Trip 113 Pensacola  to Jekyll Island

Friday, February 8, 2032

It gets more difficult getting ready every time we decide to leave on a trip in the Dragon.  We started at least five days ahead of time and pecked away at the To Do list almost constantly. Our list starts at Four Days from Departure.  We plugged along until Three Days before Departure and it was COLD.  However, the cold didn’t stop Ham and he decided to put all the towing bars and stuff on the Dragon and LC.  So, after having a month of bronchitis and being very sedentary, his back rebelled.  So Two Days before Departure, we ended up in the emergency room because with the bronchial coughing and back pain, there was a chance of heart involvement.  Fortunately, thank God, all was well. So we worked like beavers the next day and the next and off we went just one day behind schedule.

Going down I-65 is getting pretty routine now.  Traffic was heavier than the last time (it was Friday of course) and Ham handled it with great aplomb.  It must have seemed like a new experience since we have not had the Dragon out of the drive way since the last trip in December.

We stopped for the night at Lebanon Junction, Kentucky which had a large Pilot station.  Actually we stayed about two tenths of a mile from the store and McDonalds with a big rig on each side of us.

Hamilton walked over to get permission to park for the night and he brought back two double quarter pounders.  I wondered why they just didn’t call them half pounders, but Ham decided to evade that question.

Sometime during this lay by, he noticed that LC was not charging at all.  He did have to hook it up to the home battery charger one time before we left home. Hmmmm!  Siempre a problemo.

What is it Scarlett said?  There’s always tomorrow.  So we left it at that and turned in for the night.  Let me tell you it was cold.  I had fleece PJs and long wool socks on and we brought the

green fleece blanket from home to top off everything already on the bed.  I was glad.  We needed it.  So that ended Day One of the trip to Pensacola.  nl

Saturday, February 9, 2013

While Hammie slept like the proverbial log, I had one miserable night.  We turned in early, about eight, since we were both so exhausted from all the last minute loading and locking up the house. Ham read about ten words and zonked out.  I finished my book and started a new one.  I would try to go to sleep, turn on light, read, nap a bit, wake up, turn on light, read, nap a bit, and on and on and on ad infinitum all night long. It was a long cold night.

Ham bounded out of bed about eight.  Ta Da!  A new Day and I’m rarin’ to go!  I snarled and frowned and couldn’t come near my usual sweet, charming, lovable self.  We found another McD’s at another truck stop and had the first Egg McMuffin that we’ve had in a long, long time.

Then we tootled on down the road to Bowling Green, Kentucky to a Wal-Mart.  Ham drove there directly with the aid of the fine map program on the new I phone.  I told him that it seemed strange not wandering aimlessly around strange towns trying to find the hidden Wal-Marts.  We went our separate ways in the stores, but the important thing was to get a new battery for LC.

Putting the darn thing in was more of a chore than it has ever been.  I told Hammie that I have seen him put in a hundred (my exaggeration) batteries, but I have never seen him work harder.

He very colorfully laid the blame on the Japanese manufacturers.  FINALLY the job was finished and I suggested we get a taco at Garcia’s Grill just across the Wal-Mart driveway.  Just from the name I thought it would be a Pancho’s, QDoba kind of place.  Instead it was a regualar restaurant.  We had a medium sized lunch and felt better for it.

Then there was nothing to do but continue south in our pursuit of warm weather.  It was still chilly but the temperature did climb to a bit over Fifty degrees and the sun shone for most of the day.  So it seemed warmer.

Going around Nashville is never a piece of cake with roads branching off every few miles, but, except for one small error, we made it in record time.  Again, with the help of friend I phone, Ham found the map to Lewisburg which had a Wal-Mart.  And, again, we directed there directly.  One could really get used to this knowing where to go without the miles of circular driving.

So here we are again at Wally’s campground.  Ham has gone in to buy another voltage meter and then we shall contemplate food.  That’s it for the night.  nl

After getting the voltmeter I went to KFC for a couple of chicken breasts. Guess what it was a nice big KFC with a buffet and 100 times more upscale than those dinky little places at home. Just on a wild chance I asked if they had chicken livers. They had them and we ate a bunch instead of the semi healthy grilled breasts. They were juicy and good unlike the dried up things we usually find nowadays.   hb

Sunday, February 10, 2013

I don’t know what to say about this day except it started to rain just as we were pulling out and it rained, and it rained, and it rained all day.  Visibility sucked.  We saw a couple of places with emergency vehicles….the remnants of accidents and it rained.  We ate chicken livers for supper at Wal-Mart and it’s raining.  That’s all for me.nl

Well, Nan Lou didn’t mention that it rained so hard we saw 9 churches with many people hastily putting together very large boats. There were also some people who seemed to be gathering many pairs of animals. It was raining very hard. Sometimes the visibility was so bad I could see only 37 feet in front of me. I slowed down to 55 MPH and that only led to being passed by about 312 cars and trucks going at least 78 MPH. It was raining very hard.

The Wally parking lot was quiet last night, no loud semis and no hot-rodder’s straight pipes as they did donuts in the parking lot. We got gas there at Wally’s station since it was pretty easy to get in and get out. It was $3.36 per gallon.

Nan Lou put together a healthy cold breakfast. We didn’t bother with making coffee or hunting some down. Later we stopped at a rest area and started the generator for the Keurig and had a couple cups of fine decaf joe.

Siri tried to lead us out of town to I-65 but I turned too soon at one point and she picked right up and sent us back on the right track. It was raining, but not too hard.

I was fighting the battery thing in LC (DRGN TL) and had to stop and check voltmeters several times along the way. It is all too complicated to go into now, but I will write a paper on it one of these days.

As we neared Birmingham, Alabama the rain doubled in force and it was nasty. It abated a bit and we stopped to check out a Cracker Barrel only to find out they had no RV parking. Every Cracker Barrel we’ve stopped at along the way had no place for RVs to park. I think this is the first time we’ve ever run into that.

While stopped we used a combo of the WalMart ap and the phone map ap to locate a WalMart in Alabaster, Alabama that was near the 65 and easy to get into. Dinner was left over chicken livers, tomatoes, celery, and Oreos for desert. It is still raining and Wally’s lot looks like a giant wide flowing river.    

We are still on schedule, I hate schedules, with 2.5 days left and maybe 270 miles to the campground at the Seashore National Park, or whatever they call it, near Pensacola, Florida of course.     hb  

Monday, February 11, 2013.

It rained; it poured; it didn’t stop all day long.  Hammie kept persevering and at last we came to the place where we could leave I-65 and hit two lane roads.  That was nice.  Just an occasional eighteen wheeler, not a constant flow of them kicking up water in their wake!

We came to the little town of Brewton and found the Wal-Mart easily. Ham had to walk what seemed like a half a mile to go in and ask permission to spend the night.  There was a wee lapse of rain then. However, when he came out after doing some shopping, it was again pouring.  He got very wet and didn’t have a hat on.  My hope was he didn’t get sick.  It’s a report after the fact but I didn’t sleep very well.  So there!  Ham will fill this out, since it is as thin as cheese cloth. nl

I have nothing to say about anything except that if I come down with the epozutic it is all my fault for not listening to Nan Lou’s admonitions to dress properly.  hb

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Yep, it was raining when we got up; and, just to get it out of the way, it rained all day.  With just short periods of non rain but with heavy gray cloud cover. 

We saw Huddle House and thought that was a great idea for breakfast since the one in Camblesville, Kentucky put out a really good breakfast.  Ham got his omelet which was so so and I waited and waited and waited for my waffle.  The wait staff didn’t seem too concerned, but finally one of the women gave me the index finger meaning it would be up in a minute.  So, I waited some more as Ham continued to move through his omelet.  The thing was pale and doughy and I don’t understand what the problem was.  Perhaps, even though waffles are supposed to be a specialty, they didn’t know how to make one.

On the road again.  Lovely road with little traffic and smooth; direct too.  When we got within striking distance of having to pay attention to turns and such, Siri kicked in and gave us excellent directions.  The only goof up was mine, when I didn’t pay attention and we missed a right turn, of all things.  It was pretty easy to make a couple of ueeeys and get us back on the right track.  I may have been chastised, but I wasn’t fired as navigator.

Oh yeah!  It was still raining.  Ham got us registered and we proceeded through the pretty little white dunes to our reserved campsite in Gulf Shores National Seashore.  I couldn’t believe it when I learned it only cost us old people ten dollars a night.  Since we arrived a day early, we leave a day early since there is a fourteen day limit.

By the time Ham got the Dragon all hooked up, we were both exhausted.  I don’t know why I was since he was the one walking through giant parking lots, driving, registering, hooking up, etc.  But I was.  So, we took a nap.

We had a semi healthy meal of crackers, cheese, fruit, tomatoes, celery and the days old chicken breast from a KFC in Kentucky.  Actually, I think it is reproducing.

We will see what tomorrow brings. I think I hear rain.  So rest assured that is one thing tomorrow will bring……..more rain.  nl   Oh yes, Ham is coughing again. nl   

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

It was still raining on and off. We went to Fort Pickins and wandered a wee bit in parts of the old fort. I like it a lot. It would make great condos. I think the temperature was in the mid fifties and totally depressing. We might have napped, but with all of the days excitement who can recall.  hb 

Thursday, February 14, 2013

It was time for a real restaurant breakfast and we checked the Iphone and its wonderful devices and decided just to look around Pensacola Beach which lies between Gulf Breeze and the campground where we live. There was a place called The Native Cafe which stopped breakfast at 11:30. We got there at 11:31 and they told me it was too late. No flexibility with those damn natives. Just a wee bit farther down the strip mall was DJ’s. DJ did not cut off breakfast at all. We ate a pretty good meal, except for the sausage NL had, and then went out exploring the area. In the beach residential neighborhood we found the unique cement round house we saw after the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005, it still looked cool. When we were here in 2006, I think, the whole area was pretty devastated by those hurricanes and a lot has been rebuilt with more to go.

