Feb 8, 2015  We could only stay at Fort Clinch one night,  We were lucky and happy to get that without having made a reservation.      Anastasia allows overflow camping.  For $22 you can stay  in the beach parking lot.  If at 5:00 p.m.  there is a site available they will put you in it ($30.25).  We were hoping to stay in the parking lot,  the views are beautiful from the boardwalks.  David does an awesome job driving through downtown St Augustine and over the Bridge of Lions to Anastasia Island.  We are now officially Island hopping. The road here is not bad, but the tourists are not watching where they are walking, they will walk right out into the street without looking.  It makes me very nervous.

We are here for 3 nights which will give us plenty of hiking and kayaking. One day we will go into St. Augustine.  We have already been there, but it is a beautiful town with lots of history.  We like it.

Feb 6, 2015 It was about a 45 mile ride from Jekyll Island to Amelia Island and what a difference. David and I are avid fans of the TV show Chasing Classic Cars. Wayne Carini, the star of the show, often takes classic cars to the Concourse De’ Elegance on Amelia Island. I don’t know where the road is that he drives down with the beautiful views, but they aren’t any of the roads that we drove down. When you drive over the causeway onto Jekyll Island it’s pretty. You feel like your driving onto an Island. When you drive over the causeway to Amelia Island there is a big ugly Paper Mill that when the wind is blowing in the right (or wrong) direction gives off a horrible stench.
If I didn’t know I was on Amelia Island I would have thought I was driving down any typical shopping strip road … Target, Kohls, Walmart, Ahhhhhh! We are in the south, Winn Dixie and Publix, lots of car dealerships, dilapidated buildings and a good ole pawn shop! I am SURE there are beautiful places on this Island, but I didn’t think it was going to be hard to find them.
Fort Clinch State Park is not a disappointment. It is a 3 mile ride from the main gate to our campground. We are not even a mile into the ride and we have to stop for 6 or 7 deer crossing the road. Our site (#31), in the Amelia River Campground is like a cave made from crooked old oak trees covered with Spanish moss. Best site in this campground is #29, it has fabulous water views.
E T is not allowed on the beach here, but we take her walking on a very pretty nature trail. We found Fort Clinch, which we will tour tomorrow. David and I catch a beautiful sunset and take a short walk along the beach, it’s cold and windy. Arrrgggghhhh! Here comes the biggest jelly fish I ever saw, right up on the beach Good thing E T isn’t here she would try to eat it!
Feb 7, 2015 Hurray!! It’s finally a nice day! Sunny, light breeze and should hit mid to high 60’s.
If you like history at all, you have to tour Fort Clinch if you’re in the area. Construction of the Fort began in 1847, it was never fully completed, it still served as a military post during the Civil War (Union), Spanish-American War and World War II. The first weekend of every month they have re-enactments of everyday fort operations. We’re lucky, it’s the first weekend of the month!
It was a fun morning. One of the neighbors told us we missed a pod of dolphins in the bay. Next Time 🙂 Next stop Anastasia State Park, just south of St Augustine, Fl.

Feb 5, 2015    For everyone getting my updates, you may have gotten some strange posts lately.  How I spent last night was learning to add photos to my posts.  I was emailed that some people didn’t get my photos. I think that’s because I updated previous posts.  So I guess if you want to see the photos I posted to the previous posts, you need to go into www.barbsadventures.com and see all the updates.

Today was another great day.  We bicycled around the island for about 2 1/2 hours.  That was all my poor lungs could take.  I left Connecticut with a respiratory virus that is taking what seems like forever to get better.  I probably should be resting more, but the places we are going are just too beautiful to stay put.

We bicycled the perimeter of the island last year so this year we decided to check out more inland portions of the bike path.  The top photos is of the bike path, showing the beautiful trees,  Spanish moss and some of the other greenery.  The bottom photo is of The Jekyll Island Museum located in the Villa Marianna (1929), located on Plantation Road.  There are several gorgeous Plantations with beautiful grounds that you can tour.  We also bicycled passed one of the golf courses on the island.  For a small island I guess it’s a golfers  paradise, three 18 hole and one 9 hole courses. I can’t emphasize enough how fabulous it is here.

                                          Another Hurray!  Mah Jongg is “BIG” on the island.  I played in the campground clubhouse today with a very, very nice group of ladies.  I was told there is a very active Arts Association and they welcome teachers. One of the ladies teaches knitting.  She said I could get a JOB, teaching Mah Jongg!!

