Full Time Traveling: Home for the Holidays

We left Eastern Tennessee to go home, to South Mississippi for Christmas and the month of January. Luckily, our family lives mostly in the south as we are finding out that south is where we want to be in the winter.

We arrived in South Mississippi right before Christmas.  We stayed on family land until we found a better spot for the month. The family property would have been ok for the month if our generator had not stopped working. Since it is now in the shop, finding hook ups was going to be pretty important; mainly because of me working. We found a quiet campground; Lake Mike Connor which is located between Collins, MS and Hattiesburg, MS and decided we would stay there for the month. There are several camp sites by the lake but we were the only ones camping and pretty much had the place to ourselves most of the time. On the weekends, people would come and fish and there were some who hunted in the woods nearby but it was definitely a quiet and peaceful place to be.

We were able to visit and spend time with family and enjoy lots of food and they typical holiday get togethers. We even were able to celebrate some January birthdays while we were in town. We thought about going straight to Abilene, Texas and spend time with our oldest son and our grandson but he was able to come to Mississippi for Christmas and the experience we had been having with the colder weather we decided we were not in any hurry to stay where it is cold.

So, I decided to to go to Abilene with our youngest daughter, Shelby; our son, Aaron, and grandson, Lane; and spend time with them; help babysit and be able to enjoy the time I wanted with them while I was off from work. I only spent a little over a week and came back to Mississippi so I could concentrate on my work. It would be difficult to get my work done like it needed to be being around them all of the time. I love spending time with them, I love them to death and enjoying my grandson learning who his "nana" is and how much we love him; however, I knew if I had stayed, my work would suffer; I needed to dedicate a specific amount of time each day for my job, the job that allows us to travel, that income is very important right now since it is our only steady income. I enjoy my job and do not want to give it up. Luckily, we have Face Time and I am able to call or Face Time every day and it's still like I am there. Shelby, decided to stay and help out while Aaron is working. Also, I needed my own bed to be able to enjoy some sleep.

January was down time, like being home for a month; well because it was being home for a month.
Some of our tasks:

• Truck Maintenance
• Generator Maintenance 
• Dental visits
• Tax info to CPA 
• Vehicle Tags
• Birthday Parties 
• Lots of Cleaning 
• Lots of Downtime just working and schoolwork 

Unexpected Goodbye

Although we did not travel with our miniature Schnauzer, Roxie, she was still an important part of our family. She has been with us for over ten years and our oldest daughter, Abby had taken her in for us while we were traveling. Abby decided long ago that Roxie was her dog although I originally purchased her for myself. I had a miniature Schnauzer growing up and when I saw a lady needing to get rid of hers (only a few months old) I couldn't resist. Abby loved Roxie and Roxie was her baby. Roxie wasn't eating and had a hard time breathing and Abby had to take her to the Pet emergency hospital. They discovered a tumor in her heart and she had fluid in her lungs already; it was time to say goodbye. We did  not expect this at all and not what we wanted but it was good we were home to say goodbye.

I have a feeling that we will try and make it to our home base in Mississippi every January. I know we do not want to be caught in cold weather and it seems like the best month to spend at home; the best month to get away from the extreme cold and to take care of business.

Why warmer weather?

We have learned after spending some time in the camper in cold weather that we needed to try and stay where it is warmer in the winter for these reasons:

1.) Our living space is small, when it is cold outside it is harder to spend the much needed time outside.
2.) When it gets too cold, there is a chance of frozen pipes, hoses and just water in the tanks; we have learned ways to prevent this and was very careful so we did not have any problems but I can definitely see the problems that could occur.
3.) This was the biggest reason: Condensation!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lot's of explanation marks because if anyone has ever been in a camper (especially a metal framed one) when it's cold outside and you are nice and warm inside; there is a big condensation problem. It is more than just annoying, it causes mold quickly and is a constant problem that has to be addressed daily.
I don't like to be cold and we can cover up, put on extra clothes and extra blankets but we still need some heat. We have heard many others complain about condensation but did not experience it ourselves until we were in Tennessee and the lows were in the 30's and 20's and it barely warmed up during the day. We have the least amount of moisture when we stick to temperatures at night that do not drop below 50 degrees.


So, this is when our plans changed again, we thought about going to Florida after Tennessee but knew we needed to be home in Mississippi so changed plans to go to Mississippi and then straight to Texas where our son lives. Well, we decided to skip Florida and just go to Texas and spend time there and then head west and north. However, one last time, we decided to change those plans again, and decided to add Florida back in to get some winter Florida weather and see how we enjoy it, so we will be spending the month of February in Florida before going back to Texas. We are still learning!

