First, a quick and humbling update: multiple readers have been asking who’s dominating the Stargazer Cribbage leaderboard. Unfortunately, Greg reports a less-than-stellar showing—hovering around 20%, with just 2 wins in every 10 games… and yes, a few skunks thrown in for good measure.

From Jekyll Island, we made our way to Skidaway Island State Park just outside of Savannah, where we caught up with Keith’s daughter Alycia, Tommy, and their son Jordan. They’ve settled in nicely after their move from Rhode Island, embracing the warm weather and building a great community. Jordan—completely fearless—is thriving, especially with sports and outdoor adventures. And Uncle Mike will be pleased to hear that Tommy works for the Savannah Ghost Pirates… though not in mascot form.

Heading north, we began the journey home with a stop at Medoc Mountain State Park—another winner in our growing list of favorite state parks. It earns top honors for the best showers of the trip, plus excellent hiking trails that Otto took full advantage of. By day’s end, he was happily exhausted.

Next up was Shenandoah National Park. We had planned two nights at Big Meadows Campground, but with nighttime temperatures dipping into the mid-20s and no hookups available, we opted for a nearby RV campground the first night before settling into Big Meadows for the second.

Shenandoah turned out to be a true highlight. Melinda tackled a rugged six-mile hike, and while she was understandably tired, her knees held up beautifully—making it the first real hike together in over five years. A special note for Wildcat Cotter: two of those miles were on the Appalachian Trail, so we’re now down to just 2,173 miles to go.

We’ve now landed at an Airbnb just outside of Luray, where we’re waiting for Cory, Kim, Ralph, and Lucy to arrive. We’ll be here together for four days, and the house—and especially the property—looks perfect for kids and plenty of shared adventures ahead.