Nashville Rocks!

We've been in Nashville for almost two weeks and have enjoyed every minute.  We are staying outside Nashville at Safe Harbor RV Resort, on J. Percy Priest Lake.  We splurged a bit to stay here.  As an RV park, it has all that one would expect, nice concrete pads, full hook-ups, laundry, pool, shuffleboard, playground, gated entrance, small store and a shuttle into town.  But the real lure was the view.  Our site sits on this beautiful (man-made) lake and we've had some lovely sunrises. 

4/6/19 sunrise

4/11/19 sunrise

Looking from camper towards the water.

Looking from the water's edge at our site

Looking from our site down the road.

As you can gather from this picture, this sites are tucked in pretty close to each other.  There are some massive rigs in this park.  What it lacks in charm and privacy, it more than makes up for in gorgeous views.

Morning sun 4/14/19

Sitting in the glorious morning sun 4/14/19

Being in Nashville, we weren't just here for the view of the lake.  We took in many of the touristy sights and sounds.  We started out with the Hop On Hop Off bus.  We have learned after visiting so many new cities, that this is the way to start exploring.  We actually bought the two-day pass from Old Town Trolley Tours, knowing that we wouldn't be able to return to all the places we saw that interested us in one day.  Our ticket purchase also gave us free admission to Madame Toussard's Nashville and the George Jones Museum.  Our first time on the bus, we rode around the entire loop and then got off and had lunch.  We got back on to return to Bicentennial Park.  This was one of my favorite things we saw in Nashville.  

Bicentennial Capital Mall State Park:  The park was built in 1996 to celebrate the bicentennial of Tennessee.  The TN Capital building sits at the far end of the park, and the fills the space in front of the capital, much like the National Mall in DC.  At the far end of the park are the carillon bell towers.  These bell towers house 95 bells representing the 95 counties in TN.  At the hour and half hour the bells play and the sound is majestic.

Some of the park features include a timeline wall of the history of Tennessee, a World War II Memorial honoring TN soldiers, a granite map of the state and so much more.

During the time representing the Civil War, the wall is broken representing the brokenness of the nation during that time.

Part of the WWII Memorial

The World War II Memorial includes an 8 ton granite globe, spinning on 1/8 in of water.

The park also features a 200 foot granite map of the state of TN that you can walk across.

In downtown Nashville there is an area on Broadway with countless Honky Tonk bars.  We visited a couple of the original venues; Tootsie's Orchid Lounge and Nudie's Honky Tonk.  Despite the name, everyone at Nudie's is fully dressed.  In fact, Nudie was one of the most famous costume designer's in Nashville, famous for introducing the rhinestone to Country Western style.  

Tootsie's Orchid Lounge

Nudie's Honky Tonk

Example of Nudie's Rodeo Tailor's design

I won't lie, I found the Broadway scene a little intense.  The number of people is unbelievable.  We had a really good time at the places we visited, but I was unprepared for the sheer volume of people.  The first couple times we went into town, we used the shuttle from our RV park and Uber.  But that was getting expensive and I discovered we could park for $10 for up to 5 hours ($15 over 5 hours) at the Music City Center parking garage.  We did that a couple times, and I would highly recommend it.  It's a very convenient location with ample parking.

I mentioned that our Trolley bus tickets included free admission to Madame Toussard's Nashville.  We took advantage of this and had a great time taking pictures with lots of "old friends" at the museum.  (The tickets were normally $24/person, which we would not have spent - but for free, it was a good deal:-))

Carol with Louie and Ella

Kelly and Blake Shelton

Madame Toussard's is located at the Opry Mills Mall, located adjacent to the Grand Ole Opry.  Also located next to the Grand Old Opry is Gaylord Opryland Resort.  We knew we wanted to visit both the wax museum and the Opryland Resort before we attended an evening performance at the Grand Ole Opry.  Parking at the mall is free, parking at the Opry and Opryland is not.  So we parked in the mall parking lot and walked to the other locations.  This was a great move and I highly recommend it.  Just make sure you remember where you parked when you are leaving the Grand Old Opry later that night...

The Opryland Resort is divided into three sections; Delta, Magnolia and Cascade.  It's like 3 different but connected hotels under one roof.  In the Delta you can ride a riverboat around inside the hotel.  There is so much to see and do: wander around the gorgeous gardens and waterfalls, visit any of the several restaurants and shops, and we were happy to discover, enjoy some perfect cocktails.

