Mighty Fine Shrimp and Grits..Ya Ya!

Day 48 Navarre Florida

Non travel day

I slept until 8:45 this morning. Mainly because two families pulled in beside us after midnight last night. They were unloading, opening and closing car doors, little kids yelling...every time I dozed off they banged something. I was referring to them 'The Bang Bang Family' from a children's book that I used to read to my kids when they were small.

Later we took a ride to The Fish House Restaurant on the waterfront in Pensacola. We were introduced to this place by Jim's brother and wife from Omaha. We try to stop in here whenever we're in the area and Navarre is only about 20 miles east of here. Jim loves one of their signature dishes --World Famous Grits à Ya Ya~ Spiced Gulf jumbo shrimp top a sauté of spinach, portobello mushrooms, applewood-smoked bacon, garlic, shallots, and cream over a heaping bed of smoked Gouda cheese grits.

Now, before you all say, eeewwwww, trust me, this is good stuff! I'm not a grits sort of gal, even after almost 20 years in the shrimp and grits capital of the universe, Charleston, SC. But, I tasted the dish last time we were here and today I ordered it. The grits are the texture of mashed potatoes, smooth and creamy. Should be, with all the calories they add to a simple dish. We have no idea when we'll make it back to this part of the country...so we enjoyed.

Later in the afternoon, we drove 20 miles or so in the other direction, east, to Destin. Destin has some of the prettiest beaches on the Gulf...when you can see the water. It's getting like Malibu, where you know there's an ocean out there--somewhere on the other side of all the big homes.

We've stayed there in the past, and just enjoy seeing how things have changed, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. There is an enormous new building on next to the bridge at the inlet that is one of the ugliest things I've seen in a long time. I don't know if it's supposed to be an Italian design, or what. It reminds me of an area we drove by near Lake Mead, and it also makes me think of a Disney hotel...not very 'beachy'.

We had a late, light dinner...the rest of yesterday's chicken and some fresh sweet corn.

The forecast today was for heavy rain, we expected it all day, but like yesterday it never materialized, tonight I hear some rain on the roof. Hopefully, our luck will hold out on our trip to Tampa tomorrow and at the park the following day.

Another long drive tomorrow..

Resting on the Gulf

Day 47 - Navarre Florida
Stayed put!

Walked a few loops around the campground this morning, the loop is 3/4 mile, so three of them was 2 1/4 miles. We were sweating for a change! Later we laid out on the beach for about an hour. I think Jim overdid it, and ended up feeling so bad, he ended up in bed. He didn't feel like lunch and spent most of the afternoon sleeping.

Later, he felt better so we took a ride over the causeway to Santa Rosa Island. Typical barrier island, with plenty of evidence that Hurricane Ivan had visited in 2004. Hopefully, this, like last year, will be a year without hurricanes.

We drove west on the island into the Gulf Islands National Seashore area. Nice bike trails, maybe Jim will feel better tomorrow and we can take the bikes over there. It's a beautiful white sand beach area, without development.

Picked up a chicken at Publix, made dinner but he wasn't too hungry. Then American Idol on TV. The weather stayed nice, quite windy, but no storms.

Gee, we finally stop long enough for a rest, and he's sick!

Sorry, no pictures...should have taken some over on the island.

Tomorrow...dunno, depends on how Jim feels.

Back to Summer on the Florida Panhandle

Day 46 Nashville TN to Navarre Beach FL
469 Miles


Hard to believe we were chilly in Chicago only yesterday morning!

The weather was beautiful in Nashville this morning. Before we left the KOA we took the dogs to the 'doggie playground' in the campground. Shih tzus are NOT very agile, we knew this, already and their performances on the equipment proved us right. We had to shove the dogs up the incline, all four paws stiff and nails screeching on the wood. Molly had to be pushed through the hoop. We got a good laugh out of their antics.

Then, on to the highway...I65 south out of Nashville, then almost all the way through Alabama. We got through Tennessee the easy way, which would be the north/south way...the east/west takes a long, long time! Most of the day was spent traveling through Alabama.

We were thrilled with the mild temperatures and the beautiful weather. After lunch, when we were just south of Birmingham, I called a campground that we've been to twice in the past, it's right on the Gulf. However, it's quite expensive and not that great, most of the time the ocean isn't visible to most campers due to the dunes. I called them and the price was over $100/night...this for a 20 foot wide piece of sand.

Decided against it and called one in Navarre FL. that isn't on the Gulf, but on the sound...between the mainland and the barrier island. I was asked if I wanted a site on the beach which I accepted, high at $80, but we really wanted a spot with a tropical feeling and were delighted when we got here. The spot is even better than we'd hoped for. We are right on the water...I mean, right on the water! The back of the RV is almost hanging over it. Oh, and the moon is full tonight and beautiful, coming up across the sound and shinning on the water. Aaaaaah.

We need a VACATION from our vacation! Driving in the big cities and the last two travel days have worn us out. How funny is that?

We will be here until noon Friday. We'll likely visit Pensacola 20 miles west and Destin 20 miles or so east too. We have a favorite restaurant in Pensacola, the Fish House that has the best shrimp and grits that Jim loves and a risotto dis I love. May have to ride the bikes and walk a bit to work off the calories if we do that.

Then, the last few days of this trip will be spent in the Tampa/St. Pete area and Orlando. Jim wants to play in the Parks. Of course, it's also a holiday weekend, so we'll have to play it by ear. From what we've seen, the travel industry is probably going to be hurting this year. My guess is that people will be vacationing close to home. We've seen very, very few out of state plates in our travles and only today saw our first South Carolina license plates since we left!

