KFC

We went to KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) for dinner.  We decided there must be a discount for senior citizens today as we were probably the youngest customers!  Otherwise it was a day at home getting caught up on things.

Sunday in Minnesota

The weather is beautiful for the first time in 6 months.  (We have been in Florida most of that time and have not suffered the cold and snow like the people that live in Minnesota.)  You would think spring has finally sprung until you look at the long range forecast.

We went out for breakfast and then to "services" at Menards Home Store.  We picked up some kabobs to grill, it started to rain when we were grilling but got them done anyway.

Saturday

We went to dinner at Sheila and Ken home this evening.  Always good to visit with them and our grandchildren, Josh, Zach and Bri.  Their dog, Ginger is sick and doesn't have much more time with us.  She is such a good and faithful golden retriever,  we will all miss her.  She found the strength to greet us at the door like she always has done.

Getting settled in ----

We went out for breakfast at Little Six Casino.   They have a good breakfast for $3.95.  Then we went grocery shopping.   Last night the temperature got down to 27 degrees so it was cold in the motorhome this morning.  It warmed up during the day and the sun helped a lot.  We even had to open up a little for awhile.

Here we are at Dakotah Meadows RV park in Prior Lake, MN

It was about a 7 hour trip today, good roads but a head wind much of the way.  It was 27 degrees when we left and not too much warmer when we arrived.  It is good to be here for about 2 months, enough of this picking up and leaving every 2 or 3 days.  Also good to be near family!

Snow along side the road in Minnesota

Still some snow by our motorhome site!

Cold, windy day

Still in the Amana Colonies - we did a little shopping this afternoon.  We bought some meat, cheese, bakery, etc.  In the evening we ate dinner at the Ronneburg Restaurant   They had me at the pickled beets, which I like as much as sauerkraut which they also had.

We have been trying all day to keep the motorhome warm.  It finally got up to around 40 degrees outside but the wind takes all the heat out.  I am not enjoying this!

Poor cold flowers are trying to bloom.

Day in Amana

We started the day by going to Seven Villages Restaurant and had a good Amana breakfast.  We came home and did catch-up around the motorhome.  Don worked outside debugging the front of the motorhome and also washed the very dirty car.  The car had gotten dusty, then it rained a little making little mud pies on the maroon car.  I worked inside doing some wash and cleaning up the house.  We stayed home the rest of the day.

It rained later in the and is turning very cold and windy.  Glad we decided not to travel tomorrow!

Amana Colonies in Iowa

The traffic wasn't bad today for once, but the roads were full of potholes especially in Illinois.  Also we had strong wind from the south which is really noticeable in a motorhome! We saw a lot of low land flooding in the Quad Cities area. We got to the Amana's early enough to eat dinner at the Ox Yoke Inn.  Food is served family style, you can get side dishes refilled.  I ate most of two bowls of their wonderful sauerkraut, felt like I had overdone it a bit!

We plan to stay here 3 nights to wait out a storm front that would effect our travels   There is a lot to see and do and shop for here.   We are really tired after two days of travel.

Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Menards

We left Nashville this morning, drove through a corner of Kentucky and half way into Illinois to Effingham.  It was about a 7 hour trip including a stop for a bunch of Diesel and a couple more Rest Area stops.  There was a lot of traffic around Nashville and a lot of road construction all the way - move left, move right, lane switch, detour  etc.  We had to take the long way to the evenings campground.

Effingham has a MENARDS, Don's favorite home store.  He felt the need to make a visit.  I am so glad for him.

Our campground is nice, better than some.  The owner made a suggestion for a place for dinner, it was good.

President Andrew Jackson's Hermitage

This morning we went to The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home in Tennessee   He was the 11th President of the US,   I don't think I would have liked him much as he believed in slavery, moved the American Indians (or tried to move) west of the Mississippi, didn't let women vote and tried to take down the banking system.  Wish he could come back today and see how much we have changed!

The United States has been struck with two tragedies recently.  One made from terrorism and one an accident.  At this point one man has been found and killed and they are hot on the trail of the other.  I can't fathom how people let themselves get trapped into doing something so awful.  This is a free country, if they hate it so much they can peacefully work to make it better-but that is much harder.  I think of all the people killed the last few days, their families and friends.  Let us hope this is the end of these kind of events.

President Polk's home and museum and Natchez Trace

We drove to Columbia, TN to visit yet another presidential home and museum, this time the 11th president James K. Polk.  As always - interesting.

Then we drove a bit further to the Natchez Trace.  We had done the southern part over 5 years ago and wanted to see the northern part.  Natchez Trace is a 450 mile long foot/horse trail from Tennessee to Mississippi and Alabama used in the late 1800's.  It is now a National Park with a modern road that follows the path, there are many pull-overs and lots to see.

The Washington Monument as envisioned by Polk

Stared road on Left is Natchez trace

Grave of Lewis of Lewis and Clark 

Move from Knoxville to Nashville

It was a short trip but seemed long, a lot of traffic again.  We had to make an emergency stop on the highway.  One of our window wipers started to come loose and we were about to lose it.  Don had replaced the wipers a short time ago and probably didn't get this one installed correctly.  It was a hot day, mid 80's and good to get the air conditioner on when we parked.

