Trip 112 Kentucky and Florida
As many miles as we've traveled this towing thing is new to us.
Monday, November 19, 2012
I am telling you it is exceedingly difficult to get ready for a trip with the Dragon and now LC to boot. We have to get our act together and just do a bit each day. Then on the day of departure all we have to do is hook up LC (which is a monumental chore for Ham) and then take care of the light timers and then take off. No more of putting things off ‘til the last minute. Dragon Lady has spoken.
Ham was rightfully worried about going around I-465 during the rush hour. Fortunately it turned out to be pretty good. That is either the traffic was lighter than anticipated or Hamilton handled it with some aplomb.
By the time we reached Camping World in Greenwood, it was closing time. So any “lock shopping” was put off ‘til the next morning.
We ate at Bob Evans and had a good meal. Their vegetable soup actually tasted homemade and Ham’s chicken had a good flavor. We decided we should give them more business. We even had pretty good pie. Pumpkin for Ham and pecan for me.
It felt very good to snuggle down under the new electric blanket. However Hammie started saying he was baking in about 10 minutes. He threw off the red bag and that seemed to help him. He tried to read but fell asleep immediately. We were in bed just a bit after eight. It wasn’t too long before he woke up. There is such a thing as being too tired to sleep and I think that was the case.
Anyway, I read a bit toasty as could be with my flannel jammies and the electric blanket and wool socks. You would think we were in the U.P. the way I was dressed. nl
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
We woke up rather early and went to Denny’s for breakfast. We’ve eaten there a couple of times before and thought it was adequate. It was not too good this time. Back to Camping World and Ham went to get his lock stuff. Then it was time to change it.
It was not too early by the time we were ready to hit the road. Of course there was the exhausting task of hooking up LC. Is she worth it? I’m beginning to wonder.
Traffic in and out of Louisville, again, was not too difficult. Since it is always awful no matter the time of day, we were a bit surprised. Perhaps it was again, the superlative driving of the driver in charge.
When the sun started lowering in the sky it was time to make a decision about going on to Campbellsville in the dark or stopping at Wal-Mart. I strongly urged Wal-Mart since Ham looked whooped. The fellow at Auto Zone gave good directions and we started to follow them but Ham thought he had seen a Cracker Barrel which ALWAYS has RV parking in the rear.
We found their parking lot packed and we drove to the rear and lo and behold NO RV parking space.
Well anyway, before we turned around for the Barrel I directed Hamilton into a parking lot that looked empty and there wasn’t room enough to do a U-ey. So, one more time, the tow bar thingy had to be unhooked since you can’t back up with it on. I was not a popular woman for the moment.
So we then went Cracker Barrel and I already told you about that.
On to Wal-Mart and we are parked nicely for the night. However, we may miss the lighting and heated blankie.
We walked across the street to good ole Steak n Shake and it was just like home with Ham’s favorite diagonal seating.
Here we are with the roars of the bad mufflers circling around like the Sioux after a buffalo (bison). That’s all for now. nl
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Arrived at Nan Lou’s Campground. The whole camp was filled with huge rigs owned by people working at Amazon. We ran around buying cider and rolls and butter for the potluck dinner tomorrow. Nan Lou informed us that here in KY, this type of meal is called a Trash Can Dinner.
The name implies something rather unappetizing.
Oh yeah, I should mention that there is a restaurant called Colton’s, a sort of Texas Roadhouse sort of place, and we ate there tonight. Ham had a sandwich and big sweet potato, and I had a couple of veggie dishes and with drinks, Ham said that the total bill was less than a Starbucks breakfast. That just doesn’t seem right. nl again.
nl
Thursday, November, 22, 2012
Thanksgiving Day and we are in a campground close to Campbellsville, KY. Waiting for the dinner to begin, Ham and I broke out the Bananagrams game and played for the first time.
It was kind of fun for a change.
The dinner started at 3:00 P. M and we waited until about 3:30 to go over. Actually Amazonians are a hungry lot, because by the time we got there, things were somewhat picked over. I took a tiny taste of everything that would fit on my plate. The food was arguably good. I know Kingosabe loves that expression.
We hung out with Nannie until it was time to go to bed.
Have I mentioned that I LOVE the electric blanket? Well, I do! A nice Thanksgiving was had by all. nl
Friday, November 23, 2012
This day is called Black Friday the world over because in the start of the Christmas Season, the stores cater to the greed of commercialism. Everyone and his brother listens to advertising sales and some of these fine folk line up in the wee hours of the morning to “get there first.”
So we made it into Campbellsville to look for an electric heater that has been cussed and discussed the whole time we have been here.
Tractor’s Supply was fun to wander around. And I bought Ham his first (probably only) Christmas gift . A pair of 99 cent cotton gloves. Anything would be better than those harsh things he has at home. Nan Lou gave three or four pair of her work gloves to him. They are very thin and will, perhaps be helpful, when he is working on a car, van?, or something and he needs something to give some warmth to his hands but needs something like a surgeon wears.
We went to the antique mall……well a flea market, actually. And that was fun just to see all the junk.
Still no heater! nl
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Today is departure day. Nan Lou slept a bit later after her ten hour shift and there was some fuss about not being hungry, but of course I was, so that ended the discussion. We ate at The Huddle House which is a Waffle House wannabe. I feel I must retain some loyalty to my “favorite” breakfast restaurant. We also ate there the first time when we first arrived.
Then it was time to actually buy the heater at Lowe’s. Yaaayy! Perhaps it will work and everything.
It didn’t take long to hitch up LC and off we went. Ham was using the Gabby type GPS that resides with Siri on his new IPhone. Right away we learned it is difficult to understand the wench. Then she took us about forty eleven ways round the Bowling Green to the WalMart. Later we found that if we had gone down the road a bit farther, we would have been at the store in less than a quarter of a mile. Obviously, she has been talking to Gabby who delights in such shenanigans. Then, wouldn’t you know, Wal-Mart would not let us park over night? I never heard of such a thing! The sun was setting. The next stop would have been Nashville, TN which was about 50 miles down the road, more or less.
