Wow, What a Ride!

What a ride! BTW that’s exactly what I want to say when my time here on earth is over. As I said before, the trip out would be just driving as we where pulling the U-Haul. It wasn’t a hard trip but something came up everyday and I never took the time to post to the blog. It worked out that we drove a long haul of 400+ miles every other day and about 300 on the shorts days.

We arrived yesterday at Dave and Rae Anne’s in Los Alamos, New Mexico and are parked at their beautiful home with a view of the National forest out every window of the bus. It is good to see the family again, the kids have grown and I can understand most of what they say.

Today we will unload the U-Haul, details of the trip to follow.  

On the road again!

Millie and I are back on the road. After a busy week of packing furniture, getting the condo secure and the motorhome ready we departed MB on Saturday at 12:30. Our journey will take us to New Mexico where we will deliver some family heirloom furniture to Millie’s daughter. We will stay and visit with Rae Anne and Dave for several weeks before returning to Myrtle Beach.

We only covered 240 miles today but we weren’t in any hurry. We had planned on leaving on Sunday so we are ½ a day ahead of schedule. We usually like to travel with a very loose schedule so we can wander wherever our interests take us, but this is a different trip. We are towing a U-Haul trailer which limits where we can go. Our itinerary for the westward leg is to stay on the interstates and just drive everyday until we get to Los Alamos, New Mexico.

We are overnighting in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Augusta Georgia. Strange as that sounds, it’s a safe place to stop for the night and RV’ers are welcomed by Wal-Mart to do so. Tomorrow morning we will be able to quickly get back on the interstate and continue our westward journey. We hope to drive about 400 miles tomorrow, which will put us somewhere around Tupelo Mississippi tomorrow afternoon.

A few words from Millie

When we left Myrtle Beach in our motorhome, a light rain was falling. That did not dampen my excitement for I had looked forward to this trip since our wedding day of April 13^th. This was a combination Honeymoon/Vacation trip with a mixture of destinations planned. Our main objective was to visit family in the Maryland/Delaware area, attend the Syracuse New York RV Rally and then an onward tour of the New England States.

After 47 days and over 3500 miles our objectives have been met and our trip has come to an end. There were many memories made, too many to mention here, however the most special thing to me is the time we spent meandering along country roads. We tried to drive off the interstates as much as possible to view small towns and stop if we saw anything we wanted to visit. Once, in Connecticut we even drove on a dirt road to view a a scenic river.

 I will have special memories of our visit with family in Delaware and helping Larry’s dad celebrate his 90^th birthday, watching granddaughter Delaney play in a softball tournament, and also concerts with Reba McIntyre and Wayne Newton in Syracuse NY. Our ferry ride at Lake George, New York was great with views of the mansions along the shore, our nearby camp site was beautiful and I hated to leave.

What a treat to visit with our friends Clay and Rebecca Fingar on their farm in Stuyvesant Falls NY, they were such gracious hosts and I will have lasting memories of their family and beautiful farm.

Our tour of the Franklin D. Roosevelt library/home in Hyde Park New York was very informative. After seeing and hearing of President Roosevelt’s accomplishments, I am reminded of what a great leader he was in time of war and our countries Great Depression.

My first impression of New York City? So much traffic, so many people and tall tall buildings!

Our tour guide was an excellent source of information and history, I wondered if after 10 hours of almost nonstop talking how he could conduct tours almost everyday. I was very impressed with our tour agenda and the many sights that were included in our day.

Newport RI was most interesting. Again we were fortunate to have chosen a tour guide who was very eager to share his knowledge of the area with stories about the rich and famous who had summer homes there. I will always remember the huge mansions

of Doris Duke, Cornelius Vanderbilt’s and Jackie Kennedy’s mother and stepfather which was used only a few weeks each year. The town was very interesting, however crowded with summer tourists.

Cape Cod Massachusetts could have been any beach community; my mental image was of white clap board cottages and Patti Page singing “Old Cape Cod”  Another less than inviting characteristic of the area is the beaches, other than an occasional park, the ocean beaches are private and reserved for the rich waterfront owners.

The Kennedy compound at Hyenas Port was true to pictures I have seen. Joseph P. Kennedy’s home will soon be open to the public for it and its contents were willed to the state of Massachusetts after the death of Ted Kennedy.

 Provincetown Massachusetts was a HOOT; you have to go there to experience the

“Artistic Environment “ 

I loved Gloucester and Rockport Massachusetts. These waterfront towns were picture perfect with beautiful stone shorelines, sailboats, waterfront shopping and restaurants. We stayed a couple of days longer than planned to see more of the area.

Boston Massachusetts was celebrating the Fourth of July. As in years past the Boston Pops Orchestra was performing with the fireworks display which draws an estimated 200,000 people. Since this was the weekend we were in the area, we decided to skip our plan to go on a professional tour downtown and instead go to the JFK Library. It was a good decision for the library was state of the art with tons of information regarding President Kennedy’s presidency. 

