It was household duty day at our house. After all that fun in Hilton Head, we were in desperate need of some time to clean the place up and do some laundry. So, that's exactly what we did today. Then, because it was sunny and 75 degrees, we went straight to the beach.
Yes, it was a very good day.
As the sun sets here along the South Carolina coast, we're taking notice of the many different types of rigs that are here. There's a couple from Quebec in an old no-slide Rexall AirBus across the road. A couple of sites away there's one of those nifty Hi-Lo trailers that pops up to twice its height. There are one or two 40-foot diesel pushers in the place that we've gawked at as we've passed by. And, we just met a lovely couple from North Carolina that are traveling in a Born Free Class C. They wanted to know what we thought of our Winnebago as they are close to a deal on a Journey. We've seen several fivers come in of different shapes and sizes. And, heck, there are even a few folks here in tents. Such is life in a campground. Yep, it's a real mixed bag.
The thing about being in a campground in the middle of the week in October is that most of the people you see are fulltimers of one sort or another or extended travelers. And, we're noticing that these good folks travel in all kinds of packages. And, that reminds us that there are many ways to approach this lifestyle of ours.
When we were soaking up every piece of data we could about what it was to be a fulltimer, we found ourselves looking for "the right answers." What kind of rig should we buy? Where should we travel? What campgrounds should we go to? After all, we were the first to admit we didn't know a damn thing. So, we were eager to hear from "the experts", and that would be any and all who were down this path before us.
What we quickly discovered is that, as much as we wanted to find one right answer, there simply isn't such a thing. There are as many ways to fulltime as there are fulltimers. There are folks who sell the house and those who don't. Some get a storage place, others don't. Some buy a motorhome. Some buy a fiver. Some buy new. Some buy used. The combinations are limitless.
There are those who would like you to believe that the only way to fulltime is to sell your house and all of your belongings, buy the biggest fiver you can afford and pull it with the biggest diesel with duallies you can find, camp in COE spots with the "it factor" for a month at a time and workcamp along the way.
Dear readers, we want you to know that is just one of many ways to approach this lifestyle. It's like when you pull into Burger King and order lunch or dinner. You really can have it your way.
After all, four months ago we loaded up a 32-foot Class A gasser and called it home. And, from the very beginning, we knew we'd want a bigger one. And, in a couple of months we'll probably have it. We have a 7x7 foot cube of stuff we're paying to store every month and someday we'll probably come to conclusion we don't need any of it. But, as we said before, it was what we needed to do at the time. We have no plans to workcamp anytime soon. But, hey, we might give it a try somewhere down the road if we feel like it.
So, sports fans, that's OUR way. We don't expect or recommend that anyone else try this at home. But, hey it works for us.
There are people who would gasp that we're traveling in a short little gasser. There are others that would say we can't really call ourselves fulltimers because we have some of our stuff stored in a box somewhere. Others would say we've screwed up because we're already shopping for a new rig. To that, we give a great big "WHATEVER!"
The point of this ramble is that there is no one right (or wrong) way to approach this fulltiming gig. What is most important, above all else, is that you make it work for you.
If your life long dream is to travel the country on a bicycle with a tent on your back, for goodness sake, please proceed! Whatever your dream, the most important thing is to make it yours. And, to anyone who gasps at your choices you can join us in a great big - say it with me now - WHATEVER!
Keeping Up
We're enjoying a rare quiet morning here on beautiful Hilton Head Island. Seems we've been on the go since we arrived. And, we thought this was one of those "laid back" places!
It is for most, but not for us. The primary purpose of this stop is to visit with Paul's uncle and aunt. He's 92 and she's 88. And you know what? These folks are go, go, go! They took us on a day long "locals" tour of the island. Yes, he did all the driving! (And, he did great.) They sent us off to Savannah with instructions for how to see it all in a day. (It worked!) They treated us to a lovely dinner at a beautiful spot off the island with a cousin and her husband. (Again, he drove!) After an incredible brunch and then pizza dinner yesterday we came home in an absolute food coma.
See. It's hard keeping up with these two!
