SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY: Christmas Has Begun

Since our last post on December 13, we spent 4 nights at the Singing Hills RV Park in Cave City, KY.  The last few weeks have been filled with activities, both social and personal, and we felt the need to just kick back and get some other chores done before the holiday gatherings began.  Singing Hills RV  Park is out in the country just down the road from Mammoth Cave, and while it's not a fancy place, it was the perfect spot for us to catch our breath and prepare for the days ahead.  We were on site 37 in the back of the property, with good connections and free WI-fi.

Thursday, we were ready to move on to Shepherdsville.  We had a nice lunch stop on the way with Leon and Nadine (ham radio friends) in Radcliff, Ky at the Colton's Steak House & Grill before making the short drive to Grandma's RV Park in Shepherdsville.

We've stayed at Grandma's several times.  It's a compact campground with long, level sites and decent wi-fi in sight of I-65. Some people complain about the owners, but we just follow their rules and we've had no problems.

Last night, we spent a great evening at Joel & Jan's (Selene's brother & sister-in-law).  Their neighbors, Skeeter & Maggie, and Selene's sister Mary Kay, were also there and it was great to be back with this branch of the family once again. Today, Debbie (daughter) and Robert will arrive from AL, and on Monday, our son, Mike,  will arrive from Raleigh  by plane to join the group.   The next few days will be filled with family, food and festivities as we celebrate together.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!

CALHOUN, GA; Another Travel Day Ends with Friends

This morning, via ham radio, we found out that Gary & Nancy (friends from Huntington, WV)  were heading south on I-75 from Kentucky on their way to Florida, and would be stopping at the Calhoun, GA KOA.  We were going to be traveling north on I-75 and were planning on staying near the same area.  A couple of phone calls brought a plan together and the four of us headed for Calhoun, GA from different directions.

We left George and Anita's home in Macon, GA about 12:45 P.M. after hugs and many thanks for their hospitality.  Our trip through Atlanta via I-75 had several slowdowns due to holiday shoppers and normal Atlanta traffic. but we made it through the metro area safely in about an hour.  It was an easy drive from Atlanta to the Calhoun KOA .   We arrived about 2:30 to find Gary and Nancy already set up, and site 96  next to them reserved for Little House.  We enjoyed Happy Hour together before going to Shoney's for a leisurely supper and good conversation.  Meeting friends on the road is always a special treat.

The Calhoun KOA has very friendly workers and long sites with free cable and free WI-fi, although the cable hookup didn't work for us.  Some sites are more level than others, but with the help of wood under the front tires and our leveling jacks,  we were able to settle into place.  This evening, a worker brought us two freshly made cookies - a nice touch.

We continue to enjoy beautiful sunny days, although the nighttime temperatures are pretty chilly (around 32 degrees). Tomorrow, we continue our journey northwest.  We need to be in Shepherdsville, KY by next Friday afternoon. 

MACON, GA: Visit with Friends

Yesterday, we had a nice drive on US highways from Brunswick to Macon, GA.  We followed George and Janice most of the way and had a nice lunch at Subway in Timber City before parting company.  Last night, we enjoyed the hospitality of George & Anita, ham radio friends,  where  Little House is parked on the driveway in front of their RV barn.  Don & Beth, more ham radio friends, live across the street, and we had a great time catching up on everyone's news.

A little later today, we'll be moving further northwest through Atlanta on I-75, and will probably stop somewhere before we reach Chattanooga. 

BRUNSWICK TO MACON: Travel Day

The Metter Roadrunner December camping trip has come to an end.  The days were full of conversation as we gathered around the huge fireplace in the meeting room, lots of good food, and beautiful although chilly weather all week. Last night we had our final dinner which was a "low country boil" with shrimp, sausages, corn and potatoes, and a baked ham along with side dishes and desserts.  We finished the evening with a Chinese gift exchange.

This morning the temperature got down to  33. Later this morning, we'll move from Brunswick to Macon, GA.  Our plan is to follow another member who lives in that direction and knows a shorter route instead of traveling the  interstate route, which is rather boring.  We're going to George and Anita's house (ham radio friends) who have invited us to "moochdock" in their driveway.  It should be about a 3 or 4 hour drive with a stop for lunch on the way.

BRUNSWICK, GA: Same City, Different RV Park

Over the last 5 days, our activities have been routine  We had a couple of WalMart trips, a CVS visit, grocery runs, and other shopping chores, as well as two lunches out..  The Golden Isle RV Park did not have  a resort atmosphere, but it was an inexpensive stay that met our needs.

Today we moved 5 minutes away to the Coastal Georgia RV Resort, also in Brunswick, GA, to site 306.. We're here with the Metter Roadrunners, a Georgia RV Club that also has several other hams in it.  The group is having their December campout at this park.  In contrast to Coastal Isles, this park does have a resort atmosphere with beautiful surroundings, long concrete pads, free cable and very good free WiFi, a nice fishing lake, swimming pool, and a large clubhouse with kitchen on the side of the lake. Of course, the rates are higher here, but we saved a little with the group rate.  So far, 4 couples have arrived.  Since the weather is very cool, our Happy Hour took place in the clubhouse in front of the large fireplace and a roaring fire.  We went to dinner at Steak and Shake with Katie and Mike to cap off another enjoyable day.

