The Arch in St. Louis, MO
Monday, April 17, 2006
Saturday, April 15, 2006
A Great Day of Sightseeing!
Today was such a great day! The weather was absolutely beautiful. Dan, Debbie, Randy & I went to a a couple of tourist attractions today as well as a lovely Christian college in the area. I've posted several pictures here, but there are MANY more at our Webshots website at http://community.webshots.com/user/guiler85/0.
Covenant College is a 51 year old Presbyterian college that sits atop Lookout Mountain in Georgia. It's only about 15 minutes from our campground and Dan & Debbie had visied there when they were in college here in Chattanooga. They remembered it being a beautiful campus and we could see some of its buildings from our campsite! So, we decided to go see it. The building in the picture I've posted was originally the Lookout Mountain Hotel (ca. 1920s we think) and the college was founded in 1955. It is a very cool building and the rest of the campus is lush. Pretty neat.
Our next stop was Rock City which is further along Lookout Mountain, but in Georgia. This place is privately owned and was planned out by a couple named Garnet & Frieda Carter. The Carter family still owns and runs the facility. They started with gardens and just kept adding trails and paths as they found different rock formations and such. It's like 80 some years old! The flowers are just gorgeous and the different rock formations are so cool. They found rocks shaped like a mushroom, a tortoise, the profile of an Indian chief; there's a waterfall and at the top you can see seven states - at least that's what they say, I couldn't figure it out 'cause those boundary lines you see on the map didn't show up! We got to laughing several times 'cause some of the paths go through VERY tight passageways and Deb & I weren't sure if we were going to fit! This was a great place to see; we're really glad we did. If you're ever in the Chattanooga area, we highly recommend making Rock City a stop on your trip.
Next we went to Ruby Falls on Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. (Lookout Mountain runs from Tennessee into Georgia into Alabama.) Ruby Falls is the actual underground waterfall found in the caverns here. It is named for the wife of the Leo Lambert, the gentleman who found the caverns and created the attraction. This waterfall is the only fully underground waterfall in the United States. Having visited Luray Caverns in Virginia, it is pretty hard to compete with them. But, these caverns had some neat formations. The waterfall was very cool; it was the final stop in the caverns, of course. The pictures I took of the waterfall did not come out at all, so I took a video and uploaded it to Dropshots. If you'd like, you can view it at http://www.dropshots.com/guiler85.
We had a marvelous day. It was wonderful being with Dan & Debbie again. The only bad part is only having last evening and today together. But, some time is better than nothing!
Tomorrow morning we'll break camp and begin our trek to South Dakota. More than likely, we will not have internet access again until we get to SD on Wednesday. If you need us, call; otherwise, we'll touch base then. Take care of each other!
Covenant College is a 51 year old Presbyterian college that sits atop Lookout Mountain in Georgia. It's only about 15 minutes from our campground and Dan & Debbie had visied there when they were in college here in Chattanooga. They remembered it being a beautiful campus and we could see some of its buildings from our campsite! So, we decided to go see it. The building in the picture I've posted was originally the Lookout Mountain Hotel (ca. 1920s we think) and the college was founded in 1955. It is a very cool building and the rest of the campus is lush. Pretty neat.
Our next stop was Rock City which is further along Lookout Mountain, but in Georgia. This place is privately owned and was planned out by a couple named Garnet & Frieda Carter. The Carter family still owns and runs the facility. They started with gardens and just kept adding trails and paths as they found different rock formations and such. It's like 80 some years old! The flowers are just gorgeous and the different rock formations are so cool. They found rocks shaped like a mushroom, a tortoise, the profile of an Indian chief; there's a waterfall and at the top you can see seven states - at least that's what they say, I couldn't figure it out 'cause those boundary lines you see on the map didn't show up! We got to laughing several times 'cause some of the paths go through VERY tight passageways and Deb & I weren't sure if we were going to fit! This was a great place to see; we're really glad we did. If you're ever in the Chattanooga area, we highly recommend making Rock City a stop on your trip.