Again we tried to use Siri’s pal (or maybe Siri, herself) to find a gas station. Can you believe no luck with that on I65? Ah, try Cracker Barrel. Nope to that too just as Eagle Eye Kingosabe looked up and found one just 6 miles away. These technological women do need some fine tuning. Anyway, we stopped to get gas at a Pilot station near Franklin, Kentucky and found out that there were pull through sites for trucks at the Pilot right across the street. I tried to give Ham the instructions but erred as usual and he pulled in to a spot he thought was an entrance and it was a dead end. His profanity needs a bit of work. He could probably do better.
We parked the Dragon amongst the trucks and walked across the lot to Wendy’s. I had a terrible sandwich and wondered what happened since we used to think Wendy’s was pretty good. No mo.
We drove back to the Dragon from in LC and placed her cozily behind the Dragon and we were ready to go.
It is so cold my hands turned numb and I actually shivered. The temperature wasn’t so bad according to Ham.
He cranked up the furnace and it has heated up nicely. However I was very happy I thought to bring my favorite throws. nl again.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
I’m behind keeping this log so it’s gonna be touch and go. My bad as they used to say.
Last night the house battery went bad. Ham hooked up his new emergency start gizmo and it lasted for about 4 hours then it was down to 7 volts which is useless. He said it was time for a new battery.
As the afternoon progressed we drove until the sun was annoying us. It seemed to be in our eyes most of the way. We had the same problem yesterday too. This was surprising to me since we have the big overhang in front. Truly annoying since we couldn’t see the Gabby or the Iphone because of the glare!
We found a WalMart in some city between here and there. Whatever city it was must have been civilized because we had a Starbucks breakfast. Wally’s had a $75 battery to replace our bad one. It might not have the power the old one had when it was good but that is hard to tell since the rating wording was different.
It wasn’t as cold and the battery worked fine. nl and hb
Monday, November 26, 2012
We had another early start and stopped early in the afternoon. Much better than messing around in the dark looking for a place to stay. Our place for the night is a friendly Cracker Barrel. For a change we ate a salad and a baked potato.
Nothing much happened today. We didn’t have to unhook for any reason nor were we turned away anywhere. hb
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
We were up early enough for Cracker Barrel’s oatmeal breakfast. Wow, two healthy meals in a row. Nan Lou had seen a cute Santa statue last night in the CB but it was gone this morning. Will we ever learn to strike while the iron is hot?
A few miles down the road I planned to gas up at a Flying J which was RV friendly. Easy to pull up to the pumps and a decent price. First, the credit card reader told me to see the cashier. Second, the cashier said I had to leave the card with her. Third, I remembered the station in LA where my card was skimmed. Fourth, I got pissed. Fifth, we left in search of a nice place. I hope that isn’t their regular policy and the card reader was just acting up. I might try again someday.
We ended up getting gas at a dump called Raceway or something. It stopped pumping at $74.49. At the BP dump just across the road I was able to finally get a full tank. It was slow and at times it shut off after every three tenths of a gallon, but I persevered and got it full for the first time in five times.
Getting the Dragon gassed up is a giant pain.
Finally we were on the road. No annoying sun since it rained all day. It wasn’t too cold being in the mid sixties. There was a lively discussion about our route. Should it be on the older curvy roads or mostly on I-65? We compromised and did the 65 and then the older ones.
Then there was another lively discussion about our stop for the night. At Wally’s in Andulasia, Alabama or 40 miles farther in Florala state park. The Iphone wench led us directly to where WalMart used to be. I said not to ask anyone because we were modern and had all kinds of cutting edge navigational aids to rely on. Nan Lou went and asked someone while I fought with the cutting edge navigational aids. The kind lady gave excellent directions and we drove directly to the free campground called Wally’s place. (last sentence written by nl)
So, with the information Nan Lou received from some non-electric low tech Alabamian we went directly to Wally’s where we were told we could spend the night. They had a Subway in Wally’s and we had our third healthy meal in a row.
There was another lively discussion and it was decided to go home and sell the Dragon and LC since I have become too old and temperamental to put up with keeping out of dead ends, mess with the Dragon’s finicky gas filling, and last but not least, fight with the likes of Gabriella, Siri, and whatever wench resides in the latest cutting edge navigational aid.
I say no more. hb
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
We were up at the crack of dawn plus three hours. The Andalusia WalMart was rather peaceful last night. The sun was shining and it was about 60. We thought we could find a convenient place for breakfast but the Dragon God’s reluctance to go where no Dragon has gone before did away with wild idea. In 20 or 30 miles we hit Florala a small city on the Florida/Alabama border and found a Huddle House near a grocery with a big parking lot. We had to walk 378 feet but being the walkers we are it was a breeze. A few years ago we had spent the night at the state park of the same name which is totally in the town, I think. There were a lot of cypress trees at the edge of the local lake across the street from where we parked. The Huddle food was OK and the coffee was a step up from the Cracker Barrel’s slop.
From there it was 50 or 60 miles to our present location at Grayton Beach. The site is pretty nice and we are almost level. For $24 plus tax it ain’t all that bad. Better than Green River Stables unless you crave a sewer hookup.
After setting up camp (?) we drove a few miles east to see Seaside, the little community started in the 1980s. It was a novel approach to modern city dwelling that took off like crazy. There are Seaside lookalikes on both sides of the original and it is hard to tell one from the other. Nan Lou keeps reminding me that the $80,000 house prices have escalated to well over a million bucks in the last 15 years. Just another of my many mistakes.
I was having a craving for a cold drink and a tasty snack. The only places we spotted were things like wine bars, expensive fish eateries, and a row of Airstreams lined up at the center of Seaside where they sold things like hot dogs and just had some tables along the sidewalk.
The cutesy little Seaside is now a crowded mess, and it is the off season. The beachfront which was planned to be building free now is packed with condos so tightly jammed together that you would never suspect there was a waterfront. It would have a good investment, but in my humble opinion a lousy place to live or vacation at.
We also checked out the little town of Grayton Beach which started its change from a quaint old cracker town about 10 years ago to another place jammed with small condos and big houses. We stopped at a bar type place for that cold drink and a wee snack and found old fashioned tasty chicken wings. It was decorated like the Bubble Room on Sanibel but it a much more laid back haphazard style. I liked it. We might try it for lunch someday.
