EAST COAST FLORIDA

ST. AUGUSTINE - OCT. 12 - 15 
Our campsite at Anastasia State Park was surrounded by live oaks dripping with spanish moss, palm trees, palmettos, and a plethora of tropical plants.  This was one of our favorite campsites.

I don't know what this plant is, but it's beautiful and seemed to grow everywhere.

WHEELIE FUN!
St. Augustine is rich with history as it's the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the U.S.  It was founded in 1563 by the Spanish and was a key setting for the Civil Rights Movement in the early 1960's.  

After we learned how to drive and control the Segway in a parking lot, Corley, our guide led us around the streets of St. Augustine.  By the end of the 2 1/2 hour tour I had 'seglegs' - cramps in my legs and feet.

Spanish Colonial era buildings and 19th century architecture add to the charm of St. Augustine.
In the 1880's Henry Flagler established this city as a popular winter resort
 for the Northern East Coast wealthy by building ornate and extravagant hotels.

Castillo de San Marcos - construction began in 1672.
The material used to build the Spanish fort is coquina, a shellstone 
quarried from the Historic Coquina Spanish Quarries at Anastasia State Park.   

Driving on St. Augustine Beach.

Before leaving St. Augustine, we had the recalled part for the refrigerator replaced.  

MOVING ON DOWN - OCT. 16 - 19
Taking some time off from sight-seeing, we spent 3 days being lazy and chilling out in central Florida at Orlando RV Park in Clermont, FL.  The park is about 10 miles from Disney World, and although it's been 28 years since we had been to the Magic Kingdom, neither one of us felt the need to visit Mickey and friends.

The next stop was in Fort Lauderdale; we stayed 1 night at Yacht Haven RV Park. 

Dock your water yacht, or park your land yacht at Yacht Haven.

THE REINERTSEN SISTERS
Friends from Wisconsin, Don and Ginny Reinertsen, have 2 daughters, Pam and Cindy, who moved to Florida several years ago.  We were happy to see both Pam and Cindy while on the east coast.

Pam lives in Jacksonville.  While we were in St. Augustine we met Pam for lunch.

Cindy invited us for dinner at her home in Boca Raton.  Cindy has turned her backyard into a tropical fruit tree garden and served up some freshly picked star fruit and mango.

SOUTH CAROLINA

YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN THE BIBLE BELT WHEN...  Myrtle Beach, SC - Oct. 6 and 7th
South Carolina was our next stop; we camped at Myrtle Beach State Park for 2 nights.  Our campsite was a short 2 block walk from the beautiful sand beach on the Atlantic.

We invested in a beach umbrella.

As we were checking into our campsite were were told "NO alcohol is permitted in the park, so y'all keep it in yo' campah". Yup, we're in the Bible Belt.

This is what happens when there is a No Alcohol Policy...
instead of seeing Pink Elephants, you start seeing Pink Flamingos.

One of the beauties of the RV Life is that our neighbors change every time we move and we never know what we'll see or what interesting characters we'll meet.  Even arriving at a new RV park is an adventure because the description and pictures on the WEB or in Trailer Life Directory don't alway match the reality of the place.  While I don't always take the time to check out RV park reviews, previous guests reviews seem to be the best place to find an honest description of the good, the bad, and the ugly.  We have never been disappointed at a State or National Park.

STOP SLAPPIN' YA'SELF! - Yemasse, SC - Oct. 8 - 12
October 8th we moved on, staying at The Oaks at South Point RV Park in Yemasse, SC.  Spanish moss hung from the oak trees throughout the park, creating a real down-south feel.  The interior roads in this RV park were horrible; driving the motorhome to our campsite was like off-road 4-wheeling through the water filled ruts and pot holes.  The men's showers didn't have hot water.  However, we met some interesting characters during our 4 night stay at this park.

"PEE-U-EE! It smells like a French Whorehouse!"

Three raggedy looking kids came by the RV selling Swamp Swatter; after listening to their sales pitch, and feeling kinda bad for them, I bought some of the gnat repellent. 

The Traveling Swamp Swatter Sales Force.
Instead of throwing out the foul smelling "snake oil", I left it at their campsite.

GONE WITH THE WIND
We took a day trip to Charleston and a carriage tour through the historic district.  This city is the epitome of southern charm. 

