We spent the night just east of Raleigh, NC at a fairly new RV park. Temperatures got into the low 60's so Ranger got to play in the dog "park" for awhile and Dan grilled dinner. We both had good hot showers before the clouds rolled in. It rained overnight and is gray and drizzly this AM, though not nearly as cold as it has been.
Should be home by midafternoon!
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Heading north, near Savannah
It was a short day of driving, a little under 300 miles, and we are at the RV "resort" at which I was finally able to get a site. It's not great, but satisfactory for one night. What we did not anticipate was that tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day's which is a BIG deal in Savannah. Our "next-door neighbors" who came down from Boston, said that the parade in Savannah is the second largest in the country, after Boston of course. Not sure whether that is correct. Several sites around us are filled with party-ers who came for the big parade tomorrow. Apparently, there is no parking available in Savannah (you have to reserve a parking spot) and the town will be packed with people. Fortunately, we will not be among them as we intend to continue up I-95 in the morning.
Meanwhile, this campground "Savannah Oaks" is right on a small river, and the trees are covered with Spanish moss----a very Southern look to the place.
It actually got into the low 60's this afternoon and we were able to spend some time outside, which Ranger enjoyed. There are plenty of dogs around, plus (darn!) some cats. Forecast for tonight---down into the low 30's again! I guess we got spoiled with two weeks of good weather at the start of the trip, but this is rather unpleasant for our trip to escape the cold.
Meanwhile, this campground "Savannah Oaks" is right on a small river, and the trees are covered with Spanish moss----a very Southern look to the place.
It actually got into the low 60's this afternoon and we were able to spend some time outside, which Ranger enjoyed. There are plenty of dogs around, plus (darn!) some cats. Forecast for tonight---down into the low 30's again! I guess we got spoiled with two weeks of good weather at the start of the trip, but this is rather unpleasant for our trip to escape the cold.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Driving again....
We packed up and left Dauphin Island shortly after 9 am. It was windy and cold, which is the case all over the South. Rather than go through the mountains to get home, we opted to backtrack along the coast where we might find slightly warmer temperatures. So today was spent driving along I-10 on the Florida Panhandle.
Tonight we are in Tallahassee at a privately-owned RV park (Tallahassee RV Park) just off I-10. We have neighbors close by on either side, a negative, but the park is very clean and well-kept. I took the opportunity to get a hot shower and shampoo, and it was the best shower so far for this trip: plenty of hot water, good water pressure and even a heater to warm you when you are dressing! Ranger enjoyed watching the many dogs go by as he lounged outside in the low-50's temperatures.
Being too cold for grilling outside, we made wraps with chicken and black-beans-and rice, and kept our little electric heater going. The forecast is for a low of 32 tonight---we'll see. We will move northward tomorrow.....
Tonight we are in Tallahassee at a privately-owned RV park (Tallahassee RV Park) just off I-10. We have neighbors close by on either side, a negative, but the park is very clean and well-kept. I took the opportunity to get a hot shower and shampoo, and it was the best shower so far for this trip: plenty of hot water, good water pressure and even a heater to warm you when you are dressing! Ranger enjoyed watching the many dogs go by as he lounged outside in the low-50's temperatures.
Being too cold for grilling outside, we made wraps with chicken and black-beans-and rice, and kept our little electric heater going. The forecast is for a low of 32 tonight---we'll see. We will move northward tomorrow.....
The cold continues
As the snow fell farther north, we were happy to not be at home. However, the same front that brought snow to New York and New England brought cold temperatures, even here in Alabama. It's been around 50 during the day and low 40's at night, not good beach weather!
I met Kelly for a walk at Bellingrath Gardens, where it was overcast but out of the wind. We were too late for the azaleas which must have been beautiful about two or three weeks ago, but there were plenty of other flowers to see.
Kelly needed to get to work for the afternoon, so back to the campground went I. I spent much time trying to get reservations at RV parks for our trip home. We are taking it slow, only about 300 miles a day, in order to let all that cold weather move on. And it must be that many of the snowbirds who are leaving Florida to head back home have been stalled on their way by the weather: I had a terrible time finding an RV park in South Carolina that had a space available!
