Have you wondered how we get where we're supposed to be when we're supposed to be there? At the beginning of this blog, I mentioned that we'd spent months planning this trip. It was fun trying to figure out where to stay, how long to stay, what to see, what not to see (interest of the group prevailed), then get reservations made, and, of course, the maps and guidebooks. Once compiled, how to best use it. I used our GPS extensively (notice it's pointed at the passenger rather than the driver), kept notes in my day planner, had a 3-ring binder with all reservations, the route, sightseeing info, etc., had a packet I made to hold state and city maps (thanks again, Judy), and two U.S. road atlas books. I started out with one road atlas, but it pulled apart at the binding edge and kept dropping pages, so I "had" to get another one. John wondered out loud periodically if I was having trouble seeing out the window over the "pile." The "pile" is also the reason why some of my pictures have a reflection in them.
Staunton, Virginia
Walnut Hills KOA
Have you ever tried to get a reservation at a hotel or campground for the July 4th weekend with only a day's notice? It’s not the easiest thing I’ve ever done. It requires lots of telephoning, Internet searches, and just plain grovelling! And, you don’t always get the best sites, either. The one we got in Staunton doesn’t have full hookups - no sewer connection - again, so we’re all going to have to be careful! That means no running water for dishes - fill the sink to wash and fill the other sink to rinse. The boys will need to go to the camp restrooms, too.
Our original plan was to be in Williamsburg, Virginia for the 4th of July. I really thought that would be appropriate. But, we’re all tired and stressed out and cranky and in tourist overload. To top it off, John hasn’t been feeling well for several days, so we decide that we need to turn our little tour group toward Texas. I spent a few hours plotting our new course and schedule, which necessitated cancelling reservations at Williamsburg and changing dates with all of the RV parks along the route home. Luckily, they were all great about the changes, and we are now working our way southwest toward Texas.
We’ve found ourselves in Staunton / Walnut Hills KOA campground, located in the heart of the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, for the 4th of July celebration. This campground is full - not a single available space. I understand from the owners that all of the KOAs have seen higher than normal bookings over the summer months than in the past several years. Apparently people are doing more traveling closer to home. We’ve met campers in several of the campgrounds that are less than 50 miles from home. A number of grandparents have taken the kids to the local KOA to spend a weekend or a week to take advantage of all of the fun things the campgrounds have to offer kids.
Debbie and I went to the store for supplies - hot dogs, potato salad, beans, strawberry shortcake fixings, and s’mores supplies, just in case.Then, it’s laundry time again - how do we go through so many clothes?
The campground is providing fireworks by the lake, so everyone is taking their lawn chairs and sitting out under the stars to see them. We all gathered down by the lake at 8:00 p.m. for the show.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!
Wytheville, Virginia
Wytheville is our next stop on the trek home. When we checked in, they told us that we could have “trailer service” from their grill if we didn’t want to cook dinner - hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, and drinks. Not a bad offer, but we decided to go to the gameroom where the grill is and sit there. The weather is still warm, so eating in the air conditioned building was certainly my preference. They’ve configured this room to cover all the bases for the kids - miniature golf, games, baseball pitching, softball pitching - all in covered comfort in the heat of the summer or the cold snow of winter. The burgers were good. We thought they would be small, so ordered two patties on ours - then couldn’t eat them.
Josh, as usual, has taken his bicycle and is out searching for fellow travelers his age who are into video games or football to play. He’s had good luck since we started our trip finding kids around his age to play with. He’ll be along later for his dinner.
Tomorrow on to Chattanooga.
Chatanooga / Lookout Mountain, Tennessee
Our next stop on the grand tour is Chattanooga, Tennessee. We had decided to spend an extra day here to see the sights and rest up a bit. This is another KOA RV park, and the owners sure have a sense of humor. Check out the signs they have posted on the road in.
Debbie had some school work she needed to complete for one of her classes, so she decided she’d stay at the TT and concentrate on that. Josh wanted to go to the Dragon Museum and I wanted to take a ride on the Incline Train that goes to the top of Lookout Mountain. John decided to go along with us so he could ride the train - our second train ride this trip.
While we were riding the train, we got some history of how it evolved. On November 24, 1863 the Battle of Lookout Mountain was fought on the slopes of Lookout Mountain. The majority of hand to hand combat took place near Cravens’ house about halfway to the summit. Lookout Mountain’s unique shape and location can in some conditions cause a unique weather phenomenon. After dawn, fog will descend from the cooler mountain top to the valley below and stop about halfway down. This interesting natural occurrence took place the day of the battle and is the reason for its romantic name, Battle Above the Clouds. Following the Civil War, development on Lookout Mountain was minimal. The four-hour trip up Whiteside Pike, a toll road, discouraged many people, and the two-dollar toll discouraged the rest. However, many people were interested in visiting the peak, in part due to the romanticized “Battle Above the Clouds” (more) that occurred on the mountain during The Civil War.
