Winter Excursion 4, Day 152

We did not leave camp today, although Cath did Laundry at the campground laundry.
Here's our pic of the day!

We will post a pic of us in the campground everyday for the next few weeks. Hope everyone is safe and well. Be safe, stay at home, Social Distance, and we will all get through this!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 151

We spent the day "Social Distancing" although we did do some food shopping. The weather this afternoon was great. Got these pics of Cath under the tulip tree behind the camper.

We just watch the campers coming and going. Most are Canadians headed home and only spend one night here.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 150

We had some pretty good thunderstorms this morning so we slept in until 0830! Actually we had nothing else to do!
Later in the morning we went over to the Home Depot in this area. Backstory is when we got to this campground they wanted to see our Good Sam membership card. While I was digging that out I saw two rebate cards ($40 ea) from Home Depot (forgot I had them). I also noticed that they expire the end of this month (3 days left). So we went to Home depot and got a new door mat, a new kitchen mat, and a new set of LED lights to hang from the awning!
Back at camp the campground is almost empty. We watched a few campers come in, but nothing like yesterday.
So a few toddies, a nice dinner, some TV, then off to bed.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 149

The day started at 0630. A couple cups of coffee and then we finished packing and hooking up. We were out of our site by 0800.
On the road we traveled I-81 for 335 miles to our new campground outside of Winchester, VA. The Interstate had lots of trucks, but was not busy for the most part.  It's a nice CG, but it's private and a bit pricey for us, but we do have full hookups! Unless this place closes we will be here until 15 Apr. Here's a pic of the site.

There are lots of Canadians here. Most are doing overnights or maybe two nights while headed home. They are really worried that the borders will be closed!
Cath and I are just going to hunker down here for two weeks. I don't think the blog will be too exciting as we won't be traveling around the area except to get food. Everything is closed! All is well in the Boss Camp!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 148

We hung out at camp today. Got everything packed up and ready to move. A few hands of cards and goodbyes with the neighbors (from 8 ft away)!
Filled up the truck for $1.74! Picked up a pizza for dinner.
Off to bed early as we want to leave early.
I may never drink another Corona again!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 147

The day started out really nice! Sunny with sun in the forecast for the next four days. We had a nice morning getting camp set up and drying things out. We even got a nice walk in and Kaylee had a blast. We met a few other campers from Maine and had a fun talk with them.
Here's a few pics of our campsite in the sun!

Just after cocktail hour we got an email from Tennessee State parks that they are closing starting this Friday. We have to be out of here by Friday, 27 Mar 20 at 1630. Again we are disappointed and have to figure out just where we are going from here. Our next campground was a Virginia State Park, but now they have closed also.
I was able to get a reservation at a private campground near Winchester, VA. We are bummed. We think these CGs are the best place to "social distance", but government has other ideas. It doesn't matter that hundreds of vehicles, bikers, and hikers walk through this these parks every day. It is what it is...we will be moving day after tomorrow! Damn!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 146

While I was drinking my coffee this morning I kept hearing something banging into the camper. Turns out this cardinal keeps banging into the window. I think it's because he can see himself (the windows are black on the outside and act like a mirror). He must be lonely! I tried to get a video, but he hasn't been back.

We left camp this morning and drove to an RV dealer not far from here. We needed a new water pressure regulator. The water pressure has been really low and the regulator was the culprit.
We stopped at the grocery store on the way home and picked up a few things. The store was stocked very well except for the paper isle. Seems everyone still wants all the TP they can get.
Spent the late afternoon playing cards and watching MeTV. The old shows are a hoot. I'll have to get the satellite out tomorrow and see if I can get some reception.
Kaylee says Hi to all and wanted to show off her bowtie.

All is well in the Boss isolation camp!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 145

Well it rained hard almost all last night, but that makes for good sleeping weather. It finally let up a little around 0800. We had pretty much got everything packed up last night so it didn't take long to get on the road. I actually did not get soaked!
Here's a pic of Kaylee with her "Hell no, I don't wanna go" look a few minutes before she had to get into the truck.

We ran the backroads through Tennessee all the way to Warrior Path State Park near Kingsport, TN. It was a strange ride! All the restaurants are closed. A few are doing takeout, but there are not many customers. The fast food joints are drive-thru only so the lines are really long. All the liquor stores are open and crowded! Cath had packed us a lunch so we parked in a restaurant parking lot and had lunch in the truck. I stopped and filled up the truck for $1.74/gal! It rained on and off for most of the trip. The rivers and streams are all really flooded and there are lots of trees down. This is certainly the camping trip of rain!
We got to our new campground around 1500 as we crossed into the Eastern Standard Time Zone. Amazingly we got all set up with no rain! Here's a pic of the site. The campground is not full, but there are campers here from all over.

