This morning we awoke to a beautiful sunny cool (60 degree) morning. A perfect day to go to the National Park! We entered the park near Harrisonburg, VA at the southern end of the park around 10 a.m. and exited the park about 3:30 at Front Royal. We enjoyed seeing the beautiful vistas of mountains and valley along the Skyline Drive. Jack took quite a few pictures on the way. We stopped at the Byrd Visitor Center which is right across the road from the Big Meadows, a large open area with many paths to walk and enjoy the flowers and birds. We saw 3 deer - a buck and a doe and one in the distance that I guess is a doe, as I couldn't see any antlers.
The rangers gave us some ideas of hikes to take, and so we took one along the Appalachian Trail and enjoyed the views from the clearings along the trail. We stopped at a picnic area and ate the lunch we had packed last night.
Coming out of the park we stopped in Front Royal Visitor's Center and decided that we need to come up another time to check out the Civil War history of the area.
While the National Park is beautiful, I have to say that the scenery along the Blue Ridge Parkway is every bit as beautiful!
Tomorrow we head to a new campground in New Jersey.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
On the Road Again!!!
Yes, to quote the title of Willie Nelson's recording, we're ON THE ROAD AGAIN! We're late this year, as we usually are long gone from Raleigh by June. We left Raleigh this morning and arrived at our first campground, the Harrisonburg/Shenandoah Valley KOA about 4 this afternoon. The first day on the road is always stressful, but thankfully it was uneventful.
This campground is definitely off the beaten path! We left I-81 at exit 257 and took a 4 mile roller coaster ride up and down hills past alpaca farms, dairy farms, and housing developments and then at the end of the 4 miles entered KOA. It's very quiet and heavily wooded. Our site does not have tv (OH NO!!!!) by our choice. No sense paying for tv when it's all reruns or sports.
Tomorrow we plan to go to the National Park. Stay tuned for more info tomorrow.
This campground is definitely off the beaten path! We left I-81 at exit 257 and took a 4 mile roller coaster ride up and down hills past alpaca farms, dairy farms, and housing developments and then at the end of the 4 miles entered KOA. It's very quiet and heavily wooded. Our site does not have tv (OH NO!!!!) by our choice. No sense paying for tv when it's all reruns or sports.
Tomorrow we plan to go to the National Park. Stay tuned for more info tomorrow.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Our Airstream Classic
Our friend Jim F. suggested that we show you how we travel, so we've included some pictures of the exterior and interior of our trailer. Hope you enjoy!
And now you've seen our home for 5 months a year! Wonder where we'll go next year!
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| On the Road Again! |
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| Ditto! |
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| Left side of bedroom |
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| Right side of bedroom |
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| The Galley - sink, stove, and microwave/convection oven |
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| Looking from galley to bedroom |
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| The sofa opens to an additional bed |
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Pictures - Kentucky and North Carolina
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| Confederate Monument Perryville Battlefield |
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| Main street - Pleasant Hill Shaker Village |
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| At Pleasant Hill |
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| Mountain Lake - Blue Ridge Parkway |
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| Mt, Mitchell State Park |
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| On the Parkway |
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| On the Parkway |
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| Almost to the Summit! |
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| Thomas Wolfe Memorial - Asheville, NC |
MN, Iowa, Illinois Pictures
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| Czech/Slav Museum- Cedar Rapids, IA |
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| Native Costumes - Czech/Slaav Museum |
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| Dubuque River Museum - Riverboat paddle wheel |
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| Why I go to Amana, iA - Amana Pancakes! |
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| Breakfast at Desoto House, Galena, IL |
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| Cobblestone Street in Galena, IL |
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| The Trolley Tour - Galena |
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| Pres. Grant's home in Galena, IL |
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| Second Oldest Contiunous Use Post Office in the US |
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Asheville, NC and HOME
We arrived in Swannanoa, NC KOA about 3:30 Tuesday afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny day and we planned our day for Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning we headed into Asheville to have breakfast and then to the Thomas Wolfe Memorial in downtown Asheville. The visitor's center had a 20 minute film on the author and also an exhibit area with information about his early life and the boarding house his mother ran. At 11 we joined several others for a guided tour of the boarding house. Our guide was excellent! She kept up a lively narrative about the family and the area and the hour flew. Best tour I've taken in awhile.
Since the day was so beautiful, we decided to drive awhile on the Blue Ridge Parkway. While visitor's centers and restaurants on the parkway were closed because of the government shutdown, the road itself is open. The leaves were turning at the higher elevations, and we were able to see for miles, the air was so clear. God's paint brush has given us a beautiful treasure!
Thursday was also a beautiful sunny day.........until about Statesville when it clouded up. By Winston Salem we were in rain and drove through have downpours off and on until we arrived home.......then it was a constant heavy rain until early evening! We pulled into our driveway about 3:00 p.m. Glad to be home!
On Wednesday morning we headed into Asheville to have breakfast and then to the Thomas Wolfe Memorial in downtown Asheville. The visitor's center had a 20 minute film on the author and also an exhibit area with information about his early life and the boarding house his mother ran. At 11 we joined several others for a guided tour of the boarding house. Our guide was excellent! She kept up a lively narrative about the family and the area and the hour flew. Best tour I've taken in awhile.
