More stuff from Friday, then on to Saturday......

Saturday, April 30, 2011

We got back on the road today, but I have more news from yesterday.  After we posted on the blog yesterday, we did some more site seeing.  Here's what we did...


The boiler from the sunken ship
"Oriental" shows at low tide - ran
aground and sunk in 1862

 

Pieces of sea shells on the beach





























We drove up the island and went to Pea Island National refuge. It was pretty cool - we saw a sunken ship - the Oriental - a Civil War Federal transport vessel that ran aground and sunk in the waters off Pea Island in 1862.  You can see it from the beach right off the coast in the water at low tide! Mom and Dad walked the beach for a while and picked up some sea shells.....and we didn't see a lot of different birds, but we did see some.



Ducks flying over the crashing waves





This is a Ghost Crab - very tiny - not worth eating!



Bodie Island Lighthouse



Farther up the island was Bodie Island Light house.  We had our lunch there and watched the other tourists.  This one was closed, so we couldn't go inside, but Mom got some pictures of it

Entrance and gift shop to the Elizabethan Gardens - not that
impressive once you get inside...


Then we went over to Roanoke Island.  We were going to go to the Elizabethan Gardens, but they wouldn't let me in and it was too hot for me to be alone in the truck.  Mom got a picture of the entrance and when she went in, she got a peak of the gardens - she wasn't too impressed with what she could see, so Mom and Dad weren't too disappointed.












The fleet of fishing boats at the Oregon Inlet Marina



Double click on this picture if you can't read the rates -
then use your back button to come back.  (Only $1600
a day if you pay cash - $1650 if you use your credit card!)


On the way back, we stopped at Oregon Inlet marina and looked at all the fishing boats.  Mom told Dad that he couldn't afford to go fishing with this fleet of boats - look at these rates!















OK - now back to today.  We drove up the island until we got to the Wright Brothers National Monument.  We walked ALL over the place - even up the hill to the actual monument.  We saw where Orville and Wilbur flew their first flight.  It was a pretty impressive monument - we all enjoyed it very much.

That's the actual monument WAY UP 
THERE on top of a "sand dune"

That's me standing on the base!

This is part of a sculpture behind the monument (Wilbur in
the "drivers seat")

This is more of the sculpture - there is one more figure to
the right of a guy taking a picture with a box camera.

After we finished here, we drove on up to Williamsburg, VA, so Mom and I put another state on our map.  We are staying at American Heritage RV Park.  It's really nice here - lots of pine trees and grass to play on.  Dad said we will stay here for a few days to take in all the sites.  He said there are a LOT of things to see here before we move on up the coast.  Mom is getting her "trigger finger" ready for the work-out!

We weathered the storm!! WHEWWWWW!!!!!

Friday, April 29, 2011

WOW!  What a thunder storm we had last night!  Mom and Dad thought we were going to dodge the storm, but we didn't - it found us.  There was wind and thunder and lightening and LOTS of rain.  Mom said the trailer and truck have now been pressure washed (they needed it too)!  The wind really rocked the trailer, and the lightening was so bright is was like sunshine outside.  The thunder kept waking me up, but Dad didn't move!  Anyway, we are all safe and sound and it doesn't look like we got any damage.  We woke up to clouds this morning, but we can see blue sky off to the west, so we will have sunshine in a while.

Well, now on to what else has been going on.  Yesterday morning we packed up and go onto another ferry from Ocracoke to Hatteras, NC.  We are camped at Rodanthe, NC in a KOA Kampground.  After we got all set up, we ventured out (in the wind) to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, but Mom and Dad couldn't climb to the top because of the high winds (50 MPH at the top of the tower).  We went all the way back to where the ferry lands and we took our time wandering home.  Here are some of the pictures Mom took:

"Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning"
Sunrise in Ocracoke the morning we left.





Getting direction to get on the ferry.



This is a duck blind and they are all over the west side of
the islands.



The famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse



Sail boarding in the winds off the west
coast of the island



Dad on the beach getting his ankles
sandblasted!



















After breakfast (waffles) we will be taking off to do some more exploring.  They have a wildlife sanctuary here in the middle of the island, so that's where we will go first.  Hopefully Mom can get some pictures of the wildlife.

A tour of the "first" island...

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

We took a tour of the island today seeing the sites.  Of course they have a lighthouse.  There are lots and lots of Inns and Bed and Breakfast places with rooms to rent.  They also have "wild" horses (in a corral).  They aren't quite sure how the horses got here, but obviously someone had to bring them!  Here are some of the pictures Mom took:

Ocracoke Island Lighthouse




One of the MANY Inns in town for rent - the whole town is
for rent!

