Travels with Vinny VanGo

California – Strawberry, Fallen Leaf and Lake Tahoe with the Radlers

California Strawberries, not just a fruit but a festival. The Debbie broken hip/shoulder of 2022 Strawberry music festival brought me back to California to use our rain check tickets in 2023. It was the most beautiful weather imaginable. And we had the most amazing camp spot with a view of the smaller Forest Amphitheater.

The Radlers,German for Bikers, are my three camping soulmate girlfriends. We started camping together and haven’t stopped, doing the West Coast up to Orcas Island, Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and Hawaii(well not camping).

Since Vinny VanGo is with John in New Jersey, the Radlers planned to host me in a tent, and thermal underwear, new air mattress, and hot water bottles, and lots of blankets, as we decided to do another try for Fallen Leaf Lake near South Lake Tahoe after the Strawberry Music Festival; The weather forecast was cold, dipping into the 30’s on some nights near Tahoe, yikes.

We took our first camping trip to Fallen Leaf in 2018, and for the last two years our plans had been altered due to fires, but the first days of this year’s reservation have been canceled due to the extreme snow and melting, and the need to clear the campground of fallen trees.

Returning to California also meant a stop in the Vista area to visit all of the girls and my favorite IT guy and the big black dog. This included Jenny’s annual ear, cleaning fetish, lots of great food and laughing at my antics.

Julie transported me to Debbie’s house and we were off to Strawberry after dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant with margaritas.

Intown Campground in Nevada City where we were camped at a beautiful redwood forested campground that had a path into the old, western mining town of Nevada, City.

I am always on the lookout for campgrounds where you can walk to a nice place and have some libation and good food. We had the best halibut, risotto, and asparagus at Lola, a restaurant on Broad St.

We were specifically told not to line up early in the Strawberry newsletter. But somehow, although we only got there five minutes before the time, we jumped into a line. It was a bit chaotic, but the Strawberry way is to keep calm and jam gently.

The vibe at camping music festivals is like no other. People are in their happy place and are cordial and Zenn like, even though there are a lot of bodies trying to fit into a relatively small space. We eventually got there, and it was no problem. After turning into a very crowded camping area that we would later discover to be the crazy Lizard Lounge, fate brought us up into a hilly area near the Forest Amphitheater Stage. Caroline, who would arrive on the second day, had to be able to nuzzle in next to us without her having to run over any festival goers or their tents or instruments. Debbie and I contemplated the lay of the land for over an hour to situate our living space within the confines of the festival chalked paths, while minimizing the hills that were a part of the landscape. We finally found the perfect spot where we could set up her awning as a saved place for our sweet Caroline who would arrive later.

We were taking up a bit of real estate and felt a bit selfish when we met hula hooping David who was trying to squeeze in between several trees and the chalk covered border lines right next to us He was extremely friendly, and also was saving a tent and car spot for his friend Kathy who was coming the next evening. After claiming our real estate space, Debbie and I set up my carpeted palace, including a headboard backed air mattress and side table, adorned with blankets of various thickness perfect for the soon to be cold evening.

Debbie received a record amount of gawking at her trailer and had over 20 people in one day get all googly eyed over it. Once Caroline got here, and the awning was placed over her little teardrop, and people couldn’t see how cute it was, and then the gawking stopped.

Kathy arrived Thursday evening and after the typical where are you from exchanges, she offered to let us park at her house while we were in Southlake Tahoe as we were in quite a pickle because our reservations at Fallen Leaf Campground were canceled due to the bad recent weather, and needing to clear away trees. Luckily, I had found a super great deal at the Marriott Timber Lodge in South Lake Tahoe for only $133 a night for the entire two bedroom condo, but according to their information, they could not accommodate trailers or vans that were oversize. Kathy is the most outgoing and present person to whom you could ever talk, and her delightful home in Lake Tahoe is exquisite.

Kathy’s beuatiful Tahoe Home

Fate had brought us to befriend her and she was able to help us with our dilemma.

Our favorite bands included Rainbow Girls,Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands, Achilles Wheels, Big, Richard, and Della Mae who featured Jocelyn Sky, a 14 year old girl, who we all needed to repeat her name because she will be big in the future

We would later learn from Gertrud that Jocelyn played harp and sang at Parkfield Bluegrass Festival because Amber, who was supposed to open the festival, was ill. Della Mae had discovered Jocelyn because she did one of their original songs on Instagram in many different instruments and singing and this is why they brought her on stage with them during Strawberry.

Rainbow Girls Clip

The many music camps that happened at night were incredible. All over the camping areas, there was music going on and you could stop and listen in.

Wandering Strawberry at Night

The Lizard Lounge experience was certainly just that. Kathy told us about this place where people can learn to play bluegrass music. Decided to check it out at a late night jamming session after the main stage entertainment. And it was quite the place where over 50 people were gathered round under a tent outside the tent, trying to play along with the leader. Then they played your Mama Don’t Dance and Your Daddy Don’t Rock ‘n’ Roll and of course I got into singing. It was really fun but a bit chaotic.

Your Mama Don’t Dance and Your Daddy Don’t Rock and Roll Lizard Loung Style with 58 Musician Enthusiaist

Oh sad, Strawberry good-bye and we departed for Campground by the Lake in South Lake Tahoe, not bad for in-town Tahoe. But first a side trip to Scott’s Lake near Nevada City where the water was clear and warm compared to the frigid water, temperatures of Lake Tahoe and surrounding areas which would soon be our environment. Scott’s Lake campground in the earlier part of the summer is beautiful and clear for paddling or swimming, much warmer than Lake Tahoe.

Warm Beautiful Water in Scott’s Lake

Incline Village would be the next stop and where we would explore the kayaking possibilities that I so enjoyed in 2007 and 2013.

Jaz Kayaking in 2013

Marriott Timber Lodge, right under the Heavenly gondola and hub of tourist activity. Gertrud would meet up with us here and Radler resorting would commence.

Perfecting the I-phone burst mode, as we tried the art of synchronized jumping into the warm swimming pool waters, was quite the undertaking.

A sunset boat trip around Emerald Bay was enjoyed even though the bartender was initially mistaken for the captain, and it was not long before we all got to take the helm of the Spirit to Tahoe. The bartenders were dressed in whites like you would expect a captain to be, and they did an exceptional job of keeping the champagne flowing during the whole trip where we met lots of nice people.

The moon rose over Gunner Mountain as we dined at the German Restaurant, Himmel Haus, where we had excellent Schnitzel, Apfel Strudel and Pilsner, a definite repeat restaurant.

Fallen Leaf Lake – we got in the first day of the season, back to this campground and serene snow covered mountain surrounded lake in which to enjoy paddling.

Paddling 2023 June

No swimming this time, well except if you are Caroline and bring your wetsuit. No accidental fall into the freezing water either, even though the wind went from 5 mph to about 50 mph in 3 seconds as a thunderstorm blew through as we sat on the beach.

Fallen Leaf Thunderstorm

There is always an abundance of paddling options with the Radlers and this year is no difference. Added to the fleet was the SUPYAK, stand up paddle board with a super cushie seat that was perfect for Debbie with her first paddling since receiving the bowling nickname Hipster after her fall and hip replacement of last year.

“NeuToy”, nickname for Gertrud’s, NOYO inflatable, better for heavier wind, is much more stable than the very light easy to Red Bullet.

