Red Bay, Alabama: We are... Moving On... Tommorrow

Communication.

Throughout my life I can point to instance after instance where the ability or inability to communicate has played a crucial role. It wasn't until I had been working at HP for a couple of years I realized just how important the ability to communicate really was to someones success, or to getting something done.

Many times seemingly unsolvable problems between individuals, companies, and yes, even inanimate items such as computers, were quickly resolved once communications began. I learned as a Systems Engineer to communicate complicated computer concepts, issues etc. Translating those concepts into easily (or more easily) understood analogies often worked wonders and helped us resolve issues and win more sales.

I try to always remember two things 1) the message needs to be crystal clear and 2) most of us can only remember three things with clarity from a conversation/presentation, etc.

I was thinking about all of this over the weekend -- the same weekend I was supposed to be spending in Hot Springs, Arkansas, relaxing in, well, some hot springs. Instead, due to some communication issues with the service personnel, MLA and I had to spend the weekend in Red Bay waiting to get the door fixed. And we wanted it completely fixed, not just "better than it was...".

To ensure clear communications I keep this story in mind:

A preacher who wanted to show children the evils of drinking and smoking put worms in a bottle of whiskey and worms in a jar filled with cigarettes and cigarettes smoke. In both cases the worms died quickly.

When he asked if anyone could explain what all of this meant, one of the youngsters raised his hand, and when called upon, said "If you drink and smoke you won't have worms".

Good visuals, strong impact, unfortunately wrong message!

So, today, when I went to discuss the one remaining issue I was as clear as possible about what I wanted to happen and when. Sure enough, the Service Manager got the right people on the case and they were very focused on getting the problem resolved to my (really MLA's) satisfaction.

What was the last item? Well, the door kept jamming when you used the automatic levelers on uneven ground. Which is why you have levelers; for those times when the ground is uneven. Testing them on perfectly level service bay floor means little or nothing. The only real test is on uneven, unpaved ground.

The team removed the door and frame from the wall of the RV, realigned the door in the frame, remounted the whole assembly in the RV wall using new locations for all of the screws, caulked all around and -- viola -- no more door jams. And it was fixed by the close of business. Communications is paying off.

Which translates to us being able to (finally) head off to Hot Springs, Arkansas.

See Ya!

Red Bay, AL: Things Are Different Here In The South

MLA is having trouble adjusting to the way of life here in the South.

Yesterday she went to the grocery store to pick up a few items, including ice. She completed shopping, paid for them and much to her delight, watched the bag boy bag the groceries. Our usual grocery shopping is done at Super Walmarts across the country since they can almost always accommodate the combination of our RV plus towed car without having to disconnect the car. It's pretty rare to have someone bag our groceries. Here in Red Bay, Alabama, its like stepping back in time.

Anyway, after paying and watching the bag boy, MLA grabs the cart and starts towards the door. A man tries to grab her cart. Quickly overcoming her surprise she starts to fight back against the 'grocery grabber'. Boy is she surprised (and embarrassed) when the guy explains he is just taking her cart/groceries to the car so he can load them into her car. In addition, he explained, he would get the ice from the large outside cooler so she 'didn't have to reach deep into the ice box'.

So she let the man get her ice, wheel the cart to the car and unload the groceries. Still a bit shocked by the whole turn of events, she tipped the guy. She said from the surprised look on his face that didn't happen much.

Turns out he is the store manager and always takes time to assist his customers by pushing their cart and loading the groceries into their car, all the while asking questions about thier family, usually by name.

In any case, I'm just glad she didn't get to her pepper spray; I'm guessing this guy has a lot of friends since he meets nearly everybody in town during his workday. And a couple of us crazy RV'ers.....

In any case, today we drove over to Tupelo to see Elvis' birthplace. It's a small two room building that Elvis dad, Vernon, built along with his grandfather and uncle. All for $185; this was during the depression (1934) so $185 was a lot of money.

There were lots of stories about Elvis and his family however the one I found most interesting was about Elvis' 11th birthday. He really wanted a .22 rifle. He wanted one and nothing else; well, OK, if he couldn't get a gun he would like a bicycle but he really wanted a gun. He was pretty adamant about getting a rifle so his Mom, took him to the local hardware store. She had major reservation about giving him a rifle or a bicycle. After asking a few questions she decided both the gun and the bicycle were just too dangerous.

The man at the hardware store suggested a guitar. Elvis did not want a guitar and threw a fit. His mother told him to 'straighten up and fly right' or words to that effect. After playing with the guitar for a while in the store he decided to take the guitar for his birthday. So, for a little less than $8, Elvis had his first guitar. Wasn't long and he was taking it to school everyday. While he was very shy, he was soon singing songs to the kids at school over lunch.

All of Elvis' success is quite amazing when you see just how humble his life was in the early years.

On the way back from Tupelo we took the long way home and drove a portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway. This is an old Indian trail that was used extensively for east to west travel until the paddle wheels began service on the mighty Mississippi River. Today its a Federal Park much like the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unlike the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is 469 miles in length, the Natchez Trace is about half that length. While the Blue Ridge runs mostly along the ridges of mountains, the Natchez Trace run mostly through bottom land and small hills of Mississippi up to Nashville Tennessee. I have not driven the portion around Nashville (yet) but I think that's a little more hilly than here in Mississippi.

Until later - See Ya!

Belmont, Mississippi: Imagine That - Another Year Bites The Dust

First of all, many thanks for the phone calls and best wishes for my birthday. It has been a great day today, up to and including meeting some new friends today.

MLA and I spent the early morning here at the Tiffin RV service center and then went to Tiffin's paint facility in Belmont, Mississippi. They have about 40 new 2009 RV's of every make and model sitting outside, waiting to be delivered to the dealer / new owner. Lots of beautiful coaches. Pretty impressive when you consider the average price of each RV was around $250K. Some more, some less (duh Dale, that's how averages work).

Like kids in a candy store, MLA & I wandered around looking at all of the new features that have been added for 2009. Mind you, the coach we have now meets all of our needs however we know when we sell the house (notice I said when not if) and start RVing full time we will need more storage space. More storage means you need a bigger, longer RV. Bigger, longer RV means you need a bigger diesel engine. Etc., etc., etc. All that means you need more $$$ -- funny how that works.

We met another couple, Tony and Linda, extended RVers from San Antonio, who are at the Tiffin factory watching their new top of the line Zephyr being built. They are -- naturally -- very excited to watch their dream RV be created from a bare chassis to completed luxury motor home. The coach is in final stages of being painted and they will probably take delivery in a few weeks. Too cool.

We probably spent 30 minutes in the hot Mississippi sun with them talking about our RV experiences; they are just so easy to talk with. Tony was interested in the motorcycle lift we are using so we told them to stop by later back at the campground and take a closer look. Tony and Linda left while MLA and I decided to check out a few more units on display behind the paint facility. Incredible coaches everywhere you looked. I have a really bad case of 'bus envy' and "Iwantitis".

Spent the afternoon getting the last warranty items on the RV resolved only to discover one of the issues we thought had been resolved is still not working correctly. Means we will be in Red Bay through the weekend until at least Monday evening. Better to get it fixed correctly while we are here than have to make another trip.

The issue? The entrance door sticks sometimes after putting the levelers out; sometimes it works great and sometimes it does not. Tiffin reprogrammed the levelers and tightened a very loose leveler controller. Better but still not right.

We also had the 'Allegro Bay' decal installed on the front of the RV over the Diamond Shield protective cover. MLA is thrilled to have it in place.