Yesterday's brunch presented a special challenge. We are in the South, after all. And, in this particular part of the South, that means ya'll dress for Sunday brunch. Ladies wear dresses, but nice slacks are fine. Gentlemen wear a jacket, of course. And, since this is a resort community no tie is required. When our gracious and very active hosts extended an invitation to brunch, our first concern was that we couldn't meet the dress code. After a quick mental scan of our collective wardrobe, we were pretty sure we could do it. After all, didn't Paul pack a sport coat? We could both visualize the same jacket stored under the sofa. So, confident that we could dress ourselves, we agreed to join them.
During a brief lull in our Saturday adventures, we took a moment to make sure we were all set to dress up on Sunday. I assembled an outfit around my one pair of nice slacks. Paul began to pull his ensemble together. We looked in the storage bin under the sofa and discovered that having a sport coat on board was a figment of our collective imagination. So, we explained the situation at dinner Saturday, and Paul's uncle graciously offered to open his closet. After all, they're family. And, they are about the same size.
Sunday morning we were up and moving early. (The cats were convinced it was a travel day!) We were comedy in motion! For two people who dressed in suits every weekday for 30 years, we have quickly become rusty at the fine art of getting up, dressed and out the door. I searched for socks that weren't white. And, Paul wrestled with his one and only button down collar. We weren't just having trouble keeping up with our relatives. Dressing up was a challenge, too.
With visions of Bloody Marys and Eggs Benedict dancing in our heads, we hopped our freshly dressed selves in the Jeep and were off to meet our hosts. Upon our arrival, the first order of business was to grab a jacket. Paul's uncle selected two for Paul to choose from. One of them was the same jacket we thought we had brought along! Same color, style, label and store. It was even the same size. We all got quite a chuckle out of that synchronistic selection. These fine gentlemen aren't just related: They have the same taste in clothes!
The conversation over brunch was the same as all the others the last few days: engaging and lots of fun. We've shared many family memories and filled in a few family history gaps for each other here and there. They are so curious about what we're up to. After all, they were always the "traveling" aunt and uncle. Today their travels are limited to on and around this lovely island. But, in their long, active lives they've covered the globe. And, they think the idea of traveling the continent with a moose and squirrel is "simply great". They've bookmarked Bullwinkle's blog and promised to follow our travels and live vicariously through them. We like that.
This lovely couple we love attribute their longevity to staying active. They gave us two simple words of advice: Keep Traveling.
We really like that!
What is "It"?
We just submitted reviews for our last five stops to rvparkreviews.com. The five completely different parks earned basically the same great rating. And, that has us thinking about the "it" factor.
The "it" factor is a designation some RVers give to a campground or park that "has it all." A place that has "it" is a place you want to return to, tell your friends and write a glowing review about. It's purely subjective, of course. And, in our case, we're noticing that "it" changes, depending on what we're in the mood for.
The "it" factor is a designation some RVers give to a campground or park that "has it all." A place that has "it" is a place you want to return to, tell your friends and write a glowing review about. It's purely subjective, of course. And, in our case, we're noticing that "it" changes, depending on what we're in the mood for.
In Monett, MO, were so pleased to find a previously unlisted park just three miles outside of town. With full hookups and smokin' hot wifi, we had everything we needed. The "it" factor for us in that place was that it was minutes away from family. Oh yeah, and we saw llamas and horses outside our window. Pretty cool.
Our original destination in Little Rock was a gravel parking lot downtown on the river in a not so hot neighborhood. Definitely no "it" factor for us. We followed the recommendation of a fellow fulltimer and made our way to Maumelle Park. The next four days we basically camped in the pouring rain. Yet, with a riverside site and peace and quiet just 20 minutes from downtown Little Rock, this place definitely had a very different "it" factor.
After our arduous travel day through ArkLaMiss, we probably would've found the "it" factor in a Walmart parking lot. Grand Gulf Military Park was so steeped in Civil War history that its battlefield, museum and historical buildings created enough "it" factor for us to make up for heat, humidity and a tornado.