A new inflatable full body raft which will hopefully keep the body above water in the frigid Tahoe waters during a tow. Gertrud didn’t venture too far off shore with this one.

Beside Carolines pink fins to propel her along in the water while wearing a wetsuit,

she also had along her kayak and SUP which she graciously let me dominate in our Radler paddling togetherness.

Afternoon thunderstorms or rain events were a regular occurence in the area, and we took refuge in G’s Card Room (Gertrud’s Van) where we played Spades and enjoyed delicious cooking, not to mention heat and laughter to keep us warm until the next beautiful morning would warm up for another paddle.

Meeks Bay Resort would be the next destination and our little cove was a shorter walk than at Fallen Leaf Lake. The water was beautifully clear, sometimes smooth, sometimes not, but made for a lot of peaceful paddling except when the wind would suddenly change, and what should have been an easy paddle back to our cove was a fierce fight.

On one occasion as we paddle to Sugar Pine State Park, Gertud would have to abandon the lake, deflate the Red Bullet and hike back to the Meeks Bay Cove. Debbie and I paddled along the shoreline, even though a guy who came on a dock told us that the waves could rise to 2 feet in a thunderstorm, and he didn’t like to have dead bodies on his beach in his exclusive Chinkapin Cove. We made it back in the fierce wind just as Gertrud appeared on shore as well, very excited to have found the West Shore Bike Trail.

Paddling Back to Meeks Bay in Wind

During the past 25 yearsy, we have stayed at Lake Tahoe almost a dozen times to escape the heat of Ridgecrest in the Summer in many different locations from the Tahoe Keys to North Star near Truckee,

to Incline Village with our friends, to Marriott Timber Lodge where we so enjoyed the 4th of July Fireworks and swimming at the Beach Club.

Eating at the Base Camp Pizza while enjoying music on the patio, or swim/jumping in the heated pool, there is lots to do for everyone.

My favorite kayaking spot among the boulders near Crystal Bay near Incline Village has turned to Stand Up Paddling in Meeks Bay and Fallen Leaf Lake. Seeing He’s My Brother She’s My Sister in a Tahoe free park concert in 2012, started the whole music festing, camping van lifestyle that has changed our lives.

Biking/Walking up the Angora Ridge Rd and hiking to Angora Lake where the Radlers would cement into existence – all life changing.

Many boating trips over these years from M.S. Dixie II Paddlewheeler, to Sunset Catamaran Cruise with Ridgecrest friends (2007)

Biking around the South Camp Richardson, Pope Beach Baldwin Beach and now discovering the West Shore Bike Path starting at Meeks Bay and heading North, there is alway something new. We observed that this paved bike path went on for many miles along the lake crossing back and forth along Route 89 turning into the Homewood Class 1 Trail. Kathy, our Strawberry friend, had told us that road bike paths were being constructed all over the Lake in recent years and we hope to ride it next time. Lake Tahoe is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth where the landscape is breathtaking, now if the deep waters could just be a bit warmer !

Favorite Tahoe Videos

He’s My Brother She’s My Sister 2012

Carrying On Poppy’s Tradition – Julie Pumping Biceps 2012

TahoeHorseback2012

Blue Ridge and Skyline Parkway

It’s all in the Isoprene that scatters blue light in the air. Isoprene is generated from decaying trees that are abundant in the area and hence the namesake for the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Smoky Mountain National Park. It was designed to connect Great Smoky NP and Shenandoah NP and it does except when there is a bridge problem or slide along the 469 mile of curves, mountains (hills in California), and Overlooks. Then there are numerous small state roads to traverse over the rolling farm country to get back and forth from the Interstate or State Highways or to towns where there are things like the Floyd Country Store Experience.

The navigator failed to assess a static of how many miles Vinny traversed over the Blue Ridge Parkway, but for various reasons we estimate to be under 100 miles. One reason is that the route planner had us in the western corner of the Smoky’s when we set out rather than a campground a bit more eastward, but we were certainly happy to have stumbled into the Cades Cove Bike Trail day on Wednesday so switching around too much was not possible given the American Legion Gig schedule in Fernandina Beach and wanting to visit D’Ann and Bryan in Tennessee.

The Parkway upon arriving in Asheville would have taken us down a curvy way south and then back north and when deciding how to divide the trip, we took faster roads, then hopped back on so we could hike Craggy Gardens. There are no businesses along the parkway, mostly overlooks or trails or exits on and off to state roads, so actually staying on for all 469 miles is not so doable for Vinny on one tank of diesel. And after a while it’s nice to see something different. Our only Asheville stop was at my sister-in-law’s recommended Tupelo Honey restaurant where I had a delicious beef and grits specialty. It was a really cool place and yummy food and then we stocked up at the Trader Joes.

Craggy Gardens was a beautiful 360 view of the Blue Ridge Mountains with only about a 3/4 mile hike up. It was more of those breathtaking expansive mountain ranges and was a perfect fit after our marathon drive that starts at Cades Cove that morning. After Craggy Garden we traversed the Parkway and made it to the very peaceful Linville Falls Campground in time to have a fire and play a bit of music before bed. But first more testing of the signal strength because here we both only had one bar, exciting stuff to justify the setup. Cades Cove had been a complete fail since we had no bars to start with. The extension was almost fully extended on this beautifully calm night and yes the coverage was improved ! Didn’t we feel self-satisfied with this data driven purchase. Well unfortunately we never did make it to Linville Falls Hike the next day because in our true to form cadence we didn’t get out until 11am and we needed to be at the Blue Ridge Music center to hear Bluegrass on the Breezeway which was about 100 miles warranting getting off the Parkway to make the journey quicker. We drove through some of the quaint small towns like Crossnore, Linville, Grandfather (winery/highland games ) and Boone, that had restaurants, wineries, out-door consignment market Saturdays and other cool businesses with absolutely no traffic.

Jumped into the second set of Cedar Ridge Band for a very enjoyable hour of bluegrass at the Blue Ridge Music Center. It also had some trails and we got in a 2.5 mile hike along a mostly wooded trail that was perfect. Here we first heard about the New River Bike Trail from some fellow vanners who said it started in Fries and meandered along the river and would cover almost 50 miles. Well the scheduler had too much planned and back tracking was not possible because the next day required us being at the Floyd Country Store for a bluegrass jam session in the afternoon.

Cedar Ridge Band – Blue Ridge Music Center

But the first stop along the way was the Black Ridge Loop, near the Rocky Knob Rec area on the Parkway.

Although the view from the trailhead was beautiful and started out in the woods, it went through a lot of exposed fields with no view and parkway zooming. There were even monsters along the way.

Wouldn’t do it on a warm sunny day for this reason, but rain clouds were tormenting the sky and the temperature was perfect for us.

Along the way we discovered a possible Family Compound property – Julie is on the lookout for cheap land where there is water for when the west runs dry. This abandoned looking huge structure looked in pretty good shape and it was for sale.

Some 50 yards down this trail was a perfect tiny home for John and I, and it also had a small stream. Let’s have a family meeting!

Tonight it would be Utts family campground with excellent Wi-Fi for a change. Got the blog posting done for the Smoky Mountains at this quiet place on the hill. Floyd Country Store was a definite gem on the trip.