Since the 4th of July holiday is coming up we had made reservations at a campground in Hot Springs, Arkansas from tomorrow through the 4th of July weekend. We rarely make reservations more than a day or two in advance however we thought it might make sense with the holiday. So we called them this afternoon and changed the reservations. Now we will have to see if we can get this door jam/leveler issues resolved early next week and get on our way. I have a strong urge to be 'moving on'.

Late afternoon Tony & Linda stop by to look at the motorcycle carrier. Hour and a half later we were still talking, laughing at each other's stories. What a great couple. We asked them to join us for dinner and decided to go to the local Mexican restaurant. Spent another couple of hours laughing and talking during and after dinner. What fun: good food and good company plus, since it's my birthday, we had to get the Fried Ice Cream. If you have not tried Fried Ice Cream you need to correct this oversight; it sounds wacky however it tastes delicious.

This weekend we will head out of Red Bay to explore a little further afield. Last Wednesday I drove MLA over to the Helen Keller's birthplace about 30 minutes from here; she really enjoyed touring the grounds since she had read 'Miracle Worker' many times as a child. There is a Helen Keller festival tomorrow with live entertainment in the evening; maybe we'll head over there. Or maybe we'll head to Tupelo, Elvis Presley's birthplace. Not sure which one we'll do; might have to decide by a flip of a coin.

In any case, we are having a great time.

Until next time -- See Ya!

Red Bay, AL: Would You Like That Gift Wrapped?

Progress! Today we made great progress on completing the items on the warranty punch list for the RV. Completed 15 of the 19 items on the list. I won't bore you with the entire list however I'll mention a couple of the more interesting (to me) items.

When we first met with the service manager I was explaining one of the items on our list was glue leaking from a window, which had just started a day or two earlier. He explained they did not use glue or anything like glue in any of the windows/walls. He asked us to check the cabinet above the window. I almost questioned his suggestion since I had just looked in the cabinet the day before but fortunately did not say a word.

When we travel we put the fruit bowl in that cabinet and apparently a banana had fallen out of the fruit bowl and landed behind some pots. In the heat the banana liquefied inside the skin and slowly leaked out the back of the cabinet, along the edge of the window and finally off the bottom right corner of the window onto the counter top, whereupon it had the look and consistency, if not the smell, of glue.

The service manager had his teeth clenched together so hard trying not to laugh it was killing him. He told us our 'secret was safe with him' but I'm pretty sure that story made its way into the next staff meeting.

Thing is, I thought I smelled a banana 'past its prime' the day before so I threw out the bananas in the fruit bowl along with an apple or two for good measure. Who knew I should have kept digging? I'd be embarrassed if anyone finds out so this is just between you and me....

In any case, we have all of the items completed except for the paint shop items. Not sure how long it will take to get into the paint shop. If the wait is too long we may just pack up and hit the road. I'm feeling the need to 'move on'.

We did get two items installed on the 'runway' which is a where the Tiffin service technicians have you take your RV to have non-warranty worked performed after hours. We had two vent covers installed yesterday so we can open the vents anytime: in the rain, while going down the road, etc.

Today I had a Surge Guard installed. This is a device that protects all of your electronics from, well, surges. Surges are spikes in the electrical power that can, if you are not protected, can destroy the electronics in your RV. TV's, DVD players, Satellite radio, A/C's, computers, etc. etc. etc. are all sensitive to power fluctuations. I've been concerned about not having this and it just made sense to get this installed by someone who knows what they are doing, as opposed to me doing it myself.

One last item we are looking at having installed on the runway is a ceiling fan in the bedroom. The bedroom is a relatively small area and can feel a little 'closed in' sometimes. These fans are just the ticket to getting a little air without running the ac.

Tomorrow's my birthday so I get to take MLA out to dinner at the place of her choice. Don't ask, that's just how we do it.

She did ask me if I wanted the Surge Guard or the vent covers as my birthday gift. I'm thinking the vent covers should be my Fathers Day gift and the Surge Guard should be my birthday gift. I figured turn about is fair play. If necessary RV safety items (my justification to spend the money was these items are all need to keep the RV/us 'safe') are to be my birthday gift then the same should apply to her birthday gift.

So i asked her if the ceiling fan could be her birthday gift, she just laughed and said only if ceiling fan has jewelry attached....

Until next time -- See Ya!

Red Bay, Al: Get-A-Long-Little-Dogie

The song made famous by the words 'Get a long little dogie" supposedly was a favorite of grizzled cowboys who drove cattle from Texas to the rail yards in Kansas City. Turns out the cowboys took the song literally and, went they got to town, they went out a bought 'a long little dogie or dachshund.

Everywhere we go people who see Dobbie, our miniature dachshund, respond to their friends/themselves "Oh look, a wiener dog". Not the most complimentary comment and Dobbie's self confidence most likely suffers greatly from the 'wiener dog' label. I am going to teach her to walk on her hind legs so then people might say "Hey look at the tall skinny dog". Not there yet but it's early in her training. I know she'll rise to the occasion, so to speak....

Had the RV at the service bay at 7 am this morning. Our normal process of exploring the area is affected by the 'no dogs can be left in the RV while being serviced" rule. So today we,MLA, Dobbie & I explored some park areas, including the 5-6 dams/locks that enable boaters to travel all the way from the Tennessee river to the Gulf of Mexico.

Two of the lakes allow homes right on the shores of the lakes. Normally Corps of Engineer lakes have a large buffer that keeps homes a significant distance from the lake itself, enough so that a landowner would not be able to say they had waterfront property. However at these two lakes there are some very nice homes right on the water with their own docks and boathouses.

Since we had the dog with us we spent some time at the COE's boat launch, enjoying the water, the tree's and especially the shade. Large cool, inky circles of darkness provided the only respite from a sweltering sun. Typical Alabama/Mississippi summer.

We had some work done on the runway at Tiffin to have covers installed over the vents. These allow you to open the vents, even when it's raining. Previously you had to close the fan vents in the ceiling when it rained, the very time you wanted some fresh air.

Hopefully another day in the service bay and then we'll be waiting for a paint booth to fix a minor, self-inflicted scratch. Oh, and the new 09 models have a ceiling fan in the bedroom. That's something I wanted originally and it was not available. I'll probably get it installed here if the price is not too exorbitant.

One issue I have is we are driving this beast down the road and when you need to hit the horn it sounds like an old VW bug. It needs a real air horn. Unfortunately the estimate I received for installing one here is too steep however I'll keep working. I know I'll find something somewhere sometime.

Until later - See Ya!

Red Bay, AL: Swamp John's Decision is My Fault

Up at 7am to have the RV ready for the service adviser's inspection. You don't know when he'll get to you just that he starts at 7 and goes to each RV that arrived the previous day. He arrives around 8 am, we discuss the items on the list until about 8:45 am. He asks if we are in a hurry and we tell him not really; he says he could tell we were not in a hurry from our relaxed attitudes (boy I love retirement). He tells us he'll get us into one of the service bays at the end of the week or by the first of next week; he then says we are done for the day.

MLA starts reading, trying to finish another great book she is engrossed with, and I start organizing some of the supplies & tools I keep in plastic boxes. Around noon, service advisor comes to the door and tells us he has a service bay that opened up sooner than expected. We quickly pull in the slides, retract the awning, raise the levelers, and scoot into Bay 48.

I go through the list with the service technician and then we head off to the customer lounge. The services techs work from 7 am to 3 pm. At 3 pm exactly a loud buzzer goes off and immediately a large number of workers emerge from various places and are out the door. Reminded me of high school, when the buzzer went off, people left regardless of what the teacher was saying or doing.

In any case, our service technician, Roger, had fixed several items by 3 pm and told us to have the coach back over there by 7 am tomorrow morning.

