Headed Home At Last

Well, the time has come to go home.

Our trip home was every bit a part of the vacation as all the previous days have been, because for us the travel is part of the journey. For us, the vacation begins the moment we pull out onto the road in Pooh and doesn't end until she is back on her storage lot at the end.  We don't have to endure airports, TSA patdowns, flight delays, hotel check-ins, and rental cars, or any of that stuff prior to getting to a destination.  We start enjoying our trips from the very first moment.

Headed south on I-26 from Spartanburg, SC

And this trip was no different.  All along our trip, in addition to the events mentioned in this blog, we were privileged to meet wonderful people and see beautiful sights in this great country.  The United States is the greatest country on earth, and there is still so much of it we want to experience.

Our first night on the way home was near Jacksonville.  Linda found this great, luxurious park.  It was in our network of inexpensive campgrounds, and looked to be a nice spot to spend the night after a long drive from Spartanburg.  We pulled in after the office had closed, but we had been told to just find an empty site, hook up, and then come into the office in the morning to settle up.  So far, so good.

Within a few minutes of hooking up to power, water, and cable TV, we had an experience that made us rethink our decision to stay here.  It turns out that the park is on the direct flightpath of Jacksonville airport, and less than one mile from the end of the runway.  We could practically see the color of the pilots' eyes as they flew over.

Yes, this is our Pooh . . . under the flight path

So close . . . so loud

Notice the altitude

Then, in the morning, when Linda went to pay the bill, she found out that the inexpensive rate only applied to a 3-day stay, not an overnight stay.  So, we ended up paying a premium price for a very ordinary and noisy stay.  Needless to say, we don't plan to stay at that campground again.

The next day was Saturday, and we drove to Tampa to stay at our usual campground prior to unloading Pooh and putting her back into storage.  We try to stay at Bay Bayou near Oldsmar for a day or two at the end of every long journey.  It gives us a chance to wind down from the trip, and we get a day or two of rest before unloading and tranferring all our stuff back to the house.

The Tampa skyline

Plus, on this trip, the Mariners were in town to play our beloved Tampa Bay Rays, and since Frank's brother is the hitting coach for the Mariners, we were going to see a couple of games as the final events of our trip.  Bay Bayou was a perfect spot for both easing back into Largo life, and going to the ballpark.  We went to the games on both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

Nice to have a covered ballpark when this kind of storm is coming

After the game Saturday, we spent an enjoyable time with Chris on the patio of the Vinoy (where the major league visiting teams stay) sipping beers and catching up on family matters.  We love it when he is in town and the brothers can spend time together.

All smiles at Tropicana Field

On Monday morning, we prepared Pooh for her last ride of this trip, and headed off to the storage lot for unpacking and going home.

Family Time - Part 2

Goodbyes are the hardest part of any visit.  It was hard to say our goodbyes to Momboo and Pops Chambliss, but it was time to begin the journey home to Florida.

We headed for South Carolina to visit Matt and Raelyn along the way.  They had bought a new house just before the wedding.  After heading back for the formal closing right after the wedding, they were able to move in on the 4th of July.  We were anxious to be among the first guests.

It was a good thing we were excited to get there, because that excitement kept our minds off of the HEAT WAVE that was covering Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.  Our dash air in the motorhome is sporadic, so we traveled with the big generator on in the back, which powered the house air conditioner. Even so, the front passenger compartment was toasty.

We drove to Durham, NC, the first night, and then to our campsite near Spartanburg the next day.  Our only sightseeing stop along the way was the QVC Outlet in Mebane, NC.  Linda just had to go there!  It was not nearly as good as the HSN Outlet in Largo, but at least now she knows.

We pulled into driveway of the newest Mr. and Mrs. Chambliss just in time for dinner.  Raelyn had fixed a big plate of lobster and shrimp pasta, caesar salad, and garlic bread.  So yummy.  Matt married a good cook.

Beautiful new home in Boiling Springs, SC

We stayed nearby for a couple more days, spending time with Matt and Rae and the dogs.  Matt and Rae are a fine couple.  We loved seeing how they work together as a team on everything.  Not only are they in love, but they appear to be best friends, as well. 

The newest Mr. and Mrs. Chambliss preparing dinner

Beautiful details inside . . . archways, paint colors, woodwork

Daisy and Charger supervising everything

One night, a tremendous thunderstorm went through with incredible displays of lightning.  Storms are always thrilling when experienced from inside a metal tube such as a motorhome.  The next day, on a drive through town, we saw a tree which had been split right down the center into 3 parts by lightning.

Hard to see, but this tree is split into three parts

Quite an awesome sight.  Unbelievably, no part of the tree hit the nearby house.