Second Leg - Ohio October 2025

 It is too long of a drive to get to Mt Gilead, Ohio, where Gwen and Julie live in one day.  Half way was in Clarington, PA where there was another Passport America campground, White's Haven.

It was a beautiful fall day, and the park was very well maintained.

The next day we toured the area. Nearby is Cook Forest, known for its "old growth".

And, The Pickle Barrel, a roadside general store.

We got a chuckle out of this sign in the store.

We got to Julie's the next day, only to learn that she and Tony had separated and would be filing for a divorce.  Quite the shock, but it is what it is. 

So, now Julie is the sole owner of the tin man Bob made for them.  Julie has dubbed him Tin Diesel.

There is a large Amish community in this area.  We stopped at one of the stores and stocked up on Amish foods, and at an Amish nursery we bought a variety of multi colored and shaped gourds and a dwarf red maple which Bob may try to make into a bonsai.  

The last night there, we took the ladies out to a steak restaurant for dinner...Julie, Jodie (Tony's mom), and Gwen. 

 
The drive home didn't start out well with a blustery rainstorm and backed up traffic on I-71 outside of Columbus.  But once we got moving again, we didn't have any further problems and got home the following afternoon.
 

 

First Leg of Two Week Road Trip - NJ September 2025

 Although I said I wouldn't drive back to NJ, we found ourselves doing just that on September 24th.  Uncle Mike's 103rd birthday would be on September 27th, and I felt I needed to see him.  I had also made plans to meet with some School 13 friends, and then go from NJ to visit Bob's family in Ohio. 

Fortuitously, one of our Passport America club campgrounds at Buena Vista, VA, is almost half way to NJ, and has been a stopping place for us at least twice before.  The only downside is that it is off I-81, and even the park attendant said traveling on I-81 was taking your life in your hands.  

And the woman must have been clairvoyant.  The next morning, we were in a 3-lane shut down due to a horrific accident that had occurred just two miles from us.  We were stopped for over 2 hours only to finally be able to get reach the next off ramp, which was about a quarter of a mile away, take a detour of a few miles, and get back on 81 past the wreckage.  But, we knew we were lucky...at least we got to drive away and tell the tale.

It is a white-knuckle ride on the interstates, especially towing a trailer, but thankfully we made it to Mahlon Dickerson Reservation and to our favorite campsite without further incident.  In fact, when we crossed over the Delaware River on I-80, I asked Bob if we were in the Twilight Zone....there was almost no traffic!!

Uncle Mike's health had been failing, and he needed more care than the family could provide.  He went into a nursing facility and a few months later he moved into the New Jersey Veterans Home in Paramus.  This is where Adele arranged to have the party for him on Saturday the 27th.  Above are some of his first-generation family:  Barbara and Joe, Carol and Nelson, Adele and Michael, and me.

And here are some of the second and third: (top row) Alexis, Matt, Al, Dean, and Sean. (bottom row) Tallulah, the guest of honor, Annie, Jill, Jonah, and Abram.

Adele performs the traditional Polish birthday song, "Sto Lat", and in flawless Polish!

Later most of us went to Annie and Dean's house for some food, drinks, and good cheer.

On Monday, Bob and I paid our respects at the cemetery before meeting up with friends at Allwood Diner.  Nance displays her School 13 centennial -shirt.

Plish, Nance, Francie, Mike and I have known each other since kindergarten in School 13.  For some reason, there is a very strong bond among those of us who went to school there...one that has lasted over 70 years. The two guys at opposite ends of the table, John and Tom, are honorary 13ers being married to Plish and Nance.  Bob didn't want to break the camera, so he took the photo. 

We left the next day to head to Ohio.  But, I'm glad we did make the drive one more time.  Sadly, Uncle Mike passed away January 9th of this year.

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Lake Hartwell July & August 2025

 July 14 - 17 we camped at Twin Lakes Army Corps of Engineers park on Lake Hartwell.  We had a washout two days, so there wasn't much to blog about.  My friend, Myra, who lives nearby was to come to our site for a picnic, but she didn't feel well, so we cancelled plans.  We did drive around Pendleton a little, stopping at a "meat and three" restaurant in the older part of town.  But, the newer section was disappointing in that it was giving way to franchise shops like in almost any other city, and had lost the small town feeling it once had.

In August, we went back for our third (?) stay at Wadstatdler, another  Corps park, for a 3 nights.

Yep, rain again.  And, boy did it pour.  We decided to drive into Anderson, about 20 miles north, to do some shopping and have a bite to eat.  That turned out to be a bit chancy since the rain had produced severe ponding on the roads.

The next day was overcast, but at least the rain had stopped.  We drove into the town of Elberton, about 10 miles south of us.  It is known as the Granite Capital of the World.  It boasts having produced more granite monuments than any other city in the world.  Granite deposits were found about 9 miles below the earth's surface measuring about 35 miles long and 6 miles deep.  There are 45 active quarries in the area.

 
We had talked about visiting their granite museum before, and we decided to do that on this trip.

One of the reasons is my fascination with the mysterious Georgia Guidestones (see post from May 2022 if you are not familiar with the Guidestones).  I was hoping to get more information about who was behind their construction, but there wasn't anything more than I had already found out.  We didn't go away totally empty handed.  I did get a few free post cards of the monoliths plus a souvenir piece of granite.  I guess there is plenty of that to give to the museum visitors.

