Category: Adventures

Thu. April 21, 2022

St. Augustine, Florida

The day has come! After months of planning and replanning destinations, activities, schedules and prepping our house, we leave on our summer vaca away from the heat of Florida.

We managed to transfer what we think we’ll need from our home to the coach, filling every nook and cranny. We prepared our house for extended leave and are as ready as we’ll ever be.

Our trip takes us to new and old destinations across our country. We’ll visit friends and family, and like many RVers we’ll meet new friends along the way.

Our first stop is St. Augustine, Florida (not sure I needed to add the state), founded in 1565. It lays claim as the oldest city in the U.S. We’ve visited many times and it is still one of our favorite destinations.

We’ll be glamping 4-days at the Sun Outdoors St. Augustine, formerly known as Compass RV Resort. We are joining our neighbors in the MOSN FMCA Chapter rally from Polk City, FL. Rallies are great ways to reacquaint.

We arrived on Thursday, setup and then visited and planned activities for our stay with some of our group until time to settle in for the night.

The next morning we bummed an early ride with friends into to St. Augustine. Parking is at a premium around the historic district and our friends had free parking at the Trolley Tour Welcome Center. We did a bit of walking-shopping stopping for great coffee at Kookaburra’s We met up with our gang at the marina and hopped aboard the Scenic Boat Tour. We cruised the Matanzas River (“Matanzas” means “killings” or “slaughters” in Spanish.) traveling under the Bridge of Lions to the St. Augustine Light House viewing the city skyline and historic sites along the way. We saw many Bottlenose Dolphins playing in the surf and Egrets along the beaches. The weather was fantastic!

After the tour we had a great lunch across from the marina at O.C. Whites Restaurant.

Back at the campground we sat down to a catered dinner with our rally friends.

Saturday we rode the streets on the Old Town Trolley. We’ve taken this hop on/hop off ride many times and is a great way to catch up on the history of St. Augustine. We like to stay on for the entire route noting the places we will hop off on the next loop.

Cottondale, FL

Monday we crossed the Florida panhandle stopping at one of our favorite stopovers, Hitchin Post Corral and Campground RV Park in Cottondale. Marcy and the dogs fed the horses a few apples before sunset.

Red Bay, AL

On Tuesday, traveling a familiar route, north on HY 231, we roam through the center of Alabama, passing through Dothan, Montgomery and Birmingham where we turn northwest to Red Bay. Red Bay sits on the Alabama/Mississippi border approximately 50-miles south of Tennessee.

We decided to make Red Bay, AL, one of our first destinations. We have made this pilgrimage yearly since obtaining old blue. Red Bay, home of all things Tiffin, is the ideal place for RV maintenance and fixes. Our opinion is that Tiffin expertise like this cannot be found anywhere else. We are not the only ones. We will stay at Red Bay Acres.

We are never sure how long we’ll spend here since Tiffin does not take service appointments. It’s first come, first serve. We are in the queue hoping for quick turnaround, but in the meantime we’ll we’ll enjoy the area. Stay tuned for more on our Red Bay stay.

Fri. October 8

We left Polk City on June 3, 2021 and returned on October 20, 2021, travelled over 7,500 miles, stayed in 34 different campgrounds in 21 different states. And saw the most amazing places in America. We visited with friends and family along the way and that is why we do this!

Now that things have settled down a bit it is time to finish up the last few stops of our 2021 summer journey.

On October 8 we left the Asheville area and headed southwest 54 miles to the Mountain Falls Luxury RV Resort in Lake Toxaway, the largest private lake in North Carolina situated in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. Located near Cashiers it is a short “mountain drive” to Brevard, Highlands, Hendersonville and the many mountain towns in between.

Mountain Falls Luxury RV Resort is an ownership resort for class A motorcoaches. Being “newbie’s” here, it appears the resort has a valley area and a ridge area. On the “ridge”, where you’ll have unobstructed views of the mountains, you’ll find RV lots priced in the millions. The “valley” lots currently are a little less. Owners rent their sites and we took advantage of a valley rental site, close to the clubhouse and their cascading waterfalls. The resort is beautiful and amenities and events abound. We were invited to several dinners at the clubhouse and Marcy participated in the Fall Classic Pickleball Tournament! She and her teammate picked up the 3rd place award! Not bad at all!!

