“South of the James”

We explored south of the James River today. I picked up a pamphlet of the same and it lists 56 places to see. We have lots more to see on another trip but today was a good start.

We took the ferry from Jamestown to Scotland (both ways, the ferry arrived soon after we got in line so we never had a long wait).

First we went to ‘Smith’s Fort Plantation’ . The land was given to John Rolfe and Pocahontas as a dowry gift by Chief Powhatan. From ‘Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail’(www.johnsmithtrail.org) we learned John Smith wanted to build a defensive position on the southern shore of the James River- it was never completed. Two foot high earthworks remain and are considered to be the oldest structure of English origin in Virginia.- What we saw- The brick house built in 1765- was closed. There was a sign to the fort that we started to follow- we ended up next to a cow pasture- and the cows didn’t seem happy to have us there and there were a lot of large farm machines ahead of us. As we turned around one calf, who had been by the fence moved around so it was behind it’s mama- maybe we’ll go back some summer when everything is open.

Next we saw (from a distance because it was also closed) ‘Bacon’s Castle’ – the oldest documented brick house in English North America.

After that we headed for Smithfield, VA- there we found some places that were open.

We went to ‘Historic St. Luke’s Church’ (www.historicstlukes.org) It is the oldest (1632) surviving original Gothic Church in the US. We looked around the outside and at some of the gravestones. A lady came from the gift shop/meeting rooms building and said she had a key and would be glad to show us inside the church. She pointed out the structural items outside that made it a gothic building- and she pointed out the original board with wooden pegs in the entryway. Inside the church, the sounding board (a large round piece of wood hanging horizontally above the pulpit), the ‘in memory of Pocahontas /her Indian name/Rebeca’ stained glass window, and one spindle were all original. There is a pipe organ, a gift from Germany, about 1630,- the panels were painted to look like the inside of a church and the pipes looked like structural pillars (giving a 3-d effect)- really something to see. Also a gift from Germany- were the windows in the front of the church- a combination of stained glass and painted- beautiful and bright colors. In addition to lots of little facts about the church we talked about teaching and how she could get more subbing calls. Then she showed us the oldest stone in the graveyard and pointed out several more things about the grounds. We then went to the gift shop where more time was spent finding the boxes then in choosing the items (and we did look at everything in the shop before choosing the gifts). (We were there for a bit longer than we planned ;)) We then went to the historic area of Smithfield. We saw the ‘Old Isle of Wight County Courthouse’ and the Isle of Wight County museum. Both were interesting and again we were the only ones there.
It was a good day and we got to see some Christmas lights on the way back.

Assateague Island

We’ve done a lot of driving around. Like a lot of the other places we drove through, half the places are closed. But, there’s only a little traffic and we have a great campsite.

Today we drove around the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. It’s been a long time since we were there but they’ve closed one of the roads, the nature loop where you could drive all around the various habitats, so the only road is to the lighthouse and then it continues on to the beach. We saw the lighthouse, horses (from a little closer than across the bay), lots of different kinds of birds, two painters (both pretty good), had lunch on the beach (never thought we’d drive Bob’s car on the beach!), and on one of the trails we took saw lots of horsesh**(some old, some fresh)- but no close views of horses.
I think this has been the most peaceful part of the trip. Bob has had time to make some great meals. When we registered here we asked about several things including where to get fresh seafood. They sent us to ‘Ricky’s’ seafood and fresh produce- it looks like a small produce stand but he also had lots of seafood. Bob made crabcakes and fried scallops, and tonight we’re having a seafood soup he just made.

Tomorrow is supposed to be rain so we’re staying here one more day before we head for home.

The Ferry Ride, Delaware and Virginia!

Two campgrounds in a row without internet access. We knew the last place didn’t have internet but the AAA book said this one did- oh well.

Monday morning we took the Cape May- Lewes Ferry, It was pretty strange driving on board in the camper (we were the largest vehicle for that trip) We saw three harbor light houses on the ‘cruise’.


