About HappyCamper50

Born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana. Worked at Indiana University for almost 27 years. Love to travel, garden and read. I will be 50 this year and am on a journey to find out what I want to be when I grow up. I love bacon but, hate it ON anything. I have a fear of wagon wheel pasta. When I go shopping, I never take the box, jar or bag in the front because it's been touched. I've been very fortunate to have travelled to some amazing places and look forward to learning, growing, laughing and living.

News Flash! Not, really…just an update on my whereabouts.

Posted on January 17, 2015 by HappyCamper50

So, I haven’t written in a while……It’s not because there has been nothing to write about, it’s just that something’s are difficult to describe and put down on paper. Plus, I’ve just spent the last week sick with the flu or a really bad cold, whichever it was. I don’t care as long as I’m feeling better today. One thing about living in an RV, if someone gets sick, you hope and pray it’s not you, but it seems inevitable that it will be you. My mom has tried to stay as far away from me as living in a motor home will allow, which is not far. I wiped down everything with Lysol wipes and try to keep my heaping pile of snotty Kleenex away from her. The other day panic ensued when she had a spoon in her mouth that I had just used….but thankfully she washed it first. Whew! Crisis averted! I am left wondering how the hell I got sick because I am an avid hand washer and hand sanitizer user. Almost to the point of obsession….I said ALMOST. I don’t believe I’ve used a handrail in the last 20 years. Mom and my sister Beth say it’s because of that, that I now have no antibodies to protect me. We discussed me going to the nearest mall to lick a handrail in order to get some. Ewwwww.

We are now sitting at a Starbuck’s because the RV resort that we are currently in has free WiFi….oh, that is code for “we don’t really have it, we pretend in order to get people to stay here”. When we arrived here at Gulf Water’s RV resort in Fort Myers, we were given two WiFi codes. Mine would allow me to get email subject lines…but not the actual content of the email, but mom’s was great….she would get the whole email! But, the excitement didn’t last because they shut mom’s code off because (and yes I am quoting the RV park manager here) “you have used more bandwidth then anyone in the entire park”. I had a hardy, mucusy laugh at that one. One of the park employees said that Facebook and YouTube used a lot of bandwidth (pretending that she knew what that actually was)….which mom does not use either of. I guess that the retiree’s at this park use a stone tablet and a chisel to send messages to friends and family members. Luckily, I have unlimited data on my cell phone, so I’ve been relying on that instead. But, it’s difficult to write a blog with that teeny tiny key pad.

So, that brings me to what I’ve been up to…..We were supposed to stay in Cudjoe Key until January 19th. But, we both felt like we were on a deserted island and realized that Island life was just not for us. I know people will think “how can Key West be boring”. Well, I’m not a big partier and if you don’t like booze filled, smoke-filled evenings with drunk people, then this place is not for you. Yes, they are all like that…but, to each his own and they can keep that place. Key West is also not known for their beaches. I believe that we only had one day at a beach that didn’t have TONS of seaweed/grass washed up on it. There are no natural beaches in Key West and every bit of the sand is trucked in from another part of Florida. I know that some of you are most likely shedding a tear for me right now…Beth…but, don’t. We decided to head up to civilization before we both became suicidal, plus we were sick of driving 40 minutes to a KFC.

Anyway, We had some bad karma going on down there too. My dad, niece, two nephews, my great-nephew, my nieces husband and my nephews girlfriend all flew down for Christmas. (My sister Beth was supposed to come but had to have an emergency appendectomy and couldn’t fly) We rented a house for them in the RV resort my mom and I were staying at. The evening that they arrived, my nephew had a terrible accident and we all thought that he was dead. STOP! He is fine. But, let’s just say that there was a lot of blood and we were all extremely traumatized by it. I still have nightmares about it. He only had 6 staples put in his head and had a concussion, but thankfully he is fine. I’m not sure that rest of us will be! We did try to have some fun after that. We rented Jet Ski’s one day and went on a 90 minute bone jarring ride around the entire island of Key West. To let you know how much fun it was: My mom and dad were waiting for us on the beach and when we returned, my niece, Samantha, got off the jet ski and yelled “I F—ING HATED THAT!” Mom and dad cracked up laughing, but she was dead serious. I was torn between loving and hating it because we went VERY fast, which I enjoyed, but it was really rough and I’m surprised that someone hasn’t gotten killed doing it yet. I had blisters on my hands from hanging on and we were all pretty sore the next day….not to say that is any reflection of what great shape we are all in.

