Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

 Yesterday we mover the Kountry Star. It was a long drive, (about 5 miles) from the CGNHP Camp ground in VA, to a site close to the CGNHP Headquarters in Kentucky. The volunteers that were here left a day early due to stormy weather coming tomorrow.

 The park is located in three states, KY, TN, and VA. The massive 4 lane double tunnel goes through the park in KY and TN, one end is in KY and the other is in TN. The visitors center is in Middlesboro, also spelled Middlesborough, which is in KY. The Camp Ground is located in VA, and driving from the CG to the visitors center you must enter TN.

 Part of this explains how and why we confuse so many people when they ask "where you from". We were raised in KY about three miles from the point where you can stand in all three states at one time. Our tags are TN, because we use our son's address and he lives in TN about three miles from where you can stand in all three states at once. So being from KY it is natural to say KY when ask, and we are learning to say TN because of our tags.

 Our site for the next two months has full hook-ups, the satellite dish is in a very awkward position, but we get TV. We are also very close to or maybe in Bartlet Park in Middlesboro, so the view out the front windshield is a view of the park.

 We will start helping out where ever we can be used in the CGNHP this weekend. We aren't sure what or where we will be yet, but we know the staff is a great bunch of people, and they are fun to spend time with. So most of my blog posts will have something to say about the park for the next couple of months.........................stay tuned.............

Sea Salt

 As most of you know we just returned from a 7 day cruise, and I really have to warn everyone. The salt in the air from the sea will shrink all your clothes. I can't understand how it effects the clothes you don't take with you but it does. I think mine shrunk a size or two in just one week.

 Saturday 05-05-2012 we left the Thousand Trails Park in Clermont and drove over to Sumter Oaks RV Park near Bushnell. We were greeted by the Dub-U's Wanda and Wallace, Bennett and Bee, Fran and Sharron, Wayne and Diane, and several others in the park. We didn't even hook up the rig, Marcia just plugged in the electric so Leo wouldn't get too hot while we were away.

 Sunday morning 13 of us piled into two trucks and headed to Tampa. We dumped the bags out and waited on Wallace and Fran to park the trucks. Then we checked in, and boarded the ship. The first thing they told us was to go to deck 9 where the food was waiting on us. (they didn't have to tell us twice either)

 On deck 9 we found 6 different buffet lines full of food, one buffet line full of deserts, and three swimming pools. So needless to say we all started filling plates and stuffing our faces. After 1;30 we were able to put our carry on stuff in our rooms, and we had to check out our balcony.

We went back to deck 9 to watch the views as the ship took us through Tampa Bay towards the Gulf Of Mexico.

Here is Wanda and Wallace

Fran and Sharron

Wayne and Diane

Marcia and Myself

Bee and Bennett

And I didn't get pictures of Elaine, Don, and Elinor.

By now it was time to get ready for dinner, the fancy dinner where the waiter unfolds your napkin and places it in your lap. (I always try to beat him to that) We were all sitting at the same table, it was a long table. They ask for drink orders, then take appetizer and meal orders, someone brings bread, (hard bread) and after the the food is gone they take desert orders. You get to chose from a menu with several choices, and there is a menu for any day if you don't like the daily menu.

 After dinner there is always something going on if you want to do it, most nights we just hung out on the balcony. We did watch the comedy show one night, and the "love and marriage show" one evening. After the third night we quit going to the fancy dinner and just ate from one of the 6 buffets, the fancy dinner took too long and I was having a hard time sitting that long.

 On the ship there was a casino, several bars, gift shops, liquor store, main stage for events, a spa, three pools, three hot tubs, two or three dinning rooms, a gym, a water slide, and a bunch of staterooms. I'm sure I missed some of the things on the ship, but you get the idea that you can stay busy all week long just checking out the ship.

 Our first day was spent boarding the ship and leaving Tampa. Day two was at sea, day three we docked in Cozumel, day four we docked in Belize, day five was Mahogany Bay Honduras, Day six was Grand Cayman Island, and day seven was at sea. Sunday when we woke up the ship was cruising through Tampa Bay going back to the port.

 This is the quick version of the cruise, Marcia set supper on the table so I'll close this out and eat.....

Hommies Catch Up with us.

 After spending a few days with our boys, (and Miss Jaelynn) at Ft Stewart Ga where Jon is now stationed we headed south. Yea maybe the wrong direction this time of year but we do have the cruise and need to be in Tampa Sunday AM.

 Our first stop was a Passport America park between Titusville and New Smyrna Beach. It is a nice little park right off I-95. It has a clubhouse, pool, bath house, and full hook-ups, and the price is not too bad either.

 Marcia and I spent a couple days just playing on the beaches and relaxing.

 A couple of Marcia's closest running buddies from Kentucky were coming to FL to spend a few days, and they wound up pitching their tent at the same park. They said they were doing this trip on the cheap, so tenting it was the plan. I was having one of my days so I was in bed long before they arrived, but Marcia pointed them in the right direction and they had camp all set up by the time I crawled out of be the next morning.

Their day one was spent driving from KY to FL, but day two consisted of a trip to the beach. I elected to hang out at the rig and maybe drive over to the beach later. I know girls need their "girl" time.

Beth's niece, and Kristy's daughter frolicked in the Atlantic Ocean, they would let the waves wash them upon the beach, then they would roll back out with the returning waves.

And the "Three Amigos" lay in the sand watching.

That night was time to "unwind" so we broke out the "MARGARATOR" I really learned a lot by listening to those three, the more margaritas they had the better the stories got. We all managed to make through the night and the next day was moving day for us.

We packed up and rolled on over to the Thousand Trails Park in Clermont FL. When we checked in Marcia ask about the girls pitching their tent on our site, (remember they are on the cheap this trip) and to our surprise you can have two tents and ten people on a site. ( I hope I'm never on a site next to two adults and 8 screaming kids). So Marcia call Beth and told her she was welcome to pitch their tent next to us.

So for the past three days I have been pretty much a bachelor. Marcia and the girls have been visiting the Mouses House. Marcia got a deal on a four day, four park pass so they were taking advantage of it. Too bad they couldn't find a three day pass because three days is all we will have. We have to move to Bushnell to get ready for the cruise and the girls have to get back to KY.

I have really enjoyed having hommies around, and enjoyed being a bachelor during the days, and I know the Three Amigos and the two side kicks have enjoyed their time together. So tomorrow, (today really it is 3 am now) we will say good-bye, but like a lot of our RVing friends we know we will meet up again....