We went across the interstate to Sonic Drive In for our favorite toaster (hamburger, cheese and bacon on Texas toast) sandwich for dinner.

3 Amigos

Didn't do much today but ate at the recommended 3 Amigos in Powell.  We ordered a combo plate for two and had way too much food.  It was good.  It continues to drive me crazy to not have data on my Verizon smart phone  or my MiFi.  That is the only thing wrong with this campground near Heiskell 

Waffle House

We had breakfast at Don's favorite place, Waffle House.  We have to take advantage as there are no Waffle Houses in the north.  We picked up a Knoxville Sunday paper.  Later we went to the Ice Cream Social in the clubhouse that you will always find on Sunday at 4PM in Escapees parks.  Talked to daughters in the evening!

Great Smokey Mountain National Park

We got an early start to the Smokey Mountains.  This isn't our first trip to the Smokey's but we love mountains and always enjoy.  We think Keystone and Hill City are too much out to get the tourist, they have nothing on Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg!  You would think they could not get another place for tourists to spend money if they tried, but they do.

The trees were just starting to leaf out at the lower altitudes and not yet at at the higher altitudes.  The dogwood is just a few days away from full bloom.  The dogwood was done blooming in Florida and in full bloom in Georgia, so this is our third spring.

Roaring River

Smokey Mountains

Spring about to happen

Atlanta, Chattanooga, Knoxville

Today we traveled through all three big cities.  Atlanta is difficult even in our car when we go north at Christmas let alone towing that same car with a 40 foot motorhome.  Just keeping on the correct road is hard not to mention the traffic.  Then Chattanooga, it wasn't too bad just heavy traffic and the same for Knoxville.  In fact it was heavy traffic even between the cities!  We were sure glad to get to the Escapees Raccoon Valley campground north of Knoxville - happy and tired. (And all our equipment safe.)

President Carter's Museum

We went to President Carter's Museum to day.  This is the 10th presidential museum/home/birthplace we have seen.  Carter's was well laid out and easy to follow his timeline.  There were a lot of short videos, some gifts they had been given and other things from his administration.

Carter's Oval Office

Carter's "Red Phone" direct line to Kremlin 

Gifts Mrs. Carter received

Noble Peace Prize

Atlanta

Today we moved the motorhome from Savannah to south of Atlanta for a couple days.  It was a good trip and all went well except for the light fixture over the table partly came down.  We have had trouble with this fixture sense the motorhome was new.  I made an emergency repair on the road of wrapping a towel around the globes so they wouldn't bang into each other.  Later Don took it down and tightened everything up, one light still doesn't work, need a new socket. 

Tybee Island - Georgia

We ate breakfast out and then went to Tybee Island which is east of Savannah.  It is a nice, tourist  place.  Beautiful beaches.

Old Savannah

We took a tram tour of Old Savannah, one of the oldest towns in the U.S.  There were a lot of parks all with a statue of someone important to the developing of Savannah and the U.S.  Savannah didn't allow liquor or black slaves so was different than the surrounding area.

For lunch we ate at Paula Deen's "Lady and Son's" restaurant   We had heard from several friends that it was impossible to get in, expensive and small portions.  We found none of this to be true.  We had about a 10 minute wait, good food in good portions, price not too bad and the service was great.  No complaints from us!!!

One of the 22 parks

Pirate's house

Fried green tomatoes at Paula Deen's 

Paula Deen's restaurant

On the road

We got on the road about 9 AM and made it to Savannah, Georgia campground about 2:30.  It was an uneventful trip except for the traffic.  It was bad in Florida and just got worse.  We stopped at at rest stop and were lucky to get a spot to park the motorhome.

In the evening we drove around to get help get a plan for tomorrow.  We were very tired......

Goodbye Sumter Oaks until next fall!

Our last day at Sumter Oaks.  Some friends invited us over for a goodbye beverage and it turned out to be a party.  They had invited a number of other people.  Then it was one last trip to our favorite Chinese place for dinner.   We worked hard getting everything packed and ready to travel!

Rain and more rain

We are getting tired of rain and the associated humidity.  We have had over three inches and still it is raining.  The Resurrection Fern on the tree by our motorhome is green again, a sign of plenty of rain.  (Can you see the squirrel?)

Escapees luncheon

We went to the Escapees lunch today at Golden Corral.  This is the last luncheon until next November!  Everyone is heading north----

Florida Artist Gallery and Cafe in Floral City

I had lunch with 7 other women from Sumter Oaks at the Gallery and Cafe.  The food was good and not too expensive, the server a bit ditsy   I had stuffed green pepper as I know Don doesn't like them and we would never have them at home.  After lunch we went across the street and got fresh strawberry shakes to take home to our husbands, we are such nice women!

In the evening we had around three inches of rain in a short period of time.  There was a lake in front of our motorhome that disappeared quickly in the sandy soil.  The electricity was out for about 10 minutes.

One more time to Tampa

We went one last time to Tampa before we head north.  Ate as always at Sweet Tomatoes, did a little shopping and went to Parksdale Farms to restock on the fresh vegetables and fruit.

   Don on left in green shirt.