A Road Trip and A Wedding

I wrote a while ago that my son Robert and his Bride to be Steph, had to cancel their wedding plans due to this pandemic.
They decided to get married anyway, in a small, intimate ceremony on June 27, 2020 and call it a precursor to the celebration they will have next year when all of their family and friends can meet in Maine, (hopefully), which is where they had their original plans.
Fortunately for Jim and I, we were able to pull off a road trip up the coast to share in their special day.
I researched the 3300 mile round trip and booked our reservations. Many places I called were not open yet due to Covid. Others had restrictions and I was told we would not be allowed to leave our RV if we stayed in their park. I didn’t book with those places!

We left on Fathers Day and made our way to our first stop in Kingsland, Georgia. A 294 mile jaunt. As we traveled on this adventure, I knew we were going to be traveling through areas where we had been on the Happy Destiny Boat, on our Great Loop Adventure in 2018.
I was excited to relive the moments and the feelings. If you haven’t figured it out by now, completing the Great Loop was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done in my life, and traveling up the East Coast allowed me to relish in many happy memories.
Our first stop was at a private RV park called Country Oaks Campground. It was just after the Florida State Line. It was a cozy little park where with a little investigation, I found that the owners raise mules that they hitch up to wagons and take them to different venues and offer Hay Rides during the holidays.

Day two takes us 329 miles and across 2 states into Lumberton, North Carolina. We chatted about passing through Savanna, Georgia as we cruised up the intercoastal waterway on our loop. We saw the St. Mary’s River, which is one of the hundreds of rivers we had been on. As we travelled through South Carolina we began to see some whimsical billboards on the I-95. Each one was different in their own right. They were advertising a place called “South of the Border”. You can’t help but know that this “place” is approaching. Jim and I both said that we indeed needed to stop and check it out. The signs are relentless, I’d say nearly 200 of them!  At this point, the near-incessant advertisements had already worked their way into our subconscious, we veered off the interstate and…wanting to be amazed … were a bit disappointed.
This place is a theme park, so to speak, which obviously has seen better days. You can’t help but see it’s entrance. There, stands a 140 foot mascot called Pedro, who dons a huge sombrero. It is Pedros caricature that adorns all the silly billboards along the highway. 70 years ago, this place  started as a beer stand and a grill. It grew over the years to include a Mexican restaurant, a motel, a post office, a miniature golf coarse, a golf cart track. A huge fireworks store was added, Mexican chingadera shops, and a reptile farm. There is a RV campground, which is still open. This was what I would call a “tourist trap”, but today, it felt like a deserted ghost town. I’m sure some of it is closed due to Covid, but after doing some googling, the stop has since fallen on hard times as more modern hotel areas have grown along I-95.

Our stop today was the Lumberton KOA. A nice enough place. We made camp, and had a nice dinner. Jim is doing all the driving which makes me happy. I can take pictures and walk around the RV when I get bored! He’s a better big rig driver anyway!

Day 3- 329 miles to Doswell, Virginia and the Richmond/Kings Dominion KOA. This is a really neat place. Kings Dominion is an amusement park. It is closed due to Covid. The campground, which is adjacent to the park, is empty. It is literally like a forest, and there must be 200 RV sites. It sits on a lake, and it is quite beautiful. There are maybe 6 other RV’S parked here. I would imagine when the amusement park is open, this place is booming. But not tonight.
They had a nice pool, but, per state laws and Covid, it was empty! We also stopped at a fruit stand on our way into town. Got me some Virginia peaches 🍑

By land or by sea😊

As we crossed the border from North Carolina into Virginia, I was brought back to the last time I saw a “Welcome to Virginia” sign. It was when we were in The Dismal Swamp,

on our

Happy

Destiny Boat

June 16, 2018

fun fact

Day 4 of our journey takes us 309 miles and into Pennsylvania. I’ve never been to Pennsylvania and I was amazed at the beauty I got to see on the highway. It was so green! Around every corner, there was a different color of green. Jim and I joked about it. Our stop for the night was Frances Slocum State park in Wyoming, Pennsylvania. I’m not a huge fan of state parks that are buggy and full of scrub brush. I’m definitely more a “glamper” than a “camper”! This park was not bad. I was able to wander without getting all bit up. I’ve been studying how to take better iPhone pictures. I had fun testing out my new skills.

Day 5 - We skirted through Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York and landed at our destination in Foxboro, Massachusetts. It was a 6 hour drive. We picked up a rental car in Norwood, Massachusetts. We got a car so we would be able to drive to the wedding festivities, without imposing on the Bride and Groom.
Normandy Farms Family Campground is where we are camping. Nestled deep in the woods, it is a luxury camping destination. This seriously is the nicest campground I have been too, and Jim agrees. There are many activities to keep one busy even with the strict social distancing rules. There are pools, an ice cream store, spotless bathrooms, a fun bike ramp course for kids, a radio controlled car track, catch and release fishing, basketball courts and a huge soccer and baseball field. There were many people here and lots of kids. It never felt like we were on top of anyone. Everyone was respectful and having a good time. I would definitely stay here again!

