Touring Indiana Farm Country

Set off late morning to explore the area. Our plan was to see some covered bridges and small towns. Mansfield was our first stop - not much action there - the townspeople are getting ready for the annual covered bridge festival that covers a whole big area and draws about 2 million people in 10 days - I'm glad we avoided that!
We got on a country road and started driving - there are thousands of acres covered with corn stalks that are to be harvested and also soy beans. This is a very serene place and exactly what you would think a farm area would be like. I really enjoyed it. So we looked at the map and took a little detour to Bridgeton, the County Seat. Beautiful huge county courthouse in the middle of a town square of which many old buildings have been restored. Went in to a few antique shops and then I spotted a bakery; the owners are former Northwesterners from Portland, Oregon. We had a nice conversation with them and we decided to have lunch there - stuft green pepper, cole slaw, homemade roll and cake for $4.95.
We stopped at a few more small towns. The roads wind thru fields of crops and have some crazy twists and turns - you never know what's up the next rise of the hill. Some of the roads are like roller coasters. So my perception of Indiana has changed a lot - this area that we are in has been a pleasant surprise. I thought the land would be flat and there would be nothing to see; turned out to be a fun day. Tomorrow morning we head for The Windy City. - Joyce

Crawfordsville Indiana

Arrived in Crawfordsville at 6:00p.m. Somewhere along the way we crossed back into the eastern time zone again and lost an hour. We had breakfast in Tennessee and left Loretta Lynn's at about 9:45 a.m. We crossed into Kentucky about 11:20 a.m. and had lunch there, then we crossed into Indiana about 3:30 p.m. and had dinner there.
We are in farm country in Crawfordsville, and the campground seems nice. We will just check out the local area tomorrow. This is old ground, so I'm sure that there will be an antique shop or two in the vicinity. They also have several covered bridges in the area, so we will check them out. Will get some pictures to add tomorrow.
Good to hear from all of the cruisers, and we hope to see all of you next year.
And Ron, your Dodgers play the Cubs in the first round I understand. Now, since my favorite manager is with the Cubs, you're on your own.
Ernie

Sunday in Smyrna Tennessee

We went to Smyrna on Sunday to visit with cruise friends Karen & George. We had a very nice barbecue lunch and met a couple who moved to Smyrna from Oregon.
Karen's daughter and family stopped in briefly. With 5 kids, it made me tired just watching them.
After lunch we played a card game called "Hand and Foot". It was the men against the women, and we were told that the women always win. Even with Karen keeping score, the win streak was broken!!
When it was time to leave, it was discovered that the Amazing Race was on, so we stayed to watch it. We dined on more southern cuisine during the show. We said our goodbyes for now, and drove back to Hurricane Mills in the dark.
Now we are fixin to head for Crawfordsville Indiana. With that we will say goodbye to the southern hospitality we have been extended and continue heading toward the Northwest.
Ernie

Sunday in Tennessee

Just like being at home

Where's the Hound Dog?

In the campground

Lorreta's old tour bus with our motorhome next door

Sunnny Sunday morning in Hurricane Mills. Weather forcast calls for 83 degrees today. I will be able to continue my run of wearing shorts exclusively, except for the 2 nights on the cruise when we had to "dress" for dinner.

Gail & Randy (Seattle friends)were here yesterday for an hour or so. We had a nice visit.

Today we are going to catch up with George & Karen (Cruise friends) and they are going to take us on a sight seeing trip around Murfreesborough, which is a Civil War site.

Tomorrow we will be heading out for Indiana. We were originally scheduled for Cave City Kentucky, but changed our destination to make our trip into Chicago easier on Wednesday.

That's it for now, Ernie

Saturday Morning Hurricane Mills Tennessee

Arrived here at about 4:30 p.m. Mapquest directions had us heading off into the boonies on a gravel road. Luckily a man that lives there spotted us and got us pointed in the right direction.
Apparently we had been the 3rd RV today that was headed for Loretta Lynn's Ranch and had to get turned around, which is not easy to do in a 38' motorhome towing a car. But we made it!
Gail and Randy got into Nashville last night. Sounds like they're staying about 5 minutes from us. We will try to get together this morning.
Went to the Wal Mart last night for groceries, and found "country ham" in the meat case.
Picked up a 1 pound package. Will try it later.
Cruised around the complex last night. This place is huge and very scenic. Loretta Lynn is having a concert here tonight, and we may go.
Anyway we need to get moving, so will add pictures later.
Ernie
P.S. We drove past the town of Bucksnort getting here!

Our Day in Eastern Tennessee

Covered bridge in Eliabethton, TN

Sign in Bristol, TN - this one's for the Jones'

End of summer wildflowers on museum grounds

The RV park we are staying in -we have taken a picture of all the RV park

signs starting with Hermiston, Oregon (way back when, or so it seems)

Hmmmm- can I explain this one? "To the stockades!" This was in front of
courthouse in Jonesborough, TN.