Inside Opryland Resort at The Falls Lounge

Part of the Chihuly sculpture in the lobby of the Opryland Resort

Easter Bunny Minnie Pearl in the gardens in the Opryland Resort

Cascade Falls

Whenever we told anyone we were going to Nashville, they said, "You have to go to the Grand Ole Opry."  So we did :-).  As is often the case, weren't familiar with all the performers on the bill.  But we sure knew the last one - the Charlie Daniel's Band.  I really enjoyed Pam Tillis also.  I was very surprised to find out that the Grand Ole Opry is still a live radio show, and every performance is going out live on 650 AM WSM Radio.

Hanging out waiting for the show to start.

Charlie Daniel's Band at the Grand Ole Opry

During our Nashville visit, we HAD to take a trip to the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg, TN.  My wife is a Jack Daniel's loving whiskey girl and we had a total blast visiting the town and the distillery.  It's not in Nashville, but it was part of our "Nashville Experience".  

Book your tour ahead of time, they fill up fast!

Carol hanging out on a bench in downtown Lynchburg with the man himself.

The cherry on top of the Nashville sundae, was the Listening Room Cafe.  This is a venue featuring singer/songwriters who perform during dinner - dinner and a show.  The expectation is that the audience is quiet and "listen" to the show and purchase at least $15/person of food/drinks.  We had no problem meeting those expectations 😉.

Each night (except Sunday) there are two shows with different line ups.

The stage

The performers are all on stage together and alternate turns singing. 

Alex Smith - my personal favorite of the night.

This was the perfect way to end our trip to Nashville.  We enjoyed the personal storytelling both that the artists did explaining the background of the song they were about to sing, and in the songs themselves.  After all, all you need is three chords and a story.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Life as a full-time RVer is a series of decisions.  Of course there's the decision to become a full-timer, I'm not going into that in this post.  The first decision I'm going to discuss is selecting your RV.  We'd known for years that when we retired we wanted to sell the house, buy an RV, become full-timers and travel south for the winter.  So we visited RV shows and RV sales lots and looked at hundreds of different size and style campers.  We loved the sleek and high end design of the Airstreams, and continued to hold out hope that we'd find one with the perfect floor plan.  In reality what we were shopping for was a floor plan, and we kept looking until we found it.  What we wanted included a travel trailer no more than 25', ideally less because we were towing virgins and were afraid of getting anything too long, no slides because we viewed them as fraught with the opportunity for mechanical failure, leakage and complications that we wanted to avoid, a walk around bed, a dry bath (a shower separate from the toilet so that when you shower you aren't in the same stall as the toilet getting the entire bathroom all wet), and most important of all, someplace to sit while inside that was comfortable and lounge-y, not the stiff 90 degree angles of a dinette.  We discovered the Murphy bed option which allowed you to tuck the bed into the wall like a Murphy bed, opening up a couch.  This seemed like the best option for the size and other criteria we wanted, until we met our camper's floor plan.

The minute we saw this camper, the Lance 1475, that was it, decision made.  It had all but one of our criteria, it lacks a walk around bed.  But we loved the two lounge chairs option so much, we were happy to compromise on that wish list item.

The second but equally important decision is where and from whom you purchase your RV.  We did not want to buy from an RV super store.  We had heard plenty of horror stories about great sales attention and deals that were not followed up with great service.  We wanted, if possible, to support an independently owned, not corporate dealer.  We were so fortunate to have found the perfect dealership 15 minutes from home, Happy Camping RV Sales and Service in Vermontville, NY.  I can not tell you the number of phone calls, emails, text messages I have sent owner Hans Michielen since our purchase.  We were learning as we were going and Hans has been a patient and faithful coach.  We recently "sprung a leak", and had water spraying from a "part" in a water hose leading to the hot water heater.  I contacted Hans, we figured out that it was a pressure regulator, and he contacted the manufacturer to arrange to have it replaced at a nearby dealership (we were in Georgia when it happened and leaving the next day for NC).  Lance made an appointment for us at a dealership in NC for the repair, but the dealership told me in an email that after looking at the photos I sent of the part that needed to be replaced, "I looked into this when I got here this morning and spoke with my warranty manager and I'm sorry to say that there is no way for us to get the part here in time and for it to be covered under warranty without going through our warranty process."  Long story short, Hans arranged for the part to be overnighted to us directly and I replaced it myself.   I know we made the right decision when we purchased at Happy Camping RV!