After covering a few too many miles (325) on an uneventful travel day into Alabama we spent the next three days in a park that had everything we needed. Most importantly, it had strong 3G service, smoking hot wifi and a clear shot of the southern sky. We'd been technology deprived for so long that's what we wanted more than anything else. And, at South Montgomery RV Park that's exactly what they had to offer...for 20 bucks a night. Where others would see a treeless gravel lot with sparse grass next the interstate, we found our "it" factor...and a stray kitty, too!
Our park in middle Georgia had a lot to offer. This spacious, no frills kind of place gave us views of Georgia pines during the day and a star-filled sky at night. The "it" factor for us was that it was a quiet, comfortable place to kick back and relax for a few days before what would promise to be a busy week of family and exploring on the South Carolina coast.
Here in Hilton Head Island, we're in a 200-site resort on the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway. We're on a long, wide paved lot surrounded by palm trees and lush landscaping. Rocky even has his own little driveway. It's quite homey. Some folks might find this place a bit too commercial and closed-in, but for us the "it" factor is we're on the island, just 10 minutes from the family we've come to visit and we can bike to the ocean from here. Yes, it is just a little slice of paradise.
Six parks that are distinctively different, but on a given day they've had something to offer. And, the next time we pass through these parts we might find ourselves looking for places that have a different "it" factor. As we're learning, what "it" is depends on us: It's all about what we need, want and are in the mood for at any given time in any given place. And, "it" can be different for everybody. One RVer's noisy gravel lot can be another's haven, and vice versa.
That makes reading and writing park reviews a bit of challenge. With all of us appreciating different "it" factors, there's no right answer. But, there are a lot of wonderful parks for us all to check out and explore. And, everyone's perspective can be so helpful.
If you'd like to take a peek at our reviews of the places we've stayed, check them out. And, if you're already reviewing the places you park at rvparkreviews.com, thank you so much! We find this site to be the most helpful, thanks to you. If you're not writing reviews, we ask that you please give it a try. It's an easy way to make a valuable contribution to this wonderful community. And, we'll really appreciate it!
Hope Returns
As we were preparing to leave for an afternoon of sightseeing in Montgomery, guess who showed up?
Yes, our little stray survived the cold Alabama night and came wandering back to our site. We gave her a bit of food, which she devoured, snapped a picture or two and loaded her into one of our cat crates. We put a call into the Montgomery Humane Society to confirm that they would take her. Then, we were on our way.
Hope and Paul had become buddies. There was no doubt about it - they bonded. So, when it came time to surrender the furbaby she yelped louder and he got a bit choked up. I just kept telling myself that with two adult cats in our 300 square foot home on wheels we were at our limit! We signed the necessary papers and made a small donation to the cause.
It's supposed to be another cold one tonight. We're so happy that Hope is warm, dry and cared for. Here's hoping she is adopted soon to a wonderful family that will feel lucky to have her. We'll never know, of course. But, that's the way we're choosing to write this story: with a happy ending.
Tomorrow we're heading out for somewhere in Georgia. More then!
Yes, our little stray survived the cold Alabama night and came wandering back to our site. We gave her a bit of food, which she devoured, snapped a picture or two and loaded her into one of our cat crates. We put a call into the Montgomery Humane Society to confirm that they would take her. Then, we were on our way.
Hope and Paul had become buddies. There was no doubt about it - they bonded. So, when it came time to surrender the furbaby she yelped louder and he got a bit choked up. I just kept telling myself that with two adult cats in our 300 square foot home on wheels we were at our limit! We signed the necessary papers and made a small donation to the cause.
It's supposed to be another cold one tonight. We're so happy that Hope is warm, dry and cared for. Here's hoping she is adopted soon to a wonderful family that will feel lucky to have her. We'll never know, of course. But, that's the way we're choosing to write this story: with a happy ending.
Tomorrow we're heading out for somewhere in Georgia. More then!
Hope
Before we get to far into this particular post, I feel the need to remind you: We are cat people. We travel with two of them, and love the rest. Simple as that. OK, then. Now, we can proceed.
