Cold and Snow

We are in Maryland tonight in a motel. Not even sure if there would be a campground open at this time of year, but for the two of us, this feels really cold. We spent the weekend at Folkston, GA watching trains. There is a very high frequency of train traffic through Folkston. It's a famous train watching spot where lots of funny old guys gather to watch trains. The town put up a viewing platform with picnic tables and even a restroom painted in two shades of blue and yellow - CSX engine colors. The town does not mind if we park right by the tracks and spend the night in our camper. They realistically understand that these funny old guys come to town and spend $$ in stores, restaurants. and lodgings. We will be home tomorrow ready to unpack, do laundry and then get back to our regular routines.

A Banner Day at Jetty Park

Yesterday was an amazing day at Jetty Park and it was all serendipity, we did not know any schedules. Started with a lovely sunrise, then a sub came into the sub base. We had a big breakfast with Lisa and Mary at the Port Side Restaurant. Later the Disney Dream went out on a cruise with the horns playing a few bars of several Disney songs. The Dream is a spectacular ship, so Disney, so lovely. The day progressed with sweet weather and breezes and porpoise in the channel and basin. The grand finale: We had decided to camp one night on the inlet next to the water and there was going to be a rocket launch. Went off with no minutes to spare in the launch window. I was holding my breath. 8:59PM, ignition, blast off, a few seconds later the roar of the rockets. We saw the stages release into the night sky, and then not visible as the rockets shut down. Jetty Park had thousands of folks who came to watch, some are launch baggers from their comments. I could be one! This launch was for a new GPS satellite to replace an oldie. There will be two more launches this year. I could spend quite a few more days here. Hello 2015 camping.

Cruise Ships

I do wish I could upload photos to my blog. I watched the Carnival Pride Cruise Ship slide into port this morning at 6AM. It was still dark and the ship by like a huge city block. You have to look way up to see the top as the ships are quite close in the shipping channel. When the ships leave port, there is a bit of hoopla with music, people waving and shouting, and the attendant pilot and police boats. The cruise ships are escorted out of harbor and even have to have a professional pilot on board. the pilot then later leaves by a small door down by the water line and comes back on the pilot boat. Very cool. When the ships return, it's often very early in the morning while it is dark. They silently glide into port with only the low hum of engines. We are looking on line for more listings of cruise ships entering or leaving. We especially like to watch the Disney ships. They are SO Disney and just perfect. The Disney horn plays a few bars of favorite Disney songs instead of a mighty steam toot.

Florida Delights

We really like the Florida state parks. They are well run, not too expensive, have electric hookups at each site, bathhouses are roomy and clean and they feature some special natural feature. We spent a night at Florida Caverns State Park. Then we went on to St George's Island S .P. before heading to Disney for a few extraordinary days with our friends Art and Beth, who are now cast members and who take us around and give us the inside scoop. The Disney campground is a bit $$$ but exceptional in amenities; and one can get to all the Disney attractions on buses, boats, or trams. We love how Disney runs the parks and manages all the guests. Another favorite campground is Fort Desoto below St Pete beach. Our site was roomy, screened for privacy with lots of palms and other plants and looked out onto the inlet. There are many birds, even a flock of ibis which strolled into our camp; and what with the raccoons who skulk about at night, it's a wonderful place. I can ride my bike to the fort and also the North Beach which gets listed as one of the top ten beaches in the country. Then we drove across the state to Jonathan Dickinson S.P. (eagles, alligators, osprey, long legged birds). Yesterday, we spent our anniversary with our friend Ann who now lives in Palm Beach Gardens. What a great location she is in. For the next three days, we are at what is possibly our personal favorite park: Jetty Park in Port Canaveral, another county park. We will maybe be able to see a satellite launch tomorrow evening. Last year the potential launch was scrubbed and I sat ALL day saving the best possible viewing position; but it was scrubbed at the last minute. Here's hoping... We will be able to see the many kinds of boats and ships, especially we like the cruise ships and most especially, the Disney ships. Only another week and we will be home to deal with the rest of winter. I am hoping for no more snow as we have been quite spoiled down in the South.