I can picture Scarlett and Rhett strolling along the Battery.  Bless their hearts.

On the way back from Charleston, we stopped a
road-side shrimp shack and bought 2 pounds of these beauties.

DEATH AND DESTRUCTION!
While staying in Yemasse and talking to our neighbor, Don, about a problem we were having with our refrigerator, he said "You better check to see if your fridge is on the Norcold recall list".  Sure enough it was.  We called Norcold and were told to unplug the fridge immediately, don't use it, and have it repaired ASAP as it could start on fire and cause death and destruction!  We made an appointment for the next week at Ocean Grove RV in St. Augustine, FL and Norcold got busy sending them the part that needed replacing.  The refrigerator ran fine on LP gas.

N. CAROLINA OUTER BANKS

CAPE HATTERAS - Sept. 30 - Oct. 3
Tuesday we left Virginia Beach and drove to Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  Three barrier islands running north and south out in the Atlantic Ocean make up the Outer Banks of North Carolina and can be accessed by highway from the north, or by ferry service from Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands which provides a link between islands as well as the mainland.  The Pamlico Sound stretches between the mainland and the Outer Banks.  We stayed in the Village of Frisco on Hatteras Island at the Frisco Woods Campground.

While siting at our perfect campsite on the Pamlico Sound,
Kite-Boarders entertained us with their antics.

The end to a perfect day.  God, I loved this campsite.

A BIT OF HISTORY I BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW
During World War II German U-Boats off the coast of the Outer Banks torpedoed and sunk an average of 1 cargo ship or allied tanker a day over several months.  After the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard sunk four U-Boats, the German commander called it quits and took his war ships and torpedoes to the North Atlantic and Mediterranean.  While Outer Banks residents knew what was going because of the tremendous explosions and seeing evidence of the destruction, the government kept this information classified and the general public never knew how close the War came to our shores. 

BEACH BEATING
One beautiful sunny day we went to the beach; I couldn't wait to play in the water, watch and listen to the sound of the waves.  I was standing about knee deep in the surf enjoying getting splashed by the salt water when a big wave came in and knocked me down.  As I laid there like a beached whale, waves continued to beat and pound my body, and what seemed like a truck load of sand filled my swimsuit.  Laughing, I managed to crawl and stumble out of the water, then decided to watch the waves instead of play in them.  I was still picking sand out of my ears 2 days later.

A POPULAR VACATION SPOT

This Inter-Galactic Air Stream was camping up the road from us.

CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE
Of the 3 lighthouses on the Cape, this one is the iconic symbol of the Outer Banks.  Built in 1870, it's the 2nd tallest lighthouse in the world standing 198.5 feet, and is affectionately called The Barber Pole.

WE MISSED DA BOAT
Friday we left the Cape and our perfect campsite, having a 1:00 reservation on the ferry to take across Pamlico Sound to the mainland.  As were were waiting in line to board the ferry at Hatteras Island, we discovered we were supposed to be on the 1:00 ferry leaving Oracoke Island. I quickly called the Ferry Station at Oracoke, explained our screw-up and got our reservation pushed to 4:00. The ferry trip from Hatteras to Oracoke was about 45 minutes and the ride from Oracoke to Cedar Island/mainland took 2 hours and 20 minutes.  We finally made it to Goose Creek Campground and had to set up camp in the dark using flashlights.

That's our RV behind the blue truck.

Meeting the Ferry going to Hatteras Island.

CAROL AND TOM
My high school friend, Carol Jorganson Stewart and her husband Tom live about 40 miles from our campsite.  Sunday, they gave us a tour of their historic and charming town of New Bern then treated us to a fabulous lunch at a restaurant with a deck over looking the water.
It was a fun enjoyable afternoon with two great and funny people.

So glad we spent a beautiful afternoon with Carol and Tom.

  

REVOLUTION AND REVELATION

COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG - Sept. 22 - 24  
We left the D.C. area on Monday landing near Colonial Williamsburg.  We spent 2 days visiting Colonial Willamsburg, a living history museum.  The 300 acre historic district is closed to motorized  traffic with only horse-drawn vehicles allowed.  The surviving structures in the village date from 1699 to 1790 and have either been restored or reconstructed on their original foundations.  Historical reenactors dress, work, and talk as if the 1700's as they demonstrate and explain life in colonial times, about the time before the  start of the American Revolution.  Private residences are not open to the public.

