Manatee Hammock County Park in Titusville, Florida

Manatee Hammock is a great campground to stay at while working on the boat in Westland Marina boatyard. We had great boat work weather for most of our stay. We missed knowing to look for the rocket launch in the early am our first day there. The campground was filled with Christmas decorations and we enjoyed a visit with my sister and brother-in-law to cook our instant pot chicken taco bowl unexpectedly in a downpour rain.

Our first time with awnings up

The solar lights originally for the boat

Many rigs lit up for the holidays

Beautiful full moon looking up through the trees

Getting into the Christmas spirit at my sister's house

Happy Holidays!

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

We gifted our T@b teardrop trailer to our nieces once we finally got our 16 foot Caravel Air Stream trailer, Cutie Too, delivered from the factory. We loaded her up for a test run close by to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park on the Gulf of Mexico not far from where Glenn's parents had a cabin years ago. The park has 16 miles of trails, a paved bike path to the beach, several fishing lakes and a tram that runs from the campground to the private beach. We lucked out with Monday night live music on the camp store front porch even though it was a bit chilly. The prescribed burn prevented us from hiking all the trails but it was a gorgeous upscale park, once a private RV resort.

Our campsite with Cutie Too

The dining table

The galley kitchen

The rear double bed

The toilet with shower

The hiking trails

One of three tram stops

Gorgeous boardwalk across the dunes

The prescribed burn

No Name Lake trail

Near the shuffle board court and horse shoe pits

Chance for a green flash at sun down

The porch stage at the coffee camp store

Luxury rental bungalows

Butterfly garden near the laundry room

Monarch butterflies

Cutie Too ready to go again

Camp Hill, Alabama to Valparaiso, Florida

We packed up in the drizzle after cooking breakfast at Hodges Vineyard and then headed home on the back roads of Alabama. We stopped for a second cup of coffee at the town square in Troy and the rain continued all the way home. We unloaded the trailer and the car in the rain as it is predicted to rain all night and tomorrow. We have loads of laundry to do and always the chore of getting reorganized.

Mural on side of the old drug store

Pretty town square in Troy where we had a scone and a latte

Morganton, Georgia to Camp Hill, Alabama

 We made coffee and hiked to the lake and then packed up in time to eat breakfast again at Nomad Market on our way to our Harvest Host, Hodges Vineyards near Camp Hill, Alabama. On the way, we stopped at the Etowah Mounds Historic Site and enjoyed the outside exhibits, nature trail and museum. We were warned that the directions were difficult to find the Hodges Vineyards and we wandered on the back roads until we found we had made one wrong turn and Google Maps finally directed us there. The sky was black as we set up camp at one of the full hook up sites on a concrete pad and hurried into the tasting room before they closed. We sampled all their dry red wines and bought two bottles and got set up for the rain. We were comfy under the visor canopy with a view of the vines with one other fifth wheel on the other side of the parking lot. We grilled our steak as the rain turned into a drizzle. It was drizzling when we woke up and cooked breakfast and packed up to head home to Valparaiso. Our neighbor turned out to be from close by Niceville and was also returning from the Finger Lakes.

Etowah Mounds Historic Site

Replica of native hut built on the mounds

Enlargement of necklace design

One of three mounds with stairs to the top

Butterflies loving the Queen Anne's Lace

Mountain view from top of mound

Beautiful hiking trail along the water

Crystal clear water

Blue bluebird houses

Our Harvest Host, Hodges Vineyards

Impressive gate to estate tasting room

Long road to tasting room and event center

Our campsite at Hodges Winery

Over 30 wines to taste as many as you like

Award winning wines although many too sweet for our tastes

Gift shop filled with artsy wine racks

Rows and rows of vines

White grapes too early to pick

Our big fifth wheeler neighbor at winery

Haynesville, North Carolina to Morganton, Georgia

 Another misty morning as we head into nearby Murphy to find the Walmart to buy another lawn chair and to find an outdoor dining breakfast place.  Our destination for tonight is right across the North Carolina border into Georgia to Morganton Point Recreation Area in the Chattahoochee National Forest to camp with our cruising friends. It was cool and pleasant sleeping in our pasture last night.  The outdoor dining restaurant we picked was unexpectedly closed for a holiday so we headed towards Morganton and found the Nomad Market near the lake with the best waffles and French toast with berries for a late breakfast. We set up camp at Morganton Point Recreation Area and then found the nearest open winery at Odom Springs Vineyards in Blairsville. What a wonderful hostess as we were poured up glasses of her dry reds. We also sampled her other  favorite wines and we purchased a bottle as we admired her tasting room and recommended she become a Harvest Host. Back to the campsite to hike to the lakeside picnic area and beach before we had happy hour and dinner with Valerie and Graham. Such a delight to catch up with them and their Little Guy camper.

Our campsite at Morgonton Point along the lake

Social distancing sign that caught our attention in the park

Impressive entrance to Odom Springs Vineyard

The extensive vines

Netting to protect the luscious grapes from the deer

On the way to the tasting room

Our favorite reds

Gift shop filled with wine goodies

Whimsical art

Family pride

Gorgeous outside seating

Afternoon view of mountains across the lake

Morning view of mist obscuring the mountains