Author: Easin' Along

If all goes well, Helen and I should be on the road to Memphis on the first day of our summer road trip when this post is published. After almost a year of planning, Campsites are reserved, an itinerary prepared, Dora (our fifth-wheel) is loaded, and Ruby (new truck) is eager to lead the way. We both received the second of two COVID vaccinations more than two weeks ago. The vaccines don’t make us bulletproof, but we do feel safer than we did when embarking on RV trips in 2020.

We will travel a lot of the ground we covered last summer, but much of that ground was closed due to the pandemic. On the positive side, the pandemic reduced the crowd in the National Parks. We had no trouble finding parking and never encountered long lines; nevertheless, there was limited access to some of the attractions and points of interest we hoped to visit.

We spent three months on the road last summer but added a fourth month to this journey. Canada opens its borders after shutting us out in 2020, and we secured reservations in the campground on Lake Louise in Banff National Park in late June. I held my breath while making this reservation.  When reservations opened this past Monday, we were number 32,239 in the online queue.  I spent five hours waiting for my turn to reserve a spot. Persistence paid off. We’re in and looking forward to the experience that everyone who has visited Lake Louise says is incredible.

We begin this trip by heading to California (by way of Las Vegas), with stops in Utah and Colorado on the way. Once in California, we will spend some time hugging our grandchildren while camping with them at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Next, we move north along the coast to the northwestern tip of Washington before turning east toward Canada, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. I have posted a map of the route below. It’s not very clear in pinpointing each stop but does show the direction and the states we visit along the way.

I look forward to the photo opportunities as much as I do exploring the new places on the itinerary. We fell in love with the unique landscape of Yellowstone and Glacier National Park last summer, as well as the wildflowers on Mt. Rainier. Photographs from that trip serve as wallpaper on my desktop, and I never tire of seeing the scenery.  Some of those pictures are shared above and here.

Hopefully, we will share our journey with weekly updates. Please join us and know that we would love to have reader suggestions of places to visit along the way. Use the comments section of Easin’ Along.  We will read them all and reply. Wi-Fi is a bit iffy in some parts of the road less traveled, but we’ll get back to you as soon as we recover a signal.

Although we’re in a hurry to begin the journey, we’re still…Easin’ Along.

This year’s abundant rainfall has produced a beautiful early spring in East Tennessee. Our grass is lush green, and the early blooming trees, flowers, and shrubs are stunningly brilliant. The daffodils and crocus have, for the most part, come and gone, but the tulips, dogwoods, and azaleas are putting on quite the show. I had to share and maybe brag on our region a bit as we raise the curtain on another splendid spring showing.

The Dogwood Arts Festival, which began in 1955, draws attention to the spring blooming season’s arrival by featuring public and private gardens that are open to visitors. Also featured are driving routes through several neighborhoods, designated as Dogwood Trails, where flowering trees are plentiful and yards landscaped to perfection. The trails are a sight to behold, but our blooming period is always too short in East Tennessee.  We seem to go from cool weather to hot almost overnight.

In addition to highlighting things floral, the Festival also focuses on the arts, both performing and visual. Festival organizers schedule concerts, theatrical performances, art galleries, and craft shows to entertain visitors from all over the region and the entire country with local artists’ skills and talents in hundreds of venues. It’s busy, but it’s fun.

One of the more popular events on the schedule is named “Chalk the Walk,” where the first 500 artists to register compete for prizes in several age groups. Each artist receives a box with 48 chalks and pastels to draw their masterpiece. In the past, the competition took place in our downtown square and was always well-attended by on-lookers wishing to view genius at work.

I had not planned to blog this week.  Helen and I are in a frenzy preparing to leave on an RV trip, and I still had taxes to finish, a doctor, dental, and eye appointment, a wedding to attend, and a myriad of last-minute details to complete.  Nevertheless, when I heard that the Chalk Walk competition was on for this week, I thought I would share some of the drawings with Easin’ Along readers.  I grabbed both cameras and drove downtown.  When I reached the square, there were maybe ten people there and no artists.  I called the Festival office thinking that the competition had moved to another location.

A very polite gentleman answered the phone and informed me that Festival organizers decided not to risk the event becoming a “super spreader” during the pandemic.  Artists would still compete, but individually, at a site of their choosing, and submit a photograph of the finished product to the judges online. I understood but was very disappointed.

I wanted to share these gifted artists’ works, but finding a work in progress would be impossible with the limited time available to me.  Instead, I looked up some images from previous competitions on the Festival website and “borrowed” a few to share.  Google Images also had several good examples.  I hope you enjoy them. When artists are chalking the walk, we know that “spring has sprung” in the hills of East Tennessee.

Have a great week everyone. We’re Easin’ Along.

When Helen and I planned our winter trip through Florida and up the east coast, we intended to spend the last two days in Charleston before heading home. We stayed longer. Readers know that our son and his family live there and we love going there. Our fifth-wheel fits nicely in their driveway. With an electric outlet nearby and a water connection a few feet away, we have all the comforts of an exclusive RV resort. Add in the bonus of two lovely granddaughters to hug, and Charleston becomes the perfect place to cap off a winter RV trip.

We have endured less than perfect weather during this entire trip, and Charleston gave us more of the same. A cold mist settled in as we arrived and hooked up in our driveway campsite.  Our son purchased tickets to an Oyster Roast at the Yacht Club near his home on our first night.  Several of his friends would join us for an evening of food and fun. Thankfully, the rain stayed away.

A tailgate tent served as our dining room.  Drink locations, scattered across the Clubhouse lawn, made it easy to maintain social distancing. Within a few minutes of our arrival, two young men came to our tent and unloaded a bushel of steamed oysters on our table. We all dove in.  What could be better after a day of driving? The oysters, cooked to perfection, gave us no difficulty shucking several dozen.

As stated earlier, we intended to stay for two days, but Helen and I decided that wasn’t enough grandchildren time. We had always wanted to camp at James Island County Park, a very popular and highly regarded campground, but things never worked out for us.  On a whim, Helen decided to call the reservation office to see if we could secure a campsite for three nights. Luck was with us, although we would have to move to a different campsite for the third night. Big deal, moving is part of camping, we always say. Helen jumped at the opportunity.  

James Island County Park is a huge facility.  There are hiking and biking trails, playgrounds, water parks, dog parks, and a lovely lake in addition to the campground. We finally enjoyed some sunshine and spent an afternoon on the bike trail with our family getting some much-needed exercise and fresh air.

Folly Beach, a short drive from the park, offered another opportunity to take advantage of the Charleston area’s beauty.  Although we chose a cold, windy day to walk the beach, we enjoyed a brisk walk in the bright sunshine, and the girls seemingly paid no attention to the cooler temperature.  

Fortunately, COVID has not prevented our grandchildren from attending school so, with the children in the classroom and their parents at work, Helen and I decided to sample one of Charleston’s best Fish and Chips restaurants for lunch. Codfather’s Fish and Chips serves authentic British-style food, served wrapped in paper just as the Brits do it. The cod, lightly breaded and crisply fried, was served alongside hand-cut fried potatoes. The only thing we needed after that meal was a nap.

Once we moved to the campground, we spent most of our evenings there, cooking, watching movies, and just hanging out.  Time passed by all too quickly and, before we realized it, the time had come for us to head toward home. Nevertheless, a six-week journey had ended perfectly with plenty of time to relax and enjoy.

We’ll be Easin’ Along again starting in mid-April.  Details to follow—please join us.