Saturday Nov 16th - Savannah, Georgia

Saturday Nov 16th - Savannah, Georgia 

The road out of the RV Park

Lovely old homes

Day tripping to Savannah. It was a little further than we had expected ..close to an hour drive. We had booked a "hop-on, hop-off" trolley ticket so we could see the main sights at our leisure. We went most of the way round and got off in the main riverside area, exploring stores and just enjoying the area. Savannah is a city just teeming with history... but mostly centered around the revolutionary and civil wars, and the era of plantations and southern belles. It is built around a system of "Squares". there are 22 remaining squares left out of the original 24, and each square is named for a famous historical figure or an event... the plaques make interesting reading for history buffs.  The homes in the historic centre of Savannah are stately and well kept, the streets are lined with live oak trees, dripping with  spanish moss,  occasional palms and other lush vegetation. The people are very friendly. We saw sites from the filming of 'Forest Gump' (the bench etc) and 'Midnight in The Garden Of Good And Evil'. The trolley tour took quite a while and we learned much about the history of the city.  When we got off the trolley at the riverside, we walked for a while before deciding to have a bite to eat at Tubby's on the riverside, which was recommended to us... and with reason. We waited for a table while enjoying a cold beer at the bar and struck up a conversation with a local couple. They were really informative and we had a great conversation about the area and what it is like to live there. When we got a table we ordered a couple of salad's .. Janice had fresh local shrimp ... delicious, and Derek ordered ahi tuna on a spinach Salad.... his was amazing.... a huge piece of ahi tuna that was cooked to perfection... just seared on the outside... it was fabulous... definitely a place to go back to. After a great meal we walked a little more enjoying the sights and sounds of the area (including live music on the riverside). Hopped back on the trolley and headed back to the truck for the drive home... We decided to take in  'full moon party' at a restaurant/bar close to our resort (Skull Creek Boathouse) and totally enjoyed sitting outside watching live music, eating gumbo, chowder and peel 'n eat shrimp under a  beautiful full moon. A fun end to a  very successful day... . . . .

Beautiful day to explore Savannah by 'trolley' bus

Trolley boarded by pirate... cheesy but funny

Original basement used to store bounty and rum

Live oaks (with Spanish moss)

Next door to '"Fanny's your Aunt"

The steps from Riverside to town are REALLY steep

Steps from the top

Riverboat ride anyone?

Interesting squares (and historic plaques)

Another square

I love the Spanish Moss

The Old Cotton Exchange

Cannons from the revolutionary war

 Characters board trolley and tell historic stories

Full Moon shining above our table at Skull Creek Boathouse

Thursday Nov 14 and Friday Nov 15th - relaxing and exploring

Thursday Nov 14 and Friday Nov 15th - relaxing and exploring
On Thursday we decided to do some sorting and get to know the resort a bit better ...we also spent hours going through brochures and trying in vain to work out some sort of schedule for the next few weeks. We did decide that we want to spend a couple of days in Savannah and also in Charleston. We have short-listed a few restaurants.  Also want to cook up the local fish as much as we can. We went out for a quick trip to pick up a few supplies and then settled down to a chicken stir fry....  with as many veggies as we could stuff in there!! Back to our healthy eating regimen for a few weeks.

Benny Hudson Seafood store

Today (Friday) Janice got up and headed to the gym for an hour, feeling very smug when she got back to the rig for breakfast... I think Derek will join her next time!!! Headed out in the truck for the whole day exploring the Island. The first stop was a fresh seafood store in the harbour... Benny Hudson Seafood.... OH MY ..... WOW!!! Fresh Fresh seafood.  The owner John was chatty and informative about the shrimp... stuff we would never have guessed.  So we bought some swordfish and shrimp, and a bunch of various local spice mixes.... 

Oyster clumps ?

Shrimp boat by Benny's seafood

Then headed out to explore some more... A little disappointed to find that much of the Island is made up of gated communities... that sort of take up the prime beach accesses... not what we expected.. but, trying to stay positive, we searched some more and finally found a beach access, and wow what a beautiful beach it is. Also found an area called Shelter Cove with a great boardwalk and some neat little stores. We plan on exploring on our bikes next time and have a route planned so we can ride along the hard packed area of the beach for miles and miles. 

YES!!!! We found the beach!!!!!!

