Author Archives: Traci

Hats, Bow ties and Mint Juleps! – 4/30/14 – 5/5/14

We rolled into Louisville, KY on Wed. afternoon and made our way to the KOA in Shepherdsville, about 18 miles south of Churchill Downs. We booked this site back in October to ensure we had a place to stay for the big event. We had a few days to get organized and get chores done before we met up with the Shull’s on Friday, including getting the MDX in for a much needed service and new brakes.

Hanging out in the infield at the Oaks on Friday

Placing bets

Check out those hats (and horses!)

The recognizable spires of Churchill Downs

Friday was the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, kind of a preview to the Derby with a “pink” theme for breast cancer awareness. Mike & I headed to the track around 12:30; Becky & Charles were driving down from Cincinnati. Charles had a business meeting in Louisville, then they were meeting us at CD. Our tickets for the day were general admission/infield which is typically a pretty crazy atmosphere with lots of college kids and plenty o’drinking. There is no seating, so many people bring blankets and camp chairs and stake out an area. Since we were only going to be there a half-day, we decided against chairs and opted to just walk around and explore. I had read that the site lines to the track were very limited from the infield, but surprisingly we could see the horses and track from a number of vantage points. We felt like this was a great intro for us to get our feet wet, learn the betting and take in the atmosphere. They had a special drink for the Oaks, the Lily. It was Grey Goose vodka and cranberry garnished with a blackberry and served in a stemless souvenir wine glass. Right up my alley! Of course, the Mint Juleps were also available and we all partook in those as well. I didn’t like them as much as the Lily, but as Beck told me, “Bourbon is an acquired taste.” Not sure I have acquired it quite yet. We ended up staying at the track until the very last race and I actually came out ahead on my betting for the day (I pick the horses based on their name, very scientific). We stopped at the grocery store on the way back to the MoHo and BBQ’d steaks complemented by a tasty salad, potatoes and spectacular wine! The Shull’s stayed with us in the MoHo because hotels were a bit overpriced for the weekend. So glad they did as it gave us quality time to hang out, catch up and for them to experience the MoHo way of life!

Making our way to the track in style!

Not a bad looking group!

Mike & Charles looking dapper

Studying up for my next bet

Hanging out in our box waiting for the next race

On Saturday, we had a leisurely morning over coffee and breakfast, then the preparations began! Beck & I donned our dresses and hats and Charles & Mike got their bow ties tied (with a little help from YouTube). Mimosa’s in hand and we were off to the Kentucky Derby! We scoped out parking the day before for only $10, just a few blocks from the track complete with golf cart service right to the front gate! Not bad for rookies. Originally we had infield tickets for Saturday, but decided to buck up and get Clubhouse Seats. It was a good choice and we ended up having a 6-seat box all to ourselves, nice to have the extra space. It was a glorious, sunny day in the mid 70’s. The best weather they have seen for the Kentucky Derby in years! First order of business was to get our Julep’s and place our first bet. We arrived in time for Race 6 (the Derby was Race 11), so we had plenty of day ahead of us. There was about 45 minutes between races and an hour and a half before the Derby Race. We felt like we fit in pretty well, but there were definitely some bigger, more elaborate hats than ours. The day couldn’t have been better and was a perfect mix of sitting in our seats, walking around, people watching, drinking Juleps, smoking cigars, betting and getting into the whole atmosphere and experience of it. Becky was the big winner for the day and California Chrome took home the roses! One of the coolest moments for me was the quiet anticipation of the crowd right before the gates opened and the announcer said “and they’re off.” 150,000 people together witnessing the most exciting 2 minutes in sports! As soon as that race was over, the crowds started clearing out pretty quickly. We stayed for another race and let it empty out a bit. We all agreed that for first timers, we did it up pretty darn good. Having Beck & Charles there really made the experience for us. It really wouldn’t have been the same without them. What a memory we will all share! We headed downtown for dinner at a cool spot called Marketplace (delicious!) and got back to the MoHo around midnight exhausted from our big day. Kentucky Derby. Check.

A pretty cool scene – all of those people focused on the greatest 2 minutes in sports!

Look closely and you can see the horses coming around the first turn

Mint Juleps!

What a great day!

Charles with the winning ticket

We all slept in the next morning then headed out to a great spot for brunch called Harvest. We drove around a bit and explored, then it was time for them to head back up to Cincinnati for their flight home. Sad to say goodbye, but I think we were all still on a high from such a fantastic day. Mike & I ran some errands then headed back to the MoHo for a relaxing evening. The next day was my bday, Cinco de Mayo. I slept in, Mike made me breakfast in bed and I caught up on some bad TV. We drove downtown in search of a Mexican restaurant and Margarita. On a Monday after Derby Weekend, a bit harder than we thought. Found a neat area called 4th Street Live, but no Mexican joints that were open. Had a few Corona’s, then headed back toward the MoHo Park and found the perfect place just a mile from the park – go figure. One jumbo strawberry margarita then back to the MoHo for a campfire. A very relaxing bday, but it did feel a bit weird not to be home with friends & family. I definitely felt the love from afar though via phone calls, texts, emails and FB.

Cinco de Mayo Corona at Fourth Street Live

Birthday Corona at Fourth Street Live

My favorite!

The Music City did not disappoint! 4/22/14 – 4/25/14

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Grand Ole Opry, Nashville

I was definitely more excited about this stop than Mike, partly due to my obsession with the TV show Nashville. And, I enjoy Country Music while he doesn’t really care for it. The drive west from Knoxville was an easy one and we got set up at our park, Nashville Shores, just about 10 miles east of downtown. This was a great place located right on a lake, including a full-blown water park which thankfully for us wasn’t open yet for the season. It was a beautiful evening, so we did our typical first night ritual; poured cocktails and walked the park.