That took so much energy we just had to drive across the toll bridge, $1.00, and look at Gulf Breeze. Lo and behold we stumbled on a Starbucks and had our decaf soy lattés. I asked Siri for a local movie theater and we headed westward for another five miles and found a sort of worn looking place with a movie or two we wanted to see. Alas, they did not have the earphones NL wanted so we wrote that off our list of must do’s. Looks like we might have to go to a big Pensacola movie complex, if there is such a thing.

By then hunger had snuck up on us and we headed back toward the campground and stopped at Peg Leg Pete’s for a couple of dozen oysters and key lime pie. It was pretty busy probably because it is Valentine’s Day but we were seated right away. Funny thing, we were at the same table we had four years ago. They were good but not as big as those at Doc Ford’s on Sanibel.

It was dark by the time we got back at the campground and the Dragon had cooled a little. It is nice and cozy now, NL is exercising, or exorcising, and I am logging.

For some reason one of the trip highlights was not mentioned. Nan Lou smacked her little toe on her right foot against the corner of the back dinette. It might be broken but she refuses all efforts at treatment. No ER, no medical service of any kind, just a little gentle treatment like wearing thongs and not walking too much. Her toe and part of her foot have taken on a nice color.

I am not coughing, prolly to tired to do so…..hb   

Friday, February 15, 2013

We lounged for an hour or so before we decided to get up and get with the program. Possibly that is a stupid cliché and I should not use it because I don’t know what the program is. We ate a healthy NL inspired breakfast and felt very righteous. The sun was shining and it looked like it was set for the whole day. We finally took a short walk on a path through the jungle behind us and it went over the small white dunes until we came to the Santa Rosa sound between this barrier island and Pensacola. The beach looked pretty nice but we didn’t venture down the steep midsized dune to get to it. We will find another less steep climb or just go elsewhere.

We didn’t see the museum at Fort Pickens the other day so we headed over there about 30 minutes before closing. It was a nice small museum with the fort’s history and all sorts of info about the beach formation and the wild sea and land critters around here. We will go back and spend more time there. We also might go back to the fort for a tour and more wandering around looking at old brick walls, ceilings, and old canons. I think it is an interesting place, I think I said that the other day. We might visit another fort someday.

With the Dragon’s pantry running low plus a degree of laziness we went into Pensacola Beach and ate at a place called Flounders. It was a colorful bar and restaurant, not quite as colorful as Peg Leg’s. NL just had to eat their deep fried clam strips which were touted to be just like HoJo’s from the 1980’s. That’s Howard Johnson Motel Restaurants. She said they were OK but not quite as good. The thing is, she ate them in the 50’s and 60’s. I ate a giant steakburger. One from Steak and Shake is tastier albeit much smaller.

The sun was setting as we drove back to the campground with a nice display of colors. With no heat on in the Dragon for most of the day it was a bit chilly, but not too bad. Today was the first day of nice weather (64 degrees) on this trip. Tomorrow the weather gods strike back with a day of 55 and a night of 32. That just sucks, but we could be home at 27 and 16 or in Grand Marais at 18 and 3. Need I say more?   hb     

Saturday, February 16, 2013

I think it was last night when I spotted some strange rings on my left side. They were sort of oval about 2 inches across. There were three in a row and another down lower. Later I found one low on my right side. We hit the internet and diagnosed them as the Dreaded Ringworm. I was aghast never having had them before. This morning we were up early to seek medical help which is hard to find in the Third World State of Florida. The one place near Gulf Breeze was closed. A stop at a Walgreens and a talk to the pharmacy lady ended up in us getting some antifungal goo and some itch relieving antihistamine pills.

We also found a Verizon store and had one of three problems solved with the iphone operation. Then it was time for breakfast. The IHOP we found was packed so we went to the Native Café in Pensacola Beach. It was packed with people waiting outside. A few doors down DJ’s was not packed by far and we has a pretty good breakfast in their dingy looking establishment.

Then it was back to the now crowded campground. It is President’s Day weekend and there are a lot of RVs here. We saw a passel of little kids on bikes acting like junior Hells Angels in the campground. NL doctored up my rings and I took an itch pill which knocked me out for three or four hours.

Later we went out in search of food. I felt like pizza and there were no pizza places nearby that we could find so we went to a Subway near DJ’s and ate their barely passable pizza. On the way into town we stopped and watched a guy on his whatever board being pulled to and fro by his kite thingy. He was pretty good although a bit nuts being in the freezing water. At least he had a wet suit.

Returning to the park in the dark we had to use the passcode to enter. I couldn’t get it to work so we followed close behind another car that was going in.

We tried out the new Verizon way to get on line with the phones and it worked. Then we went to bed.   hb   

Sunday, February 17, 2013 

We were a lazy pair staying in beddy bye much longer than usual.  Because of this, I was poised and ready to prepare breakfast, when Ham gave me a hound dog look and mournfully said he thought we would be going out for breakfast.  This told me a lot about my breakfasts in the Dragon.

We went over the bridge one more time and were hunting the Starbucks in Gulf Breeze when old

Eagle Eye spotted a Waffle House on the other side of the road.  Unlike the one that was on the way to get the medicine for the pet ring worms, this one actually had a few places to park.  I grabbed a booth seat with a great view of the excitement of the grill area.  This place had three cooks going at one time.  So, entertainment wise, it couldn’t be beat.  Ham amused himself watching a bearded guy with a moustache that drooped to his shoulder blades and a pony tail that came to his waist.  These redneck Floridian men really know how to present themselves.  At home, the men find it exciting to get a little trim at Sport Clips.

We paid one more dollar to get back to Pensacola Beach where I thought I might find a pair of flip flops to ease my sore toe.  I couldn’t believe the prices and the larger sizes for women were practically non existent.   After observing the six foot cuties who have moved in for Spring Break, we went back to the campground.

We had to get back to the registration office to find out how to get in after dark.  Ham has that figured out now………I hope.  Then we went across the street for a beach walk.  Unfortunately the sand was all chewed up and this did not make walking with my toe a pleasure.  It was step, step, step.  Rest, rest, rest and look, look look and step, step step.  Such was our very exciting beach walk.  We will have to do better real soon.

We had cheese and crackers and apples and celery for dinner.  I have found the details about the Aegean  Café and I thought Greek sounded very good.  Perhaps soon we will hit it for lunch.

A rousing game of Scrabble, the first in many, many months, and it is time to do our exercises.

That’s about it for me; and, for the day too, I think.  nl

Monday, February 18, 2013

Today is President’s Day so many people are home from work and we expected a lot of traffic..  Our surprise, however, was seeing places like Starbucks closed.

Ham suffered from the ringworm itch and I did not have a good night at all.  Probably I got five or six hours total but it seemed like many long spells between sleep.  Ham was pretty p.o.d at having to put up with itching all the time.  A little ointment treatment helped a bit, but not enough to be really comfortable.  The round circles are becoming obliterated by rash.

He was feeling cross enough to think Panera Bread would ease his egg bag.  After all it is only twenty miles away.  So off we went.  Siri is pretty good at the routing thing, but Panera’s was in the strip of shops attached to a giant mall, so it was a bit difficult to find.  Not Siri’s fault, of course.  The place was huge and it was divided into small sections to give a cozy feel instead of feeling like you are eating in a barn.

We finished eating early enough to make the first showing of Identity Theft at a movie about 4 miles away.  Yeah!  They had hearing aid devices so we were all set……we thought.  Wrong.

I tried them out just as the previews came on and all I heard was nothing and Ham heard static.

Poor guy, itch and all, went in search of Those Who Know.  After a lot of consultation and running around. it was determined that Ta Da something was wrong with the system.  No Kidding!   I figured it was a slapstick kind of movie and I could follow along with my hearing aids.  Then one of them conked out.  I virtually saw the whole movie reading lips (not so good at that) and catching a word or two.  It all worked about as well as the movies at home with the lousy audio.

Ham spotted a MedCheck kind place and wanted to see what a real doctor had to say about his pet worms and the itch they leave behind.  There were a fair number of people waiting to be seen but I, for one, was surprised that Hammie was seen as quickly as he was.  He got a prescription from the real doctor and he has to use it every day for two weeks.  He will feel better though and that’s a good thing.

It was clouded over by the time we were through there and we went to the Ruby Tuesday right across the street.  The meal was pretty good and the Tiramisu had enough booze in it to give a little buzz. Full Dark had descended on Pensacola

Siri brought us home in fine fashion.  A few raindrops and not a downpour! The headlights picked up the sand that was blown across the road. Ham pointed out that the grains were as high as the headlights.  I wondered if poor LC was getting sandblasted.  When we got to the campground there was no sitting around a campfire.  Everyone was tucked inside. I for one would not be happy in a tent on a night like this. It seemed very cold and LC’s heater felt real good. The Dragon warmed up quickly and we are all cozy for the night.

nl 

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

We decided to get up early and go to the big WalMart east of Pensacola beach to get my prescription filled and our heads shampooed. By early I meant earlier than we usually get up.

There was a tractor on the road scooping up the sand that had blown across the road since last night. I think it might have been a foot deep in a couple of places. At least it only covered half the road or less.

We were early enough to get to the Native Café before their breakfast cutoff time of 11:30 and had oatmeal, which was adequate. Then it was off to Wally’s for the med and shampoo. We both thought the hair people and other Wally employees were a step or two up the evolutionary scale compared to those back home in Indiana.

