The Zanin Hotel

No blogpost yesterday; my usual time slot for writing up the day was instead filled with getting organized and settled for our first night in the RV, having bid hotels goodbye for the time being. We are in Mims, FL at a KOA campground neighbouring the Kennedy Space Center.

There is still a ton of stuff to do in our tiny home! At the moment, every move is new, every spot taken by something that hasn't yet found a permanent, logical home, and all sorts of RV features we have to figure out for the first time. But we are so happy to be traveling this way, with our own food, our own bed, and a wide road ahead.

We'll be here for a second night before completing our journey to Dunedin, our ultimate destination. Today will be a busy one, to be sure, as we have laundry to do and other settling-in things, plus a lovely campground to explore and neighbours to meet. And, it's St. Patrick's Day! Lucky thing I brought my green accessories to mark the occasion.

Stay tuned for more exciting chapters yet to come.

Like a box of chocolates

Savannah, GA – You never know what you’re going to get when you set out on a road trip, but most of the time, it’s pretty interesting stuff! Today I got to sit next to Forrest Gump on a Georgia park bench with a beautiful backdrop of a southern city square – courtesy of the Georgia State Welcome Center. It was clear he had many seat partners throughout the day, as at least two other groups swooped in right behind me for their photo op! I didn’t manage to figure out how to open that beribboned box of chocolates during my sitting.

Our route was very straightforward today, due south on the I-95 all the way from Fayetteville to Savannah. We shared the road with lots of traffic, which is understandable as the March break beckons winter-worn people to the warm places – but, surprisingly, there was quite a bit of traffic heading north as well.

By the time we stepped outside to have lunch, the temperature had already hit 73F, and it climbed another ten degrees before day’s end, to Val’s delight. I must say it was nice to feel the humidity in the air after spending the winter in a forced-air, dry environment at home.

As we drove southward through North Carolina, we came to a series of roadside signs heralding Pedro’s South of the Border. They had cornball messages like the one, illustrated by an enormous hot dog, that said “You never SAUSAGE a place! You’re a WIENER at South of the Border!” Soon enough, just over the South Carolina state line, we glimpsed an enormous sombrero atop a giant tower visible for miles, and there it was. Ole.

As we were boarding our RV after the Forrest Gump encounter, a woman came over saying “’Scuse me, scuse me!” Carol and her husband Robin were dying to see our RV and ask what we thought of it. We gave them a tour and had a lovely chat. They came from Selma NC,  had recently retired and wanted to do more traveling. Just one of the neat things that happen when you hit the road.

The highlight of our day was a visit to historic downtown Savannah, where we drove after dropping our luggage off at our hotel. Our destination was West Jones Street where there’s a house built in 1851 by my great-great grandfather, John Nevitt. His grandson, Richard Barrington Nevitt, was bundled off with his younger sister and brother at age 14 to Canada to escape the Civil War. RBN married my grandmother’s mother and the rest, as they say, is history. The house is privately owned, so we could only look at the outside, but it was wonderful to see a place where some of my family roots began.

Country roads

Fayetteville NC – Steaming trays of fried okra, hush puppies, grits and gravy, turnip greens and other southern delicacies tempted our tastebuds at supper tonight as we browsed the buffet at the Golden Corral across the way from our hotel. We are definitely not in Canada any more!
Warm southern greetings this morning from Doris, our server, started our day pleasantly in Charlottesville, and off we headed toward Thomas Jefferson’s famed residence at Monticello, just outside the city, for a quick visit. When we arrived and saw crowds of people filing off tour buses, and the impressive array of visiting choices at the ticket counter, we realized “quick” was not going to work. To have a proper look, we’d be better off coming back on the way north again when we could give this world heritage site our unhurried attention.

So, off we went in the direction of Fayetteville, North Carolina, opting to travel along state highway #15 rather than those crowded interstates. The lovely countryside and less congested traffic were our reward. Not only that, but as we continued southward, there were more and more signs of spring! We rounded a curve and there on a hillside was a sunny yellow clump of daffodils, and a bit further on, fruit trees adorned in a froth of blossoms. The drab beige of yesterday’s fields was mingled with green sprouts and even a few expanses of pure emerald green. Lovely.