Another Hotel Night

We have done really well in NOT going to a lot of hotels: More money, more packing and unpacking. We are in Tampa; however, and we had dinner last night with my nephew Andrew and his spouse, Jack - a delicious Olive Garden dinner with wonderful conversation and laughs. It would have too late to set up camp at a campground, if indeed there was one really handy. Today, we are off to Disney for a few days. Last week? We camped at Fort Pickens off Pensacola. We were in an end camping loop and almost had the place to ourselves...Yea! We shared the area with an old man in a truck camper and a couple armadillos. It was a short walk to the Gulf Coast and lovely miles of beaches, but with winter waves and chilly temps I was not tempted to even stick a toe in the water. Next we headed toward Tallahassee and lunch with my retired teaching colleague Sue. She now lives in a retirement community with really lovely grounds and innumerable amenities (pool, dining room if you want it, fitness center, housekeeper, landscapers, etc). Her sister and a friend are also in the community. we also camped for a night at Florida Caverns State Park; it was a cold and rainy night, but the park is interesting and would be a grand adventure if the weather was better and we were going to be there longer. There are caverns that one can tour on given days. Another two nights' camping at St George Island State Park, it was again, cool but better than in January. A retired educator had his telescope set up for solar viewing in the day time and the night sky after dark. He had a homemade solar filter. One can purchase a film and construct a filter to view sunspots. Yes, there were several visible. Along with the Gulf vistas, many long legged birds, mixed flocks of robins, towhees, mocking birds, there were two great horned owls calling to each other all night. February is courtship month for more than humans and Valentine's Day. we hope to have internet at Disney, which of course, costs extra. About the only thing one does not pay extra for at Disney is toilet paper. I will go on record that the Disney campground is wonderful, lots of campers, but well-run and spotless. Once there, you can get everywhere Disney with the buses, trams, boats, etc. Our friends Art and Beth, former Holliston residents, retired to Disney and are part time cast members. In a way, they open doors for us by advising about special Disney offerings and adventures. We love it all. The order of events is a little disordered in the above paragraph. Here is the sequence: Superbowl night in the motel, Fort Pickens N.P., Florida Caverns State Park, Tallahassee, St George State Park, Jack and Andrew and Olive Garden, Tampa hotel night and today on to Disney.

Superbowl Hotel Night

(1) We had our own little Superbowl Party last night and this is on top of the Mardi Gras Parade. Phew, Such festivities. Bob and I were happily in our PJ's in a Pensacola hotel (not really a party). I confess that I am not very drawn to sports extravaganzas, especially since the home team got eliminated, but the ads were really good. I can't believe the Broncos beat the Pats as they look pretty inept last night. At Least they got one TD. (2) It's raining this morning, but it's a lovely warm rain. We'll be camping in the rain a lot this week. We are headed for Fort Pickens campground for a few days. It's on a barrier island just off Pensacola.

Dauphin Island, AL

(1) The South is finally warming up! We are having a lovely couple days on the Island. The Mardi Gras Parade yesterday was festive, noisy, and just plain fun. Watching folks having their parties and cruising up and down the avenue was as much fun as the parade. People do it up to the max: campers, awnings, purple, yellow and green outfits with mighty silly hats, grills sending out yummy smells of sausage, steak and burgers grilling, decked out motorcycles (Harleys, natch),loud music, and general silliness. (2) I've been able to catch a couple spectacular sunrises and sunsets. I feel instantly spiritual at the cusps of the day. (3) We will be heading for Pensacola probably after church today - St. Francis Episcopal Church on the island. (4) We met some super friendly folks at the parade who have promised us a gala time next year with prize winning gumbo, grilled fish and oysters, and even a boat ride. Thanks to David and Jody for all the hospitality at the parade. And you should have seen their grandbaby girl dressed in a spectacular Mardi Gras outfit. Way too adorable.

Gulf Coast

(1) It takes courage to eat gumbo! The shrimp looks like a slug floating in brown liquid with big chunks of scary sausage. Odinarily I would not eat such interesting food, but the flavor is delicious and I am down south. (When in Rome...) Last year, I had some gumbo made by a fellow in a store front restaurant in the puckerbrush areas of LA. It had sausage, shrimp, chicken with the skin and bones floating around. Really - it looked like something cannibals had cooked up. Bob does not even want to be in the camper, just keeps wrinkling his nose and saying, "Eeyewww." (2) We saw a gift/used stuff/antique store named Artsy Fartsy in Mississippi. (3) We are at Gulf State Park, AL. Huge campground, more than 400 sites. It has many clean b'rooms, activity building, nature building, pool for summer. Good job, Alabama. Deep freeze and maybe snow predicted. Schools already closed for today (Tues.) and Wed. Folks don't have winter clothes and can't drive when it's icy. We'll be OK in our snug as a bug camper. We both have electric throws which are a good size for a camper bed. As long as the campground has electricity, we are happy. We can do more primitive camping, but we like the easy comfort of being able to plug in! (4) Next Saturday, we will be at a Mardi Gras Parade on Dauphin Island. Such fun and silliness.

