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Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

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♫♪ On the road again… ♫♪

April 26, 2021 By Deborah Raney

I don’t think this is the first time I’ve titled a post with the words to Willie Nelson’s iconic song, but Ken and I are on the road again—this time a three-week trip south from our southeast Missouri home into Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and who knows where else! Best of all, we’re meeting up with some dear friends from our newlywed days in the Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee, and spending some time with Inspired by Life…and Fiction‘s own Tamera Alexander and her husband, Joe, on our way back home.

We’ve completed one week of our trip and it has been absolutely wonderful! As some of you may remember, Ken dragged me kickin’ and screamin’ into this whole camping-in-an-RV business, but this time around my enthusiasm has matched (or maybe even exceeded) his. I think partly because of the connections with friends, but also because this has been my dream trip!

“For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

On Saturday, I fulfilled a long-time dream of visiting St. Simons Island, Georgia, the setting for many of author Eugenia Price’s compelling novels that my mom shared with me when I was a young woman. We both loved Ms. Price’s stories and especially the true history of St. Simons Island that they contained. I shed a few happy tears when Christ Church came into view. It didn’t even matter that my view was through the pouring rain.

We have seen so much of God’s amazing Creation on our travels. Here are just a few more highlights from the first week of our trip.

Cloudland Canyon State Park, Tennessee.
High Falls State Park, Georgia.
The Lake at Little Ocmulgee State Park, Georgia. It has been a game-changer having our e-bikes on the trip with us. We can see SO much more of the area we’re in on bicycles!
Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, Georgia. We stayed on Jekyll Island two nights and explored it and St. Simons Island, making some wonderful memories!
I just can’t get enough of the live oaks dripping with Spanish moss here in the south. So different than anything we had in Kansas or have in Missouri.
A stunning sunset on Jekyll Island, Georgia.
Okay, the campground laundromat wasn’t exactly a highlight…especially since we needed it because we’d used all our towels to sop up the rain coming in our RV windows in a downpour. But hey, that’s RV life…and probably any kind of life. We’re doing our best to embrace the adventures, even when they’re not the most fun to go through.

Friends, I hope you all are doing well and enjoying spring wherever you are.

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Deborah Raney

DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Forty books later, she's still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her novels have won RWA's RITA Award, the ACFW Carol Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She is also a three-time Christy Award finalist. Deb is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and served on the executive board of the 2,500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization for 18 years before retiring in 2022. She is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, e-biking, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard.
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Comments

  1. Lois Kennis says

    April 26, 2021 at 5:17 am

    Deborah,
    Thank you for sharing the beautiful photos of your journey. It’s a reminder of what an amazing country the U.S.A. is, and what a privilege it is to live here.

    • Deborah Raney says

      April 26, 2021 at 6:16 am

      It certainly is a wonderful country. I love America, and it has been so interesting and encouraging traveling and meeting so many great people on our travels.

  2. Lynn Austin says

    April 26, 2021 at 5:43 am

    I’m envious, Deb. Even with rain and laundromats in the picture.

    • Deborah Raney says

      April 26, 2021 at 6:17 am

      Oh, Lynn, you would LOVE the biking on Jekyll Island! You and your Ken will have to make the trip sometime!

  3. Suzanne Sellner says

    April 26, 2021 at 6:17 am

    I love your photos and commentary. Have a great rest-of-the-trip!

    • Deborah Raney says

      April 26, 2021 at 6:20 am

      Thank you, Suzanne! It’s been fun taking photos to remember our trip by!

  4. Betty Strohecker says

    April 26, 2021 at 6:24 am

    Gorgeous pictures! So happy you are having a wonderful trip!
    Be safe. Blessings on you and Ken as you travel!

    • Deborah Raney says

      April 26, 2021 at 11:20 am

      Thanks so much, Betty.

  5. Karen Witemeyer says

    April 26, 2021 at 7:27 am

    What gorgeous scenery, Deb! Like Ken, my husband has been dropping hints about us getting a trailer/RV for YEARS. I’m more into glamping than camping, but now that my chicks are leaving the nest, I just might be convinced to give it a try so that we can pick up and go visit whenever we like. Who knows, in 10 years I might be an RV pro just like you. 🙂

    • Deborah Raney says

      April 26, 2021 at 11:20 am

      Haha! Not sure I qualify as a pro yet, but I’m learning. Slowly, but surely.

  6. Donna Howe says

    April 26, 2021 at 8:02 am

    Deborah, thanks for sharing your adventures. I’ve been longing to see St Simon’s and Jekyl Islands. I, too, was an avid Eugenia Price reader. And, my dad (who was a preacher as well as a preacher’s kid) went to summer camp at Jekyl as a child. My first two years in college were in the northeast tip of Tennessee; it’s a beautiful “country”! Enjoy your trip, and, please, continue posting your trip so we/I may travel virtually with you. 👏❤️🚐

    • Deborah Raney says

      April 26, 2021 at 11:21 am

      Always fun to share with another Eugenia Price fan! Thanks, Donna!

  7. Anne Mateer says

    April 26, 2021 at 8:19 am

    I love Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island! I, too, cried happy tears at getting to the visit the place so identified with Eugenia Price. (My husband took me there for our 25th anniversary!) Truly, reading her books gave me the desire to write historical fiction! Glad to know you and I have that in common as well! Enjoy your trip!

    • Deborah Raney says

      April 26, 2021 at 11:23 am

      Awww, that’s really sweet of your husband to take you there. We took a trolley tour this morning and the driver/owner mentioned Eugenia Price!

  8. Emogene N Oliver says

    April 26, 2021 at 6:24 pm

    I look forward to the posts of your “adventures”. Since I lived in Georgia (all my life) and visited all the places you have mentioned in GA and TN, brings back memories when we used to travel before my husband became sick in 2011 and passed away in 2014. You are seeing some pretty scenery since you have the RV and camping instead of staying in motels, etc. Thanks for sharing.

    • Deborah Raney says

      April 26, 2021 at 6:48 pm

      So glad our photos have brought back memories for you, Emogene. Yes, our bikes, especially have allowed us to see so many beautiful parts of God’s creation!

  9. Julie Klassen says

    April 26, 2021 at 6:56 pm

    Loved being able to “travel along with you” in this way. Beautiful photos!

  10. Martha T Robinson says

    April 27, 2021 at 8:48 am

    I attended the Southeastern Writers Conference several years ago on St. Simon’s Island. I thoroughly enjoyed the classes and the scenery! I’d love to go back!

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