We stopped and had a little beach walk on the way back to the campground and drove down to Fort Pickens for a closer look at some of the old gun emplacements and the area around the fishing pier. 

It was then tine for a light meal and we went off to find some clam chowder. Peg Leg’s only had a spicy fish chowder, another place had none at all but they recommended Flounder’s where we ate the other night. Flounder’s main restaurant and bar area was packed and we were led way back to an enclosed and heated patio. It might have been enclosed but the heat was minimal. Our waitress went to great lengths to turn off an overhead fan that was blasting arctic air right down on us. Their clam chowder was fish and shrimp chowder so we tried it as a last resort. It was pretty good and we ate two bowls each.

It was as dark as last night when we returned to the campground but the wind was not blowing the sand around like a snow storm. We are done for the day. Good night.   hb  

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

We ate breakfast in the Dragon and had yogurt and fruit.  For dinner we ate left over pizza from

Subway (yuk).

Thursday,  February 21, 2013

We finally got into the Native Café for breakfast.  It was immediately evident why there were such long lines to get in.  The décor was the usual medley of local art work covering the walls.

The bent wood chairs had a comfy pad filling in the wood on the center portion of the back and padded seats making the bent woods the most comfortable ever.  The food was a trifle cut above DJs which we learned stood for Dirty Joe’s which was not dirty at all.

I had the brilliant idea of having a bowl of clam chowder for dinner.  Peg Leg’s had fish chowder.  So we stopped at the place we’ve never been to called Crabs thinking with a name lke that, there would be clam chowder.  Nope!  Not even fish chowder!  They sent us across the street to Flounders.

Since the time was right in the middle of the dinner hour it was packed.  But we were seated way out back on what looked like a great big enclosed porch.  I immediately froze.  Then we found out this place didn’t have clam chowder but had fish and shrimp chowder.  I never saw a single shrimp.  The serving was teensy tiny and we had to have a second bowl to fill up.  We could have saved ourselves a lot of hassle if we had just stated at Peg Leg’s.

Friday, February 22, 2013

It rained all night and all morning.  To just get it out of the way, it rained cats and dogs all day.  Sometimes it would slack of to a drizzle and then start another downpour.  After the trip down here, we are used to it.

Ham wanted to check out the parking situation at the Air Force Museum.  So,  I had the brilliant idea of going to Another Broken Egg Café for breakfast.  We really liked the one in Grayton Beach.  Siri took us almost to the door.  The food was the same.  Ham’s seafood omelet was unusual but tasty.  He seemed to enjoy it.  Pricewise Broken Egg is like Patachou.  It is much  warmer and pleasing in décor however.

Splashing through rain we made it to the Air Museum and saw where the big RVs parked.  Ham found a parking place not too far from the door. So we waded puddles and walked through the rain.  I just knew he wanted to see the place again.  I sat in a lobby and read and played with the IPhone until he finished.  Then we had a snack in their restaurant.

On the way home Ham spotted a used book store.  Some of their paper backs were fifty cents.  You can’t beat that.  So we spent a half hour or so just perusing the shelves.

Then it was back to the campground.  Siri took us on a little side trip through a residential neighborhood, but she has been fairly accurate so I won’t complain about her too much.  Yes, it is still raining.  nl

Saturday, February 23, 2013

We hurried this morning to get to the Native Café before they stopped breakfast. It didn’t do us much good since there was several people waiting for seats and the happy patrons all looked like they were settled in for the duration. Then we were on the way to WalMart to see if I could get more grease for my worms. We stopped at IHOP and had oatmeal which was better than that of the Natives. NL was amazed at a small Asiatic woman with five young girls and how well they behaved. It must be a cultural thing.

Next was WalMart where they said they might get my grease next Monday. We will see. We bought some victuals and headed back for the Dragon. Once there my worms were greased and I slept away the rest of the day while NL researched things on the computer. Of course it rained on and off all day. Not a downpour, just a nice gentle rain. It brought out many campground strollers, not us though. 

Dinner was a roasted chicken and a few cold veggies.   I have no more.    hb 

Sunday, February 24, 2013

I prepared the usual breakfast of cereal, yoghurt for Hammie and Muesli for me along with fruit and a shared bagel.

Then we dressed and went to the fort museum that we had visited the other day.  It is a nice little museum.  Ham enjoyed the video tour of the same thing he heard and saw on the real time tour.

The thing that I thought most interesting this time was the chimney from the very old house that was partially destroyed in the hurricane.  It was nice that they saved it.  It reminded me of the windows that were left in the straw houses so you could see the construction material as if you were looking at a picture on the wall.  This was nothing like that; it just reminded me for some reason.

We drove down the road toward the entrance to the park to see one of the beaches and the one where the parking lot was under water due to all the rain.  “Nice” we said, “We’ll come back later.”

So, since Ham is recovering from his pet worms and other ailments he was getting pretty tired.

Back at the Dragon, he lay down and was sawing logs before you know it.  I occupied my time catching up on texting and e mail correspondence. 

When He woke up, he was ready to eat.  So off we went to get to PegLeg’s before the big evening rush.  We did stop at the flooded parking lot beach and said, “Next time.  Maybe when we are finished eating.”

Ham had catfish and I had a tray of various appetizers served in oyster shells.  The presentation was OK, but they all tasted the same to me. PegLeg’s has pretty good food.

When we left the restaurant, the clouds really looked threatening.  We looked at the beach AGAIN and said, “Maybe tomorrow.”  Ham said, “If it doesn’t rain.”  Which it probably will

since the rain seems to follow us this trip.

When we got back we played a couple of games of the Bananagram game and then it was time to write this.  Ham is working with Susa, so perhaps I’ll try to work on the dratted crossword puzzle.  nl 

Monday, February 25, 2013

Nature provided a very exciting night.  There was thunder, lightning, and more rain than I think I have ever seen in my life.  When we rolled out of bed this morning, it looked like the campground had been converted to a lake.  Several folk could not egress their rigs without stepping into inches of water.  The whole area across the road from us was under water.  Later, as we went to breakfast, we saw that was par for the course.  No children riding bikes this time, Just campers in twos and threes, standing, surveying, in what appeared to be shocked silence.

Fortunately, the Dragon was parked in an area that had little water accumulation.  For this we were very grateful.  We decided to hit the Native Café for a last breakfast since it was not a weekend, there was the likely hood of getting seated.  So we toodled down the road towards town.

Whee!  the road had standing water which meant we had to go on the wrong side in a place or two and in anther place or two the road was completely covered.  Little LC managed as if she were a true and real 4 wheel drive vehicle and I’m sure she chuckled at the most fun she’s had in a long time.

Yes, we were seated and enjoyed a pretty fair breakfast. We were both pretty hungry.  All the weather excitement, I’m sure.  People watching in this area has been pretty interesting a time or two and this morning was no exception.  One table of four was of particular interest.  There was one pretty blond of middle age, dressed in jeans and serviceable boots.  With her were three men.

One was tall, beefy, with long graying curls coming to his shoulders.  There was a Marty look alike.  So much so that he could have been a twin brother.  We can’t remember the third man very well, but Ham recalls that he had a black pony tail.  This is mild compared to the other two.

 

I played art critic finding fault with most of the art work on the walls.  Not that  I could do better, but I have a fairly good idea about good art.  Of course, there is the possibility these people make a fortune from the tourist trade.  Then who is laughing.

We stopped at the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier and paid the $1.25 each for the joy of walking on said pier.  We had to wear a hospital type wrist band which was proof of payment.

The wind was horrific.  For a while we watched one surfer in particular waiting for a wave.  These guys spend 95% of their time floating around and waiting.  He finally “caught?” one and was up about a three seconds, if that.  We walked and walked, yes, to the very end.  I was amazed at all of the equipment the fishermen had.  Poles and reels and, I assume, a cooler to put the fish in, all in a wheeled cart that looked expensive as all get out.  It was time to start the long trip back.

By then my toe (s) were giving me fits and I know Ham wondered why I was so poky.  The wind actually blew me sideways from time to time.

When we got to the entry gate, we were told that because of the high water on the road, we had to wait for the police to lead us back.  That seemed silly to me since we made it just fine this morning.  But, it was explained that the road was only one lane in some sections.

Hamilton had little rest and at my urging took a walk to take photos of the water.  I begged off due to sore toe(s).

Ahh!  I lay down to read my crummy Sandra Brown book.  When Ham returned he told me about having a chat with the nice people next to us.  They filled him in on places to camp near New Orleans with easy access to the French Quarter.  I wonder if we will remember any of that or if we will promptly forget it.

Right now it seems as if we are forsaking Jekyll Island for a trip south to Cedar Key.  For some reason that sounds more relaxing to me too.  We’ll see, we might decide to take a side trip to Santa Fe.  Who Knows; and I’m not the Shadow.  But I know when to end this.  nl 

The guy at the store by the pier said the pier was 1471 feet long, therefore the round trip was 2942 feet. That is over one half mile (.55719697 to be exact).   hb

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

It poured again last night. We looked out pretty late and it looked like we might be in our own lake with only the macadam pad above water. NL and I were not sleepy and read later than usual. I slept for three hours got up and looked out at the rain and then slept for another three when I awakened for the day. Stubbornly I finally forced another hour of sleep and then we both arose for a quick breakfast and the final stowing of all things in the Dragon. NL drove LC to the campground entrance and I drove the Dragon and had the tow bar all hooked up in 15 minutes. The road from the campground only had a few places with standing water and we were on our way to Wally’s for my worm grease which hadn’t been refilled thanks to the neglect of the doctor, according to Wally.

