Here we are, on the road: We’re in Mexico Beach, Florida

Sunday, May 2, 2010 Lorraine’s report

Hello from Mexico Beach, Florida.

We’ve had a pretty nice week since last Sunday when we were still with Chuck’s sister, Corliss, her husband, Phil and daughter, Samantha at their home in Bowling Green, KY.

Sunday, I went to church with Corliss and the family. We came home and Phil was getting ready to Bar B Q ribs and dogs for everyone. What a wonderful time we all had and the food was delicious too boot.

I heard from Rick and Susy, making for a great end of a simply great day. Thank you Corliss, Phil and Samantha for the fine time we all shared during our visit.

Monday was a down day, saying our goodbyes to Chuck’s sister and family that evening.

We left Tuesday and headed out to Birmingham; we were going back to the Sam’s Club parking lot we had found last month to dry camp.

On the way south, we realized we were a short distance from the Jack Daniels Distillery. The last time through, we didn’t have enough time to tour, so we decided this trip, we should take the time and see it.

We arrived at the entrance just as the black sky opened up and dumped several inches of rain on us, during a big thunder storm; we had been out running the storm all the way south.

I have to say the tour was very informative. JD #7 is made of only corn, barley, rye, yeast and water. It’s the oak barrels that give the liquor its unique flavor. Once the barrels are filled they are stored in the same barrel until the brew master determines it’s ready, however long that takes.

Wednesday we continued to head south to Mexico Beach, Florida, arriving around 5:30. We set the rig up and I started laundry.

Thursday, while continuing laundry, a pair of my jeans got knocked down into the wash pile and not knowing my phone was still in the pocket; into the washer it went; I heard clanking, saw my red phone being washed; I got Chuck so he could pull the fuse so the washer door would open. Too late, the phone was soaked. Needless to say, I had to buy a new phone.

We headed north up Highway 98 to Panama City to Walmart for supplies, then the AT&T store. The gal there was no help, so we went back to WM and bought the same phone for less, from a gal who was happy to set my new phone up, without the attitude of the gal at the AT&T store; a very nice surprise.

Friday we decided to drive up 98 to tour Destin, FL, a nice beach town Chuck’s sister, Corliss told us about, that they loved to go to for sun, fun and the beach. Off we headed on a dark, gray, windy day. Good thing we took Misty dog with us. I put my toes into the Gulf waters, and have to say the water was warmer than 2 months ago.

I should tell you that this week is biker week here in Mexico City and the town has been full of bikers, up to several thousand. We encountered them on the way to Destin, both there and back. Also, we hit heavy wind, thunder, lightening and lots of rain again. We sure have seen lots of bad weather here in the South.

We liked Destin, but it is sure a lot faster pace than here in Mexico City; there were lots of people, cars, traffic, and congestion. The beaches were very pretty. We hit an accident on the way home that added over an hour plus to our drive.

Saturday was another easy day. We took a drive to St. Joe’s beach and looked around, and I put my feet into the warm water again. Since the first day here when it was sunny, we have had gray, overcast, windy, and wet, sunless days. Saturday evening was the first time the sun came out enough to almost get a sunset picture.

Hope all the Mothers out there have a great day, and also, Happy 18th Anniversary to my niece, Kerri and her husband, Paul, and hope Patrick feels better…….

Until next time…..Lorraine

5/2/10 Chuck’s report

Happy Mother’s day to all the Mothers out there, especially Lorraine and Susy!

Last Sunday my BIL, Phil, outdid himself doing a pork rib Bar-B-Q and my sister and Lorraine fixed all the rest of the food for our dinner. Their daughter, Stacy, her husband, Steve, their daughter Nicky and son Andy (not Adam as previously reported, sorry about that Andy) came over to help out and eat too. A very good meal and good company.

We decided to wait out the upcoming bad weather that was forecasted for Monday and leave on Tuesday. Oh well, good plan but bad execution as the weather cleared up nicely late Monday morning and we hit a couple of storms on Tuesday. Guess it’s springtime in the Midwest and South but at least no twisters.

Tuesday morning we got ready to leave and Corliss and Stacy came by from work to say bye and open/close their gate to let us out. We really enjoyed our time with them and will return (if they will let us, ha) again. They sure made us feel welcome and opened their lives to us while we were there. Thanks Corliss, Phil and Samantha!

We planned to overnight in Birmingham at Sam’s Club and the GPS said we would be there by 2:30, too early to set up in their parking lot. We decided to go a bit out of our way and tour the Jack Daniels Distillery on the way. It was about 30 miles or so out of our way but well worth it, we thought. The tour got off to a late start due to a big storm moving in with lots of rain, some thunder and lightening but once it cleared up they started the tour.

