Tuesday Dec 10, 2013
We departed Cozumel at 7:45am with temperatures in the 70's. 3 hours we landed in Dallas with the temp at 21. I knew it was going to be cold when we arrived but I couldn't believe it. I wore a sundress, sandals, and pareo wrap. I had a thin sweater in my backpack but it wasn't much help. We rode the airport shuttle back to the long-term parking lot. I stayed in the warm building while Greg went to get the RV. While we had been baking in Cozumel, Dallas had been hit with an ice-storm and cold, cold temps. There was a thick sheet of ice on the RV windowshield. Greg had to run the defroster on high blast and maneuver the RV so the sun was hitting the windowshield full blast. After several minutes he was able to pound on the glass enough to break it up enough so he could drive it. I had the camera with me so Greg had no way to take pictures. We made it out of the airport parking lot by 11:30 but traffic was so bad leaving Dallas that we didn't stop to eat until an hour later just on the outside of town. 3 hours later (in Arkansas), a huge hunk of ice flew off the roof. The semi-truck following behind us didn't seem to ride very close to our bumper after that.
We made it to El Dorado Arkansas to see Greg's step-mom at 5:30. We visited for about an hour then headed to the same RV park we stayed at earlier in the month. It was dark so we didn't notice anything until Greg tried to adjust the antennae on the TV......there wasn't one! The huge hunk of ice that flew off the roof took the antennae with it along with another small antennae! Whew.....I was wondering when Greg was going to have something to do.
Later that night I noticed everytime I flushed the toliet, the spray nozzle attached to the side was leaking water. Another project for Greg.....replacing the spray nozzle by the toliet!
By bedtime it was 30 degrees. I'm totally missing Cozumel.
Wed December 11, 2013: The electricity went off during the night but the furnace kept running off the LP gas. The breaker kicked off but Greg fixed it.... once he found where the breaker box was, We left the RV park at 9:30; stopped at Home Depot to get the new spray nozzle.... yeah, another project taken care of! After visiting with Greg's step-mom, we left El Dorado at 11:30. We drove to Columbus Mississippi for the night. Found an RV park with no office. I found the phone number and reached someone who told us to take an empty site and leave $25.00 in a mail slot at a vacant building on the RV site...... really? Just this morning in El Dorado we left payment for our night there taped to the electric post. Very trusting people in the South!
Thursday Dec 12, 2013: We left Columbus MS at 8:15 (it was 28 degrees!) and drove straight through to Waycross. Got there at 6:15pm. I was so glad to see mom, and looking forward to a hot shower and a comfy bed.
We leave on Sunday to head back to Anchorage and the real cold weather. We'll be home for Christmas and New Year's. We're heading back to Atlanta on Jan 5. Next trip we'll be heading west and leaving the RV in Phoenix the end of February. We'll go back to Anchorage from Phoenix so Greg can help with the Skweetna check-point for the Iditarod. We have plans to fly back to Phoenix to get the RV then drive it back to Anchorage. We should be back in Anchorage for the ground to thaw and start building the house in Sterling!
More to come......... Happy Holidays!!!!!
Friday, December 13, 2013
Cozumel...Last Full Day....boo
Monday Dec 9, 2013
Lazy morning.... Greg went for a run and I did a few minutes of yoga. After breakfast we walked to the waterfront and to the Museum of Cozumel. It was kind-of interesting but after a couple of hours I was ready to go eat! But it was nice to be indoors out of the hot sun. Lunch back at the bed and breakfast consisted of left-over chicken, then relaxing in the hammock reading. We spent the remainder of the afternoon packing. We'll have to be up early in the morning to get a taxi for the airport at 6am. As the sun was going down, we walked back to the town square and the sidewalk vendors. Not too much to look at because it seemed each store was selling the same touristy things. We had dinner at a really good fish restaurant down the street from the BnB, "Albinos". They did the most creative thing to the lime slice that was on my margarita glass. I think it was supposed to be a shrimp. Whatever it was it was so cute. The food was so good and cooked perfectly.
Lazy morning.... Greg went for a run and I did a few minutes of yoga. After breakfast we walked to the waterfront and to the Museum of Cozumel. It was kind-of interesting but after a couple of hours I was ready to go eat! But it was nice to be indoors out of the hot sun. Lunch back at the bed and breakfast consisted of left-over chicken, then relaxing in the hammock reading. We spent the remainder of the afternoon packing. We'll have to be up early in the morning to get a taxi for the airport at 6am. As the sun was going down, we walked back to the town square and the sidewalk vendors. Not too much to look at because it seemed each store was selling the same touristy things. We had dinner at a really good fish restaurant down the street from the BnB, "Albinos". They did the most creative thing to the lime slice that was on my margarita glass. I think it was supposed to be a shrimp. Whatever it was it was so cute. The food was so good and cooked perfectly.
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| yard in the bed and breakfast |
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| Yummy fish! |
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| our patio and hammock, the room is on the other side of the red wall |
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| A lime "shrimp" |
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| last margarita in Cozumel |
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| looking toward the front gate at the BnB |
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| Best margarita ever! |
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Day 6 - Cozumel
Sunday Dec 8, 2013
I'm still very congested. We have decided not to do any diving today or tonight. We took a taxi to a small beach toward's the south end of the island. The bar at the beach is called The Money Bar. They have lounge chairs, tables, and umbrellas for shade. The snorkeling is not bad (not great either) but the best part about it is it is FREE to go on the beach. Other beaches in the area have fees to go on their beaches, but this one did not. We were not hassled by anyone to buy anything (food or drink) and we could snorkel right from the beach. We spent several hours there. For lunch I had a really good hamburger and fries; Greg had chicken tacos. The food was a little pricey but good.
