Hit the Road! Aug 2007

Our First Retirement Trip of a Lifetime!  (photo in Lunenburg, NS, Canada)

Begin:  Week One: Aug. 24th - A day's drive from Daphne to Memphis (HOT, HOT, HOT) to spend a few days with my Aunt Bea and hubby, Frank (both in their 90's).  From there it was on to Land Between the Lakes KY and the bison/elk loop drive, to Mammoth Caves KY. We hiked some, and took two cave tours (Historic and New entrances) and I can sum up the caves in one word:  Unbelievable!  This stop was our first real camping experience ... we did all right.

From Kentucky, we had as a long drive, inc. Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Akron OH, to Cuyahoga Valley Nat’l Pk, specifically so we could ride the Erie and Ohio Canal Towpath Bike Trail.  We rode one way (roughly 30 miles),  and then we took a $2.00 Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad trip back to our RV! That included the bikes.  We lucked up, it was a special deal on Wednesdays. What a great ride we had, both bike and train.

We moved on thru the Allegheny Mtns of PA and decided at the last minute to drive north to see the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning NY, and we're glad we did, because it was well worth it. While there, we saw a brochure advertising a scenic train ride on the Delaware and Ulster Railroad, from Arkville to Roxbury NY in the Catskill Mtn region, made the decision, and that was next. It was just delightful.  Of course the Catskill area is beautiful with soft mountains and lots of wildflowers.

Then we hopped on the freeway for Boston. This week was a chance to visit family we hadn’t seen in a long time, as well as a break-in period for us in the RV…with no major mishaps: A good week!

On our way to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Oct 2-5, 2006

Monday, 10/2 – After a leisurely morning, we were ready to roll to Atlanta, only four or five hours away from our Tallahassee home.  We left around 10ish, with our bikes strapped onto the Prius.  Eating our sandwiches at a Georgia rest stop was spoiled by zillions of bothersome gnats (finished lunch in the car, then we had to open windows while driving to get rid of all the hitchhiking pests).  No problems in Atlanta, skyline quite dramatic in the blue sky.  Checked in at LaQuinta and after getting directions to the 366,000 ft² Ikea store on 17th St., we climbed back in the car.  At Ikea, we spent maybe four hours combing their aisles, browsing, inspecting merchandise and picking up several things.  “Shop till you drop!”  We even ate dinner in their cafeteria:  Swedish meatballs, which were actually quite good!  Pleased with our purchases, we drove back to LaQuinta and only got lost once.  Nice room.

Tuesday, 10/3 – Georgia Aquarium day.  Drove to a MARTA (rapid rail transit) station, and hopped on a train that was the exact opposite of rapid.  In due time, we made our way to the Aquarium, where we spent several magical hours ogling their fascinating exhibits.  Watching beluga whales swim in their huge tank ranked high on our list.  Enjoyed viewing the smaller displays of cuttlefish, garden eels, seahorses, etc.  Time flew!  For lunch, we shared halves of one ham and one turkey sandwich, both of which were excellent. When we’d finished pressing our noses up against all that thick tank glass, we ventured outside to downtown Atlanta.  Hiked up and down Peachtree Street, found Underground Atlanta (big whoop), got tired feet in the process.  Since we couldn’t make a decision on where to eat dinner, we walked to the MARTA station for (a more rapid) ride back to our car.  Spied a Chili’s at the car park and ate a fine dinner.  Returned to our room w/o getting lost this time!

Wednesday, 10/4 – Time to head north on I-75 toward Knoxville and eventually to Lake City TN (very nice drive), where we'll tour the TrailManor plant.  The tour was personal and very informative, and we rec’d lots of info on this pop-up camper, which we're contemplating buying.  More studying will be required.  After our tour, we had no plan and studied the map wondering if we should return to Knoxville or ???.  We elected to drive east toward Norris Dam State Park in TN (first dam built in the TVA system).  Serendipity led us to their Visitor Center, and the discovery of rustic cabins to be had.  We signed up for an overnight stay in Cabin 2, set in a beautiful and quiet treed hilltop near the dam.  We wound our way back down the mtn to the local IGA for a box of mac 'n cheez, a can of baked beans and fresh broccoli (fresh broccoli stumped the kid at the cash register, who didn't know what it was!) to cook for supper – all quite delicious cooked in the rustic kitchen!

