In the Middle

 8/17/20 - 8/24/20 Goodlettsville, TN to Cave City, KY, 77 miles, stayed at Cave Country RV Campground, one week, $274

8/24/20 - 8/25/20 Cave City, KY to Shepherdsville, KY, 65 miles, stayed at Grandma’s RV Park, one night, $32

8/25/20 - 8/29/20 Shepherdsville, KY to Indianapolis, IN, 134 miles, stayed at Lake Haven Retreat, 4 nights, $155

8/29/20 - 8/31/20 Indianapolis, IN to Bluffton, IN, 115 miles, stayed at Bluffton/Ft Wayne KOA, 2 nights, $84

8/31/20 - 9/10/20 Bluffton, IN to Shipshewana, IN, 80 miles, stayed at Shipshewana South Campground for 10 nights

We’ve traveled up the middle of the country, not seeing much of anything besides corn and soy fields.  We stayed near Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, but learned there was only one self-guided tour through the cave that didn’t reach many of the interesting formations. BTW - the Access Pass did NOT cover entrance into the cave. That was another $12.00! So I thought we could at least go to the visitor center and look at the displays. National Parks usually have great visitor centers. As I walked to the entrance, I noticed yellow crime-scene tape that divided the entrance into three lines, one for purchasing tickets into the cave, one for the souvenir shop, and one for the cave entrance if you’d bought tickets in advance. So, nice drive in the woods, but no visitor center. 

We did pass the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY. That looked cool.  But, they weren’t offering tours at the time. 

We decided to drive through the countryside and look for barn quilts along their “Barn Quilt Trail”.  What a smart way to preserve old barns and drive tourists to explore the area.  I love these things!  We stopped at a great roadside farm stand and bought fresh veggies, and found a great hole-in-the-wall place called 5 Broke Girls in Horse Cave, KY to have excellent chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes and cream gravy. It’s really hard to find good chicken-fried cooking, but the owner is from Ft. Worth, so she knew how to make it right!  And, there was an Amish bakery by the highway, so we picked up a dinner-plate sized cinnamon roll.  

We found Indianers to be very welcoming.  We met a group of about 30 campers at the Bluffton KOA who were all neighbors/friends back in Ft. Wayne who liked to get away on the weekends together.  When they found out we’d never been to Indiana, they heartily greeted us and invited us to join them around their campfire that night.  We brought the last of our jalapeño cheddar sausage, and they handed us solo shot cups to try Smoky Mountain Apple moonshine and peanut butter bourbon.  We were something of an oddity and some of them gathered around to hear about our travels.  

This is the best part of traveling - meeting people from all over the country and swapping stories.  But we were a little concerned about getting too close.  As it got darker, we scooted closer for warmth and to be able to hear each other, because the others got rowdier as the night wore on!  

Amish Country

We saw our first horse and buggy just outside Shipshewana. Of all the things that define Amish country, I love that unmistakable “clip-clop“ sound as they drive by. Poor horses only get a small shoulder on the side of the road to drive in.  And on the weekends, they have to share that with tourists on bicycles.  They must be well-trained.  It was funny to see them lined up at the hitching posts outside grocery stores, restaurants and even at the bank. Yes, Amish are allowed to use the bank, but some had to walk up to the drive-through window.  

Rules that govern their way of life vary greatly depending on their beliefs. There is a museum in town called the Menno-Hof that tells the history of the Amish people from their Anabaptist beginnings in Switzerland. I was fascinated by where they draw the line. In general, they don’t drive cars, but can go in a car driven by someone else.  They don’t have electricity in their house and they don’t have phones, but they can use one at a nearby location. 

I met a Mennonite couple who owned Teaberry Wood Products on Morton Street that made baskets and wooden nativity scenes. She wore a dress and covered her hair.  He had a short beard. They have a website to advertise their business. One of their sons operates a computer at a factory.  And they are Harvest Host hosts, so they have to manage reservations somehow. 

One night as I was walking around our campground, I stopped to watch a baseball game going on in the neighboring field between Amish and “English” teams. There were girls on both sides. The Amish girls played barefoot and hitched up their dresses to run the bases. Then I walked to the other side of the campground to feed their huge draft horses the tall grass they dared not reach for because the fence was electrified.  At their shoulders, these horses were taller than me and gorgeous!