After we took everyone to the airport, we were depressed and then topped off the holidays with me getting a $130 speeding ticket on New Year’s eve. So, we decided to get the hell out of there before a hurricane came.

We spent one night in the Midway Campground in the Everglades on our way up to Fort Myers. The campground was small, I think it only had 30 spaces and no water or sewer hook ups. You could not even get a cell phone signal. We had to get in the car and drive 30 miles in order to call home. I was afraid to actually get out of the RV and walk to the car in the dark because we were given a flyer when we checked in about the alligator’s in the pond and what not to do when we saw one. All that I could imagine was one hiding under the camper waiting for a snack. And if it did try to eat you how would you call an ambulance?

We did spend the day taking an air boat tour. Driving thru the Everglades is certainly a lot different then riding thru the marshes on an air boat. It was very beautiful there. Our tour guide reminded me of someone who might be in the witness protection program. His beard didn’t look quite “real”, he had these mirrored sunglasses on the whole time and had some pretty interesting tattoo’s. He was actually very enthusiastic about the Everglades though and knew a lot about the Indian tribes and the wildlife there. But, the greatest part was that I got to hold an alligator. He was surprisingly soft. I kind of liked him….the alligator, not the tour guide. Although my sister Beth would’ve definitely given him her phone number…the tour guide, not the alligator.

So, here we are in Fort Myers. We are leaving on Monday to head further up the coast and will spend a week in Palmetto before going to Sarasota. We plan on staying in Sarasota until March 1. But, if I’ve learned anything on this trip, it is that you never know what you will feel like when you wake up each morning and what you may want to do. So, We’ll see what happens next.

So, I’ve probably left a lot out….but, hopefully the next place we stay has great WiFi and I won’t have to go sit at a Starbucks all day!

Turning 50 and thankful.

Posted on November 28, 2014 by HappyCamper50

Yesterday was my 50th birthday. Does that make me old now? Because I certainly don’t feel any older and I definitely don’t feel any wiser. We decided to do something special, so we booked a hotel in Miami Beach and drove up for the night. We stayed at a really cute little hotel right on the beach called The Beacon.

It was just what we needed. Hotel, night out, Mojito’s and king crab legs.

What more could you ask for, for the big 5 0? Well, not much. But, here are a few things that we saw in Miami Beach that everyone could use:

Seriously though, do women actually wear these things? All I can think about is how painful it would be. Maybe I am getting old.

I was going to say something philosophical about turning 50. But, I remembered something a very wise woman once said “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” So, I’ll just leave you with one piece of wisdom that I think I’ve finally accepted. Life is too short to waste on things or people who SUCK! See, isn’t that profound?

11/27:

Today is Thanksgiving! So a BIG Happy Thanksgiving to you all. We’ve been feeling homesick and I think holidays make it harder to be away. Our family never spends holidays apart and this was not an easy day. Fortunately, we will be together for Christmas, so I think we will survive. I always thought that the saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder” was bullshit, but maybe there is something to it after all. Or maybe it just applies to your family. No matter how crazy they drive you when you are around each other, you still miss them when they are away. Although I do really miss pumpkin pie right now too. Okay, so it applies to family and pie. Can someone send me a piece of pumpkin pie? Anyone?

To all of my family and friends, I am thankful for all of you. I’m serious.

Happy Trails.

