We’ve learned that the best place to social distance is walking the beach! So we booked a week in the middle of November at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Fortunately, we picked a nice warm week!
Whenever possible, it’s necessary to visit any nearby lighthouses. Especially historic ones that have been moved inland a bit to protect from shoreline erosion.
Into every trip, a little rain must fall. Okay – in this case it was a lot of rain! Compliments of the collision between a cold front and Hurricane Iota.
The sand has just about reclaimed this small wreck.
After the beach, we stopped at Paperbird to do some minor chores and check to see that everything was still OK. It is, except for the fact that the boat is on the hard and we aren’t aboard heading south for the winter. It’s a Covid kinda year…
Cleaning the scuppers, topping off the dinghy and checking for any water or mold in the cabin. All looks good. Hopefully next spring!!
We find that a regular trip to the ocean is a necessary thing in our lives. Maybe it’s the verse (paraphrased) “those who go down to the great waters will see the wonders of the Lord!”
But if not…
It’s fall and the temperatures are getting chilly, leaves are changing colors and falling off the trees, warm layers are coming out of the closet. So what do we do? Go to the beach, of course!
Back when we homeschooled, we established a tradition of going to the Delaware Seashore State Park the first week of school. Well, the first week for everyone else, that is. Back then, there were few folks camping and the walks on the beach were pretty isolated. Not so now.
The campground is now 2 parts, 1 north and 1 south of the new bridge. Most of the sites have full hookups and a few are set aside for tent campers. Since we are now part of that RV crowd, that was fine with us.
Still lots of fishing along the seawall for Tautog in the rocks.
The walks on the beach were fantastic. The weather was not too bad, with a couple of shorts and tee shirt days.
A crusty, barnacled horseshoe crab, which aren’t really crabs at all, but actually are closer to spiders than crabs.
Blooming dunes!
Some days the beach seemed to be all ours!
Our version of a selfie.
We found a spot on the bay side to launch the kayak and paddle around for a while. It was a beautiful, calm day with just a very slight current running. Great to be out on the water.
Sunsets over the bay.
Our spot for the week.
But if not…
The fall means changing leaves and brilliant colors. And where better to see them than Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah Valley. And what better way to travel than to take one of the grands with us!
Our storage place turned back into a bed. For our trip, this was her spot.
One of the many overlooks along Skyline Drive. We had perfect weather for the trip. Cool and clear with a little breeze each day. Perfect for hiking and sightseeing.
Down the trail to Dark Hollow Falls. Listed in the guide as “moderately challenging.” What that means is that it was downhill all the way there, and uphill all the way back. So easy plus difficult averages out to moderate (I guess).
Dark Hollow Falls.
Lots of opportunities for picture taking.
We even found where the Appalachian Trail passes through. So we hiked it. Well, a few yards of it…
The view of Old Rag from the ridge.
S’mores, of course.
The leaves are just starting to change and fall.
We camped at Big Meadow. So, of course we had to hike the Big Meadow. There are lots of paths all around the meadow. It was fun to take turns leading and choosing the next path to take.
No bear or deer, so a lone bird and a few chipmunks will have to do.
We had a fantastic time hiking, laughing, playing Apples to Apples. Looking forward to the opportunity to take the other grands in time!
But if not…
We missed them! It was fun to explore new areas, but it was great to get back to the grands!
Our adopted puppy, Drift. He travels with us, hikes (peeking out of a backpack) and has a habit of hiding all over the camper. Fortunately we have lots of help finding him (and then hiding him again.)
Reading books is always a favorite. Can never get enough of reading!
Horseback riding lessons.
Hands down, toes up, eyes straight… so many things to concentrate on!
PA has it’s fair share of small churches that need their picture taken.
And small lakes that need exploring by kayak.
Kayaking with the grands!!
S’Mores by the fire in the backyard on a chilly evening!
A very competitive game of Sleeping Queens on the back porch.
A new puppy to hug and train and play with and train and chase and train and….
More games and more puppy time!
Our Anniversary. Walking the City Dock in Annapolis, dinner out and a fantastic time together! Forty-one fantastic years!! We’re so thankful for how God has blessed us and guided us.
But if not…
From the Adirondacks, we decided to head further East. Originally, our plan was to head for Maine. But Maine had some pretty severe COVID restrictions, so we decided on Vermont instead. Vermont is an interesting state: almost entirely rural with a couple of small population clusters. But, like the Adirondacks, full of friendly locals and beautiful spots.
