Take me home, Country roads

 Ordinarilly, in a car, I can handle a straight through drive heading home after a vacation.  These days it's not the same at all. Getting accustomed to retirement, I realize its not a vacation, its an adventure. I don't have to be home next Monday to get back to work,  The drive is nearly as important as the destination, and instead of taking the fastest and most direct route, I can find the most relaxing and scenic route.  This was our plan for the return trip for July, a subtle relaxing tour of the peaceful country roads hidden under the canopy of trees beyond the view from the Interstate highways breaking the 14 hour return trip into 3 travel days.  

We left Roan Mountain State Park and wound our way through a maze of forest mountain roads and back out to the highway.  By mid-afternoon we had arrived at the Love's RV Stop in Loudoun, TN.  Nothing special, just a safe place to take a break with all the hook-ups and amenities available on-site including a quick junk food fix should the need arise.  We got set up, settled in for the evening and filled the fuel tank next morning on the way out.  From there we took another leisurely drive across the Dayton Mountains and over to Pikeville stopping to get some fresh local produce along the way. 

Not being in a hurry is key to enjoying the ride.  The roads are fraught with 15 and 20 mph turns and steep grades.  When you're not zooming along the interstate at 75 mph, a 25 mph stroll through the back roads is an adventure all to itself.  

Retirement allows me the calm needed to enjoy this rather than dread the hazards because I can actually relax and enjoy the scenery along the way.  I'll still be running with the flow as soon as we get back down onto the US Highways in between these vistas but it's no longer about trying to make time and instead its more about making memories.  Not wanting to stop and cook and looking for something other than fast food we came across a nice BBQ restaurant in the town of McMinnville, TN and stopped in for lunch.  The highway was undergoing some work and made getting there a little difficult but well worth it.  Lynn went in and ordered a plate of Saint Louis Ribs for both of us while I took the boys on a walk and potty break.  We sat outside and ate in the shade.  This place is situated right alongside a popular canoeing and kayaking spot in the area and they had signs all over to let the kayakers know the upper parking was for restaurant parking only.

From there we headed a little southwest to take in a few miles of the Natchez Trace Parkway.  Like the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, this one is another relaxing scenic drive provided by the National Park Service and one we would like to explore further on another outing.  Although the speed limit is a brisk 50 mph on this one compared to 35-45 on the Blue Ridge, it's still a relaxing interlude with the sights, sounds, and smell of the wilderness to settle your senses and relax.

Our next scheduled stop is another of the Thousand Trails resorts, a two night stay this time to break up the long road home.  I really wasn't looking forward to this one nearly as much after our previous experience but my expectations would no longer leave me disappointed either.  Surprisingly, Thousand Trails Natchez Trace Wilderness Preserve turned out ok.  This one covers a lot of ground and at the gate when we arrived, they actually told us we could just drive around and pick a spot of our liking.  We looked over the map and picked an area as far from the tourist trappings as possible and found a site in a tree covered area with scores of vacant sites all around.  This is still not something I would consider a destination but at least a decent stopover point along the way and not too busy.  I was planning this to be the last entry of our July trip but we still have one more stop between here and home and its at a State Park on the Eastern side of Arkansas that should still be worth a mention.  

Have a great weekend, Ya'll take care.

Follow Up:

I apologize for the delay, there was no signal to finish the blog at our next stop and when we arrived home, we found that the storms had wiped out our network, Air Conditioning, Garage door and a few other items.  I've been busy getting it all back up since then.

    We stayed at Village Creek State Park just south of Wynne, AR for an overnight stop and found another beautiful, peaceful campground worth more than an overnighter and we'll likely stop here again in the future.

Blue Ridge Mountains

 

We left Forest Lake RV Park a bit more disenchanted with the whole Thousand Trails membership.  Since our membership is good for another 7 months, we'll take advantage of it whenever one of their parks happens to be convenient but they won't qualify as a destination from here on out.  I'm sure there are plenty of folks who will fall for the hype, but it's just too comercialized and packed in for our taste.  As it was only a 2 hour drive to our next destination, we decided a slight detour across the Blue Ridge Parkway was in order.  The Parkway runs 469 miles from Waynesboro, Virginia all the way down to Ravensford, North Carolina.  We joined the parkway outside of Blowing Rock, NC and got off at Linville, NC.  Just a 15 mile stretch but well worth the views.  We plan to follow the entire route in the future but no dates set just yet.  

