Georgia/Florida Weekend, St. Simon's Island

Only a 3 day turn-around and we are off again, this time without Boozer but definitely not without booze! We've heard all the stories but never experienced GA/FL weekend at St. Simon's. We decided that it might be too much for Boozer to handle so he will vacation at NOAH. The girls there love him and really spoil him with attention.

The trip down to St. Simon's is pretty boring and seems to take forever. The worst part is when you get on the highway that is like concrete with spacers in between each section. You ride along going ka-clunck, ka-clunck and feel like your tires are flat. We stopped to get gas and I was going to make lunch. I opened the refrigerator door and KA-BAM! The panel on the refrigerator door crashed to the floor. Scared me to death. Hmm...interchangeable panel on the fridge door. This will have to be fixed later. Always something, right?

Since the GPS doesn't locate where we are going our host met us in his golf cart. Well he almost met us as there are restrictions on where golf carts can go. He's on his cellphone giving us directions and HRH gets confused and drives up over a concrete curb. BAM! CRASH!! The overhead cabinet door flew open and eight Corning Ware plates crashed to the floor, four smashed to pieces. Oh, well. Those were old plates that had been recycled from home use to original motorhome use to the attic and then to this motorhome. No great loss. We usually use paper plates anyway. Thank goodness Boozer wasn't with us as he would have been sleeping right there.

Although we would highly recommend the rv site, unfortunately it is not a public venue. We set  up in a grass alley behind the beach house of our friends. Plug in the electric cord and connect up the water hose and we are set for the weekend.

Thursday nite we ate at another friends' house...they had a biscuit cook-off along with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, fruit and more. Breakfast for dinner! We ate at Catch 228 Oyster Bar for dinner on Friday and Brogen's on Saturday for lunch. I've reviewed both on TripAdvisor.

The highlight of the weekend was a trip to East Beach on Friday. It's called Frat Beach on Georgia/Florida weekend because all the fraternities and sororities congregate there. We all set up our beach chairs for the best viewing. In the morning hoards of students start arriving and making their way down the beach. Many are in costume and are quite a sight to see. They have all manner of containers for their booze, beer, etc. We saw laundry detergent jugs, plastic gas cans, coolers of all shapes and sizes including Yeti's which are over $350 and took 2-4 people to carry. What a parade! As more and more students arrive, the crowd at the other end of the beach continues to grow closer to us and the noise level grows also. Finally, we decide to brave the elements and make our way down the beach. By now, several hours have passed and we are getting to see the effects of the alcohol and sunshine up close. You can actually feel the heat emanating off the masses of people and the drone of voices. It is very surreal. There is a guy flying a kite and as we look overhead we discover that he has a camera mounted on the kite string. Will have to check YouTube! We made it all the way in and then back out again. Whew! Fresh air!! What an experience!!!

Here is a video that was posted on YouTube. http://youtu.be/pag6RqyxuJ8

The real highlight of the trip was supposed to be the game. The party atmosphere was great. Most of our tailgate friends were there along with some new ones. The game itself was a disappointment. Georgia won over Florida but there have been better games.

On Sunday we left for home and on the way we talked about how this was probably one of those "bucket list" things. You haven't lived until you've experienced Frat Beach on Georgia/Florida weekend!

Students heading down Frat Beach

We braved the crowds

Girl in center trying to get up...fail!

Coolers, coolers everywhere!

Not even noon yet!

Low-Key Hideaway, Cedar Key, FL

Google map for Low-Key Hideaway

Back when we were still working, I spent hours on different sites looking for the perfect first full week trip to celebrate our retirement. For the last 15 years we have only enjoyed long weekends due to owning our own business. This would be a big deal for us so I wanted it to be perfect. There are a myriad of websites for campgrounds but my favorite was  http://www.allstays.com/. The site says "built to go with you", from phones and tablets to laptops and desktops, by app or by web. So, I found this adults only and 5 star rated place called Low-Key Hideaway. On checking TripAdvisor, there were a number of reviews and all were positive. Not sure I've ever seen that before. The place sounded perfect and only 4 rv sites. 4 ???? No, that wasn't a misprint. We figured that this perfect place was too good to be true. Then we decided to throw caution to the wind and call them anyway. Working around the Georgia football schedule (got to keep priorities around here) we called and booked a week starting 10/21. Amber, the office manager(also a bartender at the Tiki Bar in her spare time) was really friendly and helpful.

