It's snowing!!!

We left the Lake Powhatan campground about 10am heading north on the Blue Ridge Parkway. First it started to rain. As we continued it turned to snow. April 27, we never would have guessed. We drove to the top of Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi and enjoyed seeing the snow. The temperature was about 33*. On the way down from the top, we saw a pickup truck that had skidded off the road and was tangled in trees perhaps 25' down the mountain side. At the bottom of the access road, a "road closed" sign had been erected.
We continued to our campsite for the night; Carolina Hemlock off Hwy 80. We have a prime spot right along the Toe River. This is a Forest Service campground. $8.50/night with the "Geezer" card. That's what the Golden Age Passport is called. We only pay 1/2 of the camping cost and no admission fees to the National Parks. Quite a deal.

Lake Powhatan Campground

On Sunday we took the scenic drive to the Lake Powhatan Forest Service campground near Asheville. The campground is perhaps a mile off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unlike all the dead trees we saw around Mt. Pisgah, the Parkway around here is just beautiful. All green with lots of wild flowers. We're guessing the elevation must be lower around this part of the Parkway.
This campground is popular with the mountain bikers. There are several trails running through the area. Nothing special for us to do, but a nice stop on our journey north.
On Monday, we went into Asheville and found the Fresh Market grocery store. Sort of like Whole Foods. What a pleasant relief from Wal-Mart and the other chains. Expensive, but a nice selection of "different" sorts of foods. We stocked up on some fresh, prepared salads. For some reason, Carol didn't want to go into the store. I bought her two cookies.
We drove past the Biltmore Estate, the largest single family home in America. It was built by George Vanderbilt, II between 1889 and 1895. 250 rooms, 175,000 sf total. Carol didn't want to tour the Estate so we kept driving. Further on we came across a nice city park on the banks of the French Broad River and stopped for lunch.
On the way back to the campground I was telling her about what a nice store it was. When we head to our next stop, we'll swing by Fresh Market; Carol wants to go inside this time. Must be the cookies. :-)
Not a very nice today today, cloudy & cool.

Davidson River Campground-Brevard,NC

On Thursday we continued our journey northeast. We're at the Davidson River Forest Service(Pisgah NF) campground a few miles east of Brevard, NC. We would up with a nice site quite close to the river. On the way here we stopped at a bar-b-que restaurant for lunch. It was good but nothing real special. On Friday we drove to the Blue Ridge Parkway and had lunch st the Piscah Inn based on a recommendation from the campground host. A very good recommendation indeed. Carol had a veggie wrap and I had a Rubin. For desert we had this amazing pie. It was basically chocolate fudge with a wonderful nut based crust topped with a scoop of ice cream. I needed to walk back to the campground to work off these calories!!.
The Parkway was closed just past the Inn.Seems there was a very harsh winter this year and the road was strewn with tree limbs downed by the winter storms. That's a shame; our plan for this trip involved driving along the Parkway and staying at the campgrounds. The view from the mountains was really desolate. The winter was very long this year. The trees still had not started putting out leaves. Completely different from the other times we've visited here.
On Saturday we drove to Hendersonville. Went to the "Curb" market; a green market of sorts. Not really worth the stop. The campground host told us of a great bakery in Hendersonville but we were both feeling guilty about the desert we had with lunch yesterday so we passed on the bakery. Sometimes trying to be healthy isn't much fun.
We came across a nice laundromat on the way back to the campground and did a little grocery shopping at Ingles.
It started raining about noon time and is supposed to continue all night. Not so bad for us, but there are several families tent camping. Not much fun for them.

Twin Lakes Campground, Pendleton,SC

This morning we drove to the Twin Lakes Campground south of Clemson, SC. It's part of the COE Hartwell Project. Our campsite, #76, is directly on the wide part of the lake.
On the way here, we stopped at WalMart. As we left WM, Carol spotted a Panera Bread sign. Stopped for three oatmeal cookies ,two pastries,and a loaf of bread. Our first junk food stop of the trip.
It's been lightly raining most of the day; our first rainy day.

