Dave, Janice and Dusty

Tonight I met Dave, Janice and Dusty, visiting here from Lead Hill, Arkansas, population 290, correction now 289. Dave says everyone in Lead Hill is related except for Jan and him.

Dusty greeted me heartily by placing his paws on my shoulders, sniffing a little, then giving me a gentle lick on the face. What a sweet guy he is and very well behaved at only 1 1/2 years old.

Dave and Jan greeted me graciously as well with smiles and admonitions to Dusty.  They are Coast to Coast members and will be staying at Leisure Lake Campgrounds until Wednesday. I wish I could be here to talk more with them but we will be at home until Friday evening.

Jan is a petite and friendly gal with beautiful blue eyes that stand out in her pretty face. Dave, well tanned with a big smile is the social one of the pair according to Jan. I found them both to be kind and friendly with no qualms talking about their travels during their retirement. They have been married 22 years, having met one day when Jan asked him to move her boat. A big grin crossed his face as he remembered that lucky day.

They considered doing full-time RVing but have decided against it. They do travel quite a bit and love visiting National parks. They have seen 34 so far and today will make 35 when they visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  They are staying at Leisure Lake since Cuyahoga Valley National Park  does not offer camping and we are not far from their destination. They love waterfalls so I hope they find the Brandywine Falls or Bridal Veil Falls (if there is enough water to even create a waterfall).  The Ohio and Erie Canal runs through CVNP and was a waterway from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. The towpaths are now great for hiking and biking. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway also runs through CVNP.


Dave said their favorite national parks so far were Glacier National Park in Montana and Bryce Canyons in Utah. They prefer to do most of their sightseeing from their car, since they are not big into hiking.

They started this trip from Arkansas on July 18 and plan to be gone until approximately August 19 or 20th. Jan has a horse at home being cared for by a neighbor (one of the perks of living in Lead Hill where people are friendly and help each other) so she doesn't want to inconvenience her neighbor much longer than that. They traveled to Wisconsin to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of one of Dave's friends. Dave was his best man and served again when the couple renewed their vows this month. They also visited Dave's mother, 92, and his two sons. They were also in Michigan and experienced a severe storm in which several trees were knocked down in the park. Dusty loved this as they walked around the next day because he had his pick of sticks to chew on. 

They are traveling in a Surveyor by Forest River, the latest of many RVs they have owned. She loves to fish and although Dave does too, he says lately he just enjoys sitting there relaxing with the pole in his hand. I commend her because she baits her own hook, something I have never done.

After their trip to Cuyahoga Valley National Park they plan to go to Niagara Falls. Of course, they are "waterfall people" as Dave told me.

Enjoy your journey Dave and Jan and thanks for the interview!