Author: Easin' Along

We’re officially on the road now. In our previous post, we gave everyone a preview of the trip from our first stop at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. We also included a snippet of the first day at Blue Angel Naval Recreation Park in Pensacola. I’m happy to report that everything got even better from there.

First, however, I have to give the Navy compliments for providing an excellent facility for military families and retired veterans (like me) to enjoy. The campground has excellent paved, shaded sites for RVs with full hookups. The showers are spotless, and the laundry facilities are convenient and inexpensive. We enjoyed the walking trails along Perdido Bay’s shores, where the waters are inviting, and the sunsets are spectacular. I encourage our Military Living readers to visit at the first opportunity.

Helen and I ventured out a couple of times to check out the Pensacola area and stretch our legs. Life in a lawn chair isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be. We needed some activity.

Downtown Pensacola is a small but scenic area. We visited the Pensacola Pier area, then drove to the city’s heart to explore the Sunday Market. COVID conditions have probably impacted the market, but we enjoyed a sampling of art, crafts, and food, all spaced well along the boulevard greenspace. Helen showed a lot of interest in a pie baker’s offerings but passed after thinking long and hard over a lemon-blueberry pie that had our mouths watering.

On another excursion, we drove to the Pensacola Lighthouse, an impressive 160-year-old structure that stretches 190 feet into the air. To reach the viewing deck required climbing 177 steps up a tight spiral staircase. We thought about it and decided to go for it, but 177 steps are a lot of steps. Nevertheless, we made it, and the view was worth the effort.

St. George Island State Park near Eastpoint and Apalachicola, Florida, often referred to as the Forgotten Coast, was stop number three on this trip. We discovered this campground three years ago and looked forward to returning. We fell in love with the beautiful wide beaches and the white sand that made the Gulf Coast special.

We wasted no time in looking for a dinner of fresh oysters on the half-shell as soon as we settled into our campsite. On our previous visit, we had a delightful experience at Hole In The Wall Oyster Bar in Apalachicola and drove to town hoping it was still there. Thankfully, the doors were open. Unlike our last visit when the place was crawling with guests, we were the only diners this evening. The diminished crowd did not affect the oysters–they were the best we’ve ever had. Duane, one of the owners, told us these oysters came from Texas the day before. They tasted so fresh and flavorful that I was sad to see the last one go down. Duane must have sensed my sadness and gave me two more on the house. He gave Helen two on top of her dozen as well.

Before leaving Knoxville, I contacted a blogger currently living near St. George Island about the possibility of meeting while we were nearby. Laurel, a professional writer, and her husband, Eric, were full-time RVers and shared their experiences in the entertaining and very well-written blog, Raven and Chickadee. Early in 2020, they came off the road to care for Laurel’s parents and to do some renovating on the family home.

Laurel invited Helen and me out to the newly renovated home for drinks and snacks around the firepit. The homesite on the shore of Apalachicola Bay is lovely. Laurel and Eric greeted us warmly, and Eric had a fire going when we arrived. Laurel served a tray of assorted vegetables and cheeses that hit the spot. We had fun chatting about RVing in general, and they gave us a wealth of information on destinations in the US and Canada.

The evening passed all too quickly. As we prepared to leave, I asked if we could walk out on their dock to take in the sunset, an opportunity I never let slip away. The sunset was stunning and added much to an already good time. We parted and promised to keep in touch.

Helen and I are in Cedar Key, Florida now, battling poor Wi-Fi connections and a nearly maxed out personal hotspot. I’m not sure when this post will make it online, but hopefully soon. In the meantime, we’re warm, dry, clean, well-fed, and still…Easin’ Along. Life in an RV is so good.

Easin’ Along was off the air for a week or so. The holidays were over; there wasn’t a whole lot of activity worth writing about, and we were spending most of our time preparing for an upcoming trip, which I’m going to preview for you this week. I’m so glad we had this trip in our future because Helen and I were tired of being cold.

The weather in Eastern Tennessee has been chilly and wet for what seems like an eternity. The cold and wet we’ve experienced cuts right through a person’s body and leaves one longing for a warm fire, the recliner, and little else. Thankfully, a trip to Florida would offer a little relief.

I say Florida, but actually, we’re spreading this trip over four and maybe five states. A trip to Florida in the winter can be a tough ticket for RVers. Canadians and residents of the Northern part of the US arrive in early October and stay until April, filling up the campgrounds. Long ago, I gave up trying to reserve a spot at one of those fancy resorts in the southern part of the state. The reservation clerk would laugh when I asked for a January booking, telling me that the resort is full for months ahead.