We camped for a couple of weeks on the shores of Lake Champlain at Button Bay. Great kayaking, both on the lake and a small river that leads to the lake. Unfortunately, we didn’t discover the river until it was almost time to move on.
Our Button Bay campsite, kayak at the ready!
We took a day and drove up through Smugglers notch and the ski resort areas. No way would we want to take the camper through there, but it was a pretty drive.
An Army Corp of Engineers campground at Winhall Brook. Definitely one-way traffic on the bridge!
We spent a lot of our time hiking along the various trails. A great way to get our daily steps in!
A local grocery store in South Londonderry, VT.
We spent a week at Winhall Brook so had time for some local driving excursions. There are quite a few dams in the area that the Army manages. Just how the Army came to be in charge of dams and waterways remains a mystery! But the ACE campgrounds are really nice!
A very windy day on the bridge across the dam!!
Hapgood Pond state park. Just a short stop in between other campgrounds, but a nice stop!
The hike around Hapgood Pond.
Nice bridge on the hiking path across the top of a dam. This was pretty typical of the Vermont campgrounds. Very nicely done and inviting. No wonder the parks were all pretty full.
Seems like the entire northeast is filled with small churches just crying out for people to come back from the virus.
After Hapgood, we moved to Emerald Lake. The name comes from the color of the water. In between kayaking and hiking excursions, we spend a lot of time reading, relaxing and walking around the campsite meeting other campers.
Hiking around Emerald Lake. We took more pictures hiking than kayaking because we didn’t always carry the camera in the kayak – just in case!
We came across a budding fisherman who was having a few tangle issues. Nice kid. Hope he caught a bunch!
Emerald Lake even had a small kayak/canoe canal that led from the parking area out to the lake. Too shallow for anything but paddled craft to navigate! We scraped a couple times working our way through.
After Vermont, we started to work our way back south and west. First stop was Shodack Island on the Hudson River. It was a bit of surprise since we had never heard of it before. But it was a really nice campground. And we got to add the Hudson River to our list of bodies of water we’ve been on.
Kayaking down the Hudson. Since it’s a tidal river, we had to watch the tide tables so we wouldn’t get caught paddling against the current.
But if not…
When it started to get hot in the mid-Atlantic, we did what all cruisers or RV’ers do, we left for cooler climes! In our case, we headed through PA and southern NY ending up in upstate New York, the Adirondacks. Besides cooler weather, we also found friendly people in small towns, good kayaking, and some picturesque old church buildings.
An old stone church. Beautiful. But not meeting due to the crazy virus!
Interesting way to get rid of old shoes. Wonder who started the tradition?
We found an outfitter who was unable to do any guided tours due to the virus. He was selling off some of his kayaks and we couldn’t resist.
Turns out kayaking adds a pretty good upper body workout to our regular walking regime.
Beautiful scenery, delightful sunsets and rainbows over the lake! Who could ask for more?
We stayed in the cool of the Adirondacks for all of July and the beginning of August, then it was time to move on.
But if not…
With the COVID swirling around, it was time to focus on outdoor activities. Simple goals: enjoy the beauty of God’s creation, get some exercise, and avoid crowds. The answer was easy: hiking! So we started our trek northward (to stay out of the hot mid-Atlantic temps) looking for spots to camp and hike.
We started in Cunningham Falls. Close to home with a pretty hike through the woods to the falls.
Then we headed further north to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania: Pine Creek gorge. The gorge is a 50 mile stretch of river along the Allegheny plateau. We didn’t camp right at the gorge, but down the road a bit at Hills Creek state park. After seeing both, we like the camping at Hills Creek better. But the views into the gorge are pretty special.
Besides the views, though, the hiking around the small lake at Hills Creek was really pretty.
This spot was called Beaver Hut, but we couldn’t find any evidence of recent beaver activity. And certainly no huts anywhere that we could spot.
Then another short leg due north to Watkins Glen, NY. One interesting tidbit was that we saw our first black bear on this trip right after crossing the state line into NY. A big bear was ambling through someone’s front yard along the side of the road.
The hike through the gorge at Watkins Glen was remarkable! Nineteen waterfalls and over 800 steps along the trail. Due to the virus, the trail was one way hiking only – uphill of course. So we hiked up and then followed the south rim trail back down. We enjoyed it so much that we went back the next day and hiked it again, this time using the north rim trail for the return trip.
Seems like many of the waterfalls erode the rock in a circular pattern. Several of the pools were almost perfect circles.
In a couple spots the trail goes behind the waterfall. A great way to cool off!