BlueGrass Jam at Floyds Country Store

Don’t know if the music, food or just the general atmosphere is best. But they push back the T-shirt racks on Saturday and Sundays for the music. And there was a belt rack of my former leather crafting exactly how I had made them in the basement in Wilmington. The soups and desserts were incredible.

Floyd is a town with a quaint main street and there was another Open Mic going on at the Pizza Bar down the street. The planner will plan a bit more time here next year. A bit of a drive north to Limestone Park conveniently located but buggy as we did a quick overnight and in the morning our little screen was thick with nats.

Destination Crabtree Falls, but first we veered off the spreadsheet to discover Natural Bridge in Virginia. The National Park Service Signs and Autio got us here and we were glad not to have missed this 215 ft high, 40 ft thick and 100 ft wide rock arch formed 500 million years ago when water that flowed through this underground river collapsed, all except for this Natural Bridge.

During the short 1 mile hike through the bridge, we were looking for George Washington’s initials because legend has it that when he surveyed this area he was the first official National Park Graffiti policy violator. Thomas Jefferson bought the land and mined the natural occurring Saltpeter (potassium nitrate) used for gunpowder.

Natural Bridge

FYI: Autio is an App that has points of interest according to GPS so one can learn about the places you are driving through. Some are just historical accounts but here we learned about Josie Bishop, radium queen of the Mojave Desert. Evidently she bought land in 1937 that ended up having the richest radium deposit of the time and at one point she was the richest woman in the country. At that time radium was $72,000 per gram which is 1.3 million per gram in today’s money. That’s the kind of stuff you can learn on Autio in addition to the typical tourist attractions. We learned about Harvey House Girls which is an historical marker that we always would see on the way to Vegas.

Back to Crabtree Falls. Wow that was hike up 100 ft Fall with 5 major cascades the tallest of which is 50 ft. It is a smaller version of hiking the Mist Trail at 317 foot Vernal Falls in Yosemite.

You are much closer to the Crab Tree falls and don’t get nearly as misted. The path would wind around upward and then you would come to another cascade.

Crab Tree Falls Hike

This was one of our favorite hikes which also had our first injury slip. Ironically John had told me 30 seconds before to be careful on the way down and he ended up doing the slipping. His account of the story: “While traversing a large boulder my hiking boots slipped out from under me. Thanks to my massive upper body strength and trekking poles, I was able to break the fall with my hands, ending up with only a sore left shoulder. No blood or swelling, but the boulder suffered three major fractures and is not expected to survive” He was able to resume spousal duties and built what he has deemed as his best fire ever. With Firewood at 50 cents a log, we loaded up and the warmth and the glow was unrestrained.

Crabtree Falls Campground was old and rustic and we had the best spot with our own little falls stream that our fire pit sat commanding the view. With no connection to the world, we listened to 70’s music from my phone and finished off another Tennessee Moonshine.

Camp Fire

Crabtree Falls Campsite

The next day I would find out that Wi-fi was available at the store all along, and good thing because I had a reminder to make a British Columbia Camping Reservation. By the way the website doesn’t seem to work well on phones and I ended up calling from our Lunch/Diesel Stop in Waynesboro. Not only did Vinny need diesel but a downpour was happening. We opted to enter Shenandoah a bit more up north, but we ended up having to turn on the hazards, 15 mph drive through many foggy spots so needless to say we didn’t see much from Skyline Drive. Well it cleared a bit when we got to Front Royal, the northernmost end.

Thankfully my memory kicked in during the Crabtree Falls Hike. I had noticed there were a lot of Vineyards in Virginia and since we had no reservations thought about finding a Harvest Host Vineyard along the way. Then boom it all of a sudden hit me that Ashleigh, our Justine’s wedding adopted daughter, had a family-owned vineyard in Virginia. Luckily I had gotten her address after the wedding and the spreadsheet would take us right by Front Royal where she lived. I quickly Instant Message over Crabtree Wi-Fi and now we had a place to stay. Her girlfriend had an apartment, complete with 6 inch Broodmare window from the dining room, on a lovely horse farm, perfect to bed down Vinny for the night. So nice to meet Jess, and her two cute little girls, and catch up with Ashleigh during this gorgeous dinner sunset.

John’s retirement bottle of whiskey was finished as we talked about the universe and the power of love, and I made them go to bed just before 11pm as everyday is not a Saturday for them. Even I slept until 930 am this morning in these peaceful horse hills.

Off to see Ashleigh’s Glen Manor Vineyards in Front Royal. She gave us the grand tour of this quaint vine to bottle vineyard showing us all the aspects from washing, crushing, testing, storing, tasting and then we drove through the hilly vineyard to see the operation and where Skyline Drive looked down on the farm land which has been in her family for generations.

Glen Manor Vineyard – Ashliegh’s Family

On the way up to NJ we had decided to stop at University of Delaware and eat lunch at the Deer Park Tavern, where we had our first date about 41 years prior. It is an official historic landmark so its location and building had not been altered, although now there was a patio with seating out front.

We strolled around and to our horrification the Blue Hen was gone from in front of the Chemical Engineering building, but the mall with its stately trees and original colonial style brick buildings were still intact and especially lovely on this nice warm day.

A walk down memory lane is always nostalgic especially when doing it at the place you found the love of your life over 40 years ago.

Next time on the Blue Ridge Parkway

It was actually somewhat difficult to stay on the Parkway because google maps navigation invariably took you off opting for routes through towns. We had found the parkway to be much less traveled than I had anticipated, and there were many country roads that navigation took us down. Cell service was quite poor or non-existent in There appears to be lots of campgrounds and Harvest Host along the way

Great Smoky Mountains

It is our second rainy weather camp experience in Vinny, but this is supposed to last a few days, not optimal for us fair weather hiking types, but we have compensated by doing about 16 miles of day hiking in the last three days prior to this rain event, and our quads say they need a break. So it is almost 1pm and John is still sleeping, rejuvinating all those broken down hiking cells with sleep. With the pitter patter of the gentle drops, I remain bundled in my winter coat and boots typing away, no gloves needed yet, but I had better keep these fingers moving. It is supposed to let up a bit at 3pm at which time we will walk or bike into Bryson City, only about 2 miles from Deep Creek Campground in the NP, where guess what, we will try out the local brewery and visit the bike shop with John’s persistent leaky front tire.

Luckily, we a had already gotten hiking fix in, as we did 6.5 mile hike to Looking Glass on our way to North Carolina

2 miles on Rocky Knob, and 7.5 miles on the Deep Creek waterfall extravaganza trail right from our Deep Creek campground in which we experienced no bears but three lovely water falls (Tom Branch, Indian Creek and Juney Whank). Looking Glass was our first glimpse of the the Smoky Mountain Range and its vastness after hiking up for three miles on the narrow tree covered path and suddenly coming to the flat 100 ft rock plain, the hike’s namesake, where you can look out onto the entire range. It was truly moment splendor just like lyrics to the song “America the Beautiful” says.

Rock Knob trail, a part of the Sky to Sea Trail that runs through the Carolinas, was the shorter yet most elevation gain hike of the three hike, making our already taxed quads to complain a bit on the way down

But we were coaxed on because Frog Level Brewery including the barbecue mac and cheese, not to mention the stout and the tranquil seating on the stream as per the last blog post. Another incredible glimpse of the Smoky’s from the Blue Ridge Parkway, all while sharinging the tranquility with Bryan and D’Ann.