Shipshewana holds a flea market every Tuesday and Wednesday.  People come from all over the world to shop there. Some of the stuff is typical flea market fare, lots of cheap items made in China, but you can also find homemade gems among them - jams, jellies, honey, maple syrup, baked goods, wood products, hand-sewn and hand-woven items.  I went twice.  It only costs three dollars to park, and it’s free to get in. I was lucky to go on a Wednesday to experience the Auction Barn. People who have items to sell, set their goods up on Tuesday in an assigned lot that’s designated by an area painted on the concrete floor. Buyers can browse to get an idea of what’s there. On Wednesday, A dozen auctioneers move around the space and auction off all the wares. It’s a cacophony of quick-fire bidding, and so much fun to watch!  I saw one older Amish farmer buy several large crockery, wooden block and tackle, a plow, chains, and a manual washing machine that he loaded on the back of his horse-drawn wagon. I wanted so badly to take a picture, but they don’t like people taking photos. They don’t believe in making graven images of themselves. 

On Friday night, Bill and I were craving Mexican food (I know, Mexican food in Indiana!). We quickly tired of the heavy, German-influenced meat and potatoes they served at the touristy restaurants. So we took a risk and went for take-out at the only Mexican food place in town, El Zorrito 2. When we pulled in, we noticed that that the hitching post, that was as long as the building, was full of buggies, and there many bicycles out front.  Inside, we found mostly Amish!  It was packed, and they don’t wear masks, so we ordered and sat outside to wait.  More Amish came and joined us on the porch.  We had the best conversations waiting there on the porch, really interesting, lovely people!

Best food hint - Ben’s soft pretzels sell their pretzels for $1 on the first Thursday of every month!  Fresh and hot out of the oven, they sprinkle on your choice of flavoring, like cinnamon sugar or Parmesan, and add a dipping sauce, like cream cheese frosting or marinara sauce!  It’s easy to overindulge!

Forest Giants in a Giant Forest

 So we didn’t get to see the Chihuly exhibit in Nashville.  But I happened to see giants on the cover of a travel magazine when I was in the office paying for our overnight stay at Grandma’s RV Park in Shepherdsville, KY. They were only ten minutes away at the Bernheim Arboretum, so I hopped online, got our free, timed tickets and we took off. This is the kind of happy surprises I love about traveling. 

The forest giants were created by Danish artist, Thomas Dambo from recycled wood from the area. The giants are named Mama Loumari, Little Nis and Little Elina, and they are placed throughout the woods, so you can either explore and find them or follow the giant footprints.

Mama Lourami is relaxing and enjoying nature while her kids explore the woods. 

Little Elina is creating a feather sculpture out of rocks, 

and Little Nis is looking at his reflection in the lake. 

Music City, USA

 8/3/20 - 8/10/20 Hartford, TN to Crossville, TN, 130 miles, stayed at Spring Lake RV resort, one week, $270

8/10/20 - 8/8/17/20 Crossville, TN to Goodlettsville, TN, 133 miles, stayed at Grand Ole Opry RV Resort, one week, $226

Nashville, TN

The Grand Ole Opry RV Resort was situated about 20 miles north of Nashville.  But, they did their part to provide live music every night after dinner. They had some pretty good groups playing, even though country’s not my favorite style of music. You could hear the music wafting across the park, or go sit in a rocking chair on the patio and enjoy until the sun set.  

I had my first taste of hot chicken and waffles at Big Shakes Nashville Hot Chicken. Their spice levels were Original, Cry Baby, Stop Drop n Roll, Rambo, and Executioner. Now I like spice, but those names intimidated me a little. I choose Cry Baby with one Stop Drop n Roll chicken tender. It wasn’t that hot. But the spicy, salty and sweet flavors when mixed with the syrupy waffle were AWESOME!  

I’m a fan of American Pickers in the History channel, so I knew I wanted to visit their store in Nashville. I recognized some of the decorations in the shop, but they must keep most of the good stuff in Iowa, because there really wasn’t much there besides souvenirs. Of course I bought the t-shirt. 

Also in downtown, we saw the state capitol up a huge hill, and the Bicentennial Capital Mall State Park that is essentially a walkable timeline of the history of Tennessee outside the state museum. Also right close is the best farmers market we’ve seen so far. When it’s fully open, I bet it’s a buzz of activity. The restaurants inside were open, but there was only seating outside, and there weren’t as many vendors outside as I would have hoped, but we still picked up some veggies and ate gyros from the Greek place. I also had my first bubble chai tea!  I love the flavor, not so much the big black tapioca.  

