Making the Rounds and Crashing

We left our AirBnb so early in the morning that much of Madrid had not gone to sleep yet.  It was dark out and the night clubs were winding down. Over 24 hours of travel and we were back in New York.

What a great experience this trip has been.  We saw so much, had plenty of time to leave the tourist mode and get into everyday life.  I know we each took different things away from this experience, but I think at the end we were all happy to get back to our "norm" in the U.S.

Since leaving Madrid we have been in NJ getting our camper and storage stuff organized,

The girls are back together :)

Last Leg of Europe

It was a short drive for us from Salamanca to Madrid.  About 3 hours because we took the no-toll roads.  It was a nice drive and took us right into the hustle of the city.  We unloaded our packs at our new place and returned the rental.  We were able to walk from the rental return (train station) back to our apartment.  Our apartment was in a great location and we were able to walk most places.
By this leg of our journey our exploring muscle was a little worn out, but we managed to hone in on the key things we wanted to see.

Salamanca, Spain

Salamanca from the distance

After enjoying Granada we headed north to a city called Salamanca.  We had a rental car so it wasn't planes, trains, and automobiles this time......just automobile.

Sangria, Please!

We had another whirlwind departure of bus, train, and car.  We left Premia de Dalt early, caught the first bus down the hill, then the train into Barcelona, then picked up our rental car.  With 4 of us, renting a car in each country has been the best option.

Capital of Catalonia

We left Perigueux on a Saturday morning.  Drove to Toulouse, dropped our rental and caught the train. Made it to Barcelona. Hopped on another train to the little town where our rental was located.  Phew.  Long day.

Pretty drive through France

Dordogne, Foie Gras, and Sofia in a Guillotine

We made it to the Dordogne Region of France on a Friday afternoon.  Drove from Rodez for a few hours and were on our way to our airbnb in Perigueux, but made a pit stop in Sarlat-la-Caneda.

Côte d'Azur: The French Riviera

The things that I have enjoyed most in France are the outdoor cafes, boulangeries and the tiny streets in the old parts of town.  My least favorite thing is the smoke.  The outdoor cafes are so cute and have such a great atmosphere, but the big puff of smoke that hits you in the face as you chew your food is not cool.

We arrived in Toulon on a Sunday evening.  When we left Lyon we drove south following the Rhone river for quite a while.

Rhone river on our drive south.

Saône and the Rhône

From Paris we grabbed our rental car and headed south and a little east to Lyon, France.  I'm following Diego's lead for the most part on this European leg of our journey.  We took the scenic route for much of our drive because we would see more of the little towns and also because the French highways are quite expensive.

We made it to Lyon in the evening and our apartment was nice.  In a little town just south of Lyon and an easy 10 minute drive into the city.
I wasn't sure what we were going to do or see in the city, but it turns out that there is a lot to do there.  I really liked Lyon.

Vieux Lyon

Baguettes and B.O.

We returned out rental car in Plymouth and caught the train back to London and then to Paris.  It was a long day of travel, but we made it safely to Paris.  Diego's cousins met us at the station and guided us to our new rental.

Southwest England

We have been in Plymouth for the past 10 days.  It is located on the peninsula in the southwest part of England. This peninsula is mostly part of the county of Cornwall, which is where many of the British go for holiday (aka: vacation).  Plymouth is just outside of Cornwall in Devon County.  The weather was much more organized down here and although we had several stereotypical grey days we also had quite a few beautiful days.

Slugs, a Birthday, and Croquet

Left York/Breighton area and drove southwest to a town that was randomly picked called Burton-Upon-Trent.  It is one of the many strange names around this country.  I learned that it is referring to Burton that is "upon" the Trent River.  So a town along that river is called "Upon Trent."

If you find yourself in England you can skip that town.  It was like stopping in Pace for a visit.  No offense to Pace, but there was not a lot going on there.  We picked it to break up our drive towards the southern coast of England. 

We checked in and the place we rented was just okay.  Had a cute living and dining room area.  A room upstairs that smelled like cat pee.  A tolerable amount, but still.  Over grown grass and an untidy kitchen. This wasn't quite up to the standards we were expecting with Airbnb.  We could deal though.  