We did a bit of shopping and then headed for two nights at Rocky Bayou north of Destin on the other side of a big body of water. Siri directed us to a rather convoluted route and I questioned her choice over my route. We followed her route. Later when we went into Destin we went the reverse of my route and had to pay a $3 bridge toll. I asked how much it would be with the Dragon towing LC and was told it would be $9. Good old Siri saved us $9 with her roundabout way. And her route took us right past an Air Force Munitions Museum which had a nice outside display of planes from WWII to modern day jets. Of course we stopped and I ran around taking photos of some of the old ones.

We had seen an Olive Garden earlier and looked one up when we settled on our site in Rocky Bayou.. It was about 9 miles to the closest in Destin and that’s where we went for dinner. NL asked for a glass of tonic water, one of her usual drinks, and almost ended up with a gin and tonic. The 20 year old waitress had never heard of anyone drinking plain tonic and it took us several minutes to convince her it was possible to drink it without booze.. I hate to be one to spoil a sport but I found it rather nice to eat a familiar meal after having a few unusual gastronomical delights at the hands of these demented Floridians.

Rocky Bayou doesn’t have many campsites but we have a 45 foot one and it is wide enough to park LC right next to the Dragon. The sites are surrounded with old pine trees and small live oaks. Each site is fenced off from the adjoining sites and they are the biggest RV sites we’ve ever seen. Privacy abounds, and all for only $16 per night.  And that is a, “Guid Nicht.”    hb   

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

By the time we were up and moving it must have been close to 11:00. Our plans called for a trip across the long toll bridge into Destin for breakfast at Paneras at the big outlet mall. Paneras was, well, you know, a Paneras. Seen one seen them all. I didn’t think the people watching was as good as it was last December but NL seemed to think it was worth putting up with Paneras unripe fruit and bready bagels, at least the coffee was passable.

The mall was a bust. We did not find a thing we wanted or needed. NL was especially looking for a little wallet much like her old one and the Coach and Donny Brooke had nothing but unwieldy big and bullet proof things that were as useful as tits on a bull. It was dinner time and we were feeling like some sushi. I had spied a place named Sushi Bar on the north side of the long bridge fairly close to the campground in an area with several semi upscale strip malls. It turned out to be a combination Chinese buffet that also served sushi much like Formosa and the Journey at home. Their sushi was limited compared to a real sushi place but it was pretty darn good and we pigged out for $10 each. The only bad part was the lack of Miso soup.

It was dark by the time we left the restaurant but we found the campground and did out nightly stuff, whatever that was, and hit the sack.   hb

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Time to leave.  We couldn’t describe the campsites in a way that people would not think we were lying.  Our site did not have gravel. Some had gravel and some were paved.  Ours, however, was packed dirt.  Very clean and raked.  Ham mentioned it was big enough to park LC along side.  Did he mention that there was a fire ring and a picnic table on that side.  Also on the other side there was room for another LC (if we had one, that is).  Most of the camp sites were fenced, ours included in that.  And, there was a lovely little woods all around us.  We felt as if we had absolute privacy except for the one trailer across the road.

I wanted to go to the interpretive center to learn about the supposed 300 year old pine trees.  We fired up LC and drove over to the other side and walked the short walk expecting to see a small building with displays.  There was an outdoor screen with benches facing it and that was the interpretive center.  Now, I’m not saying that isn’t nice for when the educational movies are shown, but since it was a blank screen on a cold day, don’t you think they could have called it something else?

Our site was so big, since Dragon was facing the road, Ham just backed right in and jockeyed LC in position to get hooked up for towing.  I just wish that process could be easier for Hammie.  It always seems so hard.  I’m no help at all.  Well, I did roll up a wire!  Woooie!

The road was lovely.  Not necesasarily scenic wise, but with absolute lack of traffic.  We saw evidence of rivers and creeks along the way that had gone over their banks.  Ham said he thought the drive looked like the U.P. and it did with walls of pine trees on both sides for most of the way.

Along about 2:30 we began to get a bit hungry.  Mostly, the towns were crossroads, but one or two of them had small cafes.  We saw a bigger town was coming up and we thought surely there would be a place to eat.  We were wrong.  The next town was called Blountsville and we thought it would be small, but we were wrong again as it turned out to be the biggest of the drive.

When we entered the town proper there was a huge barn like structure that said something like “Fitness, Spa, etc..”  Also a restaurant claiming to have all sorts of good things.  Nicely, the parking lot was big, empty and could handle our Dragon and Tail with little effort.  So we went in with some hunger and great enthusiasm.

The entry was a sort-of gift shop.  The woman in charge asked us if we wanted a booth or table. We said we would like to see it and make our choice.  Oh boy!  Nothing prepared us for the dining room.  Remember I said it was in a barn.  Not an old barn sort of a pole barn sort of thing.

The room was HUGE. And, it was DIMLY LIT.  Great spaces between tables!  On one end of the room, was an enormous Christmas tree just covered with tiny white lights.  There were a couple of pool tables on one end and we sat at a table sort of in the middle.  The woman who seated us took our order too.

This place was weird enough that The Twilight Zone theme song kept playing in my head.  It turns out the woman hostess and waitress was also the cook.  Ham rolled his eyes when he announced that we had been waiting 20 minutes.  The food came shortly thereafter.  Ham had a chicken bowl with rice, tomatoes, avocado salad.  It was very unusual but semi healthy compared to the usual hamburgers and such.

There was one other table with live people but they don’t count because I think they were part of the establishment….some way.

It was one of the strangest places we have eaten.  I wouldn’t have missed that for anything.  One end of the enormous room had a small stage.  Perhaps a band comes in and the place really jumps on Saturday night.  That would be something to see.

With some reluctant help from Siri on two IPhones, we found the Wal Mart in Crawfordville.

It’s going to be very cold tonight and I’m prepared to freeze.  We have been spoiled having been hooked up to electricity and even having an electric blanket.  Now for the part which is supposed to toughen us up.  I may whine.  I may gripe.  I may pull it up and be a good little camper.  We shall see.  nl 

Friday, March 01, 2013

We survived without electricity and with the furnace set on 60. Of course we had the sheet, electric blanket without the electric part, the green blanket and the old red bag. Actually it was quite comfy and cozy. The furnace did run a little, but not too much.

We were up about 10:30 and Nan Lou cooked cold cereal, fruit, and a bagel while I moved the coffee pot to the dining room table so as not to get in her way. Wally’s gas was $3.94 and the new Gas Buddy ap showed gas cheaper elsewhere but we could get in and out of the station easily so we wasted about $3 on Wally’s high prices. At least the slope was good and we might have filled the tank all the way.

Siri and the Iphone was acting funny and we did a few wrong turns before figuring out how to get down the Coastal Highway, route 98 to some. There were a lot of RVs along 98 going in the opposite direction (west) and Nan Lou said they were snowbirds going home. Soon we came to Perry, Florida and noticed a used bookstore. The Dragon cannot be whipped Right in like the old LER but we managed to do four rights and a left to get back to it. It was fairly nice except the half price paperbacks were pretty worn and dirty. A lot of the hard covers were ex library. We did find a couple from the cheap rack for 50cents each.

Back on the road we decided to wait until we got to Chiefland to eat and when we reached the Chiefland WalMart I pulled in and we discussed our options. NL thought it best to go on to Cedar Key and get a campsite. We did, at the Rainbow Country campground about 9 miles from Cedar Key. I was surprised to see it was hooked up with Passport America and we got half price for two nights ($12.50 each). Not bad for a private place. The place has bumpy dirt roads but our site id easily big enough for the Dragon and LC.

We went in to Cedar Key and picked a restaurant we have probably visited in prior years at the far end of Dock street. Naturally we had to climb a flight of stairs to get there since everything along the waterfront is elevated. It is a nice location but a little plain but not like the barn like place of yesterday. We ate small steaks, arrgh, and had Florida’s watered down tonic. Truly third world.

It wasn’t quite dark when we returned to the campsite. It was very cold, I think colder than it has been. Might be time to go home where we can bask in the heat of Indy’s remaining winter days.    hb

Saturday, March 1, 2013

We used the electric blanket to get the bed warm and then we didn’t need the extra heat for the rest of the night.  I was happy we found this blanket because it has really been a help in this cold weather whenever we had an electric hookup.

We toodled off to Annies for breakfast but alas, they stop serving at eleven thirty and we missed the cut off by thirty minutes or so.  We had BLTs on rye and grits which was a pretty fair breakfast anyway.  The grits were the best we’ve had in a long time.  Real butter makes the difference.  I had to quit eating grits at my very favorite Waffle House because their grits swim in some sort of nasty yellow grease.

I had given Hammie a whole list of things I wanted to do on this our last day on Cedar Key.

We started out at the art co-op and found that they had increased their variety and styles of art and most of it was quite professional.  I liked a black vase, about a foot and a half tall, that was named Vesuvius, which suited it perfectly.  I thought it had lovely lines. We also found a glass necklace for Tachou’s birthday which isn’t until July.  We will be very prepared unless we forget where we put it.  Perhaps I should make a reminder note on the IPhone.  How did we live without one of those gadgets?

Then we drove around town looking for old haunts and found most if not all had gone out of business.  Fooey!  I hate change.

We came back to the Dragon for a cuppa Joe and a nice philosophical Dove Bar.  I really have to think of something clever to do with all the sticks I’ve collected.

Then, it was off to the shell mound.  I’m very, very happy we decided to make that long drive.  First of all we got to say hello to the county park where the LER got stuck in the sand many years ago, and second of all, the scenery was really beautiful.

In my Merrill flip flops I did not handle the trail well at all.  Ham frolicked about in fine fashion.