I was having a craving for a cold drink and a tasty snack. The only places we spotted were things like wine bars, expensive fish eateries, and a row of Airstreams lined up at the center of Seaside where they sold things like hot dogs and just had some tables along the sidewalk.
The cutesy little Seaside is now a crowded mess, and it is the off season. The beachfront which was planned to be building free now is packed with condos so tightly jammed together that you would never suspect there was a waterfront. It would have a good investment, but in my humble opinion a lousy place to live or vacation at.
We also checked out the little town of Grayton Beach which started its change from a quaint old cracker town about 10 years ago to another place jammed with small condos and big houses. We stopped at a bar type place for that cold drink and a wee snack and found old fashioned tasty chicken wings. It was decorated like the Bubble Room on Sanibel but it a much more laid back haphazard style. I liked it. We might try it for lunch someday.
As usual our trips to the Florida peninsula every few years leave us saddened that the “Forgotten Coast” is no longer forgotten. I wonder what it will look like in another 15 to 20 years. Probably like midtown Manhattan or Chicago’s Great White Way. I remember saying, the last time here, that we wouldn’t return. Damn, I gotta work on my memory. hb
Thursday, November 29, 2012
We high tailed it to the obvious breakfast café with the name of Another Broken Egg. Although mostly empty by the time we got there, we appreciated the pleasant décor and thought, “Oh-oh, this place is going to be expensive.” At least I thought that.
We both had healthy breakfasts. I had oatmeal and toast and Ham had a plain bagel and corned beef hash. See, I was the healthy one, except for a half pound of butter on the toast.
We returned to the camp site for some freshening up and started out for Panama City Beach.
We were totally amazed at the small amount of traffic on the road. Building has been rampant since our last trip down this road. Nothing looked familiar. The lady in the campground office told Ham that this was the off season. My reply:”No kidding!” Cathy would say, “No shit, Sherlock!” That’s beside the point but even so, I am guessing half of the stores and businesses were closed. Usually we are here during Spring Break and other festive times and the traffic is at a crawl and young twenty somethings are crossing the street with booze in hand paying no heed to traffic. Did you like that word, HB?
Anyway, we stopped at Mickey’s on the way back and while I slurped a sundae, we got on line at long last. All it did for me was to get caught up with my many Words with Friends games.
On the way back, we made an instantaneous decision to go past Grayton Beach and on to Destin.
Ham wanted to learn how to get on line using his new IPhone. Siri (or her sister) got us to Verizon with no effort on her part. I shocked Hammie by marching into a sub shop and asking to use the ladies room.
Ham found out that he had all the proper stuff already on the phone. He just needed to learn how to access it. This is very exciting news.
I told him that I wanted to stop at the world’s longest, most strung out outlet mall in the world.
But, of course, we had to eat first. I think Ham has been hankerin’ for sushi and I told him I had seen a Japanese Steakhouse. But then I spotted a Longhorn Steakhouse and that was it. The thing is I had it confused with a Texas Roadhouse which is on a par with Logans. This was a kind of ritzy place. Since we were both eating lightly and healthy, Ham enjoyed telling me that the whole meal was within a few cents of a Starbuck’s breakfast. Actually so was today’s breakfast.
I decided to return to the mall tomorrow after our beach walk. We came back in full dark and the stupid campground had no light on the entry code box. Using IPhone for light, Ham managed to get the darn gate open.
We got back and a back overhead light refused to go off. Oh great! One more mechanical thing to fuss with. Ham got out his trusty tool box, screw driver, and lord knows what else and finally got the thing off. He can give more details If he wants to. Of course, Mr. The Cup is Half Empty told me that we might have a dead battery tomorrow morning.
So that’s our fun filled day. As I write this, Hamilton is having a ball on line as he learned to do at Verizon in Destin. Methinks that the one Gig will not be lasting too long now. nl
I ain’t got nuttin to say. hb
Friday, November 30, 2012
Wow! November is gone. Where did a half a month go?
Today is the day to hit the malls, both antique and outlet. Hamilton was in seventh Heaven to eat breakfast at Panera’s. They did have walnut cranberry bagel that was new to me and pretty good.
We drove around and looked at all the stores so I could decide which ones I wanted to actually go in. At the very end of the long mall, there was a Hanes store and always being on the lookout for undies, both of us went in. This was a good intro to the mall since Hanes is a product found in Target and Wal Mart and the prices were astronomical. Still hopeful, we went to the big Saks Fifth Ave. store. Saw a few things marked way, way down but it was like Nordstrum’s Rack that brings in merchandise that has never seen the store.
About this time I had one of my many crises and all shopping stopped. We ended up going back to the Dragon. It was early in the day which, by the way, was a very pleasant 71 degrees.
Now I had noticed that the Dragon’s back bumper was not level. One side was much lower than the other. I must admit I called this to Ham’s attention a day or two ago. It was sturdy, not sagging, just slightly off kilter. So Hammie with a big Eureka on this face announced that since we were back early and the day loomed ahead of him, he would use this wonderful opportunity to look at said bumper. Notice I said, “look at.” I said that he should be careful. After hearing many strange thumps and scrapes I went out to see what was going on, and of course, he was under the Dragon with every storage compartment in the thing wide open and tools and other stuff spread about. You see I did NOT say “fix it” which he was merrily doing. And he DID.
I must admit with a fine license plate that says, “A Dragon” the dragon looks much better without a crooked bumper.
That was finished! And then the electricity went out. Since lights work, I tend to not notice things like they are on because of battery power. Ham with his wily ways with women found out that a big rig hit an electrical wire and all power was off. We walked down to see the drooping wire that was supposed to be hot but looked rather placid and innocent.
When Ham was fiddling with the electric box he called me out side to see three tiny toads that were a wee bit larger than my smallest fingernail. They were bright green and just the cutest little things.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
We high tailed it to the obvious breakfast café with the name of Another Broken Egg. Although mostly empty by the time we got there, we appreciated the pleasant décor and thought, “Oh-oh, this place is going to be expensive.” At least I thought that.
