Well, it has been a difficult decision for us but we decided to postpone our trip for a couple weeks and see what happens in this country. Unfortunately we have had to cancel the reservations for the first 2 weeks and hold on to some hope that some of the last parts of the trip can still go on in some modified fashion.
It is heart wrenching to undo some of what has been done over the last 8 months but we know that is necessary for our safety.
The upside is that we are prepared to meet this crisis and have 3 months of supplements, lots of water and the Ever essential coffee…And tons of other essentials including toilet paper!
So we stand ready to bolt when the time is right, in the meantime, be safe out there đ.
COVID-19 has really upset the apple cart! After hearing on Wednesday night (3/12/20), that our Habitat build at the end of March was cancelled, this virus got a little real! And the grocery store yesterday⊠people have started to really panic. Good thing the Wine and Spirit Store is next to the grocery store!! (And surprisingly not crowded)
We are keeping our plans to leave on Monday 3/16/20 and I have decided that COVID-19 has a new meaning:
Continue On Visiting Incredible Destinations â 19 National Parks hear we come!
Having said that, we recognize that we are clearly NOT in control of this situation and feel that the RV is probably the safest place we can be. We are headed to Kentucky as our first stop and then who knowsâŠ. At the very least, we plan on heading to Colorado to see Jen and Nate and drop off a car load to them.
The plants are set for a friend to water them,
the timers are on, motion sensor lights activated, 24 dinners in the freezer…
RV is packed and the clothes will be done tomorrow after laundry is done. Stay tuned, who knows where this journey will take us! This is a lesson on letting go and giving God the reigns!
As we left the Nashville Shores campground, we were grateful that we were able to join our friends on this leg of the adventure. We did have to go, so keep movinâ and ride on to the next stop. This is day 7 and heading north on the way to the finger lakes.
We stopped at Mammouth Cave National Park to take a 12:45 tour. It was not the typical cave tour with stalagmites and stalactites but rather a true rock cave. It is the longest cave in the world and all of it still hasnât been discovered yet đł. It is currently 412 miles in length, curving and layering itself in the hills of Kentucky.
Parts of the tour were quite narrow and in some parts the ceiling was really low. I only hit my head once and was grateful that I am short… that doesnât happen too often!
So here we are in Kentucky, headed to Indiana for the night. We made it to Joe Huberâs Family Farm Market And Restaurant in Borden, IN as part of the Harvest Hosts network. A welcoming group of people, down home cooking and a site next to the pond. Watched the movie RV with Scott and Sandi and headed to bed. Life IS good…and better with great friends!
Time to hit the road for the second of 3 driving days. This time we have Akron, Ohio on our sites to visit Maize Valley Farm Winery and Brewery. http://Maizevalley.com
The drive was beautiful with the fall colors on the hills. We were greeted by Scott and Zach who helped us get the lay of the land. While at Maize Valley, Paul witnessed A pig race and you could hear pumpkin chucking going on in the fields above us. This was a huge place and we were able to park in the overflow parking for the night. Of course we did some wine tasting and beer flights, paired with a cheese plate. I have to tell you that my favorite wine was âThe Big Red Peckerâ. We heated the leftovers from Joe Hubers magnificent home cooked dinner and settled in for the night. They were expecting 4000 people over the weekend so we are going to get going in the morning.
Ok, one more big travel day to Watkins Glen… we can do it! Sandy and I drove for a couple hours and gave the guys a break. No real narrowing of the roads so all was good! Some more of those muted fall colors to dot the hillsides.
We did arrive safely in plenty of time to check in at the Watkins Glen KOA. We are staying here Friday to Sunday to join more friends at the Watkins Glen Beer Festival held on Saturday 10/26/19.
There certainly is a recurring theme here but honestly, the last 10 days is as much drinking as I do in about 6 months. I am good till at least the holidays!! âFor Real Lifeâ as my grandkids say when they want to confirm you are telling the truth!
Day six brought us back to the hop on Trolley and the pick for the day was the Hall of Fame. Unbelievable history of Country music and all of the phases it went through. It struck Paul and I how many people in the museum and actual Hall of Fame have been at the Philadelphia Folk Festival!
As we left the Hall of Fame there were Small crowds gathering Outside at the stars Walk of Fame. There were 5 people getting their stars that afternoon. We didnât see any of them and it was a short ceremony so we hopped back on the trolley grabbing lunch at Bicentennial Park Farmers Market. Since our lunch was at 2 pm, we didnât get the full scope of the market but did get some great wood fired pizza there.
Next stop was the Parthenon… who knew?!? It was designed and built in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Expo. It is a full scale copy of the Parthenon in Athens!
Our last day in Nashville was culminated with another round at Tootsies Orchid Bar with live music and a purchase of Cowboy Boots from the Boot Barn for Scott and Paul.
From the middle of the bar looking to the back of the room.
