Days 1-3 June 24th-26th 2012

After months of planning, it was finally time to head out on our big trip. Because RV'ing is so new to us, I have a mixture of feelings - excited to be on such a great adventure, yet somewhat nervous.  Tropical Storm Debbie was approaching, and the rain began just as we were finishing packing up.  Good timing.

We headed off to our first stop - Savannah Georgia, which took us about 5 1/2 hours due to the rain which was heavy at times.  The campground was in a big field with space enough to pull the rig right in and drive straight out.  It served its purpose.

That evening Norman wanted to take me to The Olde Pink House where he loves to dine whenever he passes through Savannah on the way home from the North. This pink-brick Georgian mansion was built in 1770 for James Habersham, one of the wealthiest Americans of his time. I could certainly see the attraction.   Unfortunately due to the rain, and the fact that service was so very slow we did not have the opportunity to see much of the city on this trip.

The Olde Pink House - Savannah

Upon returning to our nice dry accommodations, we had a great night's sleep and headed out after a nice, healthy breakfast for another 6 hour drive to Mt Airy, North Carolina. 

Having a great belated 10th Annivserary Dinner

 We arrived at the campground and got a choice of site, so we picked one with a view of a pond that was somewhat removed from the rest of the RV's.  We would be here for two nights.                                                                     

The next morning the weather was glorious!  High 70's, low 80's and no humidity, so we hurried out for a hike on Pilot Mountain.

Pilot mountain- a National Natural Landmark

 We enjoyed the views, which encompassed hundreds of square miles of the Piedmont and the nearby mountains of North Carolina and Virginia, and I certainly relished being out of a vehicle!  We hiked around the base of this outcropping.  No climbing up!

Andy Griffith was born here in Mount Airy, and the Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD were modeled after this town and the times.  We strolled down Main Street and saw Opie's Candy Shop,Old City Jail, Floyd's Barbershop and Snappy Lunch.  Everything was Andy-this, Barnie-that. Neither of us remembered too much of the show, so it was a little lost on us.

 Feeling bored of Andy Griffith overload, Norman wanted to show me Blue Ridge Parkway that he enjoys so much on his drives south. The day was perfect - not a cloud in the sky and very little haze, so it was a great time to do it. I didn't exactly want another couple of hours in the car ( we drove over an hour that morning driving to the hiking trail ) but it was nice to see a small part of the route he loves to drive.  One of the best sights of the day was gas at a mere $2.85 a gallon!  Unfotunately we didn't need any at the time. We returned to the campsite, had another great "home cooked" meal during which we found the show Mayberry RFD on TV!  I wished we had watched it the day before, it would have refreshed our memories!  We watched it for about two minutes, then switched to the news.  I guess since we both never watched the show more than a few minutes ( or perhaps one or two episodes at most ) the town didn't excite us as much as it did to some of the other tourists.

The big news was the upcoming weather.  Over the next several days they predict the temperature will reach over 100 degrees!  With a heat index of 110!  Better keep moving north!

Entry into the RV World

After tent camping for a few years, and loving it,we found that once we moved to Florida it was not quite the same as in the beautiful mountains of Vermont.

Bugs, alligators, snakes, heat, etc. was really cramping our style. ( not to mention “age” ). Pitching a tent in the rain and being soggy for a week, just didn’t seem as “fun” as it did ten years ago!

The funny thing is that we always said we would NEVER want an RV! We would exclaim how horrible their “campsites” are – more often than not in an open field, giving them the appearance of being in a parking lot! How gross!

We thought this was pretty luxurious at the time!

Driving off with our 2009 Winnebago Adventurer and tow car

Well, my friends, never say "never".
Our neighbor was selling his RV, and for some really strange reason, got us thinking how we really missed camping and how great it would be to be able to travel in a " rolling tent"!

We then spent the next few months totally absorbed with the extensive and exhausting research of our new means of "camping". After hunting in the far reaches of the state,we finally found this 32 foot beauty just down the street!  It was traded just the day before, and was perfect!

Slight accommodation upgrade

 We must admit, however, that this is not really " camping ". But it certainly felt great when we arrived at our first campsite in the rain, and when we had a sudden downpour in the middle of the night we were so dry and comfy! We really don't miss that cold, clammy feeling when you wake up!  Really.

Since I have stomach issues and have to be careful what I eat, the best part, for me, is the ability to cook our meals in the Motorhome.  The larger than normal refrigerator was a definite plus!

Now if we can find a nice private, wooded campsite..........