Dec 2-5 Nashville/Memphis

Made it!! We are goin' to Graceland, Graceland, 

Wednesday 5^th Dec 2012  ---- Off we go to Graceland, singing all the way. It did not disappoint… as cheesy as we expected, but very interesting. I had no idea that Elvis was a twin. His twin brother was still-born. His lifestyle was very opulent, but the ‘mansion’ is not as big as I expected. It was originally a country property, but is now surrounded by houses and is not in a very pleasant part of town.After we were Elvised-out, we were going to head downtown, but traffic and hunger changed our minds and we headed to a restaurant that a lady at the post office said we shouldn’t miss…. Always listen to the locals. We went to Dales Restaurant in Southaven, Mississippi for some home cooked southern food… catfish, chicken fried chicken, lima beans, corn bread, purple peas, candied yams… the list goes on. Needless to say our wimpy northern senior appetites, couldn’t take it and we ended up carrying most of it in containers back to camp.. enough for the next few days!!!!! They sure know how to eat down here.

Dales... good

For anyone heading to Memphis in an RV I would recommend Jellystone RV park. It is unbelievably clean. Large concrete pads with picnic tables on the patio area and a fire pit.  It is a city type RV park, so not secluded, but perfect for a trip to Memphis or for just an overnight passing through.

Back at camp I managed to attend my book club via Skype… that was great fun and quelled a little of the homesickness that is creeping up on me occasionally. I was surprised that Patt E made it there without my expert navigation (albeit at the wrong time!!) Well done girl!! Derek decided to put a wash-load in as the camp laundry is quite impressive (and so is he!!!).

Gold and platinum records .. everywhere

And everwhere

Lounge with Music room at the back.

Tourists in the Jungle room.

Red Wine? White Wine?

Private jet (he had 2)

At the head of the headstone

Eileen had some stories to tell..

His Mom's Pink Caddy   

Tuesday 4^th Rain … made packing up a little less relaxing. Headed down toward Memphis and took a longer route so we could drive about 30 Miles on the Natchez Trace which is an old Indian/trade route through the forest. The road runs parallel to it and we were fortunate to stop at a rest stop where the trace crosses the roadway. The terrain is beautiful, but not quite as awe-inspiring as parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway through Pennsylvania. To its credit though, there is very little commercialism and tourist traps to be found along the way, which is refreshing.

Back on I40 for the rest of the trip to Memphis, Tennessee. Actually camped across the State Line in Mississippi at Jellystone RV park… fabulous spot to drop by for a couple of days; clean, concrete and modern and only 7 miles from Graceland which is the main reason we are here. Hopped out for some groceries and wine and noted that Canadian Club Rye is only $10/bottle.. less than half the price that we pay in Canada. Bought some Mississippi-style Egg Nog as a festive treat… $8/bottle.. and holy moly it is fabulous!!!!
Monday 3^rd December really was a camp day… much needed rest and relaxation and one sorted cupboard. Lovely day to sit in the sun and read. As Derek said, it felt like the first real day of retirement. Missing house and family a little.



Sunday 2nd Dec 2012
 Spending the day gathering our senses and basking in the warm weather (70 degrees today)..  Went  to see the Grand Ole Opry complex.  While we are mostly drawn to mountains, rivers and lakes, I must say that the gargantuan Opry Hotel complex is impressive. It took us close to an hour to wander round, click a few photos, point, stare and generally act like the tourists that we are.

Bad asses I met in the Opry Hotel

Also, it is all decked out for Christmas, which brought the best out in me. The ‘condo’ has one, measly looking ‘Merry Christmas’ sign up, which was all we felt we had room for. I may be forced to buy something a little more festive over the next few days.  We took the obligatory photos at the Grand Ole Opry

Yes they are real poinsettias

getting in the Christmas spirit

No Derek... not yet!!!... HUGE TREE!!

Air Guitar at the Grand Ole Opry... a Star is born!!!

Holding up my end of the music

BOOTS BOOTS BOOTS!!!!!