I never thought about riding a Segway before. I have often seen tourists riding them in my neighborhood at Market Common, Myrtle Beach. When Larry told me he had made reservations for us at Salem Massachusetts Segway for a tour, I was a little apprehensive but willing to try something new. It turned out to be a great experience which I highly recommend.   

We had a wonderful Guide/ Segway instructor named Arielle. She was a cute young girl who had a great personality and mannerism for giving Witch History of Salem but with a modern twist. It was another great day….

On our way to Bar Harbor, we stopped at Gardiner Maine for a brief visit with Bob and Nancy Lamarre. Although our meeting was short it was good to spend some time with this nice couple.

Acadia National Park Maine was beautiful. I enjoyed our drive up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain to view the surrounding Atlantic shoreline and the vast stone crest of the mountain. We also stopped at the only beach in the area and were amazed at children swimming in the ice cold water. My only thought was “Kids you should see our beach”

My opinion of beaches thus far, nothing can compare to Myrtle Beach.  

Bar Harbor Maine was beautiful. The shops were very interesting; the Whale Watching Cruise boats were steadily in and out of the harbor. We decided not to take the tour since we saw two whales feeding close to shore when we were at Acadia Park.

Thousand Trails Camping Resort near Hershey Pennsylvania is one of my favorite campgrounds. It is part of our membership plan so we have stayed there often. I think the area is beautiful and the camping facility is as good as it gets. We always visit local Amish roadside stands and get fresh farm produce. Great place…

 It’s always good to get back to my home state of Virginia. For me the soft rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains are a welcome sight. Our visit with family was was far too short, however after a wonderful 18 mile bike ride on the Virginia Creeper Trail and accomplishing the feat of picking three gallons of blueberries from a family member’s farm, it was time to move on.

Pigeon Forge Tennessee should be on everyone’s list to visit. Something for everyone, from small kids to older adults. The live shows we saw were spectacular, showcasing very professional and talented performers. Great Smokey Mountain Nation Forest was beautiful with scenic overlooks and meandering rivers.  

With mixed emotions our long awaited trip has come to an end. We were successful in visiting most of the places we had planned to see. As with all trips you never have the time to see and do everything that’s available for tourists. We had to make some tough decisions to see what appealed to us and we accomplished that. Our next trip will be to the Southwest sometime early fall. But for now, we’ll have to settle on living across the street from the beautiful Atlantic Ocean, taking long walks with our girls (Maggie and Dixie) along the surf while we make our future travel plans.

Larry's post script

We drove the last leg of the trip from Dreher State Park to our home in Myrtle Beach on Monday the 22^nd of July. We were on the road 46 days, drove approximately 3700 miles and visited or passed thru 15 states. I’ll post the fuel and campground expenses as soon as I add them all up. 

Millie and I are both writing a few final words to close the blog postings for the New England trip. I know Millie is recounting the memorable places and people we visited along the way so I won’t repeat that.

I too will savor the memories of our New England adventure and the family and friends we met along the way. But all thru the trip especially in the last few days, this one thought kept coming back to me; how lucky we are to have found each other, to live at the beach, and to be out here doing what we enjoy so much. Life is good, very good! 

Dreher Island State Park, South Carolina

Friday July 19^th. In the evening we returned to the Majestic Theater to see the show called, “America’s Hit Parade”. In addition to four of the cast from the Soul of Motown show, the Hit Parade had four additional female performers and one male performer. The male was an Elvis impersonator and you could say the lead performer, but neither show billed any one of the cast as the headliner. The Hit Parade covered songs from the 50’s up to the 80’s. The performers sang and danced in costumes to match the songs, this made some skits like The Village People’s “YMCA” hilarious. It was a very good show, but after having just seeing the Motown show the night before this one seemed tamer. This is no refection on the cast; it was probably because the “white but polite” audience was silent except for the appropriate applauses.

On Saturday July 20^th we left Pigeon Forge and the state of Tennessee via I-40. The interstate passes thru the mountains just north of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It meanders thru the mountains rather than making a dramatic gap crossing like Newfound or the Cumberland but it is a very scenic ride just the same. Like a lot of mountain valleys this one has a wild river running down it and the road is adjacent to it most of the way. At the Apex of the mountains we entered North Carolina and drove the 90+/- miles thru the state to the South Carolina border without stopping.

Entering South Carolina we had to accept the realization that the New England trip aka the Honeymoon trip is almost over and we will be home soon. Not that living at the beach is any kind of hardship; we do consider Myrtle Beach to be pretty near paradise.

We decided not to spend the tail end of the trip as a long drive down the interstate so we deviated just west of Columbia and got a site at Dreher Island State Park. The park campground is on a small island; our motorhome is backed into a site just steps from Lake Murray. We will spend two nights here before running the remaining 150 miles to our home.

Pigeon Forge Tennessee

Wednesday July 17 we said goodbye to Paul and Betty and the beautiful mountain region where they live. We drove 150 miles to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and the tourist destination area called Pigeon Forge. I have for a long time been misinformed about the rise of the area as a tourist destination. Country Singer Dolly Parton’s roots are in nearby Sevierville and her name is used on one of the attractions synonymous with Pigeon Forge, Dollywood.

