Tanglewood RV Resort
Sebring, Florida
Another gorgeous day and thankfully no humidity. Bill and I went over to Ron's place in Avon Park.
We sat and talked on the porch nearly the whole day. I can't believe Bill and Ron could remember the names of their schoolmates. They told stories of things that happened so many years ago. I sat there and enjoyed the two of them reminiscing.
Ron said he thought we'd enjoy dinner at Cherry Pocket. It was about an hour drive away through a lot of orange orchards. I have no idea how he managed to find the place.
I really love quirky places and this just fit the bill. The menu turns out to be a newspaper Cherry Pocket Times. I really wasn't sure what town was nearby but it is on Lake Pierce. According to the newspaper, there were stories of men riding their horses in the tavern front door, have a drink, and leaving through the back door, all the time without leaving the horse's back.
We were lucky that it wasn't crowded and we had a great view of the lake from the deck.
It was so relaxing and not noisy like a lot of restaurants are.
The menu had steaks and seafood but also Louisiana specialties, crabs and many other selections. Did I mention the brown bread with the special butter?
Bill and Ron both had shrimp dinners but I had the blackened grooper which came with dirty rice, tossed salad, baked sweet potato and green beans.
Our timing was perfect because they had two for one drinks. It was a lovely time and fitting for our last night here.
Look how classy the restrooms were.
It was hard to say our "see ya's" but we'll pick up in the same place when we see each other again. Hopefully, Ron will come out to Arizona where we can show him around. Unfortunately, there isn't anything that can compare with the Cherry Pocket Fish Camp.
Turtle Safely.......
Tanglewood
Sebring, Florida
Ron came over this morning and picked us up. He drove Bill and I around the area. It was nice getting to see the places that Ron lived since retiring here in 1998. I had no idea that boating and fishing was so popular in the area.
Ron wanted to know where I wanted to go for lunch. I suggested someplace that wasn't a chain restaurant. He knew the right place which was in Frostproof.
When I saw how crowded the parking lot was, I knew this was going to be good.
It didn't look like much on the outside but the Frost Bite was very good. They also had a huge selection of ice cream. I ordered three scoops and Ron told me I'd be sorry. I had no trouble eating it all.
I saw this Montana with the purple mountain decals. I always thought George and Linda had a unique Montana with the decals that faded to purple and I always thought they looked nice. Now I know there is more than one with purple mountains but I will bet it doesn't have all the neat things added to it like the Morey's.
I thought maybe you would like to see what a over $1200 a month RV park looks like. Lucky for us we are in the off season. I can't believe what they charge and get away with charging.
Turtle Safely.........
Tanglewood
Sebring, Florida
Yesterday we crossed into Florida. I must say they have some beautiful rest areas in Florida. I didn't expect to find a Blue Angel plane at one.
The welcome center was very helpful and suggested we get a Sun Pass for the turnpikes. Coming from Arizona, which doesn't have any toll roads, we were happy that they helped us to obtain one.
Now that wasn't the only first for a rest area--how about a windshield cleaning station for automobiles and trucks. I didn't realize how important that was, until I noticed our nose on the fifth wheel was covered in love bugs.
The night before I tried updating the GPS. For some reason, I would lose the internet connection before it would finish.
We've already lost an hour as we crossed into the eastern daylight time zone. We were trying to make Silver Springs and visit Faye and Don but realized we were way too tired to travel that far.
Yesterday when I went to change something on the GPS it would turn off and on. This lead to some major problems in finding a RV park. The first place that sounded good on the internet and looked good on their website wasn't anywhere Bill or I would have stayed. No problem we'll go down the road.
As I punched in an address and then the GPS turned itself off and on, we ended up going around in circles. I'm not sure how much time we spent going around in circles, but when we found a RV park I was happy to be parked.
This morning is when the dreaded fifth wheel drop happened. Everything was wet from the dew. The power cord and water hose were put away when Bill decided to make a "pit stop". I had tried again to update the GPS with only 15 minutes left before I lost the internet again. I took the GPS to the truck, and sat in the passenger seat to program our destination. Bill came out and climbed into the driver's seat. I jumped out and said I didn't have the jacks up yet. I hit the level up control and pushed auto retract, and shut and locked the door. As the jacks retracted, I noticed the front end going down in the truck. Yep, I forgot to hitch on. Luckily, there was enough room from the hitch to the tailgate for it to land in the 8 foot bed. Lucky also that we have a V-gate and it didn't cause any damage.
