NC to Home ... Sunday, August 7, 2016

Good morning! We were up and on the road toward home by 8:15. There's a huge storm in Florida ... so we'll see how the drive unfolds. 

South Carolina & Pedro's Sombrero at South of the Border! Ole. 

SC ... please fix your roads!

Ugh! From the NC border to the Georgia border there were 10 GOOD miles of road! Plenty of potholes ... tire blowout debris and folks pulled over with flats!

Walking the kids at the SC rest area. 

I bought two "Eee -Eee" toys at a TA ... and showed Mark who said it out loud! Robbie went into high alert. He had us laughing by popping up 5 times a minute looking for the toy. I put the two toys into the glove box which Robbie saw. After 2 hours of nagging, I gave it to him. Then BeeZee wanted hers. Now, 20 minutes later there's peace! Both are sleeping with their toys. Awww

Straddling the potholes at the rest area! 

We made it to Georgia. This is the beautiful Savannah River ... then we turned into the Georgia Welcome Center ... and saw all the construction. Awful. Mark had to snake the RV between rows of cars and people gawking to get to the back area where we could park and walk the dogs. LOL. We think we may have missed the truck entrance, but it was not marked as such. 

We checked in with RanDawn ... Dawn looked at the weather for us. We decided we are better off heading for home today as areas of Northern Florida are expecting a foot of rain over the next two days. Sweet. 

At 4:45 PM we got off I-95 and onto the Ormond beach/40 exit. We still have 55 miles to go, but it's on quieter roads. So far, just a couple of very light showers. It appears we will get home without any huge monsoon. Sweet. 

St. John's River!

We stopped at Old Mill Stream RV Resort to flush our RV's system. The people charged eight dollars and showed us where the facilities work. It is a very clean RV park with a large lake, pool and clubhouse area. 

So, we arrived home by 615 and began a fun task of unloading. 

Sue and Wayne have had Larry and Maggi Flett visiting for the past several days. They have been out dancing and fishing with them. (Once family, always family!) 

Randy and Dawn have been busy today with her granddaughter Charlotte's birthday. 

Charlotte's dad blew up all these balloons for a morning surprise! What a guy!

We're both tuckered out. Time for a shower and some TV. Tata till tomorrow.

Travel Day ... August 6, 2016

Good morning. Well, we are not overachievers this morning as it is now 9 o'clock and we're just hooking up. Many from our group have gone already!

So it was an uneventful travel day. The scenery of Blue Ridge Mountains along I-64 was fantastic! 

Cutting through Richmond on a Saturday was a no-brainer! We ran into rain on I-95 in North Carolina which slowed us down ... but we did make 409 miles today! We found a KOA campground in LUMBERTON, NC ... and they have NBC available on antenna. Yay, that means I can see the Olympics tonight.

The Scotties were excellent travelers today! We only stopped 3 times and they were okay with that ... (poor kids must have been very tired!) LOL

Here we are at Lumberton, North Carolina ... KOA. 

A couple that we met, Pete and Loretta, arrived about an hour after we did into the same RV park. 

I thought we might invite them for wine ... but Pete's 55 year old son passed away in Houston tonight. We felt terrible for them; obviously they have another trip yet. 

So, we poured a drink, had happy hour, dinner and then began watching the Olympics. That's it for the Rogers' tonight. Tata

FRIDAY, August 5, 2016

Good day! It's overcast today with possible showers moving into the region ... not a day for our planned Skyline Drive. Mother Nature rules. (We did have wildlife right on our patio ... a cute reddish bunny!)

Mr Robbie enjoying a mountain view this morning. 

Mz Bee is looking for action ... 

so we had a big walk around the entire campground.  

Tonight, Mark and I went for prime rib at Uncle Buck's restaurant in Luray. The food was good ... Mark said "the best" prime rib he's EVER had! Well okay then! We came directly home to watch the Olympics opening ceremonies! Yay!!! 

>:-(  ... but WE didn't get it on our TV antenna. Drat! So ... it's wine:30! 

Tomorrow, we're starting our trip back home. Ta Ta. 

Mimslyn Inn ... August 4, 2016

Good morning! We're off for lunch with our fellow RVers at the Mimslyn Inn, built in 1931. 

It's been meticulously maintained outside and in! The dining room was lovely for our lunch paid for by Giant Recreation World! Nice!

After a big lunch we walked around the grounds a little. 

At the left rear are numerous hammocks! It's a 5* hotel for sure. 

Back at the KOA Luray RV Resort, we walked the dogs and took a few pics. Although it's only 77F,  it's a bit muggy and no breeze!

This huge Site 29 is ours! Very private. 

These are the "premium" sites! Extra nice! 

Mark with BeeZee and Robbie by a Cozy Cabin. 

The kids love walking on the soft grass ... not like our Florida coarse St. Augustine.

The roads are granite gravel ... no dust Sue! Honest. 

Bonnie finished her kitchen cabinet redo and sent a few pictures... and we love it!

Perfect for the 1920's era Craftsman cottage.

And looking to the pretty rear deck. 

Mark and I have spent quite a lot of time there ... dog sitting plus many weekend visits while we were living in Oklahoma City, 100 miles away. We're going to miss this charming Tulsa home. Fond memories! (It's going on the real estate market soon.)

