We left New York in late afternoon to retrieve our RV from storage in New Jersey. From there it was another two hour drive before we arrived at our destination. Laurel Pond sounded amazing on their website, and they weren't half bad. I would have really liked the place if they hadn't talked themselves up so much. Since they had spots with personal hot tubs, we had to get one. Lukas swam around in our tub with his water wings on, splashing up a storm. Finally I met one of the owners, and she admitted that they weren't focusing quite so much on the park at that time, due to their six week old son. Okay, forgiven for the state of the bathroom. However, I think they should update the website to more accurately reflect the park.
Our whole reason for staying in the area was to visit my grandparents, who are living in a senior community near Princeton. Upon leaving New York, Lukas came down with a cold, which cramped our style somewhat. On Monday Lukas and I focused on getting the RV up and running again while Brian played golf.
Tuesday I took Lukas to my favorite farm, Terhune Orchards. When I was a little kid visiting my grandparents, they would take me to Terhune and I would spend hours feeding bread to all the animals. Now that I'm a zoo keeper I know how bad bread is for most of the farm animals, but it doesn't diminish my fond memories. The farm also makes apple cider and in-house donuts. You used to be able to walk into the bakery and get a warm donut, eat most of it, then feed the crumbs to the animal of choice. Now all baked goods are sold in the open air store, and instead of donuts I buy pellets to feed the goats. The place has gone pretty upscale. It is now bottling its own wine and has a playground area filled with toy tractors. I'm glad Lukas likes Terhune, because it remains one of my favorite places to visit.
That evening Brian and Lukas dropped me off at Meadow Lakes to meet my parents, who traveled to NJ from MD for the occasion, and my grandparents, who are both in their nineties, for dinner. We caught up on current personal events and compared generations. Liz was in a cheerful, chatty mood and Carl sang for us in his deep baritone after dinner. Accompanying him was Don, a wonderful friend who played piano with the New York Symphony for many years. It was a real treat to have an evening with my grandparents, made even more special by the presence of both my parents.
The next morning we drove the RV over to Meadow Lakes for Lukas to have a little time with his great-grandparents. It had been hard to describe RV life to my grandparents, but I think it became clear as they toured our moving home. Brian showed off the RV slide out while Lukas showed off his toys. It was nearing lunchtime and it was time for us to go. Many pleasant wishes to my wonderful grandparents, and thanks for a lovely visit.
Our afternoon plan was to drive to Maryland in the RV while my parents drove their car - we would meet at their house around four in the afternoon. We had to reroute in order to avoid tunnels. RVs usually have a large tank of propane on board, and hazardous materials are restricted within tunnels. Sometimes it's not entirely clear that the navigation system is pointing you toward a tunnel until it requires a lengthy detour to find an alternative. This time the course change only cost us a half hour.
The next consideration regarding the RV was where to park it near my parents house. My parents live on a very steep street, and their driveway is at about a thirty-five degree angle. Prior to arriving we asked the neighbors across the street if we could park at their place because they have a long, flat driveway. My parents still live in the house I grew up in and I have known the neighbors for about twenty five years. We have a long running family friendship, so it seemed a small imposition, but was much appreciated nonetheless.
It was nice to be at my parents' house. While Silver Spring no longer feels like home to me, it is a very comfortable place to be. I got Lukas's cold, and what better place to be sick than with your parents to take care of you? My mom and I drank tea and watched House episodes on DVD.
One evening I went out with Rose, who has been a close friend since elementary school. We went to Langano for amazing Ethiopian food, then walked around downtown Silver Spring and just chatted. My mom and I spent a nice afternoon in downtown Takoma Park, perusing the shops and stopping for an afternoon coffee. Brian met up with friends as well, checking out a pirate bar one night and a sushi restaurant in Dupont Circle the next.
We exposed Lukas to some of the DC museums. My mom, Lukas and I went to the Air and Space Museum and saw "Journey to the Stars" at the Planetarium. Lukas thought the movie was scary but sat through it anyway. It's not surprising that he preferred sitting in the model airplanes, acting as pilot. We had our afternoon snack in the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden. The day reminded me how awesome it was growing up in DC with so many free museums a quick subway ride away.
