We left Charleston on February 1st. It had frozen the night before including the end of the sewer hose. As Chuck
emptied the black tank, the force of sudden rush of sewage blew the end of the hose loose from the connector. It
was quite a mess to clean up. It reminded us of the German saying “Shit brings good luck!”
Our departure mood was quite subdued. It was the first time we were leaving without Lobo. The drive took us
south and parallel to I-95 until we reached Townsend, GA south of Savannah where we found a small private
campground to spend the night. It was somewhat wooded and we were unable to locate a spot through the trees
for the satellite signal so we had no Internet.
On the next day we arrived in Folkston, GA. We had located a campground there that accepts our Passport
America membership to receive a 50% discount. As we drove into the campground, the owner came over and
informed us that the electricity had been turned off since he couldn’t pay the bill. It was a very basic campground
and it had not been receiving enough visitors to pay the bills. Actually, it was much to our liking since it didn’t have
the clubhouses, Bingo parlors, etc, and ridiculous restrictions with the RVs packed in like sardines. The owner gave
us directions to the next campground.
As we started to pull out Renée came up with an idea. We called the owner over and asked him how much the
electric bill was; which he said was a little over $200. We suggested that we pay the bill to turn the electric back
on and it would serve as our camping fee. He immediately accepted the proposal and we drove to the electric
company. It turned out to be $250 which made our stay a little longer. As we arrived back at the campground
with the owner, we were met by his dogs, a 10 year old male Lab, a 6 month old Lab mix and a two year old female
Catahoula Leopard Dog who had a litter of puppies born on Christmas Day (father unknown). This was quite unusual,
because in all the years of travel we have never found a campground where dogs were allowed to run free and
then we find one when Lobo is no longer with us.
It is hard to describe how much good these animals did for us, particularly the young female. She began barking at
Renée and Chuck thought she was trying to warn her to keep back. When Renée didn’t come, the female went and
got her puppies to show them to us. She acted as if she knew that we needed the therapy and it was her job to
help us out. She often spent the day under the RV in Lobo’s favorite spot (see photos). We thought that our days
of buying dog food and treats were gone; but during the stay in Folkston, it actually increased. With so many little
mouths to feed, it had to! (see photos)
We stayed in Folkston until February 23rd. On the 5th, Lobo’s ashes were delivered per FedEx. We had him
cremated in Charleston and we had left before the process had been finished.
Renée’s birthday was on the 8th and she received her obligatory red roses from Chuck, along with numerous
telephonic and electronic birthday greetings from other well wishers. She had no desire to go out and celebrate so
Chuck fixed jumbo scallops wrapped in bacon and cooked over an open fire.
The days in Folkston were busy with chores. Chuck dismantled the modifications in the truck for Lobo’s bed and
reinstalled the rear seats. During this work, he stepped off the side of the truck onto an aluminum ladder which
wasn’t sitting properly. One of the legs broke off the ladder, causing him to fall. He landed quite hard and hurt his
foot but it recovered quite rapidly. If he had not bounced off the side of the truck on the way down, it would have
been a lot worse.
The weather was unusually cold for this time of the year in southern GA. We played a lot with the puppies and
when it warmed up, we made sightseeing trips in the area. A bicycle ride along the roads in the Okefenokee
Swamp was planning for Valentine’s Day, along with a boat ride through the swamp. The boat trip (see photos) took
longer than expected so the bicycles stayed on the back of the truck. The 15th was Presidents Day and we had
planned a trip along the Atlantic, but it was cold and raining so we opted for a “Pajama” day and stayed home.
The weather was much better the following day and we packed a picnic lunch and drove to Jekyll Island (see
photos), one of the barrier islands on the Georgia coast. This island was purchased by a group of millionaires in
1886 for use as a summer resort away from the less fortunate. Since 1947 the island has been a Georgia State
Park. On the return trip we drove to Brunswick to look around (see photos).
The next morning we drove to St Mary’s to catch the ferry to Cumberland Island National Seashore. Much to our
disappointment, the ferry does not run on Wednesdays during the winter. Instead we toured St Mary’s (see
photos). On the way back we stopped at the phone store and upgraded to a Blackberry Tour World phone, which
we had been planning to do for some time.
After returning to the campground we gave Scott (the campground owner) the money for an additional three days.