For dinner we grabbed another rotisserie chicken (cooked on an outside grill by a street vendor) and ate it with the left overs from dinner last night. We sat on the outdoor terrace at the Bed and Breakfast. My head is still congested. I probably could have signed up to dive a couple more dives on Monday but I'm not risking it. Not sure what we're doing tomorrow.
We fly out on Tuesday morning. We have to be at the airport by 6am on Tuesday so we'll spend alot of tomorrow getting our bags packed.
I'm still very congested. We have decided not to do any diving today or tonight. We took a taxi to a small beach toward's the south end of the island. The bar at the beach is called The Money Bar. They have lounge chairs, tables, and umbrellas for shade. The snorkeling is not bad (not great either) but the best part about it is it is FREE to go on the beach. Other beaches in the area have fees to go on their beaches, but this one did not. We were not hassled by anyone to buy anything (food or drink) and we could snorkel right from the beach. We spent several hours there. For lunch I had a really good hamburger and fries; Greg had chicken tacos. The food was a little pricey but good.
For dinner we grabbed another rotisserie chicken (cooked on an outside grill by a street vendor) and ate it with the left overs from dinner last night. We sat on the outdoor terrace at the Bed and Breakfast. My head is still congested. I probably could have signed up to dive a couple more dives on Monday but I'm not risking it. Not sure what we're doing tomorrow.
We fly out on Tuesday morning. We have to be at the airport by 6am on Tuesday so we'll spend alot of tomorrow getting our bags packed.
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| Not a common site..... Greg relaxing at the beach! |
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| After a day of sunbathing and snorkeling |
Day 5 in Cozumel
Sat Dec 7, 2013
My head is sooooo congested. I cannot get it cleared up. Good news is I don't have to dive today and I can still hear and breathe. So I'll look for sudafed later today. Greg had the opportunity to dive with another dive operation and go to Punta Sur (the south end of the island). It is a very advanced dive. I wouldn't want to do this dive anyway. Lots of tunnels and depth to 130 feet. Current is pretty strong too. I was perfectly content to lay in the hammock and read all morning. He got back from 2 dives around 1:30 and we ate left overs from La Mission (last night's dinner). Then I had to have a nap!!! Walked down to the edge of San Miguel (the only town on Cozumel) and had drinks at a bar where we could see the sun set. The Christmas season brings children out with decorated palm branches. Anything from the virgin Mary to tinsel and ribbon and bows. They ask you "cantada de rama?" At first we thought they were selling their palm branches. We checked on the website and found that the children will sing songs and you give them money that they give to a charity. I was so excited that as soon as they walked up to us at the bar, I called to them "cantada de rama" and they SANG for us! We don't have a clue what they sang but it was so sweet to hear the little voices.
Dinner was at La Choza a couple of blocks from the bar where we had drinks. I had a little bit too much margarita so I can't remember what I had...maybe some type of blackened chicken? It was good! Greg had vegetable tacos. I remember enough to ask for a "to-go box" and take half of it back to the bnb with us.
On the way back to the BnB, at town square, we stumbled into a play about to start. It was opened by the mayor of Cozumel? (maybe the president of the district of Quintano Roo?) We don't know exactly who he was but it was kind of impressive. The play was actually the ballet "The Nutcracker". It was fun sitting there watching these young children dance. And it was in the evening at an OUTSIDE stage. Pretty impressed by watching the dancing on stage and the stars overhead!
Saturday Dec 7 Here's the link to the pictures from today.
My head is sooooo congested. I cannot get it cleared up. Good news is I don't have to dive today and I can still hear and breathe. So I'll look for sudafed later today. Greg had the opportunity to dive with another dive operation and go to Punta Sur (the south end of the island). It is a very advanced dive. I wouldn't want to do this dive anyway. Lots of tunnels and depth to 130 feet. Current is pretty strong too. I was perfectly content to lay in the hammock and read all morning. He got back from 2 dives around 1:30 and we ate left overs from La Mission (last night's dinner). Then I had to have a nap!!! Walked down to the edge of San Miguel (the only town on Cozumel) and had drinks at a bar where we could see the sun set. The Christmas season brings children out with decorated palm branches. Anything from the virgin Mary to tinsel and ribbon and bows. They ask you "cantada de rama?" At first we thought they were selling their palm branches. We checked on the website and found that the children will sing songs and you give them money that they give to a charity. I was so excited that as soon as they walked up to us at the bar, I called to them "cantada de rama" and they SANG for us! We don't have a clue what they sang but it was so sweet to hear the little voices.
Dinner was at La Choza a couple of blocks from the bar where we had drinks. I had a little bit too much margarita so I can't remember what I had...maybe some type of blackened chicken? It was good! Greg had vegetable tacos. I remember enough to ask for a "to-go box" and take half of it back to the bnb with us.