Shortly after crossing the state line into North Carolina, we arrived in Oxford, and as we drove through on its main street, we passed some magnificent antebellum mansions, complete with stately columns and formal gardens. They reminded us of some of the homes we saw in New Orleans.

Getting through Durham was a challenge. The maps we had with us indicated a spaghetti pile of roads, highways and interstates, and we did experience a few glitches, but that’s all part of the adventure, right? We emerged on the other side and eventually, thanks to the patient GPS lady, got to our hotel, so all’s well that ends well.

Corridors of commerce

Charlottesville, VA – We have escaped the snow. For the last few hours of today’s trip, no matter how carefully I scanned the roadside, even deep amidst dense bush, I saw not a single trace of white. Not only that, but when we stepped out of our RV for a breath of fresh air this afternoon, we had no need of extra layers, scarves, gloves or anything! We even saw some people outside the hotel this evening in shorts and T shirts! Though I might not have gone that far with a high of 17 degrees (or 64 as they measure it here).

There was white stuff this morning when we got on our way; some vehicles in the parking lot had frost on their windshields, but ours didn’t. We took to the Interstate 81 again, southbound. It wasn’t terribly busy to begin with, but before long we found ourselves surrounded by 18-wheelers, with just as many – or more – heading in the opposite direction. On a dry day like today was, it didn’t present too many challenges. We’ve been on rainy highways when the passing of one such vehicle would shroud us in a deluge of muddy water, half-blinding us momentarily! What it did demonstrate in no uncertain terms is the huge movement of goods that takes place every day across the country.

Factories with smokestacks belching plumes of smoke into the sky flitted past our windows, as well as large business complexes with crowded parking lots, and towns and cities of various sizes. The odd work crew was tinkering away on the highway but with little impact on the constant presence of cracked pavement, dips and potholes, some of alarming proportions. Fortunately, though, as we continued further south, the condition of the roads improved quite a bit, so Val didn’t have to scrutinize every metre of surface as we sped along.

We hit four states today, passing out of Penn-sylvania into Maryland, crossing a very brief section of West Virginia and entering Virginia for the final leg of our trip to date. We stopped at the Virginia welcome centre to pick up some literature, as we hope to spend more time here on the way home. There was a nice photo backdrop of the word LOVE in huge stand-up letters that beckoned to us. It took some doing to capture us, part of the big word and the “Virginia is for Lovers” slogan in one selfie shot, but I did it finally!

In late afternoon we left the humming 81 interstate and turned eastward on Interstate 64 toward Charlottesville. It was a much more peaceful drive, with hardly any transport trucks and quite a bit of attractive natural scenery, including rolling blue mountains and farm fields dotted with cows (or, as Val calls them, bovine flatulators) and sheep – and even some hillsides that were beginning to turn green!

 

Our hotel was just off the interstate, so we settled in quickly and had a nice dinner at the hotel restaurant, which meant we didn’t have to go hunting for a place to eat.

The long and bumpy road

Wilkes Barre, PA – Day one of our journey south is done! After many days of preparation, loading up our new RV with kitchen stuff, linens, clothes, maps and what-have-you, we pulled out of our driveway and hit the road at about 8:30 this morning with clear skies and mostly dry roads.

Since our destination is far from Ottawa’s snowy climes, we wore several light layers rather than humping our parkas and snowboots for the few (we hope) miles that might involve the white stuff. There were a few flakes drifting lazily down as the trip started, but nothing more than that.

In no time, we were inching forward to the border crossing at the Thousand Islands bridge, and at the next turn, there were the Stars and Stripes flapping on a nearby flagpole, welcoming us to the U S of A. When lunch time rolled around, we’d nearly reached Scranton, where we found a welcoming Cracker Barrel restaurant, complete with its signature rocking chairs out front and crackling fire in the large stone fireplace inside. We indulged in the hot biscuits and corn muffins along with our lunch, but managed to resist the buttermilk strawberry pie.

