We're nearing the end...

Hello, everyone!

While we are getting closer to the end of our trip, there is plenty to fill you in on and plenty more adventure ahead! Since our last post, we've covered a lot of ground including Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Tenessee, and North Carolina. Oh, we also were in Honduras, Guatemala, and Costa Maya Mexico. I guess I should have said, we've covered A LOT of ground and water 😀. Do not fret, I'll catch yall up in a few paragraphs...

We spent a lovely fun-filled week in the bustling city of New Orleans last month after we ventured out of the great state of Texas. NOLA did not disappoint! We heard great music, had awesome food (yes including the all famous Cafe Du Monde Beignets!!!), enjoyed the many street performers, and loved checking out the art scene as we walked around the city. Fortunately, our campsite was just outside the French Quarter, so we got lots of exercising in that week! Unfortunately, the weather was pretty crappy most of the time, with rain, wind, and strong storms popping up, but as usual, we made the most of it and had a blast! On our last day, just as the weather people were predicting it to get really bad, we packed up in record time and got out of dodge!! Next stop, Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Even though we were still trying to get ahead of the crappy weather, the coast and the beaches of Alabama were absolutely beautiful!! Most days were misty and foggy but the absolute beauty of the Gulf Shores area shone through. One afternoon, we met up with our bluesin' buddies Carl and Karen who live not far from where our campsite was. We met at Lambert's Cafe in nearby Foley, whose claim to fame is "the home of the throwed rolls". They literally throw huge warm rolls across the restaurant, so if you ever go, make sure to keep your eyes open and your catching hands at the ready! Anyway, we enjoyed a delicious Southern lunch with lots of laughs catching up with our dear friends (the last time we saw them was on our 1st Blues Cruise last October). It's always a great feeling when you can pick up right where you left off after not seeing someone in over 18 months! It was kind of a pre-gaming affair, as our next Blues cruise was just a couple weeks away! A little less than a week later we were once again on the road. Next stop, Tallahassee, Florida.

After a relatively easy drive, we arrived at Cousin Maria and Rick's driveway in Tallahassee where we were spending a couple of days until the cruise. In honor of our visit, we headed out to a local restaurant for some yummy pub food and some live music.... Our next move was a drive down to Fort Lauderdale, about an 8-hour drive (thankfully, without the camper!). We stayed in a nearby hotel in preparation for the cruise, including a musical kick-off bonanza, and a fabulous dinner with our old bluesin buddies (Carl & Karen) and meeting our new dear bluesin friends, Bill and Joanne. Once we boarded the ship, we met up with Gary and Rhonda, our other bluesin buddies. It was so incredible to see them all again and hang out enjoying the various music shows all week!! We all vowed to get together again in the near future before we embark on the next Blues Cruise. And guys, Greg and I are going to hold y'all to that promise 😁. It was an exciting and glorious seven days of music at sea with ports-of-call in Guatemala, Costa Maya, and Honduras. It was absolutely incredible (but exhausting) with close to 20 hours of fabulous and nonstop music a day we were exhausted by the end of the week. After having all that fun, we disembarked the ship, and rather than jump in the truck and drive the 8 ling hours back to Tallahassee, we decided to stop halfway (or thereabout) in Melbourne. We had a lovely visit and dinner with Greg's mom Joan after we checked into the hotel. We met her again for breakfast the next day before heading over to Cousin JJ's office for a little visit. Our time spent in Melbourne was brief, but it was very nice getting to spend some time with my mother-in-law😐. Once in the truck, we headed out on the road back to Tallahassee, to spend another week at Czes Mead. We had lots of fun, tons of laughs, and good food (do yall see the trend here??), spending time with Cousins Maria, Rick, Brianna, Drew and Dakota. Thanks guys for all your love, hospitality, and the use of your dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer😉!! We love and miss you guys!! Next stop...Montgomery, Alabama.

We enjoyed Alabama so much, we decided to head back there for a few days. Again, the weather was iffy, with lots of dense fog and the occasional rain showers, but we loved every bit of it. The sheer history of Montgomery is fascinating and educational! One afternoon we decided to get our touristy thing on and headed to downtown Montgomery, on our bicycles (ended up logging several miles by bike that day!). We visited The Rosa Parks Museum, the First Confederate White House and several other monuments, and historic places and got to learn a lot more about our Nation's history. If you haven't been to the starting point of the Civil Rights Movement, we suggest yall make it a point to get there someday. After absorbing all that exciting and sometimes somber history, it was time to move on to the Country Music Capital of the world...Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville was incredible, as we were surrounded by music of all genres, delicious food, and plenty of things to see. While there, we enjoyed a wonderful weekend with Robbie and Diane who came to spend a few days with us. Having been there before, Robbie acted as our tour guide and brought us to the best honky tonks Nashville has to offer! We took a short drive to the Grand Ole' Opry which was just down the road from the campground and got to enjoy the local fare with great company and lots of laughs! We were sad to see Robbie and Diane leave but they got out just in the nick of time as the weather took a sharp nose dive bringing cold temperatures and SNOW😲! So, on to our next Tennessee stop...

