It has been a very fast two weeks since we arrived to the southwest Virginia area that was our home for over twenty years. We retired just over three years ago and have since been on the road traveling all over the US. Until the pandemic arrived and then we sat it out like most others until we got the green light and good to go note. Well, here is a quick update on our activities upon arriving in Virginia to start the house hunting process!
On The Road Again to Virginia
The day finally arrived for us to pack up, pull in the slides and get back to what we bought the RV for: travel. It has been over eight months since we came to Florida for the winter. And now we are into the heat and humidity of a Florida summer that takes a hardy soul to survive. Our plan is to take a few stops and be back to Virginia in a week.
Cortez Florida – Part Three & Goodbye
We ended our month long stay at this popular winter resort destination in Cortez Florida. It has been a wonderful location. Close to family and walking distance to a dozen restaurants and bars. And we had a great visit from our three kids just before Christmas. It is hard to say goodbye, but it is time to move on to the east coast of Florida and a vacation. But, before we go there, here is a wrap up from the final two weeks at Cortez Florida – Part 3 of 3.
Anna Maria Island, Fl – Family Christmas
It has been a couple of weeks since my last blog update. We have been very busy with a new relocation and a vacation thrown in for good measure. After having gone this long without typing my thoughts and searching for some good photos, I have found that I miss the updates. Miss the composing of these short essays.
Well, I’m back now and will try to get caught up on the prior few weeks. Going back to mid-December, our three kids all flew down to our base camp near Anna Maria Island, Florida, just south of Tampa on the gulf coast. We had been looking forward to their arrival and spending three days with them just hanging out and enjoying the great weather.
Cortez Florida – Our December Home!
Cortez Florida – Our December Home! We will be spending the entire month of December at the beautiful Buttonwood Inlet RV Resort in Cortez, Florida. We will be close to family, in walking distance to 20 or so seafood restaurants, and enjoying a tropical paradise. Finally, a chance to relax for awhile and enjoy!
Back Home in Virginia
It was good to be back home in Virginia! Back to see family, friends and all the annual doctor and dental appointments. Our two weeks at Claytor Lake State Park went by in the blink of an eye. I feel we accomplished much and got to hang out with our kids after a long absence due to our travels. Here is a recap:
Washington DC & Family
Washington DC & Family: This was our third venture, since retirement, to this giant metropolis of people, autos, and many monuments. And the beltway drive with the big rig is still just as bad. Too many vehicles driving too fast. Just a bad recipe when you mix in the slower to stop vehicles like me. But, after a long driving day we arrived safely and had a great week with our son’s family. Our Eastbound journey is now over! From Alpine Wyoming (our westernmost spot this summer) it is 2,100 miles!
Fort Collins Colorado & Family Visits
This will be my last post from Colorado as we are now well into Wyoming. Just getting caught up on some items. After leaving Littleton, Colorado (suburb of Denver), we traveled due north up I-25 for a couple of nights at Fort Collins. The drive was 151 miles and through the middle of two good sized cities, so not my favorite kind of drive. Although, on a Saturday morning it turned out to be no big issue.
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
This experience could very well be the highlight of our 2019 Summer adventures! The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Imagine being pulled by a chugging coal-fired steam locomotive through the western town of Durango, through some fields, then up into the mountains. Many times the train rails ride on a narrow rock ledge wrapping around a rock mountain with views several hundred feet straight down! I’ll describe the ride in some more detail later in this post, but first, here are some facts on this amazing passenger railroad…
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Durango, Colorado & Family Visit
Pat’s brother Robert has a summer home in the mountains near Durango, Colorado (6,500 feet and 18,000 pop) and has been asking for us to come visit. It has always been high on our agenda, but we never had good timing until this summer while RVing through Colorado. So, we decided to leave the 5th wheel coach in Colorado Springs and drive the 303 miles in our new little Honda CRV instead of crossing the mountains with the rig. We had a wonderful week full of family time, activities and mountain vistas!