I love the day after a travel day. We make them lazy and purposeless...quite on purpose. Today was no exception. We lounged about over a pot of coffee and surfed the internet like a couple of newbies. Yes, it had been awhile!
One of the things Paul had checked out online was geocaches in the area. He discovered two just down the road a mile or so. So, we planned a geocaching stroll after our mid-to-late-morning breakfast.
With breakfast behind us we were strolling down our country lane searching for caches in the Alabama sunshine. It was such a gorgeous day! En route to Cache #1 I thought I heard a cat. I quickly chalked it up to my imagination. Cache #1 was found, then we were down the road to Cache #2. With two successful 'Bama caches under our belts, we headed back up the road for home. As we were strolling just past the vicinity of Cache #1, I heard the sound of a cat again. This time I mentioned it to Paul. He listened for it and heard it, too. Moments later he found the source: a tiny kitten crying on the side of our dead-end country lane.
People often say they are of two minds. In this moment, I was of two hearts. One of my hearts wanted to keep a healthy distance from this helpless little creature. I barely wanted to lay eyes on it. And, nooooooo I didn't want to hold it. My other heart, of all things, named the poor little thing. Paul said she was a girl. As we stood here in Hope Hull, Alabama, in my mind I named this little kitty. Her name is Hope.
We estimated Hope was eight or ten weeks old. She was a gorgeous little gray girl who seemed pretty healthy, with a little wound on her head. Although the cold hearted side of me was never going to let her live with us, we could not leave her there on the side of the desolate road. Paul scooped her up and carried her home. My immediate thought was that our campground needed a cat. Paul's was that we would surrender her to the local humane society for adoption. We would work that out. First, we needed to get her some food.
We brought Hope home and put her in one of our cat crates under our rig. I went inside and found the Montgomery Humane Society online. Paul took a saucer of milk out to serve our guest. As he opened the crate to serve her, she darted out. She escaped to the comfort and safety of several bales of hay behind the campground office.
We've called to her there several times, but she is choosing not to answer. We're thinking she's happy and better off being here, in this campground. Like us, she may find everything she needs here. Perhaps a traveler will adopt her. Or, she may become the mascot of the place. Whatever the case, she was not of the mind to be loaded in a Jeep and sent off to the Humane Society today.
Tonight we find our thoughts wandering to Hope. We wish her a safe and warm night. If we see her in the morning, we'll take her with us into Montgomery tomorrow. And, if not, our wish is that she will be a sunny ray of hope for this little sliver of Alabama.
I love the day after a travel day. We make them lazy and purposeless...quite on purpose. Today was no exception. We lounged about over a pot of coffee and surfed the internet like a couple of newbies. Yes, it had been awhile!
One of the things Paul had checked out online was geocaches in the area. He discovered two just down the road a mile or so. So, we planned a geocaching stroll after our mid-to-late-morning breakfast.
With breakfast behind us we were strolling down our country lane searching for caches in the Alabama sunshine. It was such a gorgeous day! En route to Cache #1 I thought I heard a cat. I quickly chalked it up to my imagination. Cache #1 was found, then we were down the road to Cache #2. With two successful 'Bama caches under our belts, we headed back up the road for home. As we were strolling just past the vicinity of Cache #1, I heard the sound of a cat again. This time I mentioned it to Paul. He listened for it and heard it, too. Moments later he found the source: a tiny kitten crying on the side of our dead-end country lane.
People often say they are of two minds. In this moment, I was of two hearts. One of my hearts wanted to keep a healthy distance from this helpless little creature. I barely wanted to lay eyes on it. And, nooooooo I didn't want to hold it. My other heart, of all things, named the poor little thing. Paul said she was a girl. As we stood here in Hope Hull, Alabama, in my mind I named this little kitty. Her name is Hope.
We estimated Hope was eight or ten weeks old. She was a gorgeous little gray girl who seemed pretty healthy, with a little wound on her head. Although the cold hearted side of me was never going to let her live with us, we could not leave her there on the side of the desolate road. Paul scooped her up and carried her home. My immediate thought was that our campground needed a cat. Paul's was that we would surrender her to the local humane society for adoption. We would work that out. First, we needed to get her some food.