On the way back to the BnB, at town square, we stumbled into a play about to start. It was opened by the mayor of Cozumel? (maybe the president of the district of Quintano Roo?) We don't know exactly who he was but it was kind of impressive. The play was actually the ballet "The Nutcracker". It was fun sitting there watching these young children dance. And it was in the evening at an OUTSIDE stage. Pretty impressed by watching the dancing on stage and the stars overhead!
Saturday Dec 7 Here's the link to the pictures from today.
Day 4 in Cozumel
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| Coral swim-thru |
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| Dona |
Friday Dec 6, 2013
3rd day of diving. Didn't leave the dive shop until 9am. They were waiting for 2 people to arrive from Cancun on the mainland. We dove first at Palancar Gardens. Saw a sand shark and big lobsters.
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| Shark! |
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| Lobster |
We gave out of battery charge on our camera for the 2nd dive but that's where we saw the most marine life. The dive site was El Cedral Reef. There were a total of 5 turtles, a shark that was swimming (not just laying in the sand), and an eagle ray that swam right with Greg! What a great dive.
Didn't get back from the morning dives until 1:30. We ran over to Burrito Gordido and grabbed a couple of burritos and ate them at the BnB. By then my head was soooooo congested. It felt like I had a huge brick on my head. I took a mucinex that we had in our bags and took a nap. I was still congested when I woke up. Dinner was at La Mission (we ate there on Tuesday night). Tonight I had the grilled pork chops, black beans and guacamole. Greg had the mexican chicken, black beans and guacamole. There were lots of items on the "cold" salad bar that we ate as well. Left overs for tomorrow!!!! We really like the margaritas here!
Didn't get back from the morning dives until 1:30. We ran over to Burrito Gordido and grabbed a couple of burritos and ate them at the BnB. By then my head was soooooo congested. It felt like I had a huge brick on my head. I took a mucinex that we had in our bags and took a nap. I was still congested when I woke up. Dinner was at La Mission (we ate there on Tuesday night). Tonight I had the grilled pork chops, black beans and guacamole. Greg had the mexican chicken, black beans and guacamole. There were lots of items on the "cold" salad bar that we ate as well. Left overs for tomorrow!!!! We really like the margaritas here!
Cozumel Day 3!
Thurs Dec 5, 2013
There were only Greg and I for the morning dives today. We went up to the North end of the island (Punta Norte) to see eagle rays. The dive site was San Juan. The current was VERY strong and we had a tight window to get down and between some corals so we could watch for the rays. I had an excellent decent but around 60 feet, I sucked in water (instead of air....) and panicked. I couldn't remember what to do. I had to ascend to the surface until the panick attack passed. Greg was very patient with me, but unfortunately due to the strong currents, we drifted off course and missed the chance to see any rays. Once at depth, there was really no time to look for or at anything because we were moving too swiftly by. You just had to go with the flow. We did manage to see a turtle, a sand-ray, a lobster and a shrimp. I haven't figured out how to download a slide show on the post so here is a link for our pictures.
Las Palmas Reef and Night Dive on Paradise Reef On the picture page, click on the "v" (downward arrow) next to labels on the right of the screen ("tag people", "share", "organize", "add photos"). Click on "slideshow" then on "play" at the bottom of the 1st picture and it will show all pictures from today in a slideshow format.
Our 2nd dive of the day was at Las Palmas Reef. The pictures in the above "link" are from this dive site and from the night dive at Paradise Reef. We had a great time on the night dive. Again it was only me and Greg with 2 dive masters. Saw lots of crabs, a couple of snakes, sea cucumber, some octopus. I felt very relaxed on this dive.
The dive ended about 7pm so we had the dive crew drop us off in town and we walked to a restaurant and had Mexican pizza, greek salad, and margaritas for dinner. The pizza consisted of black bean sauce, cheese, jalapenos, and chorizo (spanish sausage).
There were only Greg and I for the morning dives today. We went up to the North end of the island (Punta Norte) to see eagle rays. The dive site was San Juan. The current was VERY strong and we had a tight window to get down and between some corals so we could watch for the rays. I had an excellent decent but around 60 feet, I sucked in water (instead of air....) and panicked. I couldn't remember what to do. I had to ascend to the surface until the panick attack passed. Greg was very patient with me, but unfortunately due to the strong currents, we drifted off course and missed the chance to see any rays. Once at depth, there was really no time to look for or at anything because we were moving too swiftly by. You just had to go with the flow. We did manage to see a turtle, a sand-ray, a lobster and a shrimp. I haven't figured out how to download a slide show on the post so here is a link for our pictures.
Las Palmas Reef and Night Dive on Paradise Reef On the picture page, click on the "v" (downward arrow) next to labels on the right of the screen ("tag people", "share", "organize", "add photos"). Click on "slideshow" then on "play" at the bottom of the 1st picture and it will show all pictures from today in a slideshow format.
Our 2nd dive of the day was at Las Palmas Reef. The pictures in the above "link" are from this dive site and from the night dive at Paradise Reef. We had a great time on the night dive. Again it was only me and Greg with 2 dive masters. Saw lots of crabs, a couple of snakes, sea cucumber, some octopus. I felt very relaxed on this dive.
The dive ended about 7pm so we had the dive crew drop us off in town and we walked to a restaurant and had Mexican pizza, greek salad, and margaritas for dinner. The pizza consisted of black bean sauce, cheese, jalapenos, and chorizo (spanish sausage).
