Gulf Coast Florida Trip-first stop at St Andrews State Park / Panama City

Florida trip

We left for our well-planned 11 months in advance trip to the gulf coast of Florida on January 15. Our reservations began January 16 but we wanted to get an early start. We were also anxious to leave Crossville, Tennessee and the rain/wind/cold behind us for a while. We picked a good day to go. Traffic was surprisingly light and the skies were blue all the way down to our first stop at Troy, Alabama. It was also unseasonably warm – highs were in the low 70s. We stopped at Deer Run RV Park in Troy. We had full hookups and a really good selection of cable tv channels. We were able to watch the Dallas Cowboys/Green Bay Packers playoff game (congrats Packers!).

We slept really well that night. I don’t know if it was the lull of the steady traffic from US-231 or just being on the road all day in the motorhome. We slept 10 hours (!) and ended up leaving later than we had planned. Still we were on the road by 9:30 and didn’t have far to travel.

Now our first stop was St. Andrews State Park in Panama City, Florida for 10 days. After that we are to head on to Grayton Beach State Park for 14 days; last stop is Topsail Hill Preserve State Park. We took our time driving and got to the state park around 1:30. We were able to check in right away although check-in is officially at 3:00 p.m.  Our campsite is very roomy and the park is really pretty. We have a very good view of the bay. The campground appears to be about two-thirds full. The main empty spots are for tents/pop-ups. There are many big campers here. There is ready access to the beach. The restrooms are in decent shape and are clean.

view of bay

 

The first day we did take a quick walk on the beach at the state park after we set up camp. The first night we were here we ate at Runaway Island at Panama City Beach. We were hungry because we skipped lunch so we got there around 4:30. They had early bird specials until 5:30 – which is good when you are retired! We had really good fish dinners – I had mahi and Ben had salmon – for $13. And we had happy hour $4 house wines which were decent.   We also stopped at Publix on the way back to the camper to pick up a few groceries.  We don’t like to pack a lot ahead of time.

Tuesday we woke up to electrical issues. Oh – oh – it was bound to happen sooner or later. We found a campground volunteer and asked if they had any recommendations for repair. They recommended Beach RV in Panama City Beach. They were very helpful and had our problem fixed by the end of the day. It turned out we had a bad wire. At least it wasn’t an expensive repair!   We did manage to get a short bike ride in this day and spent a lot of time reading books while we waited on John from Beach RV to show up.

Wednesday we decided to explore the historic part of Panama City and St. Andrew. This was interesting but there wasn’t as much to explore as we thought. And there was hardly anyone walking the streets! Still there were some interesting places to see and the drive was really pretty along beach drive. When we got back to the campground we had a nice bike ride to the picnic area, alligator lake and then to the beach. We stayed at the beach for about an hour.

 

 

We ate at Uncle Ernie’s Bayfront Grill and again the food was good. They have excellent fried oysters and shrimp. It looked like a popular local place that had been there a while.  We also hung out at the marina next door for a bit.

 

Didn't eat here but it looked like a cute place

Uncle Ernie's

 

So, Friday, Saturday and Sunday were bad weather days, and we mean that seriously. There were severe weather and event and to take it seriously. So we ended up staying at the Hampton Inn close to the state park. It was actually a nice, clean place and for this time of year really quiet. When I booked this state park I couldn’t get a spot for Saturday night, but we did manage to find one after we got here. But to get a spot close to us we ended up changing the campsite twice. It was a bit of a pain and we had to time the move of the camper in-between storms. It all worked out though, and the state park didn’t get much storm damage. In fact, many of the bad storms went around us. We did get a lot of rain. When we checked out of the motel Sunday we had to move to the site we had reserved for Sunday-Wednesday.

After that we decided to get some lunch and then pick up some more groceries. Well, the bad weather hung around and we were under a tornado watch for much of the day. When we stopped at Dockside down the road for lunch a tornado warning was issued. We (especially me) were terrified. The alerts on phones kept going off and the restaurant had an alert notification and it was going off as well. There were actually two possible tornado sightings. The storm was really bad and one tornado was close by but no direct hit, thank goodness.  The younger workers were pretty scared and some of us were huddled around the tv watching the weather warnings. We were amazed at two tables of older customers who sat by the windows and didn’t seem to take any of it seriously (!) The windows are the worst place to be during such a serious threat.

When we got back to the state park after the storms passed the tornado watches were cancelled and our camper was still standing unharmed. Some of the campsites had quite a bit of water and a couple could not have been used that evening. During the end of the day a big group from Quebec came into the campground and were pretty much all around us but they only stayed one night.