 























A pair of the "wild ponies" on the island



SORRY.......We haven't been able to post.....Three in one day today - scroll down..

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

We have gotten one call and one e-mail from friends and family worried about us.  We are just fine, but found ourselves in a position where we weren't able to post anything because of lack of cell and Internet service.  So sorry to make you worry...If you scroll down, there are two additional posts from days past....

Today we got on the ferry for 2 + hours to go over to Ocracoke, NC.  We will be exploring the island tomorrow.  It's very warm and very humid here and the mosquitoes are just as big as ever!  It has been very cloudy (with a little sun), and we get a little sprinkle every once in a while.  Here are some of the pictures Mom took...




Sunrise at Cedar Island, NC




That's our Lance and truck on the ferry...




BIG dark clouds behind us on the ferry

Mom got lots of pictures of the birds following us too, but she won't bore you with those (she sure is glad to have her camers lens back!).

The end of the road......

Monday, April 25, 2011

We have come to the end of the road – literally – the road ends here. We have to get on a ferry to go any farther. We are in Cedar Island, NC, and tomorrow we are going to catch the ferry and go to Ocracoke, NC. We are going to spend a few days on the outer banks and then keep moving.

This is really a GREAT place! They have the biggest beach I have ever seen – I could run for days!! They also have geese here and it would take me days to sniff and roll in all the goose s---! (Mom said I really shouldn’t put that in here…….) There was only one family on the beach when we got there so I got to run with Jessie – he was a lot of fun! Mom took a bunch of pictures of Jessie and me chasing each other.



Look at the size of THIS beach!




YYYIIIIIPPPPPEEEEEEE!




Jessie chasing me - I chased him back the other direction!




Goose!




My rub down after all that exercise.




Resting on the massage table after my rubdown.


















Mom and Dad are complaining about the mosquitoes – Mom said they were big enough to carry you off. She got bit twice before we got out of the truck! Our camp spot is great – it’s all grass, but we only have electricity and water, but that is fine for one night.

We will catch the ferry at 12:30 pm tomorrow.  I'll let you know how it goes...

HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE!!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter everybody! I guess the Easter bunny didn’t know where we were, because we didn’t get any chocolate bunnies (Mom said we really didn’t need any anyway – what does she mean by that?)

We are having a quite day today. Mom is did laundry and cleaned house, while Dad and I went to the Barc Parc dog park! I think Mom got the short end of the stick on that one. Last night Mom and Dad went dinner and a show called Carolina Opry. They said it was pretty good and they had a great time, but, the show didn’t end until 10:00 pm and by the time they got back to the truck and we got home, I was starved!


And All That on stage - (Cloggers-the were great!)
(Pictures not too good because they used "stage smoke")



Tomorrow we are leaving. Mom and Dad have been pouring over the maps, but I don’t know if they know where they are going.

A nice visit, lunch, flowers, grease and a NEW BED!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

What kind of a title is that??  Read on...

Yesterday we had a real nice visit and lunch with "Aunt" Hazel.  Mom was right - she really is nice.  (Dad had a Reuben sandwich, so I got some of the pastrami.)  Aunt Hazel has a very nice yard and she let me wander around and sniff all of her flowers - they were really pretty.  Mom and Dad said that next time, we will stay with her when we visit. 


Some if Aunt Hazel's Iris





Dad and Aunt Hazel talking about her garden




Aunt Hazel and Mom waiting for their lunches


















When we got back to our camp, Dad tore apart the wheels on the trailer because they were leaking grease again.  He thinks that when we had them repaired before that they didn't use high temp grease, so he had to repack the bearings - what a mess! 

Today (Thursday) we moved out had headed to Myrtle Beach, SC.  It is REALLY warm and humid - we had the AC on all the way and when we got stopped and hooked up, Mom turned the AC on in the trailer (we don't do that very often).  That made everything all better!  We went for a ride to see some of the sites, (and shopping at Camper World) and by the time we got back, the wind had turned around from the other direction and it cooled off really quick.  We all sat out for a while for cocktail hour and I got to try out my NEW BED!  (Mom and Dad said they were tired of me taking their chairs - as if this is going to change things!)


Me in my NEW BED!

We are staying here until after Easter, so we will be moving on, on Monday.  We will be heading farther North, weather permitting.

We want to wish everybody a very HAPPY EASTER!

We've been on the move again......

Tuesday, April 19, 2010

Lots of miles have gone by since I last up dated you - this is where we've been and how we have gotten to where we are.

We left Smyrna, TN on Sunday, April 17th and headed toward Pigeon Forge, NC.  We had a really pretty camp spot right on the river and there was even a welcoming committee to greet us - look at this!


