Where The Road Wanders

Top Tips for Purging Your Belongings for Full-Time RV Living

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 20:51:53 GMT

Simplify Your Life and Make the Transition to RV Living a Breeze

Are you looking to start a full-time RV lifestyle but feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of purging all your belongings? Don't worry, you're not alone. It can be tough to decide what to keep and what to get rid of, especially when you consider how much stuff we tend to accumulate over the years. But with some careful planning and a f ew practical tips, you can purge your possessions and make the transition to RV living a breeze.

As you go through your belongings, try to be honest with yourself about what you truly need and what is just clutter. If an item doesn't serve a specific purpose or bring you joy, it's probably time to get rid of it. Create boxes for donating, selling, or giving away and place them in a convenient location. Whenever you come across an item that you're ready to part with, put it in the appropriate box.

One helpful tip for purging clothes is to hang all of your hangers backwards. Put them back in your closet with the hangers facing the correct way after you wear them. After a few months, you'll be able to see which items you actually wear and which you can easily purge. The same goes for your kitchen – move utensils and tools from your commonly used drawer into a rarely used drawer and see which items remain after a month or so. These are the ones you can probably live without.

Preserve Photos

If you have a stack of photos sitting in boxes, consider scanning them and storing them on the cloud or on drives. You could also create photo books with online companies.

Sell items online

To get the most money for your larger items, try selling them on Facebook Marketplace or apps like Let It Go.

Don't feel guilty about purging gifts

Remember that the people who love you give you gifts to make you happy, not to burden you with unnecessary items. Don't let guilt force you to keep things you'll have to pay to store.

Use the curb

In many areas, you can put items on your curb with a "Free Take Me" sign and they'll be gone by the time you come home from work. This is a great way to get rid of your stuff and allow others to put it to good use. Consider setting up a free box at garage sales as well.

By following these tips and taking the time to carefully consider each of your possessions, you'll be well on your way to a successful purge and a smooth transition to full-time RV living. Good luck!

30 Quick and Easy RV Meals

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 20:49:51 GMT

30 Easy RV Meals for Your Next Road Trip!

How many times have you gone on an RV or camping trip and spent most of your time preparing and cleaning up after meals?

I’ve been there too and while I have no problem thinking about food, I don’t want to spend my entire vacation preparing meals.

I do a lot of cooking in our RV and learned a trick or two when it comes to preparing meals in a tiny kitchen. A few things I keep in mind when meal planning while RVing in remote areas are, keep it simple, the Instant Pot is my best friend, foil packet meals are also a huge help and not to plan any meals with exotic ingredients.

Why? Because sometimes you find yourself in the mountains, shopping at an itty bitty grocery store and there’s a good chance they won’t have chia seeds or if they do, they will be super expensive.

With that being said here are 30 easy RV meals that I hope will help you with your meal planning. And some of these might even work well as camping meals too.

1. Lemon Pepper Salmon With Zucchini

“I loved how tender, light and fresh it was. It became an instant favorite. Now, I make it all the time in our RV because it’s easy and healthy.” – Campanda

2. Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

“Just 3 ingredients and an Instant Pot and you’re ready to go! We love it like I said, served in flour tortillas but we’ve served it over rice before too and it’s just as good.” – The Typical Mom

3. Foil-Pack Chicken Fajita Dinner

“Combine chicken breasts, peppers, salsa and more for an easy chicken fajita dinner. This Foil-Pack Chicken Fajita Dinner is easy on the cleanup crew.” – My Food and Family

4. Stuffed Pepper Casserole

“This cheesy stuffed pepper casserole is a family favorite for sure! Like deconstructed stuffed bell peppers it’s an easy casserole topped with lots of cheese you can throw together and even my kids love it!” – The Typical Mom

5. In-A-Pinch Pizza

“This is the recipe I almost didn’t discover. It was invented by necessity when we barely had any food left in the RV and were far from the nearest grocery store.” – Campanda

6. Instant Pot Hawaiian Pulled Pork

“I’m always trying to create easy recipes that are great during the summertime. Especially during outdoor parties, picnics, and family dinners when school starts. That’s where this Instant Pot Hawaiian pulled pork comes into play.” – The Typical Mom

7. Egg and Potato Breakfast Scramble

“You’ll love this breakfast scramble! It’s an easy, versatile, one-skillet breakfast filled with scrambled eggs, home fries, herbs and cheese.” – COOKIE + kate

8. Cinnamon Roll Skillet Cake (Breakfast)

“And today, I’m bringing you a skillet cinnamon roll cake that is seriously easy, takes very little prep, and is AMAZINGLY delicious.” – Chelsea’s Messy Apron

9. Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin

“We have enjoyed this easy meal a couple of times in the last month because it is SO easy to make and everyone in the family enjoys the taste!” – Mama Cheaps

10. Honey Mustard and Rosemary Chicken

“Boring chicken breasts get smothered in a more grown-up version of much-loved honey-mustard sauce in this super healthy and easy one-pot chicken dinner.” – Matters of the Belly

11. One-Pot Southwestern Pasta

“One Pot Southwest Pasta – Dinner in under 30 minutes in one pot! Pasta, black beans, corn, and bell peppers with Rotel and taco seasoning.” – The Wholesome Dish

12. Bacon-Wrapped Trout

“The bacon wrap is a genius way to secure fresh herbs in the fish, where the season the filets from the inside out.” – Bon Appetit

13. Instant Pot Beef Stew

“Instant Pot Beef Stew is such a comforting dish on a cold day. This easy pressure cooker recipe is full of tender meat with carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes & celery.” – Life Made Sweeter

14. Perfect French Toast

“Paired with a bowl of fresh fruit, a few slices of bacon, and drizzle of maple syrup, and this will be a meal that will fill their spirits as much as their bodies.” – Add a Pinch

15. Instant Pot Carnitas

“After the holidays, we’re all looking for something a little quick and easy. These pressure cooker carnitas fit the bill perfectly.” – Buns in My Oven

16. Spanish Rice with Ground Beef

“This Spanish Rice recipe is made with ground beef for a main dish meal! Ready in less than 30 minutes!” – Add a Pinch

17. Easy Barbecue Steak Bites

“Become the master of the grill this summer with this easy, flavor-packed Barbecue Steak Bites Recipe!” – DIY Thrill

18. Slow Cooker Chicken Marinade

“Looking to add a delicious Italian flair to your dinner this week?? This easy Crockpot Chicken Marinara recipe is such a fun and easy way to jazz up your weeknight menu!” – Never Ending Journeys

19. Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks

“Looking for an easy Teriyaki dinner?? These Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks are the perfect fit for tonight’s dinner!” – Never Ending Journeys

20. Crock Pot Sweet Potatoes

“This recipe couldn’t be simpler, and the Sweet Potatoes make such a delicious dinner side!” – The Frugal Girls

21. Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast

“Since many of you have been asking for an Instant Pot version of Mama Robin’s Mississippi Roast, here we are. This is for you!” – Amy + Jacky

22. Instant Pot Shrimp Boil

“Everyone’s favorite low country boil can be made so easily and effortlessly right in your pressure cooker in just 6 minutes!” – Damn Delicious

23. Salsa Chicken

“This chicken filling is so easy to throw together. It uses a few simple ingredients and minimal prep.” – Cooking Classy

24. Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

“Instant Pot Mac and Cheese – made with just 5 real food ingredients.” – Pinch of Yum

25. Hamburger Stroganoff

“Our Favorite Meal Now in the Instant Pot! Only One Dish to Clean and You Have an Easy Dinner Recipe!” – Julie’s Eats & Treats

26. Basic Omelettes

“Plain or with veggies, omelettes are really easy to knock together and super-satisfying. ” – Jamie Oliver

27. Spicy Honey Instant Pot Chicken

“This spicy honey Instant Pot chicken takes just 4 minutes to cook and comes out moist and full of flavor!” – The Typical Mom

28. Avocado and Bacon Chicken Salad

“This Avocado and Bacon Chicken Salad recipe is the best chicken salad recipe ever! It’s great on rolls, stuffed into an avocado or served over lettuce.” – Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

29. Spaghetti Bolognaise

“I use this a lot in preparation for our travel day, so when we arrive at our destination or if we have a 2-day trip, everyone can be fed quickly even if something goes wrong and time is short.” – The Roving Foleys

30. Instant Pot Coca Cola BBQ Ribs

“They will be fully cooked and ready to eat – BUT – here’s one last step that will take the taste from really good to amazing: place your ribs on a baking sheet if going into the oven or directly on your grill.” – Mama Cheaps

We hope these easy RV meals helps you with your meal planning so you can have an unforgettable and tasty RV trip. Having meals planned that are easy to prepare and require little clean-up can help you enjoy your RV trip that much more!

