Home again!

Today we travelled the last leg of our grand adventure.
As we drove toward home from Bluffton, Ohio, the skies clouded and the temperature dropped gradually from 15 C to 5 C.
We had found the sun and warmth of the south,  but could not stay forever, sigh..... although Karl did suggest turning back several times during the day!  In truth we have family and friends we love and miss, so we carried on up the 401 towards Kitchener!
We had so many great experiences, met so many wonderful and sometimes colourful people, this trip has enriched our lives!
As we drove into Donley St., we vowed to plan another trip next year! Perhaps we could wander through the South Western US or maybe we could go back to Tip of Texas!! Who knows? I think Karl has picked up some of my Gypsy spirit.
So thank you to all of our family and friends who journeyed with us through the blog! It has made our experience richer by sharing it with you!
And thank you to my sweet Aunt Henny who watched over our little home while we were away.
Perhaps Karl can add pictures to the blog on our next trip. In the meantime, please come to see us and we'll share them in person over a cup of tea!!  Until next time .....

Bluffton, OH

Last night our blue skies clouded over and we had a rollicking thunderstorm! If you haven't experienced driving rain and echoing thunder in a little trailer, well, you are really missing something! Happily we stayed watertight although a bit crowded - when Maxi our fearless protector hopped into our bed. Guess he decided that he needed to be a little closer to keep "us" safe.
The KOA we were staying at had a real Conestoga Wagon - we momentarily contemplated rounding up some horses and heading back to south Texas, but there were just no horses anywhere - go figure!! So we loaded up "our" wagons and headed north.
Over the day, the full leaves on the trees and spring blossoms have gradually become just buds with the occasional green tint seen in the distance. Honestly, it feels like we are watching the seasons go backward from full summer a few days ago to late spring and now early spring.
The rolling hills in Kentucky are just breathtakingly beautiful. Most of our trip was on Interstate highway, so we didn't get a chance to see much of the real Kentucky. Perhaps next time we will do some wandering through small towns and meet some of the people. To me that's the way to travel.
We did get to meet a lady in Kentucky when we stopped for breakfast. I am still following my gluten free diet, and this lady, a cashier at McDonalds, really went out of her way to help! This is quite typical in the Southern States, we have found most people friendly and kind.  Until they get behind the wheel of a truck - Karl has a few stories there!
Long day driving. Not hard work, we trade off driving (Karl gets more turns cause he wants me to cook, fair is fair). Difference this time is that we are going home and not heading toward an exciting new destination. Don't get me wrong, we love our family and do miss y'all, but this wandering is fun!!!
So, we ended up at one last trailer park. We have learned that our little heater is enough to keep us toasty warm, so we'll be just fine.  Trick is that when we arrived the office was closed. You can self register and we did. There are lots of trailers, but not a single person that we can find!  Guess camping in April is not a big thing here, sigh.  Oh well,  I'll just have to teach Karl another lesson in cribbage.
Believe it or not, we have not watched TV in a month, don't miss it!!

Lost River Caves

Today was sunny and 26 C! We have heard whispers from our spies in Kitchener that it might be a bit chilly on our return, but I almost fainted when I saw a forecast predicting SNOW for Ontario! ... until I saw  that it was Thunder Bay, but still!!
Well, we have seen signs on and off during our trip about underground caves but haven't had a chance to check them out. So, today we visited The Lost River Caves here in Bowling Green. There is a small canyon that looks like a tiny Elora Gorge. Our tour guide told us stories about the caves being used by Jesse James as a hideout and later by Confederates to hide from the Union soldiers.
They explained that "blue holes" are caused by an underground river breaking through to the surface. The blue colour is created by the sun shining on limestone dissolved in the water. One of these created a large enough cave opening (which is the entrance to the Lost River Caves) that an enterprising local in the 20's and 30's apparently set it up as a nightclub.
Because of the river temperature, the cave stays at 56 F so it would feel air-conditioned in summer!! There is a flat stone area at the mouth of the cave big enough to stage a good size party/dancefloor. We are told that it is apparently still in demand for weddings and functions. The trail down from the top of gorge to the caves is just beautiful, and beyond the cave opening are some stone stairs to the underground river. There were of course some interesting yarns spun by the guide, but the boat trip itself (about 45 min) was incredible! The ceiling once we were in the underground river area was between 4 to 25 or 30 feet high. There were all sorts of cave formations (stalagmites), but also rocky sides with what looked like trails and smaller tunnels. Wow, bet there are some stories there too!
They let Maxi come because he was small and cute but once convinced to get on the boat, he spent the next 45 min. with his head in my lap.....
Beyond the cave tour, there were trails with other smaller "blue holes" and springs. We spent the next few hours just wandering.
Karl had wanted to go and tour the Corvette plant in town, but that didn't work out, so we spent the rest of the day relaxing in the park and wandering around the town. Right across the road from the park is a Historical Aviation display with real planes used in Vietnam and Iran. An interesting story about one of them ... it made its first 'hit' in Nam, but the Vietnamese pilot survived. A few years ago when they were setting up this museum, he was invited  as guest of honour at the opening dinner. He and the US pilot who shot him down have become good friends.
Karl wanted one more try for a Southern Seafood dinner, so this time we went to Captain D's Seafood. Okay, it's a "chain" but the food was delicious and less than half the price of the fancy restaurant in Panama City!
Hey Dan, today we saw a neat John Deere garden tractor/mower for sale in somebody's front yard, which your mom thought you would have liked. However, we don't have a utility trailer to carry it back (imagine a trailer behind a trailer) and your mom didn't feel like driving it all the way home!!

