[bwdbrn1]

Some of you might remember me mentioning the fact that I've been retired for a little while now. My wife, bless her, has been going to work each morning for the last 10 years, since I called it quits, watching me wave good bye to her from the back door.

Well, now it's her turn! After 28 years with the City of Moline, today is her final work day! Everything is packed and ready to go so, Charlie, our cat, and I will be picking Judy up at work and we will be on our way to points unknown. One of the few actual plans we have is to be gone past the first day payroll has to be done since all of our vacations to this point were limited to the time she had to be back in the office to do payroll so everyone at work could get their paycheck that week.

We've called our place "Someday's Here". Folks are always saying someday I'm going to do this, or someday I'm going to do that. Well, Someday's Here, and after we get done doing a little of this and a little of that, we're going to be on to finish our place and enjoying every minute it takes to get it done.

Let the adventure begin.:2th:

 

[bwdbrn1]

Thanks motor, you bet we are! Charlie is too because now "mom" will be home with him all the time.

 

[bwdbrn1]

Thanks Bruce. It's exciting and a bit scary at the same time, but either way, this is going to be one heck of a ride!

Thanks Eric. We're going just a bit smaller than that, besides, i probably couldn't pry the keys to that new truck away from Austen.

 

[bwdbrn1]

Thanks guys. Watch for that post card.

 

[bwdbrn1]

Thanks guys. I've shared all of these posts with Judy and Charlie. Judy has enjoyed hearing from everyone. Charlie, not so much, but then, he's a cat, so we'll just give him credit for listening

So, for an early update, we drove south and stopped briefly in Metropolis, IL before heading into Kentucky. Here you see Yooperman meeting Superman on the mean streets of Metropolis.
View attachment 15553

 

[bwdbrn1]

Nice shot, I see the likeness.

Well, sort of, except my six pack has one of those plastic rings at the top of it. :ROFL

Note to self...don't drive through Nashville pulling a trailer again.
Might run downtown to catch some country tunes. :dunno:

 

[bwdbrn1]

Nashville has the craziest system of Interstate Highways I have ever seen. It makes driving through Chicago seem like a cake walk, but then, maybe that's because I've been around Chicago a bit more.

Anyway, we did head downtown Nashville and strolled along Broadway. What a hoot. People were shoulder to shoulder and music coming from every direction. We went into Legends Corner and Tootsies. Even if you don't like country music, there's no way to avoid tappin' your foot in Nashville.
Legends Corner
Tootsies World Famous Orchid Lounge in Downtown Nashville

Dropped into a couple of micro breweries. Yazoo and Jackalope and enjoyed a taste of their fare.
Yazoo Brewing Company - A Southern Original Since 2003
Jackalope Brewing Company

Then, while walking between those two breweries, we caught a whiff of BBQ and ran over to Peg Legged Pig for some excellent dry rub ribs. Mmmm.

 

[bwdbrn1]

Cloudy an rain the first day, but clear and gorgeous here in the Smoky Mountains today. Absolutely beautiful!

Hey Eric, this is what I meant when I said we were going a little smaller.
View attachment 15650
Nice and cozy, and a great conversation starter. The guy in the 5th wheel asked how we made up a bed in there. It actually sleeps 4.

 

[bwdbrn1]

Where do you suppose you would go to see the Titanic on one side of the street and King Kong hanging on the side of a sky scraper on the other? Pigeon Forge, TN!

Staying in Smoky Mountain park. Just plain stunningly beautiful.

Tried some " shine" before breakfast. Starting to think I might have an issue.

Gatlinburg is a super interesting and fun town. Going to trek part of the Appalachian Trail. I found the perfect T shirt to commemorate the event. I WALKED THE ENTIRE width OF THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL.

Bennet's BBQ for lunch, and maybe more shine.😝
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[bwdbrn1]

It has been fun! We spent 4 days in the Smoky Mountains and it was absolutely gorgeous. Gatlinburg is very touristy, but tastefully so. Many of the smaller restaurants in the outlying areas weren't open for the season yet, but we were lucky enough that Little River Bar Be Que in Townsend, TN had just opened up the day we went through. The food was delicious, the waitress a sweetheart, and the view off the dining room porch was beautiful.

We stopped in Asheville, NC at Luella's BarBQ. Turns out it was opened by a hog farmer named Yoder who was from Kalona, IA using his grand mother's recipes! Who better to know good pork than an Iowa hog farmer? Had it with fried okra and collard greens. Good stuff.