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Cozumel day 1 and 2
Tues Dec 3, 2013
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| Dona enjoying a cool beverage with chips and dip at bed and breakfast |
For dinner we ate at La Mission. We had eaten there on an earlier trip. It was one of the restaurants the hostess at the BnB recommended. Greg had Chili Rellano and I had Chicken and Beef-ka-bob (brochetta mixta). They also have a cold salad bar with all types of marinated veggies (mushrooms, onions, cabbage), rice with carrots, jalapeno salsa, and a sour cream or yogurt salsa. It was excellent...... especially the margarita!
Not much sleep because the noise on the street was loud and the room was hot (no air conditioning).
Wed Dec 4, 2013 Had coffee, yogurt, granola, and banana on the open-air terrace of the B and B. Had to be at the dive shop by 8:25. The dive shop hires taxi's to take you to the small boat harbor out of town. So we were wisked away by 8:45am. Got to the boat harbor at 9, and at dive site by 9:25 and in the water by 9:31....wow, pretty fast. We did 2 dives this morning. The dives were good and I didn't panic any; ears cleared good and I did really well with my buoyancy. I felt like a real diver! All the dives here are "drift" dives with different degrees of current. We saw lots of fish and colorful coral; a small "sand" ray; and a nice sized morey eel swimming along. Click on the link below and see a slide show of the 2 dives from today. Greg lost a filter for the camera housing coming through TSA at the airport. That is why so many of the pictures are light at the top and dark at the bottom. He is working on correcting that. I have put captions on some of the pictures so you have to click a picture to read the caption.
Santa Rosa Reef and Paradise Reef
After diving we walked from the dive shop and grabbed a couple of chicken burritos and beers and ate lunch back at the BnB. Our room had changed to a downstairs with private patio/hammock. Only a fridge no microwave BUT air conditioning. That makes a world of difference. The only annoying thing is there is an outside light right above a window in our room. The window doesn't have a curtain or any way to close it so the light shines in the room all night. It is taking some use to. I brought eye shades for the plane so I've been using them.
For dinner we bought a rotisserie chicken from a street vendor with rice and onions. Have enough left over for lunch tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Willis TX and Weatherford TX
Fri Nov 29, 2013
11:00am: Left El Dorado AR headed toward Houston
4:45pm: Arrived in Willis TX (north of Houston) at Thousand Lakes at Lake Conroe RV park where Anthony's daughter, Toni, and husband Josh, are staying. Anthony rented a cabin and we all went over for grilled steaks, sauteed mushrooms with green beans, twice baked potatoes then ice cream for dessert. It was Greg, Dona, Anthony, Toni, Josh, (their children) Jaten, Brinkley, Taye, and Kai. I stuffed my self again!!!!
Sat Nov 30, 2013
37 degrees at 7am, a little warmer than El Dorado. I ran for about 45 minutes and Greg ran for an hour. We did some laundry and Greg helped Josh work on their RV. Greg was right at home. I think he was having withdrawals from not working on a vehicle for a few weeks. He got his fix, so he's good to go a couple more weeks. Anthony left around 3 to go back to Anchorage. We had left over frozen spaghetti, salad and garlic bread for dinner.
Sun Dec 1, 2013
We left Willis at 11:30 and arrived without incident, to Weatherford TX to spend some time with my uncle Bob and aunt Carolyn. We got to sleep in a real bed for the night!!!!! yeah! Carolyn fixed us chicken stir-fry with rice and gluten free crackers on the side. She was so considerate to think of me with the gluten free things!
Mon Dec 2, 2013
I went for a 30 min run and Greg did his usual hour. It was foggy and around 40 degrees but it felt great. While we were out running Carolyn fixed us apple oatmeal, scrambled eggs, gluten free blueberry muffins, and cinnamon toast with almond slivers.....oh my..... I ate too much again (3 time in 4 days!) We spent the morning checking out the yard and all their trees and bushes. I'm sorry we were there in the fall/winter, I bet the grounds are beautiful in the spring and summer with all the blooms! We had a late lunch of pork chops and gravy, peas and carrots, mashed sweet potatoes, spinach salad with tangerines and pecans (ok, enough eating!!!!) It was wonderful. We left them at 5:00 to head for Dallas. Arrived at an RV park in Lewisville about 30 minutes from DFW airport at 7pm. Traffic was horrible and lots of construction. Our GPS tried to guide us the old routes which made us miss several exits. Luckily we got to the RV park before the office closed and were given our spot. For dinner we ate a bag of spinach salad, and some frozen leftovers. We didn't want anything to go bad because we are leaving the RV parked at the airport for 10 days without electricity (no refridgerator)! Not sure what it will smell like when we get home.
11:00am: Left El Dorado AR headed toward Houston
4:45pm: Arrived in Willis TX (north of Houston) at Thousand Lakes at Lake Conroe RV park where Anthony's daughter, Toni, and husband Josh, are staying. Anthony rented a cabin and we all went over for grilled steaks, sauteed mushrooms with green beans, twice baked potatoes then ice cream for dessert. It was Greg, Dona, Anthony, Toni, Josh, (their children) Jaten, Brinkley, Taye, and Kai. I stuffed my self again!!!!