Our spot at Nashville Shores RV Park

We got rolling the next morning at a decent time and headed out to take care of a few errands. Then, first stop was one of Mike’s ideas, Antique Archaeology, a store owned by Mike Wolfe from the show American Pickers. Not really of interest to me, but so glad we did stop. It is located in the Marathon Village, a hip industrial area, which also houses some recording studio space. Walking to the car, I spotted the singers from Lady Antebellum also walking to their car. I snapped a quick photo and contemplated following them, but decided against being a stalker. I love this kind of stuff and thought if it was this easy, I will no doubt see many other stars over the next few days (didn’t happen). After lunch at the Noshville Deli in the West End, we drove down Music Row, which consists of houses that are businesses related to the music industry. We also drove to the Bluebird Café, which is very prominent in the TV show and also is a place to go watch live music, but tickets were all sold out for the time we were here. Snapped a quick photo and I was surprised that it was actually in a strip mall. Headed into downtown for the rest of the afternoon and evening. The Nashville skyline has a very modern feel to it, most notable is the AT&T Tower with its 2 tall spires that makes for a cool presence that can be seen from most anywhere in the city. Across the river is the LP Stadium where the Titans play and the Bridgestone Arena (hockey) is in the heart of downtown. We walked down Broadway and the people and the sound of live music spilled out onto the sidewalks. We decided to stop in at Robert’s for a bit, then headed to the Listening Room. Basically there is live music in every bar all day long and you can just make your way around and pop in and out. Typically there isn’t a cover charge unless it is a special evening show, so the musicians all play for tips. Fun atmosphere!

AT&T Building, downtown Nashville

Antique Archaeology

The two dudes from Lady Antebellum; Hillary Scott is at left (out of frame – darn!)

Bluebird Cafe

The scene on Broadway, Robert’s Western World

The Listening Room, young artists performing

Yesterday, we just got our feet wet, but today was going to be a full day! It was a beautiful sunny morning, perfect. First we headed out to the Grand Ole Opry and Opryland Hotel. These are located about 10 minutes NE of downtown. Until 1974, the Grand Ole Opry took place in the Ryman Auditorium downtown, but then it was decided that a larger venue was needed, so this current location was built. We decided to do a tour, which was only $20 and lasted about an hour. We got to see the area where the performers enter (nothing fancy, since many of them live in Nashville or have homes here, they just drive their own cars and walk on in to the security area). We saw the wall where all the inductee plaques are, the dressing rooms, green room, the stage, then out to the audience seating. It is much smaller than I thought and really any seat in the house would be good. The seats are all wooden pews. On the stage there is a round wooden circle embedded in the floor that was taken from the Ryman. It holds a lot of historical significance as all performers at the Opry have stood on that very circle. A devastating flood in May of 2010 did significant damage to this location as well as the wooden circle, but they were able to save the circle, renovate and reopen successfully. After the tour, we walked over to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, which is adjacent to the Opry. This place is HUGE! 2,800 rooms and the largest non-casino hotel in the country. We walked through the different areas, admiring all of the landscaping and lush greenery. It is just one humungous atrium flooded with light with numerous restaurants, shops and even a live radio show broadcasting. Pretty impressive and a great place to stay if you were attending a show at the Grand Ole Opry, also a very large convention center associated with the hotel.

Inside the Grand Ole Opry

The wooden circle on stage

One of the many dressing rooms inside the Opry

Chillin’ in the Green Room

The metal bar above the chairs designates how high the flood of May 2010 came

The metal bar above the chairs designates the height of the flood of May 2010

Inside the Opryland Hotel

It was now time to head downtown and listen to some music before our 7pm show at the Ryman Auditorium, known as the Mother Church of Country Music. (There were tour and show options at both the Opry and Ryman, so we decided to just tour one and see a show at the other). We headed back to Broadway Street and hit Tootsies, Legends & Rippy’s then a quick bite before the show. We tried for the highly recommend Jack’s BBQ, but there was a line out the door and we just didn’t have time. We made it inside and up to the balcony where our seats were located. This is a smaller venue than the Opry, so all seats felt pretty close to the stage. The show we were seeing was called Opry Country Classics, which is a live radio show (longest running live broadcast since 1925) featuring various performers, some Opry members and some new younger artists. (There are also intimate concerts here, Rob Thomas and Santana had played the past few days but both were sold out). Turns out this show was a tribute to the late George Jones and his wife was in attendance. We weren’t quite sure what to expect, but it was kind of a variety show hosted by Larry Gatlin (of the Gatlin Brothers). Four or five artists sang a few songs each, then Vince Gill ended the show, which was the reason I wanted to come. He was fantastic and glad we got to see the venue, but looking ahead at the schedule there are some great performers coming up over the next few weeks that would have been great to see (Charlie Daniels Band, Little Big Town, Loretta Lynn, Martina McBride & Carrie Underwood to name a few). The cool thing about the Opry is you just never know who will be playing and sometimes they make surprise appearances if they are in town. Would love to see more shows here!
Side Note: Nashville (the TV show) just aired a special featuring the actors of the show singing which was filmed at the Ryman Auditorium, so it was pretty cool to see a show there in person.

Signs designate locations where live music plays

The Ryman Auditorium

Inside the Ryman, awaiting the show to start

Vince Gill performing, Larry Gatlin & George Jones’ wife dancing in the background

We headed back to the MoHo after a full day. A terrible storm rolled in that night that we were not expecting. I can’t believe weather boy did not have this on his radar. Rain, thunder & lightning that literally shook the MoHo and neither one of us got much sleep. The sun was back shining in the morning; the weather in the south is so unlike what we are used to. We were a bit lazy, then headed out to Centennial Park and the Parthenon, which is a full-size replica of the one in Greece. Then it was off to find the Grilled Cheeserie, a food truck featured in Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. What could be better than a grilled cheese & cup of tomato soup out of a food truck!? Lastly, we drove over to the Gulch which is an Urban area just SW of town that is kind of trendy. We parked and found Hops & Crafts and sat outside enjoying the sunshine over a cold beer. We didn’t actually go into downtown this day as they were gearing up for the Rock n Roll Marathon to be held Saturday so it was a bit chaotic. Back to the MoHo for some laundry and relaxation while Mike fished on the lake.