These guys came right up to Mom and said "QUACK, QUACK"
When Dad and I went for our evening walk, Mom said 7 of them
tromped through our camp!

Then we headed towards Asheville, NC (Monday, April 18th).  Mom realized that the Biltmore House was here, so we stopped and set up camp.  We all went to the Biltmore House and I stayed in the truck while Mom and Dad toured the inside.  Mom said there were 250 rooms, 43 bathrooms, 8,000 acres, and a winery among other things at this place!  When Mom and Dad got back to the truck, I was able to tour the gardens and they were beautiful!  This should make everybody back home jealous - spring has come to the Biltmore House:

SOME of the Tulips blooming in the garden - the building
in the background it is the GREENHOUSE!

 

Wisteria in bloom - sure smells good!



SOME of the Azaleas.

SOME of the Orchids



A view of the "House" from the garden




Dad and I sharing an Ice Cream Cone...YUMMMMMMMM


















WOW, the camera got a work out here!

Now, we are in Charlotte, SC (Tuesday, April 19th).  It's very warm and humid here, but the squirrels are going "nuts".

We are going to have lunch and visit with a good friend tomorrow.  "Aunt Hazel" is  the aunt of our good friends Hazel and Nori out west.  Mom and Dad said she is really nice - I haven't met her yet, but I'm looking forward to it!  After that, I think Dad is looking at moving farther East to the ocean again!  (I sure hope they have doggie beaches!)

Mom said she is behind on the maps again, so please be patient.....

Lots to write about....

Saturday, April 16, 2011

WOW, so much has happened since I last updated everybody.  Let's see - the first thing is, we need to send out a  VERY HAPPY birthday to my friend Hazel - her birthday was April 14th.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAZEL!

Next, Mom and Dad had a "date" night last night and I got to go Camp Bow Wow for a "slumber party"!  It was fun and scary at the same time.  You see, they had really bad thunder storms last night and I got a little scared (I threw up a little bit in my pen).  But, I sure had fun playing with all my new friends - there was about 10 to 12 of us that got to play together before bed last night and this morning when we all got up.  Mom and Dad dropped me off yesterday afternoon about 3:00 pm and picked me up today at noon. 

While I was playing with my new friends and at the slumber party, Mom and Dad went on a "date" to a place called Nashville Nite Life to have dinner and see a show.  They said they had a good time and it was worth the time and effort.  They saw a lot of entertainers that have played with the "big stars".  It was "small" compared to the Grand Ole Opry and very intimate.  The entertainers came out after the show and signed autographs and did photo ops with the audience.  Mom got an autographed CD from Charlie Vaughn - boy, can he ever play the fiddle, banjo, guitar and mandolin!  Mom played it for me and it put me right to sleep - really good stuff!

And, finally, Mom got her camera lens back from the repair shop in Atlanta, so now she is back in the photography business.  We even went back down town for Mom to give it a workout.

New photos of the Capitol Building - Mom really likes that zoom lens!!!!







And last but not least, Mom has revised and posted new maps at the bottom of the page.  She had to break up the maps so they have all the information on them.  If you click on a tent, a balloon will pop up to give you the location and the latest "stats".
We will be moving out tomorrow - headed back toward South Carolina.  I'm not sure where we will end up (neither are Mom and Dad), but we will keep you posted.

Our own tour of Nashville, TN

Wednesday, April 13, 2010

Today Dad took Mom and I on our own tour of Nashville.  All I saw were people and buildings, but Mom found some things to take pictures of:
 

Capitol Building





Nashville, TN skyline


That's about all we did today - this has been kind of a lazy stop for us.  We tried to see the Grand Ole Opry building, but there wasn't much to see.  Mom and Dad were very disappointed.  A lot of stuff is closed and fenced off here - bad economy Dad said.  After seeing the confusion at the Grand Ole Opry, Mom and Dad aren't so sure they want to bother going to a show.  Tickets are expensive, so they are still deciding.

When we got back to camp, there was a guy with a RC (Remote Control) Truck.  He sure could do some fancy tricks with it!  I didn't really like it - it was too fast for me!

Mom wanted me to tell you that she is still working on the maps - Map #1 of Bessy's Adventures is now complete and posted - she is still working on the rest....


Some of the old shops downtown


 

This is the Train Depot!



Home Improvement Day

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Today was Home Improvement day around the old homestead (trailer).  Dad did a few things to make more storage, we went gorcery shopping, and Dad put up the map that Mom bought me a few weeks back.  It shows all the states we have visited.  Boy, we sure have gone a long way.  I also met a new friend - Hootie!


My new friend Hootie - he's a lot older than I am!


 

Mom wanted me to sit on the black
stool, but I didn't want to....





All the states we have visited so far.......coast to coast!