Sat Nov 30, 2013
37 degrees at 7am, a little warmer than El Dorado. I ran for about 45 minutes and Greg ran for an hour. We did some laundry and Greg helped Josh work on their RV. Greg was right at home. I think he was having withdrawals from not working on a vehicle for a few weeks. He got his fix, so he's good to go a couple more weeks. Anthony left around 3 to go back to Anchorage. We had left over frozen spaghetti, salad and garlic bread for dinner.
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| In Willis TX |
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| Greg under RV, Josh at wheel. Both doing what they love! |
We left Willis at 11:30 and arrived without incident, to Weatherford TX to spend some time with my uncle Bob and aunt Carolyn. We got to sleep in a real bed for the night!!!!! yeah! Carolyn fixed us chicken stir-fry with rice and gluten free crackers on the side. She was so considerate to think of me with the gluten free things!
Mon Dec 2, 2013
I went for a 30 min run and Greg did his usual hour. It was foggy and around 40 degrees but it felt great. While we were out running Carolyn fixed us apple oatmeal, scrambled eggs, gluten free blueberry muffins, and cinnamon toast with almond slivers.....oh my..... I ate too much again (3 time in 4 days!) We spent the morning checking out the yard and all their trees and bushes. I'm sorry we were there in the fall/winter, I bet the grounds are beautiful in the spring and summer with all the blooms! We had a late lunch of pork chops and gravy, peas and carrots, mashed sweet potatoes, spinach salad with tangerines and pecans (ok, enough eating!!!!) It was wonderful. We left them at 5:00 to head for Dallas. Arrived at an RV park in Lewisville about 30 minutes from DFW airport at 7pm. Traffic was horrible and lots of construction. Our GPS tried to guide us the old routes which made us miss several exits. Luckily we got to the RV park before the office closed and were given our spot. For dinner we ate a bag of spinach salad, and some frozen leftovers. We didn't want anything to go bad because we are leaving the RV parked at the airport for 10 days without electricity (no refridgerator)! Not sure what it will smell like when we get home.
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| At uncle Bob's and aunt Carolyn's Chigger Ranch Weatherford TX |
Eldorado Arkansas
Wed Nov 27, 2013
3:00pm: Picked Anthony (Greg's brother) up at the Shreveport airport (he drove a rental car up from Houston and turned it in here). Drove to Eldorado AR and arrived at the rehab facility where their step-mom Jodie is staying for a short time. (Got there at 5pm). Step-brother Barry, and step-sister Nan, were there. It was a surprise to Nan that we all were coming, but a big surprise to Jodie that Anthony was there (she knew that Greg and Dona were coming). We spent about an hour visiting. Had dinner at Mel's Seafood just down the road from rehab. Greg and Anthony had seafood gumbo and Dona had shrimp e'tofee'. Very tasty. We parked the RV at the Gator Den RV Park. The owner wasn't around but over the phone he told us to park in an empty spot and he would catch up with us later to collect the fee.
Thursday (Turkey Day!) Nov 28, 2013
Oh my gosh, did it ever get cold over night!!! Anthony slept on the pull out couch that has a blow-up mattress, and only a sheet and thin blanket. The heat was turned down kind of low so he nearly froze to death during the night. It was 24 degrees at 8am. We did NOT go for a run. We went to the rehab center for a short visit then to Barry's for Thanksgiving lunch. His wife Karen and daughter Janda, and son Jarred cooked up a feast.... good southern-home-made feast!!!! With 3 kinds of pie.....I was in heaven!!!!! I did limit myself to just a piece of coconut cream.....but the pecan and the chocolate pudding pie were tempting as well. It did warm up to 50 by 2pm and very sunny. It was a beautiful day. We went back to the rehab center at 3:30 and was back at the RV by 6:30pm. We ate a very light supper: McDonald's chicken salad. Perfect for a Thanksgiving night after eating all we ate at lunch!
Fri Nov 29, 2013
Cold again last night, but Anthony bundled up and didn't pull the couch out, he just slept on the cushions. We were at the rehab by 9:30 for a morning visit then off to Houston at 11:00 to get Anthony back to catch a flight on Saturday.
3:00pm: Picked Anthony (Greg's brother) up at the Shreveport airport (he drove a rental car up from Houston and turned it in here). Drove to Eldorado AR and arrived at the rehab facility where their step-mom Jodie is staying for a short time. (Got there at 5pm). Step-brother Barry, and step-sister Nan, were there. It was a surprise to Nan that we all were coming, but a big surprise to Jodie that Anthony was there (she knew that Greg and Dona were coming). We spent about an hour visiting. Had dinner at Mel's Seafood just down the road from rehab. Greg and Anthony had seafood gumbo and Dona had shrimp e'tofee'. Very tasty. We parked the RV at the Gator Den RV Park. The owner wasn't around but over the phone he told us to park in an empty spot and he would catch up with us later to collect the fee.
Thursday (Turkey Day!) Nov 28, 2013
Oh my gosh, did it ever get cold over night!!! Anthony slept on the pull out couch that has a blow-up mattress, and only a sheet and thin blanket. The heat was turned down kind of low so he nearly froze to death during the night. It was 24 degrees at 8am. We did NOT go for a run. We went to the rehab center for a short visit then to Barry's for Thanksgiving lunch. His wife Karen and daughter Janda, and son Jarred cooked up a feast.... good southern-home-made feast!!!! With 3 kinds of pie.....I was in heaven!!!!! I did limit myself to just a piece of coconut cream.....but the pecan and the chocolate pudding pie were tempting as well. It did warm up to 50 by 2pm and very sunny. It was a beautiful day. We went back to the rehab center at 3:30 and was back at the RV by 6:30pm. We ate a very light supper: McDonald's chicken salad. Perfect for a Thanksgiving night after eating all we ate at lunch!
