We left Sherando Park in October 2019 and returned to Junction City Kansas. Here we sold our trailer, gave away what we couldn't fit in the RV, and in January 2020 began a new adventure.
We traveled south to visit with Cecil and Emily - arriving in time for their 60th wedding anniversary. Then a few days later we took off across the southern states to Florida. We visited with Jack and Shirley for a couple of days and then set up camp in Ocala Forest.
We were based at Pittman Visitor Center a dozen miles north of Eustis, Florida. I will add more detail about Florida in another post.
Of course, in 2020 COVID-19 hit, and in March the Visitor Center was closed. However, the USFS allowed us to remain at the site as they expected it to reopen in a month or two.
In August we traveled to Virginia, Fairy Stone State Park, near Stuart, VA, and spent 3 months there.
During that time Ric spent 3 weeks in a hospital in Salem, near Roanoake, having heart surgery.
We returned to Florida in November, back to the Pittman Visitor Center which remained closed. We did have a new job - Ric signed up with the University of Tennessee to conduct demographic surveys within Ocala Forest. We did 3-8 days a month conducting surveys at different locations in the US Forest.
In June 2021 we had to move from the Visitor Center at Pittman, which remained closed; and stayed for 3 months at Southern Palms campsite in Eustis while we finished our year commitment to the University. Sadly just as we were packing up to get ready to move, Nola got loose from her leash and ran across the busy SR 19, and was hit by a car. Caleb was so lonely that we got another friend for him, a Catahoula leopard dog called Chili.
In mid-September we left Florida and headed West, taking a leisurely drive to Oklahoma City to attend Ric's 50th High School reunion.
Once the winter was over, we moved to Council Grove, Kansas, to volunteer at Canning Creek Cove for the Corps of Engineers. Which is where we are today.
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