, biking, vineyards, breweries, little known fact to us is Lucille Ball is from this area and of course they have a museum in her honor plus various comedy attractions.
    On Saturday we drove a few miles to the town of Lakewood and rode our bikes around the town. Supposedly Lucille Ball’s childhood home is there and we biked on the street but there was no marker so we weren’t 100% sure which one it was. We then drove to Jamestown and went to a farmers market. The Lucy and Desi museum is there but we opted to not go. We did drive to the Lucille Ball Memorial Park in Celoron. From there we went to Southern Tier Brewery in Lakewood and listened to a duo band that sang a wide range of cover songs, we were impressed. Sunday we drove to Westfield to visit Johnson Estate Vineyards. We did a tasting of 5 wines then sat outside and shared a half bottle of Rose. All the wines that we sampled were very good. We stopped short on drinking the Rose as we wanted to go to 5 and 20 Spirts and Brewing; they brew both beer and spirts and is part of Mazza Vineyards. Kevin enjoyed a flight and I had a limoncello spritz that was refreshing. A band was playing there but they were not as good as the band from yesterday.
    The weather has turned amazingly cool! It’s hard to imagine 60 degrees and low humidity in August after living for so long in Texas! There was a prefect road outside the RV park that I ran on; newly paved asphalt, mostly flat with a few hills, a bit of a shoulder and very few cars.
    On Tuesday we drove to Mayville and rode our bikes for about 7 miles, stopping at The Corner Deli for lunch.
    Wednesday, Aug 27 we drove to Skyline Camping Resort in Darien Center, NY. It’s probably the largest place we’ve stayed to date, Kevin estimated 400 sites. It had activities over Labor Day weekend such as bands and corn hole tournaments. Kevin participated in some of it, I jet settled off to California for a mother daughter weekend in Sonoma County. We had a great time visiting wineries and tasting rooms. While there I recalled an instagram post from our nephew Daniel that alluded to him being reassigned to a USAF base in CA. I texted Paula and learned he is based about 40 minutes from Sonoma! We contacted him and met for dinner in Napa. I flew back on September 2 and the next morning we drove to Cooperstown, home of Baseball Hall of Fame. We stayed at a KOA and decided to join while we were there to get the discounts. They can be a bit more expensive (without the discount) than other places but they are everywhere and typically nice with amenities. I had wanted to join from the get go and Kevin eventually decided it was worth a try. On September 4th we drove into Cooperstown and went to the Baseball Hall of Fame. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, the layout was good and they highlighted all of the inducted players plus others achievements for those not inducted, like Pete Rose. Definitely thought it was better than the R&R Hall of fame, which felt like watching a heavy metal band on cocaine!    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Alton RV Park, Galloway OH
    Neighborhood next to Alton RV ParkHanging out with Stuart and LesleyMohican RiverMohican State Park TrailSwinging BridgeR&R Hall of FameTaylor SwiftLady GagaKevin jammingCherJon Bon JoviMennonite or Amish horse and buggyMennonites on scooter bikes

    Ohio

    8月14日, アメリカ ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    We departed West Virginia on Tuesday, August 12, and went back to the KOA campsite in Argillite, KY for 2 nights. While there Kevin installed the new motor and actuator for the tilt bed and we no longer have to sleep sidewise or remove the mattress to lower and lift the bed. This motor is stronger than the original so it should last a long time. On Thursday we set off to spend several days in Ohio as we slowly trarverse our way to New York and New England. Within an hour hills were replaced by farm fields and we were on flat roads and surrounded by corn fields. I’m looking forward to eating some northern sweet corn! The first 2 nights we stayed at Alton RV Park in Galloway, OH.
    Friday night we met up with Stuart and Lesley Lee, old friends from NASA days and Stuart was one of Kevin’s groomsmen. We can’t remember how long it’s been since we have seen them, but at least 10 years. We had a beer at Yellow Springs Brewery then dinner at Peach’s Cafe. We left the next morning and went to Mohican State Park in Loudonville, OH, about 90 minutes away. It’s a great park with a lot of trees for shade and wide spaces of grass and trees between the RVs, plus nicely paved roads to ride our bikes on. We also did a short hike through the woods to the swinging bridge. It’s along the Mohican River and a lot of campers were tubing. On August 18 we went to Punderson State Park in Newbury, OH, about 2 hours northeast. The hills started to get bigger and we continued to pass a lot of corn fields and other crops. Punderson is by a small lake with a beach. The campsites are more spread out than the Mohican sites and it is not as crowded overall. The roads are also nicely paved and we went bike riding around the park. On Wednesday, August 20, we drove into Cleveland and toured the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It had a SNL 50th Anniversary display with a 12 minute movie of clips of the musicians that appeared on the show over the years. There are a lot of musicians and bands that are honored there; the displays range from performance outfits to handwritten lyrics to sun glasses. There was a video presentation on The Rolling Stones performances and clips from when they were REALLY young, I had never seen Mick Jagger that young before! He must have been about 19. That day and the next day were cool and rainy. The temperature was in the 60’s to low 70’s, which made for a great run but otherwise the weather put a damper on hiking. Thursday night we went to Sharon James Winery and listened to live music and enjoyed a bottle of a Merlot- Zinfandel blend.    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Pipestem FallsLog cabin from 1900 at nature centerAnother log cabinCounty Line trail at PipestemMushrooms along trailIndian FallsRapids on Brush CreekWhite Oak FallsBrush Creek FallsThe Greenbrier Resort

    WV - Pipestem Falls and White Oak Fall

    8月9日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    On Saturday, August 9, Pepper and I drove to Pipestem State Park. We first drove to the falls overlook, again just a trickle of water. We then drove to the nature center to hike the County Road Trail in search of Indian Falls. After checking out the nature center and old log cabins from around 1900 we set off for the trail. There was also a horse trail at the trailhead and along with that horse manure and flys! Pepper is scared of flies and was very resistant to go on the trail. I put her in her backpack and carried her for the entire hike - 5 miles! Indian Falls was about a mile into the hike and as I suspected another bust with just a trickle. I could hear the water but could not see it. There was another trail that switched back down to the bottom, I took that hoping to get a view of the water flowing but still no luck. From there I hiked to the end of the trail then back to the nature center. Sunday morning we did a quick hike back to Brush Creek and White Oak Falls before driving to The Greenbriar Resort to pick up Kevin.もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Brush Creek Falls
    Brush Creek FallsBrush Creek trailPepper hiking with us at Brush CreekCamp Creek trailCampbell Falls at Camp CreekKevin pretending to stand on waterCampbell FallsNew River BridgeNew RiverBridge TrailStanding under the bridgeButcher Branch TrailButcher BranchBateaux boat replica used to carry cargo along river at StandstoneSandstone FallsView from Grandview OverlookView from the Canyon Rim TrailYou can see where the river double backs on itselfA turkey vulture?A deer posing for me

