It is both wonderful and weird to be home. We arrived on December 16th and we leave again on December 26th. This time has been packed full of errands, appointments, parties, lunches, dinners, family, fun, food, and Christmas!

A highlight of the past 2 Christmas seasons has been tortellini night. We had so much fun making pasta and visiting with the D’Amato family. They are wonderful people and gracious hosts. We are thankful to be included.

I wish we had taken more pictures…we were too busy having fun!!

We were so happy to be able to attend my niece, Megan’s pinning and graduation from Northern Kentucky School of Nursing. My heart was full as her mother, Dana, and I, both nurses, pinned her on Thursday evening.

Congratulations Megan!! We are so very proud. You will be an amazing nurse!!

It has been a really long time since we posted. We spent Thanksgiving in Atlanta with David and his family. We were so fortunate because Kyle was able to fly down and join us. I cooked a feast and our family was joined by Dre’s family. We had a blast laughing, playing, and celebrating together!

We left Atlanta in August with a combination of sadness…because it is always hard to drive away from family…and excitement. This trip was a whirlwind of beautiful sights, challenging Jeep trails and lots of time spent together! Here are the very best memories of our western adventure.

Mileage:  71,887

R Shaeffer Heard Campground at West Point Lake West Point, Georgia

We took 10E across the rest of Mississippi and into Alabama.  We got onto 65N in Mobile and then in Montgomery we got onto 85N.  The entire time, it rained. 

It was foggy and grey.  The little drops turned into bigger drops.  I was hypnotized by the rhythm of the windshield wipers.  I was getting a little slap happy.  This was our third long driving day in a row…300 miles or more each day.  So, I started making lists and then I started writing Christmas cards and, I got a lot accomplished!

We arrived at R Shaeffer Heard Campground and the rain had stopped…as we were setting up, the sun came out!

Tim started a fire and I did some cleaning and organizing.

We had a simple dinner. 

November Days of Thanksgiving Day #23:  We are grateful for blue skies after the rain.

Mileage:  71,585

Shepard State Park Gautier, Mississippi

We took 10E across the rest of Texas and into Louisiana.  We crossed this bridge onto an elevated highway that spans the Atchafalaya Basin. 

This is the largest wetland and swamp in the United States.  It consists of river delta where the river and the Gulf of Mexico meet.  The leaves are changing here but not with brilliant color like the changing leaves at home.

There have got to be fish in that water.

We crossed this bridge at Baton Rouge, over the Mississippi River.  

Barges on the Mississippi.

We arrived at Shepard State Park and set up.  We got on our bikes and rode around the park.

This park has disc golf and an archery course.

The boat ramp is the only place that we could actually see the water.

We saw this grasshopper on the sidewalk…he was 3 inches long!  He might have an injured leg…he didn’t move even when I took his picture.

We made a salad and grilled veggie burgers.  It was nice enough to have a small fire and eat outside.

November Days of Thanksgiving Day #22:  We are grateful for bike rides after long driving days.

Mileage:  71,212

Winnie-Stowell County Park Campground Winnie, Texas

Goodbye beautiful beach!

Today Tim spent the day driving and I spent the day riding.  We traveled just a little over 300 miles.  We passed through Corpus Christi and then for most of the day we drove through wide open space…filled with grassy fields, agricultural areas, windmills, cattle, trains, industry, black dirt, tractor trailers, power plants, road construction…and then through Houston…crowded and congested. 

When we emerged on 10E on the other side of Houston, it was time to think about a stopping place.  We pulled into a rest area and looked at options.  I have a clear memory of being at that same rest stop last spring and choosing the Winnie-Stowell County Park then as well.  We rested for a while and then hopped on our bikes.  It felt good to be moving on this warm and pleasant day.

We passed this FEMA tent and then we passed lots of houses with debris in the yard.  On September 19, 2019, the town of Winnie had 40 inches of rain.  The area was badly flooded.  People had to be rescued in boats and military vehicles.  Many of the houses are still terribly damaged.  Some families who were affected by Imelda, had been previously affected by Harvey.  It is humbling to see people who work with determination and grit to be resilient.

We found a good BBQ place for an easy dinner.

November Days of Thanksgiving Day #21:  We are thankful for each new town that we visit.  We always make an effort to see the good.  Every place has its own beauty. 

Day 3

Bird Island Basin Campground Padre Island National Seashore Corpus Christi, Texas

We had another nice bike ride this morning!  It was balmy and windy and we had to work a bit harder but it felt so great to be pedaling.  We have seen these crested caracara in the park but today was the first day we captured some pictures.

A turtle.

The wetlands are beautiful!

Cranes here for the winter.

We spent a couple of hours at the laundromat and then had salads for lunch at a Mexican restaurant.  We got groceries and RV supplies.  Tomorrow we begin to head north to Atlanta.  It’s going to take us a bunch of days to get there…it’s really close to 1,000 miles from here.

This afternoon we did some research for our winter trip to Baja, Mexico.  I learned about FMM cards and Mexican car insurance.  We are always planning ahead for the next adventure.

November Days of Thanksgiving Day #20:  We are thankful for these beach days filled with warmth and sunshine before we head north for the holidays.

Day 2

Bird Island Basin Campground Padre Island National Seashore Corpus Christi, Texas

Happy Birthday Dad…remembering you today.

It was so foggy when we woke up that you couldn’t see the water in front of the RV. We watched the fog lift and the sun begin to shine through. This flock of redhead ducks was resting in the sound. These ducks breed in Alaska and are here in Texas to overwinter. They are quite lovely with blue beaks and blue feet.

We took a great bike ride this morning.

We packed our lunch and drove to the beach.  We gathered another 6 bags of trash and then we relaxed.

We spent the afternoon watching the water on the sound side.

The sunset was spectacular!

The coyotes in the park are crazy tonight, yipping and howling…they sound incredibly close!

November Days of Thanksgiving Day #19:  We are thankful for feeling alive, for the wonderful energy we are infused with as we travel and experience new places and things.

Mileage:  70,786

Bird Island Basin Campground Padre Island National Seashore Corpus Christi, Texas

Happy Birthday Dre!!!

First thing this morning, we moved across the park road to Bird Island Basin, a campground right on the sound.   

From there we rode our bikes through the wetlands and along the park road.

The sand is hardpacked along the shore and we were able to continue our bike ride on the beach.

We took a break, sat in a pavilion, and watched the waves and the shore birds and then headed back to the RV.

We stopped at the wildlife observation area and saw lots of turtles sunning themselves.

Pelican at the boat ramp.

We thought about driving the Jeep to the beach but it was so pleasant sitting in the campground by the water.  We were content to wile away our afternoon right here.

We watched a tug guide a barge out through the intercoastal waterway.

And another tug, pushing a barge in.

We watched gulls and other birds fishing and a guy windsurfing.

Sunset.

November Days of Thanksgiving Day #18:  We are grateful for the beauty of the water, the sunshine, the beach, the birds, the turtles…for being constantly surrounded by nature!!