Work on The Van and Traveling From TN To Texas and Then Florida

This will be my last story from 2016.  First we did out trip up to visit family in NY and back to TN. Then Mike and I left TN in October last year to make a trip to different parts of TN, down to AL, to MS, LA, and then to TX and back to Florida.

But first Mike had to work on the van...

It's crazy what RV companies do.  On our van the drinking hose hookup is in the same compartment as the sewer hook up.  How gross is that?  So Mike is going to fix that for us.


He has to take out all of the old outside plumbing:

All of this is not needed:

The compartment is clear and ready to be fixed:

Mike runs new water lines and adds a water filler to a new spot:

Tightening the water line:

Our new water connection:

Niki at Mike's mother's house in NY.  She stays in the laundry room....until she sneaks her way into the kitchen:)

Getting ready for our long trip.  The night before:

Mike enjoying breakfast at our first rest area:

Niki and I hanging out at our first campsite in Crossville TN:

Mike enjoying some fishing:

A stop at Lenoir City Park for lunch and a break:

The Lost Sea in Sweetwater TN was the neatest place we saw on our trip.  It is a cave but with a 6 acre lake underground which is the largest in the US.  We got to ride in a boat inside the cave.  The Lost Sea

Underground:

Outside in their little village:

Then it was off the the Mayfield Dairy Tour...Yum.  BTW, there is a new ice cream flavor for chocolate lovers, Extreme Moose Tracks.  Check it out:)

We drove from TN into Alabama and stopped at some parks to see the waterfalls.  Sadly because of the drought everything was dry...so no falls to see.


Next we drove through Mississippi and they have the most awesome rest areas we have seen.  Behind the buildings they have small sites with a table and grill.  Niki likes it:

From there we drove through LA and into TX.  We spent a few weeks traveling around Texas.  Sadly it is not a state for Mike and I.


We did stay at a park that had a flea market attached...we were the smallest ones there:

Next we drove along the coast and back to Florida.  We have done this trip before so we didn't really see anything new.  Although Mississippi has a beautiful road right along the beaches where you can pull over and enjoy.


A goofy picture:

Mike's turn:

Our very cool campsite in Pensacola.  We lucked out as this is the only site like this.  It's the beach site:

Mike at the big Cruise In in Panama City Beach:

We went with our good friends toSilver Springs State Park:

View from the glass bottom boat:

Back at the campground we got to see turtle laying and burying her eggs.  First she digs the hole:

And then lays her eggs:

After that she spread some dirt over the top.  It would have been cool to see them when they hatched but we were long gone by then.




That was the condensed version of our trip.  I didn't want to bore you with every detail.

Next up....back home for 2017.