Continuing our Northerly Trek (6/14-6/21/2023)

We had a quiet 2 day stop at Claytor Lake State Park in Virginia as we followed our path north.  It was an enjoyable, quiet stope right up until Mike was airing up the front tires before our departure. When I went to replace the tire pressure cap (my contribution to the process), air was rushing out and just kept coming.

Of course, I yelled for Mike to come over and see what was wrong.  We just had new front tires put on before we left on this trip.  Mike was able to slightly tighten the stem and stop the air rushing out, but unsure what was wrong with the valve or stem, he thought we should have it checked.  We scrambled to contact a local semi-truck repair place in the small town of Dublin, VA.  They said they would look at it first thing if we would come on over. They looked it over and verified that nothing was wrong with the stem.  Mike had corrected the problem when he tightened it.  Oh well, we hooked up the Jeep and continued on down the road. 

Our next stop was at Caledonia State Park in Fayetteville, PA.  I chose this stop as it was close enough to tour Gettysburg nearby.  The state park was very woodsy and had a very steep incline to get up to our loop.  Our site had a significant slope and a cement barrier at the back.  This was going to be interesting. 

We have driven up on wood to get level before, but this slope was beyond challenging.  After several attempts and frayed nerves, we manually leveled as best we could.  We considered looking for another campground, but between it being a weekend in the summer and how much further we would have to drive, we tried to make this work.  

The next morning, Mike said to me through the open door of the RV.  "I don't want to alarm you, but you need to put up the jacks and we need to go get some more wood."  Our best from last night would need to be improved.  We drove about 45 minutes to an 84 Lumber so Mike could get the type of wood needed to use as leveling supports under the tires and jacks.  He hand cut (with a $10 Walmart handsaw) these thick boards to size and we set about re-leveling the coach.  We were still at a pretty wicked front to back angle but we would be secure for the remainder of our stay.

Once we felt comfortable that we would not roll down the hill while we slept, we visited Gettysburg  three times while there.  

We visited Spangler Farm, a restored field hospital that was used in the civil war battles that raged in the area.  The volunteer docents were spread throughout the dressed in civil war era clothing and spoke to the various medical needs and procedures used here.  Sobering. 

We spent a full day with an audio car tour of the Gettysburg Battlefields and Cemetery.  The information was thorough and educational.  We also spent about a half of a day at the Gettysburg Museum.  There were so many artifacts and informational signs to read we were both exhausted at the end of the tour or maybe it was just the weight of the history of that place. 

The Caledonia State Park also had trees that were raining sap down on Ruth, the Jeep and everything else along with some very unpleasant large black ants.  I won't go into the details, but they were plentiful and rather nasty.  

We had thoroughly toured Gettysburg, had some kick-a** brisket for lunch at 65 South BBQ  it didn't look like much on the outside but the brisket was top 5.  Mike solo hiked a little more of the Appalachian Trail and we decided to move on a day early and head to Corning, NY. 

The Great Smoky Mountains (6/17-6/14/2023)

I had heard very good things about The Ridge Outdoor Resort in Sevierville, TN.  It is nestled between the two tourist trap towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.  In previous trips we had been to both of the other towns and pretty much vowed never to return.  While we did have to pass through a time or two on our way to other places, we did avoid the touristy areas pretty well. 

This was a lovely, very large camping resort with plenty of space between sites and well over 100 total sites.  The property had a pool, hot tub a lazy river and fishing pond. We got an end spot on a small circle at the top of the property and it was perfect for sunset views.   

There were about 6 sites on the hill with full fireplaces,
grill and a hot tub.  We did not have one of these sites,
but they were full the whole time we were there. 

We were traveling on a Wednesday and we had hoped that the weather would cooperate for us to ride our bikes on the Cades Cove Loop in the Great Smoky Mountain State Park.  Each Wednesday they close the loop to cars and you can ride your bike without the fear of being run over.  Mother Nature rained on us though and instead we wound up at a singer/songwriter night at The Listening Room.  

We rode our bikes on the Greenway trail that was accessible from the resort.  It was mostly sidewalk, not really bike path along a roadway.  It wasn't all that much fun.

A 30 minute drive from the RV park and you were welcomed to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.  We headed into GSMNP to drive Cade's Cove loop and to find the 11 mile gravel road (only open in the summer).  The traffic was extreme and did not make the drive on the loop that enjoyable.  The 11 mile road peeled off about a third of the way around and so down the mountain we went.  This was out first encounter with a black bear, saw more than 4 while here.   After 11 miles of switchbacks, a milkshake was in order on the way home at The Chocolate Bar in Townsend, TN.

