Greetings from Cheoah point campground in Santeetlah, NC

  We went to church on Sunday with our friends before heading to the Smokeys.  The ride here from Anderson, SC was quite interesting.  Thank goodness Chris is such a good driver. It took us most of the day to drive about 200 miles.  We were searching for two places on the way.  We needed propane and a sewer disposal site because our campground had only electric hookups.  (Great deal for $13 a night...old people rate).   We are getting really good at unhooking the jeep.  That's a good thing because one place we pulled into had no exit and unfortunately no propane.  Then an hour later we found a state park with a disposal site but of course we went in the wrong way and again could not back up.  It is so different traveling with a tow this time.

We made it to our campsite which was beautiful and away from the crowds.  I was so tired that I laid down at 6 and did not wake till the next morning.  Monday morning I woke well rested and ready for an adventure.  Chris removed the doors and top from the jeep, we packed a lunch, and headed on a road trip.  The weather was great!  We finally found a place that was not hot.  With the doors off I needed a sweat shirt and a blanket to keep from freezing.  We were headed on a scenic drive that hugged the border of the Smokey Mountain National Park.  By staying in the forest instead of the park we were able to take the dogs on walks with us.  

We did not have any idea of what to expect until we came to two roadside shops and over 100 motorcycles.  We were about to enter TheTail Of The Dragon...318 curves in 11 miles.  It is a famous motorcycle ride.   It was an incredible ride.  At the end of the ride we found ourselves in Tennessee and returned by another scenic drive.   On the way we took a side trip in search of a waterfall.  The waterfall was awesome and people were swimming in the pool at the bottom.  Chris talked me into continuing on the side trip in search of a very thin line on the map that he hoped was a jeep trail.  We did find the trail which ran along the river.  It was quite a trip. He had so much fun, and we justified the purchase of a jeep.  We managed to follow the trail back to our camp.  I had put dinner in the crock pot before I left so we ate and went to bed.  

Tuesday morning we woke to rain so no sightseeing.  We did laundry and I made brownies.  We leave tomorrow to head to Kentucky.  It will be sad to leave the beautiful mountains.  I could live here...in the summer.  

Peace to all,  Barbara and Chris

Greetings from Anderson, South Carolina

Today we made a 250 mile trip from Savannah to Anderson, SC.  Within 50 miles we found ourselves on interstate 26 with every other car in America.  We averaged 25 miles an hour with gusts of 45mph.  At times we completely stood still. No, there weren't any accidents.  I just think everyone is headed to the smokies for the Fourth of July.  We did something other RV'ers have done but we swore we would never do.  We were going so slow that we switched drivers while moving at 3 mph.  Our friends were expecting us around 2:00 but our 5 hour trip ended up over ten hours.  As if we weren't tired enough, we missed the turn and ended up on a road that was closed.  Not a big problem in a car that can turn around but a motorhome can't back up when towing a jeep.  We were only a few yards past the turn but we had to find a place to turn around before reaching the end of the road.  Luck was with us with an entry to a plant that was just big enough to turn the rv but we had to unhook the jeep first.  Now it starts to rain.  It is always an adventure for us.
I guess Chris was a little stressed out because while we were at dinner with our friends he did the FB check in and tried to say 'having dinner with Buck and Sylvia 'but he used the microphone to dictate and did not proof his text before posting.  Something that rhymes with Buck was printed and before we realized what had happened, a very inappropriate message went out. Sylvia and I were laughing so hard that the whole restaurant was looking at us.  That was until we realized that people were already reading and posting comments...and calling us laughing so hard that we all were laughing...even Chris.  Yes, we gave a lot of people a good laugh and I had to learn how to delete a post.
Thank goodness our friends are good friends and have a sense of humor.  Chris has known David Buckallew (Buck) since 1975 when they were in the Navy aboard the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt out of Mayport, Fl and later they were stationed together in Whiting Field, Florida.
Tomorrow we head out to the Smokies.  Can't wait.
Thanks for traveling with us.  Barbara and Chris

Greetings from Savannah, Georgia

Well folks, it has been a year since we started this adventure and we are still married.  We did outgrow our 27ft class A motorhome and in April we upgraded to our new winnebago that is 3 feet longer.  We are now ready to get serious and do some real travels.
We have just started out on our second trip.  We are calling this our coast to coast.  Today we went to the Atlantic Ocean off he beaches of Tybee Island.   Our goal is to reach the Pacific Coast after visiting the Great Lakes but before returning to the Gulf of Mexico.   I hope to keep up with journaling from each campsite.
So far this first 100 miles has been very expensive.  Miss C has chewed up Chris' glasses.  He called the VA to see if he could get a replacement.   They laughed when he told them the dog had chewed the lens.   Bad dog.  Then this morning Miss C chewed one of his $12000 hearing aids.  Bad Chris for not putting them away.  He called a different department in the VA and they are sending a replacement.  Your tax dollars going to a good cause.  For now I am traveling with the deaf and blind.  Makes for an interesting time.
Savannah is beautiful.   I could just sit for hours in any of the 29 city squares/parks.  It is amazing that A man could design a city so beautiful even though it would not be completed until many years after his death.  We downloaded an e-book of self guided walks and today we took one of the three walks...with both dogs in tow.  It was so hot.  I can't wait to get to Wisconsin where the temps will be reasonable.  The dogs did great and we were able to walk almost 3 miles.  We are staying in a state park on skidaway island.  There are numerous beautiful trees covered in Spanish moss.
I feel very blessed to be on this journey.  My grandson Andrew put our life in perspective.  Before we left Pensacola, we spent a few nights parked in my son's driveway.  Andrew, who is almost 18 and recently graduated from high school, asked how we pay for the rv, our travels, our food, etc.  He wanted to know where the money was coming from since neither of us were working.  We explained about pensions, social security, 401, etc.  when we were done he said "wow!  Do you feel like you won the lottery?"   Yes I do feel like we have won the lottery.  Yes we worked hard, and yes we planned for our retirement,  but many people work very hard and plan for retirement the best they can but never have the life we are privileged to have.  So each time I see something new I will be thankful that I did win the Lottery.
Peace to all, family and friends.