The Parthenon in Nahsville

I really LOVED Nashville and would love to come back again when we could attend some good music shows. It may be a better girls trip as I’m not sure Mike enjoyed the scene as much as I did. Off to St. Louis in the morning.

Asheville, NC – worth the stop! 4/15/14 – 4/17/14

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The impressive Biltmore

We left Augusta with mixed feelings because it was such an amazing week at the tournament and spending time with our friends. But, time to get on with the next part of the trip. Asheville, NC wasn’t originally on our itinerary, but we had several people along the way tell us that this was a must-stop, so we added it in. The weather had turned cold, windy & wet, which made for a bit of a challenging drive for Mike. Luckily it was a short one, only about 3 hours. We arrived at the Bear Creek RV Park and decided to just kennel in for the night. Temps were expected in the high 20’s, so we bundled up, ate in and caught up on some shows.

Blue Ridge Parkway

Asheville is located near the south end of the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, so we decided to drive part of it and take in the scenery. This was the first we had seen some elevation in a long time, probably since December, so we welcomed this familiar landscape. Much of our drive was through the Pisgah National Forest which consisted of many tunnels, tons of mountain viewpoints overlooking the valleys below and vegetation that was about 2 weeks away from full bloom. We saw huge rhododendrons, which are a familiar plant from home. It was very cold the night before, so there was still a bit of residual ice and snow in areas. What a change from the 80-degree weather we experienced in Augusta. We returned to downtown Asheville and somehow fell into a mini-pub crawl (surprise, surprise!). Started at Asheville Brewing Company, then found Green Man Brewery. This turned out to be a soccer bar with a game on the big screen so Mike was in heaven! One last stop at the Wicked Weed Brewing then ended at Pack’s Tavern for dinner. Mike had a huge order of ribs and I had fried green tomatoes and salad. All very good and classic southern hospitality y’all! This downtown area was very fun and kind of reminded us of Bend, OR. A very funky and hip vibe with lots of cool little shops and tons of interesting looking restaurants and bars.

Ice from the cold temps the night before

HIghest Elevation on the Parkway

On our pub crawl, the Wicked Weed Brewery

On our last day, we decided to be tourists and go to the Biltmore. It was a bit pricey ($64 per person), but we had heard so much about it and it was another strong recommendation. The Biltmore is an 8,000-acre estate with a 175,000 sq ft mansion that George Vanderbilt built in 1888 (took 6 yrs to build) and was the largest private residence in the country. I believe it still is. This place is HUGE! It has 43 bathrooms, 250 rooms and a 70,000-gallon indoor pool. We toured the inside of the house, then headed out to the impressive gardens and grounds. Photos weren’t allowed inside, so we only have shots of the outside. It was a beautiful day, so we spent a couple of hours walking the grounds. Unfortunately, the azalea and rose gardens weren’t quite in bloom yet, so we could only imagine how gorgeous they will be. But, the tulips in the walled garden were pretty spectacular and the conservatory housed some unique plants. There is also a full hotel, winery, restaurants, farm and shops on site. The winery area was our last stop where we enjoyed complimentary wine tasting and a delicious ham & cheese fondue appy at Cedric’s Tavern. It was a perfect day and we were so glad we did this tour. We heard that locals buy an annual pass so they can visit the gardens multiple times of the year to see the different cycles of flowers and landscaping. I can see why!

Walled garden – tulips galore!

Bass Lake on the Biltmore Estate grounds

Perfect end to the day at Cedric’s Tavern

Click HERE for more photo’s at the Biltmore!

Our next stop is Knoxville, Tennessee – a new state! Happy Easter all!

I feel the need, the need for speed! 3/26/14 – 4/1/14

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Charlotte Motor Speedway

The drive down to Charlotte from Raleigh was quick and we arrived at the Apollo RV Park and got set up. We were actually in Concord, NC, which is a bit northeast of Charlotte, and we were in NASCAR country! This whole area was full of campgrounds for the Charlotte Motor Speedway. We hadn’t researched the area very well, so the place we stayed wasn’t really all that great. We had already scoped out a new place we would be moving to the next morning. The older couple that owned the Apollo were sweet as can be and ran the park out of their home. In fact, we came into their living room to pay for our night and they were settled down in the living room watching TV. Nice, nice people, but the park just wasn’t for us. It basically felt like we were camping in their backyard. We headed out for dinner and stumbled upon the Carolina Ale House. Mike said they were the best wings he ever had, which is saying a lot, and they had over 100 beers on tap, all served in an icy cold chilled glass. We frequented this place 3 times during our stay here!

The next morning, we packed up and drove the ¼ mile to Tom Johnson Camping Center & Racing Resort. Didn’t even need to hook up the car. We got settled and the vibe was already so much better, plus this is the lowest we have paid yet for camping, only $23 (I’m sure much pricier during big events). We had views of all three racetracks – Charlotte Motor Speedway, ZMax Dragway and The Dirt Track at Charlotte. There were no events or races happening, but there was an RV Rally onsite, so lots of fellow campers. I can just imagine how much fun this place would be on a race weekend!

View from our camping spot, ZMax Dragway behind Mike

We decided to do a tour of the tracks, so walked over and paid $12 for an hour tour – totally worth it. We got into vans and headed down to the main speedway. We had a great guide, Babette, who was full of knowledge. We actually drove out onto the track and she explained all of the different areas, then we did a few laps around at about 80mph (racers go over 200 mph) and we could really feel the banked turns. It cracked me up that we were racing around the track in a 12-passenger van. You can do a tour where you get suited up in full gear and get in a car with a professional driver; 3 laps at 165mph for $150. We were good with the van! The tour also included the Dirt Track and the Zmax dragway, which is the only 4-lane drag strip in the world. This whole complex plus the camping areas are all owned by one person, Bruton Smith. Money is not a problem for him — apparently he saw the big screen at the Dallas Cowboys arena (which at the time was the largest HDTV in the world) and wanted to have something larger. So he had one installed at the Speedway, which is now bigger, pretty impressive. Afterward, we went up to the restaurant to try to get a beer, but it was closed, so we snuck down another floor and went out to the seating/suite areas to take some photos. Neither one of us are Nascar people, but this made us appreciate the sport and more interested in attending a race at some point. We made our way back to park and decided to head to the NODA (North Davidson) district to Baja Fish Tacos, another Guy Fieri recommendation. This place was absolutely packed, but we were able to find a spot at the bar. It did not disappoint!

