Travel With the Tycksens

August 13, 2012August 15, 2012

Maryland

My girls, Holly & Stormy, posing in front of the hotel in Laurel, MD

Friday morning my girls and I just rested. We were just flat exhausted from the hours on the road and decided to sleep in a bit. We did get up to enjoy the free hot breakfast that the hotel had. They even had a hotcake machine! I’ve seen the hot waffles, but this was the first pancake maker I’ve seen at a hotel breakfast. But right after breakfast we all went back to bed.

Our friends from TX, Glenn and Drewann in MD

Later that afternoon we got to visit with some of our friends that we used to go to church with back in Texas. They moved up to Maryland last year and it was such a joy to get to see them again and get caught up. It’s so good to hear how God is blessing their lives.

We had a little while before my sister and brother where going to be done with their weeks so we wandered out behind the hotel where there is a beautiful lake and park. They have a playground for the kids and a stage for live bands. Some of the locals where telling us that they show free movies out there and will have all kinds of concerts and events there.

My sister, Cindy, also lives south of DC in Virginia, but she happen to have a bodybuilding competition in Maryland on Saturday. She arrived Friday evening at the hotel where we were staying and we got to visit with her between her evening preps. She looks so wonderful.

Me, Michele (my brother's wife), Will (my brother), Holly, Stormy, Davita (My brother's daughter) — Me, Michele (my brother’s wife), Will (my brother), Holly, Stormy, Davita (My brother’s daughter)

Friday evening my brother and his family drove down and took us to dinner. We shared stories and laughed for hours. It is good to see my brother stateside for a while. He is currently serving in the US Army, but after multiple injuries over the last several years he is starting a long process of surgeries at Walter Reid in DC for the next year or so. My prayers go out to him and his family for a speedy recovery. And hopefully I’ll get to make it out this way to see him again.

Saturday morning we got to visit with my brother and his daughter for a little bit, then we just relaxed at the hotel room the rest of the afternoon. That evening the girls went to check out the hotels indoor pool and I headed over to my sisters competition. She looked awesome! And took home fourth place in two different categories. Yea sis! I’m so proud of her and her accomplishments. I know she will hold the first place and overall one day soon!

It’s hard to say goodbye to the ones we love, especially when we don’t get the chance to see them very often. But I am very thankful and blessed for the time we got to spend with each one and look forward to another chance again one day.

Hwy 81 N thru Pennsylvania sure was pretty

Sunday morning rolled around and it was time to pack up and head off on our next leg of this journey. We decided to take the scenic route and head over to Hwy 81 outside of Hagerstown, Md and head north to upstate New York. It was beautiful and the traffic flowed along well until we reached New York where it got a little congested for a bit.

We made it in to Albany, NY, where my sister Tina lives, and where we will stay for the next few days here in New York. It is wonderful to get to spend time with her and we are so thankful for her gracious hospitality.

Looking forward to trying to see everyone while we are up here.

Til next time, enjoy your journey,

Rachele T.

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August 11, 2012August 11, 2012

Southern East Coast

We spent Wednesday evening in Kingsland, GA at the Comfort Suites off exit 3. It was so beautiful. Our room was very clean and comfortable. We really didn’t want to get out of bed because they were so soft, but the hot and fresh waffles and fresh breakfast made it a little easier. We would definitely recommend this hotel. With the coupon in the free hotel coupon books available at Florida’s rest stops and also in the hotel foyer our stay here was less than $70.00.

Georgia was beautiful. Lots of green and rivers and creeks. One thing I did notice was how the drivers just seemed to be very courteous. I’ve never seen so many drivers smiling, waving, letting others merge and just good safe driving. Maybe it was partly to the fact that right as you enter Georgia there is a huge billboard declaring that texting in Georgia is ILLEGAL! And there were several reminders along the roadways.

We were impressed by the entrance to South Carolina. But wow! It seemed like it took forever to get across the state. Hwy 95 North was a pretty drive, lots of trees and green.

As we drove we started seeing lots of billboards for a place called South of The Border. We thought maybe it was a restaurant or big store. But we were not prepared for what we saw when we drove by. It was its own town. There were amusement rides, a sombrero tower, a train, and much, more. It was very interesting.

We crossed over into North Carolina just passed South of the Border. Then into Virginia a few hours later. It seemed like we drove forever.

We finally arrived in Maryland about 11:30pm, but boy we were not prepared for what happened next.

We had reservations at the Red Roof Inn in Laurel, BUT what your online reservation doesn’t tell you is if the hotel is in the BAD part of town! There were vagrants wandering all over the parking lot and people hanging off of the above balconies.

We pulled up and everyone started looking at us like we were steaks and they hadn’t eaten in a week. I got even more worried when I went to the front office and they were behind bullet proof glass. Let’s just say we did NOT stay. Instead we went across town and got a room at the Holiday Inn Express. MUCH nicer and MUCH better part of town. Really looking forward to visiting a couple days here in Maryland.