They are in a “dry county” and just got permission to sell some of their wares on site a few years ago. They also give everyone a taste - - - of lemonade, can’t serve liquor there. They do put on a good tour however and the tour guide is a hoot. They don’t allow picture taken inside where they make the stuff but we could take as many pictures as we wanted outside.

By the time we finally got to Birmingham and set up, it was getting on to dark. We had to run the generator most of the evening to run the air conditioner as it was hot and humid. But at least we were able to walk to the store to buy our dinner, made that part easy.

Next morning we were up and on the road by 9:00, didn’t want another long day. Corliss and Phil had told us about Destin where they sometimes take their vacation. I had done some searching for a campground in the area, boy are they proud of the ones close by, one was $150/night, way out of our league, that’s for sure. I found a Passport America park in Mexico Beach, just down the road a bit, I thought. However, once we actually got on the road, the GPS wanted to send us way East of Destin but we over rode it and kept heading towards Destin. The GPS kept “re-calculating” but we kept going our own way. Well, once again I was wrong, Mexico Beach is over 60 miles away and about 1 1/2 hour trip. So we didn’t arrive at our campground until 5:30 or so, once again a long driving day, two days in a row. We were both tired by the time we got here, that’s for sure.

Thursday we did some touring of the area and drove to Panama City to get a replacement phone for Lorraine, her’s took a bath. We also stocked up at Wal-Mart, one of the best places to stock up as they are all pretty much the same across the country.

Friday we took a road trip back to Destin to see why Corliss and Phil liked it so much. Boy what beaches they have there, white sand that looks almost like flour. Lots of touristy stuff there too and a ton of condos and hotels. In fact, its a pretty good sized town, not at all like here in Mexico Beach. On the way back, we got stuck in traffic for about an hour due to an accident, not sure what happened because by the time we went by, they were towing the vehicles away.

Saturday we headed down the beach to Port St. Joe, another sleepy town like Mexico Beach. Both towns have lots of places for vacationers and the campground has lots of folks who stay for the winter. But life is slower here, one main drag through town. The locals we’ve talked to have all been very friendly and glad to tell us about the area. They say it gets in the low 100F during the summer with very high humidity, not where we need to be, that’s for sure.

I’m sure most everyone has heard about the oil rig explosion and huge oil leak in Gulf. I heard the oil is starting to show up in the Bayous of Louisiana, what a mess that must be. They are talking about the possibility of the oil coming ashore here in Florida too, that would sure spoil these white, sandy beaches. Here’s hoping the oil stays out there in the Gulf and doesn’t do any more damage to the beaches.

There is a biker’s rally going on in Panama City (about 10 miles away) this weekend. The guy parked next to us has his bike with him and is part of the group. He said there will be about 100,000 bikers in town for this event, not as many as in Sturgis in South Dakota but still lots of them around. They travel in packs of 10 or so and there are lots of “packs” everywhere we go. They aren’t the typical Hell’s Angels thought, most of them are old folks our age, just riding the motorbikes instead of driving a motorhome. Of course, I did see more tattoos on them then on most motorhomers.

Last night we went out for a nice dinner at a local restaurant, Toucans. Lorraine had a big plate of grilled shrimp and I had a prime rib, both dinners were great. We also split a Key Lime Pie afterwards, Lorraine said that was the first one she’s had and she liked it.

The weather has been getting warmer here although it has been overcast and rainy. We have managed to avoid all the really bad weather down here. There has been lots of rain in places (over 4” in Kentucky after we left) and some twisters (bad ones in Mississippi and Tennessee) but we’ve only had rain, lightening, thunder and some wind, not bad considering. Most days the temperature gets into the high 70s, low 80s and its been really humid. At least the air conditioning keeps it bearable inside the coach. Not complaining, you understand, just stating a fact.

Today our plan is to do a bit more touring of the area. We extended our stay here until Monday when we head to the East coast of Florida, staying in St. Augustine for a few days. Our son, Rich, is vacationing in the Keys and he will drive up to see us sometime during the week. Our timing is working out as he will probably be heading back to Alaska soon after. We last saw him at Thanksgiving at Susy’s house in California and we are looking forward to seeing him now.

After that, our next stop will probably be Savannah, Ga. Our friends, Dave and Sandy, went thought there just before we met with them in Huntsville a few weeks ago and really whetted out appetites to experience the area ourselves. After that, we plan on working our way up the coast, stopping where we can find a good campground and exploring the area. We will be adding a few new states to our map on this part of the trip and visiting areas we haven’t been to before, should be fun.

So with that update and look ahead, I’ll stop for now and add some pictures.

Here’s why Lorraine loves being a mother and grandmother. I don’t have a picture of our son, Rich to add however.

Nicky, Stacy, Corliss and Samantha the night before we left their house.

On the road again, that’s Nashville in the distance. Hoping to miss this storm, it hit us anyway with lots of rain just before we got to Jack Daniels distillery.