Heading home again

We awoke to cold temperatures and still more clouds.  Before leaving the park, we chatted with a man across the camp road who was traveling in a new Airstream, Classic model, and he invited us in to take a look.  It was gorgeous!  Beautiful light wood, a full-sized bed with room to move around both sides to make it up, dinette, and sofa.  He was heading for Florida for the winter.  A four-hour drive brought us back to Montpelier, where we spent time unloading all the stuff from the RV and starting the unpacking process.  Tomorrow:  CLEAN the RV, after a week on the road with much rain and mud!

A day at Greenbrier State Park

Thursday was overcast and very cool, but we packed our raincoats in the backpacks and headed out on the trail.  The trails at Greenbrier were particularly well marked, blazed on the trees plus park maps (with "you are here") at every intersection.  The only difficulty was that they were covered with leaves and one had to walk with care over the numerous rocks to avoid a twisted ankle.  But we  spent two hours exploring the area, hiking around the lake (with deserted beach area that must be much used in the summer, judging from the hundreds of parking spaces and picnic tables).  That was not enough to wear Ranger out, but it was enough for us.  Dan started a fire early and we huddled around it; still very cool and overcast weather.  The rain held off, though, allowing Dan to grill pork chops and bake potatoes for dinner. 

Moving to warmer climes

Wednesday was the day we were to travel from Ithaca to Alleghany State Park, about three hours' drive west.  However, a look at the weather forecast for the far west of New York State revealed rain for the coming days with temperatures in the 40's.  NOT good camping or hiking weather!  So I cancelled our reservations and headed south, through rain, toward Maryland.  We landed at Greenbrier State Park, just east of Hagerstown, MD. 

I had an immediate good impression.  A friendly person at the camp office reinforced that.  We headed for Cedar loop, the only section with electric hookups, and had our choice of sites, with only 2 other campers there on a rainy Wednesday evening in October.  Our site was level and gravel-covered, a nice change from the site in New York!  After a dinner of spaghetti, we watched a DVD and stayed warm and dry in our Navion. 

Day trip around Finger Lakes

On Tuesday, after a slow start to the day, we drove up Route 89 along the west side of Cayuga Lake.  Many of the leaves were already fallen, but the ones still on the trees were brightly colored.  We took a short break to walk Ranger at Cayuga Lake State Park, which had nice RV camp sites which were, unfortunately, right along the highway.  (Great location for exploring the area, but not a place to stay.)  Continuing to travel northward, we had lunch at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge where Dan got out the spotting scope and we saw thousands of waterfowl.  Most were Canada geese, but we also saw yellowlegs, northern shovelers, piedbilled grebes, and great black-backed gulls.  Proceeding on, we drove through Seneca Falls and Geneva, then turned south on Route 14, along the west side of Seneca Lake.  A stop at Prejean Winery for a tasting resulted in the purchase of some great dry Riesling and a really delicious dessert wine.  Completing the loop, we arrived back at Robert Treman around 5:00, with plenty of time to grill dinner and enjoy a campfire again.  It was, by then, overcast and quite cold, so the fire felt especially good. 

Hiking at Robert Treman

Despite the all-night rain, we had a reasonably nice day on Monday, mixed clouds and sun and cool.  We hiked from our muddy campsite up the Rim Trail, which followed the path of the stream through woods.  There were views of the waterfalls and rock formations from above.  At the top of the trail, we reached an old mill where we stopped for a rest before descending the stream on the opposite side.  Part of the trail had been damaged by the heavy rains earlier in the season, ,but we were able to bypass that section.  After our five-mile hike, Ranger was ready for a relaxing evening---early to bed, while we stayed up and enjoyed our campfire.

Camping trip in October 2011

We drove north through rain in PA and spent the weekend at brother Bill's in Dingman's Ferry.  Dad visited for the afternoon on Saturday and had lunch with us, Bill, and Clay.  We left early Sunday, driving into New York state through Scranton and Binghamton. 

We had reservations at Robert Treman State Park, just outside Ithaca NY from Oct. 16 til 19.

