Back on the Road with My Summer 2024 Summer Vacation Trip...

They say time flies when you're having fun. I can attest to that! Too much time has flown by since I shared more of my 2024 vacation with you and it's almost time for my 2025 trip!

The first quarter of the year is alway busy for a tax preparer. Add to that releasing a new book and launching a writing course, well, hopefully you understand why I disappeared for a while.

After visiting the Football and Rock -n- Roll Halls of Fame, we left our campground headed for the Indiana Dunes National Park.

If you've pulled an RV you know how important it is to find truck stops and/or rest areas with adequate space to park. 

The one we found in between Mogadore, OH and Porter, IN was one of the most beautiful and comfortable travel plaza I've ever seen.

Applegreen Travel Plaza's are spread out from Ireland and the UK to the US! Not only do they have beautiful and well maintained restrooms, they have an actual food court and convenience store. Check out this video...

The reason I've never seen these beautiful facilities, is because they are scattered throughout the upper NE US. Although we have traveled in some of those areas, I guess we passed them by unaware as to how nice they really are.

But now we know.

And So Do YOU!

If you're ever traveling and come across a full Applegreen Travel Plaza, stop and enjoy the variety of dining opportunities and lovely restrooms.

I'll share the Indiana Dunes National Park visit with you in my next post.

Until then, safe travels!

PamT

Continuing Summer 2024 Vacation in Cleveland, OH & the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

 

One of my favorite songs of all time is Old Time Rock -n Roll by Bob Seger, so imagine the joy and awe of visiting a place that celebrates Rock n Roll music throughout the decades.

There is SO much here, taking a lot of pictures is virtually impossible! 

This seven-level building is filled wall-to-wall with the lifetime achievements of so many artists we love and appreciate... Elvis, Michael Jackson, The Beatles.... you name 'em and they are probably there.

Of course in a center this large and popular, the bathrooms are cleaned and maintained regularly - which always makes me one happy visitor.

The gift shop itself is huge and filled with so many souviners you could spend hours and lot's of money there LOL!

One thing that really impressed me was the courtesy of gift-shop employees. Despite long lines and some disgruntled guests, they were cordial and personable. Seriously, you really can't be TOO disgruntled in a place like this! Alas, some folks get that way regardless of the magical experience they've just had.

Anyway, our cashier was one of the best and had painted her eyes to look like butterflies!

Needless to say, our visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was worth the hour-long trip there and back from where we were camped as well as the large lines and walk from the parking area to the building.

If you are a Rock & Roll fan, or even just a fan of good music, plan to visit this luxurious place boasting of the best of the best in music history.

Hope you enjoyed my little trip down memory lane today and that you'll check back weekly to travel along with me.

Until next time, take care.

PamT

Day 8 of Summer 2024 Trip ~ Canton, Ohio & the Pro Football Hall of Fame!

In case you didn't know, I'm a football fan LOL! 

My mother, a HUGE sports fan, always dreamed of going to the Football Hall of Fame, so imagine my joy of being able to do this for her!

Yep, I firmly believe she was with me in spirit the entire time we strolled through this amazing maze of football legends and all-time greats! Call me crazy but, I even wore her necklace so that I could feel her presence.

We browsed through aisles and corridors of the museum in awe of the many great players and teams represented here. My favorites of course were the GOAT Drew Brees and the awesome Taysom Hill of the New Orleans Saints.

Several other Saints players are in the Hall of Fame like Archie Manning and Jim Thorpe, but those were before my time as a Saints fan.

If you look closely at the picture, you'll see an overpass boasting of the Pro Football Hall of Fame which I found to be a beautiful tribute to this great sport.

There is a lot more to see in Canton, OH but for us, the Pro Football Hall of Fame was the main reason for visiting this city.

Oh and the bathrooms here? Definitely singing a happy tune!

Hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane and that you'll check back weekly for another adventure.

Until next time, safe travels!

PamT

Countryside Campground in Mogadore, OH

 

Day 7 in our 2024 Summer trip was spent traveling. In last week's post, I shared with you a lovely rest area along the way from WVA to Ohio. 

We arrived at our destination, Countryside Campground in Mogadore, OH in the afternoon and set up on a beautiful site. 

The camp hosts were lovely and the camp store had a nice variety of things one might need during their stay.

Still only a week or so into our trip, we really didn't need anything. 

