Hurricane Hurricane Go Away!

I intended to write sooner than this, but the days got away from me.  I spent the past week or so glued to my weather apps wondering what would happen with the tropical storm that lingered in the Gulf.  For several days, it looked like Isaac was heading straight for us!  The locals cracked jokes and seemed less than concerned about the storm.  Wal-Mart was less crowded than the one in York on an average day.  Yet, by Sunday night, Walton County had issued a mandatory evacuation of the coast by non-residents and especially those in RV's.  We packed up our camper; taking everything of importance with us.  We left our temporary home in Florida at 5am Monday morning and headed north to Alabama.

I was amazed at how empty the roads were.  I'm pretty sure we were the only people to evacuate the area based on the traffic.  Still,  I'm so glad we decided to leave.  We drove 4 hours north to Auburn, Al and stayed in a quaint little campground near a creek.  The owner was so hospitable and he even discounted the daily rate because we came due to the storm.

Auburn was a great little college town.  It had cool stores, great food and everyone was so friendly.  We ate dinner and lunch the next day at Moe's Bar-b-que.  The pulled-pork was amazing!!!!  We also got lemonades at Toomer's Drugstore which is a must do if visiting the University.  We only stayed two nights, but it was a nice vacation from our vacation.

Upon returning to our home in Miramar Beach, we learned that very little happened from the storm.  The beaches and ocean were closed to the public.  The waves were big, the rip current strong, and jellyfish larva littered the sand.  Today is the first the beaches are open so we are anxious to explore.

Unfortunately for our neighbors in Mobile, Al and New Orleans, they got the brunt of Hurricane Isaac.  Not near the magnitude of Katrina, it still dumped a ton of water on the area.  We experienced rain yesterday and tornado watches, but nothing major.  This morning the sun is shining and the humidity is back to it's normal 90%...ugghhh.  Still, we are enjoying our time here and we are learning a lot from the experiences.

Destin fo Rainy Days

We had another fun week in Florida despite the rain.  The storms in this area are different from anything I've experienced.  The clouds are more black than any I've seen and the lightning shows are amazing if observed from a safe location.  We've learned that if you hear even a small rumble of thunder, we must take cover immediately.  Sadly, A dad and son died near Panama City Beach because they got caught in a storm and were struck by lightning.  It is definitely not something to mess with in this part of the country!

In addition to the light show, the amount of rain that manages to come out of the clouds is ridiculous!  It does not just drizzle around here.  Oh it might start that way, but it never just stays that way!  When it rains, it comes down in buckets.  I look at the radar and it will just be this small little dot on the map, yet it produces so much water in such a short time that things flood quickly.  It also passes fast enough and is hot enough to be gone quickly too.

Apparently the amount of rain we are getting is not typical here.  They have been in a drought the past two years so this is unusual.  The nice thing is that we have had more waves then they typically get because of the passing storms and other activity in the Gulf.  This has made for great play time!

Camden skimming

Grace finally got on! 

This week we bought the kids skimboards and surfboards off of craigslist.  They are having a blast!  There are some guys down here that can do the most amazing tricks on the skimboards; my kiddos are just happy to get on and ride it.  Grace and Lauryl already stood up on the surfboard a few times.  Camden has gotten to his knees but I'm sure he'll be standing in no time.  I love that they are getting to experience new stuff.

For me, I have a car down here now.  It's nothing pretty but it works and it was cheap!  I like having my freedom again.  Yesterday, I tried a Zumba class at a country club fitness center.  It was a tough class but I felt very out of place.  Today, I tried an RPM "spin" class at the Gold's Gym and I just loved it!  They also have Zumba classes there so I think I'm going to do a month-to-month membership.  It's nice to be eating healthier and exercising again!

So, that's the update for now.  It's hard to believe we've only been here three weeks.  I've adjusted to the change of coming to the beach from the mountains, but I truly like the variety.  I don't think I'd ever want to give up summer in the mountains though.  This is a nice community and it's more transplants than locals.  Everyone's got a story of how or why they came here and why they haven't left.  It's a grand adventure for the Meile's so far.

Wave Days

Hey, its Grace. Yesterday we had a couple small storms passing through, but nothing too major. We spent most of the morning doing school... blegh. We did some fun things though like stop at Wal-Mart and running through five minute downpours. Once we were done, we decided to head to the beach. It's so nice because we're only a block from the beach and can just walk. Of course, by this time the rain stopped.

When we reached the beach I was very surprised. Two days ago the water had been crystal clear without a single wave, but now the water had waves! That may not sound like a big deal, but it was to us because we really missed them.  I've always grown up with waves going to Ocean City, Maryland and Ocracoke. 

