Neuse River Campground, Croatan National Forest, New Bern, North Carolina

Our march north continues.  We left Calabash today and arrived at the Neuse River/Flanner Beach Campground located about 10 miles south of New Bern, NC.  The Neuse River is about 4 miles across where we are.  It flows out in to Pamlico Bay which helps to form part of the Outer Banks (click on the location link below).  It's a another beautiful location and a great campground.

Here's Wes at the head of the stairs leading down to the beach from the bluff the campground is located on.

Working on his "bump on a log" impression.

Brunswick Beaches RV Park, Calabash, North Carolina

Yesterday we arrived at Brunswick Beaches RV Park.  We're here to visit family & friends.  Dick & Michele Reger, our daughter Patty's in-laws, picked us up at the campground and brought us back to their home for a scrumptious dinner and fun visit.  While we were there we took a group shot to send off to our granddaughter Emily for her 15th birthday.

Happy Birthday Emily ! ! !

*******

This evening we went out to dinner with our old school chums from North Tarrytown (Sleepy Hollow) NY, John & Trudy Bermabo.  After dinner we went back to their house for coffee & dessert (ice cream & one of John's famous cakes).  Needless to say we had a great time catching up on family news and old friend reminiscing.

Trudy & Barb started school together in first grade at St. Teresa's.

Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina

Yesterday, we departed Hilton Head Island after the Powers delivered an al fresco breakfast to the Trunkos & the Reys at our RV resort.  What a great way to say "'till we meet again".  We headed north through Beaufort, Charleston (we waved to the See Wee Restaurant) and Georgetown, SC to Murrell's Inlet which is just south of Myrtle Beach.  We were lucky to snag a campsite via a last minute cancellation at Huntington Beach State Park (it's sold out on weekends from April to November) but the site was a hike from the beach.  Not to fear ....... we unhooked our trusty Lazy Daze and drove it to the day-use beach parking lot and used it as our mobile cabana during the day.

Barb relaxing by the surf after fixing a hearty brunch by the beach in our Lazy Daze.

******

You never know when you'll find people doing something nice ....

.... here's Boy Scouts and their families from Troop 360 in nearby Pawley's Island doing volunteer work building picnic benches for Hunting Island State Park.

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Yesterday we arrived at the Hilton Head RV Resort & Marina.  We are here to meet with our life-long friends Jack & Louise Powers who live here on the Island.  Frank & Lois Rey, whose house we just left in Ormond Beach, decided to drive their RV up to join in the fun.  Louise prepared an excellent dinner and we all had such a great time talking about living and raising our families in North Tarrytown (now Sleepy Hollow, NY).  Today Jack & Louise gave us a tour of the Island, we had a great lunch at the "Salty Dog" restaurant, went to a neat farmers market in nearby Bluffton and finished the day (and evening) having drinks and treats at the Powers.  We all had a fabulous time.

Here are the six of us at Harbor Town on Hilton Head Island.

Ft. Clinch State Park, Amelia Island, Florida

Today we left Ormond Beach and began our trip back north.  We took the scenic route up Route A1A which goes right along the Atlantic coast through Flagler Beach, St. Augustine and Ponte Vedre to Jacksonville.  Barb has been wanting to go on a cruise so we took the Mayport Ferry across the St. John River.  It's 12 minutes of luxury but we did miss the stage show and midnight buffet.

Here we are on our grand Cruise

Barb on the Lido deck (actually the only deck) of the 

"SS Whatever".

Ft. Clinch is yet another beautiful Florida state park.  It's bounded by the Atlantic on the north & east and the Amelia River on the west.  Our RV site was right on the beach on the river.  Beautiful !

Barb on the beach with our RV in the background.

Sunset view from our RV.

Ormond Beach, FL

We've been staying at our friends Lois & Frank Rey's in Ormond Beach.  They have a lovely home.  The weather has been overcast and a little rainy but it hasn't effected our stay.  We've been doing a lot of chatting, relaxing, hanging out and shopping.  The highlight was a trip to Hobby Lobby and the Daytona Flea Market, a huge complex of vendors with all kinds of goods.

