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. 

Breckenridge, CO (6/29-7/12/22)

How is it possible for one place to just be more beautiful than the next?  It seems like every time we change locations on this trip, the landscape creates another canvas we haven't yet experienced, only about 75 miles. 

Tiger Run is one of the most recommended parks to stay in the Breckenridge area.  I scored a two week reservation by stalking the website 6 months to the day before our planned arrival.  The park ended up living up to the hype on location and the grounds for sure.  We have never been snow skiers so the towns of Winter Park, Frisco, Breckenridge, Vail never held much interest for us in the winter, but I would come back in the Spring and Summer again, amazing. 

The weather was cool and pleasant until the afternoon rains threatened, but they were light and just made everything green and smell fresh.  We had read about all the miles and miles of bicycle trails in this area and while we did take advantage of our bikes, the afternoon pop up rain made it a little more dicey.

We found some very populated pickleball courts in Silverthorne.  We had some good games there in the cool mornings.  We saw some great live music in Frisco at the Highside Brewery.  We are not beer drinkers, but the bartender let us try various brews until we found something we could drink.  We were also lucky enough to attend a free Saturday night concert at the Dillon Amphitheatre.  A gorgeous venue perched right at the edge of Lake Dillon.  

When arriving at Breckenridge, we notice a small oil leak underneth the Jeep.  Mike was able to get a service appointment to have it looked at in Silverthorne on July 5th.  This will turn into a long and difficult fiasco throughout my upcoming posts.   The dealer kept the Jeep for a few days so we were relegated to bike riding.  The aftorementioned bike trails were definitely fortuitous. 

We rode our bikes into Breckenridge and Frisco on more than one occaision as our Jeep was at the dealer awaiting parts. We enjoyed a tour and tasting at Breckenridge Distillery one afternoon and rode into Frisco for lunch.  Both times we made it back before the rain got us.  

Bought a bottle of their Gin, it was smoooooooth. 

We roamed around a fine art festival and took a lovely walk along the river near Tiger Run.  We probably would have planned more activities but were a bit hampered by the Jeep situation.  Nevertheless, Tiger Run was an exquisite spot to relax, enjoy the cool mountain weather. 

Our next stop takes us literally through the Rocky Mountains via the Eisenhower Tunnel to three state parks just south of Denver.  

I hope Ruth hasn't gotten any taller.😲

Rocky Mountain National Park - (5/29 - 6/28/22)

Wow, has it really be over a month since my last post?  I guess so.  The drive from Fruita to Granby Colorado was once again resplendent with the most gorgeous of landscape.  Every mile of chisled rock and winding river seems feels like a talisman that you can experience, but a sole person cannot possess.  It is going to be hard to drive through Kansas on our way back to the Southeast.

We arrived in Granby, Colorado in the shadow of the great Rocky Mountain National Park and a just ahead of a brewing storm.  We just got the basic utilities set up when sideways rain and pea-sized hail chased us indoors for cover.  The storm blew through quickly but left a lingering cold front which actually brought more sleet and even a far amount of snow on our first full day.  This was a bit of a surprise, but we had risen to almost 8,000 ft of elevation.  The snow was quite beautiful as it settled and stayed on the mountain tops of the Rockies for several days into our stay.

Yep, snow on the windsheild of the Jeep

We made our way to see Winter Park which was in a bit of a hiatus period between the snow skiing season and the summer season.  It was quiet and a bit eerie with all the ski lift chairs just hanging in the air, abandonded until next season's powder returns. Did have a killer Reuben sandwich at Randi's Grill and Pub though.

We were lucky enough to meet up with my cousin Adam and his son, who live in the Midwest, but were visiting friends in the Denver area.   We met for a lovely lunch in Idaho Springs, CO.  Idaho Springs is a quaint mountain town just off I-70.  Adam was coming from the Denver area and we took the Berthound Pass (~11,000 ft) over the Continental Divide.  There was a trememdous restaurant called MTN Prime nestled in one of the town's many old frontier buildings from the 1800's.  After lunch we took a lovely, sunny stroll along Clear Creek.  It was such a treat to get to see them. 

