Savannah and Charleston (Along the Way--Tallahassee FL)

We at last crossed into EST on our journey to the queen cities of Savannah and Charleston. The drive from Niceville to the Silver Lake (COE Landing) Campground near Tallahassee on SR20 took us through state and national forests and past the E. O. Wilson Biofilia  Center. The great man was to dedicate the new center a few weeks after we drove through the area. I would have loved to have heard him speak.

Just had to take this picture through the screen door! (Silver Lake COE Landing)

Our campground host and his best friend!

St. Patrick's Day--a great day to be in Tallahassee!

Airstream food truck. They just keep on rolling!

The Tallahassee Farmer's Market held in the beautifully landscaped median of a downtown boulevard.

Many booths with lots of "good eats."

The winners of the most photogenic contest. How can you help but smile.

Savannah and Charleston (Along the Way--Niceville FL)

Our stay in Niceville FL allowed us to deliver several of Kelli's paintings to galleries in Destin and Grayton Beach. Fortunately, Rocky Bayou State Park had a spot for us after attempts to make reservations at the seaside parks in the area failed. (We must remember that Florida's high season for RVers is November through March.) 

Rocky Bayou is a lovely wooded park right on the water. We spent several days here enjoying the trails and the town.

Just had to take a picture during set-up to remember the spacious site with a water view.

The trails are well marked and you can pick up trail guides with plant and wildlife identification information at the Ranger Station.

This was something new for us...deer lichen. Thank goodness for the trail guide!

Sunrise on the bayou...

How about these fancy Max goodies made by locals under the name of Three Dogs and a Chick!

Grayton Beach Dunes. Vegetation is well established on these old dunes.

Wind gusts up to 40 miles an hour on this day...red flag warning!

Beautiful sight despite the danger.

Savannah and Charleston (Along the Way--Ft. Pickens)

Spring 2013

Fort Pickens Area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore
Santa Rosa Island, Florida
(Yes, this lovely, quiet place actually shares the island with Pensacola.)

Making our way along the Gulf coast, we at last got to see the place I had been reading and rereading about during the winter months: Gulf Islands National Seashore--Ft. Pickens FL. The description notes on the website tell of the isolation of this place and of the mercy a traveler may have to submit to if a storm washes over the only access road to this pristine area. Most uncharacteristically of me, I left all concerns aside. I rode out to the end of Santa Rosa Island and stood with Ft. Pickens at the end of the road, knowing mercy was surely on my side.

Entering the Gate.

The first walk across the dunes. 

One postcard picture after another.

Me and my dog. Max and I share the same hair color and style.

Magnificent Ospreys. There were numerous nests around our campground. I was very careful with Max, in case they wanted a change from eating fish day after day.

Home Sweet Home in the RV park.

Desert Blooms-I

Desert Blooms-II

Desert Blooms-III

Easy-to-walk trail through the windswept trees and brush.

I just can't help feeling these trees are second-lining, hands raised, singing Hallelujah.

Sunrise from our bedroom window.

Max just knows he could get me out of bed if only he could lick my foot. 

The three of us on the beach.

This view goes on for miles. Now you can see how the road
would get washed over by waves during a storm.

Now we are talking diamonds!

This bird should be in show business.
 He/she sat quietly for  20 minutes while Harvey took way too many photos of him/her.

This is the wall surrounding Fort Pickens at the end of Santa Rosa Island. It is about 8 feet high and four feet wide. We walked around the fort on top of the wall...there are strategically placed stairs on the inside.

And here is a picture of the fort.

Savannah and Charleston (Along the Way--Elberta AL)

Spring 2013

Just outside of Gulf Shores in Elberta, Alabama, we found the South's cheese Mecca. Who'd-a-thunk this unassuming sign would be the gateway to a religious experience for cheese lovers.

Don't ignore this sign...Turn!

If you sat under that tree for a day, you could probably tick off license plates from every state in the union. Why did everybody know about this place, but me?

Busy cheesemongers in their quaint shop. Note the wall of awards  for their fabulous cheeses.

A five-star lunch!

Savannah and Charleston (Along the Way--Gulfport,Ms)

Six weeks of traveling, beginning in the waning days of February to the beginning of April...

Pitstop at Foley RV in Gulfport, MS, for bumper repair and installation of a bike rack.

Taking a short walk along the boardwalk
at the Davis Bayou section of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

The beautiful marsh of Davis Bayou.

Fellow traveler enjoying this beautiful day.

In the Beginning...

On August 14, 2012, Harvey and I picked up our 25' Airstream International Serenity Model travel trailer in Eugene, Oregon.  Tired, but happy, after our 3,000 mile road trip from Louisiana, we were ready to start a new retirement adventure, one that would require a skill set that neither of us possessed--but isn't putting yourself into a position that requires a stretch of mind and body part of the fun of being retired? We think so, so here we go with a picture of our tin can traveler that we have named The Trailer Queen (so dubbed based on the remark of the salesman who, upon our noting that the queen bed seemed a bit shorter than our bed at home, said, "Oh, this is a Trailer Queen!"). The name seems to work on so many levels!