Heading back home and takin’ my time.

After almost a month down south, it was time to head back up north to the snow and ice. I planned to take my sweet old time, and wanted to do some sight-seeing and also connect with folks that I hadn’t seen in a long time. My first stop was Augusta, Georgia, where I had booked a small apartment through AirBnB and hoped to explore along the Riverwalk.

The apartment was actually quite nice and roomy – except for the curiously tiny bathroom. When the weather cleared, I did take a stroll down on the river. But the whole city was oddly deserted; a friend later told me that this was a “summer destination.” Who knew? At any rate, I was happy to rest and watch Netflix in more luxurious place than the Chicken Coop.

After 2 days of sluggish rest, I continued north towards Raleigh. I stayed in another AirBnB, right near the city center. I had an early supper at an excellent little West African joint. Chicken and Jollof rice, a staple in Nigeria and obviously homemade. They also had homemade lemonade which was excellent.

The next day, I connect with Emma, my daughter’s half-sister. It was fun, because I know her (of course) but she is quite a bit younger than my kids and so I’ve never really sat down and talked to her. At 29, she is a very self-posessed and interesting young woman and we had a great time chatting over crepes.

She gave me several suggestions of where to go in Raleigh – unfortunately it was Monday, so all museums were closed and the weather was cold, windy and not really conducive to being outside. However, the sun DID peek out later in the day and I had a nice walk in the sculpture park.

Later that same afternoon, I discovered a hidden “treasure” (well, only a treasure if you are a fan of trains and their history.) There is an old engine turntable, that was part of an actual roundhouse in downtown Raleigh. It’s listed on Google Maps, but there is no sign or anything directing you there. I followed the map and ended up at what looked like a dead-end, but I could see railroad tracks above the rise. I pulled into a small parking lot next to a building and an older black man came out and looked at me rather suspiciously. He said, “Can I help you?” and I explained that I was looking for the turntable. His attitude changed immediately and he knew exactly what I was talking about. He told me where to park and said I had to walk up the hill. I walked up the gravel and through what seemed to be a genuine “Hobo Camp” of old. Nobody bothered me, although I got a couple of curious looks. When I got to the top, I could see the turntable and remnants of the foundation of the roundhouse. It was actually pretty cool.

It is called the “Seaboard Air Line Railway Turntable.” This is an arial view.

More snow was predicted for the next day, and I had plans to head up towards Richmond. I left early enough to beat the worst of it and met up with my friend Glynn, whom I hadn’t seen in well over 30 years! We worked together at the Bay Farm Academy Montesorri School – she was the art teacher. It was so fantastic to catch up…both our lives have taken many twists and turns since those days.

By the time we had finished lunch, the snow was looking more like the real stuff. I headed up towards Fredericksburg, where I had booked a Days Inn. Gotta love a Days Inn – they’re cheap, convenient and the room had all the basics. I ordered pizza and spent the next six hours knitting and bingeing episodes of “Law & Order – SVU.” A perfect evening.

The next day, although there was serious snow on the ground, it wasn’t coming down from the sky anymore. The visibility was still not great, but I took my time getting up to Tacoma Park in Maryland, where I met another old friend from my time in London. Anthony, who is originally from New Zealand, was my traveling companion for most of the time I lived in the UK – he was funny, bright and up for anything. Now he lives in Maryland with his wife and two beautiful kids and a few more gray hairs. He treated me to lunch at a Thai place and we had a great conversation and a few laughs. They are moving to Australia in the fall…so I’ll have a reason to visit that country!

Then I head over to the little town of Cockeysville, right outside of Baltimore, to touch base with my dear friend Connie. Connie was one of my first “messageboard” friends back in the crazy days of TORC (TheOneRing dot com) and the Tolkien fandom. When I met her for the first time, it felt like I’d known her forever. She is one of my few friends who is as much a Star Trek nut as I am. We ordered Italian and drank some wine while we watched several episodes of “Strange New Worlds” and reminisced about…well, everything.

I crashed at Connie’s and the next day continued on through New Jersey, where I had lunch with Rosemary. I met Rosemary after my friend and colleague Bill sadly passed away. She is his sister and during Bill’s last illness, we were in touch via email. We met up first the first time shortly after that and I promised if I was ever in in the area again, we’d get together. She’s a real “Phillie girl” – no nonsense, down-to-earth and funny as hell. Talking with her, I feel like my friend Bill (“Billy from Philly” as he used to call himself) is still around.

Rather than push all the way home from New Jersey, I decided to take it slow, stay over night in Nyack and drive over the Tapanzee Bridge in the morning. (Avoiding the treacherous cluster-f*ck of the George Washington Bridge!) I had a decent hotel, ordered in Chinese food from a local joint and watched more Law & Order. The next day, it was only a 3 hour drive home! When I arrived, I had this waiting for me in my kitchen!

It was good to be home – and just in time for the next snow storm!