Fri Nov 29, 2013
Cold again last night, but Anthony bundled up and didn't pull the couch out, he just slept on the cushions. We were at the rehab by 9:30 for a morning visit then off to Houston at 11:00 to get Anthony back to catch a flight on Saturday.
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| Jodie with Barry, riding the halls of rehab |
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| Anthony, Jodie, and Greg |
Mobile Alabama and Jackson Mississippi
Mon - Wed Nov 11/25 - 11/27, 2013
4:00pm: Arrived at the Wales West RV Resort in Silverhill AL on the east side of Mobile Bay. It's a quaint RV park and mobile home park with the MOST Christmas lights I have ever seen! Fortunately they didn't turn any on after dark. I believe with all the lights turned on, we would not have used any lights inside the RV. There's a small train that runs around the park. Apparently the owners are big train enthusiasts. The club house has a large common area with cooking facility and an indoor pool. It's strange though that the showers can only be entered from the outside of the building.....and only one of those is working. The other one is being remodeled. We were invited to Bingo at 7 tonight but we declined. Grilled Mahi-Mahi with brown rice and broccoli for dinner.
During the night the winds were howling and the rain was coming down. I did not get much sleep. Woke to 42 degrees....burr.
Wales West RV Park
11/26: Pulled out at 10am heading to Jackson MS. Our plan was to camp overnight at Springridge RV park but when we arrived it was not what we had in mind. It was just off the interstate and it was more a mobile home park rather than RV's. We used the "trusty" GPS to locate another campground 13 miles away in a petrified forest.... what?... in Mississippi? We found it and they had an opening. It was a privately owed park with petrified logs. Very small campground but we had electricity and water and hot showers. It was 40 degrees at 4:15pm when we arrived. Greg immediately went for a run. I started getting dinner ready. It gets dark around 5. We grilled pork chops and had pre-made mashed potatoes, black beans with red onions and avocado.
11/27: (32 degrees at 7am.) The park office opened at 9 so we took the tour of the Petrified forest. It was a very quaint trails thru the forest where there had been a tremendous log jam eons ago leaving logs to be buried and petrified. Very interesting. They also had a really nice little museum with artifacts from around the world of petrified specimens and gem stones. After a quick shower we pulled out at 11:40 to head into Shreveport LA to pick up Greg's brother, Anthony. He was driving up from the Houston area so we could all ride together to Arkansas to see their step-mother and have Thanksgiving with her.
4:00pm: Arrived at the Wales West RV Resort in Silverhill AL on the east side of Mobile Bay. It's a quaint RV park and mobile home park with the MOST Christmas lights I have ever seen! Fortunately they didn't turn any on after dark. I believe with all the lights turned on, we would not have used any lights inside the RV. There's a small train that runs around the park. Apparently the owners are big train enthusiasts. The club house has a large common area with cooking facility and an indoor pool. It's strange though that the showers can only be entered from the outside of the building.....and only one of those is working. The other one is being remodeled. We were invited to Bingo at 7 tonight but we declined. Grilled Mahi-Mahi with brown rice and broccoli for dinner.
During the night the winds were howling and the rain was coming down. I did not get much sleep. Woke to 42 degrees....burr.
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| Looking out across a "lake" at all the Christmas Lights |
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| The community center at Wales West |
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| Our campsite with Christmas lights in all the trees |
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| The train station all decorated for Christmas |
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| more train station.... This is all at an RV park!!! |
Wales West RV Park
11/26: Pulled out at 10am heading to Jackson MS. Our plan was to camp overnight at Springridge RV park but when we arrived it was not what we had in mind. It was just off the interstate and it was more a mobile home park rather than RV's. We used the "trusty" GPS to locate another campground 13 miles away in a petrified forest.... what?... in Mississippi? We found it and they had an opening. It was a privately owed park with petrified logs. Very small campground but we had electricity and water and hot showers. It was 40 degrees at 4:15pm when we arrived. Greg immediately went for a run. I started getting dinner ready. It gets dark around 5. We grilled pork chops and had pre-made mashed potatoes, black beans with red onions and avocado.
11/27: (32 degrees at 7am.) The park office opened at 9 so we took the tour of the Petrified forest. It was a very quaint trails thru the forest where there had been a tremendous log jam eons ago leaving logs to be buried and petrified. Very interesting. They also had a really nice little museum with artifacts from around the world of petrified specimens and gem stones. After a quick shower we pulled out at 11:40 to head into Shreveport LA to pick up Greg's brother, Anthony. He was driving up from the Houston area so we could all ride together to Arkansas to see their step-mother and have Thanksgiving with her.