We had to move campsites Sunday.

Monday was quite windy. We took a drive down to Mexico Beach and then to Port St. Joe, about 45minutes outside of Panama City. We passed Tyndall Air Force Base, which is really big. We drove around and took pictures but a lot of the restaurants that we had wanted to check out were closed. So we drove back to the campground for the day. We rode bikes and read books.

Tuesday the wind had died down. The weather was a little cooler but still a good day for biking and walking. We want to just hang at the campground today, since we  will be moving on to Grayton Beach State park Wednesday. in the evening a family of deer crossed right in front of us as we were sitting outside our camper!

 

 

 

 

Fall 2016

We were back in Pigeon Forge on September 24. Back in our RV at Bear Cove RV park. We had a slightly better camping spot this time and very nice neighbors. They were also workcamping – at Dream More Resort- making pizzas!

Ben thought he was going to start his Dollywood workcamper job when we got there – he was scheduled to work the fall festival at the Market Square food court through October 29. But when he reported for work he found out he needed a one day food safety course first. That actually put his scheduled first day of work out until Sept 29. Dollywood provided him with a letter of employment so we could go ahead and take further advantage of the free shows and sights. One of the first places we visited was Parrot Mountain. We had always wondered what it was like and it is very close to Dollywood. We really enjoyed this visit. There were so many beautiful birds as well as a hands-on exhibit. We would definitely pay to go again!

 

We spent some time at Patriot Park and the Island. We hadn’t seen much of the island over the summer as it was just too hot for us to walk around much on concrete. We also went to Dollywood and caught some of the shows and rode a few rides.

Once Ben started work he pretty much worked 32-36 hours a week. October is a very busy time for Dollywood. The first few days he cooked big batches of potatoes, onions, and sausage. Some days he cooked fried green tomatoes. He also helped man one of the outdoor food booths by serving customers. And occasionally he got pulled over to the Ham and Beans restaurant to clear tables and wash dishes. He was also really tired when he got home.  We had an unusually hot fall so there were many days he was hot and tired.

 

 

Ben’s parents came to visit us for a few days the first week in early October. They had a really nice room at the Arbors at Island Landing Hotel. This is an older hotel but it was had extensive renovations. Their room was big and very nice. While they were there we had two picnics- one with grandson Everett and the other with Everett and son Robby and his two sons Lincoln and Kyler. We had a very nice time- the weather wasn’t as hot on these days.

 

Grandson Everett spent four days camping with us during his fall break. We took him picnicking, to play putt-putt, and   shopping at some of the swimwear shops.    He really just wanted to look at their aquariums to see the baby sharks. On the way to take him back we went to the Island and had lunch at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. The next week grandson Jupiter stayed with us for three days. I had a blast shopping with him for new Under Armour clothes as well as the hat store. We went out to eat at TGI Fridays.  We played three different putt-putt courses. On the last one Jupiter won a free game with a nice hole in one at the end.

 

In early October Pigeon Forge was totally packed as well as our campground. We thought it was because of hurricane Matthew in Florida. There were many Florida people around Pigeon Forge and in our campground. On top of that there were families camping during fall break. There was so much traffic and all the campgrounds around us looked full. We heard from locals that fall and Christmas were usually the busiest times for the area. The convention center has been bringing more people to the area as well. For instance, there was a five day convention for quartets the first week in October and the convention center was really packed. Anyway, you do learn to maneuver around the traffic by finding backroads and shortcuts. While Ben was working I had plenty of time to venture out and explore shops and eateries. I took advantage of that!

During our visit Ben and I saw Darren Romeo’s magic show (he trained with Siegfried and Roy) and the Comedy Barn (pretty decent but really a couple of politically incorrect jokes). We had more picnics. We explored the artist community and Gatlinburg further and tried an English Pub. We drove through the mountains into Cherokee, North Carolina to see the fall colors and visit the Cherokee Indian museum. We went to Ober Gatlinburg to check out Octoberfest. The next-to-last night we went back to the Island and show the fountain show after dark. And then the last night we were there we visited Dollywood’s Dream More resort and ate pizza. We were actually sad to leave the area.

 

 

Post-Retirement from ORNL – 2016

Miriam - my last day of work was April 15 and official retirement date was May 1. Ben’s last day of work was July 1 and his official retirement date is September.  