The day after we arrived was gonna be Luna's birthday, so we headed to the store, bought a cake and her meals of choice for that day.  Fast forward and girls are in bed, Diego and I are talking and walking towards the kitchen and "what is that?".......................flip on the lights................ahhh "slugs!!!"  All over the kitchen sink.  Diego collected them and put them in a bag, took it to the trash and thinking that they were coming from the sink drain we put the sink plug in place.  We were a little freaked out, but gonna talk to the owner the next day.  I wake up the next morning to find out that Diego went back down to the kitchen after I fell asleep and they were all over the place again.  Not just the sink, but the floor, the walls, the counters...........yuck.

He had already contacted Airbnb with pictures and they were in the process of refunding us. So we packed up the car and headed out to a new Airbnb that Diego found.  Stopped for a birthday breakfast.

On to Breighton and York

We are visiting a co-worker of Diego's, David, here south of York in a village called Breighton.

Kicked out of Europe the Day After We Arrived.

We spent about a month in New Jersey visiting and preparing for our next step.  The Airbnb and camping scene was almost non-existent in our old parts of Jersey.   So, we took up the offer to stay with friends.......I mean FRIENDS.  Anyone who welcomes an entire family to crash in their place for that long is a special group.  I think we're pretty easy, but still that's a long time to be in your space.  Thank you, Reishers!!!
We had a few days in Philly, beach outings, seeing friends, adult-only poker night, etc.  It was a great visit and we were very grateful for the time to prepare.

Back to the States

Our drive from Quebec down into Maine was very nice.  Lots of farm land and little towns to pass through.  We stopped by SAQ, Canadian liquor store to stock up on some things we discovered while visiting.  A whiskey made with maple syrup and a wine made with pear.  Both were delicious and I'm a tough sell.  

We had the most enjoyable border crossing ever when we came through at Sandy Bay Township.  It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere and then all of a sudden a border patrol station.  We had a girl and she was very nice.  Asked her questions and then chatted with us a little bit.  It doesn't have to be such a "jerky" experience after all.

Wyman Lake on the drive down.

French, French, Everywhere

Picked up the laptop in Watertown, NY, grabbed groceries and gas before heading back into Canada at the Thousand Islands crossing.  Food and gas are more expensive over there.
The border agents are not known for being friendly, but this one not only asked us if we were taking any weapons into Canada, but asked us if we owned any back in Florida.  Ummmm, I'm pretty sure what I own back in Florida is not the Canadian governments business.  Weird question.

We made it to Montreal that night and as of the moment of our crossing, Diego is on VACATION!!! No internet for him = no work.

We stayed with friends, Ana Cris and Martin.

Anacris, zoe and the girls

Across the Border

I didn't realize how much of Ohio is farm land.  For that matter, how much of our country, in general, is rural. There were farms everywhere on the drive from Columbus up to Michigan.

While we were in Columbus we camped at Alum Creek SP and it was an okay campground.  We stayed there a couple of nights and explored a bit.  Diego spent a work day at the local IBM office with a team mate.

Diego and Kavin

Following the Appalachian Mountains

Last Sunday we passed through part of northern Georgia into North Carolina.  The section of the drive following the Nantahala River was very pretty.  We made a stop along the of the river and watched the rafters and kayakers come in.  We passed through an tiny "town" called Wesser and I think that's where we crossed over back in high school when we were hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Nantahala River.......chillly

We're in the South, Ya'll

There was an imaginary line from St. Louis to Nashville where the accent kicked in.  We drove through some back roads and a few hours later emerged to "Go gechu un".  It felt warm and fuzzy.....We're close to home :)

Centennial Park

South Dakota,I don't love you......in March.

We had a nice two weeks in Colorado.  Hung out in Golden for a few days, stayed at Cherry Creek SP a few nights and the rest of the time we stayed with friends, Rich and Dechay.

Golden, CO

On the Road Again.....