During the railroad boom of the 1880s, speculators decided to develop a hotel on the mountaintop serviced by a narrow gauge railroad that would run up the mountain. A second, broad-gauge line and an earlier incline were also competing for passengers.
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| Chattanooga through glass top |
On November 16, 1895 the railroad known today simply as “The Incline” opened, rising up the steepest part of Lookout Mountain. Built by John Crass and the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway Company, this technical marvel boasted an incline of 72.7% at one point, making it the steepest passenger Incline in the world. Literally millions of residents and tourists have taken this ride up to the top of Lookout Mountain. By 1900, the success of this railway closed down all of its competitors.
Originally the cars were made of wood and powered by huge coal-burning steam engines. Electric power was used after 1911, and it now uses two 100 horsepower motors.
We started our trip at the bottom of the mountain. You can’t tell from the picture, but we are pulled up the mountain backwards. We’ll go back down the mountain facing down. It makes for a very interesting trip! The two cars counterbalance each other, so as one is going up, the other is coming down. They always meet at the midway point.
Our next stop was the Dragon Dreams Museum. Josh has had a great interest in dragons ever since he was much younger, and asked especially if we could go there to see what they have.
Dragon Dreams houses a unique collection of dragons that have been accumulated since 1975. Thousands of dragons of all types are on display in eight rooms. There were unusual, one-of-a-kind antiques, delicate porcelains, hand-crafted figurines and furniture. We also saw dragons made of wood, silver, jade, ivory, pewter, porcelain, and fabric.
It was amazing to see the variety of items embellished with dragons. The diversified items range from modern fantasy dragons to medieval style dragons to exquisite oriental designs. The collection is a mixture of modern to antique.
While John and I found it interesting, I think Josh was pretty disappointed. The museum was more about how dragons had been used to embellish than what he thought he was going to see. He did seem to enjoy looking at all of the weapons that had been carved with dragons.
Then it was back to the TT to see how Debbie was doing with her schoolwork, have dinner, and get ready to head out again.
Birmingham, Alabama
Road construction, traffic accidents, and delays kept us from getting into Birmingham as early as we had planned. Plus, the ever-present rain! We hadn't planned originally to stay in Birmingham, so I hadn't checked into what we could see here. Everyone is anxious to get to New Orleans, though, so we'll not stay more than overnight. And, it is HOT!
We did a little cleanup this afternoon. We'd driven over some really bumpy roads and a few things had "shaken out." That means that things were thrown out of the bathroom closet all over the floor. Luckily, nothing else was emptied, so it didn't take long to restore order. I think I forgot to mention that on the trip between Boston and Washington the freezer emptied out. I usually double check all doors, drawers, and refrigerator doors to be sure all are securely latched before leaving, but I got distracted. Since it was a long leg of the drive, we didn't go into the TT for anything and didn't realize what had happened - lots of thawed meat, popsicles and ice cream melted (yuck!), etc. Isn't camping fun!
When we checked in at the Birmingham South RV Park in Pelham, Alabama, the young lady was talking to one of the other campers about their experience at Joe's Italian Restaurant. She highly recommended we try them - and save room for dessert! So, off we went for dinner. Their pasta was great, the dipping oil for the bread was out of this world. And she was right - the desserts were awesome. We each ordered something different and all shared. Unfortunately, we were all so intent on the cakes that I forgot to take a picture. But here's the main course - spaghetti and meatballs for John and me.
Then, back to the TT and get ready for the next leg of the trip.
Meridian, Mississippi
We've stopped at the Meridian East/Toomsuba KOA in Mississippi. Josh was looking forward to this RV park since It has a giant (550') water slide - all of the fun of a water park without having to leave home. LOL They also have a "regular" swimming pool, so there are two different areas for the kids to swim. We passed on making use of it. Debbie went swimming - said something about her head being too full of studies and she needed some R&R.
I have to mention here that we've stayed in some pretty neat RV parks and some okay ones. None have been bad, just different ideas on what to provide campers. The KOA parks are by far the best. While they all have certain similarities, they each have something unique to their owners and their areas of the country to offer. We've enjoyed getting to know their staffs and making use of their facilities. Josh has checked out many of their jumping pillows, swimming pools, football fields, and all of the kids he has met across the country. His Facebook page is seeing the results of that! What, you don't know what a jumping pillow is? Doesn't that look like fun!
Today is another laundry day. Just think, in a few days I'll be able to wash without quarters! Tomorrow we go to New Orleans, one step closer to home.
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