The weather forecast is for colder temperatures for the next 5 days, but we'll be sharing lots of warm hugs and laughter as we visit with our friends.  There will be 6 more couples arriving in RV's tomorrow, and 3 visiting on Thursday for a meeting and dinner.  We'll be here until Friday morning when we'll head northeast to Macon, GA.

Brunswick, GA: Completed Visit In Mayport and On To Brunswick

Monday was an interesting day.  Important decisions had to be made regarding next years medical and prescription insurance.  In the past, AT&T offered 3 or 4 plans for medical and dental coverage,  another plan each for vision coverage and cancer treatment and choices were easy to make with most of the cost paid by AT&T.  The medical plan also included prescription coverage.  Starting next year, AT&T will fund an HRA (Health Reimbursement Account) for retirees and their spouses to be used for any medical costs including  premiums and deductibles. We must choose our own medical, drug, vision and dental coverage and they provide a shopping cart that includes details for a large number of "recommended" companies, each with multiple plans, and each plan with options. The possible combinations seem endless.  To help with these choices, we had two appointments for somewhat lengthy phone consultation with advisers from Aon Hewitt.  In July, the conversation centered around Medicare, what it covers and the benefits supplemental insurance can offer.  Monday's call was to get more questions answered,  choose our medical and drug coverage,  and enroll in the selected plans for each of us.  The call took almost 3 hours.  We still have to initiate the call for the dental and vision coverage.  The new coverage will take some getting used to, but we're grateful to have decent  insurance that will provide coverage wherever we are in the USA at a cost that we can afford.

Late Monday afternoon, we rode around the very large Hanna Park Campground, looking at all of the sites and deciding which ones were the best for us. We wanted one that was long, level, and offered some privacy from  close neighbors  Since this park fills up for Thanksgiving weekend, it makes sense to reserve our site before we leave. We found 12 that would be suitable.

The rest of the evening was spent relaxing after a somewhat tedious day.

Tuesday morning we reserved our campsite for next November and got our first choice!  Selene got the laundry caught up and Hank was busy all day with email responses.  Tuesday evening, we joined Karen and Samantha for a delicious taco dinner.  Sean was on a business trip and Montgomery had returned to school.  With hugs and saying "see you in 3 1/2 weeks", we headed back to the RV.

This morning (Wednesday), we went through the departure routine and left Hanna Park around 10:15 A.M.  Our first stop was in the southern area of Jacksonville at General RV Center to get a new electrical cable which provides 12 volts to operate the turn signals and brake lights on the car when it's hooked to Little House.  The dealership had to assemble the proper connector on the car end of the cable and we enjoyed a delicious pizza at Rosina's Pizza across the road while we waited for the job to be completed..

By 1:30 we were back on the road, heading north on I-295 around the west side of Jacksonville, then traveling on I-95 north to the Golden Isles RV Park in Brunswick, GA.  This park offers low rates for Coast to Coast and Passport America members.  The sites are on grass, but most are pull-thru sites with good length and good hookups.  The free WiFi works pretty well - at times.  We have cable hookup through a cable box that presented some installation problems. We're in site 43 at the rear of the park so it should be quiet around us.

We'll be here until Monday, when we'll move a short distance to camp with the Metter Road Runners - a small camping club that is mostly ham radio operators from the Metter,  GA area.

MAYPORT, FL: Enjoying Thaksgiving Week

No we haven't moved since the last post. Our location is really in Mayport, not Jacksonville, although Hanna Park is owned by the city of Jacksonville.

Rain continued for the rest of Tuesday and into Wednesday morning.  About 10 A.M., the sun took over the skies and the weather has been wonderful since then, although very cool for  northern Florida this time of year.  Forgot to mention that when we arrived at Hanna Park, a bicyclist welcomed us to the area with two tangerines.

The campground still had plenty of empty spaces until Friday.  By Saturday afternoon RVs and lots of tent campers had occupied almost every site.  Hope the tenters had a heat source with them!

We've enjoyed our visits with Karen and her family.  We celebrated Thanksgiving at Jim Steele's home with Jim, Laura, Tim, Ava, Mark, as well as Karen's family.  A bountiful meal was enjoyed by all - Roast turkey, oyster dressing, macaroni & cheese, green beans, brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, mashed parsnips, rice casserole, vegan casserole, gravy, cranberry sauce and  baked sweet potatoes.  Later we enjoyed dessert - pumpkin, apple, and pecan pie, along with cherry tarts and carrot cake.

Friday,  we went to lunch at Singleton's Seafood Shack - a highly recommended restaurant in nearby Mayport on the inter coastal waterway.  Inside the tumble-down looking restaurant, you'll be served large potions of fresh seafood and may even see the boat that delivered it.  This may have been our fist visit to an eatery that's been featured on the Drive-ins,  Diners,  and Dives TV show, and it was definitely worth the visit.  Lots of campers came into the campground today, including the spots around us.

Saturday, we did some chores around the RV.  The electrical tow cable between Little house and the HHR was damaged on our last move.  It operates the car's turn signals and brake lights from Little House when towing the HHR so we want it repaired before we tow again.  Despite Hank's best efforts, he couldn't get it to work, so he made an appointment at General RV Center in Jacksonville on Wednesday to have this problem addressed.  The rest of the day was spent enjoying Karen and Sean's hospitality.

Yesterday morning (Sunday) Karen and Samantha came to visit our Little House, then we went to the Steele residence for more visiting.

We'll be at Hanna Park until Wednesday morning.