We drove past the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Titans stadium, and down Broadway. There had just been riots there in the past week, so we decided not to get out and walk. But there were plenty of  tourists lined up on the sidewalks waiting to get inside places that had reached max capacity!

I found out that there was a Chihuly glass exhibit that had just opened at the Cheekwood Estate and Gardens. That’s one that I would love to see, but the tickets were sold out for the dates we were there, ugh!  Such is the life of a traveler.  If you don’t know where you’re going well in advance, you miss out on some things, but get to enjoy others.  

Head for the Hills!

7/24/20 - 7/25/20 Savannah, GA to Walterboro, GA, 90 miles, stayed at Eagles RV Park for one night door $30

7/25/20 - 7/27/20 Walterboro, GA to Kinards, SC, 125 miles, stayed at Magnolia RV Park for 2 nights at $46/night

7/27/20 - 8/3/20 Kinards, SC to Hartford, TN, 151 miles, stayed at Fox Fire Riverside Campground for one week at $270

Smoky Mountains

Last year, we visited the Great Smoky Mountains by staying in Sevierville, TN and driving through Gatlinburg. It is EXTREMELY busy and touristy. This time, we approached from South Carolina, up I40, and stayed just over the Tennessee border in Hartford, so We could easily go back and explore Asheville, NC.   The RV Park had only a few spaces, nestled between the mountains to the East and the Pigeon River to the West.  

We arrived on a Monday, and Hartford was dead quiet. It’s just a little spot on the map. But we ventured out the next day to eat and found the place PACKED!  Turns out, the Pigeon River is a Mecca for white water rafting, kayaking, paddle boarding, cycling and zip-lining!  And several rafting outfits ended at our campground. We learned that the river is dam-controlled and rafting is best on the days the dam releases water (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). Hundreds of people came and went. On the other days, we had the river almost to ourselves, so we could sit and bask in the quiet.  On one of those crazy days, we decided to go to Asheville.

I’ve heard so many wonderful things about the Biltmore Estate, but COVID and budget were working against us. I wanted to spend my day at the River Arts District - two miles of warehouses and manufacturing plants near the river and train tracks that have been converted to artist studios and galleries. This is my kind of place!  It took us two hours to get there because of construction, and only 30% of the galleries were occupied. Everyone else was quarantining at home. Yet, I got a taste of what it was like to visit artists at work.  We also found Lexington Glassworks, a glass-blowing foundry not far away and spent time watching them practice their craft - so cool!   I loved this place.  It’s quirky and artsy, and I want to come back when things are in full swing!  

As the afternoon rains began to fall, we ducked into a taco shop and enjoyed a late lunch before dashing back to our car for the long drive home. Fun fact - the Smoky Mountains are a rain forest and it rains almost every afternoon. When the rain stops and the mountains heat up, the water evaporates, making it look like they’re on fire. This is one of the reasons for the name “Smoky Mountains”.  

The Hostess City - Savannah, GA

7/20/20 - 7/24/20 Brunswick, GA to Savannah, GA, 68 miles, stayed at Savannah Oaks RV Resort for 4 nights

When I was still in High school, I dreamed of attending the Savannah College of Art and Design. There is just something about that southern town and their hospitality.  As a matter of fact, they’re called “the Hostess City”. I read that the first city of Georgia was spared during the Civil War because they decided to welcome General Sherman and the union army instead of fight them.  

James Oglethorpe received the charter to establish the last English colony of Georgia for King George II in 1733 as a buffer against the Spanish in Florida.  Oglethorpe designed the city along a grid and 24 squares. Each settler would receive similar houses and amount of land so that no one person had more than the other.  Lawyers, Catholics, slavery and alcohol were forbidden. Unfortunately, those ideals didn’t last long, and Savannah soon became THE slave ship port for the colonies. It is said Sherman decided to save the city because it was so beautiful, and offered it as a Christmas present to President Lincoln.  

It still holds up today. The riverfront is lined with cobblestone streets, and inviting restaurants and shops, once you find a way down the iron staircases.  (There is an elevator at the Hyatt Regency, if you don’t do stairs well). Up top, you can stroll along Factor’s Walk with more restaurants and shops, or venture into the city. Savannah is easy to navigate because of the grid design, and each cool, grassy square has a fountain or statue or benches where you can rest under mature shade trees, a wonderful respite from the heat and humidity. 