This is Ernie and I after a day out......

We had a busy day. Went to Rocky Mount Living Museum; it's a museum where the guides are dressed in colonial garb and are 'in character' to tell you about daily living back then. We learned a lot about that time period that we didn't know esp. that people back then were very resourceful and clever about using items for more than one purpose. A lot of the phrases that have been handed down over the years came from this time such as "cut thru the red tape": back then legal papers were bound in red cord and tied in a knot; if the knot was untied or string cut, the owner of the papers knew they had been cut.

Went to Jonesborough - had a nice lunch and walked around and took pictures. Then drove to Tipton-Hayden museum where we had our own personal tour by a guy who was a walking history book. There was also a cave on the property that has been used by people from the Ice Age onward - it starts out very narrow and then opens up into a large cavern (we didn't go in). This area has a lot of rocky outcroppings that are scattered all over. The glaciers left their mark here. After THAT, we drove to a few other towns and by then it was 6:30 p.m. - back to our covered wagon (that's just to be in character with our day) -Joyce

Jonesborough/Bristol etc.

Spent the day checking out the area. It is very pretty here. It's kind of like Western Washington, but more rolley hills, and a lot less people. Very green (but not in a political way).

Gail and Randy, I can see why you like it here.

We went into downtown Bristol, but nobody had a copy of "the Bristol stomp". (Did I lose anybody?) Tomorrow we are off to Hurricane Mills Tennessee, I don't care too much for that name any more. We are staying at Loretta Lynn's Ranch. We will be there until Monday A.M.

Still haven't had the country ham, but hope to in Nashville.

Just can't wait to get on the road again, Ernie

Thursday morning

I just figured out how to rearrange the pictures so they don't screw up the text!!! See Joyce's last post. Went in this morning and added pictures, and they are where we want them.
It is sorta overcast this morning, but I think that the forecast called for it. We will just be cruising around Bristol/Bluff City today. We will Probably go back to the Ridgewood Barbecue at some point today as I need to try the country ham. But right now, I'm still pretty full from last night. So with that said, it's time for coffee and a muffin, and then time to explore.
Ernie

Bristol & Bluff City, Tennessee

Today we spent most of our time driving the 300 miles to above cities. It always seems less tiring when we drive under 400 miles in a day. On our way here, we drove over some mountains, the first time we'd seen any since Texas. I think they were the Blue Ridge Mountains and could have been part of the Appalachia Mtns - I couldn't tell from the map. The Virginia countryside is beautiful with rolling hills, lots of green open fields, horses, cattle. The mtns are thick with all kinds of trees. The area where we are now is similar but seems more open - there are sweeping valleys and hills and the hiways are wide and gently curved. Last night in Virginia was cold; we woke up and put the heat on. It felt like Fall and the tree leaves are just beginning to turn color. It seems warmer here - got to about 80 today and has cooled down a lot tonite, but not chilly - more like summer weather. We stopped at the Welcome Center on the border entering TN. I think it was new; it was built to look like a frontier home; the siding was stonework, windows had shutters, inside was real homey, plus it was huge and there were hundreds of brochures on things to do.
We have heard so much about the Ridgewood BBQ here in Bluff City over the years from Gail and Randy that we felt as tho we were going to an event:). It was packed with people but we got seated right away. Very good, very authentic, lots of locals. It was off the beaten path so we would never have known it was there if we didn't have inside info!
We spent the rest of the evening stopping at the store for some supplies, then doing laundry. Most of the laundry rooms in these RV parks are clean and well maintained. Even tho we have a washer/dryer in the RV, it is extremely slow so I just use it for towels.
We are in the Lake View RV Park near Boone Lake - it is very nice and very clean. They rent boats at the lake during the summer and also have a pool and small cafe on site.
I think we'll go in to Bristol tomorrow and see what the town is like. We'll get an idea of where Randy used to hang out in his youth - there is also a lot of new development in the area, just like everywhere else. - Joyce

Westward Ho the motorhome (Or as Jan & Dean sang "Bluff City here we come)

Wednesday evening, Bluff City Tennessee.
Made it here at about 4:00 p.m. It is now 5:15, and I am ready to head for the Ridgewood Barbecue. I've been anticipating Ridgewood ever since the bad Barbecue experience in Charleston. They did have a good mustard sauce tho)
Ridgewood closes at 7:00, so we need to head out soon. I will update this post after dinner.
Ernie
9:00 p.m. stuffed to the gills, and another meal worth of barbecue in the fridge. Deffinately the best we've had on this trip. I had the barbecued pork platter with sides of baked beans and slaw, with a glass of sweet tea. Joyce had the barbecued pork sandwich, with a side of beans and a coke. Thought the sauce was a little on the sweet side, but I got a quart of it to go!
We need to go back tomorrow to try the country ham. Been looking every where for it, but Ridgewood is the first place I've seen it on the menu.
Tomorrow is another day, Ernie

