Well, we are all settled in up at the river.  We even managed to get our direct tv satellite set up and working in a manner of minutes.  As I have mentioned before.....the trees can be very difficult to navigate when looking for a signal of any kind.  Last year, we had to set up our tripod on our neighbor's property (yes, he gave us permission) to get a signal.  This time we actually found a spot on our side of the fence....Yippeee! We ordered a land line phone, since cell coverage comes and goes, and that is up and working as well.  Internet.....whole other story.  We have the extended antenna and booster in place....we can pull in a signal, but it is sooooo very slow that I will probably just do all my internet stuff when we are in town.

The house is officially on the market and now the waiting begins.  We have a sign in the yard with some information available.  I'm also working on a web site for the property.  We will see how that goes....not planning on doing an open house or placing any paper ads at this point.  Most everyone I have talked to has agreed that most folks find you by the sign in the yard.....so, we will run with that for awhile.  Yes, we are selling the house on our own at present.  So, everyone out there in blog land......wish us luck......

We will be landing at our spot up on the Tippecanoe River early afternoon.  Yep!  Back to the twilight zone of cell signals, television signals, and internet signals.....they all but cease to exist.  We had the 'professionals' set up our direct tv dish last summer when we started our service.  Billy was smart enough to put a stake in the ground to 'mark the spot' where the tripod had been sitting...so hopefully we will be able to locate the satellite signal without to much trouble.  Next, will come the antenna we place on top of the fifth wheel to boost our signal for our cell phones and our verizon air card.  It helps, but it is still very spotty and the internet is wwaaaaayyyy slow.  One thing I did do yesterday was order a land line phone.....with the house on the market folks need to be able to reach us.  It will also make it easier for family and friends to call.  It takes about 150 feet of phone line to go from the connection at the family cabin to our fifth wheel, but it is worth it.   This is the same distance for the sewer hook up....and of course it is up hill so Billy has to 'pump' the sewage with our macerator.

Even with all that.....the river holds a special place in my heart.  Lots of family memories were and are still made here.  It is a beautiful, quiet place.....roots run deep here....

Welcome "Char"....thanks for following my blog....feel free to make comments or ask questions.....

Wow!  What a weekend......we did nothing but play with our Grandson and visit with his Mom.  It is such a joy to have that little guy and his Mom in our life.....and Triston is just the cutest thing on the planet!  Naw......I'm not prejudice.....not one little bit!

I promised some photos and I did manage to get a few shots in between the rain drops.....Oh, yeah, we did not have any severe weather.  Just a few rumbles of thunder and a whole lot of rain.

Here is a shot of our site.

Here is a photo of our very, soggy campfire area.....no fires this weekend!

Here is the site out our back window....of course there is a price to pay for such a view!

And....this is the price.  Our 'butt' was a hang-in over a bit of a hill.  Does this look like a 'hillbilly' set up to you......cause it kinda does to me.....LOL!  Anyway, so far....so good.  We have yet to roll down the ravine.  Guess if we do, there are enough trees back there to stop us from a going to far....but it is bound to be one heck of a ride!!

Tomorrow is travel day.....we are on our way to our summer spot up on the Tippecanoe river.  The internet is spotty at best there.....so you may not hear from me as often, but I'll will post as often as I can......

And.....WELCOME Bud....so good to hear from you!

Indiana

Back in Indiana!  We made it to O'bannon Woods early afternoon, yesterday.  We found our site......way in the back of the park.  Most of the sites here are short, tight, and close together.  If you head to the back, you can find a little more breathing room.  You do have a small asphalt pad and if you are lucky you can get your door to line up over the small patio extension.  There are very few 'level' sites, most have issues one way or the other or both.  Our site is no exception.  I will try and get some photos.....if it ever stops raining.  It is supposed to rain here for the next few days and we could see some strong storms.  In fact, last night the ranger paid us a visit.  He was going around the park, making sure everyone knew there could be severe weather this weekend.  He also informed us of where the 'safe' spots were located here in the park.  Petty nice for him to take the time to do that!