Bowling Green, Kentucky

We are taking our time today to give us a chance to enjoy the slow pace that is part of life down in Alabama. Everyone has been so nice - even their "southern drawl" is peaceful. It's sunny and warm today, the birds are singing... (although no roars or screeches, being beside a zoo was fun!)
The campground atmosphere is different than the RV resort/park - more of a relaxed, country setting.   Mallard Point is run by the city of Decatur with tennis courts, pool, etc. next door and everything beautifully maintained.
After a quick stop at the local Walmart for a few groceries and souvenirs, we were off!
We were only on the road for an hour when Karl saw a "Western Wear" store and the car magically pulled in. There was just about everything you could imagine, from cowboy boots, to Stetson hats, to the fancy embroidered cowboy shirts - one of which fit Karl to perfection! Seriously, he has been looking for a nice one our whole trip, so this is great! Mom/Grandma Wassing had given him some money for his birthday and this is what he got for it - he says Thanks Mom!!
My impression of Tennessee from the car window.... log cabins, rickety wood houses, lots of trees and fields with horses everywhere!  Honestly, it looks like Northern Ontario with the rocky outcroppings except that the there are no evergreen trees.
The treed rolling hills (sometimes quite high, are they mountains?) have flattened out a bit as we are approaching Nashville. The shacks/small houses became huge mansions with field-like lawns and now, in the city, there are high rises and fancy buildings. Lots are new or under construction. Looks like any other big city. Wonder now where the Grand Ole Opry is?  I feel like Nashville should have some huge sign or monument everyone can see, cuz isn't this the heart of country music?
Around 5:30 we pulled into a KOA campground in Bowling Green, Kentucky. First time in a KOA, very impressive. Large sites, lots of trees and birds, and clean. Even the wi-fi works well which is a big change from almost all the others.
Tomorrow will be a day of rest and touring before the big push home. If all goes as planned our Kitchener ETA is Saturday night. However, if we happen to hear that it's still cold there, we are quite ready (and seriously discussing) hightailing it back to Texas!!