We walked for hours, had some BBQ from Jacks…YUM, walked into Tootsies Orchid Bar, famous for its 3 levels of live music. Surprisingly you could hear each band on different levels without mixing sounds with the band below. Music EVERYWHERE! All the bars had their front windows slid open so the musicians could be heard on the street.
After overstimulation, we went back to the campground for dinner and a quick change then off to the Grand Ole Opry.
What a show! Opry hall of fame stars on the stage together. The line up was so varied, one of the highlights was John Crist, a comedian who had us rolling the whole time. To top off the magnificent day, the show closed with Old Crow Medicine Show singing their Grammy and Opry hit, Wagon Wheel. It just doesnât get much better than that! Ahhh, such a great day!
Sunday, we arrived in Nashville about the same time and bands have been playing for over an hour! We booked a walking food tour at noon and we were about to sample some real Nashville foods. We started at the Acme Feed and Seed, which was originally a feed warehouse and hatchery. We had some ribs, awesome House made BBQ sauce and stellar Mac and cheese. First stop…success!
The second stop on the tour was the Goo Goo shop where they make… Goo Goos of course! Cookies, marshmallow, caramel and peanuts covered in chocolate made fresh daily. Oh dear, it was sooooo good.
Third stop was Cervesa Jacks for some Hot Chicken, a Nashville creation of fried hot chicken…. in tacos. Not so hot I couldnât eat it and really flavorful taco, with live music of course and the drink was a Strawberry Sunset, a real winner đ.
Our tour guide was great and was born and raised in Nashville. He said that there are 100 people A DAY moving to Nashville. The skyline has changes drastically in the last 5 years. Off to George Jones for a mini chocolate mousse. George was a country star, who was a bit escentric and loved his alcohol. He would book a gig and celebrate before the show then not be sober enough to go on stage. No Show Jones Was his nick name. The last stop was in Printers Alley where the newspapers were originally printed. It became an alley of speak easys during prohibition then a âgentlemanâs alleyâ after that. We went into the bar that was the birthplace of blues called the Blues and Boogie Club. Such a cool place and we would have never found it if it wasnât for the tour. We spent the rest of the afternoon there munching on fried pickles and listening to live music. Ok, if we have to!
Monday and Tuesday we got tickets for the hop on, hop off city trolley. That worked out perfectly. The first day we did most of the trolley loop to get our bearings and stopped at the Marathon building which housed the Antique Archeology store from American Pickers show, Tennessee Legend Distillery and some local shops. Guess which one we went to first… the free moonshine tastings at the distillery, which were awesome! Salted caramel moonshine and Peppermint Mocha were my faves. The last stop for Monday was the Ryman Auditorium, long time home of the Grand Ole Opry until it flooded in 1974. The Ryman was restored in 1994 and continues to be a much sought after music venue.
For one night only, a sold out show at the Ryman Auditorium, the infamous Dimmler Wetherbee Quartet!
We are starting our October 2019 adventure with Scott and Sandy, heading south to Nashville for the first time! We left Thursday 10/17 and got up at 5:30 am and for those who know us…Thatâs early! We met at King of Prussia service plaza and after a few hiccups, left there at 8 am and headed west. The drive was quite windy and took a lot out of Paul but the scenery was beautiful with the muted tones of autumn against the overcast skies.
Four states and 489 miles later we arrived at the Twisted Vine Family Vineyard which was our first nightâs destination in Patriot, Ohio. It was certainly off the beaten path and well worth the drive. We were greeted by Bill who owns the vineyard with his family. Itâs such an easy set up when we are dry camping, then off to wine tasting after a long day of driving. . The Chambourcin was delightful and accompanying cheese plate was just what we needed to gather ourselves and recoup from the dayâs journey. . This was our morning view from the dining table. After a quick breakfast, we are off to Nashville. A mere 380 miles today, so letâs get going!
Well, we started out by following the gps and we should have heeded Billâs warning about ending up on gravel roads. While trying to get back to the main route, each turn we took placed us on a yet smaller and less graveled road. To say that Paul was getting nervous would be an understatement! The final path (literally a path), lead us to the Ohio River where we picked up the main route… OK, we can take a deep breath now! We switched drivers about 150 miles from our destination. Scott and I were using different gps devices so we got separated just before Nashville. I was driving the RV…towing a car…in rush hour traffic…on Friday night…in Nashville! Can anyone say ânot my comfort zone?â I made it to Nashville Shores Campground and quickly turned over the steering wheel to Paul to navigate to our spot and park. Whew! đ . I think I can handle this view for the next 5 nights!
Well it has been a looooong winter! The triple whammy we thought we gave the mice was a major sham! The mice took over in November and December, pooped on the Irish Spring and set up camp… so we set some traps, caught a few mice and switched gears on them. The new and improved triple whammy is essential oil spray on the tires, moth ball mesh bags on the top of the tires (in case they didn’t get the message with the first layer of defense) then “Fresh Cab” cedar/essential oil sachets for EVERY drawer and open space in the main cabin. THIS triple whammy worked! The mice moved out and never came back – Hallelujah! Mouse free since January đ
Our first trip this year was to the NJ shore line in May 2019. We stayed at Cedar Creek Campgrounds in Bayville, NJ and had a new passenger with us!