David is no longer accusing me of trying to kill him with all the exercise. E T is now the culprit.  While I was playing Mahj they went for an hour and twenty minute walk to the beach.  E T met a boyfriend. His name is Guinness, he is a chocolate lab.  They walked tail to tail together along the beach.  Good thing we are leaving tomorrow, we may have had to change her name to Heinekin. If they had puppies together we could name them Bud, Miller,  Yuengling  …

Next Stop, Fort Clinch State Park Campground on Amelia Island. Florida.

Feb  5, 2015 For those of you following my adventures you already know how we spent last evening.
Here is a special “shout out” to Tom! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Tom made my idea to blog, instead of emailing or posting on Facebook, come to fruition. Tom’s computer genius and amazing tutorial skills made it all happen. He did it all and I just filled in the blanks.
This all happened in just a little more than a week. For those who know me, especially my husband, I think everything is easy, but rarely think about all the work involved. It’s the way my “magnificent” mind works. If you ever want to see David make a really funny face ask him about my “magnificent mind”. We had a looooong conversation about it once. It’s ONE of the reasons he loves me.
For some of us getting a little older, easy is not as easy as it used to be, especially with all the new technology. So when I asked Tom to “help me” he worked a miracle. Yesterday, when I emailed him and asked “so, about adding photos to my page, I’m not quite sure how to do that”. He accepted the mission!
I shoot all my photos in high resolution for developing. Tom worked computer magic and vwaaalla!, my photos convert to “post able”. How do I get them from the camera card to appearing on my page. Vwaaalla! Tom made a video of step by step directions and emailed it to me. I was so excited when I heard Tom’s voice on the video. Right then and there I knew I could do it! He has this natural calming voice.
So now for all my friends who don’t want to do all the reading, you can just look at the photos 🙂 I am very excited because photography is another one of my hobbies!
Now for reason # I lost count, on why I love RVIng … This is easy for anyone that has sat in a camper in the rain. I love the sound of raindrops on the rooftop. In a camper the acoustics make the raindrops sound like music.
I like the sound, but poor E T. David and I have both had dogs in the past, but it’s been a long time. It took us a long time to figure out, why she was acting very weird last night. David was cooking steaks out on the grill (yes, in the rain). and she wouldn’t go out with him. E T loves playing in the rain and steak for her, is like peanut butter and jelly for me, our favorites. She was all curled in a ball in her bed. She didn’t want to play. When I tried to hook her leash on her she ran away. She was acting afraid of us. It wasn’t us, it was the rain. She has never been in the RV in a rainstorm before and the raindrops on the roof magnified in a dogs ears, scary stuff ! E T sleeps in the bottom bunk, kind of like her own little cave. She knew where to go ” to get out of the rain” Smart girl!
The rain is suppose to stop by noon. We plan on biking the island. This is my favorite kind of bike trail, mostly paved, all flat. The scenery is great. Some portions of the ride take you Oceanside. You can actually ride on the hard packed sand.
There is a Sea Turtle convention on the island this weekend. It’s it’s open to the public today and Friday from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. (Free Admission). We’re hoping to check it out, rain or shine.

Feb 04, 2015    This is our first day of not driving anywhere since we left home.  We didn’t arrive at the Jekyll Island Campground until almost 7:00 p.m. last night.  We were tired and hungry, but it was worth it to have been able to spend a little longer at Huntington Beach.   We will be here for three nights, two full days.    It was dusk  when we drove over the causeway  and it was as beautiful as I remembered.  We lucked out with a great site #8.

E T is turning out to be an awesome traveler.  This morning when I hooked her harness on to go exploring I think she was smiling.   We head out Clam Creek Road on the bike path headed to … Clam Creek Fishing Pier.  E T’s tail is wagging like crazy as we walk along.  There’s not a soul around, so  I break out in song. Lets call this story Barb’s Musical Adventure.  The name of my song is “If  You’re Happy and  You Know It Wag Your Tail”.  I’m singing,  E T is wagging her tail and I might have made an attempt to wag my tail a time to two also.  Suddenly, there are bicyclists passing us.   They turn around and look at us as they go by and they are  laughing.  Such a fun way to start the day 🙂  Too bad they weren’t talent scouts!

The only more spectacular fishing pier than the Clam Creek  that I have ever seen is the Gulf Shores, Alabama fishing pier.  The Clam Creek has Canopy Covers to shield the fisherman from the sun.  There are three separate “wings” to the pier which I’m guessing, when it’s full of fisherman is a sight to see.  I love to fish, but I can also picture myself and my lady friends setting up a card table  and  playing some Mahjongg under the protection of the canopy on a beautiful sunlit day while drinking Mint Juleps and enjoying the sights and sounds of the ocean.