Up next on the agenda, was a 20 minute car trip to see Robert and Steph. It’s why we came. To celebrate with them as they join their lives together. I haven’t seen my son in a few years. It’s difficult when you live so very far from your children. I am so grateful that Jim said we could come.
They treated us to dinner, a take out place called Boston Tavern. Jim ordered a Lobster Roll, which I’m so mad I did not get a picture of. It was amazing! We visited for awhile and listened to the plans that were in store for the wedding. It had been a long day, so we said our farewells and returned to the campground.
FYI- the New England Patriots Gillette Stadium is right down the road from the camp. We are not sports fans, (I think I heard Jim call them cheaters)😂 but, it certainly is a point of interest in this city.

Mammy and her boy❤️

Friday the 26th was a lazy day. I made an appointment to go to the pool and Jim went for a drive to get the rental car washed. My pool appointment got cancelled due to lightning strikes! Our only other plan for this day was to meet the kids and Stephs mom Abby for dinner. This was the first time Abby and I will meet. We’ve talked on the phone plenty of times, and I think both of us were excited to see each other in person.
Our dinner meeting was awesome. Abby and I got to hug and we all enjoyed each other’s company. I’m so grateful that she loves Robert. We talked again about the wedding day itinerary and felt secure that Jim and I knew what our roles would be.

Robert, Steph, Abby, Kim and Jim

Wedding Day- Saturday June 27, 2020. Ponkapoag Pond, Canton, Massachusetts.
The kids had a very large wedding planned in Maine for this date. Venue was chosen, family and friends were invited, wedding dress bought, food was chosen, hotels booked. Then, the Covid 19 virus arrived. Robert and Steph has to make the very hard decision to postpone their special day until next year.
So, this day, we were a party of 8. Robert and Steph, Abby, Jim and myself and 3 of their friends, Ellen, their officiant, Catherine, handled the Zoom room and Kat was their wedding photographer.
Rain was on order for the afternoon, and yes the weatherman was correct. My other children, my sister, our friend Judy from England , Steph’s brother, and a handful of others logged into Zoom just as Steph and her Mom walked down the muddy path to where Robert was waiting at the shoreline, in the rain, in front of an arbor which made the whole thing just stunning. It didn’t matter that it was raining. The kids were beaming and the whole thing was precious. My son is so special and I know that he and Steph are going to have many happy days ahead of them. They will have a large party next year in Maine and will renew their vows then. It was a day to remember for sure.

The Bride and Groom

Mom and Son

Wedding Day

After the wedding we returned to Abby’s home for dinner and cake. As night fell, we said our goodbyes with a promise to return next year. Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day!

We had plans and reservations for Sunday and Monday in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. I was looking forward to this stop, but alas, it was not to be. I had made the reservations several weeks before, and last week, the State mandated Covid order for visitors was “sorry folks, we are closed”. They wanted a negative Corona virus test done within 48 hours or a 14 day quarantine upon arrival. Not happening! So plan B was put in place.
Our Looper friends Marshall and Judy were going to be in Pennsylvania for a week. I got the name of the campground they were at and made a reservation. It was a very long drive which was going to take us through Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. Jim’s plan, to drive through New York and over the George Washington Bridge, which sounds cool, and ultimately it was, but, I missed an exit and we ended up on a sketchy street, in a hard core area of the Bronx, where we were scared for our lives! Jim had made the decision that he “would” run over the first crackhead that attempted to hijack us! It was some serious shit! At the end of this street I told him to hang a left and we would meet up with the highway we needed to be on to cross the bridge! OMG! Driving a 32 foot motorhome through New York is not for sissies. We did it, and we are now not only boater badasses, we are RV badasses!
As we crossed over the Hudson River, I was again flooded with memories of when we crossed under this same bridge on our loop trip. It was very cool.

Jim drove many hours any we finally arrived to Intercourse, Pennsylvania and the Beacon Hill Campground. This part of Pennsylvania is the center of Amish activity. There are beautiful sprawling hills with gorgeous farms. There are country stores, quilt shops, and horse drawn buggies galore. This is the real deal. I’ve always been fascinated with the Amish society and it’s people. They seem to be such kind and simple people.

