Merry Christmas from the Wright's!

Check out our elf video for your amusement.. Happy Holidays!

Confessions from a month long RV trip

·        A dog puking in your lap just two minutes after leaving home does not ruin your entire trip.

·        You can take the man away from the cars, but… our first stop was the National Corvette Museum.

·        We have become extremely quick at setting up and taking down camp. We work well as a team.

·        You end up eating out more than you planned.

·        All campgrounds are not created equal. Amenities, other campers, etc.

·        RV toilets can, and will, get plugged up.

·        Ticks in New England LOVE our dogs.

·        If one person in an RV gets sick, the other will get sick also.

·        Urgent Care Clinics in New York and Virginia are pretty good!

·        Sometimes the RV antenna gets better reception than campground cable

·        Our favorite state to visit this trip was Maine.

·        When at a campground with extremely poor cell service, sometimes you stand with your hand in the air to try to get service.

·        You MUST love your spouse. You will be together 24/7 in a small space.

·        Pork chops taste better when cooked on the grill vs. a frying pan.

·        Yes, it is a tiny bathroom and odors will escape that tiny room. Overhead fans and odor eliminator are your friends.

·        Three dogs bring a lot of dirt, mud and grass into an RV. Including on the bed.

·        Check the campground washing machine before washing your clothes. Sometimes, “something” is in there and you have to rewash the load.

·        Inevitably you will discover something you need that your husband removed from the RV to save space.

·        Sheets can go a month without being washed. I don’t recommend it.

·        Clothes can be worn a few times without being washed.

·        If your husband gets lost in a parking lot and drives around in circles for a while, he doesn’t find it amusing that you are laughing hysterically until after the fact.

·        Trying to fit too much stuff into a month long trip wears you out.

·        Our next long trip will be off the cuff. We’ll go/do whatever we feel like doing that day.

·        You can pack a month’s worth of food into an RV. The only shopping we had to do was for milk and bread.

·        Bugs WILL find the small hole in a screen.

·        You will always need more wood blocks than you think.

·        Having a built in vacuum is EXTREMELY helpful. Especially with dogs.

·        Having at least one large fan to help air out the RV is helpful.

·        When stopping for gas, wash not only the windshield but the entire front of the RV to remove bugs.

·        You can’t make a sharp U-turn and you can’t back up with a car dolly attached.

·        The Good Sam GPS is amazing. It let’s you know if you can’t go down a certain road in the RV.

·        It makes the wife happy if you put up the decorative flag upon arriving at your site.

·        You may get a pull-thru site but that doesn’t mean you can leave your two car hooked up. The RV BARELY fit in one site.

·        It’s a good feeling when other campers ask if you’re in the “big rig”.

·        Yeti, RTIC, etc. cups are AWESOME to take along in the car. Great for the day trips and even when you return from an excursion, they still have ice!

·        Two people can easily drink an entire bottle of wine in one night.

·        Husbands can make a nice breakfast. If we had a tray, Debbie could have had breakfast in bed one morning.

·        Showers are not always possible every day. Not every campground has sewer hookups.

·        Always bring plenty of dog treats.

·        You can make some really good meals in an RV.

·        You can buy good lobster and flat iron steak in Maine.

·        You can buy some pretty crummy meals at restaurants.

·        You can buy BAD pizza and Chinese food in New York.

·        When visiting Niagara Falls, take dry clothes.

·        Niagara Falls has terrible road signs to show you where to go.

·        Tolls can be EXPENSIVE.

·        The good restaurants and view at Niagara Falls are on the Canadian side.

·        Adults can have fun on jumping pillows also.

·        Big cities are expensive to park in.

·        Tom turned into a fan of mass transit when we visited Washington, D.C.

·        Colonial Williamsburg would be a fun place to work.

·        We were able to see so much history.

·        If you are enjoying your grilled pork chops too much you will miss a rocket launch.

·        You will vacillate between being ready to be home and wishing the trip could last another week.

·        Online banking is a great invention.

·        You can get a great view of the Milky Way in some of the northern states.

·        Men seem to think they are smarter than the GPS. I’ve yet to see this as truth.

·        Do NOT run a fan to push the hot air out the window while flushing the toilet. Gag!!