Last day of our trip

Today we'll be driving home.  We're about 5 hours' drive away from Montpelier, in Hungry Mother State Park.  We've spent the past two nights here, and it's been wonderful.  Yesterday the skies finally cleared, and it was sunny and cool.  We took a 5.7 mile hike around the lake, which wore Ranger out.  Because campground B was totally booked for the weekend, we had to move to Camp Burson for the second night, and it was---if anything---even nicer than the first night. 

On the early morning walk with Ranger, I saw indigo buntings and Baltimore orioles.

Lots of unpacking and cleaning ahead, but for now, I'm going to enjoy a second cup of coffee in this beautiful place.

A campfire at last

We're back in Virginia, though not yet home. Instead, we're spending a few days in the mountains, enjoying the cool temperatures and-----finally-----lack of rain.  After 7 weeks traveling, last night was our first campfire.  There have always been burn bans (because of drought) or high temps (making a fire rather unwanted) or no fire-ring or no firewood.  So here at Hungry Mother State Park, we made our first fire, and we sat outside late enjoying it.

We'll do some hiking today, then move to another section of the park for overnight. (All the sites here in campground B were reserved for the weekend.)  Then it's home.....and lots of unpacking and cleaning up to do!

Rain----A bit of drying----and more rain

Since leaving Tim's, we seem to have been tracking along with a weather system with lots of heavy clouds and rain.  We went through some strong storms from Illinois, through Kentucky, and into Tennessee.  So we decided to wait it out for a day, staying put and hoping the rain moves through ahead of us.  Today was spent at Cedars of Lebanon State Park, east of Nashville.  With steady rain all morning, we caught up on some work, reading, and bill-paying.  We were able to get out for awhile in early afternoon, walking around the park a bit, including a short hiking path where this photo was taken.  All here is very green and lush----they've had a LOT of rain this spring.  Dan had time to grill our dinner early, in advance of the next round of rain which has just let up a little.  Tomorrow we'll head east again, probably with a stop in the western part of Virginia for the night.

Back East again

We crossed the full-to-the-brim Mississippi River this afternoon near Quincy, Illinois, so we are officially back in the East..  I've been away from the computer for much of the weekend, while we visited (brother-in-law) Tim and Pam in Marion, IA.

After having the RV serviced in Forest City, IA, we visited Pilot Knob State Park, about 3 miles east of town, and returned to Forest City on Friday morning to take the tour of the Winnebago factory.

It was really quite interesting to watch all those RV's being made, including all those lovely Itasca Navions!  I left there convinced that we had made a good choice with ours.

The drive to Tim's took much of Friday afternoon, and we spent the next three nights in his driveway.  Kak drove down from Madison and Erin came from River Falls, so we had a great family gathering, fueled with lots of good food. (THANKS, PAM!!)  It's hard to believe how fast all the little ones are growing, especially Reiley who is distinguishing herself with her performances in archery competitions.  Erin was kind enough to give several of us much-needed haircuts.

We awoke on Monday to thunder and steady rain. We considered options, including simply heading home directly, but decided to go with the plan to head into Kentucky and Tennessee.  So far, it's working out;.  Although we went through heavy cloud cover in Iowa, it became less and less intense as we neared St. Louis, and there wasn't any actual rain all day.  At this point, we're just taking it a day at a time.  It's really no fun to camp out in the rain, so if the weather does not cooperate, we'll head for VA.  If it's good, we should be home next Sunday or Monday. 

Hanging out with all the other Winnebagos/Itascas

We're "camping" this evening in the parking lot of Lichtsinn's RV sales and service in Forest City, Iowa.  We're the little guy in the foreground of the photo.  We're scheduled for the 10K routine maintenance at 7:30 tomorrow morning, plus they'll install a back-up camera. 

If they finish early enough tomorrow, we may take the tour at the Winnebago factory, where our little RV was "born".  Then it's off to visit Tim in Marion, IA.  Iowa is green and lush after all that time in the desert, but welcome back mosquitoes and flies!

Iowa

In the past few days we have gone from the red dust of New Mexico to the mountains of Colorado, across the seemingly endless grass of Nebraska----and now we're in Iowa.  Specifically we're at Prairie Rose State Park in the western part of the state.  We thought we'd lose the wind which was so prevalent in the desert, but we woke up this morning to....more wind!  Still it's nice to see green grass again.  Today we head for Forest City, IA, where the RV will have its first maintenance and will have a back-up camera installed.

