Shattered

Today was one of those days that was most definitely not short of excitement.

After a peaceful night in our "interesting" park, we were up and moving fairly early. We got ourselves together and headed to the nearby Cracker Barrel to meet Dee and Jim. Though Dee and I have chatted online several times over the course of the last year or so, we'd never met in person. So, our meeting today was much anticipated by all. Dee and Jim have been planning their fulltiming journey for four years, and right now they are patiently awaiting the arrival of their brand spanking new rolling home. They are on the eve of some very exciting changes in their lives, and their enthusiasm about it all definitely shows! Over tasty biscuits and gravy we talked about each others preparations and plans. After breakfast they followed us to the campground for a grand tour of the moose. We had a great time showing the place off and comparing notes. Dee and Jim were very fun to talk with. Our time together passed much too quickly, and soon it was time to let them enjoy the rest of their weekend and for us to hit the road. We look forward to seeing this delightful couple on the road again soon.

The late start to our travels was perfect, since we had a mere 170 miles to go today, and all of it was on the interstate. In no time, we were heading into Richmond, our first big city in quite awhile. As we were maneuvering toward downtown, I looked out my window from the co-captain's seat to take in the city view when, in a microsecond, we were startled by a loud POP! as the window I was peering through shattered into a million pieces.

Can you say "Scary"?

Paul maintained control of the moose and fired off two questions in a single breath: Are you OK? And, What hit us?

Thankfully, I was OK. Auto glass is designed to shatter and and hold together, and this stuff did it's job. As to his second question, I answered with complete authority. "Nothing!" I had my eye on that window the last second it was in one piece and nothing hit it. It just exploded! It was like it suddenly became pressurized and just popped.

It was the weirdest thing.

My concern was Paul's ability to see our right side mirror. After all, there was a pane of shattered glass between him and it. But, he assured me he could see just fine. (Thanks for the little white lie, dear. I needed that!) With just 15 miles left to our destination, we held our collective breaths that everything would hold together long enough for us to get parked. We arrived at the Americamps-becoming-a-KOA campground with everything else in one piece. We had enough adrenaline pumping, though, to run a marathon!

Luckily, we just so happen to be camped about three miles away from a Winnebago dealer. (Coincidence?) We'll pay a visit over there tomorrow and see if we can find ourselves a new one.

Not According To Plan

We ain't in Tennessee.

No, we're in Durham, NC, making a quick overnight stop on the way to Virginia. Then, quite honestly, we haven't a clue.

At this point, we are way off the plan.

Tonight we were supposed to be settling in for a week at a nifty new park near Pigeon Forge, TN. Instead, we're some 300 miles east of there.

You see, this is rattling my inner planner. The dialogue between that part of me and the fulltimer in me is interesting. Let's tune in, shall we?

Inner Planner: "We're not where we're supposed to be."

Fulltimer: "Where we are is absolutely perfect."

Inner Planner: "But, we won't see the Smokey Mountains."

Fulltimer: "Maybe not. We'll meet Dee and Jim for breakfast tomorrow instead."

Inner Planner: "But, I spent soooooo much time putting this route together. All those hours on google maps...wasted!"

Fulltimer: "Maybe you should spend less time on the computer. Go for a walk."

And, so it goes.

This is a big moment in our newbie fulltiming adventures. We've thrown out our itinerary and are setting our own course in the moment.

It's a lot of fun!

Now, if only I could silence that mouthy Inner Planner.

One Great Community

Any day that is marked by finally getting out of the shower at 2:30 PM has to be a lazy one, right? For not moving around much (though Paul did go for run), we've been mighty busy. Our fingers have been flying and we've spent a lot of time on the phone. Hopefully things will calm down here in a bit so we can enjoy our last evening in the Asheville area in peace. Our destination for tomorrow is still unclear. It'll either be Tennessee as planned, or we may take a slight detour. Time will tell.

Yes, something might just be in the works.

One of things we've been reminded of today is how amazing this fulltiming community is. The combined wisdom and expertise is a real treasure. Because we're treading in unfamiliar territory today, we've approached the community for some advice. We've asked a handful of questions and have immediately received truly helpful answers to all. We are so grateful for their collective guidance. They make facing the unknown a lot less scary and pretty darn exciting.

That's just the way fulltimers of all kinds - past, present and future - are. And, today we're extra proud to call these good folks family.

We'll keep you posted.

One Big House

Just posted to Bullwinkle's Travels: a recap of today's trip to Biltmore Estate.

We're not really museum people. But, places where people - especially wealthy people - once lived have always fascinated us. It's really something to see what some people do with their money. And, our trip to Biltmore did not disappoint.

Today's tour was a very different experience for us both. As a couple of newbie fulltimers poking around the palace, we were struck by a couple of things. It's really big. And, it's full of stuff.

When we entered the banquet hall, we were treated to arrival of the Biltmore Christmas tree. We couldn't look at the 40 foot Douglas fir without thinking that thing is bigger than the place we call home. Heck, that tree is about the size of the place we hope to call our new, expanded rolling home! And there that bigger-than-our-house tree stood in a room that could hold a lot of big rigs.

Yep, motorhomes are now our frame of reference.

And, the stuff! There were warehouses of PODS worth of stuff in that house. And to think everything we own that we don't have with us would fit in the corner of one of the 43 bathrooms in this place.

Of course, as always, we appreciated the architecture, the artistry and the landscape of the place. It's really something to see. But, that was only after we took stock in its spaciousness and its stuff.