The infield is a mini-city. Restaurant, mini-market, shower house,, garages, tire center and even campsites. It’s Huge!

Largest HDTV in the world!

Winner’s Circle

Pit Row

Doing laps in our van

For more pics from our tour of the Charlotte Motor Speedway, click HERE

The next couple of days were very windy and wet. We took some time to get some errands done including laundry, haircuts, pedicure and some shopping for our upcoming events of the Masters and Kentucky Derby. On Saturday, we headed an hour north to Denver, NC for dinner at the home of Mark & Denise Abbott. Mark is a friend of Mike’s good friend Bruce from high school and Mike met him on their last guy’s golf trip in Bend. He is also a Coug! Anyway, we got in touch with them and they very kindly invited us up to their home. This is always a treat for us to be in a spacious house (rather than the cramped MoHo or a restaurant) and enjoy a home-cooked meal and conversation with friends. We had a great night with delicious food and wine and we really enjoyed getting to know them better. Thank you Abbott’s!

Mark & Denise Abbott

The weather decided to take a turn for the better on our last few days! That is one thing we have learned about this area is how volatile the weather can be. In our 6 days here, we have experienced a range of temps from low 30’s to low 80’s. That just doesn’t happen in Seattle. One day we headed into downtown Charlotte. We walked around all day long and I just really loved the feel of this city. It is very clean and felt completely safe. There was a definite business/corporate crowd walking around and there were many restaurants with outdoor seating areas and a mix of office buildings, retail stores, churches and hip looking condos. We visited some classic tourist spots and took pics at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the very cool Duke Energy building and the Corner of Trade & Tryon. We stopped at the 7th Street Public Market (a warehouse where locals sell food, drinks & crafts) for a beer, then found a wine bar, which had ½ price bottles and sat outside. We were right in the heart of the downtown area and it was fun to watch the work crowds and just enjoy the atmosphere. On the way back to the car, we stopped at the highly recommended Amelie’s French Bakery for a sea salt caramel brownie, which was one of the best desserts I have ever had. I am going to be dreaming about this one for years to come!

Lady Bird at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

Firebird at the Bechtler Museum

Bronze statues stand at the each corner at the intersection of Trade & Tryon. Duke Energy building in the background (the one with the whole in the top)

Bronze statues stand at each corner of the intersection of Trade & Tryon, the center of downtown. Duke Energy building is in the background (the one with the whole in the top).

Enjoying a beer at 7th Street Public Market, light rail in the background

Wooden Vine Wine Bar, downtown Charlotte

On our last day in Charlotte, the temps reached over 80 so we just hung out at the MoHo park, sat out in the sun and BBQ’d. We both really liked this town. It has a lot to offer not to mention the housing is extremely affordable. The people were all very friendly too. They are passionate about their sports teams and we enjoyed the local food and craft beer scene. Random side note: Many of the scenes from one of our favorite shows Homeland have been filmed here too – I love that kind of stuff! Next stop is Columbia, SC for a few days then onto Augusta, GA for our bucket list – The Masters! Looking so forward to this and meeting up with some great friends from home.

p.s. I have started a running program via an App that my friend Sunny shared with me. It is great for someone like me who is NOT a runner as it eases you in with alternating walking, running and sprinting. I have been doing it every other day for 3 weeks now and am now running in 3-minute increments with 1 minute of recovery walking for a total of 35 mins. It is not easy for me, but I must say it feels good to get outside and have some “me” time. I have been going rain or shine and it certainly makes all of the eating and drinking feel a bit ‘less-guilty.’ By the end of 8 weeks, I will supposedly be running the entire time. Stay tuned…

Calm before the… 3/10/14 – 3/14/14

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Myrtle Beach, SC

We arrived in Myrtle Beach, SC on a Monday and by the time we left on Saturday morning this place was in full spring break mode. It was interesting to see it get more and more crowded as the days went by and by Friday night, this place was full of families with screaming kids and barking dogs. I guess we are getting old, because we were ready to move on to a quieter, less chaotic destination.

The Ocean Lakes Campground where we stayed was really great. It was absolutely HUGE with over 1,000 sites and we had reserved a spot right near the ocean. The great thing about earlier in the week was the campground was not full, so eventhough we weren’t right on the ocean, we had great views. This disappeared little by little each day as the campground filled in. But, we were still only about a 50-yard walk to the beach, which we took full advantage of. While the weather was nice, we parked our chairs out there and just enjoyed the views. At low tide, we found ourselves beachcombing and hunting for shells. There is just something about the sound and movement of the waves; I could just sit and stare at it for hours.

Our view out the MoHo window (early in the week)

The beach in front of the campground

We golfed one day at Prestwick Country Club and were paired up with a father and son, Bill & Todd, from West Virginia. It was a perfect day for golf with the sun shining and we both really liked the course. Bill treated us to beers after the round. I am always a little nervous to get paired up, but they were very nice and we enjoyed playing with them.

Prestwick Country Club, 9th Hole

The weather continued to get colder and wetter as the week went on. We spent a lot of time just hanging out at the MoHo Park, walking the beach, sitting outside (when it was dry) and eating in. We did do a couple days in downtown Myrtle Beach which is the ultimate little touristy beach town. Tons of miniature golf spots and discount beachwear stores on every corner, old school motels and beach houses for rent o’plenty. There is a great boardwalk along the ocean that is lined with shops, bars, restaurants and arcades which makes for great people watching. We did a drive up to North Myrtle Beach one day, which wasn’t anything special, except it is “the proud home of Vanna White.” It was quieter than Myrtle Beach with larger resort type hotels.