That's us in the middle

                                                                      

Low- Key website for  photos. http://everymilesamemory.smugmug.com/CedarKeFlorida/CedarKey0671186_LdHGvm#!i=2596423326&k=WptSL9k. Pat and Cindy are the owners and are professional photographers.Their story is one that elicits envy. You feel like you are part of their family when you stay at Low-Key. They are the epitome of the saying that it's not work if you love what you do.   

The trip down was rather uneventful, making a couple of stops at rest areas along the way. Boozer was a "happy camper" and either slept on his bed or looked out the window. This would be his longest trip that he's been on but it didn't seem to phase him at all. We're driving along and Amber called to check up on us. Yes, we're on our way. We had left a little late to avoid rush hour traffic. She said if she had to leave for the Tiki Bar before we got there that the check in sheet would be posted on the motel office door.

We arrived at Low-Key and people come out and stop traffic for you in both directions on the "highway" (2 lane road to us!) so that you can get your motorhome parked at its site. Looking out the front window I can see the deck right there and then the Gulf...right there...right there!! Amazing!!

View out the front window of the motorhome

Someone had posted about how nice it was to sit on the pier and read a book except she never got very far in her reading because there is too much to see. You end up watching the ospreys and the egrets and the gulls and the fishermen and the crabs coming up out of the sand when the tide comes in and some of the most beautiful sunsets and.... For awhile you have your own piece of paradise.

Hanging chairs at the end of the pier

Long about four o'clock the Tiki Bar opens. As if you haven't suffered enough sensory overload, you now get to walk through the vined arbor, past the unusual gardens and the bottle wall and into the Tiki Bar. Every day you see something new...the frog, the bicycles, the signs, the bottles, the corks, the "pool" with action figures climbing out of the water, the license plates, the bottle caps, the chandelier, the bottle light...and of course, the bar itself with a myriad of mismatched bar stools including one that is a pair of women's legs! On Friday some friends of Pat and Cindy came over to christen Pat's new grill. We were sitting at the bar and the next thing you know someone comes in with a tray of buffalo chicken and we're all eating this great chicken and then along comes a tray of clams and more chicken and more clams! We heard they cooked elk later, too. Locals come there also and there is never a shortage of interesting people to meet. The bar is stocked with beer and wine and an amazing array of liquor. Cindy's special mix makes the absolute best margaritas, if I do say so myself! Oh, and not only are the motel and rv sites pet friendly but also the Tiki Bar. Boozer enjoyed all the attention he got there too.

Tiki Bar

Speaking of the clams...Cedar Key has clam farming. Just next door was one of the places that does this. They also sell retail so you can get clams, shrimp and whatever is caught that day. We got a bag of clams and steamed some in beer on our grill. We put the rest up in the freezer to make clam chowder later. Here is their website. http://www.clambiz.com/

There were many other things to see on Cedar Key. http://www.cedarkey.org/  That was the only regret about our stay. We absolutely will return but hopefully with a toad. This means researching the right vehicle and the right hook-up and being comfortable adding a towed vehicle.

Sadly, on Monday morning, we had to load up and drive home. We had an incredible week and look forward to being able to spend time at Low-Key Hideaway again.