Here's a picture of the four of us overlooking the Rey's lanai. 

Yesterday we went to the Mango Sun cafe for a delicious brunch

Mango Sun Cafe, Ormond Beach

Farewell to The Villages

Today we bid farewell to The Villages and headed east to Ormond Beach.  Before we left we had lunch with our friends Gloria & Neil Martone.  We met at Cody's restaurant at Sumter Landing in The Villages.  It's a neat place where you throw your peanut shells on the floor, they have great burgers and cold beer.

Take a look at the door handles to Cody's ......

Here we are enjoying our lunch & visit.

The Villages

Yesterday we arrived at The Villages in central Florida

Golf cart "row" in Sumter Landing in the Villages

Of course we had to meet-up with our Sleepy Hollow High School classmates during our visit.  We had dinner at The Villages Glenview Country Club then dessert and coffee at Joanne & Elio DeChecci's home.  Naturally we were able to "re-hash" our school days back in Tarrytown, NY and solve most of the world's problems.   Here's a picture of the gang ......

Wes, Barb, Pat Mathieson Furphy, Joanne (Tonetti) & Elio DeChecci and Maria (Miranda) Puram ....

(Maria's husband George took the picture).

Joanne & Maria

Barb & Pat

Salt Springs Campground, Ocala National Forest

On Sunday, the morning after the wedding, we attended a brunch hosted by the parents of the bride, Carol & Clem Reiss.  It was held in the club room of their Lido Beach condo.  The food was great, the hospitality top-notch and it was a great way to say "good-bye" to all the wedding folks.

On Monday we visited with our friends Marianne & Red Malone at their wonderful home in Sarasota.  Their boys and their families were also there along with friends from good old Tarrytown, NY.  We were treated to a delicious dinner buffet and a whole lot of reminiscing and catching-up.

Today we arrived at Salt Springs Campground in the Ocala National Forest.  It's an excellent facility with full hook-ups, level paved sites, a natural springs swimming area and even wifi.

 Wes testing the water in the Salt Springs swimming area

 Beautiful wild flowers and live oaks surround the Springs

A lovely place

The Wedding Day !!!!!

We started the day with a morning visit with our Northeast Lazy Daze friends, Bev & Ken Schultz.  They have a lovely condo in nearby Bradenton.  We had a really nice visit.

The weather reports were calling for a 50/50 chance of thunder showers but they stayed away and it turned out to be a lovely wedding ceremony and cocktail party on the beach.  Dinner and dancing continued at the Longboat Key Club's Island House.  It was a beautiful event.

 Note: click on the pictures to get a larger view

We know you're drawn to Wes's knees, but get a load of Barb's stunning footwear ..... they're fancy 

flip-flops supplied to the lady guests for the beach ceremony & cocktail hour.

The Trunko Clan

The Bride & Groom cutting the cake.

Sarasota, Florida

Yesterday we arrived in Sarasota.  We'll be here over the next few days attending Wes's nephew Scott Trunko's wedding.  Today we took a sight-seeing ride around Sarasota and Longboat Key with a stop at the famous Saint Armand's Circle, Sarasota's famous shopping, dining and people watching haven.   The wedding festivities began tonight with a rehearsal dinner at the Longboat Key Chart House Restaurant. The food was delicious and we all had a great time.

Saint Armand's Circle

The rehearsal dinner .... us, flanked by Dixie (the bride to be) and her betrothed, Scott.

Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland, FL

 Today we arrived at Manatee Springs State Park.  During the months of  December - March, Manatees migrate to this Spring's crystal clear water that stays at 72 degrees throughout the year.  The Springs, one of the largest in the state, produce 50 million to 150 million gallons per day that flows into the Suwannee River.  During the times of the year that the springs are manatee-free, humans are allowed to swim in its beautiful waters.  We didn't see any manatees but there were plenty of deer, raccoons and armadillos.