·        Can we just go park by a lake and relax now?

Checking in!

Can you believe we’ve been staying at campgrounds that have NO WiFi and NO cell phone signal? We’ve been in the boonies for the past week! This means I have a few days to catch up on. Check out this picture of Tom trying to get cell service. We did a lot of this!

After we left Niagara Falls we traveled the New York countryside in search of our campground for two nights. It turned out to be a very pretty wooded campground. We drove into the Adirondack Mountains and the fall colors there did not disappoint.

Unfortunately, when we left home Tom had a cold. This cold had turned into a nasty cough and Tom just felt miserable. I finally told him we were going to go into town and find an Urgent Care Clinic. When he didn’t argue with me I knew he must really be feeling miserable. The diagnosis was bronchitis. A trip to Walgreens to fill some prescriptions and we drove back to the campground. After dinner, Tom was in bed early.

Next on our itinerary was a couple days in Vermont. Fortunately it was a short drive. I offered to drive but Tom, being the man, insisted he drive. We arrived at Kenolie Village campground and as soon as we were set up I told Tom to go rest. He slept for 2 ½ hours, woke up for dinner and then fell asleep again on the couch. He woke up and went to bed. The antibiotics started to kick in within a couple days although Tom is still a bit tired.

Vermont welcomed us with some fabulous colors. They are still just beginning to pop but we were able to find a few spots that were very colorful. We began the morning with a stop at a place that makes cheese. We were able to peek through the windows and watch the process. There were samples to be tried and of course we had to buy some! We also found some Vermont maple syrup. The best thing that was there was a pumpkin spice truffle. Oh my goodness! Yes, it was to die for!

After lunch at Wendy’s… yes they have them in Vermont also… we headed out for a drive. We ended up on an unpaved road exploring the countryside. We happened upon a “garage sale” where the owner’s yard was the most eclectic mix of decorating I have ever seen. Bicycles hanging from trees, yard art made out of ski poles and skis, a windchime made from ski poles and various other items.  We never did see the owner of the place as no one showed up while we were there. At one point I lost Tom. My immediate thought was this would be the perfect horror movie. All these creepy items around us and Tom goes missing. Do I jump in the car and leave him saving myself and the dogs? Not to worry, Tom answered my call and all was well.

I found the place we stayed in Vermont to be a bit creepy as well. There were a lot of seasonal campers there and I felt like we were the outsiders. Everyone stared at us including when they drove down the road on looked into our RV. One of them even waved at me through the window. We are friendly people but they didn’t speak to us, just looked at us. haha

We drove through New Hampshire on to our next stop in Maine. The fall colors just kept getting better and better. On The Saco Family Campground was our home for a few days in Maine. This was a great campground on the Saco River. There was plenty of space between the sites and everyone was very friendly. The first day we decided to drive to Bar Harbor. Tom checked the map and didn’t think it looked too far. His failure was that we were not at the spot on the map he thought we were. We were quite a bit further south. So it turned out to be quite a long day. Bar Harbor has a fun downtown that reminded us of a Key West but with a northern vibe.

Portland, Maine was a much larger city. Portland is the largest city in Maine in fact. We drove around a bit and walked along the waterfront. This reminded me of Seattle. I decided I NEEDED to see a lighthouse. I happened to be talking about this while in a store and the friendly clerk mentioned there was one just 15 minutes away. Yay! Our GPS was a bit confused but eventually we did find the lighthouse. Not only did we find the lighthouse but it was also the site of Fort Williams and there were relics of the fort still on the grounds. The views were awesome. I would have liked to stay longer but we had three furballs waiting in the RV to be let out. They were happy to see us as usual. Well, they better be happy to see us! Back in the car we jumped to head to a restaurant the owner of the RV park told us about. The best seafood in Maine he said. It sounded good to me! Of course I had to have the Maine lobster! DUH!!! Tom, well Tom doesn’t like seafood. Crazy right??!! He ordered the flank steak steak and couldn’t get over how good it was. We were told we were in Maine during the peak fall color season. Maine had a drought this year. The colors are doing what they call "pop and drop". The leaves change and very quickly fall. All I know is we saw some incredible colors!

