Dec 27, 2018 - a LONG day

Today we did the last driving day home for Thanksgiving in reverse. Then it took about 9+ hours; today it took more like 12. It rained more or less more or less the entire day. We were glad it wasn't snow. That would have made us stay home. When it snows where we live, the road crews know what to do about it. A few hours after the final flake and the roads are good to go. Down here a paralysis sets in when they get an inch or two. This is not hyperbole; we've experienced it. While the rain was never hard, it caused a fender bender or two....

Nov 23, 2018 - Thanksgiving in Tennessee

My son and his family spent Thanksgiving in Utah exploring different colleges that my granddaughter may be interested in, and my daughters spent Thanksgiving together with their kids and friends at home in Sonora, CA. I spent most of it sleeping. Wednesday was my 4th night in a row at work and I was even more pooped in that dreaded 10th hour than I usually am. Slept very soundly when I got home. I had stopped by a Walmart in Murfreesboro - almost too nice and shiny and actually attractive in and out to be a Walmart - on the way home to get...

Nov 18, 2018 - halfway

Always a good strategy to drive through Atlanta on Sunday. We made such good time we could have easily driven an hour longer. But our home is waiting whenever we get there and there’s no need to rush. Now that we have made this drive a few times, it seems shorter every time we do it. Funny, the games your mind plays when you know what to expect. It’s autumn here in Tennessee and we see trees with brilliant foliage. There were lots of RV's on the road, also heading north. What are they thinking? I’m still wearing my sandals, but not for...

Oct 27, 2018 - Gettin' Stronger in Tennessee

My truck started making a bad hum when accelerating and seemed to get louder every night driving to work. I found a great little shop that took it, fixed it and even gave me a loaner in the interim. Nolensville Auto Care is in the town of Nolensville (surprise!) which is a darling little town about three blocks long with three antique stores and my auto shop. The loaner was a 1994 Pontiac with a souped up muffler that could be heard for miles when I put that pedal to the metal. The car ran great and it had a hologram in its windshield! Day...

Oct 20, 2018 - St Louis to Up-To-Date in Smyrna, TN

My day leaving St. Louis could not have begun any better. I stopped to get diesel just a few blocks away from the RV park and Georgia was gassing up her car next to me. She put the pump back and said, "Do you drive that big thing all by yourself?" It was Wednesday, but she looked like she had her Sunday best on - especially standing next to me in my jeans and t-shirt. She asked me more questions - "A living room?!" "A real bathroom?!" and I invited her to peek inside the 5th wheel as she had never been in any sort of RV before. She walked...

Oct 17, 2018 - Last Day in Nashville

Today we went on a Trolley tour of the Nashville. We saw all the recording studios of the stars (not just country stars) they included Elvis, Michael Jackson, Ray Stevens and Meagan Trainor. It would be a tour I would want to take again and would want to get off at many of the stops. After we got back to the trailer we had enough time to get stuff together and head to Mom’s cousins house (John Camp) where we had a good southern cook meal. The company was great too. We made the best of our time here in Nashville and we are looking forward...

Oct 16, 2018 - road trip

I am at a KOA north of Knoxville, TN for a few days. I left Versailles after 11 AM because I had breakfast and a walk with Dolores and Toby first. Yesterday was rainy all over Kentucky and Tennessee, so I decided to hang out one more day. It was foggy and started raining once I got to Tennessee today and it is supposed to rain all night. Tomorrow might be better for visiting the Smokies or going back up to the Cumberland Gap or something.

Oct 16, 2018 - Grand Ole Opry night!!!

*Such an amazing day and night!!! *We started out driving to Nissan stadium to see where to park for our trolley ride tomorrow. Downtown is not a place to drive around. Tight roads and lots of construction. We drove around looking for civil war sites. Couldn’t find one so we drove to Franklin, Tn. We drove to ft granger but it looked too muddy to hike in. Dad took us to Carnton House. A plantation that was in the middle of the deadest war site in history. The family home was made into a hospital for all the wounded. *Highlight of the...

Oct 14, 2018 - We’re in Nashville!!

*we left at 8:30 this morning. *we drove about 5.5 hours. *learned more on corn and soy crops. *started raining and harder to see pretty much when we hit Tennessee . * staying at another nice KOA * I did one load of laundry * I made patty melts and deviled egg, and served beets The travel is complete. The weather was mixed it was nice and then it was rainy. The traffic was good until we got into Nashville then it was like rush hour. Once we were in the KOA it is time to relax and watch some football. The KOA park is pretty full, but not to...

Oct 13, 2018 - Travel to Defeated Creek, Tennessee

Defeated Creek has been our favorite local campground for nearly 15 years. It sits on Cordell Hull Lake northeast of Carthage. This trip has come to a close. We spent 6 weeks in the Atlantic Provinces and 4 weeks in Maine. The remaining 9 weeks were spent in Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont. We spent some nights in Pennsylvania and Virginia as we passed through. As best as I can calculate, we had 41 campground visits. We arrived at Defeated about 3, and the sun was partly...

Oct 12, 2018 - Travel to Baileyton, Tennessee

Sunshine makes a HUGE difference. We had hoped to enjoy fall colors as we moved south through the mountains. There isn't even a hint of change yet. After 19 weeks, it feels good to be back on Tennessee soil! 235 miles Around the Pond Campground f/h; 50 amp; Wifi (excellent) Direct Satellite Reception (including Nashville channels now that we're close)

Oct 11, 2018 - Trails

I'm taking a day off in Memphis, staying with friends. I went for a trail walk this morning. Since leaving home, my route has taken me along bits of historic routes such as the California Trail, the Mormon Trail, Santa Fe, Chisholm, and the Trail of Tears. I've also noted a multi-state golf trail, designed to get the travel inclined golfer to spread the money around. I walked some easy trails with Dawn and the kids at Dinosaur Monument, then alone at Grand Canyon. Along I-40 in Oklahoma, the proliferation of casinos seemed ripe for a...