We decide to get an early dinner. Now there are not a lot of eating establishments in Red Bay, maybe 5-6 places. One establishment on the list provided by the campground hosts is a 'seafood' place called Swamp John's and was recommended by two other campers.
We go into what is obviously a former gas station converted into restaurant, except there has been a minimal amount of 'conversion'. Bars on the windows, accumulated grime from 50 years of servicing auto's, etc. MLA will go into much more detail if you ask her, much more detail, so don't ask unless you've got a lot of time on your hands....

Turns out 'seafood' is southern for 'catfish', fried of course and it's Swamp John's specialty. In any case, given the limited options for eating elsewhere and the fact Swamp John's was recommended by the campground hosts and two other people staying here, we decide to stick it out. Any other place that looked like that and we would have simply left.

As I said, the 'specialty of the house' is catfish and onion rings, so that's what I order along with some southern 'sweet tea'. All in all, pretty tasty. Not the best that I have had but pretty good. Much better than the environment would lead you to believe.

MLA's meal was not good. Actually, her meal would have had to be exceptional for her to get past the grime and the flies. It wasn't and she didn't. Based on her comments to me on the drive home I don't think we'll be going back to Swamp John's. Ever. I probably won't be allowed to drive by Swamp John's; she'll insist we detour around the place. She was not a happy camper.

As usual it was my 'fault' she had such a bad meal/time. She and I have an on-going joke that if something is not good or a problem comes up, it is my 'fault'. If something good happens, she is responsible. It's one of the secrets to a long and successful marriage. Too many people get into long and protracted debates over who is to blame when the final determination of who is to blame is already known. The male in the relationship is of course to blame. Either they did or did not do something. Just another example of how we divide the many domestic responsibilities of marriage.

Actually, makes it easier, when trying to determine blame, to have a default person who's to blame. Saves a lot of time, frustration and a lot of heated conversation that would have yielded exactly the same result: the guy's at fault.

We usually end up laughing at the contortions we have to go through to to establish something as 'my fault'. In any case, we have a lot of fun with it. Most times, I'll beat her to the punch by declaring something is my fault. Just saves a lot of time. Many married men can relate, I'm sure.

Tomorrow, we'll have the RV at the service bay by 7am and hopefully they'll be able to knock off many of the remaining issues.

See Ya!

Red Bay, Alabama: On The Runway At Tiffin

Red bay, AL is where our Tiffin Allegro Bay RV was born; turns out all Tiffins are born right here in Red Bay. Good thing the plant is here because there is not a whole lot going on in this part of Alabama. About 1200 people are normally employed by Tiffin making them one of only two large employers 'around these parts'.

I say normally because Tiffin has recently cut production of RV's in half and has laid off about half of the employees as well. The high cost of fuel is impacting all RV manufacturers; it has already caused at least 4 RV manufacturers to go out of business. Tiffin has only recently started to see demand drop but credit and fuel issues are issues for everyone in this industry.

The cost of fuel has everyone cutting back; Many are postponing new RV purchases and existing RV owners are taking steps to minimize fuel expenses. Going to destinations closer to home; staying longer at each location, selling off the first born male child, etc. That reminds me, I have to call Christopher tomorrow.... Whatever it takes to keep RVing.

We planned to be passing close by Red Bay so we decided to stop in and have a few warranty items taken care of now rather than making a special trip later. Turns out Tiffin purchased the small Red Bay Municipal Airport when it shut down several years ago. We are literally parked 'on the runway' of the airport. It's the perfect place for moving ~100 very large vehicles around and into various repair facilities.

It's a busy and exciting place. Each morning about 6:30 or 7 am, RV's start shuttling into the aircraft hanger, er, excuse me, the service bays for repairs. There are 46 services bays plus another 8 outside work sites, grouped by function: paint, body, woodworking, windshields, etc. Plus there are ~ 100 camp sites. Not really camp sites as much as large place to park the coach while you wait for repairs, complete with water, electric and sewer connection.

This place is especially busy at the end of winter when all the snow birds pass through on their way home from over-wintering in Florida and elsewhere along the Gulf coast.

So we are on the runway. In the Alabama sunshine. It gets hot here; both AC's ran all day today without stop. Even driving first thing this am we had the generator going in order to run the front AC. Someone told me 95 degree's is 'mild' for Alabama in late June. Apparently normal is well north of 100 degree's. Let's hope it stays 'mild'.

The dog is totally confused when we go for a walk. Normally she can pick our RV out of all the others at a campground. Now she is surrounded by Tiffins, several of which look exactly alike. Well not exactly but close enough for government work.

Not a lot to do here when your coach is being worked on so we'll have to drive a bit to 'see the sights'; plus we cannot leave Dobbie in the RV while they are working on the RV.

Miniature Dachshunds are known to be vicious attack dogs. It's true, I saw here attack a June Bug just last week.

In fact, I bought here a spiked collar and call her 'Killer' when taking her for a walk. You should see the unsavory characters go running in the opposite direction when they see her hiding behind MLA's skirt. She (Dobbie, not MLA) was voted 'Most Likely to Hurt Someone' in doggie school. Of course, that's because she pees whenever she is afraid and she is afraid whenever she is around people. She peed so much the school was afraid someone would slip and hurt themselves, hence the award 'Most Likely To Hurt Someone'. Nope, just too dangerous to leave her here with the service technicians.

We will have a better idea tomorrow just how long all of this will take to get done. The service techs have some incentive to get it done quickly; there are scheduled to be on vacation next week. Let's hear it for national holidays!

Until tomorrow -- See Ya!

Huntsville, AL: No Blog Yesterday Courtesy of Bandwidth Police

We are in Huntsville, Alabama having left Marion, NC this morning around 11:30 am.

There was no Blog entry yesterday and here's the story. Early Saturday morning the owner of the campground where we were staying informed us we were Wi-Fi 'bandwidth hogs'.

Now, with the Harley, we have been called 'Wild Hogs', and we have been called 'Mild Hogs', but we have never been called 'Bandwidth Hogs', at least not that we know of....

So this was both something new and a surprise however upon reflection I realized I had downloaded & installed the new FireFox 3 browser on Friday afternoon; that download was 57 Mb. I had to download twice since it failed to install the first time. That accounted for 114Mb plus I downloaded a number of applets for FireFox 3.

In addition, MLA & I did our normal web surfing: e-mail, E-bay, the Blog and uploading pictures. So I figured the FireFox downloads had put too much of a strain on the campground's satellite system. Shouldn't have but it did.

Normally we use our own cellular Internet connection however there were no cell phone signals at this park so we used their Wi-Fi.

Long story short (too late for that, eh), MLA and I stayed off of the Internet for the rest of the day Saturday. When I went to do the Blog last night, we were no longer on the campground Wi-Fi system. Either our log-on expired (shouldn't have, we were paid through Sunday) or the campground owner disconnected us from the Wi-Fi. I can't imagine they would disconnect us without notifying us but those are the the two most likely options.

The new FireFox 3 runs very fast; I need to look at FireFox and see if its doing some type of anticipatory read-ahead. If so, that might account for some increased load however it shouldn't bring a satellite network connection to its knees.

In any case, no Blog. My apologies.

The drive to Huntsville took us around and through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The area near Black Mountain is incredibly beautiful. Then we ended up going through Nashville. The lakes, rivers and dams of Tennessee are huge and beautiful. I told MLA we should come back and stay in a few of the parks at a later date. Definitely worth investigating as a possible place to retire.

As I said, we are now just west of Huntsville. Tonight we will be our first overnight at a Walmart. We traveled until 8 pm, had dinner at Cracker Barrel, and then parked & did our shopping at a Walmart Super Center. We don't need a campground since we are out of here early tomorrow in order to get to Red Bay, AL. We are not camping; just parked long enough to get a few hoours rest and then -- c'ya.