An obvious decision that has consumed a great deal of my time and attention, is where to go and where to stay.  I'm going to share some of my favorite resources for finding campgrounds and RV parks as well as finding out about them.  My number one go to source for campground/RV park info is Campendium.com.  Campendium is a free website with accompanying free mobile app that allows you to search for campgrounds/RV parks by location, and has user reviews and photos.  I have found this an invaluable asset in learning about what's available in a given spot and what others have to say about their experiences there.  Because I use the reviews to make decisions, I try to leave reviews of places we've stayed as well.  This link goes to the reviews I've completed on Campendium: Mema & Cema.  Another resource that I've found to be a great way to find out about public campgrounds (National Parks, State Parks, Army Core of Engineer parks, Bureau of Land Management property, County Parks, etc) is UltimateCampgrounds.com  Click on the Ultimate Campgrounds Map to explore available public camping spots in that area.  A number of sites will appear and as you click on the number, the map will expand and drill down to more until specific sites appear.  While the website is free, the mobile app is $3.99.

Another way I've found campgrounds and RV parks is using google maps.  When using a web based version of google maps, once you've entered a location, a Nearby button is one of the options.  If you click on nearby and search for campgrounds or RV parks nearby, you'll find a great wealth of information.  I have occasionally consulted Trip Advisor for campground/RV park reviews, but another site I use frequently to check reviews is campgroundreviews.com   I've found this to be a very comprehensive directory of campgrounds and RV parks and use it often to compare reviews to those I find on Campendium for additional information.  

Memberships are another source of information about available RV parks/campgrounds and customer reviews, as well as potential savings on campground fees.  The decision about which memberships to get (or not to get) is another decision that is on my list.  The first membership we purchased was Passport America.  The reason we spent $44 was not to get the list of participating campgrounds, anyone can find that on their website, but because of the promise of 50% off the listed rate for a site.  If the listed price for a site was $40, it was only $20 with Passport America.  Sort of.  What we discovered after getting our membership was extensive black out dates.  In the campgrounds where we tried to use it, many times whole months were blacked out.  Here is an example of what is listed under Important Campground Notes for one RV park we visited: P.A. discount is valid for one week. P.A. discount is not valid October 1st through April 30th.  The notes for another campground we considered stated: P.A. discount is valid for one night; please see management for discount on longer stays. P.A. discount is valid May through September only.  I did find a couple of nights were were able to use it, but not enough to renew my membership next year.

Initially I didn't think a Good Sam Club membership sounded like much of a deal, with only 10% off the listed rate.  However, if a campground is a participating Good Sam Club partner, they offer 10% off every day of the year, so in the long run it's a great deal. Membership costs $30/year and we've recouped that 10x over.  In addition to discounted campsite fees, there are Camping World and Flying J gas station discounts for members as well.  

I recently joined an online RV community on RVillage.com.  I did so primarily because the site offers the opportunity to create an interactive map of the locations where you have stayed.  It offers other social networking options to interact with campers who have checked in to the same or nearby campgrounds, message boards, etc.  It also features information about all places RV, including an external link to AllStays, another site for camper reviews of campgrounds and RV parks.  I'm happy with the decision to join RVillage so that I can share this map with you of the places we have stayed.  Please remember, just because we stayed there doesn't mean we recommend it.  

And last but not least, another source of great information to help you make the RV life decisions you are considering, is other campers.  There is a wealth of information to be gained by reading blogs and vlogs by RVers.  I'm so grateful to the other campers who take the time to write and video about their experiences and recommendations.  I've learned so much this way, and hope in some small way, I'm adding to the pool of knowledge that's out there to dive into as you make your decisions, decisions, decisions!  If you have other resources you want to share, please do so in the comments section below.  Thanks!

Change of Plans

When we set out on this adventure of full-time RVing, I was totally naive about how far in advance we'd need to plan to get a site/make reservations in some places, especially in FL.  I had this idea that we would decide as we went along how long to stay in a given location, longer if we liked it, moving on if we did not.  But when I started looking for places to stay and finding many already full, I quickly realized the warmer the location, the further in advance one needs to plan.  I don't mind planning, in fact I rather thrive on it, but we wanted to be more spontaneous.  It is #7 on the Top 10 Reasons I want to Live the Full-time Dream list:  "To be free to roam - stay as long as we want, look for new vistas when we are ready to roll."