Mt. Carmel, COE Campground

This morning we drove to the Mt. Carmel campground still on the J. Strom Thurmond Lake. About an hour & a half drive north. We had our pick of the prime sites.(sites 30-33 are really nice).
This campground is even nicer then Modoc which was just beautiful. Our site, 31, is huge, very private and with a nice path to the lake. Once again, Gopher was able to roam around. There is not much civilization out this way. We passed through the town of McCormick. It had the only grocery store and gas station around.
One thing we enjoy is identifying birds. We have an Audubon guide plus a bird identification program on the i-Pod. Getting a positive ID is not all that easy. Bird coloration varies with maturity and season. It always seems that the bird we see is not the one shown in the pictures we look at. We did identify the Tufted Titmouse(Baecolophus bicolor); a beautiful small gray bird.
Monday: Gopher & I were sitting outside early in the morning. She was laying down near the woods. A Tufted Titmouse landed right next to her and began pulling at the hair on her back leg. Gopher looked as if to say "Who are you and what are you doing?". I tried to get a picture but, wouldn't you know it, the batteries in the camera were dead. By the time I put in new batteries the bird was gone. My guess was that the bird was collecting material for a nest. I brushed Gopher and left a few piles of hair here & there. Sure enough, about noon time we were sitting outside and the pair of birds returned. One started pulling at one of the piles of dog hair. This time the camera was ready!!. Just finished reading the article on this bird. Here is a quote "They line the nest with soft material, sometimes plucking hair from a live animal such as a dog." Funny.

J. Strom Thurmond Lake, South Carolina

This morning we got off the Interstate Highways and drove the back roads to the J. Strom Thurmond Lake Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, project.
It's Spring time. The Azaleas & dog woods & wild flowers are in bloom, the farmers are preparing their fields and the weather is just perfect. Warm & sunny.
The Lake is the border between GA & SC. It's what was the Savannah River before it was dammed.
We're at the Modoc Campground, Site 22, with a great view of the lake. There is a short trail leading to the water, We're the only one in our little area so Gopher has been running free all day. This is her type of place.
We thoroughly enjoyed another perfect day.
We'll be here for the next few days.

Blythe Island, Brunswick,GA

We left Little Talbot Island about 9:00 am. Our destination is the Blythe Island Regional Park Campground near Brunswick, GA. It's about 15 minutes off I-95 Exit 29. A very nice surprise. We got a lake view site. There are several nice walking paths on which we could use the scooter. The azaleas and wildflowers were all in bloom. We walked, read our books and played games. A very enjoyable day.

Our Spring/Summer trip is underway

We left home this morning at 8:00 am. 35,075 miles on the odometer. Our destination was the Huguenot Memorial Park near Jacksonville via Singletons Seafood Shack in Mayport. We got there just after noon and had a nice lunch. Took the Mayport Ferry across the St. Johns River. When we arrived at Huguenot Park, it was closed!!! for the next two days while they repaved the roads. What a disappointment. This is one of our favorite FL campgrounds. We continued on a few miles to the Little Talbot Island State Park campground. We stayed here last year. It's OK but nothing real special.
At any rate, it beats sitting at home looking at the pond. We would much rather be here then there.

Leaving in the morning

Mom came over for dinner on Sunday. We played Rumicube all afternoon.

Today's major event was Carols doctors appointment. All the tests that were run came out just as we had hoped. The new medication's are working very well. After the doctor, we went to the Sunrise City Bakery for some celebration pastries. Carol had a huge bear claw; I had a lemon/blueberry scone. Then to Publix for last minute food. The rest of the day we spent getting ready. Tomorrow morning we're on our way. Our destination is the Huguenot Memorial Park, near Jacksonville, via Singletons Seafood Shack. The last time we were there, Carol had fried soft-shell crabs and I had an oyster po-boy. Great seafood right on the St. Johns River.

Getting ready

We're more then ready to get traveling again. Been home too long. Carol has her doctor's appointment on Tuesday; that's the last item of business to tend to. We're not sure just when we'll be heading home. The general plan is to go to the Escapee Rally in Marion, NC, then to visit with Alex & family in VA, then to the PA Dutch Country, then north to a Lazy Daze Rally in RI. We have reservations for Memorial Day weekend in Burlington, VT; our favorite city. Reservations for the City Park campground opened at 9:00 am on April 5th. I started dialing with both cell phones and finally got through at 11:30. The campground was almost booked for Memorial Day.
After Burlington, we have no specific plans. Generally drifting west through NY, then to Michigan, Wisconsin & Minnesota. After that we're not at all certain. Maybe head home to check in on Mom; maybe continue west to visit Suzanne. Ginny said she was going to fly down to visit Mom in May. That would be a real big help. If she does, we'll probably head direct to Suzanne's in Colorado.
The forecasters are predicting a big hurricane system this year. Damage to the house could alter our plans with no notice.
We'll just see how things unfold.