    West Virginia

    7月29日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    We arrived at Bushcreek RV Resort in Princeton, WV on Wednesday, July 23. Our main
    purpose of being here is to be close to The Greenbriar Resort where Kevin will meet up with his buddies for their annual golf trip. There’s not a lot in Princeton other than Brush Creek Falls, which is one of the largest waterfalls in West Virginia, a few low end shops, a few restaurants, mostly chain, and one brewery. Of course there’s a super Walmart plus a Kroger. West Virginia is known for being beautiful country, nestled between the Allegheny and Appalachia mountains. An hour away is The New River Gorge, which became a national park in 2020, and other state parks with numerous water falls.
    On Tuesday, July 29, we drove to Brush Creek Falls State Park. The entrance is only 1 mile from the RV park and the falls are less than 1/2 mile from the parking lot. The falls are not very high but are wide. We hiked to the end of the trail where Brush Creek meets Bluestone River and White Oak Falls. The fall itself was just a little more than a trickle but still pretty. On Saturday August 2 we drove to Camp Creek State Park and hiked 2 miles there. We were trying to find one of the waterfalls but we got on the wrong path. After the hike we drove to the Campbell Falls trailhead and walked a short distance to see it. The waterfall landscape curves in an arc and has multiple layers of rock making a stunning view. Camp Creek Park seems to be a local favorite as there were several large groups gathered under different pavilions. We passed tent camping going to Campbell Falls and saw interesting set ups - such as a makeshift tent over the back of an SUV, a pop-up VW bus and one site with nothing but a tarp for the tent. We’ve had a lot of rain recently so the setups did not look comfortable!
    On Monday, August 4, we drove to the north side of New River Gorge and walked the scenic path to view the bridge that spans the gorge. It is the longest steel span bridge in the western hemisphere and the third highest bridge in the US. Built in 1977 it changed the commute time for those that had to go around the gorge from 45 minutes to just a few minutes. Interestingly, New River flows north and is not new but rather considered the second oldest river in the world, estimated to be between 10 and 360 million years old!! That’s a HUGE difference! It’s older than the mountains, which formed around it.
    We then hiked a trail that took us under the bridge, about 3 miles in and out. After lunch at Secret Society Sandwich Shop in Fayetteville we did a mile hike to see Butcher Branch waterfall, which was only a trickle. Both hikes were challenging with lots of rocks to climb up and down.
    Kevin left for his annual golf trip on Thursday, August 7 and I took Pepper on several hikes over the weekend. Friday we went to the south side of New River Gorge, first stopping at the Sandstone Falls Overlook. The falls were amazing but the overlook was very far up so you couldn’t feel the rush of the falls. Then I drove to the Grandview entrance. That area claims to have the best view of the gorge and it is not disappointing. First we walked to the overlook, which was amazing with the rolling mountains and deep gorge. We did a short hike around that area then set off down Canyon Rim Trail. It is the longest trail from that visitor center and follows the rim of the gorge. It’s supposed to be a nice hike in the spring and fall when there are less leaves on the trees and you can see down into the gorge. While I couldn’t see the gorge with all the trees there were a few overlook points along the way; and at the end of the trail is Turkey Spur Overlook with a 150 step tower that has a spectacular view of the mountains, gorge and river.    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Castle and Key
    Castle and Key historical buildingsCastle and Key pavilionChurchill Downs EntranceOne of the Historic SpiralsRacetrackWhiskey RowNeat Bourbon BarBulleit Smokey Old Fashion ClassBulleit lobbyBuffalo Trace Mash cookerFermentation. The "boiling" is naturalNatural boiling processStills out in the open, notice the steam from the fermentationThe "white dog" bourbon - it's clear before it goes in the barrels.Woodworking shop, we got a performance on the hand crafted cigar box guitarJeptha Creed

    Kentucky Bourbon Trail Part III

    7月16日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    On Wednesday, July 18, we visited Castle and Key Distillery to view the grounds. The distillery goes back to 1877 when Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor purchased the grounds and distilled bourbon under the name The Old Taylor Distillery Company, this is the same Edmund Taylor that began distilling bourbon in 1870 on what is now Buffalo Trace. The distillery fell on hard times during prohibition; the distillery closed and the property eventually went into ruins. In 2012 Will Arvin saw a photo of the property and purchased the property in 2014 and began restoration. It was named Castle and Key for the castle building, built in 1877, and the keyhole shaped spring house that is the water source. There is a sunken garden where the water source is but that is open only to tours, so we couldn’t visit it. I found the grounds to be one of the prettiest of the distilleries we’ve visited, full of flowering plants and places to sit and relax.
    Thursday we drove to Louisville (pronounced “Loualvul”) to explore. We started at the Churchill Downs Museum with a guided tour of the racetrack. It was cool to be on the property that is on TV every year and learn about the history of the racetrack and significant moments throughout its history. From there we had lunch at Merle’s Whisky Kitchen and had one of the better meals we’ve had in a while! We walked down “Whiskey Row” a bit then drove to another part of town to go to “Neat - Bourbon Bar and Bottle Shop”. We were expecting it to be like Evergreen but it was a bar/lounge with an adjacent bourbon bottle store. We had fun talking to the bartender, who admitted experimenting with cocktails earlier 😂, and made very good cocktails. She gave me the recipes for my 2 new favorite cocktails- bourbon lemon drop and gold rush.
    Friday we attended a Smokey Old Fashion Cocktail class at Bulleit Distillery. We were the only 2 so it turned into a private event! It was a good learning experience, we were able to choose ingredients and the cocktail that I made was good, and I normally don’t like old fashions. We learned a little of their history, Bulleit was established in 1987 by Tom Bulleit, but the recipe dates back to the 1830’s from his ancestor Augustus Bulleit. The layout of Bulleit visitor center had a nice atmosphere, pretty and relaxing. Later that afternoon we did the Buffalo Trace Hard Hat Tour where we learned how Bourbon is made. It’s quite a process with the fermentation of corn, malted barley and rye, each brewed at specific temperatures. We were able to see the vats at various stages of fermentation and it was interesting to see how it “boils” naturally. Buffalo Trace is considered a national landmark and the buildings can not been destroyed, each have a history, and several have been repurposed. The leftover grain from the fermentation process is dried and used for cow and poultry feed, a process that was developed during WWII per the request of the government. Onsite there is a woodcraft shop where 2 men designs build things from the barrels, such as custom engravings on a barrel head, a guitar using buffalo trace cigar box and barrel staves. There was a drafting on the table to design a very large buffalo using the barrel staves to place on the property.
    Sunday we made a quick trip to Jeptha Creed Distillery for a tasting. It is a small family owned company that uses the products from their very large farm. They use a red corn that was developed on the farm for the purpose of distilling bourbon. They also make flavored vodkas, which I was hoping would be part of the spirit tasting but was not.
    We departed Frankfort, KY on July 21 and left the Bourbon Trail behind us. We enjoyed a lot of bourbon tastings and I tried new cocktails that were surprisingly good. Our last stop was at the Ashton/Huntington West KOA in Argillite, KY. It’s a small, nice park in east Kentucky, close to nowhere. The entrance to the park is where they put the short stays and also where the pool, playgrounds and dog park are located. Down a hill is where the long and full timers are. The best part is the weather is finally pleasant in the evenings! The last month has been very hot and humid and rainy, it’s nice to have a break and sit outside comfortably. On Tuesday we went to a meat market that is at the bottom of a hill from the backside of the campground, they had fairly good prices and we had nice steak medallions for dinner. That night it was cool enough to have a campfire, finally!    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Bernheim Forest trail
    Little NilsMama LoumariLittle ElinaBardstown Bourbon CompanyTalbot TavernFirst Lincoln Memorial that houses "symbolic birthplace home"Symbolic birthplaceSinking Well, source of family waterLincoln Sinking Well farm, beautiful landscapeBoyhood farmActual grave marker of Lincoln's brother who died youngBoyhood cabin, not Lincoln's but likely owned by his friend and similar to one he lived inInside the cabinBuffalo TraceBranding Shed where barrels are builtCistern Room where bourbon is placed in barrelsReguaging room where barrels are emptied.Hand bottled assembly line