Deep Creek Trail and the figure eight including Indian Creek Trail to the Falls

and a little Juney Whank cut-off where she showed off her flowing veil,

making Tom Branch’s Falls seem small.

Although, All Trails said people had encountered bears in the last days, we saw none but decided to have a third day of hiking since the rain was on its way. Luckily our campsite was scattered with wood suitable for burning, and we had raided a stash of unoccupied empty campground before the hike, so we enjoyed the warmth and mesmerizing fire that John made as we rested our quads after devouring our dinner. Two things I regret is not wrapping up baked potatoes to have them done this morning, and not employing the bike seat covers. Oh well.

With our raincoats, umbrella and the Eagles pancho we were off walking to find the Bryson City beer establishments. After about a mile walk we got picked up a young women and her 7 year-old son is a metallic orange/yellow sports Mercedes (10 cylinders she told us) offered to drive us into town and we accepted. We offered to buy her a beer and next thing we new she was heavy duty phishing us is what it seemed like, and said she was on her way to her sons grandma tomorrow because she needed to get out of town..anyway needless to say we resisted these attempts. She definitely had some issues and moved onto other people while we got to hear the Open Mic night that was going on in the brewery. Got chat with some nice folks and John even sang Gimme Three Step

and Wish You Were Here with a guitarist !!

We got offers of rides back to campground from those who appeared to be a bit more on the normal scale, but there was no rain we decided to walk this time. Bryson City is a delightful small town with a main street area to walk and shops and restaurants, but not too overwhelming like Gatlinburg. Cherokee seemed very spread out with numerous tourist shops and a casino. There were several museums, Land to Farm and Cherokee. that may be on the docket for next time. Bryson City was the only National Park that had cell phone service within the campground another vote for Deep Creek Campground in my book.

The rain ceased a bit as we arrived at Smokemont and we ceased the opportunity to get a bit of activity in before dark. The Bradley Fork Trailhead was the perfect place to head up a bit and turn around before dark. Here we saw our first bear cross the trail about 100 yds in front of us. As we made noisy singing and fanning out coats to act large, we went by the spot where he headed down to the creek and there was no sight of him. Well the rain was coming down after our first night at Smokemount and we decided to drive up to the highest point on the Great Smoky Range which had no classic smoky blue tinge, rather the flowing fog scene, with not much of the mountain range to be seen made even cooler looking by time lapse feature on the 12 ProMax.

We would return here while camping at Cades Cove in a few days on a beautifully clear day and find the alternative trail to the dome instead of going up the 3/4 mile trail of 8 foot wide asphalt.

Luckily, I had downloaded the All Trails of this area and this time we hiked part way down on the Appalachian Trail, to the Clingmans bypass trail to the Forney Ridge Trail that took us right to the parking lot. So much more enjoyable on a hiking path, and now we can say we hiked the Applachian !

The view from the dome was an incredible 360 degree experience whose magnificence cannot be captured on an Iphone 12 ProMax.

At the end of the first foggy Clingman’s Dome experience, the rain had started to come down hard and we decided it would be a much better day to spend at a brewery than to be holed up in Vinny with no electricity and it was unseasonably cold to boot.

So the spreadsheet was abandoned for April 28th and we decided to head to Pigeon Forge in search of beer, and there was some blue sky in that direction that we were following.

We arrived at the Casual Pint and John found a smoky porter to go with the smoky mountains, and there was a town parade that was scheduled to go by with a perfect view from our pub chairs view, and it was NOT raining.

The parade parents were rolling in and we were enjoying the free Wifi and I got a half price campsite just up the road at Waldens Creek Campground and tickets to a show at the Listening Room featuring Mason Caviness, Southern Call, Michelle Pereira and Regan Stewart, We had a private showing for the first 30 minutes, before 1/2 dozen other couples showed up. Evidently the Listening Room in Nashville is a bit more frequented, and it sounded like all of these musicians came down to help out this Pigeon Forge Listening Room location which hopefully will still be in business. There were tables and room for over 100 people with an excellent sound system(we could understand all the lyrics) yet less than a dozen of us had this wonderful private concert. I asked for their last song to be a group effort and we actually got our Vinny VanGo theme song on that night with “What are You Waiting For?”

We decided to go right to Dollywood on Saturday since Sunday was yet another scheduled rain day. Highlights included seeing the bald eagles at the Dollywood Bald Eagle Sanctuary up close.

The Hall Sisters, truly sisters, and such tight harmonies and strings talent, were my favorite.

I want to be a dancing flower on a flexible pole that extends about 30 feet into the sky.

We decided that we are not amusement park types as John does not like roller coasters or other rides. The grounds were beautiful and there were rose parade style butterflies and statues throughout the park.

We were ready for Margaritaville which is a year old RV Resort that came highly recommended from my Stress Less Camping podcast. This would be the perfect place to get some laundry done and to have a game day on the scheduled rainy day tomorrow.

But first down to the Fin to hear some live music on the porch and Tennessee bantering between two locals who we could hardly understand.

We had a rainy grand competition day, but had to bypass the outdoor venues of lazy river, corn hole, ping pong and pickleball. But we had some intense duckpin bowling moments with John winning the first game, I won the second and then he dominated in the third game, but I ended up with the all time high score for a game.

Then the sawdust style shuffleboard would round out the evening not to mention a few games of a modern pong in the game room. We were happy to be at our resort and be able to turn on the little space heater that night.. It was cold.

If you ever visit Pigeon Forge, Nashville or Branson take the Redneck Comedy Bus Tour not only are you protected from the elements, but you learn a bit about the city while laughing your ass off at our standup comedian guide. And we even had redneck speak lessons complete with spelling poster reinforcement. John and I sang along to Rocky Top as our comedian played on his banjolele as part of the show. Of course, no redneck experience is complete without a stop at the Ole’ Smoky Tennessee Moonshine Store for some tasting and acquiring.

Since these products are consumable, 1/2 dozen bottles made the cut, including some moonshine soaked pineapple. These are the same people that make our newly discovered Salted Caramel Whiskey and we took along some Margarita and Blackberry/Lavender bottles for the campfire – don’t worry these are not real moonshine strength only 40 proof. People in the hills would use moonshine to barter for various staples back in the day, and it was much more convenient to carry a jug down the mountain than to haul corn. And the supply/demand issues during prohibition drove up the prices for the poor mountain people. FYI. During our final day at Pigeon Forge we found the Eddie Bauer Outlet and John’s signature yellow rain jacket for the last 30 years has been replaced by an Eddie B Purple.

Back to nature, Cades Cove back in the Great Smoky Mountains NP, but first another hiking experience where we were trying to find wildflowers

But then there are always waterfalls

but instead found Elkmont, an old ghost town that came into being as a result of the war machine demand and close proximity to an Aluminum plant. Scattered along the old gravel Little River trail, were many ruins in various states of decline.

Further down there was a newer abandoned resort style housing and a grand hotel (not as grand as what Henry Flagler built in St Augustine). Probably our least favorite hike and the wildflowers were a bit of a disappointment, but we never found an unexpected ghost town before in our travels. A small stop in a town called Townsend from some groceries, diesel and wouldn’t you know it, they had a brewery too. We always seem to arrive at campsites at dusk and our ears delighted at a bluegrass group a few sites down. They played each evening and it was a wonderful way to spend the evening by the fire.

