GA Gypsies – Fulltiming

Wow! I haven’t posted since January when we got back to Statesboro. I just read my last post and my, how much things have changed. Once we were settled in and worked on our chores, we started making travel plans for this year. We had decided to leave in April and spend some time in Nashville, then head on to Ohio to do a housesit for a few weeks. After that, we were going through Michigan and Wisconsin and eventually to another housesit in Minnesota. Then COVID hit and became a reality. And then the stay in place order. At that time, we decided going to Ohio in May would be unwise, so we talked to the folks and opted out. They were also planning to cancel their trip in May. We waited another several weeks and then decided not to go to Minnesota, so we called those folks. And then we waited and watched. We finally decided that the mountains in North Georgia, North Carolina, or Tennessee would be as safe as being in Statesboro. So last Friday, May 22nd, we pulled out of Statesboro and drove to Toccoa, GA for the night. We slept through a torrential downpour and storm. We left Saturday around lunchtime for our home for awhile, near Waynesville, North Carolina. We are in a nice campround on Jonathan Creek. We’ve ridden around some and looked around, but we are still sheltering in place. North Carolina just opened up to Phase 2 last Friday evening and they are still having an upswing on the number of COVID cases. We aren’t sure what we will do the rest of the summer. We may stay put and we might venture further north into the Appalachians. We will see.

Visited with a dear friend today before leaving Bulloch County. We got on the road around 3:00 and drove to Fort Valley, GA. We are staying at the Perry Ponderosa RV Park in Fort Valley. We drove to Tony’s brother’s house and had a nice dinner with his brother and sister-in-law. We arrived back at the camper around 8:30, just as it began raining. It looks like we will be driving in rain tomorrow. I hope we don’t run into any bad weather. Can’t wait to get to Denver to see my two girls in a few days.

Getting ready to start our next adventure. We will be leaving Bulloch County tomorrow morning and heading to Fort Valley to visit Tony’s brother. Then, we will be heading west, to Colorado to visit Megan & Avery & Josh.

Left Opelika around 11:00 and time “jumped” to 1:30 about 30 minutes later, when we crossed the river and crossed into Georgia. Weather forecast was for cloudiness, no rain, but we got quite a bit of drizzle on the ride. We made a stop at Lane’s in Fort Valley for some peach ice and then made it on to Bulloch County and Statesboro around 5:00. The campground feels like home, since we were here for six months from October until April! Totaled up mileage (I keep a log of where we stay each night and the mileage & time) – Tony said I bet we went 10,000 miles. NOPE! – Try 17,771 from the day we left until today. That’s a lot of diesel! And a lot of looking! Thank you, Lord, for keeping us safe and healthy! Will “log off” blog until we begin our next leg of the full timing journey. Thanks for following us.

Yesterday it was pouring down rain when we woke up, so we decided to stay put another day & night in our cozy little campground in  Winfield, AL. We read, watched movies, took a nap, and listened to the rain on the roof. I actually didn’t even get dressed all day – just took a shower and put on a fresh gown. Felt so good. This morning it was still drizzling, but we headed out around lunchtime. It drizzled the whole ride. We made it to Opelika, AL and we are settled in the campground. Tomorrow, Georgia, hopefully Statesboro. I have come to realize that I have missed home more than I ever thought I would. Not saying I am through wandering – I have a huge dose of wanderlust and I’m not finished being a gypsy, but I do miss many things about home. And Bulloch county will always be home. Can’t live somewhere for 60 years and not call it home. Got a lot of people to visit with, some doctors to see, and a few other things to take care of. WE will probably stay through March, then be off again for another adventure. And that will for sure include trips to Colorado.

