Winter 2015 (W15) Days 1-5

Day 1 February 14

Despite the cold and the chance of “trace amounts” of snow, we decided to leave at 6:45! It snowed through Scarborough then blew snow (it was so powdery) for hours. Hard driving.

After a quick check at US Customs in Detroit, we decided to stay at the Flying J in Beaver Dam, Ohio after we were stopped on the highway for 50 minutes due to a 4-5 car pile up.

It was a very cold night (was 0F IN THE MOHO!) but we had lots of covers and Mandy shared her warmth equally. Tough drive for David, but we’re on the road!

Day 2 February 15

The water in the cat’s bowl was frozen solid this morning. Yikes. So we were on the road at 4:30 to make up for driving time we lost yesterday with hopes of getting to somewhere warmer. By Cincinnati, there was no snow on the ground though it remained cold. There WAS snow on the ground in Kentucky and no golfers on Kenny Perry’s Golf Course (it’s kind of our talisman when we pass by). Grass got greenish in Nashville. We checked the weather and there was a Winter Storm Warning for Memphis (our original route), so we continued to Birmingham and sub $2.00 gas and relatively cheap Diesel. We saw our first motorcycle (brrrr, it was 30F) then first robins near the road sign for “Warrior Robbins”, home of Warrior Antiques!

We stayed at the Sunset RV Park in Cottondale, Alabama (Site 1, $29 full services) and were able to de-winterize, plug in the heater and stay warm!

Here’s a view of the View:

Day 3 February 16

We had a great and very long sleep and left around 9:00. It rained a lot, so the salt on the MoHo was completely washed away through Alabama. Temperatures rose from 39F to 51F in Meridian (and we once again enjoyed a Mississippi Welcome Centre, the best in the US!). The grass was getting green and the Redbuds were budding.

I saw our first Daffodils in Hazel, MS. We bought diesel and awesome BBQ, both from the same gas station in Hazelton. It poured but it WAS 73F!

We got to Louisiana and stayed at the Lake Side RV Park (Site 133, PA $17.50 full services).

Here’s the view from my chair of Canada Geese and a Swan!

Day 4 February 16

We continued along Highway 10 across Louisiana. We saw our first Great Egret, then many more since this route goes through Rice Country, great habitat for these birds. Great billboards, too:

• “Best Hookers in Town” (for a towing company)
• “Lust drags you down to Hell!” (shortly after the Hookers sign)

It was interesting how gas prices in West Lake, with its huge oil refineries, were the most expensive here.

We got in to Texas and continued to Brazos Bend State Park. We got our annual pass ($70) and two nights stay (Site 121, $30 total with 2nd night discount) and enjoyed the relative warmth and sun (50F).

David rested, and I went for a walk and saw my first alligators of the year, a Red-shouldered Hawk and lots of Egrets, Coots, and Ducks.

It was a good end to the day.

Here’s a view of the View:

Day 5 February 17

A sunny day, chilly to start, but warm enough by 9:00 for a bike ride. We rode 11 kms and saw some amazing birds and lots more alligators:

The highlight was a Great Horned Owl nesting high in a tree:

We came back for lunch and a rest. Since it was about 60F we headed out for another ride (and another 11 kms; believe me, regular visits to the gym and miles on a stationary bike do NOT prepare you for those first 22 kms in the saddle).

This time, we saw alligators in a whole range of sizes from huge, to medium, to small, to a Mama and her (at least) four babies.

Great day. Here’s the first Cat’s Eye View:

AS Days 13-16

October10

Time to leave the relative warmth and sunshine and risk the weather on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We drove past the very large Fort Bragg, complete with razor-wire fences,  guard stations, and different “levels” of housing (from older looking barracks to relatively luxurious and spacious homes). Leave were really starting to change on the drive.

As we headed in to Virginia, we saw these things:

• sub-$3.00 gas (and Diesel for $3.53)
• “Hungry Church” (hungry for souls or feeding the hungry?)
• he’s back (from two years ago) and so are his signs “Hurt Congress”; couldn’t someone tell him to add the word “for” to his signs?
• another good church sign: “Exercise Daily: Walk with God”
• the BEST church (on wheels which we followed for several miles)-“Time for Jesus Ministries”:

We are not in any way finding religion, but it seems to keep finding us :-)

We got the Blue Ridge Parkway and saw some lovely views, but fog and drizzle were  starting:

We stayed at the Otter Creek Campground (Site 48, $16) and settled for a rainy, drippy but otherwise very quiet night. Here’s the view of the View at our campsite:

October 11

Driving north, we were thwarted in our ability to see the beautiful scenery (this was the kind of morning we had):

We decided to be safe, so got off the parkway and took the Interstate towards Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. On the way, we drove through some pretty countryside (and it was much clearer and drier out of the mountains). Who knew Virginia had a thriving winery scene (and it was the Harvest Festival, so buses and wine tours were everywhere).

We got to Harper’s Ferry in time to “vote” for the “1864 Election” (and yes, I voted Republican, sorry):

And enjoyed strolling the site of John Brown’s rebellion:

After this short Civil War “fix”, we headed to the Green Brier State Park in Maryland for the night (Site 39, $34 E/W). Here’s the view of the View in this campsite:

By the way, from her Cat’s Eye View, Mandy continues to be excited about the trip:

October 12

I have read about the bloody Battle of Antietam in my Civil War research and novels, so we headed to the National Battlefield.

It was a one-day battle in 1862, and it saw the worst loss of American life in battle forever! It’s said that more than 25,000 men died or were wounded, and you can really sense the bloodshed in this now beautiful part of rural Maryland:

As usual, I am moved by these places. And a little haunted. We didn’t see ghosts, but we DID see a Union soldier riding his horse down the road as we arrived then not again (though we saw one pile of horse poop). Eerie.

We also visited the National Cemetery there:

and the older, private cemetery across the road:

This was too strange as our War of 1812 saga continues:

We headed north in to Pennsylvania, got some new toys at a Camping World and settled in at the Moyer`s Grove Campground near Scranton (Site 54, $16.50 E/W PA price):

October 13

We seem to satisfy our Civil War (mine) and Railway (David’s) interests at the end of many of our trips. SO we headed to the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton (despite bad GPS instructions and signage that almost sent us home!).

We took a tour of the Maintenance area, a short train ride and a stroll through the rail yard and Roundhouse:

I must say, we much preferred the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania which we visited a couple of years ago.

Since we left earlier than we expected, we decided to head home. It was clear sailing through the colours of the Pennsylvania and New York countryside. Once we crossed the border, we faced the holiday weekend traffic, but arrived home safe and sound around 9:30.

Another great trip. Next fall, we’ll likely skip the Blue Ridge Parkway and stay on the beaches a little longer!

Now, four months of dreaming and planning our next trip!