    Kentucky Bourbon Trail Part II

    7月15日〜19日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    On Saturday, July 12, we went to Bernheim Forest to see the Forest Giants. The land was granted by a German immigrant, Issac Wolfe Bernheim, a successful bourbon brewer, with the stipulation that the land would be developed for conservation and public use. Much of the land had been stripped by industry from mining ore and conservation efforts since 1931 have rebuilt the forest and now include research and an edible garden with the food used in the onsite cafe. In 2019 Danish artist Thomas Dambo constructed 3 giant trolls from recycled wood. Later that day we went to the tasting bar at Bardstown Bourbon Company. Kevin tasted several bourbons and I had a glass of Pinot Noir 😁.
    That night we had dinner at Talbot Tavern, a historic bar and inn known for hosting bandits such as Jesse James. Legend has it he shot 3 holes in the tavern wall. We didn’t go to the tavern section but I hope to go back to see those holes! Afterward we went to Scout and Scholar and had one drink and the atmosphere and service was average at best. We left and went to 3rd Street Tap Room where it was quiet and less busy, much more enjoyable.
    Sunday we drove to Abraham Lincoln Birthplace Historical National Park and Boyhood Memorial; 2 locations 10 miles apart. It was interesting history but no real representation of the Lincoln homestead other than a “symbolic” cabin of one he was born in and a boyhood cabin that likely belong to his friend. The locations were proven to be the Lincoln farms, one called Sunken Springs and the second called Knob Hill. I did learn a lot of history about Lincoln’s younger years. He was often portrayed as poor but in fact his father had enough money to buy multiple farms with cash and had 6 horses, which in the 1800’s was not poor.
    On Monday, July 14, we moved to Elkhorn Creek RV Park in Frankfort, KY. It was an easy 90 minute drive with a stop to wait for our check-in time. As part of the check in we were escorted to our site. That was an exceptionally good thing because the campers opposite us were blocking THREE sites, including ours, with various vehicles - car, golf cart, trailer. The RV attendant must have told them to move all of it as they relocated all the crap to their site and kept it there. The RV park is large with a pool, mini-golf course and playgrounds for kids and dog parks. The “street” names are cute - “Old Fashion Trail”, “Manhattan Drive”, “Mint Julip Way”.
    On Tuesday, July 15, we did a Buffalo Trace tour. The distillery is a historic landmark and they are the oldest continuous distillery (continuous being a key word), the buildings date back to the 1800’s. It’s a little unclear exactly when distillery started on the property, but by 1811 there was a warehouse storing whiskey to be sent to New Orleans. In 1870 Edmund Taylor purchased the property and renamed it to O.F.C. for Old Copper Company. Taylor is considered the father of bourbon because he was the first to use copper stills. Buffalo Trace also makes Wheatley Vodka. That was one of the four tastings provided at the end of the tour, which I’m sure they give so that people like me will buy a bottle. And I did. They have multiple tours, all are complimentary, so we decided to go back on another day and do the hard hat tour to see the distillery process. Probably the best part of this tour was seeing the assembly line for the hand poured bottles. I also learned that the term “reguaging” comes from when bourbon was taxed on actual amount produced, after the “angel’s share” was evaporated. Now they are taxed per barrel regardless of angel’s share.(evaporation). That’s the government for you.    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Top of Cumberland Fall
    Bottom of the fallsTrail #6Volstead LoungeHeaven Hill WarehouseStephen FosterFederal Hill mansionOur guide, she sang My Old Kentucky Home beautifullyOutside KitchenPainted Horse at Maker's MarkGlass sculptureMaker's Mark barKevin's personally dipped bottleMaker's Mark Visitor Center