We beach comb in the remote area.  It was low tide and we walked among what I’m going to call drift trees.  They should be driftwood, but for the strangest reason there roots are either holding them steadfast in the sand, or they are roots up stuck fast in the sand.  It’s a cloudy overcast day and the skies are threatening rain which gives the area a real eerie look.  We walk the paths, boardwalks and bridges of the marshes.  I was worried that since getting E T my bird sightings might be far and few between.  No way, she stops when she spots one and David and I have to find it.  She’s not walking by anything that she’s not sure of what it is.  She waits patiently while I take enough photos and the click of the camera startles the birds away.  Then E T feels it’s safe to continue.

It was a little after 10 a.m. when we started out and almost 2 p.m. when we started back. The time flew.  David is napping and I am typing, while raindrops are falling outside.  We got back just in time.

Feb 2 – 3, 2015   David and I walked miles on the beach this morning. This  seems to be E T’s choice direction to take us in.  She got to play with two adorable beagles and met a Newfoundland.

One of the neat things to do here that I didn’t mention before is touring  Atalaya, the former winter home of renowned sculptor, Anna Hyatt Huntington and her husband Archer Milton Huntington.  Anna has “roots” in Connecticut, I just can’t remember what they are, I’ll google later.  Atalaya  is a National Historic Landmark and it’s moorish – influenced architecture is impressive.  It costs $2 to tour, but walking the grounds is free.  There really is something for everyone here.

We didn’t plan to stay here more than a night.  Last year our cousins got caught in a snow/ice storm here and we didn’t want to take any chances.     Last night temperatures were in the 20’s  and this morning a cool 32 degrees.  We were walking the beach in winter hats and coats.   The high was 45 degrees.

On the road again … To one of my favorites,  Jekyll Island.  This is one of the few places away from CT that I would consider buying a home.  It is just my kind of place.  It is not commercial at all.  If you’re not fond of nature and spending time outdoors, this would be a place to just keep driving right on by.  If you’re planning on staying at the Jekyll Island Campground making a reservation well in advance is recommended.  We waited too long  last year and could only get two nights and had to change campsites. This year we have three nights.

GPS tells us that we won’t arrive until 6:30 – 7:00 p.m.   It’s an easy drive down Hwy 17, but  it’s tough on the heart.  Lots of poverty stricken areas along some stretches.

Next stop … Jekyll Island

Feb 2, 2015 Lake Leamon N.C. (I’m wondering if they got the spelling right) was fun. I wish I could have taken more photos, but I didn’t want to offend anyone. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!
We only have 120 miles to travel to Murrells Inlet, S.C. It’s raining, but 60 degrees. On the down side, It’s windy (gusts up to 50 mph) and muggy. It’s hard to breath and I feel sticky. Laurel and Hardy were teasing us yesterday about using the air conditioning. Maybe they weren’t teasing. We “putzed” around this morning getting organized and letting
E T explore. The rain doesn’t bother her. She’s not making any friends with all the ducks and mallards on the lake. She is such a “whoosie” she waits until they start running away before she chases them. I would love to see her face if one of the ducks turn around and start chasing her. She would be hiding behind me, quivering in a split second.
We’ve arrived at Huntington Beach State Park Murrells Inlet, S.C, it’s the next town south of Myrtle Beach. I rate this a five star park for everyone that likes the outdoors. There’s the beautiful beach, nature trails, biking trail, Nature Center, camping. The last time we were here it was just for an afternoon. We were exciting to come back camping and are not the least bit disappointed.
Driving Hwy 17 through Myrtle Beach and Murrells Inlet, David and I say the same thing we do every time we take this route. I would never, ever come near here during peak tourist season. Every 100 feet is another tourist attraction and there’s construction everywhere, building more. There was a considerable amount of traffic today, it must be gridlock in the spring and summer.
Did I mention Huntington is very dog friendly. E T is welcome in at least 80% of the beach. She went for her first walk on the beach today. She liked it! Tomorrow we’re going shopping for sun glasses and a boogie board 🙂