We both had healthy breakfasts. I had oatmeal and toast and Ham had a plain bagel and corned beef hash. See, I was the healthy one, except for a half pound of butter on the toast.
We returned to the camp site for some freshening up and started out for Panama City Beach.
We were totally amazed at the small amount of traffic on the road. Building has been rampant since our last trip down this road. Nothing looked familiar. The lady in the campground office told Ham that this was the off season. My reply:”No kidding!” Cathy would say, “No shit, Sherlock!” That’s beside the point but even so, I am guessing half of the stores and businesses were closed. Usually we are here during Spring Break and other festive times and the traffic is at a crawl and young twenty somethings are crossing the street with booze in hand paying no heed to traffic. Did you like that word, HB?
Anyway, we stopped at Mickey’s on the way back and while I slurped a sundae, we got on line at long last. All it did for me was to get caught up with my many Words with Friends games.
On the way back, we made an instantaneous decision to go past Grayton Beach and on to Destin.
Ham wanted to learn how to get on line using his new IPhone. Siri (or her sister) got us to Verizon with no effort on her part. I shocked Hammie by marching into a sub shop and asking to use the ladies room.
Ham found out that he had all the proper stuff already on the phone. He just needed to learn how to access it. This is very exciting news.
I told him that I wanted to stop at the world’s longest, most strung out outlet mall in the world.
But, of course, we had to eat first. I think Ham has been hankerin’ for sushi and I told him I had seen a Japanese Steakhouse. But then I spotted a Longhorn Steakhouse and that was it. The thing is I had it confused with a Texas Roadhouse which is on a par with Logans. This was a kind of ritzy place. Since we were both eating lightly and healthy, Ham enjoyed telling me that the whole meal was within a few cents of a Starbuck’s breakfast. Actually so was today’s breakfast.
I decided to return to the mall tomorrow after our beach walk. We came back in full dark and the stupid campground had no light on the entry code box. Using IPhone for light, Ham managed to get the darn gate open.
We got back and a back overhead light refused to go off. Oh great! One more mechanical thing to fuss with. Ham got out his trusty tool box, screw driver, and lord knows what else and finally got the thing off. He can give more details If he wants to. Of course, Mr. The Cup is Half Empty told me that we might have a dead battery tomorrow morning.
So that’s our fun filled day. As I write this, Hamilton is having a ball on line as he learned to do at Verizon in Destin. Methinks that the one Gig will not be lasting too long now. nl
I ain’t got nuttin to say. hb
Friday, November 30, 2012
Wow! November is gone. Where did a half a month go?
Today is the day to hit the malls, both antique and outlet. Hamilton was in seventh Heaven to eat breakfast at Panera’s. They did have walnut cranberry bagel that was new to me and pretty good.
We drove around and looked at all the stores so I could decide which ones I wanted to actually go in. At the very end of the long mall, there was a Hanes store and always being on the lookout for undies, both of us went in. This was a good intro to the mall since Hanes is a product found in Target and Wal Mart and the prices were astronomical. Still hopeful, we went to the big Saks Fifth Ave. store. Saw a few things marked way, way down but it was like Nordstrum’s Rack that brings in merchandise that has never seen the store.
About this time I had one of my many crises and all shopping stopped. We ended up going back to the Dragon. It was early in the day which, by the way, was a very pleasant 71 degrees.
Now I had noticed that the Dragon’s back bumper was not level. One side was much lower than the other. I must admit I called this to Ham’s attention a day or two ago. It was sturdy, not sagging, just slightly off kilter. So Hammie with a big Eureka on this face announced that since we were back early and the day loomed ahead of him, he would use this wonderful opportunity to look at said bumper. Notice I said, “look at.” I said that he should be careful. After hearing many strange thumps and scrapes I went out to see what was going on, and of course, he was under the Dragon with every storage compartment in the thing wide open and tools and other stuff spread about. You see I did NOT say “fix it” which he was merrily doing. And he DID.
I must admit with a fine license plate that says, “A Dragon” the dragon looks much better without a crooked bumper.
That was finished! And then the electricity went out. Since lights work, I tend to not notice things like they are on because of battery power. Ham with his wily ways with women found out that a big rig hit an electrical wire and all power was off. We walked down to see the drooping wire that was supposed to be hot but looked rather placid and innocent.
When Ham was fiddling with the electric box he called me out side to see three tiny toads that were a wee bit larger than my smallest fingernail. They were bright green and just the cutest little things.
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I thought since it was early we might go back to the bar and it wouldn’t be too crowded. Am I ever right? Of course not. The minute we hit town it was obvious everyone else was there. Parking was at a premium. Not one to give up, Hammie continued round and round and finally we found a place only a half a block from the bar. We wondered if there would be seating, with the parking situation as it was. Live Music! And there was plenty of seating. As we said before it is a seedy type of place, called The Red Bar, and decorated with lots of red lights.
Not being the party goers we once were, we were happy to hear live music. However after one song, they took a break that lasted our whole meal. We had the shrimp and crawfish pasta which was very good. The nice young man let us split the entre and did not charge extra for doing that.
About the time we were half way through our drink, the band came back and we were on our way.
A tour of a gallery, of the Artifacts type, and off we went to find the Dragon. The electricity was back on and all was well; and, that’s all as far as I’m concerned. nl
Not being the party goers we once were, we were happy to hear live music. However after one song, they took a break that lasted our whole meal. We had the shrimp and crawfish pasta which was very good. The nice young man let us split the entre and did not charge extra for doing that.
About the time we were half way through our drink, the band came back and we were on our way.
