Ricks Odds and Ends of 2012 South Trip

This is just a few notes to help refresh my memory I have not been very good in keeping this up to date but will try to go back and fill in the spaces before I do forget .

After a long October,November, and December when we often thought we would never be on the road south on December 27, 2011 at  8:30AM we left the driveway of our home in Riverview , to begin our adventure to a   place where it doesn't snow.

Our first day was long and included a quick stop in Bangor Maine to pick up a Trac-Phone before stopping in Lewiston Maine at the Ramada Inn back parking lot. There is snow on the ground but the temp is plus freezing. Miles driven 400 .

December 28 up early before sunrise in rained hard through the nite all the snow is gone and its foggy. On the road early and made our way down 95 to 295 to 84 in the early afternoon after Hartford CT the wind picked up and the temperature dropped driving with the wind was getting pretty hard so we decided to cut the day short and get off the road at Fishkill NY Walmart.

December 29 drove to Fredericksburg VA stayed at KOA hit a snow squall in PA almost pulled off the road but it cleared just as the snow was building on the windshield. Got to de-winterize and have a hot shower.

December 30 finished our first leg of the trip into Myrtle Beach to Briarcliff resort good trip today.

December 31 New Years Eve spent with good friends Cathy, Brent, Skipper, Dave and Deb.

January 2 2012  On the road south spent the night in Georgia near the Florida border good trip.

January 3 2012  Finished the hop into Avon Park FL our winter adventure has begun.

Febuary 4 2012 Left Avon Park and moved to Palmdale

Feb 12 Moved to Port Richey rained hard as we crossed the bridge over Tampa Bay.

Feb 15 Motored to Cedar Key for a weeks stay.

            Ho Hum campground in Carrabell on the forgotten coast the Panhandle one night.

            Pensacola our first experience with tornado watch. Met Paul and Marti great folks. Went to zoo.

            New Orleans wow what a city need to go back here.

 March
          Jackson Mississippi got to see our sweet daughter and son in law for a week.

           Birmingham Alabama one night stop nothing special for sure.

           Drove through Atlanta GA probably will not  do that again soon, stopped in Commerce GA one night.

           Hendersonville North Carolina wonderful relatives visited  Biltmore Estates.

           Shelby NC  a week with wonderful friends and a special buddy Duffy.

April 5 2012 Today is the eve of us spending 100 nights on the road in Ossumer since leaving home Dec 27. Today we got to spend some time on the beach here in Myrtle  our first beach time of the trip. While sitting on the beach watching the waves, birds, sand, other people I thought this is what retirement is all about just sitting enjoying the surroundings no electronics required, no instructions just sit back and let the senses input the data. Our time on the beach was cut short as a cold front moved in, now that was a sensory overload as I watched the cloud bank quickly move down the beach stretching out into the Atlantic. Our adventure for this winter is coming to a close here in Myrtle the same place as we started it back in December.
Spent 15 great days in Myrtle with a visit to Charleston for a wonderful day there. The beach was great as usual the kids loved the runs in the sand and the drives on the golf cart.

April 21 2012 Left Houlton Maine this morning and arrived back home in Riverview at 11:15AM. Driving down our street it seemed like we had just been gone for a weekend camping trip. It was 4 long days on the road from Myrtle and a lot of miles. We clocked 5724 miles since leaving December 27. First night in Front Royal VA at Walmart, second in Danbury CT at the wellcome center nice spot, and the third in Houlton ME at the Walmart.

It was a good adventure no serious problems with the rig seen a lot of country and met a lot of people. We maybe traveled too much maybe should have stayed in Florida longer.