Actually, being old F**olks, we were getting pretty tired and didn’t feel like going on a long trail hike.  I looked and looked for a genuine 6,000 year old shell fossil, but they just didn’t look right to me.  Not like the other shell fossils we’ve found, anyway.  We took a few pictures and because of the beauty of the landscape, we didn’t feel it was a wasted trip at all.

It was time for dinner so we headed back to Cedar Key.  We stopped at Tony’s on the corner and I was really glad we did because the place on Dock Street had a three story stair way.  I could handle it, but it would have taken me forever to go up and then back down.

Tony’s is supposed to be the best clam chowder in the world and I suppose it must be close since it has won the blue ribbon in three competitions.  It was pretty good.  Ham wasn’t keen on bringing a can of the basic ingredients home, if we want more we can always have it sent.

Hammie had a grilled Haddock sandwich with cole slaw and browned potatoes and chowder.  I had the chowder and a “small” salad.  Sharing a piece of Key Lime pie topped it all off and it was much better than last night’s at Sea Breeze.

We hurried home like mad thinking we had to get there before they put the gate down leaving us stranded without the combination to get in.  However we worried needlessly since the gate was up for the second consecutive night. 

It is really getting cold out.  The Dragon was freezing (Rachel was toasty with her heater) so we fired up the furnace right away.  Just like a good lizard, Dragon took no time at all to warm up.

I have no idea what Ham is doing, but I know I am finished and I’m going to bed.  nl

Sunday, March 03, 2013

I awoke about 7 and couldn’t get back to sleep because my mind was abuzz with this, that, and another thing. I got up and finally did the trip’s spreadsheet. Then I went back to bed for 20 minutes and we turned out about 10:05. Nan Lou put together a nice cold breakfast except for the coffee which was hot. There wasn’t much to do to leave. Unplug from the campground power, hook up LC which was easier because I had left the safety cables on LC for this short stay. We did stop and get about 10 gallons of propane $38.00 and I talked to the same guy who signed us in. I think he said his family owned Rainbow Country since 1983. He also had a couple of other campers who were staying there come up and ask him about problems they were having with their RVs. He said he be there to help them solve the problems in a few minutes. He seemed to be pretty nice and knowledgeable about RVs. He was more helpful than people at Federal and State parks. I’d say it was a pretty good place to stay even if it is a bit crowded.

About 70 miles north we stopped for some real food for a change in Perry, Florida and had a couple of Mickey Burgers, fries, and sundaes. We discussed whether we would head for home forthwith or try Jekyll Island where the temperature is forecast in the low 70’s on Tuesday. It is only for that one day and then it drops again, but we have not seen 70 degrees on this trip.

The Iphone’s Apple Maps told us how to go and we went as far as Valdosta, Georgia where we stopped for the night at Wally’s.

We have been traveling on blue highways and it sure is nice compared to the interstates. Somehow we got into the habit of using interstates in the Dragon. I guess the last couple of trips had a determined destination with some kind of time limits. A terrible thing. Anyway, the two lane into Georgia went through some quite pretty scenic areas with lots of trees covered in Spanish Moss. We stopped for gas at $3.72 after seeing so many stations in Florida with up to $3.93 per gallon. A few miles later we even saw one with a $3.60 price.

As usual it is cold and we just might run out of battery power toward morning. I hope Rachel doesn’t get frozen.

Nan Lou downloaded the complete Allstays ap onto her Iphone and practiced a little with it. If only I can follow directions a little better and not do it my way. Of course finding WalMart was a challenge since the map ap took us past Wally’s and told us to make a u-turn, not exactly easy with A Dragon pulling Drgn TL behind. As I suspected it was a totally unnecessary u-turn since we could have just made a left turn on the street to Wally’s. Siri has done that before, you gotta watch that little sweetie.

There were to other RVs lined up in Wally’s lot when we got there at 4:30. I’ll bet they leave long before we do.    hb    

Monday, March 04, 2013

We tried our best to get to McDonald’s for an egg McMuffin before they quit serving at 10:30.

We made it with minutes to spare.  However, Ham stood and stood in line while the order taker chatted away with someone and “Bam” the menu flipped over to lunch.  Grrrrr!  I had spotted a Cracker Barrel sign just down the street so we found a nice RV parking area in the back.  Yipee!

The breakfast was cool bordering on cold, but it was OK.  More and more I have noticed Cracker Barrel’s food is never really hot.  Perhaps it is time for a Nan Lou’s “Watch out or you will be out of business letter.”  nl

After breakfast we hit the east bound route 84 toward Brunswick, Georgia and Jekyll Island. It wasn’t as pretty a drive as that yesterday, but traffic was very light and it and it beat the interstates all to hell and back. As we neared the island there were some signs for a casino. This was new, I think, and since we never saw it maybe it might not even be built yet. Another new thing was the toll booth which they call a parking fee booth. It was bigger and before the last bridge to the island not right after the bridge. It cost the big Dragon $10.

Next was the new roundabout down where the main north-south road intersection was. My god what the hell do they need a roundabout here for. I guess someone had visited Carmel, Indiana which is nothing but one roundabout after the other with roundabouts built into the roundabouts. And the strip shop at the old intersection was totally gone. Later we saw it temporarily built from mobile houses on one of the beach accesses. This all was a precursor to many other changes here. Nan Lou said that at least Sanibel has been able to keep its old flavor. More power to the Sanibelians.  

Blackbeard’s Restaurant was now Fins whether that means fish fins or of Finish lineage, I do not know. The housing areas looked the same, the CIVIC center or whatever they call it was much bigger, Denny’s is now a more upscale restaurant, at least they still serve breakfast until 11:00. I think the Holiday Inn has either been renamed a Hampton or it is just plain gone. There was one other motel along that stretch which remained the same. With the strip shopping center relocated and miniaturized the little restaurant which was there is gone too. Many changes to make the place more upscale. A sign said a now big shopping center was coming. They’ll probably have a Saks and a Crispy Ruth Stake House. (Yes, Ham really knows it is Ruth’s Chris Steak House.  As they now say, “Just Sayin.”)

Along the road to the campground there is a condo complex called something like Villages in the Sea. They used to have a little eatery that served breakfast. It also has moved upscale and only serves dinner. The campground is still the same crowded downscale place overpriced at $35 per day. I guess it does look a little better than the Rainbow down near Cedar Key. It will probably end up being a camping resort that allows only Class A motor homes not over 5 years old.

The little shops over near the Jekyll Island Club are either gated off limits to vehicles or maybe the gates were down because it was after 5. Parking at the club itself seemed to have shrunk and there was valet parking at the front with no parking on the circle drive. Many changes.

We ate at Sea Jays at the marina, an old favorite, and it too had been remodeled a little. At least it still looked pretty much the same with the same menu as far as I can remember. Kind of funny it still being rather plain where the big yachts all park. We haven’t visited a beach yet and I wonder if that nasty old sand has been covered with hand formed Italian tile.  

All in all Jekyll Island now sucks big time. Between the demise of old haunts at Cedar Key and the rebuilding of the Jekyll Island area we were both sorely disappointed. Granted Jekyll Island was built up for and by the very rich, but since being a state park it was made more accessible to the common man. The new Jekyll might not for the likes of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, but it has lost its appeal for me. I think both places I have mentioned here will be forever off our list of destinations and I do not think I will be recommending them to anyone. I rant, I rave, I am hb.  

I am back. I have been trying to do a few things on the campground’s wifi internet. We have a good antenna signal but doing anything is impossible. I read some review about it and it said it was pretty bad. It is not pretty bad, it is downright terrible. They are trying to upgrade things around here and the internet connection is virtually useless. Being around 8 to 9 PM  it just must be overloaded with campers who probably are streaming movies. Maybe it just isn’t big enough to handle more than 5 users. We signed up for 2 days and I will be glad when our time is up.

The only good thing since we’ve been here is a very pretty sunset, but that wasn’t on the island. If it was, it would have been black. hb   

Tuesday, March 5, 2013 

Oh My!  I just read the above rant.  Perhaps the savage beast was calmed a bit after today. HB is not named Dragon Master for kicks.  In fact the mood he was in writing yesterday’s log, he would kick any old Dragon in his sight.

All in all the day was pretty.  Sunshine for most of the day, but I doubt the temperature went up to the predicted 70 plus degrees.  Maybe it really did hit seventy.  I doubt it, however.  No matter compared to any day on this trip, we could never complain about the weather today.

We went back to the Sand Bar and Grill (mentioned in yesterday’s report) and I had a huge breakfast of French toast.  Ham had an enormous omelet.  So fortified, we decided to hit the little shops on the Jekyll Island Hotel grounds until after a beach walk.  We returned to the Dragon to prepare ourselves.  I put on my old faithful Mion sandals and Hammie fixed me up with a taped in heel lift.  We were ready to go.

Right away we saw that the access was blocked by driftwood.  We could walk a short paved path and came to a sandy cut through to reach the beach. I’m sure Ham enjoyed the young thing walking ahead of us on this cut through path.  Her shorts were so short that the cheeks of her butt were hanging out about two inches.  That was a new sight for me.   Hooray!  The driftwood was back.  Last time we were here there was nary a piece of driftwood on the entire beach.  This time we were happy as clams (how fitting) to see the many pieces of driftwood were all sizes and many were all gnarled and interesting shaped.  We even found a couple of the beached jellyfish.  One huge one was at least 13 inches in diameter.  Ahhh!  At least something had not changed and we were delighted.

After another brief respite it was time to take in the little shops I mentioned above.  But it seems most were getting ready to close or had jumped the bell and were already closed.  We put this off until tomorrow when we were supposed to leave the campground and island.  Ham found out the location of the bookstore so it is one more thing to look forward too.