Tonight we are settled in at the Boston Minuteman Campground. We are about an hour drive from Boston. This campground reminds me of the campgrounds back in Montana so I feel right at home here. AND we have WiFi (sort of) and cell service. Tomorrow we shall be tourists in Boston. There is so much history there we should have a great day!

Until next time…

Niagara Falls

Bucket list! Niagara Falls! We had such a great day here. First we went to check out the U.S. side of the falls and had to take a ride on Maid of the Mist. Mist?? Do they know what "mist" is?  By the time you get to the falls, that's not MIST! It was like being in a tropical storm. The wind picked up and the water sprayed in huge drops. Now you know why you see everyone wearing those fashionable ponchos. I, Debbie, prepared for the day. I wore my Keen water shoes, shorts and a rain jacket. On top of that I had a dry pair of shoes and another jacket in the car. Winning! The falls were awesome and it really is something to see. Did you know Niagara was the first State Park in the U.S.? There's a bit of trivia for you.

After lunch Tom had us booked on a Jet boat adventure up the Niagara river through the rapids. He didn't get us just any seats on the boat, he booked us the co-pilot seats! We sat right next to the boat captain, one of us on each side of him. The journey was so much fun. The things they can do with those boats is incredible. Our captain was doing donuts and taking us right in the middle of class 5 and 6 rapids. Many times the water washed over the entire boat. Fortunately we were inside the cabin but there is a "wet deck" on the rear where people would get completely drenched. No one was that brave on our tour. You have to see video to understand what it was like. Check it out here http://www.niagarajet.com/.

The next step was to go over to Ontario. Fortunately I remembered to pack our passports just for this occasion. The Falls area on the Canadian side has much more to do. There are tons of shops and restaurants and the view of the falls is better. There is also a boat there to take you up to the falls as well as a Behind the Falls tour and ziplining. We were too late for the Behind the Falls tour and the zipline was closed. I didn't check prices so I can't say whether the U.S. or Canadian boat is less expensive.

We had a remarkable day at Niagara Falls. And now... on to the next stop!

P.S. As we are driving we are seeing more and more changing leaves. I hope our timing is right!

It's the EPIC RV road trip!

Here we are somewhere in Ohio.  Ok, we are somewhere between Cincinnati and Columbus and we are already on day THREE of our latest adventure.  The last two nights were spent in Indiana at Follow the River RV Resort outside Florence, IN.  We arrived Monday night about 6:30 and camp was set up quickly.  We're getting pretty good with the teamwork of getting everything hooked up! Debbie even got dinner started while we set up and it was ready by the time we were.  Yes, I'll be honest, it was a simple meal, but still!! Then we sat back to watch the first great debate.

We explored the area a little bit on Tuesday.  Tom had to make sure Debbie got to check out the little, ok tiny, ok wee, who am I kidding?  It was the MINISCULE town of Rabbit Hash, KY. No, there isn't much there but it IS historic and I guess the adventure is all in getting there. :)  We then drove to Vevay, IN and checked out an antique mall.  No purchases were made but they had some cool stuff. Baby Bear got meet a giant rubber ducky today.  Ok, ok, it wasn't rubber, but it was cute just the same!

Then it was back to the campground and the kids (dogs) (us?) got to have some fun.  The RV park is huge with big open spaces and the dogs enjoyed being able to run off-leash.  Us? We discovered a bounce balloon pillow. There weren't any kids around to use it and it just looked so lonely.  Debbie braved it first and quickly declared we needed one in our back yard.  It's great exercise!  Tom couldn't be outdone so he had to give a go also.

Tonight's stop shall be Niagara Falls.  It's a long journey today but finally we will be getting into some of the states we have never visited before.  I have been to New York but I'm not sure changing flights really counts.  We are looking forward to what the next few weeks have in store for us!

See ya at Niagara Falls.

Deep South Cobra Club Gathering

This weekend we met up with the Deep South Cobra Club.  This was our first event with this group and they couldn't have been more welcoming!  We had a great time with this friendly group.  Friday and Saturday were cruise days.  There was a choice on Friday on whether to go the Tail of the Dragon or the Cherohala Scenic Skyway.  We had been on the Tail of the Dragon before so we chose the Cherohala. Those that went on the Dragon had a bit of excitement as they were the first upon the scene of a motorcycle accident. Fortunately for us our cruise wasn't as exciting but the drive was awesome.  It was every bit as scenic as the Dragon.  Everyone met up again for a short drive to dinner.

