Staycation Or Road Trip During A Pandemic?

These are definitely uncertain times. The Coronavirus has been with us nearly five months now. First we were “sheltering at home”, then, some of our states began to open up. Most of us are living in states that are, at least, “partially” closed still. It’s the uncertainty that’s hard to live with, when will the virus die down?, when will it be gone all together?, and when will a vaccine be available? We have all tried to make the most of it, some positive things have happened during our “lock-down”, I have listed 10 in this post; 10 Positive Outcomes from Sheltering at Home

We all want a vacation, a time to escape our daily lives for awhile, but is it safe? I can see two options;

Stay-cation, hang around the house, take day trips locally(feels safe)
Road Trip, hit the road, which would involve camping or staying at hotels(kind of scary..right?)

STAYCATION IDEAS

Have you ever had a staycation? I think basically, we have all had a staycation for the last 5 months! We have been forced to hang around our houses and find things to do in our own backyards. I have found some things to do online like; Virtual zoos and Virtual museum tours. The links to these will be at the bottom of my post. Many of us have reconnected with nature, like going for walks, taking a bike ride, or walking the dog. It has always been acceptable to be in our own backyards and even walk around our neighborhoods. Now that many of us are in Phase 1 or 2, we have a few more options.

Get into photography and be a tourist in your own town. Have you ever really looked around your town, enjoyed the architecture of the buildings, or seen the beauty in a city park,
Have a scavenger hunt in your town. Hide clues around the town, each one leading to the next, and ending with a prize!
Go Camping in your own backyard. Children love to camp and so do adults! Buy a tent, sleeping bags, a lantern, and maybe even a fire pit! Don’t forget the marshmallows!
Use your vacation money to fix up your house and yard. Buy those comfy recliners you have been thinking about, or maybe a bigger TV. You could buy patio furniture, a fire pit, a new grill, or even build a deck!
Treat yourself to food from your favorite restaurant.
Get Romantic! Order take out from an expensive restaurant, then set up your dining room to look like that restaurant. Eat by candlelight!
Take a Day Trip. When’s the last time you have been to a museum? Many museums are opening back up.
Drive to a State park and take a hike, don’t forget the picnic lunch!

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6 Fun Things to do in Cherokee NC

6 Comments / Travel / Cathy

This is a beautiful part of Western North Carolina, surrounded by the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains. There are so many fun things to do in and near the city of Cherokee, NC! This list of 6 is just a few of our favorites!

Museum of the Cherokee Indian
Pan Fer’ Gold
Mingo Falls
Oconaluftee Visitor Center/Mountain Farm
Mingus Mill
Oconaluftee Islands Park

1. Museum of the Cherokee Indian

We have been to the city of Cherokee, North Carolina several times in the past few years. Each time we are there, I ask my husband if we can go to the museum, but we usually run out of time before we can go there. This year, we made the time to see the museum and I’m very glad we did, and so is my husband! This museum really tells the story of the Cherokee People and the plight of the Native Americans in our part of the country.

MISSION: “To preserve and perpetuate the history, culture, and stories of the Cherokee People” Museum of the Cherokee Indians

I was thankful that during this Pandemic, the museum was open and practicing social-distancing. The number of people who were allowed to enter at one time was limited, and face masks were required. The museum is large enough for people to be in separate parts of the museum. The huge wooden statue in front of the museum had a mask on.

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10 Challenges of Being a Caregiver

40 Comments / Life / Cathy

Primary Caregiver for my Mom

It’s a challenge caring for the elderly, and when it’s your parent, it’s even harder. Everyone gets older(God willing) and many of us are faced with elderly parents who are no longer self-sufficient. We moved my Mom into our home about 9 months ago. I became her primary caregiver. My husband also helps when he can. The decision to move her into our home was not an easy one. We had to weigh the pros and cons for everyone involved.

Options to remain independent

Finding a Caregiver to visit Mom several times a week or daily
Finding a Caregiver to live with Mom in her apartment
Providing for her needs so she can stay in her apartment
Meals on Wheels, Visiting nurses, Medical Alert button
Senior Living Facility(independent living/no assistance)
Assisted Living(some living assistance)
Nursing Home(full living assistance)

We did try a few of these options before moving Mom out of her home. I found someone to grocery shop for her, I had Meals on Wheels deliver her lunches, and we found transportation for her to doctor appointments. I provide more specific information in my post on Making the Decision to become a Primary Caregiver

*This post may contain affiliate links to products/services that I use or trust, if you click a link and purchase a product/service, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you, the opinions in this post are my own*

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Raleigh RV Park – Raleigh NC

48 Comments / Camping / Cathy

We have been wanting to get out of the house and have an adventure. Have you? The coronavirus has ruined many of our travel plans for the last few months and into the future. I have been thinking lately that maybe Camping is a good option, Camping The campgrounds in our state, North Carolina, have started to open, so we decided to go. This is our first trip this year, and only the third time we have camped since we bought our camper last year! We chose a campground fairly close to home, only about 90 miles away, Raleigh Oaks RV Resort. They are located at 527 US Hwy 701 S., Four Oaks, North Carolina.

Raleigh Oaks RV Resort – Campground Review

Choosing the Campground and Checking in

The way we chose this campground and RV resort was in our Good Sam club guidebook. We are Good Sam club members and the guidebook provides information about their campgrounds throughout the United States. We looked up our state and found Raleigh Oaks RV Resort, they have a great Good Sam rating of 10! We looked up their website which provided us with all the information we needed to make our final decision. We called the campground to make a reservation. Due to the Coronavirus, the office building was not open so they took our payment over the phone and told us we could pick up the map and site information from the “dropbox” when we arrived.

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