Author: Aventis

As we continued our journey to see new places, we made our way to Texas. Our plan is to spend the next 7 weeks checking out some cities and the gulf coast of Texas.

Texas is the second largest state divided into 6 different areas. We started in Tyler, TX which is in the Piney Woods area for 1 night.

We had a nice clean spot at a neat resort called The Boulders on Tyler Lake.

Every time we go to a new place we research things to do and the best food. Tyler was a small place, but we did find some really local and yummy BBQ very close to the RV.

We got lucky that it was Friday and they were open (the only day that week!).

The next morning we were up and off to the Dallas/Fort Worth area which is in the Prairies and Lakes area of Texas. We made camp at Pilot Knoll Park in Argyle, TX just a few miles northwest of Dallas for seven nights.

We had a nice spacious location right on Lake Lewisville.

It was a great place to relax and take in your surroundings.

With the weather not cooperating for a good outside exploring day, we had to find an indoor activity (look at that cold fog!).

We were excited to discover a really cool brewery with a nice selection and a great name. Definitely a good find!

With the sun out and comfortable temps the next day, we headed out to explore Dallas. There was no denying that we were getting close to a big city.

As we got closer we could see Reunion Tower standing tall.

We stopped to walk through Pioneer Plaza Cattle Drive, a true symbol of Texas pride.

This large city park has many bronze cowboy and cattle statues, where no two are the same.

The weather took a little shift. We had a very warm and sunny day that was perfect for a kayak ride around the lake.

So amazing to be back on the water in a boat.

It was a great day.

Our next exploration day took us to Fort Worth. We found a really cool Water Garden.

The features in the garden are all water based art sculptures. Unfortunately, one of the most beautiful ones had to be closed because 3 people died trying to get into the water.

We also checked out the historic stock yard from the car because of the rain. Part of the plan was to go to Billy Bob’s Texas, the biggest honky took in Fort Worth, but it was closed for a private event.

So we found an alternative activity that filled our afternoon with a different kind of color.

The Fort Worth Botanical Garden was having a special exhibit of orchids from around the world. Ashley was in heaven.

The incredible display included thousands of orchids. We learned that there are over 30,000 species of orchids that grow on all continents except Antarctica.

It was a wonderful experience to be immersed in such beauty.

The weather took another turn. The winds shifted and rose. We realized we were not going to escape the bad storms they had been threatening all week. With family and friends telling us to be safe, we brought in all outside items, secured the RV to a couple of trees and made sure our phones and purses were by the door.

The storms started and raged hard. With the wind howling, thunder cracking and lightening dancing in the sky, we heard the dreaded tornado siren. It was Time to go!!

We quickly made our way to the only safe spot, the bathrooms. The women’s was for the cat owners and the men’s was for us dog people.

After about an hour, we were able to go back to the RV and the worst of it seemed to be done. In the light of day, we could see that we had been very fortunate, a few large tree limbs had come down, but Aventis was unharmed.

We then made our way to our next destination, 130 miles due south to Airport Park in Waco.

This was a large state park with many site options on and off the water. We had a lovely spot right on Lake Waco with lots of yard.

This site was unique having a great sunrise and a great sunset.

We got to enjoy this charming spot for 14 days. With so many days in one spot it was a great time to get some projects done.

We started with a small remodel in our bedroom.

The RV came with a set of cabinets over the master bed which made for good storage, but they really closed in the space. So out they came.

The space has a whole new feel, much more us.

Addie’s room got a refresh too. She had a second bed above hers that was not usable as a bed or storage when we were moving.

Every time Addie got into bed she had to bend over or she would hit her head.

We took the whole thing out and restructured the space, so it could be a storage area.

This gave us so much new storage that we can not fill all the bins.

Addie’s room feels so spacious and open now. The windows give it even more light.

After all this fun demolition, we enjoyed a great cookout on the cool but sunny day.

As well as some time just chilling.

Time to explore Waco. First stop, Magnolia Market (remember Chip and Joanna Gaines) hoping to get some decorating ideas for our new spaces.

It was a beautiful and very unique place with a great bakery.