Wednesday at Cades Cove is Bike day on the loop. The 12 mile loop starting from our campground, connects historic cabins and churches and other dwelling It is closed down to auto traffic and this hilly freshly paved ride complete with bears and birds was delightful.

We decided to hike the Abrams Falls trail (5.4 miles) whose trailhead was located about halfway around the loop. We have this habit of not being able to get going until after noon so it is not a popular hiking time and we had the falls to ourselves when we arrived at 4pm.

But just then three young people came jogging in, and in Julie Stenger-Smith style, had to jump in the base of this flowing freezing water.

The Abrams Falls were the most beautiful we had experienced thus far, and the hike/bike left us feeling we had a great workout. Hopping back on the bikes to complete the Cades Cove Loop back to the Campground, there were way more hop off our un-motorized bikes to push up the hills than we had on the other side of the loop. Then there was the bear experience where a group gathered to watch a mama bear stow her cubs high in a tree (at least 50 feet – we could hardly see but the other people had watched this happen) Then mama decided to meander down the loop road so there was quite the bike traffic jam as we needed to wait until she decided to disappear into the woods.

Safety in numbers and a group of us sped past the spot where we had seen her disappear. It was after 7pm and who knows how many more uphill biking events or more bears we would experience on our return to camp. Luckily uphill usually involved some downhill, and we made it back to camp before dark. So nice to hear bluegrass in the distance and some moonshining for our tired bodies.

One more beautiful day at Great Smoky NP and we decided to head back up to Clingmans Dome to see if we could see more than blowing fog.

Our final night enjoying Cades Cove of Fire and Bluegrass.

Friends of A Lifetime

Catching up on the Vinny VanGo blog as it has been several weeks. But I have a really good excuse, and now maybe even it will be less of a problem since we can erect a 25 ft pole into the sky that has an antenna so we can boost that one bar to two when we are in a wilderness area. Of course we discovered Vinny’s inverter which will power the device in the wilderness is busted, so we need to use the cigarette lighter in the van which could mean Vinny may not rev-up and start like he usually does..so we need to think about that until we get the new inverter. But wouldn’t you know it, where I heard cell coverage was the worst is the Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway, we actually can access a website with our phones. But during our two weeks at Fernandina Beach with J’Bo the whole testing of cell strength with and without the booster was quite the process and there was a day where three of the 4 J’s became quite competitive on whose phone was uploading and downloading faster. We had heard Verizon has the widest coverage area, so John got booted off the AT&T Family plan and got a new phone with Verizon. Then of course there is the process of securing the telescoping pole to the Vinny which could be easily erected and removed, and this was an experiment that included coated wire tie, magnets and foam packing corners for pictures among other things. I also thought diversification was the key, and tried a T-Mobile hotspot which was returned because it was so inconsistent in comparison to the hotspot available from our phones.

Always some time for an Egan Creek hike to see the statues hidden in the grass as we walked

Lots of testing hours, but there was much accomplished as we became more familiar with the area of our new address and the J’Bo household, and our pseudo home sweet home with our bestest friends, Bo and Julie.

Playing new songs old songs, playing a gig at the American Legion and the local senior citizen center,

Lots be of good wine and food and of course the Tennessee Salted Carmel Whiskey was responsible for John’s laying around all the next day as Bo and he solved all the world’s problems until 3am the night before at there fire pit. John calls Bo the big brother he never had. We so enjoyed their Lanai that looked out to parkland.

We had such an easy time being with J’Bo even though I turned one end of the kitchen bar into a connection testing station for two weeks. There will be a lot of next-time next year when we return as the area is full of things to do and I have already acquired Florida Camp reservations for 2024.

Well the reason that title this blog post is “Friends of a Lifetime ” is because during one week, I covered just that and there are more to come as we traverse the east which is where many of the more mature ones reside. On our way to the Smoky Mountains, we stopped and visited a friend from my first decade of memory where I grew up in Wilmington Delaware. One of Ma’s best friends, Christine, had relocated to Columbia SC to be near family, and this was a perfect stopping point for us as we reconnected after not seeing each other for some 25 or 30 years. We also got to see her daughter Jenny and husband, John. Christine is a real world connection to Ma, and it was incredibly wonderful to see her, and hear her familiar enthusiasm when she speaks, not to mention reminiscing about old times.

There’s more..D’Ann and husband, Brian, live in a town right outside the Smoky Mountains and since we decided the last time we saw each other was when Jazmine learned to walk (1997) and that it had be 26 years. D’Ann and I had shared an apartment when we got our first jobs working for BASF in Parsippany NJ in 1984. We had become great friends as we practiced our German in the ride to work, arrived at a campground in New Hampshire in a police car, and tried to find the Matterhorn as we toured Europe with friends, Mary and Scott, (they are both on our future itineraries as well). I tried to teach D’Ann golf, but after the experience she said, “Never Again” but somehow she didn’t hold it against me and look how young I look as her bridesmaid.

We spent many weeks together in 1997 as we were living in Germany for the summer while John returned to Max Planck and she lived in Switzerland, just two hours away. This time we had five kids to entertain, luckily she had a van, so the activities included the incredible German playgrounds and wandering around the Swiss countryside.

One of the best parts of retirement is reconnection with old friends, especially ones you haven’t seen for decades. D’Ann promised that they would keep the Frog Level Brewery in business until we come again next year. John now ranks this among his favorites, as he enjoyed several pints of their Coffee Stout as we tried to spy the frogs in the stream that flows by the outdoor seating area.

The aesthetic factor at the Frog Level is certainly a step above the Flightline Tap Room in Ridgecrest. Maybe he will find a position teaching Chemistry and then he can bantor with his students like he loved to do at Flightline.

D’Ann and Bryan have incredible house/office/apartment dwelling unit(s) with several levels of windows that provide an awesome view of the Smoky mountains. The above photo is the deck to the office space. and we can’t quite decide if the this is more appealing than their two dogs, Maggie and Jake.

Vinny is very comfy at their home too. We be back !!

Florida Springs

Diving into a Florida Spring is incredible especially after you have arrived at the heat of the day and can hardly slide your bathing suit on because you are so sweaty from setting up camp as fast as possible in the direct sun. All over Florida there are places that the underground aquifers bust through the limestone and when this happens in a relatively sandy area there exists a cool beautifully clear water swimming hole, and it’s a big hole, football field or more size. There are different rating levels of springs depending upon the amount of water that they pump out, but of course the water has to go somewhere so it enters into the St Johns River and it flows to the sea. The governmental agencies then rope off a section that tells the alligators that they may not come into this area and then they become full of people paddling and frolicking in the cool, refreshing water.

There are always snorkelers, a few super long fin, free divers and then one or two scuba divers. The source of the spring is a cave that can be very deep, and people at all these equipment types and breath holding levels try to dive down as far as they possibly can to see whatever is not reachable by the masses.

This dark hole is a cave that goes down over 100ft hence the scuba people

There is some reed and water lilly action on the edges where the flow is slower and fish hide in these areas but will come out for some nice viewing, but so far the gators are adhering to the posted signs.

Of course there are lots of blow up devices and young people tossing/catching various toys. It has been very refreshing not hearing one curse word during our whole spring experience, although the whole place is hopping now that it’s the weekend at Alexander Springs (NFS Park). Also there have been very few whining and disruptive kids and yelling parents in Florida in general. And the best of the children were right there with us !!

