Heading North August 2016

Our summer was all messed up and we had too many difficulties that kept us stuck in Yuma for the first part of the summer.  But we finally are on our way and have headed north.  And just in time as I was about to scream for the hot weather.  Soon we will be north enough that the days will be a bit cooler and the nights down right chilly and then I will probably be complaining about the cold.

We timed our departure to travel through Las Vegas early on Sunday morning when the traffic was light.  So our first stop was back at Canyon Trail RV Park in Boulder City.  It is not their fault that it was hot and miserable when we were there.  It actually is a very nice RV park with pull through sites, large spaces, a new pool, off leash areas for dogs and nice showers.  We had been there before and like it.  But by the time we got there it was 100 degrees or more and our RV was HOT.  It took hours for it to cool down but when it did, we slept really really well.  We love the bed in our camper.

Jake is getting older and he doesn't travel quite as well as he used to.  He gets really tired.  He has his own sofa in the camper and this year we got him a cooling pad that he does not like but since I told him to use it he does.  He is a good boy and does what mommy says.

It was over 90 degrees in the camper when we first got set up and Jake was very uncomfortable.  So glad it cooled when the sun went down.

Today we are in Tonopah, NV heading north to Oregon.  Both travel days have been without incident and easy.  The countryside is barren and lonely looking.

We did see some wild burros which was a thrill for me!  I have never seen them before and was not ready with my camera so this is all you get!

And of course - this is Nevada folks -

I almost forgot the best part.  When we went for fuel this afternoon we just happened upon a local Brewery!!  We sat outside with Jake and had a great double IPA at Tonopah Brewing.  What a way to begin a holiday that is centered on good brews!

Snake River Brewing

Surprise!!  We found another brewery!  Actually, we found this brew last year when we visited Jackson and have looked all over the country for it and had to wait until we returned to Wyoming to find it.  Pako's IPA is our favorite and I have to quit drinking it or I am going to get a beer belly.  Do you think one every few days is too much??  It really is so good!  So yesterday we took my Bud Lite brother-in-law and my none beer drinking sister to the brewery where they have a great restaurant and had a brew and lunch.  My nephew joined us  and at least he likes good brews!

Rapid City, South Dakota

We didn't travel very far yesterday, maybe 70 miles so we still had the afternoon free after we got all unhitched here at Heartland RV Park in Hermosa, SD.  Since we hadn't seen a Wells Fargo in miles and miles and miles we thought it prudent to go into Rapid City to get some green.

I love our new little GPS - she just takes us wherever we want to go.  Of course Rapid City is not very big so getting to the bank and then downtown was not too difficult.  Neither was it difficult to find parking downtown after visiting the bank.

With our pockets full of cash we thought we should spend some of it so we visited the local brewery for a cold one.  Firehouse Brewing really is in an old firehouse and they have done a fantastic job making it special.  They also have done a fantastic job of brewing.  Both Kirby and I loved what we chose to drink.  And the clientele was so friendly.  There was a really good looking young man sitting next to me having lunch and a brew.  He was from Knoxville, TN, and is sort of a storm chaser.  He and his cousin go around the country  making repairs to cars after hail storms.  He was loving the travel and getting to see new places.  After lunch they were off to Denver by way of Mount Rushmore.

This is just a few of the sculptures that are on all the corners of the streets in Rapid City. I believe that each one of our presidents is there somewhere.

This was on the way into Rapid City from the east on I-90.  They love billboards up here!

Bourbon and Brews

We enjoyed a private tasting at Lexington Brewing and Distillery

Yes, we are tasting a lot of bourbon, but no, you don’t have to worry about us because the tastings are so tiny and very controlled.  We have been to a couple more distilleries and eaten at a couple more places that serve up some good brews.  People in Lexington are very serious about their beverages and we certainly are enjoying it here.   Now I think we need to find a place to walk and hike after all the brews!

Ah, the door to the tasting room.

This room smelled so good!

Kirby really does love hops!

We visited Lexington Brewing and Distillery right in Lexington.  We opted out on the tour and were given a private tasting in their beautiful tasting room.  They don’t do tastes of their brews there so we went to Shenanigan’s, a liquor store nearby that sells beer flights and sampled some of their brew there.  After that we just walked across the street to Jefferson Davis Inn (JDI) and had a great lunch.  We couldn’t even finish our beers we were so full!  But the restaurant is cute, cute and has the feel that it has been there forever when it hasn’t.

Yesterday we drove all over the place and seemed to miss our mark most of the time.  The countryside here is so, so overwhelmingly beautiful that riding around is a trip full of ooo’s and ahhhh’s.  Long running fences painted black and lush green rolling hills dotted with elegant horses are everywhere.  So, wrong turns and changed plans aren’t all bad.

First we headed out to a campground we wanted to check out and when the GPS indicated we still had another six miles of narrow curvy road to go, we decided to turn around and forget about it.  Then we missed Wild Turkey Distillery because it didn’t look like it did three years ago.  We turned around again.  When we arrived we found that we were just in time for the tour so we decided to jump on the bus and go with them.

