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Pat and Richard in RV
Trish's brother and wife visited us at the RV for a bit and we had a chance to chat. We left Mentone and headed to Crossville, TN to see Trish's brother. We always stay at the Spring Lake RV Resort (formerly known as Roam and Roost) and we were not disappointed. The campground is lovely and we got a site near the bathhouse and able to see the small lake. Domino enjoyed going out and exploring and Slinky, now feeling more confident, joined him on several explorations. They were both very good and came right back into the camper.
Pat came and picked us up the first day and we spent the day with Dick and Pat, chatting and catching up on family and our various adventures. Pat, as always, fixed a luscious lunch and tremendous dinner. (She remembered I have a fondness for au gratin potatoes and fixed some for dinner.) We went back to the campground and let the cats out then got some sleep. Next day we took our Scooter to their house and we showed Dick the GPS receiver we had bought. We explained geocaching to him and finally he suggested we try to find a local spot. Trish stayed home with Pat and worked on a sewing project while Dick and I went hunting. We
Little sister, big brother and his wife
WE are the cat people; Dick and Pat have a dog. got to the general vicinity and I started searching. Several tourists in the area wondered what we were doing and Dick explained it was a treasure hunt. OH BOY, they all joined in. Finally one person asked what the treasure was, and when I explained it was a hide and seek treasure, and the find was a log book and pencil where I noted I had found it, they quickly lost interest and went away.
I did actually find it, my second find, and entered it in the log book in the cache and returned the cache to it's hiding place. That evening we took Dick and Pat out to dinner and then we returned to the camper. It had been a good two days with her brother and the next morning we were off early to Bedford, VA in the Blue Ridge Mtns to see Dee and Al, friends from long ago when Trish and Dee had worked together nursing in NJ, FL, and MA.
The trip on the interstates was boring and uneventful. We finally got off I-81 in Roanoke, VA and headed for Bedford. We crossed over the Blue Ridge Parkway and drove into Bedford, VA. It's
Kitchen of log home
Dee fixed a great meal and Al cooked a delicious steak. We enjoyed seeing this beautiful home and friends from a time gone by. a quaint little town with some important WWII history. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit the D-Day Memorial. We met Dee and she led us to her log home out in the country.
Dee and Trish had first met in NJ as nurses years ago. They had traveled together and worked in several states before both met the man of their dreams (well, at least, I hope that's how the story should go!) Dee and Al had visited us in OH and NH and recently in VA and we had visited them in NJ. But this house was awesome! Huge logs, sitting in a field, with the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west and the sun sets were magnificent. Al had worked hard to have a smart layout and showed me his wood shop, the basement access with storm shelter, and the storage space he had designed (and built) for the bath. We stayed in the RV for the night, but Dee and Al combined for a great London Broil on the grill that was the tenderist and tastiest I've ever had. We sat and reminisced and talked of our future plans.
Next morning we had a leisurely breakfast
View from back porch at Dee and Al's
Al built a beautiful log home on 3 acres in the Blue Ridge Mts. This is the view they have in the evening as the sun goes down. How peaceful and restful it must be to see this every evening. and then headed back home to clean the coach and get set for our next trip.
A talley of this round showed we traveled 1800 miles and averaged about 10.5 MPG in the coach and gas ranged from $2.60 to $2.80 per gallon. We spent a bit more on campgrounds than in the past, but the quality of the campsites we paid for was excellent. The only down side was having to return and go back to work on the following Monday. Now that we have had a better taste of northeastern Alabama, we can't wait for the market to improve to the point we can sell the house in VA, retire, and move on.
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Tamayo
non-member comment
I enjoy reading your trip stories. You enjoy your life as you did in Japan. Wonderful!!! Last week, our old family, my father, mother, sister and me, traveled to Hong Kong, Macao, and Shenzhen for celebrateing my father's 80 years old. It was a short travel, only 4 days, but we enjoyed it. Hong Kong's night view was so beautiful and foods were so delicious. In Macao, egg pie was very good, and some streets was like Europe. Shenzhen was starting to develop 28 years ago, so well organized town. It was a guided package tour. The guides took care of most of things. We did not worry about much during the tour. I hope that we can make another tirp near future.