Yes, we decided to stay one more day in this dreadful place.  Did you catch that sarcasm?

Around the Round About, as it is called here, and off to find the old Holiday Inn or at least where it was located.  We’ve been puzzling about this.  We found the Day’s Inn and the Hampton Inn, but no Holiday Inn. Not even a sign of it being razed. Finally Ham went into the Hampton Inn to ask about it.  He had kept saying that this was on the same site but I thought since it was a three story affair and the Holiday Inn was one story it couldn’t be.  Was I ever wrong.  It seems they tore down the old motel and erected the Hampton Inn on the same site.  Sob!  We had a few nice meals and experiences in the Holiday Inn and it, as far as we are concerned, was one of those horrible new changes.

It was time to eat.  We did not have many places to choose from.  Sea Jay’s, where we ate last night, but I didn’t care for their watery soup which they had the nerve to call stew.  Then we decided to try the new Fin’s which replaced Blackbeards, but it was not open on Tuesday.  Can you believe that the only other choice, besides the Dairy Queen at the filling station, was Sand Bar and Grill again.  I had the early bird special which was enormous.  Four fried fish fingers, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, salad, and desert all for $ll.50.  Ham had a reuban sandwich and a tiny taste of my potatoes and cole slaw.

After dinner Hammie took us on a little tour of the residential area where we used to look for and and at houses for sale.  It was quite cloudy by then and we hurried to the area to see the sunset.  It had done it’s thing three minutes earlier, but it was quite pale and wimpy compared to last night’s show.

Back in the Dragon for the night.  See today was pretty good!  And, surprise of all surprises, we ARE staying one more day.  It is supposed to be cold…in the fifties…and with winds 20 to 30 miles and hour.  If we walk the beach we will have to wear our winter coats.  Since that kind of weather was all we had at Gulf Breeze, I suppose we are used to it.  As I understand it, Indianapolis is bracing for something like a snowstorm.  We get one almost every first or second week in March.  So these predicted temperatures here, is a vast improvement to that.  nl

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

We were lazy this morning and slept a little later meaning we would miss breakfast at the one and only place here to serve breakfast until 11 AM. That meant we ate cold cereal, bagel, and fruit. At least we had good coffee.

Our first stop was the bookstore which in the past had a fair share of used and collectable books. Not that we ever bought any of them, but one never knows, do one? Alas, they only had a handful of new books, most of them about Georgia, and some new fictions which we didn’t bother to look at. They sold mostly the usual souvenir junk that any of the gift shops have. The lady there blamed the rise of ebooks for the change from books to gifts and souvenirs.  Then it was back to the Dragon for a little bit while we regrouped. We decided to hit the gift shops in the same area as the bookstore and returned where we found a little gift or two.

Again back to the Dragon to prepare for dinner at the Bistro at Villas of the Sea. Nan Lou found a menu for them at a shop and it didn’t look too bad. They only open for dinner. We arrived before parking got bad and NL had the Georgia shrimp and grits thing that was shown on posters at Sea Jays and other places. I had corn meal battered catfish. It was pretty good and the atmosphere at the Bistro was better than most. The only disappointment was the peach cobbler which was different than any cobbler we had ever seen. A bowl of syrup and peach bits with something vaguely resembling a crust on the top.  It was very sweet.

We left in time to make it to the parking lot near the pier where the sunset can be seen over by the new bridge to Brunswick. The sun was a giant orange ball just above the horizon when we got there and we saw it setting behind the approach to the bridge. It was the biggest orange orb of a sun we had ever seen, conditions must have been just right. There was no spectacular display after it set because there were no clouds like two nights ago.

I guess that’s it for our 2013 visit to Jekyll Island. My (our) disappointment at the changes here was eased a tiny bit from our first day, but it still lacks the je ne sais quoi of five plus years ago. With the planned new hotels and what will probably be a big city shopping center that je ne sais quoi will be gone by the wayside. Such is progress. Sucky, ain’t it?   hb 

It was a good, restful day, even though it was cold and then the wind kicked up bringing fond (Hah!) memories of Pensacola Beach and environs.  I am still wondering if we are going to any interesting place on the way home. Time will tell starting tomorrow.  nl

Since we are heading home tomorrow it is time to add a few things we might not have mentioned in the log. We saw two bald eagles in two different areas along the road. They were pretty low and heading for nearby trees. I think that is kind of funny since we saw our first bald eagle back in the eighties near Fort Myers. Actually we have seen more here in the south than elsewhere except for a winter feeding-nesting ground along the Mississippi somewhere in Iowa. There might be more to add, it’s up to Nan Lou now.    hb

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Since neither one of us slept very well last night, Ham got up and moving while I stayed in bed until the very last minute.  Then we hurried; we scurried; and, we booked out of the campground a little after ten.  The reason we were in such a rush was we wanted to hit the Sand Bar and Grill for their eleven o’clock breakfast.  I followed Ham as he drove the Dragon down to the large beach parking lots.  We thought that would be an excellent place to hook up LC, the Dragon TL.

We flew back down the road to the restaurant and entered twenty minutes before the cut off time for breakfasts.  Ham’s egg and sausage looked fine.  However, my waffle was pretty poor.  I will say these people do a fair job on bacon.

So, after satisfying our appetites, we went back to hook up the Tail and off we went.  Hamilton worked out a direct route to a destination about a hundred and fifty miles away with an accommodating Wal-Mart.  The ride was uneventful and far from spectacular.  I do like salt marshes and there were a few to admire.  I also a couple of red bud trees in full splendor.  Very nice!  However most of the scenery involved tree farms with plots of acreage in varying stages of pine tree growth.  At least I think they were pine trees since someone once told us they were Slash Pines.  Whatever that name means.  The tunnel of pine trees always drove me crazy when we went south with the kids every year. So, I figure that’s just Georgia.

 

We saw one little pup on the side of the road and I said that was how my mother and I acquired Muffin.  But then, the upsetting sight was a car pulling back into the lane of traffic and a another poor little pup cowering.  These rats were just dumping them on a busy highway.

I did not mention that we had left I-95 and were taking a very quite road that went from two to four lanes and back again, and there was construction turning the two lanes to four.  We thought this was pretty funny because there was seldom more than two cars visible on the highway.  Perhaps, Georgia is the only state that looks ahead to future need. If that’s the case, more power to them.  In Indianapolis by the time they get a road finished, it is already outdated and over stressed by traffic.

With Siri’s help we found the Wal-Mart about four o’clock.  Ham got permission to stay the night.  I will probably freeze.  Then we were walking into the store to eat at their Subway.  Yuk!  But what are two Hoosiers to do when stranded in the boonies.  Eagle Eye Kingosabe spotted another Subway along a strip mall and thinking we would have better ambiance, we headed in that direction, when lo and behold, EEK, again used his super vision and spied something called Koi.  Yikes! A Japenese restaurant in the boonies!  After checking it out, we decided sushi was the way to go.  Actually the food was very good.  We were in no position to criticize the foam plates.  Hamilton looked at me rather pitifully and declared our meal cost more than Ocean World.  Can you believe that?  I couldn’t.  OK it was good, but we had express Japanese meals in Pasadena for lots and lots less.  Well, for a change of pace, it did taste good.

When we were leaving, the owner (I suppose) came running after us and we had a nice visit with her and learned she was from Malaysia.  Small world!  How did she end up in a tiny town in the deep south.  I would really like to know that.

Ham was tireder than he let on before dinner.  Driving the Dragon is hard work. So, I hustled him off to bed.  And now I will probably put up our curtains and think deep and mysterious thoughts for a while.  nl

Friday, March 08, 2013

The thermostat was set at 55 last night and I think I heard the furnace run around 4 AM. The battery was at 11.5 volts and still running the furnace when we got up late but in time to make it to the Huddle House just down the street before the lunch crowd came in. Come to think of it, when the time came for them to come in they didn’t. Prolly went to Mickeys right next door.

We’ve been on blue highways, even though some are four lane divided roads, since leaving Jekyll Island. US 1 was one of them. It went from four lane to two lane and back several times. It wasn’t busy but there were a fair amount of trucks going in each direction. I remember going south a few weeks ago through Alabama and mentioning the towns were few and far between. Taint so on these roads through Georgia. As we went farther north there was more and more traffic in both directions. It wasn’t as bad as an interstate but busier than most blue highways we’ve been on. All in all, it beats the interstates. It is interesting to see the small towns up close and now and then we can eat at local eateries if we can park someplace. Sometimes the joys of traveling in a van are missed.

I had set our destination of Tallulah Gorge state park in the Iphone in several different sections so we would not have to go to Athens as the Iphone insisted on routing us on our way to the park. After a few minor goofs we arrived at the park around 4:30 and were delighted that they had some pull through sites so we didn’t have to unhook LC. It is a nice park and virtually empty. Our site slopes down and two blocks don’t even get it level.

Nan Lou has had a desire to take photos of some of the dilapidated old houses along the road. In the LER it was fairly easy to turn around and park to do it. The Dragon and Tail are a bit long and unwieldy to do such things and she has been quite unhappy, so today she has been practicing taking pix of any house out her side window without blur and without the side mirror in it. She is reviewing them as I peck away at this. I’ve seen a couple and she has been doing a good job. It would still be nice to stop and be able to get out and work at getting the best shot. Another van travel benefit. Maybe we need to get a motorcycle with a side car.