We celebrated Marcy’s birthday by having a nice dinner at the Greystone Inn on Lake Toxaway. We love their motto, “There are endless things to do, although it’s perfectly alright to do nothing at all…” 

We’ll add Mountain Falls to our “places to return” list and who knows, may find a summer spot there some day. Of course we have a list of about 10 places we might want to make our summer base.

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  Marcy and Partner in the Mountain Falls Pickleball Classic

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  Pickelball Classic at Mountain Falls

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  Birthday Breakfast!

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  Birthday Cake and One Big Candle

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  Celebrating Marcy’s Birthday

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  Joe at Mountain. Falls

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  Joe and Marcy at Whitewater Falls

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  View of Lake Toxaway

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  Whitewater Falls

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  Trail to Upper Whitewater Falls

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  Mountain View

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  View from the “Ridge” at Mountain Falls

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  Mountain Falls Club House

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  View of Our Jeep from Mountain Falls Clubhouse

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  Mountain Falls Waterfall

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  Flower by the Stream

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  Marcy at Mountain Falls

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  Mountain Falls Waterfall

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  View of Our Jeep at Mountain Falls Waterfall

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  Fall Time

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  Mountain Falls Waterfall

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  Mountain Falls Waterfall

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  Mountain Falls Golf Course

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  Leaves Changing

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  Marcy at Mountain Falls Site

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  Our Mountain Falls Site

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  Our Mountain Falls Site

 

After 8-days in Lake Toxaway we set our compass southeast for Savannah, GA, our last stop. 

We stayed at the CreekFire RV Resort. The resort has many amenities, several of which are the Lazy River, swimming pool and lake. They have large RV sites and an on-site restaurant, The LakeHouse which is very good. We’ll be back.

Established in 1733, Savannah is separated from South Carolina by the Savannah River. It’s known for manicured parks, horse-drawn carriages and antebellum architecture. Savannah is noted for its 22 squares, small parks arranged along five historic streets running north to south. Each street has from three to five squares.

One of the most popular, Chippewa Square, features a large statue of James Oglethorpe, the city’s founder. The square is the location of the park bench seen in the 1994 film Forrest Gump from which the title character dispenses wisdom to others waiting for a bus. The bench was so popular that it has since been moved to the Savannah History Museum. Additionally, there were four other benches created for the film, one of which sits in the Smithsonian, two with Paramount Pictures, and one was gifted to a security guard who was on patrol during filming.

To get up-close and personal, we enjoyed a bicycle tour of Savannah which allowed us to soak in the town and history.

Savannah was the perfect “last stop” for our summer adventures.

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  ercer House (now called Mercer Williams House Museum)

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  Marcy Enjoys Great Burgers at Lizzy’s in Savannah

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  Forsyth Park Fountain

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  Sherman’s Headquarters

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  James Oglethorpe Monument

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  James Oglethorpe Monument

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  Savannah

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  Savannah City Hall

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  Arch from Old Carriage House

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  Abe’s on Lincoln

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  Savannah Homes

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  Bicycle Tour

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  Savannah Bicycle Tour

 

We are already in the planning stages for next years sojourn. We have booked the October 2022 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and soon will have the July 2022 Calgary Stampede wrapped up. Then we’ll need to fill in the gaps! Hop in an RV and join us!

Wed. September 29

On Wednesday, 9/29, we arrived at the Ridge Outdoor Resort in Sevierville, TN. We had planned to spend our 7-days here but the resort is under construction and many of the amenities they advertised were not in place. This will be a great resort when completed.

We moved to Two Rivers Landing RV Resort   located on the French Broad River. Our site was a “pull-in” with a fantastic view of the river. This RV Resort is top notch and we will be back. 

We had to shorten our stay here due to the extra time we spent in Red Bay and the move between parks and an unexpected trip to a veterinarian in Knoxville for Lucy. The vet there diagnosed her with Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD). They didn’t do any

X-ray or CT scans so when back in Florida we’ll have to have a cat scan performed to confirm their diagnosis. We’re hoping they were wrong. Along with that and several days of rain hampered our exploration of the area.