Another place we had to visit while in this area was the Dr. Pepper Museum. Who doesn’t love the stuff!!

So much cool history to discover and what a fun way to do it.

We tried our hands at making our own sodas. No surprise that Captain’s Cola tasted the best.

We also got to experience what it felt like to be a soda taste tester. We rated six sodas based on if their look and smell matched the taste.

I think Addie smiled non-stop until she went to bed that night! It was a really fun experience.

This life allows us to go, go, go but we still try to stop for sunset as often as we can. It always feels like such a gift when we are able to enjoy a beautiful sunset with the ones we love.

With such a stunning background Ashley’s watercolors had to come out.

We took advantage of one of the warmer days to visit Cameron Park. One of our favorite finds was this super neat stairway called Jacob’s Ladder. It is a “slightly updated” version of the ladder built in the early 1900’s to access the river below.

With a little more exploring of the park we found Lovers Leep, which had an amazing view of the cliffs and river below.

We could not leave Waco without visiting the Mammoth National Monument. It was really neat seeing the dig sites with the actual fossils.

The only downside of our spot in Waco was there was no sewer hookup. But we have a work around. That is what “little shitty” is for.

Every few days we empty the black and gray tanks and drive her to the dump station.

We enjoyed many full days of fun wandering around Waco.

Our time in Waco was very productive and relaxing. We had a nice mix of cold and warm weather reminding us that spring was on the way.

Up next: We head to Austin!!!

We were only in Louisiana for 11 days but those days were packed with activities.

First stop, New Orleans:

We planted ourselves at New Orleans RV Resort & Marina for 7 nights. We really enjoyed our location here on the water right next to the docked boats. It was a new, but familiar perspective for us.

This beautiful spot was only about 15 minutes from bourbon street downtown.

Makenzie and Gavin came to visit and explore New Orleans with us.

So cool to have our girls together enjoying time with eachother.

When we planned our stopover in this area, we had no idea that we were going to be here during Mardi Gras. As we started to research what we were going to do, we quickly learned that we had parades, celebrations and people to plan around.

One of the things we had to try was King Cake. This cake is only made during Mardi Gras. It reminds us of a cinnamon roll filled with just about anything you can think of. Our favorite filling turned out to be Bavarian cream.

It is usually a big shareable cake, but it can be found in a more individual size too. Every King Cake has a toy baby hidden inside. The person who gets the baby is said to have luck and prosperity and is the king/queen of the day.

For the kids first full day, we checked out the Audubon Zoo.

There were so many fun animals to see with great life messages. They remind us…

To Be Flexible,

To Support One Another

And To Chill Out!

Next we visited the Museum of Art.

So eye opening to see the thousands of years of art from some many different cultures all together in one place. Art captures our stories in so many more ways than just words.

One of our favorite things we did in New Orleans was an early evening VooDoo Tour. Super interesting hearing all the spooky history of New Orleans. There is plenty of spooky here.

With the weekend upon us, it was time to really get in the spirit. Mardi Gras is a celebration that lasts for weeks leading up to Ash Wednesday.

As time got closer there were more parades and many more people.

Each parade is hosted by a different Krewe. These are clubs and organizations that have formed for the purpose of celebrating carnival. Wow, they know how do it up big and colorful.

We saw two parades, the Krewe of Iris, the oldest, largest (3400) all female krewe established in 1917 and the Krewe of Tucks, a mixed krewe of about 2100 members.

Makenzie’s athletic training came in handy as we raised our arms and grabbed and groped for beads, cups, trinkets and toys that were being tossed our way.

Mak was definitely our queen, as she snagged a coveted gold baby!

It was shear madness and yet super fun, with stuff flying everywhere. Our bag of loot weighted at least 30 pounds, plus what we had each decorated around our necks.

These are the treasures that we kept. The rest we gave to a kindergarten teacher for their reward box.

At the crack of dawn, we took Mak and Gavin to the airport and said goodbye. It was a lot of fun experiencing Mardi Gras with them. We are glad we did it, but we are not in any hurry to do it again.