Camping in the Smokies, Gatlinburg, TN

We decided on a trip to Gatlinburg for Labor Day weekend since we have friends who live fairly close by in Cosby. It's been years since we have seen them. Tom drove down and brought us a car for our stay which was really nice. The first thing we had to do was to tell him about our adventure. Somewhere along the way the good old GPS sent us thru the Great Smoky Mountain park. We had seen lots of rv's on our way up from Georgia, but suddenly none on the road. Mountainous, twisting, turning road...sign says take off your sunglasses and put on your lights! Tunnel ahead! Oh, and they were doing road work and I hollered "look out for the cones!" WHAM!!! This is fun...not!! And he's concentrating so hard on driving and I'm holding on for dear life and OMG!!...we are driving thru the parking lot of the major scenic area, we've left the road completely. Back on the road again and he decides to pull into one of the turn-outs. We need to catch our breath and the dog needs a walk. Gosh, you can smell the tar from the road work. No, he tells me, that's our brakes! So, Tom, can we drive home a different way? Luckily we have a few days to recover and a new way to go home.

We stayed at Camping in the Smokies. It never ceases to amaze me when you read reviews of rv parks. Do people just go somewhere without researching where they are going? There are some negative reviews for this park. If you're looking for waterslides, Yogi Bear or planned activities this is not the place. If you can't handle the rules go elsewhere. If you have children it's probably not for you. Dogs, however, are really happy campers and everyone had at least one.

Can't say enough about this campground...the owners are very nice and also helpful. The place is small but not at all crammed in like other parks in the area. The grounds are clean and many sites back up to a stream. Bath house, laundry, pool...all very clean. Great cable and two wi-fi transmitters...no problems with them. Pet friendly but there are breed restrictions. Everyone picked up after their dog(s) probably because everything is so clean around you. Sites are level, gravel and have grass, picnic table and fire ring. There were gnats but we got tiki torches from the Dollar store next door. The trolley stops right out front. You can sit on the bank of the creek at night with the water flowing and watch the waterfall lights in the big tree at the restaurant nearby. We hated to leave!

 

On a friend's recommendation we went to Three Jimmy's and it was the highlight of our trip. It's definitely where the locals eat and not easy to find but so worth it. It's not downtown with all the chain restaurants and microwaved food. I had the "shine" pulled pork with chopped apple wrap and a side of potato salad. The pork was to die for and I told the waitress there must be somebody in the kitchen making that potato salad, home made for sure. She said yes that everything was made fresh there...we even boil the potatoes for the salad. Hubs had a grilled chicken with bacon and fries (great fries, too!). They had a huge selection of beers on draught as well as bottles and cans. The waitress was friendly (born and raised in Gatlinburg), as was everyone there. We enjoyed a piano player while we ate. The music was like old timey saloon piano. We had to cheer "Rocky Top" to get a 10% discount...of course we had to follow it with "Go Dawgs!". A good laugh all around. Don't miss this place if you're in Gatlinburg.

We drove thru downtown Gatlinburg. Traffic was backed up forever. We're used to our suv's and this car was really low to the ground. It made for great people-watching however. We went all the way to the end and came back on a parallel street. We saw all we wanted to see of a myriad of t-shirt shops and candy shops and chain restaurants and fast food. Not really our thing. Parking is like $8 in town but some restaurants will give you a parking voucher. An alternative is to take the trolley.

Friday evening we drove out to Cosby for dinner with the Martins. It was a really pretty ride with gorgeous mountain views. They live a ways out a gravel road across a little bridge. A stream runs behind their house. Sitting out on the deck, in the evening, priceless.

Monday morning we had to pack up and move on out. A longer, mostly uneventful ride home. Had to look up what a "silver alert" was on the overhead road signs. Turns out it was for heavy traffic. Looking forward to a time when we don't have to wait for a holiday weekend to go off in the rv.

Next post will be for our trip to Cedar Key, FL. We will be celebrating retirement and staying at Low Key Hideaway.  There are 3 rv sites, a refurbished 50's motel, a tiki bar and water and more!!

Lake Harmony RV Park in Townsend, Ga.

Well, we headed out for July 4th weekend at Lake Harmony RV Park. There are no photos of this trip due to the fact that Bill tossed the camera to me and the rest, as they say, is history. That was just one of the many unfortunate incidents of the holiday weekend!