The town shoemaker creating a new pair of shoes
for me.  A girl can never have too many shores.

Taxi service in Colonial Williamsburg.

George Washington (on the horse) reviewing the troops.
And no, the guys in the red coats are NOT "British Red Coats", they are American Revolutionists!

READY, AIM, FIRE!

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Notice Jim (upper right) serving on the jury at Williamsburg Municipal Court.  Had he known he would be called into service he would have worn his frilly shirt and wig.

VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA  - Sept. 25 -29
We arrived in Virginia Beach on Sept. 25th.  Virginia Beach is home to Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. (Association for Research and Enlightenment).  Edgar Cayce (1877 - 1945) was a gifted psychic, who, while in a self-hypnotic state/trance would give readings to diagnose medical conditions and treatments. Because he could not remember what he said while "sleeping", his readings about medical conditions/treatments, philosophy, prophesies, religion, and reincarnation where written down by a secretary and transcripts of his thousands of readings are located in the library at the A.R.E. Center.  Also on the grounds of the Center is the historic Cayce Hospital.  The hospital is now a spa and center for holistic wellness, as well as a school for massage.

Over the weekend, Jim attended "Many Lives, One Soul: Reincarnation, Life Before Life, and Your Soul's Plan" conference at the center.  I opted to spend a few hours at the spa getting a relaxing massage and facial.  After my spa treatment, I spent the rest of the weekend hanging out at the campground reading, and watching several beer drinking campground residents parade by in their country music blaring golf carts; it was hilarious and entertaining.

I had fabulous massage and facial at the historic Cacye Spa and Wellness Center. 

 A beautiful labyrinth is in the foreground. 

This is a picture of the A.R.E. building where Jim spent the weekend becoming enlightened.  A beautiful mediation garden is on the left side of the building.

NEPTUNE FESTIVAL
Also happening the weekend we were in V.B. was the annual Neptune Festival.  Sunday afternoon we strolled the boardwalk along the ocean, listening to live music while munching on crab cakes and shrimp.

The crab cakes were good, but not even close to the "10 STAR" ones I had in D.C. at Ebbett's Grill.

Sunday afternoon's weather was perfect to stroll the boardwalk at the Neptune Festival.

In addition to music and delicious food, the sand sculpting
competition was another highlights of the Festival.

STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER

WASHINGTON D.C. - Sept. 15-22
Our next destination was Collage Park, MD, a suburb of Washington D.C.  The Cherry Hill Campground was a short drive to the subway station where we could hop on a train to take us to and from downtown D.C.  Over the next week we explored our nations capitol, the Smithsonian American History and Air and Space museums, and several memorials and monuments by bus, tours, and walking.

About 2 months before leaving home, I contacted or Congressional Representative to request special tours of the Capitol and White House.  We submitted the information for our background checks and waited and waited.  Several days before arriving in D.C. we finally received the invitation from our Representative, Sean Duffy, for a private tour of the Capitol, and also got an invite from Barack and Michelle Obama to visit their house on Saturday afternoon.

CAPITOL BUILDING
Nick, one of Rep. Duffy's interns, took us on a tour of the Capitol which included getting into places we could only see if escorted by a member of Congress or staff.  In addition to seeing the places open for public tours, we sat in the gallery of the House and watched/listened to a debate.  In between committee meetings, Rep. Duffy met us and escorted us to the balcony overlooking the Capitol Mall which we could only get to if escorted by a member of Congress.

Work is being done on the Capitol dome so scaffolding surrounded it. 

Here we are with Wisconsin Representative Sean Duffy.

The view of the National Mall, with the Washington Monument in the background, from the Capitol balcony is stunning.

WHITE HOUSE
After going though several security check points and being sniffed by dogs, we toured about 9 public rooms on the main floor of the White House while Secret Service stood watching our every move.  The Obama's never came down from their private quarters to say "Hi", so Jim didn't have a chance to give the President some advice.

Over the past 230 years, many renovations and additions have been made to the White House, the exterior still retains the integrity of the original design, and is the oldest building in the City.

