Pushing North

29, 30 May 2019

The weather continued to be very hot as we pushed north towards are first main objective, the RV rally in VA.  Our next stop was at the Heritage park campground in Augusta, GA. It apparently was so hot we did not even go out to take our usual campground pictures.

On the way to Selma, North Carolina, we spotted the signs for the South of the Border tourist trap.  We had been there many years before, when we traveled to Fl by RV to visit my mother.  The temperature hovered around 100 and there was surprisingly almost no one there.  Most of the structures looked in need of serious repairs.  It seems that its days may be numbered.

Our next overnight was in Selma, North Carolina at the RVacation RV Park.  It is right alongside the interstate.  It cooled down enough that we could spend some time outside as the sun went down.

Five weeks on the road

We recently returned from a motorhome trip up the east coast and heading along the south coast of the Great Lakes and then turning south for the journey home.  In all we traveled in 13 states on this trip. 

What made this trip different for us was the addition to the team of our dog Halley.  She traveled with us the last two years of our full-time adventure but remained home since we started traveling in the Winnebago View.  The last few trips without her, she had become quite sick and we had to rush home to take care of her. We thought her time was coming to an end. She was in sad shape.  After multiple vet visits, she was found to have numerous problems, but the thing that changed her fate was the discovery that her thyroid had failed. With the pills to help that and the other issues, it was clear she needed too much attention to ask our family to take care of her, so she is back on the road.  Surprisingly, this has been no problem and she seems to love traveling again.

The main destination for this trip was a large View rally being held in Cape Charles, Va.  75 RVs participated in the well-planned rally which was a lot of fun.

 As we were traveling along Interstate 10, I glanced down and saw the check engine light was on.  This was the first time in 7 years and over 70K miles that it has come on. We diverted to Dothan, AL for a Sprinter service check.  Long story short, it was a clogged Def metering valve.  I could fill a blog post with the service visit oddities, but everyone, I am sure, has had similar experiences.  The good news is we had no more issues the rest of the trip.

Our first stop was the Eufaula, AL ACOE park in time for a great evening along the water.

To kill a mockingbird, Monroeville, AL

Our second weekend trip was to Monroeville, AL to see the play: To kill a mockingbird.  We camped about half an hour out of town at Isaac Creek ACOE park along the Alabama River.  It was a rural park with very large paved sites.  We came with our FMCA group to enjoy the play and a weekend of social gatherings.  Unfortunately, the weather was very poor with near constant rain and thunderstorms.  No outside activities were possible.   Almost all of us decided to return home on Saturday, since the forecast offered a small break in the storms to have a decent return trip.

On Friday afternoon, we headed to Monroeville to see the play: To Kill a mockingbird.  The play is based on a novel by Harper Lee who lived in Monroeville.  You can read more about the play here.  The short version is that a black man in the 1930’s was accused unjustly of assaulting a white woman and the trial that followed.  The play is put on annually by local nonprofessional actors in the old courthouse. We were able to tour the courthouse museum before the play began.

The first part of the play takes part outside the courthouse in a mockup local neighborhood where you get a glimpse of some of the people involved in the trial and a sense of their attitudes about life in this period in Monroeville.  The second half takes place inside the courthouse where the trial is conducted.  No photography or video was allowed during the play. 

It was truly a great experience, the actors were all amazing in their performances, especially the young children who had important roles with lots of dialogue.  Highly recommended!

Our dog Halley is traveling with us again.  She has developed a number of medical issues that require personal care that we need to do.  She seems to have adjusted quickly to the traveling mode.

First of two weekend outings

2 May 2019

Our first outing was to attend the Holiday Hills Music Park Bluegrass festival in Laurel Hills, FL. 

We first stopped for one night at a former state park campground which was turned over to the city of Florala, AL.  It is a small but very nice place to camp.  It seems that several campers are there for longer periods.  Everyone was very friendly; Anneke met a few ladies who play dominoes in the afternoon and she was invited to play with them.  Not having played this game before she still managed to win four out of the five games.  Since we were there for only one night, we do not know if she would have been invited back the next day.

It is nice park that makes a great stop over or extended stay.  It is a relatively short walk to town with shopping and restaurant choices.

This was our second time at the blue grass festival.  It is on a large private property with well kept grounds and RV spots in the grass fields with power and water.  In addition to the formal music performances in the covered pavilion, many people come to meet fellow enthusiasts and camp for the weekend.  You can walk the grounds day and night and listen to many gatherings of bluegrass ad hoc performances. 

Most of the stage performers were family groups with members as young as 10.  They were all excellent with amazing talent.  They play a mix of bluegrass and gospel.

We really enjoy the music and atmosphere.  

The Sowell family playing.