Monday, October 31, 2016

South Carolina To Florida.

Callahan, FL.

75 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Plentiful sunshine. Near record high temperatures. High 87F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.


We left the New Green Acres RV Park about  9:35, hopped on I-95 and took it all the way down to just South of Savannah, GA where we turned off on US 17. As usual 95 was very crowded, but the traffic moved smoothly and we made good time.

US 17 took us to GA 196, (a short-cut) which took us over to US 84.  84 then took us in a Southwesterly direction which brought us to Jesup, GA where we turned South on US 301. 301 then brought us all the way down to Florida and to Hilliard, FL., where we pulled into the Winn-Dixie Grocery Store parking lot, so that Jim could go in and purchase some bread, hamburger buns and paper plates. It didn't take Jim long and soon we were back on 301. In just a few miles, we pilled into Kelly's Countryside RV Park, which is just a few miles North of Callahan..

It was 1:30 when we pulled up to the office, so it took us right at 3 hours and 55 minutes to travel the 199 mile down here and buy those few groceries.

We've stayed at Kelly's many times before, and in fact spent a whole month here one year while we were full-timing. It's a nice friendly CG, well maintained, but it has become very popular with monthly RVers  so that now it's almost always full and you need to call ahead to make sure they have a site available.

We're staying here for 2 nights and so tomorrow, we'll travel the final leg of our summer travels. :-(  It's about 3 hours from here to the DeBary area so we won't have to start too early in the morning to get there at a reasonable time.


Did you know that in Georgia, the Okefenokee Swamp encompasses over 400,000 acres of canals; moss draped cypress trees, and lily pad prairies providing sanctuaries for hundreds of species of birds and wildlife including several endangered species?

Woof!!!

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Myrtle Beach, SC to Walterboro, SC and Hurricane Matthew Storm Damage.

Walterboro, SC

68 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast tomorrow - Abundant sunshine. Record high temperatures expected. High 86F. Winds light and variable.

As promised, here's a few more photos that Jim took at Apache Family CG in Myrtle Beach, SC


 Jim took this photo, standing in Nora's doorway.


View of beach from the top of the small dune

Looking back towards our site from dune.

Road between our site and dune.

The Apache CG is nice and the view is great if you can get a water-front site, but they do pack the RVs in here and you don't have much room on either side.

Because we had a 2:00 pm check in time at our next stop, we didn't leave the Apache CG until about 10:35 this morning. We returned to US 17, following it South down to Charleston where we took I-526 around the North side of the City, connecting with 17 again on the West side of the city. We then followed 17 to Jacksonboro, SC where we turned NE on SC 64, 64 took us up to Walterboro and to the New Green Acres RV Park. It was 2:20 when we pulled into the park, so it took us about 3 hours and 45 minutes to travel the 167 miles down here and stop to fill Big RED's fuel tank in Walterboro.

Not too bad when you consider the very heavy traffic in Myrtle Beach and Charleston.

Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, we haven't seen much damage from hurricane Matthew, all the way down the coast from Virginia Beach to the Apache CG which is on the Northern edge of Myrtle Beach. Today, however was another story. We saw many, many trees down along side of US 17 in the center part of Myrtle Beach, down to Murrells Inlet and a lot of trees down all the way to Charleston. We also saw some areas that were evidently flooded as the people had moved furniture and other belongings to the curb for pick-up. There were also a few homes that had tarps over their roofs, so I'm surmising that they have roof damage.

I feel so sorry for some of those people. They have lost everything.

We're only staying here at New Green Acres for one night. Tomorrow, we'll be heading further South.


Did you know that Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States?

Woof!!!


Friday, October 28, 2016

Norh Carolina to South Carolina

Myrtle Beach, SC.

63 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High around 80F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Jim took a few photos at the Surf City CG Tuesday, so I thought I'd post a couple of them here today.


 The Beach from the top of the sand dune.



Part of Surf City CG.  Can you spot Nora?



 Another shot of the CG. Main entrance with office on the right side of photo


We left the Surf City Campground right at 10:00 Wednesday morning.  After turning left out of the CA on NC 210, we followed it back to US 17. 17 brought us all the way down here to Myrtle Beach, SC and the Apache Family CG and Pier  It was 12:15 when we pulled up on front of the office, so it took us an hour and 15 minutes to travel the 105 miles down here.

This is a much larger CG than we usually stay at, but being that Jim called a long time ago for reservations, we have a great site right next to the beach. There is a narrow road and a small sand dune, but you can see right over the dune from Nora to watch the ocean do its thing. ;-)

The only photo that Jim has taken so far is this one of yesterday's sunrise and the pier.

I'm sure he'll be taking a few more and I'll be sure to post them when he does.