Love a Sea Turtle

Posted on November 26, 2014 by HappyCamper50

We went to the Turtle Hospital today. They currently have 43 turtles, 13 are permanent residents and cannot be released due to their injuries. It’s such a sad thing to see, but they are such beautiful creatures and all of the proceeds from the admission price goes directly back to running the hospital and helping the turtles get back into the wild. The day before we came they had released 2 of them into the Everglades and they had received 3 new hatchlings. They had turtles injured by boats, by fishing hooks and by things they had eaten, like fishing line and plastic bags. When the turtles eat those things they get sick and sometimes get life threatening infections. Our guide told us that if you see a turtle floating, then the turtle is sick and needs help. They have people who actually sleep at the facility 24 hours a day so they came come to the rescue when someone calls to report a sick or injured turtle.

The tour lasted 90 minutes and was very interesting. I did not know that there are only 7 species of sea turtles in the world and 5 of them, they have in Florida. Loggerhead, Green, Leatherback, Hawksbill and Kemp’s Ridley, which is the rarest sea turtle in the world and there are only about 1,000 of them left.

The saddest thing was to see the ones that had been injured by propellers and as their shells healed, bubbles formed under them, causing them to float to the surface and not be able to dive for food any longer. The Turtle hospital puts weights on their shells to help them dive. If the turtles with this condition are not found, they will get weak and starve. Luckily, someone had found the ones here and they would be helped.

Mantee heaven…Blue Spring State Park.

Posted on November 16, 2014 by HappyCamper50

We went to Blue Spring State park yesterday and it was really worth the trip. It’s about an hour from Orlando in a small town called Orange City. We had planned to camp here, but after our experience at Tokoma State park, decided to skip staying here. The park is well-known for being a sanctuary for Manatee’s. Not too long ago, they even allowed people to swim with them, but they close the spring when the Manatee’s start their migration here in late fall. Unfortunately, the spring was closed to swimming when we visited. The park is small and reminiscent of the movie “Creature from the Black Lagoon”, with the blue-green water and big over-hanging mossy trees. In Fact, episodes of “The Lost Mermaids” series from Underwater with Jacque Cousteau were filmed here.

You can rent tube’s and canoe’s when they allow swimming and float down the St. Johns River from the spring head. This was ever more surprising after seeing the large alligator’s resting on half-sunken logs. After seeing them, I’m not sure I would like to swim here after-all. There are several signs saying “swim at your own risk”. And I wondered how many swimmers they’ve lost? Or parts of swimmers!

There were quite a few Manatee’s floating by and even a baby or two. Their tails propelled them down the river and made them look like very large, bulbous mermaids. The water was a really bright green and looked both ominous and inviting at the same time. I wanted to just stick my toe in the water to see how warm it felt, since it is supposed to be a constant 73 degrees summer and winter, but they have the walkways that go down into the water roped off now. Waaaaa. So, I’ll have to just imagine how warm it was. I hope to come back some day and maybe swim…if the alligators don’t look too hungry.

Kennedy Space Center…unexpectedly AWESOME!

Posted on November 16, 2014 by HappyCamper50

I am not a space nerd, have never watched Star Trek or any show like that (on purpose) and have never really been that interested in “space travel”. That is why I was so surprised at the awesomeness of the Kennedy Space Center. It may be in their “presentation”, but this place is….AWESOME. We took an Up-close tour, which I would highly recommend, and got to see two launch pads, the Saturn V rocket, the Space shuttle Atlantis, the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) and a giant “crawler” that transported the rockets. Before you get to see the space shuttle Atlantis and before you get to see the massive Saturn V rocket, you are shown a presentation of the events leading up to and the launch, before the doors open to these exhibits. At the Apollo/Saturn center, the presentation is made in a room that has all of the original control consoles used during the launch. At the Atlantis exhibit, you are shown a move about the concept, design, production, failures and success of the shuttle idea. Then this giant door opens up to the actual Atlantis shuttle. It is very moving and makes you want to cry. When the giant door opens up to the Space Shuttle Atlantis, it takes your breath away…yes I’m serious. Go see it! Then let me know how many of you actually cry.

