Providence State Park, GA

After we got the tires in Panama City, we headed into Dothan, AL, and from there to Hardgrove Campground, a park operated by the Army Corps of Engineers on the Chattahoochee River.  We were about 10 miles from Abbeville, and just across the GA state line.  The campsite was right on one of the lakes created by the dam.  It was very windy on Wednesday, but thankfully, none of the tornadoes that ravaged the south headed our way.  On Thursday, we drove into Georgia to Providence State Park, known as having "the Little Grand Canyon".  It was a disappointment inasmuch as the canyon was not very visible.  We took a trail to the bottom, but when we got there, we still couldn't see the canyon walls.  The trail was very steep, so we decided to head back the way we had come.  The best views of the canyon that we could get were from a picnic area.  The canyon was formed by poor agricultural methods in the 1800's. There was not much else to see in the park.  When we left there, we drove into Lumpkin, which was like a ghost town.  The towns along the way were about 20 miles apart, and there was very little thriving in any of them.

Silver Anniversary Road Trip April 2011

We left early Easter Sunday and had our "sunrise service" on I-75, ending with a blow out on a trailer tire when we were just north of Tampa.  Thankfully, a road ranger helped Bob change the tire. Since we didn't have a spare after that, and tires stores were closed for the holiday, Bob drove very slowly.  It took us almost 12 hours to get to St Joe State Park, a beautiful place on a peninsula south of Port St Joe.  Our RV site was a hop, skip and a jump to the boardwalk over the dunes to the Gulf.  The park also had a very nice picnic area near the boat ramp on the bay side.  Bob's knee still wasn't completely healed, so he didn't want to try getting into "Ducky",and it was very windy, probably from the storms further inland.  We fished from shore, but as usual, no luck.  Didn't matter...the views were gorgeous. Tuesday, we went into Port St Joe to see what was there.  I had to get a new cell phone, and it took the tech geeks two hours to get it right.  We tried to find a nice waterfront restaurant, but the closest place was in Mexico Beach, about an hour from the park.  The nearest place we could get tires was Panama City, so we made arrangements to get them on our way to Alabama on Wednesday morning.   

Home Again, Home Again!

After 8,842 over 57 days, we arrived home safely.  Before we left, we had secured our home with hurricane shutters and then inadverently engaged the deadbolt on the front door.  That made it virtually impossible to get in. Thankfully, new batteries allowed the garage door opener to work, and we were able to get in through the garage.  Now to unpack and plan for another trip!

Blurred Vision? No--snow!

We had hoped to see snow when in Jersey...or at least on this trip, and we weren't disappointed.  At about 7:30 am, enroute from TN to NC on I-26,  the white stuff started to come down....

Bluff City, TN

Our last travel adventure stop..Bluff City, TN, about 11 miles outside of Johnson City in north eastern Tennessee.  Our campsite was at Lakeview RV park, overlooking part of Boone Lake.  It was raining and cold the two days we were here.  On Thursday, we took a brief tour of Rocky Mount, a pioneer homestead.  Tomorrow, we will head for home.   

Gettysburg, PA

Monday, November 1, we left New Jersey and went to Gettysburg, PA.  On Tuesday, we took the 24 mile auto tour around the 6000 acres of the national park which included the fields where the battle was waged July1 thru July 3, 1863, where a total of  51,000 Union & Conferderate soliders were either wounded, killed, or missing in action.  It was hard to believe a place of such beauty was a scene of such carnage.  You can't help but be moved by the monuments throughout the park, and especially in the cemetery, where Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address.