From there we went to the Delaware Seashore State Park. From our campsite we could see the Rehoboth Beach Bay in front of us and to the side. The park is right next to the Inlet from the ocean to the bay and most people come there (this time of year) to fish. It was fun to watch the boats try to fish and fight the tide and the wind. It was very windy the two nights we were there. The nights were clear and cold, but the sky was beautiful- lots of stars and we had gorgeous sunsets out the ‘dining room’ window.

While there, we drove down to Fenwick Island. We found the lighthouse – it wasn’t open- but there’s a marker on the sidewalk in front of the lighthouse marking the border between Delaware and Maryland. In Maryland it became Ocean City. (So we went to Ocean City, NJ and Ocean City, Md. We also spent some time wandering around Rehoboth Beach. We walked on the beach and the boardwalk and went to lunch at the Dogfish Head Brewery and Eatery.











Today, Wednesday, we drove south to Chincoteague, Va. What a difference traveling off season! We are camped right next to the bay and can see the Assateague Lighthouse from our camper! And, drum roll please….. with binoculars I can see wild horses in front of (bay side) the lighthouse!!!!! I spent the afternoon doing laundry while Bob finished setting up. I did find out where there is free internet so tomorrow we’ll go have ice cream and I’ll post this.
Today is really cold so we're having coffee and I'm having a milky way latte while we update this.
Maybe tomorrow or the next day we'll have ice crem while we do our updates.

New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge Day 2

We saw 3 more lighthouses today.

The East Point lighthouse is on the Delaware River. It’s way out a narrow road that has plank bridges. On the way back there was water in the road (1st time today- it happened a few more times) It was almost high tide. From the shore we could see three shoal lights.

It was almost an hour back to the Cape May Lighthouse. It was a nice day for a drive and we were on roads we’d never before traveled.


The lighthouse is part of the state park. From the Cape May ligthouse we could see the concrete boat I'd read about. Also on the beach at Cape May there is a cement building (top right of



picture). Bob asked, and he was right, it was a WW2 bunker. At that time it was totally covered in sand and they had to keep the entrances from either side shoveled out..

Our third and final light of the day was on Wildwood Island. There was lots of minor flooding covering a couple parking lots and parts of the road onto the island – we had just crossed the drawbridge and had no choice but to drive through it. We then headed north and drove through a fairly deserted Wildwood and North Wildwood. The Hereford Inlet Lighthouse looks like another Victorian House at first. There are beautiful gardens both in front and Oceanside.



I had only planned on three lighthouses for this part of the trip (I have such a nice husband and driver ;) ). And we have buttons from each lighthouse we visited.

Lighthouses Day 1

Great Day!

1st we went to Barnegat lighthouse . I hadn’t originally planned on this one, it was too far north. It was about an hour north and we drove through Harvey Cedars and Loveladies to get there. This island makes the Outer Banks look huge. Through most of the drive we were on the only North- South road. Lots of side roads and driveways, but as I looked down the ‘streets’ it was 3-6 rows of houses on each side of the ‘street’ and then a dead end. At one point the road, the island most of been wider there, we were on split into 2 two way roads- gave room for parking at some of the stores. Smooth traveling today but I can imagine it’s different in the summer. We got to the parking lot for the lighthouse and there were people with winter coats and gloves! It was cold and very windy by the ocean but not that bad. There used to be a keepers house but it’s been washed away. We were also introduced to all the ‘challenge’ stuff there- posters, lighthouses, t-shirts, hats, etc. (available at every place we went). It was the only one we did not climb.

Next we went to the Tucker’s Island Lighthouse www.TuckertonSeaport.org
This one is a re-creation and know holds information on the coast guard, pirates, and food of the area.
Our last Ligthouse of the day was the Absecon Lighthouse. www.abseconlighthouse.org
This one is located in Atlantic City. Bob did a great job driving in Atlantic City. We made it from the parkway to the lighthouse (North end of the city) without a single wrong turn! This was also the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey and the second one we climbed. There was lots of interesting history at each lighthouse.