Of course you can tour the city with the hop-on, hop-off Old Town trolley to get the lay of the land, as in most big cities, but they didn’t have the plexiglass between rows or limited seating as they did in St. Augustine, and I wasn’t willing to be that close to others even then. Such is life in the time of COVID. I found a great Self-guided walking tour that wound from the riverfront, past the historic Colonial Park Cemetery and the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, ending at Forsyth park. It was so hot, we actually drove it. We followed a trolley for a while, Bill dropped me off at a few spots, but parking was easy at the Pay and Display spots along the road, and it was cheaper than the trolley. 

We ate at The Cafe at City Market in the City Market, a four-block pedestrian area, just across from the American Prohibition Museum. The lunch was okay, but the peach cobbler was TO DIE FOR. Then we meandered. I love to just explore after gaining a little knowledge about an area. Jones street, in particular, had gorgeous, unique townhomes on cobblestone streets and beautiful gardens. We parked on Monterey Square and walked along Bull Street to Forsyth Park.  It’s a great place to rest and people watch. There’s also a monument and a bandstand in the park. 

The next day, we went to Bonaventure Cemetery. Is that weird?  If you’ve read “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”, that’s where the girl with the bird statue used to be, but like Forest Gump’s park bench, it’s been moved to a museum to preserve it. Still, this is an old cemetery, and I love to look for the oldest headstone. Again, I like to wander.  Here’s what I found.  

We only scratched the surface of this lovely place. I could come back again and again. It is that beautiful. 

Skeletons? Sculpture? Driftwood? YES

7/17/20 - 7/20/20 St. Augustine, FL to Brunswick, GA, 104 miles, stayed at Coastal Georgia RV resort, 3 nights at $45.36/night

If you’ve read my other posts, you know, I am a beach lover!  Any time we get near a coast, I have to dip my toes in. So when I heard we were near a beach that had eroded away so that the tree’s roots had been exposed and were left lying on the sand like huge driftwood, I had to see it. (It is one of the settings used for The Walking Dead.)

It’s an easy drive out to Driftwood Beach at the north end of Jekyll Island, near Brunswick, Georgia, a vacation destination in its own right. Then, we parked and walked a few yards through the woods to the beach and stood among them. Every turn revealed a new fallen tree. They truly do look like skeletons of some long-extinct gigantic ocean creatures, each one a beautiful sculpture in its own right. I couldn’t take enough pictures. 

The locals come here at sunrise to take gorgeous colorful photos, or wedding photos, or have a wedding on the sand, but you have to be careful to time it with the tides, or you’ll get washed away. Luckily, we caught it at the right time of day, as did many others who were using the huge root balls as beach umbrellas. 

The photos speak for themselves...

Old St. Augustine

7/14/20 - 7/7/17/20 Dade City, FL to St. Augustine, FL, 143 miles, stayed at Compass RV Park, 3 nights at $42/night. 

Before we left Florida, there was one city that I wanted to visit - St. Augustine. I’m a huge history buff, and love to explore old places. Bill - not so much. He humors me and goes for some of it, as long as there’s good food involved somewhere. 

St. Augustine, FL was founded by the Spanish in 1565. It rivals Santa Fe, NM as the oldest city in the United States.  It was protected by Castillo de San Marcos from the British who settled further up the coast. It has been said that Ponce de Leon landed here in his quest for the fountain of youth. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine is the oldest Catholic Church in the city. So you get the idea.  It’s old. Older than the Plymouth colony, founded in 1620; older than Jamestown, founded in 1605. The architecture here is beautiful old Spanish Colonial with intricate cast iron balconies, and they harvested blocks of calcified crushed seashells, called “coquina”, to make sturdy concrete-like structures.

I debated as to whether I should take the hop-on, hop-off trolley to get a good overview of the area. I could have gotten a discount ticket by booking online, and they would pick up and drop off directly from our RV park. But even with stringent cleaning after each route, plexiglass between rows, and the fact that it was open-air, many of the sites that I wanted to visit were closed and I wasn’t really keen on sitting that close to other people. So Bill drove me downtown, found a shady spot to park on the square, and I struck out on foot.  It was near 90 degrees with high humidity, so I tried to pick and choose carefully. 

The old historic downtown is very walkable, especially the pedestrian-only St. George Street. Castillo de San Marcos (a National Park) and the Colonial Quarter were closed.  I started by respectfully walking through the Cathedral, viewing the frescoes and gilded icons. (It’s also nice because it’s cool inside.).