The weather was cold in the mornings, warmer in the early afternoon and very, very windy late afternoons and early evening.  We had coats and sweatshirts on a lot and did not sit outside much due to the wind.  We had a lovely, semi-private campsite, but did not spend a great deal of time enjoying it.  We did find a good group of folks to play pickleball with both at the resort and in the town of Granby. 

The Sun Outdoors Rocky Mountain Resort has terrific amenities with diverse overnight stay options.  We enjoyed live music a couple of times each week and did enjoy the hot tub once.  We also found a good group of folks to play pickleball with both at the resort and in the town of Granby. 

On our first trip into Rocky Mountain National Park, we were met with snow about 1/3 of the way up to the Alpine Visitor Center.  We had our packed lunch in a small sunny clearing at Irene Lake, but the lake was not visible due to the snow.   We were lucky enough to see some elk and moose on our travels.  We enjoyed a riverside cocktail at Historic Grand Rapids Lodge to cap off our day.

As this was a long stop, Mike took care of some of Ruth's maintenance items while we were stationary.  We fit a few short day hikes in and explored the surrounding towns of Grand Lake, Fraser and Tabernash.  Took a lovely pontoon ride around Grand Lake on one of the warmer days.

It has been delightful to be able to meet up with friends while on the road.  Our friends from St. Louis, who spend part time in our same condo building in Florida add a few days on the front of a trip to Steam Boat Springs to hang out with us in Granby. 

The weather was improving in temperature, but there was still significant wind everyday.  We played Canasta when it was unpleasant outside and competed in the "Granby Olympics" when the weather was more coopertive.  Unaware that Granby had Olympics?  Well, Mike just made the whole thing up, too much time on his hands.   The "Games" were made up of Giant Jenga, Corn hole, bowling (at the mini alley at the resort), 8 hole putting green, bocci and a rousing game of Skeeball in the arcade.  The teams for each event varied and it was definately competative and yet silly at times.

Winning combinations.  We couldn't get a pic on the
putt putt course as the wind was too severe.  Fun times. 

The day we picked to hike in the Rocky Mountain National Park started out sunny and breezy.  Our first hike was turned back by remaining snow that had become icy and too slippery to traverse.  We regrouped and found another hike along the Ute Crossing Trail.  We reached the end of the trail turnaround point and lazily munched out trail mix in the presence of a large, yet seemingly friendly marmot.  We watched some dark clouds begin to roll in and began to return at a slightly quicker pace than our outbound trip.  Thunder in the distance moved closer and the storm clouds rained down with pea-sized sideways hail and rain for the last 1/3 of our hike.  We were freezing and wet, but stopped at Sagebrush in Grand Lake to fortify ourselves from the experience. 

We did have a lovely day of UTV riding through the edges of the Rocky Mountain National Park.  Although the East Troublesome fire had caused significant devestation in the area, it is always amazing to see how nature heals itself from within. The aspens were still plentiful and there were red Indian Paintbrush flowers blooming everywhere.  The trails were not super technical, but challenging and enjoyable as we weaved through the forest.  Our friends continued on their travels.

As luck would have it, the Granby Rodeo was in town every Saturday in June.  This one was packed on the night we attended.  Lots of local families out enjoying the local and regional cowboy/cowgirl displays of skill and agility on horseback.  The mutton busting competition for 5-8 year olds was the highlight of the night.  

Our last weekend in Granby was punctuated by the Blues from the Top festival in Winter Park.  Rain had been forecast all week, but it held off through the first few acts that we wanted to see.  We enjoyed the environment and the blues music of Bette Smith and the Southern Hospitality Band.  We enjoyed quite a bit of live music throughout out stay in Granby which is always a bonus for us. 

We are headed to two weeks in Breckenridge next. See you around the campfire.