We (Marie and I) just returned from the RV trip of the century. We left home in Arnprior, ON on January 15 (2012) and returned home March 31. We went to Florida and came home via New Orleans and Nashville. We own a 1999 Roadtrek 190 Versatile - a so called Class B (tiny) RV. Here is a pic of our baby on the beach near Daytona.RV Trip by the numbers
- 6000 KM
- 11 weeks
- 29 different campgrounds/RV parks
- travelled through 14 different States
- stayed at least one night in 11 of them
- unique side trip (see below)
Highlights
The 3 best memories we have are:
1. Staying at Fort Desoto County Park for three nights. This is a must visit campground just south of St. Petersburg, FL. The park juts way out into the Gulf of Mexico and has a superb beach, a wonderful campsite and a wifi hotspot. We had a site overlooking the lagoon and spent the days beach combing and people watching. Very hard to get an RV site here but we were lucky and got into the camper van area without problem. Here we are enjoying ourselves at dinner.
We also drove into St Petersburg to stroll by the Don Cesar Hotel on a foggy day:
2. The Destin, Florida area is unbelievable, as is the FL Panhandle in general. Miles of powder white sand greet the eye. Endless beaches to walk and explore. Plenty of fresh seafood to eat and the wine is oh so cheap in FL! We must have walked 50 KM of beaches in our stops from St George Island to Orange Beach, Alabama. Here is an example of those beaches (dazzling white quartz that squeaks when you walk on it).
Now, Destin is absolutely the best because they have preserved a State Park (Henderson Beach) sandwiched between parts of Destin which has great landscaping, many modern stores, restaurants, bars etc. and, no tacky March break madness.
However, Orange Beach, AL is a close second, with a spectacular beach and brand new condos overlooking that have all been rebuilt since Hurricane Ivan in 2003:
3. Enough of beaches. Our final highlight was attending the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN. Words cannot do it justice. We saw Marty Stewart, Bill Anderson, the Dirt Drifters, Exile among others. But it was the sense of history - my goodness, Patsy Cline, Buck Owens, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs and even Bob Dylan, oh my. We had a great time:
A close second was attending St Patrick's Day street party on Bourbon Street in New Orleans (our 3rd visit there). Note we stayed in the French Quarter RV Park and walked to everything including Congo Square in Louis Armstrong Park:
Mishap - the only mishaps on this trip were: 1) Our in-house RV battery fell out on the ground and got dragged along when the floor of the mounting box failed due to rust out. Had to get a new battery installed. 2) Another was a granny pulling out of an on-ramp to I81 from a dead stop - we almost ran into her rear. 3) Minutes later a semi decided to switch lanes into our lane when we were passing him with almost a collision. Breaks worked great both times thank goodness.
Other Highlights
Too many to mention but here goes:
- the weather, generally warm and dry - mid 70s to low 80s, a few rain days
- the wildlife - saw many herons (fishing buddies), sandpiper cranes, deer, racoons, dolphins, mocking birds, scrub jays, alligators, squirrels, diving sea ducks, pelicans by the dozens
- ate many many plates of fresh seafood - grouper, flounder, mahi, snapper etc., etc., yum!
- did I mention the cheap wine: Little Penguin cabernet and Lindman Bin 99 pinot noir for $5 a bottle, not to mention the very drinkable Walmart Oak Leaf house brands for $2.97 a bottle!
- the people - southerners are laid back, friendly, and easy to meet and talk with and meet
- visits with our friends the Clarkes in Vero Beach:
and the Hobsons in Crystal River:
- oh yes and we went to Graceland in Memphis, TN
- 3 ACW battle sites including Corinth, MI, Shiloh, TN and Chickamauga, TN
- and 25 Walmarts from PA to LA!
Unique Side Trip
Jamaica. To celebrate Marie's birthday, we flew return from Orlando to see Celine Dione at the Jamaica Jazzfest in Fallmouth and then spent a week in Ocho Rios! It was a wonderful experience. We rented a car and drove to Nine Mile, family home of Bob Marley. We met some locals on the beach and sampled their cooking. We pigged out at the Dunns River Falls Jewel all-inclusive. Yeah mon!
The End
The best part of RVing is the sense of escape. This trip was real escape. This final pick sums up the overall experience of this trip for me:
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