Dear readers, I’m sorry it’s been so long since I posted. This pandemic has thrown a wrench into my psyche, I think. There has been so much uncertainty about our travels and general life — it’s sort of sucked a lot of the enthusiasm out of me.

So, now to catch you up!  When last I posted, we had just fetched the bus from its parking spot in Greensboro, NC.  I didn’t bother to post another campground review for Jones Station RV Park, because nothing had changed from our stay last fall.

Altogether, we hunkered down in our Gatlinburg cabin for about six weeks, from Easter time to late May. We used the time to accomplish some desired upgrades to our cabin including re-staining the exterior, installing window tint film on the cathedral windows in the main living space (cuts down on heat) and installing a new gas grill on the deck. It WAS nice to live in an actual house for a while, but it was so strange to be in a tourist town with nothing open and nobody there.

In the last couple of weeks of our stay, the Great Smoky Mountains National park and some local shops and restaurants FINALLY partially re-opened. My sister and her husband joined us for a few days and we enjoyed some hiking, shopping and social time. That part was wonderful!

Our Northeast tour itinerary had us checking into Normandy Farms, near Boston, on May 22. We checked with the park, and because our month-long stay was considered “long term”, we were permitted to stay. Since we had renters booked to come and our RV booking in Pigeon Forge was up, we decided to take the plunge and re-join our planned northeast loop.

We took a leisurely 3 days to travel the 1000 or so miles, staying in rest stops along the way. We attempted to park overnight at a casino en route, but we were politely kicked out! Normally, overnight parking is allowed, but since the casino was Covid-closed, no one was permitted on property. Bummer.

Other than that minor glitch, our travels were uneventful and we arrived at Normandy Farms on schedule, ready to explore the Boston area (as much as possible).

to be continued ……