Saturday the entire group went to Brasstown Bald, the highest spot in the state of Georgia.  I've got to say, there were some gorgeous views from up there.  It will be really incredible in a couple of weeks when the leaves turn.  We had 20 Cobras traveling together. It was incredible sight on it's own!

And when we stop for gas we take over the gas station.

Speaking of gas... we are headed home and heard reports of a gas pipeline leak in Alabama that is causing gas shortages in a few states.  We did actually experience this.  Some stations were closed completely while others had long lines and were out of some grades of gas.

Interestingly, we are now back in Alabama and haven't seen this here. Tom said it's because people panic and everyone has to fill up just in case.  Funnily, Tom was one of them!!  We had plenty of gas to get further down the road but he didn't want to risk it, so Roo was topped off.

We had a great weekend in Georgia/North Carolina and now it's back home again.  Well, for a week anyway. Next week we begin our epic New England tour.  We can't wait!

That's how we roll!

Tom throwing horse shoes!

Link to the video of Tom playing "horse shoes" at the Dixie Stampede in Pigeon Forge, TN.

https://www.facebook.com/debbie.rossmiller/videos/10209132712268285/

He had fun despite the fact that after he initially said no I said YES HE'LL DO IT!! haha

Pigeon Forge, TN

Heading home after an enjoyable, relaxing stay in Pigeon Forge, TN. We parked at Riverside RV Park. Let me just say, they were the NICEST people. The park was clean, the pool was sparkling and the employees were very friendly. We always like to get a pull through site since we were pulling the trailer with the Cobra on it. They had plenty of space for us.

Pigeon Forge was our destination this weekend because it was the annual Shades of the Past car show. We never actually made it to the car show and we didn't need to. All you have to do is drive up and down the main road and you can see all the cars you want to see. People line the street with their lawn chairs just watching the cars drive by. It's like a parade but not officially a parade. There must have been 1000 cars in town. It was a great experience. We did manage to get ourselves caught in a downpour again last night. Shelby Cobra, no top. We seem to get ourselves in that predicament a lot lately!

Forget Orlando. Visit Pigeon Forge! Seriously, there is so much to do there! You can visit Dollywood, play at splash parks, see shows and shop. We attended three shows while we were in town. The Hatfield and McCoy dinner show was so much fun! Audience participation, great food and lots of laughter. We also attended the Smoky Mountain Opry. This was our least favorite. It was okay but not near as entertaining as the Hatfield and McCoy's or the Dixie Stampede, The Dixie Stampede is a western show with horses, skits and more good food. If you've ever been to Medievel Times, it's set up in the same fashion. You eat with your hands and watch the show. Tom was chosen to go in the arena and compete in a game of "horse shoes". I have to admit that I did give Tom a bit of a nudge to volunteer when he was asked. Then I checked to make sure he had played horse shoes before. NOPE! No worries because when he entered the arena he discovered that they weren't really throwing horse shoes but open ended toilet seats. Those of you that know Tom know he can be a ham and he didn't disappoint. He even ended up winning! I video'd it and it was so cute that in the background you can hear a small child saying "go Tom!"

Of course BabyBear went with us. He had his picture taken with some of the cast from the Hatfield and McCoy's. They even shared this picture on their facebook page! Go BabyBear!

One morning we met up with a bunch of other Cobra owners and took a cruise to an apple farm for breakfast. I've got to say that Tennessee has great scenery. Could be a destination next time we move. Yeah, we're always planning ahead.

We didn't have any major hiccups on this trip. Sure, we got caught in the rain but it's just water! We even got to try out the heater in the Cobra. It really puts the heat out. Not like the wimpy heater in our old Cobra. Tom called it a wheezer. Unfortunately running the heater, windshield wipers and engine fans were all the alternator could handle. The battery was dead when Tom tried to start the car this morning Of course, a friendly fellow camper came to his aid. We always look forward to seeing what our next snafu will be. NOT!!

Stay tuned for next weeks adventure!