Off we go again

I've not been keeping our blog very current recently. On December 27, all the kids & grandkids came to our house for Christmas. In mid-January Carol finished up her physical & occupational therapy. She's pretty much back to her old self. The only new danger is from a fall that might cause another hip dislocation. We decided that's not going to keep us home.
Our first outing was to attend an Escapee rally in Arcadia, FL from 02/8 through the 11th. Had our usual wonderful time with some old friends & some new. Today we're at the Sumner Oaks SKP campground near Bushnell. We have some friends here we hope to touch base with. Tonight is a Valentine Day supper. Ken & Ben Schutlz, two Lazy Daze friends joined us for dinner. On Saturday we head to the Yahala Bakery to have lunch with some Lazy Daze camping friends then back home. They are supposed to start work on the new driveway next Saturday plus I signed a contract on Moms Kings Isle condo. Need to take care of those things. In March we have some more Florida trips planned.

Heading home

Carol had her appointment with the surgeon on Monday the 9th. All went well. By noon time we had checked out of Palm Garden and were heading home. What a relief. Gopher & I have been camping in parking lots since Carol fell on October 4th.
We arrived home about 3:30. My sister Ginny is back in Florida for the winter horse racing season. She spent the night with us.
In general, our plan is to spend November & December recovering then travel in Florida in January & February. After that, we'll decide.

Late October

Carol is progressing very well. She keeps telling her therapists she needs to learn how to climb three steps because that's how many steps are required to get into the camper. The staff at Palm Garden admires Carols amazing, cheerful, positive attitude. I don't think they get many residents like that. Carol is scheduled to be discharged on 11/21. By then we'll really be ready to head home. I come home on weekends to tend to things around the house, get the mail, etc.
Lots of our camping friends sent cards, e-mails or called. We both appreciated that.

October, 3 -20, 2009

On Saturday, October 3rd, we left for a trip that was to, with time, take us to the Spring rally of the Southeast Lazy Daze Caravan Club. The plan was to travel all through the Panhandle area of Florida. On Saturday, we spent the night at the Sumner Oaks Escapee campground in Bushnell. We were hoping some of our friends would be there but it was too early in the Season. Continued on to Manatee Springs State Park near Chiefland. We had been there many years ago when the children were young. On Sunday morning, I was walking Gopher and came back to the camper to find Carol on the floor. She was trying to make the bed and had fallen. I helped her up. Her leg really hurt so we decided to head home. By the time we got to the Ocala area the pain was too much so we used the GPS to find an emergency room. We would up at the Munroe Regional Medical Center (MRMC). The x-ray showed that Carol had broken her hip. On Tuesday Dr. Couch, an orthopedic surgeon, did a partial hip replacement. We were very pleased with the surgeon and the hospital. I "camped" in the hospital parking lot. Jennifer & Karen drove down to help. They arrived on Thursday evening and left Monday morning. I am so glad them came down. On Friday, the 9th, Carol was transferred to the Palm Garden rehab. facility in Ocala. We are very, very pleased with Palm Garden. The staff is just wonderful. Carol has an hour of PT & OT each day.

The four week followup appointment with the surgeon is scheduled for November 9th. The plan is to stay here at least until that appointment. Depending on how Carol progresses, we'll decide what to do from there.

What a disappointment. Carol was doing so well recovering from her stroke of June, 2006. She had, after almost 3 1/2 years, finally attained a measure of self sufficiency. We both wonder how long it will take this time to become self sufficient. I hope it's not another three years.

As I type this, we should be in Georgia with our friends. Instead, Carol is in her room and Gopher & I are "camped" in the parking lot of Palm Garden. Between Carol's positive spirit, and Gophers company, they keep me going. Gopher & I have been through it all together. From the heart attack in Rock Springs, Wyoming to the stroke in Cheyenne to the fall in Florida.

