Traveling Robert

Episode 41 - Road Trip America, North

2011-09-13T23:14:00.001-07:00

Episode 40 - Habana: El Vedado, Playa, and El Mariel

2011-09-11T22:18:00.001-07:00

Last launch of the Space Shuttle, Atlantis

2011-07-09T02:48:00.001-07:00

Episode 39 - Havana (The Beaches and Old Havana)

2011-07-07T10:35:00.001-07:00

Day 3 - Up and down we go

2011-06-15T07:09:00.001-07:00

We woke up at the Walmart parking lot after 9 am, oversleeping by about an hour. We took a very scenic ride north, and the took Interstate 77 again into West Virginia which felt like a dressed rehearsal to our three days of roercoaster rides at Cedar Point. Up and down right and left for hours. It is a beautiful state, and the highlight of the road trip so far. We decided to take some secondary highways to see some of the countryside, some too secondary for my taste. We took one country road in the West Virginia woods next to a creek in which only one car could fit each way. We had a couple close calls but eventually we found our way back to I-77. We didn't stop until we reached Akron, Ohio to dine 75-year-old Swenson's drive in, another place famous for its appearance on the Food Network and Road Food, the book. We had the signature hamburgers with two special sauces. I find that places like this last for so long and become so famous not only because of the taste and quality of the food but also because of the great service. Th staff was very accommodating, as the motor home took three parking spaces. Sadly the McDonalds across the street had more customers. Their loss.

An hour and a half later we arrived in Cedar Point Amusement Park right at Sunset. Up and down we go! Cedar point is one of the world's largest amusement park, and the one with the most rides: 75, four of them taller than 200 feet. Looking forward to it.

Day 2 - Getting the hang of it

2011-06-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

Either this contraption has gotten a lot smoother, or I've gotten used to it. The trip hasn't been without unexpected trouble. The gray water overflowed, and at one point the fuel tank was to low to use the generator. The tank incident happened at the RV park, so no big deal, we just dumped the tank. Then we took a taxi, driven by a very colorful fellow from Miami, to historic Savannah. We had lunch at the River Boat Cruise, which is expensive and lacking in variety. I would not recommend. Then we walked around the streets, including the park where they filmed Forrest Gump: Chippewa Square. We walked all the way to Forsyth Park, in the Victorian District, and called Bert, our cab driver to take us back to the RV camp. We spent the rest of the day driving north. We stopped for dinner at Barbecue King, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The place has been featured on the Food Network, and the book Road Food. The minced barbecue pork was a unique experience, spiced exactly right. The staff extremely friendly specially one who had been working at the joint for 48 years. Leaving Charlotte we took a quick cruise around Downtown, and the Epicenter. We got caught bu a pretty severe thunderstorm on our way out, making the first hour of the drive very stressful, but after it cleared up it was a pleasant drive on the mountains of North Carolina. We arrived at Wytheville, Virginia at midnight and boondocked at the local Walmart. That's when the generator wouldn't work, but it was a pleasant night and we didn't need to use the A/C. Next stop Sandusky, Ohio!

Day 1 - The long and not so winding road

2011-06-11T05:53:00.001-07:00

As I expected my beloved state of Florida seems endless. Interstate 95, straight and flat. We decided to stop at a few places to take a break from the road. First we cruised around Delray Beach, just south of Palm Beach; and then further north, around Cocoa Beach near Cape Canaveral. We didn't stop, however at St. Augustine, where we had planed. Two serendipitous reasons: First we were late, so we would have been able to spend little over an hour. Second, I accidentally muted the GPS and missed my exit. So, we had dinner at Applebees, and arrived at our destination, the Red Gate Campground in Savannah shortly after midnight.
Good morning Savannah!

In other observations, the Cuise America standard RV is a little too small for four people. It feels cramped inside. Perhaps we are used to more space. We'll review again towards the end of our trip.

Anticipation

2011-06-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

Every adventure has three parts. The before, when you plan the trip; the adventure itself; and the after, when you look at the photos, the videos, the souvenirs, and evoke the tastes, smells, and sights experienced. We’ve been in the planning stage for months. This time we will drive from our home in South Florida to Sandusky, Ohio. And back. I’m no stranger to road trips; in fact I have always enjoyed being behind the wheel. This time, however, it is a little different. We plan to do the 2,500-mile round trip in an RV. Also, I have never ventured in a vehicle north of New York or west of New Orleans, and the RV brings an extra number of complications that require further planning and training. I think we are ready though. I have made the trip several times on Google Maps and carefully planned every aspect of the itinerary. I purchased a book called Road Food that recommends several independently owned eateries across America, book review coming later. I have also watched all the instructional videos from Cruise America; and Google, Wikipedia, Wikitravel and many other sites have been invaluable.

One inconvenience of living in South Florida is the length of the peninsula. It takes nearly a day to get out of the state. And if you have been down here you know that our choices of highways going north are all boring, flat, and non-scenic, except for US-27 maybe. The Turnpike is the worst and they even charge you to use it. We are taking good old Interstate 95 and I am not stopping until we reach Saint Augustine, North America’s oldest town… but I will tell you about that in a couple of days, when we have actually been there.

Episode 38 - John Pennekamp Coral Reef National Park

2011-05-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

Episode 37 - Downtown L.A.

2011-04-14T07:37:00.001-07:00

Episode 36 - L.A. - Off The Beaten Path

2011-03-23T21:41:00.001-07:00

Episode 35 - L.A.

2011-02-22T20:50:00.001-08:00

Episode 34 - South of the Border

2011-01-12T06:13:00.001-08:00

Episode 33 - More Paris

2010-12-06T06:34:00.001-08:00

Episode 32 - Paris

2010-12-01T06:29:00.001-08:00

New York - Part 2

2010-11-17T22:31:00.001-08:00

New York: Part 1

2010-09-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Alaska - Part 8: The Last Day

2010-09-01T06:30:00.001-07:00

Alaska - Part 7: Due South, The Return.

2010-08-12T10:36:00.001-07:00

Alaska - Part 6: The Arctic Ocean

2010-08-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

Alaska - Part 5: Wiseman to Deadhorse

2010-08-08T22:45:00.000-07:00

Alaska - Part 4

2010-07-28T09:41:00.001-07:00

Alaska - Part 3

2010-07-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

Alaska - Part 2

2010-07-14T07:34:00.001-07:00

Alaska - Part 1

2010-07-13T16:51:00.001-07:00