    Kentucky Bourbon Trail

    7月5日〜12日, アメリカ ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    Our first stay in Kentucky was at Rustling Pines Campground in London. It was rather remote; three and a half miles to get from Route 80 to the campground through Daniel Boone National Forest and about a 20 minute drive from the town of London. The place was nearly empty when we got there; it had only 1 review on RV Life so we assumed it was new. The sites have a hefty amount of large gravel and for our rig that makes it difficult to level. The leveling blocks sink into the gravel unevenly and the wood blocks, placed under the plastic levels, all broke from the weight of the rig and unevenness. There are several stables on the property and the first night there were 2 other rigs that had horses. They left early the next morning and then it was just us and one other Class A. On Sunday we drove to Cumberland Falls State Resort Park to hike. We had planned to hike Trail #9 that would bring us past Cumberland falls and Eagle Falls but we weren’t sure where the trailhead was. Instead we took Trail #6 that was about 1 mile to the falls. Cumberland Falls is known as the “Niagara of the South”, I assume because it is wide. At the falls there is a tourist center and snack shop and thus a bit touristy. Trail #9 starts there but it was so hot and humid, we weren’t up for an additional 4 mile hike and decided to head back to the car, completing a 2 mile hike.
    Monday we drove to Little Patch of Heaven RV Park in Bardstown, KY to begin the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. It’s a small campground with a lot of grass for pepper, plus close to a lot of things to do in Bardstown. That night we went to Oak and Grape for a drink then to The Volstead Bourbon Lounge. Oak and Grape is primarily a restaurant with a bar and Volstead is a really cool Bourbon lounge. It reminds me of the Velvet Elvis Lounge in Houston. I found a new cocktail, the Gold Rush; bourbon with honey simple syrup and lime juice.
    On Tuesday we toured Heaven Hill Distillery warehouse. In addition to the Heaven Hill brand they make Evan Williams and Elijah Craig. We learned about their 10 recipes and how they are built based on 2 yeast recipes and 5 corn/rye/barley combinations.
    Wednesday afternoon we went to Evergreen Liquors where there is a bourbon tasting bar. Kevin tried a few bourbons and I got a Kentucky Mule cocktail, made with bourbon of course.
    Thursday morning Kevin took the car to an auto shop to have the struts replaced. The car started to “thump” a bit; we think the struts were damaged when we had the tire blowout. That afternoon we did a tasting and tour of Four Roses warehouse. The history of the brand was provided with the tasting first followed by the warehouse tour. Interesting fact, during prohibition whiskey could be served for “medicinal purposes”, thus there were a lot of prescriptions written and whiskey sold at pharmacies! This helped keep Four Roses in business during prohibition. The brand was purchased by Seagrams at one time and they decided to sell only oversees as the market was better there. Since then a Japanese company has purchased the brand and brought it back for sale in the US. Unlike Heaven Hill that stocked barrels 20 high Four Roses only stacks 8 or so high, giving the brand more consistency. Heaven Hill uses the barrel locations to develop different flavors of bourbon.
    On Friday we visited My Old Kentucky Home State Park, in the middle of Bardstown. The mansion was built by John Rowan in 1795 and has the largest rooms I’ve seen yet for that time period. John Rowan was a successful lawyer, farmer, and US Senator. The house is filled with original family belongings, including Rowan’s eyeglasses, walking cane, Eliza’s (his granddaughter and last person to live in the house) adult size 3 riding boots and a family bible from the 1600’s. Stephen Foster, who wrote “My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night”, was a cousin of John Rowan’s and it’s known (depending on the source) that he visited the house. It’s believed that the house, along with the anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, were the inspirations behind the writing of the song. The song became the official state song in 1928. No pictures were allowed except for outside. From the state park we drove to Maker’s Mark, I wanted to see it as I heard it was beautiful. There are a lot of painted horse sculptures and glass sculptures throughout the grounds and a beautiful visitor center with a tasing bar. Kevin bought one tasting and I got a “dew drop” cocktail; a bourbon martini similar to a lemon drop. It was REALLY good. It was made with citrus fruits grown on the property. In the gift shop Kevin purchased a bottle and then went to the dipping station where he was able to dip the bottle neck into wax himself.    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Stream in cavern
    This was at one time a waterfall overtaken by calcium depositsFern growing inside cave where lights areThese stalagmites are 22' and 24' tallThe big stalactite is held on the ceiling by the right side onlyThis stalagmite is called Totem Pole but I think it looks like a cactusThe Big Room - 400’ long x300’ wide, 200’ top to bottomThe waterfall"The Beach"Bat Poop. Bats pop in the same place at the same time!Beginning of the Baskins Fall trailLarge granite rock on Baskins fall trailStream we crossed overWaterfallCrossing back over stream with Pepper on my backStream along pathOld Job Ogle graveyardBaby Grace tombstoneOld gristmill we saw along roadVisit to MaryvilleOur site at Riverbend Campground

    Pigeon Forge, TN

    6月30日, アメリカ ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    We decided to stay in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area at Riverbend Campground for the July 4th week when we started planning our next adventure in May. We chose the area for lack of a better idea and wanting to ensure we had reservations for the busy holiday weekend. With more foresight we might have picked a less crowded tourist location. Fortunately we’re in Pigeon Forge which is not as bad as Gatlinburg. The campground is on a river and our site backed up to it which made for a pretty spot.
    On July 1 we drove to Townsend to tour the Tuckaleechee Cavern which is estimated to be 20-30 million years old. It was a 90 minute tour and the cave is massive. The “big room” is the size of a football field and further in there is a spring fed waterfall. Another stream runs through the whole cave and we followed it throughout the cave. The cave is on private land and was discovered in 1931. It opened to the public but soon shut down due to the depression. Later 2 boys discovered and played in the caverns and while at college in 1949 they starting talking about opening the caverns to the public. To purchase the mineral rights of the land they worked in Alaska to generate enough money and then spent 4 years hand carrying in sand, gravel and cement to build steps and pathways. They opened it to the public in 1953. It is still owned today by one of the families.
    The next day we hiked Baskins Creek Falls in the national park. The trail is rated moderate and less traveled with streams to cross. I liked the idea that it was less crowded and although it had rained the night before it didn’t sound dangerous. The park was very crowded and we had to park about a quarter mile up from the trailhead (parking was limited and on a one way road). The trail is narrow and the woods are dense on either side of it. We talked about bears and what to do if we saw one, and how to better prepare to get to the can of bear spray in the backpack! We also talked about how Pepper would make for a nice snack. The path ran along a stream which made it a beautiful hike. It was wet; we often walked through or around water but it was muddy only in certain spots and we wore our Keens so were able to easily rinse our shoes. We crossed over the stream in one spot that required walking on logs or in the stream (water felt nice), then a second, easier crossing about a quarter mile down. To get to the falls we had to climb over a large fallen tree trunk and large boulders. The waterfall was smaller than others we’ve visited but pretty. When we were at the bottom of the falls 2 women informed me it is illegal to bring dogs into the park - oops! I had read that you needed to be careful with family animals but didn’t remember reading you couldn’t bring them on trails. Pepper was in her backpack since the first stream crossing and I kept her there the rest of the time and crossed my fingers we didn’t see a ranger! The hike back was more difficult as most of it was up the mountain. We took a detour to see an old graveyard and found it about a quarter mile up. The stones are rudimentary and if inscriptions were originally on them they are long worn off save one, a 7 month old baby that died on March 26, 1926, 35 years before I was born to the day. Someone had placed a formal tombstone on the grave more recently. Researching it I found the cemetery held 5 members of the Olge family, thus known as “The Old Job Ogle” cemetery (Job died in 1906.) It also held 4 other people with different last names including baby Grace. In total we hiked 5 miles.
    On Thursday, July 3 we drove to Maryville to check the town out as a possible retirement location. We stopped at a brewery for a beer in Alcoa (name is from the Alcoa company that use to own the town), then went to Mountain Valley Winery in Pigeon Forge for a sampling. The red wines were surprisingly good, dry and not overly bold. I bought a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Kevin bought 3 bags of Hurricane mix to go with his rum!
    On July 4 we pretty much stayed put except for a quick trip to Ace Hardware. Kevin replaced the water pump manifold that was linking and causing the pump to continuously cycle. Reminiscent of Southern Cross issues. Except for one coupler that didn’t match from the new manifold to the pump (thus the trip to Ace) he had all the parts previously delivered to his mom’s house and was able to fix the issue in a short amount of time. I’m thankful that is taken care of!    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Loading the shuttle to go rafting
    Sandy Trail to Benton FallsUpstream of the fallsBottom of the falls through the treesBenton FallsScenic OverlookThe overturned truck