Interestingly, the fractures extend across the gorge, showing how erosion cut deeply through the rock after the fractures occurred.
A cairn forest!
Now we’ll head further north – up into the Adirondacks. Still avoiding the high temperatures and enjoying more slices of God’s creation!
But if not…
Northeast Texas and social distancing
In early March, we worked our way north in Texas until we reached the big town of Little Elm. That’s where Lyn’s brother Pete and his wife Gretchen live on a small ranch, complete with their own herd of long horn steers!
We camped and visited for a few days on the shore of their lakefront. A beautiful spot and a great time catching up.
At this point, the COVID-19 news was heating up and so we decided to stay isolated and move to a couple of small state parks in Northeast Texas. The campsites are pretty spread out and most of them were empty. We read, walked and tried to assess the news as the virus spread across the country.
The state parks are all situated on small lakes. Lots of great spots to hang out together while avoiding the growing chaos.
The pollen in spring is amazing. Keeping it at least somewhat at bay.
One of the nice features of the wooded parks was that we could take several long walks each day without running into any crowds. At one park, we had one other camper who liked to walk as well. We would meet up while walking and stand on opposite sides of the road comparing notes and plans. Much of the discussion was about the likelihood of Texas closing the state parks. We agreed it was possible, but unlikely. So much for our wisdom…
By the end of March it became obvious that things were going to get worse before they settled down and that the country could be in for a long and difficult journey. We made the decision to abandon the south and to drive to Pennsylvania to our daughters house. They have a nice parking area with a 30 amp RV plug on the side of the garage. Perfect for a longer shelter in place stay if needed.
Now we take our daily walks with the kids, watching spring slowly arrive in PA. The flowers and the trees are all starting to bloom. The weather is up and down with jackets one day and shorts the next.
After we arrived, we received word that Texas did decide to close all the parks. So we are settled in for however long it takes for the pandemic to run it’s course. We are blessed to be safe and we know we are in His hands.
But if not…
In the middle of the Hill Country in central Texas is a small town named Johnson City. Turns out that Johnson City is not named after LBJ, the president who lived here. It’s actually named after his grandfather who settled here, ran a ranch and raised a family.
It’s clear who really owns the land.
Air Force 1/2 it’s called
The family cemetery plot. Both LBJ and Lady Bird are buried here.
School house that LBJ went to.
Grandfathers house. The house LBJ was born in.
A local farm restored to circa 1917. No power, no running water, still operated as a farm by volunteers, complete with a smokehouse, canned vegetables etc. Interesting talking to the volunteers.
Blanco River
Pedernales (pronounced Perd e nallis) Falls State Park. A beautiful spot for hiking, but swimming isn’t allowed at the falls area. Signs say the water can go from placid to raging overflow flood in as little as 5 minutes. So swimming is banned for 2 miles downstream from the pools. They are beautiful to hike around, though.
Surely must be the the State Flower…
Our neighbors right next to our campsite. They seemed to be on a schedule. Come out in the morning and stare at the campers, run across the field back to the barn late each afternoon.
The CCC built most of the structures at the campground including this amazing stone bench. Looks like a great place for youth groups!
But if not…
While we were hiking in a wildlife refuge along the coast, we met a man from Houston who worked for the Texas Parks and Recs. We got to chatting about things to do and places to see and he highly recommended a visit to the Texas Hill country north of San Antonio, particularly the area around Fredericksburg. He told us about a place called Alamo Springs, which laid claim to the best burger in Texas. Given that tall claim, we had to test it. Turns out there was more to the area than just the burger.
It was a great burger! As were the onion rings!
The Texas rangers are building a Heritage center near Fredericksburg. The pavilion and some initial work is done, with much more to follow.
An early chuckwagon with what, at the time, were lots of innovative features making it possible to feed cowboys during a cattle drive on the Chisholm Trail.
The 5 character traits that exemplified all Texas Rangers. This is the wall of honor, listing the names of the over 500 Rangers who have died in the performance of their duties.
Notice the different outfits representing Rangers through the years. Horseback was a common theme, though.
A partially restored Army outpost.
A cell in the stockade. No bed. Maybe 2 feet wide by 7 feet long with a single small window and very thick walls.
Who knew? Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz hailed from Fredericksburg Texas!
The Pioneer spirit was everywhere, even in the building architecture.
Lots of history in the Hill country. But about 10 years ago, someone decided to try growing grapes and making wine. Now we heard that there are about 100 wineries in the vicinity, along with several breweries and a couple distilleries. Not all change is good.
But if not…