Feb 1, 2015. Today was a put on the miles day. We left Carlisle, Pennsylvania at 7:00 a.m. and with the exception of a gas stop and two doggie rest stops we drove until 4:30 p.m. (Approximately 450 miles and 40 degrees different in temperature)
We are settled in at the Leamon Lake Campground in Wilson, N.C. (30 miles north of Wilmington).
We chose this campground simply because it’s only 2 miles off the highway and we were ready to stop.
Reason #9 Why I love RV-ing. The Characters you meet. We pull up to the campground office and are greeted at the door by “Ollie”, with a big ole southern “come on in”. We walk in and there’s a half dozen well-worn recliners in a semi-circle and in the center of the room is an old wood table with four chairs. “Stan” all decked out in his oldest coveralls, is sitting down at the table. He invites us to come and join him. These guys are the down south good ole boy versions of Laurel and Hardy. They dickered back and forth so much checking us in that it’s a wonder they finally decided on a site for us. Then they both had to come show us the way to our site. They get into a old rusty, dilapidated mini van and tell us to follow. Most campgrounds have someone driving a golf cart lead you to your site. This is funny, they are funny. Good thing they showed us the way because there is so much “junk” that it would have been impossible to find it on our own. This is lawn ornament heaven!
We drive by a woman shoveling something into buckets. There is a sign that says “Dog Poop Disposal Area”. She is shoveling dog poop and carrying it over to her garden. We know this because she is our neighbor for the night. I never heard of using dog poop for fertilizer.
Lake Leamon is beautiful, Mother Nature has her act together here. The people here are different, but couldn’t be nicer, another adventure. Next Stop … Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet, S.C.

Feb 1, 2015. It’s 3:00 a.m. and I’m laying in this lovely, lumpy motel 6 bed thinking about why I love RV-ing.
#1. No matter how elegant or not elegant your accommodations are or aren’t when your traveling, when you’re in an RV you’re in your home away from home. Own bed, own sheets, own tub and toilet, stove and fridge. You are not at the mercy of the last person that slept in your room, or the last person to clean it.
#2. The walls in the RV are not paper thin, they are sound insulated and you’re not ground level. When someone walks by talking you don’t think they are in the same room. Even the tightest of campsites, you still have some space between you and the next camper.
January 30, 2015 we celebrated E T’s nine month birthday. She had barked 12 times since we adopted her (David is counting). Last night she barked 3 times. Every time someone walked by the motel room door talking, she barked. Good thing our room is at the end of the wing and it’s 20 degrees outside.
#3. Comfort … In our RV we always have a “suite”. Right now in order to use my iPad and not wake David or E T my choices of places to sit are toilet seat or edge of bathtub. In the RV I could shut the privacy door to the bedroom, turn on lights, make a cup of tea and sit on a nice soft sofa.
#4. Once you pack the RV you are packed for the whole trip, you are not living out of a suitcase and vending machines. I knew in advance that we would be staying at a motel the first night so I had packed my backpack, but I still made at least ten trips back and forth to the RV for the things I’d forgot to pack. If we hadn’t had the RV parked 100 feet away I would have had to have paid $3 for a bottle of water from a vending machine, used my finger for a toothbrush, ET would not have had her comfort bone, David would not have had his Jack and Ginger. … We could have done without all these things, but it’s very nice having your “stuff” handy. Right now a nice hot cup of Celestial Seasons Sleepy Time Tea would be awesome 🙂
#5. If it wasn’t 20 degrees outside, our view would not be of a concrete jungle with signs everywhere telling you to protect your valuables. Conservatively, ninety per cent of the campgrounds we’ve stayed at are pretty. When you stay at National Park Campgrounds your views are usually phenomenal. Some state parks, like Florida offer gorgeous surroundings. Private campgrounds are a little more $$$ conscious and pack you in a little tighter, but they always have character. I can’t remember ever staying at a campground and not feeling safe. Even the time in Tennessee when the only people in the campground beside us were Lamar and Glenda from Alabama.
#6. Amenities … When was the last time, or anytime, that you stayed at a hotel that offered water aerobics, bingo or a Luau. How about free daily and nightly Ranger talks about history or habitat of the area. Here’s my favorite, free 3-4 hour Ranger guided canoe trips?
#7. Eating and drinking what you want when you want. You can still eat at a Restaurants, but it’s nice to have the option. #8. This one needs no explanation. Have Toilet, Will travel. These are just a few of the reasons I love RV-ing 🙂
On the road again … 7:00 on the dot. We are hoping to put some miles on today. Murrells Inlet, South Carolina (570 miles + -) is our destination. The weather forecast is for “precipitation” around noon. If we’re not far enough south it may get slippery and we’ll have to stop.