    Whitewater Rafting, Ocoee TN

    6月28日〜30日, アメリカ ⋅ 🌩️ 81 °F

    We left Nashville at 10:30 am CST and hit a major traffic jam on I-24 around 12:30 that was caused by an overturned truck carrying what looked to be fertilizer. We crawled along at 0-15 mph for one hour and 40 minutes. Once traffic cleared we were in Chattanooga and hit Friday afternoon rush hour with construction. A delay by another 30-40 min. We arrived at Whitewater RV Park at approximately 5:00pm EST, 2 hours after our original ETA of 3:00 m. The delay itself wasn’t the problem but a pending storm was and the heat inside the RV was difficult, temperature upfront were 88 degrees and 92 in the rear, and that was with the generator on. We did get to the RV park and set up before the rain came.
    On Saturday we went whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River. It was a fun one, we went through 7-8 rapids, several were category 4 (5 is the highest, 6 is life threatening). I didn’t get any pictures for obvious reasons.
    Sunday we did a 3 mile hike with Pepper to Benton Falls located in Cherokee National Forest. The first 1 mile plus was easy on a well groomed sandy trail, the last half mile or less was rocky and down hill. The falls were beautiful with a horizontal rock gorge. On the drive down the mountain we stopped at a few scenic overlooks.    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Old slave quarters
    Inside slave quarterInside second slave quarterMansion from afar. Cabin on right belonged to Johnson's personal servant and familyTracy with mansion in backgroundBell used to call the servantsSmokehouseWell now overgrownGarden leading to Johnson tombSarah and Andrew Johnson's tombAlfred's graveFlowers in garden

    Brentwood, TN

    6月20日〜27日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    We choose a very nice RV park in Nashville while visiting Kevin’s family. It was next to a lake, had a swimming pool and nice road to run or walk on. Unfortunately we only spent 2 quick nights there. We had planned to divide our time between staying with Kevin’s mom, Jenny, and the park with the intention of getting some repairs done. However we decided to reschedule an annual inspection with National Indoor RV Centers from October to now. We arrived Friday and spent the weekend with Kevin’s mom, Jenny. We went back to the RV Sunday night after dinner at Tracy and Erwin’s house and left at 6:30 Monday morning to take the RV to NIRVC. After unloading we went back to stay with Jenny. We picked the RV up on Wednesday afternoon, brought it to the RV park, unloaded clean laundry, Amazon items sent to Jenny’s address and items we bought at Costco. After plugging in the power Kevin heard a pop and the power shut down. Kevin couldn’t find anything wrong on our side or from the power box as the volt meter gave out correct amp readings. The RV park maintenance guy came and said it was the box and replaced the breaker. By that time we had been in 90 degrees for an hour and the temp in the RV read 100! 🥵
    We went back to Jenny’s place for one more night. We said our goodbyes to Tracy and Erwin Wednesday night, and Jenny on Thursday morning, then headed back to the RV to prepare to leave Friday morning.
    On Wednesday morning Tracy and I went to The Hermitage, Andrew Johnson’s family estate. We took a tour of the mansion which included about 80% original furnishings. I wouldn’t say it was a huge mansion but it was lavish for its time. The most interesting thing I learned about Andrew Jackson was that his wife, Sarah, died unexpectedly just prior to taking office and thus he was a widow all 8 years of his presidency. He had no heirs and instead adopted a nephew (who was a twin) from Sarah’s side of the family. Unfortunately neither Andrew Jackson Jr. nor his son, Andrew Jackson III, were good businessmen and eventually The Hermitage was turned over to the state as a museum by Andrew III. Andrew Jackson’s personal servant, Alfred, was born at The Hermitage and continued to live there until his death at age 98. His last job was giving tours of the mansion.
    It has been unbearably hot all week with high temperatures and humidity and no breeze. I attempted to run outside twice and while I did go 3 miles it was slow and a lot of stopping. We will be very far north this time next year!    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Burgess Falls State Park
    Burgess FallsBurgess FallsBurgess FallsFall Creek FallsFall Creek FallsFall Creek FallsSuspension Bridge in Falls Creek State ParkSparta, TN

    Sparta, TN

    6月17日〜20日, アメリカ ⋅ 🌧 79 °F

    We stayed at Whispering Falls RV Park for three nights and in between the rain we were able to hike to waterfalls. The park is adjacent to Brurgess Falls State Park and we walked into the park from our RV site. It was an easy hike to the falls, of which there were several. The next day we considered going to Cummins Falls State Park but it was a strenuous and a potentially dangerous hike over wet rocks and through a river, some pictures on the website show the water waist high. We had a significant amount of rain the night before and days leading up to it so it sounded a bit treacherous. I then found on the website that the park was closed due to the rain. Instead we drove an hour to Fall Creek Falls State Park and hiked about 4 miles around several water falls. The largest one is 256 feet and one of the largest falls in the eastern half of the US. The gorge surrounding it was beautiful and there was a second thin waterfall next to it. The hike down and back up was a bit more rugged that the day before but definitely worthwhile. We saw several other falls during the hike. On the way back we stopped at a small restaurant in Sparta for lunch/dinner, it was meh. I ordered a salad and it was mostly lettuce.もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Jonesville Greenway
    Jonesville Greenway"Mayberry RFD"Floyd's barber shop is for sale!Gomer's truckSheriff officeMe in jail!Andy Griffith childhood homeRoundpeak VineyardStone Mountain FallsStone MountainHutchinson HomesteadStone Mountain is in the backgroundLaurel Gray VineyardHanging out with Jessica and ColinSign on the Elkin TrailRail yard Brewery