We also gave him an additional $20 for electricity since it had been unseasonably cold and we felt that we had used
more than the average camper since we had been heating with an electric heater. At first he did not want to
accept it but after our insistence, he took the money and said that he was going to immediately apply it to the
electric bill to make sure he didn’t get in the same situation again. Other campers arrived while we were there and
some even stayed a few days. So he is getting a little business and hopefully it will pick up for him.
On the 20th we again drove to Brunswick and from there to St. Simons Island. We had also wanted to go to Sea
Island but it is a private island and is no longer open to the public. Entrance is restricted to hotel guests,
residents and their invited guests. The historic lighthouse on St. Simon Island was undergoing a renovation and had
been completely shrouded as if it was wearing a coat because of the unseasonably cold weather (see photos).
While touring the island we discovered that Fort Frederica was celebrating its 274th anniversary with historic
artifacts, displays and reenactments (see photos). The parking lot was so full that we had to park at a nearby
church, then rode our bikes to the fort where we had a picnic and joined in the festivities. This was the last
sightseeing trip we made while in Folkston.
We spent the next few days at home and when we left we did not take a puppy with us. Although it was hard to
stick with it, we would not be able to make a trip to Germany as we now have planned for April. We left all of the
dog food, treats, and Lobo’s favorite dish when we departed from Cedar Ridge Campground in Folkston. Scott
says that his last will and testament is going to grant us an eternal free spot at his campground.
We left Folkston on the 23rd, stopping at an Aldi’s in Daytona Beach and then began searching for a campground to
spend the night since we knew we would not make to Patrick Air Force Base that evening. After numerous
attempts, we finally found a place in Oak Hill, FL (Florida has hills?) for $42 a night (ouch!). Florida has severe
restrictions about where an RV can spend the night. When it is almost dark, you can’t argue about the price! That
is the most we have ever had to pay for a single night. The campground owner insisted that he was much cheaper
than most in the area. The night time view on the water was quite spectacular with the waterway being illuminated
by the numerous shrimp boats.
The following day we arrived at Patrick AFB where the campground was completely full and the only possibility was
in “overflow” with no hookups, for $9 a day. There were about 20 other RV’s in the overflow lot, which meant that
at least that many would have to leave before we would be able to get a spot with hookups. The campground is
directly on the water in a beautiful location.
Wind and rain caused the temperature to drop once again and we spent a very cold first night in the overflow
parking area. The following morning was sunny but quite cool with the temperature only reaching the fifties in the
afternoon. We took a drive to find an RV workshop to schedule a maintenance appointment and made reservations
for the March 6th sightseeing tour of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where the rockets were launched prior to
the construction of Kennedy Space Center. We also contacted some of our former neighbors who now live in this
area. Christian Bendix, a neighbor from Strinz-Trinitatis where we lived in Germany, had retired a few years ago
and bought a house in Cape Canaveral. He lives part of the year in Florida and also has an apartment in Wiesbaden,
Germany. We made plans to meet with Christian on Sunday and with our other neighbors, Helen and Jim Mosby
from Stafford, VA during the first week in March.
Sunday was a lucky day for us. Early in the morning someone knocked on the door to advise us that a water/
electric site would be available at 11 AM! We took a look and saw that it was a nice spot on the water with a
wooden deck (see photos). We had also contacted MacDill AFB in Tampa a few days earlier and were informed
that a lottery existed to “win” a campsite reservation if we were one of the first to call at 10 AM. A few minutes
before 10, Chuck took both cell phones and started calling and re-dialing after getting busy tones. After a while it
worked! We have a reservation for a spot on March 14th when we arrive in the Tampa area to visit with Chuck's
brother Joe.
Sunday evening we met Christian at the Heidelberg Restaurant in Cocoa Beach (see photos). The owners are a
couple from Kitzbühl, Austria. Heidi manages the restaurant and the Jazz Bar next door while her husband (20
years younger) is the chef. The food was quite good and authentic (Sauerbraten, goulash, tartar). Renée and
Chuck ate too much and had to pass on the Apple Strudel. Chuck was so full he couldn’t even have a drink
afterwards at the Jazz Bar. We made plans for the following Tuesday at Christian’s for coffee and cake.
To be continued…..
emptied the black tank, the force of sudden rush of sewage blew the end of the hose loose from the connector. It
was quite a mess to clean up. It reminded us of the German saying “Shit brings good luck!”
