I’m sure most of you remember the word “recalculating” that used to be part of every GPS navigation system! When using the GPS, if you took a different or wrong turn from what it was showing you, this almost robot-like voice would say “recalculating”, and the new travel route would then show up …
Well…this weekend had us RECALCULATING! It was Leonard’s 65th birthday and we made plans months ago to meet friends from Georgia at a campground in Asheville, NC. (some of you can see where this is going)…
At the beginning of last week, we were watching (closely) the tropical storm Helene, because Leonard’s parents (who are 90 and 92) live in Tampa, and we always keep an eye on weather at this time of the year. We saw that the storm was so big and was going to also cause problems in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. At that time, we didn’t know HOW bad it would be, but started feeling like going to Asheville wasn’t going to be the best idea!
With disappointment for us and our friends, we made the decision to postpone the trip and go another time. Little did we know just HOW bad it was going to be there! We were going to stay at a campground where they have three tiers of campsites – the top tier being on top of the mountain – that’s where our campsites were!
HERE ARE PHOTOS OF THE CAMPGROUND – OUR SITES WERE JUST LIKE THESE!
We thought it just wouldn’t be the best idea to be up on that mountaintop if the winds were really bad – never for a minute thinking about all the water and the flooding and the devastation that was to follow! The campground is in the town of Swannanoa which is one of the hardest hit areas!
Here are some photos of the campground now…
So…the trailer was ready to go and so were we! All of a sudden, I thought to myself, “maybe we can head north and camp?” Looking at my google maps, I plugged in Niagara Falls and it’s only 3 hours and 45 minutes away!
We found a campground that looked really nice and decided to call to see if by any chance they had a site available, not really feeling confident since it was such a last minute decision and this time of year is very popular for camping… Leonard called and when he hung up the phone, he had a big smile on his face! YES THEY HAD SITES AVAILABLE!
It was a great and easy drive to Niagara Falls, and when we arrived at the campground, we were so excited because it was beautiful! And it just so happened to be their fall festival at the campground which made it more fun! When Leonard had called to make a reservation, he was told that the kids at the campground would be trick or treating Saturday night , so if we wanted to bring some candy, we could participate – off to Wal Mart to get candy!
Our campsite was in between two family groups that were camping together (not sure why there was an empty site between them, but it was a win for us!) – there were six kids between them and we had such a great time watching them camp, ride bikes, carve pumpkins and trick or treat! In fact, when it was time for trick or treating, they wanted to all go walk around together, so they gave us THEIR candy and we handed it out for all of us! It was a beautiful night, and we enjoyed being outside!
Sunday morning, we woke up and headed to see Niagara Falls! We have been before, but it’s been a LONG time! It’s such an amazing place and so fascinating to see THAT much water! WOW!
After looking at the falls on the American side, we walked across the Rainbow Bridge into Canada – what a view from that bridge!
It was about 1:30 and we had not had lunch yet, so as we crossed into Canada, the FIRST thing we saw was….STARBUCKS! If you know us at all, you will know that we were pretty excited to see that! Since we were hungry, we decided to share an iced coffee to hold us over until we could decide where to eat lunch. We got a pumpkin cream cold brew and may I say it was DELISH!!!!!!!! For some reason, they make them better in Canada – haha!
After strolling on the Canada side, we found a place to eat lunch – a brewery that also had food! We shared a chicken sandwich, enjoyed watching a little of the Steeler game (in CANADA!) and then walked back to New York – it’s an interesting experience to show your passport both ways and explain why you are there, what you have with you, how long you are staying, etc…
After walking over four miles, we were tired (we are old after all!) so we headed back to the campground to relax and have dinner – oh, and watch the Alabama/Georgia game!!! WHAT A GAME – and our team won – ROLLLLLL TIDE!
What a great weekend we had celebrating Leonard’s 65th birthday – the only disappointment was that we couldn’t be with our friends – we will do it in the spring, Tad and Diane!
I am thrilled to have Leonard here to celebrate, since it was five years ago that he had his heart attack – we’ll celebrate every birthday we are able to – God is good!
Again, I marvel at God’s majesty in creation – seeing those falls and all of that water just lets me know how small I am and how BIG He is!
God is good!
This will be our last trip for this year – we leave next week to take the ‘Yellow Submarine’ to Florida for the winter – praying that there are no more hurricanes since we store it right by the water! We have some clean up to do next week when we get there but are so thankful that everything we have is safe – especially Leonard’s parents!
It’s been a fun year of traveling and seeing our amazing country, and I am SO thankful to each of you who has “come along” with us on these journeys!
HERE’S A LITTLE “RECAP” OF THE YEAR!
UNTIL NEXT YEAR…..
Well-y’all have had a spectacular 2024! As always-thanks for sharing! YES! Niagra Falls is beautiful! We went there when Natalie & Nick got married. Such an awesome place to spend an afternoon!
Beyond thankful for Leonard’s Great health! Happy (belated) Birthday! Thank YOU, Lord!
Safe travels as you go back to FL!
Love y’all BUNCHES! BIG HUGS!!!
Thank you so much Deedee!!!! LOVE YOU TOO!
Until next year! Great blog as always.
Wow!! So glad you guys chose to recalculate !! I am sure you and your friends will have a blast the next chance you get to camp! You two lead the best most adventurous life! Thank you for sharing all the amazing views along the way!
Wow you both really have had an adventurous travel season seeing so many awesome things! Happy belated birthday to Leonard! So glad you were able to redo your travel plans and head north to Niagara Falls. So many places to see God’s beautiful creation!
It’s been a fun year for sure!
So glad you decided to go north and not south. How did your friends fare? Nature and its wonders are indeed evidence of the grand creator, God Almighty.
So glad we did also – our friends are great because they are in Georgia – !
Happy Birthday to Leonard! Glad you recalculated for another wonderful adventure. Love the recap photos of the year – so many blessings. Thanks so much for sharing!!! xoxo
Thank you!!!! xoxo right back at ya!
Loved the collection of photos at the end—-so amazing to review all the places you’ve been. Just wow! Thanks for sharing : )
Thank you so much Chris!
I’m so glad you recalculated and rerouted!! Loved reading about your trip to celebrate Leonard’s 65th birthday and seeing the gorgeous photos! Little did you know when you posted this that Florida would be bracing for a worse storm a few days later. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Praying for His protection!
I’m so glad we recalculated also!! Niagara Falls is so pretty and so close!
Too much fun!!!
It was great fun traveling with you throughout the summer! (I L❤️VE the pic of Nolan and Miles! My favorite 😍)