Like the twilight in the road up ahead
They don’t see just where we’re goin’
And all the secrets in the universe
Whisper in our ears
All the years will come and go
Take us up, always up
We may never pass this way again

Goats, chickens, kayaking and a couple of really cool locomotives.

After I left Tampa, I headed up to the panhandle and Tallahassee. I’d never been there and the weather was still promising to be warm and sunny. I didn’t want to have to set up my whole site up again, so I booked a Hipcamp. On a Goat Farm. In a converted chicken coop.

It was really quite cozy…with a full-size bed, electricity, an AC and heat and several windows. The woman who owned the farm was a real “earth mother” who knew every single one of her 60+ goats by name. There were also about a dozen cats roaming the property, a huge flock of chickens (including several roosters with very loud and proud “cock-a-doodle-dos”) and a giant white dog named Toby who acted as a sort of body guard whenever I left the Coop.

There was a very serviceable composting toilet and an…interesting shower made out of an old washtub. A little hard to get into, but plenty of hot water! She also had set up a kind of living room space with couches, a microwave, a coffee station and a fridge.

I unpacked and spent some time with with the goats. The next day was gorgeously sunny and I got myself down to one of the many landings and put my kayak in the waters of Lake Talquin.

I met a good ole boy from Tennessee, who told me several hair-raising stories about the alligators in the lake. I did not see any, but I did see plenty of turtles sunning themselves on rocks and branches. That turned out to be the sunniest day, so I was glad I took the opportunity to get the kayak out.

Another day, I drove into Tallahassee proper. There was an arts district called “Railroad Square” which looked interesting. Unfortunately, many of the shops had suffered losses due to the recent hurricane. However, there was some spectacular murals. And I had a delicious lunch of rice ind salmon in a scooped out pineapple.

Then I drove a little further because I wanted to see the “Luraville Locomotive.” This old girl was one of the first wood-burning engines and likely built between 1850-55. It hauled lumber and possibly passengers before sliding into the Suwanee River and spending almost 80 years submerged.

 Residents knew it was there, but nobody could really do much about the locomotive. It was later recovered from the Suwannee River in 1979 by a Luraville resident named James Lancaster who decided to take it upon himself to retrieve the locomotive from its spot.

The original records are long gone, so nobody knows the number of the engine, or even how it ended up in the river. But now it’s been spruced up and a “depot” was built for it in 1912. I imagine it must have some stories to tell!

Another day, I drove in the other direction, towards Blountstown. There I visited Locomotive 444 , built in 1911, which was part of the Marianna and Blountstown Railroad, and the last steam engine on that line. The B&M was a “short line” – only 29 miles long. It was nicknamed “the route of many bumps.” She was quite a sight…and is installed directly on the old track route. I stood for a few minutes, imagining the trains rumbling along the old rails.

I really enjoyed my time in Tallahassee…and was sorry to be leaving the sun and warmth. But it was time to head back up north. I intended to take my time, and had plans to connect with a number of old friends.

Well, she comes from Tallahassee
She got a hi-fi chassis
Maybe looks a little sassy
But to me, she’s real classy
Yeah, my Tallahassee lassie
Down in F-L-A

Finding sunshine in Tampa!

The weather finally changed for me as I headed west towards Tampa. To start, I had booked 6 nights camping at a place called “Westminster Woods” which was a Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center in Lithia, about 45 minutes south of Tampa. It was just what I’d hoped.

Having grown up Presbyterian and attended summer camp at a different “Camp Westminster” (up in the tiny town of Holmes, NY) the surroundings felt very familiar. There was a lodge, a fire circle, numerous cabins and little trails. They had 6 campsites, all with electric and water and close to a bathhouse. I set up my camp and except for a couple of short hikes, I stayed put and enjoyed the sun.

I loved hearing the birds in the morning and one very inquisitive cardinal was a frequent visitor to my little camp.

After 6 glorious, sunny and warm days, I headed into Tampa proper for a few days of “culture.” I stayed at a hostel called “Gram’s Place” which was the epitome of funky. It had a great vibe and was right on a (free) bus line.

Tampa is a small city but has a beautiful new Performing Arts Center with six theaters. I saw an excellent performance of Bernstein’s “Candide” and the next night, a presentation of “Macbeth” which always creeps me out no matter how many times I’ve seen it.

I also took a wild “golf cart” tour of the city. This was in a “street legal” golf cart which scooted through traffic while the guide pointed out various parts of the city. Lots of fun and a little nerve-wracking! Tampa has a great vibe and lots of cool history.

My last day in Tampa, I drove over to Madeira Beach to meet up with a friend. This was a friend from my days on a very active “Lord of the Rings” website. I knew her as “Wildwood” (I was “JewelSong”) and this was the first time we’d met in person! It was lovely!

The Tampa area seems to be the best destination for January sun and I’m already planning next year’s excursion. It may include the auto-train to shorten the drive down. But for now, I was off to Tallahassee and a different kind of adventure.

Blue skies smilin’ at me
Nothin’ but blue skies do I see
Bluebirds singin’ a song
Nothin’ but blue skies from now on