    Jonesville, NC

    6月10日〜14日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Riverwalk at Yadkin RV park is a great place to stay! The park is well maintained, it has a small beach by a man made irrigated pond, it is next to the Joneswille Greenway Trail, close to Stone Mountain and in the heart of North Carolina wine country! We went to Mount Airy where Andy Griffith was raised and the town has built a replica Mayberry RFD with Snappy Cafe, Floyd’s Barbershop, the sheriff office and jail, courthouse, motel, gas station and 1960 police cars! I think the cafe and barbershop were there before the TV show. Andy’s boyhood home is also there and it’s now an Air B&B. There is an Andy Griffith museum, which we did not go in. It’s a cute little town in the mountain foothills and very old, which has its charm. We went to Round Peak Vineyards, located in Mt Airy, and I had a flight of wine and Kevin had a craft beer. I primarily got the flight (versus a glass) for the souvenir wine glass - which is glass and not plastic! The wine was good, I was hesitant because they make a lot of sweet fruit wines in N.C. However the grapes are mostly Italian and French and the wines are dry.
    We hiked Stone Mountain with Pepper and took the waterfall trail; which has 476 stairs built into the trail to get to the upper, middle and lower falls. The falls hike was 3 miles. Then we did a 1 mile hike to see the Hutchinson Homestead, built 165 years ago with Stone Mountain in the background. You can’t go into the buildings but the original house, outhouse and wood shed are still there. Four generations of the Hutchinson family lived there for 120 years. After returning to the RV for lunch and dropping Pep off we met Jessica and Colin at Laurel Gray winery, we met them at the campground the night we arrived. The vineyard was pretty with beautiful flowers in front and the mountains in the back. Kevin and I enjoyed a bottle of Merlot. On the way back we stopped at Shiloh General Store operated by the Amish. They have a lot of fresh canned, baked and bulk goods along with a deli and some packaged goods.
    On Thursday, our last full day, we took a late afternoon walk with Pepper on the Overmountain Victory Trail in Elkin. It follows part of the route that NC men took to fight British loyalists during the American Revolution. It also follows where the Elkin & Allegheny RR tracks once were. And it also leads to downtown Elkin where Railyard Brewery is located! We had a few beers, watched the US Open on the outdoor TV, ate tacos from the food truck then walked the trail back to the car.    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Lenoir, NC
    Kevin and Jon at Brown Mountain BottleworksMe and CherylRidings Homestead, Nebo NCSteak DinnerSilver Fork WineryLinn Viaduct on Blue Ridge ParkwayHike in Thousand TrailsMountain Laurel on Upper Creek Falls HikeLinville Gorge and FallsKevin and Whaley brewery ownerBoone, NCJack of the Wood bar, Asheville2Artwork at the WedgeJon wondering off Blue Ridge ParkwayMoses H Cone houseArt Deco building

    Lenoir and Morgonton NC

    5月29日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    We arrived at Thousand Trails Green Mountain RV Park on Tuesday 5/27 and were placed one mile back in the park, which is what the RV Life reviews said would happen. I didn’t mind as it made for a good morning walk. The site was narrow, we had only a few feet between our RV and the one to our right. It also was not very level, we were able to get the rig leveled for the most part but the water in the shower pan didn’t drain all the way. The park is lovely though, it’s surrounded by woods and has several hiking trails. Just walking in the park was good exercise as the roads were steep. On Wednesday we went to Morganton and met Cheryl and Jon at Brown Mountain Bottleworks brewery for drinks and live music. Thursday was Kevin’s birthday and we celebrated at Cheryl and Jon’s house, grilled steaks and had a wonderful meal with roasted vegetables, baked potatoes and spice cake for dessert.
    On Saturday, May 31, we joined Cheryl and Jon plus a few of their friends for an afternoon of music and wine at Silver Fork Winery. The musician, Leeda “Lyric” Jones, was excellent. She has a Tracy Chapman style and the music genre she played along with the low acoustic sound was perfect for the setting. Normally she has a 5 piece band but that day it was her and her dad.
    Monday we left Lenoir and moved an hour down the road to River Pointe RV Park in Morganton. This is a much smaller park with no amenities but the sites are level and much wider than most.
    On Tuesday Cheryl and Jon picked us up at the campground and we went to the town of Boone, stopping in Blowing Rock first just to visit the town. In Boone we had lunch, browsed shops, and went to Lost Province brewery for lunch. After lunch we drove on part of the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopped at Moses H Cone Memorial Park. We arrived too late to tour the 1900 home but the view was spectacular. On the parkway we stoped at several overlook points including Linn Cove Viaduct, a bridge built along side Grandfather Mountain that is suspended and famous for its landscape architecture that blends into the environment and civil engineering accomplishment.
    On Wednesday, June 4, Kevin and I ventured out to hike Upper Creek Falls off Hwy Hwy 181. We decided to take the less strenuous route which we discovered does not lead to the falls! We ended up back on the road and walked about a mile back to the parking lot! Oh well, it was a nice hike anyway, lined with beautiful white mountain laurel flowers. Then we hiked the Linville Gorge and Falls which was beautiful.
    On Thursday we went with Jon and Cheryl to Whaley Farm Brewery in Old Fort for their soft opening. The whole area was hit hard by Hurricane Helene and this stomping ground for Jon was finally reopening after 9 months. We were lucky to be able to tag along with them. Beer was good and the owners were wonderful people. On Friday we all headed to Asheville with the intention of purchasing an America the Beautiful park pass, only to learn that they are sold at the campground an hour away! Oops. Nevertheless it was fun to drive around the city. We thought of it as the Austin of North Carolina. It’s a very artsy college town with, unfortunately, a lot of homeless people. We stopped in at the bar Jack of the Wood, a place Kevin’s golfing buddy, Ken McFarlen, recommended. We then went to the Wedge, a place Jon and Cheryl wanted to visit again, having been reopened since the hurricane.
    Saturday night Kevin and I went to Bones Jones Burger and Butchery for dinner. The food was excellent and reasonably priced, with live music outside.
    We spent Sunday at Cheryl and Jon’s house, played a mediocre game of darts and had a lovely farewell dinner together.    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    Broad River, Columbia, SCThree Rivers, Broad River on right, Saluda River on left, combine to form Congaree RiverPepper enjoying the hike backNow that's a margarita!Ivy Acres HikeHurricane Helene damageFalls Park, Greenville, SCReedy FallsMama duck on her nest