After leaving the lighthouse we tried to find a way to get to the boardwalk near the places I wanted to stop. The only public parking lot we found was full. So we saw a little of the new Korean War Memorial from the car- what we saw was very nice. And we saw lots of cool buildings and still didn’t get lost! (And we didn’t use the GPS) None of my many maps showed public parking, only public transportation lines. Maybe next time. It was a great day and now we have to plan which lighthouses in what order for tomorrow.
Please check later for pictures

Cape May

Cape May is about 30 minutes south of here. The woman at the desk at the campground told us about the restaurant ‘The Lobsterhouse’; she also told us to go to the takeout fish market not the restaurant. We found it- right on the wharf. It was great. There were seats available on the outside back deck- waterside- but not many.

After lunch we drove around Cape May. WOW! The money people must have had to build the huge fancy homes and hotels! The money people must have to keep those places looking so good!

Then we found our way to the Cape May –Lewes ferry terminal and made reservations for Monday morning. It’s an 80 minute crossing- across the mouth of the Delaware Bay- should be interesting!


One of the tourist newspapers had an ad for ‘Indoor and Outdoor Trains of Secluded Acres Garden Center. It was on our way back to the campground and I thought it sounded interesting. It wasn’t. As Bob said the had a building with trains and a building with garden stuff.

We decided to stay here through the weekend because this weekend is the Annual New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge http: www.njlhs.org . We won’t make it to all of them but we should manage quite a few. Time will tell.

Lucy the Elephant

AAA triptiks have points of interest; I almost always click on them. When I saw ‘Lucy the Elephant’ it was immediately added to the trip. It’s a National Historic Monument! It’s a very large wooden structure that looks like an elephant. Click here for more information about Lucy the Elephant. We declined the tour. But as we sat there, while Bob figured out how to send the picture to Anna, a woman about 10-15 years older than us came out of the gift shop and she was also wandering and looking up at it. We told her we were sending the picture to our granddaughter Lucy. She told us her brother was in the Shriner’s hospital nearby for 5 years when he was young. Their parents always brought them to see Lucy the Elephant when they visited. She has brought her children and grandchildren to see it also.

As we were told, we found it with no problem. It was right on Atlantic Avenue in Margate City- even the water tower has ‘Lucy’ on it.

I didn’t know all the places on the Monopoly board were real places- looking at the map it’s strange to see Ventnor Ave, Pacific Ave, Reading….

We’re at the Whippoorwill Campground. It’s closing soon but it appears to be a busy place during the summer- pool, crafts, activities. Internet is at the picnic tables outside the office.(And was faster after the office closed). There are a lot of permanent sites – people have not only decks and or porches but rooms added on to their campers.

Tomorrow we’re headed south to Cape May and we’ll make reservations for the ferry Monday and check out another Oceanside resort town.

Ocean City, NJ

Bob did a great job driving through Philadelphia, no yelling at all! When we got to the detour within 10 miles of the campground it was another story. The detour signs taking us farther and farther away and the GPS telling him to turn around got to him a little- not bad though. Bob's done a great job backing into these campsites between the trees. And he didn't even get upset last night when he was already to level the camper and I realized I had him on the wrong site. In my defense all the campsites I'd walked past were nice big ones I figured this one was too until I looked at the plug in- we had the little tiny site between all the trees! Today's site is a bit bigger and no neighbors.

We're just south of Ocean City, NJ- it was about a 10 minute ride to get there this afternoon.



I put my feet in the ocean October 15th!! (It's been colder in NC in April) But there was no one swimming.
We drove around Ocean City after walking on the beach. Lots of beautiful homes and rental places but nothing higher than 2 stories. We finally found the board walk and walked for a few blocks looking at the homes and over the dunes at the ocean. We saw the closed up amusement park and lots of shops and restaurants about half of those closed.

I think green thumbs are required in Ocean City everywhere had beautiful yards.