Next we went to Ruby Falls on Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. (Lookout Mountain runs from Tennessee into Georgia into Alabama.) Ruby Falls is the actual underground waterfall found in the caverns here. It is named for the wife of the Leo Lambert, the gentleman who found the caverns and created the attraction. This waterfall is the only fully underground waterfall in the United States. Having visited Luray Caverns in Virginia, it is pretty hard to compete with them. But, these caverns had some neat formations. The waterfall was very cool; it was the final stop in the caverns, of course. The pictures I took of the waterfall did not come out at all, so I took a video and uploaded it to Dropshots. If you'd like, you can view it at http://www.dropshots.com/guiler85.
We had a marvelous day. It was wonderful being with Dan & Debbie again. The only bad part is only having last evening and today together. But, some time is better than nothing!
Tomorrow morning we'll break camp and begin our trek to South Dakota. More than likely, we will not have internet access again until we get to SD on Wednesday. If you need us, call; otherwise, we'll touch base then. Take care of each other!
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Chattanooga Choo Choo, Here We Are!
We have arrived in Chattanooga, Tennessee! The last two days have been extremely easy traveling, which is nice.
We left Daytona Beach, FL around 8:15am on Tuesday, heading for Little Ocmulgee State Park in McRae, GA. Got there around 2:30ish. What a nice park!! We definitely would like to go back there to stay for a few days. Level sites, some full hook-ups and cable TV! Gosh, it's tough camping . . . hahahaha
Got up this morning and hit the road, again around 8:15. Don't know what it is about that time, but it's working for us. Another easy day of traveling. We were able to cross yet another Cracker Barrel off the list - that makes 17 CBs so far. I told Randy we got some work to do; there are over 530 CBs in 41 states! I decided that if we eat in one in every state, that would be an accomplishment in itself. But, I think Randy's going for more!
Got to Chattanooga around 3:00pm. Nice campground and a pull-through site! For those who camp, you know who sweet that is! We'll be here until Sunday morning and then it's off on the next leg of the trip to South Dakota. It's going to be very weird traveling on Easter morning, but we can celebrate Jesus on the road - and we will! Praise God for His provision of salvation through Jesus. Randy & I are grateful for it and hope you know Him, too.
We'll be catching up with our friends, Dan & Debbie Domer, this weekend. They're getting here on Friday morning. It will be great spending time with them. We can always plan on lots of laughter when we're together. Not sure what we'll be doing over the next few days, but if there's something to share and pictures to look at, you can be sure to find them here.
Love to all!
We left Daytona Beach, FL around 8:15am on Tuesday, heading for Little Ocmulgee State Park in McRae, GA. Got there around 2:30ish. What a nice park!! We definitely would like to go back there to stay for a few days. Level sites, some full hook-ups and cable TV! Gosh, it's tough camping . . . hahahaha
Got up this morning and hit the road, again around 8:15. Don't know what it is about that time, but it's working for us. Another easy day of traveling. We were able to cross yet another Cracker Barrel off the list - that makes 17 CBs so far. I told Randy we got some work to do; there are over 530 CBs in 41 states! I decided that if we eat in one in every state, that would be an accomplishment in itself. But, I think Randy's going for more!
Got to Chattanooga around 3:00pm. Nice campground and a pull-through site! For those who camp, you know who sweet that is! We'll be here until Sunday morning and then it's off on the next leg of the trip to South Dakota. It's going to be very weird traveling on Easter morning, but we can celebrate Jesus on the road - and we will! Praise God for His provision of salvation through Jesus. Randy & I are grateful for it and hope you know Him, too.
We'll be catching up with our friends, Dan & Debbie Domer, this weekend. They're getting here on Friday morning. It will be great spending time with them. We can always plan on lots of laughter when we're together. Not sure what we'll be doing over the next few days, but if there's something to share and pictures to look at, you can be sure to find them here.
