Family Time

Finally made it to Pittsburgh and having a wonderful time with the grandkids over Memorial day weekend. Dinner with Chris and Kids friday and Monday. Getting ready to head to Washington to see the gang there and celebrate Alta and Snoopy's 50th Wedding Anniversary.

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia - National Historic Park

What a pretty place! Harper's Ferry sits in a little triangle where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers converge in a cut in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Everywhere you look is pretty. And when you visit the historic site everything is old and full of history. Thomas Jefferson was here and also this is where Meriweather Lewis provisioned for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. But the most significant event was John Brown's Raid on the national armory to get guns to help slaves rebel. He was captured and hung but some say this was the start of the civil war.

There are so many buildings from the 1700s and 1800s and each has a story to tell. Like what the provost office was like and the dry goods. Two good museums with videos of the history of the town and also John Brown's Raid. The park includes several short trails to the Jefferson Overlook, the canal and railroad. Not to be missed if you are in the area.

Today we are at Shenandoah State Park and did a nice river and woods hike at 8 am this morning. For those that know me you know there had to be a reason for me to be hiking this early. It is 93 degrees and close to 93% humidity. The morning was lovely, blue skies and already warm but by the time noon got here it was already hot and sticky. Sitting at Starbucks now in the air conditioning with an iced coffee. Cool!

Shenandoah National Park & Luray, VA

Shenandoah National Park's main feature is the 100 mile long Skyline Drive. It is similar to the Blue Ridge Parkway but with the Shenandoah Valley alongside it has different scenery. The undergrowth is different too with lots of lovely ferns. Most of the park was built by the CCC "boys" in the 1930s and the park has a great video on that effort. It reminded me of my Dad and the time he spent in the CCC in Nebraska.

There are overlooks and hikes everywhere along the drive and two visitor centers. Big Meadows is the main one with lots of information, hiking and even lodging. We had dinner one night at Skyland which is the highest point on the parkway and a terrific place to stay a couple nights or just have dinner.

Our homebase was Luray VA which is an historic town. Nearby is Shenandoah River State Park which is a fantastic state park on the Shenandoah River (duh) with miles of hiking trails and beautiful facilities. Great Place ! The weather is nice most mornings but by late afternoon the clouds roll in and usually thunder and lightning. Fortunately, it is rare for there to be tornados in the mountains which makes us very happy after seeing the awful news about the lives lost in Joplin, MO.

End of the Blue Ridge Parkway & Monticello

We were kinda sad when we finished the Blue Ridge Parkway. So many beautiful views and fun hikes. Lots of historic sites to learn about. And tons of azaleas, dogwood, rhodies, tulip trees, and mountain laurel. Spring is a great time to drive the parkway and the only better time would be fall when all the deciduous trees turn colors. Our fabulous find at the end was Sherando Lake Campground. It is a forest service campground and we had full hookups yea! Two lakes, miles of bike and hike trails, panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains right from the window of the coach. What more could you want? We did a great 5 mile hike up to the parkway and back to the campground following a creek with lovely little cascades and riffles.

From Sherando Lake it was a short drive to Charlottesville. An historic town where Thomas Jefferson founded what eventually would be the University of Virginia. Toured Monticello, had lunch at the 250 year old Michie Tavern, and then had fun on the walking tour of historic Charlottesville. John finally found the Horton wine that he had been searching for at a cute wine shop in a cellar in old town. Great old courthouse and homes that are over 200 years old. And to top it off it was a sunny, gorgeous blue sky, 80 degree day after lots of days of storms. Fantastic!

But how lucky for us that the Blue Ridge ends right where Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park start. More lovely views and historic displays that the park does so well.

Blue Ridge Parkway and Philpott Lake

Amazing views, hikes, and sights to see on the blue ridge parkway. Loved the hike to Linville Falls. Lots of history too. The weather was stormy a couple days out of Asheville. One day it was so foggy that we couldn't see 10 feet ahead so we figured we might as well take a break and hang out on a lake at a Corp of Engineer campground ($11.00 per night). We got so lucky when we found Philpott Lake. Beautiful sight looking over the lake with a kildeer bird nesting next door. Other than that there was hardly anyone there during the week. Caught up on chores, errands, and good books.

From Philpott Lake it was a pretty drive to Hillsborough NC which is a cute historic town. We walked the tour of 11 revolutionary homes and churches and were amazed at how many have survived for over 200 years. But the main reason to go there was to meet old friends Carole and Bobby for dinner. I worked with Carole at NWN Gas 30 plus years ago and even though they moved to North Carolina we have managed to stay in touch and see each other when we are within a couple hundred miles of each other. Wonderful italian dinner with them that lasted 3 hours. Long drive home but worth every minute.

Today we finally had some sun and headed out on the parkway again with a nice little hike along the way. Tomorrow we dry camp at a National Park campground at Otter Creek and get in a good long hike. After that Shenandoah National Park and Thomas Jeffersons home at Monticello. Life is good! but I sure do miss Izzy and family.

Walking Tour of historic Asheville

What a cool city and walking tour. Bronze statues everywhere :

Asheville North Carolina is a very cool place

Pictures: hiking on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Carl Sandburg's home near Asheville, Cades Cove in Smoky Mtn National Park. Cades Cove is an historia area of subsistance farmers.

So much to do here. Blue Ridge Parkway, Pisgah National Forest, The Biltmore Estate, Folk Art Center, historic downtown Asheville, the North Carolina Arboretum and hiking and biking everywhere. Love love love this place! More details and picture are coming.

Great Smoky Mountains NP and Pigeon Forge

Well here we are in Pigeon Forge and Dolly comes to town for her annual homecoming parade on Friday. Now ain't that jes grand! Found a nice campground (Creekside) and explored the area. It is like a continual carnival. Dollywood, Jurassic Park Ride, Ripleys, zip lines, aquariums, and shopping shopping shopping. One big tourist trap but a fun one especially if you bring kids.

And then there's the Smokies. Miles and miles of peaceful drives and hikes. What a beautiful place. We stopped at the Visitor Center where they have a nice video explaining how the ice age stopped just before the Smokies, pushing the flora and fauna of the whole NE into this area. There are more species in the Smokies than in all of Europe and the scientists are still finding new ones every year. The diversity is incredible. And there is beauty to match. The sunlight filtering through spring green hardwood trees onto the Little Pigeon River is lovely especially after the storms. The view from Clingmans Dome (6600 ft) was like you see in photos with the 'smoke' hanging over the ridges. Actually it is the trees 'breathing' that causes the smoke like feeling, and pollution in recent years. The Old Grist Mill is a pretty place and worth a stop to see how they made flour using the power of the river. Terrific day! Tomorrow is going to be stormy so will check out the town and go see the Dixie Stampede.