Crossed the road right in front of us like we were not even there.

We played some pickleball at lovely courts in the local park and had lunch at one day at the English Mountain Trout Farm.  You could catch your trout and they would fry it up for you or, as we opted, you can skip the catching part.  It was fun to watch the families there catching fish while we ate outside at a picnic table.  Fun, quirky little stop.

Fried green tomatoes were also on point. Cool stop.

We went back to GSMNP two more days, once to do the drive and hike to Clingman's Dome and to revisit the full Cades Cove Loop.  After a strenuous hike UP, we were treated to some beautiful views. We then hiked a small part of the Appalachian Trail as it was near the Clingman's Dome return hike.  The early morning hike to Clingman's Dome was pretty cold when we started out but we wanted to start earlier in the morning to avoid the traffic jams.  We saw a few more animals (more bears) and had a little better experience on Cades Cove Loop than our first attempt.  We used the GuideAlong app for GSMNP and it was helpful with interesting facts and recommendations of what to see throughout the park.  

Clingman's Dome Observation Deck

We were busy every day and the week went by quickly.  Definitely more to do here, but got to keep on movin'. 

Jazz and Lobster 2023 (6/2-6/7 2023)

 That actually would be a good name for a band, but that is a topic for another time.

  

We are back out on the road in Ruth for our escape from the Florida summer heat with stops in Rochester, NY for the Jazz Festival and Rockland, ME for the Lobster Festival plus the journey in between.  We departed on June 2nd and we have been so busy working our way up North that I have just now had time to post.  

Florida is a long state and it takes about a whole day of driving to hit the state line and make our way to our first overnight in Cordele, GA.  Over the years traveling I-75, we have passed Carroll's Sausage and Country store in Ashburn, GA.  We had never stopped until now.  Well, we quickly saw what we had been missing.  

Pictured is a pork chop stuffed with
sausage and wrapped with bacon.
Yes, it was delicious. 

It had a nice size dirt lot to park Ruth in for the visit.  They actually even have RV spots, but we already had plans to be further up the road for the night.  The store was a purveyor of pork, beef,  cheeses and many other fresh looking items.  We stocked the freezer with sausages, bacon, frozen cathead biscuits and prime rib meat sticks.  If you are driving by this place it is a mistake.  Stop and fill your cooler.  You won't be disappointed. 

We stopped for the first time at a Love's Truck Stop RV Hook Up.  Right off the interstate adjacent to the Truck Stop.  We were pleasantly surprised by the facilities and we did not find the truck stop noise to be bothersome inside Ruth.  A bit pricey for an overnight, but overall a B+ experience.  We would use them again for a convenient one night stopover.  

What was a bonus was the Smoakies Bar-B-Que within walking distance of the truck stop.  We got a take out of brisket that was just out of this world along with some first rate fried green tomatoes. 

The next day of driving on a Saturday would require us to drive through the badlands of Atlanta on our way to Ellijay, GA.  Ellijay is the "Apple Capital of Georgia" (never knew of such a designation before) and is at about 1,280 feet of elevation. This may not sound like a lot after our past two years of travel out west, but it was enough elevation to get some cooler temperatures than we left behind in Florida.

After the drive through Atlanta and a 50 min traffic delay through Marietta, GA.  4 lanes were dead stopped, I drove about 5 feet at 1mile per hour on I-75 so Mike could take a "comfort" break in the middle of the jam.  I can now say I drove on I-75.  Talona Ridge was a delightful and much needed first landing spot. 

The RV resort was beautiful, amenity rich and nestled among the apple orchards and vineyards of north Georgia.  We met up with some friends in the nearby town of Dahlonega, GA and had a lovely walk through town, a delightful lunch at Monteluce Winery and enjoyed watching a thunderstorm arrive accompanied by live music at Kaya Vineyards.  It was a lovely day and great catching up with friends. 

This stop also presented the opportunity to visit Amicalola Falls. 175 + 475 steps later we viewed the falls from the bottom to the top and even touched on a piece of the Appalachian Trail.  Kind of challenging for my first hike since last summer, but we made it and it was worth it. 

We haven't returned to most of stops, but this one may make the list to return to in the future. Next stop, The Great Smoky Mountain National Park.