On The Road Again in 2011

White Pelicans with a couple of black Cormorants.  Looks like one of the pelicans is trying to catch a fly ball.

We spent the winter months in the Texas area mostly in the Houston/Galveston area – with a trip (in a rental car) to the Denver area over Christmas to be with relatives. Then in late February, we traveled to McKinney, TX (north of Dallas) to spend some time with our daughter and grandkids. On March 8th, we packed up and set out on our 2011 exploring trip heading to Florida, the eastern coastline of the USA up thru Delaware & then to Canada for the summer (ending up at our final destination of Prince Edward Island in August).

We have had a great first month on the road with no mechanical problems, good weather most of the time (although it has been quite warm), and have been able to follow our planned travels pretty closely. The only problem has been the recent frustration in tracking the almost - but did not happen government shutdown. We had made plans to see 8 visitor centers in the 4 National Parks in south Florida (including an all day boat trip out of Key West to Dry Tortugas National Park) and could almost see those plans go up in smoke. Fortunately, level heads prevailed & we have moved on.

After leaving Texas, we headed to Alabama to visit with some friends (camping next to their house) and to visit relatives. Along the way, we re-lived some of the Civil Rights events by crossing the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma (where on March 7th 1965 the 1st march to Montgomery was stopped on “Bloody Sunday” & then the successful 5 day march started on March 21st). We also visited the Lowndes County Museum (halfway between Selma & Montgomery) & the Rosa Parks museum in Montgomery. What a moving experience this was for us (to re-live what the conditions of black Americans were back in the 60’s, the progress that has been made, & how much there still is to do).

While in Alabama, we of course visited the National Park Service sites - Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, Little River Canyon Preserve, & Russell Cave National Historic Site, took photos of 2 small lighthouses in the Huntsville area, and camped in the great Cheaha State Park (the highest point in Alabama at 2,405 ft). The drive up to and back down out of Cheaha State park was quite interesting with numerous sharp curves and a couple of steep grades.

We then crossed over into Tennessee to Chattanooga, camped out next to a friend’s house, and drove to the top of Lookout Mountain to Point Park (part of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park). Our friends then showed took us around to many great places we probably would not have gone to - visiting the outstanding Tennessee Aquarium, seeing the Chattanooga Choo Choo, riding the carousel (Cathy on an ostrich & Jan on a horse), and seeing the historic Delta Queen sternwheel steamboat.

While staying in Chattanooga, we rented a car & took a trip to Atlanta to see the Keenesaw National Battlefield, the Chatahoochee National Recreation Area, and the Martin Luther King, Jr National Historic Site. In addition, we visited the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center (with its beautifully landscaped grounds) and the Atlanta History Center.

Then it was time to head down to Florida to start our tour around the coastline (leaving the panhandle area for later). We started in northern Florida by taking a short boat ride out of Cedar Key to see the lighthouse on Seahorse Key. We then spent some time in the 2 Florida Escapees Parks (associated with the RV Club we are members of) and saw 6 more lighthouses in the Tampa/St. Petersburg, & Fort Myers areas along the west coast. We then left Fort Myers and drove over the Alligator Alley Everglades Highway (didn’t see any alligators on the highway) to a campground in the Miami area where we are spending a week exploring the 4 great National Parks & lighthouses in south Florida.

Hope this update finds you all doing well

Little River Falls in the Little River Canyon National Preserve

Crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama

DeSoto Falls in Desoto State Park in Alabama

Abandoned house near Russell Cave National Monument - Alabama

Yellow butterfly on red flower in the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Panorama of Moccasin Bend in the Tennessee River - view from Point Park on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Restful lake scene at Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, Georgia

Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where Martin Luther King, Jr and his father were ministers

Coca Cola Polar Bear ready for kids to shake his paw (At the World of Coca Cola in Atlanta)

One of a pair of Sandhill Cranes that walked by our RV every day in the Bushnell, Florida Escapees RV Park.  They are 3 ft tall & their common call is a trumpeting, rattling gar-oo-oo that is audible for more than a mile.

Ibis near the Bushnell campsite

Car in front of us that claims to run on water - seen in Bradenton, Florida

Vehicle seen in the First United Methodist Church parking lot in Tarpon Springs, Florida - obviously a take-off from the 'Ghostbusters' movie made in 1984