Then off for a somewhat frantic drive across SC to Charleston. Seemed like everybody else was heading that was too, but today we're sitting on the beach on James Island looking out at the Atlantic.

Life is good!

 

[bwdbrn1]

This truely is a great country filled with spectacular sights, and wonderful people!

 

[bwdbrn1]

Charleston was a fantastically beautiful city filled with so many historical sites and fabulous homes! Fiery Ron's Home Team BBQ had the best we've had so far, and for those so inclined, The Tradesman Brewery just had it's grand opening and are making some fine brew. For some more good stuff, stop in to the Holy City Brewery in North Charleston too.

We forced ourselves to leave Charleston and picked out a town in S/E Georgia called St. Mary's. If you like to camp and you're in this neck of the woods, stay at the Crooked River State Park. Great campgrounds taken care of by a dedicated team of volunteers. Lots of nice hiking trails too. Pop on in to Lang's Seafood Market Restaurant for outstanding shrimp and scallops. Delicious! Head over to Amelia Island and the town of Fiernadina Beach, FL and visit the oldest bar in Florida. There's other neat sights there too.

We took a day trip down to St. Augustine, FL while in the area. Again, I can't say enough about the beauty and history. The A1A Ale house serves up some fantastic shrimp and lobster tacos, yum, and their IPA ain't bad either.

Yesterday we headed over to Panama City, FL. Another fine state campground, St. Andrews State Park. Today was the first Monday Judy didn't have to be back to the office and a mountain of work that no one else will do following a two week vacation and she celebrated it by sitting with her toes in the water and a** in the sand on the Gulf of Mexico. She said she doesn't hate Mondays any more.

Life is good.

 

[bwdbrn1]

It is super nice here now! 72* on the beach here today. Judy talked to her folks today, and they're having snow flurries there for crying out loud!! I'm looking pretty patriotic😜Judy said the red of my sunburn sets off my blue eyes🌞

 

[bwdbrn1]

It's like the winter will never end this year!

We've been so lucky with our "close you eyes, circle a finger over a map and see where it lands" method of travel so far. Each of the places we've accidentally gone to have been beautiful, intresting, and served up some really good food. The people we've met have been wonderful.

I've traveled the N/E before, and been to the southern Georgia-Alabama area, but the parts of the S/E we've been to have just been spectacular. There just isn't enough time in a person's lifetime to see and enjoy all that this great country has.

I think we'll be turning north again one of these days soon. Judy is looking forward to working in her flower garden when she wants to now. It's a whole new life, that's for sure!

 

[bwdbrn1]

Wish Charlie could do some of the driving Howard, I could take in a few more of the sights.

That bike trip in PA sounds like it's going to be a fun experience. Can't wait to hear about it Eric.

Jim's is still good, and we still have to get Brad to join us there Bill.

Austen, this is so much fun it's unbelievable. Even Charlie is enjoying getting out, when he can find the energy to open his eyes that is. He's pretty well taken over the top bunk.
View attachment 16130

 

[bwdbrn1]

He liked the beach just fine. He likes what he's seen of the pan handle area too, but he's no fisherman, at least not yet.

Likes watching the birds and wildlife, and hiking trails.

For thenext couple of nights he's going to be calling the Oak Mountain State Park his "Home in Alabama"

 

[bwdbrn1]

We did a little exploring around the Oak Mountain State Park today. Best way I can describe it is to call it the Smokey Mountains Lite.

The campground is super nice. There are loads of trails for hiking and biking and the views are pretty spectacular. It's the home of the Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

I can only get one picture to load now and for some reason, it's sideways, so kind of tilt your head.
View attachment 16162

Plus, we found one of their area micro breweries is called Good People Brewery, and one of their beers is simply called, IPA. Gotta' love it for it's simplicity.

I'm putting this place on my "to come back to" list.

 

[bwdbrn1]

Yeah, Judy's mom told her that there were flurries back home one day, but it was only 34* here yesterday morning, and got to a high of 64*, but sunny. Wait, this is Alabama, isn't it? Every where we go, people talk about what an exceptionally cold winter they've had this year!

Hey, with a handful of treats, Charlie could probably be convinced to give up his spot on the top bunk.
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[bwdbrn1]

It's been great! We got back home yesterday afternoon. When I get all the pictures together, I'll post one of those boring slide shows for everyone:sorry:

I have to say, Florida had the nicest roads of any of the states we traveled through. Wish we could get your highway engineers to come up this way, but then, I guess we do have freezing winters to deal with that you don't.

Tried to get Charlie to drive, but I guess he didn't want to miss any of the scenery.:dunno: