The end of our journey.

Our view this morning!




We took the long route, avoided potential snow, and got to visit sights in the south that we had never seen before.   We covered nearly 4200 miles in our little house on wheels, and it was rather sad saying goodbye to it yesterday!  Even Clem, who said he was ready to go home, and get on dry land, said goodbye when we left the parking lot at the dealership!  He remarked as we neared our destination that we were like Lewis and Clark, but made it much faster.  And way more comfortably, I might add!  Actually, our journey was longer....from sea to shining sea!

 We live in a big, beautiful country, and there is so much to see.  I hope to travel more of it.  And, though I hated history in school, I love visiting historic sights, and learning about the people and things that came before, and how a place came to be.  And the outdoor girl in me wants to see all the National Parks, and hike the trails.  And, now this may surprise you, see all the hokey and kitschy things out there!! Oh.....NOT surprised??  Haha!!

It has been very fun.  The trip, and having you along!  Thanks for sharing it with us!

We made it!

We were about 31/2 hours from PBG, and made it home and unloaded, before returning the RV.  

Hmm....is it bigger than our little house?

Sunrise taken from RV window

It sure was fun being right on the beach.  I walked it in the morning, and gathered a few shells.  Nice way to spend our last night.  Although Clem complained the sound of the waves kept him up!  I think you would get used to it.  Some of the RV parks were pretty close to the highway, for on and off convenience, and you could hear the trucks most of the night, but we got used to that.  

St. Augustine, Florida. The oldest city in the US.

Oldest school house.

Flagler Colleg

And of course......

Ponce De Leon, you all know.  However, did you know he was only 4 ft 11?
Flagler brought the railroads into Florida, and started the rush to the area.  Tourism began with "tin can tourists", who came with tin cans full of fuel and food, and "cracker Settlers" came in covered wagons.  Our trolley tour gave us an overview, but I would enjoy coming back and doing a walking tour.  And driving down the beach road, there were some state parks and nature areas to investigate.  And this spot on the ocean would be a great place to camp out for a couple of days in order to explore by day!

We are only 3 1/2 hours from our little house in Palm Beach Gardens, and it is sinking in that we will be spending the entire winter there!  Can't believe it!

Very cool!!

No, this is not our RV, but we pulled into this park, and I wanted to snap a photo while the light was still good.  Now, we will NEVER own a house anywhere near this close to the ocean, but how cool to spend the night!  I asked the attendant, and she said some folks come from up north and spend six months here!  Just outside of St. Augustine on the barrier island.  A1A, or "the beach road" in Beverly Beach.  That is the ocean, and we are maybe 40 yards from the water.  We sat out and listened to the waves crash before dinner, then walked the beach after.  Have the windows open now and the breezes are blowing in, and the waves are crashing.  Can you tell I am thoroughly enjoying this spot?!  :-)

RV Life

As an aside, I may put a new page on, for some interesting insights into this adventure from the technical end!  Just in case you might be thinking about renting one.

But let me say that RV ers are a very friendly bunch of folks!  And this morning we got out a good hour and a half later than we had anticipated, because I wanted to take a walk, and ended up chatting with folks.  I really do enjoy that, but it is funny.  Guess you need to factor that in to your travel plans.....but then, that is part of the fun.  If we were traveling more casually, staying for a bit, it would be a very social stay, I am sure.

Decisions, decisions.....

As you can see, we have hit Florida!  Wow!  Now, it is a LONG state, so we have a way to go, but we are in the destination state!  And it is warm and lovely, and the birds I always hear when we are in Florida are chirping.

Had a hard time deciding what to do today.  Since we have been to Savannah before, we decided to go on to St . Augustine.  We have to be at our house a day earlier than planned, because they have decided to seal the streets just as we were due in!  So we would not be able to drive to the house.  So we will get in a day earlier than planned, unload, pick up the car, and go to Ft. Lauderdale, where we have to return the RV , and camp there for the night.  That should be fun, actually.  Maybe get a place near the water.  And have a nice dinner in the city our last night out.