It has been a while since I have written on the blog.  We had a very nice visit with family in Las Vegas.  Went to several Circque du Soleil show's, thanks to our local connections.  Saw Willie Nelson in concert at the Belagio.  Visited Red Rocks and spent lots of family time.

Cousins playing, no fighting, no playing....can't keep it straight :)

Joshua Tree

Leaving the California coast we headed inland toward Palm Springs to a city called Indio.  This town was picked based on campground and it's proximity to Joshua Tree National Park.

Reflections After One Year on the Road

I just caught up with a few weeks worth of blogs and was looking back on some of this past years entries and it's just so cool to see how much we have done and how many places that we have visited.

We had very little idea of what to expect when we set off last year.  We left on a cold December afternoon in New Jersey and literally had no idea where we were headed.  Spent our first night in a Walmart parking lot and then made a B-line for warmer weather.

We had so many "learning" experiences those first weeks, including almost pulling the front legs off of the fifth wheel.

We have made so many great memories, seen so many amazing places, and, I think I speak for all of us.........are so grateful to have had this opportunity.

I asked Diego and the girls to make a list of their favorite and least favorite things about traveling the country in a fifth wheel.  Some were more prompt with their responses than others.

The first to reply was Sofia.  She likes not being in one place all the time, getting to make so many new friends, and getting to see her family along the way.  She doesn't like that she doesn't see her other friends very often, that she has to share a small space with her sister, and that she can't run or jump in her "delicate" house :)

Luna says her favorite has been making new friends and seeing so many new places, but she doesn't like the days that we relocate because they can be long and she doesn't like that sometimes it's cold inside the camper.

For me, I love travel days.  I love the feeling of all of my "stuff" with me and I'm moving.  I remember that feeling in college driving down Interstate I10.  Everything I own in my trunk and I'm on the move. Freedom is my favorite and that moving down the road gives me such a sense of it.  I love passing through towns, seeing beautiful landscapes and getting to know new places.  I have loved meeting so many great people along the way too.

My least favorite things have been making reservations, making reservations, making reservations. Looking ahead, checking reviews, distances, Verizon coverage, etc. can be very time consuming and tiring.  My next least favorite has been when after doing all of that research, pulling into the place and it's not that great.  And lastly not having a mechanic, hair-cutter, or doctor at my fingertips that I know and trust.

As we get closer to Las Vegas we are all feeling excited to have some down time with family and rest up.  We're not sure what our next plans are, but we know that there are still a few places left that we want to see and are hoping to travel lighter this next leg of the trip.

A Place Where Everyone Can Spell Diego

We left Long Beach and drove south.  Diego has family in this area too, so we were planning a little reunion.
We camped at Guajome Regional Park in Oceanside, CA.  The campground was just okay.

We spent a couple of days in San Diego.  We drove by Balboa Park to see things.  Then to Seaport Village to get some work done.  The weather was just beautiful and there was a Starbucks right next to the village.  We all got a little work done and then the girls all headed down to the park by the water.

All I Want To Do Is Have Some Fun.........

We left Santa Maria and took Hwy 101 down towards the coast through Santa Barbara and Ventura.  At Ventura we headed down towards hwy 1 on the coast.  Once the ocean came back into view we were near Point Mugu and had a hungry group.  Took the first ocean side spot that we would fit into and made some lunch.


We took our time relaxing with the beautiful view and somewhere in those relaxing moments we locked ourselves out of the truck :)

Butterfly Trees

This next stop was picked because it was literally the only place we could find for Thanksgiving weekend.  Making reservations has proved to be our least favorite activity this past year and in our denial we waited until the last minute to reserve something.  As we started calling around we realized, wow, a lot of people go camping on Thanksgiving.  Finally one lady called us back and had a spot.  At this point I was wondering, why does she have a spot?  How bad is it? :)

It turned out to be fine and the girls loved it because there was a Boomers next door.  It's a race car, putt putt, batting cage place.  The weather was very nice and even warmer than our previous stop.

Visited the little Danish town of Solvang that was nearby.  Cute little place with a neat history.