Northern Alabama Attractions

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 21:43:43 GMT

We spent a little time in northern Alabama this past spring. We were totally shocked at some of the cool things we got to see while we were there. I can't wait to go back and visit again.

Dismals Canyon

Located in northwest Alabama, in Phil Campbell, Dismals Canyon was originally occupied nearly 10,000 years ago by Paleoamericans. From artifacts found scattered among bluff shelters, grottos, and other sanctuaries, we've learned that many cultures of Stone-Age humans were at Dismals Canyon.

The canyon floor contains a rich diversity of native plant life, including a stand of old-growth virgin timber composed chiefly of Hemlock, Tulip Poplar, Sweetgum, Bigleaf Magnolia, and Beech.

You can take the 1.5 mile hike that leads you through the canyon floor and follows the stream through sky-reaching boulders, past thundering waterfalls, into a secret world of mossy-green and pearl gray filled with ferns and giant trees. Its waterfalls, natural bridges, cliffs and boulders give this place a magnificent splendor.

You can explore the strange and beautiful labyrinth of caverns, grottos and small slot canyons formed by massive house-size boulders broken off the towering bluffs and strewn about by geological events going back to the Paleozoic era - 300 million years ago. - from the website

When I say this was a cool hike and one of my favorites to date, I'm not exaggerating. I would go back to Alabama just to visit this place again.

Something that we didn't get to experience at Dismals Canyon, but would love to, was seeing the dismalites. They are the larvae stage of a unique, native, and endemic species of insect (North American Orfelia fultoni) that emits a bright blue-green light to attract food, in the form of other flying insects.

Past twilight the canyon lights up with these tiny bioluminescent creatures. These "glowworms" require a select habitat to survive and are unique to only a few places on Earth.

They offer nighttime guided tours to see the dismalites. Don't miss doing this if you visit the canyon.

Ave Maria Grotto

The Ave Maria Grotto is located on the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey, in Cullman, the only Benedictine monastery of men in the State of Alabama. The Abbey was founded in 1891. The Grotto consists of a landscaped hillside of 125 small stone and cement structures, the handiwork of the creative genius, Brother Joseph Zoetl, O.S.B., a monk of the Abbey for almost 70 years.

A pleasant two-block pathway winds beside these miniature buildings, passing in front of a large cavern-like grotto (Italian word for cave) on the lower level of the hillside. Opened in 1934 on the site of a former stone quarry used by the Abbey, the Grotto was a continuation of the work of Brother Joseph, who built his first replicas in about 1912 and his last, the miniature of the beautiful Lourdes Basilica Church, in 1958. It was constructed when he was 80 years old.

His works of art are pretty amazing and totally worth seeing when in Cullman, Alabama.

Cathedral Caverns State Park

Originally called Bat Cave, Cathedral Caverns was opened to the public by Jacob Gurley in the 1950's. The cave was renamed because of its cathedral-like appearance. Purchased by the state in 1987, it was opened as a State Park in the summer of 2000. The first feature most people notice about Cathedral Caverns is its massive entrance. The huge opening measures 126 feet wide and 25 feet high, a possible world record for commercial caves. The grand entrance is only the beginning. Inside the cavern are some of the most beautiful formations Mother Nature has ever created including “Goliath”- one of the largest stalagmites in the world measuring 45 feet tall and 243 feet in circumference. Cathedral Caverns features many amazing sites: a "caveman" perched atop a flowstone wall, a "frozen" waterfall, a large stalagmite forest and a most improbable stone formation - a stalagmite that is 27 feet tall and 3 inches wide!

The walk is mostly paved and takes you almost one mile into the cave. It is almost impossible to keep up with the tour because you want to stop and stare at the jaw-dropping formations that are perfectly lit for maximum drama. Once you are all the way in, at the end of the tour, the guide turns off all of the lights in the cave. There is literally zero light. You can't see your hand in front of your face. It's definitely a weird feeling not seeing any light at all.

This place blew me away! I was not expecting it to be as spectacular as it was. This is another stop that I wouldn't miss if I were in northern Alabama.

Florida's Natural Springs

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 22:59:20 GMT

Silver Springs State Park

Located in north central Florida, just east of Ocala, Silver Springs State Park has been a natural landmark destination since the 1870s.

The 4,000-acre Silver Springs State Park surrounds not only the springs, but the entire 5-mile Silver River and surrounding forest. There are historic structures and serene gardens around the main spring that are reminders of the park’s past history as a major tourist attraction.

There is plenty to do in this park including paddling, hiking, wildlife, museums, dining and camping. One of the more popular attractions is the awesome glass bottom boat tour!

We decided to kayak the river and springs an d booked the two hour rental. It was a beautiful, laid-back afternoon. We paddled along a couple of small alligators and even got to see one of the infamous monkeys that live in the trees.

Where To Stay:

Lake Waldena Resort

Water hookup: yes
Electrical hookup: yes
Sewer hookup: yes
Wifi: yes
Pet-friendly: yes
Other amenities: showers, laundry, dog wash station, playground, beach and swimming area

Wilderness RV Resort

Water hookup: yes
Electrical hookup: yes
Sewer hookup: yes
Wifi: yes
Pet-friendly: n/a
Other amenities: showers, laundry, private fishing pond, pool & hot tub

Don't have an RV? Rent one!

Three Sisters Springs & Kings Bay

These gorgeous springs are part of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge within Kings Bay located in Crystal River, Florida.

Kings Bay is a first magnitude Florida Springs Complex with over 70 springs pumping out 600 million gallons of freshwater per day from the Florida aquifer. Major springs include King Spring, Tarpon Spring, Three Sisters Springs, Idiots Delight, Hunter Spring, Jurassic Spring & House Spring. The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge consists of 20 islands in and around Kings Bay. The 80-acre refuge (only accessible by boat) was established in 1983, to protect the West Indian Manatee. In 2012, Kings Bay was designated a Manatee Protection Area called the Kings Bay Manatee Refuge.

Unlike the other significant springs in Kings Bay, the setting of the Three Sisters Springs means that the crystal clear waters that emerge from the underground aquifers do not merge with the darker waters of the bay until they exit through the Spring Run in to the nearby canals. Which means that the visibility in the Three Sisters can be absolutely stunning.

You can visit the springs by taking a short trolley ride to the park and walking the boardwalk that horseshoes around it. You can catch the trolley behind City Hall in Crystal River. You also can walk in or bicycle into the park. You are not able to launch a kayak or swim from the boardwalk. You will need to book a swim tour in order to get in the water.

In-water recreation at Three Sisters Springs is accessible by launching a vessel from any of the public boat ramps or kayak launches on Kings Bay and navigating to the spring-run for Three Sisters. There are public kayak launches at

Hunter Springs Park and King's Bay Park. Visitors must arrive by paddle craft or motorized vessel to get to the spring run at Three Sisters Springs; however, motorized vessels are not permitted inside the Springs. Paddle-craft are permitted inside from April 1 to November 14.

Where To Stay:

Crystal Isles RV Resort

Water hookup: yes
Electrical hookup: yes
Sewer hookup: yes
Pet-friendly: yes
Other amenities: showers, laundry, fishing, boat launch, playground, swimming pool, volleyball, basketball,tennis court, mail center

Rock Crusher Canyon RV Resort

Water hookup: yes
Electrical hookup: yes
Sewer hookup: yes
Pet-friendly: yes
WiFi: Yes
Cable: Yes
Other amenities: showers, laundry, clubhouse, hot tub, swimming pool, playground, horseshoes, shuffleboard

Gilchrist Blue Springs & Ginnie Springs

The newest addition to Florida State Parks, Gilchrist Blue Springs is home to a beautiful display of natural springs. This natural wonder is the perfect spot for an outdoor adventure, from paddling and snorkeling to wildlife watching along the boardwalk in the quiet rural 250-acre area. Pack your sunscreen and enjoy a family-friendly day in this picturesque park, where outdoor enthusiasts of all ages can enjoy kayaking, canoeing, picnicking or jumping from a huge wooden platform into the cool, crystalline waters.