Oh well. We managed with the stroke; we'll manage with this.

On our way home

Monday, August 31

Left Longmont about 8:30. Drove to the Sugarite Canyon State Park in Raton, NM. The main campground was full so we stayed in the Overflow area. Worked just fine for a one night stop.

Tuesday:

Drove to the Junebug NF campground just west of Red River. Had the place to ourselves. We’re camped right on a pretty, little creek. No need for a leash on Gopher. I called Mom to ask about her dentist appointment. She didn’t recall anything so I called Dr. Davis. The “stub” that’s left after the tooth broke is too small for him to extract. He suggested an oral surgeon. The tooth doesn’t bother Mom so, as long as it stays that way, we’ll let it alone for the time being. We had been talking about heading home. We’ve been gone since May 1st. Mom’s doing well, seems very content.

Wednesday

Went to the Orilla Villa Recreation area. Camped on the Rio Grande River. We talked again about heading home and decided to do so. We’ve been gone since May 1st. That’s long enough; perhaps a month too long.

Thursday:
Left the campground about 5 a.m. About 5 p.m. we stopped at the City Campground in Childress, TX. A nice park. It’s part of a large recreation complex.

Friday/Saturday:

Stopped here & there for a rest but, practically speaking, we drove straight through to Florida. Spent a night in a campground in Tallahassee then finished a very, very long drive. We decided we would not drive like that again. We would plan a 4 to 5 hour driving day then a nights rest in a campground much like when we are just heading out on a trip.

We had a most enjoyable trip. On Monday Mom came over for dinner. Had a very nice visit. We're glad to be home.

Longmont. Suzanne & Family

Wednesday through Sunday

Went to the Fairgrounds Campground in Longmont. About 4:00 we went to Suzanne’s to help with the move as best we could. Carol played with Izzy & Oliver in the RV. We went out for Chinese. Today is the last day they will be in the house. Tonight Suzanne & the children are staying in a hotel while Chris finishes the final packing.
On Thursday, Suzanne & Chris had the closing on both their new & old house. Everything went smoothly. About noon time we went to the new house to help unload the rental truck. Everyday was spent putting things away. We took care of Izzy & Finn to let Suzanne get things done. On Saturday we took them to the Farmers Market.

Salida & DeWeese Reservoir

Thursday:

Drove to Salida. Went grocery shopping. The lady at the Welcome Center recommended a good bakery so we treated ourselves to a loaf of multi-grain bread and some pastries. Very good. Later we went to a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) campground just east of town. It’s right on the Arkansas River. There are six other RV’s here. It’s free. We are able to see the river from our site. As we get lower, it’s starting to warm up. The high today is in the mid-80’s. It’s good sleeping weather with a low in the mid-40’s. Carol likes the warm weather; I miss the cooler days in the mountains. The elevation here is 7,000’.

Friday:

Nothing special. Just enjoyed a pretty day. Jennifer & Karen are at our house visiting with Mom. Took her shopping then made dinner at home.

Saturday/Sunday
Continued our journey. We went to Salida in the morning. Dumped the tanks & filled up with water at the city Visitors Center. First thing we went to Safeway & the bakery, filled up with gas then headed to the De Weese Reservoir State Recreation Area. The road to the reservoir was horrible; three or four miles of very rough washboard. When we leave here, we’re going to try the other way. Can’t be any worse. I hope. We arrived about noon time. Even thought it’s Saturday, we found a nice site right along the water. There are no designated campsites here; you just stop wherever you want. There are bathrooms & a dumpster. The camping is free. The elevation is 7,700’.

Monday, August 23, 2009 & Tuesday

Drove to John & Linda Leaches lot near Monument, CO. Had a wonderful visit. Gopher especially liked the place. There are several acres of vacant land for her to roam about.

Heaton Bay to Ruby Mountain

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Went grocery shopping at King Sooper then took off for the Heaton Bay Forest Service Campground near Dillon. The campground has changed a lot since our last visit three years ago. The Pine Bark Beetles took their toll. The dead trees have all been cut down so there is no shade and no privacy between campsites. We got real lucky and snagged the very best campsite in the entire campground. We’re directly on the reservoir. Carol has a super view from inside, of the reservoir and the surrounding mountains. The best campsites are as follows: 21 (us), 19,18,22.