Our guide told us that someone reviewed the park and said “It was lame, there are no rollercoasters here.” No, there are no rollercoasters, but you get to see history! Our history, up close and personal. If you are not moved by this place, then I’m not sure what would move you. The inventions that came out of the space program has not only saved lives, but made life better for all of us. I’m not sure if young children or even teenagers would understand the impact that the space program has had on the world, hell I didn’t. Without it we wouldn’t have TV remote controls, scratch-resistant lenses, invisible braces, memory foam, cordless tools, etc….the list goes on. Who knew? I’m so glad we came here and didn’t even miss not getting to ride a roller coaster!

Happiest place on earth?

Posted on November 16, 2014 by HappyCamper50

We decided to get out of the Tokoma State Park and move on over to the Fort Wilderness Campground early. The park was scary and they really should not allow RV’s that are the size of mine in the park. Driving to our campsite was one of those “thread the needle” experiences and the sand road kept getting narrower and narrower. By the time the road was just wide enough for me to squeeze thru, I reached the campsite. Since the road is so narrow, it was not an easy task to back into the site without taking out a shrub. Fortunately, it didn’t do any damage to my camper! But, it became clear to me, why the park ranger looked at me funny and said “Have you ever been here before?” I thought it was just a random question that he asked everyone, but the look on his face made the meaning change to “Are you seriously going to try to get into one of these campsites?” During my research for campsites I specifically called this park to ask if they had any height/length restrictions and was told “no”……Maybe they need to think about that and tell people “No, BUT….”

So, off we went to Fort Wilderness! The drive was short….the kind I prefer, and this campground is pretty much what you’d expect from Walt. The park has 1788 campsites and 408 cabins! Wholly smoke! We were greeting with “Howdy!” and asked if we needed any help backing into our site. Due to the recent Tomoka State Park incident…I said “Yes!”. One of the employee’s actually came and parked my camper for me! How nice is that? All sites are paved and have a small sandy area behind them with a picnic table and grill. There are recycle stations in front of your campsite and the post with your campsite number has a plug for your golf cart. (And I thought the Hilton Head RV resort was nice!). We parked and set up and then headed up to get our golf cart….yes, it is necessary to get around, I did not just get one because I am lazy, this campground is massive.

We decided to just visit the Walt Disney World park this time because mom really wants to see the “Harry Potter” stuff at the Universal Studios. We had a perfectly beautiful day for our visit. A boat takes you from the campground to the park entrance which was great not to have to worry about parking. And the park has changed the rules so that everyone gets four “fast passes” for the rides for free! Last year when mom and I came to one of the Disney parks, you had to purchase a fast pass and we didn’t because we didn’t know if it was worth it. The day SUCKED, because we were in line most of the day and I think we only got to ride two things.. So, it was nice to get to jump the line at 4 of the rides this time and we actually got there early enough to ride other things that we didn’t have to wait too long for. I don’t care how old you get, it’s still exciting. I still love the Haunted Mansion, the Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean. And when you are too pooped to walk anymore, The Carousel Of Progress is a good place to rest.

I still believe that they need to have an “adults only” day though, not because of the kids really, but because of the number of gigantic strollers that the parents bring to the park. Some of those strollers are the size of small cars. When my sisters and I were little, our family did not even own a stroller. Mom said that if you were too tired to walk, then you needed to go home and go to bed! It certainly does open your eyes to how spoiled kids are these days. There were very few people with children, that we saw, that did not have a stroller and the size of these kids in those strollers was pretty astonishing. I would swear that I saw a kid that looked like he was a teenager riding in one. And then the ultimate in spoiled brats rolled by: In a stroller, IN DISNEY WORLD, with an iPhone in her hand playing a game! WHAT? You are in Disney and you are SO bored that you have to play a game on an IPhone? Good LORD! I must say that we also saw some really well-behaved kids too, but they were usually with people who I assume were their grandparents. Those were the kids that were actually walking on their own and actually seemed engaged in what was going on around them.

Here are my recommendations: Go early. Make a reservation for lunch or dinner at one of the full service restaurants …because you will not be able to get one on the day you go and because you will be tired and it will be nice to sit down and relax for a bit before heading back out there! Take the train at the front of the park to the back of the park and work your way forward. You will beat the crowd back there and get in line faster. Choose your “fast passes” wisely. If they are too close together, you do not have time to wander. Make them for later in the day. By the end of the day, it was nice not to have to wait in line anymore and you will be tired and who wants to wait in line when they are tired

“Life is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve…”Henry Van Dyke.