Mid-way through our week in Galveston, while I was enjoying the indoor infinity hot tub that Carol wouldn't go to with me because it was too cold outside to walk back from the hot tub, I decided, it might be time for a change of plans.  From Galveston, we were scheduled to go north, through Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and into North Carolina.  I made a pretty basic assumption none of these places were going to be warmer than TX.  It took no convincing to get Carol to agree to scrap that plan and head back to FL.  We cancelled reservations at 4 campgrounds and 4 Harvest Host sites and made some new reservations.  We are fortunate to have wonderful friends in FL, who let us crash at their house (again) for two weeks to get another (over) dose of sunshine before heading north.  

I've learned that there are a wide range of refund options (or lack thereof) when cancelling reservations.  Federal parks, reserved through recreation.gov, charge a $10 cancelation fee, and refund the balance of your deposit.  Mississippi does not refund, but issues a credit, that can be used up to a year later.  I haven't paid much attention to the "Terms and Conditions" when making reservations, but all of these are clearly spelled out prior to making reservations.  Cancelling comes at a price, but in this case, it was well worth it.

On our way to Galveston we had stayed for one night at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, AL and loved it.  On our "run back to the sun" we were able to stay for 2 nights, long enough to take advantage of this amazing park.  One of the things that we love about this campground, is that the sites are well spaced and the natural setting is well preserved, creating privacy and an opportunity to enjoy the flora and fauna.  We visited the Nature Center and attended a program on alligators that was very informative, saw a hawk and owls that had been rescued and were being rehabilitated, and enjoyed looking at the various displays.  There are extensive trails at the park and we took a wonderful bike ride on one of the paved walking/biking paths that surround the park.  We took a dip in the pool which was quite large and well maintained.  We would rank this campground as one of the best we've ever visited.  We've already made reservations to return for a week in November 😀.

Cardinal in trees by our site

The naturalist brought one of these juvenile alligators with her to the presentation.  

There was a turtle wandering around in the Nature Center, that Carol stopped to admire.

Paved walking/biking path.

This alligator lives a short distance down from the site on which we were staying.

Spacious swimming pool.

During our return visit to FL we had the opportunity to visit our friends John and Gina, who were camping at Ortona Locks South Campground, in Moore Haven, FL.  This campground is operated by the Army Corp of Engineers and features working locks that move boats traveling across FL via Lake Okeechobee.  Again, we saw some amazing wild life.  All of these photos were taken from a bridge.  I did not get remotely close to the snakes. 

Turtle sunning on a rock.

The first snake, which I believe is a water moccasin;  AKA Cottonmouth.

The second snake.  If I've correctly identified it as a Water Moccasin, Wikipedia states, "This is the world's only semiaquatic viper, usually found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes."

Picturesque stream feeding into the Caloosahatchie  River.

I'm absolutely smitten with this Little Blue Heron.

Busy fishing for minnows.

I couldn't take my eyes off him.  

Heading back to FL and again when leaving FL to start our trek north, we stayed at a Harvest Host site at a golf course.  I've mentioned before, but will again, because this is such a great option.  Harvest Hosts is a network of farms, vineyards, breweries, and other similar locations that will allow RVs a free overnight stay.  Harvest Host members are encouraged to patronize the host, to support the business that is sharing their space.  The names and locations of Harvest Host sites are available only to members.  If you are interested in becoming a member, use this link and look for the code at the top of the screen to get 15% off the membership fee: http://harvesthosts.refr.cc/kellywight

Hanging out in Lake City, FL at Harvest Host site

It was the right decision for us to change plans and return to FL.  We got to soak up some beloved sun and enjoy the tremendous hospitality of our dear friends, Patti and Freddie.  We've made it back "on track" and are now in Asheville, NC as planned.  We are finding a balance between "Hit the Road Jack" and "Sorry, no room at the Inn".  S'all good!

