Category Archives: March 2014

March Madness in Raleigh, NC 3/21/14 – 3/25/14

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PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC

PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC

We arrived in Raleigh without a reservation. For those of you who know Traci well, this is a long ways out of character for her. We always have reservations at out next destination, usually 3-4 places in advance. We pulled into the NC State Fairgrounds and parked in an open site. It was was first come first serve, and we arrived about 3:00PM after a 5-hour drive from the coast. The place was rustic, but nice and open, and we settled near the back of the campground. It was located just 15 minutes from downtown, huge and well laid out. Some of the events for the weekend included a horse show (which is every weekend), a giant dog show with dogs everywhere, and a weekly flea market with probably 1,000 booths! After paying for our site, we headed over to the PNC Arena (home of the NC State Wolfpack), which was adjacent to the fairground. The first round of March Madness was in full session, and Duke had already been ousted – haha – too bad for the Dukies! The atmosphere was fun with beer gardens, food trucks and big screens everywhere to watch the action. Kind of nice to be around crowds after the ghost town of the OBX. We tried to secure tickets for the Sunday games, but the scalpers were out and not giving any discounts yet, so we headed back to the MoHo for diner and relaxing evening.

The next day we headed downtown, the City Market area. I thought it would be something like the Pike Place Market back in Seattle, but not the case; one small vendor station for produce, a few galleries, and otherwise not a lot more to see. We stopped into a busy place for lunch, and had a really bad service experience, and poor meal, then decided it was time to return to the comforts of our home.

Sunday we relaxed in the MoHo then and decided we would try to get some tickets for the NCAA games that night. Traci really wanted to see ex Coug coach Tony Bennett. We wandered over to the arena, and again the scalpers were way out of line! We had a beer at the outdoor venue, covered from the cold rain, and headed back to the MoHo. Movies and warmth for the night.

NC State, home of Russell Wilson's first 4 college years

NC State, home of Russell Wilson’s first 4 college years

Monday – MY BIRTHDAY – and I wanted to do a pub-crawl for the day. We hit an area just east of town, and found that a lot of places were closed on Monday’s, damn! We enjoyed a great lunch at Natty Green’s, and a good beer or two. The day was nice, but the breweries were not open, so we headed home for me to make some wings and chill, all-around a relaxing good day – beer and wings!

The next day we woke and were tired, just slow moving. We decided to stay another night, and just spent most of the day relaxing in the MoHo. It was cold and rainy. About 3:00PM, we headed out to Chatham Hill Winery, only about 4 miles down the road. Some all right vinos, but not what we are used too on the west coast. We got a tip for a local BBQ around the corner, and got some take out to return to the MoHo. After a quick meal, we walked the 15 minutes back to the PNC arena and scalped some great seats for the nights NHL game, Carolina Hurricanes vs. NY Islanders. The game was entertaining, Traci’s first NHL game, with the home team giving up 4 goals in the first 12 minutes, but scraping their way back to a 5-4 defeat; a cold walk back to the MoHo, a late night, and on to bed. (Cold weather was now back, lows in the upper 20’s — we sure miss the Florida Keys!) Tomorrow we head to Charlotte, and the trudge towards Augusta is in sight!

NHL Hockey

NHL Hockey game

The OBX of North Carolina – 3/15/14 – 3/20/14

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Outer Banks, NC

Outer Banks, NC – Atlantic Ocean and Pamlico Sound

We arrived at Camp Hatteras Campground on Saturday after a 7-hour drive, longer than we like, but fairly easy overall. When we pulled in, we were allowed to pick our exact site, again a feature we really enjoy. With some 200+ sites to choose from and only 8 of them occupied we had the run of the place to ourselves. We had gone from overcrowded to a ghost town! We originally wanted to find a site on the Sound side of the land. (This area is a really narrow set of islands off the coast of North Carolina known as the Outer Banks or OBX and the park had sites on both the ocean and the sound side of the island.) We had just left a site in Myrtle Beach really close to the ocean, so thought the sound side might be a little different, maybe even we could kayak from our site? So, we looked at both areas, and chose the sound side as originally planned; the beach side sand dune was just a bit too high for us to really enjoy the view from that area. After setting up, we headed over to the beach to take a quick walk before the sunset over the sound right outside our MoHo site kicked in to full gear. We got out the chairs, DreamTurf, and cocktails and sat back and enjoyed the evening.

The park is empty!

The park is empty! We had the best spot in the park.

