Archive for May, 2021

What? No diesel! oh no

Sunday, May 16th, 2021

                               Tree Tunnels

I find this fascinating.  So many trees, you have no idea what is behind them, often there are whole cities once to exit.  Sometimes there are signs for civilization and I just wonder, really???

Today we moved into Georgia and were planning to stop for lunch and fill up the tanks just east of Atlanta.  Not so fast!  We exit and 2 stations said they had diesel but then the pumps were out of order.  Choices, choices: keep driving and hope or head to a Walmart and hang out a few days.  The first choice was most acceptable except for the fact we had enough fuel to get to our next stop but it is pretty remote so what are the chances they have fuel.  Second option I ruled out right away!  I’m ok stopping at a Walmart at 9 pm and leaving before 8am.  I really didn’t want to relocate to one for who knew how long.

So, we came up with a new plan based on the information we could gather on a Sunday afternoon.  We would change course a little and head back to the interstate heading East and stop at the first truck stop.  The good news was there was 4 truck stops along the route before we had to bail on our plan of going to Tallulah Gorge.  So we got back on I85 and headed East, stopping at the first of four and jackpot!  The diesel was available, and not overly priced.  Great, we can breathe now and get back on track.  The whole thing delayed us about an hour.

Even better, as we were approaching Tallulah Gorge State Park another station had diesel and we topped off!  Yep, we are now part of the frenzy of buying more than you really need.  Paul added 3 gallons!

We are full and parked for 3 days.  The really good news is we have enough fuel to get to Paul’s family in North Carolina and we won’t need any more fuel for a week, plenty of time for the powers that be to get this mess straightened out.

 

The weekend is here!

Saturday, May 15th, 2021

Paul finished his work and now we have Saturday to explore outside the Park.  Before I get to that, the park filled right up on Friday.  We have neighbors that have 5 kids! Yikes, but they are so polite and quiet.  They love Teddy and Teddy loves the extra attention.  Teddy doesn’t run away so we let him off leash a lot and play some fetch right in our site.  We have a pretty big grass area.  He loves the kids so much that Saturday afternoon the screen door was open and he flew out!  He never does that but he saw one of the kids and ran right to them.

Back to exploring the area.  There are several towns with interesting names.  The first is Equality and the next is Eclectic.   There is Fishpond and Kowaliga. The town is named after a legendary Native American by the name and  Hank Williams Sr. wrote a song about the Kowaliga when he was staying a at lakeside cabin that he owned and still stands today.

Equality didn’t have a sign, in fact we never even saw a town or any indication we were there except a tiny sign.  The country is beautiful here and there is so much to look at.  Often when we are touring I observe the haves and the I don’t give a damns.

Everyone has lots of lawn! This one was nicely trimmed forever

Well they have a big lawn and they have a frigerator in their yard!(look next to the car)

                      Very pretty, They love their home!

            They have a lawn or at least a greenish field

                                They are downsizing

Just a glimpse from somewhere between Equality and Eclectic.

The perks of having a camp on the lake!  Drive right up in your boat, tie up and come to church!  Just beautiful.

Wow, it is cold

Thursday, May 13th, 2021

We arrived into Winding Creek State Park and it is freezing. I knew the temperature was suppose to come down but it is barely 60 and tonight it is going to dip down to about 50.  I was ready for summer and I don’t even have a jacket on this trip.  One set of sweats is going to be my look for the next 4 days.  It doesn’t matter because this is what I will be enjoying until Sunday.

                                        My front yard

The park is on Lake Martin north east of Montgomery, AL.  It is the largest State Park in the USA, there are about 300 campsites and most have a lake view.  Some are close together but the location is spectacular and we got a site with plenty of space.  We have neighbors across the road but no one near us.  The park is about 1/2 full.

Lots of different birds. Last night I saw a woodpecker right outside my window but when I got the camera he had moved on

While Paul works I will be enjoying my coffee each morning just like this.

Pascugula

Tuesday, May 11th, 2021

Monday was a drive to Biloxi just because it isn’t that far.  It was a rainy morning so we got a late start.  This lighthouse was between Gulfport and Biloxi.  It was in a not very nicely kept park but we ventured in to have a look.  It was still drizzly and you couldn’t climb it so just a photo.  It looked like it had florescent tubes for lighting.  The coast disappeared as we left Biloxi and just for the heck of it we drove to Pascagoula and found the church!

                                                                The day the squirrel went berserk
In the First Self-Righteous Church
In that sleepy little town of Pascagoula
It was a fight for survival…

Have you ever listened to the whole song by Ray Stevens.  The words are very funny and who knows if it was this church he was thinking about.  I’m sure if it was after reading the words the church would be inclined to never claim the fame it could have brought.

