OLA: Being Blown Away by the Outer Banks!

the outer banks, off the coast of North Carolina

Literally and figuratively! Barely the start of the tourist season (April 1-3), we braved those more than 25 mph winds that made it seem colder than the 59 degree high (we had to dig out our winter wear). The Outer Banks jut out as barrier islands 26 miles from the US continental shores off North Carolina (about 200 miles). I had always wanted to see how people live there. The proper winds, the lights that guide, the shifting sands of time, and the three postscripts are what blew us away in North Carolina's Outer Banks in just three days!

The Proper Winds

This kind of constant wind what the Wright Brothers lacked in their Dayton, Ohio home. So they selected the winds in Kitty Hawk at the Outer Banks to make history. The Brothers succeeded in making four flights  there on Dec. 17, 1903. With winds just a bit stronger than those we felt, on the fourth try they flew their plane for 852 feet in just 1 sec.short of a minute! It was exhilarating to walk those grounds!

grand memorial to the Wright Brothers
the conquest of space
Kitty Hawk, Outer Banks, NC

Memorial to the Century of Flight, Nag's Head, Outer Banks, NC

And so it is fitting that a grand memorial is there on 90-foot high Big Kill Devil Hill from where they attempted a launch, even preserving the cottages from where they lived and engineered the dream. It is even more fitting that a Memorial to a Century of Flight was erected commemorating 100 years of aviation achievement since the Wright’s conquest of air space. There is a monument to each decade laid out as a circle with a 120-ft. circumference. The Memorial holds a time capsule, to be opened in 2103, by the heroes of the next century of achievements. Who knows what and who those might be? 

The Lights that Guide

Bodie Lighthouse
Bodie, Outer Banks, NC

tallest brick beacon
Currituck Lighthouse
Corolla, Outer Banks NC

These barrier islands are so important to maritime history. The very first colony was braved on Roanoke Island by about 115 white settlers led by John White in 1585. Though historical distrust between two races, leadership crises among the settlers or succumbing to natural diseases may have stricken those left behind when White returned to England to ask for more resources. They were all gone when he returned 3 years later. This preceded the Jamestown Colony in Virginia in 1607 and the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620. However, it didn’t survive like the other two! It is now fondly called The Lost Colony. Interesting to know!

Ocracoke Light
Ocracoke, Outer Banks, NC

American Lioghthouse
Hatteras, Outer Banks, NC

This bit of history highlights the geographical significance of the Outer Banks. In the 19^th century, four lighthouses were built to aid maritime commerce: the Ocracoke Lighthouse built in 1823 and still operating, the Bodie Lighthouse built in 1846 supposedly named after bodies washed ashore from shipwrecks, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, also known as the American Lighthouse,  built in 1870 and the tallest (160 ft.) brick beacon in the world, and the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, privately owned and built in 1875. The four make for a beautiful collage of important history. Sad to note, however, that so many shipwrecks still happened in the waters there such that it was called the Graveyard of the Atlantic and a museum so called stands at Ocracoke.

The Sands of Time

Jockey's Ridge State Park, Nag's Head, Outer Banks, NC

rows of fences are used to stabilize the sand dunes
that separate Hwy 12 from the Atlantic

The 2-lane Highway 12 that connects the islands of  Outer Banks is separated from the ocean in large stretches by sand dunes. But at the 426-acre Jockey’s Ridge State Park, the highest active sand dune (estimated 30 million tons) in the East Coast of Nor
th America lives. It is called a medano—a massive, asymmetrical, shifting hill of sand which the notorious winds cause to continually shift, making the dunes move about one to six feet to the southwest each year. Thus, hang gliding, hiking, and kite flying are great to do there. Bill loved capturing the artistry of the sands on his D5000! I got scared, though...don't know why!

the Inn at Rodanthe, featured in the movie 'Nights at Rodanthe', Outer Banks, NC

The Three Postscripts

Our Lady of the Seas at Buxton, Outer Banks, NC

Three other moments on this short trip are memorable: 1) hearing a Spanish Mass at the Our Lady of the Seas Catholic Church right at the edge of the Sound for Palm Sunday, 2) finding the Inn at Rodanthe where Richard Gere and Diane Lane created for all of us their memorable but tragic love story, and 3) choosing to dine at Carolina Seafood just because it was named after me! There we found Sandra who guided us to a reasonably-priced Carolina Seafood Platter (what else?) the only condition for which was to eat at the bar. What luck! She is the paragon of a gracious host and best of story-tellers in the Outer Banks!

