Surfside RV Park, Port Aransas, TX

Wed. Nov. 29-Dec. 5, 2006
We like Surfside RV Park with 45 Full Hookups and pull-through sites,
concrete pads & streets. Front office staff and owner are very friendly.

Arrival via Aransas Pass Ferry System - It was a new experience to drive the RV up the ramp on the Ferry to get to Port Aransas and our RV Park. Port Aransas is a quaint fishing village on the Gulf of Mexico. It is situated on the northern tip of a barrier island, lying 18 miles northeast of Corpus Christi on Mustang Island. This 18-mile stretch of clean, sandy beach offers visitors birding, shelling, fishing, beach combing, surf fishing, or just plain relaxation. The weather turned bad the day we arrived and hasn’t improved much since. The winds are what make it so cold and we woke up to 39 degrees and wind chill of 29.

Thursday, November 30, 2006
Second day at Surfside and a front moved in with extreme winds and gusts up to 50 mph. We pulled in the two slides on our driver’s side for the day. Dropped from the 70+ degrees in the morning to 50 by mid afternoon. Nothing to stop the winds and cold off the water. A day to stay indoors and catch up with our reading, internet, etc.

Padre Island - We went to Corpus Christi for some shopping and I wanted to take a drive to Padre Island. I was here as a child with my parents and remember them fishing off the beach. It is so desolate and yet it is so beautiful. Miles and miles of sand dunes layered with a lot of sea grasses waving in the wind.

Ray's Reflections: Deserted beaches. We know with better weather, this area would be very enjoyable.

The fishing here is really the best according to locals and my dad. The National Seashore is the longest stretch of primitive, undeveloped ocean beach in the nation. Just wish that the weather was more conducive to exploration. It was quite windy and very cold.

Saturday, December 2, 2006
We left home around 11 am to go to see the Lexington, a retired aircraft carrier, in Corpus Christi. The weather had turned bad again with clouds, high winds and 20 mph gusts. We decided to go anyway as we would be on the inside most of the time. The history and exhibits were well worth seeing. The sights and sounds are so real and so intense you feel like you've been transported back in time. They have a movie in the Mega Theater and we enjoyed the breathtaking views from the flight deck.

Lighthouse RV Park, Bay City, TX

Tues. Nov. 27-28, 2006

Left Maxie’s RV Park, Lafayette, LA and drove to Bay City, TX to the Lighthouse RV Park is in the middle of cow pastures. The park was a 2 at most. Very small and not lit up at night. We had some fun running across the field to see the cows and donkey before it got dark. They were behind a fence so Mitzy and I felt safe.

Drove down to the beach area of Bay City. Not much of a town, but the Gulf side was pretty and Ray walked out on the pier.

Matagorda county was the early home of the Karankawa Indians. From 1582 to 1535 several expeditions from Spain traveled through Matagorda County and the most were slaughtered by these Indians. LaSalle landed there in 1685 and founded Ft. St. Louis after he became lost on his second voyage from France searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River. LaSalle met his fate at the hands of one of his own men. The Indians destroyed Ft. St. Louis and the French were captured. Spain sent De Leon to drive the French out but ended up rescuing the prisoners and returned them to their countrymen. 53 families received land grants in Matagorda County from 1824 to 1827 under Austin's first contract known as “ The Old Three Hundred” with Spanish permission. They arrived on the schooner “Only Son”. They too faced the Indians and other hardships.

Maxie's RV Park, Lafayette, LA

Tues. Nov. 21, 2006
We left Jackson after the repairs and headed south to Lafayette, Maxie's RV Park. It is an OK park for short stays. Right off the interstate, and a lot of highway noise.

Thurs. November 23 – Thanksgiving Day – Very different to be away from family and friends, but don’t miss the preparation of the turkey and side dishes. We did everything we wanted to do at a slow pace and enjoyed a wonderful meal out at the local famous Nash’s Restaurant.