So of course we don’t know how to be idle yet and decided to try local workcamping jobs initially in order to get used to living in the motorhome and to get organized. Thus the jobs at Dollywood. They have a really big workcamping program. Plus, we love Dollywood and have been season pass holders for several years. Since our Winnebago Journey is a 2003, we also thought if we it needed mechanical tweaking or fixes it would be best to use local mechanics that we knew and trusted. We had only traveled as far as Gaffney, SC, in the Winnebago and had never been in the motorhome over five days at a time.

We moved our motorhome to the Bear Cove Village and RV park (http://www.bearcovevillage.com/) in Pigeon Forge on April 23 in order to get ready for my first post-retirement workcamper job working at Dollywood. Ben got everything hooked up and ready to go so I could spend time organizing and settling into the camper when not working at Dollywood.  This turned out to be an interesting and somewhat challenging adventure.  

First, I found that I really didn’t mind being on my own in the camper. This is probably because I was familiar with Pigeon Forge and I knew Ben was only about an hour away if I needed him. I also felt safe at the campground. Camp hosts were nearby and the managers were also onsite much of the time. We stayed at this campground for a few days in 2015 so we were familiar with it and the surrounding area.

I also quickly got into an exercise routine which was a goal of mine post –retirement- more exercise! Patriot Park was just minutes away and one loop around it is ½ mile so I would manage to walk  1 ½ to 2 miles daily, usually first thing in the morning. Then I would walk the campground in the evening because it had more hills.

I had ample time while up there to sort through our belongings and organizing the camper.  At first going through clothing to decide what would actually be kept in the camper was daunting. Having plastic vacuum-sealed storage bags handy was a godsend.  But since Dollywood provides uniforms I quickly discovered I didn’t need that many changes of clothing when off work and was able to efficiently store clothing at our place in Lake Tansi/Crossville (http://holidayoutrvpark.com/) . Shoes were more of a challenge- mainly because I love shoes and it was hard to part with them. As we were also moving out of our condo in Knoxville at the end of June, much of my “work” wardrobe from ORNL as well as several pairs of shoes were donated to KARM. Ben had the same exercise to go through. We decided that if we were ever in a place in the future where we needed office work again we would deal with clothing needs at that time. But we also hope we won’t be in that situation!

  I quickly discovered what would fit in the small refrigerator/freezer in the camper and took into account the limited space when planning meals/buying groceries. There is ample kitchen cabinet space as well as two pull out pantries so I needed to plan on more packaged/canned food. Thank goodness there is a much better selection today of organic foods as we prefer these and feel they are better for us! I limited what pots and pans I would be using. We have a convection oven/microwave that is wonderful! I also purchased a small crockpot. Of course we had an outdoor grill as well but during our initial stay here we really didn’t use it very much. In Pigeon Forge a new Publix grocery had just opened nearby and they had a wonderful deli department. For the two of us we found that this was a good and relatively inexpensive option, especially on days when working at Dollywood. We also took the opportunity to try out some small local cafés that we had been curious about but had not tried before.

There is ample shopping in Pigeon Forge and a store close to the campground where we could buy storage cubes and boxes to help with organization. I highly recommend the folding cloth cubes. They are quite handy for books, shoes, crafts, office supplies. It really took us most of May and June to move what we needed into the camper and get everything organized. But we did it and were very pleased with our results.

Now I wanted to talk a little about my experience working at Dollywood. First, I wish I had given myself at least two-three months break before beginning another job. Working at Dollywood can be a rewarding and fun experience (and it was).  I worked at the Sweet Shop making candy.  My experience with Ben managing a Pizza restaurant a few years ago probably helped me get this job. But it is also very physical work and can take getting used to if you have been in an office environment for many years. The first week I worked there I really thought I might not make it. You are on your feet for several hours at a time. There are not many written instructions.  On the job training often consists of repeatedly asking many questions.  In addition to making various candies and decorating apples, we also cooked up big batches of apple butter and caramel over gas elements. Then there was much dishwashing and cleaning and keeping up with stock. Closing shifts had to take out boxes and trash, sweep and mop, and finish dishes as well. I seemed to be on closing shift a lot! Even though we were given at least 45 minutes for lunch and 10 minute breaks depending on hours worked, your feet, legs and back are in pain by the end of your shift if you aren’t used to this type of work. I was routinely taking Tylenol and Aleve, and every night I was applying icepacks on my back and legs. May is also a busy time for the park as they have their Bluegrass and BBQ festival during this time and it is very popular.  So I hired on at one of the busiest times. I was determined to stick it out though and got as much rest as I could. That was hard to do as I had to come back to Knoxville quite a bit to continue packing at the condo.