Shoes in Opry Mills... my Friend Hillary would love this store

and headed back to the condo to grab some food before heading out to see The Who in concert at the Bridgestone Arena….. Cab driver from Somalia gave us a lesson in African politics, which was most enlightening. He said he would wait for us after the show. We loved the show… Roger Daltry and Pete Townsend were both great and obviously having fun together, as were we!!! Well worth the price of admission. It was packed and after the show our trusty cab driver was waiting outside, fending off dozens of people who were desperate for a ride… another lesson in international relations and loyalty won him a big tip.

The Adventure Begins - FRI NOV 30TH/SAT DEC 1st 2012

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ONCE UPON A TIME……..

 

 A mad dash to put stuff in storage, clean up and leave … amidst a snowstorm that threatened to prevent us getting out the driveway of a house that was no longer ours!!! With amazing help from our son Braden we left with no chance to say much of a lingering goodbye…. Maybe a good thing. Emotions are still high but we are starting to convince ourselves that we never left our home of 35 years… all we left was a house… our home is with us, wrapped in memories and future plans. But despite all that self talk…. we still feel somewhat shell-shocked and homesick only 2 days later.

Drive down and border crossing in Sarnia basically uneventful but tiring. We decided to drive down in one shot to Nashville, stopping at 3:45am in a truck stop in Monroe Ohio, for a 3hr nap (freezing cold and wrapped in anything we could find). Drove throughout Saturday through Ohio, Kentucky and into Tennessee, and after major traffic delays we made it to the Two Rivers Campsite in Nashville at 5.59pm (closes at 6pm)… Exhausted… RV Campsite is a great ‘city’ campsite 2 miles from Grand Ole Opry and 15 minutes from downtown.

4 days to blast off!

Stress levels are rising and anticipation is at full speed as we head into our last few days in our home. Panic sets in and tears flow as we keep packing up our memories and belongings and saying our goodbyes to neighbours and friends. A good friend recently put things in perspective by pointing out that we wont be 'homeless', merely 'houseless'... a comforting thought.
It is hard not to slip into 'catastrophe thinking' about all the things that could go wrong between now and Friday. No time to do a full blog posting, just checking in and getting excited. Back to panic and pack mode.

Thoughts at 3 weeks to launch.

It is now three weeks before we finally walk out of our home of 35 years and begin our new adventure on the road for a while. We are scared, excited, emotional and totally positive that this is the right time to fulfill this daft dream of ours. There were times over the last couple of years when we thought it was not going to happen, but here we are and reality is starting to set in.

I think the scary parts revolve around the idea that we can't just head 'home', that there is no hearth, piled up mail, or blue food awaiting us in some place we habitually return to with relief and sense of belonging.  Some folk have said we are brave, others have said we are crazy, but most have said that this is something they would love to do themselves. We consider ourselves blessed that we have the health, the opportunity, and the wherewithal, to take off and travel the continent for as short or as long a time as we want.  We invite you to  travel along with us by reading the blog and keeping in touch on a regular basis. It will help calm the gnawing 'homesickness' we expect to experience after a while. Going to Vancouver to spend Xmas with family will also lighten the journey quite significantly.
Stay tuned .... next post may not be until we are 'rocking' on the road.

Sunday June 3rd 2012 - Homeward bound

 SUNDAY JUNE 3rd 2012 - New York To Home

Rainy morning so we dilly-dallied and cooked up a HUGE breakfast, so that the border guards didn't confiscate it!! Is that logical?? While cooking we watched the Queens Jublilee celebrations live on the internet as she cruised down the Thames. Stuffed to the gills we packed up camp in the rain, and headed out about noon. Wound our way up through New York State (Finger Lakes area) which is beautiful even in the rain. Janice was driving as we approached the Canadian border when Derek discovered that our passports had done a runner.  ARGGHH!!  With great diplomacy I explained to the border officer that we think that the US border guard had not given them back to us after he checked out the trailer on our way in to the States 2 weeks ago (which is what we think happened). Anyway.. cut a long story short, we discovered that passports are very valuable on the black market  ($10,000- 20,000) and now, (post 911) the police have to get involved... so last night, near midnight we had the police here making a report which he has to submit to the Foreign Affairs Ministry ... what a giggle!! We are both a bit ticked with it all 'cos of the drawn out bureaucracy of replacing them, but the process has been an education, and somewhat amusing!!! I guess they have to be very careful these days.
AN INTERESTING END TO A GREAT "SHAKEDOWN" TRIP IN OUR FIFTH WHEEL.
We have a fairly large number of things that need to be addressed under the warranty ... leaky toilet being near the top of the list!! Mostly small items but they all need to be addressed before we head out on a longer trip.
We have discovered during, this trip that home is where the heart is, and that we could live quite happily and stress free wandering the continent in the fifth. It is amazing how little one really needs. Visitors bring their own chairs and drink containers to the campfire and we are all entertained with stories of traveling.
We only need 2 mugs, 2 wine glasses and 2 beer glasses, 2 plates etc etc etc .... When we came home and saw how much 'stuff' we have .... it was quite eye-opening.
We did miss friends and family, but with modern technology it was so easy to keep in touch. Skype is a gift!!
We feel truly privileged to be able to follow this long term dream of ours and will continue blogging when we hit the road again.
Thanks for following along with us....