Tonight, Mark and I had a Rummy challenge ... and I won, big time! Haha ... I don't usually. Tomorrow, we're planning a drive (with the Scotties) up Skyline Drive along the Blue Ridge Mountains. The speed limit is only 35 mph as it's a nature preserve. With any luck, we'll get some cool pictures for tomorrow.

Ta Ta. 

Luray Caverns ... August 3, 2016

Good morning! It was a lovely 74 degrees so we felt safe leaving the doggies in the RV for a couple of hours (just in case the power went out!) while we explored a U.S. National Landmark! 

Here's our "official" picture ... just like on a cruise ... stand here - Snap. LOL ... Whaatt? So, the pic looks like two surprised folks. 

We posted 17 photos on Facebook, so you could see more there if you'd like.

The stalactites grow 1/4 inch every 300 years! (These are hanging from the cave ceiling.) Stalagmites grow from the ground up. It's very humid in the caves and the air temperature is a steady 64°F.

You will not have a good hair day in the caverns. Ha ha

Goofy selfies abound. 

This is a 2 foot deep "lake". 

Aren't the reflections amazing?

To me, this ranks up there in tourist attractions! (NOT LIKE Ruby Falls! Bleh.)

It was a 1 1/2 mile walk through the caverns and we were down 18 stories! 

My knees were rubbery after getting out of there! If you go, wear rubber soled shoes, it's wet and possibly slippery. 

At 4, we took our happy hour to the (big) pool. There was plenty of shade with 14 huge umbrellas and loads of (too low for me) chaise chairs. The hostess came outside to talk and made suggestions on enjoying a Skyline Drive. Nice. 

Back home, Mark cooked homemade spaghetti sauce for our dinner. (I goofed. :-(  ... thawed ground beef in the store wrapper without an under plate in the fridge. What a mess!) Oops. My bad!

Tonight, we're going to relax with the doggies and watch the CMA show. Ta Ta. 

Dodge ... August 2, 2016

Good morning! We were up with the birds, getting organized to take our truck to Dick Meyers in Harrisonburg for ??? = $$$.

So, while Mark drove to Harrisonburg, I walk the dogs and began laundry. Ms. B got in trouble this morning because she started blustering and barking at a cute little Cairn terrier. She was immediately put in the house and instead Robs went for the walk! When we got back 20 minutes later, there was a very sad little face waiting at the door for me. All was forgiven as she behaved on the next walk. 

Mark phoned to say the Dodge dealer had taken the truck in immediately to check it. They suggested he wait around for an hour or two until they have an answer as to what is the cause of the bearing noise. That's extremely nice, as we know they are very busy this week.

Well, we are celebrating. The dealer charged $12 for putting a metal clamp and bolts on a wiring harness that Advantage Dodge fastened with a tie wrap. WTF ... you can just picture me strutting into the dealership when we get home and raising hell. Last December, we had to replace the TIPM wiring harness ... and apparently, Advantage screwed up! The excellent work was done today by Dick Myers Chrysler dodge in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Awesome! We had them check the error codes that we have had come up on the vehicle over the last year. As suspected, they were all involving a turbo charger circuit. That we can take care of when we get home.

As we sit with the fire burning this evening, Canadian geese are flying overhead. I sure hope they're not flying south already! 

It was a gorgeous evening. We sat outside and watched satellites orbiting, and the International Space Station. Sweet. Finally, about 11 we came inside. The doggies had a good evening enjoying the fire too. 

Tomorrow, we plan to visit the Luray Caverns! Ta Ta. 

A U G U S T ... 1st, 2016

Good morning from Virginia's lovely Blue Ridge Mountains (which are shrouded in mist right now.) The first order of business today was to find a Dodge dealer. The first one I called couldn't get us in until next week. Oh-oh! He referred me to another dealer, Dick Meyers in Harrisonburg. The lady I spoke with juggled her workload and will fit us in tomorrow morning at 8:30. Our poor truck will be looked at to see if we need to order parts. We plan to leave it with them and Rent-A-Car until it's ready. So, Mark's going to run it in there tomorrow, about an hour away while I stay at the RV with the doggies. 

So, we have a lazy day around the campsite, just what we need! Tonight, at 6, there is a Giant Recreation World gathering at the "Yurt." 

Do you think RanDawn were shocked to read yesterday's Blog? 

Bwahahaha ... we miss them! Always fun times! MAYBE they'll be RVers soon?

We were treated to a pretty sunset after the rain

but we could see a fog bank building! Cool, eh?

Lightening bugs were flickering; but darn it's hard to get a pic of them. They weren't synchronized!

So we chilled out this afternoon and watched old reruns on TV. They were so much fun. The Rifleman with Chuck Conners, Bonanza with Lorne Greene / Michael Landon, Gunsmoke & Chips. It seems life was little simpler then. Ha ha ... TV was easier to follow too; there weren't five subplots going on in the background. 

Mark cooked kielbasa, garlic, onion and Parmesan cheese for tonight's hors d'oeuvre party. It sure smells good!!

Mark and Pete (Loretta) in the HOT yurt!

The food was very good and varied. We didn't need dinner. Too bad it was so darn hot! 

Having a Schnauzer across the street keeps our doggies entertained.

Loretta had an upset stomach today so I recommended Wayne's cure, Gin.

So that was it. We had a good day; mostly relaxing. It's very surprising to me that it is as warm and humid here as at home! Who knew?

The kids are having their last big walk at 8 o'clock before it gets dark. And that'll be our night. Tata. I hope your first day of August was great!