The boardwalk in downtown Myrtle Beach

We did enjoy our time here and I guess we just got a bit spoiled earlier in the week before the crowds arrived. Our next stop is the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

p.s. I managed to spill water all over the laptop – panic! But, after a day of drying out, looks like I didn’t do any permanent damage. I am no longer allowed to have open containers next to the computer. Adult sippy-cup only.

Heading north to the deep south! 2/23/14 – 3/4/14

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Antebellum home in Beaufort, SC flanked by the state Palmetto tree

After two months in Florida, it was time to start heading north. We drove up through Georgia and onto Hilton Head Island, SC and the Hilton Head Harbor RV Resort & Marina, our home for the next 10 nights. Upon arrival, we were given a golf cart to go out and pick our site. Kind of a cool concept that we liked because usually they just put you in a site based on the level of accommodation you booked. We chose a spot with a view of the water but set back from the marina a bit.

Our spot at the campground

Hilton Head Island was a bit hard for us to figure out at first. There is basically one main road that circles the inside of the island, then all of the businesses and resorts are set off from the road, kind of hidden. This makes for a lot of traffic on that one main road. And, apparently they have some strict rules and regulations for signage to prevent “visual clutter.” So this means no large neon signs but rather very subtle smaller ones making it hard to know where things are (ie: no towering golden arches sign but rather a small rectangular wooden sign a few feet off the ground with a muted yellow McDonald’s written out). Not a bad thing I guess, just different. This is definitely a resort area with many gated communities and not a lot of public areas from what we could tell.

On our first day of exploration we were looking for a bar on the beach. After several attempts with no luck and coming up against gated communities, we realized it was just too early in the year and that the “season” didn’t officially start until St. Patty’s Day which by the way is HUGE here — they host over 1 million visitors for the Holiday. I can’t even imagine the crazy traffic for that. We ended up at a great restaurant called Bombora’s Grille in the Coligny Beach area, which is the closest thing to a city center for the island. Since it was a Monday night, it was pretty quiet and we ended up bellying up to the bar and the owner Todd served us. He gave us quite a few tips for the island and for our next destination, Charleston.

The next day, we had an 8:30 tee time at one of the courses in the Sea Pines Resort, which is an exclusive area on the Island. There is a gate fee to get in and the area encompasses almost ¼ of the island, so there is a lot to see. Our plan was to play golf then spend the rest of the day touring this part of the island. We rolled up to the gate at 8am and the security guard informed us that we couldn’t come in. He didn’t care that we had a tee-time and lectured us that we could not come in with kayaks because the HOA there did not allow it and that we would be towed. We explained that we were traveling and that we weren’t going to kayak in the resort, but just park in the course lot and golf. No go, this power trippy guard made us turn around. We were fired up to say the least. We didn’t have time to go back to the MoHo and dump the kayaks and make it back in time. I was very disappointed and Mike was just pissed off. We called the course to let them know what happened and they were very nice to let us cancel without penalty but were not aware of this rule and said they were a separate entity and didn’t have any authority. We also canceled a later tee time for Mike to play Harbour Town Golf Links, which is where the PGA tour plays the weekend after Master’s. Big bummer, but at this point we felt we didn’t want to support the “hoityness” of Sea Pines. We called another course, Golden Bear Golf Club, and were able to get on so off we went. It turned out to be a “diary day” to quote my brother. We went out as a twosome, so I was nice and relaxed, the sun was out and I shot my best round ever, a 97!
Sidebar: We went wine tasting at the Island Winery a few days later and were talking to the server about the issue we had at Sea Pines. She wasn’t surprised, especially by the attitude we got from the security guard. She also told us that John Daley was turned away because he was in his Motorhome; apparently not allowed either. Ridiculous.

Golden Bear golf course

Another day, we took a day trip to Savannah, only about 45 minutes away.
We started out at the visitor center and I talked Mike into doing a Gray Line trolley tour to get a good overview of the area. I do have a soft spot for Gray Line. We were both glad we did the tour as we got to hear all of the history of the many squares that cover the downtown area and the little tidbits about movie locations like Forest Gump. I now have ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’ on my to-read and/or to-see book/movie list. After the tour we walked back down to River Street and checked out the river walk. Savannah has the “to-go” system that we have come to like so we got a cold one for our stroll. Stopped in the peanut factory for samples then landed at the Cotton Exchange for lunch, a perfect “joint” with great food and a better conversation from the bartender. This was a good day trip and we would recommend Savannah but one day was enough for us. A cute town with lots of character and history!

River walk in Savannah, GA

Loved the architecture in Savannah

One of the many squares in Savannah – huge oak tree with Spanish Moss.

The weather started to turn on us a bit, getting much colder, but we did get another day of golf in. We chose an “off-island” course, Old South Golf Links. This course was not in as great of shape as the one we played earlier, but there were some holes along the ocean, which is what we were looking for. We were paired up with a nice couple, Bill & Emmy, from Toronto. We saw 4 or 5 gators on the course, which is quite common, but a bit shocking for us. But as long as we didn’t bother them, they didn’t bother us!

Mike taunting the gators

The rest of our time in Hilton Head was a great mix. We explored Beaufort, another historic town with a river walk and many of the old antebellum style mansions that I just love. We also kayaked one day right from our marina along Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge. Mike was able to do some fishing from the dock at our campground, we did laundry and enjoyed sitting outside by the fire pit. We did have one last break in the weather and we decided to head out to the beach. Back to Coligny Beach, which is the largest public beach on the island. Access to the beach was down a really long wooden walkway flanked by tall sea grass – just what I always pictured for this area. It was Sunday afternoon, so there were tons of people enjoying the sun, before the cold returned which it did in full force with rain.

Coligny Beach, Hilton Head Island

Overall, we did like the area a lot and we felt like we did most everything we wanted in 10 days. We could have golfed more as there are many courses in the area, but we know we’ll be golfing more as we head north, so we need to pace ourselves a bit. We were glad we were here in the off-season, because once the season hits, I think this place will be too crowded and absolutely crazy. Next stop is Charleston!