We had one last night in New Orleans where we chilled and enjoyed the beauty of our surroundings.

As we made our way towards Texas, we traveled northwest on Interstate 10 and 49. As we did we encountered these super unique areas of roads that go on and on for miles. These two lane roads are essentially long bridges built over shallow rivers. Definitely do not want to have a tire blow out on this stretch.

After a 3 hour drive we found our way to Indian Creek Recreation Area in Woolworth, LA where we spent two nights.

This was a relaxing spot out on a peninsula; surrounded, we could see water from all windows in the RV.

Not much to explore here but the lake itself. The temperature was perfect for walking, napping, and chewing on bones.

And painting.

We continued our journey northwest another 2 1/2 hours and found ourselves in the spooky forest.

Lake Bistineau State Park in Doyline, LA was definitely not like any lake we had ever seen before. The Tupelo and Cypress trees covered with Spanish moss growing out of the water made it feel very eerie.

We were here for two nights with a nice big spot and only a few neighbors scattered around. This was the perfect place to give the dogs a haircut.

Chance did not get the best haircut as the clippers died and the closest Walmart was about an hour away, but they are both cooler than they were.

From here we are headed to Texas. Cowboy country here we come!

We returned from our weekend in Charleston with Makenzie and Gavin and had one last night in St. Augustine before heading west to Tallahassee RV Park for a quick stopover on our way to St. Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, FL for an extended stay. We loved our site at St. Andrews!

We chocked the tires, secured the stabilizing jacks, and plugged into power, water and sewer. We were here to stay in St. Andrews State Park for as long as they would let us, which is 14 days. This was our longest stay in one place yet.

We had an excellent site right on the water. The gravel sites were clean, level very well maintained.

Addie’s view was like a postcard.

This state park surrounds the entire eastern end of Panama City Beach. It includes the calm inter coastal side, which is where the campground is located.

It also has miles of beach that follow the intercoastal water out into the Gulf of Mexico. With the aid of the jetties built to protect all this fragile coastline, a huge tide pool was created.

The beaches are large with beautiful soft white sand. The winds blows from all directions, so some days there are waves and other days there are not.

We were reminded some days that it was late January, but we were so grateful to be here experiencing this kind of cold instead of what we could be in at home in the mountains of NC.

How can you not smile when you are surrounded by so much blue?

A day or so later the temps were better and we were able to spend the day at the beach enjoying a hotdog and a beer.

And admiring the calm seas.

Ashley is always seeking out ways to be creative and on this occasion she tested her hand at making a lamp shade to brighten up her bedside area. Inspired by her love of sea anemones.

We are truly water people. Our appreciation for it’s beauty and sheer power motivates us to seek it out in all of it’s varies forms. One of the goals of this new adventure is to be around it as much as we can as we travel around the US.

The water here at St. Andrew’s was particularly captivating.

From this spot, we had an incredible sunrise view over the water.

We took advantage of this awesome location to take the kayak out on numerous occasions. We had an easy entry via a sandy shore from our campsite and the water was a comfortably cool 68 degrees.

We kayaked from our site all over the Grande Lagoon each day to a different spot. One day we checked out everything to our west, the marinas, houses and restaurants.

Another outing took us across the lagoon to a sandy point that was part of a resort which caught our attention because it had one lone palm tree.

On a different day we ventured east along our side of the lagoon as far as we could go before putting ourselves in harms way by entering the channel out to the Gulf, as the tide was going out.

Some days the winds made kayaking impossible, but not today. It was the perfect day.

The three of us make a good team. Go team blue!

Each day our ride brings us right back here to Aventis.

Winter days in Florida were gloomy, fog rolled in, temps stayed cool and everything outside was wet. We were extra thankful for our warm, dry inside space to hang out in.

The wildlife made the most of this alone time.

Addie decided to spend her day using one of her Christmas presents. She tried her hand at making lip balm. They turned out great. She made bubble gum, boysenberry and lavender flavored lip balms and was kind enough to share with us.

Ashley tried her hand at a macrame air plant holder.

On another one of these cooler days we ventured out exploring and found Idyll Hounds Brewery.