We will be here for two weeks. We will just hunker down at camp and will probably do hardly any traveling. Looks like cards and TV will be our best friend.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 144

Today was the best weather day we've had in awhile, but rain is forecast for tonight and all day tomorrow.
We all had a lazy morning. After brunch Em had a little work and the rest of us just chilled. We played some "UNO Flip" and had a good laugh. After that we all took a long walk through the campground. The campground is not full, but there are campers here, many with their children.
After a late lunch Em and Joe said goodbye. We had a great few days with them and look forward to seeing them again next year.

After they left Cath and I started packing up the camper as tomorrow is a travel day to Warrior Path State Park in eastern Tennessee. Hopefully we don't get soaked in the morning.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 143

Em, Joe, and I went trout fishing this morning. The 'hole" was crowded and we only saw one fish caught.
After brunch Em and Joe headed out for some sightseeing and hiking. Cath and I did some camp maintenance and played some cards.
We all had a fun late afternoon at the campfire.
Cath made another nice dinner and we spent the evening yakking again, although we did go to bed at a reasonable time.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 142

We left camp this morning and headed to the park laundromat. We met another couple there. They were from Beaverton Oregon! They are doing the same as were are, traveling, so we hit it off. They came over in the afternoon and we all swapped stories for a few hours.
While Cath was doing laundry I went to fill the truck up. Just inside the park is the Liberty Hill School. It was in use when they built the park in 1944.

Emily and Joe showed up around 1700. We had a fun evening telling stories and reminiscing about old times. Joe is a really nice guy and it was great to see Em again.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 141

During my second cup of coffee this morning I had an email pop in. Opened it up and my worst fears about this trip happened. Our next campground (Federal) is closed, all reservations cancelled.
Well our next five campgrounds are all Federal, so we can expect them to close also.
I spent 3 hours this morning cancelling reservations and revising our trip home.
We will go to another Tennessee State Park on Monday for two weeks. My hats off to Tennessee, they have closed the facilities (welcome centers, museums, nature centers, etc), but left the campgrounds and bathhouses open! After that we got a reservation at a Virginia State Park. We are hoping that does not close. Then we got two reservations for private campgrounds in Virginia and Pennsylvania and that will put us home on 17 Apr, two weeks earlier than planned.
Once home I guess we will just hunker down.The next few months are going to be interesting!
I wish the best to all that are reading this blog and that this virus does not turn out to be as bad as the media and public think!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 140

The rain has held off so we took a long drive today. First stop was the Walmart in Dunlap, TN. We were once again amazed. The meat shelves were almost empty, as were the paper products. We hope the hoarding stops soon!
After that we drove to South Pittsburg, TN with hopes of seeing (touring) the Lodge Factory Store and factory. No luck! It was closed due to the virus.
From there we headed north to Arnold AFB thinking we could stock up on wine, bourbon, and maybe some food at the commissary. Again no luck the shelves at the PX we almost empty. Cath went in the commissary with the same result. Looks like rice and beans for the rest of the trip.

We are starting to worry about campgrounds closing. We still have seven weeks to go and all the reservations are at Federal and State Parks. We will see what happens.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 139

We had a nice fire last night until it started raining. Got our wood covered up and then retired to the camper.
Woke up this morning to rain, but it tapered off in the late morning. We took a drive around the park and stopped at one of the waterfalls. Here a really short video. You can see how foggy it was.

The rest of the day and evening we spent at the camper. Finally got a fire started as everything is still wet. A few episodes of Game of Thrones then off to bed.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 138

As we were leaving we got this pic of our new neighbors. Big time KY Cat fans!

We really took our time this morning packing up and leaving Honeycomb. I already made reservations for next year.
Got to our new place around 1430. Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee is really nice, we have been here before.

We were surprised at how crowded it is! We guess it's spring break, coupled with school closures due to Corona Virus BS. Glad we made reservations early.
Here's a pic of our site:

Nice site and there is tons of free firewood, as the park is thinning out the pine due to the pine beetle.

We will hunker down this week and just enjoy the outdoors
All is well in our camp. We are looking forward to seeing Em this weekend..