Out of the red rocks and dust, into Colorado

After a drive through northern New Mexico, flat and windy (and literally "where the deer and the antelope play"), we landed in Colorado Springs at Cheyenne Mountain State Park.  How refreshing to see real clouds in a blue sky (not just the overcast of wildfire smoke) and green trees and grass!  The campground is brand new and wonderfully planned out, but.......no dogs allowed on any trails!  Poor Ranger.  We're here only overnight, however, and will be moving on to Nebraska today. 

Santa Fe! I love it!

For a number of reasons, we decided to forfeit our second night (reserved) at Cochiti Lake and we went on to Santa Fe, which is one of my favorite cities.  We toured (with Ranger, who behaved admirably) and then had a great lunch (chiles rellenos).  We're spending the night at the Santa Fe KOA, which is one of the dirtiest KOA's we've seen----not in the sense of the facilities themselves, but there is red dust everywhere.  No one could believe that Ranger was once a white dog.  We've laid Mexican blankets over the carpets and outside the door in hopes of keeping some of it out of the RV.  Meanwhile, it's cooling off nicely and we'll get a good night's sleep before heading into Colorado.

Last night's sleep was interrupted at 2 am by a windstorm that caused us to bring in the slide and close everything up while we huddled in our bed and tried to get back to sleep in the uproar. 

Swallows, swifts, and SMOKE!

We crossed from Arizona into New Mexico along I-40, with the Wallows wildfire to our south.  Beyond the spectacular views of cliffs and buttes, there was a haze of smoke.  Our campsite at Bluewater Lake State Park, west of Gallop, was not affected by the fire, but in the evening, there was quite an overcast which gave the sunset a weird color. 

Today we passed through Albuquerque and have stopped at Conchiti Lake, which has a campground run by US Army Corps of Engineers.  We had hoped to hike tomorrow at Tent Rocks National Monument, but they have imposed a ban on dogs in the park, so that's out.  Instead, we'll head for a day in Santa Fe (not too shabby!) and an overnight just east of the city.

Arizona again

The drive from Needles to our next stop was one of contrasts.  From the flat dry desert in SE California, we continued through desert, but with increasingly striking rock formations and increasing elevation.  By Flagstaff, the high elevation resulted in grass and trees----GREEN!---and cool temperatures.  Nice if we could have stayed there, but......We continued on, traveling south through Sedona.  There's a great drop-off in elevation on the way into town, and we stopped at a vista point to have lunch and take a break.  Sedona itself is beautiful, nice shops and fancy resorts surrounded by red rock formations.  Continuing south, we stopped at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, which brought us back into desert, but with rolling hills.  Our site is out in the open, dry with desert-type plants, but we took a hike this morning that took us along the Verde River where there were cottonwood trees and much-appreciated shade. 

Crossing the Mojave

Yesterday we crossed California, heading east along I-40 from Barstow (a town that seems to lack charm totally and has the worst Walmart I have ever seen).  Much of the afternoon was spent crossing the desert, making for a long trip with little to look at.  We stopped for the night in Needles, along the Colorado River, very near the Arizona state line.  The KOA was all gravel, but had some landscaping that provided privacy, and I enjoyed their pool on the hot afternoon.  We had dinner with a couple from Quebec who had travelled down the US East Coast, then across the southwest, and are heading for the Pacific coast.  Sylvie insisted that she spoke little English, but we managed to have a good conversation anyway!

Visit in San Jose

We spent the weekend in San Jose, visiting Mike and Joanne Dorgan.  It was a good visit, despite the incessant rain---very unusual at this time of year.  We enjoyed a delicious meal at a Vietnamese restaurant on Saturday night and stocked up on veggies at the San Jose farmers' market on Sunday. 

Ranger behaved quite well during the visit and especially enjoyed running free in the fenced backyard.  He settled nicely into their kitchen on the rainy day and he found Joanne quite amusing, with her squeals and dog play.

On our way to the desert again----spending the night in Bakersfield, CA, heading for Needles.  We enjoyed grilled chicken  with Joanne's special marinade this evening----THANKS, Joanne!

