Here we are - back in our motorhome, back to meandering. This time we are taking the month of October to travel down the east coast to Florida, where we will park the RV and enjoy the warm gulf breezes for the winter. Again, we consider ourselves blessed to be able to do this, while our health is good.
Our summer at home flew by, sandwiched between a family wedding in June and another the end of August. We also said good-bye to Mike's Uncle Pat and Aunt Jane in the same week. Welcoming new people into our family and letting some go - the circle of life.
While pouring over maps, we quickly realized that one month was not going to be enough time to see the entire east coast. We need a week just for the Boston area - what with 3 Presidential libraries/birthplaces! (John Adams, John Quincy Adams and John Kennedy). So we made the difficult decision to leave the northern states for another time, and chose Washington, D.C. as our first destination. Although we have been to D.C. many times (and we try not to go to places we have already been), we have never been to Mount Vernon or Monticello. For the self-proclaimed presidential junkies we are, that is inexplicable! So we are beginning our fall travels with the homes of the first and third presidents of the United States.
On a side note - you should count yourself fortunate that we are not visiting downtown Washington and its impressive collection of monuments and memorials that ooze history and patriotism. I could (and would) wax eloquent for hours that would put even a history major to sleep. And don't even get me started on anything Lincoln. A perfect fall afternoon would be spent on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. . . "Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. . . "
Mike's sister Karen did say we should try to knock some sense into the politicians while we are here!
Our spring travels proved to us that everything we truly need (at least for the next 6 months) can fit into a 40 x 12 ft. space. Tuesday, with the sun shining and the leaves falling around us, we packed every square inch of that space, put the bikes on the Jeep and hooked the Jeep up to the motorhome.
We left Ionia at 8:30 Wednesday morning, eyeing the Pittsburgh area as a good days drive. We did not have a reservation anywhere, which is a first for us. When traveling out west, we always had a new campground address to plug into the GPS before we left the one we were staying at. One benefit of traveling in the fall as opposed to peak summer time is we were not concerned that we would not be able to find a campsite.
It's only been one day, but we have noticed that traveling out east is going to be a little different than out west - a.k.a - a little more expensive (except for California). After enjoying the Ohio Turnpike (I-80) for several hours, we paid $27.50 and two minutes later handed over $15.55 when the Ohio Turnpike became the Pennsylvania Turnpike. When we got off near Pittsburgh, we paid $11.25 for the privilege of driving on I-76. We arrived in New Stanton, PA about 5 pm.
Fall in Michigan is beautiful so we hope what we encounter in the next month is worth what we left. The drive today didn't have a lot of color. Can't decide if we are a week early or a week late.
OK - Mike just shook his head and said, "What can you be typing? We didn't do anything today!"
I guess I'm falling right back into the blogging routine!
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