Great shop full of sauces and other items of interest. We toured the world-famous TABASCO® Sauce site and found it very interesting and worth the drive.
Ray's Reflections: We stayed in a very small but nice park south of Lafayette and right next to Rt. 90. Trucks all day and night. Sugarcane trucks surprised me as I had no idea this area had so much cane. Being familiar with cane fields around Lake Okeechobee, Florida where they have abundance of sugarcane. I rode the bike several days here. Cane fields everywhere and cattle and some cotton. Roads mostly flat and straight and bad due to the cane trucks.
Avery Island lies about 140 miles west of New Orleans. It's one of five salt dome islands rising above the flat Louisiana Gulf coast. Geologists believe these mysterious elevations were created when a saltwater ocean covering what is now Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi evaporated—leaving behind a vast sheet of salt.
Over eons this salt layer was covered by thousands of feet of alluvial sediment, the pressure of which pushed numerous salt domes straight up. In five places these domes actually pushed up the topography. Today, these five coastal islands sit above and are surrounded by the swamps and marshes of south Louisiana. Avery Island stands the highest at 152 feet above sea level. The Birth of A Pepper Sauce A food lover and avid gardener, McIlhenny was given seeds of Capsicum frutescens peppers that had come from Mexico or Central America. On Avery Island in south Louisiana, he sowed the seeds, nurtured the plants, and delighted in the spicy flavor of the peppers they bore.
The diet of the Reconstruction South was bland and monotonous, especially by Louisiana standards. So Edmund McIlhenny decided to create a pepper sauce to give the food some spice and flavor — some excitement. Selecting and crushing the reddest peppers from his plants, he mixed them with Avery Island salt and aged this “mash” for 30 days in crockery jars and barrels. McIlhenny then blended the mash with French white wine vinegar and aged the mixture for at least another 30 days. After straining it, he transferred the sauce to small cologne-type bottles with sprinkler fitments, which he then corked and sealed in green wax. (The sprinkler fitment was important because his pepper sauce was concentrated and best used when sprinkled, not poured.) He grew his first commercial pepper crop in 1868. The next year, he sent out 658 bottles of sauce at one dollar apiece wholesale to grocers around the Gulf Coast, particularly in New Orleans. He labeled it “Tabasco,” a word of Mexican Indian origin believed to mean “place where the soil is humid” or “place of the coral or oyster shell.”

Under the Avery/McIlhenny family's careful management, Avery Island has remained a natural paradise, inhabited by exotic plant and animal species from throughout the world.

Isle of Capri, Vicksburg, MS

November 13 - 19, 2006 - Left Tishomingo State Park near Florence, Mississippi around 9:30 am. We arrived at Diamond Jack’s RV Park (now Isle of Capri) near the Mississippi River around 3:00 pm . Had a very scary ride on some of the Natchez Trace Parkway, bad road and low bridges. Then once we got to Diamond Jack's Casino, we went down a steep grade for their entrance ramp looking for the RV park. Found out we had passed the (small) sign that was for the RV Park a block away. Bad news was the park is right off the highway, between two industrial-type buildings, but the price was right. Barebones camping. Friendly front office staff. Every site is 30 amp, water, sewer, and pull through. Get a players card or coupon and the daily rate is only $14.50 and has free shuttle to Isle of Capri Casino. - Found out our galley slide wouldn't work. Called National and they walked Ray through the steps to find two plugs that had come loose due to the terrible Mississippi roads. - Ray ran errands to get meds today at local Walgreen's. Waited for over an hour. People move at their own pace in Mississippi. Ray removed the bike from the truck and covered it on the cement slab next to the RV to protect it as much as possible from the wind gusts. We were in a tornado watch until morning. We had showers and lightning and the tornadoes touched down just north of us. It was scary to know they were so close. With everything else going on, we still took the time to see Vicksburg National Military Park on Clay Street, one of the area’s biggest tourist attractions, receiving about one million visitors each year. Run by the National Park Service, it dates back to 1899, making it one of the oldest national parks in the United States. All through the park there are memorials placed honoring the soldiers from the individual's state and many were Ohio, Indianna, and Illinois. Their museum has the Confederate swords, uniforms, and other memorabilia from the Siege of Vicksburg. Aside from the history, the park also offers paths for bicycling, hiking, and walking. We drove through the park and took some pictures along the way. Vicksburg has a lot of history, some places to see in the future would be The Old Court House Museum; The Biedenharn Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia on Washington Street; and Historic Downtown District to name a few. Went to the Pemberton Square Mall cinema and was disappointed with how run down it was inside. Found out they plan a major upgrade soon. Saw the new James Bond movie – it was entertaining at best. Some things to get used to:

1. First we had to change all clocks/watches to Daylight Savings Time, Eastern Standard Time, now we have to change clocks/watches to adjust for change to Central Standard Time.
2. Zip Codes are needed for each destination to get a weather report for the area we are going to. Also need the zip code to set up the satellite upon arrival at our new destination.

Ray's Reflections. Vicksburg sits high on a ridge bordered to the west by the Mississippi River and overlooks the low flat lands of Louisanna to the east.

The large commercial barges loaded with many items are heading both north and south, being pushed by tug boats. The lower Mississippi is a wide, fast moving river that is heavily used.