Love to all!
Monday, April 10, 2006
On the Road . . . again
It's time to break camp once again. We're leaving Daytona Beach in the morning and stopping for the night in McRae, GA at a state park. We'll be offline until we get to Chattanooga, TN on Wednesday afternoon.
The pictures are of two statues outside of the Speedway.
Hope all are well. I'll post another message once we get settled in Chattanooga. Until then, take care of one another. We love you!
The pictures are of two statues outside of the Speedway.
Hope all are well. I'll post another message once we get settled in Chattanooga. Until then, take care of one another. We love you!
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Daytona Beach
We spent this morning at the rally. Ray & Judy wanted to attend a seminar and Randy & I scouted out the vendors we missed yesterday. Hard to believe there could possibly be more "stuff" out there, but there was!
The weather was quite a bit cooler today than yesterday - by about 20 degrees! It was sunny at times, but mostly overcast and very windy. We should have done all of our walking around the rally today instead of in the heat of yesterday, but you never know.
Since there wasn't anything we wanted to do at the rally this afternoon, we headed to Daytona Beach. None of us has ever been here. We walked out on the beach, took a few pictures, saw the cars driving on the beach and then hightailed it back to the car. It was sooooooo windy out there!!! Thankfully, since the sand is hardpacked, there was no worry about the sand whipping up in your eyes. It was odd watching cars just driving on and off the beach - there was even an RV there!
Ray & Judy are leaving tomorrow morning to head for home. We will miss them. They are good friends. We feel very blessed to have them in our life as you don't get many people in your life who you can pick up with where you left off months before. But, Ray & Judy are those kind of people for us. We have had six weeks of laughing, talking, exploring, and some commiserating. It will be hard to see them drive off tomorrow. As you think of it, please pray for their safe travel home.
Randy & I will attend a seminar tomorrow morning on RV travel to Alaska. That is one of Randy's dreams before we get off the road. He really wants to get to Alaska. And everyone we talk to who has been, loves it! Guess we'll find out why tomorrow.
Enjoy the pictures! And no comments on the hair - I told you it was windy!!
The weather was quite a bit cooler today than yesterday - by about 20 degrees! It was sunny at times, but mostly overcast and very windy. We should have done all of our walking around the rally today instead of in the heat of yesterday, but you never know.
Since there wasn't anything we wanted to do at the rally this afternoon, we headed to Daytona Beach. None of us has ever been here. We walked out on the beach, took a few pictures, saw the cars driving on the beach and then hightailed it back to the car. It was sooooooo windy out there!!! Thankfully, since the sand is hardpacked, there was no worry about the sand whipping up in your eyes. It was odd watching cars just driving on and off the beach - there was even an RV there!
Ray & Judy are leaving tomorrow morning to head for home. We will miss them. They are good friends. We feel very blessed to have them in our life as you don't get many people in your life who you can pick up with where you left off months before. But, Ray & Judy are those kind of people for us. We have had six weeks of laughing, talking, exploring, and some commiserating. It will be hard to see them drive off tomorrow. As you think of it, please pray for their safe travel home.
Randy & I will attend a seminar tomorrow morning on RV travel to Alaska. That is one of Randy's dreams before we get off the road. He really wants to get to Alaska. And everyone we talk to who has been, loves it! Guess we'll find out why tomorrow.
Enjoy the pictures! And no comments on the hair - I told you it was windy!!
Everything RV, All the Time!
We got to Daytona International Speedway on Friday around 3:30ish. Took us a bit longer than planned due to construction delays on I-4. But, hey, we're retired - so, we're not in a hurry, right? Anyway, we got here and got set up without a problem. Actually, it was better that we got here a little later, we did not hit any tie-ups getting into the park and our sites are very close to tram stops.
Didn't do much on Friday evening, rally-wise, other than get our registration materials. We got some dinner at a Mexican restaurant just across from the Speedway and then chilled for the rest of the night.