Added Bonus: Can't do a trip to Florida without Disney World!!!

We also decided it's probably a good idea to get a dehumidifier; although we really didn't want to and do not have a lot of space for one, probably will be an important thing to get. There may be times where we can't help but be in colder weather in the winter but we will most definitely try to avoid it as much as possible, but for now, onward South!!

Follow us on Facebook


The Roaming PJ's Facebook

The Natchez Trace

The Natchez Trace: Camping and The Government Shutdown

Leaving Eastern Tennessee heading home to South Mississippi, we decided to take the Natchez Trace down. When pulling the camper, we never go more than 60-65 mph and there is so much beauty on the trace, it definitely was the best option. There are some great campsites on the trace too; so easy to pull over for the night.

The Natchez Trace is 444 miles but we decided to get off around Jackson and head on into Hattiesburg to spend Christmas Even and the Christmas holidays with family.

The Natchez Trace has beautiful trails and I was pleasantly surprised with the campgrounds. Unfortunately, the government shut down occurred on our second day on the trace. This meant that the campgrounds continued to stay open, the welcome centers and bathroom facilities did not.

We left Pigeon Forge on a Friday morning and headed to Nashville; we ate dinner in Nashville and decided to head to the first campground on the Natchez Trace, Meriwether Lewis on mile post 385 (of the 444) so it was still early on into the Trace and still in Tennessee.

This is a free campsite, paved, well maintained. Fire pits and picnic tables and a very clean (new looking) restroom facility. There were no showers but the restroom was heated (and I am sure cooled in the summer). There are no hook ups but it was a nice, safe place to stay for the night. Being self-contained and having a generator, we didn't need hook ups anyway; we were there only one night. If we did not have a time frame to arrive home for Christmas this was a place we could see us staying two or three nights at. We arrived Friday night and left Saturday late morning and everything was still opened at that time. 

We continued down the Trace and decided to stop for lunch at a nice little historic site. This is where we found out about the government shutdown. This was late Saturday afternoon and the restrooms at this site where locked with a notice about the shutdown. Since there will not be anyone there to maintain the restrooms they decided to lock them all up. 

Lunch spot.

When we got close to Tupelo, MS, my daughter Shelby needed to use the restroom and we were close to a Welcome Center on the Trace. This Welcome Center was a nice one with lots of interactive displays; we had stopped at this center before and I knew it would be a nice stop. Unfortunately, it was closed and the restrooms were locked because of the shutdown. Thank goodness they did not close the campgrounds as we were heading to the next one on the list. We had to drive into Tupelo and find a restroom there to use.

Jeff Busby Campground, mile post 193 in Mississippi

We spent Saturday night at this campground; another nice, well maintained place to camp for free. Again, no hook ups but we did not need them. I was unable to check out the restroom facilities to see how they were since they were locked.

Sunday, we ended up driving on into south Mississippi and stayed on Family property until we got settled into a place by a Lake in between Collins and Hattiesburg. The next month will be spent visiting family before spending some time in Florida and then in Texas as we figure out our route to Montana for the summer.

To Keep up with how the government shutdown is effecting The Natchez Trace and the campgrounds there, here is their website: Camping Along the Natchez Trace



Follow us on Facebook


The Roaming PJ's Facebook

The top 5 (or a few more) Must Do's in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg

Must Do's in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg TN Area 

After spending 4 months in Sevier County TN, I have learned, discovered and explored some great and some not-so great things.

A little background for those who do not know:
We are a family of four, traveling the United States in our camper. My husband and even our kids (ages 17 and 18) pick up jobs in the areas where we plan to stay for awhile. We were only going to stay in Pigeon Forge for a month but when my husband, Paul and our daughter, Shelby picked up jobs at Dollywood, we couldn't resist staying for the season. It's been a fun experience for sure!

This is a tourist area; a huge tourist areas and some may even call it a tourist trap. I love to visit tourist areas and fall for those tourist traps but I also love to discover new things, odd things, off the beaten track things.

With less than 12 days left in this area, I want to share the things I've discovered and provide some tips and suggestions to anyone coming to the area.

The Must Do's, In my opinion. These are things that I think should not be missed and places where I've discovered some hidden gems; even as biased as they may sound. 

