2017 - Year in Review (Part One)

22,500 miles driven in the MINI Countryman (excluding towed miles)

  4,100 miles driven in Monaco Monarch (class A motor coach)

     340 miles = longest RVdrive in one day

       50 miles = shortest RV drive in one day

       33 RV park stays this year

             3 nights = shortest stay; 90 nights = longest stay

Below is a summary of the places we visited in 20 states (plus one pedestrian trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada)

32 State parks

30 Visits with family and friends

24 Museums

17 Local and county parks 

16 National Historic Sites and Monuments

15 Lighthouses

05 National Wildlife Refuges

04 Religious sites

04 Baseball games (3=NY Yankees spring training; 1=Charlotte Knights)

04 National Parks, Parkway, Recreation Areas

03 National Seashores (Cape Cod, Cape Hatteras, Gulf Coast Islands)

02 Botanical Gardens

02 Zoo/Aquarium

We went to so many beaches in FL, ME, MA, CT, RI, NJ, DE, NC, SC, MS, and TX in 2017 that I lost count of the actual number. While I really do love being near the water, I do not enjoy the sand that we and our sweet doggy, track into the motor coach! 

If you are interested in more detail, read on.

1Q:

We spent almost the entire first quarter of 2017 in Lutz, FL (near Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg) enjoying the warm weather, nearby beaches, dog parks, numerous state parks, and museums. Some of our favorites included:

• - the Chihuly Collection in Clearwater

• Spring Training for Phillies (Brighthouse Field and visit with Jill) and Yankees (George Steinbrenner Field on my birthday!)

• Bird sightings in many state and county parks

• Manatees at Three Sisters, beaches with palm trees, and fresh water lakes

• A visit with our niece and family (from Ohio) at Lake Louise State Park

2Q:

In April we stayed at Carrabelle Beach (on the NE Gulf Coast of FL). 

• Within walking distance, the beach was beautiful and never crowded.

• We visited four lighthouses near Carrabelle: Crooked River, St. George, Cape San Blas, and St. Marks.

• Several eagles were nesting at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge; so much to see there.

• Friends, Bonnie and Earl, and their sweet doggie, Maggie, were also at Carrabelle for a couple of weeks. 

While in Georgia, here are some of the places we visited:

• Beautiful Providence Canyon State Park

• Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains

• Andersonville National Historic Site, the site of the deadliest Confederate prison and the National POW Museum. The exhibits of the horror that POWs experienced will remain with me always...a very emotional experience.

• Visiting the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site in Atlanta is also an emotional experience as the exhibits help you relive the days before Civil Rights legislation in our country. 

Continuing onto North Carolina, we spent some time with our grandson, Andrew. We also saw friends, Angela and John, we took us to a Charlotte Knights game. 

Here are the highlights of our stay in Virginia:

• Appomattox Court House National Historic Park, site of Lee’s surrender to Grant.

• We did some hiking along the Blue Ridge Parkway when John’s sister (Nancy and her husband, John, who live in Roanoke) came to see us in Lynchburg

• Hiking in Shenandoah National Park (and a portion of the Appalachian Trail) was just beautiful. 

• Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello

In Maryland, we visited Antietam National Battlefield that honors those who fought in the the bloodiest single battle of the Civil War.

We then settled in for a one-month stay near our home in Pennsylvania. We saw family, friends, and had our medical check-ups while here. Thanks for the hospitality Lisa, Mary B., and family!

While in PA, we went to NYC for a day to see Amanda and The Whirligig, the show she was working at the Signature Theatre. 

In June, I went to the funeral of my dear friend, Joan. And then, my older brother, Bob, died on Father’s Day in Charleston, SC. Most of the family gathered there for his funeral. So sad.

Part 2 of our 2017 year-end review will be posted shortly.