KOA, Nashville, TN, to St. Louis:  Actually got going early this morning—just before 8:00.  Took Briley Parkway around to I24 north through rural Tennessee and Kentucky.  Stopped around Ft. Campbell, KY, and had some breakfast.  Ft. Campbell is home of the 101^st Airborne and the restaurant was full of these guys. Lots of testosterone in that place.  Mike took over driving and we stopped just before Paducah and topped off the tank.  We’re thinking—this is great, we’ll be home by 3:00 or so.  Shortly after that we blew a tire on the fifth wheel.  Just north of Marion, IL.  Here we are on the shoulder with all this traffic whipping by us and buffeting us like crazy.  We spent over an hour on the phone with RV Road Help and then finally they found someone that would be able to come out and change the tire.  We sat there for two hours and not one law enforcement person passed by in either direction.  Finally, a state trooper did stop. He couldn’t help us, but he did suggest we move up a little ways where the shoulder was wider and we could get more off the road, especially since the blown tire was on the highway side.  So he stayed behind us with his lights on while we moved up.  The tow truck guy finally showed up around 4:00, changed the tire, and we were on our way by 5:00.  Didn’t get home until 7:30.  Spent 11-1/2 hours in the truck.  At least we made it home in one piece.  Now we get to go through 5 months of mail.

It's great to be home!

KOA, Nashville, TN:  Did the laundry one last time this morning so we wouldn’t have to lug it home.  Started putting together the stuff we need to take home.  Not much really. Backed up the laptop one last time and transferred all the files to a flash drive that we need to load into the desktop computer at home to keep the two compatible. Planning on eating up as much of the left-overs as possible as well.  Tomorrow (weather permitting) we’ll get an early start.  We’ll have a five hour drive or so.  Threat of bad weather in our path.  We’ll have to keep an eye on it and maybe stay over another night.  85 today.

Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville

KOA Cartersville, GA, to KOA, Nashville, TN:  Left Cartersville, GA, this morning at 10:00.  I’m driving first again. We gain an hour since we’re (finally) back on Central Time shortly after Chattanooga.  A pretty drive through the north Georgia mountains, past Chattanooga and then a big climb through the mountains.  Up and down for a while and then up on a high plateau the rest of the way to Nashville.  A lot of changes since we were through this way four years ago.  Murfreesboro is just south of Nashville and was kind of in the country.  Now there’s hardly any open land between Nashville and Murfreesboro.  More and more shopping malls and subdivisions and less open land.  I love both Georgia and Tennessee.  Lots of mountains and some great hiking.  We stopped somewhere north of Chattanooga for something to eat and then Mike took over driving.  Arrived at the KOA in Nashville and were set up by 2:30.  Relaxed outside reading for a while.  Then we went out for some dinner.  Three guys in a motor home two sites down from us are on their way to New Orleans for the “Final Four”.  Talked with them for a while.  84 here in Nashville. Staying here for two nights.

Downtown Nashville

Checking out honky tonk row.

KOA, Valdosta, GA, to KOA, Cartersville, GA:  Left Valdosta this morning at 9:00 with me behind the wheel.  Drove north on I-75 through a rural Georgia agrarian landscape, passing lots of pecan groves.  Love pecan groves.  Spring is in full bloom with trees leafing out in myriad shades of green, dogwoods and other flowering trees in full bloom.  Very pretty.  I drove for 2-1/2 hours and stopped for something to eat about 40 miles south of Atlanta.  Mike took over driving.  We took the I-285 bypass around Atlanta which wasn’t too bad—until we hit the intersection of I-285 and I-75 north which dumped us out onto 8 lanes of traffic.  We’re in the middle of the 8 lanes!.  Mike was fine.  I was gripping the “oh god” bar the whole way.  But we made it to Cartersville in one piece and were set up by 3:30—which isn’t bad considering we stopped once to eat and twice for fuel.  Again, this is a really nice KOA tucked into the pines and dogwoods.  After we got set up I made us both a cocktail which we enjoyed outside at our picnic table.  Tomorrow we head to Nashville and will stay two nights to regroup, or something.  80 here in Cartersville in the foothills of the No. Georgia mountains.  I lived in Atlanta for 7-1/2 years.  But it has grown so much since then. 

Atlanta--my stomping grounds for 7-1/2 years.

Pulling into the KOA in Cartersville, GA

Tucked into the pines and dogwoods.

Clerbrook Golf & RV Resort, Clermont, FL, to KOA, Valdosta, GA:  Left Clermont this morning at 10:00.  I started out driving, taking Florida’s turnpike north and then merging into I75 north. A pretty drive up through horse and cattle country around Ocala. Pretty green pastures enclosed in well kept brown or white board fencing with sleek horses grazing contentedly.  And the wild flowers were amazing—carpets of bright pink and red.  I ended up driving about 2-1/2 hours because we couldn’t find any place to stop and eat.  Finally I pulled off at a rest area and Mike started driving.  We finally stopped at a Denny’s just before our exit and had something to eat.  Pulled into the KOA and were set up by 3:00.  We’re tucked into the live oaks dripping with Spanish moss.  Just pulling in for the night.  Not unhooking.  Tomorrow we’ll drive north through Atlanta and our next stop will be Cartersville, GA, just north of Atlanta.  

Pretty Clerbrook Golf & RV Resort, Clermont, FL

Clerbrook Golf & RV Resort, Clermont, FL:  A beautiful, clear sunny day.  But the wind!  After breakfast I went out and got my hair cut.  Also picked up a few things at the grocery store.  Came back and sat outside for a while reading my book.  But with the wind you had to be in the sun to be comfortable.  After lunch we watched golf.  Our last relaxing day since tomorrow we hit the road for home.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate.  We’ve decided to go through Atlanta and Nashville this time.  Haven’t gone that way in a few years.  One-night stops only, except for Nashville where we’ll stay two nights.  Tomorrow we’ll be staying around Valdosta, GA.  85 today.

Party at the KOA Pub--Sugarloaf Key, FL
Picture by Sandy Bush

On the dance floor with Gerald
Picture by Sandy Bush

Clerbrook Golf & RV Resort, Clermont, FL:  Watched golf all afternoon.  After that we walked over to the little post office here in the park.  Brought some books we’d read to drop off in their little library that’s housed in the same building.  The exercise room was in there also, so we worked out a little and then played ping pong for a while. Dropped off 5 books and took a Dean Koontz book I hadn’t read yet.  Walked back.  Felt good after sitting around all afternoon.  86 today. 

Jupiter Island, FL