Hey I get to sleep in tomorow, yea!

Lots of Miles, Lots of Gas Today

Day 45 Joliet IL to Nashville TN (again)
500 Miles

I think this is a first, I didn't take any pictures today...

We left Joliet around 8:30am and expected to drive quite a distance, but didn't think we'd get all the way to Nashville this evening. We took I57 south picking up I24 a little northwest of Paducah, Ky. This route was a few miles longer, but avoided all cities. The roads in the north are pretty beat up at this time of year. There's a good deal of construction, repairing and upgrading going on, meaning we see a LOT of orange barrels and cones! We did a lot of shaking, rattling and rolling today.

Thankfully, the ride was uneventful and that's why we did so many miles, the most we've done in one day on this trip. The areas we covered were mostly farm lands and the further we went the greener and warmer it got.

When we realized that we would indeed make it to Nashville we decided to go back to the KOA where we stayed at the beginning of the trip....seems like so long ago, but it was only April 7th and 8th. This time however, we're just staying overnight and will head toward the panhandle of Florida tomorrow, it's a long drive, hopefully we'll make it all the way to a warm, sunny beach.

It seems as though as soon as we arrive in an area, the temperature drops to near record lows. Florida, you ready for a cold snap? I'm beginning to think we're a jinx...while we were in Chicago, they announced that it had just become the most expensive city for gasoline .

My Kind Of Town, Chicago Is...unseasonably cold.

Day 44 Rock Island IL to Joliet IL

140 Miles


Happy Birthday, Jon!

Back later, just wanted to greet my youngest...relatively speaking, he's

37.



Sorry it took so long to get back to this, last night no WIFI.



Finally had some warm weather Saturday traveling from Omaha. During the night a cold front came through and temps were in the 40's when we got up. Throw in a breeze and it was darn chilly.



We drove to as near as we were going to get to Chicago, about 48 south west, in near Joliet. We stayed at the RV section of the Empress Casino. Quite nice, and CHEAP, less than $14/night. And of course, they don't want you messing around on the internet, they want you to gamble...so no WIFI.



We had lunch and headed downtown. Heavy traffic for a Sunday afternoon, but it is a MAJOR city so I guess it's normal. Can't imagine what the rush hours are like! We parked a couple of blocks from the Navy Pier, (paid $32 parking fee) and took the first architectural boat tour we could. I knew Jim would like it, and he did. However, we were chilled to the bone when it was done, temps around 50 degrees and windy. Spent some time in the Navy Pier and had some pizza before we left to head back to Joliet. Only took ONE picture! My eyes are closed and I'm caught red-handed with my caramel corn...



I had hoped to go back the next day to do some more Chicago touristy things, but between the cold, parking and traffic, we both decided that heading south to a less hurried and warmer place was preferable at this stage of the game.



Heading south on I57 tomorrow...

Back On The Road

Day 43 Omaha NE to Rock Island IL
320 Miles

We spent Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with Jim's brother and wife at their lovely home in Omaha. I kept looking up at the high ceilings, it's been a long time since I've seen anything over 6 1/2 feet or so high. And the water pressure...aaaaah. Just enjoyed staying in the shower, it felt like I was at the base of Niagara Falls after the lower pressure in the RV.

Jim golfed Wednesday and Thursday. Sister in law and I shopped Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday we all went to their wonderful Doorly Zoo, clearly one of the best in the country. We had a great time interacting with the gorillas, the gorillas also had a great time jumping up and banging on the glass to scare the crowds. Even saw an elephant with a 'grill' on his tusks, like a rap star!

We stayed downtown for dinner and later went to see a movie. Jim found a remote that he couldn't possible lose!

We also got to visit with our two grown nephews at diner Thursday and Jim enjoyed telling some of his 'cop stories' which are very similar to our all of our Dad's 'war stories'.

It was a nice break from all the travel and it was great to actually be around family again, after all the traveling. But, this morning it was time to hit the road again...how's that old saying go? 'Fish and visitors start to stick after three days.'

Nice ride across Iowa, and it's GREEN now! The trees have leaves and the corn is starting to sprout. And there is a LOT OF CORN. Iowa seems to be 'road kill' heaven for deer. The poor things everywhere.

We pulled off the road after we crossed the Mississippi River in Rock Island IL. And it's warm, yea. Tomorrow we are headed for Chicago. We've planned the rest of the trip and we'll be heading south after our Chicago visit. Tired of being cold, and the big cities of the northeast are not what we want to tackle after all these weeks on the road.

One Less Pheasant In South Dakota

Day 39 Chamberlain SD to Omaha NE
320 miles

We just can't seem to get a warm day , seems everywhere we go, a cold front comes through. Everyone tells us that it's been a cold, wet spring in this part of the country.

We left the campground on the Missouri River around 9:00 and had no plans to stop anywhere except to get gas and have lunch. I'm still wondering where these people who live so far away from towns get groceries?

We went through areas with a great many pheasants, ONE had the misfortune of trying to fly across the road just as we were cruising by....at 70mph. It wasn't pretty, a fact we discovered when we stopped for gas a couple of hours later, yuk.

We're in Omaha visiting with Jim's brother and wife. Very nice neighborhood....Let's hope the neighbors don't think we're Clark Griswold's relatives 's, Cousin Eddie's family.

It's a big house, but seems even bigger after living in our '30 foot box' for so long!

Tomorrow Jim finally gets to play some golf, he's been having golf withdrawal, bad.

And *I* will have some female companionship with my sister in law, yea!