Roan Mountain State Park in Tennessee is our next destination.  This was exactly what I had described as an ideal campground in the last post and a God send for us to say the least.  The drive in was peaceful and the pink and white rhododendrons were blossoming all along the way right into the park.  We selected campsite 64 from a google map a few months ago and were not disappointed at all.  On this loop of the campground, there are about a dozen campsites surrounding a well maintained bath house and all of the sites enjoy the shade of the forest enveloping us.  A beautiful crystal clear creek greets you as you head up to the campground followed by a playground full of swings and slides for the kids.  The campsites have fairly level spots to back in with Electric and water hook-ups, A picnic table, fire ring, and BBQ Grill.

Our campsite was very nicely laid out with plenty of space for Toto and Bilbo to roam.  We discovered a spring fed crick just behind the site and also found out the rhododendron flowers and leaf litter are strongly attracted to the boys legs and feet.  We had to spend a few minutes un-tethering them whenever the boys went out to potty,  and unfortunately they are quite toxic to dogs if ingested.

I'll leave it at that for now and go back outside to enjoy the peace and tranquility we so richly deserve.  And a selection of pictures below to share...

I only wish we were staying here longer, we definately will the next time we pass this way.  Thats all for today, Stop by in a few days for our next update.  Take Care.

Moncove Lake to Forest Lake

 Moncove lake was a nice spot to relax.  After taking the boys for a walk I got to see a lot more of it.  There are 2 camping areas here, an upper campground and a lower.  The upper campground has the electrical hookups, and is situated up the mild slope of the western ridge. We were on campsite #2 so on the base of the slope just up from the check-in station and water source. The further up the slope, the denser the forest surroundings.  

Our site was next to a narrow ravine that had a constant flow of water coming from the mountain ridge above, probably a spring but I never ventured far enough to find the source.  About midway up the slope, was a bath house and a crossroads where the upper campground loop made a figure eight.  More of a grassy meadow with a smattering of trees in the central sites, all of the spots on the outer edge of the loop were either under the canopy of trees or backed up to it.  With the mountain ridges on either side of the lake we enjoyed sunshine during the day but an abundance of shade in the afternoons.  The entrance to the park is on the far side of the lake and meanders throungh a green tunnel of trees with a few pull-offs along the way where there are spots to stop and fish or just relax and enjoy the view.  

A picnic area under a grove of tall pines at the south end of the lake just before entering the recreation area and campgrounds.  The Lower campground was off to the left down a small lane and into the woods.  This would have been the idealic spot to camp had there been electrical hook-ups.  I didn't venture in having already worn myself out exploring the recreational area down by the lake.  There is a large pool with plenty of loungers to take in the sun as well as a smaller pool I will assume was a shallower kiddie pool.  North of the pool, more picnic tables, a boat launch, ball field, backetball, voleyball, and a large pavilion for groups.  

All in all it was a nice place to relax and take in the fresh air.  The drive out Saturday morning was bittersweet leaving this campground but the trip was a bit more relaxed as our next stop was only about 200 miles away and we would have the pleasure of traversing the most tranquil views crossing what remained of West Virginia, and across the Blue Ridge mountains to the Thousand Trails camping resort of Forest Lake in Advance, North Carolina.  We purchased a membership to Thousand Trails when we bought the RV back in February.  It was a marketing gimick that promised free campsites across the southeast region for the next year.  I'll try to refrain from giving them any further a review till after we've had a few more of these locations behind us.  On this trip, this location provided us a spot not far from one of Lynn's cousins and another on our way back towards home.  Since our membership was already paid for, it made sense to schedule a stop whenever it fell in our route of travel.  Forest Lake at least appeared to be a campground in a wooded environment, with water and amenities available onsite.

We had selected site A26 as it was a site in the woods not far from the lake, clubhouse, pool, laundry and other amenities provided with the membership.  Unfortunately upon arrival, we were informed no-one could pick a site, all sites would be assigned on arrival and were were assigned site A9.  This turned out to be a considerable distance away from any of the amenities and meant it would require us to disconnect from our utilities and drive down to that area if we wanted to put any of it to good use should ther be a spot Georgie Girl could actually park or we could RENT a golf cart to get around the resort.  This appeared to be a good source of income for the resort as there must have been at least 100 golf carts roaming around the place everywhere you turned.

