Here we are on our 5th trip of the season. Anna Lake State Park in Virginia with good friends… and yes, it is RAINING again! The second day we were here, it stopped raining for about 5 hours and we took advantage of it and did some kayaking. I would LOVE to do more of this!
As you can see, the sky was overcast and a storm coming up from the south. I guess we have to go to the vineyard and do some wine tasting đ
All in all a great weekend with friends, rain or shine. Lovely lake and great park! PS.. if you make reservations, it is first come, first serve to pick out your spot so get there early!
Hi, back again and this time in French Creek State Park for the Lantern Festival with family. We arrived in time to build a fire and kick back a little before dinner. Rest up, tomorrow is a bike ride to Hopewell Furnace!
View from the furnace at Hopewell Village
It was a really nice bike ride to the Village and interesting tour of the grounds. It was a great ride because it was all downhill!! Now we have to go back up hill to the campgrounds. Two miles never looked so daunting!
A quick respite and then to the lantern festival at the race track.
Sunset in Reading waiting for the festival to begin.I can’t believe they let 20,000 people play with fire!!
For 20 minutes lanterns went up. It was a very moving event.
Well, Well, we find ourselves back at Otter Lake with friends… and it is raining…again! The rain stopped long enough to take a walk around the lake and as you can see, the McGyvers in the clan rigged a tarp OVER the campfire and surrounding land đ There is no stopping this group from having some campfire fun!
Well our maiden RV trip for this season was in the Northern Poconos at Promised Land State Park. We have camped there a “few” years ago, in our tent and in our early Philly years, camping at Bruce Lake (which is now Forestry Land and no camping allowed). We started out thinking we had reserved a site with electric and water hook ups but arrived with no water and the power was out as well in this section of the campground. The upside is that there is no set up required in this situation, just open the slide-outs and turn the heat on⌠it is due to go down to 25 degrees tonight! Actually it was good we did not have water and kept the RV winterized!
The bath house was open and once the power came back on, it was nice and toasty. The morning trip to the bath house was a bit chilling and necessitated some pep in out step to get there in time… if you know what I mean đ  We were camped on Pickering Point surrounded by water and took a leisurely walk to scout out some other campsites. Water everywhere made it so B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L on this sunny day. It was so nice to be outside and breathing fresh air.
There were several other RVers at the camp ground and we quickly made some new friends. It was a bit challenging to get the fire going but once the wood finally caught, it kicked out some much needed heat. The smoky fire called out to our neighbors and we spend the late afternoon chatting, getting to know others and sharing RV ideas. It’s great to talk to others that have been doing this awhile, we always get some new useful ideas and places to go. Saturday night the sky was clear and I haven’t seen that many stars in quite some time. If it had been warmer, we would have stayed outside and stared into the vast skies looking for shooting stars and satellites.
Down to 21 degrees Saturday night and a very quick walk to the bathhouse the next morning.  A leisurely breakfast and the intent to hike on the conservation island but once we got to the entrance of the island, Paul noted that the parking lot was not exactly RV friendly so we headed home. All in all a nice get away weekend and maiden voyage for 2018. We kept the RV winterized once home. With the 4 snow storms in March, we didn’t want to take any chances. See you in May at Otter Lake!
When we embarked on our journey, we were unsure how we would survive – two peas in a 32 foot pod…together…all the time…for 31 days! The good news is that this trip has reinforced our relationship and made us a stronger unit. Â What else can I say to top that?!?
For RVers and future RVers, here are some of the other things we have learned:
When you come home in March, don’t expect Spring to be right around the corner! Â We had to re-winterize the RV the day after arriving home :(A foot or two of snow coming tomorrow night – we are actually, kind of, looking forward to it!)
less than 48 hours after returning!
300 miles a day is sufficient. Â When you get closer to 400 miles, getting places becomes more of a chore and more stressful trying to get somewhere in the time frame we set out.
There is some sort of time warp in the RV… when the GPS says it takes 6 hours, it really takes 7.5 – so take some time to smell the roses (or peaches if you are in Georgia!)
Two nights in a location we want to explore is more reasonable. Â Not doable all the time but we did take some time in Asheville and appreciated the second night without having to hit the road the next day.
If you are spending considerable time in Florida (3 of our 4 weeks was in FL), a Sunpass would be nice to have – like EZ Pass in PA, it is less expensive to use the Sunpass than pay cash tolls.
Most travel days we made sandwiches on the go, literally. Â Making tuna salad is not the best idea for these times… mix windy day, winding roads, the smell of tuna, the middle of the RV with no circulating air and motion sickness. Â NOT a winning combination!
