We really had no clear plan for Ohio when we planned this trip. Only knew we wanted to see something there. Something unique. Something unusual. Something not too many others can say they've seen. That turned out to be the memorial to the wreck of the airship USS Sheandoah in Ava, Ohio.
28 miles into Ohio we exited the superslab of 77 and followed a crooked 2 lane into downtown Ava where I had to turn around in the parking lot of the post office because even at 30 it's possible to blow through town and miss the reason you came. By the way, I'm getting pretty good at turning around in tight spots while towing my car. So once we got turned around and crept slowly back into Ava to find the pull off across the road from the memorial we were able to really admire the work that this small, far from affluent town has done to preserve a small piece of American military history. There was another site where you could visit the exact spot where the blimp (or most of it) actually crashed but since it was down an even smaller road than the one we had already had to turn around on, I declined.
Back to the superslab and more miles westward we traveled until we decided to stop for the night in Amish country. I had planned to grill marinated chicken over a fire but just as I was turning the chicken the rains came. Needless to say I had to finish cooking in the microwave. Not complaining though. We've had beautiful weather today and the rain didn't even last long.
We are in a site near the back of the park that backs up to a deer farm. After dinner we walked down to the edge of the field and counted a small herd of about 25 with 3 fawns still sporting spots and all the males standing aloof in a different field with their antlers still coated in velvet. Tonight's plan is for some restful sleep. Tomorrow we plan to see a little of the Amish countryside before blowing on through to Pennsylvania.
Monday, June 27, 2011
West Virginia Really Blows - Glass!
Been busy and let the days get away. We had a great time in Bardstown caching and sightseeing. Then Sunday morning we hooked up and heading east by northeast into the great state of West Virginia. Yes, I know there are shorter routes to Pennsylvania, but we had one destination in mind: The Blenko Glass Co. in Milton, WV. We arrived there on Sunday afternoon only to learn that there are no tours on Sunday. So we went 20 miles down the road to stay at this small city park that we'd heard about where you can stay along the river for free and it even has electric and water. Of course that's unless it's the one weekend of the year when they are having a carnival and all the spots are filled by the carnival folks. Starting to see a trend here we decided to backtrack to Milton and stay at a nearby campground. We had a great site near the immaculate bathhouse and even did a load of laundry while we were there. The WiFi was good and strong too so why didn't I post? Just lazy I guess.
First thing this morning we broke camp and headed up the road the couple of miles to Blenko. And it was worth all the headaches and waiting. Not only is the glasswork beautiful, watching the ballet of these craftsmen working together to create each piece is magnificent. We must have stood there an hour or two, not really sure, just watching them make one glass beauty after another. In the museum we also saw some of the stained glass windows produced there. It is all great.
We turned Seeker west by northwest this time and headed for the Ohio River. Just this side of Ohio we stopped at the Fenton Glassworks, but they were not doing any tours this week - starting to feel like I'm under a dark cloud here. We did have a nice lunch at the West Virginia Welcome Center and the Goddess took a wild ride on a Harley, then we crossed the river and headed on for new adventures in Ohio.
First thing this morning we broke camp and headed up the road the couple of miles to Blenko. And it was worth all the headaches and waiting. Not only is the glasswork beautiful, watching the ballet of these craftsmen working together to create each piece is magnificent. We must have stood there an hour or two, not really sure, just watching them make one glass beauty after another. In the museum we also saw some of the stained glass windows produced there. It is all great.
We turned Seeker west by northwest this time and headed for the Ohio River. Just this side of Ohio we stopped at the Fenton Glassworks, but they were not doing any tours this week - starting to feel like I'm under a dark cloud here. We did have a nice lunch at the West Virginia Welcome Center and the Goddess took a wild ride on a Harley, then we crossed the river and headed on for new adventures in Ohio.
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Latest Adventure Begins
For those who didn't know, I'm back on the road again. My favorite place to be.
Doc Bob listened to my lungs and pronounced them 90% clear. Still have a nagging cough and some wheezing. Gave me a script for those pearls that numb your throat to stop the coughing. Took one earlier today and I guess it helped. Tonight I am applying a little bit of red wine for the same effect.
Hooked up the orange bug to the back of Seeker today for the first time in a long time. Wasn't sure I had done it all right and panicked and called Eric who installed the tow system to be sure I had it right. Just a little nervous I guess. So the CIBs on tour pulled out of Drummond Drive at noon Nashville time.