Mo-home improvement update:
Since we were going to be in one place for a longer period, it was time to work through some issues. Our backup camera had been out since Key Largo, which is a safety issue for us. We had a mobile RV repairman come out to take a look and he diagnosed that it was the cable not the actual camera, thank goodness. (Camera would have been easier but much more expensive). He showed Mike what needed to be done and what to order to save us some money. We also had an interior light go out in the bedroom. It was not a light bulb issue, but rather faulty ballast, so we decided to order some LED bulbs that could be hard wired. Once UPS delivered our goods, Mike had a few DIY projects on his hands. The rewiring of the camera entailed him donning a Tyvek body suit and spending a few hours under the MoHo threading the cable from the back to the front of the MoHo. The wiring of the light wasn’t as time consuming, but a little dicier because it involved electricity. Both projects were a success; very proud of Mike and he saved us some serious money!

From Mike –
A shout out to John Hill who sent me a box of limited edition Seahawks Bud Light bottles all the way to South Carolina because he didn’t want me to miss out!

I love you man!

A Heartfelt Thank You!

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Mike & I were sitting outside around the firepit last night and got to talking about the past 9 months (I can’t below we have been on the road this long!). We are amazed by how many people we have managed to visit and see along the way and are so thankful for the generosity everyone has showed us. From awesome tour guides and local sightseeing tips to home-cooked meals and comfortable beds, these visits have really made our trip memorable so far.

Bill, Lori, Taylor & Abby Johnson (Castle Rock, CO) – Lori was a sorority sister of mine at WSU. They had us in for dinner and put us up for the night. Loved seeing them and they made us feel right at home!

Ron, Stacy & Tyler Webert (Golden, CO) – I went to college with Ron. They had us up to their mountain house in Vail and let us land our MoHo in their driveway. They showed us a great time at Vail and Beaver Creek.

Rod, Jen, Jordan & Bella Arreola (Broomfield, CO) – Jen & I worked together at Holland America years ago. They broke their HOA rules and let us park in front of their house for a few nights. We had their basement to ourselves and what a treat it was. They fed us many meals, we golfed and spent a fantastic 4^th of July with them!

Max & Linda Clark (Boise, ID) – Max is a close friend of Mike’s mom. They had us up to their amazing condo for dinner and gave us all kinds of great tips for exploring the area. Mike’s cousin Melissa, who was also in Boise, joined us as well.

Mitch & Sunny Cameron (Yakima, WA) – Our very best friends who I went to high school with. What can I say, they have an RV pad at their house with full hook-ups! We stayed for over a week and loved this first-class resort known as Camp Cameron!

Marc & Shelly Pflugrath (Wenatchee, WA) – Our other very best friends; Shelly & I went to high school together. We parked the MoHo at their neighbors and enjoyed top-notch hospitality at Casa de Pflu.

Al & Joan Webert (Penticton, BC) – Ron’s parents (see above). They hooked us up with a spot in Summerland, BC when every campground was full due to a Canadian holiday that we didn’t know about…saved our bacon.

Evan, Renee, Jace & Penn, Kaplan (Los Altos Hills, CA) – Renee & I have been friends for over 30 years! We went to the Stanford/Husky football game with them. So great to catch up, but too short of a visit!

Dana & Sharon Morrow (Santa Barbara, CA) – I worked with Dana on a few photo shoots for Westmark Hotels in Alaska. They took us wine tasting, had us to their home for dinner and even hooked me up to get my hair done! We loved getting to know them better and they really made our time in SB memorable!

Bruce & Vickie Cline (Sun City, AZ) – The Cline’s are great friends of ours from Seattle. They have a vacation house in AZ where we met up with them. We went to a Husky game in Tempe and had a wonderful time just hanging out at their pool, cooking, fishing and drinking! Also, they were so kind to let Mike stay at the house while I flew home for my uncle’s funeral.

Bob & Gloria Woolsey (Buckeye, AZ) – Mike worked for Bob & Gloria years ago. They had us to their home for two amazing meals and they came to the MoHo one night for dinner. Another friend, Brad Wallace, also joined us for the festivities. When we first started thinking about this adventure, these two were our biggest supporters!

Tom & Jane Guedel (Tucson, AZ) – This is the first time we had been to my dad’s. We had a great time eating, drinking, golfing and hiking! It was nice to be able to just relax and spend time catching up and to meet Jane’s granddaughter, Gabby and their good friends Chuck & Kory who hosted us one night for dinner & drinks.

Craig & Kim Gambino (New Orleans, LA) – We know Craig through good friends, Charles & Becky Shull. These guys were the ultimate hosts during a busy holiday season. Craig was our personal tour guide/chauffeur for 4 days and our time here wouldn’t have been the same without him. They had us over for a delicious dinner and took us to many of their favorite spots. Kim also lined up a hair appt for me!

Pat & Allison Bunker (Palm City Beach, FL) – Pat is a high school friend of Mike’s. We were fortunate to spend Christmas Eve and Day with these guys and many of their friends and participate in their holiday traditions. Pat also hooked us up with a free place to stay, treated Mike to golf and tour guided us around the area!

Bill, Emily & Maggie Lee (Palm Harbor, FL) – Bill was a neighbor of Mike’s family growing up. They treated us to breakfast, then welcomed us to their home for the night and two delicious gourmet meals! Really great to spend time with them!

We also wanted to give a shout out to friends who have come to meet up with us along the way.

Nicole Barclay & Matt Flynn – Wild & crazy times in Reno, NV
Eric, Michelle & David Overholt – How cool to experience Yellowstone together and camp in the same park!
Marc & Shelly Pflugrath and Marc & Krista Lindley – Our rendezvous in Vegas was one for the books!
Jacquie Guedel – What a fun and relaxing cruise with my mom to the Caribbean!
Sunny Cameron & Shelly Pflugrath – I LOVED our girls weekend in Dallas. Yee-Haw!

It has meant so much to have familiar faces along the way. Not to mention a real bathroom/shower to use from time to time! We hope when we eventually get settled somewhere that we can return the favor to anyone traveling because we know how much it is appreciated!

