We nailed some beautiful weather as we made our way south from Nashville. We continuously hopped from one State Park to another along our route, winding along the backroad highways as much as we could. This led us to some out of the way places, like Paul M. Grist State Park just north of Selma. There are only ten camp spots, but when I called them the day before and asked if they had any spaces available, or if I needed a reservation, the guy on the other end just chuckled.
Sure, the water turned our swimsuits brown, but it felt great, and the bottom was surprisingly sandy. Despite a handful of campers, we didn’t really see anybody else while we were there. Sort of had this quiet little lake to ourselves.
Lowe found a paddleboat on shore, filled with slimy rainwater, and looking long neglected. He emptied it out, battling spiders the whole time, and in the end had himself a nice way to get around the lake.
This fat white duck had the lake, and us, to himself, as well.
One of the great things about road trips with kids is it gives you those opportunities to learn about things where they happened. We swung into Selma, picked up some absolutely massive pulled pork sandwiches from Lannie’s, then crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Just across the bridge we pulled into a small museum, had lunch in the bus, and then went inside to have some really good conversations with the kids about race in America.
When looking online I specifically spotted this site because it had a creek running behind it. Lowe loves building dams, and marinas, and diverting water to new rivers.
Nice spot for the kids to talk with their Spanish tutor.
Meanwhile, the rest of the bus is in a bit of a state. Getting situated in a new “old” motorhome, while on the road, is not exactly easy.
Which is what led us here. A tidy little AirBnB with an acre of land and a big parking area. And the house matches, too. This will be home for a couple weeks while we dig into the bus.
And by dig in I mean, put on some gloves, grab a bunch of garbage bags, pick up a hammer, and go to work. After just a day or two we were already posting to Craigslist looking for someone to haul away our garbage for us.
Can’t wait to discover all the electrical gremlins.
Time to properly remove all the old plumbing.
While we rip the bus to shreds, Lowe and Ouest have taken to building things with the scraps. They will have no shortage of materials.
19 Comments on “Pensacola”
Looks like you waxed the exterior of the bus, looking good on the outside, inside not so much yet!
We haven’t so much as washed it at this point.
I’m glad you’re back on land. I can relate.
Like Dick Mickle, I too noticed how nice and shiny the bus looks on the outside. I was going to ask if you’d had the exterior painted.
For all those that think your kids need to go to school, they need to read this again. Learning basic engineering by building dams, home repairs by helping renovate the bus, second language, history and so much more. Your kids are so lucky to learn in this environment.
We couldn’t agree more. Thanks, Dan.
Hoping your awning is as good as the last one!
It’s fine but definitely no Zip Dee. It has a bit of life still in it, and is massive.
I agree with Dan Schultz. Nothing better than ‘hands on’ learning. Extremely lucky kids!
Welcome back to Florida, Bums!
Hey! Bummer we won’t be heading down your way – all our kids are going so fast. 🙁
Probably got caught in several rainstorms on your way South, cleaned the outside quite well.
Slip
No, we didn’t actually – it did pour for the first 3 days at the airbnb, which actually was a good thing as it showed us all the leaks inside. WOW!
that TREE.
Gorgeous right? The neighborhood was covered with them, and we would watch the squirrels scramble from one to the other like on a freeway up above us.
Been following y’all for years since the catamaran and I’m from Pensacola. Wild to see Pensacola on your blog!
Hey Leigh, we seem to hit every place at some point. Pensacola could be so normal going to Home Depot and Publix, but then you find the beaches and then it’s a whole other place.
Is Paul Grist State Park manned? I tent camped there several years ago with a group, but later read that the park was semi-closed or something…Regardless, it’s very pretty.
Surprisingly, there were two ol’ boys sitting there in the office. Friendly southern types that were keen to hear about the engine in the bus and dish out info on where to catch the biggest bass.