Red Bay, Alabama is where our RV was manufactured and we have a couple of warranty items we thought we would get addressed since we are so close. While we are in Red Bay we should have a chance to explore the surrounding area. I hear there's not a lot to do in Red Bay however we'll let you know what we find.

Until then -- See Ya!

Mountain Stream, NC - A Little Slice of Heaven

The mountains of North Carolina are incredibly soothing and relaxing. We had a quiet day in camp today getting caught up on a number of items including e-mail.

Via e-mail I heard that the son of a man I worked with has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. I had the pleasure of working with Allen a number of years ago and he is as hard working, funny and gentle as anyone you will ever meet. Allen's wife & family have always been the center of his universe. His son Denver's cancer is in remission however he has been through a lot.

Allen is in training to ride a bicycle 100 miles in the Sea Gull Century in Salisbury, MD in order to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

LLS does excellent work and all the money raised by them goes to funding research to fight these terrible diseases. We came to know of their excellent work when Mary Lynn's dad was taken from us by leukemia 14 years ago.

You can learn more about Denver & Allen here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/va/seagull08/abridwell

Please include Denver and his family in your thoughts & prayers.

The weather forecast is for some scattered rainstorms here in the mountains. We leave this slice of heaven on Sunday and make our way to Tennessee.

Until then -- See Ya!

Marion, NC: Gem Mining - Day 2

MLA & I said goodbye this am to Bill & Nina (pronounced nine-a here in the South), our next door neighbors. We spent the last several days getting to know them and had a great time. They go together like ham & eggs (here in the south it would be eggs & grits or gravy & biscuits). Wow, I must be hungry the way I'm thinking of these food related analogies.

In any case, they were wonderful people to have the opportunity to get to know. They left their phone number and said if we come through South Carolina to give them a shout, and we just might do that. Love to meet and be around two people who love each other and life the way they do.

That's one of the great things about RV'ing: you get the chance to meet a lot of really nice people. You can stay in your RV and be by yourself if you want however the opportunity to get to know your fellow campers. Well, a chance to get to know your fellow RV'ers; you are not really camping when you travel in an RV like ours with all of the comforts of home. As I'm sure some tent campers say to themselves whenever they see our 'little mobile home' pull into the campground.

I'm the first to agree with them. I did the camping in tents with the kids for years and then we moved to a pop-up. My days (or I should say nights) of sleeping on the ground are over. Unless of course the price of fuel keeps going up. Then I might have to resort to a sleeping bag and a bicycle-built-for-two in order to travel.

After we said goodbye to Bill and Nina, MLA and I hit the road to find another gem mine called Gem Mountain. This was OK but not as good as Emerald Village where we went yesterday. Gem Mountain was more commercialized somehow.

After Gem Mountain we went back to Emerald Village to take the mine tour and get a few pictures which we were unable to do yesterday.

We were also able to make a few phone calls. Our campground does not have any cell phone coverage so we have to travel 'down the mountain' to make cell phone calls. Funny enough we can also travel 'up the mountain' to the very top and get cell phone coverage there; just not in the 'hollow' we are tucked into.

Had a chance to talk with our friend Marcie; she and her husband Terry moved to Reno about two years ago. We were really close to them before they moved and miss them a lot. Marcie called to say she was back in Maryland and wanted to see us but we were not home. Funny how that works out. In any case, good to get caught up with her and of course we told her we would be pulling into their driveway when we go out west.

We've decided to stay here at Mountain Stream RV Campground through Saturday night and leave Sunday. The North Carolina mountains have so much to offer we want to explore a little bit more.

Until next time, See Ya!

Little Switzerland, NC: Emerald Village Mine

MLA and I went to a gem mine today and had a blast. Basically you buy a bucket of ore and then sit at a water flume to wash off the dirt and find the gems.

There are several mines in this area and the Mountain Stream campground owners, Ron and Becky, recommended that we try Emerald Village first. It's relatively close by and Becky told us it would be a lot of fun.

Boy, was she right! Emerald Village has buckets ranging from $7.50 (for kids) up to $1000. MLA and I bought a 3 gallon bucket of ore for $35 and headed to find a seat at the water flume.

Simply scoop some of the ore into a wire screen sifter, dunk in the fast flowing water and look for 'color'. This being our first time we asked for some assistance. The young man's advice was "white and gray, throw it away". If you see color, throw it in your (much smaller) gem bucket. We were like kids at Christmas, ripping into each scoop of material to see what was hidden beneath the dirt and gravel.

So, what did we find? We found lots of Amethyst, Emerald, Smoky Quartz, Citrine, Ruby, Aquamarine, Garnet, Unakite (very unusual orange & green), Sapphire, Amazonite, Rose Quartz, Mica and Moonstone.

All in all we found about 10 pounds of gems. Of course, all of these would require cutting, polishing and setting to be worth anything however it was very cool to see these rough but colorful gems appear in your sifting screen.

Once you have sifted all of the ore in your bucket you take your gem bucket and sort the gems by color. Once you have them in rough piles, you take them inside to a young lady named, appropriately enough, Jewel. She identifies what you have found and, if you want, writes up instructions to have your ''diamonds in the rough' (OK, not diamonds but gems none the less) transformed from their very rough state to beautiful gems. Of course, they just happen to have jewelers on-site who can take your newly enhanced gems and mount them in a rings, ear rings, pendants, etc.

The people in front of us ordered 8 pieces of jewelry for a total of $480 (they already owned the gems). MLA and I did not order any jewelry to be made from our fabulous finds. I thought I was going to get out without spending any more money until MLA found a beautiful setting for ear rings and two large topaz stones. Turns out she wasn't willing to wait the 6-8 weeks to have the stones processed. In any case, they look great on her.

Originally MLA wanted to keep her 'finds' seperate from my 'finds'. That is, until Jewel pulled a large Emerald and two large rubies from my tray. Suddenly, MLA was all about 'one for all and all for one' and wanted to combine our efforts. You know MLA, that's just how she rolls.

We had a terrific time. The weather again was perfect, so good in fact the mountains, normally covered in a light haze, were crystal clear today. You could see at least ten ridges of mountains flowing away from you like majestic waves. Table Rock, about 35 miles away, was easily identified in the distance, including a lot of detail on it's sides.

If you ever get a chance to go to a gem mine, do it and try your hand at finding your hidden treasures. Just watch out for the 'post processing' options. It's easy to get carried away.

As much fun as we had, I now have to figure out what I'm going to do with 10 pounds of rocks. Potentially beautiful gems at some point in the future, however at this point, they are just (heavy) rocks.

Guess what MLA wants to do tomorrow?

See Ya!

Marion, NC: A Quiet Day in Camp

After a couple of exhausting days we decided to take it easy today, enjoying the quiet and solitude of the campground. Only a few other campers here during the week so it's very peaceful. The stream is one of my favorite places; several times I have placed a beach chair right in the middle of the stream and just sat there enjoying the coolness of the water and the sounds of the stream flowing over and around the rocky bottom and shoreline.

Our neighbors are from South Carolina and have that wonderful gentle southern style in their speech and manners. We had a wonderful time just relaxing and talking with them this afternoon and again this evening.

I mentioned previously that MLA had wanted to see two animals on during our travels: a alligator and a bear. We saw the alligator when we stayed at Riverbend just outside of Fort Myers, FL.

Yesterday she saw three bears at Grandfather Mountain. These bears can no longer survive on their own in the wild so they are kept in a special habitat. That said, MLA's 'bear sighting' will have to do until we spot a bear 'in the wild' for her.

Actually, I saw a bear 'in the wild' a few years ago in the Pocono's while staying at Camp Akenac. Jenna & I were stopped waiting to turn onto the road leading to town and just watched as everything unfolded directly in front of us. A good sized black bear came out of the woods into the path of an on-coming jeep. I'd estimate the jeep was going at least 35 mph (speed limit was 45). The jeep hit the bear and, just like in the cartoons, the bear spun around completely at least twice, on his belly with his legs straight out in all four directions. The driver of the jeep started to get out of his jeep and then realized that wasn't such a great idea. Jenna & I certainly were not going to get out of the car. The bear was in the middle of the road less than 25 feet from us.

The bear stood up slowly, shook his head a time or two, and then ambled off in the direction he had come. Straight up an embankment and into the woods, shaking his head just a little, just like we do when our ears are clogged after swimming.

The driver of the jeep and I got out to look at the damage to the jeep. The bumper was bent back to the tire but the jeep was fine other than that. The driver got back into his jeep and drove off down the road, shaking his head just a little, just like we do when out ears are clogged after swimming.

Seeing that bear spin around on the road like he was on ice was an incredible sight. One I'll never forget.

So, even though seeing a bear in the wild is something I can scratch off of my bucket list, I have to help MLA see her bear in the wild.

Tomorrow we go Gem mining here in NC -- Wish us luck.

See Ya!

Grandfather Mountain, NC: A Mile High & Swinging

The mountains in this part of North Carolina are beautiful and today the weather matched the spectacular scenery. We woke up to lots of sunshine and pleasant temperatures. It was a perfect day for riding the motorcycle so that's exactly what we did.

We rode ~10 minutes up the twisting & turning RT 80 to the Blue Ridge Parkway and then headed North. Ran into four motorcyclists all riding the same type of bike I ride when we stopped to take pictures at a scenic overlook. Three men and a women, all riding Harley touring bikes, had driven up from Miami. They started in Cherokee, NC and planned to ride all 469 miles to the end of Skyline Drive in Virginia.

After that we rode to a small village called Little Switzerland. Really no more than several connected stores it's a small and quaint. After a quick bite to eat at a small cafe where the food was delicious, we jumped back on the bike and drove to Grandfather Mountain.

I have this memory from when I was a small boy when we stayed at a friend of my dad's, high up on a ridge. I remember three things very distinctly: 1) the house sat up high on a ridge where the land fell away in front and in back of the house; very steep 2) they kept bees and we gathered honeycombs from the hives and made honey right in their kitchen, scraping the honey and the combs into big canning jars and 3) we went someplace and crossed a swinging bridge. All I could remember from the bridge was that it was a mile high.

For years I've tried to figure out where we were staying and where that 'mile high' swinging bridge is located. No one in my family could remember the details.

Well, I finally figured it out. Grandfather Mountain has a swinging bridge at an elevation of ~5300 feet or "a mile high". As soon as I saw the swinging bridge I knew this was the bridge from my memory. Such as small thing and yet it's one of those questions that's been floating around in my head for years and finally, there's close. I'll definitely sleep better tonight. Just kidding -- but I will sleep well from the short but steep hike up, across and back. Combined with all of the walking we did yesterday I'm exhausted this evening.

Anyhow the view from the swinging bridge and the point of land on the other side was incredibly beautiful. MLA was a little nervous. Not about crossing the bridge; she did great with that. She was nervous about walking the rocks on the other side to the highest point. The land just dropped away all around. Made for spectacular vistas but MLA was holding on to the ground even when she was sitting down. That said, she did it and she did great. And she survived, as I promised her she would.

Afterwards we explored the nature center and the animal exhibits. The animal exhibits consisted of animals that had been injured and were unable to return to the wild. They had three bears, deer, an otter, a cougar and a bald eagle. All were kept in a natural habitat that still allowed us to get a pretty good view of them.

We watched a film in the nature center on black bears and what happens to them during hibernation. Scientists are studying this process because bears have a similar metabolism to humans when they are not hibernating. When they are hibernating they exhibit similar characteristics to humans who have certain illnesses and yet, when they wake up, they have no lingering side effects. Scientists think bears may hold the key to several significant medical breakthroughs, that is, unless we force them into extinction first.

The ride back late in the day was perfect -- all in all a terrific end to a great day.

See Ya!

Asheville, NC: Biltmore Estate

Wow! Words fail me.

How do you describe the Biltmore Estate? Fantastic, amazing, unbelievable, spectacular, outrageous, ritzy, flamboyant, luxurious, opulent are all just poor attempts to describe the Biltmore Estate.

Unless you see it in person you will not believe what an amazing accomplishment building Biltmore really was. And on such a grand scale it stretches the imagination.

Built by George Vanderbilt starting in 1889 it was completed in only six years, with up to 500 skilled & unskilled laborers working on it at any one time. He originally acquired 125,000 acres outside of Asheville, although he eventually sold 87,000 acres to the Federal Government, which became the core of Pisgah National Forest. Well, he started the process and his wife completed the sale after his death from complications following an appendectomy at 51.

The house has 4 acres of floor space spread over 4 floors plus a basement and sub-basement, six stories in all. It consists of 36 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, a 70,000 gallon indoor swimming pool, a bowling alley, a two story library, a full sized gymnasium, living space for many of the single servants, a winter garden conservatory, etc., etc., etc.

Technology was state of the art for the late 1800's: 2 elevators, forced air heating, centrally controlled clocks throughout the house and courtyard, fire alarms, and an intercom/paging system called an enunciator and of course hot/cold running water.

Stuffed to the gills with expensive paintings, drawings, and art work of every description (bronzes, marble statues, etc), much of it commissioned just for the Biltmore.

One of the best things MLA and I did was take the "Behind the Scenes" tour, which takes you into many of the areas not included in the public tours. We opted to do this early and ended up with a private tour; only the two of us signed up for that time. We had our own personal tour guide and were able to ask a lot of questions that we might not have asked in a larger group.

One amazing fact was that most of the land acquired had been overused so much there were no mature trees in place. The landscape architect, Frederick Olmstead (the famed landscape architect of Central Park and a consultant for Yosemite landscaping, among other projects) is considered the father of modern forestry, where you always replant anything that you harvest. He was responsible for a plan that resulted in 2.8 million (yes million) trees to be planted. Today the grounds and surrounding countryside (viewed from the loggia in the 3rd picture) appear to be old-growth forests.

MLA and I had a great time exploring and suggest that is you get within 200 miles of Asheville, NC you make the effort to go to the Biltmore. You can read my (hardly adequate) description, you can read the books, you can go to the web site; however nothing compares to seeing this in-person. Highly recommended. And take the "Behind The Scenes" tour.

Until next time -- See Ya!

Mountain Stream RV Park: Oh Brother Where Art Thou

Yesterday was a somewhat stressful day. Not really but hey, I'm retired and quickly becoming unaccustomed to stress at any level. Today more than made up for it by being completely stress free.

We had a good old fashioned 'gully washer' thunderstorm which meant a quiet day in the RV. It also meant I got my bike washed, finally. After the strongest part of the thunderstorm passed all I had to was move it under the awning and dry it off. Looks great and just in the nick of time; I was embarrassed by how dirty it had become riding on the back of the RV.

It then continued to rain the rest of the day; perfect for reading, organizing, surfing the web, and installing my new printer (HP of course; doing my part to drive the stock price higher). Hopefully I'll see the stock price go up Monday and my 4 shares of stock will really be worth something.

This evening, at the "Prettiest RV Park This Side of Heaven" we had a Pot Luck dinner followed by a Gospel Bluegrass band called Glory Bound. The dinner was superb; always interesting to see the different cooking styles and regional tastes. Delicious.

The band was a lot of fun. Normally MLA and I are not big fans of Bluegrass music but these folks were very entertaining and we really enjoyed ourselves.

So pretty laid back here today -- very pleased with how I reorganized all of the power cables for computers, printer, and the digital picture frame Scott gave MLA for Mother's Day. All in all a very good day.

Tomorrow we are headed (early) to the Biltmore Estate. I can't wait to show MLA; it's truly something you have to see to believe.

Well, the stream is really up and making a lot of noise -- should be great sleeping tonight. Most of the rocks in the picture above are now under water.

Until tomorrow -- See Ya!

Marion, NC: Mountain Stream RV Park

Mountain Stream RV Park outside of Marion NC calls itself the "Prettiest Little Park This Side of Heaven" and I think they may right. This is one of the nicest campgrounds we've stayed at so far. Most of the sites, including ours are tucked into the bend of a, well, a mountain stream. Big surprise, huh?

What is a surprise is is how nicely the owners have merged the sites and the stream. The back of our RV is literally 10 feet from the stream; just beautiful. And the sound of the stream is so soothing; really looking forward to sleeping with the bedroom windows open tonight so I can let that stream lull me to sleep.

The campground owners, Becky & Ron have owned the place for the last 5 years and have made a number of much needed improvements. Their first year was a tough one; they were visited by 3 major hurricanes with massive amounts of rain that destroyed half of the sites along the stream. Rebuilding the sites was an opportunity to make the park even better by integrating site and stream. Nicely done.

What a day. MLA and I left Virginia this am and it seemed one thing after another went wrong. First the kids called to let us know the garbage disposal is still not working. We just had a new on installed last fall as we were preparing to sell the house and it started leaking last weekend. Scott & his girlfriend's dad found the leak, ordered the part but when they went to install the part on Thursday the whole unit quit working. So we talked Scott through his options and then got underway.

The roads out of the Virginia mountains did not agree with the Google & Mapquest directions. Several times we found ourselves on the wrong road (or thought we were) and had to turn around. No easy task for a 38 foot RV with a 4 foot motorcycle lift plus a 3 foot tow bar and then another 16 feet of Honda CRV. Let'a see: 38 plus 4 plus 3, divide by 12 to convert feet to inches plus carry the remainder. OMG - it's longer than a football field or at least it feels that way. Oh, and you can't use reverse; no backing up unless you disconnect the toad.

Then we needed air in one of the RV tires which should not have been a big deal but it was for some reason. First the compressor I bought cannot handle the 120 psi required for the RV's tires. Fine. I'll stop at a gas station. Of course none of the regular gas stations have a compressor that reaches the tire in need of air OR their compressor does not have enough 'umph' t0 get to 120 psi. Fine. I'll go to a truck stop; the stock market is up today so I can top off the diesel while I get air. Found a truck stop (finally) called Homer's. Must have been Homer Simpson.

Pull in, negotiate the loan necessary for filling up with fuel, pump the diesel and pay. I ask the guy at the counter "where's your air station to pump up a tire" and he tells me they don't have one, have to go to the repair shop around back. Pick my way through the potholes and the 18 wheelers parked everywhere to the shop in the back and the guy tells me "his hose won't reach". I know he just doesn't want to help so I tell him " it sounds like a personal problem" and drive off.

Decided to just head to the campground and I'll scout the stations this week so I can get air when I leave next week. No problem.

Pull off of RT-40 at the appropriate exit and get lucky; Maybe the day is improving! There's a WalMart and a grocery store right there. Quickly get the ice and groceries we need. Then I put them away while MLA runs to get us some take out to eat for dinner. Just as she's about to order the power goes out. Not only in the restaurant but everywhere, including the signals controlling traffic out of the parking lot. The parking lot quickly clogs up and starts looking like the DC beltway during rush hour.

Finally escape through a back entrance, make our 'last' turn onto the designated road. GPS says you will arrive in 7 miles. First thing we see is a huge warning sign that says something to the effect of "Warning, Twisting mountain road ahead starting in 4 miles. Trucks/Large Vehicles should avoid".

Talk about narrow, twisting roads with drop-offs on one side and solid rock cliffs shooting up on the other. White knuckle time; MLA's talking to the dog telling Dobbie she didn't pick this campground and she can't be to blame if we leave half the RV hanging from one of these rock walls. I love her confidence in me; of course my yelling at the oncoming cars to 'get on their side' is probably not helping to build confidence.

What a day. What a day.

All that being said, once we finally arrived and set up camp you can see it's beautiful here. Unloaded the motorcycle so we can take advantage of these "great for motorcycles, not for the RV" roads around here. We want to see the Biltmore House and I want to take MLA gem mining. Plus there are lots of things to see around Asheville and the Parkway.

Until next time -- See Ya!

Goose Point Park, VA: Last day in Virginia (Fot A While)

Our last day and night at Goose Point Park on Lake Philpot in Virginia. In fact, if all goes well its our last day & night in Virginia for awhile. We are headed for Mountain Stream RV Park in Marion, NC.

I mapped out the directions on Google Maps and on MapQuest. Wouldn't you know they give different ways of getting to the same place? Which one is best? Who knows. But we'll get there one way or another.

Mountain Stream RV Park is a small RV Park in the mountains of North Carolina about 20 miles from Asheville and the Biltmore Estate. They give a warning about the last 5 miles before you arrive at the park -- watch out -- it's a dangerous road with lots of twists and turns. If it didn't come so highly rated by people with the same size RV's I'd avoid it; I'd be concerned we wouldn't fit. However, others have done it so we'll do it as well.

I mentioned I want to take MLA to the Biltmore Estate. Looked at their web site only to discover tickets are $45 each. Wow - I've been there before but that was paid for by the company. I did see that Dads get in free on Father's Day so we'll shoot to go there Sunday.

It's going to be the first time I've spent Father's Day without being with my kids so I anticipate that as being a little weird. I mean, who's going to insist I make pancakes for everyone to celebrate Father's Day? Who's going to insist we buy a bushel of steamed crabs to celebrate Father's Day? Who's going to ask me to grill steaks for dinner to celebrate Father's Day? Who's going to ask me to take them for ice cream to celebrate Father's Day?

Oh well, I'll figure out something. Seriously, even though MLA and I are having a great time I DO miss my kids --- just don't know what to do with all this free time!

See Ya!

Smith Mountain Lake, VA: A Place to Retire?

MLA and I have said from the beginning that one of the reasons for us to see the US in a RV is to help us identify the best place for us to retire. Where's that special place that balances our very diverse list of 'wants' and 'needs'?

On the water, natural beauty, woods, seclusion/privacy, sunsets, little/no maintenance, closeness to relatives and friends. cost of acquisition, cost of living, access to medical & cultural facilities, state/local taxes, etc.

So we have decide to investigate possible places to retire as we travel and see the US. There are so many great places to consider. Not sure if it would be year-round or if we would do the snowbird thing. Who knows?

In any case, today we explored Smith Mountain Lake, A large lake in south-central Virginia. A local realtor provided more than enough information on properties for sale. We walked in for a map and some information and walked out with info on ~100 properties for sale. Spent the day exploring the lake. Found a lot of new developments and expensive communities. While nice, I'm not sure that's what we want.

While there are areas on the lake that were developed a while ago, many of these are mobile homes in pretty sad shape. People are buying the properties and tearing the existing structures down to build new. Not looking to do all that although MLA and I have bought houses that needed a lot of work/upgrades and can do a lot our self.

The lake itself is spectacular, a beautiful mountain lake. No Lakeside Creamery (our favorite ice cream store in the whole world located at Deep Creek Lake.) or anything like it.