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| At the petrified forest |
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| campsite at the Petrified Forest |
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| A petrified log |
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| Getting ready for a hike |
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| Dona and Greg.....Petrified??? No.. just in the petrified forest! |
Monday, November 25, 2013
Panama City Florida
Sun Nov 24, 2013
We decided out of Chiefland to head to Panama City, but couldn't decide where to stay. We called St. Andrews State Park and were told they could find us a spot if we arrived by 5pm. We left Chiefland at 10:15. Got into Panama City at 4:30. We desperately needed groceries and gas but only had 30 minutes to get to the park before they closed. BUT....our trustly GPS told us our arrival time was an hour earlier.....what????.... Oh yeah...somewhere we crossed the time zone line into Central Standard Time and didn't know it. We had an hour to kill...It was only 3:30!! So we stopped at a Publix grocery store and bought some groceries. We made it to St. Andrews at 4:45. It was getting dark and pretty windy. I fixed gluten free spaghetti with turkey sausage and onions in a sauce with garlic bread and salad for dinner. I did venture out later to find the bathhouse so I could take a nice shower......ahhhh.... it was a very nice shower!!!!
Monday Nov 25, 2013
Holy Smokes!!! Did it ever get cold over night. The wind howled all night. It was in the low 50's when we got up. We both decided to go for a run. I wore capri's with my fleece top and bike jacket with hat and gloves. If the wind had not been blowing it would have been comfortable. Greg left before me but we wound up at the beach at the same time. I may be just a little prejudice since I grew up coming to Panama City Beach, but the Gulf of Mexico has the most beautiful beaches of any of the places I've gone. Even when it's really cold the beach looks just perfect. I could stay here forever. On my run I didn't see any alligators but saw a couple of deer who thought I was going to feed them as they walked very closed up to me. We didn't leave this camp until noon. Heading on to Mobile tonight.
We decided out of Chiefland to head to Panama City, but couldn't decide where to stay. We called St. Andrews State Park and were told they could find us a spot if we arrived by 5pm. We left Chiefland at 10:15. Got into Panama City at 4:30. We desperately needed groceries and gas but only had 30 minutes to get to the park before they closed. BUT....our trustly GPS told us our arrival time was an hour earlier.....what????.... Oh yeah...somewhere we crossed the time zone line into Central Standard Time and didn't know it. We had an hour to kill...It was only 3:30!! So we stopped at a Publix grocery store and bought some groceries. We made it to St. Andrews at 4:45. It was getting dark and pretty windy. I fixed gluten free spaghetti with turkey sausage and onions in a sauce with garlic bread and salad for dinner. I did venture out later to find the bathhouse so I could take a nice shower......ahhhh.... it was a very nice shower!!!!
Monday Nov 25, 2013
Holy Smokes!!! Did it ever get cold over night. The wind howled all night. It was in the low 50's when we got up. We both decided to go for a run. I wore capri's with my fleece top and bike jacket with hat and gloves. If the wind had not been blowing it would have been comfortable. Greg left before me but we wound up at the beach at the same time. I may be just a little prejudice since I grew up coming to Panama City Beach, but the Gulf of Mexico has the most beautiful beaches of any of the places I've gone. Even when it's really cold the beach looks just perfect. I could stay here forever. On my run I didn't see any alligators but saw a couple of deer who thought I was going to feed them as they walked very closed up to me. We didn't leave this camp until noon. Heading on to Mobile tonight.
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| view from campsite at St. Andrew's State Park |
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| Campsite |
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| Can't read the sign but I ran by this on 11-25 It is for "Gator Pond" warning about alligators |
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| I ran by this??????? |
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| This is why I wanted to come here |
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| The beaches are beautiful! |
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| My arctic running gear for the beach |
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| Greg, barefoot running on the beach |
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| My friends the deer |
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| Done to perfection.... grilled Mahi Mahi with brown rice and broccolli |
Manatee Springs Florida
Saturday Nov 23, 2013 |
| Manatee Springs.... we arrived! |
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| the Springs! |
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| Greg getting ready for snorkeling |
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| Our campsite |
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| Nature hike (I just woke up) |
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| lots of buzzards waiting around for something to die |
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| Suwannee River |
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| fall colors at the Suwannee River |
We pulled out of Lake Placid at 8:20am heading to Manatee Springs in Chiefland FL. We had called the State Park phone number to get reservations but Manatee Springs had no openings. I called (but did not reserve a spot) at a RV camp in Old Town not far up the road from Chiefland. Our intent was to hang out at Manatee Springs for a while then drive up the road and spend the night in Old Town at Suwannee river Hideaway. The trip from Lake Placid took about 5 hours. It was 4-lanes all the way but through lots of small towns with stop-n-go traffic. We drove thru beautiful horse farms outside of Ocala. Once getting to Manatee, the park ranger said they could get a camp site for us! We parked and immediately went to the springs to snorkel. I was here when I was very little but for some reason it did not look the same! The springs were much smaller than I remembered. We did get in the freezing cold water (it was 72 degrees) and snorkeled around. Nothing to see. No manatees, some fish, no snakes, no alligators. We snorkeled for about 30 minutes then went back to camp. Got on the bikes and road the trails for about an hour. Still didn't see any wild life until coming back to camp and saw a couple of deer on the side of the road. The wind was starting to blow but the temperature was very nice in the 70's. Dinner was frozen pizza (cooked in the convection microwave) and salad.
