Our 2010 Trip Wraps Up in the South

It has been a blast the past several weeks down in the South. After Cousin Carolyn and Kent traveled with us along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina, we headed into the Great Smoky Mts and dropped down into Alabama. Our new friends Chuck and Audrey whom we had met in Alberta, Canada drove up from their home in Birmingham. They met us at DeSoto State Park for a few days at a campsite next to ours with their motor home. We had a great time with them sharing meals and swapping RV tales. 

Picnicking with Chuck, Dog Daisy, and Audrey

Desoto State Park Falls

Crow calling from the tree top in Alabama

Back on the road we drove north for a quick stop at the Unclaimed Baggage Center Store in Scottsdale, AL to check it out. From there it was a short drive up to Nashville. Country cousins Janice, Brenda, and Shelly greeted us in town for supper. 

Willie Nelson and Christa "Can I sit in your lap?"

JR checking out the country boots in Nashville

The King of Rock 'n Roll

The next several days were checking out the downtown country music scene, enjoying a show at the Grand Ole Opry House, and visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame. When the nightlights of Music City are calling, you've just got to pull on your boots and hit the streets. They don't call it Music City for nothing. Nashville is teeming with honky tonks and juke box joints... many within walking distance of the CMA Convention Center. Since we are flying home for a few months that must mean we are becoming snowbirds. JR got oil changes and tires rotated on the vehicles plus items to winterize the motor home for storage at the kinfolks here.

Roy, Grandson Ross, Miss Priss, and Cousin Janice

Kicking off the holidays at Patty's Restaurant in Grand River, Kentucky

 Thank you cousin Janice and Roy for all the great southern hospitality at your lovely home and for providing the rig a safe haven until we return. 

 So this is the last postcard from us for a while until the next big RV Adventure starting with cherry blossom season in Washington, D.C. come early spring. 

We truly treasure your friendship and hope to see you for a visit back home after November 21st. Blessings and Happy Holidays to you and your family.

Hello from the Great Smoky Mountains and Beyond

Coming off miles along the Blue Ridge Parkway finds us passing through the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. At the very highest elevations are forests dominated by evergreen spruce and fir trees. We’ve found ourselves cloaked by clouds and enveloped in mist for a while. Eventually we dropped down to the lower elevations for miles following a lovely creek along the roadside. Trees of yellow birch, American beech, mountain maple, hobblebush, and pin cherry trees have burst forth a picturesque canvas of autumn. In addition there is a spectacular display of other colorful trees in the landscape including scarlet oak, sweetgum, red maple, and the hickories. Obviously sunny days and cool nights have brought on the brightest fall colors even in the South.

 Several sets of wild turkeys meandering by the roadsides caught our eye. By far the best wildlife sighting came this morning as a black bear cub darted across the road within twenty feet of the motor home. After leaving the Great Smoky Mts we headed north to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville to checkout the campus.

Gotta love the views

High elevation in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee

Christa’s parents did their undergraduate work here in Knoxville years ago. She found the chemistry building where her father spent many long hours.

Autumn leaves on the UT campus

Administration Building at UT Knoxville

 A graduate student invited her in to see his research chemistry lab and they chatted a while.

Like wouldn't you love your own research lab as a chem grad student

 A severe storm with gusty winds has us pulled off Interstate 75 southbound at a Home Depot parking lot as a safe haven for the night.

Great Smoky Mts are awesome

"Oh my, looks like the beginning of a storm ahead," shouts Yukon.

 Miraculously we have picked up WiFi on their wireless service, so amidst a rain storm comes greetings to you on this blog posting.

Greetings from Shenandoah Valley National Park

Cousin Carolyn and her husband Kent from Maryland have driven down to join with us in the motor home for several days. The four of us have been traveling along the world's longest and narrowest national park, the Blue Ridge Parkway ribbons 469 miles across the Appalachians, from Skyline Drive to the Great Smokies, stretching through Virginia and North Carolina.There was a chance for us  to hike on the AT (Appalachian Trail). A young recent college graduate on his first bike road trip was invited to share a hot meal or two at our campground.

Let the good times roll in the Chateau with Cousin Carolyn and Kent

Considering the temperature dropped into the 30s we knew Bryan would enjoy a chance to warm up and be included in our camaraderie. Good food, wine, and stories being shared together have been great fun. The scenic vistas and sunrises in the Blue Ridge Mountains are incredible overlooking the Shenandoah Valley. Enjoy a few moments we recently captured.

