The last I blogged was August when we returned home from our eight month trip west. I have been blessed to live in northern Michigan. It’s true - going away does make you appreciate home. I enjoy traveling, but I also like being home. I need that balance.
Our plan was to leave again after Christmas. Last year the holidays on Padre Island, Texas just didn't feel right. I wanted to be home this year and experience a real Christmas with snow and family and friends.
Also, with Maggie living in Traverse City again, I didn't want to leave until after January 1st.
The holidays came and went, but then other things kept us in the snow country. I didn’t have a problem with that, but I’m not the one who has to do all the shoveling, plowing and keeping the home fires burning. Warm weather was beginning to sound wonderful.
We left February 22 in 9 degree icy weather after a whole day of loading the motor home and cleaning and winterizing the house. (see above picture of ice cycles hanging off the motor home) We tossed the cats in at the last minute and they finally accepted their fate after the first day on the road. Funny Face hid under the bed in her “Cat Cave” and Sheba cried all day and wanted to be on my lap.
As we traveled south we were just ahead of a storm but it caught up to us when we camped in Clanton, Alabama. About midnight I was awaken when a community alert siren (air-raid) went off. Dick kept on snoring while it blasted for 5 minutes. Then over a loud speaker a man's voice blared out a warning of approaching severe wind and rain and to take cover. He kept repeating it and I finally shook Dick awake to listen (he was sleeping on his good ear). I figured it had to be bad because surely they don't announce every approaching storm?! I checked the area weather on the computer and it was saying the same thing as “Speaker man”. I went back to bed because Dick was snoring again and everything was still peaceful outside but woke up about an hour later to the motor home rocking back and forth in the strong winds and rain. It rocked me right back to sleep.
We were so happy to reach Florida. We camped among the hardwood forest at Florida Caverns State Park in the Panhandle for a couple days. It’s so nice being outdoors hiking and biking again.
http://www.floridastateparks.org/floridacaverns/default.cfm Living in the frozen north makes you appreciate the warmth, and sounds and sights of spring. The trees down here are beginning to blossom and the birds are singing. We loved listening to the barred owls at night. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/sounds
We are now camped on the Gulf at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. on the “Forgotten Coast”. What a paradise. The campground is out on a spit.
We watch the sunset on one side of the campground and sunrise on the other. The beach is so beautiful! It sure is nice to see all this white and it’s NOT SNOW!!!
On our 8 month trip you may remember me saying that I wasn’t getting enough alone time. Dick has solved that problem. He is now into metal detecting. He’s so into his new hobby that so far I’ve had a couple of hours by myself every day. He’s saving all the money he finds because he now wants to upgrade to one that goes into the water.
Dick does a weekly column called Dr. RV Shrink. Many of them are based on our problems and solutions. Check it out at Dr. RV Shrink
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