Florida: March 2018

Monday, Feb. 26, 2018:  Back to Florida

Midafternoon, we leave Cleveland, where it is 48 degrees and sunny, for Florida, where Mike has a couple of meetings.  We are driving Escape, Advanced RV’s Super High Top demo model.  For dinner, we stop at a rest area for soup and salad from home, and then stop for the night at a Pilot truck stop between Cincinnati and Lexington.

Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and a bump in the night

After a good night’s sleep, we are on the road by 7:30am, having green smoothies from home for breakfast.  We achieve our goal of meeting my sister and her husband at noon at Big River Grille in Chattanooga at Hamilton Place, just off I-75, in a high-end mall.  After lunch Mike and I stop at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.  We learn the gruesomeness of these multiple day Civil War battles from the short, well-done film at the Visitor Center and then walk one of the many hiking trails, marked with numerous monuments to the soldiers from both sides who fought here. 

About 11PM, as we are falling asleep at a truck stop near Macon, Georgia, we feel a great jolt to the camper, like an earthquake.  Mike quickly throws on some clothes and goes out.   A 5^th wheel, backing in next to us, has hit our front corner on the driver’s side.  The driver apologetically says, “This rig is too big and we’ve driven too long today.”  He gives us all the information for making a claim with his insurance.

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018:  Orlando

Despite the jolt from last night, we sleep well.  Luckily, the camper is drivable and the headlight works.  After showers in the camper, we head to Orlando to meet potential clients.  We first met David and Jackie about five years ago, when they inquired about an Advanced RV. Then, they treated us to a lovely, lakeside lunch and gave us a tour of their part of Orlando.  This time, we offered to take them to dinner, but they invited us to their home for dinner instead.  We enjoyed delicious smoked salmon and steaks and a beautiful evening.   They continue to follow Advanced RV closely and we look forward to hosting them in Willoughby.  We drive about an hour west and stop for the night behind a Hampton Inn.

Thursday, March 1, 2018: Sarasota:  Longboat Key and Lido Key

We enjoy a leisurely start, thinking we have plenty of time to meet friends at noon on Longboat Key in Sarasota on the west coast, without reckoning the traffic at peak season.  With heavy congestion and two slowdowns for accidents, we arrive a bit late at our friends’ new home overlooking the Gulf.  After lunch, we enjoy a swim in their pool and a soak in their hot tub.  We head to Lido Key, where Mike has a two-day meeting starting this evening.  I check into the Lido Beach Hotel for the night, leaving the camper out-front in the hotel designated area. A friend and I walk to St. Armand’s Circle for dinner at Blu Kouzina, an excellent Greek restaurant.

Friday, March 2, 2018 – Wednesday, March 7:  Sarasota

In the morning, I meet friends at the Lido Beach Hotel for a walk on the beach and then do laundry at the hotel.  For lunch, we walk to the Lido Key public beach and concession stand for their outstanding lobster rolls.  I relax by the pool at the hotel until I drive the camper to meet Mike at a friends’ house after his meeting.   For dinner, we go to St. Armand’s Circle to Crab and Fin.  We move into the friends’ house for a few days, leaving the camper on the street out front.

Each day we get a good walk in, enjoying the beach trails around Lido Key, and the good restaurants in Sarasota, like Mediterra and Mosaic.

On Sunday Mike and I go to the Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, the spring training home for the Baltimore Orioles. Today, they beat the Boston Red Sox 10 -7, in an action-packed game. 

On Tuesday, we hike in the Myakka River State Park, south of Sarasota on SR 72. We see alligators sunning themselves on the banks of the river, and, using the park’s trail map, hike through the shady live oak and palm tree forest and climb a lookout, overseeing the sandy pine flatwoods and sunny dry prairies.

On Wednesday afternoon, we drive down to Siesta Key to visit friends, watch the sunset on this beautiful, white beach, and stay the night in their parking lot. 

Thursday, March 8, 2018:  Florida State Parks…the Real Florida

About 7:30AM, we depart our friends’ house at Siesta Key to meet a potential client at a Starbucks north of Naples.  After exploring how this client wants to travel in his ideal motor home and showing him Escape, we have lunch at Hibachi of Japan.  We drive about 30 minutes to Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park off Gulf Shore Drive in Naples.   On this undisturbed barrier island, we walk the white sand beach.  The Florida State Park tag is “…the Real Florida” and we imagine this area untouched, with its sand dunes, mangrove swamps, and coastal hammock (forest). The Calusa Native Americans and later the Seminoles lived on this coast. 

Late in the afternoon, we drive up to Koreshan State Park, where they have overnight camping, and we get their last available site.   It has been a couple of years since we stayed in a campground and we quickly remember what we used to enjoy:  saying hello to our neighbors, one from Ontario, Canada, and the other from Maine, and strolling through the campground, seeing all the different RV’s and where they are from.  Even in this campground, we did not bother to hook up. Two large, luxurious buses drop off middle school kids from Boca Ratan for a camping experience and the kids are getting set up in their newly pitched bubble tents.  It is a cool night, so inside the camper, we are happy to find that the smoked, peppered salmon, avocado, mango and red-leafed lettuce, all from home, still make a good salad.  On Mike’s I-pad through Netflicks, we watch the film Wind River Range with Jeremy Renner and an episode of Orange is the New Black. 