Galveston, TX

When planning our route, we picked Galveston because we've never been to Texas and wanted to see it, because it's a coastal location and we 💞 beaches and because our friend Luanne lives here and we've always wanted to visit her.  As it turned out Luanne was in NY while we were in TX and she didn't get to show us around in person.  But her hand was on many aspects of our trip, beginning with our RV park.  When I told her we were coming to Galveston and had made reservations at the state park, she vetoed that plan and told us we needed to stay at Jamaica Beach RV Resort.  So we did.  Luanne was right, this was an awesome place to stay.  We had a great pull through site (because every site is a pull through site).  In addition to the standard amenities, JBRV had a mini-golf course in the RV park that we played and thoroughly enjoyed.  There was a hot tub the size of a small pool, which I enjoyed on several occasions.  We did not use the pools or lazy river as it was too cool to pool during our visit, but the place was loaded with fun spots for all ages.  Additionally, the beach was just a walk across the street.  We did take a walk over and walk the beach one day.  We had some unseasonably cold weather during this visit, including freeze warnings, so we didn't get the full benefit of many aspects of the great RV park and location.  However, we highly recommend this RV park and hope to return someday.

Pirate's Treasure Adventure Golf at Jamaica Beach RV Resort

Indoor Infinity Hot Tub

Looking across the road from the beach to Jamaica Beach RV Resort

We visited a couple of wonderful nature preserves during our visit.  One was just down the road from the RV park.  Lafitte's Cove Nature Preserve is located within a neighborhood.  There is a small parking area and a boardwalk into the wooded area with wooded walking paths.  

Boardwalk into Lafitte's Cove Nature Preserve

Galveston is a birding mecca and we found this map very helpful for finding places to visit to look for birds and enjoy a great nature walk.  Upper Texas Coast - Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail
In addition to the cardinal seen in the next photo, we also saw an otter and many other birds.

Cardinal at Lafitte's Cove Nature Preserve

Another stellar birding location was on the Bolivar Peninsula.  From the East End of Galveston there is a free ferry to the Bolivar Peninsula.  This was another one of Luanne's suggestions, and we are so grateful to have had the benefit of her inside knowledge of all the best places to go.

On the FREE ferry from Galveston to Bolivar Peninsula

Looking back at Galveston from the ferry

We enjoyed the ferry ride, lunch at a bayside restaurant, shopping at the Gulf Coast Market (which was a great general store with an entire ACE Hardware, grocery story, touristy gift store all in one) and driving on the beach.  But the best part of our trip to Bolivar was Houston Audubon Society's Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary.  There is an $8/person admission fee.  This location features a Rookery where thousands of shore birds nest.  The picture can not do justice to the multitudes of birds we saw at this spot.

Herons, egrets and others at the Smith Oaks Rookery

There was a wonderful nature trailed that looped around the bird sanctuary.  We enjoyed the walk as much as seeing the plethora of birds at the Rookery.

Kelly and Carol walking the nature trail at Smith Oaks Sanctuary

Amazing ancient tree at Smith Oaks Sanctuary

In addition to enjoying the natural world in Galveston (and surrounding areas), we found some of the man made additions to be quite spectacular as well.  There are architectural masterpieces in Galveston which are truly magnificent to behold.  These iconic landmarks include The Bishop's Palace, the Sacred Heart Church (just across the street) and Moody Mansion (just down the road).

The Bishop's Palace

Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Moody Mansion

There are many beautiful homes, both in town as well as along the beach.  There is no shortage of real estate to ogle!

One of many Galveston homes decked out for Mardi Gras

Beachside Village, Galveston Island Beach

In 2008, as a result of Hurricane Ike, many large trees were destroyed, leaving large stumps in the yards of many lovely homes.  Many of those trunks have since been turned into beautiful sculptures.  This link includes a map of the area where 20 different tree sculptures can be found.  Tree Sculpture Map

The Geisha

Two Crested Herons

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Tin Man and Toto

We were in Galveston for the first week of March.  There were a couple days that were socked in with fog, we had 25 mile an hour winds for a period of time and woke up to 31 degrees one morning.  It was a wild weather ride while we were here.  Due to the weather, we didn't get to the beach.  But it's worth mentioning that Galveston sits on a beach.  On one side of the seawall is the beach and on the other side are restaurants, hotels, bars, shops, etc.  It's a great beach town location.  We feel like we only scratched the surface of what Galveston holds, so "we'll be back"! 

Photo Credit to Carol Baker:  I'd like to say thank you to my wife for taking great photos.  Many of the pictures posted were actually taken by her.  We make a good team.