Sandra's Carolina Seafood Sampler at Nag's Head, Outer Banks, NC

kiteboarding right on Jenette's Pier, Nag's Head, Outer Banks, NC

In three short days we truly got blown away by the Outer Banks of North Carolina, literally and figuratively,...its proper winds, the lights that guide, the sands of time, and the three postscripts! Wish we had more and actually had time to do some of the activities the unique environment had to offer!   

OLA: Partying with Snowbirds

Bill's offered his 68th birthday cake to the snowbirders of the RVing world!

snowbirds learning many line dancing variations

SNOWBIRDS!   The term makes you think of old, retired people from as far north as Newfoundland in Canada who leave their cold homes in November to spend a warm winter in Florida then make their way back home in March. They may have a few years under their belt, but they are definitely young at heart, and they certainly know how to have fun! Last week we introduced you to our young traveling friends from Slovenia. This week we spotlight our more regular companions in the RVing world, those sexygenarians like us (or older!) and about ‘partying’ with them.

Fay and Butch toasting the celebrant

Lake Magic in Orlando, Florida

Lake Magic in Orlando, a member of the Encore group, is the overflow park of Orlando Thousand Trails, one of our favorite parks. It sits on Highway 192 West, part of the triangle that circumscribes the theme parks of Orlando. It is only 6 miles from Disney! The RV haven is very nice with well-maintained facilities and tons of activities. We were lucky that Orlando Thousand Trails did not have space for us and got booked in and introduced to Lake Magic instead! 

Warren and Berta leading the singing

But the Park’s outstanding feature is its energetic community of younger snowbirds. Some store their RVs in the Park to use it as their alternate home in Florida. Some rent or own park models and just drive to Florida in their cars, and some are just like us who haul their home full time on the road. We were lucky that we got drawn into a group that seemed to party every day, with pot luck food and loads of karaoke singing and line dancing, led by Warren and Berta who own the equipment. 

      

Bill singing 'Wake Up Little Susie'

A traditional ‘Virginia’ barbecue courtesy of Fay and Butch coincided with Bill’s 68^th birthday, so we brought a large German chocolate cake.  A host of sides were brought by the other 45 guests. A hearty Happy Birthday was sung as Bill offered his cake that read ‘Happy RVing and Snowbirding’ to start dessert time. Then the group burst into karaoke singing, street dancing, and more eating! And, like always when a party ends, Warren and Berta led the group in singing ‘We’re Best of Friends’!

St. Patrick's Day celebration with the 'band'

Three Flags in Wildwood, Florida

Over at Three Flags, another Encore campground, management had ushered in the snowbirding season with the Thanksgiving Party where they served roast turkey while we campers contributed sides and desserts (also became my own 63^rd birthday celebration). Then March 17 they bid goodbye to the season with its St. Patrick’s Day celebration, serving corned beef and cabbage, traditional Irish fare, plus all the sides and desserts from the campers. The holiday is a cultural and religious holiday for the most commonly recognized patron saint of Ireland and the arrival of Christianity to the Emerald Isle.

just the dessert tables

Joe and Dottie having dinner with us...

During the winter of 2009/201, we met Joe, 81, and Dottie, 82 also in Three Flags. He has become Bill’s fishing buddy while Dottie is my Scrabble and Upwords playmate.  Dottie and I also exchange a lot of fave recipes.  At about the same time we met them, we also met Bob and Laverne, who are just a little older than us. They run a popular entertainment blog so they introduced me to the world of blogging and Entrecard. Without them, I would not have known how to establish my online presence.  

Bob and Laverne having dessert with us...

Bev and Dan going out with us...

