Jekyll Island

A Quiet Place - A Lovely Day

The trip from the Savannah area to Jekyll Island was rather short, albeit a rather nice drive with the possible exception of a short detour as we tried (for the second time this trip) to find an advertised RV and Camping Center - looking for covers to protect our tires from the sun.

Jekyll Island (an appropriate place to visit on Halloween) was long held as a private vacation spot of the very rich from the late 1800's until about the period of WWII. The island is now owned by the State of Georgia and is very nicely maintained and many of the old buildings either have been or are in the process of being restored. It is a very quiet place with no 'chain' businesses of any sort, one small grocery store, one gas station, one small strip mall (about a dozen small stores/shops)...you get the picture.

Photos may say it all better - click here.

Day Ends in Savannah

Mystery Pic

We've arrived in Georgia (just) - staying in the Savannah Oaks RV Resort. We are not really sure just how much of a resort it is since we arrived a bit late in the day and by the time we had dinner, it was too late to go exploring. Not too much to report in terms of scenery - still pretty much the typical I-95 at this point, although we did manage to observe several palm clumps, courtesy of the State of South Carolina.

It was quite a beautiful day today. When we stepped outside after dinner it was still too warm to wear anything more than shorts and tee shirt; this in contrast to the frost you've been seeing up North! The plan for tomorrow (31st - just to keep myself on track) is for Jekyll Island and some long awaited photo ops! We are doing quite well and enjoying ('most) every second of the experience so far. There have been a few bumps and snags, but nothing that is even worth mentioning.

Please respond with a guess at the 'Mystery Pic' - I'm sure that at least some of you have seen it before.

South of the Border

No, it is not a UFO!

No, not THAT boder! For those of you who are familiar with driving toward Florida, you'll recognize Pedro's place...we have not seen Pedro yet.

Interstate 95 through VA, North Carolina and now in South Carolina remains pretty much the same as it has always been...a highway lined with trees and little much else to be seen with the exception of a town here and there. The trip still holds a beauty that we are pleased to enjoy, but little to be photographed. That will all change soon. We'll spend the night here at South of the Border with plenty of other Southbound Voyagers.

Extended Trip - Day One

Petersburg, VA. We arrived here at about 10pm. With a bit of a later start than expected, we at least made our initial goal of being South of D.C. before the start of the work week. Beyond that, it really does not matter...no real schedule to keep any more. Sorry there is no picture to accompany this entry, but the only attempt (the National Cathedral at Night) was missed since we did not have the camera out and at the ready; however, you can expect some photos to follow from this point forward. We owe a huge thanx to many for a delightful sendoff at couple of points over the weekend. A special thanx to Vickie for the Friday Night dinner and party and a really huge thank you to Linda and Bert for putting up with us in all our preparations since July (and sorry for all the grooves, holes and puddles left in the yard). More tomorrow - may get thrown out of this rest stop in a couple of hours so we'd better get some sleep while we can.

Last 'Official' Work Day

The Toad

Friday (05 Oct) was the official start of our retirement. Now the final preparations for our new life-style are in full swing. Mostly, there is the house to be emptied and the motor home to be filled - each having unique challenges. We are still living very comfortably in the house which means there is still too much here and we could already live very comfortably in the motor home which means there is already enough there. A dilema to be sure!

There have been several entries about towing and all the wiring, etc. is still not completed so that is number one on the agenda for the moment.

Controlling the Dolly

With the dolly in place, it is now time to provide some control for braking - particularly important with our expected climbs (and more importantly descents of the other side) of some very large mountains. The primary ingredient is the brake controller. I will not go into the +'s & -'s of all the available brands and types, but we now have what we feel is best suited to our purposes and with any luck, the installation will be completed within the next week. Just selecting this unit (and a 'break-away' brake to go with it), deciding how and where to install the components, and crawling under the dash to trace wires, etc. has been an adventure in itself.