The next day Brian took Lukas to the Architecture museum, which was featuring a large Lego display. They came home with a Lego front loader kit for ages 12 and up. Brian spent about three hours putting the thing together, then taught Lukas how to turn all the operating levers. I'm still not sure which one is more excited about the new toy.
It rained most of the time we were in Maryland, and the weather had turned chilly. On Saturday afternoon we loaded up on quality groceries and said goodbye to my folks. We were headed south to Virginia. It felt good to be back in the RV. In Virginia we made a fire to burn off the evening chill.
The next day we drove to South Carolina where it was about fifteen degrees warmer. A month and a half earlier we had driven this same path, going the opposite direction. We passed the South of the Border complex, complete with a thirty foot sombrero mounted a hundred feet above the ground. Then on to Georgia, a new state for us.
We were stopping by Savannah on a whim. A friend had mentioned the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," which portrays Savannah as a high society southern town filled with colorful characters. Savannah also happened to be right off Interstate 95, which we would be taking all the way to the southern tip of Florida. It was a good place to stop for a few days.
As soon as we drove into Savannah we saw the town's signature oak trees covered in Spanish moss. Toss some moss on those forests, and suddenly they become enchanted glades. As the story goes, early settlers used to stuff their mattresses with the moss. Unfortunately, moss is also home to chiggers, the little red bugs that have a bite like fire. Thus the saying was coined: "Don't let the bedbugs bite!" We also had some issues with the mosquito population. Lukas and I got pretty well chewed up out at Skidaway State Park.
Lukas and I spent a morning walking the path around the park. Skidaway Island is surrounded by wetlands. We had fun looking at the fiddler crabs and digging in the dirt. But I don't know what I was thinking to bring the stroller. The path was covered in roots. Lukas refused to walk. So I bumped that stroller up and over so many roots that I'm amazed it didn't bust a wheel. The nature center was nice. Native reptiles were on display, there was a bird watching room with a large window to some bird feeders where one might get lucky and see a painted bunting, and there was a life size skeleton of the extinct giant sloth that used to roam the area. The sloth was about sixteen feet tall! I would love to see one of those roaming Savannah in modern times.
We also spent a day on the town. First we went to the Pirates' House for lunch. The house began as a sailor's tavern in 1753, now it serves up a Southern buffet with crispy fried chicken and good cornbread. A pirate was wandering around checking on the diners and telling stories about the days of yore. We saw the opening to the underground passageway that leads to the sea. Don't get too drunk or who knows where you'll end up!
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| The Pirates' House |
Then we hopped on a trolley for a tour of the city. The most prominent feature of Savannah is the Squares. The city was built with twenty-two open squares, providing numerous grassy areas for people to enjoy. Many of the houses downtown have been restored. One of my favorite houses was a Sears model house: the parts arrive and the customer puts them together. Only this house is special because the builder put the window frames on upside down!
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| One of Savannah's Squares |
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| The Sears House, with a special twist |
It was a beautiful town and we enjoyed our tour. It's hard to imagine what the real Savannah is like nowadays. We were on the tourist circuit, and it feels like we missed the real life of the city. But sometimes it's fun to just be a tourist. Next up on our travel itinerary: Florida.
RV PARK REVIEWS
Laurel Pond Luxury Wilderness Lodges and Ultra RV Sites, Cream Ridge, NJ: C+
With a name like that you really need to deliver. Unfortunately, this park was a bit of a braggart. We did have a personal hot tub at our site, which was lovely. But the bathrooms were dirty, the lake was a mud puddle, and the wilderness area was off limits due to construction work.
Larry's Driveway, Silver Spring, MD: B+
Level, across the street from my parent's house, free.
South Forty Campground, Petersburg, VA: B-
Lots of downed wood for fire, playground, woods trail (if you follow the signs one is led to a dumping ground. There are lots of trees across path, are they signaling hiker not to continue? I continued).
Florence RV Park, Florence, SC: B+
Upgraded from last visit. With cooler weather were able to play on the metal playground equipment. Grass no longer brown. Ducks still friendly.
Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA: A
Spanish moss draped over whole park. Large pull through sites. Walking trails through wetlands. Nature center. Fancy church playground at park entrance. Half hour drive to historic Savannah.
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