We drove a few hours east to a small town called Sevierville which is just east of Pigeon Forge, Knoxville, and the famous Dollywood Theme Park. Picture a mini version of New York's Times Square with lots of touristy restaurants and activities. Our campground was lovely and quiet alongside the French Broad River. Unfortunately, like many of the places we've been to over the last few weeks, the weather was a bit chilly and cloudy and since it's still off-season, we were not able to take advantage of many of the places we wanted to visit. But, like we always do, we made the most of it. Greg found out one of our favorite musicians, Patrick Sweeny, was playing a show at a local hole-in-the-wall bar called The 5 Spot, so we made sure to get tickets and listen to him play. Although we were two of about 10 people in the bar, it was a fantastic display of authentic Tennessee blues music. We chatted with Patrick (he actually remembered us from previous shows) and he autographed a photo of him and Greg that we had taken back in Chicago last year. We got an education visiting the Historic Ramsey House built after the Revolutionary War in 1797 for one of the first settlers of Knoxville. We went antiquing, relaxed, and enjoyed a delicious Valentine's Day dinner (thanks to a YELP recommendation...of course!). Next stop...Western North Carolina.

Once our Tennessee stint was over, we continued heading east and landed in Swannanoa, North Carolina just outside of Ashville. Our campground, nestled in the smokey mountains was absolutely beautiful with gorgeous views of the surrounding area. Again, it was chilly and we had some snow (which basically shut down the state😝) but we loved every minute of it! Ashville is a fun, artsy town with lots of local artwork, farmer's markets, and lots of historic places to visit. We had planned to take a tour of the Biltmore mansion, but the entry fee was a bit ridiculous for our taste. We did, however, drive through the grounds which are beautiful and got a taste of how the 'other half lives'.

After a few days, we packed up and headed east again to the campground at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, where we were planning to hook up with some family. Just after we unhooked and set up camp, Cousin Susie was on her way to visit us. We hadn't seen her since the wedding and our excitement was very hard to contain😊! The three of us took a drive downtown, got some dinner at a local joint then headed back to the camper for some coffee and catching up. It was a great evening of delicious food, laughter, and wonderful company! The next day we headed over to Cousin Kathy and Erik's house, about 45 minutes away, for another long-awaited visit. Kathy has wanted to build a chicken coop in her backyard, and Greg being the woodworker he is, was happy to help and fulfill a wish. They spent hours getting materials and cutting the pieces to build quite a magnificent house for the little creatures. They did take a break for a delicious lunch Erik prepared, but they were at it again once our bellies were full. Cousins Susie, Erik, and I hung out inside, where it was warm, watching cop shows, talking, laughing and admiring the hard work of the pair outside. Our day ended with a delicious dinner and a yummy pound cake made by Chef Erik. Greg and Cousin Kathy still had some work to do on the coop, so we headed back there the next day. I occupied myself with some school, some laundry and had a wonderful afternoon hanging out with Cousins Erik and Lizzie, again while the cousin duo was outside (in the chilly, rainy, and muddy back yard) busy working hard to finish. All were too exhausted to cook, so we ordered some pizza for dinner, then headed back to our campsite to get ready for our next moving day. Having not seen Cousin Susie (who had to work😕) all day, she came for tea later that evening and to say farewell till we meet again. We love and miss you all so much already! Our next stop was a campground in Jacksonville, NC a few hours South. We were planning to visit Aunt Maryanne and Mark, but unfortunately, that did not work out, so our stay there was cut short. It was just as well really because there was not much to do in the area and the campground we chose was a bit on the crummy side. Anyway, we spent a quick overnight then headed to our next stop, a beach town near Kitty Hawk called, Kill Devil Hills, NC.

Like so many of the places, we've been to this trip, the town of Kill Devil Hills is filled with history. It is a small town just west of Kitty Hawk, and where the Wright Brothers took the first successful flight. Our campground, which we were one of only 4 campers there, was just down the road from the National Memorial and Monument honoring the pair. We ventured there one afternoon and explored the surrounding areas. Although it was chilly and extremely windy, we enjoyed some frozen yogurt (a recent craving of mine) and walked along the beach one evening. Once again, since Kill Devil Hills and the Outer Banks of North Carolina are beach towns, it is off-season and many of the local attractions and places to visit are closed, we've been basically just hanging out, laying low and relaxing.

As we continue to wind down our exciting journey, our next step will lead us further east along the coast to Virginia Beach, Virginia. We are hoping to meet up with Cousin Sean and possibly Cousin Andy while we are in the area for the next few days...

Until next time,
We love and miss you all!
Laura and Greg

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