We arrived at My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown, KY around 4pm their time. Not a long drive today but we made reservations to stay here this weekend because we had been through this town once before and said if ever we get the chance, this is a place to come back to for a long visit. Well, for me 2 days is long,
First trick was unhooking the car from the rv so that I could back into the site. I must say that taking it all apart is a lot quicker than hooking it all up! Once we got backed in and "fairly" level I realized that the electric hook up was too far away. Went to ask for a different spot but the very kind young man in the check in booth brought us a 30amp extension cord to use for the weekend. Of course we had trouble hooking it up and had to get him to help again. I'm sure it will take his hand strenghth to unhook us on Sunday.
Had some lunch and and sat around just chilling a while. I took Gus for a walk around the campgrounds and we found a geocache. Then about 7pm we decided to go into town and just look around, maybe find a cache or two.
I can not tell you have lovely this town is. Bardstown dates back to the 1780s and it is full of charm. There's a drug store which still has its soda fountain and you can bet we will be served there before we leave town. As we were walking around town we kept seeing some gorgeous cars from the 50s/60s. There was a 57 Chevy that I loved and I waved, but I think the driver thought I was excited about him. He circled the block and stopped to talk to us. Gus growled and we were polite but moved on quickly.
It's now almost midnight. About time to close up the computers and get some sleep. The park is full - not an empty site at all. We will rise early in the morning and walk Gus, eat breakfast, then go into town to see some sights and buy our tickets for th distillery tour.
Yeah, I love the open road!
Doc Bob listened to my lungs and pronounced them 90% clear. Still have a nagging cough and some wheezing. Gave me a script for those pearls that numb your throat to stop the coughing. Took one earlier today and I guess it helped. Tonight I am applying a little bit of red wine for the same effect.
Hooked up the orange bug to the back of Seeker today for the first time in a long time. Wasn't sure I had done it all right and panicked and called Eric who installed the tow system to be sure I had it right. Just a little nervous I guess. So the CIBs on tour pulled out of Drummond Drive at noon Nashville time.
We arrived at My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown, KY around 4pm their time. Not a long drive today but we made reservations to stay here this weekend because we had been through this town once before and said if ever we get the chance, this is a place to come back to for a long visit. Well, for me 2 days is long,
First trick was unhooking the car from the rv so that I could back into the site. I must say that taking it all apart is a lot quicker than hooking it all up! Once we got backed in and "fairly" level I realized that the electric hook up was too far away. Went to ask for a different spot but the very kind young man in the check in booth brought us a 30amp extension cord to use for the weekend. Of course we had trouble hooking it up and had to get him to help again. I'm sure it will take his hand strenghth to unhook us on Sunday.
Had some lunch and and sat around just chilling a while. I took Gus for a walk around the campgrounds and we found a geocache. Then about 7pm we decided to go into town and just look around, maybe find a cache or two.
I can not tell you have lovely this town is. Bardstown dates back to the 1780s and it is full of charm. There's a drug store which still has its soda fountain and you can bet we will be served there before we leave town. As we were walking around town we kept seeing some gorgeous cars from the 50s/60s. There was a 57 Chevy that I loved and I waved, but I think the driver thought I was excited about him. He circled the block and stopped to talk to us. Gus growled and we were polite but moved on quickly.
It's now almost midnight. About time to close up the computers and get some sleep. The park is full - not an empty site at all. We will rise early in the morning and walk Gus, eat breakfast, then go into town to see some sights and buy our tickets for th distillery tour.
Yeah, I love the open road!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Flag Day 3 days late
I really meant to post this on the 14th - my own tribute to Flag Day - but beind down the last couple of days with bronchitis has held me back. I'm posting some pix from Horizon Seeker's Georgia tour. In Elberton, GA we discovered a beautiful, and as far as we could tell, little visited veterans memorial park. With Elberton's considerable granite resources, it's a cinch that the stones here would be superb and they were. I hope that some time in the future the parking situation will be corrected so that more will visit this remarkable site.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Home Again
The Nickle Plated CIBs have landed back on Drummond Drive after a week's run through the southeast. Boy was it fun. But there are things to be done here before heading north at the end of the month. We had a lot of fun, saw some beautiful scenery, had a great visit with my brother and his wife, and even enjoyed a few nights of cool mountain weather. It seems strange now to be sleeping in my bed in my house. Somehow being in my cowboy bunk in Seeker is more natural to me.
All the laundry is done and ready to load up again. Fridge is cleaned out and ready for re-stocking. Working on installing a tv though I haven't missed having up so far, but the next trip will be longer so I might want it. Got some other ideas about making things more comfortable for the next trip.