A tour of a gallery, of the Artifacts type, and off we went to find the Dragon. The electricity was back on and all was well; and, that’s all as far as I’m concerned. nl
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Saturday, December 1, 2012
Today was the day to hit the malls, Outlet and Antique. Being the generous person that I am, I suggested we just eat at Panera’s again. And, so we did. I will have to give credit to Hammie who kept wondering if I wanted to stop at a better place. I suspect there was a sigh of relief when I said no. It wasn’t audible though. Today, being Saturday, we truly enjoyed people watching. We had ladies who lunch yesterday. Today we had Heinz variety pack. We saw an Asian woman with twins in a stroller. There were hoards and hoards of young prepubescent girls. There was a Judy Densch look alike. The hair did the trick. There was an undescrible couple, he with flowing white hair and prissy little moustache while his round little companion had a short tight skirt when hiked up, I swore she had no panties on. Ham was in the wrong chair for that view. We saw a couple of women, one of whom kept rocking a baby in a car seat on the table. Said baby looked quite happy without the constant hand rocking; but, then the other woman, the mother, joined in and it took two women to rock the kid. I told Ham that they definitely left something out of my mom genes because if one of my children seemed happy, I would not have sat there eating and constantly rocking the baby. Anyway, the people watching was superior. I could hardly pull myself away to get started in the stores. I’m not going into details but we were able to get a couple of Christmas presents out of the way. Yaaay! We were both getting sore backs and Ham was turning white so I suggested that we hit Bucky’s for a pick-me-up. I really enjoyed my Iced decaf soy latte. Ham had and orange juice which I feel made his blood sugar spike then plunge harder. I tried to get my Words with Friends played but something was happening and it just kept churning and churning. Stupid Computers! Or Stupid Facebook! Stupid Something! We hit one more store, Merrills. I used to love their shoes because they are so comfortable. But, sadly, I was not to find a new pair today. We proceeded to the Antique Mall and it was really, really nice with really, really high prices. All I wanted was a little round table cloth for Rachel’s table. I cringed at $125. It was fun to look at things though. Ham salivated over an honest to God authentic diving helmet at $6800. It would be a nice little item under a Christmas tree…..gift wrapped of course. By this time My One True Love was very white. He wanted to come home to eat a fat free cheese sandwich on rye bread. I nixed that for a lot of reasons. We ate, not healthy at all, at Five Guys. Don’t you just hate to be in a new place and have to fall back on the same old chain restaurants found at home. We made it back and immediately turned up the heat. It is truly nice having a furnace. That’s it. nl PS Tomorrow we leave. Sunday, December 2, 2012 Hammie promised me an Eggs Benedict breakfast at the Broken Egg Café and he kept that promise. I really don’t remember what time we got there, but the place was filled to the brim and we were lucky to get the last vacated table. My eggs were good and Ham’s lox salmon was a nice change, he said, except the fish was a little strong. We thoroughly enjoyed breakfast however. This breakfast café has Patachou beat forty ways from Sunday. The décor is pleasing and even with the restaurant jam packed we could have a conversation without screaming at each other. I hate that about Patachou. It was a pleasant way to start the day. We started out for a CVS or a Wal-Mart and found the latter. It was a small thing and didn’t even have a package of Ace combs. I don’t think we did anything else and I decided it was time to eat AGAIN. We ended up having a queso dip at Applebee’s. It was OK but certainly not of the caliber of Chi-Chi’s. I do hope we didn’t put them out of business eating their happy hour freebies. We stopped at the huge, enormous Goodwill store and circled the whole thing. We have NEVER seen the prices that they want. They seemed to be doing a good business because we saw lots of people leaving the store with bags and bags of purchases. I wanted to go to the Church Thrift store but, it being Sunday, it was closed. We wanted to take a sunset walk to and on the beach. So after taking the scenic tour through Blue Mountain, we had to scramble when we returned to the campground. Both of us changed into our ancient, once-upon-a-time smelly beach walkin’ sandals, and off we went. The dunes were pretty in the waning light and we marched right out to water’s edge and got a picture or two of old Sol as he slipped below the horizon. I stared and stared at him but saw no green flash. I guess that’s a Key’s thing because that’s where I saw one twice. The temperature was very warm. We’ve been lucky that way. We have had beautiful weather while here. Anyway, it took quite a bit of rinsing to get that powdery sand off our feet. When we returned to The Dragon, even more cleaning was needed. I did NOT want to get into bed with sandy feet. That’s all I can think of. Maybe Kingosabe can add more. nl Monday, December 03, 2012 Last night after our beach sunset it was only about 5:30. We did the, “Wadaya wanna do Marty?” No TV, too early for bed, so we played a couple of Bananagram games then went to bed around 9 and read for an hour or two. This morning we were up before 10 and out to the local Starbucks only about two miles from the campground. Alas, they had no breakfast sandwiches so we survived on bagels and sweet stuff. It was time to head north and the Dragon had been mostly set up for travel, all that was needed was to disconnect the electricity, drive to the entry road, and hook up LC. Our three little frogs in the electrical box at the site had found two other friends and now there were five. I guess they were tree frogs, or electrical box frogs. They could jump ten times their body length from one vertical surface to another. We hope the next campers will not chase them from their electrical box home. I didn’t time the hook up but I guess it was about 20 minutes and we were on our way. Altogether Grayton Beach State Campground was pretty nice. We were in the sites without sewer and they were of nice size for our 27 foot Dragon and little LC, also quite private with the jungle all around. The sewer sites were larger, but not as private. We prefer jungle to sewers. Most of the day’s driving was due north into Alabama on US 331. Our only stop was at Laverne for a wee snack, gas, and a leg stretch. For once the gas station had a driveway that sloped the right way and I was able to fill the tank, I think. South of Montgomery, Alabama, birthplace of the ever popular Nan Lou, we went over to the dreaded I-65 to stay away from city traffic. By then the sun was close to setting and we planned to stay at Wally’s like I thought we did on the way south. There was a Cracker Barrel a few miles farther and we opted for their hospitality and food. It turned out to be where we stayed and not at Wally’s. Oh well, I’m almost old. The temperature is around 77. It is around 70 back in Indy but will be closer to 40 or 50 for a high when we get home. Reflecting on our brief Florida stay, we had a darn good time, it was nice being able to leave our wheeled house and prowl about in LC. Graytom Beach is very nice, especially without vacationing folk. The bar in GB city was fun, seeing how Seaside has grown and morphed into a tourist trap and not just a model community for the new way of living was sad, and Panama City beach was a ghost town without the hoards of spring breakers. I think it is hot here in the Dragon. In a few days I’ll prolly think it is cold. Sobeit. hb |
The Red Bar had a lot of red lights.