Friday, March 9, 2018:  Koreshan Historic Site and night in Naples

In the morning, we enjoy the view outside our window of blue sky and palm trees.  Mike checks with our neighbors to make sure that our subwoofers during last night’s movie did not bother them.  They did not hear it, confirming the good sound insulation in Escape. In chatting, Mike learns that the Canadians are close neighbors and friends of Natalie MacMaster, the Cape Breton Celtic fiddler and step-dancer, whom we have heard a couple of times in Cleveland.  We enjoy hearing about their rich farming lives near Peterboro, where MacMaster now lives. The world is small.  We walk along the nature trail and end up at the Koreshan Historic Site.  As we visit the restored historic structures, one docent tells us about the Koreshans starting their utopian community in Utica, New York in 1880, moving to Chicago, and then to this property in 1883.  Another docent tells the story of the strong women who led this community, the last one dying here in the 1980’s. 

We shower in the camper, fill the water, and dump the tanks, pushing to be out at the 1PM checkout time.   We drive down I-41 to the hotel where we are meeting a group for a sunset cruise.   Onboard, we enjoy the talk by the naturalist who points out the various keys and bays we are passing and identifies the birds, including flocks of skimmers flying low over the water and several brown pelicans.  At the point where the bay meets the Gulf, we enjoy a perfect sunset.  As we motor back to the hotel, bottlenose dolphins dive around us and play in our wake.  After dinner in the hotel, we decide to spend the night in the hotel parking lot.  We put down the E&P automatic levelers and close the window shades. 

Saturday, March 10, 2018:  Busted! And Lovers Key State Park

Last night at 2AM, two uniformed security officers from the hotel knock on our door and politely ask what we are doing parking there.  Mike explains that we had been at the hotel for a sunset cruise and dinner, and using a line recommended by our RVing friend Dave Munro, says he had a few drinks, thought he should not drive, and since there were no rooms available at the hotel, we stayed the night here. One guard thanks Mike for his honesty – Mike had one drink - but explains that this is private property and we must be out first thing in the morning.  Mike politely says this is our plan.  We sleep the rest of the night and depart at 7:30AM.   This is the first time we have had any trouble “sleep-stopping.” We were tucked into a normal parking spot, but maybe the levelers and shades gave us away.

We get coffee at the mall across the street, read the newspaper, and then drive a short way up to Lovers Key State Park.  We walk five miles on the beach, mostly in a light rain, enjoying the shorebirds, pelicans, gulls and herons.  The beach is pretty empty.  We have lunch in the camper, take a nap, shower and get ready for our dinner event in Naples.  On our way south to the dinner, we wash the camper and stop at Whole Foods for the few things for our trip home.  After dinner and showing the camper to several people at the party, Mike, who had no alcohol, drives north for about two hours to get a jump on our 20-hour trip home.  We stay overnight at a rest stop south of Tampa. 

Sunday, March 11, 2018:  Push north

This morning we get coffee and bagels at Dunkin’ Donuts and keep going north on I-75 to SR301 at Ocala. At the Orange Shop, a road side market, we buy bags of Temple oranges and grapefruit to take to the office, and continue up to I-95 and then I-77.  At dusk, we stop at a beautiful new rest area near Olin, North Carolina, the I-77 Iredell Co. Rest Area, which serves both I-77 North and South.  We walked the large, elliptical walkway around it, enjoy the small fountain and the clean, modern bathrooms. 

Monday, March 12, 2018:  Back to the cold

This morning it is sleeting, with temperatures in the 30’s.  The snow and ice continue on into Ohio and I am grateful for Mike’s good driving and the Sprinter’s steadiness in these conditions.  We get home about 4PM, already missing the warmth and sun of Florida. 

January 2018: Wandering Florida and the Southeast Coast in Escape

Friday, January 12, 2018: Can’t escape the cold

          We depart Cleveland in “Escape” around noon, in a rush to get ahead of the storm blowing in.  This morning the temperature dropped from 50 degrees to 30 and the rain turned to sleet. We hope that driving south will bring us warmer weather, but when we stop at 6 pm at a closed truck weigh station between Cincinnati and Lexington, it is 22 degrees and snowing.  

Saturday, January 13, 2018:  Still can’t escape the cold

          At 6:50 am, Mike hears the furnace turn off.  It is 14 degrees and windy, so this is not good.  We recently put the latest Lithium battery system in Escape, but we did not install the battery heating system, since we knew we would be testing these batteries on this “warm” trip to Florida.  To protect themselves from charging and discharging in cold weather, which shortens battery life, these batteries automatically shut down.  We drive to a Love’s truck stop and they put us in a warm bay.  After a long breakfast at Hardees, the batteries are warm enough to supply van power, but have not reached minimum charging temperature (43 degrees).  Luckily, we still have plenty of battery power for the day.

          At 3 pm, we stop in Chattanooga at my sister’s house where we planned to spend the night, but it is still below freezing and the batteries are not charging.  At 5:30 pm, they are at 27% and a minimum of 40 degrees, so we get back on the road.  At 10:30 pm, south of Macon, Georgia, the batteries have reached temperature and are fully charged.  We pull into a Pilot Flying J, get the RV washed, and stay the night in their parking lot.

Sunday, January 14, 2018:  Tallahassee and Cedar Key

          We stay warm through the night, but outside it is barely above freezing.  For breakfast, we follow the signs for Lane Southern Orchards in Fort Valley, Georgia. With peach and pecan trees extending in straight lines for miles, we arrive at a large barn like building and are welcomed by a friendly staff.  After breakfast, the manager (from Buffalo) takes us on a private tour of their peach packing area.  On the way back to I-75, we pull next to a barn, falling down over the old Ford truck inside—its peach hauling days long over.

Continuing south, at Cordele we exit I-75 for a more rural experience on Route 33. We pass cotton fields and pecan orchards into Florida.  At tiny Monticello, we stop for lunch at Monticello Pie, “Local Food, Local People.”  We walk around the town’s rotary and city hall.  At Perkins Opera House, built in 1870 and still hosting performances, Mike asks the guy in the office about visiting Tallahassee. He calls his friend who runs a tour service there and she agrees to take us on walking tour of Tallahassee in 45 minutes.  

