Planning for the Summer
I'm Ward, my bride is Pat, and we love to get in our Fleetwood Bounder and hit the road. One thing you will notice about us is we stay off the interstate system as much as possible. Pat is a big fan of a number of travel books like "America From the Road" and "Off the Beaten Path" so we have been known to take 200-mile detours because she has found something that sounds interesting. Once, we drove from Southern New Mexico to Northern New Mexico so that we could get some bread baked by Native Americans in traditional earthen ovens.
Patty and I like to volunteer our time at government facilities around the country. Because we give our time and effort, the facility provides us a site for the motorhome and provides electricity, water and sewer, and hopefully the companionship of fellow RVers. Since we have only been retired for two years, our experiences have been a little limited, but truly enjoyable.
The first volunteer experience was at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Monroe Louisiana. This small refuge is a really neat place and I would recommend a visit there when you are in the area. It was also a neat place to work because the staff and local volunteers are so dedicated and fun to be around.
Last summer we volunteered at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on Cape Hatteras. This refuge is a must stop for anyone going to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. If you go in that direction, make sure to stop there first and pick up a list of things to do on the refuge. There is something going on at Pea Island every day, especially for kids. They offer family canoe trips, turtle talks, bird walks, wolf howlings and bear watches to name a few. The gift shop is one of the best we have ever seen. Fantastic place to work with some really neat people.
This year we will be volunteering at a lighthouse in Newport, Oregon, so this blog will concentrate on that experience. We live in Suches, Georgia, which is in the North Georgia Mountains, so our trip will begin here. Since this is a favorite vacation area for many people, I'll try to post some pictures of the area and write about places to go around here before we leave. We anticipate leaving Suches the first to third week of April. I have a little medical procedure that may cause us a delay of a week or two.
From Suches we go to Decatur, Indiana, to visit Pat's aunt and cousins. Aunt Jean is 83 years young and is a real treat to be around. She has a strong inquisitive mind and an adventuresome spirit. We'll have a couple of fun posts while at her house, so stay tuned.
Leaving Decatur, the plan is to go up the Upper Peninsula of Michigan cross the Mackinaw Bridge and pick up U.S. Highway 2. We will take US 2 across country to Washington State with numerous side trips along the way, and will arrive in Oregon June 1st. We will be in Oregon until around the first of September. We haven't thought about the return trip, but it will probably be through Los Angeles and back across Utah and Wyoming etc.
The next few weeks will be devoted to trip planning and the process we employ. I'll talk about books, websites and other sources of good information. If you have suggestions of places to visit, please leave us a comment, and if we are going to be in your area, let's have lunch or coffee.
See you on the road. Ward
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