We see things like this every time we pass somewhere new.  The names of places bring a smile to my face.  I saw that Pascagoula was right near where we were and of course I had to go there.  They do have a famous fort and museum but it was closed on Monday.  And then there is the Pascagoula River formerly known as the Singing River.   According to local Euro-American legend, the peace-loving tribe walked single file into the Singing River because the local Biloxi tribe were planning to attack.[2] The famous Singing River is known throughout the world for its mysterious music. The singing sounds like a swarm of bees in flight and is best heard in late evenings during late summer and autumn. Barely heard at first, the music seems to grow nearer and louder until it sounds as though it comes directly under foot.

We drove along the USS Vicksburg Way over the Singing River to Singing Island which use to house Coast Guard.  Not much here but we did see this cool ship that is for offloading people and supplies to the Oil rigs.

Another beautiful day with lots of rain forecast for our last day in Mississippi.

Happy Mother’s Day

Monday, May 10th, 2021

Today is my day and Paul is doing his best to let me have what I want.  I decided to skip a meal out as we have been trying to control the weight since Easter and doing ok.  So I chose to go to Starbucks for coffee only!  It’s 9 miles away so after we will sit on the beach and enjoy it.

                    Kite Surfer, Seagull, and Kite flyer

 

Another look at the Kite Surfer and the few people that were on the beach

 

                       Dad, COME BACK!!!

Teddy loves the beach and has no problem getting into a lake, puddle or any other water but the waves are just too scary.

After our morning enjoying the beach we went golfing again.  Pass Christian Isles Golf Club is very close to our RV Park and has had some troubles during pandemic.  There are a couple greens that are out of order but the price is right $25 each, 18 holes with a cart.

And they let Teddy come with us!!!

The course was challenging and a few holes were miss marked for yardages but the weather was perfect again and we had a beautiful day.

Not sure why but this guy was our indication that we were on hole #1

The place was wide open.  The 3 guys in front of us thought we needed to pass them on hole #8; I think they just wanted another beer and the bathrooms were right there!  Other than them we saw no one.  I had a pretty good round.  Paul found more balls than he lost so it was a great day of golf.

Now home for a nap!

A lovely day, finished by a Sunset Cruise

Sunday, May 9th, 2021

We are really enjoying things here on the coast of Mississippi.  We golfed at a very nice course that shared its name with our course at home.  The Oaks Golf Club had a very nice layout and I enjoyed the course especially because I got a Birdie on a Par 5!

There are 3 tiny towns and 3 boat docks; Pass Christian, Long Beach and Gulfport.

Saturday was another very beautiful day to be out enjoying the sunshine but first a couple maintenance issues; My Nails.  I found a shop that had one opening, lucky.  I am never sure when on the road but this one turned out perfectly. VY Nails and Spa in Long Beach, MS was a beautiful shop.  Only 2 women working and 2 clients the whole 1 1/2 hours I was there.  The owner, Thu was very professional and took her time with my nails.  They look great and we had a wonderful chat.  She is from Saigon and came to America (to Long Beach, MS) at 18 years old with her family.  She loves it here and says she never wants to live anywhere else.  I really like when I meet locals that love there town, city, state; It makes you want to stay awhile.

Now that I’m all decked out its a night on the town, not exactly but we are going on a sunset cocktail cruise in the Mississippi Bay.  Ship Island  Excursions will take us on a two hours sunset cruise and sell us $9 cocktails served in clear solo cups!

We met the ship at the dock and boarded about 6:40 and to my surprise they were already pouring the drinks.

Paul enjoying the view from the wrong side of the boat for a sunset.

 

                       Biloxi Sunset.
Malibu Rum, Bacardi Rum, Pineapple juice and a splash of Grenadine, Yum

The sunset came just as we were outside the bay and everyone was on the same side of the boat!  The boat was big enough that it wasn’t a problem.

Once the sunset came and went we cruised in the bay towards Cat Island and Ship Island.  We got close enough to see there was land out there but then we made a turn.  The boom box started getting louder and the party got going.  A perfect time to people watch (between sips!).  There was lots of singing and dancing going on.  The boat wasn’t too crowded, about 1/2 capacity and the cocktails were a very fair pour so a good time was had by all my 50 brand new friends!

 

 

 

 

More of Pass Christian

Saturday, May 8th, 2021

So I said we are staying in this tiny RV park; there are pros and cons.

Pro – close to what we want to see and do, no road noise, spaces are somewhat spread out and the price is right

Cons – I think that many of the folks that stay here have to live here as a last option!  Many of the rv’s have tarps on the roofs and appear abandoned (they aren’t!)

