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Briarcliff RV Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC (Oct 10-11)
I really don’t have anything good to say about this stay. We were very disappointed, because we stayed here previously and really enjoyed it. We set up on the 10th and then went exploring most of the day on the 11th. When we returned back to the RV, there was a bright orange ‘warning’ posted on our door. It stated that we could not have our light strings, shepherds hooks and bird feeders in our site. We thoroughly searched all the rules of the campground and there is NO mention of no decor on the sites. We walked the campground and took photos of many other sites that had decor and shepherds hooks in the sites. I took all the decor down and honestly, I understand when campgrounds have RULES against these things. What I don’t appreciate is when there are NO rules posted or given to campers, yet we get a ‘warning’ posted on our door with the threat of a fine. I sent Ed to speak to the manager and they did not apologize or explain when the rules changed and where in the rules these regulations are. They couldn’t even explain themselves. Ed was a champ and understood that I did not want to stay here any longer. I was so upset and uncomfortable at a place that I felt was not at all welcoming…especially when we had just been here in February with all the same decor out without any issues. We left first thing in the morning on the 12. Such a bad experience.
Below is the photo from February 22, the day we arrived at Briarcliff for a 17 day stay. We had no warnings or violations during our stay then….and the decor stayed up the entire stay.
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Camp LeJeune Campground at Onslow Beach (Sept 26-Oct 9)
Sept 26–Ed came through, as always and got us in early at Camp LeJeune! We know that we are really going to enjoy it here, the campground is right across the road from the beach.
After getting settled in, we walked the beach and found several cages protecting sea turtle nests!! I would LOVE to see the babies emerge and head to the water, but they will not be hatching in the period we are here….darn.
Sept 28–One of the things we have heard alot about from our camping community is what a cool thing it is to be able to watch the amphibious landings at LeJeune. We are hopeful that we might catch one while we are here…they are not publicly announced, so you just luck into them. We saw the vehicles everyday in the fields around the base.
We walked the beach everyday, usually several times a day…so I will try to be selective with the photos! LOL!
Sept 29–We went to Cedar Point and the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. The aquarium was really cute.
Sept 30-Oct 9–We spent the rest of our time hanging out at the campground and enjoying the beach. I discovered that I am pretty good at spotting sharks teeth!
Again, we hate to leave this campground and look forward to staying here again in the future! Heading south again tomorrow …
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Twin Lakes in Chocowinity, NC and then onto New Bern KOA (Sept 24-25)
Sept 24–We were supposed to move to Twin Lakes Campground at Chocowinity, NC. We stayed here in March and really enjoyed our time here. Unfortunately, tropical storm Ophelia did a real number on the campground. They had actually closed down, but we were not contacted. They did find us a site and did their very best to accomodate us, however, I did not feel good about being there. There were tons of downed tree branches, tons of debris and the site was flooded. I was concerned about the integrity of the water supply and the sewer situation, as they were not sure we would be able to use either. So we thanked them and opted to find another campground.
Fortunately for us, the KOA in New Bern suffered no damage and had a site available for us. We stayed for 2 nights and Ed scrambled to make new arrangements for the time we were supposed to be at Twin Lakes. Ed is quite the planner and has our route planned about 6 months in advance, however, when things like this happen, he is really good at making the adjustments. I am always so glad, because I don’t do so well with sudden changes.
The KOA was very nice and we did enjoy the little time we were there. It was right on the lake and the sunsets were wonderful!
Now to head a bit further south…
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Chesapeake Bay TT in Gloucester, VA (Sept 12-23)
Sept 12–We moved to Chesapeake Bay TT. It is a great campground and we got a nice spot. I forgot to take a photo of it, however.
Sept 13–We got settled in and ran a few errands, nothing exciting.
Sept 14–We went to Williamsburg, VA. It is a really cool place, unfortunately, I was feeling a bit under the weather and didn’t really enjoy it fully. We will try it again when we are in the area.
Sept 15–We wemt to Norfolk, VA. They have these mermaid sculptures all over the city! It was pretty cool. We went to the Chrysler Museum to visit the Art-o-Mat. It was in a very cool neighborhood!
We took a boat cruise through the bay…it was really nice and informative! We were able to see all the ships at the base there…quite impressive!
Sept 16 & 17–We hung out at the campground and enjoyed a relaxing weekend.
Sept 20–We went back to Norfolk, toured the battleship and then went to Virginia Beach/Cape Henry. We saw the lighthouses at Cape Henry and went up in the brick one.
Sept 22 & 23 We stayed at the campground, as there was a tropical storm that blew through. We walked down to the dock and the water was much higher than previously! The winds and rain were pretty nuts.