Motorcycle riding in Vicksburg - I usually search the GPS for an interesting motorcycle road. Hilly and twisty, especially since Mississippi roads are mostly flat. I selected a twisty farm road. After riding about 50 miles out of Vicksburg, I found myself on top of a single-lane, paved road at the top of a 15 foot high dike with NOTHING in sight anywhere. The feeling of being "alone" was prominent, especially with no cell service. Since this time, I have been more selective when mapping out a road to ride.

Tishomingo State Park, Tishomingo, Mississippi - (off Natchez Trace)

November 11, 2006 – on the Road
Drove from Raccoon Mountain to Tishomingo State Park, Mississippi. This park features geology that one would expect to find in the Appalachians or the Ozarks, not in Mississippi. Very cold, although temp is 50 degrees. Our site is near the lake and it seems bitter cold to us Floridians. Wind died down in the evening. Our site has no neighbors due to the cold, I'm sure, and the sites have a lot of distance between them with trees everywhere. Ducks and geese are on the lake, and I saw a grey heron trying to catch his dinner before flying off in the sunset.
Met a nice couple retired from the Navy and we talked about their escapades with trailers and motor homes as they have been fulltime for many years. We have no satellite, cable, or local channels and no cell coverage but we enjoyed the lanscape so much we didn't care.
Rays Reflections - Natchez Trace Parkway We have heard a lot about Natchez Trace Parkway so we stayed in the beautiful State Park in Tishomingo on the parkway. The weather turned very cold, but it was refreshing. The park did not have 50-Amp service or sewer, but a dump station. Again we stayed two days and no biking. Drove some of the area. Nearest grocery store is 35 miles away. We drove the parkway south toward Vicksburg. The drive was very comfortable, little traffic, pretty scenery, slow speed limit, and mostly good road. About twenty miles north of Jackson, MS, there were overpass bridges with no height sign and each one getting lower. I turned off to the interstate. I am going to say this just once and get it off my mind. Some interstate roads in Mississippi and Louisiana are poured concrete slabs and each one is NOT level with the last, therefore creating an uncomfortable rhythm when driving at any speed. Yeah! You know what I mean. Air ride on the coach helps, but get the roads fixed.




November 12, 2005 – Drove the Natchez Trace Parkway and found it to be boringly straight and narrow at times, but beautiful trees. Weather warmed up to mid-60s..
Ray: The Parkway runs from (south) Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN. Very pretty drive but slow due to speed limits. A very low cross bridge is near Jackson, MS.

Racoon Mountain RV Park, Chattanooga, Tennessee

November 9 - 10, 2006
Arrived at Raccoon Mountain RV Park after encountering many twists and turns on the road westward out of the Smokies. It was scary, to say the least with several stone outcroppings forcing us into the other lane. Great mountain views, and close location to downtown and area attractions.
Five minutes away from the RV park was Lookout Mountain. We took the drive in the late afternoon. Beautiful view at the top. They had hang-gliding places advertised. Nice scenic highway Rt. 157 and a nice view of the city below. Neighborhood is mixed with old historical homes and new modern ones. We saw St. Elmo National Historic District at the foot of the mountain, Chattanooga’s first bedroom suburb with shops, etc. but had no time to stop.
Glancing back into history, St. Elmo was once the site of the crossroads of two ancient Cherokee Indian trails and home of Daniel Ross, the father of John Ross, principal chief of the Cherokee tribe at the time of the "Trail of Tears," when the Cherokees were removed to Oklahoma. The John Ross home is a National Landmark in nearby Rossville, Georgia.

We drove to Camping World for supplies. Also took in a movie at Hamilton Place Mall. Over 200 stores and 30 restaurants.

Ray: We have decided that we need to stay at one location 3-4 nights in order to feel it is necessary to unload the motorcycle off the truck. The actual load & unloading is not bad -- the eight tie-down straps take time though. When we are on the road fully loaded, I can only see the truck with the bike through the RV's back-up camera. So far, so good. Ramp works fine and always draws a small crowd of inquisitive people.
Waynesville, NC to Chattanooga, TN – Leaving Waynesville, NC heading west, I decided not to take I-40 over the mountains to the north because so many people advised against it, rough road. Instead we stayed south of the Smokies. Beautiful area at peak fall colors, but now mostly barren and stark. Road was great and RV-friendly until we took Rt. 64. Single lane toward Tennessee looked good on the map and GPS, however some of the roadside cliffs appeared as if they wanted to reshape our RV, forcing me cautiously into the other lane. Everything has a different perspective when you are sitting at eye level 8-9 ft. above the road with another 4-5 ft. of your home over your head, we must have 13-ft. + for safe clearance. Looking through a picture window that is 5 ft. high and 8 ft. wide really brings your world into view. Most of the time that view is truly indescribable. I can hardly wait until we make the next turn or crest the next hill.
Next time I would like to ride the bike in this area.

