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Roodriver

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Blog Entries posted by Roodriver

  1. Roodriver
    Some people just don't get the RV lifestyle, and wonder why we enjoy our motorhome so much. When we tell them about the fantastic people we meet on the road and the fun we have at rallies, their eyes kind of glaze over, and if we are lucky, they make some sort of intelligible sounds.
    Well, the other day we received one of those, "If I had to spend two days couped up with ... much less five months, I'd go crazy and probably kill her" comments. Then the big question, "What do ya'll (we're Southern) get out of it"?
    Of course, "it" is our summer travel. So for him and anyone else who might be interested, here is my explanation for why we want to spend our summer in about 400vsquare feet of traveling home.
    Something you must learn about Pat and me is we like to eat varied and unusual foods. Well, they don't have to be so varied or unusual. I guess you can say that we like to eat. To give you an idea, while in NewFoundland, Pat fell in love with a dish made from salt cod, mashed potatoes, onions and bacon. It tasted great but was cholesterol city, better known as instant heart attack.
    Before last summer's foray to the Outer Banks, Pat heard on the NPR show, Splendid Table, about the best Bar B Q in North Carolina, so we checked it out on the way down. This pulled pork wasn't the best I had eaten, so we didn't try any more Bar B Q in North Carolina.
    I have always been a history buff, thanks to Mr. Barfield in high school. At one point in our lives, we would stop for every roadside history marker, but now, due to the size of our rig, we only stop where there is room or when we are in the towed. It never ceases to amaze me about all of the history we are not taught in school. This is one of the reasons we stay on the back roads, so that we can get some of this historical flavor. It may take us longer to get somewhere, but we really enjoy the journey.
    No matter where our ultimate destination is, we always start by going to visit Pat's family and our friends living in Indiana. To some, it is weird, this thing we have for traveling 400 miles, making a U turn and then heading out for a destination a thousand miles away.
    We have also made a number of friends in the RV world, so it isn't unusual to detour for a visit. It is funny how many good friends you can make at rallies and campgrounds. The RV experience has taught us the importance of stopping to visit friends when you have the chance. Some things just shouldn't be put off.
    This last one was tough to put in order of priority, since it sometimes sneaks up on us. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I can't help be amazed by some of the places we go. Some of the most fantastic sunsets I have ever seen were in Monroe, Louisiana, and some of the most awesome storms were on the Outer Banks. Bear in mind, we haven't been all over the country yet, so the best places list may change. We love waterfalls and mountain overlooks, so we don't pass many of these by. By the way, does anyone keep count of the waterfalls that are billed as the highest east of the Mississippi?
    There are just so many things that can't be seen or sampled from an airplane or traveling on President Eisenhower's road system, so we go by RV. Perhaps we are just gluttons for the sensual pleasures this mode of recreation offers or perhaps we are just experiencing what life has to offer, if you are willing to look for it.
    That 400 square feet looks really good right now.
  2. Roodriver
    Today's mail brought an item that added pressure to this neophyte blogger's effort. It was a brochure from South Dakota, delivered by our trusty rural mail carrier.
    I know some of you are skeptical that a brochure from South Dakota has the ability to push a pressure point, but as you will see, South Dakota is no small travel task. We had planned on being in the Dakotas for two to three weeks and then moving on to Washington and spending a couple of weeks there, but that has gone down the drain.
    Unless I miss my guess, the Dakotas will take at least a month, and that appears to be moving at a fast pace. As an example, are you aware the ranch where Teddy Roosevelt moved after his wife died is a national monument? I didn't even know it was in the Dakotas.
    The big thing for me is all of the Native American sites, which we have heard about for most of our lives, are there for the experience. I would really appreciate comments from anyone from the Dakotas or from those that have visited the area. Let's see, there is Mount Rushmore and Sitting Bull and ....
    Okay ( the old high school English teacher would skin me for using that word), now our carefully laid out trip, which we so dutifully wrote in Jell-O, has to be replanned. I think the smart thing to do is to hit the lower part of South Dakota on the way back in the fall. We had talked about seeing Yellowstone on the way back, so a little zag up through South Dakota would be doable. I understand there is a not to miss scenic road going North from Yellowstone, so if you have any knowledge about it, please let us know.
    The next entry will cover how we plan a trip and some of the resources we use. Around our neck of the woods, trip planning is similar to backing into a campsite in the dark. For you guys out there, the secret is to say, "Yes maam" and just make the trip last longer. Works every time.
    Hope to see you down the road.
  3. Roodriver
    Well, we're all set. My surgery is going to be on Monday, and as one of my friends states, we're doing it the RV way. Where we live is about two and a half hours from Atlanta, and Charlotte, North Carolina, is about four hours. So when the folks in Atlanta were dragging their feet, we switched to a doctor in Charlotte. So far it seems to have been an outstanding move. There were two major considerations. One was that we have a rough agenda laid out for our summer trip. Second (maybe the most important) was that the doctor in Charlotte does a lot of these surgeries.
    For people willing to drive a few hours to see a scenic site, or eat at a locally acclaimed restaurant, a trip to Charlotte for a doctor is nothing. Maybe this RV thing really does get into your blood and you think nothing of driving off into the sunset.
    Leaving-the-nest day is going to be either the ninth or 1oth of April, so at that point, we should be posting daily and, if I can figure out how to do it, posting some photos.
    See you down the road.
  4. Roodriver
    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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