    Columbia and Greenville, SC

    5月23日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    We spent 2 nights at The Barnyard RV Park in Lexington, SC on May 22 and 23. It was a quiet, basic park with a lot of tree shade. We went into Columbia and walked the Saluda Riverwalk Trail with Pepper. It’s an easy paved trail that follows the river and has historical markers. It was nicely shaded and runs next to the zoo, though we didn’t see any animals, just smelled them at one point! We saw a few people kayaking and tubing in the river, I’m sure it’s packed weekends and summer. On the return walk we put Pepper in the backpack and Kevin carried her, she seemed quite content! For dinner we went to a Mexican restaurant within walking distance of the RV Park. It’s was ok, I gave it a 5 and that’s only because the chips were homemade and really good.
    Our next stop was near Greenville, SC at Ivy Acres Lodge and RV Park where we stayed for 3 nights, May 24-27. The area is pretty and we’re starting to see more hills. As we were setting up our neighbors and the maintenance guy, who is a camp-worker, and his wife greeted us. That night we all enjoyed a campfire and we met a few more people. The area had been hit by Hurricane Helene and there were a lot of fallen trees, they’ve done a lot of work to cleanup but you can see the remnants. I went for a hike on the park trails and trees were torn up from the roots. On Memorial Day we went into Greenville for lunch and walked around downtown and Falls Park. Reedy River runs through Greenville and became polluted from textile factories starting in the mid 1800’s. In 1960 a four lane bridge was built over the falls and became obscured by the bridge and traffic noise. Most people didn’t know the falls were there or thought it was “just a trickle”. The Carolina Foothills Garden Club began a campaign in 1967 to reclaim the land and in 2001 the city council finally approved to remove the bridge and rebuild downtown Greenville, with the falls the center of attraction. It’s a beautiful park    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    JC Raulston Arboretum
    Good ole' southern cookingMarc and Debra KaufmanOutside InnThe dreaded shredded tireSaltwater pool at Red GateProhibition Museum. Women would smuggle alcohol in secret compartment in baby buggySavannah docks

    Down to Savanna, GA

    5月16日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    On May 15 we drove to North Carolina State Fairgrounds Campground (that’s a mouthful) in Raleigh, NC. The campground itself was not much to talk about; close RV sites with no amenities. The sites were mostly dirt (soft mud due to rain) and we were not able to level our RV properly, we eventually called management and got another site assigned. Altogether we spent 2 hours getting everything set up properly (leveling, connecting hookups, etc.). The next day we rode our bikes to the JC Raulston Arboretum, which is associated with NC State University and focuses on research of plants that grow well with no chemicals. We saw many varieties of different plants and learned a bit about bees. While the well known honey bee is highly social, most bees are not and live independently. They had an “Air Bee and Bee” case where a bee could make its own home. Interesting the bees that were flying around the structure looked like wasps to me. Makes me wonder how many times I see a bee and think it’s a wasp. For lunch we rode to Pam’s Farmhouse Restaurant, serving fresh local food. It was good southern cooking. The next day we met Kevin’s past co-worker Mark, and his wife Debra, for a drink at Lola’s Beach Bar and dinner at Hayes Barton Cafe. Hayes was at one time a pharmacy and the interior has been left similar to what is was originally. It’s known for its pies and cakes that sell for $14/slice or $140/cake. The food was excellent. We did not indulge in dessert but Kevin did get a slice of Key Lime Pie to go.
    On May 18th we drove to Outdoor Inn in Santee, SC. It’s a cute spot owned by a young family. They have 60 acres which most of it is still woods. Three acres are the RV spots, farm animals (cows, goats, sheep, chickens and 1 donkey)
    and a garden. They have carved out a mile and half trail through the woods where you will also find 3 very large pigs and male cows/steer. They plan to continue developing it, with the intention of keeping it secluded. The downside is there were a lot of little flies, they didn’t bite but were annoying. When we arrived here we could not get the power to stay connected. At first we assumed it was the shore power since we had power that morning before leaving the Fairgrounds. The RV park owner said the RV in our site that morning had shore power. 🤔 Kevin checked a few wires and found a loose one; driving the RV is like putting it through an earthquake. With that problem fixed we went to put the tilt bed down. No movement, no motor sound, zilch, dead. Kevin checked the breaker. Nada. Looked for all other breakers he could find to no avail. We slept on the drop down bed in the main cabin (aka guest bed). The next day he did his usual internet research, posted on the Thor group facebook page, removed part of the bed frame looking for a fuse and talked to Thor customer service. Thor talked him through how to replace the switch to the motor and one guy person posted in FB to try turning off the battery switches, which was an interesting suggestion since we just changed 2 batteries and may be related like the “DEF” service light issue? That made us nervous. Since we were moving in the morning we decided to wait and possibly get more clarification. Spent another night on the guest bed.
    The next morning I brought carrots, celery and lettuce to feed the animals. Carrots were their favorite, 1 or 2 goats ate the celery, chickens ate the lettuce and the donkey ate everything!
    When I went back to purchase baked goods from the little self- service farm stand the donkey yelled for more food! We left around 10:00 a.m. to go to Savannah and stopped at the first rest area to check that the car was towing properly behind as we’re still figuring out how to use the brake buddy. Shortly after getting back on the road I heard a loud bang and asked if the RV storage doors were all locked, Kevin confirmed they were and not flying open in the side view mirror. I mentioned the loud bang and Kevin thought maybe something got tossed in the “garage”. I was concerned and should have insisted that we pull over. Shortly after exiting the highway to the RV park near Savannah cars start honking at us. We pulled into an O’Reilly parking lot to discover a tire on the Honda was completely shredded 😬. Kevin put the spare on and drove 8 miles to Discount Tire while I stayed with the RV. Two and a half hours later we were back on the road to Red Gate Farms - RV Resort, about 10 minutes away, where we stayed for 2 nights. It’s a lovely venue with farm animals, a salt water pool, and social events. We went to a social hour and met some friendly couples, one of whom also knew the boating life.
    We went into the city of Savannah and walked around the historic district. We stopped at a Tasting Room where I did tastings of Georgia wines while Kevin had a beer, I was impressed, they all were very good. Then we toured The Prohibition Museum, touted to be the only such museum. The first prohibition started in 1735 with King George II declaring that Savannah was corrupt with alcohol and banned it (per the request of General James Oglethorpe, founder of the colony of Georgia). At some point Americans revived alcohol and it was banned again in 1908 during the 20th century prohibition campaign. There were a lot of interesting displays plus a Speakeasy, which we did not go to, surprise, surprise!    もっと詳しく

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  • Ericka CollierChris-crossing the Country旅行者
    1Pepper and Jan
    Inside the RVFirst photo of new homePawpa and loved onesEnjoying AustinLunch with DianeKevin working on a small leakCandy Cane CorralChickens at Blessed BountyBock-bockFarm stand at Blessed BountyFlowers at Blessed BountyStone Bridge EquestrianOwners house with Collie dogDevils Backbone Brewery

