Where did the last two months go! On one hand it feels like the time has flown by, but on the other hand I think about everything that has occurred, and it seems like our last post was a lifetime ago.
We had a very smooth, although bittersweet, closing on our Beech Mountain home. Then, as Larry likes to say, "We were homeless.", but no, we had Jessie, and yes, Jessie became our home for weeks. It was a great RV learning experience for us. We remembered, however, we bought Jessie to travel in, not live in. Consequently our next task was finding a home base. Happily, we're now renting a great little house in St. Augustine Beach. It's walking distance to the beach, and and the perfect spot to spend our time when not on the road. We're still unpacking and trying to fit 2,200 square feet of "stuff" into 1,600 square feet, but we're getting there and it's beginning to feel like home. Hint: Our purging didn't go quite far enough!
Now, let's talk about our first road trip. It was better than we imagined. Our initial destination was Washington, Georgia, where Larry reconnected with a Mercer University friend he hadn't seen in 50 years. It was a wonderful visit. They have a lovely place with some acreage and the perfect spot for hooking up Jessie. The drive there took us through miles of Georgia farmland. We loved it. I took my first turn at driving Jessie, and although terrified initially, I found it easier than expected.
From there we drove to Cloudland Canyon State Park in northwest Georgia. This was a return trip, after 45 years! We were anxious to return because we remembered it being stunning. We were not disappointed. The topography there is so unexpected. It's a must see.
The campgrounds (there's an east and west campground - one on either side of the canyon) were immaculate. We had reservations, but the campsites weren't assigned, so we had the option of choosing our location. We chose site #7 on the West Rim. The West Rim sites were slightly larger, and #7 had a excellent view of nothing but woods. We loved it. The sites were more remote, than the east side, and did require additional hiking to view the Canyon or the waterfalls. The sites on the East Rim had easier access to spectacular views, but weren't as private. On a return trip we might choose the East Rim. Even with three days there we only scratched the surface of the hiking available. Besides jaw dropping views of the canyon, there are numerous beautiful waterfalls, crystal clear creeks, and amazing rock and cliff formations. I hope we find time to go back.
Last, we were on to visit Alan, Larry's brother, at his farm near Fayetteville, Tennessee. He also had a perfect spot for us to hook up Jessie, and we enjoyed several days visiting with him, as well as one night when our daughter Jennifer and family joined us. It's a beautiful area in southwest Tennessee, and Alan gave us a fun Jeep tour of it. We had a great time around the fire pit, walking his property taking in the views, enjoying some good, local southern cooking, target shooting, and mostly catching up with each other. It was hard to leave, but it was time to head home for Thanksgiving weekend.
It was a great first road trip. At one point, on our drive to Clouldland, we looked at each other and commented on how much fun we were having, and how glad we were about the decisions we had made.