More Cold But Warm Memories

Good thing we are tough New Englanders as it's still PDC, as in Pretty Darn Cold. A couple of folks in tents last night. While I have been in a tent in the 20's and 30's while hiking, I will say, it is not fun shivering all night. No matter how many layers you have on, when it's cold, it's cold. We will probably be off line for a while as the library is closed on Sunday. We plan to go to the local Episcopal Church tomorrow morning, then drive to Alabama Monday morning. We had a gala night last night at the local Ocean Springs Elementary School. Bob proposed to me at a spaghetti supper in Holliston at the high school more than 24 years ago. What a romantic guy! So he asked me last night if I'd like to spend 20 or so years more with him - a sort of second proposal given the atmosphere (paper plates, bright lights, kids, cafeteria stools). I agreed to do so. :) XOXO. While I am sorry not to be biking my big goal of the USA, we are really enjoying some extra time to poke along the Gulf Coast and spend more than one night at a campground. It's all good!

Cold in Mississippi

Travel day yesterday from LA to MS. Last night and for a few days we will be at Gulf Shores National Park Campground in Ocean Springs, MS. Ocean Springs is a lovely southern town feeling a bit like New Orleans with lovely old trees downtown with branches hanging over the streets, flowers abundant, balconies with little cafes, a vegan restaurant, and a wonderful Mardi Gras Parade which, sadly, we will miss this year as we are too early. After a couple more days, we will head for Gulf State Park, AL. This is a beautiful campground and we are keeping our fingers crossed for an open space. We will also go to Lambert's Café, "Home of Throwed Rolls." It was featured on Diners, rive-ins and Dives on TV. We were there last year and can't wait to get back. Bob and I are at the O.S. Library as the campground does not have WIFI. I will report on the Throwed Rolls - The servers actually toss the rolls to you. They toss them far if you look like a good catcher but(how insulting) they practically dropped one in my lap. These are big, warm home made rolls. They bring around apple butter if you want some or some molasses. Check out Lambert's on line. By the way, folks are really freaking out about the 30 degree temps at night. OMG, protect your animals, wrap your pipes, cover your plants. Of course, they do not have cellars and pipes buried deep.

Birds, Armadillos and Farl Cats

Farl is LA speak for feral. We are at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park in the bayou area of the Atchafalaya Delta. We drove along the levees for many miles to get here. We had a couple of armadillos in our campsite last night which were absolutely unconcerned about our lights shining on them. Snuffle, dig, rustle, shuffle. What wonderful works of nature they are. Also loud hoots from a barred owl. We have camper neighbors from LA who invited us to share their campfire last night, friendly and chatty. While still in TX, we drove through Aransas Wildlife Refuge and saw two Whooping Cranes in a low tidal flat. We have seen several birds for the first time on this trip. Padre Island NP, we saw white tailed hawks, snow geese, and snipes. An amazing birding location helped along by two knowledgeable volunteers on a bird sighting drive and walk. Other sightings include: kestrel, falcon, myriad ducks, geese, herons, pelicans - both brown and white, northern harriers, many caracara. Although I gave up biking across the USA due to unsafe road conditions, I still try to include lots of activity time. This trip into the delta area is a bonus that we would not have been able to take the time for, as I would still be biking in TX. I am going to re entertain the goal of doing the east Coast, Canada to Key West. The Eastcoast Greenway is an organization and a route. Approximately 30% of the bike right of way is on green space dedicated to bike and pedestrian use. Several years ago, I completed from Bar Harbor to Portsmouth, NH about 350 miles. A couple of advantages: Much of the route is close to home and can be accessed in a day or two. We head south in the winter and I will be able to bike from NC to Key West in January and February depending on current conditions. And, a biggie, the speed limit will not be 75 MPH. in West Texas, some of the cars were going a tad faster, I suspect.