RVing is not all play. There are always projects to be done to keep things running smoothly. Today’s task was to grease the wheel bearing. This is a two person job as one person has to squirt the grease in and the other has to spin the wheel.

One of the really cool features of RV Aventis is her outdoor kitchen. We have a grill, flat top griddle, fridge, sink and ample storage for tableware.

We thought we would spend more time enjoying campfires, but turns out we can be big wimps when the sun goes down and the temperature drops.

We spend as much time as we can outside each day enjoying the fresh air, sounds of nature and magic of our environment.

Once in a while we even enjoy the fresh air with something cold and refreshing in our hands. We are always searching for the best local beers.

St Andrews State Park is definitely a place we would recommend to others. It had so many incredible features and lots of great sites right on the water.

A truly beautiful, uniquely wondrous place.

To date this is definitely our favorite campsite, with Curry Hammock State Park in the Keys as a close second.

Our next hop took us 230 miles west as we crossed over into Mississippi. We stopped at Davis Bayou State Park in Ocean Springs, MS. This was our first stay at a National Park. We were curious to see how it might be different from a state park.

Turns out it was very similar with simple but clean facilities, rustic sites with power and water, and no sewer hookup. What was new to us were the rangers enforcing the rules like speeding and parking. The sites were short and tight making it hard to fit our 4o ft trailer and long bed truck all on our concrete pad. Thanks to some creative parking we did not get booted to the overflow lot that was a mile down the road.

The landscape here in Mississippi was familiar, but new to us. We had been on both sides of the Florida coast over the past few months, and now we found ourselves still on the water but inland in the bayou.

We were not at the beach anymore. The landscape looked and felt very different.

We all needed a lesson in what a bayou was. Lucky for us the park had an awesome nature center.

We discovered that we were in the heart of the Gulf Island National Seashore which is a set of protective and protected barrier islands that span from FL to MS.

We had a great time learning about the area and exploring what we could. In the warmer months, they ferry people out to Ship Island to see Fort Massachusetts.

This was not something we were use to seeing. No rotisserie chicken in the grocery stores here. It is a big bag of crawfish for $25 at the local grocery store Rouse’s.

Ocean Springs had a neat little downtown where we enjoyed a yummy southern lunch in a small local family BBQ joint that has been around forever. Then we checked out the Walter Anderson Museum and Art Gallery.

This was extremely fascinating because he expressed his artist talent through many different mediums, one of which was painting. In 1951-52 he competed his greatest work. The 3000 square foot mural on inside walls of this entire community center which depict the historic discovery of the Mississippi coastline and its diverse climates.

A little more wandering and we found Craft Advisory Brewery, where we enjoyed a cold beverage and pondered the life of an artist.

Ocean Springs was a neat place that we enjoyed exploring, but it was time to keep moving.

We are heading west to New Orleans and Mardi Gras!

From NC, we made our way to Jacksonville, FL for two nights where we completed a few RV projects. It turns out we had extra time to play too! We rolled up our pants, got our toes sandy, and Ashley looked for treasures.

This made us thirsty, so off we went in search of some cold refreshments. Found this cool brewery in Jacksonville!

After a short hour plus drive, we arrived at our first RV spot on St. Augustine Beach, Ocean Grove RV Resort where we would be for seven nights.

This resort had lots of full timers who were here riding out the winter. And you could see why – there were lots of great amenities including a heated pool and a restaurant.

Addie would sit in the pool and read all day if we let her.

The dog’s big Christmas gift was literally BIG! We were tired of having them steal our chairs or try to get up in our laps. We can all sit outside in comfort now. They are just a tad spoiled!!

Ella came to visit for the week. We were super excited to have this time with her.

It was a very chill week. We spent a good amount of time just hanging out.

There was even time for some drill work and creating.

During Ella’s week we enjoyed numerous dog walks on the beach.

The dogs had a blast running in the water, chasing birds, and eating the foam.

Half way through Ella’s stay with us, we moved to a new spot on St. Augustine Beach, Bryan Mawr RV Resort. It was just a mile down the road. Our spot here was beachfront and backed up to the sand dunes, which made our dog walks even easier.