Arriving in October would not work for us. There is no way I could get Helen to be away from our home over Christmas for fear she might miss something. She wouldn’t dare miss the church music program, family gatherings, or time with friends.

I admit I wouldn’t miss them either, so we opt for campgrounds in Northern Florida, where campsites are available but require some digging to uncover. We also have the advantage of access to campgrounds on Military Bases, which helps. On this trip, we have eight stops planned, and five of them are in Military campgrounds.

Our first stop on this trip was a one-night stand at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. We have found that Maxwell is a convenient port for southbound trips, and this was our third visit to the base. The campground is large and offers full hookups. We have the option of commissary shopping if we need to stock the pantry before moving on. We passed on the commissary this time, but we took advantage of the full hookups and warmer weather to de-winterize our trailer.

We are now in Pensacola, Florida, and camping at Blue Angel Recreation Park, operated by Pensacola Naval Air Station. We arrived on Friday afternoon and selected a campsite two rows back from the waters of Perdido Bay. We have a lovely view from our trailer, and last night’s sunset was incredible. We will spend four nights here.

From Pensacola, we will take you to St. George’s Island State Park, near Apalachicola, Florida, and spend a few days at the nearest Oyster Bar. I’m ready for that. After we’ve had our fill, Cedar Key, Florida, is the next stop. We’re both looking forward to that because it will be our first visit there. I’ll share the experience.

Last year, we spent a week with my sister and brother-in-law at Lake Kissimmee State Park and had such a good time, we’re going to do it all over again. We have our bicycles with us and are eager to do some park peddling. My sister tells me the long-term weather forecast is good for the time of our visit.

Osprey Cove Campground at Mayport Navy Base in Jacksonville, Florida, is up after Kissimmee. We visited this oceanside campground three years ago and promised to return. The beach is wide and very walkable. We will be there for five days.

Eagle Hammock RV Campground at King’s Bay (Georgia) Submarine Base comes next. We spent a few months on the waiting list for this opportunity. Eagle Hammock is a very popular campground within the military community and has received the “most favored’ recognition several times. Cumberland Island National Seashore is nearby, and I hope to give my camera a workout there.

Last on the list of stops is the campground at Parris Island Marine Base. Helen and I stayed there on our very first RV trip four years ago. We love Beaufort, South Carolina. Savannah, Georgia, is not far away and is always worthy of a visit.

We saved the best stop for last. That’s the stop where we park the trailer in our son’s driveway in Charleston, South Carolina, and spend a few days hugging our grandchildren… an excellent way to wrap up five weeks of travel.

I hope you will Ease Along with us. We will share the journey as we move down the highway, properly socially distanced. We’ll leave you for now and go in search of a dozen on the half shell.

Although 2020 was a challenging year, Helen and I consider ourselves as fortunate as ever and remain grateful for our many blessings. We still have our health, our home, a beautiful family, and wonderful friends. We’re also blessed to have a wonderful church family that adds greatly to the joy that fills our lives.

Going back for more years than I can remember, our church members had delivered Christmas gifts to families in Roses Creek, a tiny Appalachian Mountain community where hard times moved in when coal mining moved out. Helen and I have adopted a family in years past, and I usually help with the delivery.  I look forward to participating whenever I have the opportunity.

The project gets rolling in early December each year when the project organizer receives a list of family names from the Roses Creek Community Center Director.  Church members volunteer to adopt a family and purchase items requested by the Roses Creek Family. Helen and I guessed that our family was a young married couple as only two people asked for gifts. The list included clothing, silverware…and an ax.

Helen shopped for the clothing, and I bought the ax from a local hardware store.  Each gift was wrapped and placed in a large bag. Each bag was tagged and taken to the church for delivery.

On delivery day, volunteers gathered at the church and loaded a generous offering of bags and boxes into cars and trucks for delivery. In previous years, this task took place during a weekday with no children involved.  Fortunately, we had the help of several children this year, and all were very much into the process and extremely helpful. After Justin led us in prayer, we moved out.

The Roses Creek community is about 75 miles north of Knoxville, within a few miles of the Kentucky border. I led the convoy of about eight or nine cars up Interstate 75. After driving about 60 miles, we left the highway and followed a narrow winding road over a mountain ridge into a valley below. Roses Creek flows through that valley leading to the community center.  

In previous years, members of the community welcomed us and offered refreshments after bringing the gifts inside.  This year, one person greeted us, wearing a mask, and pointed to the room where we assembled everything. We worked quickly and left. No time for contact, but that is emblematic of the year we’ve lived through.

I always get more out of this journey than I ever put into it. Have a blessed New Year, everyone. I’m Easin’ Along…and counting mine every day.