Not a good nights sleep. South Haven campground backs up to the Memphis airport. Guess whose hub Memphis is? Fed Ex. Cloudy when we got there yesterday, cloudy this morning, but just enough visibility to see “Fed Ex” on the planes that were barely clearing the pine trees in the campground as they took off – one about every two minutes the ENTIRE time. Left around lunchtime in drizzle and made it between Tupelo and Birmingham – Windfield, AL. We are in a tiny, private campground in the woods on an oak ridge. It is beautiful and QUIET. We are the only ones here. It is supposed to start raining really hard later on tonight and all day tomorrow, so we may just hunker down here for another day and night. We are snug as bugs in a rug in our little home on wheels, with a fire (electric) in our fireplace. We have cell service, thus internet, books, plenty of food. So we are set. Temps in low 40’s. Will see what happens in the morning.

So we made it across Arkansas, into West Memphis, then crossed into Memphis in Tennessee, then went south and crossed into South Haven, Mississpppi where our campground is. A rainy, overcast day all day long, temps in the mid 40’s. Traveling southeast to Tupelo, then on to Birmingham. Hopefully, we will be south of the snow and ice. Should be in Statesboro Sunday or Monday.

Left Pawhuska yesterday. Today we left from Wagoner, OK, headed to Little Rock. Didn’t make it quite that far. The temp was warmer today – in the mid 40’s. We made it to Russellville, Arkansas. Yesterday we saw hawks every 1/8 mile, staking out their territory and dead skunks. Today, there were still hawks along our drive – I think it should be the state bird of Oklahoma or Arkansas. When we left the campground in Oklahoma this morning, there was a store across the street. We went to it – they sold peaches and pecans. Who knew that Oklahoma produced peaches and pecans? I bet the peaches aren’t as good as a Georgia peach, although the shelled pecans looked really good. We are driving on the interstate to make up some time, but my MS fatigue has kicked in and I’m getting really tired after riding 3 hours. We probably won’t make it all the way to Memphis tomorrow.

Oh, I slept in this morning. We didn’t leave Pawhuska until 12:30. Still cold – only 34 today. No snow. We headed southeast, missed a turn and ended up going through/around Tulsa. We made it as far as Porter, OK – didn’t make it to Fort Smith. Will head that way tomorrow. Watching another winter storm headed this way. Hope we will be heading south before the storm catches up to where we are.

Got to add a few pics of Avery Wren – and a little quilt that Megan made.

Yesterday, as we traveled across Texas, we saw cows, cotton, and oil wells. Today, we traveled almost across all of northern Oklahoma – from Woodward on the west side to Pawhuska on (almost) the east. Today, it was (dead) skunks (on the side of the road), deer (both dead & alive) and hawks – hawks everywhere. It was cloudy and 34 when we got up – we thought for sure it would snow. Don Henley has seen this sky – “the sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine” all day long. All the way across Oklahoma the temperature stayed on 32. Pawhuska is a little bit of a side trip – we made it to a beautiful little campground on an oak hill, about 2 miles out of the town limits. We had to cross a cattle guard and drive through a pasture (with the cows eating at their trough) and then across another cattle guard into the campground. First time ever going through a cow pasture to camp! After we hooked up the camper and turned on the heat, we went to The Mercantile – the Pioneer Woman’s restaurant, bakery, and store. Oh my! We ate first – we split a country fried steak, with mashed potatoes, gravy, and biscuits and a salad. The steak hung off the plate and it was delicious. I ordered a side of bourbon glazed carrots – I could have eaten just those. I would have picked up the bowl and drank the glaze if I had been at home! Then we went and shopped and upstairs to the bakery. It was a good thing we ate first! We did get 2 (well, 3) pastries – a scone, a small package of sticky buns, and an almond/apricot twist. Yum. Made it back to the camper about 6:30 – we are both tired but it was a fun afternoon. We came through here last summer and didn’t stop because the line to get in was all the way around the block and it was hot. Today, we parked at the door and walked right in. The Christmas decorations were so pretty. It has been a treat riding through all the small towns and seeing Christmas decorations. We are snug in our little home on wheels in an oak grove, wondering if we will wake up to snow tomorrow. Plans are to head towards Fort Smith, Arkansas. A few pictures from The Mercantile.