Our first day the neighbor came over and chatted with Paul.  I’m not that friendly in these kinds of parks.  He thought maybe she was a druggy as her teeth we in need of repairs.  The next day she comes around to the side where her sewer is and our patio ( yep, RV parks aren’t for everyone) and she tells Paul she is moving today right after she gets help getting her slide in.  Paul is smart enough to try and seem unable to help people, which is usually easy because most people with RV’s are not very handy.

Her daughter and her friend show up and start unhooking things and the neighbor and daughter get a bit heated because she only wants help with the slide.  We leave but when we come back 2 hours later the neighbor is still here, slide is in.

She starts packing up more crap; her SUV was packed to the top and she has a very loud, big dog now that continues to bark and now she is going to hook up the vehicle to the trailer. Yeah, she really is leaving.  Paul offers to guide her, trying to act like he has no clue. Eventually he couldn’t help himself and gets it hooked up for her.

Then she starts on the jacks; same thing she sits there for 20 minutes pushing on the auto button and lubs the jacks.  Paul the friendly neighbor goes over and tries to help and just can’t help himself. He has to point out to her that maybe she should use the manual lift.

Finally she has everything hooked up!  She tells me I have a wonderful husband, hers left her for a 21 year old and she got the trailer and truck as her parting gift!

I thought she was never going to leave.  No one in the park was offering to help her (I guess they knew her).  She did finally leave

Paul tells her she has no brakes or taillights and she says as she pulls out “I’m just going to my boyfriends, its not far!”  Where the hell was he when she spent a whole day getting this thing to move?

Life of the RVer,  You need to be ready for anything cause you never know who your neighbors are.

But we get this a lot

First time in Mississippi

Friday, May 7th, 2021

We are going to actually vacation (or take a break from Paul working) and enjoy the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a few days.  We got very lucky as the weather is perfect; 80 degree high, slight breeze and lows into the 60’s at night.  We found a little RV park outside of Pass Christian so we can enjoy the area without being in the crowds.  We are less than a mile from beautiful white sand beaches that go on for miles

Not many shells on these beaches or people.  The water is very shallow so you can walk out forever and only be up to your knees.

This is at Gulfport which is about 10 miles away, the perfect sand beach goes from before Pass Christian and beyond Gulfport!

Teddy loves the sand and apparently he shouldn’t drink the water because our first night he had me up stripping the blankets off when he puked everywhere

The coastal towns here are very small and have mostly places to eat and party!  The town of Bay Shores which is west of Pass Christian has about 10 restaurant/bars and 1 ice cream shop.  The place was teaming with people on a Friday night.  Every bar has live music and if you don’t like what you hear just bring your own.  Its a golf cart community and most carts hold 4 persons and really good speakers.

Beautiful mansions, many look abandoned are all along the road between Pass Christian and Gulfport.

This is their view if the house isn’t amazing enough

We are having a great time here.  If the weather would hold out I could stay here a month

Had a “little” rain last night

Wednesday, May 5th, 2021

Mandeville is just above Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana.  New Orleans is just south of us if you could swim.  We are staying in a very nice state park that is about 25% full.  We have been here a couple times before.  The location is great.  We arrived yesterday about 5:30, took a nice walk to the beach and returned about 6:30.  Within about 5 minutes of returning the sky opened  up and let the storm commence.  We had buckets of rain, thunder and lightening most of the night.  It finally let up about 8:30 this am. 

 

 

We were lucky, our RV pad is raised up, we couldn’t get to our picnic table; Some people did not do as well.  Teddy and I took a walk and several of the RV’s could not get out their doors.  The water started to recede about 10 so not so bad.  I look all around the park and all I think is the mosquitos are going to be partying soon.

The trees are beautiful with all the moss hanging down.

It looks like a scene from a movie.  And it just so happens that they are filming a movie right here in the park.  The only sign of anything happening is a little tent set up at the entrance to the Day Use area that a girls is checking cast and crew in.  She wouldn’t tell me the name of the film; maybe its a current series?

Its very quiet here and tomorrow we head to Mississippi where we will spend about a week just relaxing and enjoying some seafood I hope!

 

More Texas Touring

Sunday, May 2nd, 2021

Sunday was very windy again so my sister headed home before lunch and Paul and I were just going to relax but I decided we should ride the ferry to Galveston. Its free so why not!  The wait was not too long and the ride over was very exciting.

Lots of Seagulls, they announce to only feed them off the back of the ferry. The seagulls didn’t get the memo, they followed us the whole way

We drove around Galveston a little bit but there were more people in Galveston than I had seen anywhere in over a year so we just took a drive, found some to go food and headed back to the ferry line.  The return trip took a little longer waiting in line but we had a picnic and the weather had finally cooperated and we had a nice breeze and plenty of sunshine.

Tomorrow we head further east, the humidity is killing me!