Anyway, Savannah is lovely, with gracious old homes, and a central square.  The house famous for "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is on the square.  One of my all time favorite books, by the way, and a true story.......truth is stranger than fiction, as they say.  I highly recommend it, if you have not read it.

Georgia, as you know, is famous for its peaches and pecans.  And once in Atlanta I ate at the famous Pitty Pat's Porch....talk about great biscuits!  And you can see them being made!  Pecan pie to die for!  And now, of course, Miss Paula Deene!  Everything that woman makes is a heart attack on a plate, I swear!  Y'all!

So we traveled from the spectacular mountains in North Carolina.  Did I mention that in addition to the Smokey mtns. we drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Not far, but enough to visit the Craft Museum.  Crafts are a big way of life in the Carolinas.  Pottery and textiles in particular.  Saw some really creative brooms, too!  yes, brooms!!  and baskets.  Would be neat to go back and drive the several hundred mile distance of the parkway.  It is much like the  Hutchinson parkway in NY , if you have been on that.  But it was commissioned  by Roosevelt to be a scenic route, rather than one built for speed.  So one needs to be on a leisurely pace as it winds its way through the mountains.

South Carolina entered the "low country."  And by the time we hit Georgia to stay for the night, the air mattress was practically flat!!  Charleston is the neatest city in South Carolina, and again, we had already been there, and to Fort Sumpter.  Visited with friends Jim and Joan many years ago.  Really neat city, big antebellum homes, and the gracious way of living once again.  Had also visited an old plantation.  So we moved on through there as well.

Hit Georgia, and REALLY low country.  I have been driving this morning, or I could have shown you photos of some large swampy areas.  Stopped at the Florida welcome center, where the photo was taken, and now we are headed to St. Augustine, where we will take the trolley tour and hop off at a few interesting sights.

The River Art District, Asheville

We just happened to be there for one of two annual open studio celebrations!  This studio belongs to Jonas Gerard, one of Asheville's most successful artists.  I loved the bright colors and his mixed media works.

Grove Park Inn, Asheville

Built in 1913, it took a team of 400 men with mules hauling stones up the mountainside a year to complete.  For more information about the south's most famous resort, see the link below.  

Grove Park Inn History     

A few scenes from downtown Asheville.

This is a high school, built by architect who built the Biltmore Home.  

Savannah

Just pulled into Savannah for the evening, after spending two full days and three nights in Asheville.  Nice to not have to pull out every morning.  And we had a great time touring the Biltmore and taking a trolley tour of the area with Bob and Judy.  And eating lots of BBQ!  
Last night Judy picked a place called the Fiddling Pig, because they had bluegrass music, in addition to BBQ.  What fun!  It was Judy's birthday, so a fun way to celebrate with her favorite type of music , and Banana Pudding for desert.  Remember the stuff your mom made with vanilla wafers?  Well, this is much better!  But pretty much the same!  I have photos to post of all of this, plus some great interior photos of the RV that Bob took with his wide angle lens.

I had mentioned that the nights get very cold in the mountains, and it dropped to 30 last night .   And our heat went out!!  I woke up pretty cold, and could not solve it, and Clem was not in the mood to solve it when I woke him.  Needless to say, it was even colder by the time we got up at 5:30!  THEN he found a way to fix it.  I stayed in bed with the covers over my head until he had the coffee ready and it was warming up in here! Warmed to a sunny mid 60's day again.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at a rest stop again, but basically made time again today.  Only 400 miles to go!  We have to decide how we want to spend our last couple of days.  Sas is curled up between us on the couch, and Loki is looking out the front window from the passenger seat.  He still rides under the blanket on the bed, but Sas rode today perched on the bedside table.

On the road again.......

Carol 

Guide Sign on Interstate 26 for Bat Cave, NC

Despite what the name may imply, this is a town!  We are not stopping, but I had to look it up!  Named for bat cave mountain which is named for a cave at the base full of bats. 

Sent from my iPhone 

COOOOllllllldddddd!

Ok, so it was 70 yesterday, and due to hit high 60's again today, but last night it dropped to 30 degrees.  And I woke up in the night to NO HEAT!