A visit to Asheville and then home to Lake Norman! Sept 30-October 3

Driving the last leg from Georgia to Asheville found me antsy and a bit anxious.  Being so close took the joy away from seeing anything.  I was just plain homesick.  But, we had one more stop to make, our old home of 18 years, Asheville NC.

We stayed incognito at an RV Park in Fletcher the first night. Who knew Fletcher even had an RV Park?  We didn't.  Good friends, Bob and Linda, came to pick us up to go to dinner.  We didn't miss a beat and were laughing and rolling our eyes at each other over dinner in no time. Glen and Bob are way too much alike and cannot be trusted out of eye sight.  Tonight the only trouble they got into was insisting on an ice cream stop after a meal that left Linda and I stuffed.  But they enjoyed it till the last melted drop.

The next day I got to join my old Bible Study for their regular Monday morning meeting.  Wow, did I miss getting together with these sisters in Christ of mine. Being there made me realize just how much I was going to continue to miss them. 

Monday and Tuesday brought a golf game for Glen with long time friend, Gary and two nights at  Gayle and Roger's bed and breakfast.  It is a great place to stay if you can snag a reservation. It even came with a free rental car. haha! Thank you Hanleys! I managed to also squeeze in lunch with a couple of Bible Study ladies, lunch with a friend also named Debbie, from our church and morning coffee with another friend from the old neighborhood, Donna. 

On Wednesday before we left for our new home I joined the Walnut Cove Ladies Golf Association for their end of year luncheon.  It has been 13 years since the WCLGA was formed (by 6 ladies including me) and they were celebrating reaching a membership of more than ninety women this year. It was wonderful to see so many friends and remember our humble beginnings.

Seeing all these dear friends made me forget about my homesickness for a couple of days and also thankful for the time we had together.  "Make new friends and keep the old, one is silver and the other gold".

The last 100 miles to Lake Norman went by quickly and we were greeted on the sidewalk by some pretty cute and cuddly Grandchildren! What a way to end our Fantastic Summer Voyage of 11, 330 miles. Unbelievable!

I would do it again but not for three months and three days. (but who was counting? ME) I think a month would be good.  Glen could spend the rest of his days in an RV and be happy I think.

Both of us very much enjoyed our time on the road. It was a true adventure.  It drew us closer together, (right after it threatened to tear us apart haha).  My favorites were Niagara Falls, Canada, The Badlands, Sonoma and, no lie, every visit we had with friends and family.  Each one was a gift and touched our hearts mightily.  I know Glen loved the freedom of being on the road, campfires, all the adventures we had and those same visits.

Our next adventure is living with our middle daughter and son-in-law, Melissa and Joey, while looking for a home to buy. Oh yeah, and seeing all those grandchildren on a much more regular basis!!

Thank you for following us this summer and sharing our adventure, we loved reading your comments.

Our last stop

A teary eyed home coming!

Only one more state to drive through.

This is where our new home will be.

Selma Alabama, F.D. Roosevelt State Park, Pine Mt. GA

September 27, 28, 29
Travel to Alabama brought more rain, so much so that I missed the Welcome to Alabama sign:(  So, the Welcome to Selma sign it is.  Fitting, since Selma is the reason be stopped.

We stopped at the Downtowner for Breakfast but it was 10:01am and breakfast is only served till 10:00a.m.  Haha, had I not gone to the ladies room before we tried to order, we would have made it.  No worries, we went to Mr. Waffle.  It looked exactly like a Waffle House but was not.  The waffles were good in spite of the 'butter spread' and the service friendly. 

We had listened to a NPR radio program before we got to town to refresh our memories about this historic March from Selma to Montgomery, or should we say 3 marches, it took two impeded tries before they were successful.  Bloody Sunday happened on the first try.  Martin Luther King was there for the second try but, they were turned back peacefully this time at the bridge. For the third try they had the protection of the National Guard. They needed protection from the Sheriff officers and locals. Some 600 set out for that last march but at the conclusion there were 25,000 in Montgomery.

Did you know the bridge's name sake,  Edmond Pettus, was a confederate officer, two term US Senator and Grand Wizard of the Klu Klux Klan? I love it that the bridge is now the best known icon for the Civil Rights Movement. 

The march was 54 miles, they marched 12 miles a day and camped in fields each night.  There are plaques along Highway 80 showing where the camps were. It took four days.  President Johnson signed the Voter's Rights Act 5 months later.

Glen allowed me to walk across the bridge as he drove.  It was a memorable experience.

After taking some time on the other side of the bridge checking out Memorials placed there, we headed onward.

Georgia met us with rain as well but it let up later in the day after we settled into the FD Roosevelt State Park.  As you can see, it is another beautiful State Park and a fitting place to spend our last 3 days away.  We are hiking, reading, and enjoying the scenery.

