Alabama here we are!

Louise and I arrived late this afternoon in Oneonta, Alabama and Tim got here just a few hours later. The campground he intended to stop at was full. So he decided to drive straight through as well. The drive was good. Jose, pictured here, gives a whole new meaning to defensive driving. We've parked the Airstream just across the road from Louise's house. You can see her place in the background. The plan is to stay here a few days to get her settled in then we will head to our next stop.

Summer 2011 Manifest

Tim & I will be departing this Friday morning for a great summer road trip. Of course the Airstream will be in tow and Roxy will be on board with us as well. Roxy will be taking it slow ... She has a paw that is mending.

Our trip will start out a bit different than ones in the past. We've added a stop at the head of our trip that we've been wanting to do with the Airstreasm but it's just never worked out. We will be taking Tim's mother, Louise, to her second home in Alabama. It's important to us that she always arrives there & back safely. This means Tim and I will be departing separately. I will be driving Tim's mom in her car along with Jose. I'll introduce you to him later on the road. Then Tim will be driving Roxy in the big truck with the Airstream in tow. Even though we will now depart on the same day I will arrive in Alabama one day ahead of Tim. He will take two days to get there and he will be making an overnight stay on the way somewhere in Georgia.

During this expedition we will be courtesy camping, dry camping off grid, rally camping, hiking, biking, kayaking, stargazing & enjoying many campfires. We have a few hard booked dates and some days with no plans or reservations. That makes this adventure even more exciting not knowing where we will be. Weather will play a big part of our decisions at that point. It looks like there will be lots of rain in our forecast BUT a bad day camping is still better than a good day at work!

Our goals for this trip ... Dream it. Plan it. Live it. Take a few things off the bucket list. Bask in the great outdoors and life. Conserve & be as green as we can. Figure out all the new gadgets purchased for the Airstream since the last outing. Enjoy Roxy's daily entertainment. Explore America & discover it's little treasures. Everyday will be an adventure. Giddy up .... Here we go ....

. . . South Dakota!

Gzzz! What a cliffhanger that was. Someone almost dropped their phone while blogging yesterday in the school house. The SEND button got hit in the mishap and there was no going back. Thank goodness the teacher wasn't in. But anyway the gentlemen we met have a very big place in South Dakota where they grow many grains and have hundreds of cattle. I hope we are able to take them up on their invite one day. Afterwards we bumped into a few friends we hadn't seen in years. It was really great catching up with them.

On Saturday night the park treated us to a really nice dinner and afterwards we had a lovely campfire that Tim set up for everyone. One of the teens who attended this event even brought out some marsh mellows. Later we realized our skewers had been cleaned by Roxy who had joined us fireside. Sunday came and went so fast that we barely had time to do anything other than our volunteer chores . . . school in the morning then the Partin house for the afternoon shift. Tim and I learn something new and amazing about the local history here every year we come and we enjoy being able to be a part of this event. We have departed Ft. Christmas for now and hope to begin finalizing the big road trip for this summer.

Good times . . .

Every year that we come to this event it just gets better. It's so nice to see old friends and meet new ones. We've been invited to stay on a 13,000 acre grain ranch in

1906

Was when this school was built. Tim & I got to work in here and at the lunch room next door this morning. The weather is wonderful. This evening we will have a dinner cooked for us by the park. Then we have a big campfire gathering planned for later. A total of 19 Airstreams are here in our group. We will be back at the school house tomorrow ... Hoping not to get kicked out like last year.

Phewwwww . . .

I made it. We are at our annual work rally at Ft. Christmas. Tim arrived earlier today and I just got here from work. I will come in each evening until the weekend. This will be our 4th year participating. I can't wait for the weekend to get here.

Brrrrrrr . . .

We are out of here. We woke up to temps in the mid 30's and some pink stuff showing on radar just north of us. The plan is to head back home today and not stick around just to see if that's a false echo on the radar. Yesterday mornings repeat of the Bloody Mary's and Mimosas was even more fun. The open house of Airstreams was the best ever and the over 40 selections during the pot luck last night was pretty yummy as well. Currently we are heading east on I-10 . . . Heading home from yet another great road trip to meet up with old friends and have acquired some new ones.

Roxy's 1st Bike Ride

This will take some getting use to for her but in time she will do fine. Last night we also had a bourbon sample'n session . . . 18 bottles total . . . For the moat part I stuck to my PBRs. Then this morning we did a pancake breakfast with the rangers and then the open house with most of the 40 Airstreams participating. I think a few more flamingos got loose. Tonight will be our pot luck dinner and our plan is to head home tomorrow.

Here's to Pink Flamingos

Road trips and Airstreams. Last night was a lot of fun. I think the head count at Luckyduck's site was 30 people, one campfire and two outdoor propane heaters. Today started with Bloody Marys & mimosas at Joe & Annette's ... Their flamingo did a good job keeping watch on us all. More Airstream rigs are still arriving today.

All Settled

We traveled most of the way to Topsail in the rain. By the time we arrived it had stopped. Once we landed we did a quick set-up and drove to Destin to stop by their Bass Pro Shop and eat at McGuire's Irish Pub. It was yummy and did not disappoint. Then when we got back to camp it was raining again and we just called it a night. Only a handful of Airstreams were here when we arrived yesterday .... More arriving already today. It should be a good event.

Scary Campfire Stories

Were not as much fun without Courtney, Michael, Cassie & Chad gathered around. But we were still able to have a nice evening last night. This morning started out a bit gloomy and has now turned to rain. I was able to get a few pictures prior to our departure. One was of the largest bell tower ever located right in the park and the other was taken just outside the park in downtown White Springs. If anyone is wondering that bell tower goes off every fifteen minutes. :-) Only during daylight hours of course. Currently we are heading west on I-10.