Tomorrow we head south to North Carolina …
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Fort Belvoir, VA (Aug 29-Sept 11)
Aug 29–We moved to the Fort Belvoir campground on base. It is a nice campground and there is an eagles nest in view of our camper!
Aug 30–We got settled into the campground and walked around the area…man the sunset was spectacular!
Aug 31–We went to Washington, DC. There is SO much to do, this is a multiple day city, for sure! We walked around to see as much as we could…we will come back another day.
Instead of driving in the city, we took the train. It was a good decision for sure!
Sept –We went back to DC. We did the holocaust museum tour and it is the most moving and horrifying experience I think I have ever had. I meant to take more photos, but I was so engrossed in the experience that I didn’t take any but this one. There was an area that was under renovation that was a pile of shoes….and I was moved to tears just thinking about it, I can’t imagine if I had seen it (they did have a photo). If you ever go to DC, I cannot express strongly enough how important it is to go here, so that we NEVER forget the horrors these people went through and that we NEVER allow such atrocities to occur again. How did we let this happen?
We walked around DC quite a bit again and didn’t really take many photos, just remained in the now. We then went to Arlington National Cemetery. I wanted to see the tomb of the unknown soldier, so we took a trolley tour as to not miss the changing of the guard. This was another moving experience. I took a video of the changing of the guard…it is a site to behold! Unfortunately, it is too long for this site, so photos will have to suffice.
Sept -3-10–I flew to DFW for my quarterly visit. Ed explored DC a bit but he isn’t much of a photo taker, so there is nothing to show for when I am gone. LOL!
Sept 11–We packed up to head to our next campground. We did take a walk during the day and I got a few more photos of the area around the campground.
Tomorrow we are off to Chesapeake Bay…
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Gettysburg Thousand Trails Dover, PA (Aug 23-28)
Aug 23-Moved to Gettysburg Thousand Trails in Dover, PA. No, it is not located in Gettysburg, but close. This is a working farm and I am so excited to have farm animals around!! We got a great site, too!
Aug 24–Chill day and I am falling in love with the horses!!!!
Aug 25-We went to Hershey’s Chocolate World. We didn’t got to the theme park, as it is mostly rollercoasters and rides that Ed would not enjoy, so we opted not to waste our money. We did explore the shops and picked up a few goodies. It was a fun place to go.
We explored the campground trail and found the pet/animal cemetery…back amongst the corn fields
Aug 26–just hung out at the campground
Aug 27–Went to the local flea market and visited the Lancaster & Meyerstown F.L.A.G.s….The Lancaster gallery was empty, so I left a handmade greeting card. I got this awesome Lil Ghosty in a great frame at the Meyerstown gallery and left a couple of cards.
Also, today is my sweet baby James’ 20th birthday. What a wonderful day to be born. I love that boy to the moon and back for eternity! Happy Birthday, Kiddo!
Aug 28–I came across these buffalo-style hard boiled eggs while at a shop….I was tempted, but decided against it. Now I wish I had at least tried them…I will keep my eye out for them again. Yes, that is red beet flavored hard boiled eggs in the background….I was NOT tempted by those… LOL
While on my evening walks, I have been spotting bats flying overhead. There were bats at Kenisee Lakes, also. I enjoy seeing them! They are so cool!
Tomorrow we head out to the next campground
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Pittsburg KOA Pittsburg, PA (Aug 21-22)
Aug 21–Moved to the KOA in Pittsburg and just settled in for the evening.
Aug 22–Went into Pittsburg to BRUTUS MONROE! I have followed Chris and used his products since he was a newbie in the craft industry. I have always really enjoyed his enthusiasm and love of the arts. I was lucky enough to be at the store when he was there. I got the nerve to ask if I could take a photo with him and he was so kind to oblige. I know he was busy, so I really appreciated him taking time out to spend a few minutes with me!
We also stopped by a local F.L.A.G.
Tomorrow we head to Dover, PA…
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Kenisee Lake TT Jefferson, OH (July 31-Aug 20)
We moved to Kenisee Lake Thousand Trails in Jefferson, Ohio. I am so thrilled with the site we got! It was previously owned by an annual and it is nice and large with nice gravel and a somewhat maintained yard area. I weeded the flower bed and the gravel area and it looks great!
Aug 1–We relaxed today and explored the campground. This one has great areas to walk and a nice lake. The sites are all very nicely maintained and it seems to be a quiet park. We have felt welcomed by everyone we have happened upon. Our neighbor came over and explained what I gathered to be true…our site was an annual, but the couple got too old to want to keep up with it, so they didn’t renew. The neighbor is an annual, but only comes on the weekends for the most part. She said it wasn’t necessary for me to weed the grounds, but I told her it was actually pretty nice to do a bit of yardwork. It’s much nicer when you dont’ have to, yk?