Beth is great.  She takes us through the downtown historic district, explaining how Tallahassee became the capital of Florida.  She shows us the “first” churches built by slaves, 200-year-old live oak trees, and an old cemetery where Union and Confederate soldiers are buried. We walk around the State Capital Complex, looking up at the 22-story new capital building and the 1902 historic capital, with candy cane striped awnings 

            On Beth’s recommendation, we drive down to Cedar Key, arriving at 8 pm. We “camp” in the parking lot next to the city park and walk over to the Island Hotel and Restaurant, established in 1859, for a beer and burger.  In the morning, it is only 37 degrees.  A guy from a condo across the street tells us he is surprised by two things:  that we were allowed to stay the night in that lot and that he was he did not hear a generator.  We realize that one reason we get away with parking anyplace is that we do not use a generator, which makes us more stealth. 

For breakfast we walk to Annie’s Café, a tiny, weathered, wooden shack with one small space heater for heat.  We poke around the harbor at low tide and walk through the community garden.  We enjoy this funky town, which seems like a small, less developed Key West.  The shower in the camper feels great.  On the way out of town, we hike through Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve and Birding Trail. 

We arrive at the Tampa SuperShow around 4:30 pm and we are grateful that George Mauro from Humble Road has secured us a camping spot at the fairgrounds next to his Class B.  These were the only spaces available, too small for the big rigs, but perfect for us.  We meet James and Stefany Adinaro from FitRV for dinner in Brandon at Boca, a good farm-to-table restaurant.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018:  Industry Day at the Tampa RV SuperShow

Today is Industry Day at the Tampa RV SuperShow.  We do the rounds of the show, see a few old friends, and show Escape to a potential client. We go to dinner with Otis and Nick from Silverleaf.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018: Manatees, St. Petersburg and Sarasota

We show the RV to a couple from south of Tampa, then drive down to Apollo Beach to visit the Manatee Viewing Center. We take about a ½ mile walk out to a 50-ft. observation tower with a great 360-degree view of  Tampa and the coastal islands to the north and west, and mangroves and palm trees to the south and east. We loop back on the boardwalk to the protected marine reserve maintained by TECO Big Bend Power Plant.  On this cold day, masses of manatees are huddled together at the plant’s warm outlet waters.  These big brown-grey blobs hardly move, except for the occasional flap of their tails and a pop up of their small noses for air. 

For a late lunch, we eat at Circles Waterfront Restaurant, TripAdvisor’s #1 restaurant for Apollo Beach. In St. Petersburg, we stop for a short visit with our friends Nancy and Roy Bookbinder, the Piedmont blues performer who travels the country in a Class B.  

We camp on the street bordering Lido Beach in Sarasota.  

Thursday, January 18, 2018:  Chris Craft in Sarasota

Why does 37 degrees in Florida feel so much colder than it feels in Cleveland?  We bundle up and walk down to Lido Beach Resort for coffee and the newspaper, make a smoothie in the camper and head out to visit Chris Craft. 

Chris Craft, a high-end boat builder since 1874, is now located near the airport in Sarasota.  We had left a message yesterday, requesting a visit with the president, who is a friend of a friend, but did not receive an answer, so we just show up.  The kind receptionist contacts the V.P. of Sales, who generously shows us a slide show of the history of Chris Craft, discusses the current business and then takes us on a tour of every department. At the end, he introduces us to the two owners, who come out to see our RV. 

We head further south, hike in Oscar Scherer State Park north of Nokomis and spend the night at a Walmart in Port Charlotte. 

Friday, January 19, 2018: Fort Myers and Sanibel Island

In Fort Myers, we stop at our friends Dave and Carol’s, and go with them to a tiny, good old-fashioned breakfast spot. From there, we drive to Sanibel Island to visit our friends Barbara and Zack.  We find their condo on the east side of the island, with a view of the Gulf and a short walk to the beach.  We think we will visit a few hours, but at their kind invitation we decide to move into their cabana on the first floor.  We go to dinner in Fort Myers at the Cracker Box, a tiny, quirky place with live music.  Dave and Carol, and friends of Barbara and Zack’s, join us. 

Saturday, January 20, 2018:  Ding Darling Natural Wildlife Refuge

          Mike and I walk the Sanibel eastern beach, joining the many shell seekers.  We have a lovely breakfast at Barbara and Zack’s and then Zack takes us to Ding Darling Natural Wildlife Refuge, about 10 minutes from their condo.  Zack stops at the best bird viewing places and helps us identify the many shore and wading birds.  Barbara takes photographs and moves the car ahead, while Mike and I walk along Wildlife Road. For dinner, we go to an excellent French restaurant on Sanibel. 

Sunday, January 21, 2018:  Seashell Museum

          We walk/run the Sanibel beach down to the lighthouse, have another excellent breakfast at Barbara and Zack’s, and go to the Seashell Museum. We are fascinated by both the science and art of seashells and the creatures that live inside them, all so well displayed here.  In the late afternoon, Mike and I have a swim in the pool and then enjoy grilled lamb chops at Barbara and Zack’s.