Day 1 Fall 2008

Our first night of our ‘October 2008 Trip’ we spent at Quakerwoods campground near Quakerstown, PA. With construction (not bad) and stops it took us about five hours.
The colors were beautiful all the way down. If you haven’t been ‘leaf- peeping’ yet just the drive down Rt. 81 was gorgeous. Central New York must be ‘peak viewing’. South of Scranton there’s more green mixed in but still really pretty- bright reds, oranges and yellow- golds.

It’s a pretty big campground- but we’re fairly close to the office. We saw the people next to us for a minute when they got into their car to leave and when they came back an hour later. We had a campfire and it seemed like we were the only ones outside. No sound except frogs and traffic in the distance.

Doing dishes this morning I heard a loud Whoot right up above me in the trees. I couldn't see anything. It happened again and again when Bob came out. He found it- there was a huge owl in the tree right next to the campsite. After we both saw him, and stared a few minutes he took off. Really cool.

It's Been a While

It's been quite a while since we've been camping but we plan to head out tomorrow.
Log on to follow our new travels.

Cole's Creek State Park

We had a great time at the St. Lawrence River.
We watched Canada geese and their babies (at least 30?), ducks, herons, a last night we heard loons.
We saw a couple of 'carp boats'- they have a raised platform for the archer (bow and arrow).

The campers next to us had two of their granddaughters visiting. We made friends with both girls but especially the 5 year old who stayed by her self with her grandparents. (Practice for when Lucy's old enough). We also saw more 'camping supplies' we'll need.

My brother Jim and family came one night and then Jim and Jo came back Saturday to get the things Jim and Krissy left.

It looked like it was going to storm a couple of times. It got windy and sprinkled a bit - but , thankfully, no storms.

We had a very peaceful few days.

Ride home

It was a fairly long 12 hour ride.

We stopped at Weeping Radish to get our supply to bring home. There was another NY car in the parking lot- downstate we learned. Apparently there had been some others before us stocking up. The man waiting on us is from Rochester and he recognized Bob's t-shirt. He makes the trip about 4 times a year to see his Mother. What a difference in our packing and shopping having the Saturn made!

The trip went well until we apparently misunderstood the GPS directions in Washington, DC. The high point was seeing the Washington Monument. The low point was trying to find gas within that same half hour. We survived and didn't have to really turn around and start over - somehow we ended up on the right road in the right direction.

We leave Wednesday for a few days at Coles Creek campground.

Last Day

Surprise!! We spent the day at the beach!
1st I did laundry and we got some stuff packed. (I may take it right to the camper when we get home:))

After we put our feet in the water- still very cold- we got settled and looked up in time to see the dolphins right in front of us. I was afraid we wouldn't see them again . We didn't see them this close but check out this video.

The winds were from shore toward the ocean today so the smoke from the forest fires was in the air again. The smoke is heavy enough I can smell it and when you look up or down the beach there's a brown haze. I can't imagine being closer.

We were talking with one of our neighbors earlier and he said it'd been 10 years since he'd been here. He found it as easy going and friendly as he remembered.

As Bob said when I was sighing as we left the beach- we'll be back.

Dolphins

Yesterday was calm enough that we could see the dolphins and watched them for quite a while.

This morning - again calm- I thought I could see some dolphins about where we watched them yesterday. They weren't coming out of the water enough for me to be sure. (Usually you can see part of their fins) There were two dolphins that came in really close this morning!! They were where the surfers usually hang out waiting for waves. These two dolphins were coming out of the water enough that we could see their backs as they cruised up the shoreline!!!

It's a good thing we don't live here- I'd never get anything done- I spend all my time staring at the ocean :)

The Beach (and Brewery)

We're just relaxing and enjoying the beach.

Sunday night Thunderstorms went through- we spent a couple hours just watching the lightning over the ocean.