Aug 3–We went to Walnut Beach Park at Lake Erie and explored the beach, poking dead things with a stick, doing the usual stuff we do at beaches….not swimming.
Aug 4-8–We just hung out at the campground. Seriously, I love this campground. I could live here. It is so peaceful and nice. I really enjoy walking here and man you cannot beat the weather! I keep having to remind myself that it is AUGUST! I am loving life…
Aug 9–Went to Cleveland to the Cuahoga County Fair. It was a really cool fair. I loved looking at the flowers and all the crafty exhibits. The sand sculpture was awesome and it’s not even finished yet! I bought a couple of 3D printed dragons and a dice holder for Steven’s DD die. We visited a couple F.L.A.G.s in Cleveland also.
Aug 10–Stayed at the campground. I found a painted rock on my walk and planted one for someone to find!
Aug 11–Went to Conneaut Beach. This is the place that I came with Mama and James many years ago and was the first place I had ever seen any of the Great Lakes! I knew it as soon as I saw it. Those stairs to the beach and those boardwalks are unforgettable. I felt like I had been in this area before, so it was fun to make the connection.
Aug 12–We went to the Flea Market in Andover. It was pretty cool, but it rained pretty heavily and we had to leave. I saw this Irish Setter and it made me think of our Flynn O’Malley! Not a popular dog to see around…they are so beautiful.
Aug 13-15–We just chilled…it was rainy off and on and we just hung out at the campground.
Aug 16–We went to Erie, PA and Presque Isle. **Note that I sometimes have to depend on my assistant to take photos when I am driving…he isn’t very good at it.** We explored all around the isle and decided to ride the aqua bikes. Let me tell you, that is a workout! Ed was not as thrilled once we got going…LOL!
Aug 17–Went to the ER, seems I have another tiny kidney stone and another urinary tract infection….such fun. We discovered this basket at the office of the campground that has free tomatoes grown by the annuals!
Aug 18–We hung out at the campground and ate lunch at a local Mexican resturaunt that is quite tasty!
Aug 19–Went back to the Andover Flea Market and I found a Pikmin!
Aug 20–We spent the day packing up to leave. I am actually quite bummed to leave this campground. I am looking forward to returning next year! Off to our next adventure!
Andover Flea Market, Aqua Bikes, Campground, Cleveland, Conneaut Beach, Cuyahoga County Fair, Durango Gold, Erie, Fifth Wheel, Flea Market, free little art gallery, Full Time Travel, Jefferson, Kenisee Lake Thousand Trails, Lake Erie, Ohio, Painted Rocks, Pennsylvania, Presque Isle, RV life, Thousand Trails, Walnut Beach Park -
Sunset Springs Outdoor Resort in Bucyrus, OH (July 30)
I think this may have been the most stressful day we have had since we embarked on this adventure. We got to the campground, which is a great place, btw and got to our site. Initially we had a miscommunication and I pulled into the site from the wrong direction. We decided it was no problem, as we were going to be only here for one night. We could just run the electric and water under the RV, as we have enough length to do so, in case we ever run into an issue of the amenities being on the opposite side from usual. No problem, right?!?!?
WRONG! We went to unhook June from Johnny and suddenly June dropped drastically and almost hit Johnny, which would have caused a significant amount of damage. We reset and tried to rehook June onto the hitch and a reason then unknown to us, the hitch would not engage the lock. We tried multiple times unsuccessfully to rehook. We realized that the site was very sloped, with the lowest end being at the back of the rig…and headed straight for the lake you see in the photo. I was terrified that if I kept trying to back into the hitch, it would spur the RV to start rolling towards the lake…which as you can see from the photo has only a small bench to block the path…June would have bulldozed that bench and ended up taking a swim! We only had wedge chocks at the time, so we secured June as much as possible and ran off to get some x-chocks and larger wedge chocks to make our attempts at hitching less frightening. We did finally successfully hitch June and get the hitch to engage the lock. I drove her around the ‘correct’ way and she unhooked and leveled without further issue. We learned a very valuable lesson to NEVER try to unhook with June’s booty headed down a slope…always have Johnny on the downward slope, so that he can stop June from doing anything rash! **Sigh** I wish I could say I enjoyed the stay at this campground…but I was a mess by the time we got everything situated and both Ed and I pretty much collapsed into bed. What a day! Thankfully, it all worked out without any damage to anything other than our egos. Lessons learned today for sure!