The following are mostly photos of the beach and lagoon near the campground. Click on one if you want to see a larger view.
We've seen the Key West green flash a couple
of times but have never seen it anywhere else. Same sun, same gulf, but no green flash. 
Two people, four feet.
Some people travel with dogs, some with cats, but we take Rachel. She loves to see the sights. Here's a few pix of her in Florida.
Rachel loved the Red Bar. I think someone
slipped a little gin in her tank. |
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Since we were in Cracker Barrel’s back yard, we tootled in for breakfast. Ham found a supposed nutritionally good for you new item on the menu. Eggs (egg beaters) turkey sausage, yogurt with pineapple and granola and a granola bar. As usual, most everything except the granola was tasteless.
There was some discussion about taking a backroad north; however, Ham decided to go on I65 and as it turns out it was a mighty good thing he did.
When his back started giving out we stopped at a rest stop for a little snack. We had milk and the granola bars that we didn’t eat for breakfast. They were quite tasty and the best thing Cracker Barrel has offered us in a long time.
Back on the highway south of Birmingham and on and on and on, the road was one of the bumpiest we have ever been on especially for an interstate. It wasn’t that way going south. I was worried about Rachel and kept checking on her because her water had white cap waves.
She wasn’t worried she was playing with the fish (herself) in the reflection of the glass.
Later when I went over to see her, she wasn’t very striped. Just one. She started her fluttering for food. She is one tough cookie, that Rachel.
Then the rains came. We were trying to find a Wal-Mart for the night and chose the one at Lewisburg. Siri gave us directions and they were easy to follow. But with the rain and all we spied a truck stop right off the highway, called with great originality the Tennessee Truck Stop.
It looked very crowded but Hammie got permission to stay and we lined up with the trucks just like we belonged there. After getting everything settled we ambled over to check out the restaurant. We were looking forward to something other than Cracker Barrel fare. Ham had a pulled pork sandwich and I had a BLT. Then the rains started again in earnest. By the time we finished eating and looked at the tacky souvenirs, we bought some ice cream for a dessert treat and bravely started out across the huge parking lot. We were undaunted by the rain and we actually did not get drenched. We did find the poor Dragon wedged between two semis. Huge semis!
We ate out ice cream, Ham finished some business, we finished a crossword puzzle and that’s about it. Oh yeah, Rachel was ready to eat again. Her eyesight needs help. She would never make it in the cow’s hoof print in Siam, now called Thailand. nl
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Well, the truck stop café left a lot to be desired in the breakfast fare department. Each item was cooked to order but each one was just a little off. Even so it was a break from Cracker Barrel. I think I’ll write a letter to that fine emporium and tell them they should get back to quality of Taste with a capital T. We have noticed a decline in their meals for a long time. This trip, they have hit a new low. Gripe, gripe, gripe the lady said.
Then it was hit old I-65 heading northward toward home and what I thought was a little by pass to see Nan Lou on the way.
There was a lot of traffic, and I do mean a lot, around Nashville, TN. I can remember our trips south and Nashville was just a blip in the road. The town goes on and on and the highway becomes a six and eight lanes all the way across. I don’t even want to discuss trucks. Ham made the observation there were more trucks than cars on the road. To amuse myself, I counted them and in a short time there were 21 trucks right together with just two passenger cars. I must say that the drivers have been polite passing the Dragon. They always edge over just as far as they can go. I don’t mean always, but I have never seen it otherwise. It will be interesting to see if these manners are southern only or if they continue as we cross the Mason-Dixon line.
I was feeling a bit puny and Ham thinking that, for me, ice cream fixes all ills, allowed me to stay Dragonside, and he went in Mickeys and brought out the hot fudge sundaes. He was right. I felt better.
We got off I-65 north of Bowling Green and headed east. On and on and on we went. The driving was more pleasant….less traffic. The Scenery was very nice. But when Hammie said it was twenty miles to Collumbia and then twenty plus more miles to Green River State Park, I thought I was having a cow. He quickly called in help from his new girlfriend-in-charge, Siri,
and she found us a Wal-Mart in Columbia. The goofy woman was going to send us down the road past the Wal-Mart, then make a U turn to go back. Silly woman! It was right there.
So with permission to stay, we enjoyed a Subway sandwich for dinner and, of course, did a little shopping and here we are. We played a couple of games with the Bananagram tiles and Ham has settled down to fight Siri and her stubbornness about refusing to delete maps. The fish has been fed and it’s time for bed. How I loved that poetic sentence. nl
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Campbellesville Kentucky is very close to Columbia, Kentucky where we spent the night.
We were able to sleep as long as we wanted to and we arrived at Nan Lou’s campground before anyone else was stirring.
We waited around then sent her a text message and we heard nothing from her. Knowing the weird hours she works, it seemed mean to wake her up. However, it seemed meaner to go eat and not feed her and/or have to drive back into town the second time.
She said she heard of a really good breakfast place someone recommended. It was called Orvilles. The recommending someone must be a bit daffy. It was one of the worst breakfasts I have ever eaten. I ordered one waffle and a sausage patty. When it came the waffle was a poor equivalent of an Eggo. I had ordered a few pecans on it and they were just tossed on. Of course I was thinking they would be mixed into the batter ala Waffle House or Huddle House.
Nan Lou said Lebanon was a cute town so poor Hammie drove the twenty miles there. We couldn’t find a bunch of antique shops that most of these small towns have. Finally it took circling around to go into one we thought was a mall. It wasn’t. It was a large store with junky trinkets, etc. But, Eureka! Ham found out that the soda fountain that I thought was just display, was actually a working fountain.
So we all had chocolate malts and sat on the stools just like the days of yesteryear. The malts were excellent and quite filling. I‘ll never be happy with one of those from Steak n’ Shake again.
We hung around the Dragon and played three games of our new favorite game, Bananagram.
It was soon time to go find dinner. We had never been disappointed in Colton’s, the cowboy steakhouse and grill. By the time we started out, it was completely dark. The food was adequate and copious. Anything would have been better than breakfast.