We'll be leaving here tomorrow morning, (Saturday), and will continue heading towards Florida. We're still on schedule to get there on the 1st of November.

Did you know that South Carolina entered the Union on May 23, 1788 and became the 8th state?

Woof!!!

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Heading South

North Topsail Beach, NC.

55 deg. clear, NE wind @ 12 mph. gusting to 17 mph.

Forecast =  Sunny. High 69F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.


After a great visit with Joe and his family, we left Virginia Beach Sunday morning at about 10:10.  I don't know just why, but leaving was very hard for Linda this time. There were quite a few tears shed. :-(

From Virginia Beach, we took I-264 back West to I-64, took 64 around to the South side of Norfolk where we turned South on US 17. 17 then brought us down into North Carolina and to Williamston, where we pulled into Pierce's Mobile Home and RV Park. It was 12:35 when we arrived, so it took us right at 2 hours and 25 minutes to travel the 124 miles down there.

Pierce's is a nice quiet park that we've stayed at many times before, and most importantly, they have full hook-ups so that Jim could dump Nora's black and grey water tanks that were very full after our 9 day stay in Joe's driveway!!

About 9:45 yesterday morning we left Pierce's and continued South on US 17. after following 17 down through New Bern and Jacksonville, NC we turned off on NC 210 in Dixon, NC and followed 210 over to the Coast and to North Topsail Beach and the Surf City Family CG. It was 12:15 when we pulled up in front of the office so it took us right at 2 and a half hours to travel the 129 miles down here.

The Surf City CG is another park we've stayed at quite a few times before. There's absolutely nothing fancy about the park, but the owners are very friendly, it's quiet and there's a beautiful view of the ocean from the top of the sand dune.

Today, Jim and Linda are thinking about going out to dinner at one of the many restaurants in the area. Then, tomorrow we'll leave here and head down to Myrtle beach, SC for a 3 day stay in that area.


Did you know that on this date in 1955 - The microwave oven, for home use, was introduced by The Tappan Company?

Woof!!!


Friday, October 21, 2016

Visiting With Family, Dr. Appointment and Getting Ready

Virginia Beach, VA.

65 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High around 80F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.


When we arrived here a week ago, both of Joe and Nancy's girls were home from college, (Virginia Tech), for the weekend. It sure was good to see them again, they've both matured so much in the last few years.

That's Amber on the left and Sami on the right.

They had to head back to school Sunday afternoon, but Sami is coming back here today, for a doctor's appointment and spend most of the weekend with family. 

Haven't done a whole lot since we've been here. Mostly visiting and just enjoying the nice weather we've had. The time is really flying by though and Sunday we'll be leaving here to start the final leg of our travels back to Florida. It's still looking like we should be getting down there right around the 1st of November. 
 
Oh, Jim, Linda, Joe and Nancy went out to eat Tuesday evening at a little restaurant out on the coast, called the Back Deck. They said that it was kind of neat eating out on the deck, overlooking the water, and the food was real good too. :-)  
 
Linda made some phone calls the other day and now Jim has an appointment for his PET Scan on the 3rd and a doctor's appointment, (to get the results of the scan) on the 4th. Needless to say, he's a little worried about getting the scan and finding out the results. :-( 
 
I imagine that today and tomorrow, Jim and Linda will be getting Big RED and Nora ready to travel. Jim has already checked and filled the air in their tires and Linda has started putting things away inside. 
 
 
Did you know that on this date in  1797 - "Old Ironsides," the U.S. Navy frigate Constitution, was launched in Boston's harbor?

Woof!!!
 
 

Saturday, October 15, 2016

NC To VA and All Set Up At Joe And Nancy's

Virginia Beach, VA.

56 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High 67F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.


We left Roanoke Rapids yesterday morning around 10:20 and headed North on I-95. After crossing into Virginia we turned East on US 58 at Emporia and followed it all the way to I-64 which circles around the South and East sides of Norfolk. Once on the East side of Norfolk, we turned East on I-264 which brought us to Virginia Beach and Joe and Nancy's house.

It was about 12:45 when we pulled up in front of the house, so it took us about 2 hours and 25 minutes to travel the  123 miles over here.

In just a few minutes, Jim had Nora backed into the driveway and soon had her unhooked from the back of Big RED and leveled. Then it was just a matter of hooking up the electric, (20 amps) and the water.






We'll be staying here for a total of 9 days and then we'll start heading South towards Florida with a stop at a CG in Myrtle Beach, (if hurricane Mathew didn't wash it away). :-)

Did you know that the Great Dismal Swamp is in Virginia near the North Carolina border?


Woof!!!