Hopefully I will just rest this weekend because Monday will be busy. Seeker needs to go in for a check up before heading out again to be sure all is well and ready to travel up north. And I need to see a doctor. This nagging cough has gotten into my chest and affecting my breathing. Got to get some strong antibiotics in my system and kick this thing.
Added some more pix. Hope you enjoy.
All the laundry is done and ready to load up again. Fridge is cleaned out and ready for re-stocking. Working on installing a tv though I haven't missed having up so far, but the next trip will be longer so I might want it. Got some other ideas about making things more comfortable for the next trip.
Hopefully I will just rest this weekend because Monday will be busy. Seeker needs to go in for a check up before heading out again to be sure all is well and ready to travel up north. And I need to see a doctor. This nagging cough has gotten into my chest and affecting my breathing. Got to get some strong antibiotics in my system and kick this thing.
Added some more pix. Hope you enjoy.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Why I Geocache
If you are around me much or read this blog often you will hear me mention geocaching. It's a hobby I picked up in 2004 at a workshop while working with 4H leaders at their Rock Eagle camp outside of Atlanta, GA. Lots of teachers (including me) have used geocaching to teacher a variety of subjects. It works well since it combines so many skills and it's a game so the kids don't realize they are learning.
But for those of you who don't know what it is, just think of a scavenger hunt and add in a GPS receiver. It's great fun for those of us who like to work puzzles, or hike, or learn new facts about history we thought we knew, or learn little known facts about places we are visiting, or a combination of any or all of those things. You can learn more about it at http://www.geocaching.com/ where there's a 2 minute video that helps to explain the basics. You can even find local cachers with a lot of experience who will help you get started or just take you out to give you a taste and see if you get hooked.
I have cached in every county in Tennessee, 40 states, Canada, Mexico, and most of southeast Asia. But why? Well, I love puzzles and sometimes there are puzzles to solve so my mind gets a workout. And I love to hike and there are lots of caches on trails on state parks so Gus and I often hike a trail to get a workout and to find caches. And the local history ones are always fun. That's how I found Dutchy while I was visiting Elberton this week. It's one of those great local color types of histories that you won't find unless you talk to local folk - or go to the geocaching link above and type in GCR8XQ on the search line which is Dutchy's code number. You will be taken straight to the story and even if you don't find the cache, and I didn't, you will still have fun learning.
And that's why I geocache. And now that I'm a full time, or at least a three quarter time rver, I just have to decide where to point Seeker and look for all the caches I want!
But for those of you who don't know what it is, just think of a scavenger hunt and add in a GPS receiver. It's great fun for those of us who like to work puzzles, or hike, or learn new facts about history we thought we knew, or learn little known facts about places we are visiting, or a combination of any or all of those things. You can learn more about it at http://www.geocaching.com/ where there's a 2 minute video that helps to explain the basics. You can even find local cachers with a lot of experience who will help you get started or just take you out to give you a taste and see if you get hooked.
I have cached in every county in Tennessee, 40 states, Canada, Mexico, and most of southeast Asia. But why? Well, I love puzzles and sometimes there are puzzles to solve so my mind gets a workout. And I love to hike and there are lots of caches on trails on state parks so Gus and I often hike a trail to get a workout and to find caches. And the local history ones are always fun. That's how I found Dutchy while I was visiting Elberton this week. It's one of those great local color types of histories that you won't find unless you talk to local folk - or go to the geocaching link above and type in GCR8XQ on the search line which is Dutchy's code number. You will be taken straight to the story and even if you don't find the cache, and I didn't, you will still have fun learning.
And that's why I geocache. And now that I'm a full time, or at least a three quarter time rver, I just have to decide where to point Seeker and look for all the caches I want!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The Long and Winding Road
Today was almost a one-liner: "love it here at Coneross COE Campground and decided to stay." We did hang around till after 10:00. Gus and I hiked a mile, signed a geocache, then I went swimming in Lake Hartwell while Brenda cooked breakfast. After breakfast we took our time getting ready to travel. It really is a pretty park and site 59 has a gorgeous sunset view. But we did leave finally - and took a wrong turn out of the park!
We ended up back down the road in Clemson which was OK since we had bypassed the campus on the way in. We drove right through the middle of the campus today and boy is it impressive. Did you know that the Clemson who started the university was the son-in-law of John C. Calhoun who led the seccessionists in the 1860s?
We followed the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Byway up the mountain to Highlands, NC which meant lots of beautiful scenery. We pulled off into a scenic overlook to watch a storm come over the mountain and had a snack (the last of Linda's cookies) while listening to the rain on the roof and watching the "smoke" rise up over the mountains as the storm passed us.