Our departure mood was quite subdued. It was the first time we were leaving without Lobo. The drive took us
south and parallel to I-95 until we reached Townsend, GA south of Savannah where we found a small private
campground to spend the night. It was somewhat wooded and we were unable to locate a spot through the trees
for the satellite signal so we had no Internet.
On the next day we arrived in Folkston, GA. We had located a campground there that accepts our Passport
America membership to receive a 50% discount. As we drove into the campground, the owner came over and
informed us that the electricity had been turned off since he couldn’t pay the bill. It was a very basic campground
and it had not been receiving enough visitors to pay the bills. Actually, it was much to our liking since it didn’t have
the clubhouses, Bingo parlors, etc, and ridiculous restrictions with the RVs packed in like sardines. The owner gave
us directions to the next campground.
As we started to pull out Renée came up with an idea. We called the owner over and asked him how much the
electric bill was; which he said was a little over $200. We suggested that we pay the bill to turn the electric back
on and it would serve as our camping fee. He immediately accepted the proposal and we drove to the electric
company. It turned out to be $250 which made our stay a little longer. As we arrived back at the campground
with the owner, we were met by his dogs, a 10 year old male Lab, a 6 month old Lab mix and a two year old female
Catahoula Leopard Dog who had a litter of puppies born on Christmas Day (father unknown). This was quite unusual,
because in all the years of travel we have never found a campground where dogs were allowed to run free and
then we find one when Lobo is no longer with us.
It is hard to describe how much good these animals did for us, particularly the young female. She began barking at
Renée and Chuck thought she was trying to warn her to keep back. When Renée didn’t come, the female went and
got her puppies to show them to us. She acted as if she knew that we needed the therapy and it was her job to
help us out. She often spent the day under the RV in Lobo’s favorite spot (see photos). We thought that our days
of buying dog food and treats were gone; but during the stay in Folkston, it actually increased. With so many little
mouths to feed, it had to! (see photos)
We stayed in Folkston until February 23rd. On the 5th, Lobo’s ashes were delivered per FedEx. We had him
cremated in Charleston and we had left before the process had been finished.
Renée’s birthday was on the 8th and she received her obligatory red roses from Chuck, along with numerous
telephonic and electronic birthday greetings from other well wishers. She had no desire to go out and celebrate so
Chuck fixed jumbo scallops wrapped in bacon and cooked over an open fire.
The days in Folkston were busy with chores. Chuck dismantled the modifications in the truck for Lobo’s bed and
reinstalled the rear seats. During this work, he stepped off the side of the truck onto an aluminum ladder which
wasn’t sitting properly. One of the legs broke off the ladder, causing him to fall. He landed quite hard and hurt his
foot but it recovered quite rapidly. If he had not bounced off the side of the truck on the way down, it would have
been a lot worse.
The weather was unusually cold for this time of the year in southern GA. We played a lot with the puppies and
when it warmed up, we made sightseeing trips in the area. A bicycle ride along the roads in the Okefenokee
Swamp was planning for Valentine’s Day, along with a boat ride through the swamp. The boat trip (see photos) took
longer than expected so the bicycles stayed on the back of the truck. The 15th was Presidents Day and we had
planned a trip along the Atlantic, but it was cold and raining so we opted for a “Pajama” day and stayed home.
The weather was much better the following day and we packed a picnic lunch and drove to Jekyll Island (see
photos), one of the barrier islands on the Georgia coast. This island was purchased by a group of millionaires in
1886 for use as a summer resort away from the less fortunate. Since 1947 the island has been a Georgia State
Park. On the return trip we drove to Brunswick to look around (see photos).
The next morning we drove to St Mary’s to catch the ferry to Cumberland Island National Seashore. Much to our
disappointment, the ferry does not run on Wednesdays during the winter. Instead we toured St Mary’s (see
photos). On the way back we stopped at the phone store and upgraded to a Blackberry Tour World phone, which
we had been planning to do for some time.
After returning to the campground we gave Scott (the campground owner) the money for an additional three days.
We also gave him an additional $20 for electricity since it had been unseasonably cold and we felt that we had used
more than the average camper since we had been heating with an electric heater. At first he did not want to
accept it but after our insistence, he took the money and said that he was going to immediately apply it to the
electric bill to make sure he didn’t get in the same situation again. Other campers arrived while we were there and
some even stayed a few days. So he is getting a little business and hopefully it will pick up for him.