Another Texas Day

The Pennsylvania post is in the wrong time sequence but Bob found it in a draft. I biked yesterday on a Farm Ranch Road for 22 miles. 22 miles with scrub vegetation, a few grazing farm animals, some birds. I have never seen a longspur before which is a chunky robin sized brownish bird that shows white tail feathers when it flies. I was on a very hilly road in a very brisk wind and felt good about the 22 miles even though I fantasize about doing prodigious miles in one outing. Today, we parked along a highway overlooking Laughlin, AFB to watch the jets with student pilots doing "touch and go." We attracted the attention of the base security, sheriff's department and the Border Patrol. Holy cow! After some posturing and checking ID's we were allowed to move along. After our adventures with the Texas assorted police, we went to the San Filipe Bike Trail and biked some lovely and tame miles along the San Filipe Creek. This park is near the center of Del Rio and offers a greenway and safe biking and strolling. We are spending our third night at the Broke Mill RV Park in Del Rio, TX. It's a wonderful campground with many amenities such as a fitness room, laundry, free morning coffee, large sites and not too many people right now (hurray!). We were visited early yesterday morning by two vary large jackrabbits with quite amazing ears.

Holliston to PA Welcome Center

Holliston to Pennsylvania in the bitter cold.  We stopped at the Rt. 84 PA Welcome Center to pay homage to the bear-in-the-box.  I will keep trying to upload the photo but so far no luck.  This 701 pound bear was illegally shot so is now in a Plexiglas box.  Kind of a sad ending for a magnificent fellow.

Inspirational Reading

My friend Barbara gave us two inspirational things to bring, one a gift and one a loaner.  The gift is a small medallion to put on the visor. It says:  "Life is a journey, God is my guide; we travel safely together side by side."  We know that God, and the good wishes of friends and family go with us just as our prayers for our loved ones travel also.  The loaner is a book of sermons by The Rev. Chandler McCarthy.  I am reading one a day orally to Bob and for myself as we travel.  He must have been wonderful to hear in person. For more Episcopal inspiration, I also read the daily offering from Forward Day by Day. 


I do several oral readings each day.  I gave Bob a small pamphlet, "Walking with Pope Francis: 30 Days with the Encyclical The Light of Faith."  I bought it for Bob's Christmas stocking as he likes reading about popes and their histories.  I was surprised at the sweet spirituality in each day's selection:  A brief scripture passage, a prayer and a thought for the day. Another book that I am reading bit by bit is the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.  How many times have I read it and how new does it sound?  Amazing how timeless the message is. 


Finally, to prevent our getting too other worldly, I am reading "Captivated" by Nora Roberts.  Kate and I both really have enjoyed the Family Donovan series. The main characters are all witches with different gifts:  magic, or seeing as in being psychic, or empathy.  In "Captivated" Morgana is a witch whose special gift is magic and who falls in love with a normal man.  Yes, I am reading all, even the more romantic parts. (Her skin was like milk in the moonlight. Her hair smelled like forest and secrets.  She trembled and sighed in his arms completely humbling him.) He annoys her also and he narrowly escapes being changed into a braying donkey! 



 

Some Texas Impressions and Sights

Texas has some amazing rest stops. One today is a combo of rest stop, playground, picnic area and safety center for severe weather.  Texas public campgrounds have very large sites and are well maintained. Last night we were at Lake Whitney State Park and no one else was camping in the loop we chose. Just the way we two Old Fuddy Duddies like it!  There were many mule deer, several flocks of meadowlarks wintering here, and coyotes yowling in the moonlit night.  And black vultures are so numerous perched on utility poles and trees that we call them pigeon vultures.  This section of Texas has long stretches of semi arid land with some cattle, a few horses and a couple of very fat goats. We blasted through San Antonio, Dallas, Austin on major roads.  The secondary roads have some sad little communities with run down homes, empty store buildings and not much happening, but if you need Walmart or a dollar store, they abound.  We are in Del Rio right on the USA/Mexico border. I start biking tomorrow and I have observed that there are some major hills - not all of TX is flat!

Weiners and Treadmills

http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20140110/NEWS/301100020/Wienermobile-stops-Jackson-more-visits-West-Tenn-today-weekend


And we saw it rolling down the highway. 


Happy Nan.  There is a Golds Gym that is free to Econolodge guests with room key.  :)

Snow and Bathing Suit

Photo taken Friday morning, January 3 after big Nor'easter complete with about 10 inches of fluffy snow, blowing gusts of wind, and temps in the single digits.  Actually, we will be heading for Texas before Florida so that I can continue biking the USA, but Florida sounded better with the bathing suit and hat.  I have completed from St Augustine, FL to the TX/LA line (all the really flat sections).  The goal is San Diego before I am 80 years old.  One reason to post a pretrip blog is that I sort of forgot "how to."  Happy New Year!