I guess I'm a bit of an old school kind of guy thinking of a campground as a relatively condensed area of campers surrounding a central facilities and/or amenities location.  Bear with me a moment and try to picture an old indian campground, you could conceive this as an area maybe covering 10 acres at most with 2 dozen tents surrounding a central fire pit.  What I like most about camping is the space, a peaseful location in the woods with just a little privacy.  This campground has what looks like more than 400 campsites spread out across a hundred acres or more with each site bunched up against the next.  I will say they did a good job of laying out the sites without cutting down too much of the forest, or at least in the area where we were assigned.  Some of the other areas appear to have been bulldosed out and laid out like a parking lot.  Thankfully we weren't assigned one of those spots.  We got a good nights sleep and awoke at 8:45 Sunday morning to a calm and cool 75 degrees followed by a torential thunderstorm that cooled the air but left my carpet drenched outside.  The sun came out and I hung the carpet over the fence to drain and hopefully dry out.  

Thats all for this entry, We'll be here for a few days and I'll try to upload another entry before we head out to our next destination.  From myself, Lynn, Toto, Bilbo, and Georgie Girl, have a nice rest of your weekend and we'll catch up again soon.

Almost Heaven

 Our last stop was at Blue Licks Battlefield Resort Campground State Park.  It was a nice area and very busy with lots of families out for the fourth of July extended weekend. This became even more obvious when on the 4th, 80% of the campers packed up and headed home leaving us retired folks to enjoy the calm after the storm of acivity.  We were plagued by fact we could only hook up to a 20 amp power source, tripping the breaker a few times a day and having to go reset it.  This was due to the fact that the power hook-ups were 50 feet from the RV and the only cord I had long enough to reach it was a regulard 20 amp extension cord.  I'll be getting another 30 amp RV power cord when we return home to be sure this doesn't happen again.

Lynn wanted to visit the museum at the park but it was closed for the holiday as well.  We broke camp on the 5th and made the stop at the Battlefield museum on our way out.  Lynn has a 5th Great Grandfather who was in the Battle, captured by the opposing forces and held captive for 2 years.  Lucky to be alive considering how many men were lost in that brief but devestating battle.  The photo on the right is of the monument erected to those men who lost their lives that day.

We headed out of the park and east again towards West Virginia.  This would be the longest driving day of the trip so far but provided an atmosphere of calming beauty we had been anticipating.  A six hour drive plus a few stops along the way to replenish supplies and there just happened to be a Starbucks right by the Walmart in Lewisburg, WV.  Even Lynn was ready for a latte' this time.  From there it was almost all rural 2 lane roads through the countryside to or next destination at Moncove Lake State Park.  An absolute gem parked between two mountain ridges with mostly level gravel RV spots and 30 amp hook-ups.  No water on the sites but here was a connection as you enter the camping area and we filled the water tank there before backing into our spot.  

This is a beautiful park with lots of activites available to those who want it, and lots of shade and mild temps for those of us that just want to relax and take in the atmosphere.  There is ZERO cell service here but the park does have Wi-fi albeit slow and would drop out from time to time, it was enough for me to get this blog together.  Frustrating since this is my daughters birthday and I am unable to call her.  To make matters worse, I tried to send her a text but the network just wouldn't connect after multiple failed attempts.  Lynn was able to send a text and some time later I was able to get the connection but my text still shows "waiting for connection".  I had planned to put a lot more together for this blog entry but because of the connection issues I'll cut it short here and play catch up in the next entry in a few days.

If you're reading this, It means I finally got a quick connection for the upload.  

Steve, Lynn, Toto, Bilbo, and Georgie Girl.

Eastward Whoa!

After our last experience in May and June, I decided to get a few things done to the RV that might make our time go a little smoother.  I had planned on using some expanding foam insulation under the floor of the cab area to lessen the noise but that didn't work as planned.  I also built a manifold of sorts to make the water connection much simpler, that did at least work out well.  We took a few hits to the windshield on our last trip and I was able to get one fixed but another started to run before I could get to it.  I'm told there is something that can patch those now but it'll have to wait till we get back home again.  

