Tales From the Road...

We are back from 11 days on the road with pour 2011 Rpod camper. It was our 4th trip out with the camper and our longest one to date. With things shut down with covid about the time I retired we feel like this is our first real retirement thing we have been able to do.

The reason for our trip was Cathy's Aunt Shelia had a 90th birthday in Florida so we met up with lots of family there to celebrate that. On the way home we took a leisurely route and enjoyed it very much.   

The camper or Road Toad as we named (you are supposed to name Rpods) it, performed very well. One thing I tell people is that if you are retired and have about six hours a day to work on it and plenty of grandkids to assist you buying an 11 year old camper is a good idea. There are some minor repairs and adjustments to make but the heater worked on cold nights, I sleep better in the camper than I do in the house and the thrift store bike rack that Cathy bought years ago was finely put to use and the bikes rode securely and ready for use in all the parks we stayed at.  

Here's a few photos and I'll go into details in this journal as time permits. 

This is Meaher State Park in Alabama. It's located where the Tensaw River flows into Mobile Bay.  

In Edgewater, Florida where Aunt Shelia lives we stayed at the Sugar Mill Ruins campground that we call for lack of a better word a commercial camp where in addition to travelers like us there is a population of permanent residents and snowbirds with standing reservations. It was scenic, we had a good spot and we caught snook from a pond and slough right behind our camp.    

Cathy says Jimmy Buffet lives in a gated community and has not driven himself down A1A in decades. We took a longer route along the Atlantic coast just for the romance of it. 

Faver Dykes State Park is located right outside of St. Augustine. They call it "like old Florida."  

Ft. Pickens National Seashore near Orlando. We never went to town instead biked the trails, fished and poked around the old fort ruins. 

Fountainebleau State Park near Mandeville, La. We visited Cathy's friend of 35 plus years, Nancy here, saw a band in New Orleans as well as hiking, biking and checking out historical sites of the area.    

Here's the stats. I kept a record of gas costs but have not added it up. Most parks had a senior discount or benefits with the National Parks senior pass. We did all the free stuff we could and count the whole experience as priceless. 

I must get busy with winterization of the camper. There is a hard freeze expected here and I want to be ready for the next trip.