Back on the road we drove in to Highlands to find it filled with tourists. It is a lovely town but it did remind me of Gatlinburg and just not interesting. We followed highway 64 west toward Franklin, NC to stop for the night. We followed the scenic waterfall route (or some such name as that) and actually drove Seeker under Bridal Veil Falls! Well, I drove her so of course the Goddess didn't get to ride under the falls because someone had to get out on the side of the road and take the picture. And if you don't think I'm still hearing grief about that you just don't know the goddess.
Speaking of the goddess, I think her sphincter muscles got a good workout today. To say she gets a little nervous as I manuever Horizon Seeker around tight mountain curves on narrow winding roads while other cars come racing toward us from the opposite direction, well, that would be an understatement. Once she tried to reach out and pick a wildflower off an overhanging boulder I think just to prove her point.
In the end I think she really enjoyed the views along the way, but she was tired by the time we finished visiting the Scottish Tartan Museum in Franklin. So we went just a few miles down the road to stop for the night at a quiet rv park just outside the Cherokee National Forrest. Free wifi! We'll be up all night.
We ended up back down the road in Clemson which was OK since we had bypassed the campus on the way in. We drove right through the middle of the campus today and boy is it impressive. Did you know that the Clemson who started the university was the son-in-law of John C. Calhoun who led the seccessionists in the 1860s?
We followed the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Byway up the mountain to Highlands, NC which meant lots of beautiful scenery. We pulled off into a scenic overlook to watch a storm come over the mountain and had a snack (the last of Linda's cookies) while listening to the rain on the roof and watching the "smoke" rise up over the mountains as the storm passed us.
Back on the road we drove in to Highlands to find it filled with tourists. It is a lovely town but it did remind me of Gatlinburg and just not interesting. We followed highway 64 west toward Franklin, NC to stop for the night. We followed the scenic waterfall route (or some such name as that) and actually drove Seeker under Bridal Veil Falls! Well, I drove her so of course the Goddess didn't get to ride under the falls because someone had to get out on the side of the road and take the picture. And if you don't think I'm still hearing grief about that you just don't know the goddess.
Speaking of the goddess, I think her sphincter muscles got a good workout today. To say she gets a little nervous as I manuever Horizon Seeker around tight mountain curves on narrow winding roads while other cars come racing toward us from the opposite direction, well, that would be an understatement. Once she tried to reach out and pick a wildflower off an overhanging boulder I think just to prove her point.
In the end I think she really enjoyed the views along the way, but she was tired by the time we finished visiting the Scottish Tartan Museum in Franklin. So we went just a few miles down the road to stop for the night at a quiet rv park just outside the Cherokee National Forrest. Free wifi! We'll be up all night.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
On The Road Again!
Yes, after 2 long weeks of being parked in the backyard Horizon Seeker is back on the road. The Goddess and I loaded up Gus and some supplies and headed out late Sunday afternoon toward Chattanooga. Our intent was to camp somewhere on the other side of all that Monday morning traffic in the choo choo town. We rolled into Harrison Bay State Park just before dark to find it terribly charming and dark. Dark because a heavy wind storm had just rolled through and taken out a tree that hit a power line. No problem since we have a generator so we did spend the night nestled among the pine trees near the lake with only minor problems through the night. Early Monday morning Gus and I hiked to an overlook, signed a cache log, and came back to load up and head into Georgia.
But first we drove through downtown Cleveland, TN and over highway 411 all the way over to the Ocoee Dam system on highway 64. Just below #1 is the concrete scale model of the river that was built for the white water events in 1996. Sadly we found it in disrepair but hopefully it will be restored soon. Check it out at www.tva.gov/river/recreational
As we backtracked to 411 to actually start toward Georgia we had to stop and take a picture of a bead shop that looks like it would be right at home at Bonaroo this week! No time to shop for beads this trip so we turned south on 411 and crossed into Georgia. I prefer to travel the blue highways for a number of reasons: traveling at 50/55 instead of interstate speeds saves gas, you see more unusual sights on the blue highways and if you pass one up it's easier to turn around, and I'm just plain older and slower these days. So far we have had several unusual Jesus sightings (I saw a blue Jesus in a birdbath) and some great signs (a plumber who advertises that a "flush is better than a full house").
And sights we did see. Didn't stop to take pictures of the Diamond C Ranch in Maysville, GA but since I don't have a cool $35,000,000 handy it didn't seem worth stopping anyway. Take a look at the listing at www.luxuryrealestate.com/
We turned off 411 and on to 52 in Chattsworth to climb the foothills of the mountains with all the lovely views. We had an unexpected stop to cool the engine about half way up (next time turn the a/c off before climbing a mountain) then stopped at beautiful overlook for lunch before heading down into Dawsonville for our next stop. In case you didn't know, it's the birthplace of NASCAR and they are very proud.