Monday, January 22, 2018:  West coast to East Coast, Florida

          What we thought would be a few hours visit with Barbara and Zack on Sanibel, now has turned into three days.  We hate to leave, but midmorning we head back to Dave and Carol’s to watch the video of their cruise through the Northwest Passage. We drive down to the Edison/Ford Winter Estate, but decide that we don’t have enough time to enjoy it.  We head across Alligator Alley to Ft. Lauderdale, get groceries at Whole Foods, and stop for the night in the parking lot of the Original Pancake House, where in the morning we will meet a friend for breakfast.  Just as we are settling down for the night, we hear a loud knock on the camper side door.  Mike answers in a deep, aggressive voice.  There is no response.  Mike goes out, while I have 911 ready on the cell phone.  No one is there and there is no more knocking.  This is the first time this has happened. It might have been someone leaving the bar next door. 

Tuesday, January 23, 2018:  Fort Lauderdale and a parking ticket

          Despite the late knock on the door, we sleep well.  We meet our friend for breakfast and then head north up A1A.  At Lauderdale-on-the-Sea, we park on a street side, pay the meter, and take an hour beach walk.  When we get back, we find a $25 ticket, saying that motor home parking is not allowed here.  There was no sign indicating this and our camper fit within the lines of the parking space.  We go into the Chamber of Commerce across the street and they suggest we park in their lot and walk up two blocks to City Hall to dispute the ticket. The woman at the City Hall desk takes our complaint and says she will have her supervisor call us.  We have a good lunch near the pier. On the way out of town, we get the first call from an assertive administrator insisting that we must pay the ticket.  Mike complains again that there was no way of knowing that we were in violation.  In a few minutes, we get a second call from a more accommodating person, saying the ticket is excused.  We drive about 100 miles south of St. Augustine and stay the night at a Flying J. I work on my blog, with the passenger seat turned around and my feet up on the adjustable foot stool.  

Wednesday, January 24, 2018:  Jekyll Island and Hilton Head

          Near St. Augustine, we meet a friend for coffee and then continue north to Jekyll Island, Georgia. My maternal grandmother and grandfather met here about 1908. She was a governess for one of the original prominent families who started the Jekyll Island Club in the 1880’s as an exclusive Gilded Era retreat.  My grandfather was the master of the harbor where these families docked their yachts after sailing from northern ports.  We do a tour of the historical center, pass the partially restored “cottage” where my grandmother worked in the winter season, and then hike Driftwood Beach, voted one of America’s 10 Most Romantic Beaches.   

 We continue to Hilton Head and meet friends for dinner there.  We spend the night at the Hilton Head Walmart, tucked between pine trees and magnolias, like the best of South Carolina campsites.

Thursday, January 25, 2018: To the Outer Banks, North Carolina

           We get coffee at a Hilton Head Dunkin’ Donuts and catch up using their WiFi.  We take two laps around the lake at the center of Jarvis Creek Park and see two alligators sunning themselves on the bank.  We drive to North Carolina and spend the night in a Food Lion parking lot in Whitesville. 

Friday, January 26, 2018:  Deserted Beach and Ocracoke Island

           We drive to Wilmington, North Carolina, stop at their downtown Dunkin’ Donuts, and walk the River Walk.  

East of Jacksonville near Camp Lejeune, we stop at another Food Lion for a few groceries and the checkout clerk recommends the Cuban sandwiches at La Cocina next door.  They are excellent.  At Cedar Island, while waiting for the ferry out to Ocracoke Island, we walk the deserted sandy beach at low tide in our down jackets and hats.  

After a 2-hour ferry ride, we arrive at Ocracoke Island in the dark.  We drive down the main street looking for life on this cold January night.  We stop at one place with lights on and discover a new brewery that describes itself as “Sorta Open.”  We order a couple of beers.  At the bar, a young guy from South Africa tells us that if we want food, we can order from a Mexican place down the street and bring it back.  Mike calls them, and although they say they are closing, they agree to fix us some food.  Mike drives down to this tiny roadside trailer and brings back the best burritos we’ve ever had.  We spend the night in the Visitor Center parking lot.

Saturday, January 27, 2018:  Ocracoke to Cape Hatteras

           It is a sunny, 55-degree morning and we find Magic Bean Coffee open. We drive up Ocracoke Island, stopping at a beach where as far as we can see there are no people or even footsteps. 

           We catch the ferry from Ocracoke to Cape Hatteras and continue to drive with Pamlico Sound to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.  We stop at Pea Island National Wildlife Reserve and do a 4mile hike on the nature trail around the inland lake. 

At the Wright Brothers National Memorial just south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, we find the Visitor Center closed for renovations, but we take a quick look through the temporary center commemorating the 1903 first airplane flight by the brothers from Dayton, Ohio, Orville and Wilbur. Out on the field, just beyond the two barns where they lived and worked, granite markers indicate the take-off and landing points of four flights that day, the farthest being 852 feet in 59 seconds.  It seems so short, but this was the first manned, powered and controlled flight of an airplane.

At Virginia Beach, we meet clients for dinner at their restaurant Mahi Mah, a delicious, busy Asian fusion place located in the ocean front Ramada, which they own. They offer us an ocean view room, but we turn them down.  We are comfortable in the camper, like our own bed, and don’t want to schlepp our stuff, so we camp in the parking lot.

Sunday, January 28, 2018:  Monticello

          After free coffee from the Ramada, we head up the street to Neptune’s statue on the Virginia Beach boardwalk.  

           The “boardwalk” is a wide, concrete sidewalk, with a separate concrete bike lane.  On this cool, rainy morning, people are out jogging. We head to Charlottesville to visit Monticello. 

            At the Monticello Visitor Center, an inviting, two-level wooden complex, we view a good introductory film on Thomas Jefferson.   We take the shuttle bus up to the mountaintop on which Jefferson’s home is situated. We explore the cellar passage, where the stables, ice house, and wine and beer cellars were located.  For the house tour, our guide is excellent, answering questions and explaining the architecture of the home and the background of its contents and residents.  He presents the paradox of Jefferson’s statement that “all men are created equal” and his being a slaveholder all his life.  We walk Mulberry Row, where the slave quarters were and end up at Jefferson’s grave.