 After we got back to the rig we opened up a bottle of champagne we had been saving for our anniversary..but didn't open.. we relaxed outside ion the patio for an hour. Then Derek took over the BBQ and the kitchen and cooked up a fabulous meal of swordfish, cajun boiled shrimp, wild rice in savoury stock and a mix of Collard/Kale/Turnip greens. He excelled and may be in danger of being in charge again real soon!!! A great day indeed

Wed Nov 13th Happy 42nd Anniversary to us!!

Wed Nov 13th Happy 42nd Anniversary to us!!
Hard to believe that 42 years has gone by. It has though, and we are still enjoy each others company... well mostly!! This adventure is certainly a highlight. There have been so many over the years. We are truly lucky to have had all the happy times, great kids and full stomachs. 
We spent the day sorting out our internet (how romantic LOL)... but we did get to Time Warner and got a modem/router to ensure that we will have reliable internet for our 4 week stay here... such a bonus and a fitting anniversary gift to ourselves. We also got the iphone set up with a new SIM card so we are using it for our phone while we are here, with unlimited calling, text and internet for $50, plus unlimited international calling and texting for an additonal $10.. YES!!!! NO contract!!

Sea Scallops with Cajun sauce

Prosciutto wrapped redfish

After setting everything up in the rig (internet) and having a short chat with Braden and Grant, we enjoyed a quiet drink on the patio. Then walked over to the restaurant here at the resort (Sunset Grille) ... aptly named for the fabulous sunset.  A window table and a great meal... (Derek had prosciutto wrapped red-fish and Janice had giant sea scallops with Cajun sauce.... yum!!!)  We had such a lovely evening.

Happy Anniversary you

Back at you!!

Walk after dinner at the resort

Resort Marina

Saw a dolphin jumping from the dock

Oyster shells mounded up

Great resort... love it here!

November 10-12 Journey to Hilton Head SC

November 10-12 Journey to Hilton Head SC

Milton Heights site A22... bye bye!! Nov 10th

Driving NY, Pennsyl, W. Virginia, N. Carolina and S. Carolina

Welcome Center N Carolina... overnight!!

 Heading out about 9am we were a little later than we hoped but very excited to begin a new phase in our journey. Over the last few days we said goodbye to family and friends, but it wasn't too emotional, knowing we are coming 'home' for Christmas. Our entry through the border into the US was seamless and we were happy to be back for while. The journey was long, but switching drivers every couple of hours, makes the time pass more quickly and we enjoyed the views as we drove. The Fall colours were still quite vibrant in many areas. The downer was the number of deer that were the victims of the highway. We stopped counting at 18 and we were sad each time... but it made s more vigilant, especially as dusk approached. We had planned on two nights and three even days of driving, but we motored happily for over 12 hours on the first day and ended up sleeping Sunday night in the parking lot of the North Carolina Welcome centre... far enough off the highway to be nice and quiet and surrounded by red trees. We did pass over the Allegheny mountains in the dark, but we have been there before and know that on the way back in December we will be passing over during daylight hours.  We were warm and safe and happy. The next morning we got maps and advice from the welcome centre and headed out for our second day on the road refreshed and still excited about the journey.

Closing in on our destination!!!

Walmart... Walterboro... overnight in the parking lot

It is amazing what travel does to renew the spirit and remind us how little we really know about our environment. We are like kids exploring the world. Saw an owl just sitting quietly by the road (alive!!) As we crossed the border into South Carolina we both felt a sense of excitement about our new adventure.We decided to take the plunge by staying our first night in a Wall-mart parking lot.... what fun.. we stayed in the parking lot of the Walmart in Walterboro, South Carolina. We were able to stock up on some groceries and our favourite Yuengling beer. There were about 12 other rigs in the parking lot and we, again, felt safe and warm. We were able to run the propane furnace both nights on the road and the batteries handled it without a problem... even cooked up some steel-cut oats in the morning. The next morning, after breakfast, we headed back into the Walmart for a few bits and then slowly packed up, gassed up ( only $3.55 a gallon) and drove the last leg of our journey (about 90 minutes) to Hilton Head Harbour RV resort just over the bridge on Hilton Head Island. We checked in and were given the keys to a golf cart to go and choose from all the available sites in the resort. We found our site 121 and there was no doubt we would be happy there, so we set up and enjoyed some afternoon sunshine, a glass of champagne, cheese and crackers. Happy to be settled for the next 4 weeks. The weather is warm but scheduled to get a little colder in a couple of days ... but still warm enough to put the sweaters and warm coats away for a while. The resort is quite beautiful... palm trees, 2 swimming pools, hot tub, a 5 star restaurant, exercise room, laundry and a marina offering dolphin and eco-tours. First impressions are very positive.

