Tuesday, August 22, 2017

The Diamond Ring

This picture was taken in St. Louis by the granddaughter of a Marco friend, Gentry. Gentry gave us our only pair of solar glasses to take on our trip. (Our first lucky break, which I failed to mention in my day's recap below.)

Lucky in so Many Ways

Monday morning we were up and out of Savannah early in search of a clear path of totality. We did book a second night, just in case. But we had no idea where we were going or where we would be sleeping later.

After some deliberation, Anderson SC was picked out for the best odds on the weather map. Once in Anderson, we couldn't decide between the airport or state park for our eclipse viewing pleasure. We figured no way in hell would we get a campsite within 100 miles of the totality path, so we focused on a good spot for sky watching. Feeling optimistic, we headed to the state park. The "no vacancy" sign and ranger station confirmed our thinking, so we paid for a day pass and parked at the baseball field as instructed. After a little marital spat, we ditched the confines of the baseball field and settled on open sky and water near the boat launch. It was perfect. So lucky to have explored our options.

A sweet couple from SC had their camper parked in the shade and were setting up camera equipment as we observed possible clouds moving into the area. We started a conversation and before you know it, they offered us their campsite for the night as they were taking off after the show. Lucky again!

The clouds stayed away and it was an amazing experience to witness such heavenly glory! A total eclipse of the sun! The light, the dark, the quiet, the cool, the gasps of awe, the spectacle. So lucky!

There was such a sense of togetherness; a special and peaceful connection among the people around the boat launch. We shared something so incredible. One by one people left and we found our way to the campsite. It was on a lake. So beautiful! So lucky. There was loads of firewood, too!

A heavenly day and night. So lucky!

Monday, August 21, 2017

Overwhelmed

A memory forever. Sadler Creek State Park, Anderson SC. Clear skies for a spectacular spectacle in the sky. The Universe. Totality. Goodness. 4/8/2024 on the calendar.

Totality Awesomeness

Worth every mile to Anderson SC

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Skidaway State Park GA

We said goodbye to the birthday girl and crazy Rufus in Ponte Vedra and, within hours, settled into another beautiful GA park. It's real pretty with private and spacious sites; only 20 minutes to Savannah the ranger advised. We cracked a beer and planned our route for tomorrow's path to totality (I love how that sounds). Forecasts are predicting eastern US cloud cover for the eclipse. Plan B is to go west towards the Tennessee Valley on I-26. What else are we doing?

Regular Visitors

Twice in one week! Great to see Amelia for her 9th birthday! Babysitting with puzzles, pasta and the new pooch while Will keeps Solo happy in FL and Steph and DeWayne enjoy a date night.

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Journey to the Path of Totality

Maps, fully stocked with water, diesel, propane, food and booze. We're ready for anything as we take on another August adventure. No, Carly 🎼, it's not a Learjet but an Airstream going to see the total eclipse of the sun.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

The Final Push Home

Cheraw State Park was another nice find in SC. The park was empty and we were treated to waterfront property. On to Ponte Vedra, FL to meet Rufus, the newest family member. After a final night at our fave FL park, Anastasia Island SP, we ventured down the interstate to our little corner of paradise!!!

Thanks for following along. We'll be posting from the big eclipse next week!

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Virginia Does it Again

With a late start out of NJ, we made it to the Shenandoah River Valley by 5:30pm. As much as I generally dislike KOAs, we hit the jackpot in the town of Luray. A beautiful campsite welcomed us to the grassy knolls and distant mountains of VA.

Charlottesville is on our mind tonight as fanatics exercise their right to free speech and excite the media into a frenzied state of incessant and sensationalized reporting. God help America.

Cityscapes

Union Square was a perfect central location for touring the city in three days. We went through $50 in subway fares with a major Metro hub just a couple blocks from our hotel.

Friday was mostly spent exploring lower Manhattan's waterfront. A ride on the Staten Island ferry capped off the tour.

We couldn't resist a stop for lunch at the original Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. It was packed!

Thursday, August 10, 2017

New York, NY

Oh how I ❤️ NY!

Ally is taking her turn babysitting. We left Solo for a few days in NY. Lunch at Mister Dips in Brooklyn was first on the list. Then, we shared a solemn couple hours at the 9/11 Memorial. The Oculus transportation hub at the WTC connected us to our subway and hotel in Union Square; close to my old stomping grounds.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Long Beach Island

Brookville campground was a decent stay at the NJ shore. Wednesday morning we ventured to LBI for lunch and a little boutique shopping. Fun stop!

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Dinner on the NJ Shore

Stateside!

Amish, Mennonite, Shaker: It's Simple and Fascinating



Lancaster County is beautiful and famous for the simple lifestyle of its population. It's such a curiosity to see in 2017. They must think we're curious too.

Anyway, here a quick read from USA Today on why America loves camping:




Lancaster PA

There is a considerable difference between camping and parking for the evening. Now that we've moved out of the mountains and into more congested areas, it becomes a parking situation. Luckily, we have not had to spend the night in the Walmart parking lot. However, sometimes we're just grateful to have a nice place to park and a clean shower. Such was the case last night in Lancaster Pennsylvania. A rear view with green pastures, horses and pretty farm outbuildings was compensation for close neighbors.

Back to the heat, we had a simple dinner of BBQ leftovers and watched "Ozark" in the air conditioning.

Bill made pressure-cooked steel cut oats for breakfast Tuesday. Yum!