We came back and chatted until Nan Lou went over to see what was going on in the office area and I, for one, will be hitting the bed. nl
Friday, December 7, 2012
We slept until 10:30 or so, got up, cleaned up, and woke up Nannie for a trip to the Huddle House before we left for Indiana. Much better breakfast than yesterday even though Nan Lou had to ask the waitress where the pecans were in her waffle. The waitress said they were there and told Nan Lou to look at the little black specs in the waffle. Sure enough, those little black specs weren’t dirt or mouse poop, but actual miniature pecans broken into tiny little pieces with giant hammers in some pecan factory. NL was quite ecstatic.
Then back to Nannies campground to hook up LC and say goodbye to Nannie. I hate saying goodbye. Sobeit.
The two lane toward Elizabethtown was pretty empty and a pretty drive through the rolling Kentucky countryside. Even I-65 wasn’t too bad until we came upon a big electric sign saying there was an accident a few miles ahead and only one lane open. Traffic backed up for a couple of miles and crept along as the three lanes squeezed into one way ahead of us. It all went smoothly, if at a snail’s pace until people started jockeying to get in the only open lane which was a total mystery too all. Even I shifted from the right lane to the center since most of the shifters were heading for the left lane. Soon it became evident that it was the right lane that was open and us shifters had to get back where we belonged. I wonder who started the frantic shift to the left that a lot of us followed. Anyway the blockage was the result of a semi laying on its side and all the equipment around it. We hoped the driver wasn’t hurt. We saw no other vehicles involved, but they might have been taken away by the time we got there.
The traffic really thinned out after that until we were nearer to Louisville. The rain that had been falling all day became heavier and it was pretty misty. The trip through Louisville was not too bad except for the poor visibility and rain.
Shortly after entering Indiana we saw a Cracker Barrel sign and decided on an early stop and a good old CB meal with a night’s parking thrown in.
By the way, we stopped at a Pilot station for gas about 40 miles south of Louisville which was very crowded and congested. Luckily once away from the pumps there was ample room to go around in circles with the Dragon and LC. Later we saw why the place was so crowded; $3.15 per gallon compared to the other’s $3.40.
Time to read. hb
hb didn’t mention the rain. It started raining; then it started pouring; and finally the road became a gully washer. This all happened over ten miles south of Louisville. Visibility was horrible and the amount of traffic was worse. Trying every pair of sunglasses we could find, nothing helped. When you can’t see, you just can’t see. Undaunted, Ham persevered in a careful way. Brave LC acted as if all were perfectly normal. nl
Saturday, December 8, 2012,
We knew this was probably our last day in the Dragon before getting home so what was a better way to celebrate than leisurely lounging around in bed until very late. Very late means lunch time when we hit our hosts in the Cracker Barrel. The usual fare was adequate, as Ham would say.
We only had a little over 100 miles to go and it went smoothly. That didn’t apply to the road I-65 which was a bit rough here and there.
We arrived home quite early, for us, and Hammie busied himself turning on the water and such.
We went to Panera’s while the house heated up and had sweet rolls and their so so coffee.
I know Rachel must be as hysterically happy as a fish can be to be home and no longer jostled.
She seems to take all in her stride and she is none the worse for wear because of her travel ordeal. I am calling her Rachel, the Intrepid Little Fish. Who would have believed she traveled so well and so far and was just as perky after her almost 2,000 miles as the day she left. Not I.
nl
Since we were in Cracker Barrel’s back yard, we tootled in for breakfast. Ham found a supposed nutritionally good for you new item on the menu. Eggs (egg beaters) turkey sausage, yogurt with pineapple and granola and a granola bar. As usual, most everything except the granola was tasteless.
There was some discussion about taking a backroad north; however, Ham decided to go on I65 and as it turns out it was a mighty good thing he did.
When his back started giving out we stopped at a rest stop for a little snack. We had milk and the granola bars that we didn’t eat for breakfast. They were quite tasty and the best thing Cracker Barrel has offered us in a long time.
Back on the highway south of Birmingham and on and on and on, the road was one of the bumpiest we have ever been on especially for an interstate. It wasn’t that way going south. I was worried about Rachel and kept checking on her because her water had white cap waves.
She wasn’t worried she was playing with the fish (herself) in the reflection of the glass.
Later when I went over to see her, she wasn’t very striped. Just one. She started her fluttering for food. She is one tough cookie, that Rachel.
Then the rains came. We were trying to find a Wal-Mart for the night and chose the one at Lewisburg. Siri gave us directions and they were easy to follow. But with the rain and all we spied a truck stop right off the highway, called with great originality the Tennessee Truck Stop.
It looked very crowded but Hammie got permission to stay and we lined up with the trucks just like we belonged there. After getting everything settled we ambled over to check out the restaurant. We were looking forward to something other than Cracker Barrel fare. Ham had a pulled pork sandwich and I had a BLT. Then the rains started again in earnest. By the time we finished eating and looked at the tacky souvenirs, we bought some ice cream for a dessert treat and bravely started out across the huge parking lot. We were undaunted by the rain and we actually did not get drenched. We did find the poor Dragon wedged between two semis. Huge semis!
We ate out ice cream, Ham finished some business, we finished a crossword puzzle and that’s about it. Oh yeah, Rachel was ready to eat again. Her eyesight needs help. She would never make it in the cow’s hoof print in Siam, now called Thailand. nl
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Well, the truck stop café left a lot to be desired in the breakfast fare department. Each item was cooked to order but each one was just a little off. Even so it was a break from Cracker Barrel. I think I’ll write a letter to that fine emporium and tell them they should get back to quality of Taste with a capital T. We have noticed a decline in their meals for a long time. This trip, they have hit a new low. Gripe, gripe, gripe the lady said.
Then it was hit old I-65 heading northward toward home and what I thought was a little by pass to see Nan Lou on the way.
There was a lot of traffic, and I do mean a lot, around Nashville, TN. I can remember our trips south and Nashville was just a blip in the road. The town goes on and on and the highway becomes a six and eight lanes all the way across. I don’t even want to discuss trucks. Ham made the observation there were more trucks than cars on the road. To amuse myself, I counted them and in a short time there were 21 trucks right together with just two passenger cars. I must say that the drivers have been polite passing the Dragon. They always edge over just as far as they can go. I don’t mean always, but I have never seen it otherwise. It will be interesting to see if these manners are southern only or if they continue as we cross the Mason-Dixon line.