Well, we talked about diving into Alexander Springs but let talk about driving into Alexander Springs taking the 10 mile Paisley “washboard” Road. Miraculously none of the stash velcroed everywhere in Vinny came tumbling down and all exterior pieces remained intact including bikes and windows. RV trip wizard next time.

The campgrounds in Florida have been outstanding as far as beautiful lush sites and bathroom facilities, but the bites on our feet have been a bit annoying especially for John. We were expecting the mosquitoes to swarm around happy hour time like we remember from living back East, but they haven’t nor have we seen that many at all. We are clammed(in our Clam Screen room) in the evening for the most part making sure to engage in diligent zipping. Perhaps they are the No-See-Ums (Flying midges. These are usually 1 to 3 mm, but I don’t think our eyes are that bad yet-I haven’t seen them.) Well so far cortisone cream and calamine lotion are helping John, they don’t itch that much for me. Another interesting Florida phenomenon is the diversity of bird churps that resound through the campsite each morning. The actual birds stay hidden in the lush foliage but sometimes it is quite the morning cacophony and some start at daybreak.

Back to the Springs, Alexander is really better for kids because there is a very long gradual sandy beach and the current is minimal. Our ever gracious National Park Service erected a wall and steps so there is an area where people can get in without having the slime/bug effect of plant growth and the alligators know that this is not their habitat.

There may be a bit of green algae or reeds, but it is all visible in the crystal clear water so there is no unknown ick effect as it slides by or you can avoid it altogether. I think this is a level 2 Spring unlike the Blue Springs State Park that was a Level 1, rated based on water flow. The current at Blue Springs was quite strong and I had to swim with vim and vigor for most of the way to make it to the cave aquifer source, John was able to walk it, but picking up your feet and you were pushed away. It was at Blue Springs that we observed the 3 foot long blue gar fish, kind of like an oversized tropical trumpet fish with a long snout.

Then when I looked up gar fish on the inter webs found out they have similar snouts as our other Florida water friends, but I’m not worried because Florida Gators are smart and read the signs and know where they are supposed hang out.

Florida Spring Spoiler alert..If you ever come on a beautiful weekend day trip make sure to arrive before 8am, my niece Carley, her husband Nick, and her family got here at 9:30am and after waiting in line for an hour and a half parking was full. Luckily they were able to park at our camp spot and as they whizzed by the “Sorry We’re Full” sign following me on my bike. Their children were an absolute delight and we frolicked in the water with Wren, shared tangerines with MerWren, her little doll who has a whole host of adventures that I had to invent, pop-top adventures opening the club cracker container at least 100 times, playing Uke and singing Old MacDonald. When it’s nap time for Vander, it’s nap time, and he fell asleep floating in the Spring and a transport to the beach blanket was not getting in the way of his ZZZ’s ( we’re all jealous).

It was so nice to have them visit.

Back to Blue Springs today because we decided to do the St John River boat tour that was recommended so we could get the skinny on the Florida Springs and all the nature around.

Birds, birds, birds..they were everywhere Blue Heron who can weigh up to 7lbs , and so many more, as the ever popular alligators and turtles.

We didn’t do all 310 miles that flow from unusual direction of South to North ending up in the Jacksonville area, but we got to see a few Manatees poke up and learn that they come into the Florida Springs when it is cold since the spring water is very constant in the low 70s. This means December through March is their high season. In Blue Springs Park, water sports and swimming become off limits, but you can see manatees up close as there are observation decks along where the springs flow. These gentle giants could never tolerate the west coast water because they go into shock and die at 63 degrees. They can be up to 3000 lbs and eat 10% of the body weight in plants each day. That’s why they love the St JohnRiver because it has lots of vegetation. Hope to come back during the winter season next year to see these big beautiful creatures, evidently they have no predators and die most often from being hit by motor boats.

From the observation deck we saw lots of different fish including many Gars in the very clear water. We are looking forward to coming back in the very beginning of the year and observing the manatees. We saw lots of cool fish from the decks as the water is so clear.

Well this concludes the 2023 Florida Springs adventure- more to come next year.

St Augustine and Anastasia SP

Anastasia State Park won the title of the 6th best state park in the country, and from our expectations it lives up to it. The sites are huge and private surrounded by green. The biggest drawback is the cell service needed for getting camping spots for next year since Florida State Parks work on an 11 month booking window. Texts, calls and Uber goes through just fine, but my own California competitive camping spot stress is frustrating, I need to learn to chill, or get a booster, or something. But we just found out we can camp in Tent Sites and they have water and electricity at this park, and they are more available. But let’s talk about the wide open beach that if we ever would stop chasing beer or music in town then maybe we would get a chance to ride our bikes on it.

There is a nice Beach Cafe that supposedly has internet and you can get ice cream at the small gift shop. Facilities are in excellent shape and so well marked. One of the best things about St Augustine is the music scene. The campground borders the St Augustine Amphitheater, we were sorry to miss Billy Strings by a week. On Saturday there is a wonderful farmers market and the Free Rangers gather for a bluegrassy feel of about 25 musicians that seemed to increase as the morning went on.

Individuals would take turns leading anything from the old cowboy 30’s genre to the Eagles, and everything in between. There was a fabulous harmonica and keyboard that showed up for the jam, as well as multiple typical stringed instruments and a fabulous trumpeter.

When the guy needed to give his trumpet lips a rest, he played the washboard with spoons. Evidently this goes on every week, and I received some more venue tips from a woman who sat next to me. Celestino’s Wine Room (no bridge crossing required), San Sebastian Winery (weekend music) , The best part is that it is a bike ride away. Continuing on with the camping facilities…There is an excellent boat launch into the intercoastal Matanzas River Outlet and perfect for StandUp (not comedy).

The other side is the Atlantic Ocean beach and the protected dunes so birds are plentiful and the fish are even more so, as they were jumping all around me and one tiny one even jumped on my SUP. Move over White Sand of New Mexico because the white sand dunes of Florida also are beautiful.

Evidently the St Augustine Fort, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, (date back to the 1500’s ) that went between Spain and England several times before England got Florida as a consolation prize after they lost the American Revolution.

And it even had a moat. With a drawbridge.

The Fort was constructed from coquina (we’ll just call it shell cement that took 1 to 3 years to dry and would actually trap the bullets/balls – they could be reused against their enemies).

We had visited the Fort when Darlene, Julie and Bo came down for the day. The Senior National Park Pass got 4 people in the door and the history was quite interesting..In fact, I may want to do a trolley tour before we go, and I usually don’t like to do that kind of stuff, but first a beer at Prohibition Kitchen.

Energized by Farmer’s Market Lone Ranger live music, we decided to attend the Ma’am Music Festival at Colonial Oak Music Park. It was in the most quaint,beautiful setting, tucked under a huge oak tree, in the middle of the St Augustine tourist hustle and bustle, off the St George Street pedestrian zone.

Ma’am is a women featured fest and one of our favorites was the energy of Romona and the Riots, look at those pink platforms.

We also saw a fabulous older electric guitar shredding woman, Vange Durst, and young Annie Duke’s Band with whom John really connected. And finally the headliner, Kaylee Rose, a St Augustine native whose parents would have to bring her to gigs since she was underage back in the day. She moved to Nashville some 8 years ago and has achieved some top songs, and I really connected with her lyrics.