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St. Clair TT St. Clair, MI (July 10-29)
We moved to St. Clair Thousand Trails on July 10. We got a terrible site that was a very narrow buddy site, which means the door of our RV faces the neighbor’s door. So you ‘share’ a front lawn of sorts. Well, I barely pulled in and the neighbor came out and said “You are gonna have to move up some, you are blocking my dish!” No, “Hello…Hi there…Can you please…” just nasty barky orders. I was already in a foul mood due to the site being so small and a buddy site, so I just looked right at him and said “I will park the RV however I have to in order for it to fit and for me to park the truck properly.” He huffed and went back in his RV. I mean, moving a tiny satellite dish is WAY easier than moving my huge RV! *sigh* Not a good start. **If you look at the photo below…this is the site, after I moved. The Pinnacle is the friendly neighbor and the black motorhome is in the site I was assigned. Way to close for my happiness….and the Pinnacle has a nasty yappy dog, which didn’t add any points in favor of staying**
FORTUNATELY, the next morning, I woke up at 5 am to stalk for sites opening up. I found one that was 2 sites over from ours, it was still a buddy site, but had a BIG lawn area and longer in addition! I called the front desk as soon as they opened and got the ok to move. I am much happier now! We don’t have to find another campground. Below is our new site and you can see how spacious the front door area is. SO MUCH BETTER!
My buddy, Bones, was celebrating for me!
It rained quite a bit during our stay in St. Clair. So we didn’t get out much at first. However, I did find a local farmers market and WOW are the Michigan blueberries huge! They are like an entirely different fruit. I may become addicted, they taste amazing.
July 17–Ed and I had breakfast at Big Boy and spent the day exploring St. Clair. It is a quaint town and right across the river is Canada.
July 18–Went to the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit. It is a really cool place, however I had a terrible migraine that would not let up. It was really disappointing, as I tried to push through, but we ended up having to leave because I was just too sick.
July 19–Went to the St. Clair County Fair. It was small and quaint, but I love to see the kids projects and the animals.
July 21–Went back to the Henry Ford Museum and was really able to thoroughly enjoy it. I can see why locals would get a membership here, as the outdoor portion is great for walking and enjoying the period charaters. The buildings are so cool and the gardens are beautiful. It was a really enjoyable day, making up for my last attempt! **Tons of photos ahead**
When we left the Ford Museum, we saw this sculpture in a neighborhood while looking for a F.L.A.G! It’s stunning and huge!
We visited a few F.L.A.G.s on our way to Belle Isle.
Belle Isle is a cool place. It is America’s Oldest Original Aquarium, opening August 18, 1904. The building is very unique and the aquarium is beautifully maintained. We also ventured out to the Livingstone lighthouse, which was built in 1930. Apparently this is the start of a trail that is going to be over 2,000 miles long called the Iron Belle Trail which starts on Belle Island and will end at the far western tip of Ironwood in the Upper Peninsula. The sculpture denotes the beginning of the trail.
July 22-Ed bought me balloons and a cake for my birthday. We went out for breakfast and then walked around St. Clair a bit.
July 24–We went to Canada and drove to Pinery Provincial Park. I also visited my first Canadian F.L.A.G.! The beach was nice and we went to Walmart so Ed could revisit his childhood favorite…the Kinder Egg. We opened and ate them before crossing back into the US, as apparently American children are not to be trusted to not swallow the huge capsule inside the chocolate. *hanging head in shame*
July 25–Stayed at the campground all day. Ed fed the goldfish in the pond some bread…Scooby was quite unhappy that the fish were getting treats and not him!
July 26–We went to the Eastern Michigan State Fair. It was actually pretty cool. I had a fried apple dish that was so dang good that I swear it put 5 lbs on me! I was quite unhappy to see that they had seals as an act…this was a big no-no in my book. There was also a guy with a performing monkey….such a shame that animal acts are still a ‘thing’. When are we going to stop supporting such crap!
July 27–We went to St Clair so my handsome hubby could get a haircut. While he was being sheared, I walked around the riverwalk. This weekend is going to be quite an event…there will be racing boats competing…it’s apparently a big deal in these parts. They were getting all the booths set up and then I saw this fancy car and boat. I have no interest in being in that madness!
July 28–We spent the day in Frankenmuth. The massive Christmas store made me have pangs of sorrow for not having my house anymore for the holidays. I do so love Christmas and all the decor! We had fun exploring the town and taking a few goofy photos!
July 29–Just chilled for the day. I kept meaning to take a photo of this sign at the campground when I was on my walks. The Sasquatch is apparently their mascot of sorts…they had t-shirts and all kinds of items with sayings like this. I just thought it was funny. Tomorrow we head out to our next stop…well, a one-nighter on the way to our next longer stop…