LA and northward

How does anyone deal with the traffic and freeways of Los Angeles on an everyday basis?  Dan was able to get us through on Thursday, though it was not pleasant!  From LA, we headed up 101, following the coast and being treated to beautiful views of the Pacific.  We stopped for the night in San Luis Obispo.

This regional park (El Chorro) had an off-leash dog area and hiking trails, so we spent time yesterday exploring before heading north to visit Mike Dorgan in San Jose.  Strangely enough for this time of year, it has been raining steadily here, but we slept well with the sound of raindrops on the RV roof.

A day in the desert

Four adults plus two dogs in one 24-foot RV?  A bit crowded, but it works!  Kelly, Michael, Rossi, Ranger, Dan and I went to Anza Borrego Desert State Park for an overnight trip.  On Sunday it was extremely windy which made hiking and bird-watching a little unpleasant, so we drove to the Salton Sea, just to look around. Monday's weather was much better, and we were able to do two hikes, one in the morning with the dogs and one in the afternoon with the dogs left back in the AC.  The Navion performed well on the windy mountain roads, though it's a slow uphill climb.  After driving home, we had a great dinner at a local Mexican-vegan restaurant.  I think we ALL went to bed early after a tiring day.

Visiting Kelly in San Diego

We arrived in San Diego on Thursday afternoon and have settled in at Santa Fe RV Resort, right along I-5, convenient to Kelly's home.  Yesterday we went to the Safari Park (a branch of San Diego Zoo).  While others---and there were plenty of others!---were viewing the rhinos, giraffes, and apes, we wandered through the gardens and identified many local birds.  It was a beautiful place to spend the day walking around,   Michael was kind enough to dog-sit, so we were relieved of dog supervision for a short while.  Tomorrow the four of us, plus two dogs, will head to Anzo Borrega State Park for an overnight hiking/birding trip.

Arizona----but not for long

We left New Mexico with plans to get about halfway across Arizona.  But the scenery was so dreary and the road straight and flat, so we shot right through to a town about 30 miles from the California border.  Upon pulling into what appeared to be a nice RV "resort", we found out that the sites for those just spending one night were basically a parking lot.  At least we had lots of privacy!  It was in the upper 90's outside and the RV heated up quickly sitting out in the blazing sun.  Thank goodness for air-conditioning!

Today's 200-mile trip took us into San Diego where we will stay for about a week.  We are in another "urban camping" situation, just off I-5, but it's close to Kelly's apartment.  It has a pool, laundry, and beautiful landscaping---but dogs are restricted to a strip of land across the back of the park.  No walking them around the streets at all.  Oh well.  Ranger will be spending time with Rossi, with plans (already) for a trip to the dog park this afternoon.

Finally----a new state!

We are now in Rockhound State Park near Deming, New Mexico.  Our site is up against the west side of the Florida Mountains with a great view down into the valley.  The only problem is that there is a STRONG  wind---25 mph, gusts to 40!    Despite that, we'll get out on the hiking trails today, with plenty of sunscreen, hats, and water.  It's not as hot as in west Texas, and there's definitely a change in temperatures between afternoon and night!  It was in the mid-50's this morning, almost chilly. 
Dan's enjoying identifying some of the desert birds.  A good way to spend his birthday!

Hot times in West Texas!

We left San Antonio in fog and light rain, which continued for the first two hours of yesterday's drive.  About six hours later, we arrived at Balmorhea State Park.  This is the smallest park we've stayed in: a couple of dozen campsites, about a dozen motel rooms, and---what it is known for----a huge pool, fed by springs, which attracts large numbers of day-users, especially on the weekend.  Yesterday, the place was packed.  The campsites were largely taken up by groups of Boy Scouts (the second time this has happened at a state park on a weekend)---must be the time of year when they're all out for spring overnights. 

Last evening, and again early this morning, we walked about the park and did some birdwatching.  Since lunch, we've stayed in the RV, in the air-conditioning, waiting for the heat of the day to dissipate a bit.  Last night it got down in the upper 50's which was great for sleeping.

Ranger got a quick bath today and seemed to enjoy being sprayed with the cool water.  He's doing fine in the desert, as long as he stays away from those sandburrs. 

Last day in San Antonio

Today was a day of catching up on groceries, cleaning, and laundry.  On the way back from shopping we stopped at Mission San Jose, which was a good place to walk Ranger and take in a bit of history.

