Beginning the 2017 Travel Season

On May 31st, it was time to get going again on the road. This would be the latest we have stayed in Sarasota in the Spring since we started coming here in 2010. In the past, we have been on the road by at least the first week in May, but this year we have a slightly different schedule. Our fourth Grandchild is due in Boston around the 20th of June, and we want to, for once, take a more leisurely trip North. So we headed out and drove North and East a few hours to Gamble-Rogers Memorial State Beach north of Daytona Beach. The weather was not as nice as it had been on the “Sun Coast”, and we only stayed for one night before continuing on to Charleston, SC. In Charleston, we met up with Rich Giblin, a good friend of Geoff’s from his days in the US Navy. The three of us toured the city and had some good meals. He took us on a personal tour of the church he has been attending and we also took a tour of the local Synagogue, the old continuously operating one in North America. Ellyn and I later came back and attended services there on Friday night. They were hosting a choir from Atlanta. It was also the anniversary of Geoff’s Father’s death in 2008.

After two nights in Charleston, we continued up the coast to Virginia. There, we stayed at the campground at Fort Monroe, an old Army post that is now a recreation park. There we visited with Ellyn’s Cousin Susan and her husband, Paul. The last time we were there, they lived at Fort Monroe but now have moved to a townhouse in Hampton.

Our next stop was New Jersey, via the Chesapeake Bridge Tunnel and Maryland and Delaware, totally bypassing the Washington DC and Baltimore traffic areas. We stayed the first night at Timberland Campground (recently changed to a KOA) and then went to visit with another of Ellyn’s Cousins in Monroe Township. One of her son’s has a big plot of land and a new house where we were able to park the RV for our visit. If we had known that the where we were going to park was so nice, we would have skipped the campground and come directly to their house.

From there, we continued north to New York State and our traditional lunch with Ellyn’s former coworkers from IBM. Then about a 5 hour drive to Salem, MA. This is our favorite camping site in the Boston Area, as it is right on the water where we can watch boats entering and leaving Salem Harbor. From here, we will wait for the blessed event, and also get to visit with our granddaughter, Simone.