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View From the Trail to Mount Colvin

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Thursday, January 31, 2013

A Day of Relaxation

Location yesterday: Savannah, GA (High 74, Low 59)

IMG_4178After our day of sightseeing on Tuesday, yesterday we just took it easy and relaxed at the campground.

We took a walk, and cooked some hamburgers on the BBQ for dinner.

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It was an absolutely beautiful day, although by later afternoon we were keeping an eye on the weather for storms that were predicted.

 

We were lucky – for the most part we just got rain, and a few winds and gusts. Our area was under a tornado watch for a few hours, and I did keep the radar up on my computer so we were aware of what was going on around us.

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By this morning, the skies were clear, and we were packed up and on the road by a little after 10 am.

 

 

 

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We had an easy drive today, as we were only going about 100 miles.

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We pulled in around 12:30, and spent the afternoon getting unpacked and settled. We are here for the month of February, and looking forward to seeing what there is to see around here.

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All unpacked!!

Looking forward to enjoying some sunshine and nice weather. Smile

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Exploring Savannah

Location: Savannah, GA (High 75, Low 50)

IMG_4097Yesterday was a perfect weather day for seeing the sights in Savannah.

When we headed to the office at 9 am to pick up the trolley shuttle, it was a teensy bit cool. But not enough to keep us from wearing our shorts, as we knew it was supposed to warm up to the 70s.

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The shuttle arrived right on schedule. There were a number of people from the campground heading into the city for the day.

We took the same company’s tour trolley in Key West. They also have tours in Boston, St. Augustine, San Diego and Washington, DC.

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I took so many pictures that I couldn’t possibly share all my favorites here, but by far the majority of my pictures were of the trees. The majestic live oak were everywhere and they are so beautiful.

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The shuttle had 15 stops throughout the city, and people riding it can get off at any of the stops, and then get back on another trolley. They come through about every 20 minutes.

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We saw Forsyth Park…

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and River Street…

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…where we ate at Cotton Exchange Seafood Grill and Tavern.

 

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We had a nice view of the river from our table.

 

 

IMG_4135We also visited Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, where we did break down and buy a few treats. We will definitely be enjoying them in little bits and pieces!!

 

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The trolley shuttle picked us back up at the Welcome Center at 4:30 and we were back to the campground around 5:15. We were ready to relax and enjoy the evening. We really enjoyed our day in Savannah.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Landed in Savannah

IMG_4086After an uneventful trip, we arrived this afternoon in Savannah, GA around 2 pm.

The drive was a short one, with our total trip today about 170 miles. We started out on I-26, and then took I-95 south.

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We are at Savannah South KOA, and have a nice pull through site. You can see our fiver in the background behind Harry (the more distant one).

 

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After we arrived and got set up, we took a little walk around the campground. It felt great to be in shorts for the first time since last fall.

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We have a great view of some wooded areas across the road from our fiver. Looks like this is going to be a really nice spot to spend a few days.

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We have purchased a couple tickets for Old Town Trolley Tours tomorrow. There is a shuttle from the campground at 9 am, and they bring us back at 4:30. We used the same company’s tour in Key West. It’s the type where you can get on and off any trolley throughout the day. So we have a full day of sightseeing ahead! And the weather is going to be mid-70s, so it’s going to be a great day to be out and about. Smile

Packing Up

Location: Lexington, SC (High 51, Low 33)

There’s definitely a different feeling about packing up when you’re heading on down the road as opposed to “going back". I was thinking about that yesterday when Harry was picking up our chairs and putting away the bbq. Instead of a down feeling, there’s a feeling of anticipation. What are we going to see down the road today? Smile

This weekend was quiet. The highs were in the low 50s, but there was a cool breeze, so we didn’t spend too much time outside. We went for walks both days, but that’s about it. Yesterday we went and fueled up the truck, and picked up a few groceries before we hit the road.

In about 3 hours, we will be hitting the road again, and heading for Savannah, GA. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, with highs in the 70s until Wednesday. Sounds wonderful!

Friday, January 25, 2013

Stumbled on a Jewel

Location: Lexington, SC (High 61, Low 34)

IMG_4073Two days ago on our walk we happened to walk by a restaurant not even a half mile up the road.

This is the view up the road from the campground exit, and we never would have guessed that there was actually a lot going on down there – an apartment complex, an elementary school.

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The side walk was really level and the traffic was much lighter than on the main road in the other direction. It made for a very pleasant walk.

 

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And as we were walking, we went by this sign. We thought it sounded quite interesting…especially the “true southern fixings” part. So yesterday we returned to try it out for lunch. What a find!

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It turned out to be a buffet of homestyle cooking….fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac n cheese, biscuits, potato salad, cabbage, fried corn nuggets, and other veggies that we didn’t sample…oh, and fresh peach cobbler for dessert. Yum. What a delicious meal!!

