Oh The Places I've Been

I know, I know, there hasn’t been a new entry here since last August, and even then I was blogging about things that had happened in March. I hope this post marks a new beginning and a rededication of my time to keeping this blog current. It seems the further I got behind, the weaker the motivation was to reach back to events several months old. So, beginning with the next post, I’ll catch up on a relatively recent trip, and I have the best intentions not to get more than a couple weeks behind - at most - after that. My actual goal is to blog on the day or the day after I’ve visited each interesting sight. But fear not, I still want to share the great adventures I’ve had since last March, and intend to fill in those posts as time permits. (One thing that finally gave me the impetus to make this leap forward is that I learned how to post entries in the order they happened, rather that the order I write them.)

As I write this, the previous entry is about the Builtmore Mansion, but over time you should see entries fill in the gap between then and now, as well as new contemporary entries proceed forward from here. Just to give you a taste, here’s a list of highlights from my travels since March 2015: Blue Ridge Parkway, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, Cape Cod, Boston, Lake Placid, Mt. Washington, Portland Maine, The Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Niagra Falls, Colonal Williamsburg and Jamestown, the South Dakota Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Devils Tower, the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Mesa Verde, and Canyon de Chelly. After that, I returned to my home base in San Diego in early August of 2015, but soon took off on another loop to the northwest that included: the California and Oregon coasts, Victoria B.C., Flaming Gorge, Dinosaur National Park, Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, Arches National Park, Canyonlands, Bryce, North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park. When I returned to San Diego in mid-September, I’d put over 35,000 miles on my RV in less than a year. Yes, I know it sounds like a staggering number of places to visit in a year, but it’s been fantastic, and I’ve got photos to document it all.

But I wasn’t done. In late September, I took off on perhaps the greatest adventure of the year. That will occupy the next few posts of this rejuvenated blog.

Among the Clouds - April 1-3, 2015

I’d heard from many sources over the years that the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the most beautiful drives one can take. Thus, I started out along that route with great anticipation, heading north from Asheville.

Build More - March 30, 2015

There were so many highlights of my trip to Asheville, it’s hard to single out one, but the Biltmore Estate is the attraction for which Asheville is best known. I spent most of a day taking it all in, and it is indeed impressive.

Mountain Home - March 28-31, 2015

Many friends had recommended that I make Asheville, NC, one of my stops, and since driving the Blue Ridge Parkway had long been one of my goals, it fit right into my plans. I also had some new friends in town, which ended up adding immensely to my enjoyment.

Taking Flight - March 22-25, 2015

After a lengthy layover in Atlanta, it felt good to hit the road again. I headed to Charlotte, NC to visit a former student, then to the Rayleigh-Durham area to visit relatives, and on to North Carolina’s Outer Banks to see the Wright Brothers Memorial, something I’d always wanted to visit. These stops were just the beginning of a busy campaign I had planned to travel up the East Coast. I didn’t realize a nagging health issue would curtail those plans for weeks to come.

Second Home - Feb 24-Mar 19, 2015

The day I left Charleston, I passed through a cold front on my way to Augusta, and the rain began. I spent a surprisingly cold night at a barebones RV park in Augusta, then headed on to Atlanta, or to be more precise, Milton, about an hour north of central Atlanta. I had friends in Atlanta to visit, and as it turned out, my RV spent a lot more time there than I did.

Down on the Plantation - Feb 22, 2015

The Magnoiia Plantation lies along the Ashley River, a few miles inland from the sea. It is known not just for its plantation house, but for the gardens and wildlife it includes.

Southern Charm - Feb 21, 2015

After a couple days in Savannah too cold to enjoy touring, I was worried that I was trying to push north too early in the season. But the weather turned nice when I arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, and I was able to fully enjoy the many sights the city has to offer.

Cold Savannah - Feb 18, 2015

I went to graduate school in Atlanta, but unfortunately did little touring around. I’d heard that Savannah was a charming, historic city, but never made it over there. Now, I had a chance to correct that. As things turned out, though, Savannah remains on my “to do” list.