Kelly was scheduled to give an informal talk to the public about her research at Moe's BBQ in Mobile on Tuesday night, so we drove into town for that. We enjoyed her worm videos along with some beer and great barbecue before heading back for one last night at Dauphin Island Campground.
We packed up some of our stuff in advance of today's departure, so with 42 degrees and wind this Wednesday morning, we need to get the bikes on the car, hook the car to the RV, and head east back into Florida.
I met Kelly for a walk at Bellingrath Gardens, where it was overcast but out of the wind. We were too late for the azaleas which must have been beautiful about two or three weeks ago, but there were plenty of other flowers to see.
Kelly was scheduled to give an informal talk to the public about her research at Moe's BBQ in Mobile on Tuesday night, so we drove into town for that. We enjoyed her worm videos along with some beer and great barbecue before heading back for one last night at Dauphin Island Campground.
We packed up some of our stuff in advance of today's departure, so with 42 degrees and wind this Wednesday morning, we need to get the bikes on the car, hook the car to the RV, and head east back into Florida.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Two windy, rainy days
Kelly and Michael made a good call, packing up their tent and heading home late Saturday evening. By midnight it was raining and the wind picked up----a LOT! Sunday morning was miserably wet and windy, hard to walk forward against its force when Ranger and I went out for his walk. We worried some about the screened tent (in which we keep bicycles, chairs, etc.) blowing down but fortunately it held.
So we headed into Mobile. Kelly and I spent Sunday afternoon at the spa where we had pedicures and lounged and soaked in the hot tub. Dan and Ranger hung out at Kelly & Michael's doing laundry and reading. 😀
We met nephew Clay VanderWerff and his wife Lauren at Yak, the restaurant that catered Kelly and Michael's wedding, for some good Nepalese food. Then rather than drive back into the wind and rain, we spent the night in Kelly's guest room.
Monday was another windy, wet day. We all slept fairly late. Michael had work to do that required quiet, so Dan, Kelly and I went out for brunch, did some grocery shopping, and went to a matinee. We saw "Hidden Figures" which was wonderful!
Back at Dauphin Island Campground in the evening, we heated up some Brunswick stew and listened to the rain and wind outside, while we were cozy and warm with our heater chugging away. At home there is snow in the forecast so we are not in a hurry to head back that way!
So we headed into Mobile. Kelly and I spent Sunday afternoon at the spa where we had pedicures and lounged and soaked in the hot tub. Dan and Ranger hung out at Kelly & Michael's doing laundry and reading. 😀
We met nephew Clay VanderWerff and his wife Lauren at Yak, the restaurant that catered Kelly and Michael's wedding, for some good Nepalese food. Then rather than drive back into the wind and rain, we spent the night in Kelly's guest room.
Monday was another windy, wet day. We all slept fairly late. Michael had work to do that required quiet, so Dan, Kelly and I went out for brunch, did some grocery shopping, and went to a matinee. We saw "Hidden Figures" which was wonderful!
Back at Dauphin Island Campground in the evening, we heated up some Brunswick stew and listened to the rain and wind outside, while we were cozy and warm with our heater chugging away. At home there is snow in the forecast so we are not in a hurry to head back that way!
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Friday and Saturday on Dauphin Island
On Friday morning, we caught the 11 am ferry from the ferry slip about a quarter-mile from the campground. The ferry crosses Mobile Bay, to land at Fort Morgan, about a 35 minute trip. While their brochure said that passengers can watch dolphins and various seabirds, we didn't see much but gulls; however, it was a pleasant ride across.
Once across, we drove east for about 25 miles to Gulf Shores where we got on 59 north to Foley, Alabama. Then...98 west to take the scenic route along the east side of Mobile Bay. We entered the town of Fairhope from the south, passing lots of pricey waterfront mansions along the way.