On the 20th we again drove to Brunswick and from there to St. Simons Island. We had also wanted to go to Sea
Island but it is a private island and is no longer open to the public. Entrance is restricted to hotel guests,
residents and their invited guests. The historic lighthouse on St. Simon Island was undergoing a renovation and had
been completely shrouded as if it was wearing a coat because of the unseasonably cold weather (see photos).
While touring the island we discovered that Fort Frederica was celebrating its 274th anniversary with historic
artifacts, displays and reenactments (see photos). The parking lot was so full that we had to park at a nearby
church, then rode our bikes to the fort where we had a picnic and joined in the festivities. This was the last
sightseeing trip we made while in Folkston.
We spent the next few days at home and when we left we did not take a puppy with us. Although it was hard to
stick with it, we would not be able to make a trip to Germany as we now have planned for April. We left all of the
dog food, treats, and Lobo’s favorite dish when we departed from Cedar Ridge Campground in Folkston. Scott
says that his last will and testament is going to grant us an eternal free spot at his campground.
We left Folkston on the 23rd, stopping at an Aldi’s in Daytona Beach and then began searching for a campground to
spend the night since we knew we would not make to Patrick Air Force Base that evening. After numerous
attempts, we finally found a place in Oak Hill, FL (Florida has hills?) for $42 a night (ouch!). Florida has severe
restrictions about where an RV can spend the night. When it is almost dark, you can’t argue about the price! That
is the most we have ever had to pay for a single night. The campground owner insisted that he was much cheaper
than most in the area. The night time view on the water was quite spectacular with the waterway being illuminated
by the numerous shrimp boats.
The following day we arrived at Patrick AFB where the campground was completely full and the only possibility was
in “overflow” with no hookups, for $9 a day. There were about 20 other RV’s in the overflow lot, which meant that
at least that many would have to leave before we would be able to get a spot with hookups. The campground is
directly on the water in a beautiful location.
Wind and rain caused the temperature to drop once again and we spent a very cold first night in the overflow
parking area. The following morning was sunny but quite cool with the temperature only reaching the fifties in the
afternoon. We took a drive to find an RV workshop to schedule a maintenance appointment and made reservations
for the March 6th sightseeing tour of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where the rockets were launched prior to
the construction of Kennedy Space Center. We also contacted some of our former neighbors who now live in this
area. Christian Bendix, a neighbor from Strinz-Trinitatis where we lived in Germany, had retired a few years ago
and bought a house in Cape Canaveral. He lives part of the year in Florida and also has an apartment in Wiesbaden,
Germany. We made plans to meet with Christian on Sunday and with our other neighbors, Helen and Jim Mosby
from Stafford, VA during the first week in March.
Sunday was a lucky day for us. Early in the morning someone knocked on the door to advise us that a water/
electric site would be available at 11 AM! We took a look and saw that it was a nice spot on the water with a
wooden deck (see photos). We had also contacted MacDill AFB in Tampa a few days earlier and were informed
that a lottery existed to “win” a campsite reservation if we were one of the first to call at 10 AM. A few minutes
before 10, Chuck took both cell phones and started calling and re-dialing after getting busy tones. After a while it
worked! We have a reservation for a spot on March 14th when we arrive in the Tampa area to visit with Chuck's
brother Joe.
Sunday evening we met Christian at the Heidelberg Restaurant in Cocoa Beach (see photos). The owners are a
couple from Kitzbühl, Austria. Heidi manages the restaurant and the Jazz Bar next door while her husband (20
years younger) is the chef. The food was quite good and authentic (Sauerbraten, goulash, tartar). Renée and
Chuck ate too much and had to pass on the Apple Strudel. Chuck was so full he couldn’t even have a drink
afterwards at the Jazz Bar. We made plans for the following Tuesday at Christian’s for coffee and cake.
To be continued…..
| Each comments entry box in the guest book is limited to approx. 250 characters including spaces. For longer messages please e-mail us at morton@rmortonc.com |
| Each comments entry box in the guest book is limited to approx. 250 characters including spaces. For longer messages please e-mail us at morton@rmortonc.com |
Our Motto: Home is, where our RV is.
Travel Journal February 2010
Area of operation
| Travel Journal February 2010 (Begins in Charleston, SC and ends at Patrick Air Force Base near Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach, FL.) |
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