Tomorrow we will go through Smoky Mountain National Park and most likely have to hit I-75 and get north of Knoxville for our next stop.    hb  We bought shrimp a long time ago and froze it.  Tonight was the night to thaw it and Hammie had his left over spaghetti from Olive Garden way back when.  Of course it had been frozen too.  With celery fo a salad, it wasn’t too bad a meal  I was envious of Hamilton’s Oreos and decaf for his desert.  I took two bites of the baklava from Pensacola and decided to toss it.  Of course, our traveling gourmand insisted that Greek restaurant was the worst one in the universe.  And, after refreshing my memory with the baklava, I have to agree with him.  nl

Saturday, March 9, 2013  

It was a nice quiet morning, sleeping late and then having a healthy usual breakfast in the Dragon.  We were warm all night.  Yeah!  The electric blanket helps a lot. I had it on the lowest setting for most of the night.

We chose the route last night.  If I’m remembering correctly, there were three possible.  We chose the one that looked curvy but did not go through Smokey Mtn. National Park.

We went through some very pretty scenery and I was delighted to see daffodils blooming in most yards.  Spring really is coming.  It can’t come soon enough for us weary travelers.  All along the route we kept seeing these VERY expensive homes. So much for the backwoods Hillbilly concept most people think of when they think about the mountains of Georgia. And to support our ooohing and aaahing about the trappings of urban wealth that we had been viewing, lo and behold, a Starbucks!  AND right under the Starbucks sign was an Ingles.  My favorite grocery in the whole world.  We had iced decaf soy lattes and took our coffees and sweet treats to the very nice little seating area.  Ingles has a salad bar to die for.  We decided we needed two items but of course, turn Ham and me loose in a grocery store and soon the cart is almost half way full.  I do have to add that while Hammie had disappeared looking for something, I decided to stroll the cereal aisle to amuse myself looking for Bob’s Red Mill Meusli.  I couldn’t believe it but there it was!  Did I say I love Ingles?  I told Ham that if they opened one in Greenwood, I would want to drive down there to shop.  Enough about groceries.

Soon we came to the part of the road that looked jagged on the IPhone map.  Yes, indeed!  It was one horseshoe curve after another for miles and miles.  Of course all the tumbledown houses that I wanted to take pictures of were all on Ham’s side.  As a photographer, I am a great hod carrier.

There was some kind of rally going on in the opposite lane.  The check points advertised “Killboy.com” if I’m remembering correctly.  Then there were two businesses advertising Tail of the Dragon.com.  I am not making this up, as Dave Barry likes to say. Of course the poor lumbering Dragon pulling his Tail, could not be parked anywhere to investigate anything.  I will have to look these up on line.

Did I mention how narrow the road was?  Ham did a superb job of not scaring the bejeeses out of me.  He took the curves, did not go off the road and was not intimidated by the motorcycles and the sports cars zooming on the other side plus those panting to get around us.  I told him that it was like going to Florida in the forties waaa-aaay before interstates.  He asked if the roads were as  narrow as the one we were on.  “Well, of course,” I replied.  “This was the forties and cars and trucks were narrower.”  I didn’t add that these huge semis weren’t even a glimmer in my uncle’s eye at the time.

We stopped for a little rest and Ham had noticed a smoky odor indicating that our brakes were overheating.  We stayed and let them cool and off we went for the last leg of curves.  Believe it if you ever see a jagged road on a map!  We sailed into Marysville TN, just before sunset.

We found a nice level parking spot but the mean manager at Wal Mart wanted us to park at the far ends so we had to move.

We ate our chicken from, where else?, Ingles and Hammie had tomatoes and I had celery.

The chicken wasn’t too great…legs and thighs, but we had about five pounds of the stuff or more for $3.99.  So who could complain.

We found a spot…..not nearly as level….but OK.  We’ve had our desert; and, as far as I’m concerned, it’s time for bed.  nl

Sunday, March 10, 2013

It was a shock to see something like 11:15 A.M. on the IPhone when we were ready to get out of bed.  The time was so confusing we went the whole day without really knowing what time it was. Were we in Central time zone, central daylight time zone, Eastern standard time, on and on and who knows.  It is for sure that we didn’t.  It was straightened out at the evening Wal-Mart when I rather forcefully asked Hamilton to check a clock while he was inside getting permission to spend the night.  He will have to add what zone we are in, because I surely don’t know.

Our Dragon breakfast was the usual cereal thing which is semi healthy but certainly not exciting.  And, the more we eat these (Breakfasts) the more Hammie longs for Panera’s.  So be it. You gotta do with what ya got.   nl

Since it is 9:00 at home on the computer, and 8 here on the phone and in Wally’s, we must be in the central zone.

The day’s drive was mostly on two lane roads except for a 44 mile stretch of I-40. That completed our bypass of Smoky Mountain NP and Knoxville, Tennessee. Once in a while the two lanes widened to four and then back to two, but it was mostly just two. It was all nicer than the time spent on the busy interstate. One section had narrower lanes than yesterday’s squiggly road through the Georgia mountains. It was also pretty curvy but didn’t have the ups and downs of yesterday. So much for a road report.

We didn’t go through any resort areas with McMansions like yesterday. We saw a lot of the homes of the more common man today although when we started out we were near Knoxville and there were a few affluent burbs around. We stopped at a Mickey’s in some small Kentucky town and watched the local folk while we ate poor Mickey fare. Nan Lou said she felt like she was in the Twilight Zone. I don’t know why, maybe it was the caramel sundae she had.

We thought we might stop at a Wally’s for the night but the one we planned on was reached much too early to stop. Our second choice was a Corps Of Engineers campground which was open all year according to our usually infallible Allstays Camp ap. After a bit of a detour to get there we found it and it would not open until April 1st. The gate was open and there were quite a few RVs there but they were all battened for the winter. I guess we could have squatted in an empty site but they were all backins and I didn’t feel like unhooking our Tail and having to hook it back up in the morning.

A quick look at the Allstays and we headed for Wally’s at Columbia, Kentucky and are all hunkered down for the night. We are just a few miles from the campground where we will stop to pick up some of Nannies stuff that she left there after her brief stay last fall.   hb    

Monday, March 11, 2013

It rained most of the night and was pouring this morning when we got up.  We really rushed through our toilette to get across the street to Burger King before 10:30 when we assumed they would stop serving breakfast.  We made it with a few minutes to spare.

We were treated to new breakfast fare, namely tater tots instead of hash browns, and cinnebons and very sweet oatmeal.

We were only 20 miles from Campblesville, Ky where Nan Lou’s trailer is still parked.  We covered that distance in no time.  I think Darrell was waiting for us to give us the  key.  As soon as we got in we started packing stuff as fast as we could.  Personally, I was positively amazed at the amount of stuff Nan Lou had.  She said it would take ten boxes, but (and Ham will probably disagree) I really don’t think twice that amount would have done it.

I have NO idea how Hamilton got all of it into LC and the storage areas of the Dragon.  AND these were heavy bags. Lifting and tugging about killed Hammies back and mine was certainly feeling the effort.

When it was all accomplished, Hamilton was set to head north.  I suggested staying here much to his disappointment.  Finally we compromised by doing it my way.  I was so glad because we were both tired but Hammie looked like he was going to collapse and that’s when he pushes himself harder. 

We went to Colton’s, our favorite, for dinner and had quite a large dinner.  After eating, Hammie felt better and so did I. We then took a side trip to Tractor’s Supply and we found Henley shirts on sale, so Ham got three of them.

I can’t believe it is seven o’clock and it isn’t dark yet. I imagine we will turn in early with a drop or two to help our backs.

I think that will do it for this time.  Tomorrow we will probably stop and that will be our last one before hitting home.  We’ve been gone a long time.  nl 

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

We ate the “usual” at Huddle House and were on our way North.  I tried taking my pictures of run down homes and was not a bit successful.  The lighting on the phone has a lot to do whether I can see or not.

The Kentucky countryside is really pretty all rolling with white or dark brown fences.  So we drove and drove thinking we would camp in Madison or nearby.  I’m going to make this short because I don’t know what to say, really.

The signs said the bridge over the Ohio was out, but a woman working in a Marathon station said it was some other bridge and this one permitted traffic.  Later we came to a sign saying the load limit was 3 tons.  We continued probably thinking the woman knew what she was talking about.

Hah!

By now you have suspected we could not go on the bridge.  There are a couple of campgrounds on the Kentucky side right on the river.  We have stayed in one or more several times.

They were dead.  We pulled in one and the permanent trailers looked like derelicts. However, we soldiered on and came to a dead end.  Oooops!  This meant unhooking LC and turning the Dragon around without getting into the squishy mud, thereby getting stuck.  Hamilton handled this nicely; and, then, of course the tow bar thingy had to be reattached.  Such fun.

Ham said there was a road going along the river, 36, I think and there was a “Road Closed” on that road.  We were really batting a thousand.  Of course Ham kept going until we came to the end of that road and we needed to turn around again.  Along came a one eyed Good Old Country Boy about our age (I’m not making that up) and he said something like, “I can take you through.”  so he led us down a path which fortunately was not named Primrose but should have been when another guy, this one with two eyes and a Kentucky twang to end all twangs, came up.  He ranted a while and said there was no way we could get by.  One eye takes off  Since this guy had the “road” blocked and I use the word road very loosely.  And the road led nowhere anyway, it was time to unhook LC again.

I took the Dragon Tail (LC) down to the main road, which, if you remember was the one that was closed.  Somehow, and I don’t know how, Ham got the Dragon turned around and pulled in ahead of me. And then he had the joy of re attaching LC.  All the while the two eyed guy was giving a constant running commentary on SOMETHING.  I don’t know how Ham did his job, because I was safely ensconced in LC and I wanted to hit him upside the head.

