Easin' Along

Although we didn’t travel as much as we would like, we enjoyed a terrific year in 2025 that included an extended trip to the West Coast, some downtime in North Carolina, and our traditional two weeks in Edisto Beach, SC. The year also required extensive repairs to our fifth-wheel, keeping us on the sidelines for much of the summer. Nevertheless, the good experiences far outnumbered the bad, and I’ve shared some of the best of those here.

Best Campground

Runner-up: Our son, Collin, and Daughter-In-Law, Austin, built a new home in Charleston, SC, with full hookups for our fifth-wheel. We’ve used his water and electricity at the previous home, but during the new construction, Collin ran a sewer connection close to the driveway and gave us a perfect campsite for our Mother-in-Law suite. We refer to it as site #4, next to the pool.

Winner: San Onofre Beach, Marine Base Camp Pendleton, CA. This campground offers outstanding views of the Pacific Ocean as well as non-stop surfing from daybreak to dark right in front of us. San Clemente, CA, is a convenient five-minute drive north for shopping, and the Camp Pendleton Exchange is on the other side of the highway from the beach. While we were there, the Junior National Surfing Championship took place about a half-mile walk down the coast from our site. We attended most days of the competition.

Most Unique Experience

Runner-up: While camping at San Onofre, Helen and I drove northeast to visit the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. The swallows had returned from their winter nesting, and we enjoyed visiting the Chapel and the Mission’s grounds, founded in 1776.

Winner: Blue Angel Air Show, El Centro Naval Air Station, CA. When we booked this campground months earlier, we had no idea we would arrive on the day the Blue Angels would hold their final Air Show at their winter home before returning to Pensacola for the summer. We had a perfect view of the high-flying acrobatics from the comfort of our lawn chairs.

Best Desert Hike

Runner-up: Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, Holbrook, AZ. How have we passed this National Park on the many trips we’ve taken on I-40 to and from California? We were concerned about problems with our trailer, so we made an extra stop in Holbrook, AZ, to make sure everything was holding up. We hiked through the Petrified Forest on a lovely day after viewing the Painted Desert from the many overlooks. The views were stunning.

Winner: Red Rock State Park, Sedona, AZ. Any time spent in Sedona is always a good time. We camped in Dead Horse Ranch State Park five minutes from Sedona, then drove over on a chilly, but lovely, day for a hike through Red Rock State Park. We snaked our way along some trails to the House of Apache Fire, an uncompleted Adobe House sitting on a knoll above the Desert Floor. We love those Red Rock Mountains.

Best Sunset

Runner-up: Edisto Beach State Park. Sunsets (and sunrises) are not to be missed whenever possible–especially when a camera is nearby. I love taking sunset pictures, and we had a perfect view from our campsite in Edisto Beach this November. Clouds always add to the drama of sunsets.

Winner: Del Mar Beach, Marine Base Camp Pendleton, CA. This picture captured an interesting cloud formation and a waning yellow sky. I got lucky.

I’m throwing a sunrise from Edisto Beach as a bonus.

Favorite Picture

Runner-up: San Diego, CA, at night. Night shots are hard for me — there are always too many settings, and a tripod is a must. This one turned out well.

Winner: Painted Desert National Park, AZ. This one had too much color to leave in a computer file. Hope you enjoyed it.

From Our Family to Yours

As much as we enjoy RV travel, time spent with our family is still precious to us. Because our kids live on both coasts, an RV makes those opportunities possible…especially for someone who hates to fly. Our grandchildren are very busy teenagers (or nearly teens) during their summer breaks, which makes it difficult for us to gather everyone in one spot at the same time.

Abby, our oldest, cheers competitively for her high school team and has little time off. We’re going to Disney World in February to watch her team compete in the High School National Championships.

Bennett participates in both high school sports and a very competitive club soccer program in Charleston. Her club team spends many weekends in state and national tournaments throughout the year, bringing home many trophies in the process. Bennett also had an outstanding school year and finished first in her class academically.

Carter plays volleyball both in the gym and on the sand. He is a member of his school team and also plays on a rec team during the school year. In the summer, Carter plays sand volleyball–that’s what California guys do. He is also an excellent student.

Cason spends three weeks every summer at a camp in North Carolina and loves every minute. Helen and I picked her up at the end of last summer’s session and brought her to Knoxville for a visit with the grandparents. We called our time together Camp BeBe. Cason loves to cook, so I put her to work making fresh Sourdough Bread. We also enjoyed an afternoon in Gatlinburg, TN.

As a family, the Bruners send big hugs and sincere best wishes to all of our readers, hoping that 2026 is a year full of good health, happiness, and an abundance of time with friends and loved ones.

If our fifth wheel (Towanda) holds together, Helen and I plan to be on the road a lot in the coming year, beginning with a trip to Florida starting next week. We hope you’ll join us…we’re Easin’ Along.

Our second week at Edisto Beach, SC, was about as laid back as anyone could get. We walked on the beach every afternoon, lazily looking for shells and sharks’ teeth. For a while, I thought this might be the first year that I would leave without a tooth for my collection, but on the next-to-last day, I found one. It was so small that I didn’t hold it up for a picture, for fear I would drop it. It is now tucked away safely in a Mason jar.