Deer strolling through our campsite.

Armadillo in lower left hand corner of picture.

The water in this part of the springs in 20 feet deep and you can see right to the bottom.

Another Day at Topsail's Santa Rosa Beach

 Here's Barb working on her tan at the beach .....

...... and the beach is so pretty .....

 

..... and here is Wes snoozing and working on his "pale".

Topsail Hill State Park, Santa Rosa Beach (Destin), Florida

We made it to our next stop here at Topsail.  It's rated the best State Park Campground in Florida and one of the best, commercial or State/Federal run we've even been to.  the sites are large, beautifully landscaped with palm trees, Spanish sword palms, rhododendrons, live oaks and pines.  They have full hook-ups, cable t.v., a pool, wifi hot spot and a magnificent beach.

We'll be here for four glorious days.

Eufaula Pilgrimage Weekend

Another "Stumble-upon" ...... that means we happened to be somewhere where something neat and unexpected is happening.  This is Eufaula's annual Pilgrimage weekend.  It's a fund raiser that started in the early 1960's to raise money to restore a beautiful mansion in Eufaula that was facing the wrecker's ball.  Since then over 25 antebellum and turn-of-the-century victorian homes have been saved.  The weekend consists of house tours, an outdoor art show, local entertainment and locals parading around town in period dress.  Our day started at the visitors center where we saw an excellent exhibit depicting Eufaula/Barbour County history.

Here's a picture of a Southern belle ....... actually a South Jersey belle .... standing beside some   

                Alabama lady in poooofy pink dress.

Eufaula, Alabama

Our next stop is Eufaula, Alabama.  It's a lovely little city located on the shores of Lake Eufaula (officially  Walter F. George Lake).  It was formed by damming the Chattahootchie River for flood control purposes by the Army Corps of Engineers.  The Chattahoochie is on the border of Georgia and Alabama.  The Engineers maintain a few campgrounds.  We stayed at White Oak Creek Campground. The RV sites are beautifully located right on the lake shore.  Here's us viewing the sunset

Chattanooga Choo Choo here we come .....

Since Pigeon Forge (home of “Dollywood”) and Gatlinburg, TN were only a 20 mile detour off our route we decided on a quick side trip.  We expected Pigeon Forge to be a sleepy town dominated by “Dollywood” and Gatlinburg to be an artsy mountain town.  

Boy, were we shocked!  The the 15 or so miles from the interstate through Pigeon Forge was one solid “strip” ...... miniature golf, go-cart tracks, outlet malls, pawn shops, fast food, chain restaurants, arcades, tee-shirt emporiums, etc., etc. and of course, “Dollywood”.  It was like a Jersey shore boardwalk, without the ocean and the boards.   The bad news was that the traffic was horrendous .... the good news ... we got to see a lot without getting our of the RV.  The traffic cleared as we entered the Great Smokey Mountain National Park, in which Gatlinburg sits.  It was a 5 mile beautiful, winding, completely forested ride along a mountain stream reminiscent of many untouched natural settings we’ve visited until ...... bang ..... we hit Gatlinburg.  It’s small, hilly, windy  with hotels, condos and shops everywhere and jam-packed with pedestrians and traffic.  It was like Fifth Avenue in Rockefeller Center at Christmas time.  

It must be that all of the southland decided to spend their Easter break in that region.  At least it gave us the “opportunity” to see all the sights from our rig.  It turned out to be an experience we’d never forget and were glad we did it.

Pigeon Forge

Gatlinburg

We eventually made to Chattanooga and had a good night's rest.

On the road again in 2013

We left Marlton on Tuesday, April 2nd to head toward Florida to attend Wes's nephew's wedding on Longboat key.  We decided to take the "scenic route" through the Shenandoah Valley.  It's a beautiful trip.  We stopped overnight in Lexington, Virginia.  While there, we visited the campus's of 

Washing & Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute

Washington and Lee University Clock Tower.

Stonewall Jackson Statue at VMI.