Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Hello family and friends.....we hope that you have all had a great Christmas. 

I have been remiss at keeping the Blog up to date this year, as we have been travelling through familiar territory since the last Blog. When we left the Outer Banks, we headed to South Carolina and Mrytle Beach and Huntington Beach State Parks. There was not much beach time at either place as the weather turned cold and wet. We decided to head to Florida, hopefully to find some warmer weather. However, that did not happen as we ran into cold nights with frozen water hoses there too.

Our first stop along the way was St. George Island State Park, where we had visited on our last trip to the States. This wasn't any warmer and the beach was very rough. However, the good that came from the rough weather was some really good shelling. We were able to find several large conchs, along with some other very pretty shells. We were thrilled as we were not able to find any whole conchs the last time we were here. 

After a week it was time to move to Henderson Beach State Park in Destin and then on to Grayton Beach where we met up with our friends from Texas with whom we had plans to spend the Christmas Holidays with. 

We went to Savannah, GA and did a bit of looking around the area and also took the Paula Deen Tour there. This is very interesting and we got to eat lots of great food (mostly cooked in oil and butter). We had lunch at Bubba's Oyster House, he is Paula Deen's brother. It is here that I ate my first and last oyster.....not something I want to try again!! On Christmas Eve we had lunch at Lady and Sons Restaurant, which is owned by Paula Deen. I tell you, it was some of the best Southern Food I have ever eaten. Of course, everything tastes good when it is smothered in butter and sugar!!! While there we also were introduced to the Savannah Candy Shop.....an adventure in sugar......and some of the best candy I have ever tasted. We stayed at Fort MacAllister State Park there that is set out in a salt marsh. I have never seen so many raccoons in one place before. There were also a lot of deer there. We had a very nice Christmas.

After Christmas we packed up and headed to St. George Island for the rest of our time together. We have spent lots of time looking for a variety of shells and kept on the outlook for dolphins. However, the water is cold due to all the cold weather and we did not see any dolphins. 

Our friends are headed back to Texas tomorrow and we are going to stay on at St. George Island State Park until after the New Year. Then we will be starting to head towards Texas to spend some time and hopefully find some warmer weather. 

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I have not been taking many as most of the places we have visited have been recorded previously during our last trip to Florida.

We hope that you all have a great New Years and I will try to do better at keeping you up to date on our travels.

The Outer Banks, N. Carolina

We arrived at Waves, NC on Sunday (Nov. 21st) , anxious to spend some time on the beach, after several months of exploring the mountains of Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky.When we got our camp set up we decided to take a walk along the beach and see what was around. Of course, I didn't take my camera with me and we saw lots of dolphins, fishing and playing in the ocean close to shore. They were about 20 feet away from us and put on quite a show. There were at least 4 groups of them with 5 to 6 dolphins in each group. At one point they were so close that we could hear them clearing their spouts as they surfaced. It was quite an experience! We took a day trip along the island to the ferry at Cape Hatteras and stopped along the way to see the lighthouse, which is the tallest lighthouse along the coast. That was quite something to see. We found lots of shark egg cases along the beach, which belonged to either dog sharks or rock sharks. The beach had many people along the shore surf fishing, there were catching several different kinds of fish, but the ones we saw being brought in were dog sharks and one stingray. We had a great time here and would come back again. Our next stop will be Mrytle Beach, S. Carolina, where we are heading tomorrow. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Free digital scrapbooking design customized with Smilebox

North Carolina and Tennessee

We took a day trip and went into N. Carolina and travelled thru the Great Smokie Mountains. Unfortunately we missed most of the Fall colors, as there was quite a wind and snow storm that went thru the area before we were able to get there. It was still spectacular to see, none the less. We came across snow along the sides of the road as we got closer to the summit. We went up the mountain on the sunny side, then when we started our descent, the snow was still quite abundant and there was even snow on the road. Once on the other side of the mountains we were going to stop and check out Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville to take in some of the sights. However, most of the sights were right along the highway in the form of a multitude of touristy traps. Those were not appealing to us so we continued our trip back to Panther. We stopped for supper in a little tavern along the highway, to find out that it was one of the first places that Bonnie and Clyde shot up and robbed in their crime spree. That made for on interesting conversation with our waiter. It was a good day and we quite enjoyed ourselves.