By then it was lunchtime, and we ate outside at an excellent local restaurant where the waitress fussed over Ranger, and of course he just ate up all that attention. While in Fairhope, we drove by a couple of houses that I had browsed on realtor.com, and Dan made a stop to check out the local marina, just in case we happened to move down and just in case we bought another boat!
We completed the loop around the bay, going north, through Spanish Fort, west into Mobile, and south on 193 back to Dauphin Island.
Kelly and Michael arrived in the evening and set up camp in the tent-section of the campground.
On Saturday morning, we all took a walk through the nearby Audubon Bird Sanctuary, which the dogs enjoyed. The best part was the last stretch along the beach where Kelly ran with Ranger and allowed him to splash around in the waves. (He had a good shower back at the RV to get the sand and salt off of him.)
After a lunch of HUGE burritos purchased from one of the local restaurants, we are all taking a break to digest and rest, so I am using the time to update this blog....and then maybe nap for awhile.
Once across, we drove east for about 25 miles to Gulf Shores where we got on 59 north to Foley, Alabama. Then...98 west to take the scenic route along the east side of Mobile Bay. We entered the town of Fairhope from the south, passing lots of pricey waterfront mansions along the way.
By then it was lunchtime, and we ate outside at an excellent local restaurant where the waitress fussed over Ranger, and of course he just ate up all that attention. While in Fairhope, we drove by a couple of houses that I had browsed on realtor.com, and Dan made a stop to check out the local marina, just in case we happened to move down and just in case we bought another boat!
We completed the loop around the bay, going north, through Spanish Fort, west into Mobile, and south on 193 back to Dauphin Island.
Kelly and Michael arrived in the evening and set up camp in the tent-section of the campground.
On Saturday morning, we all took a walk through the nearby Audubon Bird Sanctuary, which the dogs enjoyed. The best part was the last stretch along the beach where Kelly ran with Ranger and allowed him to splash around in the waves. (He had a good shower back at the RV to get the sand and salt off of him.)
After a lunch of HUGE burritos purchased from one of the local restaurants, we are all taking a break to digest and rest, so I am using the time to update this blog....and then maybe nap for awhile.
Friday, March 10, 2017
A quiet Thursday
After breakfast, we headed out to find a West Marine store, as Dan needed to replace the regulator for the grill. The store was north of the campground in an area that Dan thought desirable for house-hunting (along the Dog River) so we also did a drive-by of a house on the water that was for sale. It was probably lovely, but it was a long way from a town, from grocery shopping, from anything. Not suitable, though living right on the river would certainly be nice.
Back by noon, Kelly connected with me and I picked up Rossi, for us to dog-sit for the afternoon while she taught her class and attended meetings. Rossi was uneasy leaving Kelly and did not lie down ALL afternoon! She and Ranger and I did have a good walk, and she was able to sniff out things at the campsite.
Kelly arrived around 5:00, much to the delight of both Rossi and Ranger (who always goes crazy when he sees Kelly). Shortly thereafter, Michael arrived, and Dan grilled burgers (regular and veggie) for dinner which we enjoyed while catching up on news.
This morning, Ranger and I were both up early again. We had our morning walk along the beach near the lab as the sun came up.
Cloudy weather expected for the next two days, with rain in the forecast for Sunday. Kelly and Michael plan to bring a tent out later today to stay overnight in the campground.
Back by noon, Kelly connected with me and I picked up Rossi, for us to dog-sit for the afternoon while she taught her class and attended meetings. Rossi was uneasy leaving Kelly and did not lie down ALL afternoon! She and Ranger and I did have a good walk, and she was able to sniff out things at the campsite.
Kelly arrived around 5:00, much to the delight of both Rossi and Ranger (who always goes crazy when he sees Kelly). Shortly thereafter, Michael arrived, and Dan grilled burgers (regular and veggie) for dinner which we enjoyed while catching up on news.
This morning, Ranger and I were both up early again. We had our morning walk along the beach near the lab as the sun came up.
Cloudy weather expected for the next two days, with rain in the forecast for Sunday. Kelly and Michael plan to bring a tent out later today to stay overnight in the campground.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)