Georgia, Georgia on My Mind

Richmond Hill (just south of Savannah), Ga, Tuesday, April 8 -- Yesterday, after more than three weeks, we left Florida and headed north. We didn’t see everything there is to see in Florida -- not by a long-shot -- but we did see a large percentage of the state. This is the longest we’ve stayed in one state since we left Oregon two months ago.

Our last two days in Clermont, west of Orlando, were filled with rain, and then more rain, with a little thunder and lightening thrown in for good measure. But it wasn’t a cooling rain, which we would have welcomed. It was warm and muggy rain. Not at all refreshing. If this is Florida in the “off” season (May-October), you can have it.

We drove north through orange and grapefruit groves (orchards, if you were in the Northwest) and through farm country. The middle of the state is very pretty. We passed a number of produce stands where you could buy fresh strawberries, grapefruit, and valencia oranges; the navels were already harvested by the time we got here. We have had some fresh strawberries and they are quite tasty, much better than those you can find groceries stores.

We also got a couple of pink grapefruit from my friends, Russ and Carol. They got them from a friend who got them from an abandoned orchard (apparently they got permission from the owner). There are groves that have been abandoned by the farmers. In some cases the trees were damaged by frost. Don’t know why else people would just abandon their “liquid gold” but you see unkempt orchards with fruit still hanging off the trees. Carol says the fruit is often bitter; but the grapefruits they shared with us were sweet and juicy. I am regretting not stopping at one of the stands and getting more.

It was a bit of a relief driving into Georgia. For one thing, it is already much cooler here. The skies are cloudy but it doesn’t seem to be as humid. I am wearing my jeans for the first time in a couple of weeks. It’s been shorts and sleeveless shirts for most of the past three weeks. Charlie is much happier with this cooler weather. I think the heat and humidity were hard on him. He’s got a lot of his old spunk back. But despite the heat and humidity, I was very impressed overall with the variety of places to see, things to do, the history, the beauty of Florida. I’m glad we got to spend so much time there. Georgia, on the other hand, doesn’t look quite as promising so once we have spent a couple nights here, we’ll probably head up to the Carolinas.

The other reason leaving Florida feels good, though, is more psychological. We are actually moving slowly back north and will begin heading west again in a week or so. It feels comforting to know we are on the back-side of the journey. We still have many miles to go -- possibly close to 5,000 depending on which route we choose. But at least we are heading in the right direction. There is a sense of peace and joy that come with that. Never mind that I have no clue whatsoever what I will do when I return to the Northwest. I’m practicing living in the now so try not to worry too much about those decisions I’ll have to make in a couple months.

We haven’t completely decided where our next stop will be. We’d both like to see the Outer Banks of North Carolina but it is really quite a distance. Friends have said the weather is very dicey there this time of year. But I would think that even later in the spring and summer you’d be running the risk of hurricanes. I believe hurricane season coincides with the wet season: May into November. We’ve seen so many coastal towns, especially with the Keys, but I have heard lots about the Outer Banks and my curiosity is piqued.

We are staying in a Georgia State Park, Fort McCallister. We have a fairly roomy spot, but no sewer and only 30 amp service. This is the site of an old earthwork fort that withstood Yankee bombardment at one point but fell to General Sherman in December, 1864. It is on the banks of the Great Ogeechee River. This is tidal flats mostly and marshes. The first thing to greet us were mosquitoes; they also have plenty of sand gnats. In fact, their professional baseball team is called the Sand Gnats. Nice.

The neighbor across the way visited with me last night while I was tending a campfire -- the first of this trip. He and his missus are from Minnesota. They sold their home last December and are fulltimers. The cost of diesel doesn’t bother them too much, he said, because they usually only go about 100 miles or so at a time and stay for a week or so at each place. I supposed I could be doing something like that, but I would miss my family and friends too much to be gone that long.

Another neighbor, who came out to ask me about Charlie, is from Ontario. She and her husband come to Florida for the winter every year. There are a number of people from Canada -- notably Ontario -- who come south to Florida in their rvs.

As Jeff has commented, rving is a whole different way of life and people who have no experience with it have no idea what all is involved. There are huge gatherings -- jamborees -- where people from all over the country and I suppose Canada gather to share information, meet old friends, learn more about rving and how to care for their equipment, etc. There are organized tours using your own rv or one provided. For instance, we could go on an rv tour of New Zealand and Australia, if we wanted to spend $25,000. Which I don’t. But there is a lot to do, not to mention a lot to learn in this lifestyle.

We did a quick little tour of Savannah by car this morning. We will go back tomorrow without Charlie and do more investigating. Then Thursday -- who knows what Thursday will bring. We will move on to somewhere . . . just not sure where yet. Since we don’t have wifi right now the immediate need is to find someplace to check email, post the blog and figure out our next step.

TravelinLady