Sun Nov 24, 2013... It was 68 degrees in the RV (without the a/c running). The wind was chilly. We walked back to the springs and along the boardwalk but no signs of manatees. Back at camp, our neighbor said they saw a "cow and calf" earlier that morning. Aw... we were too late getting there to see them. We broke camp at 10:15 and the temp was 58 when we left. We don't exactly know where we are going next. No cell coverage at Manatee Springs but we had called a friend of Greg's who lives in Port St. Joe about 3-1/2 hrs away. Couldn't connect with them last night so once we left the park we had to pull off on the side of the road once we got cell coverage again and called them back. They were in Tennessee!!! St. Port Joe will have to wait until our next trip down. We studied the map a while and came up with Panama City as our next destination........stay tuned!
Lake Placid
Friday Nov. 22, 2013
Left Key West and the Florida Keys this morning at 9:00am after Greg went for a run and I worked out with resistance bands (trying to keep up with weight training). We drove thru some heavy rains off and on all day. We stopped in small town of Clewiston for groceries and arrived at Sunshine RV Resort Park at 3:15. Greg went for an hour run. I jumped in the outdoor pool to swim laps for 35 minutes. For dinner we had steak fajitas (left over steak meat from the other night) and rice and beans (left over from another night). The facility invited us to Bingo at 6. Too cute!!! We didn't go but it would have been fun!
Left Key West and the Florida Keys this morning at 9:00am after Greg went for a run and I worked out with resistance bands (trying to keep up with weight training). We drove thru some heavy rains off and on all day. We stopped in small town of Clewiston for groceries and arrived at Sunshine RV Resort Park at 3:15. Greg went for an hour run. I jumped in the outdoor pool to swim laps for 35 minutes. For dinner we had steak fajitas (left over steak meat from the other night) and rice and beans (left over from another night). The facility invited us to Bingo at 6. Too cute!!! We didn't go but it would have been fun!
Sunday, November 24, 2013
On the road again...... Key West!
Wed Nov 20, 2013
I slept so good last night probably because of the nice, cold shower I took before bed. I could never get the hot water to work. It's ok because I was so hot and sticky the cold shower felt good. It was 89 degrees in the RV at 6pm. We ran the air conditioner!
Left the campsite at 9:45 this morning to make our way to Key West. It was an uneventful drive down US 1. Lots of water on both sides of the road in plenty of places. I can't imagine what this road looks like when there is an evacuation of any kind (it is the only road for 120 miles that runs from Homestead/Florida City to Key West!!!!) We got to our next destination, Boyd's RV Resort at 1:30pm. The RV resort was not in Key West as we thought but on an out-lying island (Stock Island). We rode our bikes into Key West to get groceries. It was about 3 miles to the grocery store, most of that was bike path, some on road ways. Not too bad getting around. Lots of traffic and where we went to the store was some construction so we have to maneuver around that. For dinner, Greg grilled steaks. We had baked sweet potatoes and salad.
On Thursday the 21st we rode our bikes into town about 9:30. It was about a 5-1/2 mile ride into "Old Town" section. We walked around Old Town, went to the Wes Fisher Marine Museum (he was a dive salvagor who found a ship wreck with millions of silver bars and artifacts on board. After walking around, we had lunch at the Turtle Kraal restaurant on the docks. I had conch cerviche and Greg had grilled fish tacos. We splurged and had a piece of Key Lime Pie for dessert! Got back to the RV around 5:15. I was so hot, I jumped in the pool for a few minutes before starting dinner. We had grilled chicken breast, canned corn with green peppers, and cole slaw.
Here are a few pictures:
I slept so good last night probably because of the nice, cold shower I took before bed. I could never get the hot water to work. It's ok because I was so hot and sticky the cold shower felt good. It was 89 degrees in the RV at 6pm. We ran the air conditioner!
Left the campsite at 9:45 this morning to make our way to Key West. It was an uneventful drive down US 1. Lots of water on both sides of the road in plenty of places. I can't imagine what this road looks like when there is an evacuation of any kind (it is the only road for 120 miles that runs from Homestead/Florida City to Key West!!!!) We got to our next destination, Boyd's RV Resort at 1:30pm. The RV resort was not in Key West as we thought but on an out-lying island (Stock Island). We rode our bikes into Key West to get groceries. It was about 3 miles to the grocery store, most of that was bike path, some on road ways. Not too bad getting around. Lots of traffic and where we went to the store was some construction so we have to maneuver around that. For dinner, Greg grilled steaks. We had baked sweet potatoes and salad.
On Thursday the 21st we rode our bikes into town about 9:30. It was about a 5-1/2 mile ride into "Old Town" section. We walked around Old Town, went to the Wes Fisher Marine Museum (he was a dive salvagor who found a ship wreck with millions of silver bars and artifacts on board. After walking around, we had lunch at the Turtle Kraal restaurant on the docks. I had conch cerviche and Greg had grilled fish tacos. We splurged and had a piece of Key Lime Pie for dessert! Got back to the RV around 5:15. I was so hot, I jumped in the pool for a few minutes before starting dinner. We had grilled chicken breast, canned corn with green peppers, and cole slaw.
Here are a few pictures:
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| Dona at the southern most point in the continental U.S. |
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| Greg in front of Wes Fisher's Maritime Museum with GIANT statue of dancing couple in the background |
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| KEY LIME PIE!!!!! |
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| Smather's Beach on Atlantic Ocean - Key West |
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