Our first Destination is the Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park.  This is the site of the final battle of the revolutionary war.  A fitting location to be staying at on Independence Day but a 12 hour drive so we will split it up into three 4 hour drives.  We got on the road Friday afternoon around 3:30 and headed north into Missouri then east to our first overnight stop at Markham Springs in the Mark Twain National Forest.  It was later than we would have liked getting started and was dark when we arrived.  Luckilly this was just an overnight stay and the campground wasn't crowded yet.  A good night sleep and we were off Saturday morning towards our next overnight stop in Western Kentucky.  This one was just a privately owned RV Park and just off the highway with full hook-ups. I had planned on starting the blog after we arrived there but there was no signal to get onlne.  Sunday finaly saw us arrive and we got set up for a 3 day stay.  

Getting set up here was a bit more challenging than expected.  The park has water and electric hookups but they are located between every other site.  Making the connections on the opposite side of the RV and a good 40 feet away.  On top of that, the space is sloping downhill so it took some work to get parked in a spot with the least slope and still had to use ramps to get the back end up enough that we could get level without picking the rear wheels off the ground.  We finally got everything hooked up, Grilled some steaks, and settled down as a thunderstorm rolled in.

Being our first trip in summer, we weren quite prepared for the heat.  The weather was always moderate during the last trip but it was 96 degrees when we left home and it was unexpected that the heat would radiate through the floor like it did.  I'm now looking into another option for insulating the floor and road noise is not as much a priority as it once was.  Thankfully, it's 70 degrees here this evening and the next three days will only be in the 80s.  We'll spend our time here exploring the park and its history.  That should provide some fuel for the next blog.

Thanks for dropping in, Comments are always welcome.

Steve, Lynn, Toto, Bilbo, and Georgie Girl

Driving Time

 We set off Saturday morning winding our way through the Black Hills of South Dakota for the last time.  The steep winding roads may have been a work out for Georgie Girl, But the slow pace required allowed us to enjoy the serenity of the landscape. Our next stop was out of the way but the only destination on our plan for the next two days and would be a welcome respite.  Once out of the Black Hills we were back on the plains, at least Interstate 90 provided a smooth ride heading East to Chamberlain, SD.  The Not-so-well-known Monument is called "Dignity" of Earth and Sky. 

Dignity of Earth and Sky is a soaring sculpture of a native woman standing high on a bluff above the Missouri River.

Dignity honors the Native Nations of the Great Plains. The sculpture is located on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River at a Rest Area on I-90 near Chamberlain, South Dakota.

Her Star quilt is made of 128 diamonds in the colors of the water and sky that surround her.

Dignity is 50' tall, 32' wide, weighs 12 tons, and is made of hundreds of pieces of stainless steel.

To be fair to all of you, I had never heard of this.  Lynn was told about it by a friend and decided to add this to our itinerary. It does appear to be gaining in popularity, there was a consistent line of folks walking over to the sculpture while we were there and looks like a following on Facebook for it as well.

We headed back West on I-90 about 10 miles and then Due South.  From there on, The photo on the left is a good depiction of the next 2 days travel.  I have found a new definition of Monotony, and that photo says it all.  I guess these roads were constructed back before they realized how dangerous an unwavering straight road could be.  Staring at this scene for hours with nothing changing but the roar of the wind and road can put you to sleep better than a glass of warm milk and cookies.  We did however learn that below the seemingly endless blanket of grass, lies he Largest Sand Dunes in the USA  Over 20,000 Square Miles of it.  And further south, more of the same but instead of sand dunes, a vast Ocean floor now mostly sandstone still looking just like the picture above.  A few communities poking up from the landscape along the way, little more than remnants of a time long past.  One such community is working to remain on the landscape and provided us with a place to rest along the way.