Posted on November 8, 2014 by HappyCamper50

Gloria F. Bryant

Yesterday we received some tragic news. My aunt Gloria was killed in a car wreck several days ago. She was with her boyfriend and several other people who all lost their lives when they hit a semi-truck while driving thru Arkansas. The last time that I saw her, was on the cruise that me, my sister and mom were also on last year. So that is how I will remember her, enjoying her life and traveling to wonderful places. My heart goes out to my cousins, Larry, Teresa, Mike, Mark and Johnny. I think that we are all still in shock over her death and also reminded of how short our time is here on earth and just how precious it is. Rest in Peace Gloria.

Friendly Floridians

Posted on November 8, 2014 by HappyCamper50

I think it was inevitable that I would get sick during my travels, but even though you know its bound to happen it still SUCKS. I had not felt well for about a week, so decide to suck it up and go see a doctor. We spent 4 hours in the walk-in clinic in St. Augustine….boy, that was fun! Fortunately, there was a little girl waiting with her mom and grandmother that kept the entire waiting room entertained, otherwise there may have been some violence! Turns out I have “”Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo”….Yes, it is official….I’m DIZZY! For the past several years, I thought that I was having ear infections, but according to this doctor, I do not have an ear infection. So, He does the “Epley Maneuver” to try to fix it, which is basically flinging you backwards with your head tilted to the side to induce an episode of vertigo. It was like being on Mr. Toad’s wild ride without being in a teacup. It was supposed to re-adjust the crystals that were in my ear canal. So far….nothing. It’s not that I’m dizzy ALL the time, it’s just that I don’t feel….right and if I looked up or bend down…or look in a different direction very quickly, then I have horrible vertigo and almost fall down. It probably looks like I’m drunk. Maybe I should just get drunk and stay that way until this passes! I’m hoping this will run it’s course soon, because it’s exhausting.

**Last night, my eye was itching so I rubbed it. I got up and my mom looked at me and said “Oh, My GOD, what just happened?” I’m not sure what happened or what bit me but my eye swelled shut in 3 minutes flat. Mom had to run to the drug store and get some eye wash and eye drops that were recommended by the pharmacist. I swear to god, someone has a VooDoo doll with my name on it.**

Despite my vertigo affliction, we have been roaming our new location. we went to the Jacksonville zoo two days ago. I have a love/hate relationship with zoo’s, because I still find myself wanting to see the animals. When you are a kid, seeing exotic animals that you normally only read about or see on TV, was such a big deal. It was a thrill. When you are little, you don’t understand what being in a zoo is possibly like for the animal. I remember going to a “zoo” here in Florida one time and we thought it was funny because there was a chimpanzee going crazy in this tiny round cage. At no time did we think “Oh how horrible for that poor animal”. Now as an adult, I still get thrilled with seeing wild animals, but it’s also difficult to see them in these small enclosures and cages. Some of the exhibits were pretty large, but most of them were really small and some of them were dismal. The Bonobo exhibit was really, really crappy. Most of the zoo left me feeling sad. (There was a turtle humping another turtle…that was pretty funny, but otherwise…it was sad.)

Today we went to the Castillo de San Marcos, the fort here in St. Augustine. Another place I visited when I was little, but do not remember the least little bit!

It was interesting but I imagine that when I was little, that all I probably wanted to do was go to the beach. Actually, I was wishing that I was at the beach this time too!