I always assumed Dollywood was the start of the tourist industry here. The area was very isolated until the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created nearby in 1934. Gradually overtime a few tourist venues were opened along Rt 441 the road to the park thru Pigeon Forge. In 1982 the town initiated an aggressive development plan that centered on the tourist industry. In 1985 the owners of an existing attraction called Silver Dollar City approached Ms. Parton and proposed a partnership in the promotion and operation of Silver Dollar City. Dolly became a minor partner and the park was renamed Dollywood. 

Anyhow visitors today are not likely to meet many people who remember the isolated mountain hamlet of long ago. Rt. 441 still runs thru Pigeon Forge but it is now a 6 lane highway with endless outlet malls, restaurants, hotels, music venues and attractions of all sorts. It’s kind of like Myrtle Beach without the beach.

On Thursday evening we went to the Grand Majestic Theater to see a show called “Soul of Motown”. The very talented cast of five men and one woman sang and danced for 2 ½ hours in a tribute show to all the legends of Motown. Millie and I enjoyed the show beyond our expectations, in part due to the tour bus load of Afro-Americans that we were seated with. In black theater, audience participation is both expected and encouraged, so as you can imagine our seating section was the liveliest.

Friday July 19 Driving east from Pigeon Forge we passed through the town of Gatlinburg on our way to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Approximately 15 miles into the park (all uphill) you reach the scenic overlook at Newfound Gap. In addition to the panoramic view the overlook is the location of the Tennessee/ North Carolina border and the spot where President F.D. Roosevelt dedicated the park in 1940.  You can also walk on part of the Appalachian Trail at the Newfound Gap.

Tonight we are going back to the Majestic Theater to see another show, this one called America’s Hit Parade. It is billed as “A singing and dancing sensation taking you through all the greatest hits of the decades”.

Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in Virginia

On Sunday (July14) we left the Dixie Caverns campground and drove about a hundred miles to a National Park Service campground called Grindstone. It is located in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in the southwest corner of Virginia. This is a very mountainous region and is the site of the highest point in Virginia which is 5729 feet above sea level. Grindstone is in an old growth forest, the tall trees and the canopy of green leaves only allowing speckled sunlight on the rhododendrons and moss covered boulders below.  The rhododendrons are flowering right now; dressing the mountain in its summer best, especially scenic is down by the campground wading pool. Cool spring water bubbles its way down the rocky stream bed to fill the sparkling pool. On weekends when the campground fills with families, intrepid youngsters will brave the pool of crisp mountain water and swear it’s not cold even as their lips turn blue.

Grindstone is one of the nicest campgrounds I’ve ever been in. Millie and I haven’t discussed it’s rating on our 1-5 scale but in spite of it not having internet, cell phone service, cable TV or full utility hookups, I think we will still rate it very high.

After setting up our campsite we drove about 6 miles to visit Millie’s sister Betty and her husband Paul. They have a blueberry grove on their property and Millie and I picked 3 gallons of berries in about an hour.

On Monday (July 15) we drove to Damascus Virginia to an outfitter where we rented bicycles and arranged for a shuttle to the summit of White Top Mountain. An almost 18 mile section of the Virginia Creeper Trail runs from White Top to the town of Damascus, and here’s the good part, it is a wide smooth old railroad bed  and all downhill! The first ten miles is an average 6 degree decline and you use brakes most of the time, rarely pedaling at all. The rest is still down hill at about 2 degrees and requires occasional casual pedaling. Most of the route is thru National forest and is very scenic as it follows a river down the mountain. We crossed over approximately 25 trestles and bridges as the trail switched from one side of the river to the other. Part of the Appalachian Trail follows the Creeper trail so we saw some of the back pack trekkers walking their way south to Georgia. We also met hikers, horse back riders and a few folks with questionable mental capabilities. The last group were easy to spot, they were the bicyclist’s who where pedaling uphill!

I’m giving the Virginia Creeper trail my highest recommendation, it takes about four hours to traverse the down hill section and it is very easy to do, we saw families with kids as young as 5-6 pedaling their own bikes, younger kids behind a parent on a tandem bike and a toddler in a  bike trailer. There are several outfitters in Damascus offering bike rentals and shuttle service, there are at least two rest stop facilities along the trail and a trailside restaurant at about the half way point.

                                        Junction of Virginia Creeper and Appalachian Trails

When we got off the trail we called Paul and Betty and made arrangements to meet them at a Mexican restaurant in Chilhowie. After our long day on the trail Millie and I both ate our entire dinner, something we rarely do. Most of the time we take half of our restaurant meals home with us.

Tuesday (July 16) we enjoyed the campground taking the girls for several walks. We also visited Paul and Betty again where I used their internet service to make reservations at our next destination. Betty made a delicious homemade pizza which we savored alfresco on their porch; afterwards we had a desert of ice cream and blueberry pie made with fruit from their berry patch.