            We continue west and stop for the night just before we reach the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Monday, January 29, 2018:  Sad encounter on the Blue Ridge, Roanoke and home

           In the morning mist, we get on the Blue Ridge Parkway and for the first 30 minutes we see one bicyclist and one car.  As the fog lifts, we stop at a few overlooks to see the vistas opening up below.  One hour into our drive, off the road and down the embankment, we see a red Chevy Blazer with the front end smashed into a tree.  We stop and scramble down the hill.  The car is locked, but through the window we see a man’s body, sprawled face down across the front seat.  Mike hurries back to the camper to get the instrument for breaking a window in an emergency.  I watch the man’s back and detect no sign of breathing, so we decide there is no need to break the window.  We call 911.  A park employee happens by and he radios in.  We wait about 40 minutes for a police car and fire engine to arrive.  It appears that the man died before the car went off the road.

            We arrive about an hour late at our friends’ home near Roanoke.  After brunch, seeing the temperatures in the high twenties all the way to Cleveland, we decide to drive all the way home.  We arrive at 9:30 pm.

            It was a good trip, seeing many friends, clients and potential clients.  We did not use any campgrounds, never plugged in, and dumped twice.  We rarely made plans more than a day ahead. We enjoyed many places, old and new, and once again appreciated the ability to travel so comfortably and flexibly in Escape.   

B-14 Rally in Williamsburg, VA, May 19 – 21, 2017

Wednesday, May 17, 2017: CruzMobile to B-14 Rally in Williamsburg, Virginia
We leave home at noon in CruzMobile, Advanced RV’s luxury rental, heading for the B-14 Class B Motor Home Rally, starting Friday, just north of Williamsburg. Cruz is built on Fred Ahlgren’s design, with a large, rounded bathroom and shower towards the front of the cabin, wider kitchen countertops, and so many cupboards and drawers we filled only half of them. The real mahogany wood cabinets are stunning, and with the plank flooring, it feels like a high-end yacht.


About 8PM, we get to historic, downtown Frederick, Maryland, a place we have been through before, but always wanted to explore. Off Patrick St., Mike pulls into a private parking lot behind a string of downtown law offices, planning on “camping” there for the night. As Mike attaches the bed extension with the back doors open, the driver of one of the last cars in the lot pulls up and asks Mike if he needs help.  Mike says that he is hoping no one minds if we park there for the night.  The driver says if any one objects, we should move over to one of his spaces, behind his law office.  We thank him and he tells us where to find a sports bar to watch the Cavs vs. Celtics game, Game #1 in the Eastern Conference Playoff.

After he leaves, we deploy the E&P automatic hydraulic leveling system with a push of a button. This is our first time using it, and we are amazed at the stability the four, large stainless pads give the parked camper.  It is like putting it on a concrete foundation.  Also, we appreciate level sleeping, drains not puddling on one side, and the peace of mind from knowing that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to tow while we watch the game.

We walk down Patrick St to Market St. and find Brewer’s Alley, located in the old city hall. Here, in 1864, the Confederates demanded $200,000 in ransom to not sack and burn the town of Frederick.  The town fathers borrowed the money from five local banks, paid the ransom, and the town was spared.  The town made the last payment on the bonds in 1951.

Tonight, the Cavs win easily. As we walk back to the camper, we ask a couple on the street where the best breakfast place is and we scope it out for the morning.


Thursday, May 18, 2017: Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
After a good, undisturbed sleep, we walk down Patrick St. to Nola Café and have an excellent breakfast. We deliver croissants to the office of the kind lawyer from the night before, and then move the camper to on-street parking near Carroll Creek Park.  We walk the path along the creek from end to end, enjoying the flowering lilies in the creek, stone and wrought iron bridges, old brick buildings, fountains, and plantings.  Back at the camper, Mike goes for a short run.

Spontaneously, we decide to go west to visit Harpers Ferry. About five years ago, when we were on a bike trip from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath, we passed up a stop at Harpers Ferry.  We planned our October trip to see the turning leaves, but it rained nearly every day, the temperatures stayed in the 40’s, and we often were pedaling through inches of water.  At the turnoff for Harpers Ferry, we decided to keep pedaling to more quickly end the day and get warm and dry.


At Harpers Ferry, we drive up the hill to the Park Administration Headquarters and find parking up there. We walk a few blocks to the Appalachian Trail Headquarters, where we chat with a helpful person who directs us to the section of the Appalachian Trail that takes us down to the lower, historic town of Harpers Ferry.  Here, at the confluence of the Potomac River and Shenandoah River, we poke into the historic buildings and museums, learning about abolitionist John Brown’s raid of the US Armory here in 1859; the 1862 Battle of Harpers Ferry; the first manufacturing of rifles with interchangeable parts; the establishment of Storer College, which admitted freed slaves; and, the founding of the Niagara Movement, a precursor of the NAACP.


After lunch at the Potomac Grill, the waiter asks if we have done the Maryland Heights Trail. Across the river and high up on a cliff, he points out a clearing where we see a few people.  He tells us that if we take the foot bridge across the river and find the turnoff from the towpath, we will climb about 600 feet along a 2 ½ mile trail to an amazing vista.   It was a beautiful day, so we bought some water bottles and set out.


Across the river, we come to the junction with the C & O Canal towpath, where on our bike trip we had decided to skip Harpers Ferry. We walk up the towpath along the Potomac, find the Maryland Heights Trail, and start climbing.  The trail is steep, but well-marked and groomed. After about an hour, we arrive at the clearing overlooking Harpers Ferry.  It is an amazing view of the town, the confluence of the two rivers and the surrounding hillsides.  It starts to rain on our way down.