We had been checking the weather every day and whereas I was concentrating on the forecast of daily thunderstorms, he kept reassuring me that the weather would be fine. Wednesday morning I am dodging raindrops as I carry food to the rv. The sun comes out and we head for the Georgia coast. Interstate or back roads? We're not in a hurry so we go for the scenic route. We cautiously watch the rain clouds...okay so far. Then, suddenly, the heavens opened up and the rains came! Thunder, lightening, pouring down rain. Can't see a thing! Glad we weren't on the interstate. Gullywashers! Frog stranglers! The 4 1/2 hour trip took 5 1/2 hours. Finally, we arrived.

The sun came out as we drove in the park. Just like in the pictures, the office is a boat on the edge of the lake. Bill checked in and then the girl hopped in her golf cart and told us to follow. There was a security gate to go thru and not too far from there we were directed to a pull thru site across the roadway from the lake. It was packed sand and full h/u with a picnic table. There was a permanent resident on one side of us and woods on the other. The lake was pretty and there were huge trees draped with Spanish moss. It was very quiet and peaceful.

And now, as they say...the rest of the story!

Some of you may not be concerned with internet service. We are, since we still have our business to run. As soon as everything was hooked up we connected the internet. One bar...sometimes...or no access. There goes the cost of our stay because now we have to activate Verizon. No cheap internet in this area. Why do parks advertise wi-fi when it's not really available? They also have cable tv with about 45 channels and yes it works perfectly.

Way around on the other side of the lake is the beach and the bath house. It's 90+ and the humidity is overwhelming. The beach could be on the other side of the world! We are turning on the AC. That's it...the AC and the laptop. And the breaker pops! The first of many trips to the breaker box. It got to where anytime the AC went off we both turned to look at the microwave clock to see if the power was out! It was kind of funny.

I step out the door and there are a gazillion ants crawling up the outside of the rv. Oh joy! I had read about this in an old review. It was the only bad review so I had  dismissed it. Sprayed them with Off as we didn't have bug spray (add to the list) and hoped for the best. The park manager drove up to let us know he was going to be doing target practice with someone so we wouldn't be startled by it. What??? We told him about the ant problem and he went and got a sprayer. He told us they will climb up anything that touches the ground. Great! And now they're inside and I am not a happy camper!!

We decided to take a walk over to the beach. It was still really hot and steamy. The other side of the park had really tall Southern Pines and hardwood trees with Spanish Moss hanging from them. It looked shady but was still hot, hot! It appears as though all the rv's back there are permanent residents. The area was well kept though. By this time Boozer was panting and we were panting and we headed back.

We never did eat outside as it would have been next to the neighbor's sewer outlet which smelled really bad. Add it to the list!

This was our first trip to a real rv park instead of a State Park. Needless to say, it was disappointing. There was a Good Sam discount. Since then, there have been more "ant" reviews and also that the owners are planning to expand. They are really nice people. Hope for improvements or this one goes on the "no return" list.

http://lakeharmonypark.com/

So now we have a new camera and a new tv on the way and reservations for Gatlinburg, TN for Labor Day. We will get to see friends we haven't seen for years so we are really looking forward to this trip.

Hamilton Branch State Park, SC

The view of the lake from our site

We're off on our second road trip. This time we are spending Memorial Day weekend at Hamilton Branch State Park on Lake Thurmond in Plum Branch, SC. http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/hamiltonbranch/introduction.aspx

Another view of the lake

Clear water and bright sunshine

The park provides access to the 71,100-acre Strom Thurmond Lake. The lake is ideal for fishing, boating and various other watersports. The lake has over 1,200 miles of shoreline, is the second largest lake east of the Mississippi River and among the top ten visited U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lakes nationwide.

It's a little over 100 miles to the park. On the way we drove thru Washington, Ga. A step back in time....
There are civil war sites, revolutionary war sites and over a hundred Colonial, Ante-bellum and Victorian homes on beautiful tree-lined streets. http://www.kudcom.com/www/. We drove past farms with dozens of baby animals grazing. It was an enjoyable ride, far from the maddening interstates, out in the beautiful countryside.

Hamilton Branch is a really nice park. It is amazing how the state parks have such beautiful locations. The first thing we said was "wouldn't this be a great place to build a house?" So, here we are in our house (rv) for the weekend!