    The Beginning

    3月11日, アメリカ ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    We sold Southern Cross on March 7th, loaded a U-Haul with our belongings and headed home to Texas. Once there we rented a car, put our belongings in a storage unit, and stayed with Jan for about 10 days while we looked for a motorhome and a car to tow behind. Luckily we found a 2013 Honda CRV, equipped with a tow hitch, from a golf buddy of Mark Smith’s and purchased that 3 days after getting back to Texas. When in Jacksonville we attended an RV show, plus drove to see 2 RVs for sale by owner, and had compiled a list of features we wanted in an RV. We made an offer, from Florida, on a Fleetwood that we found online located at PPL Motor Homes near Sugar Land. However, we later learned it had a slide issue that would take weeks to resolve and no guarantee it would be covered under warranty. Then we were going a make an offer on a Winnebago, but it had an AC issue. In the end we were deciding between a 41’ 2019 Thor Tuscany and a 45’ 2015 Tuscany. We selected the 2019 because it was a few years newer and I was uncomfortable with the size of the 45’ to drive it.
    On March 19th we drove it off the PPL lot to Jet Stream RV Park in Pearland. Over the course of about 2 weeks we moved our belongings from the storage unit onto the RV. It feels like luxurious living compared to the boat! The living space is much wider and not as cramped as the boat and the storage is much more accessible and in my opinion there is more of it, at least the previous owner did not leave a garage full of spare parts!
    During our stay in Seabrook and Pearland we had a crawfish boil at Jan’s house, met up with boating friends and Sugar Land friends. I celebrated my birthday with lady friends from our dinner group, had lunch with boating friends Lisa and Kami, lunch with Diane and had dinner with my old Bunko group. We visited Kevin’s dad, who unfortunately passed away on March 27. Kevin and Siblings received a text from their stepsister, Micki, saying come now. Sydney flew in from California and Christian drove in from Austin and we were all able to say our goodbyes. He died peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones. On March 29 we went to Austin to spend time with Christian and had a delicious dinner at the restaurant he worked at.
    On March 31 and April 1 we completed a 2-day RV driving course that was very helpful for my confidence and preparing for the Class B driver’s license. We took the written test for the Class B (and passed the second time!) but had to cancel the driving test due to mechanical issues on the RV. We started to take the RV out for a practice drive when the Service Engine” and a “DEF error” lights displayed on the dash. The “DEF” light was locking the gas pedal and preventing the rig from moving. Kevin called several service centers and decided to bring it to Freightliner located in NE Houston, which happened to be on the way out to Livingston, our first destination. We rebooked all our stays between Houston and Virginia expecting a delay while the rig was in the shop. In the interim Kevin changed the DEF fluid and looked at all the battery and fuse connections. He got it so that the pedal was no longer locked and we could move. He read that changing the batteries could cause the service lights to come on and in the end that was the issue, he changed the chassis batteries about 2 weeks prior.
    On April 30 we drove to Freightliner and the warning lights turned off. The mechanic at Freightliner ran diagnostics and didn’t find anything wrong, he reset the computer and we were good to go. We spent the night in the Freightliner parking lot as they had electrical and water hookup. The following morning, May 1st, we left for Livingston, TX to Escapee’s Rainbow End RV park. As we pulled the bedroom slide in I noticed it did not go in properly. Kevin pulled it in tighter but it was still not right. As we extended it out in Livingston it stopped halfway. I called a few mobile RV mechanics and the next day someone came to look at it. They were able to get the slide back in so that we could drive it to Virginia where we could bring it to a shop. The good news was we could still tilt the bed up to get to the main bathroom and tilt it down to sleep in the bed.
    Rainbow’s End is our domicile location and where our mail is sent. The place is interesting, there are a lot of RV’s and many are permanent. They have an “RV Care Center” where older RVers can go for assisted living type services. They still live in their RV but have help available for medical appointments, meals, etc. We stayed there for 2 nights and left to go to Virginia on May 3rd. We had not yet hooked up the tow and brake buddy system on the Honda (I had been following in the car) and went to do that as we prepared to leave Livingston. As luck would have it the brake buddy box would not power on and I ended up driving the Honda to Virginia while Kevin drove the RV!
    We made 5 stops before reaching our final destination in Virginia. We stayed at 3 Harvest Host sites; Candy Cane Corral, Blessed Bounty Orchard, and Stone Bridge Equestrian Center for one night each. Candy Cane is in New Boston, TX and is a home on 3 acres with very hospitable owners who use to love to RV. The couple is now in their 70’s and 80’s and the wife’s mother is 99. Just inside their home is a huge Christmas village display with a train, lights and recording of The Night before Christmas.
    Blessed Bounty is a farm with crops and chickens located in Jackson, TN. There were no crops to harvest while we were there but we purchased jam, pickles and fresh eggs.
    Stone Bridge Equestrian Center is located in Natural Bridge, VA and is picturesque beautiful with rolling hills and mountains. We parked between the barn and fields where the owner’s 5 family horses are kept. In the morning I was able to talk to the owner and learn about the horses while he groomed them and I petted them. Natural Bridge State Park is a mile or so up the road but unfortunately by the time we got there and hooked up we did not have enough time to explore. We plan to return though to see it! Instead we drove to Devil’s Backbone brewery for a few beers.
    We also stayed one night at Dumplin Valley RV park in TN for one night, in between Blessed Bounty and Stone Bridge, and Williamsburg RV resort. We arrived at our final destination of the trip at Camp Cardinal in Hayes, VA on May 8th. This is close to Gloucester, where we previously docked and anchored our sailboat and to Yorktown where Kevin’s brothers Steve and Rick live.
    On May 9th we took the RV to a small repair shop in Poquoson that Rick recommended for the slide repair. They were able to repair it in a day and we had it back by noon the next day. They said it had previously been worked on and was close to falling off - yikes! Many bolts were missing and it was coming derailed. The good news is the motor is fine and we didn’t have to replace that. They did a great job fixing it and were super friendly and helpful, to the point where the mechanic told Kevin he could FaceTime him if he had any other issues. They put our job first priority as they knew it was our home.
    We brought items from the boat to the storage unit and retrieved a lot of stuff to use on the RV that we didn’t have room for on the boat, such as our Braun coffee maker, kitchen bowls and gadgets and more shoes for me!
    We hung out with Steve and Paula and Rick and Debra several nights. We were going to go to Steve’s beach house but the weather did not cooperate, it rained a lot the week we were there. Rick and Kevin installed a new battery in the Honda and found a disconnected wire for the brake buddy and got that to turn on. We ended our trip with a family outing for dinner at Chihuahuas in Newport News.    もっと詳しく

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