1.) Dollywood

Of course I would have this as number one on my list and not because Paul and Shelby worked there, because I spend a lot of time there and learned some awesome things. There is something for everyone at Dollywood. There are some pretty cool thrilling rides and while they are not huge on rides like Six Flags and they are far from Disney; it is worth spending some time at Dollywood when they are not crowded. Big Tip: Do not go when they are crowded, never fun!
Don't miss Dolly Parton's Chasing Rainbows Museum; it is easy to miss it and I am so glad I found it, just trust me, it is a must see in Dollywood!! Definitely do the shows; those are my favorite and always fun!
Each season has a different theme and I am only familiar with the Harvest Festival in October and WinterFest in November/December and I loved them both.


The best ways to avoid crowds: (there are always exceptions to these but this is what I found)

• Go during the week
• The slowest weeks while I was there: 

Week of September 10th, 2018 and during the week of September 17th, 2018 (weekdays only; weekends were busy because it was still warm) There are two car shows back to back in the end of September/beginning of October: I suggest to never travel to the area during these two weeks unless you are coming for the car shows. The parkway is a slow moving parking lot and everything is crazy busy. October stays pretty busy because people come to see the fall colors (which were late this year and didn't peak until the end of October). November is pretty slow, so any week except for Thanksgiving week are good to come visit; do not come during Thanksgiving Week unless you want to wait in lines for everything all around town. It is one of the busiest weeks. The weather starts getting colder in December and you never know if it's going to be extra cold, rainy or mild so when coming in December the weather is just unpredictable but the crowds are almost nonexistent after Thanksgiving week until the weekend before Christmas week.
The park closes after the first weekend in January and doesn't open back up until mid-March so the town becomes a ghost town.

2.) Anakeesta in Gatlinburg: 

You take a ski lift up and the area on top is just so nice and peaceful and one of the best things to do to get away from everything; the food up there is even good!

3.) A Dinner Show 

Right now there are three big ones: Dolly Parton Stampeded (they changed the name from Dixie Stampede and I didn't even know that until just the other day), Dolly Parton's Celebration and Hatfield and McCoy's. There will be a Pirate dinner show next spring. We went to them all and the food is all pretty much the same and I didn't care for the feud of Hatfield and McCoy so my favorite is still the all time favorite Dixie Stampede.  I don't see the need in doing them all but definitely do at least one of them.

4.) The Smoky Mountain Opry

 Don't waste your time on any other show in the area, believe me the Smoky Mountain Opry is hands down the best show in the area; I don't care what the others advertise they have nothing on the Opry; just go there, you won't be disappointed. I did see every show in the area and some multiple times. The Christmas show at the Opry was even better than the original show but both are enjoyable.

5.) The Great Smoky Mountains

Take a few hikes. You can't come to the area without driving up the mountain and catching the views, the waterfalls and the hikes; even short ones. There is no cell service so make sure you are not working and don't need to be connected; luckily I learned this on a weekend!


Bonus: You have to travel over the mountain a little

6.) Cherokee NC, Indian Village

The real Indian village, I didn't go to the museum and it may be nice but the real village is up the hill and down the road from the museum; don't miss it!

7.) Parrot Mountain

A nice surprise where you can get up close and personal to hundreds of parrots, so much fun! This one is not far from Dollywood.

Some tips and suggestions: 

• Try to visit when it is not so crowded! It gets crowded and when it's crowded, it is definitely not enjoyable; think Disney when crowded, to me that is just not fun at all and you spend most of your time in lines. 

• Dress in layers, wear good walking shoes and bring a poncho or your own rain gear. It gets hot in the summer and cold/rainy in the fall and winter. 

• Learn to take Veterans  instead of Parkway to get from one end of Pigeon Forge to the other. Also, Teaster Lane can be taken in conjunction with Veterans and you can end up in the middle of the parkway. Bottom line, try to avoid the Parkway unless you just want to sight see. 

• Allow extra time to get somewhere; you never know about the traffic. Using the trolley system can be helpful but also can be super slow when it's busy. There are no free places to park in Gatlinburg, you can park at the welcome center and for fifty cents can take the trolley into town; to me that was well worth it for Gatlinburg since everything is within walking distance. The trolley was never more than 15-20 minutes each time we did that. For pigeon forge, it was just easier to drive since everything is more spread out. 

Other places worth some time and some of my favorites 

• The Island: I loved the water show, the shopping and Paula Deen's restaurant was worth it at least once; one of those you have to try it thing. 

• Bush's Beans Place: completely free and very interesting. The cafe there has pretty good food 

• The Lost Sea in Sweetwater TN, this one is about an hour away but so worth it if time. You take a boat ride in the cave, so cool! 