A friend gave me a book at retirement called “65 Things to Do When You Retire”. Â It is not really about things to fill your time but learning how to redefine Retirement and what that means for you. Â One of the chapters is about ‘Keys to a Creative Retirement’. Â The last sentences in the Chapter are: Â “If you are having too good of a time and start saying ‘I wish I had done this five years ago’. Statements like these can make other people wonder whether they, too, are overdue for a new venture and that can be disconcerting. Â Don’t be surprised if you get push back from those close to you.” Â which has not happened to me but… “Humor them as you gently entice them to enter the journey with you.” Â I believe that this journal/blog did just that – entice you to journey with us. Â (and since we are becoming “Gray Hairs” as the seniors are known in Florida, it also helps us remember what we have done :-))
Some parting words, for now…
Ernest Hemingway – “It is good to have an end to the journey toward, but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
Final Miles 3409.6 Â First trip completed and many more to come – please ride along with us!
the view out the front window as we woke and got our bearings for the day
As we awoke today, it was vastly different than the night before. Â It was another beautiful sunny day and a wonderful day to start the trek home.
We walked up to the winery when Matthew and Mark arrived to work. Â We wanted to let them know of the trouble we had with the outlet we were to use last night and Paul wanted to get a picture of the original still that was used in the production of the first batch of whiskey and corn shine. Â This place was the real deal in West Virginia and vastly different that the previous winery we stayed in. Â It was a nice experience and we got a feel for the folks in the area… which is why we like the Harvest Hosts.
The original still on display
As we wound our way to the interstate, we were on a narrow back road hoping that no one was coming the other way!
The wind was certainly bountiful today and caused us to swerve all over the road – all the way to PA. Â It was tough driving, requiring a firm grip on the steering wheel most of the day. Â We switched drivers every couple hours and made it home by 4:45pm. Â Along the way were scenic overlooks and a beautiful blue sky. Â
We will have to enjoy it while we can because I believe we brought winter home with us. Â
We were also greeted with a fully cooked dinner brought by our dear friend Diane. Â It was so appreciated, and so tasty!
Tomorrow I will post some of my ‘lessons learned’ and total miles and sum up our phenomenal trip – 31 days, the first of many to come.
(I am posting this as we ride along and my curser is bouncing).As we leave Asheville, we are headed to West Virginia and then home. We thought we would stop for some fireworks in North Carolina but found out they are illegal in NC. Our ride was through the Blue Ridge Mountains then over the Appalachian Mountains into Tennessee where we stocked up at the Fireworks Supermarket in Bountville, TN. Score! As we rode through the rolling mountains it struck me how beautiful they were spotted with farms and little towns tucked into the valley floor. Going over the Appalachian mountains in the RV made me feel like we were on the âLittle Engine that Couldâ. After stopping at the gas station, I calculated that we got 7.1 miles per gallon on the mountain roads :(.
We have been very lucky with the weather on our driving days. We have been on the east side of a string of thunderstorms all day and as we approach our destination today, 45 minutes out, it started to rainâŚjust enough to wash the bugs off the massive windshield! As we approached New River Gorge, the fog started rolling in but really only in the valleys and river beds. As we wind through the interstate, the fog just reached out over the guide rails like fingers trying to touch the cars.
We got off the interstate and stepped onto a windy 1 ½ lane road taking us to Kirkwood Winery/Isaiah Morgan Distillery. We were greeted by 2 âgood ole boysâ who seemed happy to have someone to talk to. We got the history of the area, floods that ravished the town and some background of the men. We are definitely in the hills of West Virginia. As usual, we were greeted with southern hospitality and they were happy to share some of their local wines and Bourbon whiskey. Wines included lots of fruit wine, dandelion wine, ginseng wine and ramp wine (made from local ramps which taste like sweet onion wine). Paul chose to sample the Bourbon, Corn Shine and Rye WhiskeyâŚguess what we purchased!
Today we completed the wish list by purchasing fireworks and moonshine! After 2 hours, they showed us where to park and we settled down for the night. We are dry camping tonight (no water, power or sewer) and thankfully we are self sufficient in these situations. Paul did all the driving today so he was glad to have dinner and chill watching a movie I had downloaded on the iPad last week. Storms rolled through the area all evening and we woke to another sunny travel day. Take me home, country roadsâŚ.
287 miles today
Waking up at a vineyard was nice and it was somehow pleasant to hear the train in the distance last night as we drifted off to sleep. Now it is time to move onto to Asheville, North Carolina travelling north on I 75 where I have never seen so many bill boards in a row! There were dozens on each side and about Ÿ of them were for pecans⌠Well, we are in Georgia after all! Once we got into South Carolina our GPS took us to the northwest on Rt. 25/26 and through the Blue Ridge Mountains. There was something comforting about traveling through mountains with delicate purple flowered trees and tons of daffodils in bloom as we made our way closer to Asheville.
As we rolled towards our designated RV Park, we realized that there was a reason they did not take my name for the reservation.. âyes maâamâ is all I got for each question I asked. Do you have room for one night? âyes maâamâ; Can I stay another night? âyes maâamâ; Do you need my name? – âno maâamâ ⌠The RV park was on the river but questionably rundown at first glance. So a quick google search and we ended up at Bear Creek RV Park. It is a nice park a little ways up the mountain road and we mostly had the place to ourselves. We quickly set up and got ready to go into Downtown Asheville for dinner. Uber was super quick picking us up (less than 5 minutes) and we ended up at Barleys Restaurant for a slice of crispy pizza and some live music. They had a three piece band that was quite good and did a phenomenal blues set. We walked through town a bit but not much was open on a Sunday night, we were lucky to find some live music at Barleys. Back to the RV for a quick sleep and off to the Biltmore Estate Monday morning.
