This is going to be an experiment of sorts. I usually compose my posts by selecting photos and then putting my thoughts to them. I am a visual person and this system works well for me. I think for the readers of this blog, it works well also because the picture is worth a thousand words and my 30 or so I add give an extra bonus. I find that often things I wanted to share get lost because there are no photos to write to. However this time around, I am going to write about my trip and add the photos later. Why the change Frank? Because we are on the road for the next week and I doubt (or actually hope) there will be much WiFi along the way. I am also writing all of this in Text Edit on my Mac so when I do get a chance to be connected, I can then bring it all together. I am also hoping that once I import the photos onto my computer, they will just fall into place. I sure hope this works...

In good Airstream spirit we are off on a family vacation. Eight days on the road with no real time frame, no real agenda, and best of all ZERO RESERVATIONS. I have many good excuses why we are doing this; Ava is out of school and we have not been out in Anna since late October. I reversed rolls with my friend Don and instead of me only saying "yes" to anything he asks of me, He said "yes" to me; spend Spring break on the road with us. I have always wanted to cross the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel Bridge. I have always wanted to cross over to Ocracoke on the ferry with my trailer, I have always wanted to eat North Carolina BBQ with Don, in North Carolina. The list goes on and on, but the real excuse is I need a vacation. Work has been taking a serious toll on my psyche lately and I need a week to stop thinking about work flow, cash flow, and over working my elbow (come on, that was a great line. Elbow, get it? It takes a lot of elbow grease to restore trailers). Bottom line, we are on vacation. The cell phone is turned to off and my desire to kick loose is turned to ELEVEN.

The loose plan was hatched with Don that we would meet somewhere and travel in the general direction of the Outer Banks. The only limit in our plan is that Key West is as far South as one can drive on the Eastern Seaboard. The plan was to have no real plan. We would embrace each day fresh and see where the wind would blow us. Everyone came to the table with some suggestions of things to see and do, but in general we would have no reservations either physically or figuratively. Foot loose and fancy free is the goal. This is a serious job and I am seriously ready for it. Beth on the other hand is somewhat uneasy with this. Having reservations is a means of exerting some control over the unknown. For Beth, this vacation is going to be a learning experience on how to let go. So far, she is doing great with it I might add. As long as I promise her she will see Ocracoke, she is happy. A happy Wife, is a happy Husband.

I am so serious about the job at hand that instead of leaving on Saturday morning we shoved off as soon as Ava got out of school. Though it put us well after dark before we would stop, we were on the road. It feels so (cuss) GOOD to be on the road again. We made our way to Pocomoke River State Park, South of Snow Hill Maryland.

It is an awesome place to camp. Typical of most State Parks, it is clean as a whistle, well laid out, and about 15 years out of date.

I say that lovingly. I like the fact that it is somewhat out of date. Unlike an out of date KOA, State Parks age gracefully and are still very user friendly. Would I recommend this place? (cuss) YES. Pocomoke River State Park used to be three parks until they were all combined into one large one. This is a very cool ecosystem consisting of swamps cypress and pine forests. The Pocomoke is a meandering tidal river awesome for canoeing and kayaking. We are in the Milburn Landing area right on the river. Just across the river (25 miles by car, 2/10th by boat) is Shad Landing area. This summer Shad Landing is to close for renovations. I sure hope they do not modernize it too much. Modernizing usually means tighter spaces, larger rigs, and cable TV. Time will tell. If one likes to fish, bird watch, or canoe this is an excellent place to go. The beach is about 25 minutes away, Crisfield (the soft crab capital of the world also known formally as the seafood capital of the world) is about 30 minutes away, and countless other historical and man made attractions are close by.

Where does Don and his family come into play? We are meeting them in Salisbury at the Pigs in the Park Festival a little later in the day. Hopefully he and I will eat some North Carolina BBQ (no worries Marcus, I still think Texas BBQ is the top of the heap. I mentioned NC BBQ only because earlier, I referred to eating NC BBQ in NC) in Maryland. We will both be unofficial judges. If I can scam or forge some credentials, maybe we can eat our way around without paying. Maybe I can bluff my way through by saying I am a press agent with the Airtstreamer's Club writing an article. The press always get in that way.

Well, time to pack it up to meet up with Vintage Thunder. We need to dump the tank on the way out and that will take some time. All winter long Anna was the Anna Inn to all the guests that came and visited us. We did the old enzyme and ice treatment on the ride down. With our use overnight and all the guests, she is ready for unloading. Now where are those gloves?