A Quaint little town

The Iconic Bridge

Memorials on the other side

You can't see it but on the large rock is Joshua 4:21-22

Another lovely campsite.

One of 6 kinds of mushrooms sited on our hike, pretty.

The trail

A Tale of Two RV Parks

It was the best of RV Parks, it was the worst of RV Parks, it was the day of wisdom, it was the day of foolishness. It was what happens when you don't plan ahead, or in this case, you do plan ahead but weather and traffic accidents alter your plans.

Upon leaving Coushatta Casino Resort, we knew we had a couple of days travel ahead without a real destination.  We were simply driving to put miles behind us.  When that happens we try to find a State Park in a beautiful setting.  We found that park, Lake Bruin State Park in eastern Louisiana.  As you can see from the pics, it was perfect.  We would have stayed longer if it would have stopped raining. Haha.

The alternative plan was to go to another quaint RV park in a similar setting just inside Alabama the next night. However, Mississippi was not having the fact we were to skip her completely and just drive through. What followed was a day of driving in the rain in terrible traffic from a large accident on I-20 eastbound. There was no choice but to find a place to camp for the night and carry on the next day.

That place was Bonita Lakes RV Park.  Sounds nice, doesn't it?  Well 'don't judge an RV Park by it's name.  This place was a gravel parking lot just off the highway. They did have hot water, although the shower house smelled of mildew. I meant to take a picture this morning but, was in a hurry to leave our beautiful surroundings?

The silver lining was that we stopped at an Olive Garden a mile before we arrived and brought some pasta comfort food to eat in the rain.

This morning we left early headed for Selma Alabama, for breakfast and a walk across a bridge.  Come on kids, what bridge are we going to walk across?

Lake Bruin State Park

Very friendly ducks

As you can see, it was crowed haha

Them 'Old Cotton Fields Back Home" in Mississippi

Visiting Dallas and a dear friend. Then to Galveston and Louisiana

Our last 'friend and family' stop took us to Dallas, TX, actually Richardson, just north of Dallas.  Floyd and Glen met at Noble Jr. High in the 7th grade.  They had not seen each other in 29 years, since a Thanksgiving Dinner at my Aunts house in Redding, CA. Wow!  Phone calls and face book had sufficed.  This visit did not disappoint, we picked right up where we had left off. 

Floyd took us to his favorite restaurants and also prepared a great steak dinner for us. Like all the friends and family visits we have had on our trip, this one rekindled long standing relationships and made precious memories.  We have been Blessed by all of you throughout this fantastic summer voyage!

After saying farewell, we made our way through Dallas and Houston, both beautiful cities, and across the water to Galveston Island.  Only one night on the gulf and then onward Roci!

A road closing held us up a bit as did the first real rain storm we have driven in. That is how Louisiana welcomed us, in the rain.  We spent the next three nights (one in the RV and two in a Hotel) at the Coushatta Casino Resort.  It is in the middle of nowhere,  has three Hotels, an RV Park, a Casino and a Golf Course.  Glen has had fun both playing golf and card games although, neither have been friendly to him here...oops!  I have done absolutely nothing except read and relax, it has been wonderful..haha!

Dinner at Pappadeaux in Dallas. Glen, Debbie and Floyd

Shopping at Central Market. Sandler's would love it.  Think Whole Foods on steroids but, all things British.

Central Market

Glen and Floyd

Dallas

Houston

The Gulf Coast at Galveston

Yeah! Another state closer to home:)

Austin Sept. 16 and 17 Waco Sept. 18

We found a campsite .7 miles from downtown Austin and took the metro bus system to 6th and Congress looking for music and night life.  Guess whose idea this was...haha. It just happened that one of Katie's good friends flew into Austin the same day.  We met up with Haley and her friend, Taylor for dinner and bar hopping.

Well we only hopped one bar for a beer, a Miller Lite. You see Haley's husband, Jonathan, works on the #2 car, Brad Keselowski, and today Brad won his third race in a row!!  So Miller Lite was their drink of choice.  Sorry Johnathan, I stuck with my white wine:)  But CONGRATULATIONS!!! It was a fun evening topped off by a stop at Voodoo Donuts for breakfast the next morning.

The next day we took the bus again to see the Capital building feeling guilty because we have never taken a tour of NC's capital building.  Now we know more about TX than we do NC. The tour was perfectly short, informative, beautiful and AIR CONDITIONED.

Next day, Sept. 18, we headed to Waco TX and the stop I, Debbie, have been waiting for, all things Chip and Joanna Gains; Magnolia Silos, Magnolia Bakery and MagnoliaTable. Those of you who watched Fixer Upper like I did know this young couple with 5 children from the HGTV episodes.