Monday the ocean was really green- I tried to get a picture but the colors didn't come out. I did get a picture of Bob in the new chair- now he'll stay at the beach with me :)

Tuesday we went to the Weeping Radish. Bob always talks about his Irish heritage but he also has a good bit of German mixed in. The 1st time we came to the Outer Banks we saw an ad (and coupons) for a German Restaurant and brewery. We went there, Bob fell in love and we've gone there at least once a trip and dragged everyone else with us. They have good beer (I'm told) and good food. They've moved- they're now on the mainland before we cross the bridge to the Outer Banks. They're now a farm brewery and also sell meat- all healthy, etc. They have their own German butcher (they used to get the sausage from NYC). Bob had some sausage yesterday and liked it enough to buy some. Our waitress (we had stopped on our way Saturday for lunch and went back Tuesday because she was on again) felt bad that I didn't like any of the beer so she said they were making lemonade also did I want to try that- it was pretty good, then she brought me something else to try- Radler- it's half hard lemonade and half wheat beer- and really good. Tuesday she was really busy when we got there so the bartender came over to get our drink order and what he brought me wasn't the same and she came right over and fixed it. So now there's a beer I like (it doesn't taste like beer). It will be interesting to see how the restaurant and brewery change as they get established in the new spot.

Outer Banks May 2008 days 1 and 2

The Beach!!

It’s beautiful here. The water is freezing and the sand so hot you can’t walk across it barefoot!
We spent several hours at the beach already today. (Yesterday we sat in the gazebo while we waited to check in). We’ve seen lots of ways people use to be on/in the water but today was a new one. There were several surfers, a few people, adults and kids with body boards, a couple of guys with wave boards (they float on the edge of the surf where it’s only a few inches deep, there were a couple ocean kayaks, but then there was a guy standing on a surf board and paddling with what appeared to be a canoe paddle- it seemed to work very well.(click on the picture and you should be able to see him- I saw him headed back after we came up)

They’re working on making the entire beach free wi-fi but so far we can only access from the bedroom or back deck.

We've never been here this time of year- (this is the last week of school here). There are lots of things blooming we've never seen. It's busy but not too packed- there's room in the parking lots, you can get out on the main roads without waiting through 2 or 3 lights. I didn't expect the water to be so cold!

I'm headed back to the beach (possible storms tonight).

Traveling

The ride down was fairly calm – no wrong turns, no long (half hour or more) traffic backups. But…. We heard this strange thump on the roof of the car a couple times. We stopped at a rest area just in time. We had had the windshield on the car replaced about a week ago and the top molding was loose and almost entirely off. Bob was able to push it back in place and it seemed ok until we hit Route 64 near Norfolk and heard the same thump- there are no rest areas etc. so Bob just grabbed hold- it was again very loose and threw it in the back seat until we could stop and fix it again.

Williamsburg May 2008

Williamsburg, Va May 2008

We’re having a couple of very relaxing days in Williamsburg. The weather is beautiful- about 80 and the sun is shinning. Our deck overlooks the woods and the birds are calming to listen to.

Thursday we went into Colonial Williamsburg and went to a couple of programs- a quick scene about young love in Colonial Virginia, then we learned a bit about gardening (and got several hints about taking care of herbs). We went to an old favorite – the Wythe house (he was Jefferson’s law professor). There I saw spinning, weaving, and basket making demonstrations. The Wythe House and the plantation building here at Powhatan were built by the same builder.
Today we went shopping, and then out to lunch in New Town (established in 1997) at a place called Green Leaf (owned and operated by alumni of William and Mary). That entire area (New Town) was all woods when we first started coming here.
Tomorrow we’re going to the Beach!!!!!

Mother's Day Weekend in the Adirondacks

We had a great weekend at the Lake Placid/Whiteface KOA. My sister Karen went with us.

It was a beautiful drive- the trees were all in bud or flower. There's still snow in the mountains.
Friday we got set up and enjoyed the fact that we arrived there about the time we would have been leaving home if we were still working. Then we just relaxed.

Saturday we first went to Lake Placid and wandered around downtown. Then, of course, we went to the Lake Placid Brewery and Pub.