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Moncure, NC to Roanoke Rapids, NC

Roanoke Rapids, NC

50 deg. foggy, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy skies. High around 75F. Winds light and variable.


Yesterday morning, (Wednesday), we left Goodwin's RV Park at about 10:25 in the morning. We took our time because we had decided that we'd only go as far as Roanoke Rapids and stay at a CG there for a couple days and see what's happening with the power outages in Virginia Beach.

From Moncure, we took US 1 up to Raleigh where we turned off on I-40. 40 took us around to the East side of the city where we turned East on US 264 and followed it to US 64 which brought us to I-95 at Rocky Mount. Following 95 North then brought us up here to Roanoke Rapids and The RV Resort at Carolina Crossroads .  Jim had called the CG to make sure they had a spot for us, so when we pulled in at 12:25, they had a site waiting for us.

So, it took us almost exactly 2 hours to travel the 117 miles over here. A nice short day. ;-)

We had never been to this park before but some good friends of Jim and Linda's (Gin and Syl),  had stayed here many times and really liked it.

Speaking of Gin and Syl, you can imagine our surprise when they pulled up along side of Big RED while Jim was checking in at the office!!! And, another surprise was that our site ended up being right next to their site!!!! What luck!!!!

We pulled into our site and Jim and Linda got Nora set up. Then they headed next door to visit with Gin and Syl for awhile.  The visit ended all too soon as they had to leave because Gin's mother was ill and they had to head over there to help out.  In fact they will probably be staying there for a few days, so it's doubtful that we'll be seeing them again before we leave here. :-(

It sure was nice to see them again and we're hopeful that we'll meet up again sometime in our travels.


Today, Jim is planning on calling a few parks over in Virginia Beach to see if they have electricity and have a site for us. If they do, we'll be leaving here tomorrow and heading over there. I hope they do. Linda is getting real anxious to see Joe and his family.


Did you know that the word “hurricane” comes from Hurican, a name for the god of evil on some islands in the Caribbean?

Woof!!!

Monday, October 10, 2016

We're OK and Thanks For Inquireing

Moncure, NC.

50 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast tonight = Clear skies. Low 43F. Winds light and variable.  Brrrrrrr!!!!!


Last Friday, the rain started and it didn't quit until early Sunday morning. Saturday, it rained really hard all day and along with the rain, we had some pretty strong winds in the 30 to 40 mph range with gusts into the mid 50 mph range. How much did it rain, you ask? Well I really don't know cause Jim's rain gauge only goes up to 4 inches and it started running over, sometime during the day on Saturday. :-O   We kept electric power the whole time, except for a few blinks, but much of the area around us lost power, and in fact some are still without electricity.  

There's flooding everywhere from here to the coast and many cities are completely swamped and underwater. Many roads are closed, including I-95 and I-40 in the SE part of N. Carolina.

Wednesday, we're scheduled to leave here and head for Virginia Beach, but we talked to Linda's son, Joe, and they don't have any electricity, so we're going to head up to Roanoke Rapids and stay at an RV Park there for a few days. Then, we'll see where we go from there. Hopefully power will be restored in VA Beach and we can continue with our plans.

Jim and Linda want to thank all of you who commented, called or e-mailed them in the last few days and asked about our welfare. We're fine, and weathered the storm without any problems. It got a little scary a few time, but Nora did very well.

I don't know what we'll be doing after we go to Joe's.  Myrtle Beach, SC., (where we have reservations at a CG), was also hit really hard and as of now, we don't even know if the CG is in operation or not, or if we can even get to Myrtle Beach or not.

So, again, it's good that all of our plans are written in pencil and that Jim still has that big eraser!! ;-)


Did you know that the deadliest weather disaster in U.S. history was an unnamed hurricane that struck Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 8, 1900, as a powerful Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of more than 130 mph (209 kph)?  It killed an estimated 8,000 people.


Woof!!!

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Hurricane Matthew

Moncure, NC

62 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast today : Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 68F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.



Just a quick post to let y'all know that we're still in NC and it doesn't look like the hurricane will have much effect this far North and inland. Jim and Linda did take Big RED to Walgreen's yesterday to pick up a couple prescriptions and buy a few items.

Needless to say, it doesn't look too good for our house down in Florida though. Talked to Laura and she is going to be working at the hospital for the next 3 days. She will stay there the whole time and not return home until the hurricane has passed. She and Lindsey checked our house and everything looked good, so all that can be done has been done and we'll just have to hope for the best.

Hope all of you are taking precautions if you're in the effected area.

I'll be posting as soon as the storm is over and I have some info to pass on to you.

Did you know that a hurricane can reach 40,000 to 50,000 feet up into the sky?


Woof!!!