One thing that both my mother and I have noticed here in Florida is how friendly people are. The day we spent in the walk-in clinic, we met a woman who was with her mother and her 3-year-old daughter. (This was the little girl who entertained the office while we all waited.) We learned that the young woman was pregnant, when her due date was, that the Grandmother had just moved in with them and she had run out of her medicine, which no doctor seemed to care about. Her little girl, Jazzilyn, was incredibly friendly and immediately gravitated toward my mom and wanted her to read her a book. Then, last night at dinner we met a woman, her brother and her mother. Her mother was 90 years old, her brother had a horrible car wreck 20 years ago in which the doctor’s told them that he would never walk again. Surprising everyone, he was walking. His wife left him after 5 years and he now lived with her. It seems that everyone we have met here are VERY interested in sharing their life stories. Some people might find this annoying, but I actually find it fascinating. I don’t believe that I have ever been in a doctor’s office back home and someone’s child interacted with strangers the way this little girl did. And I certainly never went out to dinner back home and had complete strangers tell me their life stories. I’m sure not everyone in Florida is like this, but so far, we’ve been lucky enough to meet some pretty nice people. Maybe it’s all of this sun. Maybe the farther south you go, the friendlier the people get!

Another thing that we have noticed is that everyone we meet in the campgrounds automatically wonder where “the husband” is. Yesterday, when I was getting some things out from under the camper, a man walked by and said “I noticed you are the one doing all the work around here, where’s your husband?” I told him that I was traveling with my mom and he said “Were did you learn how to do all of this stuff?” First of all, what the hell? Is it 1950? Seriously, every couple we have met have asked those types of questions. Today mom was talking to a couple and they wanted to know, if it was just the two of us, then who was driving the RV? Like, surely a WOMAN is not driving that thing! Mom explained that I was driving it and they were both shocked. And They are not the first ones we have met that expressed that sentiment either. I’m not sure I understand what’s going on here. Surely, I’m not the only female that drives an RV? I also know that no one wants to hook up the sewer hose, but how hard is that? You can read how to do all of this stuff on-line! That’s where I’ve learned to do most of it. The next thing you know someone will ask me where I learned to read! Maybe I should start a single, female RVer’s web site for those of us that are apparently….surprisingly competent.

Happy Trails to all the competent females out there!

I thought I’d died and gone to Hilton Head.

Posted on October 28, 2014 by HappyCamper50

Last week, we stayed in Hilton Head Island. I had never been there and I got the chance to learn the difference between a campground and a motorcoach resort. OMG! That place was AWESOME! Our camp site at the Hilton Head Motorcoach Resort was a completely bricked patio with a deck overlooking a lake, complete with a chiminea and patio furniture. The resort was beautifully landscaped and had fabulous pool, tennis courts and bike paths to the beach. We were so spoiled. We spent the week exploring. On 10/26 we took a drive to Beaufort South Carolina. It was named one of the best small towns in America by National Geographic. It’s a small, quaint town right along a river and it was very pretty and had a lot of big beautiful old southern houses. We walked along the river and ate lunch and watched the people go by. On 10/27 we went to Savannah. Another city that I’ve never been to. We got in line at Misses Wilkes Boarding House for lunch. The people start lining up in the mornings and we got there about 10:30 and there were about 25 people already in line. By the time they open at 11:00, the line was all the way down the street and around the corner. They only serve until 2:00pm, so I guess if you don’t there early, then you will not get served. They take about 10 people in at a time and sit them at big tables and serve you family style. We didn’t have to wait long until we got to go in. They had an entire table full of food waiting for you….Fried Chicken, green beans, collared greens, creamed corn, baked beans, cole slaw, squash, potatoes, okra, pulled pork, mac and cheese, cabbage, corn bread…etc. There was a LOT of food and then you got a small dish of banana pudding for dessert. It was good food, but I don’t know if I would’ve waited in line for hours for it. Then when you are finished, you have to take your plate and glass to the kitchen. That was weird, but I guess it’s tradition.

After lunch we took a tour of the Mercer Mansion. The house from the movie “Midnight in the garden of good and evil”. The sister of the person the movie was about, now owns the house. They tour guide didn’t talk about the murder that happened there, just about him being an art dealer and how he was responsible for the restoration of 70 of Savannah’s old mansions. I imagine they are not allowed to bring that up. I loved that movie. You should rent it if you’ve never seen it. There were pictures of the owner with Kevin Spacey all over the house.