Jim would like everyone to know - he was NOT the guy who jumped the fence.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

After 2 fires destroyed the congressional research library located within the Capitol, Congress appropriated money to build this magnificent building which opened in 1897.  Today, the library is home to the national copyright office and repository of over 150 million books, print materials, sound recordings, photographs, maps, sheet music, motion pictures, and manuscripts.  

The Great Hall is the grand centerpiece of the Library.

Stained-glass skylights cover the ceiling 75 feet above the marble floor.

MONKEY BUSINESS IN THE OVAL OFFICE

I wonder how much damage he can do behind that desk?

The President and First Lady

A FEW OF THE MEMORIALS

The World War II Memorial; the Lincoln Memorial is in the background.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial..."Out of a Mountain of Despair a Stone of Hope"

The Jefferson Memorial viewed from the Potomac River.

The Lincoln Memorial

After an exhausting week of sight seeing, we still didn't see all there is to see in D.C.  

OH SHENANDOAH I LONG TO SEE YOU!

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY - SEPT. 9 & 10
Tuesday morning we hopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Asheville, NC; the Parkway follows the Appalachian Mountain chain for 355 miles.  We were filled with great expectations of seeing magnificent scenic vistas along the way.  However, it wasn't long before the fog and clouds became so dense the only thing we concentrated on was avoiding deer and other vehicles.  Our average speed was 30 mph.  We dry-camped (no electric, water or sewer) at two of the National Parkway campgrounds, Doughton Park and Peaks of Otter, on our way to Shenandoah National Park.

We had our heads in the clouds along Blue Ridge Parkway.

SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK - SEPT. 11 - 15
Friday, Sept. 11th we saw the sun!  The scenic vistas along the Parkway to Shenandoah NP were stunning.  Now I know why they call this range of the Appalachians the Blue Ridge Mountains; there is a blue colored mist/haze surrounding the mountains. 

Looking west to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. 

The Blue Ridge Parkway ends and Skyway Highway begins at the south entrance of Shenandoah National Park.  Twenty miles into the Park, we stopped at Loft Mountain campground for 2 nights of dry-camping.

TAKE A HIKE ON THE A.T.
The 2,160 mile Appalachian Trail  traverses 101 miles through Shenandoah N. P.; every year 300 to 400 hikers take the challenging foot trail between Springer Mountain, GA and Mount Katahdin, ME.  Thru-hikers will hike the trail in one continuous grueling trek over a 4 to 5 month period, while others may hike sections of the trail a week or two a year, taking several years to complete the A.T.

A trail marker for the A.T.

The white blaze mark on the tree means you're on the A.T.

Looking at our camper at Loft Campground from the AT.

WEST VIRGINIA, MOUNTAIN MAMA
Having never been to West Virginia, we wanted to cross that State off our bucket list so we drove the Jeep about 60 miles west through the Shenandoah Valley, then through winding mountain roads to the sweet little town of Franklin, WV.  We dropped in at the Corner Cafe for lunch.  I'm still chuckling about the menu.  No kidding, this is what was literally listed on the menu for soups: "Campbell's out of the can: Chicken Noodle, Tomato, Vegetable Beef".  Underneath that was "Homemade Soup of the Day - ask waitress".  I asked the waitress what the homemade soup of today might be.  She said "chili".  I ordered the Homemade Chili with a Grilled Cheese Sandwich.  The "homemade chili" was tomato soup (I'm certain it was Campbell's out of the can) with some ground beef, onion, pinto beans, and chili seasoning thrown in.

CSI (Crazy Stupid Idiot)
We left Loft Campground on Saturday, drove 30 miles north to dry-camp at Big Meadows Campground.  It took us an hour to wind our way on Skyway Highway through heavy rain and fog as thick as molasses on a cold January morning.  Along the way, a CSI driving a white car with NO lights on stopped right in front of us in the middle of the road to take pictures of deer.  Never mind that we couldn't see 2 car links in front of us and there are signs warning "Do Not Stop or Park on Road".  We made it safely to our campsite in spite of the CSI.

Looking across the street from our Big Meadows campsite, we could barely see the other campers.
The rain stopped, the sun came out later in the day and stayed out for the rest of our time at SNP.