Time Change?

Once upon a time, the first few days of Standard Time messed with my head. I could count on it every year. On that annual Sunday morning I would relish my "extra hour" of sleep. Or sometimes I would get up at what my body thought was the normal time and save my extra hour for a nap that afternoon. Then, like turned back clockwork, the sun would set much too soon and I faced that perennial toughest week of work, when afternoons would stretch out for what seemed like forever and I would find myself driving home in the dark.

Ugh.

This year is different. Way different. These days I'm pretty much getting up and going to bed when I feel like it. And, I'm noticing that I tend to get up with the sun and begin to kick back and relax as it sets. This week that translates to waking up and winding down an hour earlier than last. But, with no schedule dictating that I have to be anywhere at a certain time, I must confess that I find myself asking: Did the time change?

Of course Mother Nature is giving us all kinds of clues that the seasons are changing. The falling leaves, cooler temperatures and shorter days are reminders that we are rapidly approaching our first Winter in our 300 square foot home. (And, that may explain our yearning for a bigger one!) The reality is our time to enjoy the sunshine in the great outdoors will be limited for awhile. With a stretch of long evenings ahead of us I look forward to spending more time in our cozy rolling home. After all, there are books to read, movies to watch, a sewing machine that has sat idle and a growing stash of quilt fabric. Best of all, KU Basketball starts in just 10 days!

We love this time of year!

Another Fun Day with Gypsy

What a difference a day makes! This same campground where we were packed in like sardines on Halloween is now at about one-quarter of capacity. After yesterday afternoon's exodus we have lots of breathing room. And, the views! From our "Imax window" we can see the Swannanoa River, which runs through the KOA, and the hills of Western North Carolina. They call them mountains here, but whatever you call them they are beautiful. We are thrilled to finally have a taste of Fall! The colors are past their peak, but they are still stunning. And the chill in the air is a delight, especially after the heat and humidity we experienced on the coast. We're thrilled to be able to stay awhile.

We spent the morning being, well, lazy. We were busy, though. I finished a recap of our day in Savannah with ease. (Again, what a difference a day makes!) By midday we were ready to get out and enjoy the day. We hooked up with Gypsy, who treated us to a fine pizza lunch and then joined us for an afternoon of RV shopping.

The drive to Tom Johnson Camping in Marion was scenic. We climbed to the Eastern Continental Divide (I must confess I didn't know there was such a thing!) and soaked in the autumn vista of rolling hills (er, mountains) carpeted in the colors of the season against a clear blue sky. It was beautiful.

The visit to Tom Johnson Camping in Marion was fun and informative. Our salesman Bobby was helpful and had a good time with us. He showed us around the Class As Paul and I came to see and took us through a line of fine looking Class Cs for Gypsy to peruse. Bobby has Paul and me doing some serious thinking about a potential purchase. Who knows how things will work out? But, it was sure great to have a fellow fulltimer along for our shopping trip. We're so grateful to Gypsy for taking the time to come with us and sharing her perspective...and lunch, too!

Well, after today's outing, Paul and I have a few things to discuss. So, I'll close. If anything develops, we'll certainly let you know.

Our Damn Blog

After a fun night of about a billion trick-or-treaters - so many we ran out of candy - we have had the best day here in Swannanoa.

Have I mentioned before how much I love the day after a travel day? (Uh, yeah. About 100 times!)

The day started with two cats thinking it was time for breakfast at 5:00. (They don't have a clue about standard time.) For our breakfast, we met up with Gypsy, who is staying just a couple of miles down the road, and headed out to the Huddle House in nearby Black Mountain. Gypsy called Swannanoa home for five years, so it was great to see this area through the eyes of a former local. We even drove up in the hills to see her former homestead. It's a gorgeous place with amazing views. It was a special treat to see it. This is the fourth time we've seen Gypsy in less than a year. We seem to be traveling in similar "orbits" with her, and it's always fun to see her. We hope she enjoys her three weeks in this beautiful spot she calls home.

It's hard to believe that after our everything-you-can-serve-for-breakfast-in-the-south-heaped-on-a-plate at Huddle House we could even think about food, but Paul planned ahead and got a pot of chili going for later. With the crockpot simmering and absolutely nothing on our agenda, I decided to tackle our other blog.

Bullwinkle's Travels is woefully out of date. We've just been so busy it's been hard to keep up. I am long overdue for entries about Charleston, Savannah and Hilton Head. Heck, I realized I never wrote a thing about our stay in Denver back in August. Geez!

It's amazing how effortlessly words jump on the screen on this blog. Seems I'm never at a loss for words here. But, that other blog is more work. There are pictures and descriptions and the energy it takes to make it interesting. And, now we have readers asking us to tell them about our Savannah-in-one-day excursion. If I could only manage to capture it all on that damn blog!

With our faithful readers in mind, I locked myself in the bedroom and made a declaration that I wouldn't come out until the other blog was caught up. I sorted through pictures and information and managed to publish a post about our day in Charleston. That took two hours! Then, I decided to rant about it over here. That took about 10 minutes. (See how this works?) Now it's cocktail hour. So, it's time to bust out of this little bedroom and prepare to have some very tasty chili. Our tales of Hilton Head and Savannah will be saved for another day.

My lesson here is to write the posts on the day of, or day after at the latest. With an adventure fresh in our memory, the writing is much easier and posts come together much faster. Yes, I'll give that a shot. Maybe tomorrow.