Sunrise over the water is an amazing way to start the day. Shannon and the dogs are usually the only ones who see this.

We were super excited that Mikaela and David came up to visit for a couple of days! We had BBQ, walked through the shops downtown, and checked out a few breweries. Our favorite was Old Coast Ales. Can’t wait to hang out with them again!

After a fun week, it was time for Ella to get back to ASU for her last semester. The next time we see her, she will be a college graduate. We are so very proud of Ella!!

We moved to our third spot on St. Augustine Beach, North Beach Camp Park. This was a much more rustic site, tucked in the palm and pine trees surrounded by dirt. Addie got big surprise when Mel showed up to celebrate her special day with her.

The RV park was on a narrow part of the peninsula that is surrounded by water with the inter coastal on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other side – all within walking distance of our site.

The temps felt good for putting your feet in the water, but not much more. The dogs kept a close eye on us to make sure we were not swimming without them.

Addie’s in the shade with her nose in a book, while Ashley and Mel scour the beach for shells.

Today’s treasures are a little different, but always fun to see what can be created.

After a big lead up, it was finally here: 18 years old on January 18 -Addie’s Golden Birthday!!!

Hard to believe that we have three adult daughters. How in the world did that happen!!!

Addie had a great birthday. She gots lots of fun gifts!

One of her favorites was a google watch, which she asked for to help her be more active and drink more water. Love that amazing smile!!

Happy Birthday Addie! Cheers to you!!

In true Addie fashion her choice of activities for the day involved food. It started with having her favorite all American breakfast and her first mimosa.

On to a tofu taco, which was super cool, as it was Addie’s first taco!!

Then she got gourmet popcorn, fudge and fancy popsicles.

Next was a cotton candy macaroon. We rounded the day out with a movie at the theater, A Man Called Otto, which included buttered popcorn and candy. Then dinner at an Asian restaurant for some lo mein and fried rice. Not sure how she did not get sick!!!

On Mel’s last night we had dinner at Cap’s on the Water. Shannon has been reading books written by Cap Daniels and they often reference this exact restaurant in his books. It was a super cool coincidence that this restaurant was practically attached to our campground.

We had a wonderful meal here enjoying being on the inter coastal with a super sunset view.

We missed Don on this visit, but are glad Mel got to come and help us celebrate this big birthday! Here’s Shannon saying a long distance hi to Don in his Bird Song brewery shirt (a fun brewery in Charlotte NC).

After taking Mel to the airport, we left the RV and made the 4 hour drive to Charleston SC for the weekend. We waited to meet Mak and Gavin at a brewery on Daniel Island.

We met up with Mak and Gavin to do some exploring of the area for the weekend.

Most of our time was spent apartment hunting. Mak and Gavin both have jobs on Daniel Island starting in June.

It was a very productive trip. They got the apartment they wanted and it is in a great location with fun stuff almost in their front yard!

After a fun weekend, we made our way back to the RV in St. Augustine and packed up. It is time to start heading west!

After leaving the RV in Jacksonville, we drove 6 hours to Charlotte, NC.
We spent two days there enjoying time with Grandad and Nana.

Mikaela and David came to town from Sarasota to see everyone as well!

We showed them a few of our favorite breweries in the Charlotte area.

Ella drove in from Boone to join us too!

Makenzie flew in from Iowa where she had been spending some time with Gavin and his family. The girls had fun shopping at South Park Mall with their Christmas money from Grandad and Nana.

Our next stop was the mountains of NC. We rented a chalet on a mountain in Seven Devils and used it as our home base for a week.

We picked this location so we could be close to the girls. We are not a stranger to snow, ice and cold temps, but this round of weather definitely slowed us down for a few days.

It was really cold!

Seeing the girls was our purpose for being here, so there was no question that even though the roads were bad (icy), Shannon was going to make sure the girls were with us.

With everyone at the cabin safe, we settled in for the next 72 hours.

The fridge was full of all of our holiday favorites, but we were in need of a sugar fix. Mak treated us to her new Christmas sugar cookie recipe she learned in Iowa.