After that we took a tour of the city. There are a lot of parks and a lot of big old beautiful mansions here. It really is a beautiful place, but of course we only see the nice parts. We went on a ghost tour at night on one of the local trolley’s. We met a couple from Ohio on the tour. The husband swore that everywhere he went he got pictures of orb’s and he also said that he saw a ghost in Gettysburg! His wife just laughed at him and he said that he was surrounded by skeptics at home (head nod in her direction). He also told us a story about him seeing his dead grandfather when he was little and his wife just rolled her eyes, but I told him that we were going to stick next them him because he seemed to draw ghosts to him. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any ghosts or any orbs at all. I thought is was a fun tour, but I start giggling and people get really pissed when they think you are making fun of the ghost hunting thing. I took this picture of mom and started cracking up and had to work really hard to make myself stop laughing….look at this….is that NOT funny?

She was pointing at the couch because the tour guide said a ghost was always seen sitting on that couch. I said “point to the couch where the ghost sits”….

The last couple of days there spent enjoying the beaches and sights of Hilton Head Island, doing some camper maintenance and getting a much-needed haircut. There is one end of the island that you have to pay $6.00 to just drive thru, which is ridiculous. I think they just want to make sure that the riff raff that cannot afford $6.00, stay out. Fortunately, there are other beaches on the Island and BOY do they know how to make beach going swanky! The walkways to the beach have: restrooms, little individual changing rooms, covered decks with Adirondack chairs and swings, an area right off the beach with foot sprayers to wash the sand off your feet and even a long walkway that is made out of this mesh like stuff so that you can almost go all the way out to the water without getting sand in your shoes! OMG! Why have I never been here? Probably because I am not rich.. Oh….yeah, damn it. Oh well. I guess my future will only contain beaches with none of these things and I’ll have to wash my sandy feet off with a common garden hose. Boo Hoo.

We made our way to St. Augustine today. It was not a long drive but the wind was so bad that I had trouble keeping the RV on the road. There were wind advisories all the way down here and I was glad when we finally made it here, not to mention that I’ve had a bad case of vertigo for the last couple of days which makes driving interesting all on it’s own. Our campground certainly isn’t the Hilton Head Motorcoach resort, but I like it all the same. I actually like the sandy camp site because it lets you know that you are in Florida. Finally! We made it our goal to be in Florida by November 1st and here we are. Unfortunately, it was pretty cold today….54 degrees. We saw people wearing big winter coats and hats! You can certainly tell the people who live down here from the ones that come from cooler climates because they all have shorts on. We will be here for a week before heading on. St. Augustine is another place that I came to as a child, but remember very little of.

I think I must be 3 or 4 in this picture. That’s me in the yellow and green swim suit with the giraffe on it.

We have been on the road for 1 month now and I’m always excited to see what’s next. We have met some pretty interesting people, that all seem to have the same wonder lust that we do. Some of them have been able to make their dream of traveling come true, while others are still in the planning stages. I have yet to meet anyone on the road that has a negative reaction to our traveling plans. Everyone one we talk to is very encouraging and supportive. It’s nice to have people encourage your crazy dream and tell you that you are NOT crazy.

To recap, we have been to: Indiana, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire , Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Maryland, D.C., Delaware, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. I may have forgotten some, but that’s the states that I can remember at the moment.

Not only is this a once in a life time trip, but I will also be turning 50 this month. It’s the perfect set up for a little reflection, don’t you think? It’s difficult to believe that all of the things that have happened to me this year have been a series of coincidences. Some seem to think that it is a little divine intervention. The big guy up there cutting me some slack maybe. I’m not sure I know which one it is, but it is hard to wrap my mind around all of the things that have had to fall into place in order to put me here, in this place, at this moment. I mean…think about it. What are the odds that I would get laid off, sell my house to the previous owners son (that lives in Zürich, Switzerland), have no attachments, find the perfect RV AND be going thru a major midlife crisis all at the perfect times? Either someone is looking out for me or I’m just lucky. And I have to tell you, I AM NOT, nor have I ever been, lucky (except for that one time when I was 13 and won a room full of carpet). After the previous year that I’ve had, I was beginning to truly think the opposite, that someone hated me and put a hex on me. I had this black cloud following me around….a BIG BLACK CLOUD! I’ve always been a ‘half glass full” kind of person, but last year…my glass was pretty dry….Sahara dry. So, What do you think? Divine Intervention? Luck? Did the Hex just wear off? Are we solely responsible for making our life suck or not suck? So, many questions….I think I’ll leave those for another day. Good night all. And as always, Happy Trails.