Winter Excursion 4, Day 137

Of course it rained this morning, but in between we got Ray and Melinda all packed up. We hate to see them go, we will miss the UNO and and all the stories. They were on the road by 1100.
We went to do some shopping for our stay at Fall Creek Falls. We were shocked by the stores! There was no meat, the veggies were almost gone, and the paper products shelves were totally empty! Even the can goods were depleted. We had been reading the news but had no idea how crazy it really was. Everyone is "hoarding".  We do have enough to be able to survive for quite awhile. We think everyone is over reacting!
Off to bed after a great meal. Short drive tomorrow.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 136

Ray and Melinda made a super brunch of polenta, sausage, and eggs. It was yummy and we will make it again.
Ray and I drove to Grant, AL to fill up one of my propane tanks at the Ace hardware store. The cashier was a really nice lady and asked me where I was from. When I told her Ft Drum area she said she was from that area and her husband retired from Ft Drum. Turns out he was in aviation and worked at LSI the same time as I did! Small World!
Ray and Melinda did a little exploring of the area and Cath and I hung out at camp.
Late afternoon Cath and I headed to Huntsville to Rosie's Mexican restaurant where we met Ronnie, Carol, and their clan. It was good to see them all again. We had a great dinner as this restaurant is one of everyone's favorites.

Back at camp it was UNO time again, but this time it was that damn UNO Flip! It just doesn't mix with a few drinks! Lots of laughs and a good time was had by all.
Late to bed again! We will all sleep good as rain is in the forecast and the rain beating on the camper roof puts us to sleep!
It's been a fun weekend with all of our southern friends and we look forward to doing it again next year.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 135

The weather has been cooperating!
We had a lazy morning and did a ton of yakking with our friends. As it is Friday we watched all the weekend campers arriving and setting up. People watching is fun.

We all headed to Wintzell's Oyster House for an early dinner and had a great time and a good seafood meal.
Back at camp we sat by the fireplace for awhile until it started raining, then retired to the camper for some UNO. We had a wonderful time and had lots of laughs. We played until almost 2300! There might have been a few ABs involved!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 134

Cath did laundry this morning and I did some camp chores.
The weather was really nice all day, but rain is in the forecast for tonight.
We spent the afternoon sitting outside enjoying the weather. Got a pic of this guy. He usually hangs around the campground fishing.

We see a lot of these bass boats. They race around the lake almost all day. I have yet to see any of them catch a fish in front of camp.

Ray and Melinda arrived around 1700. They got all set up and then we had a chili dinner. Cath tried a new recipe and it was excellent. We have plenty leftover, but will freeze it for later.
We spent the evening by the fire with Ray and Melinda until the rain started. It's been a fun day!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 133

Ronnie Jr. came over for lunch and spent the afternoon with us. We had a great time reminiscing about our times in Germany. We drove over and checked out the Guntersville dam. Due to all the rain the water level was really high. Ran into this guy while we were there.

We met Jen for dinner at Tortora's Wood Fired Grille a few miles up the road. It rained like crazy on the way up. The food was great and the four of us had a good time.
It was actually a rain free evening and Cath and I spent some time by the fireplace.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 132

Left camp around 1130 to get Cath's new ID card. All went well as we had an appointment. The lady that took care of us was great. Here's a pic of her office wall. She is a Dallas Cowboy fan, but we didn't hold that against her...LOL.

We did some shopping after that. Back at camp the usual, cards, dinner, shows and off to bed.
It rained most of the morning, but cleared a little in the afternoon and evening. Rain is still in the forecast everyday for the next ten! We will see what Mother Nature brings.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 131

We had a very lazy day. We hardly left the camper, although the weather may have had something to do with that! It rained all day...again!
We binged watched some old shows (War & Remembrance), had a nice dinner, some cards, and off to bed.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 130

We started a small brisket on the egg this morning. I tended it all day and finally took it off around 1500.
Once again the wind is kicking, but at least there is no rain. Starting Tuesday there's rain in the forecast every day for 10 days! This had been one rainy winter trip.
Here's a pic of our full moon rising over the hills across the lake.

And here's one a little later!

The brisket came out good and Cath made a super good sauce to go with it. We had also picked up some rolls a Publix and we both commented that they tasted just like the brotchen we use to get in Germany.
As it is Sunday the campground emptied out from the weekend. There is only four of us left on the waterfront campsites.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 129

We left camp this morning and took a ride to near Winchester, TN. Weather was perfect and we just wanted to get away for awhile.
Our first stop was Arnold Air Force Base FamCamp. We realized after we got there that we had been here a few years ago. The campground is on the water, but sites are small and most are not level.
From there we drove over to Tims Ford SP. Also a nice place, but the sites are tiny. I doubt there are more than a half dozen sites we could fit in.

Back at camp it was AB time and watch the coots. They are very entertaining.