They were awesome!!

It took a few minutes, but the animals eventually figured each other out and were able to relax together.

The cabin had a nice set up for hanging out with a great fireplace to gather around talk, play games, and watch movies.

Ashley and Mak made a new appetizer, a spinach and cream cheese Christmas tree. It was yummy! We made it again for New Years with buffalo chicken dip, these are both keepers.

Christmas morning sunrise was picture perfect. A great reminder to be thankful for each and every day!

Somehow even when we say that Christmas is going to be small, it still seems abundant. Even Caper agrees.

So cool to have all three of our girls together with us for Christmas. With Mak having graduated and Ella scheduled to graduate in May, we are very aware that this may be the last Christmas we spend all together, now that the girls will be out working in the real world.

This Christmas did bring a new addition to the family. In the early Fall we said goodbye to our dear Gracie who lived a long and healthy life. A lonely Makenzie quickly adopted a kitten from the humane society to help heal her broken heart; meet Saba.

The girls are all so thoughtful of each other, as they hand make cards for one another and buy very personalized presents. It is so much fun to watch the exchanges between them.

Addie got exactly what she wanted, a big Marvel poster for her bedroom wall on the RV. Mak’s big gift was apple airpods.

Ella’s big present was a home brew kit. She is loving her fermentation classes and being the supportive parents that we are, we wanted to make sure to encourage these studies… She talks about becoming a wine maker or a brewmaster one day.

Shannon and Ashley received so many awesome gifts from our girls, but the best gift of all was getting to spend quality time with them.

Shannon made homemade sticky buns and they turned out perfect! It was a super delicious addition to the rest of our breakfast feast.

The remainder of the day was spent chilling, until it was time to cook again.

Finally on the 26th the temps started to rise and we were able to venture out. Mak went to work at Red Onion while Shannon, Ashley, Addie, Ella and the dogs took a day trip to Greensboro to see Ashley’s siblings.

After a relaxing and cold week, it was time to head down the mountain.

We said goodbye to Boone and Grandfather Mountain and made our way to the Asheville apartment to visit Don and Mel.

Mel had planned some amazing things for Addie’s 18th birthday. The first of which was a house tour at Biltmore for the three girls.

Addie has been wanting to tour the house ever since she read the Serafina books written by Robert Beatty that take place at Biltmore.

The boys entertained themselves by taking in the sights at a nearby rooftop establishment partaking in libations.

We were excited to see Grandma Kim and get to spend some time with her while we were in town.

We celebrated New Year’s Eve by going to a nice dinner and being home in bed by 10. We are so old! Unlike our children, who rang in New Year’s with style.

Addie and Mel made another memory with a New Year’s Day “polar plunge”. It was about 55 degrees out and the pool was heated, so not exactly polar, but it was perfect for them!

On our last day in Asheville we visited one of our favorite spots, The Grove Park Inn. Each year they host the National Gingerbread Contest with participants of all ages. The gingerbread creations are truly amazing.

It was a beautiful winter day just cool enough that we could sit outside and enjoy the mountain view with spiked hot chocolates in our hands.

Grove Park holds a special place in our hearts – Shannon and Ashley have been coming here since we were in college. We have celebrated many birthdays here and have even hosted a grand company Christmas party there.

It was a super fun week. We had a great time in Asheville exploring the town and spending time with Don and Mel.

With our visit coming to an end, it was time to get back to RV Aventis and keep exploring Florida.

With Thanksgiving over, it was time to turn on the Christmas music and decorate. That took a good 15 minutes in our new home!!!

We moved the RV just over a hundred miles to the west coast of FL. We have tent camped in this same spot many times in the past when we lived in FL and one spring break with all three girls, Grandma and Jack. Fort De Soto Park is a lovely spot located between Tampa Bay and the Gulf in Pinellas County.

Mikaela and David came to visit us!

We enjoyed a fun beach day right there at the park with our toes dipped in the cool waters of the Gulf.

The temperature was ideal for an early December day.