Plus, if we found a place that needed a little work we could park the RV on-site and live there while we refurbished the property. In the past we would have been considering flipping houses but now all I'm looking for is a place for us to live in retirement.

No hurry, and as I said, it's a great activity to add to our RV Adventure as we see the US. I can see one thing already. We need to be ruthless about what information we pick-up/keep or file. Given the current real estate market, Realtors seem so appreciative that someone is looking to buy.

Some day -- See Ya!

Greensboro NC: Dinner With Kathy and Jack

We drove over to Greensboro NC this afternoon to have dinner with our good friends, Jack & Kathy. I worked with Jack for years and he is one of the funniest people I know. His wife Kathy is just as funny and tells a pretty good story herself. Jack and Kathy have a beautiful home on the outskirts of Greensboro NC and we enjoyed a relaxing visit there before we headed off to dinner.
Dinner was great and we sat there laughing at each other's stories for hours. When we got up to drive Kathy & Jack home, MLA and I realized we would not make it back to the campground before the gate was locked.

We dropped them off, taking long enough to enjoy looking at Jack's motorcycle, a Honda 600 Shadow. It's beautiful and Jack enjoys riding a lot. Sounds like he is thinking of trading up to the 1100 or a Goldwing (Honda's top of the line touring motorcycle). Both have bigger seats than the 600 which has a pillion pad (about the size of a small bible although not that soft) and would allow Kathy to ride behind him.

When MLA and I arrived back at the campground sure enough the gate was across the road and locked. Most campgrounds provide access via a key code however no such luck at this park. So we parked the car outside the gate, gathered up our stuff and started to hike in to our RV. Felt like we were sneaking in after curfew -- what fun!

Sure enough the campground host came out and told us to move the car back as far as possible. Now the campground host could have unlocked the gate and let us in but instead she wanted us to re-position the car. Our car was pulled all the way over and there was plenty of room for RV's to get by and through the gate. Rather than debate the point however I simply walked back and moved the car back as far as possible -- about 10 feet. Apparently this satisfied her because she was nowhere to be found when I got back to MLA. Too funny -- felt like we were being punished for missing curfew. Had so much fun I told MLA I want to miss curfew tomorrow night as well.

At some RV Parks the gate is a long way from the actual camping sites however we were lucky this time -- it's a short walk from the gate to where our RV is parked. All uphill but that's exactly the exercise needed after dinner. The gate is unlocked at 6 am so I'll set the alarm to move the car.

In any case, no big deal -- and as always, Kathy and Jack kept us laughing the whole time we were together. One of the great things about RVing is you get to see your friends all across the country.

Bassett, VA: A Graveyard for Old Buses

In the Arizona Desert, just outside of Tucson, there is a graveyard for airplanes. Some people call these bone yards or long term storage but eventually, most of these planes will have the most valuable parts salvaged, such as engines, gauges, copper wire, etc, and then be cut up for scrap metals, mostly aluminum. You drive along the hi-way and the planes lie neatly sorted by type over a vast area. And I'm talking big planes, airliners, lined up as neat as can be. Given the ideal desert conditions (except for snakes and scorpions), these planes can sit for decades with minimal deterioration.

Well, driving along the hi-way into Bassett, we found the same type of graveyard for buses, dozens and dozens of them, lined up side-by side. Apparently this is where old, worn-out buses come to die. A few may be recycled, that is purchased by a church or an RV'er who wants to build a custom RV on a bus chassis. Most of these buses appear to have many, many hard miles on them. I would guess most of these diesels have at least 500,000 miles on them before they are retired, many have much more. Any unit selected for recycling would need to be fully re-built, but for someone dreaming of a bus based RV, this is where you would pick up your base unit.

Driving along in some of the most scenic areas of Virginia and then you happen upon this bus graveyard. The picture above was the only place I could safely pull over and take a picture. It doesn't fully capture just how many buses are here.

Not the only old, dilapidated items we found out here either. Both MLA and I have been surprised at the number of businesses that are now closed, windows shuttered, and the buildings and grounds allowed to deteriorate. Always been hard to make a living out here. The few factories they do have are mostly in the same industries like furniture or clothing. And its a common occurrence for these factories to manage their expenses by laying people off for a few weeks and then bringing them back when business picks up. Even when the economy is good its hard to make a living here.

Really makes me appreciate just how fortunate I have been to have a career in the computer industry while it (and I) were growing up. Sometimes it's hard to fully appreciate everything you have been given but I am thankful for my family and for the career that allowed me to support my family.

Even if they didn't like me at my old company -- I tell people they must not have liked me at my old company because they paid me to leave!

I've told anyone who asks, I don't miss everything about my old company, mostly I just miss the people I had the good fortune to get to know and call them my friends.

Until next time -- See Ya!

Fairy Stone State Park, VA: The Legend of Fairy Stones

A small Virginia State Park named Fairy Stone State Park is close by to our campground. The legend of the Fairy Stone is as follows:

"Many hundreds of years before Chief Powhatan’s reign, fairies were dancing around a spring of water, playing with naiads and wood nymphs, when an elfin messenger arrived from a city far away. He brought news of the death of Christ. When these creatures of the forest heard the story of the crucifixion, they wept. As their tears fell upon the earth, they crystallized to form beautiful crosses."

These Fairy Stones are made of Staurolite (a mixture of silica, iron, and aluminum) which, when under great heat and pressure, crystallizes at 60 or 90 degree angles, giving the stones a cross-like structure. The stones were believed by many to have superstitious power, protecting the owner against witchcraft, sickness, accidents and disasters. It is said that President Theodore Roosevelt, President Wilson, Thomas A. Edison, and Colonel Charles Lindbergh, carried one or more of these little lucky pieces.

The stones are usually shaped like a St. Andrew’s cross, an "X," but "T" shaped Roman crosses and square Maltese crosses are the most sought-after.

MLA and I have an interest in gems and minerals. Actually we have an interest in digging for our own gems like they do on that Discovery Channel show called cash & treasures. We've kept our eyes peeled for any of these 'lucky' stones however no success so far.

I said Fairy Stone State Park is close by; it's actually right next door to our Corps of Engineers Campground. However our COE campground is at the end of a five mile roller coaster of a road, so to get there takes about 20 minutes by car, maybe a little less. This State Park is the repository for more Fairy Stones than any other (known) place on earth.

There's not a whole lot of interest (color, sparkle, $$$ value) to these stones but it is very cool that these rocks/crystals form such a unique configuration.

Looking out for lucky charms in Fairy Stone State Park, Virginia -- See Ya!

Goose Point Park, VA:

We are literally "camping in the treetops" here at Goose Point Park in Virginia, maybe 40 miles southeast of Roanoke, VA.

Our friends Millie & Clifford, have a home located on a very similar plot of land. The back of the property drops down a steep slope for about 50 yards and then it gets steeper. The net result is your home/deck is level with the treetops of some very large pine and oak trees. It's a spectacular feeling and a terrific view.

I remember when Millie & Clifford first moved into their cabin. It was very cozy however a bit dark. Mary Lynn, Millie, Clifford and I spent a weekend at the cabin cleaning and tearing down a room that had been hastily built on the back of the cabin, blocking light from a very large picture window. Tearing down that room changed the cabin so dramatically you couldn't tell it was the same place. With that room torn down, sunlight streamed in to the cabin, showing all of the cabins potential and it's very good bones.

Millie & Clifford added on to that cabin and have refurbished/polished every square inch and have transformed it into a lovely home. However, I'll always remember the way the original cabin radiated warmth and coziness after we demolished that room.