Taylor, Nebraska is a community with a population of just 182 souls with almost half as many more "Villagers" both in town and a few miles outside of town to brighten a weary travelers heart.  We were driving along and noticed a couple of "Villagers" at the corner of a fence row in the middle of nowhere.  Lynn and I both smiled at each other thinking "what was that?"  A short time later we came across another couple, this time 2 boys with fishing poles.  As we approached the town of Taylor, they seemed to be there greeting us as we arrived.  It did brighten our spirits and the town had a small park just a block off the highway with RV spots available. I won't go into much more here other than to leave this link to The Villagers of Taylor Nebraska. We stayed the night, so glad for the break and ready to relax.  The next day we got going, knowing we would eventually venture past the endless blank landscape to find the old west historic town of Dodge City, Kansas. 

Having been to all of our planned destinations, Dodge city was just a place on the map that might provide more than an overnight stop.  After 2 days for nothing but a blank landscape and what seemed like driving forever, 2 days parked anywhere would have been good, and Dodge City looked like it would make for a nice stop.  We booked a spot at the Gunsmoke RV Park.  A cute little park, themed after the old tv series of the same name.  Full hook-ups available, a swimming pool, showers, laundry, and a smattering of trees.  We passed through a thunderstorm on our way in thankful for the free car wash removing most of the insect carcasses stuck to the windshield.  We promptly set up camp and got dinner started.  It's now day 2 and we've hardly ventured out of the RV.  Tomorrow we pack it all up and make our way back to Arkansas for a few weeks. 

Thanks for visiting, give us a call or drop by if it suits you.

Steve, Lynn, Toto, Bilbo, and Georgie Girl

Monumentous

 I should have started this post yesterday.  Yesterday, was a bit more relaxed than we had originally planned.  The drive from Sundance, Wyoming to Spokane Creek Cabins and Campground outside of Keystone, South Dakota was just over 2 hours. Originally, our plan was to see Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse along the way but since we were going to stay here for 2 days, we decided to just head to the campground and take it easy on day one.  Lynn had reserved a spot at the top of the campground which put us away from the majority of other campers and gave us a view from above it all.  No cares or worries, just relax and enjoy the evening for tomorrow will be a day of destination and discovery.  

We adjusted our plan today to make a circumferential loop from Mount Rushmore to Crazy Horse, through Custer State Park and back to the campground.  We left the campground and wound our way through the twisting roads leading back to Keystone, SD.  A mining settlement established in 1883, It wasn't incorporated as a town until 1972.  Today its a tourist hub,  everything you can imagine on the main drag from trinkets to mugs and coffee to......   OH, A place like this may not have a starbucks, but there must be some place that can make me a good Latte' right?  Bingo, Holy Terror Coffee was there to fulfil my caffeine desires.  I swept into the suicide lane, turned into the strip mall of shoppes, and skillfully backed my Georgie Girl into a parking space right across from the door.  Loaded up on a Latte', Blueberry Muffin, and a Giant Cinnamon Roll that was calling to me through the display case, Yum.

In a few minutes we were back on the road and just 5 minutes away from Mount Rushmore. I wish my mother was still here to give me the specifics, but my best guess is I was here about 50 years ago.  I had looked over the area on Google Maps and noticed there was a big difference in what the Mount Rushmore visitors area looked like compared to when I was last here.  Back then, it was little more than a 1600 sq. ft. building with an equally small observation deck looking towards the sculpture from such a distance that as a teen, left me sort of unimpressed.  

Today, the new visitor center can accommodate 2,000 visitors per day.  It features granite colonnades, an Entry Promenade paved in granite, a Parade of Flags followed by an amphitheater below the carvings.  The Parade of Flags features the flag of each U.S. state and territory, with a pillar showing the date that it entered the Union.  There is also an exhibit hall that displays information about how the granite sculptures of the presidents came to be.  Being able to get that much closer brought me a lot more respect for the work and scale of the monument than I had as a teen.  Not to diminish it in any way, I guess I was equally impressed by the work done to improve the visitors center facilities.  

On to our next stop, the Crazy Horse Memorial.  A mountain monument to Lakota warrior Crazy Horse, riding a horse and pointing to his tribal land.  It has been under construction since 1948.  Considered the world's largest mountain carving.  When finished, it will be 641 feet long and 563 feet tall. The head of Crazy Horse alone is 87 feet tall, 27 feet taller than the president's heads of Mount Rushmore.  

