My husband, Dan and I departed Cocoa, FL on June 18, 2012 with one goal in mind, well two goals - to have fun and to visit as many National Parks as possible as we travel across the United States with our fifth wheel, in tow.

Our trip did not begin as the carefree adventure we had hoped for but rather was filled with 435 miles of stressful driving. We set out on this endeavor without knowing what the 54 foot, 18,000 pound - fully loaded rig, carrying motorcycles, bicycles, and kayaks would drive like. As we approached North Florida, the road construction caused the rig to bounce like a baby - except with no smiles or giggles; with every dip in the road I just knew the motorcycle carrier was going to snap like a bean and our cycles would be strewn all across I-95. That stress, coupled with the unfamiliar road noises and the interstate traffic made the first nine hours on the road extremely tense. Even tough there were frequent stops to check all the rigging, my nerves were on edge and conversations were limited to "what-ifs" and "what was that?".

The only set travel plan was our first week at Petersburg Campground in Appling, GA. We had chosen the campsite where Dan had camped with his family in his younger years.

Well, the nerves finally eased up when we reached our first destination with all of our toys and RV in one piece. Getting camp set up before dark was our next challenge but we didn't quiet get everything unpacked before nightfall... no big deal, we had a week to work though the kinks.

Camping along side us were my daughter, Melanie, her husband, Colin and two grankids, Madison and Colin, Jr; Dan's sister, Malinda and niece, Melissa had the site on our other side and his brother Tim and his wife, Karen camped next to them. We were nearly the only campers in this cove and we were loaded with toys to entertain ourselves. Throughout the week, other family members and friends would join us on a daypass and we played on the boat, paddled the kayaks and rode the jetski; every day was filled with fun activities, incredible adventures and the best, family-made memories one could hope for. The weather was perfect. Even the motorcycles got in on the fun; Dan and Madison took to the roads around the lake and even for a short tour into South Carolina while Colin took Colin, Jr riding through the park. When they returned it was time for lunch. Having the middle campsite, everyone gathered at Melinda's to feast on the BBQ that Malinda's husband, Bill had brought. After all the playing then eating, I was ready for a nap. Madison and Dan headed out on the kayaks while Colin Jr and his dad rode the jetski. Melanie and a few of the others decided to take the pontoon boat out and the rest of the group were laying on floats in the cove feeling the waves gently rock the floats up and down. While everyone was off enjoying the lake and campground, I sat back in my lawnchair with my feet up and enjoyed the serene beauty that was all around but even moreso, the laughter from our family and friends.

As the week came to an end and family & friends went their separate ways, it seemed like Dan and I had the entire campground to ourselves. On our last night at site 82, we sat outside, listened to the sounds of the night, the forest and lake, we watched a satellite soar across the sky - passing the little dipper, and concluded that this was just the beginning of the end to a perfect week.

We had become comfortable knowing that the rig was road worthy seeing that nothing had happened during the first several hundred miles of driving soand we could now traveling at our own pace and route. Our next destination would be The Great Smokey Mountain National Park in Tennessee and we decided the rest of our journey will be across the back roads of America. Ready or not, here we come.