The Pennsylvania Amish of Lancaster County are America's oldest Amish settlement, where thousands still live a centuries-old "Plain" lifestyle. Arriving in Amish Country allows you to step back in time to enjoy a slower, more peaceful pace – one where the horse & buggy remains a primary form of transportation, and where windmills dot the landscape, providing power harnessed from nature.
We spent the evening with Marshall and Judy and of course Mindy, my favorite puppy in the whole world.
We cooked up some shrimp and Judy made Scampi. We talked and caught up on each other’s lives. It grew dark and I was amazed at all the fireflies that showed up. I’ve never seen so many. I caught some in a jar and felt like a kid. It was very fun.
In the morning, Judy and Marshall cooked us a great bacon and egg breakfast and we went down the street to a ducky farm before we left town and parted ways.
Looper friends are the best friends, and Marshall and Judy will always hold a special place in my heart.
I love Pennsylvania and I hope to return here, to this place, again one day, when we can stay longer.

As we left, we drove through a town called Bird-in-Hand. What a cute name for a city!

We drove for 6 hours and arrived at our first Harvest Host Camp. Showalters Orchard in Timberville, Virginia. Harvest Hosts is a membership club for RV’ers, where there are over 1500 wineries, brewery’s, farms, orchards and attractions, that allow you to stay on their property at no charge, but most would like you to make a purchase if they offer their goods for sale. These places have no electricity or water so you have to be self contained. 

For our first time using Harvest Hosts, I researched our options and picked this venue.  They are a hard cider distillery and have a huge apple and peach orchard. The little store also sold sparkling Apple cider, which is what we bought. It is divine! 

We were the only RV on the property for the night and we had a whole parking lot available to us. We parked at the edge of the property where our view of the Shenandoah Valley was breathtaking..

In the morning we awoke to this amazing sunrise!

And a problem. The house batteries died and we could not get the slides in. Jim worked on it for quite awhile and we ended up having to drive with the big slide open. We stopped at a few mechanics and no one would help us. Jim drove to a Walmart, and bought a few new batteries. No luck. I called ahead to. KOA in Greensboro, North Carolina and booked a reservation. She gave us the name of a mobile mechanic. He and Jim spoke and he told us he would meet us at the campground in the morning. We made it safely to the KOA. It was a very stressful day. 

In the morning, Marshall showed up and diagnosed that a motor on one side of the slide was not working. He didn’t have another one, so he disconnected it and we pushed the slide in. We will get it fixed when we get home. I, at this point, am ready to get home. We still had a few days to go. 

On Wednesday we stayed at Fort McAllister Historic State Park. It rained hard and after the rain I went to take the trash out and explore. I got attacked by noseeums and have been miserable ever since. I have bites everywhere! 

In the morning, I was fortunate enough to see a family of deer. They were beautiful and made this stop, bites and all, worth it!

One more stop before we head for home. Our last overnighter was at Pecan Park RV Campground in Jacksonville, Florida. We drove the backroads on this day. There’s something about the backroads. They take you to places you’d never see otherwise. As we were driving today, through a town called South Newport, Georgia, we came upon “The Smallest Church In America “.

We hung a u turn and drove up to the church. It seriously is the tiniest church ever.  It is open to the public. We walked through the door and saw 12 chairs a pulpit and some very pretty stained glass windows. Upon further investigation, we saw many spiral notebooks with pages and page full of peoples sentiments. Their prayers. On the walls, hung with tacks and tape were photos, presumably of loved ones. There were amends letters to fathers who disappeared out of their child’s life. There were wake cards of loved ones who had passed away. It was a very special place and I’m glad I got to experience it. 

The RV park was nothing special. It was a “luxury” type place with many expensive Rigs. Looks like people full time here. It was very hot and there was no trees to speak of. I did not venture out.  The wind picked up around 7pm and down came the rain along with bright lightning and loud thunder. I love this. I stare out the windows and watch the show. I actually got a picture of a lightning strike with my new iPhone skills!

Day 13 - Homeward bound! From Jacksonville to home is about a 4 hour drive. We hit the road early and started on our way. The trip was uneventful and we arrived home around 2:00 in the afternoon. I had packed everything up the day before, so when we got to the house it was an easy transition from RV to inside the house. 

We had a great time and once again, the two of us know how blessed we are. 

Jim drove 3300 miles and was behind the wheel for a total of 49 hours. We listened to 30 hours of “yours truly, Johnny Dollar,” an old time radio show. Our favorite stop was Normandy Farms in Massachusetts, although, if it weren’t for the stress the slide problem caused, I’d give Showalters Orchard, a close tie. We saw 400 different colors of green and shared a few meals with friends. My son married the girl of his dreams, and we didn’t die in the Bronx. We shared memories of our days on the loop and said “I love you” every day.  I would say we had a very successful adventure!  

trudging the road

Happy Destiny