This is a multi-generational carving, the original sculptor's grandsons are still at work on it.  It seems like little has been done since I was last here but that's not true.  It's only the sculpture itself that has changed so little.  It is the millions of tons of granite that have been removed and still to be removed before the sculpture can be revealed from within the mountain.  If you look closely at the picture, you can see the equipment on top of what will eventually be his arm. 

The hole under his arm is little more than a working tunnel.  You could drive a semi through it right now.  When it's finished, the opening will be 150 feet from below his arm to the horse's back. You can see his finger is nearly finished now and the hand is beginning to take shape.  We've already decided to come back in 5 to 10 years to see its progress.  A scale mockup of the finished statue is on display at the visitors center.  They are estimating the hand, arm, shoulder, hairline, and the top of the horse's head will be finished by 2037.  

From here we were ready to complete the loop back to the campground.  This would take us through Custer State Park.  The Park looked well kept and there were several camping areas, lakes, playgrounds and everything you might expect from a State Park.  In fact it looked so nice we decided we would rather set up camp in the State Park next time we come back to the area.  We stopped near a picnic area to let the boys out for a short break.  In all our coming and going of the day, Toto and Bilbo were stuck with either one of us most of the time while we explored the visitors centers.  We double checked the route back to the campsite to be sure it wasn't going to lead us to one of the tunnels Georgie Girl couldn't fit in, It was safe...

Hwy 16A was designed as a Scenic Route only, full of hairpin turns, corkscrews, and 1 lane tunnels less than 10'9" x 10'9".  Just after the turn back onto US 16A was a sign denoting "Bison Are Dangerous, Do Not Approach."  and we thought "maybe we'll get to see some."  It was definitely a scenic drive, and as we were in no hurry, I set the Cruise control at 25 mph and pulled to the side whenever there was a car or 2 tagging behind.  Lynn wanted to make a record of that, and I proceeded to do it a few more times along the way.  As luck would have it, about 3 miles short of the campground, Lynn spotted a Bison grazing on the hill about a hundred yards from the road.  I was able to catch a glimpse of him before rounding the next 15 mph curve and the hills and trees broke any chance of seeing him again.  Shortly, we were leaving the State Park boundary and approaching the campground.  Dissatisfied with just a glimpse, I asked Lynn if she would mind if we went back to see if we could get a photo.  She reluctantly agreed and I found a spot just outside the campground big enough for Georgie Girl to make a U-turn.

We drove back to the general area where we spotted the Bison and I was searching for any pull-offs nearby that would allow me to stop and get out for a shot.  Luckily there was a pull off just ahead on the left with an SUV parked on it but plenty of room left for me to get in.  The SUV had stopped to observe the Bison we saw and now they were just 50-60 feet from the road.  I parked and got up with my cell phone headed for the door only to see that one of the bison had actually walked between the SUV and Georgie Girl and was alongside my drivers window.  Now there were two of them, One on each side of the road flanking us.  Both Males and both between about 3-4000 lbs. each.  I was looking for a photo op, and got a good one.  We got a few more shots and they wandered off a little further.  Now I had to continue on until I could find another spot wide enough to turn back around and head back to camp.  There wasn't one until we got back to where US 16A turned off.  We got turned around and headed back but luck wa still in my favor and the Bison were now headed up the road coming towards us.

So we stopped to let them pass... and finished our trip content that our plans were fulfilled.

We got back into our campsite and hooked up utilities.  Toto and Bilbo were restless now and there was a trailhead right beside our campsite so I decided to take them for a hike to give them some good exercise and I could use a bit myself.  OMG, this trail went right up the side of the mountain to the top where there was an American Flag on a flagpole mounted to the granite Boulder at its peak.

I had to stop twice along the ascent to rest and catch my breath.  Toto and Bilbo were pulling me up the hill for a good bit but they slowed down to a casual walk before we made it to the top.  Walking back down to camp was a relief, and the boys made little time of devouring their dinner and crashing out on the bed.  A nice quiet time for me to get this blog back up to date.  The next two days will be travel days heading East to another not-so-famous monument, then southwest to the Old West town of Dodge City, Kansas.  Thanks for dropping by, please leave a comment to let us know you came.

I'd like to get your thoughts about the blog to help me decide how best to proceed.  Any and all suggestions will be considered.  Bye for now

Steve, Lynn, Toto, Bilbo, and Georgie Girl :-)