You can paddle down the Santa Fe River to many different springs along the way including Ginnie Springs. You can actually see the line in the brackish river water where it meets each crystal blue spring.

Madison Blue Spring State Park

Madison Blue spring is a first magnitude spring popular for swimming and cave diving. It was voted the number 1 swimming hole in the country by USA Today. It's about 82 feet wide, 25 feet deep and 150 foot spring-run merging with the Withlacoochee River.

Certified cave divers from across the globe have been drawn to the underwater mysteries here. Madison Blue is internationally known for its cave system that offers exceptional diving opportunities and spectacular underwater scenery. About 30 feet below the pool surface is a large opening to an aquatic cave that serves as the main entrance to a very extensive cave system. The maze of cave passages under the park is home to several unique species of cave-dwelling invertebrates such as the pallid cave crayfish.

Where To Stay:

Ruth B. Kirby Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park

Fishing
Paddling
Snorkeling
Swimming
Concessions

Have you visited any springs in Florida? We have a whole list of ones we want to go to on our next visit to the sunshine state. Let us know your recommendations!

Top 7 Things to Do in Jupiter, Florida

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 20:17:58 GMT

Incorporated in 1925, the city of Jupiter is in northern Palm Beach County, with just under 65,000 residents. Ranked as one of the country’s most pleasant and livable coastal towns by a well-known travel magazine, it’s full of beautiful beaches, cultural and natural attractions.

1. Jupiter Lighthouse Park

Managed by the Loxahatchee River Historical Society, Jupiter Lighthouse and Park has been open to the public since 1973 and sits on a 120-acre site that overlooks some of the coast’s most magnificent views.

Guided and unguided tours of the facility are available; for tech-savvy travelers, it’s possible to use your phone as an audio guide, so you’ll get the same great information but at your own pace.

If you are fit and not afraid of heights, it is possible to climb to the top of the lighthouse.

Kids can make the trek to the top of the lighthouse, but they must be at least four feet tall.

2. Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Open seven days a week and located in Hobe Sound just a few minutes from Jupiter, Jonathan Dickinson State Park is the largest park in southeast Florida and offers visitors a wide range of activity options.

For those who want to burn some calories and see the park at the same time, canoe, kayak, and bicycle rentals are available. We chose to Kayak the river. Guided tour options by boat, canoe, horseback, and buggy are available as well.

There’s a trendy new food and beverage area featuring wine, beer, and a full menu consisting mainly of items made with locally grown and produced ingredients.

3. Dubois Park

Dubois park facilities offer boating, swimming, fishing, picnicking and several other activities all in a scenic tropical setting. This is the best place to visit with your family any time of the week.

A visit to the park can not be complete without boating. This is one of the best experiences inside the park. Renting a canoe, kayak or a paddle boat is very easy. These boats will get you into deeper waters more than your naked eyes could do plus the experience is amazing. After a day of activities, then it is time for you and your family to rest. There are restroom facilities with showers and a lot more other outdoor activities to keep you out until late hours of the night. Entry fee to Dubois Park is absolutely free!

It is a gorgeous spot to spend the day!

4. Carlin Park

Donning nearly 3,000 feet of white sandy beach that gently slopes into the Caribbean-like ocean, Carlin Park is located on State Route A1A in Jupiter and is open daily from sunrise to sunset. It offers six tennis courts that are open until 9:00 PM.

The beach is one of its most popular attractions in the park and includes swimming areas staffed by lifeguards, nearby picnic tables, pavilions, and several kids playgrounds.

After a long day of exerting activities like swimming, volleyball, and tennis, visitors appreciate the outdoor showers and relaxing café; it’s the perfect place to unwind with a cold beverage.

5. Busch Wildlife Sanctuary

The Sanctuary is a non-profit organization that serves Palm Beach County. They rely on the public to bring injured wildlife to their wildlife hospital. Over the years, they have rescued deer, foxes, screech owls, hawks, bald eagles, squirrels, birds, and many others. The goal after rehabbing these animals is to release them back into the wild.

The sanctuary is free to visit, but they do accept and appreciate donations from visitors. It is open to the public Monday - Saturday 10am - 4:30. It does wander through a nature trail, so comfortable walking shoes are recommended and you should plan on it taking about 45 minutes to an hour to explore.

6. Blowing Rocks Preserve

One of the most beautiful and fascinating stretches of barrier island in Martin County, and for that matter in all of Florida, is Blowing Rocks Preserve, on Jupiter Island, just south of Hobe Sound and north of Jupiter.

In 1969, residents of Jupiter Island donated 73 acres of intact beach, dune and reef habitat, so that future generations would be able to appreciate a disappearing type of ecosystem.

The Atlantic has reclaimed and covers some of the rocks, and those submerged reefs, called “nearshore hardbottom,” are federally designated as Essential Fish Habitat and as a Habitat Area of Particular Concern. The shallow, intertidal and submerged reefs teem with marine life, offering amazing snorkeling, especially on calm days in the spring and summer.

These reefs support at least 257 species of fishes, three species of sea turtle, and 533 invertebrates, including corals, and one of the most clever and fascinating of worms. Upon the Anastasia substrate, Phragmatapoma lapidosa collects suspended grains of sand that the worms use to build honeycomb-like mounds in the surf. These colonies provide cover and food for many species of brilliant reef fish, several crabs, and even wading birds. It’s really important nursery habitat.

Some of these fish that grow up there are so tiny in the spring and summer the water seems filled with sparks.

You may also bump into sea turtles, harmless nurse sharks and tarpon with their silver-dollar scales shimmering in the sunlight. The best snorkeling is accessed from the south end.

Scuba divers swim out from the beach to deeper reefs that host brilliant corals, goliath groupers and big stingrays, among myriad other marine life.

7. Tunnel of Banyan Trees

Take this short, magical drive down Bridge Road in Hobe Sound. These trees are knarly and beautiful and they create a picture perfect tunnel arched over the road.

12 Amazing Things To See & Do In Savannah, GA

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 00:54:25 GMT

Savannah is one of my favorite cities, so far. I spent one afternoon there a few years ago, just on a whim, driving home from Florida. Ever since then, I have dreamed of the day I could go back and spend a little more time exploring.

We were booked in Savannah for 7 days over Christmas. The weather was a little chilly and rainy, but we got 3 really nice days to get out and about and see as much as we could. On a side note, we stayed at a really nice RV park called Creekfire Motor Coach Resort. I wish I would have remembered to take picture of our spot and all the amenities, but of course, I thought about that as we were driving down the road leaving. It was a little more spacious than a normal RV parks, and there were a ton of amenities from tennis courts to large lawn chess set to a heated, winding pool and hot tub. The "office" was more like a lodge and was very inviting and cozy. We would definitely stay there again. We were also able to use our Passport America discount to make this stop pretty affordable.

Forsyth Park

On our first day out, we headed to Forsyth Park. We strolled through the 30 acre park located in the historic district of Savannah. It has a nice sized cafe with a large outdoor dining area, a few tennis courts, spacious open grassy area and a large play area for kids. I was excited to see the large fountain, added to the north end of the park in 1858. It was a little crowded with people taking pictures, but I was able to snap a couple pictures of my own without a bunch of people in them.

There are also a couple of monuments in the park as well, The Confederate Monument and the Spanish-American War Memorial. The history in this area is just amazing.

After our stroll through the park, started our hop on hop off trolley tour of the historic district. This was a great was to see the area without having to worry about finding parking at each stop. I would suggest to start the tour as soon a they open so you will have plenty of time to explore each stop.

This post contains affiliate links to products and services we use and love.

Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist

Our first hop off was at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist. To say this church is a gorgeous work of art would be a huge understatement. It is beautiful from the outside, but when you walk in, it is absolutely jaw dropping. You really are in awe at the site of it.

From what I can see, this location was pretty much finished in April of 1876. The spires and a coating of stucco were added in 1896 to complete it. A fire swept through the building in 1898 and only left the walls and towers. It was quickly rebuilt and ready for Christmas Mass in 1899, but it took another 13 years to complete the interior decor.

While we were there, we heard one of the volunteers say that the stained glass windows are insured for over 4 million dollars!

Colonial Park Cemetary

I have a thing about visiting old graveyards. I'm not sure what exactly fascinates me about them, but I always search them out when we go to a new area. This graveyard is more like a park and it was very serene and beautiful.