The setup of this beach made it perfect for taking our new kayaks out. It took a few minutes to blow them up and carry them down, but it was very worth it! With Mikaela and David in one and the three of us in the other, we headed out through the channel and around to the beach. We made a choice not to put the rudders on… will not do that again!

We stayed for the sunset and shut the beach down!

During our 5 nights at Fort DeSoto, we enjoyed an abundance of peace and quiet.

As we made our way to the other side of the state, we stopped for a single night in Fort Lauderdale before continuing on to the Keys.

We were so lucky to score a December spot at Curry Hammock State Park located between Key Largo and Big Pine Key. It is a small campground with only 28 sites with just a fraction of them actually on the water. We were fortunate enough to secure one of the beach front sites for 3 nights.

The winds were perfect on the afternoon we arrived and the kite boarders gave us a great welcome show, which we were able to watch from our camp chairs at our site.

The dogs waited patiently in hopes of a walk on the beach and a swim in the water, which they aren’t allowed to do at this state park.

The weather was so amazing. It was sunny and warm and no bugs!

Even though the dogs were not allowed on the beach here, we took them on long walks around the park. They even got to see dolphins playing in the channel.

There was a no frills beach with easy entry for taking the kayak out into the clear water. We set up camp on the beach, enjoying warm temperatures, sand between our toes and a few beverages.

We took the kayak out both days and explored the different sandbars and inlets.

The sunrise view from our site was amazing.

Our next stop was Hutchinson Island, FL just south of Fort Pierce about half way up the state on the east coast.

This was a unique community with mostly full timers in small homes. Everyone here was very friendly and welcoming, but not many RVs were coming and going.

Our concrete pad backed right up to the inter coastal.

We had great amenities at Hutchinson. They included a big community pool close to the RV site and also a beachside pool and restaurant.

We rented a golf cart to help us get around the large community. It was especially helpful for getting from the RV site to the beach.

The beach had lots of cool treasures for Ashley to collect. The red clam shells and the large unbroken mother of pearl shells were a fun change from the usual finds.

New medium means new creations

We felt very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time and see this launch while sitting in our comfy chairs enjoying sundowners. This was a first for us to see an actual launch.

This was also a great spot to watch the sunset.

Being a land pirate in the US means access to things like Fresh Market and Total Wine. On this visit we found a familiar favorite from our pandemic days in the Virgin Islands. Leatherback Brewery was one of our regular hangouts when we were in St. Thomas.

As we spend more time in the RV, we continue to find spaces and places to relax and work. Addie’s bed is definitely one of Ashley’s favorites.

Going out at night is not something we do very often, mostly because Shannon’s cooking is so good. On this clear night we could not pass up the opportunity to walk on the beach and enjoy the full moon over the ocean. It is hard to realize we have been off the boat for over 6 months.

Just down the road from the RV resort was an amazing 50,000 square foot mansion, that had decorated with hundreds of thousands of lights for the holidays. People park on the road and walk the grounds to see this incredible 3D display of lights. It was the only house with lights like this is in the area.

It was December, so not all mornings were as warm as we would have wanted, but the daytime temps were nice.

We got out and did a little exploring of the neighboring towns. Made our way to Fort Pierce and got some refreshments at Sailfish Brewery.

So many added benefits to our incredible location on the inter coastal including lots of feathered company.

The dogs were a big fan of the concrete pad and grass yard, which made potty time clean and easy .

We celebrated our first birthday on the RV.

Ashley was surprised with a massage, a nice lunch on the water and an amazing date night dinner at a quaint little local restaurant, 11 Maple Street.

Then she was treated to a second birthday dinner on her actual birthday at Kyle G’s, a highly rated steak restaurant on the water.

This marked 31 years of birthday celebrations together.

It was time to head to NC for Christmas with family and friends. We drove the RV to Jacksonville and left it at a storage facility.

Our hope was that by leaving it this far south we would not need to worry about freezing temperatures affecting it while we were gone for the next few weeks celebrating the holidays. We are able to remotely monitor it, and even turn on the heat if needed. See you in January RV!