We didn't do a lot of sight-seeing in Mogadore  and we chose this campground because it is located just east of Akron which is pretty much in the middle between Cleveland and Canton, which were the real reason we stayed in Ohio and our destinations for the next couple of days.

Oh and the bath houses at Countryside?

Nice and Clean. Had me singing a happy tune.

One thing we did do while in Mogadore, was take a drive through Cuyahoga Valley National Park which is turning 50 this year!

Next week I'll share our visit to the Football Hall and Rock 'n Roll Halls of Fame.

Until then, take care and travel safe.

PamT

Day 7 of Summer 2024 Vacation

 

In one of my earlier posts, I promised I would share information on more than RV parks and campgrounds.

Today let's take a trip through the fairy gardens at the Rest Area at Mile Marker 167 - Mineral Wells, WVA.

One advantage of pulling a camper while traveling is that you always have a bathroom with you. A disadvantage is that you don't always have a large enough shoulder in order to get far enough off the highway to use it.

Therefore, you're always looking out for a nice rest area or truck stop.

On our way to Ohio, we pulled in to this rest area, glad to find a nice brick building and neat sidewalks. Everything was well kept and clean. The ladies' room was tile and marble, (or granite), and stocked with toilet seat covers (always a PLUS!).

The facilities were clean which always makes me sing a happy tune but the lovely grounds had me dancing along to that tune.

Walking amongst the flowers and fanciful gnome and other fairy creatures made for a truly restful experience even though we only stayed long enough to take care of our business then get back on the road.

If you're ever in the area, and have time to truly stop and rest, this is a wonderful place to do so.

Hope you enjoyed this little pitt stop and that you'll check back weekly for more travel experiences on Bathroom Blues travel blog!

Until next time... Travel safe.

PamT

Summer 2024 Trip Day 6: New River Gorge National Park

 

Welcome back to Bathroom Blues travel blog!

Today I'm sharing more of our visit to New River Gorge National Park and some of the things we saw while there.

Let me begin by saying this park is absolutely beautiful and those bathrooms had me singing a happy tune. 

There's a lot we didn't do or see due to time restraints, but for those who love to hike, bike, camp or have an adventure white water rafting, New River Gorge National Park is for you!

Although there is no way to walk across as it's a highway with no pedestrian walkway, we explored the area around the New River Gorge bridge and got lot's of pics. This is my best one.

We took a few short hiking trails around Sandstone/Brooks falls, but there are many areas and falls we did not see. Check them out HERE.

That's one thing I'm not crazy about on a long trip is only 2 or 3 days in each spot are never enough!

Alas, this time in West Virginia was lovely. Hopefully I'll go back one day and explore a lot more.

Hope you enjoyed today's trip down memory lane with me and that you'll check back weekly as I reminisce on my Summer 2024 vacation.

Until next time, remember... Spending time in nature is good for the soul, so get out there and find you some!

PamT

Day 5 of 2024 Summer Trip - Thurmond WVA

Good Morning and Welcome to another day down memory lane as I recount my 2024 Summer trip.

We spent 3 days in West Virginia and days 2 & 3 were all about checking out New River Gorge National Park.

First stop was the historic town of Thurmond.

At one time, Thurmond was a bustling boomtown with lots of businesses and a thriving coal mine community for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway.

People flocked to Thurmond via 15 passenger trains per day, some for job opportunities. Others as tourists. Either way, the hotels overflowed and businesses thrived.

However, the Great Depression, two major fires and diesel locomotives as well as people's love for travel via the automobile in lieu of trains, shut it down.

The Thurmond depot, restored in 1995 as a visitor center by the National Parks Service, restoration of some of Thurmond's buildings is an ongoing process. The town is still incorporated and hosts an annual reunion for former residents.

Today, Thurmond is on the National Register of Historic Places and sits in the heart of New River Gorge National Park.

If you're into hiking, there are 6 trails around Thurmond that offer beautiful views of nature and wildlife surrounding this historic town.

Hope you enjoyed this peak into Thurmond and if you're ever in the area, you'll stop by and enjoy the scenery and history of this once booming city in the heart of West Virginia.

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time, keep traveling.

PamT

Day 4 of 2024 Summer Trip - West Virginia

 

After a beautiful wedding and lot's of family time, we left Santee, SC early Monday morning, June 10th for our vacation. 

First stop on our trip was Surveyor, WV in Raleigh County, where we stayed at Lake Stephens Campground. This lovely place has been built on 2300 acres around an old hunter's campsite that was established in the late 1700's.

