The final stretch home, via Kentucky and West Virginia

 Sunday, April 27th and we are parked at the Camp David RV Resort, Columbus, Georgia for one night.    The campground is not fancy, but convenient, quiet and has wide open pull thru sites.  There are many long seasonal/term RV's here, but they are all neat and tidy.  The park is a very pleasant place to stay for a few nights.

Site 24 or 25

Many new and empty sites.

Monday morning as I was walking the dogs, I met our neighbors who checked in shortly after we did last night.  What a wonderful group.  They offered me a chair and coffee, and after a bit of arm twisting I agreed.  Mike, Sonya, Roxanna and Ted turned out to as friendly and chatty group I have met on this trip.  We ended up trading NY maple cream and syrup for a selection of Louisiana sausages, and a pledge to meet again on one of our southern trips.  Although it put us behind an hour for packing up and leaving, it was an hour of fun and meeting new friends!!

Ted, Roxanna, Sonya and Mike, our new friends from Louisiana.

Monday, April 28.  Tonight we're parked at the Chattanooga North/Cleveland KOA in McDonald, Tennessee.  Unfortunately we are only here for one night.  It is a beautifully wooded park.  Our pull thru site was gorgeous!!  And there was an excellent dog park right across the lane from us.  We would absolutely stay here for a longer time someday to visit Chattanooga.

Site 50

With mixed emotions, (attending her daughter's wedding vs leaving me alone) Judy is departing in 2 days for her daughter's destination wedding in the Caribbean island of Curacao.  Since tomorrow is a travel day, she wanted to get a head start on packing.  Fun, fun, fun.

It's Tuesday, April 29th and we're parked at the Kentucky Horse Park Campground in Lexington, Kentucky for 3 nights.  We have camped here several times before.  All the sites are back ins, and water/electric only.

Site C-165

Wednesday morning, I delivered Judy to the Lexington airport at 5:00 AM for her flights to Curacao.  I watched her go through the TSA checkpoint, then back to the camper.  Now for the next week, it's just me and the pups, as I make our way 800 miles north to pick her up in Syracuse, NY next Tuesday morning.

The main reason for our Lexington stop was to visit friends Dennis and Lisa.  We had the good fortune to meet them a couple years ago when camping in Carrabelle, Florida.  As I was walking Parker, we met Dennis and their Golden named River.  It was friendship at first sight for both Dennis and I and Parker and River.  

Here Dennis and I are on May2, 2023 in Carrabelle.
Parker is 4 months old, and River is about 6 months.

Dennis, with Parker and River 2 years later.

Over those past 2 years, we have visited Dennis and Lisa several times to catch up.  And I swear the pups remember each other.  Dennis and Lisa have recently just moved into their new home they have been building.  For dinner one evening I brought a bottle of Kentucky bourbon to celebrate.  

Dennis brought River to the Horse Park Campground a couple times for the dogs to run and play.  The dog park there is huge, and the exercise was good for the pups.

River, Maggie and Parker

There are all kinds on RVs on the road and you never know what you are going to see.  There was a a motor home parked near me with a unique full body paint job, with different murals on each side.

Friday May 2nd:  My time with Dennis and Lisa was way too brief, but I have to move on to stay on schedule to meet Judy in 4 days.  My stop tonight is the Huntington/Fox Fire KOA Holiday in Milton, West Virginia.  This is a charming campground with a beautiful pond and lots or room for dog walks.  I would definitely stay here again.

Patio site 8

Saturday May 3rd, and I'm parked in the driveway of my son Matt and his family near Shinnston, West Virginia for 2 nights. West Virginia is a beautiful state with almost zero flat ground, and Matt's home is no different.  Their driveway is a challenging and winding climb, but at the top the view is gorgeous and the camping is "free".  

With 2 teenagers, Matt and Jaime are constantly on the go.  And like all my other grandchildren, they are taller than me.  I like to tell people that I "didn't use my tall genes" and instead save them and passed them on to the rest of the family.  

It was a short visit, but always a special one.  I have to pick Judy up in Syracuse Tuesday morning, and it's a 2 day drive.  So Monday morning the pups and I are back on the road. to the Westfield/Lake Erie KOA, Westfield, NY for one nite.  This is a "go to" stop for us, convenient and easy.  And this early in May, the park was nearly empty!

Unfortunately it poured Monday night and the next morning Maggie and Parker just loved playing in the mud puddles.  UGH!  So much for clean pups to great Judy.

