Costa Rica

I cannot believe it has been more than a year since I posted. Shame on me! But, in my defense, we really didn't do much exploring since we bought the farm. Not much with the exception of  the trip of a life time. So why didn't I post? OMG, it really was the trip of a life time--at least our life time. My daughter decided it was time for me and Clark to go on a luxury vacation. I was skeptical at first. Not that I didn't think I would like "luxury." Who doesn't want luxury? She and her husband were going to take me and Clark to Costa Rica for one week. Then my son and his girl friend decided to join us. Next it was my other daughter and her husband.

To keep this story short and sweet. We went to Santa Teresa on the West Coast of Costa Rica and had the best time ever. My daughter rented a house right on the beach. We took surfing lessons, went out on a boat fishing and drove 4 wheelers all over the place.

What a trip!

Fishing Trip

So here we are, in the middle of nowhere. I say that and yet we got one of the last camping spots. Not a very good spot, just one of the last. What the hell are these people doing here in the middle of nowhere? It is cold and raining and there is no phone service and no internet. The cold and rain does not bother John.  Needless to say having no phone service and no internet service is no concern for John either. Off he goes to catch some trout while I sit in the truck. I like to fish but I don't like to be cold and I don't like to get wet and dirty. When it is hot and dry the stream is actually inviting, so I don't mind fishing then. I hope John does well and catches something quickly. I am also hungry!

There was a time when I would have enjoyed the peace and quiet. Listening to the rain pitter patter on the roof of the truck. Today I wonder what to do. Seriously, with no connection to the outside world, the worldwide web, what do I do? I have joined the Generation Y with the need for instant gratification. I worry that someone may need to get a hold of me. What will my family do if they need me? What will my business partners and/or clients do without me? I can't check my email, Facebook, Twitter, linked in. I can't search the web. I can't even relax.

Having thought that out I have decided to learn to relax and stop feeling I need to be connected at all times. It starts now, on this trip.

I sat in the truck for nearly 3 hours while John fished! I got out a couple times to take pictures. John caught 4 trout and he had so much fun. We got back to the camper and I made some hot dogs corn and chips. It was already 8:30 and still raining. I did not see any reason to start the grill and cook steaks. The forecast for tomorrow is rain in the morning but clear skies after 1:00. We can cook on the grill tomorrow. John cleaned the fish while I whipped up dinner. During dinner the battery to the camper died. We discussed turning on the generator but decided it was not necessary. It was cool enough outside to keep the refrigerator cool and we had plenty of blankets and a new sleeping bag to keep us warm. John cleaned up and we were in bed by 9:45.

This morning it was very difficult to get out of bed. Let me rephrase that, it was difficult for me to get out of bed. John took Coco out and made coffee while I continued to snuggle up under the covers. I finally had a hot flash that brought me out from under. I got up and ate pancakes and sausage that John made, and coffee that John made. Mmmmm good! It is still drizzling out so I told John to go ahead and go fishing while I make the bed, do the dishes and hang with Coco. So here I am, waiting.

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Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway

In September, Clark and I traveled to PA for our granddaughter's first birthday. We had a wonderful time with family and friends but headed home a little early. Over the years we traveled back and forth making the 13 hour trip in one day. We took the same route and often talked about stopping here and/or there to see some of the sights along the way. We were always in a hurry and always so tired when we arrived home. Of course we did not have our "Scotty" camper before, so this trip was different. First we discovered it seemed to take a little longer pulling a camper. Mainly because we had to stop for gas more often. So we left a little early with the idea that we would just stop when we got tired and enjoy the trip. As we neared the PA border we were trying to decide where we might stop and Clark came up with the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unlike Lewis and Clark, I whipped out the iPad and checked out the start and finish. We decided to start at the very top in VA on the Skyline Drive.

