Yuko-En On the Elkhorn

Japanese Gardens

Georgetown, Kentucky

Today we visited Yuko-En On The Elkhorn, which is a Japanese gardens in Georgetown, Kentucky.    There is a large Toyota factory in Georgetown and I am sure this garden would not be here if Toyota was not.  It was a nearby attraction so we decided to go check it out.

There were some really lovely spots and some views that I am glad I got to enjoy but it was not that wonderful.  I think they need money from Toyota!  There is no admission fee and in fact, there was no one there except Kirby and I and our dog, Jake.  We were so alone that we were able to let Jake off the leash as we walked the grounds.

Here are some of my photos.

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! 

Come, Travel With Us

(CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE IT)

We left Jordanelle State Park yesterday morning and headed southwest on highway 189 which curves through the mountains as it heads to Provo, UT.  It was so beautiful and the sun was in the right place for pictures.  So often it is wrong and shooting out the windshield doesn’t work at all.  But yesterday, it was good!  So, travel with us for a few pretty miles as we head for Yuba State Park.

I read the directions for Yuba SP on the ReserveAmerica website and found it on the map so we thought we knew where we were going.  Wrong!  We followed the signs from the freeway and found the park entrance.  The paved road pointed to Oasis Campground and the dirt road pointed to Painted Rocks – where we had a site reserved.  We both grumbled about pulling our 38 foot rig on a dirt road but took off for our destination.  Eventually we had to give up.  We had gone about 7 miles and ended up at nowhere….that road just kept on going.  It took a while to find a place to turn around but finally Kirby managed an amazing turn around in a tight place with soft sand.  Oh, not fun!  But he did it and we headed back the way we had come – very irritated!  I mean we were in the middle of NOWHERE!  Just look at this picture!

 As we headed back down the dirt road, I got out my map and started doing some research on where we could go since this was NOT going to work.  I visited the Utah State Parks website and looked at Yuba Lake.  They had different directions than the reservation system.  So, looking at that on the map I realized that the place we wanted, Painted Rocks, was on the OTHER side of the lake.  We made a big loop – on paved highway, not dirt, and finally we actually found where we were trying to get to all along.  It was pretty easy when you have the correct directions.

And, oh, am I glad we persevered!  Just look at our campsite!  And there is only one other camper here!  I am in love!