Creekwood Farm RV Park, Waynesville, NC

November 8, 2006
Rained all night, very overcast, and low clouds everywhere. It has really turned cold and dreary and glad we are leaving for warmer climates south.

Getting prepared for our departure. Catch up on necessities, i.e. laundry, grocery store in preparation to move on Thursday.

Creekwood Farm RV Park, Waynesville, NC

Mon. Oct. 9-Nov. 8, 2006
We stayed a month at Creekwood Farm RV park in Maggie Valley, enjoying the cooler temperatures and change of season. This park was friendly and had a great front office staff. We found a lot of bikers staying at the park and Ray rode almost every day. Marsha took a few rides with him as well.
Ray: Although we have visited North Carolina many times in mid-October for the leaves changing, this was our first time to experience the start of autumn to barren trees and bone-chilling cold. IT IS AMAZING WHAT FROZEN WATER WILL DO TO A FILTER AT GROUND LEVEL. (hey, may I remind you that most of our life has been in sunny Florida)...
Park has spacious sites... a 75 Year-old Barn & Silo, and the creek. (see pics)


Ray: Marsha's sister Lisa and hubby Chuck made their annual visit to Waynesville for several days. We visited and rode the motorcycles together. It was nice to see family. Although we will stay in touch, we don't know when we will see them again with our travels west. We also got to visit with Ray's adopted family, Jim and Joyce Walker. They have built a beautiful mountain retreat near Hendersonville. We will certainly revisit this area.

Carolina Landing, Thousand Trails, Play Fair, SC

Saturday Oct. 7-8
Located on beautiful Lake Hartwell, this Thousand Trail preserve offers a natural setting for many outdoor activities. The lake's calm surface, gentle breezes, and 921 miles of shoreline are ideal for sailing, water skiing or fishing.
We found the hills and trees to be intimidating to park the RV on an incline, but they have excellent service and the park ranger to take you to a site suitable for us. After two days, we readied ourselves to exit and drive to Waynesville, NC where we have reservations for a month.
First Mistake: We forgot to crank the TV antennae down and on the first turn out of the park, a tree limb cracked one of the arms. Reception was compromised, but we didn't get Campers World to replace it until recently. Good thing we use satillite with Direct TV for our entertainment.

Southern Trails RV Park, Unadilla, GA

Thur. Oct. 5, 2006
Our longest drive so far on I-75 across Florida/Georgia state line to Unadilla. Deep in Georgia’s historic Old South, Southern Trails RV Resort offers a “certain serenity” with its sites spread among the trees of a pecan grove. This area of the state is one of the richest in historical attractions. Unfortunately, we moved out the next morning to get to Play Fair, SC.

Thousand Trails Preserve, Clermont, FL

Sun. October 1-4, 2007

We stayed at Thousand Trails Preserve to hear the presentation for membership. As newbees, we felt Thousand Trails was the best avenue to take. It assures us that we can stay at nice, private parks with better amenities and security.
We joined other memberships for 50% savings and have found they do not always give their 50% discounts during peak seasons, but most parks will honor the Good Sams 10% discount. Picture shows view from park.

Twin Lakes RV Park - Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Sat. Sept. 30 – Oct. 2
We made the trip south to visit with Marsha's brother Richard and wife Kathy. Our dad and his wife Lucy were also down from St. Pete, so we had a great time. We found out in a hurry the central a/c cannot keep up with the Florida heat and seven family members visiting to see our new home on wheels . Thought we had a problem, but this was not the case. We called National and their support was very helpful.
We took US-27 to save time and we arrived at Thousand Trails Preserve in Clermont around 3:3o pm -- rough roads. Bought our first diesel fill for the RV - was $ shocker.

Marsha's dad on left, Kathy, sister-in-law, and brother, Richard.

Son, Steven and wife Gennifer

FAREWELL & Our Journey Up River RV Resort - Ft. Myers, Florida

Craig Sher, Marsha & Ray

Marsha's last day at her office - Surprise gathering of the whole office. Ray and I were amazed and delighted with the gift cards to our favorite restaurants, a beautifully engraved gold watch for Marsha as a constant reminder of her wonderful 23 years at the Sembler Company, a memory album, and a cake made in the image of our new home on wheels. There were ten $100 gift cards for fuel in the icing in front of the RV. It was awesome!

Thurs. Sept. 28, 2007 --The first day of our journey.

• We closed on the sale of our home at 10:00 am.
• We drove our new "home on wheels" out of the driveway at noon.

Ray is quite comfortable behind the wheel. Our first stop was Ft. Myers to see Ray's brother,Rocky. We feel the RV park was very nice and caters to the snowbirds.