Colonial Park Cemetery served as Savannah’s cemetery for more than a century and contains over nine thousand graves. Established in 1750, by 1789 it had been expanded three times to reach its current size. Colonial Park Cemetery is approximately 6 acres in size and is located in the heart of Savannah’s Historic District. It became a city park in 1896, 43 years after burials in the cemetery ceased.

Jones Street

You must take a stroll down Jones street during your visit to Savannah. It was voted the most beautiful street in America! The houses and tree lined street are magical.

River Street & Factors Walk

When I can to Savannah a few years ago, River Street is where we spent the afternoon, so I was familiar with this area. It is right on the river with cobblestone streets, gift shops, sweet shop, restaurants and more. You can sit on a bench and watch all of the boats and barges float down the river for hours or you can take a paid tour on a boat or a free ferry ride.

We couldn't resist stopping in to Savannah's Candy Kitchen for a couple of treats. They had the biggest caramel apples I've ever seen! And they were delicious. We also browsed through some of the market shops while we were there.

During my research into Savannah, I ran across an interesting story about the Clusky Vaults. I couldn't find an exact location for them, I only knew they were in the Factors Walk area. But first, what is Factors Walk? .....

Located at bluff’s level behind River Street, Factors Row and Factors Walk is lined with unique shops, cozy cafes and historic hotels. Just wander up the cobblestone walk from River Street, climb the steep steps and you’ll find yourself on the bluff. Look north towards the river and you’ll see the backside of the waterfront warehouses, once an activity hub for the cotton industry, and now home many not-so-secret businesses.

In these buildings in the 19th century, men used to bale, factor and sell cotton. In the top level of the four- or five-story cotton warehouses, brokers worked with exporters and managed sales. Factors determined the amount of cotton that would be sold to the merchants.

We strolled along the walkways and admired the old buildings, the iron work in the railings and even climbed down a couple of the very steep stairways to the level below to explore. But the whole time, I am searching for the vaults that have intrigued me since I first read about them. I had almost given up finding them. We were getting ready to turn around when I caught a glimpse of them!

First, just seeing them is beautiful. The archway openings with the spots of greenery growing out of the old bricks, the cobblestone street, the beautiful iron walkways at each end, it made for a stunning view. Then, knowing a bit of the history behind them, just added to the draw they had on me.

Here is a bit of their story:

They are referred to as the vaults or even the tombs to the locals because they are almost underground. There have been many stories over the years about what the structures were used for, including holding pens for slaves.

But after a group of high school students from the Savannah area completed a three year research project, the true history of the vaults is becoming known.

The historic structures were completed in 1842 and were built into the Factor walk retaining wall by Charles Clusky. Still not sure what the structures were used for, the researchers decided on an archeological dig. They discovered indications of coal storage in the larger archway. In the smaller of the four, they found huge deposit of cast iron pots and wine bottles that looked like they were purposely buried there. And above that layer was a hearth that dates toward the Civil War era where we found Union buttons and marble so it looks like probably used by Union Soldiers taking refuge during the occupation of Savannah.

Thankfully, this dispels the myth about the vaults being used during slavery.

Now, let me tell you exactly where to find the vaults, since I could seem to locate that info. Look for the restaurant called Vic's on the River. If you are standing in front of the restaurant, look down!

Here are couple more pictures we took during our trolley ride. There was so much to see, including a few of the squares that Savannah is built around and a lot of historical houses and buildings.

Leopold's Ice Cream

This place is legendary! It was founded in 1919 and still operated by the family. They're super-premium ice cream is hand crafted in historic downtown Savannah using the original, secret recipes and techniques handed down through the family.

Leopold's is a must when you are in Savannah. Don't let the long lines scare you away. It only took us 20-30 minutes to get through it and it was worth the wait!

Wormsloe Plantation

This gorgeous plantation was truly amazing to see. The entrance is grand with the large stone archway that frames the tunnel view of live oak trees that line the driveway. I am smitten with live oak trees to begin with, so seeing the 1.5 mile driveway lined with them, was just spectacular. You almost can't stop taking pictures.

The Wormsloe estate stretches its roots all the way back to 1733, when Noble Jones, an English colonist, arrived at the Georgia colony. It was in 1736 when Mr. Jones named the estate Wormsloe. Back then it was spelled “Wormslow.” About a year later, Jones began building his tabby house, which is now famously known as the oldest standing structure in Savannah. The house was fortified and it enabled Jones to patrol the major waterway that flowed by and offered protection from possible attacks by the Spanish side.

Noble Jones passed away in 1775 and the property was left to his daughter. It remained in the hands of Jones’ descendants up until 1972 when they donated most of their property to Nature Conservancy. However, they kept about 80 acres of the original plantation. Jones’ descendants still own that part of the estate. Eventually, the State of Georgia purchased the rest of the property. There is still a private home on the property that is not accessible to the public.

We were able to take the short walk back to the tabby ruins. You can actually see the shells in the walls that still stand that were constructed out of sand, oyster shells, lime and fresh water. A short walk back further on the property you can see gravesites and an overlook of the Skidaway Narrows. That is a beautiful spot to sit for a while and take in the views.

Fort Pulaski National Monument

I wasn't sure what to expect here, but we thought we would stop on our way to Tybee Island. Let me tell you, do not miss seeing this fascinating piece of history. And actually, the beauty of this place rivals the history lesson.

Here are a few interesting facts:

In October 1864, a group of Confederate officers were imprisoned at Fort Pulaski. They became known as the Immortal Six Hundred.
The American Civil War was the first major conflict to see the use of rifled artillery.
After the battle Fort Pulaski became a beacon of freedom for many escaping enslaved people
During the Civil War, soldiers at Fort Pulaski often played baseball to escape boredom.

Tybee Island

This is really a place to experience when the weather is warm and you can spend a lot of time on the beach, but we still enjoyed a couple of hours here.

We did spend a little peaceful time on North Beach and saw a few kite fliers and watched the waves roll in.

After that, we went right across the street to the Tybee Island Lighthouse, the oldest and tallest lighthouse in Georgia. The bottom 60 feet of the Tybee Island Lighthouse date back to 1773. The Lighthouse added and additional 94 feet in 1867. The walls of the tower are over 12 feet thick at the base. They taper to approximately 18 inches at the top.

At the top of the tower is the original Fresnel lens. This lens magnifies the 30,000 candle-power light. It is nearly eight feet tall and can is visible 18 miles out to sea. This lens is the Tybee Light. To the community of this tiny coastal town, it is a shining reflection of their lives. It is part of their past, present and future.

When James Oglethorpe established the first colony on Tybee, he realized that the survival of the colony was dependent on the safe passage of ships that carried settlers and supplies through the treacherous shoals along the Savannah River. As a result, the first Tybee light, a small beacon, was built on the island in 1736.

I loved our time in Savannah. We definitely need to go back for a longer stay. This city has made my short list of favorite places!

6 Free Things To Do In Charleston, South Carolina

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 16:35:55 GMT

Travel and vacations can get expensive. When you are in a new area, you want to see and do everything so you can experience every little thing the town has to offer. As we all know, that can add up quickly.

I always start out by searching for the things we can do and experience in each area that are free. If we can fill up time with cool stuff to do and see that doesn't cost us anything, then we can really pick and choose what we want to spend our money on. Also, if you get to know the area a little better by experiencing the free stuff, you might run across things to do that you weren't even aware of.

We had very limited time in Charleston, unfortunately, so we had one day to pack in as much as we could see. Here is our free tour of the charming city.....

Rainbow Row

These colorful houses line East Bay Street and are a very popular destination in Charleston. The name Rainbow Row was given to this line of 13 historic houses, dating to the 1800s, because of their colorful exteriors. It represents the longest cluster of Georgian row houses in the US.

These iconic houses weren't always quaint and charming. In the years after the Civil War, much of Rainbow Row became so run down that the area was considered a slum. It remained in poor condition until the early 1900s when they were purchased and renovated and painted in their rainbow of colors.

It's definitely worth driving down this street to see these gorgeous pieces of history. The whole area is very charming with tree lined cobblestone streets and parks overlooking the harbor.

The Battery & White Point Gardens

The Battery is a landmark defense sea wall and promenade. It is named for a civil war coastal defense artillery battery at the site. You can stroll along the sea wall on a raised, paved walkway and see the Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge in the distance.