After lunch we went back to the campground then Karen and I went exploring.
We stopped at the rest area by the Ausable River just outside the campground and
first looked near the parking area.





Then we (I) got a little braver and crossed the road and bridge (I HATE open metal work bridges).
Then we climbed down and saw the Wilmington Flume - really amazing
that what appears to be a small calm river a mile away has so much power!
(I found websites about fishing and whitewater).







After taking plenty of pictures we made it back to the car (over that *&%* bridge again). Then we went to Jay and saw the covered bridge. The Jay Craft Shop has a wide range of products made in the Adirondacks and nearby Vermont. All very nice and we heard about the 'craft fair' the last weekend in July that sounds similar to the crafter's mile in Gaitlinburg, Tn.

We still had energy when we got back to the campground and so took a walk around (almost on all the roads of the campground after we got turned around a little). When we finally got back we were ready for beer/wine!

Sunday we went to the pancake breakfast/ fundraiser (Kamps for Kids). We got to see the recreation room- really nice, a porch all the way around, and a really neat stairway with railings made from branches.

It was a great weekend and when we got home I had cards and calls/visits from my children and my first drawing from Lucy!

Headed Home

Tonight we're in PA (just north of Pittsburg). The office/store is an old church- kinda neat.
It's warmer here than our last night in North Carolina but colder than last night in WV (60).

Last night at the campground in WV we were the only people in that camping section. I headed out to start cooking dinner and saw two deer on the hill a little way aways then saw the six deer at the edge of the trees right across from our site. Later we had a fire and were listening to music when we saw at least 10 deer along the edge of the trees right across from us. They took off but about an hour later came back- this time they were checking us out! Most of the deer came about half way across the road (about 20 ft. from us). One walked around the edge of the lighted area, the rest went a little farther away. It was definitely cool!

Another sign of spring- baby animals! We saw lambs, and calves, and foals! Spring is working it's way north everyone!

Tomorrow we're taking advantage of our daughter's in-laws again! Thanks in advance everyone and we saved some of the good coffee for Thursday morning (7?).

Asheville, NC

We started at the Blue Ridge Parkway Folk Art Center. The Southern Highland Art Guild has several locations. The center we were at is the largest and definitely worth the trip. The work we saw was fantastic! We were drawn first to the glass (stained, blown and fused) and the quilts. Then we saw the wood carvings and all the metal work and jewelry and weaving and.... (click on the online store and you'll get an idea). Outside the building a man was showing how to make an iron rose. AAA recommended at least 30 min., if you go there plan longer than that.

We had lunch at another brewery, Jack of the Wood. The beer is called Green man beer. We asked about the name, Jack of the Wood, and were told it's another name for Green man, and an ancient Celtic symbol meaning 'linked to nature'. The website gives another link for more information about 'green man'. Again good food and good beer. This time my web searches for breweries brought me to an article for a Pub crawl- for new comers and visitors to know where to get good beer:) It certainly made it easier to decide where to go.

We've had a great time 'Looking for Spring' but we're heading home tomorrow.

Chimney Rock, NC

The thundershowers early today left fog so we're glad we did our mountain sightseeing yesterday.

Friday we went to Chimney Rock Park. The road to the park was another road made for the 'zoom zoom' commercial. The views from the top (almost the top) were fantastic.

We spent some time in the village of Chimney Rock. There were lots of shops with all kinds of things and a river walk that was right on the edge of the water. The water was low and so we could walk over the little bridge and onto the boulders.

The road down was fun in the Miata (one car pulled over to let Bob go by). Watching the road on the GPS was a series of squiggles.

On our way back to the campground in Swannanoa, NC we went to the Asheville Pizza and Brewery. It's in an old movie theatre, there's a small bar and tables, a game room, a small movie theatre and the brewery. Good food, good beer (said Bob) and a definitely interesting place.