We spent last evening with our grandson and his mom.  We all had dinner at Culver's.  It was so good to see them both and get my arms around them again.  Triston talked a mile a minute....filling us in on his day and the game of T-ball he had just finished.  They will come over today and they are bringing their WII .   It should be an interesting day....and something tells me I'm going to be one tired Grandma at the end of it.....but that is a very "Goode" thing....LOL!

Well it rained all day on Tuesday so the only thing I got accomplished was a few loads of laundry.  They do have a laundry facility here at Renfro Valley.  There are two washers and two dryers.....$1 each.  I had 4 loads of laundry and soon found out that one of the washers only filled half way on the rinse cycle.....yeah, I pushed all the buttons and switches to no avail.   I don't think many folks use this laundry.  I think most come for the shows or a quick overnight and then move on.  I did get a photo of our site...........

As you can see, you do have a nice amount of space between sites and a little green!

We left Renfro around 10am and headed toward Radcliff, KY.  Billy had found another Passport America RV park that we planned on staying at for a couple of day.  Along the journey, I got out my computer to get some info on the park.  I always like to see if anyone has given a review.  Well, I found several......all bad.  Not going there......regrouped and found a Camp Club Park in Elizabethtown, KY......Glendale Campground.
This is nothing fancy, but it had much better reviews.

Here we are.....as you can see lots of gravel and the site slopes downhill a little.  There is some green around for the dogs.  We have full hook ups, but some only have water/electric.  There is a pool and a lake for fishing.

We just barely fit on this site....side to side.  I think we have about an inch to spare between our slide and the main electrical box.  I sure hope nobody needs access to that while we are here....LOL!

This is the "hook up" side and we just squeezed by here as well.  Our truck is actually parked in the empty site next door.  I would not want to be here at the height of the camping season.

This is a photo that shows you a little more of the park.....there are some nicer areas, but I think a lot of these folks pay to be there all year!  I'm going to see if I can find the lake today and do a little more exploring of this place.

I also want to welcome "Ali" thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog.  Be sure and check out Ali's blogspot as I think you will find it interesting.  They became full timers in March of 2010 and are currently working and traveling with a carnival.

Renfor Valley

We arrived in Mt Vernon/Renfro Valley Sunday afternoon.  Our trip was a little longer than expected as we ran into a detour for I40.  There has been a rock slide, apparently back in October and they are still working on repairing the interstate.  The slide is located between Asheville and Knoxville.  We had to take I26 to Johnson City and then picked up I81 over to Knoxville.  That added an extra hour to our journey.  Billy did say that we avoided some of the more difficult mountain passes....so I guess it was not all bad.....LOL!

We are currently at a nice rv park called Renfro Valley.  The roads are gravel as are the pull through sites.  There is some grass separating the sites and they are level.  You can check out the link to their website to find out all the info.  Renfro Valley is it's own little city, complete with post office, laundry, country music shows (in season), and gift shops.  It is an interesting place.  The regular rate is $37 per night, but they offer passport america discount Sunday-Tuesday ( no shows those days).  I had a question yesterday about how often we use our Camp Club and Passport discounts......well, depends on how much we move around.  This year we moved around a lot so we used both discounts quite a bit.  They both have more than paid for themselves this year.  You just have to do your homework and know all the restrictions and when the discount is available and for how many days.   Many of the parks will not advertise the discount on their web sites.  You need to check the Passport or Camp Club websites for the info. 

I'll try to post some photos of this place next post.....if the rain holds off.  We have no plans to do anything, but enjoy our recliners.  Wednesday is travel day.

Our stay in Hendersonville was very nice.  The park we choose is called Apple Valley Travel Park.  It is a Camp Club USA park, the regular rate is $26 a night so we got two nights at that price.  The park itself is old and most of the sites are small and tight.  I would say it is about 70% full time residence and 20% seasonal (who leave their trailers there year round).  There is only about a dozen or so sites for the 'traveler' and most of these are small and are difficult to get into..... for most rigs.

This is a "pull through" site up on the hill.  We just barely fit between the concrete patio and the wood pole marking the sewer connection on the other side.  The water and electric were on the 'door side', sewer was on the other.  This is the first time we have ever had to use boards under the tires on one side of the trailer to level side to side.  Normally between our air bags and leveling jacks we are fine.  Not this time......in fact pulling into the site I was sure DH was going to roll down the hill......I actually closed my eyes and hoped for the best.  Whew!  We made it!