Saturday morning we headed over to the rally to see how much damage we could do to our pocketbooks and bodies (it's a BIG place to walk around!). Randy wanted to hit a seminar on satellite TV so while he did that, Ray, Judy & I hit the vendor buildings. If you need it (or not!), it's here to find. Every gadget, jewelry, cleaning product, mats, etc., is to be had for a price. Judy and I did get some jewelry. I finally found an emerald tennis bracelet that I've been wanting. YAY!
After Randy's seminar was over, we headed back to the RV to get some lunch and cool off. It's pretty hot out there on all that asphalt and the "buildings," really long tents actually, are not well-ventilated. We headed back out and hit the vendors again - Randy missed them 'cause he was at that seminar. Then we started looking at some of the RVs. It's just like a huge RV show, every kind of RV you can think of, it's here. Of course, we're not in the market for a new one, but it's fun to look. One of the sales associates was talking to us about a 5th wheel we were in and I told her ours was better 'cause it's paid for!! She laughed and said that was definitely a good feature.
About 4pm we all decided we'd had enough. We were sweaty, hurting (the legs are OLD!!!) and ready for a drink! So, it was back to the sites to sit out and enjoy the breeze. There was a storm coming and it was neat to watch the dark clouds roll in. Got some much needed rain (this area hasn't had rain in 41 days) and it's supposed to be much cooler on Sunday.
We'll probably have more to report later. Keep reading!!
Didn't do much on Friday evening, rally-wise, other than get our registration materials. We got some dinner at a Mexican restaurant just across from the Speedway and then chilled for the rest of the night.
Saturday morning we headed over to the rally to see how much damage we could do to our pocketbooks and bodies (it's a BIG place to walk around!). Randy wanted to hit a seminar on satellite TV so while he did that, Ray, Judy & I hit the vendor buildings. If you need it (or not!), it's here to find. Every gadget, jewelry, cleaning product, mats, etc., is to be had for a price. Judy and I did get some jewelry. I finally found an emerald tennis bracelet that I've been wanting. YAY!
After Randy's seminar was over, we headed back to the RV to get some lunch and cool off. It's pretty hot out there on all that asphalt and the "buildings," really long tents actually, are not well-ventilated. We headed back out and hit the vendors again - Randy missed them 'cause he was at that seminar. Then we started looking at some of the RVs. It's just like a huge RV show, every kind of RV you can think of, it's here. Of course, we're not in the market for a new one, but it's fun to look. One of the sales associates was talking to us about a 5th wheel we were in and I told her ours was better 'cause it's paid for!! She laughed and said that was definitely a good feature.
About 4pm we all decided we'd had enough. We were sweaty, hurting (the legs are OLD!!!) and ready for a drink! So, it was back to the sites to sit out and enjoy the breeze. There was a storm coming and it was neat to watch the dark clouds roll in. Got some much needed rain (this area hasn't had rain in 41 days) and it's supposed to be much cooler on Sunday.
We'll probably have more to report later. Keep reading!!
Thursday, April 06, 2006
It's time to pack up and move out!
Gosh! It is SO hard to believe that five weeks have come and gone!! Seems we just got here to Frog Creek and now it's time for us to break camp and go to our next stop. We made some great memories here once again and met some great new folks. But, we're looking forward to the next adventure!
We'll be at Daytona International Speedway tomorrow around 2pm for the National RV Rally hosted by the Good Sam Club (not to be confused with Sam's Club, okay?). Ray & Judy are going with us, so we're excited about that. The rally is supposed to be a HUGE event - something like an RV show, only bigger! Lots of vendors, seminars, new RVs to tour, etc. We've never done this type of thing before, so it truly is an adventure.
The rally is over on Monday, so we'll be leaving Florida Tuesday morning and heading to our next stop in Emery, South Dakota. Our first night will be spent in McRae, GA at a state park.
