Traveling Huntleys

Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.

Road Trip

Newmar RV Service in Nappanee, Indiana: Maintenance During COVID

by

Last Updated: July 12, 2026

Northern Indiana is the RV capital of the world. Elkhart County alone produces the majority of motorhomes, travel trailers, and fifth wheels sold in the United States, and many of them are built in whole or in part by Amish craftsmen — a workforce renowned for the quality and care of their woodworking. Newmar Corporation is headquartered in Nappanee, Indiana, and after several years on the road in our Dutch Star, it was time for annual maintenance and a list of repairs that had accumulated on the last leg of the trip. We made the four-and-a-half hour drive north from Shepherdsville, Kentucky, arriving in early April 2020 — right in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. The service center stayed open as an essential business, but Nappanee itself was largely shut down.

Our Newmar Dutch Star motorhome parked outside the Newmar Service Center in Nappanee, Indiana
[Read more…] about Newmar RV Service in Nappanee, Indiana: Maintenance During COVID

Shepherdsville, Kentucky: Bernheim Forest and the Bourbon Trail During COVID

by

Last Updated: July 12, 2026

Shepherdsville, Kentucky sits just south of Louisville and serves as an ideal base for exploring two of the state’s great attractions: the lush, sprawling Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest and the legendary Kentucky Bourbon Trail. We arrived in late March 2020 from Cave City, eager to explore both — and found the same story we had been hearing across the country. COVID-19 restrictions were in full effect. Distillery tasting rooms, restaurants, and all social gatherings were closed as the country braced for what was coming. Bernheim Forest, however, was still open, and it turned out to be one of the most beautiful places we visited on the entire journey. The early spring blooms were extraordinary.

Cherry tree in full bloom with clouds of white blossoms in early spring at Bernheim Forest, Clermont, Kentucky
[Read more…] about Shepherdsville, Kentucky: Bernheim Forest and the Bourbon Trail During COVID

Cave City, Kentucky: Mammoth Cave National Park During COVID

by

Last Updated: July 12, 2026

Cave City, Kentucky sits about an hour and a half north of Nashville, Tennessee, and we had been looking forward to this stop for months. Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the longest known cave system in the world — more than 400 miles of mapped passages — and we had reserved a guided cave tour well in advance. The day before we arrived, the National Park Service cancelled it. COVID-19 shutdowns were sweeping the country in March 2020, and Mammoth Cave’s underground tours were among the first to go. Disappointing as it was, we made the most of our time exploring the park’s roads, trails, and the beautiful landscape above ground. Mammoth Cave remains very much on our list, and we will be back.

Apple tree blossoms in the foreground with an old cemetery and historic church in the background at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
[Read more…] about Cave City, Kentucky: Mammoth Cave National Park During COVID

Grassy Key- Florida Winter Escape

by

Last Updated: July 4, 2026

Grassy Key is one of approximately 1,700 islands that make up the Florida Keys. Located in the Middle Keys just northeast of Marathon, it sits at roughly mile marker 58 on the Overseas Highway — far enough from Key Largo to feel genuinely remote, close enough to Marathon to have access to restaurants, groceries, and activities. In the past we stayed at Big Pine Key, which is southwest of Marathon, but at the time we made our reservations, they were still rebuilding the RV park there from Hurricane Irma. Grassy Key turned out to be a wonderful alternative — a peaceful, waterfront retreat that we ended up staying at for two full weeks.

A retired small wooden boat resting beside the Gulf of America, Grassy Key, Florida
[Read more…] about Grassy Key- Florida Winter Escape

Key Largo & Everglades National Park

by

Last Updated: July 4, 2026

Key Largo was about a 3-hour drive south from Jupiter, Florida. The Florida Keys offer something unlike anywhere else in the continental United States — an island chain stretching 120 miles into the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, connected by 42 bridges along the Overseas Highway. We were looking forward to being in the Florida Keys again, even though they can be warm and humid in December. For us, the wildlife and scenery more than made up for the weather.

A Snowy Egret facing the Gulf at sunset in Key Largo, Florida
[Read more…] about Key Largo & Everglades National Park

Jupiter, West Palm, and Cape Canaveral, Florida

by

Last Updated: July 4, 2026

Jupiter, Florida was a wonderful location to spend a week and visit my brother Jeff. Three years earlier, when we first bought our motorhome, we had stayed at the Lion Country Safari in West Palm Beach — it was a memorable experience, and while we would have loved to hear the lions again, we wanted something a little quieter this time around. We found it, and then some.

Spectacular sunset over a calm lake with a crescent moon at Palm Beach Motorcoach Resort, Jupiter, Florida
[Read more…] about Jupiter, West Palm, and Cape Canaveral, Florida