It's been a little quiet around here lately, so I thought it was time for a quick update on where we've been and where we're headed.
After wrapping up our stay in North Georgia, we were supposed to be making our way to Alabama. As RV life sometimes reminds us, plans don't always go as expected. Because of circumstances beyond our control, we found ourselves back at Hawkins Pointe RV Park—a place we honestly didn't expect to see again.
Thankfully, that stay is almost over, and we're getting ready to hit the road once more. During the wait I've been spending some time baking and recently baked up a sourdough boule. I encourage you to use your oven for anything you would have baked in a traditional home oven. Leave a comment on what you bake in your oven.
Our next stop is Louisiana, but we'll be taking our time getting there with an overnight stop in Alabama and a couple of nights at a Harvest Hosts location in Mississippi. While we're there, we're hoping to spend a day exploring Laurel, Mississippi, the hometown of Erin and Ben Napier from HGTV's Home Town. It's a place I've wanted to visit for quite a while.
What I'm looking forward to most, though, is spending time with family. One of our grandsons has a birthday coming up, and it'll be nice to slow down for a few days and enjoy making some memories together.
After Louisiana, we'll head back toward Georgia so we can leave Big Bertha at Three Way Campers for the repairs she's been patiently waiting on. Those broken windows from our Washington, D.C. trip are finally getting replaced. We've been told the repairs should take about a week, but if you've owned an RV for any length of time, you know that "about a week" can sometimes have a very different meaning. 🤞
While Big Bertha is in the shop, we'll be staying with my mom before getting back on the road.
After that...the adventure really begins.
The plan is to start making our way north before turning west, eventually picking up I-80 as we continue exploring parts of the country we've never seen before. We haven't made any reservations yet because, honestly, we're waiting to see when we actually get our home back. Sometimes the best travel plans are the ones that leave room for a little flexibility.
So now I need your help!
If you have a favorite route north out of Georgia to connect with I-80—or any must-see stops along the way—we'd love to hear your recommendations. Some of our favorite places have come from suggestions made by fellow travelers.
As always, thanks for following along on this journey with us. We can't wait to share the next chapter!
After two wonderful Harvest Hosts stays, it was finally time to head toward the destination we'd been planning for months...
Washington, D.C.
We had reserved a full week at Cherry Hill RV Park in College Park, Maryland, because we wanted enough time to experience as much of our nation's capital as possible. From everything we'd researched, Cherry Hill was one of the closest and most convenient RV parks for exploring Washington, D.C., and we couldn't wait to begin sightseeing.
But before we could even think about monuments and museums, our excitement quickly turned into disappointment.
As we were getting settled into our site, we walked around Big Bertha and noticed something wasn't right.
Two windows had been broken during the trip.
The driver's side rear of the RV had deep scratches, rock chips, and dents that hadn't been there when we left Tennessee.
Our hearts sank.
It was one of those moments where you just stand there staring, wondering...
"How did this happen?"
"When did this happen?"
"How much is this going to cost to fix?"
I'll be honest.
After everything that had happened during our first few days on the road—the sewing cabinet falling over, the broken patio door hardware, and now exterior damage to our brand-new RV—I started wondering if we'd made the right decision.
Had we made a mistake?
Were we crazy for leaving the comfort of our home behind?
For a little while, those thoughts were hard to ignore.
But then I thought back to everything that had happened before we ever hit the road.
Selling our house in a single day.
Finding Big Bertha.
Finding our truck.
The way one piece after another had fallen into place.
There were simply too many moments that reminded me God had been guiding this journey from the very beginning.
That didn't mean everything would be easy.
It simply meant we needed to trust Him through the difficult moments just as much as the exciting ones.
Sometimes faith isn't believing that nothing will go wrong.
Sometimes it's believing you'll be okay when it does.
Once we had a chance to catch our breath, we started exploring Cherry Hill RV Park, and it didn't take long for our spirits to lift.
To say this campground exceeded our expectations would be an understatement.
It truly felt like a resort.
There were swimming pools, splash pads, basketball courts, beautiful landscaping, waterfalls, a café, playgrounds, and one of the biggest advantages of all—easy access to the city bus that connected us to Washington's public transportation system.
For anyone wanting to visit our nation's capital without driving through the city, the location couldn't have been more convenient.
By the end of our first evening, we knew we had chosen the right place to stay.
Without question, Cherry Hill RV Park is somewhere we'd happily return if our travels bring us back to the Washington, D.C., area.
Sometimes the road throws unexpected challenges your way.
Sometimes it rewards you with places that remind you exactly why you started the journey in the first place.
For us...
Cherry Hill became both.
And with Big Bertha safely parked, it was finally time to begin exploring one of the most historic cities in America.
After an eventful first travel day, we finally arrived at our destination...
Moonlight Drive-In in Abingdon, Virginia.
Located just off Interstate 81, not far beyond the Tennessee-Virginia state line, it would become our very first Harvest Hosts experience.
When we traveled full-time years ago, Harvest Hosts wasn't something we had ever used. This time around, we wanted to try something different, and honestly, I picked this location simply because I couldn't resist staying at a classic drive-in theater.