Girl’s weekend Texas-style! – 2/14/14 – 2/17/14

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Fort Worth Stockyards

While Mike held down the fort with the MoHo in Jacksonville (fishing and chores), I flew to Dallas for my annual girls weekend. This is a tradition I have had with 2 of my best friends, Shelly & Sunny, so we didn’t want to skip it even though I was on the road. Typically we meet up somewhere closer to home but this time we had to pick somewhere in between Washington and Florida, so we landed on Dallas!

Mike dropped me at the airport Friday mid-morning and I landed at DFW around 1:30 and the girls were waiting for me! After a bit of debacle at the airport trying to find their luggage (that airport is HUGE), we finally got a cab with our driver Beshar, and arrived at the Omni Dallas around 3. Got checked in and it was time for a cocktail and to let the chitty-chatting begin. We hadn’t seen each other since Thanksgiving so had a lot of catching up to do. It was Valentine’s Day, so knew we probably couldn’t get reservations anywhere. Decided to just walk downtown on Main Street and see what we could find. Found a place for appies and a drink then decided to just head back to the hotel for a bite to eat. It had been a very early morning for them, so we ended up going to bed fairly early.

Random eyeball art in downtown Dallas

Room service was on the agenda the next morning, then we headed to the Fort Worth Stockyards. If you’ve never heard of this area it is kind of like a Texas Bourbon Street. Our driver Beshar picked us up and off we went, about a 45-minute drive. It was a beautiful sunny day and the area was pretty full with people. There was a rodeo going on so that added to the crowds. Our original plan was to stay until about 6pm, but we had so much fun we ended up staying until 10. We were basically on the ultimate pub-crawl for the day. Listened to some great live music, saw the Longhorn cattle drive, ate a burger at the Love Shack (delicious!), went boot shopping, met a real cowboy and the highlight – Billy Bob’s! This place was absolutely huge (120,000 square feet and capacity of 6,000) and reminded me of the Urban Cowboy bar. It is known as the world’s largest Honky Tonk. It was a Saturday night so this place was definitely full and hoppin’! There was a bull riding rink and a concert venue; Scotty McCreery was playing but didn’t come on until 10 so we missed him, but there was great live music playing the whole night. We were mesmerized by the dancing and watched for hours as the couples two-stepped and glided around the floor. Sunny and I even took a whirl, but after bumping into a few people, scampered off. Oh, and we had our photo taken on a bull. To quote another friend, “straight up ridiculous.” We wanted to stay longer, but Beshar was ready to pick us up. Probably a good thing we left when we did.

From the deck of Love Shack

Classic barstools

Longhorn cattle drive

Tall drink of water!

No caption needed

Sunday morning we had appointments at the spa, which was glorious. We had a nice lunch then watched a movie in the room. We were a bit tired from all of our antics the day before. Decided to walk over to the Reunion Tower, a rotating restaurant with killer views, for a drink at sunset. Then, to uptown and Perry’s Steakhouse for dinner. A much mellower evening for us. Monday morning, I had my hair cut/colored – it was beyond time to get this done! Then, we walked to the west end area for some more boot shopping (still no purchases) and a nice lunch sitting outside on the patio, except I got pooped on by a bird on my arm. Isn’t that good luck?! On the way back to the hotel, we happened upon the JFK memorial, which I’m glad we saw. Had a few last cocktails at the hotel before Beshar took us to the airport.

Reunion Tower

The view from the top of Reunion Tower

What a great weekend it was and I so appreciated the effort for them to fly all the way to Dallas to meet me. I needed some girl time. We laughed til we cried and created another arsenal of great memories. It was really hard to say goodbye to them. But, I know that no matter how much time passes, we always can pick right back up where we left off. Mike picked me up around 10 and it was nice to be back “home” and to catch up with him. We have a few more days in Jacksonville before we head down to Cape Canaveral for the rocket launch on Thursday.

Our VERY patient cab driver, Beshar

Lovin’ Key Largo – 2/1/14 – 2/12/14

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Our spot in Key Largo, Calusa Campground

Written by Mike:

After returning from our cruise with Traci’s mom, we drove back down to the Key Largo area to get the MoHo out of a short-term storage lot. The first thing I did was check the fridge, as we were not plugged into any power source, so we were running the entire 9 days on propane to keep the food cold. Fortunately we had emptied the fridge out as best we could prior to departure, as it was barely even cold when we got back. Something was not working and we had to toss just about everything inside, as it almost all was either unfrozen, or too warm to feel safe about. (Odd that it would not have kept everything cold, the propane was still over half full in the tank?) We got settled at the Calusa Campground in Key Largo, spot #233. (This was exactly the site we reserved, no bait and switch tactics like we had to deal with at Boyd’s in Key West!) The site was on the south side of the property and backed right up to the water, kayaking and fishing at the ready! Our first night was a bit hectic, as we were fighting the darkness, and dealing with the fridge issues. We rushed over to Publix grocery to restock the fridge, after a 9-day cruise our stomachs were quite expanded and wanted to make sure we had plenty of food on hand. When we got back, we noticed that the fridge had not started to cool off much, even though we were now running on power vs. the propane. (Note: this is Saturday evening about 7:30PM, the night before the Super Bowl.) I decided to put everything into coolers before bed just to be safe, and ran back out to load up on ice.

We woke the next day and no changes to the fridge, so it was time for a call to a repair technician. We left a message on Sunday and did not expect to hear back till Monday, and that was when they called back. As for the rest of the day, not a lot going on….well….maybe….the Super Bowl!! We were both amped up a bit, trying to hold back on our beverage consumption till at least a few hours before kickoff. (East coast kickoff times suck – did not start till 6:30PM). We started watching outside and after a few minutes decided to head in, as the mosquitoes and no-see-ums were out in force. What a great game, the Seahawks drilled the Broncos, and sorry to say it, a really old looking quarterback Peyton Manning! At the final whistle the MoHo air horn sounded and the whole campground knew who had rooted for! The 12’s were represented in Key Largo!