We brought Hope home and put her in one of our cat crates under our rig. I went inside and found the Montgomery Humane Society online. Paul took a saucer of milk out to serve our guest. As he opened the crate to serve her, she darted out. She escaped to the comfort and safety of several bales of hay behind the campground office.
We've called to her there several times, but she is choosing not to answer. We're thinking she's happy and better off being here, in this campground. Like us, she may find everything she needs here. Perhaps a traveler will adopt her. Or, she may become the mascot of the place. Whatever the case, she was not of the mind to be loaded in a Jeep and sent off to the Humane Society today.
Tonight we find our thoughts wandering to Hope. We wish her a safe and warm night. If we see her in the morning, we'll take her with us into Montgomery tomorrow. And, if not, our wish is that she will be a sunny ray of hope for this little sliver of Alabama.
Catching Up
We're sitting at a highway intersection with two bars of cell service, so we thought we'd take advantage of the situation and fire up the air card. (That's right, we bought an air card!) Slowly but surely I've successfully published posts that recap the last couple days. They were eventful!
Today has been much better. The weather has cleared and we've enjoyed a day trip around Port Gibson. The highlight was lunch at the Old Country Store, which featured the World's Best Fried Chicken, collard greens, black eyed peas and the best peach cobbler I've ever had! Chicken Master Mr. D serenaded us during lunch, and we washed it all down with some ice cold sweet tea.
Yes, were are definitely in the South.
Tomorrow we're heading toward Montgomery, Alabama. Along the way I'll do the best I can to catch things up on Bullwinkle's Travels. There are lots of fun pics stored in my camera. And, yes, we have a few stories to tell.
Meanwhile, I hope ya'll enjoy our chronicles of our days in Mississippi.
Today has been much better. The weather has cleared and we've enjoyed a day trip around Port Gibson. The highlight was lunch at the Old Country Store, which featured the World's Best Fried Chicken, collard greens, black eyed peas and the best peach cobbler I've ever had! Chicken Master Mr. D serenaded us during lunch, and we washed it all down with some ice cold sweet tea.
Yes, were are definitely in the South.
Tomorrow we're heading toward Montgomery, Alabama. Along the way I'll do the best I can to catch things up on Bullwinkle's Travels. There are lots of fun pics stored in my camera. And, yes, we have a few stories to tell.
Meanwhile, I hope ya'll enjoy our chronicles of our days in Mississippi.
Weather Warning
Determined to make it a better day, we headed for Vicksburg this morning to have a hot breakfast, take care of some business and visit the Vicksburg Battleground National Monument.
Two out of three ain’t bad.
After breakfast and business were taken care of, we soaked up all the 3G service we could. A quick check of the online radar revealed big bad storms heading our way. With our leaky slide exposed to the elements, we passed on soggy sightseeing and headed back to our rolling home to pull the thing in and prepare for the storm.
We beat the storm home and kept an eye to local TV and ear to the NOAA weather radio for updates. The storm intensified as it headed our way. When a tornado warning was issued for the parish just across the river, we took notice. Winds were reported in excess of 60 miles an hour. Healthy sized hail was part of the mix. Radar confirmed a tornado approaching the town directly across the river and toward us. When the TV weatherman named that easternmost Louisiana town in the twister’s path, he added “then it will move into remote areas of Mississippi” like it was dropping off the map or something.
Wait a minute! WE are IN this remote area of Mississippi!
I am quick to admit that my greatest fear about fulltiming is facing severe weather. We’ve hunkered down and ridden out a few storms already, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at my sense of calm. But, I tell you, when I hear that a tornado is (or even might be) heading toward this fiberglass box on wheels, we are outta here!
Our evacuation was swift. We crated the cats, pulled in the slides, stored the TV antenna, piled the family into the Jeep and headed down the hill. A few minutes later we parked outside the campground office and the rain began to pour. We went inside, explained the reports we had heard about the weather and asked if we could hang out in the sturdy brick building for awhile. And, oh yeah, could we bring our cats in, too?