The sun made its appearance on our last day.

And in the evening, the moonlight was magical.

Time to Get Back to Blogging - 2026

 I guess I should make this blog more of a "year in review" type thing since posts seem to be a yearly basis.  The last update I did was in June 2025 to catch up from 2024 to May 2025.  And now, almost a year later, I will be reporting from then to our last outing in February 2026.  And, I probably would have procrastinated even longer if it weren't for the nudge from my cousin Carol who said she missed her vicarious adventures with us. After all, she did come with us on our so called honeymoon in 1986.  So, I promised her I would have the blog updated by her birthday (April 8th), and I like to keep my promises.

Chau Ram Park - May 2025

 May 1st....I was the May Day Queen in kindergarten!  And, I remember it well.  Don't know how/why I was chosen, but I knew it was an honor.  Over 70 years later, I'm headed with Bob to Chau Ram, a local county park for a picnic.

The park's name is another portmanteau...a combination of the Chauga River and Ramsey Creek.

Our area didn't escape from Helen either, but the damage wasn't as extensive as in NC.  Trees downed in the storm collected at various spots along the river.  The bridge across Hwy 76 just a few miles up from the park was washed out causing travelers headed north towards Clayton, Ga to take a rather long roundabout detour.  The repairs were completed just this past June, and the road is again open.

A suspension bridge crosses the river.  On the farther side is a beach where it is safe to swim.

  
Across the bridge there are several hiking trails.  You have to stay steady when walking on the bridge.  It sways quite a bit.

Along the paths throughout the park are beautiful flowers.

Heading east from the bridge are the falls at Ramsey Creek.

I think cousins Carol and Nelson will remember their visit here.

Five years ago during covid, in addition to the informative sign about the blue heron, there was another reminding people to keep 6 feet apart, the same distance as the heron's wingspan.  Thank goodness those days are over.

Mid May, we went to Calabash, NC,  and once again met up with Plish and John who were dog sitting for their niece, Lisa.  Although P&J sold their condo  there, they still will be going for visits, especially since Lisa has now bought a home there.  We stayed at The Wishing Well campground, as we have been doing for at least 15 years.  One night we had a cook out there with P&J and Paul, the next meatball subs at Lisa's and the last night pizza at Paul's.  No photos of the trip...same folks, same scenery as so many past posts, minus one very special person. 

 

Rosman, NC - April 2025

 Five years ago today, April 13th, we were awakened at 3: 13 am   by a "take shelter NOW" tornado alert.  Our property vista changed overnight, but our house, vehicles, boat and most importantly, ourselves, were spared.  Today we are going on a 3 night camp stay at the Lazy J in Rosman, NC, approximately 45 miles from us and another 45 to Asheville.  We camped here many years ago, and were glad it was still in operation after Helen. 

The entry to the camp is across an old trestle-like bridge over the Broad River.  This was one of the rivers that flooded as a result of Hurricane Helen and caused extensive damage to North Carolina.

The campground is in a wooded area.  Our spot isn't very big, but we will be spending most of our two 

days sightseeing.

 

The next day we drove to the Pisgah National Forest, noted for its many waterfalls.  Most of them require a hike to reach, but Looking Glass was right along the road.

If we were more adventurous (translate "younger"), we would have walked down the long stairway and maybe even gone into the water.  But, we were content to have a closer view through the zoom lens of the camera.  

Along the river throughout the forest, downed trees still remain from the flood...

Hard to imagine how much damaged was caused considering how low and calm the river is now.

And this is just one of many piles of dead timber that was cleared away.

Tuesday, we drove into the town of Brevard, about 15 miles east of Rosman.

We drove onto the campus of Brevard College, probably most noted for its white squirrels.  However, none were in sight today.

Perhaps they were on their way to visit the cows.  The folks here don't have to wait for the cows to come home!!!

In another part of town is Silvermont Park and Mansion.  The house, built in 1917, was owned by a prosperous tanner and lumberman, Joseph Silverstein, who willed the estate to the county in 1972.  The downstairs is now a Senior Center.  Upstairs still has a few rooms that typify the early life there, but it wasn't opened while we were at the park.

There is a playground and garden on the property, and an oak tree that grew from the propagation of the original Charter Oak in Connecticut.  Acorns from the original tree were preserved and planted in various states, and cuttings made from these were distributed for planting elsewhere, such as here.

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The town folk are blessed to have such a beautiful park, as were we to visit it.

 

Some "One Offs"

 Thought I'd post some photos that aren't linked to any "adventure" per se, but you might like to see:

Home made "no knead" cheese bread, but ah, you do want it!!  Yummy!

"The Zoo"...a whimsical metal arts place outside Blue Ridge, GA.

Poochie.  She doesn't usually play with toys, but she did take a bit of interest in "Lambchop"

David and Amanda paid us a short visit at the end of March

Bob and I went to Hartwell, GA, to have grouper for lunch at a lakeside restaurant.

The hydrangea at the pool deck really took off this spring.

Here are the new front porch steps and landing Bob built.

In May, he began clearing a new planting area on our "north forty".

We will later add perennial flowering plants for some color.