Saturday June 2 2012

Hi di ho campers!!!

Saturday Jun 2 2012 - Hanging out at camp

Cold morning and cloudy... Long sleeves for the first time!
Campers world store . Impressive but not classed as a super-store. Still want to see one of those.
Bought a patio mat, and a front hitch support tripod to help stabilize the fifth wheel and some other bits we wanted.
Back to camp and spent the afternoon reading our books and chatting.
Campground holding a series of fundraising events for Cancer. Derek bought a 'paper bag lantern' to remember Dave. They will be lighting them after dark
BBQ'd chicken
Went to check out the organized disco and fundraising events. Mostly aimed at the kids.
Lit fire and got it roaring...

Just hanging out reading his book

Me too!

Trailer looks crooked... but optical illusion... honest!

Nice campground.. but not much shade...
 good news ... it was cloudy!!!!

Not much happnin at the 'disco'... time for a campfire!

Down to lantern lighting event... lots of lanterns bordering the road and front of store.

Poignant sight...There were so very many of them

May 31/Jun 1 2012

Thursday May 31^st 2012

·      Drove to Little Red Schoolhouse Amish info centre. Bought a book about Amish

·       On to Shady Maple Grocery store. Size of a Walmart… all groceries. Cheap T-bone steaks .. got some… you get what you pay for!!!!!

·      Picked up wood from Amish family… so lovely .. they were genuinely glad to talk with us … Mom, Dad and sons (and beagle puppies)…. $15 for a huge wheelbarrow full of dry oak.  They were enthralled with our accent. Sent us on our way with a beautiful farewell “Be blessed!”

·      Absorbed sights and sounds of Amish country

·      Back to site.  Relaxed.. Derek strummed, I read cross stitch book outside.

·      4pm … lit the fire and Jack and Didi came over about 5:30.  We joined Passport America (Used them as referral) They stayed til 7:30 pm

·      BBQ’d steak …not great but corn and company was fantastic. …. Awwww!!

·      Burned lots of wood … cos we could !!!!!!!

·      Skyped with both B and G…. lovely staying in touch.

$15 A BIG BARROW LOAD

Friday June 1^st

·      Decided not to go to Dragon Fly market with Jack and Didi as weather was getting ominous. Said goodbye when they left at 8am. Packed and sadly left Spring Gulch… we will be back.

·      Hot spell over … cold enough to use electric fireplace this morning.

·      Left at 9:45 heading for Corning and a ‘cheap’ Passport America campsite.

·      Drove up Rte 15… passing familiar sites and signs along the way… still impressed with this beautiful state. Huge Pennsylvania forested valleys .. magnificent.

·      Drove through Liverpool on the Susquehanna River (not the Mersey)

·      Seemed to keep ahead of the weather as we drove.. a little rain but not the storms that Pennsylvania was expecting.

·      Arrived at Camp Bell in Campbell…. One look and we decided to move on…. We have been spoiled already. Decided to try out Hickory Hill in Bath as there is a Camping World store nearby.  We were glad!! Lovely site. And half of this weekend’s income going to cancer survivors fund..

·      Set up in a mild drizzle. Drove around campground then popped the champagne we bought a couple of days ago… Yum. Cooked supper. Early night.

·      Storming in the evening… hoping for a better day tomorrow as campground hosts a cancer support special fund raising event.