The White Point Garden are full of oaks, palms and civil war cannons and monuments. It’s a beautiful park right on the Charleston Harbor. I can imagine spending an entire afternoon here in this park watching the boats come through the harbor, or reading a book on one of the shaded benches in the park.

Riley Waterfront Park

This park is absolutely stunning! The tree-lined walkways, old fashioned benches, family-sized swings and large grassy area make this a beautiful spot to spend an afternoon.

The park is very close to The Market and offers great views of the harbor. But the main attraction for me, is the huge pineapple fountain. It is spectacular! You can wade in it to cool off on a hot summer day or just sit back on the benches and listen to the beautiful sounds of the trickling water. I hear it is exquisite at night all lit up. I will definitely make it a point to see it at night the next time we visit Charleston.

The City Market

You can actually spend money here, if you choose, but you can spend a couple of hours here just strolling and window shopping. Seeing all of the locally made products and how talented and creative the vendors are, is a great experience.

We were told that we MUST stop by The Market while we were in Charleston. It did not disappoint! The Market is one of the nation's oldest public markets. The sprawling four-block retail venue, which dates to 1804 and houses more 300 local merchants, is loaded with handcrafted and reproduction products with local history and character.

The Market is well-known for its sweetgrass baskets, with more than 50 resident Gullah artisans, it is the very epicenter of sweetgrass basketry, one of the nation's oldest and most beautiful handicrafts of African origin.

you could spend the whole day in this area shopping, taking tours and checking out the local eateries.

**Pictures are from The City Market website and SC Picture Project

St. Phillip's Church

St. Phillip's Church was founded in 1680 and is the oldest congregation in the United States south of Virginia. Buried in its churchyard are leading patriots who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. It is often referred to as the “Westminster Abbey of South Carolina.

The church suffered a major fire in 1835 and was rebuilt. Services resumed in the new church in 1838 and the congregation continues to worship in that building today.

This building is simply beautiful with its carved wood door and scrolling iron gates and fencing. It truly is magnificent.

Angel Oak

This is a little outside of Charleston, but it is well worth the short drive!

There are almost no words for this majestic, living beauty! You almost feel like she could wrap her “arms” around you or whisper in your ear. The words enchanting and magical just barely start to explain how you feel standing under her canopy.

She is a southern live oak tree and is estimated to be 400-500 years old. She stands 66.5 feet tall and produces 17,200 square feet of shade. Her longest branch is 187 feet in length and some of them have to be propped up on thick timbers for support.

This magnificent tree is located on John’s Island, just outside of Charleston, SC. If you EVER get the chance to stop and see her, do it! I get chills just thinking about being back there. It is a MUST see.

9 Things To Do In South Carolina

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 01:33:32 GMT

We spent about two weeks on the eastern side of South Carolina and most of our adventures revolved around the beach, or close to it. Shocking, I know!

Myrtle Beach

One of our first outings was to Myrtle Beach. We had never been, and we were definitely excited to see this beautiful seaside tourist town. Driving into the town, I was surprised to see the "amusement park" attractions. I was not expecting that, but it would surely be a great place to entertain kids.

We made a B-line right to the beach to see the gorgeous ocean views and to listen to the waves. It was a very sunny and windy day, but it was a spectacular beach. The ocean and waves were wonderful to watch, but the views down each way of the beach were amazing as well. I can see how you could spend a couple of weeks right here in this area.

Jeffries Creek Park Loop

We found this little trail loop on the AllTrails app. It's located in Florence, SC, right in a really upscale neighborhood. Some of the houses surrounding it were very impressive.

The loop is just under a mile, and it is a very easy hike. I would call it more of a stroll through the woods. There are some swampy areas and a small stream with a few cool bridges to cross. I really enjoyed this trail.

Dolphin Cruise

Mom and I both love to see dolphins, so naturally, we jumped at the chance to take a dolphin cruise. We went on one of the Voyager cruises out of North Myrtle Beach. Click here for their website. The boat had two levels that were both covered. I knew it would get a little chilly out on the water (it was November), but we still wanted the top deck for the best views!

We traveled down the Intracoastal waterway, than to the Little River, on our way out to the open water. Along the way, we got to see a few cool attractions. There were some very large and impressive "beach houses" along the Intracoastal that were absolutely beautiful. We also got to see a very delightful lighthouse. We learned that it wasn't real, but the lighthouse and the setting was very charming. Next came the two large casino boats, an remarkable swing bridge, a floating tiki bar and a shipwreck from a recent hurricane.

Once we got out on the open water, we started really looking for dolphins! It was a beautiful sunny day to be out on the water. I mean, who wouldn't love this view?

We didn't end up seeing any dolphins on this trip, which was a bummer, but it was well worth the time and money regardless. Being out on the water was amazing! And you can't beat seeing this sunset out on the water to end the trip.

Charleston - Rainbow Row

It's definitely worth driving down this street to see these gorgeous pieces of history. The whole area is very charming with tree lined cobblestone streets and parks overlooking the harbor.

Charleston - The Battery & White Point Gardens

Charleston - Riley Waterfront Park

This park is absolutely stunning! The tree-lined walkways, old fashioned benches, family-sized swings and large grassy area make this a beautiful spot to spend an afternoon.

Charleston - The Market

you could spend the whole day in this area shopping, taking tours and checking out the local eateries.

**Pictures are from The City Market website and SC Picture Project

Charleston - St. Phillip's Church

The church suffered a major fire in 1835 and was rebuilt. Services resumed in the new church in 1838 and the congregation continues to worship in that building today.

This building is simply beautiful with its carved wood door and scrolling iron gates and fencing. It truly is magnificent.

Angel Oak - John's Island

Campground Review:Crossroads Coach Resort at the ROB

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 20:05:08 GMT

CAMPGROUND: Crossroads Coach Resort at the ROB

WEBSITE: https://www.lakecityrv.com/

LOCATION: 243 S. Church Street, Lake City, SC 29560

DATE OF OUR VISIT: November, 2020

PROS:

    Full hook ups
    Accepts Passport America
    Brand new park
    Clean laundry facility with nice machines

Wifi was good

CONS:

The train!

Not much to do locally

No campfires allowed

ONSITE AMENITIES:
Laundry
Showers and bathrooms
Picnic tables

NIGHTLY COST: With PA, our average was $24 a night

OVERVIEW:

This is a new park, so they are running rate specials right to now to help build business. They gave us the Passport American discount (50% off) for the full 14 day stay.

It is a nice park with a gated entrance. That is a nice feature, but the gate is too close to the road and you have to leave your RV out on the road and walk to the key pad to open the gate. There are a couple of building when you come in that aren't clearly marked, so we were unsure of where to go. We had to end up calling from the parking lot.

The spots are nice with very level concrete pads. The hookups are, obviously, brand new and very nice. We noticed how good the electric connection was when we ran our Ninja Foodi and toaster. We had burnt toast for the first couple of mornings until we realized what was happening and turned down the toaster. Each spot is very nicely landscaped with very bright lighting at night. That could be a positive or a negative depending on what you prefer.

OVERVIEW:

This is a new park, so they are running rate specials right to now to help build business. They gave us the Passport American discount (50% off) for the full 14 day stay.

Unfortunately, there isn't very much to do without driving an hour or even two. They list some items to do locally on their website, but we didn't see much around of interest. Also, if you drive a little too far past the small downtown, you will find yourself in a not so good area.

The facilities are very clean and again, brand new. The laundry is free, if you can believe that! So that was a big bonus for us.

With it being November and getting dark so early, it was a big bummer not being able to have a campfire. We were kind of stuck inside at night because there was really nothing to do.

We did get a full signal with T-Moble and the CG WiFi was pretty good, so we were able to stream movies and show without a problem. We also got a few local channels with our antenna.

The pros and cons kind of balance each other out a bit so far, BUT one of the big negatives of this place was the train that ran right next to the park, and I mean right next to it. Not too big of a deal if it only came by a few times a day. This one came by at least a dozen times a day AND night. It was almost non-stop.

Overall, this is a nice park, but we probably would not stay her again. For the price (when it goes back to normal), it isn't worth being so far away from any attractions plus the train and not much of anything to do within the park or close to by, it just wasn't a good fit for us.

We did love the places we saw while we were staying here, but again, we had to drive at least an hour to get to each place.