Roadie made his first trip in the RV. He is a good traveler, looking out the window much of the trip. If he would only stop barking at everything that moves, he would be a perfect companion… he is smart so we think we can break him of the whole excessive barking thing. In the meantime, his nick name is “Sir Barks-a-lot”
We drove to Island Beach State Park for the day and Roadie loved the beach, didn’t like the taste of salt water, and is a good hiker in the sand as long as we are by ourselves!
I surprised myself and was able to walk through the soft sand, through the dunes and to the ocean (after double knee replacement in January). It was a test run and I passed!
True to last year’s camping, it rained but stopped long enough to soak up some sunshine Saturday afternoon and have an awesome campfire Saturday night, serenaded by the famous Ukulele player, Paul Dimmler!
All in all, a good weekend to reconnect and not make any decisions other than “where should I put my chair” and “do you want another drink?”
JUNE 2019 – Creation Festival
June 2019 we went to Creation Festival and were joined by 80 people associated with our church, Covenant Doylestown. Thanks to the awesome organization skills of Scott and Sandy Wetherbee, our camp includes enough food, heated showers and most importantly shade in these hot, hot summer days.
We started our adventure to Watkins Glen by stopping at the Grovedale Winery for the evening.
While there we got a great history of the area and were able to walk the grounds, meet the enormous pig on the property and hang out with friends that traveled with us. Grovedale Winery is part of the Harvest Hosts partners and we stayed the night (hook ups were only $20, a real bargain)!
On the road again for a short jaunt to Watkins Glen State Park where we are staying for the weekend to attend the Watkins Glen Beer Festival. It was the first time we towed my Honda Fit and it worked like a charm. It was nice to have wheels to go explore the area.
We arrived in time to hang out at Two Goats Brewery which is along the east coast of Seneca Lake. Nice views of the lake from their deck and perfect place to see the sunset.
YES we are wearing pretzel necklaces!
While at Watkins Glen we camped with several friends with RVs and enjoyed the weekend. It rained while we were at the festival (Oh big surprise since it has rained the majority of days since April) but happy the festival was all inside! Paul and others did get the trill ride around the race track with an experienced driver before heading into the festival. And YES, there are pretzel necklaces around our necks! What’s a Beer Festival without pretzel necklaces??
This about says it all!
Back to the campground for a soggy group dinner, not the nicest weather but fun was had and it’s all about the company you keep!
Back home to winterize the RV, it has been a good season! Mice beware, we are triple dosing the RV with peppermint oil, Irish Spring and dryer sheets…. and a few traps with peanut butter for good measure!
Here we are at our 43rd annual trek to Schwenksville, PA for the Philly Folk Fest! After many hours waiting at the Spring Mountain parking lot, Paul was able to come up the hill and park the RV. While waiting, Paul met some nice folks (surprise! Paul talking to strangers who became our best friends) in the parking lot and we ended up camping with them. Gotta Love your neighbors when camping awning to awning!
Oh, in case you were wondering, YES it did rain but not the whole weekend… AND we didn’t get stuck in the mud this time!
only way to stay cool is walking with ice on your head!
It was HOT, and we were thankful that we had a nice shaded area to hang out. This was our first introduction to the Spotted Lantern Fly which apparently is destroying fruit trees. They were in abundance at Folk Fest and we all sat in the shade armed with fly swatters. They were landing so gracefully but such a destructive creature.
Sitting in the field at sunset, listening to music is one of my favorite places to be.
Freakin’ Spotted Lantern Fly
Every year, there is beautiful artwork with a theme attached. This year’s theme was Kindness… something we could all practice more often. There was a very kind woman who felt sorry for the drunken older gent who apparently needed assistance getting back to the campsite! Similar to the Salsa Baby story…
After drinking a liter of electrolyte water and a good sleep, all was well the next day. Ready for some more partying!
Kindness… a little goes a long way!
Gotta Love the feeling at Folk Fest. We are all there to help each other. I wish I could cast a Folk Fest spell on the world!
Colonial Woods in Bucks County, first time here and enjoying the campfire…. you HAVE TO have S’mores when you are camping!
Fishing with Poppy!
Yes, it was actually not raining for about 6 hours so we got some fishing and swimming in…
This summer Owain learned how to swim without a flotation device. We had a blast at the pool until… thunder!
OH, WAIT, What? It started raining? What a surprise! Teaching Owain to play backgammon and arts and crafts time!
This is where Owain said he feels like a dolphin (with the over sized rain coat and feeling like he has flippers on his hands)!
When it rains all weekend, you just have to go with it and take a walk in the rain. The next day it was NOT raining but of course, it was time to go home. We made a quick stop at Ringing Rocks Park to pound on some stones… and yes, they do ring!
King of the mountain. Ringing Rocks on the way back home, great day!