Oh... friendly tip for you RVers... do not have an overhead fan on when you flush the toilet... yeah... it sucks the air right out of the holding tank... you can imagine the rest.

Wild Hair Day rules

Here at the Wright life we have something we call Wild Hair Day.  It's so fun to see what the other person is going to come up with.  Give it a try.  We think you'll love the idea.  Be sure to join our facebook page so we can see what you're doing on your Wild Hair Day!

www.facebook.com/wildhairday

Epic trip planned!

Yes, this trip is going to be epic!!  It's New England in the fall.  But not JUST New England in the fall, we are hitting a bunch of bucket list spots also. The route is planned, campgrounds have been reserved and we are ready to hit the road!  The plan will take us almost 4 weeks and over 3000 miles to complete.

Our tour officially begins with the first stop at Niagara Falls. We have to check it out. AND I hear there is a zipline across the falls! After that adventure we will make our way through the mountains and eventually end up in Maine.  We are hoping our trip is planned correctly so we can follow the fall colors south.

The next major stop is outside Boston.  We are so excited to check out some of the things this city has to offer.  After Boston will be the Washington D.C. area followed by Williamsburg, VA.  There is so much to see in D.C. and I've always wanted to visit Colonial Williamsburg.

We know we won't be able to see everything.  If we get a taste of what there is to offer in each place we can make plans later for a more thorough stop.

In case you are wondering... there are extra stops in the map because we plugged in Pilot/Flying J gas stops also!  Yep, we have planned! haha

This trip has been in the works for well over a year. Now we just have to wait for the start date. Keep an eye on the blog to see how this epic road trip turns out!

A quick adventure

It was a quick trip to Fort Lauderdale to attend the wedding of two very good friends.  We had an awesome time at the wedding and were able to catch up with others we haven't seen since we moved.

We aren't home yet, but so far there have been no mishaps.  I know, I shouldn't have said it!

Two nights were spent at an RV park close to the wedding venue then we moved to Jonathan Dickenson State Park.  After visiting our Port St. Lucie friends and enjoying a nice lunch with the bride and groom it was on the road again.  I'm not sure where we will end up tonight but that's part of the adventure right?

Please enjoy a picture of rush hour in Jacksonville.  THIS is why we love living in the "country".



Until the next adventure...

Wild Hair Day!

Here in the Wright family we have "Wild Hair Day".  Huh?? What the heck is Wild Hair Day??? Simple. It sets us up for fun!  Either of us can call a Wild Hair Day and the other person has to go along with it. No arguments. I (Debbie) called one tonight for tomorrow.  Or, I thought it was for tomorrow.  I have lost track of days somehow and tomorrow is NOT Friday.  So I called Wild Hair Day a bit early.  No matter.  It still stands!  So on Friday we are hopping in the car and making the two hour drive to Nashville.  I have a few things planned including attending the Grand Ole Opry. It's just one of those things you gotta do at some point!

We are here! Really!

Really, we are here.  Many posts have been made on our facebook page for Enjoying the Wright Life and I really apologize for not posting here also.  Our lives have been crazy these past few months. We up and moved to Alabama!  There were many reasons for the move but probably the biggest was because we are gypsies at heart.  We lived in Florida, had a successful kayak tour business and decided we had "been there, done that" and it was time to try something new!

It turns out that something new is traveling more!  We hadn't even finished unpacking the house when we took a three week trip to Montana.  It wasn't all play though, we did actually have work to do there.  After spending a few weeks at home, it was time for another trip.

Tom has been wanting to get another Shelby Cobra and he found one.  A 1965 Unique Motorsports Cobra to be exact.  So it was off to Louisville, KY for the British Bash car show.  The was followed by a couple days in General Butler State Park in Kentucky which was on the way to Columbus, OH where we attended the London Cobra Show.  Since we were so close to one of our daughters who lives in Michigan it just made sense to drive up there to spend the 4th of July weekend camping with them.

We are now back home and trying to catch up on chores around the house and in the yard.  Some relaxation time is in order also.  So it's rest up for a few weeks then we are off to Florida to attend our good friend's wedding.

The great thing about RVing is it is so easy to take the dogs with us.  But the BEST thing is, it is so easy on us to travel this way.

Until next time...