RV Folly Adventure Freedom Ride

(Photo album links are above right, or, for archived pictures click on the "Places Visited" button above left)
This page has been archived. Click "Home" above then "Freedom Ride 20xx" for current adventures.
(Blog entires are from the April 1, 2009 entry below up to the most recent entry)

I typically shy away from discussion concerning politics, etc., as there are a gazillion sources out there in the media and on the net that
address it 24,7,365. However, I came across an interesting and entertaining clip on YouTube by George Carlin entitled, "Who Really
Controls America" that was done several years ago. Turns out Carlin's insight is incredible concerning big business/government,
politicians, education, what has come to pass with pensions and Wall Street and the possible future of social security, etc. Also, his
vision of who belongs in the "club".... clue, "we the people" are not in it! Enjoy the clip by clicking on the link below. Please be aware
you may find his language at times to be offensive but maybe a necessity to get the point across to those "not listening or caring".

April 25-29, 2009 - New Photo Album Links Above

Made it to Chester State Park in good shape, explored a bit and continued on to Raleigh. Soooo good to see our daughter again! We
plan on staying in Raleigh for a while to catch up on everything from the last few months. Here comes May!

April 20-24, 2009

We spent 5 days and 6 nights at our Talking Rock, Ga. camp and had a lot of fun checking out the area and sharing meals with hosts
Tim and Adela. We explored the Ellijays, the gold rush town Dahlonega, the whole route around Carter Lake, Talking Rock and places
in between.

We discovered two exceptional Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds, one being Doll Mountain Recreation Area and the other
Woodring Branch Recreation Area both on Carter Lake. Almost all sites enjoy a water view, some on two sides, full hook-ups and most
have concrete slabs and even a deck.

Well, we said our goodbyes to Tim and Adela and will start out for Raleigh, NC via Dawsonville, home of NASCAR great Bill Elliot,
Gainesville, Toccoa, Ga. and then on to Seneca, Clemson, Clinton and finally Chester State Park near Chester, SC. The weather for a
freedom ride is beautiful.

April 17-19, 2009

The trip from Camp Cotton Hill to Ellijay, Ga was a lot of fun. We stuck mostly to the back roads that meandered through the
countryside and several smalls towns, large towns, and a city or two. Most of Spring had sprung in the Ft. Gaines, Ga. area we left
behind, but as we headed north to higher elevations of Georgia, we drove right back into Spring again with the dogwoods and Azaleas
in their glory. Once we drew near to Ellijay, we headed a few miles east to Talking Rock, Ga. and finally our camp that is located nearby.
We plan to spend a few days here with our gracious hosts, Tim and Adela, before setting out for Raleigh, North Carolina.

April 15-16, 2009

It's tax day and we don't care! We are more interested in the Cotton Hill Campground on Lake Walter F. George so after sleeping in
until 9 am, we had breakfast and poked around a bit. This Army Corps of Engineers camp is fantastic. 104 RV sites of which 39 are first
come first serve and most have water and electric. $10 a night with full-hookups with our Golden Access Pass and most are on the
Lake. The lake levels are high and getting higher. Went to bed last night to find the water up near our camp site by morning. WOW!

There are nice sites throughout and even a beach area that is about completely underwater now. All this beauty got Sandra's painting
juices going so we shall see what she creates today. We think we will stay another day before heading to Ellijay, Ga. that's not too far
from The Appalachian Trailhead. See ya then freedom riders!

April 14, 2009

After some wild thunderstorms last night we headed to Ft. Gaines, Ga. via Valdosta, Thomasville and Camilla. Many of the roads from
Camilla were underwater or had water up to the road edge. Just north of Ft. Gaines we settled in at the Army Corps of Engineers Cotton
Hill Campground on Walter F. George Lake. Our site is located on Pine Island and faces west toward the lake. Sweet!

April 13, 2009

We left Vero Beach and winged our way to Winter Springs, Fl., just north of Lake City, via the Florida Turnpike and I75. Twas a very nice
trip, except for the traffic on I75. WOW! Don't know if traffic is due to the Easter holiday or just the norm. I guess this is why we typically try
to avoid the interstates if we can.

Once we departed I75, we traveled a few miles east on Florida State Road 136 to US Hwy. 41 north just over the Suwannee River
bridge to Winter Springs. The Suwannee River here is very high this year and is flooding quite badly downstream from talk we heard.
Located on the north side of Winter Springs is a diamond in the rough...aka the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. This
park has about 44 RV sites pleasantly spread out among Live Oaks and Pines covered with Spanish Moss. The manicured grounds
and public use buildings are very clean and the showers had hot, hot water.

It was decided to take a tour of the facility on foot. Down one of the trails we went coming upon a group of cabins, they looked more like
homes, that were nestled in the woods near the river and then on to the Ann Thomas Suwannee River Gazebo that's right near the
shore. The river has flooded its banks and the water was just about up to the gazebo. We took a couple of pictures nearby and one
shows a set of steps with a railing that just heads straight down into the flooding waters.

We continued on past a huge "bat" box and on to the Stephen Foster Memorial Carillon Tower. The doors to the tower were open so we
took a tour of the memorabilia inside and were delighted to hear the huge bells chime the hour and a song written by Foster,
"Suwannee River"... even though we both jumped straight up in the air when the bells began to chime. They are VERY loud!

Then it was on to the Stephen Foster Museum housed in an antebellum style mansion typical of those that existed in Foster's era.

After all that, there's still more. We came across a group of cabin style gift shops and places for artists to demonstrate their skills. This
park has so much to offer that we intend on returning if we find ourselves anywhere nearby again.

April 4-12, 2009

It's good to be back on the road again. We left Punta Gorda heading south as we wanted to reach Pompano Beach and Lighthouse
Point. We were about the only RV heading south as I guess the mass migration north to cooler temps and lower humidity is well
underway. After several days of visiting family in Southeast Florida, we moved on to Vero Beach to visit more family. On Monday we will
head to The Villages area, and on to Lake City, Fl., and then on to the Ft. Gaines, Ga area to check out an Army Corps of Engineers
camp there.

We had a nice visit with daughter Morgan and her husband Lewis at Flanigan's Seafood Restaurant located on AIA in Deerfield Beach,
Fl. Morgan has worked her way through school at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Fl. and will earn her degree this Spring. I
graduated from FAU in 1989, so it's nice to have another family member do the same. Morgan is quite a gal, a hard worker, and a very
pleasant person to share time with. We are very happy for her and Lewis and are excited about the possibility of becoming
grandparents as, with school now out of the way, they spoke a bit of their desire to start a family. We wish them well.

April 3-11, 2009

Well, the chores are done and summer is creeping in while we live day after day without a care in the world. Hey, let's head to Charlotte
Harbor and spend the afternoon enjoying balmy breezes under the shade of a big ol' tree next to the pier in one of many Punta Gorda
parks. Parking is free, green space abundant and conversation with walkerbys and serious fisherpeople heading out on the pier to try
their luck is always fun. Others living free we ask? Yup! Free as the wind, sun and moon, they all say! And, we say enjoy! Life is Sweet!

April 1-2, 2009

My birthday was March 31 and my brother's birthday is April 7 so we all went out to celebrate our special day together. The birthday boys
decided Mexican cuisine would be great. Off to Dean's Tex-Mex South of the Border Cantina in Punta Gorda we went, to enjoy delicious
food, wonderful service, pleasant conversation, when we could hear above the noise, reflection on time spent together over the winter,
and uplifting thoughts of future reunion possibilities down the trail. Rock on Freedom Adventure Riders!