Everyone says it will happen sooner or later. I'm glad there was no damage. We don't normally put on miles and day in day out driving like we've been doing. Bill has done all the driving. We need to spend a week doing nothing but resting.
I tried calling a lot of RV parks in Avon Park. They have plenty of empty sites, but many do not answer their phones or open their office.
What's so interesting in Avon Park? Bill's best friend of at least 75 years, is here.
It's been awhile since we last saw Ron Smith in West Virginia.
Ron recently bought a new to him Dodge Ram. It's a real beauty.
Turtle Safely.......
Robertson, Alabama
Azalea Acres RV Park
Another great driving day. Last night it rained, but the roads were dry when we pulled out of Vicksburg. Bill drove over to Jackson, then south on US highway 49 to Hattiesburg then US 98 to Mobile. We always try and find a US highway rather than drive the interstates where there are a lot of trucks and vacation people trying to get as quickly as they can from point A to point B.
The Mobile skyline looked real pretty with the white clouds.
The last time we went through Mobile it was about 4 pm and the traffic stopped when we were in this tunnel on I 10. I couldn't see any daylight the last time. Today it was smooth driving and not much traffic.
We didn't stop for a tour of this ship.
It looked like we had our own escort as he stayed in front of us for miles.
Really huge sites today compared to the one we had last night.
No place in the area to get a hair cut but hopefully, we can find someplace tomorrow.
Turtle Safely.......
Vicksburg, MS
Magnolia RV Park
Bill drove the entire day but for some reason I'm really tired tonight. I think you are so busy during a rally you don't realize how tired you are until it's over.
We took the back roads to Pine Bluff and then crossed over into Mississippi in Greenville.
No matter how many times we cross the Mississippi River it's always the same feeling. Now we are in the East.
I did learn a few facts about the US 82 Bridge in Greenville. It is the third longest cable-stayed bridge in the United States.
I found these facts at the welcome center. I would have felt more welcome if they had a sign directing you to a RV parking area instead of having to guess which entrance to take.
It was a beautiful building but the grounds looked like they had been neglected.
There was a free museum on the upper floor.
I learned a few things about the area.
Delta music began in Leland where musicians played for people that stopped for dinner on the Memphis to New Orleans train.
Now I know where Kermit the Frog was born.
Stein Mart clothing began in Greenville in 1905.
We visited Onward on our last visit to the area to see where the "Teddy Bear" story began many years ago.
Lee and Loralie told us many years about the Onward Restaurant. We actually ate there about 8 or 9 years ago. I must say they have put some money in the place because it doesn't look the same. I was tired or we would have stopped to see if they still had the hanging fly catchers everywhere. There were cars in the parking lot.
Bill and I are headed to Avon Park, Florida to visit his best friend. We've only explored the panhandle so if anyone has any ideas of places for us to see, please let us know. Also of any RV parks along the way.
Turtle Safely........
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Lake Catherine State Park
It's been so busy, there just hasn't been time to blog. Anyone that knows us, knows we enjoy attending RV rallies. It's great to see our friends, but also nice to meet new ones.
Saturday night Camping World had a wonderful catered dinner supplied by Bubba's Catfish. The meal was unlimited fried catfish, french fries, and coleslaw. It was cooked here, so it was hot and fresh. Lots of folks had second helping.
The weather forecast was for rain Saturday and Sunday and the pavilion was prepared for it. Tarps were hung on all three sides in case the weather got bad. We were going to walk over, but Harry suggested we take his truck in case it did rain.
Camping World gave out a lot of gift certificates for the prize drawings. They also had a new Montana parked by the water for anyone to view.
Here's a photo of Bonnie, the number one story teller for campfires.
Here's a photo of John and Shirley Kohl. Shirley took a tumble today and John will be nursing for awhile.
Vicki made an announcement that Larry Sessoms was unable to attend and he said "hi" to everyone.
Gail and Bob Speer were newbie full timers. They have decided to go to the Escapade so we will see them again next month.
Scott Luciano presented Kathy Adams with a certificate, thank you card and a gift bag for hosting the rally.
It started to sprinkle right as we were ready to leave.
We didn't go to the campfire as we thought the rain would continue. We are up on the hill from most of the other sites and can not see anyone near the water.
