And it’s suddenly July! July, seriously how did that happen?? Last thing I remember I was writing the 3 years on the road post and bam it’s July.

I had the best of intentions to catch up on the blog but we found ourselves busy enjoying life on the road and spending time with family.

We spent the month of April in Arkansas with road friends of ours. Needless to say we had a blast! I look forward to sharing those photos – coming in a later post.

The beginning of May we traveled back to Indiana and spent the month with the kids, getting ready for the arrival of our grandson due in July.

In early June we headed to Michigan for a visit with Shane’s family awaiting baby’s arrival.

Then bam in the middle of June we got the call, baby is coming sooner than expected! Three weeks early and we were still in Michigan thinking we had more time! The next day we packed up the RV and headed south to Indy to meet our grandson.

Little Ryker James was born on June 18 at 8:58 pm weighing in at 6 lbs and 13 oz. A healthy and happy baby. He is so sweet and we absolutely love him!

I am not sure how I feel about sharing photos of him on the internet so for now I am choosing not to. But he is super cute and I absolutely love being a grandmother!

After spending 2 wonderful weeks with the kids and little Ryker we are heading north for the rest of the summer.

In the meantime I wanted to share some photos from our fall and winter travels. I realize it’s summer but let’s go back in time for a bit.

Fall 2023

After leaving Indiana too late the first two years and encountering cold weather, we opted to leave the beginning of November this time around. With an early Thanksgiving dinner under our belts and plenty of dog sleepovers in the RV it was time to head south. Artistic credit on the chalkboard goes to Shane. My turkey would have looked like a blob.

Red River Gorge, KY

Our first stop was a brief stay at a familiar favorite. Parking in the same spot next to the creek we explored the Red River Gorge on foot. Exploring a new trail and taking in the beautiful views.

Eastern Tennessee

A short stint in eastern Tennessee allowed us the time to visit an Indiana friend who bought property down here. We drove the Jeep up to the top of his mountain. What a rugged climb but we were rewarded with nice views. Plus Josie and I found a nearby park to do a little hiking.

Kings Mountain State Park, NC

Another short stay on our trek south. Shane’s sister lives in Gastonia so we camped at a nearby state park. The camping was a typical state park experience. Our site had a slope to it despite the description of it being flat. We stayed over a weekend, something we rarely do, but our travel schedule worked out this way. The next day, when nearby more level spots opened up, we were unable to move due to a 2 night minimum. Even though we were staying 2 nights, transferring did not satisfy the requirement in their computer system. We dealt with the less than ideal site and did a little exploring.

Uwharrie National Forest, NC

After three short stays it was time to park it at another familiar favorite for two weeks. This is where we spent Thanksgiving and enjoyed every minute of this beautiful smaller national forest.

Our Turkey was crab legs and they were delicious. In fact we had crab legs twice during our stay at Uwharrie. We hiked and the Jeep got some off road trail time. Over the Thanksgiving weekend the place was packed with campers, Jeeps, and other off road vehicles. By Sunday afternoon we had the place to ourselves again.

My crab I painted one afternoon.

Barrington County Park, GA

Spent a week in Georgia at another familiar spot. This time we were told there was a week time limit and that it would soon be turned into a paid campground. It’s too bad as this is a perfect stopping point for us on our way to Florida.

Of course there was some beach time. Amy loves her time at the ocean, especially when it’s not crowded.

Florida!!

Spent the month of December in the northern half of Florida and it was glorious! Kayaked twice at Silver Springs during our two week stay at Gores Landing. Returned to our favorite spot Flying Eagle in Inverness and kayaked Crystal River for the first time. We hit the season right and saw numerous manatees at both spots. Met an incredibly nice couple, Joe and Jen, at Gores Landing that are now road friends of ours. We enjoyed cocktails and campfire with them on more than one night.

Did you see the monkey in the tree in the photo above?

Notice Josie eyeing our delicious pizza at a favorite local place in Inverness.

Camped at Cypress Creek to spend Christmas with our Tampa family before heading further south to Fort Myers for New Years.

As you can see we were on a mission to get south quicker this time and to venture further south to increase our chances of warmer weather.

Did it pay off? Stay tuned to find out in the next post.

Up Next: Snowbirds Round Three!