 

About 6PM we get back to the camper, and our watches tell us that we have walked 15 miles today. We set out for Fredericksburg, Virginia, about 1 ½ hours away.  It starts to storm, with gusting winds, hail and blinding rain.  Shortly, the road is completely blocked by a downed tree and electric wires.  The local ahead of us in a pickup truck, tells us to follow him.  We drive through flooded gravel roads and finally pick up the highway we want.


We arrive in Fredericksburg about 8:30PM, exhausted. We park in a downtown municipal lot, along the Rappahannock River, where the sign says, “Parking Prohibited between 5 AM and 8 AM.”  We decide to ignore it.  We have a salad, smoked salmon and cold beers from the refrigerator and are asleep at 9PM.

Friday, May 19, 2017: Fredericksburg, Virginia and arriving at B Rally
This morning, once again, we experience the advantages of “sleep-stopping” in the center of interesting towns. We walk downtown historic Fredericksburg, admiring the well preserved historic buildings.  One of our favorite shops was called “Sorry Mom Tattoo.”  Our Irish friend Harry loves amusing public signs so we texted this photo to him.

We join the locals lined up for coffee at the Hyperion Café. We chat with the couple ahead of us about what Hyperion means.  They guess he/she is a Greek god and then the barista chimes in to say that Hyperion is the Greek god who carries the sun across the sky.  Now, the mural on the wall makes sense.  Outside, drinking our coffee, we talk with a city commissioner about everything from politics, parking rules, and historic preservation to health care.   On the first couples’ recommendation, we walk back to Caroline Street to Irene’s, a bakery in an old church, where we enjoy quiche, wraps and a delicious apple fritter.


Back at the camper, we turn on the AC and take showers in Cruz’s luxuriously large bathroom. We are on our way by 10AM.


We arrive at the American Heritage RV Campground in Norge, Virginia before noon. We park amid the other Class B’ers at the Rally. It is already 90+ degrees so we turn on the AC.  We set up the Clam Shelter in about three minutes, put our folding camp chairs and table in there, and enjoy a bit of shade and no bugs. At this Rally, there are over 40 campers and seven of them are Advanced RVs.  The Rally Tavern opens at 3:00PM and it is great to see old friends and make new ones.

We learn that tonight everyone is asked to bring a side dish or dessert to add to the Barbeque Dinner. Mike and I, busy with Advanced Fest, had neglected to check the Rally website, so we had nothing to bring.  One of our good friends with an Advanced RV gives us cupcakes to bring, since she had a salad ready, too.  So kind and generous, feels like family.


Saturday, May 20, 2017: Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia
The temperature has dropped 20 degrees to a comfortable 70, with a breeze. We have breakfast with the Rally group and take the 10AM shuttle to Colonial Williamsburg.  We walk the colonial village, stop at the silversmith, blacksmith, and pottery store.  We enjoy lunch at King’s Arms Tavern, with delicious peanut soup, corn chowder, and chicken pot pie.  We are served by a Chinese waitress in colonial garb, who came here as an exchange student and returned to live.  We join a tour at the Capitol Building, with possibly the best
guide we have had anyplace. She delivered a fascinating script, like a stage actress, describing the founding of Virginia as an independent state, and helping us hear Thomas Jefferson’s language that later evolved into the U.S. Declaration of Independence.


Tonight, for the Rally dinner, we are asked to wear something representing colonial times. I buy a wide brimmed straw hat with a ribbon and Mike buys a T-shirt printed like the uniform of a Revolutionary War soldier.  Back via shuttle at 3PM, we have a cold beer in the Rally Tavern.  Dinner from a local Greek restaurant is excellent. For entertainment, we enjoy an eclectic range of songs from two talented singers and a good keyboardist.  They inspire lots of dancing.


Sunday, May 21, 2017: Back home in a day
We are up at 6:10AM and depart for home at 6:30. We arrive home at 3:30, glad we made this trek to the B-14 Rally.

Florida December - January 2017

Wednesday, December 28, 2016:  Snowbirds to Florida

At 6PM, Mike and I leave home in Runaway, our SuperStealth demo model, with a goal of Sarasota, Florida by noon New Years’ Eve. The Christmas tree is down, the holiday things put away and the RV packed.  We are tired from getting ready and this is a late start, but we want to make it to Chattanooga for lunch tomorrow with family.  We stop for the night at a Flying J between Columbus, Ohio and Cincinnati.

 

Thursday, December 29, 2016:  Running on DC only

Up at 5:30AM and on the road in 12 minutes to beat the morning traffic in Cincinnati.  We do, but then crawl for about an hour when a semi is overturned on I-75.  Traffic is heavy through Kentucky and Tennessee.  In Chattanooga, we meet my nephew’s wife and two girls for a late lunch. It’s always fun to see them on this drive south after Christmas. Traffic continues heavy.  We stop at a Flying J south of Atlanta among trucks, trailers and RVs.  These truck stops are crowded at night!  We watch two episodes of The Crown, which Mike had downloaded on our iPad Plus, which we use for the entertainment system.

 

Glitch today:  When we were slowed for the accident this morning, we noticed our inverter had failed. Runaway has a lot of new technology that we are testing.  We have a new inverter model, with new software, which the guys seriously stress tested.  This evening, Frank helps us trouble shoot, but it continues to fail.  Instead of his shipping us a new inverter, we decide to go without.   No microwave, hair dryer or air conditioning, but everything else is DC.  We’ll do a post-mortem when we get back.