This is our site from the road......you can see that we just fit with the slides out.  Fortunately, there is little traffic in and out of the park.   This park is quiet and it is close to several small historic towns and attractions.  If you do want to try this place out, you need to see if any of the sites on the "lower level" are available.  They are closer to the highway, but they are on level ground and it is much easier to get in and out of them.  When we left, we had to turn to the left and do the loop through the park.  I walked the whole way....checking for clearance side to side as we made tight turns and looking above for low hanging branches.  We made it without a scratch......at least I'm pretty sure there were no scratches.....LOL!

While in Hendersonville we checked out the historic downtown area......very busy.....lots of antique stores and restaurants.  We also visited Tryon......quaint small town, but not too many shops or restaurants.  From Tryon, we took 176 and ended up at Pearson's Falls.  Beautiful hike (about 15 minutes) to the falls themselves and it is worth it.

After visiting the falls, we continued on Hwy 176 to the historic town of Saluda.  There were quite a few shops and restaurants to check out.  I really enjoy seeing these small downtowns......I used to have a small gift shop in my old hometown (Lafayette, IN).  I do miss it, so I always like to check out and chat with the merchants of other similar small downtowns.  It can be a difficult road to compete against the big box stores and malls, but the small stores have so much more character.  Many times you will find unique items.....made from the local craft and art community. 

Sunday we left Hendersonville and continued our journey toward Indiana.....more on that next post.  One last note, WELCOME to Gen and Syl and thanks for reading my blog.  We met them at our RV Dreamer's Rally.  You can follow their journey to become full timers at:  Wondering Sylville.

We made it to Hendersonville, NC yesterday afternoon.  We had a few small mountains to climb.......these mountain passes are beautiful, but I'm so nervous that it is hard to enjoy the scenery.....LOL!

I'm going to play 'catch up' tonight and share with you some of the sights from Charleston.

First off, this is a photo of our site at the Oak Plantation.  We enjoyed this campground and they had a huge enclosed dog run which the furballs loved!

This is a photo I took of the gardens at the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.  Words cannot describe the beauty of this place.  The spring flowers were at their peak.  I think we wondered around in the gardens for about 2 hours......they are massive......the path twist and turns and leads you all around.....several bridges....colorful plantings.....bamboo forest.....and more.  If you are in the area.....don't pass this up!  I took photo after photo and I can't wait to get to my easel and capture some of these fabulous scenes on canvas.  Our first day here we did the tram tour around the grounds and the plantation house.  The following day we did the gardens and the swamp.  I promise.....you will not be disappointed with this one!

I wish I had a better camera for this shot.  Two almost white squirrels playing.  I shot this from our truck on our way to see the 1500 year old oak called Angel Oak.  I have never seen white squirrels before.....have no idea if they are native to the area or just one of those freaky twist of nature!

Here is Angel Oak......impressive isn't it. That little speck at the bottom is me!

Ok, probably a long enough post for tonight.  I'll post some info on our stay in Hendersonville next time. 

We have really enjoyed our stay here in Charleston SC.  I do have photos and more to say, but today is travel day so that will have to wait for the next post.  I was so tired from all the sight seeing (or maybe it was the margaritas) in the evenings I just could not convince myself to post to my blog.

We are heading toward Asheville today......as always I hope for an uneventful trip!

We made it to Charleston, SC around 2pm.  It was a long and crazy road trip.  There was lots of traffic, lots of stop lights, small towns, and as Billy likes to call them..."suicide drivers"!  We only had about a 100 miles and what should have taken about 2 hours.....took about 3 hours.  At one point we saw a trash truck off to the side of the road, Billy moved over into the passing lane.....there was a semi in front so we could not see the road up ahead very well.  All of a sudden a large piece of what looked like particle board came flying out from under the semi trailer.  Scared the crap outta of us both.....fortunately, it slammed back down on the road just as we hit it.  Thank goodness it didn't hit the hood or the windshield.  The tires survived and we have not found any other damage.  Let me tell you.....that will get your heart a race-in!!