 Then I walked quickly down St. George Street, looking for authentic St. Augustine amongst the touristy offerings (although the chocolate shop was SO tempting. They pipe that glorious smell onto the street).  I stopped at the oldest wooden schoolhouse, and walked all the way down to the city gates. 

Then I took a left and meandered through the narrow streets back toward Flagler College. It was originally built as a luxury hotel by the railroad magnate Henry Flagler.  It was decorated with Tiffany stained glass windows and chandeliers and I hear the girls dorms are beautiful. Of course they were not giving public tours, so I admired it from the outside. By the time I got back to the car, my face was bright red and my water bottle was empty. Time for an Icee!

          

We drove out to the beach and found a free parking spot at the pier. We walked out to the water and cooled off by dipping our toes in the Atlantic Ocean.  It’s amazing to me that beaches are so different from place to place. Here, the water was darker and cooler and the sand was a course pinkish-beige.

The next day, Bill and I parked along the river and walked to Harry’s restaurant. It has a large open patio and we sat with a view of the water. The crabcakes were amazing!

Happy Independence Day (a little late)!

6/28/20 - 7/12/20 Seffner, FL to Ft Myers, FL, 125 miles, stayed two weeks for FREE!  Many thanks to Susan And JD!
7/12/20 - 7/14/20 Ft Myers, FL to Dade City, FL, 160 miles, stayed at Traveller’s a Rest RV Resort, 2 nights for $21.50

The Fourth of July came and went with very little fanfare.  Public firework displays were cancelled. Ft Myers had a vintage plane flyover instead. Cities on the east coast of Florida closed their beaches, so we were concerned about the crowds on the west coast. Cities were very creative in how they dealt with it.  The beaches were only open from 7am to 11 am and then from 5 pm to dusk. And the parking lots were closed, so you could only bike or walk to them.

Governor Desantis still refuses to put a mask mandate in place, so each city is deciding on their own, making it very confusing. And many cities are leaving it up to individual shops as to whether they require them.  Cowards!  They’re too afraid to lose favor with the public by making a unpopular decision to protect all their citizens.  It’s a HUGE issue here.  Just today, I saw a man walk into the store, which clearly had “Masks Required” signs posted everywhere.  The sweet young employee just inside the door that was counting the shoppers as they came in asked him to put one on.  He yelled at her, “It’s not a law!  I have the right not to wear one,” and stormed out.

How rude!  You can tell which side of the debate I come down on.  I have the right not to be infected by someone who refuses to wear a mask!

Since it’s Independence Day, I’d like to talk about my freedoms in this time of pandemic and where I’m finding my joy.

Bill and I have the right to take an educated risk and go out for lunch or day trip. In the middle of the day, restaurants are empty. We try to eat outside, but will go inside when we’re the only ones in the dining room.  We go to the beach, fish and drive around - all while keeping a distance, wiping down surfaces, and smearing our hands with germex when we get back in the car.

I have the right to go outside and walk in God’s beautiful creation. Even though I come home melting with sweat, I love seeing butterflies flitting around gorgeous tropical flowers. They inspire me to make art (see below). Walking keeps me healthy and feeds my soul. When it’s too hot, I stay in and do yoga or Pilates.

So far, we’re free to travel about the country.  We waited a long time to leave Alabama, and were being very careful about where we’re going, especially since we’re traveling in Florida. One RV park was accepting guests on a case-by-case basis. Since we mostly keep to ourselves, they allowed us to stay.

But just because we’re by ourselves, doesn’t mean we’re alone.  I finding great joy in technology. I love seeing photos of my new twin grandniece and nephew. They are growing SO fast.  We won’t be able to meet them until the holidays, so I’m thriving on Facetimes with Grandma. Our son makes time to FaceTime with us every week and then some. He knows I like to see his smiling, sometimes unshaven face, and the latest art project he’s working on. And, the pandemic has finally brought my whole family together. My brothers, sisters-in-law,  nieces and nephews and Mom and Dad Zoom every Sunday.  Sometimes we don’t have much to share. It’s just good to see their faces and hear their voices and feel connected.

Finally, I get great joy from staying in touch with my home church, Bulverde United Methodist Church in San Antonio, TX. Even if it’s from a distance, I get to sing with the praise band and worship with my church family. I even keep up with the pastors who’ve moved on from BUMC and listen to one of their messages mid-week.