Site 121.. complete with patio set and garden area!!.. CHEERS!

Oct 1 - Nov 10th - Milton Heights Campground

Oct 1 - Nov 10th - Milton Heights Campground
Just a quick over-view of a lovely month in our old stomping grounds in Milton/Burlington. A few days after we arrived we had the sad, but not totally unexpected, news that Uncle Harry in UK passed away (at 95 yrs old). It was a 'no-brainer' that Derek would go over to help his cousins cope for a couple of weeks to sort out stuff and attend the funeral of an uncle that we both adored... he made life tough on all of the 'cousins', (especially young sis G) but most saw through his gruff exterior. He was a colourful, adorableYorkshire lad, with a gruff exterior and a heart of gold. It was a sad and happy time for Derek. In any event he spent valuable time with cuz's Gill and Jackie, what a team! Janice spent the two weeks catching up with friends, going to the movies and spending a beautiful thanksgiving with B and G. The rest of our time 'home' was spent visiting friends, getting ourselves sorted with dentists and doctors and spending some real quality time with Grant and Braden. We caught much of the lovely fall weather. It did get pretty cold toward the end of our stay and we had to take some precautionary measures to prevent the rig from freezing at night. Milton Heights is a great spot and close to all of the 'golden horseshoe. It is a mixture of travellers and 'full-timers" and although there is not much in the way of organized activities it is a clean, safe and relatively 'handy' place to park in the area.
We didn't have the opportunity to do some of the activities we had planned but generally enjoyed the stay. We had the time to plan the next few months of our adventure and looked forward to continuing our journey over the next few months... with a month in Niagara on the Lake over the Christmas holidays.

Sun Sept 29-Mon Sept 30th-Sault Ste Marie-Milton

Sun Sept 29-Mon Sept 30th-Sault Ste Marie-Milton

Lovely Colours at KOA in the Sault!

I am writing this toward the end of Oct... But better late than never.

Derek and Dennis - Good to see him.

We enjoyed our 2 night stay at the KOA in Sault St Marie. We found that they were a bit penny-pinching. We paid for a site (which included up to 6 people, but were annoyed to find they charged our friend $5 to visit us and sit at our picnic table for a few hours to chat... They were un-moveable and, although they have a nice campground, we felt annoyed after we had paid over $50 per night for the site, them $50 for a trailer/tow vehicle weighing service, and purchased an expensive tire pressure gauge. Nice people, but not customer focussed.  Would think twice before going again or recommending. Rant over!!!

Strange sunset on way down to Milton

Camped for the night in Braden's driveway

The weather was lovely, and the colours at their peak, as you can see from the photo. We left there, planning on staying over night part way down, but once on the road, the closer we got to 'home-base', the more excited we got about getting there... so we just kept driving and driving. We had the idea of staying at the Truck stop in Milton, but Braden said we could park in the driveway at his place... so we pulled in about 8pm and were absolutely thrilled to see Braden. We sat down to a quick pasta / meat sauce dinner together and watched a bit of TV before settling down for the night .... happy, safe, cosy, and glad to be 'home'. Ahhhhhhh!!!! Looking forward to getting to Milton Heights Campground tomorrow and settling down for a month or so.

Wed/Thur/Fri/Sat Sept 25-28 - Saskatchewan-Manittoba-Ontario

Wednesday Sept 25^{th –} Swift Current to Grenfell Saskatchewan

LEAVING SWIFT CURRENT

SASKATCHEWAN IS FLAT

BUT HE GLACIAL DRUMLINS ADD A DIFFERENCE

YEAH.... GRENFELL, SASK

Well the Swift Current site was nothing special so we got out as soon as possible in the morning, had an uneventful drive past Regina and began to marvel at the flat grasslands of the prairies. Got to the site at Grenfell about 2.30 pm for a self check in…just a open field of 9 or 10 utility posts and a “please leave $25 in an envelope in the mail slot!” easy drive through site and we didn’t even disconnect the truck. Got the bikes off the rack and cycled over to see Laurette at her home. Well Grenfell sure is a sleepy rural town of about 900. Almost idyllic and friendly folk..I guess it was pretty obvious that we were strangers. What a great visit to chat about the intervening years and life events for us all. So we ordered a chinese take out for Laurette to pick up…too awkward for us to carry on our bikes and we headed back to camp to show off our condo while the three of us munched away. We spent some 7 hours together and still had many stories untold. So good to renew friendships and stay in touch.