Since the day was so beautiful, we decided to drive awhile on the Blue Ridge Parkway. While visitor's centers and restaurants on the parkway were closed because of the government shutdown, the road itself is open. The leaves were turning at the higher elevations, and we were able to see for miles, the air was so clear. God's paint brush has given us a beautiful treasure!
Thursday was also a beautiful sunny day.........until about Statesville when it clouded up. By Winston Salem we were in rain and drove through have downpours off and on until we arrived home.......then it was a constant heavy rain until early evening! We pulled into our driveway about 3:00 p.m. Glad to be home!
Harrodsburg, KY October 5 - 7, 2013
We left Galena, IL on October 4 and spent the day driving to Crawfordsville, IL where we stayed overnight before continuing on to Harrodsburg, KY on Saturday, the 5th. Our campground was 7.5 miles outside of Harrodsburg on beautiful Herrington lake. Most of the units in the Cedar Creek Campground are permanent, but they have a few sites for travelers.
Found a Catholic Church in Harrodsburg, St. Andrews and went to their 5:00 p.m. Mass and then to supper at a DQ in town.
Sunday morning we had breakfast at McD's, and while we were there the sky opened up and we had torrential rains. We had planned to visit Pleasant Hill Shaker Village, but since the rain was coming so hard and fast, we opted to drive 40 miles north to Frankfort, KY, the capital, as the website indicated many museums we could visit. Unfortunately due to the Sequester of earlier this year, hours at these facilities were drastically cut, and most would not be open until Tuesday or Wednesday through Saturday. Back to Harrodsburg! When we got there, the pavement was dry, and while still overcast, not raining so off we went to the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.
The village was inhabited by the Shakers until 1910. The Shakers played an important role in American Religious history, developing the longest lasting communal society (there are still 3 active Shakers in a village in Main). This was a revisit, as we had been to Pleasant Hill about three years ago. We revisited many of the old buildings, and were walking toward the barn when without any warning the sky opened up and dumped more rain. Thankfully we had umbrellas and waterproof shoes, but by the time I reached the barn my jeans were wet to my knees. We took refuge in the barn, and for company had some goats and chickens, and two ladies who were prepared to give a talk about the farm livestock. Whether we wanted to hear it or not was immaterial -- we heard all about the chickens, the goats, the horses, and the cows! When the rain let up we started back toward the gift shop and entry.
Monday the sun came out bright and clear, and we went into Harrodsburg to see what we could tour. At the top of our list was Fort Harrod, which according to the website was open daily. WRONG! The fort was locked up tight, with a note indicating closed on Sunday and Monday. We drove to Perryville, 15 miles away, to visit the Perryville Battlefield and Museum since the weather was so nice, and the Sunday paper indicated it was open daily. Well, the battlefield was open, but not the museum....opens on Tuesday thru Saturday. WE spent several hours at the battlefield using a map to find the various areas of interest.
We decided to leave on Tuesday and head for Swannanoa, NC KOA where we'll stay for a few days before heading to Raleigh.
Found a Catholic Church in Harrodsburg, St. Andrews and went to their 5:00 p.m. Mass and then to supper at a DQ in town.
Sunday morning we had breakfast at McD's, and while we were there the sky opened up and we had torrential rains. We had planned to visit Pleasant Hill Shaker Village, but since the rain was coming so hard and fast, we opted to drive 40 miles north to Frankfort, KY, the capital, as the website indicated many museums we could visit. Unfortunately due to the Sequester of earlier this year, hours at these facilities were drastically cut, and most would not be open until Tuesday or Wednesday through Saturday. Back to Harrodsburg! When we got there, the pavement was dry, and while still overcast, not raining so off we went to the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.
The village was inhabited by the Shakers until 1910. The Shakers played an important role in American Religious history, developing the longest lasting communal society (there are still 3 active Shakers in a village in Main). This was a revisit, as we had been to Pleasant Hill about three years ago. We revisited many of the old buildings, and were walking toward the barn when without any warning the sky opened up and dumped more rain. Thankfully we had umbrellas and waterproof shoes, but by the time I reached the barn my jeans were wet to my knees. We took refuge in the barn, and for company had some goats and chickens, and two ladies who were prepared to give a talk about the farm livestock. Whether we wanted to hear it or not was immaterial -- we heard all about the chickens, the goats, the horses, and the cows! When the rain let up we started back toward the gift shop and entry.
Monday the sun came out bright and clear, and we went into Harrodsburg to see what we could tour. At the top of our list was Fort Harrod, which according to the website was open daily. WRONG! The fort was locked up tight, with a note indicating closed on Sunday and Monday. We drove to Perryville, 15 miles away, to visit the Perryville Battlefield and Museum since the weather was so nice, and the Sunday paper indicated it was open daily. Well, the battlefield was open, but not the museum....opens on Tuesday thru Saturday. WE spent several hours at the battlefield using a map to find the various areas of interest.
We decided to leave on Tuesday and head for Swannanoa, NC KOA where we'll stay for a few days before heading to Raleigh.
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