Monday:

When we woke up it was 40* outside. Turned out to be a wonderful, blue sky, sunny day. We all walked to this small “island” that’s off the main path. Let Gopher run for a while.
Mostly we just talked and read our books.

Tuesday:

Mostly had the place to ourselves. Let the dog run free. Went grocery shopping & dumped the tanks. Enjoyed a nice day.


Wednesday:
Another nice, sunny day. 44* when we got up. Dr. Hoods office called about 10:00 am. He had reviewed Carol’s lab results and everything was just fine. Very good news for both of us. Since I hadn’t taken our blood pressure for some time, I decided to finish our “checkup”. Both of our pressures were quite high. The 9,000’+ elevation is the culprit. Not wanting to take any chances with Carol having another heart attack, we packed up. In general we were going to Salida. Drove through Leadville. At 10,325+_’ elevation, it claims to be the highest incorporated town in America. The days drive was just beautiful.
The elevation in the Buena Vista/Salida area tends in the 7,500’ range as long as you don’t head into the mountains. We stopped in Buena Vista for lunch and checked our pressures. Right where they should be. Going forward, we decided 8,000’ would be our maximum camping elevation with 7,000’ being even better. I remember Carol’s doctors in Cheyenne mentioning the 7,000’ figure. Rechecked our blood pressure readings after dinner. All’s well.
Poked around Buena Vista for a while then headed to the Ruby Mountain Campground which is a part of the Arkansas River Headwaters Recreation Area. This campground is very popular with river rafters. Set our chairs on the river bank and enjoyed a perfect day. We even changed into shorts. We say one couple on a rafting trip with their dog.

Visit with Suzanne & Family

Saturday, August 08, 2009

On Friday, Carol, Suzanne & the children went shopping. Had pizza for dinner. On Saturday we went to the Farmers Market and briefly, to the County Fair. Later on Carol & Suzanne went shopping again then we all went out to dinner. We had a very nice day just being around Izzy and Oliver.
On Saturday we went to dinner at a nice Italian restaurant.
On Sunday we went to church.
Tuesday: Carol, Suzanne & Izzy went shopping, to lunch then to all get haircuts. I got the camper all ready for our trip to Brainard Lake on Wednesday.
Wednesday: Carol had her blood work done at the Quest lab in Longmont. They will fax the results to Dr. Hood who will review them then give us a call.
After we got home from the lab., we all headed to Brainard Lake/Pawnee Campground. Izzy & Oliver road with us. They are just enthralled with “the RV” as they call it. They probably spend half the time we were at the campground playing in the RV. Gopher & I walked around the lake. Chris came up after work and we had a cookout. Hotdogs, hamburgers, beans, etc. After that the kids made Smores over the campfire. Izzy & Oliver really enjoyed sleeping in the RV. Izzy slept on the cab-over bunk and Suzanne & Oliver shared the dinette bed. It needed to be about 4” longer for Suzanne to be comfortable.
Thursday:
Had breakfast then walked to the lake for a while. Suzanne left about 11:00. They’re busy with school things, moving, etc.
Friday: Carol wasn’t feeling well. Couldn’t get a good nights sleep. That’s quite common for some people at higher altitudes. We left about 9:00 am for Longmont.
On Saturday, Suzanne had a garage sale and we took Oliver for a ride in the RV. Went to the Farmers Market then to a demonstration the Fire Department was putting on . He seemed to really enjoy the morning. We stayed at the Fairgrounds Campground for the night. Heading to Dillon/Heaton Bay, in the morning.

On to Suzanne's house

Monday, August 2, 2009

Drove to Douglas, WY and spent the night in the City campground. It’s a very well maintained facility right on the North Platte River. By dark, there were six RV’s here. It’s just off of I-25 so it’s an easy overnight stop. All that plus it’s free. Has a water fill and a dump station.