We made it to Orlando about 24 hours before the kids which was good because we had time to setup camp, do a good cleaning inside, and get round one of groceries. They arrived in the middle of the night so day one was a chill out day. Tight quarters at this RV resort. Lots of full timers and small cabins.

Later that day we cleaned up and headed to Disney Springs for dinner and a show.

Disney’s Cirque Du Soleil show, Drawn to Life, did not disappoint!! It was spectacular!

The grandness of Disney can be found everywhere!

It was beautiful to be there and see the holiday decorations.

The next day was Thanksgiving! We cooked a big breakfast and dinner on the RV (with a little help from Fresh Market and Publix). Our day was spent eating, enjoying the pool and playing games.

Friday, as an early Christmas and Birthday present for Addie, we all went to Universal and Islands of Adventure.

Addie is big Harry Potter fan and has been asking to go for the past 5 years.

She smiled so much this day, I thought for sure her face was going to get stuck this way.

We did a VIP tour which gave us access to both parks. As part of our guided tour we got to skip all lines and go behind the scenes in a number of the rides.

Because of this we were able to do 12 rides in 5 hours. This included all the big roller coasters, all of which Addie did.

Butter beer was a big hit with all of us, especially the frozen butter beer.

It was such a memorable day!! Awesome family adventure!!

For their last day, we went to the SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium.

We love to look at sea creatures.

So fun!!

This adventure made us hungry so off to get some seafood we went!!

It was an great week. So fun to share our new way of life with the kids. Being in Orlando was an extra plus with so much cool stuff to do and warm weather to enjoy.

After almost 5 months in Asheville, we decided it was time to pack up and become nomads again. This time we will be land pirates, exploring the United States on RV Aventis. New Adventures here we come!

With the threat of freezing rain in Asheville, we decide to leave town a day early. The plan is to take the next 7 days to make our way to Orlando, where we will spend Thanksgiving with the girls.

The RV is 40ft long and our 3500 Ram truck is 20ft. When hitched together we extend to 55 ft. This can make for some pretty stressful and bumpy driving especially on some of the roads that are badly in need of repair.

Ideally, we drive 2-3 hours per travel day and spend 2-3 nights at each spot giving us time to explore.

Our first stop is Santee Lake in Summerton, SC. This quaint campground was fairly deserted. Not exactly a busy time of year to be on this beautiful lake.

We spent three nights here enjoying the peace and quiet, knowing that as we move south, we will find lots of other RVers.

The set up of the inside of the RV is working well for us. Shannon has a nice work station, where his large screen monitor fits perfectly. Addie does school work at the island and Ashley crafts anywhere there is an available space.

Outside, we have the flexibility to set up in whatever way works best based on the landscape and if the site provides a picnic table and/or fire pit.

We enjoyed walking the beautiful grounds even though it was cold. Very glad we all purchased puffy jackets!!

Definitely wearing a few more layers than we did on the boat!!

Time to make a move – our next stop is Jekyll Island, GA. Our plan is to travel around the United States, spending more time in the states we have not yet been to. We have spent a fair amount of time in GA, so this visit will be two quick nights at the Jekyll Island Campground.

Even though we met the family at Jekyll Island just this past summer to celebrate Julie/Mom/Grandma, the dogs were not with us, so Addie is excited to show them Driftwood Beach.

It is truly a unique place with giant dead trees lining the beach.

We are ready for some warmer weather. The hope is that we will find it in FL. We made our way to Beverly Beach Campertown RV Resort on Flagler Beach, FL.

We arrived mid-afternoon and were happy to feel air temps in the low to mid 60s. Our spot was amazing, right on the sea wall. It was covered in new sand from Hurricane Nicole, which hit this area just one week prior.

We felt fortunate to be able to visit this site, as it had just reopened the day before.

Our one full day here turned out to be 55 and rainy, all day. Bummer!

We made the most of it, enjoying the fire and watching football.

Ashley even spent some time crafting, getting inspiration from this amazing backdrop.

The next morning the rain stopped and we had just enough time to comb the beach for treasures before making the 2.5 hour trip to Orlando.

Coming Up Next: A fun Thanksgiving week in Orlando!