We are staying at the Oak Plantation and Campground.  Very nice park....paved roads and large grassy sites.  We are only minutes from Charleston, but the park is surrounded by trees and it is very quiet here.  I think our Good Sam rate was around $30 for full hook ups and 50amps.  We will be here for 3 nights.....leaving Friday morning.

And the photo you have all been waiting for.......the infamous lap dance incident......

Saturday was the last full day of the rally and it ended with a "bang".  We had a 50's style sock hop and I think everyone had a really fabulous time.   I know I did......I was a dance-in and a sing-in along with all those oldies but goodies!!  My sweet hubby does not dance, but the dj had us all stand and form a circle for a song saluting our veterans......"I'm proud to be an American".  After it was over, he played a slow song and I hung on to Billy and got my dance.  Well, sort of......I kinda sway back and forth....Billy doesn't move at all....LOL!  After that, I left my DH sitting at the table and danced with the girls.  There was a rousing rendition of "I'm a Redneck Woman" and a stunning preformance of "Summer Nights" from Grease, just to name a few.  At the end, the dj played one more slow song and I tried in vain to get Billy back on the dance floor.  He just looked at me and said two words...."Lap Dance"....well, what's a girl gonna do.....we had ourselves a romantic little lap dance.  Now, I'd like to say that what happens in Willow Tree stays in Willow Tree.....but during our "dance" there seemed to be a number of paparazzi surrounding our "intimate" moment...LOL.  I'm told or maybe I was warned that these photos would be showing up on the internet.  So, if you come come across these "photos".....please think kindly of us......I promise....."no one was hurt in the making of these photos".....LOL!

Sunday morning came early.  Our farewell breakfast was 8am.  You should have seen us all.  There were a lot of aches and pains from all the dancing from the night before......poor Linda was even limping.  Seems she stressed out one of her knees.  After breakfast there was lots of hugs and goodbyes.....it was sad to see it all come to an end.....but we all know we shall see each other again somewhere.....down the road. 

We will be here til Tuesday.....as will several other rally folks....including Linda and Howard.  We all gathered down at the Payne's for a campfire last night......one more great memory to carry with us on our journeys.

YEAH!  I'm not 100%, but I am feeling much better.  Howard actually stopped by our fifth wheel yesterday to see where we were.....they missed us at the chili cook-off the night before.  I let him know I had been ill, but we did plan on attending the pot luck that evening.

We had a great time last night, starting off with the pot luck dinner and ending with a round of Family Feud RV style.  It was a hoot!

Here are the photos I promised.  A view of the lake.....which has the walking/bike path around it.

Here is the beach area

The pool

The Cottages.....for you poor rv-less folks.....LOL!

Ok, that is it for today.  Things to do, people to see, and fun to be had.......!

It is beautiful here at Willow Tree and we are enjoying the rally.  I do have some more photos to post, but that will have to wait till a bit later.  Unfortunately, a cold front which is working it's way through, is causing me some sinus problems.  The congestion seems to have settled in my inner ear.  I'm dizzy.....more than usual....LOL!  I could almost handle the dizziness if it were not for the nausea that comes with it.  Yesterday, I pretty much stayed in my recliner and did nothing.  Today, I 'm feeling a little better.  The cold front has made it's way through.  It is still a beautiful day....bright sun, blue skies, and temps are in the low 70's.  I am going to try and do a little painting today on my bedroom mural.  Tonight is the rally pot luck and we will attend.....sure hope my vertigo has subsided completely by then......