Digital scrapbooking design customized with Smilebox

Panther Creek State Park, Tennessee

Another photo album by Smilebox

Happy Halloween

Free invite card created with Smilebox

Hopefully all the ghouls and goblins will have fun and gets lots of candy this Halloween!!

Cumberland Falls, Kentucky

Free digital slideshow created with Smilebox

Nashville, Tennesse

Create a digital scrapbook

We had a great time at the Grande Old Opry. This was our Big Splurge for Tennesse and well worth the cost of the tickets. I didn't realize that the shows there are broadcast live every Friday and Saturday night on radio and the Web! The performers were great and the jokes had us holding our sides. We would recommend that if you are in Nashville to put it on your list of things to do.

I was surprised at the traffic, since I was expecting it to be crazy. However, it wasn't any worse than travelling on the Deerfoot Trail in Calgary. It was actually very easy, even though Rita Rightway (our GPS) took us through the centre of Nashville on our first trip into the city. Luckily I had brought a map of the city with us and was able to guide Wayne over to the proper Parkway to get to Music Valley!

Don't be afraid to go where you have not gone before with your GPS......just make sure to map out your route ahead of time, in case you get sent in the wrong direction. Note to all of you....this happens often with our GPS.

Will catch up with you again soon!

Cooter's Place....Dukes of Hazzard

Digital slideshow made with Smilebox

Cotton in Arkansas

It is time to catch up with some of our travels. We have been to Arkansas and really enjoyed the country and people we saw and met. Maybe on our next trip we will be able to spend more time in this state. We also found out that the folks that live there DO NOT have eyes growing on the side of their heads!!! LOL We were surprised to find out that they grow cotton in this part of the world though. As we were travelling to Tennessee, we saw many cotton fields along the side of the road. One interesting fact is that once the cotton is harvested, the farmers burn their fields

before the next crop is put in. This must be to enrich the soil as it is very dry and sandy.  It is quite something to see all the huge, white, rectangular bales along the road that still remain white. Especially since the soil is so sandy and is always blowing everywhere. This is what your t-shirts look like before they get to you!

The machinery that is used is huge. When the cotton pickin' machines are on the roadway, they take up most of both lanes. This makes it interesting for passing when you are towing a large 5th wheel behind!

So now we know that cotton is a product that also comes from Arkansas!

Ozark Mountains, Arkansas

Photo album customized with Smilebox

Hi there folks,

Thanks for following our blog. It is nice to be able to use Smilebox to share our pictures, for as "they" say, a picture is worth a thousand words. We have been having an interesting trip and have met some interesting people along the way.

Our adventures started before we had even left Alberta. Our first stop on our way to Regina was at Cremona where we had planned on emptying our septic tank, to lighten our load. Well, even though Wayne was diligent in hooking up the hoses and making sure everything was fine, the worst happened. When he pulled the handle to open the tank, the hose blew off and there was s*** everywhere, including his crocs, socks, pant legs and gloves. He put his socks in the box of the truck and his crocs and gloves on the floor in the back seat. The one thing we didn't consider was what the effect would be when he put on the floor heater later in the evening and it heated up his pantlegs. WHEW.

Once we got to Regina, Wayne had to back the 5th wheel into his brother's driveway...which included an difficult angle around the garage. His brother had been out earlier and cut a lot of the branches that were low hung to make it easier for Wayne. Unfortunateluy, there were several sharp ends pointing in the wrong direction, which poked several holes in the roof. However, Wayne being familiar with roofs, was able to do the repairs himself.

When we left there and got on the road, things went quite well. We enjoyed the flat drive through North Dakota and were then rewarded with woody areas in South Dakota. We had not considered making reservations at Custer State Park in S. Dakota because it was close to the end of their camping season. However, the last w/e of their season entails their Buffalo Round-Up, the busiest w/e of the year for them. We were able to base ourselves at Fort WeLikIt near Custer and still enjoy what the park had to offer. We took in Mount Rushmore and then returned to our campground by the scenic Iron Mountain Road which was full of switchbacks and tunnels made through huge rocks, mostly with speed limits of 15 mph. The day after making this trip we decided to go into Custer to get some fuel and groceries. We pulled into the grocery store and went in to shop. Upon returning to the truck, Wayne went to back out, only to find out our steering was non existant! Our serpantine belt had just fallen off, meaning that we had no control over anything. Thank goodness it happened in the parking lot and not on the Iron Mountain Road!!!! Our Good Sam Emerg. Road Service was much appreciated that day!