Love the Shenandoah Valley below from the miles of Blue Ridge Mts above

JR trouble shoots with Bryan on a bike repair

Skyline Trail in the Blue Ridge Mts, Virginia

A camp visitor strolls by nonchalantly

AT hiking babes (Christa and Carolyn) along the trail

AT marker guides the way along the trail

Sunrise at Peaks of Otter on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Sunrise at Big Meadows Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Howdy from the “BIG APPLE” New York

Fall has become a kaleidoscope of autumn colors in the Northeast. Drove the northern part of Upstate New York through the Adironack Mountains for a couple of days. We stayed at a great campground near Lake Placid having the place nearly entirely to ourselves. Most camp operators have begun to close by October 15 for the season. The best part was visiting the Adironack Museum at Bluewater Mt. Lake. It covers four hundred years of life in the Adironacks starting with explorer Samuel Champlain mapping the area out.

Just enjoying the view off Blue Mt. Lake in the Adironacks

The title says " 159 Years in the Adironacks"

The museum displayed a wonderful traveling quilt exhibit amongst its various buildings filled with early day artifacts, classic boats, birch furniture, log cabins, old photos and wilderness lore. The 1800s gilded era of the wealthy coming to the Grand Hotel Lodges and summer tent camps of the Adironacks to escape city life was personified in all its glory. 

Okay so I'll need a horse to cart my canoes I guess

 The mountain wilderness is full of beautiful rivers and lakes in abundance. JR mentioned it would be a great place to spend a two month summer vacation just camping, hiking, canoeing, and fishing as it was so lovely.

Can we use our lottery winnings to buy a private Pullman railway car to travel in style honey?

Upstate New York is peaked with fall foliage

Wow just a little view from the Toad on a drive

From there we cut across the central part of state on the toll road Hwy 90 thruway to fast track it to the Finger Lakes wine country region. Watkins Glen State Park became base camp giving us a chance to explore around several of the lakes. It was fun wine tasting at the Atwater Winery while overlooking its vineyards and Lake Seneca. 

Starlings flock to feed on the leftover vineyard grapes after harvest. Great view from Atwater Winery

Twelve tastings (shared) plus hot mulled wine and then some Ice Wine...Yup we are good to go!

Next a rainy day drive took us north to Seneca Falls to see the Women’s Rights Historical Park and the National Women’s Hall of Fame. It was hard to believe that the efforts of the Women’s Suffrage Movement had lasted so long. It took from 1848 until 1920 before the 19th Amendment gave women in our country the right to vote.

Kudos to all those steadfast to the cause for Women's Equal Rights

.

Definitely by far hiking the Watkins Glen State Park Gorge Trail was the highlight of Upstate New York for us. We saw 19 waterfalls and climbed 800+ steep stairs up through the canyon gorge. Passing through narrow tunnels cut into the water-carved walls and behind two waterfalls was really thrilling.

Main Entrance Tunnel onto the Gorge Trail

Christa in the red cap on the 225 stair

Watkins Glen Gorge view from the 450 stair

Christa takes on the 575th stair toward Cavern Cascade Falls. Go girl!

Here we are at the next rung beneath another waterfall. It plunges 65 ft.' "I Got YOU Babe"

The catwalk beneath the falls was narrow and wet squeezing along the wall....

Christa was a trooper using her trusting hiking holes as she rose to the challenge of the incredible steep climb. JR knees were a bit worse for the wear he claims.

Kept steadfast climbing up the trail. This staircase brought us to about the 625th stone step

Lastly at "Jacobs Ladder" staircase and wouldn't you guess  it was by far the steepest and longest climb with 185 steps.

Bravo, Hooray, Yippee doodah... Almost to the top...Whoopie!

Upon reaching the summit we cheated and caught a shuttle bus back down the mountain. Primarily for safety reasons, as hiking down the wet staircases seemed like it would be too dicey for Christa. Weighing on the side of caution instead of valor is always a wise option we’ve learned during our travels as road warriors.

Where to next? Southbound through Pennsylvania into Virginia and North Carolina in the Shenandoah National Park along the Skyline Trail 105 miles and Blue Ridge Parkway 469 miles to check out the scenic fall colors. Who knows how many more hiking peaks to climb await there. Tootalou