Our journey to Willow Tree was a good one and yes, Billy did find one of those Truck Washing facilities.  The first one we encountered....was a bit of a stresser.  You see, we couldn't see the line of trucks from the road.  We didn't realize we were going to be trapped like rats until it was too late.  The driveway is several feet long and then curves tightly to the left, but before the curve is an entrance to some type of facility for heavy equipment.  Ya know...earth movers, bulldozers, stuff like that.  There is a fence on either side of the drive and it very clearly states....NO U TURNS BEYOND THIS POINT!  There was about 4 trucks ahead of us round the curve.  So,  here we are....can't turn round, can't back up....this could take hours.  Billy finally decides he will go up and ask if we can turn around in the parking area....even with the signs....we decided we didn't have anything to lose.  So he asked.....and......success.....they told us no problem.  We were soooo happy and we did get to return the favor.  As Billy was turning into the dirt lot I saw something shiny in the dirt......a set of keys.  I got out and pick them up and took them inside to the receptionist.  I thanked him again for allowing us to use the parking lot and handed him the keys we found!  We got back on the road and it was not long before Billy spied another Truck Wash.  I'm thinking...."Oh, no.....not again", but he was determined.  This time, we could clearly see no trucks ahead of us.  The furballs and I headed for shady area in the grass while Billy and the truck and fiver went into the great tunnel.  I could not see what was happening inside, but there sure was a lot of hoop-in and holler-in going on.  Billy re-appears and I think the whole washing process took about 15 minutes or less.  Seems they have a whole lot of guys in there just a wash-in and a rinse-in at the speed of light....LOL!  I'm not going to say we are sparkling clean, but for what it is they did do a pretty good job.  The cost was $48.50 and Billy was happy......I guess that is all that matters.  I wonder though.... if the first truck wash were that quick.....maybe the wait would not have been that long.....but then we would not have found those keys.....

Bout 2 hours later we pulled into Willow Tree Resort......let the fun begin.  I do have some photos for tomorrow's post.....this place is fabulous!

Can you tell where we had lunch yesterday.......we were just outside of Augusta GA at a Cracker Barrel.  This guy was already for is outing at the "Masters" and yeah we gave old Tiger a big "hello" from the peanut gallery on the interstate....LOL!

We arrived at the Barnyard RV park in Lexington South Carolina around 4pm.  We were in the process of setting up when a couple came over to say "howdy".  Surprise, surprise.....it was Mister and Miss Alfie from RV Dreams forum.  They were headed to the rally too.  We chatted a little and look forward to seeing them soon at the rally. 

Ok, gotta go and get on the road.  Billy wants to try and find a truck wash so he can get the rv cleaned and sparkly before we arrive.  Now, that could be another story....we shall see how this goes.  LOL!

On the road......again.....the last four days at Cane 9 Creek have been wonderful.  The weather could not have been nicer.  We just kicked back and enjoyed the quiet.  The dogs loved the creek and I took them down to play everyday but one.  The park has an outdoor bathing area....complete with hot and cold water....so clean up from the creek was easy.  Sunday I took the opportunity to go ahead and give them their haircuts and a bath.  Now, they will look and smell good for the rally.

We are currently traveling  east on I20.  Traffic has been a little heavy, but we are only about 46 miles from our stop for the night.....more on that later.  

Cane 9 Creek RV Park

Here we are a Cane 9 Creek RV Park, located in Heflin Alabama.  We have a nice size pull through...fairly level, it goes up hill a little where the truck is sitting.  Gravel roads and pads, but lots of surrounding grass and trees.  Yes, there is a creek and we can see it out our back window.  The furballs have already been in it!  We did have to put up the tv satellite.....nothing available on just the antenna.  Plenty of big open sky here, so we had the tv up and working in no time.  There is free wifi here at the park and it is working well. 

We arrived here yesterday around 2pm and I think we are one of 5 rvs....so we practically have the place to ourselves.  I did have a bit of a panic attack while we were setting up.  Bill was hooking up outside, while I was doing all the inside stuff......and I heard this noise.  At first, I was not sure what it was.....something seemed to be running.  I finally headed outside only to see water pouring out of the our on demand hot water compartment.  "Aaaaaayyyyy, shut off the water!!"  I didn't think he heard me so I go round one direction as he is coming round the other.....I swear that always happens. Anyway, he had heard me and shut off the water.  Upon inspection of the compartment we saw the water was spewing from the release valve.  Billy surmised that the water pressure here must be high.....he had not put our water pressure regulator on at this point.  Once he put the regulator in line and turned the water on......no more leak.  Whew!  Glad that was a simple fix.

We do like it here, so we have decided to extend our stay through Sunday.  That will give us two travel days to reach the rally, which should be plenty of time.  I almost hate to say this out loud, but the weather has just been beautiful.  I feel like we have come out of a long.......dark......wet......cold......tunnel.......into the sunshine and warmth of Spring!