We are one night away from a full moon, but it was really nice this evening.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 128

We woke up this morning to brilliant sunshine coming through the bedroom window! We were almost scared as we haven't seen the sun in almost weeks (seems so)!
I ran a few errands this morning. Cath cleaned up the camper and we both got de-scally-wagged (showers).
Spent most of the afternoon outside, but the wind was howling and temps were in the low 50s. It still beats all the damn rain!
Tomorrow is supposed to be a little warmer with a light breeze. Maybe some kayak fishing is in the air?
Some cribbage, dinner, shows, then off to bed. This camping life is really nice!
BTW: We had a really nice Flagstaff PUP (pop-up) pull in a few sites up from us (hint...hint)!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 127

We left camp this morning and drove south to Rickwood Caverns State Park. The whole drive was in the rain (downpour), what else is new..LOL.
It's a nice State Park, but really small. It has 14 campsites, but 1-5 can only accommodate a small popup camper. We did not check out the caverns, but it might be worth seeing.
Headed back to camp in the rain. who'd have guessed!
Back at camp it was raining again. We watched a few shows, had dinner, a few more shows, then dreamland.
The rain is supposed to stop tonight and sunshine is forecast for tomorrow.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 126

"Geez Louise Omelets" for breakfast as Cath is still on strike from making breakfast.

We drove up to Redstone Arsenal to hit the commissary, PX, and Class VI.
The rain held off for most of the day although the radar showed we should be getting it.
Watched a few old shows on TV, had a nice dinner, then off to dreamland.
Of course rain is forecast all night and all day tomorrow.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 125

We slept in a little this morning, we felt it was well deserved after yesterday. We did a little more camp set up, but the rain continues on and off.
Em called this morning to say she may not make it this weekend as she is involved with the tornado damage and victims in the Nashville area. Our thoughts go out to all affected.
We ran a few errands and I got some fishing time in. The campground remains empty, we will see what the weekend brings.
As has been the story this whole trip, we have rain in the forecast almost everyday for the next ten! Looks like cards, shows, reading, and cooking time!
All is well in the Boss camp.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 124

Our day started at 0530. We were expecting the worst, but it turned out to be a great day despite the rain.
We had packed up the camper yesterday afternoon as we were forecast to get heavy rains all night and tomorrow. I got pretty well soaked doing the last minute stuff before we could leave. We were on the road at 0640 and drove to the RV repair shop to get the wall in the slide fixed.
At the shop they had me back the camper into the garage. Carl and his crew had the wall and floor fixed in an hour! We were expecting 3-4 hours and a huge bill. Total cost $108.20! This included his trip to OMSP, his labor, and materials. Cath and I were astounded! I wrote Carl and his crew a glowing review. They were fantastic to work with. Of course it rained hard the whole time.
Back on the road again we fought very heavy rain until we arrived in Guntersville, AL around 1030. We had thought we would not get here until late afternoon. We were able to set up in just a light drizzle.
Here's some pics of the new campsite. Honeycomb TVA Campground is pretty much empty!

Of course Kaylee had to immediately get wrapped around a tree.

Despite the rain it turned out to be a wonderful day. Cath and I can both relaxed a little as we were really worried about the camper.

Winter Excursion 4, Day 123

Today was our last day at Oak Mountain State Park.

We had everyone over for Beer and Brats and I think a good afternoon was had by all.

Bob brought some Sam Adams Special Brew for us to try. It was very good and I've never had anything like it! Thanks Bob!

Here's Bob, Fergie, and I toasting!

Cath made a great lunch for everyone. All I did was BBQ the brats.
Here's a group pic of us that even included Kaylee.

Someone shouted "Look this way"! And of course we all did (we'd had a few drinks by then).

Goodbyes were tough, but we've been here a month.

We are already looking forward to next year and I made our reservations yesterday. It's been a really fun month and we will miss Jacob!

Winter Excursion 4, Day 122

It was a long but fun day today.

It started at 0630. We all got up, cleaned up, and headed to the bowling alley for the kids league day. Grabbed some breakfast sandwiches on the way. Bowling was over around noon and we headed back to the camper.

Jacob had some bike riding and camp kids time.

At 1530 we headed back to the bowling alley and we all rolled a few lines. I had not rolled a ball in almost 25 years! Needless to say I sucked! Cath did the right thing and didn't play...LOL.

Here's Jacob and I. He's actually holding me up because I was sore after two lines!

After bowling we all went to New York Pizza in Homewood. The pizza was great, the beer was even better.

We made it back to the camper around 2030 and were all in bed by 2100.

It's been a fun day. Lots of running around. Kaylee had plenty of truck time and was glad to see her bed.