Fredericksburg Virginia

Spent Tuesday in Fredericksburg. We need at least a couple more days for this place (we probably could spend a week). The amount of history here is unbelievable. We took a trolley tour that lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes, and saw so many sites that it would take a couple of days to investigate them all further. Old Fredericksburg goes back to the 1700's, and over 80% of the buildings are still there, and original (No reproductions).
George Washington grew up here, his mother is burried here, everybody who was anybody in the 1700's and 1800's has some connection here. There are thousands of Civil War casualties burried in the cemeteries here,
As I write this on Wednesday morning, we are preparing to head out to Bluff City Tennessee where we will spend 2 nights before heading to the Nashville area, where we hope to connect with Gail and Randy, and with our cruise mates Karen and George.
So now it's off to Tennessee, Ernie

Arlington National Cemetery

The cemetery pretty much consumed our day, as it should. It is hard to grasp the fact of all of the great people who are burried here, and what they did for all of us.
We started out visiting the Kennedy gravesite with the eternal flame. Just off to the left is Bobby's site. I have wondered for decades what would have been had they been allowed to complete their mission. ( Especially Bobby in the 1968 mess) Or would we even have been there had not JFK been assasinated?
Another important person for me was Medgar Evers, who was gunned down in his driveway in Mississippi in 1963. That was when I had just graduated from high school, and was very interested in the civil rights movement. I had considered going to Washington D.C. during the Freedom Train movement, but didn't have the nerve to do it.
Then there is the resting place for Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier from World War 2.
If I remember correctly, he was 5'4" tall.
The list of the well known goes on and on. And there are many thousands of heroes here whose names we don't know.
We watched the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknowns.
We toured through the Robert E Lee mansion that the Arlington Cemetery property was once part of.
All in all, for me this is one of the highlights of the trip. It certainely makes you think.
Tomorrow we will tour the Civil War sites that we are surrounded by here in Virginia.
Ernie

Arlington National Cemetery

Photos

Virginia Is For Lovers

I didn't just make the above title up; there are bumper stickers at the welcome centers that say this, so thought I'd start with that. Left Myrtle Beach 9 a.m. and arrived at "Little Country Campground" around 5:30 pm. In between we drove thru North Carolina. Virginia is a very pretty state - huge ferns and a lot of foliage which is similar to what's in Seattle. Big houses on lots of land - brick and colonial style. So much history with Civil War battlefields all over. Driving the last 7 miles to get in to the campground off the main hiway was interesting because it was a very narrow winding road with all kinds of twists and turns and up and over rolling hills . The last mile of the road we made a sharp right turn and I thought we were going to end up in the church graveyard, but the road just paralled it and kept going. We are way back in the countryside somewhere - it's very dark out and I just stepped outiside for a minute and saw stars, satellites and some unidentified blinking lites...hmmm- it was time for me to get back inside! Ernie BBQ'd our entire dinner tonite - chicken, green beans and red potatoes. Time for a Klondike bar! - Joyce

Virginia

A few starter pictures

Myrtle Beach Saturday

Finally made it into the water!! The water is warmer than any I have seen before, even Hawaii.
When we got to the beach the caution flags were flying. We had no idea why other than the fact that the surf was pretty strong. Upon entering the water to approximate waist deep, something with a fin protruding out of the water swam by about five to ten feet in front of me. I backed up to about knee deep and scanned the surface for about five minutes. There were no more sightings, so I went in without incident. Joyce opted to stay on the beach.
We spent about an hour at the beach, then returned to the RV park for lunch.
After lunch we returned to the main part of the beach area and checked out the shops. Everything is in some state of decay in this area, but this was probably the place to be 20 or 30 years ago.
The strangest thing here is the number of over the top miniature golf establishments. There must be at least 10 of them in a five mile stretch along the main highway thru Myrtle Beach. I refer to them as miniature golf on steroids. I tried to take pictures as we drove past them. Pictures are attached, but they don't do justice to the subject. They have mountains, waterfalls, African Safari themes, etc.
Anyway, tomorrow morning we head to Virginia, to continue our adventure.
Ernie

More Myrtle Beach pictures

Pictures from today. See post above.

Myrtle Beach again Saturday morning

In the future we will publish pictures seperately from our text to avoid the problem with the fractured text. In the future, please note that these items will be seperated.
After breakfast we will probably check out Myrtle Beach as yesterday we were in North Myrtle Beach. We also went inland to Conway yesterday to check that out. Funky little town with antique stores. (we fit right in) Stopped at a old cemetary and found several civil war casualties burried there.
We stopped into a new housing development just to get a handle on prices. We looked at a new 1300 S.F. rambler with a 2 car garage with a list price of $159,000. This is a 3 bedroom 2 bath without any upgrades. Not bad for the money!
Anyway, we will continue on our journey with a move to Charlotsville Virginia tomorrow.
Ernie

Just Pictures

Just trying something different to see if I could post "pictures only".