Till next time, enjoy your journey,

Rachele T.

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August 11, 2012

Back On The Road Again-East Coast Road Trip

Time for one more road trip this year. This time its just me and the girls. We are heading to Florida first to see my oldest daughter first. Then up to DC to see my brother and sister. Then we will be heading up to Upstate NY to see my dad, sisters, and uncles. So we will have quite an adventure the next two weeks.

We got our rental car first thing Monday morning. It’s a VW Passat. (Ok, I will never spend a dime on this car to buy it. It is the most uncomfortable car I have ever been in.) By the time we got loaded we headed out a little after lunch. We made it as far as Pensacola, FL Monday night. We stayed in the Econolodge on Lavelle Way, just off I-10 behind the Cracker Barrel. Oh my! That was the worst hotel room I have ever been in. I’ll spare you the details, just take my word for it DO NOT EVER stay there! We couldn’t even get another room because the phone didn’t work and the front desk refused to answer their buzzer again.

Florida reststop — Florida had some really nice rest stops.

Tuesday was massive thunderstorms all the way across Florida. It didn’t help that the wipers on the Passat do not go very fast at all, so it couldn’t remove the water fast enough, so it was very difficult to see, so driving was really slow. We finally made it to Boca Raton late Tuesday evening. We stayed at the Quality Inn on Federal and it was much nicer. It was still an older hotel, but the rooms were clean and comfortable.

We got to visit my daughter, Jelissa’s, school there in Boca Raton. She is finishing up her last semester and took a few hours out of her busy final schedule to spend the afternoon with us. We are so proud of her. She has worked so hard and we really hope she does well and gets a job offer soon.

Jelissa and Evan — My daughter and her boyfriend

It was so good to see her again. It has been about two years since we saw her last. We got to visit with her boyfriend for a few minutes when he got off work before we had to get back on the road.

We decided to take the scenic route on the way back and cruised up the coastline for a bit. The ocean was very beautiful and some of the houses were just amazing.

We finally made it back onto the hwy and headed North about 4pm. We got through Jacksonville and stopped for the night in Kingsland, GA

Till next time, enjoy your journey,

Rachele T.

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July 25, 2012

Finally back in East Texas

Well we made it back to East Texas Sunday afternoon. We were able to find an RV Park in Hallsville, Hitchin Post RV Park. It’s a small park, no pool or playground, but they have facilities, a laundromat, a 24 hour gas station next door, and their rates are really good.

So far everyone here is really nice and the owners even welcomed us our first day. It is very laid back and comfortable here, so I think we will stay for a bit.

Till next time, enjoy your journey,

Rachele T.

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July 22, 2012July 22, 2012

So far so Good!

One of the bridges coming out of Florida

Our travels back on Friday went without any further mechanical issues, thank goodness. Just some beautiful scenery and sunset. We had planned on stopping at the Ameristar Casino RV Park in Vicksburg, MS Friday night, but they were full. So we pushed on thru to Monroe, LA where we had planned on stopping Saturday to visit with one of Harold’s old Army buddies.

We pulled in to the Ouachita RV Park about 11pm Friday night and got everything set up. They had a night drop box so we went ahead and paid for two nights. It seems to be a nice little park. Reminds me of summer camp. They have a nice clubhouse with pool table, playground for the kids, and a swimming pool. It’s an older facility, but not too bad. My only issue was that the bathroom and showers look like they havn’t been cleaned in a year. Yuck! I don’t mind old, but filthy, no I can’t stand that. But overall the rest of the park is really nice.

Saturday afternoon we went and had lunch with Harold’s Army buddy, Norm. It was great to get to catch up on everything. The rest of the day was really relaxing. And quite surprisingly quiet. For being as close to I-20 as this park is, you don’t hear the road noise. It’s just peace and quiet.

They even have a pond that you can fish. Harold ran to the local Wal-mart to get some poles and bait, and him and Stormy set out their hand to try and catch something. Right away Stormy got the first bite and reeled in a little catfish. He wasn’t huge, but to her he was five feet long! 🙂 We fished the rest of the evening but only got a few more bites. But it sure was enjoyable. If you would like more information on Ouachita RV Park you can visit their webpage here!

Today we head back to East Texas. We were hoping to get back in at Fernbrook RV Park in Longview, but when I called Saturday to check our reservation for Sunday, we were told that they were full till after the balloon races, so we would have to wait a week. Let’s just say I was a little upset. We had reservations! But they rented our space out to a weekly camper to make more money. Let’s just say they won’t be getting any more of our money. It’s such a shame that they are so hard to deal with because it is a nice park and there arn’t too many nice parks around Longview. But we found another one in Hallsville that would love to have us and our money :), so we are headed there instead. I’m looking forward to returning to East Texas for a bit. At least for the next two weeks before me and the girls are off on our East coast trip to see my family.

