September 30 – Oct. 22, 2018
The sun is beginning to set on this journey and we’re taking a long trail home. Our original plan was to travel from West Virginia to the Asheville, North Carolina and from there to Florida. Early in our journey however we discovered the need for a different trail home.
DRV Service Center
Instead of heading south from West Virginia, we journeyed northwest to Howe, Indiana, the home of DRV Mobile Suites, for some warranty work on our unit. When we arrived at the service center Sunday evening we were greeted by several other DRV owners also having work done on their RVs. For convenience, the service center has six or so full hook-up sites for customers to use during a service visit. We backed into an empty site and set up camp for the night knowing that we had to be up, out, and buttoned up before 6 a.m. the next morning.
It was tough (at least for a non-morning person like me) to have the camper ready that first morning. Somehow we managed and stumbled into the comfortable customer lounge before they pulled our unit into the service bay.
After verifying the list of service items that we needed addressed, we dropped the dogs off for boarding at a nearby kennel/doggy daycare in Sturgis, Michigan. We thought it would be easier to board the dogs than to keep them cooped up in the truck all day. We stopped for breakfast at the recommended Howe Restaurant (great food by the way) and then did some exploring around the area. Shortly before noon we received a phone call from the service center informing us that they were going to have to keep our RV in the service bay overnight. They offered us complementary accommodations at a nearby Holiday Inn Express. So, we drove back to the service center, packed an overnight bag, and checked into the hotel. Great – we/I don’t have to get up early the next morning!!
As it turned out, they kept our unit in the service bay a second night as well.
Exploring the Shipshewana area
While in the area we drove to nearby Shipshewana, Indiana. This area is home to the third largest Amish community in the U.S. We browsed through several of the stores in and around the rebuilt Davis Mercantile which itself houses 21 shops and one “large log”. The log came from Kin Basket Lake, British Columbia. It weighs over 18,000 pounds and is in excess of 56 feet long with a diameter of 44 inches. By counting growth rings the age of the tree was determined to be over 370 years old.
We also stopped at Yoder’s Red Barn and Yoder’s Meat and Cheese Company where we replenished our frozen meat selection and picked up some more cheese.
During our browsing we saw a lot of beautiful Amish handcrafts including quilts – one of which now adorns our bed.
For dinner one evening we drove into LaGrange, Indiana to try the recommended hamburgers at Fireside Burgers and Brews. Main street through town was blocked off as they were preparing for their annual street fair. While walking along a side street, we happened upon this rather unusual site and just had to snap a photo.
Mansfield and Mohican State Park
Our warranty work completed, we left Indiana and traveled to Mansfield, Ohio so that I could spend a day with a dear friend and former travel buddy. Our base for our two nights was Mohican Adventures, an RV park in Loudonville next to Mohican State Park – an 1,110-acre state park and an adjacent 4,525-acre state forest As luck would have it, a driving rain swept in just as we were parking the camper in a grass and gravel site. The site quickly turned into a swamp which, due to periodic rains while we were there, never did dry out. It was great to see my friend and drive through some of the area near where I grew up.
Nashville
From Ohio we journeyed on to Nashville, TN one of our favorite spots to visit. Unfortunately our favorite campground (the Nashville KOA Resort) was full so we stayed at the adjacent Jellystone Park Camp-Resort. All of the sites were pull-thru but none had the premium patio amenities like the KOA. We didn’t go to the Grand Ole Opry on this trip as the schedule didn’t showcase any of our favorite country stars. We did eat at two of our favorite places while there – Chuy’s and the Bavarian Beerhouse.
Yet another hurricane
While in Nashville we kept a close eye on Hurricane Michael headed for the Florida panhandle and predicted to march north across central Georgia – our next overnight stop. Like last year, we once again had to decide whether to extend our stay in Nashville or leave a day early. (Apparently we’re going to have to allow for an October hurricane in future journeys.) Our choice was to leave early, spend a night in Georgia, and arrive in northeast Florida about the same time the storm was predicted to make landfall in the panhandle. Luckily we didn’t encounter any heavy traffic or bad weather and were safely checked into our St. Augustine campground when Michael did make landfall.
At this point we had come full circle as this was the same campground (Compass RV Park) from which we had launched this journey. We were once again located in our favorite section of the park – the Oasis.
While in St. Augustine, we had lunch with a friend and made sure we visited our favorite restaurants once again.
Our winter paradise
After spending a week in St. Augustine, we struck out on the last leg of our journey – diagonally cross-state to Ft. Myers. Although somewhat sad to end this adventure, after traveling 8000 miles, visiting 15 states and 5 Canadian provinces, we were glad to once again settle into what we now call home – Cypress Woods RV Resort.
The Journey
We covered quite a bit of territory on this trip and had a blast doing it. Here’s a map showing the major stops along the way.
We tried to plan more time at the major destinations this year than we did last year. Still we found ourselves wishing for more time at a few of them. We also had carefully chosen our campgrounds to ensure that our (original) rig would fit. We had some concerns when we upgraded to the new truck and camper but in general didn’t have a problem.
As the sun sets on our Summer 2018 trip, we’re already busy planning a route for next year. We hope you have enjoyed taking this journey with us and we would love to have you follow us again next year.
Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.It’s the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here’s a happy one for you.Happy trails to you,
Until we meet again.
Happy trails to you,
Keep smiling until then. — Dale Evans