I'm sure we'll have some tales to tell about the rally, so check back. Hopefully, there'll be good pictures to share, too. Talk to you soon!
We'll be at Daytona International Speedway tomorrow around 2pm for the National RV Rally hosted by the Good Sam Club (not to be confused with Sam's Club, okay?). Ray & Judy are going with us, so we're excited about that. The rally is supposed to be a HUGE event - something like an RV show, only bigger! Lots of vendors, seminars, new RVs to tour, etc. We've never done this type of thing before, so it truly is an adventure.
The rally is over on Monday, so we'll be leaving Florida Tuesday morning and heading to our next stop in Emery, South Dakota. Our first night will be spent in McRae, GA at a state park.
I'm sure we'll have some tales to tell about the rally, so check back. Hopefully, there'll be good pictures to share, too. Talk to you soon!
Saturday, April 01, 2006
End of the Season Party
Each year the staff of Frog Creek Campground puts on an end of season party for the campers. It's a very big deal and there is no expense to the campers! Last year the theme was a luau and, from what we understand, it was phenomenal! This year's theme was "Down on the Bayou."
The staff was great - all dressed up in bib overalls, straw hats and fishin' poles. They entered to Jerry Reed's "Amos Moses," with some of the work campers dressed as folks in the song! I've posted some pictures here for you to see, the rest are on our Webshots website.
A caterer was brought in to feed us good, down home cookin'. We had sausage and peppers, jumbalaya, chicken in a pineapple/bourbon sauce (at least that's what Judy said), collard greens, slaw, salad, biscuits, corn bread, and bread pudding. And all of it was very tasty!
We had a band called The Porchdogs playing for the entire afternoon. They were fun. One of the campers plays the spoons, so he got up and played with the band for a couple of songs. Then, Janie and Jan, campground manager and assistant manager, got the crowd chanting for me to go up and sing. I was a little skittish about doing that 'cause I only know one song and that's the one I sang at the talent show!! Plus, this was with a REAL band! But, ya gotta give the people what they want - hehehehe - so I got up and sang "Walkin' After Midnight." I have to admit it was really fun. Wouldn't mind doing that more often, but I gotta add to my repertoire - well, I guess I need to get a repertoire! hahahaha
Anyway, it was a fun way to end the season. The park is beginning to empty. Some folks left this morning. Most seem to be leaving through next week. We're glad we have the flexibility to leave when we want 'cause we heard on the news yesterday that there was a 100 mile back up on I-75 going north around 4pm! UGH!
The staff was great - all dressed up in bib overalls, straw hats and fishin' poles. They entered to Jerry Reed's "Amos Moses," with some of the work campers dressed as folks in the song! I've posted some pictures here for you to see, the rest are on our Webshots website.
A caterer was brought in to feed us good, down home cookin'. We had sausage and peppers, jumbalaya, chicken in a pineapple/bourbon sauce (at least that's what Judy said), collard greens, slaw, salad, biscuits, corn bread, and bread pudding. And all of it was very tasty!
We had a band called The Porchdogs playing for the entire afternoon. They were fun. One of the campers plays the spoons, so he got up and played with the band for a couple of songs. Then, Janie and Jan, campground manager and assistant manager, got the crowd chanting for me to go up and sing. I was a little skittish about doing that 'cause I only know one song and that's the one I sang at the talent show!! Plus, this was with a REAL band! But, ya gotta give the people what they want - hehehehe - so I got up and sang "Walkin' After Midnight." I have to admit it was really fun. Wouldn't mind doing that more often, but I gotta add to my repertoire - well, I guess I need to get a repertoire! hahahaha
Anyway, it was a fun way to end the season. The park is beginning to empty. Some folks left this morning. Most seem to be leaving through next week. We're glad we have the flexibility to leave when we want 'cause we heard on the news yesterday that there was a 100 mile back up on I-75 going north around 4pm! UGH!
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