On Sunday morning, Helen and I drove to Charleston to watch Bennett, our granddaughter, play in a soccer match against a team from Charlotte, NC. Bennett is an excellent player who plays on an exceptional team of 15- and 16-year-old girls. Many members of her team have played together since they were very young and have excellent team chemistry. Her team won the match, then left a few days later for a tournament in California, representing South Carolina in their age group. Their team won two out of three games there.

On Saturday, near the end of our stay, Helen signed us up to “Strut Our Stuff” in the Edisto Beach annual Fun Run/Walk. Here in Knoxville, we have the “Turkey Trot,” but in Edisto, they host the “Gobble Wobble.”Rather than show our speed (or lack thereof), we decided to participate in the one-mile walk. We joined a surprising number of participants at the starting line. The official starter (dressed for the occasion) asked all walkers to start a countdown from 10. Near the end of the count, she yelled over the crowd, “On your mark,” then blasted a horn to signal the official start.

Helen and I decided that, being the eldest in the group, we would hang back, ward off any alligators, and assist the injured. We found neither, but we did make it to the finish line in about 20 minutes in time to join most of the participants for the award ceremony and the much-welcome Mimosa Bar. We had a grand time.

The only other noteworthy activity was taking my camera out almost daily to capture sunrises and several sunsets. I’ve assembled the pictures below. I captured all of the sunsets from the same location, and all had different highlights. You tell me if you have a favorite.

Thank you for Easin’ Along with us. We made reservations for the same two weeks next year…I’ll be counting the days.

Helen and I are on the road again, enjoying three weeks of “glamping” in our RV. After an idle summer, we returned to action with a three-night trip to the Big South Fork with about 30 families from our church, which was a joyful experience. We brought our trailer back home on Sunday for unloading and reloading in preparation for our next trip…not so cheerful.

On Tuesday, I was in our bedroom when I heard a loud noise outside our bedroom window. Looking out, I saw our neighborhood landscaper’s truck up against the outside wall of the house. Next, Mortimer gave a warning, “Woof,” as the doorbell rang. I opened the door and met Jeff, the landscaper, who said, “I just had a bad accident.” His hands were shaking.

Jeff had left his truck running in the street while picking up some debris, and when he attempted to get back in, his foot slipped on the running board. He then grabbed the gearshift as he fell backwards. The truck went into drive. It moved forward, hitting my truck, bounced off, and hit our house. House ok–truck, not so much.

I assured Jeff that everything would work out, but I was concerned that we would have to postpone our long-anticipated trip to Edisto Beach. Remembering that my neighbor, Foster, had once mentioned an excellent body shop for vehicle repairs, I called him to get the name. Foster called Hardin Valley Body Shop for me. The next morning, a wrecker picked up the truck, and Mark, the shop owner, called to tell me that he would have the repairs completed by Monday morning. Mark made good on his word, and Helen, Mortimer, and I left for Cherokee, NC, the first stop on our trip. The Beaver Moon greeted us on the first night.

In Cherokee, the weather was beautiful, but a bit chilly. At nearly 2,500 feet in elevation, most of the fall color had disappeared, leaving only a trace. We had a lovely campsite beside SoCo Creek, where I spent some time watching ducks fishing for minnows while they were turned upside down in the creek. See if you can pick them out in this picture.

We left Cherokee after three nights of fun in the Casino. I did well — Helen cancelled me out. Next stop was Charleston, SC, and our son’s recently completed new home. Collin and Austin had torn down their previous home on a lovely lot overlooking a marsh and Charleston Harbor, and let a new home take its place. Collin also installed full hookups for our fifth-wheel beside the driveway so that Helen and I could use our trailer for a roomy Mother-In-Law Suite. We refer to the setup as CB’s RV Park.

After two nights in Charleston, we made the one-hour drive to Edisto Beach, where we have camped every November for the past eight (?) or so years. We’re there now. The first two days were frigid with morning temps in the low 30s and daytime temps in the upper 40s. We spent a lot of time indoors.

On Wednesday, we began a nice warm-up, and it was time to pull out the camping gear. It didn’t take us long to put up our tailgate tent and cooking tables, strategically placed to give us a nice view of the marsh between the island and the mainland. After setting up, we made it to the beach for a walk in the surf.

The past two days have offered splendid weather with clear skies, morning temperatures in the 50s, and afternoons in the 70s. I’ve taken advantage of the colorful evening clouds to capture some nice pictures to share. Last night I walked into the marsh to photograph the sunset. It was bright, but missing the clouds that would add a splash of drama.

The clouds at twilight were a delight for anyone holding a camera, and I clicked away. Here are a few examples of the show. (Click to enlarge any picture)

This morning, I rose early and went to the beach to capture the sunrise at 6:50 am. It did not disappoint. The picture at the top and the one below were worth the extra few minutes of sleep I sacrificed for the opportunity. I hope you agree.

We’re here for another week, with a great weather forecast. I’m eager to share the details, so please come back.