We entered the Skyline Drive at about 4:30. We thought it would be good to get to the 50 mile post where there was a good campsite. We thought that would give us plenty of time to arrive, set up camp, cook dinner, relax . . . In the first hour we managed to travel 10 miles. We were stopping at every overlook. The views were magnificent but we were not going to make it to the campsite before they closed at 8:00 if we did not keep moving. We stopped about every 3rd or 4th overlook and managed to make it to the 50 mile post at ten minutes to 8:00. Needless to say we did not "set" up camp and cook dinner. We ordered from the lodge and picked up dinner to take back to camp. We were disappointed in the food but not to worry. We were on an adventure.

We woke up early, hitched the wagon and headed out. Our plan was to get to Boone, NC by about 3:00. Again, we thought we would get to Boone, set up camp, cook dinner, relax . . . We barely made it into NC by 9:00. We did stop to hike some, stopped at the overlooks  . . . We were definitely enjoying ourselves but this was a slow trip. 

The next day we had no choice but to finish this trip that day because I had to work in the morning. We did finish and arrived home about 10:30 that night.

FYI, if you want to take the Blue Ridge Parkway--either do it in sections or plan at least a week or so to really enjoy it. We are glad we did it but we now want to do it in sections to enjoy some of the areas we had to pass through. It is beautiful, breathtaking and brilliant! Definitely worth the time.

#BlueRidgeParkway#travel#Camping 

Another Birthday

Another grandchild grew older! Hunter turned 5 this year and we were not about to miss this special day. We have been so busy this year between our travels, work, and new property there has not been enough time to post. I haven't had a chance to tell you about all our adventures before a new one comes up. I know the real Lewis and Clark did not have this problem but then they did not have to go to the office on a regular basis. Their travels happened to be their job. How cool was that? Of course they did not have the luxury of staying in hotels and/or campers, visiting relatives and traveling in a civilized world. I think I do it the Lois and Clark way. I will do my best to post more regularly--I have lots to tell you.

Birthday Party!!

Nothing more fun than a first birthday! Don't you wish we could have our own birthday cake every year? Why do they get their own and we have to share. They don't even know what they are eating and they never eat it all. They just make a mess of it. Fun, fun, fun!

Big brother celebrated his birthday too! I think it is lucky the two have birthdays so close. I shared my birthday with my brother and there is 3 years difference between us. We always had a special bond just because we shared our birthday. It was great!

Great Adventures!

We just returned from a great adventure to visit our grandchildren. Our youngest granddaughter turned 1 over Labor Day weekend. I will have her pictures to show off soon. Clark and I drove to PA with our Scotty Camper. When I looked on line for a campsite I was a bit surprised to find every place was booked. Clark's daughter was able to find us a spot at a private camp ground only 4 miles from her home. That's a story in itself. Hunter and Caroline were camping at Bald Eagle State Park--where we originally wanted to stay. Little did I know we could have booked a site at Bald Eagle State Park in the "Primitive" section. This park is beautiful and the sites are beautiful. Unfortunately I was looking for the hookups. Next time I know better. I just did not know you could bring a camper into the "primitive" section. Now I know and will be better prepared for the next trip.
We visited Hunter and Caroline and of course their parents. We went on a geocaching expedition that had been set up by Ranger Rick. These kids are experienced campers, hikers and geocachers. We had a great time until someone stepped into a bees nest. All hell broke loose with screaming and running. I was lucky to not have gotten stung at all. Clark was stung 5 times, Caroline and her dad were each stung one time but poor Hunter got the most stings with 8-10. Luckily their mom was prepared and passed out Benadryl to all the wounded soldiers. It was a horrible way to end such a great adventure but, the kids and adults are all doing fine and ready for our next adventure. We will not be finishing that geocache-sorry to say.
I have so much to tell you about but I need to start with the family trip first. I will post birthday pictures soon.

Storm A Brewing

Just came back from sunny South Florida. This photo was taken from my hotel room. What a view! I did not have to get out of bed for sunrise pictures. Seriously, the view was absolutely gorgeous without every getting up. I literally grabbed my cell phone and started taking pictures as soon as I woke up. I was too lazy to get up and grab my camera and the iPhone did just fine.