Luckily daylight savings time had gone into effect and there was light for all of this.  But it was getting dark quickly.  We backtracked and then drove what seemed like miles to go to General Butler State Park.  A very nice park and I was looking forward to it since it was supposed to get down in the thirties and we could hook up to electricity and we could have a nice breakfast in the lodge.

Of course that wasn’t about to happen.  There wasn’t a soul camping and no one was manning the registration booth.  Driving on into part of the campground…..of course it was the part that was closed….I thought for sure we were going to have to unhook LC again, but fortunately there was a turn around at the end of the road.

So, cold night or not, it was off to Wal-Mart where there were at least five semis already parked

A few drive arounds and we finally parked behind one.  By this time, Ham seemed cool.  I had no idea what he was feeling inside; and I was shaking.  But it was time to whip up a Dragon Feast.  This turned out to be warmed up Fettuccini Alfredo and Chicken Legs, celery and tomatoes.  It wasn’t too bad a meal really.

We couldn’t prewarm the bed since we had no electricity so, for me, it was socks on the feet time, and getting the toasty throws out of the cabinet.

With all that we really didn’t get cold, but it was not the best of days and it was nice when it was really over.  nl   PS  Ham can more colorfully describe the parts of the unhooking and hooking and the things he does so well.

Nan Lou did an excellent job with the unhooking and the rehooking of Drgn Tl (LC). Anymore detail and it would fall into the overkill category. She also failed to mention her feeling when we saw the road closed sign on 36. It was one of visiting the Twilight Zone all over again. I just felt that we would not be able to cross the Ohio unless we went almost to Cincinnati or to Louisville.

When we made the second turn back with the help of the two Kentucky gentlemen we were about 8 miles from Carrolton, Kentucky with the state park and the WalMart. We had to backtrack and detour at least 30 miles to get to Carrolton.

One result of all this is that I have been warned if I continue to ignore road closed signs just to see if there is a possible way around or through them I will be treated very harshly, a hit upside the head could not come close to what would befall me.     hb 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Rather than drive around and around looking for a place to eat, I decided to just whip up our cereal breakfast fare.  At least we had good coffee since Ham ran the generator.

We went over the Markland Dam and finally got back to good old Indiana.  We drove through Vevey which is still a nice looking little town and went north on Rts. 129 and 421 and then onto I-74.

We had to comment that Indiana doesn’t seem to have the huge ranches and the accompanying mansions that Kentucky and Tennessee have.  However in Versailles I spotted a very lacy looking church steeple and Ham drove ‘round the block to see it up close.  The whole church building was fascinatingly different and was called the Tyson Methodist Temple.  I looked it up on the trusty IPhone and found out it was built in 1937 in the art deco style.  It is a Hoosier Landmark.  I would love to see inside.

It was freezing cold.  The temperature was 33 when we started and finally got down to 31.  The snow showers were heavy but not sticking very much.

We made it to Oakland Avenue in fine fashion and it was time to unhook LC right in front of our house.  What could be easier, right?  Well, the car wouldn’t start.  I couldn’t believe it.  It was snowing like crazy and freezing cold and the blasted car wouldn’t start.  Ham got out his gadget that is supposed to help in emergencies.  He always acted like he didn’t believe it would actually work.  But, Thank You Jesus, it did!!!  So, we were home at last…after 33 days of floods, itching and ringworm (Ham), broken toes (mine), cold, hooking and unhooking LC, and going 2426 miles here we were. I do believe it is at least 20 degrees colder than when we left home 34 days ago. 

The house was cold the water needed to be turned on and we were hungry.  Ham did those things and we went to the Castleton Grill for a bite to eat.  I am now going to go shower and stand for two hours under a spray of hot water.  Then I will climb into a preheated bed and declare that God is Good.  I hope Hammie can fix up these reports.  nl

A little more: Our trip home from Pensacola via Jekyll Island was 1640 miles. I think only about 140 of that was on interstates. We used the Iphone Apple Map Ap a lot along with the Allstays Camp and RV guide. The map ap is a lot better than the Garmin device we bought a couple of years ago while in LA. The only time Siri (on the map ap) led us astray was when I goofed entering info or accidently opened the wrong saved trip. Allstays goofed twice telling two places were open all year and they weren’t. Well, maybe General Butler was partially open but since we were so late arriving there and saw no other campers we couldn’t tell for sure. 

The blue highways were generally good roads; even the mountain roads in Georgia were good. A few were very narrow with no shoulder except a muddy drop-off, especially in Kentucky. Of course our very own Kessler Boulevard is narrower with crumbling edges and nasty concrete curbs around storm sewer drains.  

Driving the Dragon with the Drgn Tl behind isn’t too bad. Not finding parking or turn around places, especially when you want to see something you’ve just flown past, is a giant pain in the derrière. It makes one long for the days of the LER, our old Class B. Although having a nimble little car to run around in when the House Machine is parked for several days is quite nice.

I thought pulling the Dragon Tl, sometimes called LC, would drastically cut out pitiful gas mileage. On this 2426 mile trip we averaged 8.12 mpg which is about what we did on a trip without a tail. I think the slower speeds one goes on the blue highways might help the mileage, but the steep hills and some lower gear driving does hinder it.

Before I forget, when I refer to blue highways it is because of the great book by William Least Heat Moon (William Trogdon) called Blue Highways written in 1982. If you happen to have a first edition, first printing copy, let me know.     hb

Photos

We didn't take many photos until we got to the Gulf Islands National Seashore. 

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Here is Nan Lou's award winning style.

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One could call these little humps sand dunes if one had never seen the dunes of Lake Michigan.

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It was a cold and lonely beach in the late afternoon.

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This is Fort Pickins. It was built in the early 1800's to protect our shores from foreign invasion. It was one of many along the southeast coast of our country and used as a fort as late as WWII. I found it very interesting. The only shots fired in anger were during the Civil War between the North and the South. I understand the North won.

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The tour guide at the fort was much better than most. I was surprised that there were about 30 people on the hour long tour.

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A canon on its recoil mounting. It slammed back from the recoil about ten feet for reloading.

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The fort is built of many brick arches with no steel structure. It has withstood many hurricanes it its life of almost 200 years. 

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Stairway leading to gun positions on top of the fort.

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If you saw the diagram above you could see the pentagonal shape of the fort. Our government seems to favor pentagons. The open part on the left was caused by an explosion of the gun powder storage room in one of the five corners.

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This area was an officers quarters. There were four to a room. It was fancied up with whitewash. The main body of the troops were "housed" in tents inside the pentagon.

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This might as well be Wiki Leaks. Here the operation of a disappearing cannon is explained. It didn't really disappear or it wouldn't be here. It's recoil just lowered it behind the wall for safe reloading. 

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See, it didn't disappear. 

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A sunny day finally popped up and we ventured out.

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Us warlike creatures cannot visit Pensacola without going to the Naval Air Museum.

A Flying Tiger P-40 isn't really a Navy plane, but they have an interesting story behind them. 

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Did we mentioned it rained 3 out of 4 days during our 14 day stay? The campground flooded and several people had to relocate. We were lucky and remained high and dry.

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See what I mean.

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One of our favorite places to eat raw oysters is the closest restaurant to the campground. It is:

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And of course, it took a while but I found a Panera's just like home.

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It rained again. The handicapped need water wings.

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They closed the area to daytime visitors. Those of us staying in the campground could go in and out as long as we had amphibious vehicles. 

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I guess all the rain makes the grass grow.

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Someone told me to take a long walk on a short pier. I couldn't find one so this quarter mile one had to do.

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The walk back was longer. It was windy, cold, but it wasn't raining for once.

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We heard rumors of sunshine. I chased them down but missed it. 

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Some elitist campgrounds won't let you in if your camper is over four years old.

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That isn't true here.

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This neat little job goes back to the late sixties. I'm not 100% sure but I think it has a Chevy Corvair engine.

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Now this camper is really old. Probably got better gas mileage than we do.

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Did I mention the rain?

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After we decided to head north for a drier and warmer clime we drove past one of our favorite beach houses. It was one of several that were not destroyed by the hurricanes around 2006. 

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We stopped at Royal Bayou State Park north of Destin, Florida for two nights. It was a great park and the sites were giant sized.

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The Dragon doesn't have a compass that works. It always shows us going north. I was very surprised when we ended up farther south in Cedar Key. 

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While in Cedar Key we looked for the perfect retirement home. We found the one above and the one below. They were too expensive.

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Annie's, a favorite place for breakfast in Cedar Key.

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In Cedar Key it's always fun to visit the art co-op. 

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They've finally rebuilt another hurricane victim  the pier in Cedar Key.

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Another old fav, The Captain's Table, gone for the last six or seven years. Looks like it needs a little rebuild job before we have our next palm salad.

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Sunset. One of two.

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The other one.

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Not every beach on JI has driftwood.

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Another try at heading north and we ended up several hundred miles northeast in Jekyll Island, that's in the Atlantic just off the coast of Georgia. This and the following two pix are taken on Driftwood Beach where there is a lot of- - - - Driftwood.

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Jekyll Island also has a lot of Live Oak trees covered with Spanish Moss. 

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Again we tried to head north. We used the map ap on the iphone to find the perfect blue highways on our way home. It worked fine, except when I figured I could do it better and veered from the directions. I had to set up many different routes to keep it from just sending us on an interstate.

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Nan Lou wanted to document some of the older and smaller houses along these back roads. Here are just a few of what she found in her viewfinder.

Of course my favorite was the one described in this roadside sign. It even had my name. See it below.

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After a monumental struggle to cross the Ohio River on a two lane road we finally arrived Back Home In Indiana.

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One last photo. An Art Deco Methodist church in Versailles, Indiana. 

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