First of all, downtown Waco is literally centered around the Silo area. We had a cupcake at the bakery, the best cupcake ever! It had the texture of a very moist banana bread, yum! Then I walked the Silo Shop.  I wanted one of everything but since I have three storage areas full of stuff and no house yet, I bought nothing:( 

We toured downtown Waco then went home to BBQ'ed ribs. This morning we ate breakfast at Magnolia Table before leaving Waco. The biscuits and gravy, again the best ever.  Plus my avocado toast hit the spot! 

Now we are off for another visit and a blast from the past.

On 6th Street

Glen, Debbie, Taylor and Haley toasting Brad's three in a row win!!

The capital building in Austin

The Senate Chambers

Where are Chip and Joanna?

The Silos

Best biscuits and gravy ever.

Carlsbad Cavern, a stop in Sonora, & San Antonio

Sept. 12 We finished out travels through New Mexico at Carlsbad Caverns.  They are not the biggest or oldest caverns but, perhaps the most beautiful. We descended into the cavern through the 'Natural' entrance.

In1898, a teenager named Jim White explored the cavern with a homemade wire ladder. He named many of the rooms, including the Big Room, New Mexico Room, Kings Palace, Queens Chamber. These rooms are 750-800 feet below. It was quite and experience but safe.  The paths are paved and there is lighting, even a lunch room and store at 750 feet. 

Even so it was 1 1/2 hours of walking steep declines and then an hour of flat. Thank goodness there was an elevator to get back up.  They don't allow you to walk back up since the elevator was put in. This is a must see, equal to the Badlands in South Dakota in beauty.

Sept. 13 We entered Texas via Hwy 285 S from Carlsbad.  I missed the sign saying Welcome to Texas and was upset about it.  But Glen would not go back to get it. Anyway West Texas may not want you to know where you are.  All the way to Interstate10 it was dirt and oil rigs and highway construction.  Now, it needed the highway construction, the road was a mess.  But I could not figure out where all the people lived who were working out there.  No house, towns, even no Walmarts.  Turns out there are places in the dirt to park RVs.  The workers stay in RVs during the week and commute home. Past Pecos towards Fort Stockton it did start looking up. 

We stayed the night just outside of Sonora in a very small RV park. The landscape there was pretty. It was quiet and dark and nice to be in the country again. 

Yesterday (Sept. 14) and today (Sept. 15) we have been in San Antonio. Because of the rain we saw a movie today.  Glen saw White Boy Rick with Matthew McConaughey and loved it and recommends it.  I saw Unbroken:Path to Redemption and loved it as well.  In spite of the rain (first rain for our whole trip), we made it to the Alamo and walked around town on the RiverWalk and had dinner.  They have done a really nice job with the river in town.

Tomorrow we go to Austin for a couple of days.  Unfortunately we have not found any good concerts to go to but, we figure there will be live music somewhere to hear. 

Remember the Alamo! 

Campsite at White City near Carlsbad Cavern. It was literally on the side of the road, worst site ever.

Overnight stop in Sonora, a great spot.

Waiting for the bus in San Antonio. We could not trust the weather to ride our bikes.  Good thing too, it rained a few times.

At the Caverns

The Natural Entrance to the Caverns

Those are switchbacks that begin the 800 foot decline

Looking back to the entrance.

A stalagmite and stalactite almost meeting to form a column.

Drapery stalagmites form on curved ceilings.

The Alamo

Having dinner on the Riverwalk

What a venue

Two travel days on Route 66

September 10 we traveled from the campsite near Flagstaff AZ to about 8 miles outside Albuquerque NM.  The campground there was called Enchanted Trails and was all decked out in the Route 66 theme.  They had RV's you could rent to sleep in for the night if you did not have an RV. 

Glen went to the nearest Casino to play (he had to uber there and back) while I relaxed in the RV by myself.  I think I got the better deal.  I even found a few TV stations to watch, NO Monday Night Football though:(

Today September 11, we continued the journey on Route 66 in Arizona and then New Mexico.  Glen loved all the memorabilia along the way and stopped to take a closer look....and pics of course. 

We also got to sample some tacos and breakfast burritos at a chicken stand in Albuquerque.  Daughter, Katie, had worked in Albuquerque quite a lot a few years ago when she traveled around the country.  She recommended a breakfast burrito to her father and that was all it took...we were off in search of Golden Pride drive through.  It was quite good and worth trouble to find it.

At the intersection of Route 66 and MN Hwy 285 there was a must see rest stop/gas station and tourist trap gift shop.  Glen bought a few gifts for the grandkids and then we headed south on 285 towards Carlsbad Caverns. 

Tomorrow we check them out up close.  830 feet down in the dark.  Sounds like an adventure!

Best breakfast burrito in Albuquerque

Breakfast in Winslow AZ. It was full of cowboys,  jus like Glen was hoping for.

Here we are standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona. Glen has his thumb up for a ride from that girl in the flatbed Ford. He is still waiting to see her and we are in MN now.  Haha!

RV's to rent for the night at our campground.

Retro bathroom on Route 66