 

After that lunch, it was time for a long walk!! In total, we walkwalked about 6 miles yesterday. I am loving the fact that we can get outside each day and get some exercise. Today, we are supposed to get some rain this afternoon, so our walking may be curtailed a bit. But in general, we’ve been so much more active since we got down here to the nicer weather. I’m looking forward to seeing my numbers when I have my next physical!!

We’ve almost been here a week now, and it’s been a great relaxing time. Smile

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Just Hangin’

Location: Lexington, SC (High 51, Low 36)

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We have been enjoying some beautiful days here. Up in NY, so many of the winter days are cloudy and grey. So we have been loving the blue blue sky and wonderful sunshine this week.

We really haven’t been doing anything new and exciting this week. We’ve gone for walks every day. Today we walked 4.5 miles. We actually walked down the road that the campground is on in the other direction and discovered that it goes on for some distance, nice and flat and with a nice sidewalk. I didn’t bring my camera as I didn’t expect to be passing anything picture-worthy. I will take some pictures tomorrow.

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We have made a change in our eating habits this week, and have started having our main meal at midday instead of in the evening. I’d always read that it was better for digestion, and had wanted to try it. I am finding that I like having dinner earlier in the day for other reasons too – all the dishes are done early, we can go for a nice walk after the meal, and then just relax in the evening with a cup of soup or some other light meal.

All in all, I think I’m settling in to our new life pretty easily!! And we slept until almost 7:30 this morning! Ahhh…yes, I am definitely getting used to this. And the best part is – this is the new normal. Smile

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Kicking Back

Location: Lexington, SC (High 66, Low 33)

Yesterday was a laid back day. It is so great to not have a schedule for every day and a list of things that needs to be done. IMG_4060

We started off by taking a walk, around the area first and then over to the nearby grocery store. The rest of our day was quiet – watched the inauguration coverage, made a pot of chili, relaxed in the sun.

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The one downside for us to this place is the busy main street. I took this picture on Sunday, but yesterday the traffic was whizzing by. We only walked a short distance and then headed back. I think we will be doing most of our walking in the campground for the rest of the week. We can’t really hear the traffic though, the campground itself is pretty quiet. 

 

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When we arrived, the campground was full, but by yesterday, a lot of the sites were empty. It will be interesting in a few days to see how many people come in for the weekend.

 

Time flies when you’re having fun! I looked at a calendar yesterday and was surprised to realize that it was a month already since we had the closing on our house. We don’t miss having a house one bit.

Today it’s going to be “cool” – only going to get up to about 49 degrees. I think we’ll take it! Smile

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Operation Sunshine–Success!

Location: Lexington, SC (High 60, Low 27)

IMG_4027We woke this morning to a bright blue sky. And although the temperature was on the cool side, with the warmth of the sun, to me it felt like a nice spring day.

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Ariel was also happily soaking up the morning sunshine.

By a little after 9 am, I was opening up the windows to get some fresh air.

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We decided to take a walk to get our bearings. There is a grocery store only about a block away. Perfect! We shouldn’t have to drive anywhere the whole time we are here.

 

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On our way back to the campground, we stopped at a flea market that was held at the buildings you can see in the background on the left. I was hoping to find someone selling produce, and was happy that I had success. Fresh peppers and strawberries! Yum.

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This evening we enjoyed our first barbequed meal since late fall.

 

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We are enjoying some rest and relaxation, and not having to worry about cold and snow.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Unplugged!

Location yesterday: Salem, VA (High 40, Low 22)

IMG_3934We started out yesterday morning from Pine Grove, PA. It was another cold morning with temps in the 20s when we headed out. The skies were still grey, but we were happy to see dry roads.

The dry roads continued…

through Maryland,

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West Virginia

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and Virginia.

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We were very happy that staying in Pennsylvania for the extra day had worked as far as the roads we had to travel.

IMG_3963Our luck was not as good when we got to the spot for our overnight stay though, in Salem, VA. When we went into the office to check in, we found out that the power was out due to the storm the day before.

We ran the furnace on our batteries overnight, turning the heat down to 60 degrees. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my down comforter?

 

This morning we got up bright and early. The upside of having no power was that we had very little to do this morning before we hit the road again. So we were out on the road by a little after 8 am.

IMG_4003Today we had a nice trip. We had a little stretch on I-81, and then started south on I-77. I entertained myself by asking Harry what the temperature was, about every 15 minutes or so. Smile We started out in the low twenties, and landed in Lexington, SC about 2 hours ago to a very pleasant 57 degrees.

IMG_4024And now we are settled in for the next week. There’s not too much on our agenda…taking some walks, and maybe some bike rides…and generally just enjoying some nice January weather (southern style).