Sunset on our first night

Sunset on our first night

The next morning we decided to head for a drive south towards Cape Hatteras, as the weather was supposed to turn that afternoon and we wanted to get in the area before the rain arrived. This 35-mile drive was quiet, with sand dunes on the east side and the sound on the west side. Along the route, we took in the locations for our time here: grocery store, restaurants, etc. We stopped at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, although the building was closed, we took some pictures and continued on further south. We got to the end of the road, a little shopping village just outside the ferry terminal. (NC has a small ferry system for traveling in and around the OBX.) The ferry sounded fun, but it was getting windy so we stayed in the village and did a little shopping. (The ferries stop running in high wind so didn’t want to get stuck.) The thing about this area is that it is in the off season, most stores are closed or just putting out this years new inventory, and almost all restaurants are still closed for the winter. (I found an open store and bought a kite, thinking of you Mom.) We did find a little spot called the Oceanic Bistro, had a late lunch/early dinner with a ton of locals, and then headed back to the MoHo. We stopped at the grocery store, and loaded up for the week, specifically getting makings for my homemade spaghetti sauce. When we got back, I got started on the sauce; we chilled in the MoHo, and hit the hay early. That night the weather rolled in as expected, and about 3:00AM I got up and stowed the satellite, felt it was just too windy and did not want to cause any damage that could be prevented.

Cape Hatteras lighthouse

Cape Hatteras lighthouse

Happy St. Patty's!

Happy St. Patty’s!

We both had a poor nights sleep; the wind and rain were non-stop. It is really loud in the MoHo when the weather kicks up. The roof of the MoHo does a great job of keeping us dry, but not stopping any of the sound, so it can get loud in the rain. Then, with the 25+ MPH winds, which shakes the rig as well as whistles through the slide toppers (the MoHo has four slide outs we extend when we set up to give us more living space, and each one has a “topper” to protect it from rain trickling in through these areas) there was little sleep going to happen. We got up and it was St. Patrick’s Day! We enjoyed a couple of green beers around noon in the MoHo, and then we headed out in the afternoon to find an open bar to see what might be going on in town. We arrived at the only open location, which had a green beer special, and had an appetizer. This place had a TV dedicated to the Kite Surfing that has made this place a top destination for these dare devils, and their property was the site that many people “launch” from out into the sound. We returned to the MoHo for the spaghetti that had been in the crockpot overnight and enjoyed a great dinner and wine. That night, there was still no let down in the weather, so we both put in earplugs to try and get some rest, and it worked. (I wear them a lot, as many of you know, I have bionic hearing and it is tough to sleep at times especially if there is a sleeping bear purring next to me.)

The next day was the same, 20-25 MPH winds and tons of rain. We hunkered down in the MoHo, only venturing out to get a couple of DVD’s at the Red Box about 17 miles away and returning to just stay out of the weather. Being a native of the Northwest, this was the first time in my life I could ever remember wind like this, non-stop. At home when it is windy, usually it is gone within 12-18 hours, maybe a bit longer, but only in a huge storm and then it is still short lived. This was now day three, and it had not let up a bit! We also now were under a gale warning, small craft advisory, a coastal flood watch, along with a high tide warning on the sound, which is about 20 feet from the back of the MoHo. Mother Nature was fully in charge and we were getting a bit of cabin fever. We did venture over to the beach a couple times to watch the waves, but we just do not have the rain gear for this type of weather, so staying in was our only choice. We watched many movies!

Wednesday the wind eased up a bit, and I felt safe putting the satellite back up. We headed out as the day was forecast to be decent, and went north to Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills and the northern beaches of the OBX. We stopped first at the Wright Brothers Memorial, site of the first powered flight. This was a bucket list place for me, not high on the list, but still something I was not going to miss on this trip. After years of trials, they finally achieved the first man-powered flight in 1903! The interesting thing about the area is the memorial tower erected to their achievement. It sits atop a huge sand dune, some 80-90 feet off the mainland. But, the memorial was dedicated and built 25 years after the flight, and in that time, the dune had moved southwest some 450 feet. Again, Mother Nature was in charge here and I thought it amazing that wind and rain could move that much land in such a short period of time. The weather was finally clear so we got some good pictures and really enjoyed this stop. Later that afternoon, we made our way to the Outer Banks Brewing Station for lunch. We had seen this on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and the tip was well worth the stop. Beers were good, Traci had a great wrap and some fried Okra, and I had ½ a pound of steamed shrimp and some wings, very tasty! We retuned to the MoHo, and the wind was finally gone, completely calm for the first time since we arrived 5 days ago! It lasted for about 30 minutes, then the showers returned, drove us inside, and we settled in for the night. (About 2:00AM the heavier winds returned and the ear plugs went back in and another uneasy night of sleep.)