Flowers

After an overwhelming day of history we headed northeast and went to Athens, GA. We visited the state botanical gardens. Spring was definitely there! They are moving plants and designing some beautiful new gardens. There was a herb garden bigger than our back yard! We spent over an hour wandering and enjoying spring!
As we left we saw a beautiful blown glass orchid. It was a very peaceful place.

Lots of History

We had a couple very busy days.
First the history:
We started at Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site. They went back to the very beginning when man crossed over the Bering Strait and worked their way down to what became the US. Then they talked about the Mississippian culture- the people who settled along the Mississippi- and spread from there. While only part of the site has been excavated it shows a great deal. (Lots of history I don't remember ever learning) All of this was before the Indians I knew.
Next we bounced ahead in time to the Cherokee. Many of them lived in the land that became Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. We went to 2 sites in Cherokee history. The New Echota site was too large to see in just a couple hours but here's some of what we learned. The Cherokee established a capital at New Echota and a system of government very similar to ours. Sequoyah devised a written 'alphabet' of their spoken language. It was at New Echota that a printing press was made that printed a newspaper in both Cherokee and English. The recreated village looks like any village of that time (and the homes were a lot nicer than the ones we saw in the Smoky Mountains).
We also went to the home of "Major Ridge". I'll quote the paper we were given- 'seeing the changing times, he began to live in two worlds and succeed in both.' He was a very successful and important man.
But the finding of gold in Georgia was the final 'straw' that resulted in the State of Georgia taking the land.
Bob and I said he was the person between a rock and a hard place- as chief, no matter what he did he would be wrong- in supporting the "Treaty of New Echota" he angered many of his tribe and without the treaty the Indians would have nothing.
It was a sad and difficult time.

How many does it take to change the tire on the Miata?

When we left the parking garage after lunch we found the flat. After AAA changed the tire (donut) they took us to a tire store.
Of course they didn't have the size we needed but sent us to Sears.
(This is about 6:00 the Saturday before Easter). We finally found the Sears and they were extremely helpful- they didn't have the right size (thought they did but -no). The Sears Essentials guy called the Big Sears and made them check that they really did have the tires the computer said. He made sure we knew how to get there and then apologized for not having the right tires. We found the mall and the Sears. They had the tires. After fixing the tires (both front were still the originals) as we were leaving the guy asked how we liked Big River- he saw the grolier in the trunk- and said it's his favorite.
While it took about 4 hours total we were helped by several very nice people. The tire didn't blow when we were towing the car. And while waiting for AAA I got to See the Chatanooga Choo Choo.

Railroads

Today we went to the Tennessee Valley Railroad and rode the Missionary Ridge Local. It was fun and brought back memories for Bob. He remembers going to his grandmother's as a kid and watching the trains. Before they demonstrated how the roundhouse worked Bob was describing the one at home (I remember the building- near the doctor's office ). The train also went through a tunnel that dates back to before the Civil War. It is truly amazing to understand that everything is done solely by volunteer work.

After that we went downtown and walked along their River Walk.
We also saw the beginning of the 'Trail of Tears' . More about that later but they do have a tribute in the Riverfront Area.

We then went to the Big River Brewery for lunch.

A great day so far.

Rock City

Rock City Gardens are on top of Lookout Mountain. To get there we drove from Georgia to Tennessee back to Georgia half way up the mountain.
We weren't sure what to expect but it was really interesting/beautiful. To paraphrase the brochure: The Carters owned this very large estate and made paths and planted flowers throughout the rocks. The Depression hit and they opened it to the public advertising everywhere 'See Rock City'.
The paths through the existing rocks were amazing. They do have lots of opportunities to spend money but we managed to see it all without spending extra.
We fit through the tight squeezes and I walked the 'swing along bridge'
and we could see to all 7 states I'm sure it was such a beautiful day.
Apparently the Caters did well when they opened it to the public because Mrs. Carter commissioned a sculptor (Jessie Schmidt) to make 'Mother Goose Village'- (see picture above) I don't think there was a fairy tale not represented.
It was a really neat place to visit for children and adults.