It was rainy this afternoon, but in between showers, I got in the pool, just across from our site---which felt great in the 90 degree heat.

At dinnertime, we walked across the street to a local Mexican restaurant where the waitress spoke very little English, but we had much better Mexican food than we did on the River Walk and for half the price.

Up early tomorrow for a long day of driving across west Texas, the longest day of driving we anticipate on the way to California.

More touring in San Antonio

Yesterday (Thursday) we took the river barge tour of the city, with an entertaining guide who provided lots of stories of local history and jokes.  Then we toured La Villita, a section of the city with art studios and craft shops.  Then back to our RV park for some time in the hot tub and a nice dinner.

It has been hot and very cloudy the whole time we've been here.  The locals are hoping for rain out of all these clouds, but so far, we were only sprinkled on a bit while downtown yesterday afternoon and we had a drizzly evening.  Meanwhile, it sounds as if the East Coast is getting plenty of rain!

Today will be a day of catching up: cleaning, shopping for groceries, and perhaps a stop at one of the nearby missions for the tour there. 

Photos from San Antonio

I had trouble getting pictures to load on that last post, so I'll try again here. 

The Alamo

Riverwalk

Remember the Alamo???

Well, really I don't remember much about it, having been schooled in New Jersey.  But we visited it today, and I was reminded how little I understand about history.  (Lots of Texan school groups there visiting with us, I noticed.) 

We spent time this afternoon in downtown San Antonio (obviously) and enjoyed a decent lunch at a cafe along the River Walk (though the restaurants there all seemed geared to tourists----tomorrow night we'll be in search of a more authentic Mexican meal!).  The River Walk itself is lovely, aside from the preponderence of restaurants.  We didn't explore it all today and will return tomorrow to see more.

Meanwhile out "urban camping" is going all right. There was MUCH highway noise last night---something we're not used to in Montpelier.  Tonight we'll try sleeping with the AC on and see if that helps. The RV resort is really rather nice.  I went to the pool after our touring today and chatted with some friendly fellow-RV'ers from Canada.  We also have visited with a couple from AZ who were on the same bus heading downtown today.  While there's not a lot of dog space here, it's a pretty good base for exploring the city.

Ranger seemed to survive fine, in air-conditioned comfort, while we played tourists today. 

On the Rio Grande

We have been in Mission, TX for the past few days.  It is in far south Texas on the Mexican border.  It's not an area that seems very attractive, but it IS known for its birdwatching possibilities.  During the season (November through March), the place is busy with birders from all over.  However, now in mid-May, it's very quiet, with all the Snowbirds having gone north. 

We spent the day yesterday in Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park.  It's another park that is dealing with damage from extreme weather: the entire park was underwater last year due to Hurricane Alex.  So there was much construction and repair work going on.  We had to park outside and walk in, then take a tram around the roadways.  Some really unusual birds are in the area, ones that can't be seen anywhere else in the US, and we were able to add green jay, chachalaca, grooved bill ani, and olive sparrow to our list.


It was amusing to go grocery shopping here.  We were in search of (among other things) hummus and bagels.  No such things in this local store.  There were, however, multiple types of peppers in the produce section, big bins of many different dried peppers, and huge bins of dried pinto beans!  Definitely a different culture.

Today we're heading north to San Antonio.

Near Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Thursday we left the Beaumont area, heading south to the Texas gulf coast.  Just past Houston, the radio started in with “The National Weather Service has issued….”---warnings about severe thunderstorms.  We did indeed run into them, though in the heaviest part of the wind and rain, we pulled off the highway and parked under the road.  When it settled down into just heavy rain, we continued, arriving at Goose Island State Park, north of Corpus Christi in mid-afternoon.  As the rain continued throughout the evening, we were extremely glad to be in our comfortable RV and not setting up a tent in the downpour!

And yesterday we found still another reason to be happy about our RV---MOSQUITOES!  When I walked Ranger early in the morning, I was just about eaten up with them.  They are discouraged, but not totally defeated by heavy doses of bug spray.  Since the park is in a marshy area along three bays, I guess we should expect them.  (But the scenery is great.)  Apparently this park is much used by fishermen, as yesterday morning there was a steady stream of towed boats, mostly those airboats with the big fans on the back, into the boat launch area up the way.