We were also surprised to see Dan and Bev Johnson (the same age as Bill and I) in Three Flags this year. They are from the Seattle, Washington area like us. We met at an eastern Washington campground when we were on our way back to Seattle. This time around, a special bond developed because they kept me company when Bill needed to stay in the hospital after a heart attack. They visited Bill at the Heart of Florida Medical Center the following day.

Carol singing 'Act Naturally'

The RV and travel community can be very isolating even if we meet a lot of people at all of the campground activities. Once in a while, however, we are able to form special bonds with fellow travelers who become lifelong friends. We make the effort to keep communication lines open even when we are apart and take pains to schedule next meetings. Once again, we are reminded of the theme of this blog…’It is not about age, it is about lifestyle’.  We share the cruising lifestyle.

Being Closer to Family, an Orlando Reunion OLA

an enchanting Loch Ness monster on Pleasure Island in Downtown Disney

New Year's Eve dinner at Giordano's, our treat! 

"A thing is mighty big when time and distance cannot shrink it". Such is family. Just as 2011 was ending, the Aberions  from Seattle, Washington (eldest daughter Trisha, her husband DJ and grandkids Yeye and Kenji) and  the Vidallos from Calgary, Alberta, Canada  (second daughter Claudine and her husband Arnold and grandkids Ashton, Andre, and Enzo) arrived to help us be true to one of our resolutions.

fireworks at the hotel parking lot!

Orlando is not a nice place to be if you are on a diet. New Years’ Eve Dinner was at Giordano’s (famous for their deep dish pizzas and pastas) near their hotel, the Maingate Lakeside Resort. Then, as is the Philippine custom, we greeted the New Year with some legal (not lethal) fireworks at the hotel.  The frenzied exchange of delayed Christmas gifts ensued and the toasts of champagne completed the night!

New Year's Day pandemonium at the RV!

On New Year’s Day we brought a hearty Filipino brunch to wake them up. That was when we also distributed our gifts to everyone. Kenji so loved his 5 gifts (he turned five on Dec. 16) that he danced Happy Feet for us! At 5PM, after an afternoon of swimming, mini-golf and a round of horseshoes at the Orlando Thousand Trails’ clubhouse complex, we had New Years’ Day dinner at our ‘patio’.

lunch at Ichiban, Trisha and DJ's treat, on that cold Florida day!

The following day the Vidallos were off to a fun day at Sea World and the Aberions to Disney’s Magic Kingdom!  Unfortunately, the following day turned out to be a record cold day in Florida, highs of 40s and lows of 30s (an arctic blast came quickly…but also left as quickly!). We all just went shopping at Downtown Disney, sandwiched by a Japanese /Chinese buffet at Ichiban for lunch and a Hibachi dinner cum chef show at Kobe Steakhouse.  Kenji said it best, “Happiness is eating too much!” But for Yeye, it was shopping too much!

dinner at the Kobe Steak House, Claudine and Arnold's treat 

The following day still started out cold but the sun raged and the day ended with high 60s so the two families enjoyed the first of their 2 Universal Studios sprees. It was fortunate that the next day was even warmer, inching up to the low 70s! In the tradition of eating too much, both couples opted to pay for the $20 for adults and $10 for kids all-day eat-all-you-can meals (with a lot more taken out for midnight snacks back at the hotel)!

right at the entrance of LegoLand, a fave dinosaur!

at the entrance to Legoland

Then the couples had their day of rest as Bill and I took the four little boys on a visit to Orlando’s newest theme park, LegoLand!  Designed for kids under 9, the boys had a blast! Between the flying, driving, and boating schools and the build and test race cars at Imagination the little boys all voted Legoland the best theme park of their visit! They were all amazed at the millions of Lego bricks used to build Miniland and delighted at the safari, the Island in the Sky, etc.

mesmerized at Miniland's millions of bricks

The Aberions had to leave early. It may have been a short trip but we were definitely thrilled to be able to hold Kenji and Yeye in our arms and to behold Trisha and DJ’s animated faces as we talked. The Vidallos had an extra four days which they used well to scour every inch and corner of Disney World and its 4 parks. We had a final dinner on the evening of the 8^th, , very glad to have nice talks with Claudine and Arnold first hand and to squeeze the little boys in tight hugs.  Enzo must have posed for me a hundred times with his Harry Potter smile, complete with glasses!

the little boys having fun with Arnold at their hotel room

It is definitely a wonderful start.  But to be closer, despite the time and distance, will require much more than annual visits. Constant communication throughout the year will be necessary. Technology will certainly help. But fervent caring will always be the key. When the Aberions and Vidallos left to go back home, we felt like saying, ‘We will hold you in our hearts til we can hold you again in our arms’.