Top 5 RV Trip Planning Tools & Memberships

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 01:38:09 GMT

These are our RV road trip essential tools

As we quickly learned, good trip planning can make moving day relaxing and enjoyable or totally stressful. Driving a large RV is already a little more mentally stressful than a car, so you sure don't want to add to it by having issues with your route.

These tools help us with our budget, route planning, fuel stops and overnight stays.

RV TRIP WIZARD

I use this to plan our multiple stops through each season. So, I have one trip labeled Fall and another labeled Winter, etc. It maps out each stop along the way and gives you miles and drive time between each as well as cost. I did not use that feature in the screenshot of our Fall trip (below), but I did start using it during our current trip. I'm still learning more about that and I'll update this post at a later date with those details.

The miles and drive time between each stop is pretty important information for me. I usually like to keep our daily drive time below four hours. So, if our next road trip destination is, for example, 6.5 hours away, I know I will need to plan for an over night stay at around the 3 hour mark. (I'll explain how I do that later in this post.)

As you can see, it maps out each location and you can drill down into each stop for a ton more info. It is very easy to use and keeps everything organized. You can filter your searches by campground type, rating, pricing, etc. Another great tab in the research pullout is Points of Interest (POI). You can search rest stops along your route or preferred truck stops!

Thousand Trails

The next step in my route planning process is to look for Thousand Trails properties. We recently purchased a Zone Pass and The Trails Collection. Let me quickly explain why...We were relying solely on using Passport America for most of our stays (I'll get to PA later in this post), but it started to get a little difficult to find CG that accept it in the areas we were going to be in. I had been researching Thousand Trails for a while, but just didn't pull the trigger until we really needed to.

There are a TON of mixed reviews for TT membership and properties, but I have found that there are a wide variety of people who are on both ends of the spectrum as far as what they expect and what they look for in a campground / RV resort. We have stayed at a few campgrounds that didn't have the best reviews, but we love them, and vice versa. I, myself, don't need a long list of amenities or a cement pad to love a campground. I actually prefer the more wooded spots with privacy (and full hook ups). With that said, there are a lot of TT properties that are RV resort style with the nice pools and all the bells and whistles. My decision to purchase the Pass & TC, basically, came down to average daily/weekly cost. Being full time RVers, we have a strict budget that we must stick to, and Thousand Trails will go a long way at helping us do that.

I usually will look for a TT property using the locator within there website, than once I find one I'm satisfied with, I will enter that campground info into RV Trip Wizard. I also look at the reviews there as well.

We are staying at our first Thousand Trails property in two days! I will update this post with that information. By the way, we started out with the Zone Pass and The Trails Collection to try it out before upgrading to a larger package.

If you are interested in checking out Thousand Trails, here is a direct link . If you decide to sign up for one of their packages, please use my name, Tammy Fiddie, when asked who referred you. Again, I get a small referral fee, but it doesn't cost you anything more, and I would TOTALLY appreciate the support. :)

Passport America

Harvest Hosts

These are pictures from some of our stays. We have stayed at an orchard in Michigan, a classic car museum in Ohio and a horse farm in Kentucky. What amazing spots to stay the night at.

There app is pretty straight forward and easy to use. When you click on a host you are interested in staying at, it gives you all of the details about the hosts location, what size and how many rigs they can handle and contact info. You can also read and leave reviews right in the app.

This membership quickly pays for itself and its much better than staying at a rest stop or Walmart for the night!

If you are interested in checking them out for yourself, here is my direct link. If you use my link, I will receive a small referral fee and you will get a 15% discount on your membership!

Garmin RV 780

The Garmin RV 780 is one of our most important tools when we are on the road. When you are driving a large vehicle, it's not the best idea to use GPS apps that are meant for average sized vehicles like cars, SUVs and pick up trucks. There are roads, bridges, tunnels, etc., that are not safe to travel when you are driving an RV. Regular GPS apps, like the ones on your phone, do not recognize that you are a larger and heavier vehicle and might put you on a route that can be very dangerous for you. I am telling you this out of personal experience. I put off buying the Garmin RV and we ended up driving a stretch of road that was not safe for us and we were lucky to get out in one piece. Needless to say, we bought the Garmin RV 780 the next day!

Tip: I have learned to always look over my route before we leave for a new destination. Even with the best technology, it's never 100%. I also keep a Rand McNally Road Atl as handy when needed. Better safe than sorry. Again, I learned the hard way.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 02:44:12 GMT

Our visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was absolutely breathtaking!

We originally only had four days scheduled here (which isn't enough), but we were going to get two days of rain from hurricane Zeta, so we added two more days to our stay, for a total of six. We made the best of our six day stay and packed in as much as we could.

As soon as we got set up in our campground in Wears Valley, we headed right down the road to check out the Foothills Parkway.

The Parkway was our first experience seeing these awesome mountains and spectacular views at about 2,200 feet. The overlooks gave us a good taste of what we would see over the next few days.

Cades Cove

We definitely wanted to do the Cades Cove Loop. It is an 11 mile loop road circling the cove where you can pull off at many different sightseeing spots. There are areas where you can walk trails or spots you can stop and see right from your car. I would suggest you stop and get the inexpensive guide brochure to help you know where all of the "attractions" are. We unfortunately, didn't do that and I quickly wished we had.

We got to see some of the old buildings in the Cove. This church was close to the beginning of the tour.

I am always amazed when I see old structures like this, that they are actually still standing and in fairly good condition. Almost all of the structures we saw within the park are balanced and leveled up on stacked ROCKS! Which it totally amazing to me.

Shortly after we passed the small little church, we came upon a fork in the road. We could go off to the left and continue the nice, easy drive of the Cades Cove Loop, OR, we could turn off to the right and go on the "unimproved" section of the area. Please, guess which way I turned? LOL!

Well, yes, I turned onto the "unimproved" area, because that's how I roll! Which gets me in trouble sometimes. Here are a couple of pictures from our drive, but as usual, I was not able to capture just how crazy the drive was because you couldn't really see the drop off on the edge of the road. Someday I'll learn how to capture that or get a camera that is capable (or maybe both!).

I did take a video, but I can't post it here for some reason. I'll try to work that out and post it later or at least a link to it somewhere.

This post may contain affiliate links to products and services we use and love.

Pigeon Forge

Since we were getting a lot of rain from the hurricane turned tropical storm, right in the middle of our visit, we decided to head into Pigeon Forge to see all of the weird and strange buildings. We passed them on our way to our campground and were totally shocked. I had no idea this existed.

The whole area is like an amusement park! There are rides, wax museums, shows, etc. We actually got to ride one of the mountain coasters before the rain moved in. It was a total blast!

You can definitely have two very different experiences in this area. You can surround yourself with nature in the beautiful National Park, or experience the bigger city fun in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Or maybe you can have the best of both worlds and do a mix of both!

Roaring Fork

We spent the majority of our time in the NP. After the rain cleared up, we decide to do the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. This is a 5.5 mile, one-way road, loop. The old buildings you see on this loop are just incredible. Again, I am always speechless at how well these structures have held up over the years. They are basically all raw wood that is exposed constantly to the weather, yet here they stand 100+ years later.

When you walk into one of these buildings, you realize just how much shorter people were back then. I'm only 5'7" and the doorways weren't too much taller than me! And I mean, who wouldn't want to live in a version of that first little cabin?!

We also got to see a beautiful waterfall on this drive that was flowing pretty good because of the rain we received the previous two days. It was near the end of the loop.

Right in this same area of the park are two very popular trail heads that lead back to more beautiful falls. One is Rainbow Falls which is a 5.4 mile round trip hike and the other is Grotto Falls which is 3 miles round trip. We didn't do either of these, unfortunately, because of amount of rain we received, we were concerned about the condition of the trails and if they would be safe.

Newfound Gap & Clingman's Dome

I was very excited for this trip within the park! I had many people tell me it is a MUST see when we said we were heading to the NP.

When I started planning our route for the day, I was TOTALLY surprised when my maps app said it would take 2 hours to get there. I thought it was a mistake. Especially since it was only about 25-30 miles away, if I remember correctly. So, we headed into the park with a little over a half a tank of gas. Ooops! That is never a good idea! So I know now. LOL! We were about half way to the Dome and I started getting a little nervous about our gas level, so I turned around and got gas near the Gatlinburg entrance. We probably would have made it, but all I could think of, was being stuck on the side of one of those narrow roads, out of gas! The road to the Dome is fairly windy and pretty good uphill grades which can suck the gas quickly. As I know now, there are very few spots to duck out of the park to fill up. So my number one tip about the park is, don't enter without a full tank of gas!