Now, I’m not wild about the South. But, I do appreciate fine southern hospitality. These good people just couldn’t have been any nicer. They invited us and our animals inside to stay as long as we wanted. They turned on the weather radio, found the radar online and offered their local interpretation of the situation. Yep. It looked bad. They affirmed our decision to seek shelter, and were surprised other campers hadn’t done the same.
We spent the next hour or so perusing the Civil War artifacts on display in the park museum, which is housed in the same sturdy building. We chatted with the campground staff about the weather and our collective life stories. We got a very informative history of the area and a fantastic agenda for a day trip tomorrow. Outside lightning flashed, thunder crashed and it continued to pour. One of our hosts kept an eye to the radar and reported with relief that the worst was passing to the south of us. With that good news, we watched for a break in the rain. When we spotted one, we loaded our brood back in the Jeep and trundled back up the hill. Heavy rains continued to fall most of the afternoon, so we kept the big leaky slide pulled in. Paul tackled the laundry, which included some of my wet stuff from the closet. I opted to chill out and catch up on our blog posts. These last couple of days are definitely ones to remember!
Like I said earlier, we were determined to make this a better day than yesterday. And, are we going to let a little severe weather ruin our day? No way! We’ve concocted plans to grill a couple of fine Kansas City strips and a nice glass (or two) of wine.
It’ll be the perfect thing for a better day.
Two out of three ain’t bad.
After breakfast and business were taken care of, we soaked up all the 3G service we could. A quick check of the online radar revealed big bad storms heading our way. With our leaky slide exposed to the elements, we passed on soggy sightseeing and headed back to our rolling home to pull the thing in and prepare for the storm.
We beat the storm home and kept an eye to local TV and ear to the NOAA weather radio for updates. The storm intensified as it headed our way. When a tornado warning was issued for the parish just across the river, we took notice. Winds were reported in excess of 60 miles an hour. Healthy sized hail was part of the mix. Radar confirmed a tornado approaching the town directly across the river and toward us. When the TV weatherman named that easternmost Louisiana town in the twister’s path, he added “then it will move into remote areas of Mississippi” like it was dropping off the map or something.
Wait a minute! WE are IN this remote area of Mississippi!
I am quick to admit that my greatest fear about fulltiming is facing severe weather. We’ve hunkered down and ridden out a few storms already, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at my sense of calm. But, I tell you, when I hear that a tornado is (or even might be) heading toward this fiberglass box on wheels, we are outta here!
Our evacuation was swift. We crated the cats, pulled in the slides, stored the TV antenna, piled the family into the Jeep and headed down the hill. A few minutes later we parked outside the campground office and the rain began to pour. We went inside, explained the reports we had heard about the weather and asked if we could hang out in the sturdy brick building for awhile. And, oh yeah, could we bring our cats in, too?
Now, I’m not wild about the South. But, I do appreciate fine southern hospitality. These good people just couldn’t have been any nicer. They invited us and our animals inside to stay as long as we wanted. They turned on the weather radio, found the radar online and offered their local interpretation of the situation. Yep. It looked bad. They affirmed our decision to seek shelter, and were surprised other campers hadn’t done the same.
We spent the next hour or so perusing the Civil War artifacts on display in the park museum, which is housed in the same sturdy building. We chatted with the campground staff about the weather and our collective life stories. We got a very informative history of the area and a fantastic agenda for a day trip tomorrow. Outside lightning flashed, thunder crashed and it continued to pour. One of our hosts kept an eye to the radar and reported with relief that the worst was passing to the south of us. With that good news, we watched for a break in the rain. When we spotted one, we loaded our brood back in the Jeep and trundled back up the hill. Heavy rains continued to fall most of the afternoon, so we kept the big leaky slide pulled in. Paul tackled the laundry, which included some of my wet stuff from the closet. I opted to chill out and catch up on our blog posts. These last couple of days are definitely ones to remember!
Like I said earlier, we were determined to make this a better day than yesterday. And, are we going to let a little severe weather ruin our day? No way! We’ve concocted plans to grill a couple of fine Kansas City strips and a nice glass (or two) of wine.
It’ll be the perfect thing for a better day.
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