We took a day trip south, went through Rockport and Aransas Pass, and ended up, via ferry, at Port Aransas.  It reminded us of the Outer Banks---lots of motels, hotels, rental cottages, t-shirt shops, and so forth.  It’s also the location of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, which must be one of the hottest places in the country to do such work----not a tree in sight, just lots of sand dunes.  Just by luck, we ended up at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, which was the highlight of our day.  After seeing several new birds within the first few minutes, we went back to the RV, fired up the generator and turned on the AC, and left the dog for the next two hours.  The gardens were home to a number of warblers and other small birds, while the boardwalk took us out over the water, to where we saw lots of ducks and other water birds.  Dan’s greatest find of the day: a pair of least bitterns.  He got some great pictures with his new camera.

Then back to the park, where we stayed inside, hiding from all those bugs!

Very little phone service, so no Internet----posting this on Sunday as we prepare to continue south toward the Rio Grande.

On to Texas

Yesterday we left Mississippi behind, bypassed New Orleans, and crossed the state of Louisiana on I-10. The governor had recently called for some evacuations due to the rising waters of the Mississippi River, but we sailed well above it on the highway, crossing it at Baton Rouge and entering "The West".  There are long stretches of I-10 in LA that are above swamp and the waters below are full of egrets and other water birds.  We had a lunch break at the visitors center for the Atchafalaya River/Bayou/Refuge in the middle of it all---good exhibits, free coffee, and a man playing Cajun music in the lobby.

We crossed into Texas in early afternoon and pulled over for the night in Lumberton, just north of Beaumont.  We're at Village Creek State Park, which is small but nice.  Apparently it's a place favored by paddlers, as they can travel along the creek through Big Thicket, just to the north, and pull in here for the night at the tent sites along the water.  Today we'll go through Houston and head for our next stop at Goose Island State Park near Corpus Christi.

Hot in Mississippi

I thought I could deal with humidity, being from Virginia, but the heat and humidity here in Waveland, MS are really intense!  Yesterday, we walked from the campground out to the main road which runs along the Gulf.  By the time we got there, Ranger was more than ready for a nice swim. 

This has turned out to be a great place for birdwatching.  There are red-headed woodpeckers everywhere, and yesterday we added common night hawk and indigo bunting to the trip list.  Our site is wooded behind, so yesterday, during the heat of the day, we relaxed in the shade, read, and watched the birds as they came by.  It cooled off somewhat in the evening, but that's when the insect attack began.  (Note: We will NOT try to eat dinner outside at the picnic table tonight.)  What a treat at the end of the day to get into the RV and turn on that air-conditioning so that we can get some sleep! 

This morning I walked the dog at 6:30, and it was already 72 degrees.....and oh, yes, VERY humid!

Tornados in the South

We spent Saturday night at a nice park (Sherling Lake) between Montgomery and Mobile, AL.   This was not the area that was affected by the recent tornado that went through Tuscaloosa; however, it WAS hit by the tornado about two weeks before that.  Many trees were down and they have a massive clean-up ahead, but the camping area was spared.  The managers were extremely friendly and apologetic about the limited access to walking paths and so forth.  All in all, it was a good place for an overall stop.

We've traveled on to the Mississippi gulf coast and will be staying at Buccaneer State Park (Waveland) for the next few days.  The entire park was destroyed by Katrina----remember Katrina, before the tornados and the earthquakes and the tsunami?   So the one camping loop that is open for business is all brand new.  Today we'll start exploring the area.

Being in Mississippi in May, we had the "opportunity" to test out our air-conditioning last night.  What a relief!

300 miles behind us

We woke up this morning near Spartanburg, SC, after a fairly uneventful day of driving yesterday---other than the thunderstorm at lunchtime that left the dog cowering back by the bathroom.

Ranger was glad to be at a campground with a dog play area after hours of riding, and we enjoyed a quiet evening with much privacy; there seem to be few people out camping at this time of year.  I'm curious to see if that continues to be the case.  Today we're off to Alabama.