Theses are a few pictures on our way up to the dome. The views are absolutely stunning and the drive was very pretty as well.

It took us about an hour (not counting turning around for gas) to get to Newfound Gap. The parking lot was very full, but we managed to find a spot so we could walk around a bit. It was fun to learn a bit of history about the Newfound Gap and what it meant to people in the 1800s.

Who's up for the 1972 mile hike to Maine on the Appalachian Trail? LOL! Maybe next year?

We got back in the car and headed towards Clingman's Dome! It was only a few miles away, so we thought we would be there fairly quick. Well, it took us an hour to go the last mile to get to the parking lot! People were parked all along both sides of the road. I was shocked at how close they park to the edge of the drop off. If you were a passenger, you would have to get out on the drivers side of the car! Yikes!

Once we got into the parking lot, we quickly realized why the Dome was so highly recommended. There really are no words to properly describe just how beautiful this view is. You are at about 6,640 feet above sea level and you are looking down over all of the surrounding mountain tops. It is the highest point in the NP and in Tennessee and the third highest point east of the Mississippi.

You feel serene and like you are on top of the world! You look around at the people around you, and they have the same amazed look on their faces. There is nothing like it!

You definitely knew you were up in the mountains because the temperature was almost 20 degrees colder than the lower areas of the park. I was happy we brought jackets. You also can feel the effects of the higher altitude. Just walking around I had a hard time breathing normally.

Cool fact: the cool, wet conditions on Clingmans Dome's summit make the spruce-fir forest that grows there a coniferous rain forest.

There is an awesome observation tower that you can walk to, but its not as easy as it may sound, especially with the altitude. It is a paved, half a mile path, but it is fairly steep. We settled for the stunning views from the parking lot!

Clingman's Dome is definitely a must see if you visit this National Park! But plan for it later in your trip, because the views here out do any others in the area.

Blue Ridge Parkway

We had planned on heading to North Carolina after leaving Tennessee, but we changed out plans to Georgia instead. I was a little bummed about that because we were going to miss seeing a couple of things, and one of them was the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We decided to take the hour and a half drive the entrance of the Parkway near Cherokee, NC. The drive getting there was so pretty through the park. The entrance to the Parkway is just past the Oconaluftee Visitors Center.

When we entered the parkway, we stopped to get a picture of the sign. I was turning around to go back to the Jeep when I saw a bunch of Elk crossing the road right behind us! How awesome!

We drove about 30 minutes down the Parkway, but now, we had our eyes peeled for Elk! You could hear their call every once in a while when we stopped. We were so excited to see more, we decide to turn around and head back to the area we saw them. We didn't have any luck, so we started heading back into the park. We made the turn off the Parkway heading towards the visitors center and the road was lined with cars. We weren't sure why until we got a little closer. The open field next to the visitors center was full of Elk grazing! It was an absolutely incredible site. I'm so glad we decide to turn around or we might have missed seeing them!

We didn't get to spend as much time here as we wanted, but the 6 days we had were spectacular. The beauty of this park can't be explained in words. We will definitely plan another trip to this gorgeous area!

Campground Review: Pebble Mountain Campground - Chuckey, TN

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 00:16:31 GMT

CAMPGROUND: Pebble Mountain

WEBSITE: http://pebblemtn.com/

LOCATION: 78 Pebble Mountain Circle, Chuckey, TN

DATE OF OUR VISIT: October, 2020

PROS:

Full hook ups
Accepts Passport America
Very quiet
Clean laundry facility with nice machines
Wifi was usable (most of the day)

CONS:

Some of the long terms campers are run down
There were some tree branches that needed to be cut back

ONSITE AMENITIES:

Laundry

Showers and bathrooms

Pool (out of order)

Small library

Pavilion

Fire rings

Picnic tables

NIGHTLY COST: With PA, our average was $17 a night

OVERVIEW:

This CG is another off the beaten path place. Not the nicest, nor does it have all the bells and whistles, but I really like these type of places. The whole CG is full of large, mature trees and its right next to a pasture with horses.

We had a corner space, right by the office, so we had a nice spacious spot.

We really liked staying here. It was in a beautiful area. The drive to the park had great views and we were pretty close to Cherokee National Forest.

We could get a good amount of TV channels and the cell service was good most of the time. The CG wifi was at least usable here, most of the day, but overloaded at night.

It was a pretty short drive (15 minutes) to a decent sized city that had grocery stores, Walmart, restaurants, etc.

This stay was a STEAL with full hook ups at $17 a night! They accepted Passport America for our whole stay (that never happens). What a great find!

Our First Three Harvest Host Stays

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 13:26:17 GMT

Harvest Hosts is a membership program that provides access to a network of wineries, farms, breweries, museums and other unique attractions that invite self-contained RVers to visit and stay overnight. For a yearly membership fee, Harvest Hosts’ members are invited to stay at over 1,400 (and counting) interesting locations around North America, and experience new opportunities to explore and enjoy the RVing lifestyle. The company’s goal is to provide meaningful experiences for RVers and Hosts alike.

Montrose Orchard

Our first Harvest Hosts experience was in Michigan on our way home from the thumb area. We stayed at Montrose Orchard and we were hooked!

When we arrive, the owner guided us back to a nice secluded spot, right next to their blueberry patch. It was the perfect spot to spend a quiet night. And the best part, we got to go up to the store in the morning for fresh cider and doughnuts!

Snook’s Dream Cars

Our next Harvest Hosts stay was at a super cool spot in Bowling Green, Ohio. This little classic car museum is right up my alley! They had a nice paved parking lot that we stayed in. It was a little off the beaten path, so it wasn't noisy and made for a perfect over-night stay.

Terry walked through the museum with us and talked about each car. I could have spent hours in there and wanted to take each car for a spin around the block!

Here are just a few of the cools cars they had......

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Our most recent Harvest Hosts stay was at Wood Log Covert in Paris, Kentucky. This is a spectacular horse farm and event venue that did not disappoint!

Martha was very welcoming and helpful and the spot was breathtaking. We parked next to a beautiful event barn with 360 degree views. Just beautiful!

We will be using Harvest Hosts often when our destination is too far to drive in one day. It has been a great service for us and worth the small yearly fee. It has already paid for itself and we just started using it!

Check it out for yourself. I believe they are still running a 15% off discount -------> Harvest hosts

Hocking Hills State Park

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 21:11:22 GMT

ASH CAVE

This spot was right down the road from our campground, so it was our first stop after we got settled in. It is the largest recessed cave in the state and located in the southernmost area of Hocking Hills State Park.

The trail to the cave is cement and handicapped accessible, which makes this a great stop for almost anyone to visit. There is plenty to see, even on the easy, relaxing stroll to the cave. Once the cave itself appeared, I was pleasantly surprised to see the impressive size of this formation. It is much larger than I expected, especially for being such a short stroll from the parking lot.

Once you have explored the cave itself, you have the option of going back out the way you came in on the level cement trail. But, if you want a little more of a challenge, you can head back on the rim trail that takes you up multiple steps and along narrow dirt trails on the edge of a slope.

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This was a great start to our Hocking Hills adventure. Especially after getting the motor home and Jeep up the white knuckle, 30 minute (seemed like hours), drive to our campground. I swear, someone else was driving that rig! LOL! I don't know how I made it without dropping off the side of a cliff or sliding backwards down one of the extremely steep hills. You better believe that I spent an entire day searching for an alternate route out! Thankfully, I found one that was a piece of cake. I would have almost preferred to live at that campground indefinitely, verses driving back down the way we came!

Cantwell Cliffs

Cantwell Cliffs is known for its deep valleys, high cliffs, and rock shelter and was absolutely AMAZING! Once you walk down the trail a bit and down some stone steps, you will come to what is called, Fat Woman's Squeeze. (No, I did not make that up!) You walk down very steep steps that your feet barely fit on, between a small split in the rock. It is a little intimidating to look at, but we went for it and I'm glad we did.

When we got to the bottom of "The Squeeze", there were more steps that led you to some amazing views.

We intended on doing the trail "loop", but thankfully, we were informed by other hikers that the loop was closed a little further down the trail. We would have had to hike another two miles to get out if we weren't warned by them. And let me tell you, after all of the stairs and steep steps, we couldn't have made it another two miles!

Regardless, this was a super cool, fun hike that I would definitely do again!