The bourbon warehouses are incredible!

Everything about the Bourbon Trail seems to have changed.  Woodford Distillery had totally remodeled the visitor center and we could barely recognize it.  Wild Turkey Distillery had built a whole new distillery and a new visitor center.  I really did like the old one as it was more intimate and friendly but the new one has a beautiful view of the Kentucky River and the long “S” bridge that leads to Wild Turkey.  The Bourbon Trail is a huge tourist destination now and the visitor centers are very busy.  They bring big busloads of visitors in on weekends who pay for tours so it is becoming quite a moneymaker.  We have a couple more to visit yet but it won’t be on the weekend!

This is where the bourbon begins its life.  Huge vats of it!

The master distillers come into this room each hour to sample and taste the barrels.  By law they have to spit it out.  But they are the judges who determine the taste of the bourbons.

Looking up inside the warehouse.

The view from the visitor center at Wild Turkey

Our tour guide at Wild Turkey told us to drive on in to Lawerenceburg and we could have lunch there.  We drove all over in the place and only found fast food so headed back to Lexington and an Irish Pub that Kirby had found online.  It was GONE.  Well, the building wasn’t gone – it was now Indian food.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Indian food but it is not the same as an Irish Pub!  So, foiled again.  It was pushing two pm and we were really good and hungry.  We plugged another one into the GPS and headed downtown.  Guess what?  They were closed.  Fortunately for us, Cheapside, just across the street was open.  Walking into Cheapside was almost like stepping back in time.  I loved it!  The friendly staff told us that the kitchen would close in ten minutes so we needed to order soon!  We did!  The food was fine and we each had a nice, frosty ale.  We are finding the people here in Kentucky to be so friendly and welcoming.  We might just stay a little longer than planned.

I took this out the window of the truck as we passed by.  Those are actually murals on the side of the overpass.  Incredible artist!

Everything here is either bourbon or horses!

Cheapside - our lunch spot.

Final Days at Buck Hall

We just took our final bike ride on the Palmetto Trail in the Francis Marion National Forest.  The rains have gone and the forest actually seems to be drying up a bit.  We need more rain already.  But tomorrow it will no longer be our home.  It has been the most fantastic two weeks walking and biking the trail, walking along the Intracoastal Waterway and watching the spring migration of the boats that spent the winter in Florida and the Bahamas.  Jake, our yellow dog, has become quite proficient at chasing the squirrels up trees.  We have become good friends with our camp host, Pat Crawford. You can read his blog HERE.

I am trying to remember what all has kept us so busy.  I had a nice Sunday Brunch with my daughter, Christie.  We went to Mosaic, a small place in Mount Pleasant, and had great food.  I was able to have Shrimp and Grits – Yea!!  It was wonderful!

Linda and I ate lunch.

 I also had lunch with my old high school friend, Linda.  Linda and I re-found each other on Facebook about five or six years ago and have developed a wonderful friendship outside Facebook!  Would you believe that she moved to Mount Pleasant a few months after we left.  Timing is everything isn’t it?

Me on the left and Lucy on the right.

 We met friends Ray and Lucy at Smoky Oak Taproom in James Island and had lunch.  Now talk about food!  Oh, my but that food was incredible.  Kirby and I shared a platter of pulled pork and the best ribs I have ever had in my life!

That is the owner/founder on the right.

We managed to get to Coast Brewing in North Charleston.  They make such great brews and we have been fans for years.  It was fun to see how much they have grown.

We were so pleased to see so many people at Coast enjoying the awesome brews.  Kirby's favorite is Hopart and I like the stout.

Brendan, Carey, Christie, Michael and Kirby (leaning in to get in the picture per my instructions!)

We were invited to have dinner with the family at Brendan and Carey’s new apartment.  Wow, they sure didn’t build apartments like that when I was living in them!  Granite countertops, stainless appliances, trak lighting!  Small but incredibly beautiful.  We had our dinner in the common area, using the grill provided.  The weather was perfect for outdoor eating.

On Sunday we traveled back to the old neighborhood and visited with a few folks.  Arlene, who used to be our next door neighbor provided lots of yummy eats and some fruity sangria.  It was fun seeing everyone after a year on the road.

Ray, Lucy, Jack and Juanita managed to get spaces here at Buck Hall for one night so of course we had to have a small party and dinner together.  We sat in Jack and Juanita’s yard and they had an incredible view of the boats going by.

Yesterday my friend, Linda, came out for a walk in the woods and dinner.  It was so wonderful to get to spend more time together.  Hopefully we will meet up again at our Fifty Year HS Reunion in August!

Sunrise

As I write, Kirby is outside breaking camp.  It is sad.  Jake is probably going to go into a funk for a few days.  He really believes that we live here now.  I think this has been his favorite place too.  Next stop – Lake Hartwell State Park!