• Just walking around Gatlinburg; there is way too much to touristy things there but I enjoyed the Ripley's museum: go when not crowded and take the time to read the things; some odd and interesting things there for sure. 

• Mountain Coaster: There are so many to choose from and we only did one specific one but I have a feeling that any of them would be great. They are really fun, a little scary but not too scary! 
  

I don't recommend the movie rides; they are jerky and annoying; the Jungle Boat Ride in Pigeon Forge may look cool but it was not very good at all. The wax museum is ok, I was glad I got in free and I definitely won't bother doing it again. Lots of photo props but that's about it; we did make the most of it. The World of Illusions and all of the little supposed to be exciting attractions in the area are best avoided. They are all ok but there are so many other things worth your time and money.

Food!!!

Since I love food and love to eat out and love to try local foods I must talk about the food in the area. 

Things I have learned about food in this area: 

Seafood: not the best place to find good seafood and that is understandable. Eastern Tennessee is pretty far from any ocean so good seafood is definitely hard to come by. There is also nothing like Mississippi catfish! I tried Huck Finn's in Pigeon Forge because the reviews are great and they say it has good catfish; nope, I was highly disappointed in their catfish, not even close to good Mississippi catfish. There's a seafood buffet that is pretty popular called Captain Jim's Seafood Buffet; I wasn't brave enough to try it. I felt like there was no way it would be any good even with good reviews. There are the basic chains, Red Lobster and Joe's Crab Shack so I feel like the "local" seafood places are probably on the same level. Definitely do not come to Eastern TN for the seafood. 

BBQ: There are some pretty good BBQ places around and I'm pretty picky on BBQ. I found a place near Nashville that was amazing and haven't found anything around this area quite like it but it's not bad either. A lot of places are touristy for sure and some of them really do have some good food, some not so good. 

Fried Chicken: If you want some good fried chicken, this is the town to get it. The best was Dolly Parton's Celebration dinner show and Paula Deen's restaurant, super juicy and overall some of the best fried chicken I've ever eaten. As for fast food, they have Bojangles which to me is far superior than Popeye's. They are missing Raising Cane's: there's only one in the state at the University in Knoxville but only open when the school is open and I never wanted to take that drive. I did crave it so will hit one up as soon as I get a chance. 

Some of my favorites: 

• Apple Barn: Sure it's most definitely touristy but the food is delicious. The apple fritters are super yummy and go to the smaller walk up counter for an apple dumpling: with ice cream on it, to die for! I don't like nor am able to eat super sweet things and it had just the right amount of sweetness. 

• Alamo Steakhouse: the best steaks, everything was top notch; definitely a place to return 

• Mel's Diner: the food is not bad, the breakfast is the best but the service is amazing; they are super fast and they are always busy but you can get in and out quickly. The Banana splits are the best around too; I went just for the banana split a few times. 

• Old Mill Restaurant: Another tourist restaurant but the food is really good like Apple Barn and well worth a trip. 

• Slice Pizza Bakery in Gatlinburg by the Space Needle: This place is attached to the arcade over there and I was hesitant about it but it had good reviews so I thought I would try and I was pleasantly surprised. The pizza slices are huge, massive huge and I haven't ever had true New York style pizza but its supposed to be true to that. I am not sure if it was but it was good and massive, did I mention how big those slices are? 

• Cielito Lindo Mexican Restaurant : A good Mexican place that looks that a hole in the wall but pretty good salsa and food. 

• China Town in Sevierville: There are not many Asian Restaurants around the area; there is the basic sushi, Japanese and Hibachi and I am sure the Hibachi restaurants are good, I just didn't get around to trying them but I did try China Town and was highly impressed. I don't care for buffets so this was perfect and everything was delicious. Like the Mexican restaurant, the outside didn't look appealing but the inside was super nice and authentic. 

• New Orleans Sandwich Company in Gatlinburg, TN: I was skeptical about this having had some awesome food from New Orleans but it was a nice surprise. They didn't have the right bread but it wasn't bad. I call it a hidden gem because it is tucked in and it was a nice taste of something close to Louisiana. Better than Huck Finn's catfish for sure!

• Chocolate Monkey: The best chocolate covered strawberries and caramel apples

• Cinnamon Bread at Dollywood: I know not a restaurant, but it's a must get; made fresh everyday, warm, ooey gooey wonderfulness 

Our Facebook Page

Route to Washington