Monday morning started early. We were up shortly after four AM and making our last minute preparations and finalizing packing the Doodle. Harper just couldn't figure out all the early morning commotion. By a quarter till six all was done and the double checking started, we surely forgot something but right now we couldn't tell you what the might be. Our goal for the first day is Harrisonburg, Virginia, some 550 miles away. This trip we are traveling with friends. Van and Andi will be traveling along with us, or we with them or however that should be stated, but we have created a small caravan heading south. Andi and Van arrived at six AM, and our armada set out promptly five minutes later. So it is Carol, Ed and Harper in the Doodle, Van, Andi and Salty in the Subaru. Rhode Island and Connecticut rolled under our wheels easily and into New York, over the Tappan Zee Bridge and into New Jersey - sun and clouds, sun and clouds and the beauty of the countryside rolling past, what a life.
Soon we were passing into Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and finally Virginia. Somewhere along the way we stopped at a rest area and had a nice homemade lunch in the Doodle. It was Just about six PM when we dropped anchor at the Cracker Barrel in Harrisonburg. We found a little Mexican place for supper and filled our bellies, mmmmm love Mexican food. After a good night sleep we continued south, stopping in the late afternoon in Columbia, SC at hotel, I know a RV at a hotel?..well we still weren't de-winterized and the hotel was inexpensive so it seemed the right thing to do. It was clean and comfy and a nice hot shower was needed.
After breakfast the next morning (Wednesday) the little caravan headed toward Charleston, a mere two hours away. We arrived around noon and set up camp at the Campground at James Island, a beautiful state park about six miles from downtown Charleston. It took all of about 20 minutes to get us completely operational, everything back to working order and set for the season. Everything worked, which is always comforting. The four of us, and the puppies set off to explore downtown Charleston and were in the city by 1:30.
We found great on street parking close to the Charleston City Market and began to explore. Van and I and the puppies all got to know each other better as the ladies found earrings, pocketbooks and who knows what else. At the Amen Street Fish and Raw Bar we each had a drink and some fried green tomatoes, right on the street, as the outdoor seating was 'pet friendly'. The band of friends continued to explore the city taking in the sights. Beautiful homes and fountains and a walk along the waterfront, what a great day.
We were back in the park by early evening as Van and Andi went off to their hotel. We cranked up the tv antenna and to our delight we got 27 channels, and of course we still couldn't find anything to watch, but we did get a good weather report which was a bit alarming. The next day was to bring high winds and the following evening a violent weather front was to move through. After a good breakfast in the Doodle we were picked up and the foursome headed back into Charleston, this time to find our way to Fort Sumter.
We caught the 11:00 ferry, the only ferry running that day due to the weather. Docking at the fort was fun for a couple of old salts to watch as the wind was testing the skills of the crew. Exploring the fort was awesome. This was Carol and I's second time to visit the fort but it doesn't get old. There is so much history, so many stories to be told and the rangers did a fantastic job, as rangers do. Too soon the whistle blew and it was time to head back across Charleston harbor and again the captain and crew did a great job in the increasingly high winds.
Back at the car we took the pups for a walk and when all the puppy duties were completed we found a Biergarten for lunch before heading off across a really tall bridge to visit the USS Yorktown on the other side of the Hog Island Channel. The USS Yorktown saw action in both WWII and Vietnam and is now a memorial. This is the second Yorktown CV10, a replacement for the first USS Yorktown CV5 which went down at the battle of Midway. Memories of my Navy days flooded back as we toured the ship. We all thought we were going to get blown off of the flight deck as we wandered around looking at all of the aircraft that were lashed to the deck. As we exited the deck the announcement was made that they were closing the flight deck due to the high winds. Just in time... All in all it was a well worth the visit to the Yorktown.
As we made our way back across the bridge, the approaching storm was even more evident than before. We decided to make it an early night and hunker down while the storm passed. We walked over to the store to see what they had, not much, so we walked back and Carol made some supper as I tuned in the weather on the TV only to find tornado and flood warnings in our area. The wind outside was just whipping around. Harper and I made one last walk around the park before turning in. The three of us snuggled into our bed and I fell fast asleep to the sounds of wind and thunder and bright flashes of lightning. We woke up to a sunny morning, still windy but sunny. We made a good breakfast, tidied up the Doodle, unhooked everything, backed off the chocks and set out to meet Van and Andi to head toward Florida.
The Doodle was buffeted all the way down route 17 to Savannah where we stopped for lunch and a stroll along the riverfront. Soon we were back on the road and headed toward Jacksonville. Our plan was to stay once again at a Cracker Barrel, but not until we did a bit of Walmart shopping, which fortunately, was right across the parking lot from the Cracker Barrel. Van and Andi had gone on ahead and got settled in their hotel, about a half mile away, and in the early evening they came to visit and the got pizza an a most unusual place. Blaze Pizza is set up much like a Subway, you choose the kind of dough you want and move down the line selecting sauce, cheese and toppings. As you pay for it, the pizza is put straight into the oven, directly in front of you, and as you move around to the waiting area it is on it's way out! A competent young lady cut the pizzas into slices, boxed it and we were on our way..amazingly simple and fast and we began our journey about 20th in line. Very efficient and pretty good pizza too.
Saturday morning we got an 8:30 start and headed for Cape Coral, our final destination for a few days. Van and Andi are renting a house there and are stealing a spot in their driveway. We stopped at a rest area, met another Leisure Travel Van traveler and had lunch, walked the puppies and moved on. We arrived without incident around 3:30 at their rental house, and what a beautiful spot. We got the Doodle all set up and sat by the pool with drinks for a while, a trip to the store set us up perfectly for a night at home supper. Van made some fantastic cheeseburgers on the grille. We sat and talked well into the evening. Today, Sunday, has been a day of catching up on chores. As I write this dogs are being walked and plans being made. We are going to met up with our friends Sue and Steve who have a home here about 4 miles away from where Van and Andi are staying. We met at the Boathouse for drinks and had a fun time, it is always so good to meet up with friends. Back at ‘home’ Van and Andi cooked again, this time kabobs… I’m getting spoiled.