Before dinner, we enjoyed a nice hike around a portion of the lake.  After dinner, while we cuddled on the swing inside the screened porch, we watched a glorious nearly-full moon rise beyond the trees.  Fireflies sparkled in the distance.  So quiet and peaceful.  This park is a  real gem.

Thursday, 10/5 – We'd originally planned to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail today, but with a high forecast for rain, we decided to wait till tomorrow.  Instead, we enjoyed coffee on the porch and walking around in the state park. One other (nearly invisible) couple was staying at a distant cabin; we had the park to ourselves.  Deer are plentiful, and seem unafraid of people.  The morning was fine, yellow and gold leaves rustling to the ground the only sound – the kind of morning where people hold hands while they meander silently over leafy paths.  After our cereal, we left (sort of reluctantly) for Abingdon VA, stopping first at the Lenoir Museum and 18th Century Rice Grist Mill, filled with Appalachian artifacts, just past the dam.

T'was another pretty drive today!  In Abingdon, we checked into the Quality Inn, then trod through the lovely old town with its antiquated brick buildings and bright flowers.  Warm day, but no rain, as had been predicted!  At the Virginia Creeper Bike Trail shop we verified our shuttle arrangements for tomorrow’s ride, then settled on dinner at the Tavern, thought to be the oldest building (1779) in town.  Jimmy allowed as how his Prime Rib was the best he’d ever eaten!  When we emerged at dusk, a thunderstorm was firing up, wind was whipping, leaves were blowing, and the predicted rain finally commenced to fall.  Let it – we returned to our clean Quality Inn room, and made ready for our 34-mile bike ride in the morning.

Tomorrow:  Day one on the Virginia Creeper Trail.

GSMR! Oct 11/12, 2006

(Remember, we had no RV in 2006.)

Wednesday, 10/11 – From Roanoke, we made a decision to head south today, still in the mountains, toward NC and the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad (GSMR) in Bryson City. Drizzling gray skies turned into rain by Bristol, TN. Having the laptop computer and cell phones have proved very beneficial for us, as we could check weather, find things to do and places to stay online, and call for “price and availability.”

We stayed at Ridgetop Motel in Bryson City, up a winding road, with a fine view of the Blue Ridge Mtns. Our room is kind of sparse, but so is the price. Still, it’s clean and adequate; bed is comfy. Made reservations for the train from Bryson City along the Nantahala Gorge, departing @ 9 AM tomorrow – despite predictions of MORE RAIN. We walked around Bryson City this evening, peeking in a few shops, and ate a fine Italian dinner. The antipasto we ordered was so generous, that we had much of it boxed up to add to tomorrow’s lunch. Rain falling at dusk chased us back to our room, where we snuggled under the covers to watch an old (1948) weird movie, “Naked City.” Tis very quiet here. Slept well.

Thursday, 10/12 – Made it to the RR station by 8:15 on this crystal clear morning; we could see forever from our motel, across verdant valleys and hazy blue mountains. No clouds, no rain, no fog… the sun came up bright and blinding! (If we listened to every weather forecast, we’d just stay home!)

Ready to roll at Bryson City!

Our train was long and we were in the last car (closed coach – chilly jacket weather in the mornings and evenings). With a few final blasts of the train whistle, we chugged off on a delightful 4½-hour excursion, carrying us 44 miles along the Nantahala Gorge and back.