Decatur, Alabama

Today starts the trip home..... but we plan to take 4 or 5 days. For one, the car with the trailer attached sucks gas like crazy over 90 km/hr and for two, we want to end our grand adventure with a peaceful "wander" home before returning to "normal life"
Most of our trip today has been on county roads instead of interstate highway. This is slower, but it has given us a chance to really see Alabama. Perhaps because it's spring, everything just looks so fresh and clean (well, mostly). We have noticed not just here, but in all of the southern States, that there is almost no litter on the side of the road!! Most of the houses and even the trailer homes are neat and tidy.  And the homes range from being tiny shacks to rustic cabins to small brick bungalows to a few massive houses with front yards the size of a football field!!
Today at lunchtime, we couldn't find a park or rest area, so we stopped for lunch in the parking lot of a garage. We parked off to the side and Karl did go over to ask if it was okay. Within 10 minutes, we noticed at least 3 people eyeing us suspiciously, and two minutes after that,  4 police cruisers sped in to the lot!!! We thought we were  toast, but the police must've been just visiting someone in the shop.  We noticed later that the shop did car detailing, so who knows?  Turned out to be a bit of excitement to spice up our day ..... they waved at us when we left half an hour later!
Suzie and Karl had words again today. She wanted us to go off the interstate (we had just got back on) and drive way around to avoid an upcoming road closure! Well, Karl got out the map himself and started steering us toward Decatur AB (our destination) and eventually Suzie came onboard - it was an interesting hour till we got back on track!! As for me, without Suzie, the GPS, I might arrive, but I am not sure when!!
Suzie is now blessedly silent about upcoming road delays and it looks like we may roll in to this new park before 6pm.
We have been talking about things and places we've enjoyed on our trip, but can't always (okay rarely) remember which park.  Good thing we kept the blog, without it we could never keep these stories straight!!!!
One last thing, it is our granddaughter Rachel's birthday today, she is 17!  Happy birthday sweetheart and many many more to come!
Also wanted to note that our niece, Nicole, had a little girl last week, Jenna. Congrats to Nicole & Dave (they live in Cornerbrook Nfld) and to the new grandparents, Arnie and Rita!
So, about 6 pm we rolled into Point Mallard Campground just outside of Decatur. Nice enough place, well wooded and pretty. And a whole lot less expensive than Florida! I like that part.

Panama City Beach (2)

Today we woke to glorious sunshine, and warmth - how appropriate for our last day before the journey home!  Everything is better on a day like this. lots of kids out laughing and playing. This is a family park, but even so, there are a surprising number of children still in the park after the weekend, guess home schooling is a big thing here!
The park is right beside a zoo and although we can't see anything from inside the park, daylight brought some interesting sounds which we are presuming to be the result of "feeding time at the zoo". Not sure what animals they have! One of our neighbours here has a little dog that was acting for all the world like a tiger, stalking Max. The owner told us they camp right beside the fence, and he wonders if there are tigers on the other side!
Poor Maxi got a bath again today cuz he had rolled in some garbage outside a dumpster a few days ago and the smell is lingering.... we used "my" shampoo so now he smells like camomille (at least until he finds something else to roll in).
Just an FYI, we did go out for seafood last night, Captain Jack's Seafood Buffet. It was a good supper, but did not compare to what you would get at King's Buffet. Guess these Americans can learn a few things from us Canadians after all!!
We did another tour of the beach area today.  The places that were free beaches and open area when Karl was coming to Panama City Beach 25 years ago are now built up with highrises, hotels and condos. We did try further down the beach than we did yesterday, but you can still only catch quick peaks at the beach/water. There are occasional public access paths to the beach, but signs for no parking and "no dogs on the beach" are everywhere - it's downright discouraging! After asking in the park office, we did find a dog friendly area.  Out of about 15 miles of beach, they set aside about 600 feet as pet friendly?!?  Oh well, after all that, I had a great swim in the gulf. Max just checked it out to his belly and backed out.  Karl didn't even go that far! But, it was beautiful, and at least as warm as Mallory Beach in late July.
So we just had a fabulous pizza supper - they have an oven in the hall, so we did home made! The night is warm and sky is brilliant with stars. The park is full of palm trees and looks really pretty tonight.
And now we are planning the trip home......  sigh

Panama City Beach, Florida

Today is a cloudy day and a little dampish, and the temp never made it past 15C; so, while we know it was 19 in Ontario today, don't gloat for too long cuz tomorrow we are getting 24 and sunny for a number of days.
Went driving this morning past a few of my (Karl) old haunts from long ago. About 25 years ago a friend and I bought a house (cottage) down here so I am somewhat familiar with parts of the city. But today was a disappointment cuz the old neighbourhood has become quite run-down and neglected. And a lot of the old stores, favored restaurants, etc., are gone to make room for road widenings. And the big open beach has largely fallen prey to endless beachside condos, stores, and amusement parks, almost like a king-size Grand Bend, several miles long.
However, on the bright side, the beach is still as beautiful as ever and we'll be in the water once the temp goes up tomorrow.
Church today was a place called the Lighthouse, right next to the trailer park. Wow! True southern-style high-spirited, rousing music and atmosphere and a young minister with a huge sense of humour. It was great and certainly the most enjoyable service I've ever seen.
Tonight we are going out for Easter dinner, and have, of course, chosen an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet! I expect to be there for quite a while! Woo-hoo!! Even better cuz Joanne is buying ...
That's all for the moment, will write more later if i can still write after I waddle home from dinner.