Till next time, enjoy your journey,

Rachele T.

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July 20, 2012

Its Hard to Believe its Already Friday!

Spent Wednesday relaxing on the beach in front of the Sandpiper Beacon Resort, PCB, FL

I can’t believe its Friday already. The last week has just flown by. I’m glad we were able to push through all the problems we had on the trip down so that we could enjoy this last week. We got to do so much and got to relax by the beach.

Wednesday we just kicked back all day on the beach and just relaxed. We visited the beach in front of the Sandpiper Beacon Resort & Tiki Bar. It was really nice. I think if we are able to make another trip to PCB, FL without the RV we will stay here.

They are all inclusive. They have a waterslide at their pool, mini-putt-putt, a playground, activities planned every day, and a really great beach! After the beach we just kicked back at the RV and rested.

Holly boarding the Banana Boat to ride out to the Para-sail boat

Thursday we went back to the Sandpiper so Holly could go Para-sailing.

They took a banana boat ride out to the boat and back again. She had a blast!

Afterward we headed over to Sharky’s to eat lunch on the Beach. It really was a great view. They have a huge deck that wraps around the back of the restaurant and each table has an umbrella to shade you from the sun.

Lunch at Sharky's on the beach, PCB, FL — Lunch at Sharky’s on the beach, PCB, FL

Our waitress was great and the food was awesome. It was the most relaxing lunch I’ve ever had. We watched a storm roll in as we were finishing and just as we were stepping off the patio it began to ran. That worked out well, for us anyway.

Trying to navigate the Maze at Coconut Creek, no we never made it through. :/

After lunch we headed over to Coconut Creek Putt-Putt & Gran Maze and attempted to navigate our way through their maze. Nope! We didn’t make it. We spent about an hour going in circles and it just wasn’t much fun anymore so we headed out and played a round of putt-putt.

That was alot more enjoyable. Their course makes ours back in Texas look really lame. It was a great afternoon.

We all really enjoyed ourselves this week and Holly had some friends from back home actually in PCB this week too. So she met up with them Thursday evening over at Lavela. She had fun while we started getting everything packed back up to leave.

Friday morning arrived and so did the black clouds. We were able to get about half-way packed back up before it started to pour. Harold got soaked clean through trying to finish breaking down the trailer. But we got it all done and were on the road by 10:40 this morning.

Praying we have smooth sailing all the way home this weekend. We plan to stop in Vicksburg, MS this evening, then on to West Monroe, LA on Saturday to visit with one of Harold’s old Army buddies he hasn’t seen in years! then on home Sunday afternoon.

I’ll be glad to get home and get caught up on some things before me and the girls head to the East Coast in a few more weeks to visit my family.

Till next time, enjoy your journey,

Rachele T.

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July 19, 2012

A Terrific Tuesday

Tuesday we planned to do some indoor activities and its a good thing to because it stormed all day.

We took a short walk down the sidewalk to the Wonder Works Museum, it was a blast. The building is built to look like it was dropped upside down. Four floors of fun, activities and science.

Having Fun at Wonder Works Panama City Beach FL

There was lots of hands on stuff for kids and adults alike. I think we spent over four hours exploring all four floors plus a game of lazer tag.

Rope course at Wonder Works Panama City Beach FL — Rope Course at Wonder Works Panama City Beach FL

There was even a rope climbing course on the upper floor that was very interesting, but we decided not to attempt it.

Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Panama City Beach, FL — Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, Panama City Beach, FL

After Wonder Works we headed down to Captain Jacks all you can eat Seafood buffet where the Seafood and crab legs never run out. It was expensive but was oh soooo good!

Holly and Stormy with the World's Tallest Man at Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Panama City Beach, FL — Holly and Stormy with the World’s Tallest Man at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, Panama City Beach, FL

After an early dinner we headed to The Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum and 4D Theater. That was quite interesting. It was the first time I’ve been through a Ripley’s Museum. It was incredible and the several hours we spent in there just seemed to fly by.

So even though today was a wet one we really enjoyed our day.

Till next time, enjoy you journey,

Rachele T.

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July 18, 2012

Wish Every Monday Was This Good

Monday we decided to head back to the Pet Friendly beach so Sugar could have fun too, so we headed to the other side of the pier as soon as we got up and going.

We just relaxed and enjoyed our day.

Holly and Stormy starting their rides at the Pier Park Mall Amusement Park

Monday evening we took the girls to the amusement park at Pier Park Mall. We bought the girls armbands and they made their rounds riding every ride for about 4 hours. And had a blast.

Monday was a good relaxing day.

Till next time, enjoy your journey,

Rachele T.

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