We traveled the Little Tennessee and Nantahala Rivers, across Fontana Lake, with a one-hour layover at Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) for our picnic lunch. What an enjoyable ride! Fall colors were marvelous. Nantahala is a rip-roaring boulder-strewn, narrow river, foaming with rapids – very picturesque, but not something I’d want to be on or in; plus, the water is cold!

At NOC, the engine detached, reversed, and then reattached to our car, so we were now the lead car. We watched the process (photographed it!), and then hiked to a flat area of river rock for our fine lunch. (Maybe by the time we get home we’ll be tired of PBnJ?) Very lovely area. After five blasts of the whistle, we departed for Bryson City. Everything looked different on our return trip, and we sat spellbound. At the gift shop, we bought our condo another present, not something we usually do.

After the train ride, we drove to Fontana Dam (conductor’s recommendation) and walked around, across the dam. At 480' it's the tallest dam east of the Rocky Mountains! Awesome to look down.

We spent another night at Ridgetop. Asking about good places to eat, we were directed to Rilea’s, behind NOC (shorter distance by car), where we had really outstanding fresh trout dinners. We have made terrific choices this trip. Back in our room, we watched a bit of TV again before we turned out the light. Tired. But, oh so happy.

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, NC, Oct 13, 2006

Friday, 10/13 – Another day that we didn’t plan in advance (often these turn out best!). This morning, we decided to point the Prius west, then south, heading first for the amazing Cherohala Skyway, connecting western NC to eastern TN, driving the crest of the Unicoi Mtns…and man, it was some drive!

Our aim was Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. Created in 1975 as a memorial for writer/poet, Alfred Joyce Kilmer (the iconic poem "Trees"), it's a magnificent area of towering trees, many over 400 years old. The forest is one of the last remaining old growth (cove) hardwood forests, unique to the Appalachian Mtns; the dominant species include poplar, hemlock, red and white oak, basswood, beech and sycamore, the largest rising over 100'.

Tree hugger! 

Tree huggers! 

Hey!  You there!  Reach for the sky....

The forest floor was carpeted with cracklin' autumn leaves and wildflowers, ferns and spongy moss-covered logs from fallen giants. We slowly walked the two-mile loop, tho the temp at our start was a chilly 38° and might have called for a more rapid pace – we simply piled on more clothes before setting out. Who would want to rush through such an inspirational place? We passed through some truly impressive stands of trees, warming as the morning wore on and the sun filtered through the trees.

Our spirits refreshed, we left as afternoon loomed, driving on the twisty-turny Cherohala Skyway. At scenic Shute Cove on the Skyway, we ate our good ol’ PBnJ sandwiches in the cheery sunshine.

Lunchtime.

Continuing south in TN, and on into GA, we had no specific destination, but we were aiming south toward Atlanta. With each mile, we regretfully watched mountains shrink and eye-catching autumn color disappear. On I-75, we spied tiny brown heads attached to little furry brown bodies stooging around roadside – (suicidal?) groundhogs. Then they, too, petered out.

Driving into Atlanta was all right; coming out on the other side was NOT – traffic backed up big time near the airport. By this time, we’d decided to just go home since Tallahassee was only five or six hours away. This traffic delay added to our later arrival at home, but we didn’t fret. I was driving and passed a black Viper several times in the stop-and-go traffic, much to Jimmy’s amusement. He said that would be the ONLY way I’d be able to pass a Viper in our Prius.

We couldn’t find a place to eat till we got to Macon and then we settled on one of those “world’s biggest” Chinese buffets, but the food was tasty enough, and we needed to stop for grub by that time and change drivers – something we learned to do on one of our earliest driving vacations.

Darkness settled in and we kept on driving, leaving the freeway at Tifton and heading south on Hwy 319 – which turns into Capital Circle in Tallahassee. Pulled into the driveway close to 11:30PM, unpacked the bare essentials, and fell into bed by Midnight.

We DID NOT set the alarm for the next day!  Slept like dead people.