Our biggest challenge heading down the Interstate 81 through upstate New York and on into Pennsylvania was dodging potholes. Some parts were so rough they reminded us of Newfoundland! Fortunately, traffic was relatively light, so our serpentine moves didn’t bring us into the pathway of any semi tractor trailers. And we did spot one highway crew dumping warm asphalt into some of the craters, so maybe tomorrow’s drivers won’t have to do what we did – at least for the mile and a half that was attended to today!

We arrived at Wilkes Barre shortly before five, which meant we had time to find a cellphone service provider to hook us up to a US service. We had a bit of a wait, since there were several customers ahead of us in the queue, but we chatted with Sylvester, a plumber from Mississippi who was also waiting his turn, and that helped pass the time. When our turn finally came, the clerk knocked $20 off the cost because we’d had to wait so long! Bonus!

On the road again!

In February of this year, we purchased a brand new Roadtrek Zion SRT camper van, and very shortly we'll be on the road again. After two years without a motorhome, since selling our last one, we decided we hadn't had enough of RVing, but we wanted to be as small and nimble as possible this time around -- no trailer pulling or toad hauling, no slides, no bulk. Just a beautiful, sleek, silver bullet, short enough to fit into a city parking space, but fitted with all the comforts of home, from a queen-size bed to TV and microwave, and top-of-the-line lithium batteries plus solar panels on the roof to keep us humming in the most remote locations.

In the deep freeze of Ottawa's winter, we've been trotting loads of supplies out to the van, lining shelves and cupboards with cushion foam, and figuring out where everything will go. A fun challenge, but a bit uncomfortable when your fingertips start to go numb and your feet turn to ice. It's hard to believe we may be sweltering in this space in a week or so, but that's our hope! Our destination is Florida for our maiden voyage, and if you are interested, check back soon and you can follow us along on our journey.

Bye for now!

Journey's end

Ottawa, ON – There’s nothing like getting home after a long trip! All the familiar sights, sounds and smells of a beloved place seem to extend a warm embrace of welcome at such a time. We are glad to be here at last!

Our departure this morning from Wilkes-Barre went without a hitch, and we were soon northbound on the Interstate 81 once again, spurred on by the knowledge that the next bed we slept in would be our own. It was chilly and overcast, but there was no precipitation and the roads were clear.

Before long we had passed into New York State, our seventh since leaving Florida. We stopped at a state sponsored rest area – a fairly new facility set high on a hill with a commanding view of the Appalachian Mountains. There was an excellent photo opportunity set up there to reinforce the state’s signature slogan, and inside the building was a snack bar and shopping area that highlighted local products, including maple syrup.

When lunch time rolled around, we paid one last visit to the Cracker Barrel restaurant, this one near Cicero, and enjoyed once more the down-home atmosphere – this one even had a fire burning in the large stone hearth to chase away the chills – as well as the tasty food we’ve appreciated in many other spots in Florida.

Soon we were driving across the Thousand Islands Bridge and gazing down on the St Lawrence River and Canada on the other side. With the car packed so solidly with stuff from our three-month stay, we approached the Canada customs kiosk with some interest, wondering what sort of questions we might have to answer before we were allowed back in to the country. The young man who greeted us was polite but serious, and his questions were appropriate but easy to answer, and we didn’t even have to dig out the bottle of scotch Val had purchased (and declared) – a good thing, because we weren’t exactly sure which of the many bags piled in the back contained it.

At the first rest stop we came to, once back in our home and native land, we stopped for a steaming hot cup of Tim Hortons coffee! It’s almost a ritual now, each time we return from foreign soil, and a very pleasant one to tell the truth.

When we turned off the 401 and on to the 416 that leads to Ottawa, it began to rain. Fortunately, it was just a scattered shower, and there were only two or three more to follow which were over with before we reached the city limits. We had managed to time our return to miss the rather ugly and destructive ice storm that hit on the weekend. We did see several broken trees on the way in, and found our front lawn scattered with twigs and branches, but our esteemed home checker had cleared the driveway for us so we could pull in with ease. In no time, we’d unloaded the car and filled the front hall with all that stuff, which we will now have to unpack and stow away. But we’re home now, and that will be a sweet chore indeed.