I was feeling a bit puny and Ham thinking that, for me, ice cream fixes all ills, allowed me to stay Dragonside, and he went in Mickeys and brought out the hot fudge sundaes. He was right. I felt better.
We got off I-65 north of Bowling Green and headed east. On and on and on we went. The driving was more pleasant….less traffic. The Scenery was very nice. But when Hammie said it was twenty miles to Collumbia and then twenty plus more miles to Green River State Park, I thought I was having a cow. He quickly called in help from his new girlfriend-in-charge, Siri,
and she found us a Wal-Mart in Columbia. The goofy woman was going to send us down the road past the Wal-Mart, then make a U turn to go back. Silly woman! It was right there.
So with permission to stay, we enjoyed a Subway sandwich for dinner and, of course, did a little shopping and here we are. We played a couple of games with the Bananagram tiles and Ham has settled down to fight Siri and her stubbornness about refusing to delete maps. The fish has been fed and it’s time for bed. How I loved that poetic sentence. nl
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Campbellesville Kentucky is very close to Columbia, Kentucky where we spent the night.
We were able to sleep as long as we wanted to and we arrived at Nan Lou’s campground before anyone else was stirring.
We waited around then sent her a text message and we heard nothing from her. Knowing the weird hours she works, it seemed mean to wake her up. However, it seemed meaner to go eat and not feed her and/or have to drive back into town the second time.
She said she heard of a really good breakfast place someone recommended. It was called Orvilles. The recommending someone must be a bit daffy. It was one of the worst breakfasts I have ever eaten. I ordered one waffle and a sausage patty. When it came the waffle was a poor equivalent of an Eggo. I had ordered a few pecans on it and they were just tossed on. Of course I was thinking they would be mixed into the batter ala Waffle House or Huddle House.
Nan Lou said Lebanon was a cute town so poor Hammie drove the twenty miles there. We couldn’t find a bunch of antique shops that most of these small towns have. Finally it took circling around to go into one we thought was a mall. It wasn’t. It was a large store with junky trinkets, etc. But, Eureka! Ham found out that the soda fountain that I thought was just display, was actually a working fountain.
So we all had chocolate malts and sat on the stools just like the days of yesteryear. The malts were excellent and quite filling. I‘ll never be happy with one of those from Steak n’ Shake again.
We hung around the Dragon and played three games of our new favorite game, Bananagram.
It was soon time to go find dinner. We had never been disappointed in Colton’s, the cowboy steakhouse and grill. By the time we started out, it was completely dark. The food was adequate and copious. Anything would have been better than breakfast.
We came back and chatted until Nan Lou went over to see what was going on in the office area and I, for one, will be hitting the bed. nl
Friday, December 7, 2012
We slept until 10:30 or so, got up, cleaned up, and woke up Nannie for a trip to the Huddle House before we left for Indiana. Much better breakfast than yesterday even though Nan Lou had to ask the waitress where the pecans were in her waffle. The waitress said they were there and told Nan Lou to look at the little black specs in the waffle. Sure enough, those little black specs weren’t dirt or mouse poop, but actual miniature pecans broken into tiny little pieces with giant hammers in some pecan factory. NL was quite ecstatic.
Then back to Nannies campground to hook up LC and say goodbye to Nannie. I hate saying goodbye. Sobeit.
The two lane toward Elizabethtown was pretty empty and a pretty drive through the rolling Kentucky countryside. Even I-65 wasn’t too bad until we came upon a big electric sign saying there was an accident a few miles ahead and only one lane open. Traffic backed up for a couple of miles and crept along as the three lanes squeezed into one way ahead of us. It all went smoothly, if at a snail’s pace until people started jockeying to get in the only open lane which was a total mystery too all. Even I shifted from the right lane to the center since most of the shifters were heading for the left lane. Soon it became evident that it was the right lane that was open and us shifters had to get back where we belonged. I wonder who started the frantic shift to the left that a lot of us followed. Anyway the blockage was the result of a semi laying on its side and all the equipment around it. We hoped the driver wasn’t hurt. We saw no other vehicles involved, but they might have been taken away by the time we got there.
The traffic really thinned out after that until we were nearer to Louisville. The rain that had been falling all day became heavier and it was pretty misty. The trip through Louisville was not too bad except for the poor visibility and rain.
Shortly after entering Indiana we saw a Cracker Barrel sign and decided on an early stop and a good old CB meal with a night’s parking thrown in.
By the way, we stopped at a Pilot station for gas about 40 miles south of Louisville which was very crowded and congested. Luckily once away from the pumps there was ample room to go around in circles with the Dragon and LC. Later we saw why the place was so crowded; $3.15 per gallon compared to the other’s $3.40.
Time to read. hb
hb didn’t mention the rain. It started raining; then it started pouring; and finally the road became a gully washer. This all happened over ten miles south of Louisville. Visibility was horrible and the amount of traffic was worse. Trying every pair of sunglasses we could find, nothing helped. When you can’t see, you just can’t see. Undaunted, Ham persevered in a careful way. Brave LC acted as if all were perfectly normal. nl
Saturday, December 8, 2012,
We knew this was probably our last day in the Dragon before getting home so what was a better way to celebrate than leisurely lounging around in bed until very late. Very late means lunch time when we hit our hosts in the Cracker Barrel. The usual fare was adequate, as Ham would say.
We only had a little over 100 miles to go and it went smoothly. That didn’t apply to the road I-65 which was a bit rough here and there.
We arrived home quite early, for us, and Hammie busied himself turning on the water and such.
We went to Panera’s while the house heated up and had sweet rolls and their so so coffee.
I know Rachel must be as hysterically happy as a fish can be to be home and no longer jostled.
She seems to take all in her stride and she is none the worse for wear because of her travel ordeal. I am calling her Rachel, the Intrepid Little Fish. Who would have believed she traveled so well and so far and was just as perky after her almost 2,000 miles as the day she left. Not I.
nl
I don't think I'll ever get used to towing a car, especially all the work to set it on its towing wheels.