As soon as we arrived, we got Big Bertha parked and started setting up camp.
Or at least we tried to.
Our first setup brought yet another unexpected surprise.
This time, our leveling jacks decided they didn't want to cooperate.
Thankfully, Brinkley's Customer Care team was only a phone call away. Their representative patiently walked us through the issue over the phone, and before long we had everything working correctly.
One more problem solved.
As for Paisley...
She handled her first travel day much better than we expected.
She spent a little while hiding underneath one of the cabinets while we were getting set up, but once she realized the RV had stopped moving, she cautiously came out to investigate and quickly returned to her normal curious self.
One travel day down...
Many more to go.
Not long after we finished setting up, the skies opened up.
Rain poured down, putting a temporary pause on our plans.
Fortunately, it eased up just long enough for us to make our way to the concession stand when it opened around 7:00 that evening.
Walking inside felt like stepping back in time.
The nostalgic atmosphere was exactly what I had hoped it would be.
Vintage signs.
Classic movie theater charm.
The smell of fresh popcorn filling the air.
It was everything you'd expect from an old-fashioned drive-in.
Of course, we couldn't leave without ordering a few treats.
I enjoyed a big bucket of wonderfully salty popcorn while Greg chose nachos. We both grabbed fountain drinks before heading back to the RV.
The plan was simple.
Lower the patio.
Relax outside.
Watch a movie under the stars.
Mother Nature, however, had a different idea.
The rain returned shortly after we got back, and we honestly weren't sure if the movie would even play.
While we waited, we stretched out inside the RV...
And promptly fell asleep.
When we woke up around 9:00 or 9:30, we discovered the movie had indeed started. It wasn't one we were particularly interested in, so instead of watching it outside as we'd planned, we spent a quiet evening relaxing inside Big Bertha, listening to the rain and enjoying our first night on the road.
Sometimes Plan B turns out to be just as enjoyable as Plan A.
Our first Harvest Hosts stay may not have gone exactly as we imagined, but by the end of the evening we were already looking forward to visiting many more Harvest Hosts locations throughout our travels.
If they're anything like Moonlight Drive-In, we're in for some wonderful adventures.
Our Thoughts
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Moonlight Drive-In was the perfect introduction to Harvest Hosts.
Between the nostalgic atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious concession food, and unique overnight experience, we couldn't have asked for a better first stop.
Even though the rain changed our evening plans, we'd absolutely stay here again.
Sometimes the destination isn't about everything going perfectly.
Sometimes it's simply about making memories.
And this stop gave us plenty of those.
Have you ever stayed at a Harvest Hosts location? We'd love to hear about your favorite stop!
As we prepared Big Bertha for our very first travel day, we thought we had done an excellent job securing everything inside the RV. Cabinets were latched. Drawers were locked. Loose items were tucked away.
Everything was ready.
Well...
Almost everything.
There was one exception.
One very heavy sewing cabinet.
It had locking wheels, and before leaving we talked about tying it down.
Then we convinced ourselves it would be fine.
After all, it was heavy.
It wasn't going anywhere.
Famous last words.
Not long after getting on the road, Paisley began voicing her opinion about this whole RV travel thing. She meowed... and meowed... and then meowed some more.
After about an hour, we decided to pull over and check on everyone.
We had read that many people allow their cats to ride inside the RV while traveling, and that most eventually curl up on the bed and sleep through the drive. We figured we'd give Paisley a chance to see if she'd settle down.
What happened after that is anyone's guess.
We don't have cameras inside the RV, so your theory is as good as ours.
But when we opened the door...
Our hearts sank.
The sewing cabinet we had decided not to tie down had tipped completely over.
It had crashed into the patio door, scratching the glass and breaking the hardware that secures the door to the floor.
Our "it'll be fine" decision had officially become our first expensive lesson.
Of course, because it was completely loaded with sewing supplies, fabric, and who knows what else, standing it back up wasn't exactly easy.
It felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
Eventually we wrestled it upright, secured it properly this time, made sure Paisley was comfortable, and climbed back into the truck.
Lesson learned.
Tie.
Down.
Everything.
Even the things you're convinced won't move.
Thankfully, our travel day itself was intentionally short.
Back when we traveled full-time the first time, we learned something important about ourselves—we're not interested in driving from sunrise until sunset.
These days we plan shorter travel days, usually around 200 to 250 miles, and prefer arriving between 2:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon.
Setting up camp is so much easier when you can actually see what you're doing.
For this first day, our destination was only 228 miles away, about a three to three-and-a-half-hour drive.
That gave us plenty of time to deal with unexpected surprises... like runaway sewing cabinets.
Our destination that evening would be something new for us.
Our very first Harvest Hosts stay.
And thankfully, the rest of the day went much better than the first hour.
Or at least that's another story for the next chapter.
Lessons We Learned on Day One
Tie down everything, even if you think it can't move.
Expect the unexpected.
Traveling with pets takes patience.
Shorter travel days make stressful moments much easier to handle.
The best travel stories usually begin with something going wrong.