  

SUNSET AT THE CAMPSITE

LOOKS ALMOST LIKE A FIRE

GOOD TO SEE LONG TIME FRIENDS ... LAURETTE

Thursday Sept 26^{th –} Grenfell Saskatchewan right through to Dryden Ontario 

WINNIPEG FROM A DISTANCE

STILL A LONG WAY TO GO

After a short drive yesterday we were set for a long one today. We started out at 9.00 am local time and targeted to get to Kenora. We drove through a stormy morning and drifted across the prairies. The TransCanada highway was dual carriageway and two lanes each way the whole stretch, but boringly flat. Just gently rolling countryside so that you could see a couple of miles at most …but it is savannah grassland. In the afternoon we had passed through the storm and we pressed on. Pleased to find that diesel was only $1.18 in Manitoba as in SK. Well we blazed by Winnipeg on the southern ring road and only saw the city from a distance. At the eastern end of Manitoba, we did however spot a huge bald headed Eagle and the vegetation cover now included trees and brush not jut grass.

MADE IT TO DRYDEN-BIRCHLAND PARK

By about 5pm we crossed over into Ontario and began to look for the designated camp …The Willows in Kenora. I had called ahead and was told its on Hwy 17 just after 17A rejoins it. The gps co-ordinates couldn’t pick it up and knowing the mailbox number was useless and the one highway advertisement was actually too far past it so we realized some 20km on from Kenora that we had missed it. Well at that point we just kept going and 90 minutes later just before dark hauled our weary selves into Birchland Campsite in Dryden. Again basically just a serviced field but they had internet  (having warned me it probably wouldn’t work) so we were happy. We actually reheated the Chinese leftovers for dinner! Had an early night and set ourselves up for another long day tomorrow.

  

Friday September 27^th Dryden to somewhere between Thunder Bay and Marathon called Neys!

MEMORIAL TO TERRY FOX- NEAR THE SPOT HE STOPPED HIS RUN

IT IS A BEAUTIFUL SPOT NEAR THUNDER BAY

YES FALL IS IN THE AIR

TOP OF LAKE SUPERIOR

 Got off to a later than planned start, actually we slept in. Packed as quickly as we could, but still didn’t quite get going before the thunderstorm hit. Left the site about 9.30 and set off a little wet in the pouring rain…first time this year! that that has happened! Filled up at $1.35..welcome to Ontario. Ugh. Drove south toward Thunder Bay and the weather broke about two hours into the drive. The scenery around Thunder Bay became much more lush with firs and deciduous trees and much more prolific vegetation. In Thunder bay we stopped by the Terry Fox memorial and were both choked up seeing such a significant memorial and great tribute to perhaps Canada’s greatest athlete and modern day hero. Shortly after getting back en route we passed mile 3339 where he had to stop his Marathon of Hope. We had researched and found a small campsite at Neys right on Highway 17 just west of Marathon and that was the target for tonight. The camp has 14 sites a small convenience store with a lunch counter, a hunting outfitters shop and an LCBO agency. Ah yes it was awarded Ontario small camp of the year in 2011. It’s called Neys Lunch and Campsite.  We arrived as expected at 7.30 pm and set up then wandered into the lunch counter for home made bacon burger and fries and chicken fingers. Good solid comfort food with more fat than we have eaten all week…. it was excellent.  No disappointments.

VIEW AS WE DRIVE

ONTARIO IS BEAUTIFUL

CAMP AT NEY'S LUNCH AND CAMPSITE

SATURDAY SEPT 28TH - NEYS TO SAULT STE MARIE
We got up and headed back into the diner for a full cooked breakfast... because we could!!! Afterwards our guts were questioning our wisdom.. but once in a while you just gotta get down and get greasy!!!!

Southbound on #17 - the road to the Sault.

We continued to discuss our sanity as we drove south closer to 'home'. Our goal was to get to Sault STe Marie and we made it in good time. As we drove we couldn;t help admiring the beauty of this province. It is truly amazing. Lake superior and the surrounding area, ablaze with the colours of Fall surprised and delighted us on every turn of the road. We stopped at the Agawa visitors centre and learned much about the history of the area, watching a couple of short videos, and treating ourselves to a break in the drive. We are pretty much set to stay an extra night in Sault Ste Marie to catch up with another (band) friend who moved up here a few years ago. We arived at the KOA and were very happy with the campsite. Clean, friendly and good for a couple of nights.

The open road-almost at Sault Ste Marie