OLA: Finally Feeling @ Home

from the hot tub to Mr. Snowman to greet you!

Honestly, it is quite difficult to call any of the campgrounds we stay in home, however nice. We simply do not stay long enough! But last week Bill had a heart attack (please see htttp://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/12/wow-getting-scared.html).  We were fortunate that there is a good hospital just 14 miles away from the Orlando Thousand Trails Resort! The Heart of Florida expertly handled the crisis, putting two stents to repair his damaged heart. Now Bill is doing very well. It is no wonder that this Resort has become our all-time favorite!

Disney World is just around the corner!

 In my post on Classifying Campgrounds, I named this resort as a prime example of our favorite type, a country club (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/11/four-types-of-campgrounds-rv-park.html). A country club is a campground that is in or at the outskirts of a city and has lots of amenities and activities. The Orlando Resort is just 14 miles from Disney World, nestled among residential subdivisions, just a stone’s throw from US 192 that is dotted by hotels, restaurants, and shops leading to the famous Park. That is one of the reasons we have liked this campground a lot.

adult pool and hot tub in front of the clubhouse...

It is also near everything else we need, just like a home should be: supermarkets like Walmart (and Redbox) 1.5 miles, Publix (1 mile) and Sweet Bay (0.5 mile), Cagan Crossings Community Library (1.5 miles), Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church (15 miles), Ballys Fitness Center (20 miles), the Florida Center for Digestive Health (20 miles), and downtown Disney, 25 miles. We would settle down here if only it were near our children’s homes (they are all in the West)! But it is a great place for them to visit and that’s what just some of them are doing this holiday season!

cool, shaded mini-golf course

While waiting for my children’s arrival, we are enjoying the famous Florida winter weather (highs of low 80s and lows of mid 50s), its daily sun and lush tropical green! I have bought a brand new swimsuit and matching wrap because every day we are in the pool or hot tub or both! Orlando Thousand Trails RV Resort has 2 heated pools, one for adults, the other for kids, and a hot tub! They have just upgraded the fitness center so we no longer need to go to Ballys that often unless we want sauna and steam baths.

a game of pickleball going on

As if those were not enough, the Resort also has all the following: courts for mini-golf, tennis, pickle ball, shuffleboards, and volleyball, a big hall for Friday or Saturday dances, concerts and karaoke (I love to sing and dance!), a big kitchen/dining room for a la carte food, a general store for many emergency requirements, an efficient mail room providing free services (this is a must for a good campground), and a complete game room for crafts, billiards, table tennis, puzzles, and board games. There are also notices and sign-up sheets to manage all kinds of activities: aerobics, coffee with the manager, bridge, bingo, pot luck, etc. My favorite, Texas Hold’Em, is on every night! There are at least 2 activities per day!

having fun at the Christmas Party

Last December 11th, there was even a Christmas Parade of Lights that ushered in the Season. A week later there was an early Christmas Dinner and Show. Other holiday events scheduled are a Christmas Eve Barbeque and a New Year’s Eve Dinner and Show. We were at the 2009 New Year’s Eve Party and there were must have been about 200 people who greeted 2010 with us!

There are actually about 800 sites in this campground all filled at the height of the season in January.  And, since it is a popular Resort, some of our friends are here to enjoy the holidays with us: Jim and Pat and their jamming sessions and Chuck and Evelyn and their antique cars. And Dan, a former executive chef, and wife Bev are also just 20 miles away!

feeling @ home...

As you can tell, Bill and I are enjoying this campground (even with the brief interruption) like crazy! In fact, we do not feel we are on vacation here…we are, for all intents and purposes, home! So now that we are considering  settling down, Orlando Thousand Trails RV Resort is at the top of the list!