The only other adventure that we have encountered was in Nebraska while driving to our campground on a secondary road. Out of the blue our truck and trailer were pushed into the opposite lane when we were hit by an invisible dirt devil...but it had to have been quite large. We just looked at each other and wondered what happened. Later when we were talking to the Park Warden we found out that he had sited the twister in the corn field near there and it had lifted the loose corn 50 feet above the ground!!

I truly believe that the Hand of God has been on us since leaving home. Thanks for all of your prayers and well wishes. I will try to make sure to put a written message in the blog for those of you that don't have high speed internet, so you can find out what we are doing too. You are welcome sis-in-law!!

Until next time...keep us close in your thoughts and prayers. We miss you all!

Where we have been staying along the way.

Create a scrapbook

Chili Cook-Off and Animal Viewing Area @ Custer State Park

Create your own digital scrapbooking design

Crazy Horse Memorial Custer, S. Dakota

Create a scrapbooking design

On The Road Again!

Customize your own photo album

Labour Day Weekend Camping with Family 2010

Scrapbook made with Smilebox

We have finished the renovations in the basement suite now, except for a few bits of trim here and there. Our belongings have been weeded through and downsized within an inch of our hides. We are going on one last "family" camping trip on the Labour Day w/e and saying our good-byes for now. By the middle of September we are expecting to be crossing into the USA for another wonderful adventure. Our travel plans are still a bit sketchy, but that is not a problem for us.

We are both getting very excited about our upcoming travels.

A free photo slideshow by Smilebox

August steals in!!

It is now August. Really....where has the summer gone.

There has been lots of activity around here, as usual. We have been renovating the basement into a self-contained, 2 bedroom suite. We now have installed the kitchen cabinets. It was quite a feat, considering that our basement floors are very far from level. Wayne has also installed the flooring in the kitchen. It is really coming together nicely. There are a few more small things to do and than it'll be ready for renters.

I have given my notice at work and officially finish on August 20/10. It is going to be nice to once again have the freedom to travel. The apartment has prospective renters, meaning we will be free to travel the beginning of September.
At first we are going to Regina to spend some time with Wayne's mom/family that are still there. Wayne's mom in now close to 90, so we must see here before we leave. Then we will be heading South but not sure just where our route will take us first.

As most of you already know, we are planning on seeing some of the states that we have not yet seen. The ultimate goal is to be in FL for the Christmas/New Years. Will post again when our plans are a bit more definite.

All I know is that our feet are starting to itch and the butterflies in our tummies are starting to awaken.

Stay turned for more updates!

It's May!!

Hello Everybody,
We are now into the month of May. Anything can happen weather wise here in Alberta at this time of year. We have brought the 5th wheel home to clean and repack. Our first trip will be out dry-camping over the May Long Weekend with our family and friends. This is always great fun. Wayne and I will be staying there for a little over a week. Then we will be heading to Sask. to see some of Wayne's family and his mom.

We have been working hard on our basement suite and are getting close to completion now. The kitchen cabinets have been ordered and will arrive within the next 5 weeks sometime. Wayne and I have already moved our bedroom downstairs, as the top of the house has been rented and possession is July 1/10.

Our ultimate goal is to be on the Road Again by the beginning of September and gone for the winter months. Florida here we come!!

Wishing all the mom's out there a Happy Mother's Day!

Until the next time.....happy trails to you all!

Happy Easter to All Our Friends

Well, here we are into the Spring season again. Of course, this is the time of year that gets us thinking about when we can go travelling again! We have been back home for over a year now and are ready to head out again for other places.

If all goes the way it should we will be packing up our 5th wheel and heading South sometime in September or October. By then we will have the basement apartment finished and rented and the main floor of the house rented too.

This year we would like to spend some time in New Mexico, which we really didn't get to see much of on our last trip. It would be awesome to see the hot air balloons in Albequeque and then the history surrounding Sante Fe. Of course the ultimate goal will be to spend the majority of the winter in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico.

Will keep you all informed of our dates to travel when they get a little closer. We do know that the Fall will be here in 5 short month.....yahoo!!!!

Spring Has Sprung!