We went into Knoxville and walked some of the shops and art stores. We had dinner after in an area where the street was blocked off from vehicle traffic. During dinner we were entertained by street musicians and animal acts. Knoxville, like some of the other areas we visited this summer. 

Knoxville-View From Restaurant

Knoxville-Street Performer

Knoxville-Street Performer

Ice Cream!

We spent much of our time touring the area via vehicle. The Smoky Mountain National Park scenery is beautiful but the area has become a Mecca for tourists seeking the entertainment offered in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. We did visit Gatlinburg SkyLift Park and rode the SkyLift to the SkyBridge, the longest pedestrian cable bridge in North America. The views were fantastic at 1800 feet above sea level.

Joe & Marcy at Gatlinburg SkyLift Park

Joe & Marcy at Gatlinburg SkyLift Park

View of Gatlinburg From SkyLift Park

Gatlinburg SkyLift Park

Marcy at Gatlinburg SkyLift Park

Smoky Mountains

Gatlinburg SkyLift Park

Gatlinburg SkyLift Park

Marcy at Gatlinburg SkyLift Park

Gatlinburg SkyLift Park

On Tuesday, 10/5, we pointed the “Bus” east towards Asheville, Swannanoa, NC, to be exact, for our 4-day stay at the Asheville East KOA. 

Unfortunately it rained the entire time we were there. The drive was wet but the leaves are becoming more colorful, with the reds popping through the yellows, oranges and greens.

Whenever the rain stopped we ventured out and visited the town of Black Mountain. Black Mountain was voted Best Small Town in Western North Carolina. Located a mile from the Eastern Continental Divide, Black Mountain is situated amidst the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, the oldest mountain range on earth. 

Near Black Mountain is Montreat. Montreat is a secluded, beautiful village deep in a mountain cove. It’s best known for Montreat College.

We also ventured into Asheville, one of our favorite destinations, for lunch at the Twisted Laurel Restaurant and a little shopping. Stopped by and viewed fantastic photography at Benjamin Walls Fine Art Gallery.

Asheville, NC

Asheville, NC

Asheville, NC

When in this area we always take a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a beautiful and serene trip.

As the National Park Service states, “A Blue Ridge Parkway experience is unlike any other: a slow-paced and relaxing drive revealing stunning long-range vistas and close-up views of the rugged mountains and pastoral landscapes of the Appalachian Highlands. The Parkway meanders for 469 miles, protecting a diversity of plants and animals, and providing opportunities for enjoying all that makes this region of the country so special.”

Marcy on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Marcy on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway Overlook View

Blue Ridge Parkway Overlook View

Blue Ridge Parkway

Small Waterfall on Blue Ridge Parkway

Friday, October 8, we drifted south, the beginning of the end to our summer trip. We will stop at the beautiful Lake Toxaway area where we will live in luxury at the Mountain Falls Luxury Motorcoach Resort. 

Wed. September 18

Wed. September 10

We are always looking for interesting things to do in the areas we travel. On this day we jumped into the jeep and headed to Elvis Presley Birthplace in Tupelo, MS. Tupelo is a short 34 miles west if Red Bay.

We were pleasantly surprised at this memorial established to Elvis’ early life. The grounds are landscaped beautifully and quite meditative. The exhibit and stories from friends and family were interesting. The Birthplace memorializes the first 13-years until the family moved to Memphis. This memorial is maintained by the East Heights Garden Club.

Their website says, “In 1934, Vernon Presley borrowed $180 for materials to build a small frame house in East Tupelo. Vernon’s father Jessie and Vester, his brother, helped with building the little shotgun house. It was in this humble two-room home lit by a single light bulb in each room that Elvis Aron Presley was born on January 8, 1935. Elvis was one of twin brothers born to the Presleys. His brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn.”

The “birthplace” does not talk about Elvis’ later life and it is my assumption that Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.  has control of most things “Elvis”.

We went to Muscle Shoals for a bicycle ride.

The Muscle Shoals National Recreational Trail is a 17-mile paved and primitive trail and bikeway located on TVA’s Muscle Shoals Reservation. The ride took us through lush landscapes and across the Tennessee River on a long bridge.