D.C. and Williamsburg Virginia….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Posted on October 21, 2014 by HappyCamper50

10/20: Took the train into D.C. yesterday. There is so much to do there, but we didn’t have time to do everything that I wanted to. We went to the Holocaust Museum first and it was difficult to see. There were several people who brought their small children to see it and I’m not sure that it is something that I would want my kids to see at such a young age. I think that it would be difficult to explain. There are a lot of very graphic photos and video’s all over. While some of the most graphic are somewhat hidden behind half walls so they can’t see them, I think the ones that are visible are bad enough. I was okay until I got to the special section called “Daniel’s Story”. It’s the story from a child’s diary, telling about what life was like before and after Hitler took over and how he survived being in a concentration camp. His sister and mother did not survive.

We went to the Smithsonian’s Natural History museum for the sole purpose of seeing the Hope Diamond. It is one of the few things that I remembered seeing when we came here on a family vacation when I was little. Unfortunately, that part of the museum was closed. I was so disappointed because I wanted to see if it was anything like I remembered. Here’s is a picture from that trip:

I was also a little sad because the museum was a little run-down. They really need to do some refurbishing or at least paint the walls! We went to one of the IMAX shows playing and it was pretty cool.

The people there were so nice. A policeman helped us get the correct train tickets and even took us over to the machine and made sure we got what we needed. Then a security guard in the Smithsonian actually walked with us outside and made sure we knew which way to go in order to get to the Ford’s Theatre. It was unexpected but a pleasant surprise and made up for the rude people of Massachusetts. We walked around and went to the International Spy Museum and were going to go to Madam Trousseau’s, but they were closed. I was shocked that a lot of the attractions closed at 6:00pm! We really didn’t get to do any of the things that we had hoped to do while here, like going to the White House…but, maybe next time.

10/21: Made the uneventful drive to Williamsburg. Realized that KOA campgrounds are the best places to stay. Out of all the campgrounds we have stayed in so far, the KOA’s are the cleanest and nicest. This one is no exception. The site has a brick patio and a swing! They have “ambassadors” that actually take you to your campsite instead of just handing you a map and letting you go find it. This is such a nice touch. They really do make you a Happy Camper.

10/22: Rained all day here. So, we went to the Williamsburg Outlet stores. I really need to stay away from there! They had the best stores! Not the usual “outlet” crap you usually find at outlet stores. They had actual items that would be sold in the NON-outlet store. It was a good day to stay inside though and watch something on Netflix.

10/23: We went to Colonial Williamsburg today. I remember nothing of this place from our visit during my childhood. It was interesting but not some place that I would actually go out of my way to visit again. We had a short tour of one of the “taverns” and learned what it was like back in the 1700’s. Supposedly George Washington visited the one we were in. Really didn’t think much of it, so we came back to the campground and did laundry. It was about 68 degrees and sunny today, much better than yesterday, but I’m ready to move further south and enjoy some really warm weather. Tomorrow we will head to North Carolina and stay in Fayetteville one night on our way to Hilton Head. I am SO looking forward to sticking my toes in some sand.

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Author Archives: HappyCamper50

About HappyCamper50

News Flash! Not, really…just an update on my whereabouts.

Turning 50 and thankful.

Love a Sea Turtle

Mantee heaven…Blue Spring State Park.

Kennedy Space Center…unexpectedly AWESOME!

Happiest place on earth?

“Life is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve…”Henry Van Dyke.

Friendly Floridians

I thought I’d died and gone to Hilton Head.

D.C. and Williamsburg Virginia….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.