Smoky Bear Campground

This campground is the friendliest we've ever been at. The hosts, Barry and Chong O'Leary are extremely helpful. Barry came over after we got set up and made sure everything was ok. The next day we stopped in the office before we went anywhere. Chong asked what our plans were and she had us wait a minute while she printed out some information. We wanted to go to the Smoky Mountains so she got out a map and they both showed us roads and trails with some advice about the difficulty and or time required. One afternoon Barry came over with a stack of CD's. He'd heard us playing some Irish music and wondered if we'd heard those. He also told us about the Irish/ Scottish history of the area.
The campground is very nice and all the staff are very helpful and friendly.
We'll be sure to stay here again (there's lots we haven't seen yet).

Wind, Rain, tourists

Last night was extremely windy. The camper was kinda shaky. At midnight we got new neighbors- a big camper, the wind was blowing and they left about 12:30 (we think to a lower campsite). At 4:30 am the cooker blew over- Bob went out and picked up the pieces. We also lost our dishpan. (guess we'll have to use paper plates)
The rain started about 9 am.

We went into Gatlinburg to be tourists. We had driven through a few times but hadn't walked around. Parking is at a minimum (and can be rather expensive) I wanted to go to the Easter Craft Fair at the Convention Center. We found a parking lot near there, and there were places left. There is a school of Arts and Crafts and an 8 mile drive of crafters .
We saw lots of nice things, got some ideas, and made a couple purchases (limited by the fact everything had to fit in the Miata). We then walked -about 10 minutes-(didn't dare give up our parking space) in the rain to the Smoky Mountain Brewery. There were free parking places in front of the brewery. We dried out, watched the rain, had a couple drinks and a nice meal. It finally stopped raining so we walked back to the car and drove back to the campground.

It's raining again now and we're under a tornado watch until 9pm. I think the line of thunderstorms is now about gone and north of here. Rain is desperately needed but we'd just as soon skip another windy night.

More Smoky Mountains

Today we went to Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountain National Forest.
The drive there was as beautiful as yesterday's drive (but 2 lane and a little wider). I think we both got some sun/wind burn today.

The Cove is a valley that was inhabited by pioneers and has been preserved to look like it did in the 1800's. It's a one way, 11 mile drive. Today there were lots of cars with us and we were all slowed down by kids or kids and parents on bikes. (I think we're cursed- we seem to, even now, find kids on vacation - spring break here; almost everywhere we go.) With stops the drive was about 2 hours- the only wildlife we saw were some deer- too many kids running in all the rest of the fields.

We decided to stay here one more day before continuing our Spring Loop. There's lots to see and we've only done the nature/history part.

Tomorrow the Easter Craft Show starts- guess where we'll be?

Smoky Mountains part 1

Our hosts, Barry and Chong O'Leary, gave us some great information about the area.

We followed their advice and for a starter did the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.
I wish I could download all my pictures. It was breath-taking- sometimes literally.
We fit around the curves in Bob's car but I wouldn't have wanted to be in any of the SUV's we saw on some of the curves. I was ok on the way up (I was hillside) but at one point on the way down Bob looked over at me and asked if I wanted to drive so I'd be safer. I really would have lost it if we'd been any closer to the side (no guard rails even). It was a fun drive with the top down and all the trees and cliffs and even some flowers.
In addition to all the beautiful scenery there are historic buildings. They've preserved some of the farms and buildings from the late 1800's early 1900's to show how people lived in the mountains. We stopped at one of the houses (10 people in 2 rooms). The lady in the car we parked next to asked Bob if she could ask him a question- "Is that (tow stuff on the front of the car) so you can hook up a plow? I know you do things differently up there in New York."
Bob was very polite and explained no it was to tow the car behind our RV and besides his car can't be driven in the winter at home. (The license plate was Alabama)
Tomorrow we're going to do the drive to Cades Cove.
Now I think we'll do a little St. Patrick's Day celebrating :)