Monday was a bit drizzly and it had rained overnight so it was chilly waking up â in the low 50s outside and fortunately we put the heat on in the RV. As we summoned Uber to transport us to the Biltmore (we had timed tickets for 11am) we realized the distances are quite long once on the estate. Three miles to the parking lot to get a shuttle and 5 miles to the Winery and Antler Hill Village, so letâs have 2 of those Biltmore Express Shuttle passes too! It worked out fine but another $30 we werenât expecting to spend so word of advice, bring your car to Biltmore Estate! We did end up getting picked up by the head of the transportation department and Steve took care of us throughout the day â got the inside scoop and he lined up our rides for us, it all worked out in the end. The estate was fantastic and we were so glad we came. We purchased the audio guide too, which gave us some of the inside story for each room we visited. It took the recommended 1.75 hours to do the self guided tour through the estate. Here is where we will bore you with the pictures:
Pano view of Biltmore House
Closer view of Biltmore House
main stairwell going up several stories
Center room as you walk into the House
main banquet table in the Banquet Room which has ceilings 7 stories high
pipe organ on one side of the Banquet Room
Kitchen where all the action was
After touring the house we had time to go to the Conservency and see the orchids and blooming flowers which made me look forward to spring â hopefully the recent warm weather hasnât spoiled the blooms for spring.
The Conservatory
It is highly recommended to come here in the spring when the gardens are in full bloom. Â Our last stop on the Express Shuttle was the Antler Hill village where we had a great lunch at Cedricâs Tavern (recommended by Steve to get the Reuben â did not disappoint!) and then off to the winery for a complementary wine tasting. The dry reds were calling our names and we ended up joining the wine club and walking out with 6 bottles of wine, not realizing that we had to carry them around with us as we walked through Asheville this evening. Oh well, that is the sacrifice we were willing to make! This is off season so when we got to town via Uber, the art galleries were closing at 6 so we really didnât get to see much except The Mast General Store (local outfitter type store) and Pura Vida, a local artisan store with quite an eclectic combination of local artists and some unique local items I had never seen before. This is the place that Jen could sell her wire-wrapped jewelry if she decides to move here. We showed the owner some of her pieces and she said definitely have her get in touch if she comes to town. Beer tasting was in order at Wicked Weed Brewing Co (one of about 30 breweries in town!) and I did find a Saison and Honey Ale that I liked. Those that know me know that I donât like beer normally but we did a sample flight and I picked 2 beers that were not hoppy and they werenât bad! Poor Paul had to drink the other 4 beers in the flight, somehow he managed!
We walked a bit more through town on Biltmore Ave and went to the Noodle House for a quick bite to eat. Next door was a double decker bus that served coffee and dessert. Apparently it is a landmark in Asheville. We did not get dessert but it was a funky cool place so here is the picture:
Coffee and Dessert in this funky little bus
Home again, home again, jiggity jig
Off to West Virginia tomorrow, hopefully less than 6 hour ride. Our destination is Kirkwood Winery which is part of Harvest Hosts. Another winery, but someone has to do it so it might as well be us!
We sadly left our friends in Camp Cloverleaf this morning. We got to say goodbye to Mark last night, who was camping in another park with his pups, and the rest of the crew circled up and bid us a due. Jay and Linda were the team leaders and hosted the farewell dinner last night. Good food and great fellowship all around! Bruce and Carol were our wheels for the 2 weeks, taking us back and forth to the worksite, stopping at the store and out to dinner. Much appreciated company đ  Dave, Sandy, Joan sent us off with hugs⌠I think we would have gotten into some mischief with them all if we stayed longer!
As we hop on the road to Georgia, we are excited to soak up some new experiences. I LOVE being on the road, always have, so we are headed to Horse Creek Winery which is one of the Harvest Hosts we planned on investigating. Traveling through Florida is a L-O-N-G drive getting out of the state. Most of our day was in Florida and as we drove along I 75, we could smell the sweetness of the citrus groves. It is an interstate but not as gray and congested as I 95!
We found the winery with no problems, right off exit 41 in Georgia. It has a bistro, event room, wine tasting and some specialty products straight from the farms of Georgia.
Award winning wines
We were greeted by the general manager, Mike, and taken care of like family. Paul found a great Cabernet that he liked and I chose the house made wine slushie for my treat (and yes we brought some of both for tasting later). We talked for some time after dinner with Kaylie and Mike and closed the place, no surprise there đ Â They had a fire going out on the patio so we toasted up a bit and did some star gazing before going to the RV for the night. I wish I could have taken a picture of the sky, so many stars. Our Harvest Host experiences have been stellar so far!
view outside the bedroom window this morning
They say that hind sight is 20\20 but when you are riding in an RV, with no rear view mirror, you can only plow ahead!
total trip miles 2293 – 350 miles today but it took us 8 hours! I believe we are traveling in a time warp machine but it is not to our benefit!
        