After about a month I found that I my feet and legs were holding up much better. My back was somewhat better as well. I lost six pounds which I was very happy about (!).  June turned out not to be quite as busy as May. I think this had something to do with the heat that arrived in June and also the fact that Splash Country was open and in full swing. So the pace wasn’t quite as hectic at work. That being said, you still don’t lack for things to do.

Dollywood has a separate entrance and parking lot for employees. They have shuttles that constantly run from the entrance to parking lot. These are great, especially at the end of your shift when you may be too tired to walk to your car (the parking lot is uphill). This also gives you a chance to chat with other employees and get to know them. I found this to be a definite perk when working there.  Having a uniform is another perk – you don’t have to worry about your wardrobe! Fellow employees are very friendly and helpful.

Dollywood also has a perks program for employees that provides free passes to many local attractions as well as deep discounts. While there we saw Titanic, Ripley’s Aquarium, and the Hollywood Wax Museum free of charge. We also saw Souls of Motown (WONDERFUL!) and Sweet Fanny Adams (funny!!) shows at deep discounts.  My friend Lynne came up for a couple of days to see me on my days off and I got her into the park for free. We had a great time.

But then the big push to move happened at the end of June and I also started working almost all closing shifts and training to do fudge at work and that proved to be too much for my right shoulder. I have never had shoulder problems so was caught off guard by this but I also couldn’t retire just to injure myself permanently. So I quit Dollywood to focus on getting healed from rotator cuff tendonitis. That has proved challenging and slow-going. So I was able to work at Dollywood for 10 weeks before my injury. They suggested I go on leave of absence but I knew this wasn’t an injury I could recover from quickly and I wasn’t sure what type of job I could go back to once healed.  I really enjoyed working there. My co-workers were very nice and the theme park experience was wonderful. I hope I can do it again sometime. Ben has a job there in the fall so we will be returning. I’ll play while he works!

Now a little more about the campground. One thing I really liked about our camping spot was the awesome view we had of the Dollywood fireworks once Dollywood’s summer of fun began. I love fireworks and was very excited to see the fireworks! I watched them whenever I got a chance. I also liked the close proximity to the amusement park. It only took me five-ten minutes to get back and forth to work. The campground felt safe and secure as well.

We were on the ‘long-term camper’ side of the campground and landscaping was not as nice. We didn’t have grass- basically gravel and concrete. We did have trees/woods behind us and there were pretty shrubs planted by each camper. But once the heat arrived the gravel and concrete absorbed it and it could be uncomfortable to sit outside. There were also two swimming pools at the campground but they were both pretty small and almost always crowded. So we really didn’t use them. They did have very clean and roomy restrooms and nice laundry mats. The management was great and the workcampers helpful and friendly.

So- we are up at our place in Crossville organizing and visiting with grandchildren whenever possible (that’s a whole other blog entry coming soon) and planning to do more camping.

I have to say I really do LOVE retirement.

From Ben-
First post in a while and I have to do it from my phone so forgive the typos and goofs! One thing I do miss about work besides the people is a fast internet!! Having connectivity withdrawals is bad ha! Anyway we left Dollywood early for a couple reasons, one is that Miriam hurt her shoulder lifting stuff in the kitchen and the other was working a ride there is harder than it seems. There are a lot of things happening at once and you have to keep your head on a swivel trying to make sure people are staying safe. With my hearing and the noise in the building I just couldn't keep up. Those folks running the rides there are working hard! I'll go back in the fall around the end of September to the end of October and work a food booth which is more up my alley.

For now we are in Crossville getting our storm shelter and covered porch put in. Then off for a week of vacation at Myrtle Beach for a break. I know who needs a break from retirement?? Well we haven't had a beach trip on our own in a while so this will be a treat.

As for Workamping we are looking at working at the KOA at Lake Tahoe next spring and summer. We'll just have to see how it goes.

So far retirement has been wonderful and hopefully soon we'll get started on our travels and have some adventures to report back!

Gaffney SC March 2014

Well we haven't posted in a bit but we haven't taken any trips in our motorhome in quite a while! We had it parked on our lot in Tansi last summer and fall and then it rained and rained and rained! We cancelled two planned short trips because of the rain. And of course we aren't fulltimers yet so we have our day jobs to consider.  ...

So- we did take our first trip of the season to Gaffney, South Carolina- peach capital of the South. Also featured on Netflix's House of Cards from town to town as the hometown of Kevin Spacey's wickedly delicious  character.