 

Friday, December 30, 2016:  Renaissance Vinoy, St. Petersburg, FL

This morning, Mike turns on the heat, gets coffee, and we both shower and have breakfast.  Traffic is stop-and-go from Georgia to Tampa through messy rain and sleet.  We stop at a truck wash to get Runaway cleaned up. Back on the road, using Open Table, we make a dinner reservation in St. Petersburg at the Marchand, Renaissance Vinoy, a historic hotel on the harbor. Mike tells the valet that we are “staying the night,” without saying we are staying in the RV.  After a delicious dinner, Mike tips the valet well, tells them to keep the key since, again, we are “staying the night.”  We locate the RV at the loading dock, use the keyless entry and sleep the night there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, December 31, 2016:  New Years’ Eve in Sarasota

About midnight at our Vinoy loading dock campsite, Mike hears banging and clattering of a party tent either going up or coming down, but I sleep through it.  We have coffee on the hotel veranda and the valet brings the RV up.  Mike gives them a tour of Runaway.  We decide to stay at the hotel for breakfast.  In an elegant, sunny breakfast room, I am grateful for Mike’s adventuresome spirit and my learning to trust it. 

About 10AM on New Year’s Eve, we arrive in Sarasota at our friends’ house on Lido Key.  At sunset on the beach we have a champagne toast, with lots of other happy people of all ages.  We leave half the bottle with a large, multi-generation family celebrating in front of their motel.  For dinner we go to Selva Grill and then wander around downtown where a carnival is set up.  Families are playing games and enjoying the rides.  A lighted pineapple is high on a pole, ready to drop at midnight.  Home by 11PM, we hear fireworks as we drift off to sleep. 

 

 

Sunday, January 1, 2017:  New Years’ Day and abandoning plans

I wake up with a sore throat, cough and aches.  This flu/cold has gone through our whole family and tends to last three weeks.  We don’t want to give it to our friends here or at our next stop in Fort Myers, so we set off back to Cleveland.

 

We take I-75 to I-95 to Savannah and then Rt. 21 to I-26 past Columbia, SC.  We stop at Panera for chicken noodle soup and then stay the night at another truck stop.  It rains all night, a peaceful sound.

 

Monday, January 2, 2017:  Back home to recover

It rains all day as we drive, listening to Pandora and trying to guess the artist before we read the name on the iPhone.  At 7:30PM, I am grateful to be home. 

 

Tuesday, January 10, 2017:  Back to Florida

I’m feeling better, so at 4PM we set out again for Florida, with our goal the Tampa SuperShow the next week.  We have a new inverter and the failed one is being autopsied.  In Cleveland, it is 35 degrees, with about 4 inches of snow.  We drive I-77 to about 60 miles north of Charleston, West Virginia where we stay at a rest stop.  We eat dinner from home and listen to President Obama’s farewell address.

 

Wednesday, January 11, 2017:  Escape to the movies

At 6AM, it is 35 degrees and raining.  We have breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  In Virginia, between Bluefield and Wytheville, we stop at a Visitor Information Center where we pick up flyers on things to do in the area:  the New River Trail State Park; Crystal Springs Recreation Area; and Abington, VA, as well as schedules for bluegrass music in Galax and along the Blue Ridge Parkway Heritage Music Trail.  On our last trip through this area, we hiked the New River Trail and vowed never to come through here again, without doing this beautiful trail along the New River.  The other sites sound good, too, but it is cold and raining, so we keep driving.  Late in the afternoon, in Columbia, South Carolina, to escape both the dreary weather and too much politics on SiriusXM radio, we stop at a movie theater and see Hidden Figures.  This is uplifting.  In Orangeburg, South Carolina, we sleep-stop at a Pilot Truck Stop.  Mike and I both work on our computers.  I love my adjustable footrest, which makes the turned-around passenger seat into a comfortable chaise lounge. 

 

Thursday, January 12, 2017:  Savannah and St. Augustine

The sun comes up through the fog and we continue south.  At Savannah, we get off for the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, where we drive the 4-mile observation loop through what was a rice plantation starting back in the 1700s.  We get out and walk when a park service man waves us over to see a 14-foot alligator, sunning itself on a bank.  We take a short walk through the former slave living compound and start to hike the Plantation Island Trial, but the mosquitoes make us retreat.  From the RV, we see hawks, ducks, and a pileated woodpecker.  We now push to Crescent Beach, south of St. Augustine to meet our friend John, who has been a steady supporter of Advanced RV from the beginning, and his wife. From the second story of South Beach Grill. we overlook the ocean and enjoy a delightful dinner of southern fried fish with cheese grits.  We spend the night close by at a Flying J. 

 

 

On this beautiful clear night, with a nearly full moon, I realize something I miss about campgrounds:  enjoying an evening walk in a natural setting, sometimes with a “water feature,” and saying hello to other campers.  Here at this huge truck stop, we nod to the one trucker who is out doing laps, but the massive trucks, most parked with their engines running, and some careening in and out of the parking area, are intimidating.  We do two laps, but soon retreat to the camper to shut it all out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, January 13, 2017:  Stopping to see friends and family

We drive down to Palm Beach Gardens and enjoy a late lunch with a friend at the PGA National Resort and Spa.  This place is amazing:  spread out, with five golf courses, gorgeous landscaping, and views from the hotel patio of multiple pools and fountains.  Our friend takes us on his golf cart around the course where they are setting up for the Honda Classic in a few weeks.  From here we drive back north a bit to Jupiter, where we get a 2-mile walk around Riverbend Park and see lots of birds, including a wild peacock. Then, we meet a cousin in Jupiter for a lovely dinner, overlooking an intracoastal waterway.  We drive south again to Fort Lauderdale and sleep-stop behind the Original Pancake House, where we are to meet a friend for breakfast the next morning.