Settled in

There are a lot of sites on the water here, coves and amazingly quiet. Some sites are a little tricky for access. Each drive-in goes to 2 sites, right and left. We were lucky to be first in because we had to maneuver the rv over into the left one for us to get situated in the right one. What was nice though, the site was parallel to the water. It had water, electric, fire pit and picnic table. Restrooms are not convenient. We have to learn the conservation thing when staying at State Parks. The fact that turning the water on is easy but you have to remember it's going into a holding tank...and it only holds so much!

Every afternoon duck families would swim in

Baby ducklings in the grass

                                         

Then back in the water

They head on down to the next spot...Dad in front, babies and then Mom

The State Parks in South Carolina offer senior citizen discounts which make them even more affordable. They also offer a unique program at any parks where you can fish. You can borrow a rod, reel and tackle box and maybe even catch some fish for dinner! http://www.dnr.sc.gov/aquaticed/loan/

We had a really enjoyable stay at Hamilton Branch. It's a perfect place, peaceful, pretty as the picture. Lakefront camping, boating, fishing from shore or out on the water and bike trails....

Lake Hartwell State Recreation Area

The road to our campsite

Our first roadtrip! We're off to Fair Play, SC for the weekend of April 5. It was only 66 mi. and mostly on I-85 so a little over an hour drive. Log on to www.SouthCarolinaParks.com for all the park info.

Since it was early Spring there were a lot of trees but not much greenery. It is probably much prettier when the leaves are out. We had site #6 which was right on the water. There is a site slightly above and to your left but nothing on the right. You could see the boat ramp and there were a few times that boats went in and out. Fishing from the bank only resulted in catching one little fish that promptly got sent back.

View of the lake

We had water and electric hookup but no sewer. This was okay as we arrived on Friday and were leaving on Sunday. State Parks have the nicest sites but hardly ever have sewer hookups. You need to locate the showers/restrooms when you're picking your site.

View of the lake to the left

Boozer and I went for a walk down to the boat ramp. On the way there was a site on either side of the road. Two families had come in pickup trucks and about 6 kids between them. They had actually camped out on lounge chairs with sleeping bags! They were a really happy group and were having a lot of fun. Surprisingly, they were very well behaved. They all wanted to pet Boozer and he enjoyed being the center of attention.

Boozer standing guard

We had our lounge chairs at the end of the site pad facing the water. The view of the lake was really nice. The only drawback was that there was no satellite reception and guess who forgot to pack the movies!!

Nothing to watch!

We are trying to have everything in the motorhome that we need. Even my lists have lists! It doesn't matter, you still forget stuff. You forget, you do without...we won't mention someone forgetting to pack his underwear!!

For being our first road trip, we did pretty well. No real disasters. We'll be off again for Memorial Day, heading to Lake Thurmond.

You Only Live Once

I really had intended to start a blog about our travels in an rv. We went on our first road trip and guess what...no blog. Then Laurrie suggested as this week's photo contest the acronym YOLO, "you only live once". (Well, then there's the idea of reincarnation.)
 But the point is that you need to have the courage to face every day knowing that it may be your last. Not that you should be obsessed with dying, but that you should be obsessed with living!
It occurred to me that probably one of the factors in our getting married was that my husband really believed that you only live once. Looking back thru our early years, there are many times he would have shouted, YOLO!
There was the time we went to the Bahama's and it rained. He said we were going to the pool anyway. The pool boy laughed and we were the only ones there in the water.
There was the time we flew first class to Las Vegas and renewed our vows with an Elvis impersonator for our 25th anniversary.
There were so many wild and crazy things we did. Then it seemed like we settled in to a mundane, day to day lifestyle. Suddenly, I was subjected to the "downsizing" epidemic and worked my way thru Medicare and Social Security. He was still working but getting increasingly disillusioned . There was always an excuse for not doing something...too expensive, too much of a hassle. Then one day I threw caution to the wind and shouted "YOLO"!! We are buying a motorhome! You are going to retire! We will not become those doddering old folks.

                                                                        YOLO!!