Bill and I were having coffee with the Allen's, Schoolcraft's, and Morey's when we found out about the fun we missed the night before. It seems that everyone by the fire went into Camping World's brand new Montana when the rain came down. I hear there was a lot of fireball consumed and fun past the quiet hours.
We relaxed and talked with folks most of the day. Bo insisted we take her for a walk. Before you knew it, it was time for the campfire.
Bill and I usually do not do campfires as the smoke bothers our lungs.
This rally knows how to do it right. They have three propane fires.
It is much cooler down by the water than up on the hill.
It turned out to be a dry day even though it rained during the night.
Early this morning we took the truck back to the shop to have the AC looked at again. It was leaking freon and they replaced a tube. Hopefully, this will do the trick. I know I've said that before, but sooner or later we have to find someone who knows how to repair it. At least it wasn't the compressor and dryer again.
Harry and Carlena wasn't out when we were ready to leave but we said our "see ya's" to them last night.
By the time we arrived back at Lake Catherine I was starved. I received a text from George asking if we had eaten. This was one more chance to avoid cooking.
They were going out for barbecue with Bud and Susie. Our first choice was closed but the second choice was great. We went to Stubby's and it was perfect. Of course, we stayed so long it was almost dinner time when we left.
George helped us put in a bracket for our GPS after we returned. It will clear off some of the junk on the dash. We sat outside for awhile and chatted with George and Linda. They are leaving the fifth wheel here in storage and traveling back to Casa Grande. It is a surprise so I'll let you know soon what's up or maybe they will comment with the reason.
We were tired and decided to watch a little TV and skip the campfire tonight.
Turtle Safely........
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Lake Catherine State Park
Bill and I rode into town to visit the Hot Springs Tower and the National Hot Springs Park Visitor Center. Needless to say, traffic was terrible. There is a Corvette show in town which added to the traffic.
Bill drove the loop road up to the tower. The last time we were here, the park ranger showed us a path up to it. The views of the town were great. We could even see Lake Catherine, which is a river, at the top.
I know lot's of former Marines and can't believe anyone like John Kohl, Dennis Hill, George Morey, or Josh Mamula would deface a National Park.
We climbed up the road to the tower and were happy to find out they have an elevator.
The observation floor was so windy that Bill had to hold onto his hat. Here he is advertising Mor/ryd again.
There were some interesting signs around the lower floor of the tower museum. I believe this was a rip roaring town in it's hey-day.
There was a very small display about Bill Clinton graduating from high school in Hot Springs.
The free parking garage was packed but we were able to find a space. The visitor center was across the street and when we talked with the park ranger we found out if we waited an hour we could have a guided tour. No problem for us to wait as there were some interesting shops to occupy our time.
Bill and I stopped in Kilwin's ice cream shop. It was a difficult decision to pick out the flavor of ice cream I wanted but after one taste, I was happy with my choice.
Bill enjoys chatting with the gangsters on the street.
We were so lucky to have a very knowledgeable guide for the bath tour.
The tour started in the women's baths. You would have had to be very rich to use these facilities.
The water could be as hot as 145 degrees.
After soaking in the baths you would come into this room to start your cool down and get a massage.
This next room had a bath that they electrified, a sitz bath that they used mercury to "cure" syphilis and a hose that they used the mineral water to clean out your insides (if you know what I'm talking about.)
This was the men's bath room. Notice how much more elaborate it is than the women's.
We were told that this stained glass skylight had over 8,000 pieces. The park ranger said there were two frogs in it, but I couldn't find them. Yes, men were definitely treated more favorably than the women as evidenced by the bath rooms.
I failed to take any photos yesterday but I really needed one of George because he installed the back up camera for Bill. Thanks again, George.
While he was doing that Cindy Walker came over and asked me for help with her blog. Can you believe someone asked me for help? I'm probably the worst person about blogger. I still can't figure out why when I view the blog, it looks different when published. I also can't seem to download photos off of picasso anymore. I did feel good though that I could give her a few pointers.
We also talked about Winter Blast. They have signed up for next February's event. There are 10 signed up so far.
Turtle Safely......
I really love quirky places and this just fit the bill. The menu turns out to be a newspaper Cherry Pocket Times. I really wasn't sure what town was nearby but it is on Lake Pierce. According to the newspaper, there were stories of men riding their horses in the tavern front door, have a drink, and leaving through the back door, all the time without leaving the horse's back. 
We were lucky that it wasn't crowded and we had a great view of the lake from the deck. 