The end of the journey

We arrived home in Montpelier yesterday afternoon on a day of sunshine and 70 degree temps. The drive up I-95 was uneventful.  We spent Thursday night just north of Fayetteville, NC, where there were daffodils blooming and the trees had that reddish haze at the tips of branches that hints of new leaves on their way.  (So spring isn't far off, Virginia!)

What a great first trip in our Navion!  All three of us got acclimated to RV life, enjoyed lots of good walks, ate good meals, and relaxed.  Along the way we:

• traveled 2230 miles
• used about 150 gallons of diesel
• averaged just under 15 mpg
• visited 10 state parks in Florida
• spent time in 5 states.

Next trip:  Cross-Country, southern route, starting in April!

Back on the Atlantic coast, and soon back home

Our last day in Florida was overcast but fairly warm.  We were able to get outside for a walk along the nature trail and some birdwatching at the beach.  Ranger had a stimulating day, being on the lookout for armadillos.  To really make his day exciting, a raccoon walked right into our campsite, then escaped to a tree right next to the RV. 

We're heading north on I-95 today, stopping for the night wherever we happen to be in late afternoon.

How to drive a dog crazy

I figured we were in for trouble when, before we had even parked the RV at our site at Fort Clinch State Park,  I saw an armadillo sauntering across a campsite.  Once parked, we noticed more of them.  Poor Ranger!  He was so frustrated, wanting to get at them, that he tried to chew through his leash.  He'll need close supervision while we're here.  Then add into the mix the four feral cats at the campground.....

Despite the challenges, Fort Clinch seems a nice park.  It is named, of course, for the historic fort which is about 10 minutes walk from our site.

We'll do the tour later today.

The park sits on a peninsula north of Jacksonville, near the FL/GA border, with the Atlantic on one side and the Amelia River on the other.  There are two campgrounds, and our site is in the one on the river, which was probably a fortunate thing yesterday when there were gusty ESE winds.  We were sheltered---but a bit cool---in a site under the live oaks.  The road coming into the campground was like a tunnel of twisted low-hanging branches.

Tonight will be our last night in Florida.  Weather forecast sounds good for the long drive home.

Suwannee River

Despite some frustrating computer problems in the morning which interfered with my work, yesterday was a fine day.  Dan, Ranger and I walked the trails in the park.  Aside from the river, the scenery includes lots of limestone and sinkholes.  Not many birds here, but we did hear a barred owl along the way.   We spent some time in the evening with a couple from Maine who have been on the road since October, and they gave us some good tips about places to visit on our cross-country trip (especially in Texas) as well as a RV park recommendation in San Diego.

A change in scenery

We awoke yesterday to no wind, warmer temperatures, and sunshine.  It was a nice morning to take coffee outside and enjoy the scenery from our campsite. Then we packed up and left the Gulf of Mexico,heading northeast to I-10, back toward home.

We have several stops planned along the way.  Today we are at Suwannee River State Park, which is a totally different environment--no sand, few palmettos, and lots of deciduous trees.  My positive impression of FL state parks was reinforced here: a friendly greeting from a ranger when we arrived, a clean site, and well-marked trails.  After working this morning, we'll head out to explore. 

Last night we were able to have a campfire and sit outside well into the evening. 

Cold at the beach

Yes, I am in winter jacket, knit hat and (in pocket) winter gloves.  It's  COLD in Florida today, as it has been for several days.  After a teaser of sunshine at Henderson Beach two days ago, we again experienced bad weather yesterday as we drove east to our next destination.  This morning we awoke to sun again, thank goodness, but it was thirty-four degrees! BRRR!

So we are now at St. Andrews State Park, near Panama City Beach.  After being quite delighted with Florida state parks in general, we have finally hit one that is only adequate, not nearly as good as the others. It seems a bit run-down, the staff are unfriendly, and many of the facilities are closed for the season (despite the fact that there are quite a few campers here).  Our site in on the Grand Lagoon, literally yards away from the water, but it's not very smoothly graded and it is close to our "next-door neighbors". 

Still it's a beautiful spot.  The park sits between the Gulf of Mexico and the Grand Lagoon, and it includes a marshy area, a gulf/white sand beach, and pine groves.  This morning we walked around to get familiar with it, and it does seem to be a good place for birding. 

Now.....if it would just warm up!  (The forecast looks better for the next few days.)