We did spend the first night outside of Asheville so we could take our time. It's always nice not to rush. We were refreshed when we headed out for Gaffney on Wednesday.

Our Gaffney trip was a combined business and pleasure trip. Ben had arranged for some service to be done on our Journey at the Freightliner center there and along with that we took a two day training course on our motorhome chassis- general information and maintenance. Well, he got me in the course for just a few dollars more so why not- although I have to admit the second day I spent a great deal of time playing on the IPad.

The service at the freightliner center was excellent as was the class. But by the second day it was a little over my head- as I am mechanically challenged. There were several couples in the class and we got to meet some nice people who all had travel and camping in common. One couple was from Crossville and they have joined the Tennessee WIT chapter so I'm sure we'll be seeing more of them! We were fed very well while we attended class and they even provided dinner one night.

We camped in the Freightliner parking lot, but we had electricity and we had filled up our water tank as well. It was really not bad camping in their lot as the spots were spaced apart and we got out and saw the sites when in the evening. We always like to check out places we haven't visited before.

Gaffney is an interesting little town. Howards proudly displays their visit from "Diners and Drive-Ins" Food Network show. Their claim to fame is their chili burger

Of course Ben had to try it but I was in the mood for soup. And it was still a little cold and windy out. The are also home to Liberty College, which used to be an exclusive women's college but as since gone co-ed. Very cute little campus and they have quite a bit to choose from in the way of degrees.

Then there is the giant peach - because of course it is the Peach capital. The peach that looks like a butt. . .

Or course it wasn't peach season yet- I'd like to go back when it is because there is nothing better than South Carolina peaches.

We make a visit to Cowpens - Civil War battlefield while we were there - which is a few miles outside of Gaffney. Every January they have a reenactment of the battle. It is quite a lovely site to take a stroll or bike ride. And by the second day it was a bit warmer. . .

We had a lovely three day trip. If only it could have been longer!

May Winnebago Rally in Townsend

We recently joined the Winnebago Rocky Top Travelers and attended our first rally in May in Townsend at Big Meadow Campground. We arrived on Friday, May 17 in time to pull our Journey through the car/camper wash and give it a good scrubbing and then head to the campground. Once we checked into the campground, we headed over to the Pavilion to officially check in with our club president and get the scoop on the weekend activities. Then we took a bike ride through Townsend, stopped and ate peach pie and ice cream (of course) and picked up a few groceries. After we got back to the campground we headed back to the pavilion, got to know fellow club members, and made new friends.

To start off the weekend activities, we had a meeting before dinner to get the rules of the "Murder Mystery" game we would all be participating in over the weekend. We each had to draw a card; whoever had the ace of spades was the "murderer" and would "murder" five members by displaying the card to them at an opportune moment, hopefully unseen by others. Then on Saturday afternoon, we would get clues from those "murdered" and try to guess who did them in. After the cards were chosen, we enjoyed some really yummy deluxe (Nathans with various trimmings) hot dogs from Campfire Grille, who came to the campground to cook them for us.  After dinner we played a marshmallow toss game. For this game you need a partner and decide who will toss and who will try to catch them with a basket. When we got down to the three couples with the most points, there was a playoff to decide the winners. We didn't win, or even come close, but it was fun to play!

It started to rain Friday night and into Saturday morning, so it's a good thing we had books and cable because we didn't bring a car- only our bikes. But we still had a yummy pancake breakfast, and the rain let up long enough for us to take a short bike ride and a couple of strolls around the campground. We also got to talk to some really nice folks from Knoxville who joined about the same time that we did and looked at their coach. In fact, we met so many nice people on this trip. Most had been transplants from other states after or close to retirement. Several were from Crossville and one couple lived at Lake Tansi, where we have our park model.  All were very happy in retirement (who wouldn't be!!).

We met back at four as a group to decide the "murderer." In the process, I unintentionally misled the group to think Ben was the "murderer." But he was at most of the places at or near the same time as the "murders" took place; plus he just acted guilty. The real guilty party was very good at keeping it to himself and even fooled his wife and mother-in-law! We also had an ice cream social before dinner time- what a good idea to have dessert before dinner! Each party was then on there own for dinner plans. We stayed at the camper and relaxed.

We met back as a group in the morning for a "grab and go" breakfast and said goodby to all for now. We will be meeting them again in November for a Pigeon Forge rally. Hopefully we will be traveling with them more regularly in a few years!

By the way, Big Meadow is a really nice campground run by friendly folks. It doesn't have a pool but the campsites are nicely laid out, you have a good view, and there is a nice playground for the little ones.