After cruising through three wineries thanks to Harvest Hosts on our way to Florida, we had two more locations lined up as tentative stops through the Sunshine State before reaching the Keys. Central Florida experienced extended rainstorms shortly before we arrived, eliminating one of our potential stops since it was simply too muddy to park an RV in the grass. Our second choice was located back a long country dirt road, and as I wrote in the last post, we…
What image pops into your head when you hear the words “wine country”? Maybe the sun-baked hills of Napa Valley in California, dotted with prestigious wineries and high-end cottage restaurants serving hyper-local plates perfectly paired with glasses of wine. Perhaps it’s a vision of the Finger Lakes in New York, with vineyards and wineries sprouting seemingly around every little bend in the road ushering in vanloads of bachelorette parties and organized bus tours. Some of us may wander a bit…
Nestled on the bank of the Tennessee River, the town of Florence in the northwest corner of Alabama plays host to music festivals, seasonal celebrations, a Renaissance faire, and the NCAA Division II Championship Football Game every year. Florence is also the birthplace of W.C. Handy – a composer and musician credited as the “Father of the Blues” – and the town holds a festival every year in his honor, drawing visitors and musicians in droves. A Frank Lloyd Wright…
In the time that’s passed since our last update, we’ve traveled nearly 1,800 miles and traded out chilly fall nights for balmy tropical evenings. As our friends and relatives in the northeast are currently in the midst of a winter storm, we’ve abandoned cold weather and the threat of ice and snow for the season. While we’re glad to be out of freezing temperatures, we both enjoy the changing seasons and the coziness inherent in autumn as the leaves drop…
For those of you following along on our rail adventure, we recently left you from a delayed train on our return ride back to the RV parked in Texas. Fear not – we eventually arrived at McGregor Station only seven hours behind schedule thanks to a debilitated freight train blocking the tracks overnight, followed by a potentially damaged bridge that required inspection before we could safely cross. The bridge, which was maybe six feet long over a ditch about four…
The daily activities experienced during our train-driven visit continued in stark contrast to our recent months spent in New Mexico. Gone was the isolation felt in the wilderness surrounding tiny mountain towns, replaced by near-constant communion with family and abundant opportunities to venture into well-populated areas. Slow days that occasionally threatened a twinge of boredom morphed into a steady river of activities and generally full schedules. Ashley and I continued our separate visits with barely enough free time to miss…
The rail adventure continued as we parted ways with Ashley meeting her family in the greater Johnstown area while I ventured further east to Elizabethtown. I met my brother-in-law at the station and bid the train a fond farewell, welcoming an extended break from so much sitting and waiting. With what I was still anticipating as at least a four or five day span until I could possibly surprise my parents, I spent the time happily catching up with my…
We’ve temporarily swapped the RV for a locomotive and set off on the rails for a trip across the country. Welcome to the first post in a series chronicling the highlights from our rail adventure! After roughly a year away from the home state of our families, we both decided we’d like to arrange a visit whenever possible. Since we planned to spend another winter in the Keys and were currently in New Mexico at the time, driving the RV…
The face of the landscape shifted as we crossed the Oklahoma border, mountains sinking back into the earth and replaced by an ocean of meadow grass expanding in all directions. Humidity reappeared, becoming an ever-present house guest and creating a palpable contrast to the arid climate of New Mexico. The land flattened and the sun disappeared behind an impenetrable blanket of dull soiled cotton clouds. Storm pockets sprouted across the horizon sheeting rain like tentacles dangling from invading alien behemoths….
Our summer of rambling around New Mexico drew to a close at Clayton Lake State Park with the Oklahoma prairie beckoning just beyond the border. The park lies on the edge of the Great Plains with the surrounding area featuring grasslands, sandstone bluffs, and volcanic rocks. We rolled into Clayton Lake hoping to find an available space to park through the upcoming Labor Day weekend. Discovering the park to be nearly empty, we practically had our choice of sites. This…