Rock House (Cave)

This was a fairly easy hike back to the "Rock House". Once again, I was totally amazed when I saw the size of this cave AND that it was an actual cave like you picture in your mind.

I was able to climb up the large rocks to enter the cave (you can't miss doing that). This cave has a ceiling 25 feet high while the main corridor is 200 feet long and 20 to 30 feet wide. It is impressive, to say the least. These next four pictures are from inside the cave looking out.

Overall, our trip to Hocking Hills was good. We did have a couple of not so great experiences, but the area is definitely beautiful and we will make a point to go back to see more.

Thank you for following along with our adventures! Let us know if you have a favorite spot you would like to suggest we search out on our travels through this great country of ours.

All the best,

Tammy & Judy

Campground Review: Berwagana Campground - Vassar, Michigan

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Sun, 11 Oct 2020 20:57:31 GMT

CAMPGROUND: BERWAGANA Campground

WEBSITE: https://www.berwaganacampground.com

LOCATION: 2601 Sanilac Rd, Vassar, MI 48768

DATE OF OUR VISIT: September 2020

PROS:

Full hook ups
Accepts Passport America
Great for kids
A lot of planned activities for all ages

CONS:

WIFI isn't strong enough to connect
Spaces are VERY close together when full
Spotty cell service

ONSITE AMENITIES:

Pond

Large playground area

Camp Store

Arcade

Small library

Showers and bathrooms

Fire Rings

Picnic Tables

Paddle boat and kayak rental

NIGHTLY COST: With PA, our average was about $23 a night

OVERVIEW:

It is a nice campground with a lot to do for kids. They even have HUGE Halloween themed weekends and a very popular haunted forest. We were there just before their first Halloween weekend, and they were working the full 2 weeks prior to get all set up. They do have a lot of activities each week for kids and adults. They seem to really make an effort to entertain their guests.

Thankfully, we were there near the end of the season, because the sites are VERY close together. We basically had the surrounding area to ourselves during the week, but the weekends were stacked up like sardines!

We got a good number of TV channels, but the cell service was spotty at best and the CG WIFI was basically non existent.

There wasn't much to do in the immediate area. You had to drive a ways to the Lake Huron attractions. While we were here, we went to Bay City and took a great sailboat ride and we spent a day at Port Austin on the beach. Check out those adventures here.

They do accept Passport America, so the price was well within our budget. We averaged about $23 a night for full hook ups, which made this CG worth the stay.

Our Visit to NW Michigan

183:844956428 (Tammy Fiddie) — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 01:49:03 GMT

When I started planning our first trip as full timers, we were originally heading to Maine. We had never been to Maine, and I wanted to experience the fall colors in the New England area. A couple of weeks before we were heading out, we were told Maine wasn't allowing visitors without a two week self quarantine because of COVID.

We learned a big lesson that most FT RVers have to learn at some point, to roll with the punches. The best laid plans aren't always going to work out as expected.

With that said, we quickly changed gears and decided to spend the first couple of months right here in our own beautiful state of Michigan! And, as you will see, it actually worked out for the best, because we got to hang around long enough to great my second grand baby, Blaine.

I knew I wanted to head to the west side of the state, close to Traverse City. The campground I ended up booking was centrally located to all of the great things to do in the area, and it was an awesome price with FHU! It was also right on the lower Platte River. Click here for my review of that campground.

We stayed here for about three weeks and got explore a lot of beautiful places!

Crystal Lake

This is a cute little town with a gorgeous lake. The sunsets over the water were stunning! There is a nice little produce market there with an amazing selection. They even have a couple of food trucks right in the area.

Kayaking The Lower Platte River

We definitely wanted to try kayaking for the first time on the Lower Platte since it is nice and slow-paced. We have a lot of experience canoeing, but we didn't want anything too fast-paced until we got the hang of it.

This river was amazing! It was the perfect weather and a very relaxing, enjoyable afternoon on the river. The water was clear, we spotted a ton of wild life, and you finish up right at Lake Michigan. It was the perfect ending. We actually loved it so much, we went again the next week!

On our second trip down the river, it was the beginning of salmon spawning season and the DNR had the weir closed and we got to see HUNDREDS of salmon swimming past us up stream. SUPER COOL!

We rented our kayaks from the Honor Trading Post. They transport your kayaks, carry them down to the river, help you get into them and then pick you up at the end and take you back to your car. They charge a very reasonable fee. Click here to visit their website.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

What can I say? Besides ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!

Most spots here will require either a day or yearly pass to enter / park. We decided to hike the Sleeping Bear Point Trail and it didn't disappoint. The hike wasn't too long to the top to see the amazing views. It is definitely a challenge hiking in the deep sand, but the reward is well worth it!

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Arcadia, Michigan

Over and over again, I read about this spot in Arcadia that was a must see. Arcadia was a little bit of a drive from us to go see just a scenic overlook, right? HA! It was totally worth the drive off the scenic highway M-22.

Also known as "Inspiration Point", the views from the parking lot are amazing, but they don't compare to what you will see after climbing the 120 steps (80 vertical feet) to the top. These are some of the most picturesque views that total say Pure Michigan! And now that we went, I TOTALLY agree, this is a must see.

While we were in Arcadia, we decided we might as well see what else is in town. The saying "don't blink" applies when driving through, but we did spot something interesting. It was Arcadia Marsh, an over-water boardwalk that is almost a mile long. It is over diverse wetlands with a ton of wildlife to see. We were so surprised to find this little hidden gem! It was pretty amazing.

Frankfort, Michigan

Frankfort is a beautiful destination with beach views that would rival any ocean front town. The town is lined with quaint little shop to stroll through and plenty of restaurants to choose from. We had a quick lunch at Stormcloud Brewing Company.

The road through town ends right at Frankfort Beach with magnificent views of Lake Michigan and the North Breakwater Lighthouse. It was a beautiful sunny day and the wind and waves weren't too bad, so we walked the pier out to the lighthouse. There were plenty of people fishing off the pier and we sat and watched a couple sailboats go by. The lighthouse itself needs a new paint job because of all of the graffiti, but it was still cool to see it up close and to look back at the beach and the beautiful coastline.

Lake Ann, Michigan

We wanted to do a nice, leisurely hike and had heard about the Lake Ann Loop Trail and decided to give it a try. We didn't do any research about it, so we didn't know much about what to expect.

GPS didn't really give us the clearest directions, but we finally figured out that it is in the State Park campground, and since it is a State Park, you do need a day or yearly pass to park. It was a nice wooded trail and was easy to walk. We were TOTALLY surprised when we came to a clearing and saw this beautiful lake and the scenery it gave us.

What a beautiful state we live in! For me, I sometimes forget the beauty that is right here close to home with how busy our daily lives are. So, our last minute change of plans wasn't so bad after all!

Thank you for following along with our adventures! Let us know if you have a favorite spot you would like to suggest we search out on our travels through this great country of ours.

All the best,

Tammy & Judy

Campground Review: Sunnywoods Resort & Campground - Beulah, Michigan

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 01:00:57 GMT

CAMPGROUND: Sunnywoods Resort & Campground

WEBSITE: http://www.sunnywoodsresort.com/

LOCATION: 14065 Honor Hwy • Beulah, MI 49617

DATE OF OUR VISIT: August 2020

PROS:

Full hook ups
Quiet
Accepts Passport America
Centrally located to area attractions

CONS:

No cell service or TV

ONSITE AMENITIES:

Pool (closed during COVID)

Showers

Fire rings

Picnic tables

NIGHTLY COST:

With PA, our average was about $21

OVERVIEW:

This is a small, bare bones, off the beaten path, campground. Not a lot of amenities, BUT it does have full hookups. Right up my alley!

The Platte River runs right through the back of the property. The sites are a little close together when the park fills up over the weekends, but they are grassy and fairly level with large, mature trees.

You don’t get any TV channels. There is ZERO T-Mobile service and very little Verizon service. You have to drive down the road, to the top of the hill, to get a signal strong enough to make a phone call.

Everyone was very friendly. It was quiet and very peaceful.

The campground is centrally located to a lot of attractions and sightseeing: Traverse City, Empire, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Crystal Lake, Torch Lake, Glen Arbor, Frankfort, Arcadia, etc.

They do accept Passport America Sunday-Thursday which brought us to an average cost of just under $21 a night. SCORE!

I would definitely stay here again.