We grabbed our boogie boards and rode a ton of waves. While we were out there some people gave us live sand dollars. It was really neat. It was funny too because while at Wal-Mart the one lady told us that all the surfers came to the beach right where we were and it was true.  Several feet down the beach there wasn't a single surfer, but right where we were we saw surfers and several people on paddle boards. My dad also got to ride his boat, and he surfed a couple waves.

It was a great day and when we came home we got to watch the Olympics and I got to read my new book. Definitely a fun day!

Beach Bums

We are officially in Florida one week as of today.  It's been fun figuring out where everything is in relation to where we are staying.  The RV resort is nice.  Our spot is right next to the pool so I can keep an eye on the kids whether I'm inside or out.  The beach is only a block away and is simply breath taking!  There is also a bike/walking path which we've been making use of every day.

The kids have already made friends.  One girl is living here now and just started school today.  Most of the other kids are just here for a few days or a week on their summer vacation.  Everyone we've met have been so nice and very helpful.  We probably came down a month too early.  I say this for a couple reasons.  First, we were loving the mountains of PA and could have stayed just a little longer until the end of August.  Second, it is still rather busy down here for the summer which we were told will taper off in September.  Finally, the local people we've talked to said September is one of the best times of year to be here.  So, it's not bad right now, but in retrospect I would do things just a little differently.

Outside of the learning lessons, we have totally been enjoying ourselves.  Camden loves that he can fish right off the shore.  He wears his snorkeling mask and after he casts his line in he watches to see where the fish are.  It's very entertaining to watch and he has a blast. 

We all have been snorkeling just in the surf.  There are tons of fish swimming in schools all the time.  We've seen pompano, tarpon, lady fish, stingray, and Camden caught a hardhead catfish in his casting net.  Otherwise, we just relax and enjoy the white sands and beautiful water.

One day the water will be crystal clear and smooth as a lake, and the next day there will be chop, or like today, there are some small waves.  It's rained almost every day we've been here, but the storms pass through relatively quickly and it will be sunny and hot again in no time.

Dave is missing his whitewater time, but he has been able to go out and just paddle.  Our hope is to get some fishing kayaks and a stand up paddle board.  They seem to be the best toys to have around here other than buying a fishing boat.  I must say that having a boat here would make it incredible because the fishing is suppose to be fantastic.


Finally, Lauryl and I got new beach crusier bikes that make it fun to ride around.  We rode to the Winn Dixie with Dave this morning to get some groceries and several other stores are only a short bike ride away.

So, our first week has been about taking in our new environment and learning the ins and outs of getting around.  Hopefully next week I will have a vehicle and the kids can start some activities.  Lauryl is going to take dance classes while we're here and the girls are thinking about playing soccer since they missed the season back home.  Our hope is to enjoy it here for the next few months and then make our way back north to begin planning our next adventure.

Dead-Ant Dead-Ant, DeadAnt DeadAnt DeadAnt....

After another 3 hour drive passing through Atlanta, we arrived at Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park, Georgia.  We had a nice site right on the lake.  We didn't do much the first day other than play cards and Camden fished.  Our hope was to hike a waterfall trail in the morning, but mother nature had other plans for us.

Upon waking up the next morning, we discovered we had been invaded by sweet ants during the night!  It wasn't just a few either.  We had thousands upon thousands of ants in the camper...uggghhhhh!  It took all five of us five hours to try and get the little buggers under control.  After getting our money refunded and some lunch in our bellies, we hit the road and never looked back.

World Records and Goats on the Roof

Hello it's Grace. So after our hike on the Gorge floor we decided to checkout the area a little more. We stopped into the information center again and looked at there historical section. One of the most interesting things was about this guy the great Wallendo. He held the world record for walking across the gorge on a high wire.  He did it in twenty minutes with two headstands along the way. It was even crazier because they showed part of the rope he walked on and it was only two inches in diameter. It was crazy!

Afterwards we went to this place known as Goats on the Roof. It was pretty cheesy, but I enjoy that every once in a while. There were goats on the roof of course and some cheesy shirts. One I thought my mom should have bought because it said I married an old goat. Afterwards we went for a history lesson and saw this small piece of an old rail track. It was pretty steep even just sitting there. I can't believe people actually rode them. It was a pretty cool day and I had a ton of fun.

