May 15, 2016
Even though we have lived in the RV for over two months, we still call it, “The Boat,” which is an indication that we are still adapting to our housing changes. Sometime at night when Mike is in his Lazy Boy style chair, and Francie is stretched out on the couch, we just look at each other marveling at how comfortable this lifestyle is. As we travel, we can’t help but make comparisons between life in the RV and life on the boat.
Mike remarked that while taking his motorcycle trips across the county, a line from Harry Chapin’s song, “Greyhound,” would keep repeating itself in his mind, “It's got to be the going, not the getting there that's good.” Well, there was something romantic about being out at sea; of course those were the good travel days. Other days were challenging while still others could be a little fearful. Now we only travel 150 to 250 miles a day, but in comfort. On the boat that would take us days to accomplish.
Not all comparisons are slanted toward the boat. On the boat we slept in a full size bed. The RV came with a king size bed. Francie says it is so big that she can’t hear me snore. On a less humorous note a couple of days ago, we arrived at a campground and realized there was no power going to the leveling jacks. We called Tiffin, the manufacturer of the coach, and the technician directed Mike to test all of the fuses in one of the 3 fuse panels. Of course it was raining. Soaking wet and frustrated, Mike came inside knowing the problem, but unable to fix it until the next day. As he was about to complain, Francie reminded him of a time on Anam Cara when in 8 foot seas, he was lying on a hot engine trying to change the impeller and and trying to keep down his last meal. Since we couldn’t use the leveling jacks, we couldn’t put out the slides. It was no big deal until we realized that we couldn’t get to the coffee cups for the morning, Francie couldn’t get her pajamas, but worst of all, Mike couldn’t open the cabinet with his bourbon. The next morning, Mike was able to solve the problem and everything was back to normal.
Because there is so much to see and experience in our county, we are having trouble deciding where to travel. It was easy on the boat. What can we see along the coast? As a guide, we decided to see as many of the National Park Service’s: Monuments, Parks, Historic Parks and Historic Sites as we can. Also another guiding goal is to visit the state capital buildings. In the past, touring the homes and libraries of Presidents has been an enriching experience so we will continue that venture, which can be a big task, since the Presidents may have had several homes or showed up in many places. As we explored the coast especially in Virginia, it seemed that every town had signs proclaiming, “George Washington slept here.”
As we are learning, campsites come in all different shapes and sizes. Some have been parking lots, while others have been rustic and open. Recently most have been sparsely populated. One of the campsites was on the edge of a river. In the early afternoon, two of our neighbors visited our site after strutting through several others. These two roosters acted like they owned the place. We were captivated by their presence and took multiple pictures. That captivation ended abruptly the following morning when we were loudly greeted with their presence at 6 AM. Where were the foxes in this area?
We keep talking about camping, but it is hard to say with a straight face. We camped years ago in tents, waking with a stiff back, and clothes reeking of smoke from the evening campfire. As we have mentioned, we have luxuries that haven’t been part of our life for several years. We are called glampers. (Like the boat, there are terms only RVers know) That is Glamorous Campers. Hardship is a thing of the past and this is hardly getting back to nature.
Vidalia, Georgia
In the late spring when we lived in near Chicago, the Knights of Columbus would have a stand where they sold Vidalia Onions. To us they are the best of all sweet onions. While looking for places to visit, we discovered that Vidalia was having their onion festival. Who could resist an opportunity like that? Our first stop was in downtown Vidalia to taste homemade onion rings. We explored the city and found the Onion Museum where we learned the correct pronunciation for the city’s name is Vi (long i) dal ya. The woman who ran the museum took a liking to Mike, who had worked on an onion farm as a kid, and presented him with a Vidalia onion cap. The following day we attend a Covered Wagon Cook-off. The entries were judged for the authenticity of their wagons and of course the quality of their food. We have all seen cowboy movies where the cow herders race up to the chuck wagon. I remember watching them eating with relish, but no one commented on the quality of the food. Well …Our chuck wagon didn’t win the category for most delicious food.
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Chattanooga, Tennessee
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Our travels are a continuing education. At the Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon, we learned about the 17,000 years of history of Georgia’s indigenous people. Looking at the massive mounds and the engineering it took to create them, made us appreciate the complexity of an ancient civilization.
As we have visited different Civil War sites, we found ourselves profoundly moved. Chickamauga Battlefield, outside of Chattanooga, brought back those feelings from the past. The battles claimed an enormous number of lives, only Gettysburg was more deadly. While watching the movie about the battles, it is difficult to see two sides; instead just the number of men killed. Riding our bikes along the trails, we viewed the monument and markers that externalize the memory of those who fought there. One of the structures is the Wilder Brigade Monument, which is an 85 foot high limestone tower with 136 steps that lead to an observation deck. It was a great view, and our legs were sore in the morning.
As we have visited different Civil War sites, we found ourselves profoundly moved. Chickamauga Battlefield, outside of Chattanooga, brought back those feelings from the past. The battles claimed an enormous number of lives, only Gettysburg was more deadly. While watching the movie about the battles, it is difficult to see two sides; instead just the number of men killed. Riding our bikes along the trails, we viewed the monument and markers that externalize the memory of those who fought there. One of the structures is the Wilder Brigade Monument, which is an 85 foot high limestone tower with 136 steps that lead to an observation deck. It was a great view, and our legs were sore in the morning.
Monuments at Chickamauga Battlefield
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Nashville, Tennessee
You know that you are old when you want to hear live music and still be home before dark. For those people who feel the same way, Nashville is the place. Walking down Broadway, we could hear different musicians in every other building at 11 in the morning. We spent our first day going from bar to bar listening to a variety of musicians and were still home for dinner while watching the evening news. Did I really admit that??
Nashville has been a boom to helping us follow our traveling guide. Not only did we visit the Tennessee Capital, but also visited the state museum. In addition, we stopped at Andrew Jackson’s home, the Hermitage. Since he is once again making history as he shares the $20 bill with Harriet Tubman, it seemed important to learn more about his life. Our last stop near Nashville was the home of James Polk. The guide told us that he actually fulfilled all of the promises he made before being elected. He also stated before running for office, that he would only be President for a single term. James Polk died several months after he left office. Visiting his home allowed us to check off two more Presidents. It is always good to have goals.
Andrew Jackson Home and Burial Grounds |
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Louisville, Kentucky
The day after the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs is closed for cleaning, however the gift shop is open!
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In Elizabethtown, Kentucky, we visited with Francie’s cousin Mary Kay and her family. Mary Kay met us at Lincoln’s boyhood home. It seemed fitting that we should visit it since a couple of years ago, we wrote about our visit to the Lincoln home and museum in Springfield, Illinois.
Our biggest concern about moving north was keeping ourselves in warm weather. Well we blew that concept. The weather has been cold and rainy. We can’t figure it out, as boaters we know the weather is sooo predictable…..