World Champions!!!

Monday we spent at the MoHo, the technician arrived and said we needed to replace the cooling unit and it would take several days to get one here via truck, as it is a hazardous material and can’t be shipped overnight. We submitted the info to our MoHo insurance folks, and they did not cover our model, as it is part of a $48 million recall and class action lawsuit. I spent a lot of time researching the issue, and kept a close eye on the fridge. There was some responsiveness from the fridge, and it was starting to cool off a bit better, and slowly making ice again. With a $2,500 repair bill looming or a $5,500 replacement to another model, I thought we should make sure it was dead before dropping the cash. (It has been limping along since, and I am just going to have to keep a very close watch on the temps to make sure we are keeping everything in the safe zone, so far so good a week later.)

We had the Seahwawks parade broadcasting on all cylinders! We were missing home at this point.

We had the Seahwawks parade broadcasting on all cylinders! We were missing home big time.

Tuesday we headed down to an area called Islamorada, about 25 miles back down the highway south. When we were on the cruise, and ported at Princess Cays, we met a couple of ladies that live and work down there and told us we should come down to see the area. They specifically had a couple of souvenir shops at a resort called Robbie’s. This little spot had it all; fishing charters, a nice restaurant and bar, several small shops, and the most important part, a dock that you could feed the Tarpons. Tarpons are some really large fish in the Key’s and are a very prized catch-and-release sport fish. (I had seen many a show on TV about these fish and was very interested to see them up close.) When we arrived, Cheryl and Candy both greeted us as we entered one of their booths. (We originally planned to try and go down there on Sunday mid-morning, but with the fridge acting up, just could not make it work.) They are both retired teachers, and were out working that day, odd for them as they usually are off on Tuesdays. Cheryl instantly became our host, and took us out to the dock to feed the Tarpons. You get a bucket of baitfish, and walk out to the dock, making sure to protect the bait from the very aggressive and huge Pelican’s. Tarpons do not have teeth, so you can let them take the bait right out of your hands, if you have the guts to leave your hand out there. These Tarpons were huge; some of them were over 5 feet long and weighed upwards of 80-90 lbs! I tried a couple of times to let them take the bait from me, but my natural reaction was to jerk my hand back every time they came up for the bait, I basically wimped out! Traci and I then sat down for some lunch at the restaurant, and when we finished, there was Cheryl to show us around some more. She took us back to their 5th-wheel trailer that her and Candy share on the property, and we sat out and had a couple beverages, and then headed back into the market area for some shopping. When we were done, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the MoHo. We really enjoyed the unplanned, unannounced visit with Cheryl and Candy, and hope to spend more time down the road with them. If you are ever in the Keys, be sure to stop at Robbie’s (Mile Post 77.5 on the north side), feed the Tarpons and get some new Sunglasses!

Hard to tell, but these Taropons were HUGE!

Hard to tell, but these Tarpons were HUGE!

With the MoHo parked right on the water, I spent a lot of hours out fishing right off the bulkhead behind us. One morning, after very little luck, I actually reeled in a very nice sized Blue Crab, and he immediately became breakfast for me that day. Another evening, we were watching the sunset, and I discussed with a couple other guys about how to catch certain types of fish I had seen. Getting the scoop was great, but it also meant several trips to the bait and tackle shop for me to up my game. One morning, about 11:45AM, I hooked into something huge, as my pole bent in half and it was game on. For the next 30 seconds I was doing everything in my power to keep this monster on the line, and then he jumped, a massive Tarpon was on the end of my line, and then gone! I was shaking with the excitement, and a couple other campers were all smiles as they witnessed the short, but exciting event. Needless to say, now I am going to get him, and another couple trips out to the tackle store and he won’t get away next time, if there is a next time.

The blue crab I caught right from our spot

Another great thing about being on the water and fishing so much was what we were able to see around us. Almost daily, we had Manatee’s passing by, sometimes they even came over to visit us against our bulkhead, and are they massive! (Just imagine a cow swimming up to you, the most gentle of giants, very fun every time!) Another evening we saw a shark swim by, again very exciting, needless to say we were not going to swim after seeing that guy go past. There are tons of Pelican’s, Egrets, a ga-zillion Mullet fish jumping constantly, a horseshoe crab (look that one up), and I even witnessed a dolphin in our little cove. There was always something outside to watch, and it made the lack of fish catching a lot more enjoyable.

The Manatee family

We have eaten out a few times, and it varies across the board. We noticed that there are a lot of happy hours, although we usually miss them as we are on a different schedule most days. One of our favorite places was Jimmy Johnson’s Big Chill. They had a live band playing, at happy hour I got a ½ lb. of peel and eat shrimp for $5.50 and 20 chicken wings for $9.50; great deals, better food, I thought about never leaving! The nice thing about Key Largo is that the land is very narrow, and once you get off the main highway, even just a block, you find a lot of hidden little gems to dine right on the water and take in the sites. There are little marinas and restaurant’s everywhere, and most of them are reasonable and good quality food, just have to get out and try it all.

Sunset at the Big Chill

Much of the rest of our time has been spent at the pool, a very warm pool that was probably close to 80 degrees. The weather has been great with just a few rain showers that haven’t lasted long. We are both getting pretty tan! Traci has been walking almost every day and there is a great local fruit stand right next door that we have frequented. Trying to cook as much as possible at home too. Weekdays this campground is relatively quiet, and the pool fairly empty. But come Friday, the hoards arrive, and it becomes a different place. Lots of loud Latin music, kids on bikes, golf carts everywhere, and a whole lot more boat traffic in the marina behind the MoHo. But, we have really loved our time here at Calusa. In fact, one or our favorite spots so far. So relaxing and the nightly sunsets just can’t be beat. Actually, we were scheduled to leave on Monday Feb. 10th, but enjoyed the place so much decided to extend three more nights and make it a long drive up to Jacksonville, our next destination.

Happy Hour at Snook’s

Cruisin’ – 1/23/14 – 2/1/14

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