Tuesday, May 6th and it's the last day of the trip.  I'm supposed to meet Judy about noon at her Holiday Inn on the way through Syracuse.  She texted that she never arrived to her room until 2:30 this morning.  I asked Google to take me to the Holiday Inn near the Syracuse  airport.  I had done my research and it appeared that I could navigate the 5th wheel camper around the hotel parking lot.  Sure enough, I arrived about 12:30, parked and went to the lobby to help with luggage.  But there's no Judy??????  I called her phone and said I was in the lobby.  She said, "so am I".  ?????????????  Well, you can guess what happened.  I had driven to a Holiday Inn Suites while Judy was staying in a Holiday Inn Express.  So away I go to navigate another hotel parking lot.  Despite some strange looks, the pups and I found Judy, loaded her luggage, and escaped the Syracuse traffic unscathed.  All part of the adventure.  

A short 2 hour drive home and we were parked in our driveway, ready to collapse.  We saved most of the unpacking until the next day.  Why does always seem that after a vacation, you need a vacation from the vacation??  

Now to catch  up on yard work and outdoor chores.   Anyway, all is well.  Stay tuned.

Home Sweet Home!!  The lawn is shaggy and the dandelions are blooming.  😀

Carrabelle Beach on the Florida Panhandle

We checked in to Carrabelle Beach RV Resort on April 14th, 2025 for 14 nights.  Judy and I discovered this park a few years ago and, while expensive, it has become a "Go To" destination for su because of the mile long white sand public beach just a 2 minute walk across the street.  And in addition, the beach allows dogs on leashes.

Site 31

Our site, #31 in bottom right corner.

The resort is a COA park.  That is, most of the sites are owned by individuals who then rent them out when the owners are not using them.  We met one resident who was there there last year and has not moved since.  We met another couple who bought 2 sites and occasionally stays on one while renting the other one continuously.  The second site rental income pays for the purchase of the one they use seasonally.  Interesting concept.  "In an HOA, residents own their property, but the association owns and maintains common areas, such as lobbies, pools, clubhouses, and gyms. Conversely, in a COA, owners own their individual units and a percentage of all shared property, like tennis courts, swimming pools, sidewalks, and parking lots."

We connected with long time friends Mark and Charmaine for 3 days while here.  They are originally Northern New Yorkers who have resettled in Northern Florida.  Charmaine used to teach with me at Potsdam High School.   They both have a wonderful sense of humor and we try to connect yearly.  We always end up having a great time.  In fact, we ended up needing a huge favor this time from them.  We had to leave our truck at a Chevy dealer in Tallahassee overnight, and Mark and Charmaine were our only ride for a couple days.   And even then, the parts did not arrive in time, so we have to drive the rest of the way with all the warning lights on.  Oh well, all part of the adventure.

One of several great meals.

Mark and Charmaine patiently waiting for us.

Another great time dinning out.

Couple of retired Potsdam High School teachers.

A trip to Carrabelle isn't complete without a side trip or two to nearby Apalachicola.  The city is anchored by its seafood industry, as well as an up and coming tourist destination with great shopping and dinning.  Before railroads reached the region, Apalachicola was the 3rd largest port on the gulf coast behind New Orleans and Mobile.  Cotton and the sponge industry were the early economic engines driving the economy before the seafood and tourism boom.

One morning we took a drive to St. George Island for some lunch and shopping.  We also drove the road out to St. George Island State Park campground and beach.  

St. George Island State Park Beach.

Another day we explored the local history.  Carrabelle was the site of Camp Gordon Johnston, a huge training area for amphibious assault teams during World War 2.  Nearby is also the Crooked River Lighthouse which on the National Register of Historic Places.  

You never know what you might see when walking the pups along the beach.  One morning we watched pelicans fishing for breakfast.  Another morning, a pod of dolphins were out for a swim in the sun.  And the morning sunrises on our walks were a wonder to see.

We discovered a new place to eat called the Mornin' Bite.  They serve breakfast and lunches, so we tried it a few times, and the food and beer was amazing.  HERE is a link to the Trip Advisor info review.

The annual Carrabelle Riverfront Festival happened to coincide with our last day here.  The festival occurs on the last Saturday of April each year.  Local information booths, craft vendors, street dancing, face painting and food trucks are just a few of the activities.  It was a beautiful day and we spent a couple hours watching, visiting and shopping.  Fun time!!

Among the many new friends we met was this Canadian couple from the Montreal area.  They were our next door neighbors and had spent the entire month of April at the park.  Michel and Helene quickly became best friends with Parker and Maggie.

Sunday April 27th, and our 2 week stay at Carrabelle is done.  It's time to finally turn north and make the 8 day trek to be back home for Spring chores.  We have already decided to stop in Carrabelle again, probably for this Winter's Christmas and New Year Holidays. 

Good Bye Carrabelle.  See ya this winter.

Our next post:  Kentucky, West Virginia and HOME.

Read about our previous stop:  Meaher State Park on Mobile Bay, Alabama