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, January 14, 2017:  Alligator Alley and Fort Myers

We get an early walk on the streets of Fort Lauderdale, enjoy breakfast with our friend, and then park near Fort Lauderdale Beach.  We walk the beach, enjoying the lively Saturday crowd, playing volleyball, sunning and people watching like us. 

We have a picnic lunch out of the camper and drive across Alligator Alley, stopping at Recreation Areas to see many birds and three alligators. 

 

About 5PM, we arrive at the mobile home park where our friends Dave and Carol reside when they are not traveling. They are models for traveling in a Class B motor home and connecting with friends and family along the way.  As they say, the Class B off-the-grid features make visiting easy since we bring our own bedroom and bath. We park between their home and their Advanced RV SuperStealth.  For dinner, we go to Pinchers, in downtown Fort Myers, where the view of the lights across the river is lovely, the service is fun, and all our dinners are good – ahi tuna, mahi mahi tacos, and blackened grouper.  We stay the night in our camper at their place.

 

Sunday, January 15, 2017:  Venice Beach and Sarasota

After breakfast with Dave and Carol, we head north to Venice Beach.  Mike uses their YMCA for a workout and shower, while I walk the parking lot, putter in the RV and get some rare alone time.  We have a good lunch of southern cooking at Darrells and then walk Venice Beach.  We drive up Casey Key Road, admiring the beautiful homes overlooking the Gulf.  In Sarasota, we get groceries at Whole Foods and drive out to Lido Key, where we park on the city street next to the beach.  We get another long beach walk, enjoy the sunset and have dinner in the RV.  We settle for the night right there. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                    

Monday, January 16, 2017:  To the Florida RV SuperShow

Lovely morning, in the low 60’s.  We walk to Lido Beach Hotel for coffee and the newspapers.  Back in the RV, I get out our new NutriBullet Max and follow the directions to make a healthy and delicious smoothie for breakfast.  Easy.  The essential parts fit on the bottom shelf of the entry cabinet.  We take a long walk to St. Armand’s Circle and back down the beach. We clean up and have lunch in the camper.  Several people walking by stop to see the RV.

We drive to Tampa and park at a Flying J on Rt. 4 just minutes from the show.  We walk across the street to LazyDays  “RV resort” to see if they might have a spot for us tonight.  They are completely booked, with a waiting list of 300!  We walk their RV Resort, which has a huge, luxurious indoor swimming pool, a workout building, and rows upon rows of gorgeous Class A’s, most towing a car.  We talk to the couple in the one Class B we see, a bright red Winnebago Travado.  They are camping out, waiting at LazyDays for a part to come in.   For dinner, we meet friends from Cleveland, and their friends from Switzerland, who are all going to the SuperShow.  We “camp” at Walmart close to the fairgrounds.

 

Tuesday, January 17, 2017:  Industry Day at the Florida RV SuperShow

When we registered for the SuperShow, campsites with services were full, so we reserved “dry camping. ” This turns out to be a tight parking lot next to the registration office, but that is OK.   At the show, we meet our friends and explore the Class B’s and the assorted RV items for sale in the huge expo hall.  We meet several suppliers and other RV manufacturers.  We have dinner with our friends at the Hard Rock Café in the Seminole Casino across the street from the show. 

 

Wednesday, January 18, 2017:  More SuperShow, Orlando and Jacksonville

Early in the morning, we drive to Flying J, dump and fuel.  In the parking lot of the SuperShow, we show Runaway to potential clients.  We tour the rest of the Class B’s and meet an Advanced RV client for lunch.  Next, we head to Orlando and show the RV to another interested couple.  We then intend to make it to Savannah for dinner at Elizabeth’s on 37^th, but traffic through Jacksonville is slow, so we stop for dinner at a new Thai restaurant there, Pat Thai, recommended on Yelp.  It is good and fresh and we enjoy the young, recently immigrated Thai woman who attentively waits on us.  We sleep-stop at a Pilot truck stop, near St. Mary’s, Georgia. 

 

Thursday, January 19, 2017:  Savannah and Kiawah Island

After sleeping 9 ½ hours, we catch up on emails and phone calls.  At 11:30AM we arrive at the Savannah Visitors Center and get recommendations for a walking route and a place for lunch.  We walk north on Bull St. to the Savannah River, enjoy a Cajun lunch at Huey’s, walk Emmet Park, and return on Abercorn, stopping in the Colonial Park Cemetery.  All along the way, we read the plaques and study the monuments in the lovely squares, shaded by live oaks, to get a bit of the history of Savannah.

At 4:30PM, arriving on Kiawah Island, we park in the parking lot at our friends’ condo, surrounded by lush vegetation.  They give us a quick driving tour of the island, where we see the elegant homes, golf courses and clubs.  We have dinner at their home, marvel at the density of the stars in the dark sky over the ocean and sleep well for the first in nine nights out of the RV. 

 

Friday, January 20, 2017:  New River Trail State Park, Virginia

At sunrise, we walk the beach at Kiawah, then have breakfast with our friends, and set off again, grateful for this luxurious break in our RV travels.  On SiriusXM, we listen to the Inauguration ceremonies. Late in the afternoon, just into Virginia on I-77, we stop at the New River Trail State Park and walk the beautiful path along the New River.  This walk, plus our morning beach walk, makes this an 8-mile day.  We sleep-stop at Cracker Barrel near Princeton, West Virginia. 

 

Saturday, January 21, 2017:  Back home

We eat breakfast at Cracker Barrel and set off, arriving home mid-afternoon.  We’ve had another good RV adventure, seeing lots of friends, family and interesting places, new and old.