It was a great weekend with a lot of great memories. All terrific memories except for one incident. Being young, stupid and 'in love', I didn't hesitate when MLA asked me to close my eyes and open my mouth for a surprise. Turns out MLA & Millie found some green cherries (age unknown) when cleaning out the refrigerator. The only thing worse than the taste of that old green cherry was the itch that accompanied the rash all over my body. To this day I avoid the aisle at the supermarket where they display cherries for sale.

Other than the rash, what I remember most from that weekend was the sheer beauty from the sights and sounds of being located so high up in the treetops.

This campsite has brought back all of those memories. Despite the heat somewhere in the mid 90's, it's much cooler at our site than elsewhere in this area. The sound of the wind through the treetops will put you to sleep faster than some of my old speeches. The trees occasionally tease you with a glimpse of the lake below us.

While exploring this area we stopped to see a new log home model. MLA and I know we want a small retirement home, preferably on a lake/river some day. Part of the reason for seeing the US by RV is to find out where we want to settle down, once we decide we want to settle down again.

Turned out to be a log home model for a whole development of log homes. Every home a log home, with minor variations between the individual homes. Something is just not right about having a bunch of log homes all together in a development, even a small development of maybe 30 homes.

My mind's eye image of a log home has always included a (single) cozy log home, wispy smoke slowly trickling from the chimney, sitting at or near the top of a hill with woods all around and long sweeping views down to the lake. While this development was in the woods, the homes where all too close together, and there was no lake/river/pond; not even a large puddle.

I mentioned the heat. When the humidity and temperature was at it's highest (~94 degree's and humidity close to that number) it felt more like we were in the jungle heat rather than a mountaintop. That said, I'll take the heat. MLA has already informed me we will no longer be spending the winter 'up north'. Florida, South Texas, and Arizona are her targets for our soon to be annual migration.

Looks like we'll be staying here through Thursday and travelling towards Ashevillle NC on Friday. I have some great memories of Asheville and can't wait to show MLA that beautiful area, including the Biltmore Estate.

Swinging in the treetops until next time -- See Ya!

Bassett, VA: Camping On Top Of The Mountain

We moved from New Market VA to Lake Philpott just outside of Bassett Virginia. We are at the Goose Point Park campground, which was developed by the Corps of Engineers when they built the dam that created the lake. We heard about the lake via a fellow Tiffin owner who raved about the park's beauty and lack of crowds, at least during the week. On the weekends during the summer and shoulder seasons, most campgrounds are completely full.

We researched the campground on-line and several people described it as beautiful but hard to get to due to the twisting, narrow, and hilly road. Had me concerned all day thinking about the last portion of the drive. Turned out to be twisting, narrow and hilly. But if you take your time and keep the RV away from roof-shredding low hanging tree limbs, and away from the wheel-swallowing gullies that substitute for a road shoulder and away from the locals in paint-scrubbing trucks who all seem to be driving quickly down the middle of the road while towing a wildly swaying trailer of some sort, well hey, no big deal.

It did take a little bit of effort to park our 38 foot RV (plus the 4 feet of motorcycle lift) onto a spot designed for a maximum of a 35 foot long RV.

Look closely at the picture of my Harley. It's, suspended a good 12 feet off the ground & embraced by the soft upper branches of a pine tree. To get 42 feet of camper into a 35 foot spot all you need is OUT+BACK technology: Overhang Utilization Technique + Basic Air Cycle Kit. Looks like we not be riding the motorcycle until at least Sunday. That's when we will be moving to a waterfront site for most of next week.

We'll be exploring this area. Passed through Roanoke, VA on our way here and it looked interesting enough to drive back 55 miles to explore. Smith Mountain Lake is only an hour away. Greensboro NC is about an hour away. Won't be spending much time in Bassett; it looks like a hard-scrabble little town that has definitely seen better days.

Looks like I gotta go. Another camper just pulled in and is setting up camp. Of the 20 or so sites in this loop on top of the mountain, they are the first to arrive (besides us). By sunset tomorrow, all of the sites will be taken. Gotta go help him back in; people usually thank you with a cold adult beverage if you keep them from hitting a tree. Sometimes they give you a cold adult beverage just to get you to shut up and go home. Either way, it's all good.

MLA just gave me one of those 100 calorie snack packs. No wonder it's only 100 calories; only six cookies in the bag and all are smaller than a quarter. Taste like quarters too.

Until next time, I'll keep hiding Harleys in the bushes for you. See Ya!

New Market, VA: Tornado Warning Until Midnight

How hard did it rain? It rained so hard the animals started lining up two-by-two. So hard that someone changed the campground's name on the sign out front from "Mountain Valley" to "Port of Mountain Valley".

Of course, all of this hard rain was caused by me upsetting the Ying and Yang of the universe.

You may know I carry my motorcycle on the back of the RV using a special lift. The lift works great, however, due to a little snafu, the cover for the motorcycle did not arrive before we left home. My Harley, which has never spent the night outside unless I've been riding it, is now completely exposed to the elements.

So of course, the Ying & Yang gods called forth a massive thunderstorm to teach me a lesson (which lesson I'm not quite sure). In any case, all of the good people in the Shenandoah Valley suffered massive amounts of rain, thunder, lightning and a few tornado warnings because I ordered the wrong type of cover initially and the replacement did not arrive in time before our departure.

An uncovered motorcycle is a lightning rod for bad weather and in this case it has worked perfectly.

To escape the storm we spent a big portion of the day underground at the Shenandoah Caverns. Cave attractions never cease to amaze me. Spectacular and other-worldly scenery enjoyed in constantly cool temperatures. Water dripping and seeping over almost every square inch of rock surface. Monotone tour guides who have given the 'speech' so many times and sound so bored they might be early versions of Disney's animatronics (I looked for the off switch on today's grandmotherly tour guide more than once). The colored lights the cavern operators insist on using, as if the beauty of the caverns themselves wasn't quite up-to-snuff. The signs warning you not to touch under penalty of law, except they were held up by what can only be described as Christmas elves. Never fails to fascinate me.

Not to mention lightning quick thoughts that pop unbidden into your head as you descend further and further into the cave: 1) How did the first people explore this cave before electric lights, paved walkways, etc.? 2) What would happen if we lost electricity due to the storm raging 300 feet above our heads? 3) Would the light from every one's cell phones be sufficient/last long enough to get out of the cave? 4) What sound (if any) did the 200 ton boulder make when it fell from the ceiling? 5) How firmly attached are the massive boulders currently hanging from the ceiling over your head?

You know, all those fun questions that race through your mind. You don't say them out loud for fear of looking, well, fearful. All in all they are beautiful and spectacular rock and mineral deposits created over the eons, only recently discovered by man. Make that, discovered by boys.

The two brothers who found these caverns in 1884 were 12 and 14 years old. When these two felt cool air rushing up from a small hole in the ground they went home for a few supplies. When they came back, with a rope, candles and matches, they climbed 150 feet down via a tight and twisting shaft. They explored the immediate area and then, using the rope climbed 150 feet back up to daylight. Turns out most caves/caverns are discovered by young teenage boys, because as we all know, young boys know no fear. Some say you don't know true fear until you are married, have kids, a full time job and a mortgage.

This area of central Virginia is beautiful, with the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop where ever you travel. Lots of small communities and friendly people. Found a great diner called the "Southern Kitchen"; been in business for over fifty years. Plenty enough time to perfect the recipes. Good eating at a reasonable cost. Even tried some of the Country Ham. Delicious but I can only consume relatively small quantities because it is so salty.

We are staying here another (rainy) night and tomorrow will head further south. We have heard about a campground at Philpot Lake, VA called Goose Point. Built by the Corps of Engineers, it is supposed to be hard to get into but worth it.

On the road for you keeping an eye out for cool and deep caverns, beautiful scenery, good eats and friendly people... See Ya!