Tallulah Gorge GA

heading onto the bridge

Hi, it's Grace here. So after we left West Virginia we came to this new place known as Tallulah Gorge. When we arrived we got the camper set up and headed up to the Information Center. We asked about the hiking and the one that sounded the most interesting to us was the Gorge floor trail. This trail required a permit and sounded pretty cool. The only problem was that they only handed out a hundred permits per day so you had to get there at 8am. 

view of the suspension bridge

The next morning, I had to do one of the things I hate to do most ...Get up before 8:00 o'clock! It was definitely worth it though. When we arrived we had to do a ten minute orientation. Then, we started on the trail. The first half hour of the trail was stairs, but it wasn't that hard. After we got to the bottom of the stairs we crossed a suspension bridge that had a great view of the river eighty feet below us. Now I must say I am very proud of my mother. She made it across the bridge without freaking out or throwing up, even with my dad shaking it just to mess with her.  After we crossed the suspension bridge we started on what I counted as the beginning of the trail.

Our first obstacle was crossing the river.  We did this by jumping across rocks to get to the trail but just getting down to the river was hard enough. You had this huge rock you had to climb over and it was super steep. Then we got to the fun part... at least for me. We started jumping rocks which was a little hard for everyone other then me and my dad, but I had fun. Most of the rest of the trail was climbing over rocks which is my favorite thing to do. We also passed by four waterfalls which were gorgeous.

The best part of the day was the slide. The hike had been strenuous and we all were sweating. We were pretty happy when we reached the natural water slide. The water felt really nice and you built up so much speed going down because of the algae on the rocks. The hardest part was getting out of the water to go down the slide again. You had to climb up with a rope which was extremely slippery. Everone was sliding back down and falling. I also met a really nice girl who showed me how to go down the slide. Love the southern hospitality!

 

After swimming for an hour or so, we had a choice to make. We could either go back the way we came or climb up more rocks at a 45 degree angle to the top which was a 1/4 mile away. We decided to try the climb which was hard but fun. Then we had to walk back another trail to reach our truck. It was a hard hike and I slept the rest of the day, but it was fun. I definitely would do it again!

Purple Mountain Majesties

I typically don't write about our time traveling in the car because, quite honestly, it's not that exciting.  Typically, the kids watch movies or read, Dave and I chat, listen to music or talk radio and four hours seems like nothing to us these days.  This day was worthy of documenting though because we traveled from Tennessee across the mountains through Ashville and down into Georgia.  It was one of the most visually breathtaking drives we've experienced.  The mountains and valleys were stunning and somewhere I hope to explore in the not too distant future.  Our hope is to make Ashville a stopping point on our next trip back to PA.  It's about half way between where we are staying in Florida and York.  From those I've talked to about the area I haven't heard many negatives.  I am truly looking forward to coming back this way!

Pit Stop at the Nolichucky

 After West Virginia, we decided to make a return trip to Riverpark Campground in Tennessee.  This was the place we stayed on the return trip home in May where we had a site along the Nolichucky River.  It down poured right after we got set up so the girls and I played cards while Dave played in his kayak.  Camden met some boys and fished most of the day.  It was a good trip to just relax and regroup. 


In the morning they had an all you can eat breakfast buffet in the little camp diner.  We all ate for under $5 a piece and it was delicious!  There is still a hike we hope to do some time in the future.  We thought we could fit it in this time, but with the thunderstorms passing through we had to change our plans a bit.  I guess this just gives us another excuse to return to the area in the near future!

Last One to the Top is a Rotten Egg

After we left PA, we headed back to West Virginia and The New River Gorge area.  There was a trail there that we wanted to do back in May and we just ran out of time.  I'm so glad we decided to return because we had an amazing day!

The first thing we came across was a gorgeous waterfall that flowed right across the trail. It was a place we passed on the returned hike too so we managed to get a little wet!

The trail itself was only two miles long and it was a simple hike in/hike out. The trail took you along the remnants of the Kaymoor Coal mines.  The entrances to the mines are closed off now with huge bars, but you can feel the cool air that comes from underground.  It was a natural air conditioner!


When we got to the end of the trail there were 837 stairs leading down the side of the mountain to the ruins of an old mining town that sat along the river.  Camden and I made it half way, Grace went 50 steps further, and Dave and Lauryl did the entire set of 837 steps!  The picture show the last stretch of steps to the top.  


By the time we started back on the trail, the temperature had grown much hotter.  We took advantage of the air from the mines and the water fall a long the way.  


At the end of the hike we took a swim in this spring.  The water was chilling and wonderful!  It got deep right in the center and reminded us of something you'd see on some of the reality adventure shows.


It was a spectacular day and we find that we really enjoy our time in this part of the country.  It was a great choice to return here as part of our journey south.