Back in GA, Our Whirlwind Detour is Done

I left you in Santa Fe on our way to Texas to see our daughter, Kelly and Brian on our detour to Florida.  We did a quick overnight in Amarillo, then to Weatherford, TX.  We had a nice, but short visit which of course including a lot of food, lunches and homemade dinners:-)  Didn't get any pictures of us all together, but you'll have to put up with a few food pics.

Kelly found a new sushi place nearby, so we went over for lunch, very good, and I was able to order takoyaki for the first time.  I had never seen them on a menu before, they are round small octopus balls, kind of like a fritter, and very good as it turns out.

The tuna tower was very good

We also went to another brand new restaurant, more eclectic and had lunch as well.

Fish tacos

And a fish sandwich

We were only there for 3 nights total, and had a good time, but then it was time to boogie.

We made 3 stops before arriving in Bradenton, FL, long days.  We stopped in Boyce, LA, then Robertsdale, AL, and Madison, FL before we arrived.  We did have one surprise, the blind in front of me gave up the ghost after 218,000 bumpy miles.  It wasn't real convenient as we were heading east right into the sun each day.  But I think I can fix it.

That got us in on a Sunday night and my first doctor appointment was on Monday for my surgery clearances.  My first appt went well, then the next day I had labs and an EKG, all good, so other than the dentist clearance I am all set for the new hip, I guess:-)  We also had a nice lunch and visit with BIL Tom, then it was time to move again, this time across the state near to Jacksonville to Green Cove Springs, our residence, where we had to renew our driver's licenses in person, in Florida the license is good for 7 years, but can only be renewed on line once.  

We stayed at a nice, huge park with large sites, and nice sunset.

We got that done along with our vehicle registrations and then found a very good restaurant in Green Cove Springs, Corky Bells, great seafood.

Dynamite cole slaw

Excellent conch fritters

Delicious shrimp and fantastic hush puppies!

Broiled scallops, and although the fried oysters were small, they were great

So then one more stop in Wharthen, GA, kind of in the middle of nowhere, nice evening, even got a light show during Happy Hour!

So now we are back where we started, Talona Ridge RV Resort in Ellijay, GA, and strange for us, it marks the end of our travel this year.  Working on house plans and getting my surgery and recovery will keep us here for quite awhile.  We still plan for 2 months in Florida, though it won't be until Feb and Mar.  At least that's the plan for now.

A Quick Update Before Running East

We had a whirlwind few days in Santa Fe, yes almost all surrounding food:-)  It was just a stepping stone along the way, but we had a couple things specifically in mind in case we don't get out here again.  

The sunsets and clouds did not disappoint.

First on the agenda was a particular plate of nachos and awesome chicken tortilla green chili soup, the nachos mainly to share and a quart of the soup as take out, except for the little bit we ate with our nachos.

We also wanted to get the best green chili cheeseburger in the entire world.  Many years ago we discovered Bobcat Bite, a tiny restaurant with famous burgers a bit outside of town, we're talking more than 25 years ago.  They served a huge burger 10 oz, cooked to order that was ground to their formula and never frozen with, of course, green chili and cheese.  It was a masterpiece and was featured in many publications and on several TV shows.  We found it extraordinary.  They closed up Bobcat Bite in 2013, and moved into Santa Fe proper renaming the restaurant to Santa Fe Bite.  We visited it many times while there.  It then closed up in that location in 2018 and moved a little farther out and is still in that location today.  We are glad to know that a part of the original ownership is still active, but for the most part it is now owned by the employees.  But the most important part is the burgers are still the same huge juicy amazing ones they always have been. Jan and I have said many times, it is the best burger we've had anywhere even ignoring the green chili and cheese, they are amazing!

And then just before we left for Texas, one more stop, The Pantry, another favorite, established in 1948, a real institution.  So fortified with awesome Huevos Rancheros with excellent green chili for breakfast we made our way to Texas to visit our daughter Kelly and Brian after a very quick overnight in Amarillo.