This gorgeous park with bathrooms that had me singing a happy tune AND doing the happy dancing that goes along with it, surrounds a stunning mountain lake. 

You gotta take it slow going on these "country roads." As my honey puts it, there's no drag racing in West Virginia because there's not a straight quarter mile road anywhere in the state. LOL!

Not sure if that's entirely accurate, but just look at this scenery....

These pictures were taken from the truck while driving to our destination.

We were blessed with perfect traveling weather and had no trouble setting up and enjoying a lovely dinner cooked outside while listening to music (John Denver anyone?) and soaking in the breathtaking views of the campground.

One of the things I found most enchanting about Lake Stephens was the "Almost Heaven" swing which looks out over this body of water, unspoiled despite the fishing, boating and swimming that takes place on it. 

You're supposed to set up your phone or camera on the wooden cutout of West Virginia and take a picture of yourself on the swing with the lake in the background.

Alas, I do believe I've mentioned that I am not a photographer and I had no clue on how to set the timer on my phone at the time! 

Not sure if I could do that even now LOL!

Anyway, our stay in WVA was memorable in every way.

These swings are located throughout West Virginia. Find out where HERE.

My next post will outline what we did and where we visited,so check back often.

Until next time, happy trails.

PamT

Days 2&3 of Summer 2024 Trip

 

Good Morning and Welcome to 2025!

I pray your holidays were blessed and happy, your travels safe and comfortable and the bathrooms clean and sanitized!

Today I'll continue reminiscing my Summer 2024 trip with Days 2 and 3. I'm combining them because I didn't get pictures of the RV park in Lake City, FL where we stayed on day 2 so I can't report whether the bathroom gave me the blues or not LOL!

What I CAN tell you is we stopped in Santee, SC for my honey's grandson's wedding and stayed at the state park, our usual campground when going to visit his family there.

The bathrooms in this beautiful park on Lake Marion are always clean, clean, clean which keeps me singing a happy tune and enjoying our trip there every time.

Santee, SC is about an hour NW of Charleston and a half-hour or so from Orangeburg and the beautiful Edisto Memorial Gardens, so it's a great place to stay if you've a desire to see some South Carolina beauty.

And, for you golfers out there, Santee has three courses!

Guess that's all for now. Next time we'll continue our 2024 Summer trip in West Virginia.

I hope you'll join me.

Until then, safe travels!

PamT

Merry Christmas!

 

Since this is a travel blog, I'll tell you I'm traveling to visit family for Christmas so...

Posting will resume after the holidays!

Meanwhile, I'm Wishing You and Yours a Very Merry Christmas and a Blessed and Prosperous New Year!

PamT

Image by Satheesh Sankaran from Pixabay

Day 1 of Summer 2004 Trip

Good Morning Friends and Welcome back to Bathroom Blues!

In an earlier posts, I shared my love of travel, why I started this blog and the West Coast vacation I took in 2017. 

I explained why I named the blog Bathroom Blues and talked about my trip to New York City.

Today I'm going to begin posting about my 2024 Mid-Eastern US trip we took in June.

I had every intention of telling you about this trip when I first initiated the blog but then my UK Vacation came up so I started there.

Hopefully from here on out, I'll post as I travel. 

Anyway, this past June my traveling partner and I headed out for a 3 week trip up the middle-eastern states visiting national parks and other areas of interest.

First stop was Wilderness RV Park in Robertsdale, AL. We arrived in the rain and it continued to rain most of the night.

My initial reaction upon seeing the campground restroom was... Oh no, here we go. 

Based on the exterior I was a little hesitant to venture inside. However, when I did, I was pleasantly surprised!

The place was really clean (I LOVE it when I can smell bleach or lemony/orangy cleaning chemicals when I walk in). The floors and walls were tiled as was the countertop. The shower and toilet stalls were a little tight but nice and shower curtains free of mold or mildew.

Being out in the country, we saw some wild ducks, but since we only stayed the one night, I can't really testify to the many types of wildlife that may roam throughout the park.

My only complaint was the (IMHO) rather large gap between the bottom of the door and the cement which had me humming the blues.

The thing that scares me the most about rural campgrounds and state or national rv parks is the possibility of snakes and that gap was plenty big enough for one to crawl up in there.

Would not be a good thing!

Other than that, Wilderness RV park is a lovely place to stay. Check it out next time you're ready to stop around Mobile, AL.

I hope you enjoyed today's travel details and that you'll check back weekly for more.

Until next time, happy camping.

PamT