Jekyll to Cumberland's Hyde - Feb 16 - 17, 2015

Cumberland Island is a wild and wooly place, intentionally. Jekyll Island, next up the Georgia coast, is much more refined, but not without its wild places. I spent two days touring Jekyll Island and enjoyed an amazing variety of sights.

Into the Wild - Feb 14 - 15, 2015

Cumberland Island, southernmost of the Georgia coastal islands, is a nature preserve. There are no bridges to the island. There are no shops on the island, not even for food. The U.S. Park Service runs two ferries a day, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. They also run just one tour per day. It lasts six hours, has a ranger as the guide, and takes a maximum of twelve people; there were nine of us the day that I took it. Here’s what I found.

In a Clinch - Feb 12 - 13, 2015

Before this, all I knew about Amelia Island is that it’s where reporters like to flock when a hurricane is coming ashore. For me, the weather was great, I had a view of the ocean from my campsite, and there was an interesting but nearly deserted attraction nearby.

Flaglerville - Feb 9 -12, 2015

Henry Flagler made his fortune as one of the founders of Standard Oil, then turned his attention to other interests. One of the best known is the railroad he built south through Florida as far as Key West, but it was really only to serve the cities he’d heavily invested in along the eastern Florida coast: Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Daytona, Palm Beach, etc. Of all these, St. Augustine bears his mark more than any other because of the large number of buildings he built or financed or bought. I found it to be a charming city with much more to see and do than I ever expected.

To Infinity, and Beyond! - Feb 5 - 8, 2015

It was a short drive from Disney World to Titusville, my basestation for visiting the Kennedy Space Center. I’d toured Johnson Space Center outside of Houston many years ago, but, really, the action was at KSC. I was wowed by what I saw.

It's a Small World, After All - Feb 4, 2015

Epcot. I’d been there with my wife and infant daughter about twenty-five years ago, but not since. I figured it was time to see it again. As for the Magic Kingdom, I’d been to Disneyland in California several times and that was a close enough substitute. Animal Adventure I wouldn’t mind seeing - mainly for the animatronic dinosaurs people rave about - but that could wait. With a cousin and uncle in the area, I’d be returning before long. Epcot was more than enough to absorb for one visit.

Myakka - Jan 30, 2014

As I reported in the previous post, I was in Sarasota with the family when my aunt passed away. There was still grieving to do, but we’d done quite a bit during the week she was unconscious in hospice. My cousins, Mike and Stephanie, Stephanie’s husband, Richard, along with my Uncle Bob, were quite capable of making the necessary arrangements. It was time for me to think about getting my touring underway again. Bob had suggested several times while I was in town that I should see Myakka River State Park, just south of Sarasota, before I left. I had the time, since my next goal was Epcot, and I didn’t want to go there on a weekend. After eleven stationary days in Sarasota, Myakka was a nice transition back into the touring lifestyle.

Rain Must Fall - Jan 19-28, 2015

Traveling full time as I do, it’s easy to feel that you’re on one endless vacation. But life goes on, with its joys and its sorrows, independent of your plans.

Walled City - Cruise Days 7 & 8 - Jan 17-18, 2015

I’d had such a good time touring the first set of Mayan ruins, I was really looking forward to seeing more, even though I had no idea how different they’d be. I also found a touring companion with whom I had more in common than I ever expected.

Riding the Banana Boat - Cruise Day 5 - Jan 15, 2015

After two fantastic, but busy days of sightseeing, I was ready for a laid-back day on the beach in Costa Maya, Mexico. I had pre-booked a beach and snorkeling tour through the ship, but things didn’t quite work out that way. They worked out a lot better.

I Belize - Cruise Day 4 - Jan 14, 2015

Our next port was Belize City, in the country of Belize. There is a set of Mayan ruins about 45 minutes outside the city, and, before I ever boarded, I had signed up for a ship-arranged tour. I was glad to hear that my new friends had signed up for the same tour. The ruins were amazing, but we had quite a bit of fun when we returned to the city, too.