We obtained our beer mug and cocktail mug that saved the landfill and gave us discounts to the St Augustine Distillery where J’Bo likes to go. We will leave them securely in their possession upon our departure from Florida.

We had ridden our bikes to the pedestrian gate near the amphitheater and $10 Ubered into town and back, a great way to travel and another perfect reason to rebook a stay in Anastasia state park. The night cap to the evening was a stop at the Ancient Times Brewery for another Coconut Porter that we had discovered on the first day of our arrival to St Augustine, with the 10 mile roundtripper bike ride over the bridge and into the downtown.

This was our 3rd bike drawbridge crossing but we were rewarded by a fabulous Coconut porter and a Grilled Cheese Specialty Joint that delivered right to our bar stool. Queen Brie (Brie, Raspberry and Bacon) was the bomb, and there are many other yums to try and they also have Mac and Cheese, but not just plain old Mac and cheese.

We scoped out the Peace, Love and Little Donuts for the next day’s visit. Luckily I had thought to go back for the bike lights before we departed because although we stayed on sidewalks for the most part, the road was busy.

Day 2 more music, as we decided to go to the Elks Club that had a British Pub band that was featured. USMC veteran, Dave, became our friend and signed us into this members only event and we listened to Charlie, the dancer, tell us everything from his Angels (he had 3 daughters too) to his head-on car crash, to his great grandchildren, to daughter 3 on the 3rd husband. Dave showed the fabulous outdoor facilities and RV areas that membership includes. We danced to the oldies with a lot of Do-wop, but also a good variety of music. The 3 person band sometimes just sang to music tracks and sometimes played guitar. This would be a fine place for the 4 J’s!

As we approach our final two days here, I booked Site 51, a Tent only site but we fit in perfectly, Yeah, we love this place!! Today we found our favorite bike shop Island Life PEDEGO – what excellent service. John has a new tube, hand grips, and the guy even figured out our handheld bike pump and he put an extension in John’s handlebars so the old man doesn’t have to crouch down anymore.

Since we had Vinny out for the bike repair (new tube) we decided to explore the St. Augustine “barber shop” Lighthouse, and it turned out to be a couple hour exploration not only up the 16 flights of steps for the view of the area, but also into the many building of history.

From boat building, diesel engine manufacturing, to shrimping, to all the old ships running aground due to the hurricanes rearranging the ocean floor. As the American Revolution was coming to an end, Florida was a haven for British Loyalists who were ostracized from the American Colonies that were now winning the war and and their ships were sinking because of the dynamic state water depth as a result of hurricanes.

We also did the ancient Dunes trail that were probably ocean dunes once upon a time, but now are fully Florida jungle with a plethora of Saw Palmetto, those beautiful palms that are everywhere. Decided to bypass the Marsh trail as it was the evening and with any stoppage the mosquitos started to land.

Off to bike ride to the ocean where they get blown away !! Task at hand see how far the large building which we believed to be the Embassy Suites right across from the Salt Life Restaurant was. Correct, and it is exactly 1/2 mile down the beach from the main campground parking area, making it a perfect Trish Hoover setup for next year. Now we can visit with friends who aren’t camping oriented. Hopefully there will be some good musicians at the Amphitheater for next year.

But the bonus for this excursion was to see dolphins off the pier across from Salt Life and it was so cool after our hit beach walk

Last full day, and decided to do the trolley tour to learn a bit more about the history rich city of St Augustine that kept changing British and Spanish hands so many times. Particularly interesting is how Florida was where all the British loyalists who were scorned, and abused by the American patriots fled as the unrest continued to brew in the colonies prior to the Revolution. It would eventually become a haven after the Patriots won. It is so interesting how one never learns a part of history if not located in the area. Just like learning about the California Mission System that was going on the same time the 13 Colonies were getting rebellious, and now Florida history.

We walked by the Fountain of Youth, marked by the Old Senator, a 600 year oak tree, as we strolled down the famous Magnolia Tree Canopy laden with air moss that hung from the arching branches.

This time the shells were left much larger than in the Fort Castillo and rumor says if a wall scaling perpetrator would get scrapped, the bacteria would produce an infection that spelt death back in the day. Hopped back on the trolley and saw all the grand hotels, churches and buildings of Henry Flaggler, one of the three original men who started Standard Oil. Flagler’s arrival to St Augustine in the 1880s was largely responsible for the Golden Age for St Augustine, as he brought in the Florida East Coast Railroad making it a resort town with yacht racing and golf for the rich. He built the hospital and the cost of relocating a jail because the original was far too close to his resort hotels. No historical trolley ride is complete without a stop at the St Augustine distillery which gave samples of Moscow Mule, an Old Fashion, and one other rum concoction. Then off to the neighboring San Sebastian Winery for some more samples. Was very skeptical about the sweet wine made from the locally grown Muscadine grape. But all were quite good and refreshing. All of their wines were fairly inexpensive as well. $13 – $18 a bottle, my kind of price, but of course they didn’t quite make the cut, plus we rode our bikes over the 4 miles and over the Lions drawbridge to the first trolley stop.

Lunch at the Fish House as the Ice House at the Distillery, J’Bos favorite, was closed on Tuesdays. Walking back to the town center, we stopped at Dog Rose brewery for a porter, but just had to continue and have one last Ancient Times Coconut Porter. That one turned into several as we met Mark and his binder full of Sea Shanties. He had been trying to start up a Sea Shanty group and of course after a few porters in, we are shantying with him and people are coming in off the street to hear all the ruckus. Well as we talked and found out about several of his favorite Florida springs, De Leon Springs State Park and Itischeeka Springs (where you tube down the St John River). Then we went on to Shelby Mustangs and found out that his Father had been a judge at the Amelia Island Car show that Bo was a part of this year and he had met Carroll Shelby too. Then the conversation turned to Music and Stogies, a cigar bar that John had read about having a huge beer selection. Well as Old Times was in the process of closing down for the evening, he agreed to show us the way to a cigar smelling (bar was equipped with extra air suckers) and also a lovely outdoor area of Stogies. The music was excellent and as Mark got into an lively discussion about Florida being overgunned with a guy that never shot one but bought one for protection since after all the DMV advertises for closed carry when you get your driver’s license, more money for the coffers. A much more pleasant evening than I would have expected when surrounded by cigar smokers! Now, to get back over the bridge and back to Anastasia! Well the morning started with some droplets and was ugh, worried we’d need to pack up the Clam in a wet state. But all of a sudden the sky is blue and the sun is shining. and it is almost 11am; time to get the stogie boy up and get dried out before departing for Blue Springs State Park! Good by St Augustine will return next year as Elks members if our application is accepted and we can make the training at initiation that is offered in 2 weeks.

Woodstock, St Petersburg, Fort De Soto

Found a fabulous Harvest Host heading out toward our next destination to St Petersburg, and guess what they were having a Woodstock Revival right there at the Winery, and it was pavilion covered and they weren’t so loud, and they played the music of the era, at this afternoon event.

Luckily with a fan blowing from our backs and it was very comfortable sipping and listening. The RV parking was a short walk and we had decided to get hookups making the afternoon air conditioned napping time especially pleasant as the humidity was taking hold in this more agricultural area. The venue was lovely and we will make sure to look for their other music genre related events in the future, probably not it in the summer.