Rounding Out Our Great Plains Adventure: OLA

a covered bridge from the 'Bridges of Madison County' in Winterset, Iowa

We were fearful for the next day when we had to cross the Midwest (the breadbasket of the US where the land is very fertile, ideal for oats, wheat, and corn. Central Luzon, the rice granary of the Philippines seems like a speck against these vast green and amber waves of grain, the graceful grain terraces, and the wind turbines that power them). There had been so much swelling of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers due to early melts, we didn’t know what to expect, and we had heard about the devastation.

grains terraces on the Great Plains

The Great Plains is that section of the Midwest that is the most flat, covering the states of North and South Dakota (except for the Black Hils), Nebraska, and Kansas. Often described as having the most homogeneous (and monotonous) topography of any part of the US, the region experiences the greatest extremes in temperature and climatic conditions. Winters are cold, with frequent snowy blizzards, while summers bring hot, dry winds. Before we left the eastern part of South Dakota, it was over 100 degrees!

wind turbines at dusk

The Great Plains also experience more tornadoes (remember Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz?) than any other region. Joplin, Missouri, close to the southeastern tip of Kansas was most recently devastated by a killer tornado. When the region was first being settled in the late 1800s, periods of good rainfall attracted a large numbers of settlers. Then several years of drought that turned fields into dry wastelands, discouraged them. The worst dust bowls occurred in the depression years of the 1930s.

the Corn Palace at Mitchell

It is only fitting that a proud testament to the hardworking people stands in Mitchell, South Dakota. The world’s only Corn Palace was started in 1882 and is rebuilt annually from 275,000 ears of corn at a cost of $130,000. Using 12 different colors of corn and trimmed by grass, rye, wheat, etc., an artist’s design is executed on a building shell. This year the design theme is called ‘American Pride.’ In Sioux Falls, the Missouri River is broken by pink granite rocks that create a pretty system of little waterfalls. 

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Sioux Falls in the city of the same name

Boys Town, a national landmark in Omaha

Just southeast of the Badlands are the Sand Hills of central Nebraska but we didn’t know so we missed them and the famous Chimney Rock. But it was a pleasant surprise to know that it was in Omaha, Nebraska where Boys Town was born. In 1917 Father Flannagan bought Overlook Farm and dedicated his ‘home’ to the care, treatment, and education of at-risk children. There are now 14 centers in America saving millions of children. Between Omaha and Council Bluffs is also the longest pedestrian bridge linking 2 states. 

the longest pedestrian bridge connecting Nebraska and Iowa

Bill's first home in Omaha, Nebraska

Bill started his family in Omaha, where, after working for a year at Caterpillar Tractors’ HQ in Illinois (where he met his late wife), he was reassigned. All three of his children were born there at the very first house he ever bought.  He had just graduated from Pittsburg State University in his hometown in Kansas when he joined the earth-moving equipment giant. And it was also in Omaha where he moved on to Burroughs which finally brought him to Seattle, where thirty-five years later we would eventually meet!

sections of I-29 that hugged the Missouri River
 between Nebraska and Iowa, submerged by the river's flood waters

Rosemary, Jack, Bill, Joe and Susan,
with Bill in Kansas City

So we also drove to Kansas City to meet his only sister, Rosemary, her husband Jack, and her children Joe and Bill, and Susan, Joe’s wife. Ordinarily the trip from Omaha to Kansas City would have taken 3 hours at most. It took us four hours and 15 minutes, each way! I could not believe it. Memories of Manila floods that leveled our tiny home beside an overflowing creek welled in my mind as I saw flood waters, being released from dams, submerge big sections of I-29, a huge American freeway!

John Wayne's birthplace in Winterset, Iowa

But before we moved on, we stopped at Council Bluffs, Iowa where we had our RV checked out at Camping World. While they worked on the heating/airconditioning system, we discovered that the famous Bridges in Madison County was just 2 hours away in Winterset. That is where Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep denied each other the love of their life!  And the town is also John Wayne’s birthplace!!! His home is just the right size...if only it were yellow! How is that for rounding out our adventure in the Great Plains?

Malcolm X's birthplace on the same street at Bll's Omaha home

Next Stops: Minnesota and Wisconsin