Tuesday, Wednesday:

Did grocery shopping on the way to Fort Collins. Camped along the Poudre River in the Cache de Poudre Recreation Area. Stayed at the Stove Prairie Forest Service campground. Our site is right along the river. There are nine sites and by late afternoon, the campground was full. When we got there about 2:00, there were two sites available. On Wednesday night the campground host came around. He said all camp sites along the river were full for the weekend and there are only a few sites available for tonight or Thursday. On Wednesday, one site in the campground was occupied by a “reservation” tent.

Thursday:

We moved on to the Horse Tooth Reservoir near Fort Collins. We were able to get a site for tonight. Tomorrow, Friday, is a “maybe”. The host said this is a very popular campground for Ft. Collins/Loveland Residents. It’s only 15 to 30 minutes away. During the summer it fills every weekend. Like a lot of the other reservoirs we’ve camped on, the shoreline tends to be mud. There is another Australian Shepherd in a campsite near us. We let the dogs off their leash near the water and they just ran & ran.

Friday:
We drove to Suzanne’s house in Longmont, CO. Arrived mid-morning.

Bismarck to Wyoming.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Awoke to a rainy day. Decided to spend another night in the Bismarck area to allow the weather to clear up. In the morning we drove along the river in Bismarck then went across the river to the Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park. The park is known primarily as the headquarters of General George Custer and the 7th Calvary. The cavalry marched out of here on May 17, 1876 to confront the Plains Indians at what turned out to be the Battle of Little Bighorn. Custer encountered Chiefs Sitting Bull of the Uncapaoas & Crazy Horse of the Ogallalas, and four other Chiefs with about 7,000 warriors in total. We toured the very interesting visitor center & museum.

Thursday:

Left about 9:00 am continuing our trek to Suzanne’s house. Saw a sign for the Huff Indian State Historic Site. The mounds you see in the picture are the foundations of the huts the Indians lived in. We drove to Faith, SD and spent the night at the Durkee Lake City Park. You just park anywhere you want around the lake. We found a level spot near the boat ramp and fishing pier. All during the day, people stopped by to fish. This one fellow and his three sons, were catching fish to stock the pond on their ranch. They had a Border Collie. He was a little shy at first, Gopher can be really pushy, but with time they started playing together. Playing with Gopher means you run, I’ll catch you and give you a nip. Most dogs don’t like that game for long.

Friday:

We got up extra early so we could get to the Black Hills National Forest early enough to get a campsite. It’s Friday plus the start of the huge motorcycle rally in Sturgis. The drive through Sturgis was interesting. Motorcycles everywhere, vendors of all things motorcycle, food stands, on & on. I suspect it would be a fun week for the bikers. The local paper said about 500,000 people would pass through Sturgis this week. We stopped at the first National Forest campground we came too. They had two RV sites available but we weren’t impressed with the campground so decided to continue on and take our chances. Stopped at the Pactola Reservoir Recreation Area. They had sites plus we got one with a great view of the lake. By mid-afternoon the place was full even though it’s an hour from Sturgis. The Internet said the campsites in Sturgis were going for about $70/night with a seven day minimum. That’s expensive camping. I see why people would rather drive the hour. This campground, without our half price discount, is $21/night. The difference would pay for all your other expenses for a day.
We parked by the boat ramp, let Gopher go swimming then had lunch. A beautiful, sunny day. It’s supposed to get cold tonight. The mid-40’s.

Saturday, Sunday:

On Saturday we drove to the National Forest Visitor Center. They had a nice museum we both enjoyed. Motorcycles are everywhere. Big ones, little ones, some with side cars, some of the trike design. Quite a spectacle. The local paper said the typical Harley rider is a white, middle aged male with 48 being the median age. It’s no longer the stereotypical biker crowd. That’s a problem the Harley Davidson Company is trying to deal with. How to interest the younger crowd, minorities and women in buying a Harley. Seems the younger people prefer the super fast imports to the classic American motorcycle and the larger minority groups just don’t gravitate to motorcycles. They prefer customizing their cars.
As we drove to our next stop, the Angostura Recreation Area west of Hot Springs, we continued to see hundreds of bikes. Did laundry in Hill City. The campgrounds and motels were full for over a hundred miles from Sturgis. Saw a bunch of bison along the road near Custer. The Angostura State Park Campground is nice. We got a site right on the lake. The beach, however, is a mix of mud and stones. Not at all like the beautiful, clear water and sandy bottom of the Pactola Reservoir.