Headed out and met Ed and Annie for breakfast at Charlene Coyote Grill that was in the middle of the Road Runner Travel Resort and RV park. Really nice setting, and better yet seeing family to boot all while eating delicious breakfast comfort food.

More family time, as we headed to St Petersburg to visit cousins Nance’, Alan and Ryan. More good beer for John as we dined at the Three Daughters Brewery.

Fort DeSoto, a narrow spit bordering the Atlantic and Tampa Bay, was our next destination. Into mangrove jungles with Vinny, with exotic white birds scavenging through our site. Another 14 mile bike trip on the best ever paved paths and so strange to have yellow beaver tail cactus in this land of humidity but I guess the sandy soil is the common link.

A nice walk on the beach to relieve the bike-butt syndrome that was developing by mile 9. Back to camp and shower and salad was in order. This was the first night we slept with both screens on and doors wide open. No alligators or birds or lizards snuck under the netting and we had a good sleep and scored another night at the campground in the pet friendly area.

A lazy day for me to get caught up on my writing and Great Smokey Mountain planning. It was the first time we got out the stand up paddle board. I think I will name her, JoJo, after my best paddle boy who pumped her up which is always quite an exhausting undertaking, especially those last few pounds.

We had found the perfect sandy launch site on our bike ride the day before so the plan went smoothly on this Monday(I had to look on my watch for the day of the week). It came back like riding a bike even though I had only learned to paddle last summer.

I didn’t come across any alligators as I paddled along the shore of the For deSoto overlooking the first expansive Tampa Bay Bridge.

Delray, Gators and Old Friends

Delray Beach and the Thanksgiving Switcheroo

The wind blew away the last of our annual Thanksgiving traditions, so we decided a new one needed to be devised. So this was the first of the Cardinal Spring Training Meet-Ups with the originator couple, Denny and Debby. Darlene beat out Trish to a spot on their sofa and while Vinny is still VanGoing, we’re planning on making this a regular event, and next year will add Key West into the equation. Of course good food and libation is always a part of the equation when camping with the Lincks, but comfort of being in the presence of old friends and reminiscing about the 20+ years of our Carpinteria Camper adventures is always an enjoyable time. And now we play Farkle.

No trip is complete without new adventures.. the Gator Experience..This involves a 2 hour airboat ride on the everglades.

Little Wayne had those gators acting like pets as the pair swam up to our boat wanting treats I suppose, since petting gators doesn’t seem to be a wise idea.

We got to see them up close and personal. We learned about the Everglade houses and folklore and enjoyed the beautiful day, speeding around the reeds and watching birds.

Beaching was a bit on the windy side and only got into the ocean once as there were rip currents. John and I took a 10 mile bike ride to Red Reef Park. The sidewalks were perfect for riding because the main roads were 3 lane speedways and we won’t be caught alive(not dead) in the bike lane that were roadside. Luckily as we came close to home, thirsty and exhausted, there was an ABC store with a lovely bench in the AC, and we took it as an opportunity to rest and purchase some Tennessee Salted Caramel, Johns new found sipping whiskey which I just call dessert. While talking of beverage finds, the Cox Science museum excursion,

complete with dinosaurs

and mini golf

ended in the Copperpoint Brewery find and an exceptional Espresso Stout

and another opportunity to squeeze into the back seat of the Camry which in itself was always a fun filled adventure.That being said it wasn’t a VW Bug and we were thankful for ride and it was so easy being close to our old friends.

One of the ironic things that was discovered was that Scott’s Moms old condo, Trafalgar, was right down the street and Scott was able to provide us with several cool places to visit, but we still need to hit Fratelli’s in Highland Beach, all Nextimes along with return to Copper Point.

More delicious food with Bo, Julie and Mary Lou joining us for deliciousness at Mussel Shoals. Yes Life is good !!

Armadillo, owls and 4 J’s

Fort Clinch SP is a beautiful old growth forest and beach all in one, just not at the same time. There is an Atlantic Beach side where sites are close together, and then the River side sites that are huge and are heavily shaded by the trees and vines, moss, palms and foilage. Here we got to see our first Armadillo ever.

The drive to the campground is almost exclusively through the canopy cover that arches over the width of this road is covered with moss giving the place a bit of an eerie feeling. Hiking trails crisscross throughout the park and the 25mph speed limits make it great for bike riding, even though there is no shoulder or bike path. One can hike to the Fort from the campground and also on several nature trails. The campground bath house is among the best we have ever had in a state park and there were two washer dryers to boot.

The park is a perfect setup for the leisure biker while at the same time accomplishing 10 miles even with one gear as the weather caused a bit of stickiness in the works. The beautifully calm ride starts out with the 3 mile beautiful ride under the canopy right to the beach and then down the beach side road (no traffic) to Fletcher Park. Turning around, there are 2 watering/eateries holes along the way (Salt Life Food Shack and the Sandbar) before you head home under the Fort CLinch Canopy. This type of logistical setup is perfect for us. And there was even a Circle K to pick up some milk before the Canopy Ride and the Owlette viewing site.

Tender fingertips and 3 gigs in, as the 2 J’s, (Bo And Julie) increased exponentially to 4 J’s in the last week when John and I (J’Lisa) came in on the scene. So refreshing to make music with our friends as last evening we played at the Fernandina Beach(FB) American Legion. The 4 J’s will be on our reunion tour through the end of April as we have a few more gigs in FB. It’s hard to believe that it has been almost 3 years since the final hurrah of Treacherous Edges in 2019 and all J’s are overjoyed to be together again.

Florida – Here we are

Florida – here we are, – drivers licenses on Day 1. Just in time to celebrate Bo’s birthday and oh was it a party.

The bad weather had been chasing us across the country, but we were able to stay just ahead of it, and besides the clouds of dust blowing us through Texas, and a few showers, we arrived rearing to go in the welcome arms of our friends. We did 1100 miles in two days, but with a thriller mystery on the audio and my 70 mph speed limits, the miles passed.

Day 1 Maricopa AZ

Day 2 Las Cruces AZ, White Sands NP, Rio Bravo Winery

Day 3, We blew into Fort Stockton RV Park where we had dinner at the on-site cafe. Although we are used to desert winds, I felt like we were in the Dust Bowl days. Our 300 mile drive took about 6 hours and our Marfa excursion had to be cut from the day’s itinerary because of the dust. Marfa as per our waitress’s recommendation was a cute little Texas town worth a bit of side-tracking, maybe next year.

Day 4, Sunrise Beach Texas just west of Austin for a delightful visit with Val and puppy fix with her girls, Dottie and Sally. The winds had ceased, and we did a beautiful Inks Lake State Park during our visit, at which time we were introduced to the Gatlinburg Tennessee Salted Caramel Whiskey-the perfect dessert

Day 6 – A 500 mile drive to Baton Rouge with a stop at the Lake Charles Veterans Park much needed leg stretch and Buffi’s Peauxboys, a darling little Cafe.

Found the Hollywood Casino listed as an Overnight Parking discovered by filtering in the All Stays App in the Downtown area for some shut-eye before what would be our marathon 650 mile drive to Fernandina Beach. Again, weather and the excitement of seeing our friends propelled us to just keep pedal to the metal.

Day 7 – Florida – so glad to be here with our friends