From Dawsonville we did slip over to Interstate 85 and made our way over to Elberton to camp for the night and meet up with big brother Mike and his wife Linda. We were beat from our long day on the road and went to bed early then up early this morning and heading out to meet up with Mike and Linda at the Georgia Guidestones. (http://www.thegeorgiaguidestones.com/) We got there about an hour before them and set up a mini camp in the Seeker so that things would be cool for Linda who is just recovering from congestive heart failure. We visited the site and visited with each other for a couple of hours, had a light lunch prepared by the Goddess with Linda's homemade cookies for dessert. Then we adjourned to the Elberton Granite Museum which I highly recommend if you get the chance. We found Dutchy there and I had to pose for a picture. http://www.cityofelberton.net/
As the afternoon wore on Linda was tiring so big brother took his lovely bride home and we turned Seeker east toward South Carolina. We stopped in Starr to fill up with gas prices at $3.34 without any special discounts! In Anderson we stopped at the visitor info center to find out about the high school. You see, that's where the statue of Radio can be found.
After leaving Radio we turned toward Clemson and just as we crossed the Seneca River we spied a campground run by the Corps of Engineers. It is such a beautiful spot that we hated to do anything but sit and watch the sun set over the water. But since I was behind in my blogging I decided to catch up and let folks know where we are and what we're up to (at least what we admit to).
Tomorrow we are off to the Cherokee Foothills.
More later!
But first we drove through downtown Cleveland, TN and over highway 411 all the way over to the Ocoee Dam system on highway 64. Just below #1 is the concrete scale model of the river that was built for the white water events in 1996. Sadly we found it in disrepair but hopefully it will be restored soon. Check it out at www.tva.gov/river/recreational
As we backtracked to 411 to actually start toward Georgia we had to stop and take a picture of a bead shop that looks like it would be right at home at Bonaroo this week! No time to shop for beads this trip so we turned south on 411 and crossed into Georgia. I prefer to travel the blue highways for a number of reasons: traveling at 50/55 instead of interstate speeds saves gas, you see more unusual sights on the blue highways and if you pass one up it's easier to turn around, and I'm just plain older and slower these days. So far we have had several unusual Jesus sightings (I saw a blue Jesus in a birdbath) and some great signs (a plumber who advertises that a "flush is better than a full house").
And sights we did see. Didn't stop to take pictures of the Diamond C Ranch in Maysville, GA but since I don't have a cool $35,000,000 handy it didn't seem worth stopping anyway. Take a look at the listing at www.luxuryrealestate.com/
We turned off 411 and on to 52 in Chattsworth to climb the foothills of the mountains with all the lovely views. We had an unexpected stop to cool the engine about half way up (next time turn the a/c off before climbing a mountain) then stopped at beautiful overlook for lunch before heading down into Dawsonville for our next stop. In case you didn't know, it's the birthplace of NASCAR and they are very proud.
From Dawsonville we did slip over to Interstate 85 and made our way over to Elberton to camp for the night and meet up with big brother Mike and his wife Linda. We were beat from our long day on the road and went to bed early then up early this morning and heading out to meet up with Mike and Linda at the Georgia Guidestones. (http://www.thegeorgiaguidestones.com/) We got there about an hour before them and set up a mini camp in the Seeker so that things would be cool for Linda who is just recovering from congestive heart failure. We visited the site and visited with each other for a couple of hours, had a light lunch prepared by the Goddess with Linda's homemade cookies for dessert. Then we adjourned to the Elberton Granite Museum which I highly recommend if you get the chance. We found Dutchy there and I had to pose for a picture. http://www.cityofelberton.net/
As the afternoon wore on Linda was tiring so big brother took his lovely bride home and we turned Seeker east toward South Carolina. We stopped in Starr to fill up with gas prices at $3.34 without any special discounts! In Anderson we stopped at the visitor info center to find out about the high school. You see, that's where the statue of Radio can be found.
After leaving Radio we turned toward Clemson and just as we crossed the Seneca River we spied a campground run by the Corps of Engineers. It is such a beautiful spot that we hated to do anything but sit and watch the sun set over the water. But since I was behind in my blogging I decided to catch up and let folks know where we are and what we're up to (at least what we admit to).
Tomorrow we are off to the Cherokee Foothills.
More later!
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