Wright Brothers Monument

Wright Brothers Monument

The Monument from afar

The Monument from afar

Replica of the first plane

Replica of the first plane

From Traci to the first marker in the background is the distance of the first flight

From Traci to the first marker in the background is the distance of the first flight- approx. 128 feet

We woke the next morning and the wind was still pushing 10-12 MPH, but the skies had cleared and the rain was not forecast for at least a couple days, so we finally got a chance to dry out! (Again, it could be a lot worse, if we were inland some 200 miles, we would have been dealing with sleet and ice for the last few days, and much colder temps, so I have to look on the bright side.) As it was the first day of spring, some cleaning was in order, and then the beach. We headed out and set up the chairs, brought out the cooler, and sat out on the ocean side of the camp ground and just watched the waves crash. There were only a handful of others out (including a few surfers), still the off-season. We enjoyed a couple of cold ones, tried to fly a kite – no wind now of course – and I did a bit of fishing in the ocean, unsuccessfully with the big waves. We headed back to MoHo later in the afternoon and sat out and watched the sun disappear into the sound, pretty spectacular. We so wish this was every night, but as clearly stated earlier, Mother Nature only lets you see this when she wants to. We head inland to Raleigh tomorrow and won’t see the ocean again for about a month.

Ocean fishing!

Ocean fishing!

Kite flying!

Mike’s new kite

 

 

Calm before the… 3/10/14 – 3/14/14

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Myrtle Beach, SC

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)

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

The beach in front of the campground

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

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

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.

Historic Charleston – 3/5/14 – 3/9/14

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USS Yorktown and Ravenel bridge, Charleston

USS Yorktown and Ravenel bridge, Charleston

We arrived to the Oak Plantation Campground after a wet drive up from Hilton Head, only about a 3-hour trip. The place was nice, and we got set up and spent the rest of the day inside, bit wet and cold out.

The next day we decided to head into downtown Charleston and scheduled a pub-crawl with one of the local tour companies. It took us about 45 minutes to find a place to park, as there are very few centrally located lots that will accommodate our car with the kayaks on top, mostly only low clearance garages here. The weather was still bad; a cold rain that felt like home, we both had trouble finding adequate clothing to keep us warm and dry. We visited 5 bars, and got some great history on the town, but the tour was just a nice guy walking us from place to place, so it seemed a bit lacking on excitement. We headed back to the MoHo, and crashed early.

Mad River Pub, an old church

Mad River Bar, an old church – only in the “Holy City” of Charleston!

Typical architecture in downtown area, Charleston

Typical architecture in downtown area, Charleston

We returned to Charleston a couple days later and the weather had finally turned decent. What a difference a few days can make! This city has such a great walkable downtown area, we were glad we had the chance to see it when it wasn’t raining. We scheduled a tour of the harbor on a 90-minute boat cruise. The tour guide gave great insight as to the role this area played in the Civil War, especially the major forts in the area. We got close up to Fort Sumter, right at the entrance to the harbor, and it seemed so small, yet was very significant in its roll in the 1860’s. We cruised the area and saw lots of dolphins under and around the boat. We passed right by Patriots Point, the resting place for the USS Yorktown. A mighty WWII aircraft carrier that was built during the war, and renamed the Yorktown after the original ship sank in 1942 at the battle of Midway. We continued on and stopped under the largest cable-stay bridge in the country, a mighty sight and great marvel of engineering. When we returned to town, we wandered around and took in the architectural sites of this old town, originally founded in 1670. The buildings here are really beautiful, each one with its own charms and character, before ending up at dinner. We walked in and got a seat in the bar at Poogan’s Porch. We had heard from many that this was a great place to eat (not to mention it is haunted as are many of the old buildings here), so we felt lucky to get in and find a table without any reservations. For the foodies out there, Charleston has a great reputation for awesome restaurants, and this place was perfect. Traci had the buttermilk-fried chicken, and I had the Quail appy and Shrimp dinner, everything was perfect. All topped off with a nice bottle of vino, and this was one of our favorite dinners of the trip so far.

Ft. Sumter, first shots fired of the Civil War

Ft. Sumter, first shots fired of the Civil War

On our boat tour, Ft. Sumter in background

On our boat tour, Ft. Sumter in background

USS Yorktown, a WWII era aircraft carrier

USS Yorktown, a WWII era aircraft carrier

Arthur Ravenel bridge, largest cable-stay bridge in the country

Arthur Ravenel bridge, largest cable-stay bridge in the country

Traci loved the houses

Traci loved the houses with the big front porches

Battery Street in downtown Charleston, a promenade of mansions

Battery Street in downtown Charleston, a promenade of mansions

The next day we headed to the beach on Folly Beach, about 40 minutes south of the campground. This was a little beach town, that was not too busy yet, but it could be crazy in the summer season I am sure. We grabbed some sandwiches, and took our beach chairs out to the coast and took in some cool sunshine, only about 63 degrees and a bit breezy. We returned to the MoHo and ate dinner, sitting outside and watching golf around a fire and getting ready to head to our next destination tomorrow, Myrtle Beach.

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

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Antebellum home in Beaufort, SC

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

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

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

River walk in Savannah, GA

Loved the architecture in Savannah

Loved the architecture in Savannah

One of the many squares in Savannah - huge oak tree!

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

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

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!

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 4th 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!