Monday, 9/13, started our time in the Tiffin service bay. While the RV is in the bay, we spend time talking to other Tiffin owners in the waiting lounge.  On Thursday, we finished all of our “small” repairs and had a ladder installed on the Bus to make it easier for Joe to access the roof. Next stop is the cabinet bay to have our leaky shower floor repaired. After that, off to the paint shop for a minor scuff on the front fender and the bottom of the replaced spoiler. (No one seems to know why the bottom of the spoiler was not painted when they painted the top.) We’ll be in Red Bay longer than planned so we cancelled our reservations in Diamond Caverns Campground in Park City, KY. We’ll be re-planning our future routes to accommodate our extended stay here in Red Bay.

Such is life on the road. Flexibility and a good sense of humor is key. In the meantime we enjoy the company of friends at the campground and Red Bay Area.

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We arrived in Red Bay, AL, early afternoon after a drive through Memphis (a town we love), but were unable to stay due to the rains of Hurricane Ida). We waved as we passed through vowing to return on our next sojourn. With an hour left on our drive we passed through Tupelo, MS, birthplace of Elvis. We thought we might have to go back and tour the singer’s hometown. Also, not far from Red Bay is the birthplace of Helen Keller in Tuscumbia, AL, Coon Dog Cemetery and the Rattlesnake Saloon.

When we got to town we went immediately to the Tiffin Service Center to turn in our paperwork that will put us in line for service. Tiffin will send someone out tomorrow, Thursday, to let us know the wait time before they can get us into a service bay.

We then went to Red Bay Acres where we will “camp” while we wait for service. RBA, as it is know here, is Red Bay’s luxury RV resort with their own restaurant, a fully stocked pond and pickle ball court. Red Bay has many places to “park” and hook up to support the influx of Tiffin owners getting service from Tiffin and the many 3rd party vendors.

The guy from Tiffin arrived around 9AM Friday and told us it will be a week to week and a half before a bay will be available. Now the waiting begins! We’re number 15 on the wait list.

We drove to The Fish Place in Belmont, MS, and had their excellent fried catfish. When in Rome. … To fill in the time we scheduled COVID booster shots for tomorrow. We’ll have to drive the 40 minutes to Muscle Shoals and Florence to get them.

After our shots, Saturday, we went to a Publix in Florence. Who would have thought Publix would have stores out here?! That evening we went to the Rattlesnake Saloon in Tuscumbia. The Saloon, located under a huge rock, took just 49 days to construct before opening on Labor Day weekend in 2009. Since its opening, it has been featured in magazines, music videos, and tv shows and has become one of the top attractions in the area. We met a couple of nice ladies, Cathy and Charlotte and rode down the hill to the Saloon in the taxi, a pickup with benches in the bed covered by a canopy. We joined them for dinner and music. The band, Backdraft, played country classics we all enjoyed.

Waiting for the Taxi

Joe in the Taxi Line

Cathy and Charlotte

Rattlesnake Saloon Taxi

Rattlesnake Saloon

Rattlesnake Saloon

Monday, Labor Day, we traveled to the Coon Dog Cemetery, aka “Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard” to join in the Annual Labor Day Celebration hosted by the Friends of the Coon Dog Cemetery. The Cemetery has become a popular place to visit when in the area. The popular 2002 movie “Sweet Home Alabama” starring Reese Witherspoon, even included a scene featuring a recreated version of the graveyard. The Labor Day entertainment includes music, dancing, food and a liar’s contest.

Coon Dog Cemetery

Coon Dog Cemetery

Coon Dog Cemetery

Music at the Coon Dog Cemetery

Coon Dog Cemetery

Coon Dog Cemetery

Coon Dog Cemetery

We spend time visiting with our fellow “Tiffanites” at the Red Bay campgrounds. We always meet a lot of nice folks as we travel around the country. As a matter of fact on each side of us are folks from Florida and we will no doubt try to keep in touch with them to see what they’re up to and where they are. Who knows, we could end up caravanning with them. We have friends from our neighborhood, Anita and Doug, staying a few sites away. We just never know who we’ll  run into when traveling in an RV!

We’ll stay in Red Bay until we finish the repairs and upgrades on our motorhome. When we got here we were number 15 on the wait list. Today we are number 3.

Stay tuned for more Red Bay action!